Hey guys,
I'm relatively new to the forums. Started lurking around a few weeks ago since I was planning on purchasing a new laptop for work and for college. So after looking, reading reviews, and stressing for a week or two I opted for the new Dell i9300. I'm a huge Mac fan, have been forever, and still am. This is my first Dell, so coming from the Mac expectations are high.
First Impressions:
Just got it in and have it setup! First impressions were really good. Very solid computer. Very well built. The body was flawless. Big, but not too big. And surprisingly light to carry around. I wouldn't have a problem carrying this around with me all day.
Keyboard:
Keyboard is great. No flex whatsoever except for a miniscule amount below the right 'enter' button. But nothing I would at all complain about. Not noticable unless you sit there and jam your finger down on the button. Great keyboard.
Screen (dun dun dunnnnnn):
I'm impressed. Nice screen. Not *amazing*, but very good. I was surprised at how nice the WUXGA resolution was. Not near as small as I was expecting. This resolution is *perfect* for me and will work well with XSI. I have the K9975 model screen. There is a 5mm by 5mm square in the bottom left and right corners where the screen looks as if it is "shrink-wrapped" (dunno a better term) where the light fades darker. There is also a tiny tiny amount of light leakage along the very bottom of the screen. Only noticeable if you view the screen from a downward angle. Positioned correctly on a normal screen (with a normal desktop that isn't black) it is fine and not noticeable at all. As for the solid white areas... there is a bit of the sparkle everyone is talking about these days. Not noticeable unless you are looking for it. And then it is not that bad. Nothing that I would complain about either. Overall the screen is very nice except for the few things mentioned above. Happy with it so far.
Desktop Question!!!
I like the 'Bliss' desktop background image with the clouds and hillside. Yet the image is waaaay too small for the WUXGA. It looks terrible now with it stretched. Anyone know where I can find a hi-res version of this? Please?
And that's it for now. Going to sit down and unload all the Dell crap software that came with it. How do I do this? Coming from the Mac I am unfamiliar with how to completely uninstall software on the PC. Any help?
If anyone has any questions (please, no technical hardware questions), I will be glad to answer them. And if anyone is interested in pictures, let me know. If I have some time tonight, I may post some on my server.
So far so good
-Josh
I'm relatively new to the forums. Started lurking around a few weeks ago since I was planning on purchasing a new laptop for work and for college. So after looking, reading reviews, and stressing for a week or two I opted for the new Dell i9300. I'm a huge Mac fan, have been forever, and still am. This is my first Dell, so coming from the Mac expectations are high.
First Impressions:
Just got it in and have it setup! First impressions were really good. Very solid computer. Very well built. The body was flawless. Big, but not too big. And surprisingly light to carry around. I wouldn't have a problem carrying this around with me all day.
Keyboard:
Keyboard is great. No flex whatsoever except for a miniscule amount below the right 'enter' button. But nothing I would at all complain about. Not noticable unless you sit there and jam your finger down on the button. Great keyboard.
Screen (dun dun dunnnnnn):
I'm impressed. Nice screen. Not *amazing*, but very good. I was surprised at how nice the WUXGA resolution was. Not near as small as I was expecting. This resolution is *perfect* for me and will work well with XSI. I have the K9975 model screen. There is a 5mm by 5mm square in the bottom left and right corners where the screen looks as if it is "shrink-wrapped" (dunno a better term) where the light fades darker. There is also a tiny tiny amount of light leakage along the very bottom of the screen. Only noticeable if you view the screen from a downward angle. Positioned correctly on a normal screen (with a normal desktop that isn't black) it is fine and not noticeable at all. As for the solid white areas... there is a bit of the sparkle everyone is talking about these days. Not noticeable unless you are looking for it. And then it is not that bad. Nothing that I would complain about either. Overall the screen is very nice except for the few things mentioned above. Happy with it so far.
Desktop Question!!!
I like the 'Bliss' desktop background image with the clouds and hillside. Yet the image is waaaay too small for the WUXGA. It looks terrible now with it stretched. Anyone know where I can find a hi-res version of this? Please?
And that's it for now. Going to sit down and unload all the Dell crap software that came with it. How do I do this? Coming from the Mac I am unfamiliar with how to completely uninstall software on the PC. Any help?
If anyone has any questions (please, no technical hardware questions), I will be glad to answer them. And if anyone is interested in pictures, let me know. If I have some time tonight, I may post some on my server.
So far so good
-Josh
I got 35% off, too. So at $2700 price without discount, it's not all that less than the 17" Powerbook G4. But hey, I'm happy with this. 
But first (and only) impression was that it was rock-solid.
But it blends in with the background. Don't know if that should cause concern or not.
