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Received New Inspiron 1720 today - DISAPPOINTED

post #1 of 41
7/11/07 at 2:32pm
Thread Starter 
I orderd Inspiron 1720 on the first day it was released, and I finally received it yesterday.

Vista Aero performance is awful on this machine..... I am really disappointed....

I haven't tried 3D Games yet, but even the regular Desktop experience is horrible

For example, it's quite slugguish even rendering the following:

1. Scrolling up & down on web page in IE.
2. Resizing a window (e.g., Windows Explorer, Control Panel)
3. Switching back & forth between windows using Aero

It's driving me nuts.... If I disable Aero (or switch to 16-bit color mode), then it's fine though.....

I'm going to downgrade to Windows XP ..... completely dissatisfied with the performance (maybe I should've bought more powerful video card).

Here's the spec:

<TABLE cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 width=610 border=0><TBODY><TR><TD vAlign=top width="50%" height=30>Inspiron 1720
Intel® Core™ 2 Duo T7500 (2.2GHz/800Mhz FSB/4MB cache), Genuine Windows® Vista Home Premium Edition </TD><TD vAlign=top align=right width="15%" height=30>$1,808.00 </TD><TD vAlign=top align=middle width="15%" height=30>1 </TD><TD vAlign=top align=right width="20%" height=30>$1,808.00 </TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE><TABLE cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 width="100%" border=0><TBODY><TR><TD width="20%" bgColor=#dfecfa>Inspiron 1720 </TD><TD width="45%" bgColor=#dfecfa>Intel® Core™ 2 Duo T7500 (2.2GHz/800Mhz FSB/4MB cache)
 </TD><TD align=right width="15%" bgColor=#dfecfa>[222-8603]
</TD></TR><TR><TD width="20%" bgColor=#ffffff>System Color </TD><TD width="45%" bgColor=#ffffff>Jet Black
 </TD><TD align=right width="15%" bgColor=#ffffff>[313-5473]
</TD></TR><TR><TD width="20%" bgColor=#dfecfa>MEMORY </TD><TD width="45%" bgColor=#dfecfa>2GB Shared Dual Channel DDR2 at 667MHz
 </TD><TD align=right width="15%" bgColor=#dfecfa>[311-7217]
</TD></TR><TR><TD width="20%" bgColor=#ffffff>LCD Panel </TD><TD width="45%" bgColor=#ffffff>High Resolution, glossy widescreen 17.0 inch display (1920 x 1200)
 </TD><TD align=right width="15%" bgColor=#ffffff>[320-5504]
</TD></TR><TR><TD width="20%" bgColor=#dfecfa>Video Card </TD><TD width="45%" bgColor=#dfecfa>128MB NVIDIA® GeForce® Go 8400M GS
 </TD><TD align=right width="15%" bgColor=#dfecfa>[320-5467]
</TD></TR><TR><TD width="20%" bgColor=#ffffff>Hard Drive </TD><TD width="45%" bgColor=#ffffff>Size: 160GB SATA Hard Drive (5400RPM)
 </TD><TD align=right width="15%" bgColor=#ffffff>[341-4709]
</TD></TR><TR><TD width="20%" bgColor=#dfecfa>Operating System </TD><TD width="45%" bgColor=#dfecfa>Genuine Windows® Vista Home Premium Edition
 </TD><TD align=right width="15%" bgColor=#dfecfa>[313-5195]
[420-5769]
[420-5924]
[420-6436]
[420-6481]
[420-6556]
[420-7026]
[463-2282</TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>
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post #2 of 41
7/11/07 at 2:34pm
maybe try a new set of video drivers
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post #3 of 41
7/11/07 at 2:55pm
It is most likely a driver problem or the bloated Windows installation it came with. Do a format and reinstall Windows with good up to date drivers.
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post #4 of 41
7/11/07 at 3:09pm
Dude, you ordered one w/ low end card. Don't expect it to perform even close to E1705 w/ GS... May be compare it to E1705 w/ ATI.

Sorry to hear, but you may want to return it. 17" laptop and low end GPU card just don't mix well.

You can get much better deal with EPP deals + it's coupons anyways.
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post #5 of 41
7/11/07 at 3:11pm
I would definitely suggest upgrading the graphics drivers. Even though it has a low end card my 1405 can run Aero.
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post #6 of 41
7/11/07 at 3:41pm
Yeah, more than likely the graphics drivers installed are way behind the latest release from NVidia. Check out www.laptopvideo2go.com to find some drivers you can try. Keep in mind most of the video drivers they have right now are incomplete in some way shape or form... NVidia is SOOOOOO far behind in getting good Vista drivers out to the public. Nobody figured we would still be beta testing crap drivers in mid-July... Beyond that, most of the other system drivers your machine shipped with are probably up to date. With the exception of the graphics drivers you should probably just stick to the Dell based drivers for the rest of your hardware.

Honestly all the manufacturers are way behind with driver updates... Dell hasn't released any new drivers for the E1705/M1710 systems in several months. The audio drivers are still in their infancy and cannot integrate with the fancy Vista audio sub-architecture yet... lots of room left for improvements.

In any case, just wipe out your system and start from scratch. Get a clean copy of Vista installed and then just let the Microsoft Update tool install everything first. Then find some good video drivers and download any remaining drivers from the support.dell.com site. It will make a world of difference.

BTW, if you would please... Right click on "Computer" in the start menu and go to properties and post your Windows Experience Index score for us to see. All the numbers preferrably. Just curious how Vista thinks the new system stacks up against older hardware...
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post #7 of 41
7/11/07 at 5:39pm
newer drivers probably will resolve your issue in vista desktop/aero; however don't be expecting too much in games with or without new drivers with the 8400M GS

It's only slightly faster than x1400 in 3dmark06 (~1400 on the test setup) and 8xxx series already has low real world performance relative to its 3dmark06 scores so....

http://www.notebookcheck.net/NVidia-...GS.3709.0.html
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post #8 of 41
7/11/07 at 7:07pm
Well since you got the 1720, try opening it up and see if you can swap the 8400 GS for a 7900 or even a quadro >
. Probably the form factor and shape might be completely different and may not fit, but hey it never hurts to try :P

(P.S. I might be a bad influence when i suggest these things)
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post #9 of 41
7/11/07 at 7:10pm
Running that Video Card at 1920X1200 is going to be a pain in the ass. I would send it back and either up the vid card or lower the monitor.

I know you can run at a lower resolution, but why waste money on a 1920x1200 display if your videocard is going to choke while doing it?
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post #10 of 41
7/11/07 at 8:15pm
Send it back. Shame on you for not doing your homework! Just kidding. But really you should have either gotten the 8600M GT to go along with the WUXGA screen or gone with the WXGA screen if you couldn't be bothered to spend the extra $100 for a video card thats 2-3x as fast.
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post #11 of 41
7/11/07 at 10:43pm
yeah, the biggest issue is drivers. While nVidia has their desktop drivers for older hardware ironed out for the most part. (my SLi desktop with 7800GTs runs fine in Vista) their 8 series drivers for Vista are really lacking.
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post #12 of 41
7/12/07 at 10:07am
Also remember that laptops sometimes work in throttled/economy mode by default, and really clock back the CPU/Graphics speeds. (My previous 2GHz laptop clocked back to 700MHz in these instances.)

On the Windows desktop, right-click on "My Computer" and select "Properties". It should show the speed your CPU is currently running at.

If it's less than 2.2GHz (your stated CPU speed), change the START > CONTROL PANEL > POWER OPTIONS power scheme to "always on", and then go back to the desktop and right-click My Computer and Properties again to make sure it's running at 2.2GHz.

I'm also ordering the 1720 with a WXGA+ (1440 x 900) screen for 1) less strain on the graphics, and 2) increased legibility of text for applications. I'm also ordering a 256mb 8600M to handle the graphics.
You may wish to see if you can return/change the specs slightly.
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post #13 of 41
7/12/07 at 12:57pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by ksy6413 View Post
I'm going to downgrade to Windows XP ..... completely dissatisfied with the performance (maybe I should've bought more powerful video card).
I think that would be upgrade to XP where there are stable and high performance video drivers available. Edited to add: and yes as others said, having a hi-res display and an el-cheapo graphics card is a false economy. Doubly so if you then run it at a (resampled, blurry) lower resolution.
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post #14 of 41
7/12/07 at 1:16pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by ChrisLilley View Post
I think that would be upgrade to XP where there are stable and high performance video drivers available.

Agreed. Going to XP would feel like an upgrade as far as performance goes. XP feels so light and quick compared to Vista which just feels like sludge. Plus XP wont be using half your RAM just to run.
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post #15 of 41
7/12/07 at 1:31pm
just like to point a few things out... Yes Vista uses more RAM. the difference is Vista uses RAM more efficiently than XP did. I have not experienced the running like sludge effect, even on my 1405, which is a T2600/2GB/GMA950/160GB system. Of course I am running @ 1440x900, but my card is a downgrade from a 8400GS.

If you are experiencing sluggish performance under Vista I would ask a few simple questions-

-Are you using a clean install, or a Dell bloatware install?
-Are you using the Dell provided drivers or modded drivers?

Keep in mind the 8xxx series drivers under Vista are a bit lacking, but still should provide you with a decent performance level when doing standard tasks.


XP is not a downgrade. You lose a few pretty effects, DX10, and that horrid UAC that asks you for permission before you can even open the start menu...

dialog 1:
"Are you sure you want to do that?"

dialog 2"

"Are you REALLY REALLY REALLY sure you want to do that??? We will not be responsible for your computer meltdown!!!!"

dialog 3:
"fine, do it, blow off the security warning I am giving you...open the start menu at your own risk...don't say I didn't tell you so.......Come on are you REALLY SURE???"


yeah yeah, bit of an exaggeration, but after you see it 15 times before you finally shut it off it gets unbelievably annoying... I mean I am the administrator, right? or at least I thought I was until I had to ask my mommy's permission...
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post #16 of 41
7/12/07 at 4:30pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by SolApathy View Post
just like to point a few things out... Yes Vista uses more RAM. the difference is Vista uses RAM more efficiently than XP did. I have not experienced the running like sludge effect, even on my 1405, which is a T2600/2GB/GMA950/160GB system. Of course I am running @ 1440x900, but my card is a downgrade from a 8400GS. If you are experiencing sluggish performance under Vista I would ask a few simple questions- -Are you using a clean install, or a Dell bloatware install? -Are you using the Dell provided drivers or modded drivers? Keep in mind the 8xxx series drivers under Vista are a bit lacking, but still should provide you with a decent performance level when doing standard tasks. XP is not a downgrade. You lose a few pretty effects, DX10, and that horrid UAC that asks you for permission before you can even open the start menu... dialog 1: "Are you sure you want to do that?" dialog 2" "Are you REALLY REALLY REALLY sure you want to do that??? We will not be responsible for your computer meltdown!!!!" dialog 3: "fine, do it, blow off the security warning I am giving you...open the start menu at your own risk...don't say I didn't tell you so.......Come on are you REALLY SURE???" yeah yeah, bit of an exaggeration, but after you see it 15 times before you finally shut it off it gets unbelievably annoying... I mean I am the administrator, right? or at least I thought I was until I had to ask my mommy's permission...
Haha class. Anyone remember this http://www.albinoblacksheep.com/flash/winrg.php ?
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post #17 of 41
7/12/07 at 4:32pm
lol first thing I did when I got vista was to remove that shit
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post #18 of 41
7/12/07 at 6:29pm
I recommend a complete wipe and reinstall with the latest drivers. Dell is notorious for crappy factory installs...
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post #19 of 41
7/12/07 at 9:14pm
"sorry off topic I know but couldn't resist"

Even when I was running RC1 & RC2 I couldn't wait to kill UAC - I know its there to control the system but man it's a real pain in the butt, even Festy Fawn's integration of a user control is better!!!!
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post #20 of 41
7/12/07 at 10:16pm
of course...sudo is all you need.

so that "even" seems a little exaggerating, like you would expect linux to have bad security interface.
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