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WXGA+ v. WUXGA+: Power consumption

post #1 of 34
9/21/06 at 6:55pm
Thread Starter 
When I was customizing my Dell Inspiron E1705 online, I had to choose between the regular (WXGA+) screen and the TruLife (WUXGA+) screen. A friend told me that the TruLife screen had a higher native resolution and drew more power, thus shortening the battery life. Is this accurate?

When I ordered the E1705, I selected the regular screen instead of upgrading to the TruLife screen. After receiving my notebook, I saw a TruLife screen on another notebook and had to admit that the image quality was greater on the TruLife. True, the reflective quality of the TruLife screen can be a little annoying, but in a dark environment, it's easier on the eyes.

Unfortunately, every Dell representative I've talked to so far has told me that it's not possible to upgrade the screen unless I buy the TruLife screen separately (which would cost over $400). Bummer. My only consolation is that upgrading to the TruLife screen would have raised the price of the notebook another $200 and my parents were already so kind to buy me a notebook for college graduation.

To anyone shopping Dell notebooks: Go to a store, take a look at the difference between regular and glossy screens, and then order your notebook.
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post #2 of 34
9/22/06 at 2:50pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Peretz
A friend told me that the TruLife screen had a higher native resolution and drew more power, thus shortening the battery life. Is this accurate?

It's probably accurate, but from what I've seen from someone who measured the power draw from the LCD, it's around 6W. Given a CPU with 30W and a GPU with 40W (not sure about the exact figures), I dont think different LCDs matter very much. 1 or 2 W?
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post #3 of 34
9/22/06 at 4:32pm
The difference would be too minimal to notice IMO... the backlight is what eats most of the power.
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post #4 of 34
9/22/06 at 4:50pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by whackamac
The difference would be too minimal to notice IMO... the backlight is what eats most of the power.

qft - the backlight in both screens is pretty much the same and is what draws most of the power. I doubt there would be any noticeable difference between the two screens because of this.
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post #5 of 34
9/22/06 at 5:04pm
I can see a noticeable difference in light between my e1705 (WXGA) and my M1710 (WUXGA). I have tried to see if the WUXGA screens are identical between the to models but haven’t found any information. But I much prefer the brighter and clearer view on my M1710. Even out of native resolution on my M1710 (1440-900) I still think it looks better than my E1705 at the same resolution.
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post #6 of 34
9/23/06 at 4:53am
I don't care how much more battery my WUXGA consumes. This screen is simply gorgeous and it is here to stay!
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post #7 of 34
9/24/06 at 10:36pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by .PoNeH
I don't care how much more battery my WUXGA consumes. This screen is simply gorgeous and it is here to stay!
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post #8 of 34
9/24/06 at 10:59pm
Just to help quantify things:

Assuming that m94mni's numbers are accurate...

1 watt difference against a 83 watt-hour 9-cell battery would equal an extra drain of 1.2% of the battery per hour.
2 watt difference = 2.4% of the battery per hour.
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post #9 of 34
9/24/06 at 11:36pm
All in all, get WUXGA!
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post #10 of 34
9/25/06 at 8:19am
Too bad they don't have WSXGA available. I've got WXGA (well, had when it worked) and a WUXGA and both are nice, but a resolution right in the middle'd be perfect, I think.
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post #11 of 34
9/25/06 at 1:05pm
Why? In the world of resolution, the more the better... ALWAYS! You always have the option of reducing your resolution if you want to anyways.
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post #12 of 34
9/25/06 at 7:11pm
Yes, you can reduce the resolution, but it's not going to look as good as the native resolution. Some ppl are fine w/ a small loss- I'm not one of those ppl
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post #13 of 34
9/25/06 at 7:33pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by FriedToast
Yes, you can reduce the resolution, but it's not going to look as good as the native resolution. Some ppl are fine w/ a small loss- I'm not one of those ppl
Agreed. The too high resolution is what's keeping me from buying a gaming laptop. WUXGA at its native resolution is just too much for the latest games.
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post #14 of 34
9/25/06 at 9:57pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by SomethingFunny
Agreed. The too high resolution is what's keeping me from buying a gaming laptop. WUXGA at its native resolution is just too much for the latest games.
I thought that too but I can't deal with lower resolution. I know you can't max out all the eye candy but the wxga screen is horrible... the viewing angles are unbelievably (did i spell that right?)bad.
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post #15 of 34
9/25/06 at 10:12pm
You guys are insane. WUXGA is just amazing.
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post #16 of 34
9/25/06 at 10:12pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by codek
I thought that too but I can't deal with lower resolution. I know you can't max out all the eye candy but the wxga screen is horrible... the viewing angles are unbelievably (did i spell that right?)bad.
Well hopefully they offer a new screen solution. WSXGA would be perfect for a 17" notebook, especially if it had truelife. I'd probably salivate over that, haha.
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post #17 of 34
9/25/06 at 10:56pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by SomethingFunny
Well hopefully they offer a new screen solution. WSXGA would be perfect for a 17" notebook, especially if it had truelife. I'd probably salivate over that, haha.
i think that would be awesome but i think the dx10's will be able to handle the 1920x1200 no problem with max settings.. i mean max settings.
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post #18 of 34
9/25/06 at 11:14pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by codek
i think that would be awesome but i think the dx10's will be able to handle the 1920x1200 no problem with max settings.. i mean max settings.
I wouldn't say that. No first generation set of cards have ever really handled their new DX setting at very decent frames per second. GeForce 3 - Doom 3 at max settings? No. ATi Radeon 9700 - Half-Life 2 + HDR at max settings? No. nVidia GeForce 6800 - Farcry/Oblivion HDR/AA max settings? No. Although, I will admit that the G80 is looking very... interesting. I wonder when an incarnation of it will make it to the laptop market?
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post #19 of 34
9/26/06 at 3:51am
Quote:
Originally Posted by .PoNeH
You guys are insane. WUXGA is just amazing.
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post #20 of 34
9/26/06 at 4:24pm
I actually returned a wuxga+ screen and next one i will get the wxga because I cant handle that freaking large resolution

i guess if you have perfect eyesight its fine i dont like to lean and squint at my laptop

i wish they would make a freaking trulife 1440 screen...... when u reduce the large resolution below its native it does not look as good for sure i couldnt even function with it at native resoltuion so that is just pointless for me i wear contacts so
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