Dell XPS GEN 2 resolution options, aspect ratio, and viewing angle

1) 1920x1200 is the ONLY display you can get on the XPS2. The i9300 has options for both 1920x1200 and 1680x1050.

2) From what I've seen on the boards, you actually have a choice as to what the laptop will do when switching to a non-native resolution (it's in the nVidia driver control panel if I recall).

3) I don't know about viewing angles, but it is a glossy screen -- no choices on that one.

Actually, the 9300 offers both WUXGA (1920x1200) and WXGA+ (1440x990), not WSXGA (1680x1050). The XPS2 only has the WUXGA.

The WXGA+ on the 9300 is not glossy, but the WUXGA is glossy on both.

Lots of people on these forums complain about the sparkle effect and light leakage on the dell 9300 and xps2! Listen or don't listen, I have heard guys like Dellbert complain and complain and then says he doesn't mind all of that when he finally got his comp.

The 9300 and XPS2 can not be compared to any onther notebook, because of its price and of course due to the XPS2's monster Nvidia 6800 Ultra (Only one around for now)

resolutions for 9300 WUXGA screen (should be same for iXPS2):
1920x1200
1680x1050
1600x1200
1600x1024
1600x1000
1600x900
1440x900
1366x768
1360x768
1280x1024
1280x960
1280x854
1280x800
1280x768
1280x720
1152x864
1024x768
800x600

All will fill the screen. Any that are 16:10 (there are several below the native 1920x1200), text and images look pretty good, but some are better than others.

The horizontal viewing angle is very good, not sure the numbers, you can find them posted around here. The vertical viewing angle typically not that great. Probably only about 10 degree or less optimal angle for fine color and shade differentiation. It is a glossy screen.

Thanks Tallguy, I have 2 of them! Toby is pictured @ 15lbs and Phoebe is 8lbs (both fully grown). They are both our children.

I have the 9300 not the XPS Gen 2. I can't imagine why the iXPS2 would not have the same. The card in the 9300 is nVidia go 6800 and in the iXPS2 it's the same but Ultra. Otherwise the machines are the same other than aesthetic factors (screens are the same, the same video drivers will work). Hopefully an XPS2 owner will confirm for you.

i can't imagine why you would want your resolution lower than 1920 X 1200. because everything will look blocky... and the xps2 is a really good buy in my opinion, i've been using it for a few days now, and everything has been perfect =) however, if you're looking for something that will last you for a long time, you may just want to wait a little longer for something to come up in the market. because the pentium m that xps2 offers does not support 64 bit and the future is 64 bit (including games, but it's still far off to that day when games will be 64 bit). and plus sata drives are the hdd of the future, and i'm not sure if the xps2 supports sata, but i don't think it does. anyone know to confirm this?

That's wrong b/c then you couldn't game at lower resolutions. Plus, you wouldn't be able to run 3dmark05 since it runs in 1024x768. XPSG2 can resize like the 9300.

You can set it to whatever resolution you want. The problem is 1920x1200 is the native resolution (LCD screens have only ONE native resolution due to the way they are made--1920x1200= 2304000 pixels) When you set the resolution to something other than the native resolution the images can appear distorted. Some people don't mind the change so long as the change is factor of the native resolution. Otherwise you'll get stretching or elongated distortion of images etc. As a matter of fact, many games change the resolution on the fly.

he he, congratulations, you've been to the Dell-erama. The Dellerama is like DisneyLand, full of lots of imaginary and wonderous things. However, not very practical for everyday use. One thing, the screens are sometimes referred to as there maximum resolutions (also none as native resolution). The iXPS2 is only offered with the WUXGA screen, but the 9300 is offered with the WXGA and the WUXGA screens. This is what those Dell boys are referring to. This does not include the lower resolutions that the screens are capable of displaying.

Yes, I can obtain all 18 resolutions; but I must say that 320 x 200 is rather un-usable. As far as the laptop goes, I think it is a great system. If I were to be nitpicky I could b&*ch about the very faint buzzing of the video card during some graphic intensive operations or the slight clicking noise of the Hitachi drive (which appears to be a function of disaster protection). But I think that these very minor issues are a testament to how quiet this baby is. You can barely hear the fans at all. My Compaq sounds like a jet engine ramping up and slowing down constantly. I've ran this laptop through 3dmark05 several times and not once did I hear the fans ramp up loudly. Did I mention this thing has STYLE. It is built solid and I think the industrial look is awesome.

My only beef has been with Dell's customer support system. (not that it's any different from other top manufacturers.) My express number does not route me to the XPS tech support line. Instead, I am put in the regular queue where I wait 1 hour, when someone answers the phone they say, "Oh, you have a XPS, you'll need to speak with the XPS tech support line" they transfer me where I spend another hour on hold. So in effect, I am penalized for purchasing an XPS laptop instead of receiving special treatment. Trying to explain this to the CSRs in India resulted in frustration and lost sleep. Finally, after threating to return the laptop I got to speak to someone that actually listened to me and I believe is fixing the problem. (The 300.00 credit helped with the fustration.) You'd think it would be cheaper for Dell to fix the support issues instead of paying off their customers with incentives. :rant off:

Enjoy your laptop, it's a great system and pray you don't have a problem that is not in the "support script" the CSRs use to troubleshoot problems.