Dell Laptop Display Question

[dsorrent]

Can someone explain what is the actual difference between these two screen is and if it is really worth the $125 upgrade option?

 

[otispunkmeyer]

XGA = 1024x768 though i think WIDESCREEN XGA = 1366x768
UXGA = 1600x1200 again if its widescreen it could be more (1680x1050/1920x1200 i dont know)

if it was my choice id go for the 1600x1200 display....though at 17inch it may be a little bit hard to read normal windows/internet stuff (you can always make icons and fonts bigger anyway)

for me XGA on a laptop is a little low rent, especially for a 17 inch screen, though id imagine 1366x768 will be easier to read.

 

[ElFenix]

the 17" is wasted on a 1440x900 XGA+ screen. the notebook i'm on right now has a 14" scrheen with higher resolution (1400x1050) and i can read it just fine.

that said, the WUXGA screen is annoyingly glossy. yes, the glossy looks really good to begin with, but after a while when you've had to focus on the screen and not on what is reflected off it it can cause eyestrain. if you ever used the original gameboy advance it could almost be like that.

 

[RajunCajun]

I will presume you're looking at a 9300, where you can get either 17" display type.

The base (standard) display is WXGA+, has a non-glare screen, and native resolution is 1440x900. $125 buys you a TrueLife (bright) screen WUXGA with native resolution at a very high 1920x1200. My XPS m170 has the second (bright) display. While it's nice to see more of everything on screen, the text size is tiny. You can tinker with XP and get larger type size (that's what I did) that will help. Unless you have very good reading vision, reading the text online will be trying. I simply use my reading glasses when needed!

If you plan on playing games, I strongly recommend you NOT settle for the X300 graphics and splurge on the 6800 Go with the base display. You should be able to run games at the native resolution very well. But at 1920x1200 the 6800Go will choke with details turned up. My 6800 Go Ultra strains some at max resolution in a few games. You could always run at a lower res, but you will get degraded image quality.

HOWEVER, playing DVDs on the bright display are simply stunning. The bright display allows you to see colors as they were intended. This is also a BIG plus while playing games.

The downdside to the bright screen is reflections - unless you are in an IDEAL situation you WILL see glare! It doesn't bother me much, but to each their own.

 

[dsorrent]

Thanks all for the replies!

Yes, I was indeed looking at the i9300. I was going to get the 6800Go card and in a couple months, would probably upgrade that to the 7800GTX card. I read in several places how you can get the 7800GTX card from Dell for like $260 and swap it into either the XPS or i9300 just fine. The i9300 would need the 9 cell battery and a different power block (The XPS one), but the XPS change is a simple swap.

It seems like Dell never offers coupons on the XPS systems, so that's why I'll probably get the i9300 system and then at some point swap in the 7800 GTX card since that price is alot more in my price range.

I'll mostly be using the laptop for going over to friends houses and playing games like DoD Source, Civ 4, etc as well as surfing. As best as I can tell the i9300 seems to be the best solution for a $1,200-$1,500 budget to suit those needs.

Thanks again for the input!

 

[Ohji]

I have a 9300 and LOVE the WUXGA screen. I haven't found it to be too glossy, and the color, brightness and clarity are phenomenal. I was holding out for the 19-inch laptops, but I'm glad I bit the bullet and got this model as it's barely small enough to use on the plane (I can't imagine traveling with a 19-incher).

The only thing you might have to worry about is which WUXGA screen you will get. I got the newer LG.Philips WC222 screen which has almost no light leakage, no sparkles, and excellent quality. If you look over at notebookforums.com, most people with the WC222 are happy. Dell also ships the notebook with Samsung and Sharp panels which get mixed reviews.

The 9300 is a great laptop and you can get one at a great price with some of the deals Dell has been having lately. Good luck!