Dell Studio 14z Performance, Battery Life and Conclusion

Performance
The performance of the Studio 14zwith an Intel Core 2 Duo P8600 processor and Nvidia GeForce 9400M G graphics is quite good for a mobile multimedia notebook. It's worth mentioning that our review configuration of the Dell Studio 14z has very similar specs to the 13-inch Apple MacBook Pro but our performance benchmarks suggest the Dell has better performance for less than the price of the MacBook Pro.

System performance is excellent considering the sub-$1,000 price. The Nvidia 9400M graphics offer superior video playback and gaming when compared to Intel integrated graphis. With an average 3DMark06 score of more than 2,200 3DMarks, it is comparable to low-end dedicated options and can handle previous generation games with some tweaking of the resolution and detail settings. In our test of the game Portal, the Studio 14z delivered 39-45 frames per second (FPS) at 1280x800 resolution on high settings looking through a single portal. Looking through no portals the framerate would be as high as 60FPS, and if you were looking through two it would drop down to about 23-25FPS.

Indeed, the $649 starting price of the Studio 14z starts to look even better when you consider the Nvidia graphics performance and large storage drive options. Unlike netbooks that usually feature no more than a 160GB hard drive, the Studio 14z is available with up to a 500GB hard drive that can store a full music library of up to 125,000 songs, 142,000 photos or 133 DVD quality movies. The 320GB hard drive in our review unit offers a good balance of performance, storage capacity, and price.

wPrime processor comparison results (lower scores mean better performance):

PCMark05 measures overall system performance (higher scores mean better performance):

3DMark06 measures video and gaming performance (higher scores mean better performance):

All of the 3DMark06 scores for all of the systems listed above were run at 1280 x 800 resolution (for 16:10 ratio screens) or 1280 x 768 resolution (for 16:9 ratio screens).

HDTune storage drive performance results:

Battery
With the screen brightness set to 70%, wireless active, and the Vista power profile set to "Balanced" the Studio 14z stayed on for 4 hours and 58 minutes. For use in the classroom or on your lap in front of the TV this amount of battery life was fine, but it may be cutting it close for all-day traveling. The 8-cell 5400mAh 74Wh battery seems to do a pretty acceptable job for 14-inch laptop, but this isn't even close to Dell's claim of "more than 6 hours of battery life."

Heat and Noise
The cooling system does a reasonably impressive job keeping the external temperatures down. After extended periods of use the right palmrest gets quite warm and the bottom of the notebook near the hard drive and RAM get warm, but temperatures remain well below 100 degrees Fahrenheit. The temperature readings below were taken after stressing the system with performance benchmarks for 30 minutes and should reflect typical external temperatures after more than an hour of serious use.

Noise levels are fairly quiet when running on battery as the fan produces a constant weak "hum" as hot air is pushed out. The fan gets louder when the laptop is set to the "high performance" power profile under Microsoft Vista and was plugged into the AC adapter, but the fan should only be noticeable by others in a very, VERY quiet room.

Conclusion
The Dell Studio 14z is an impressive 14-inch notebook that arrives just in time to give students (and parents) something to consider for back-to-school season. If your child or your family is looking for a convenient laptop for general use then the Studio 14z can handle just about anything you throw at it. The overall price/performance ratio makes the Studio 14z one of the more impressive notebooks on the market if you're looking for something with a 14-inch screen. The nice design, great sounding speakers and a gorgeous screen make the Studio 14z a touch act to follow.

That said, the Studio 14z has some strong competition from notebooks like the Lenovo IdeaPad Y450 and the popular HP Pavilion dv4t. The fact that the Studio 14z lacks an optical drive, SD card slot, and standard VGA port means that some potential buyers will need to look elsewhere. Likewise, the keyboard flex was more than a little disappointing. Still, if you want an alternative to the MacBook Pro that is both attractive and reasonably powerful then the Studio 14z makes a solid choice.

Pros:

• Attractive design
• Good overall performance for the price
• Great screen and speakers

Cons:

• No optical drive
• No standard VGA port
• No standard SD card slot