At exactly 9am in the morning I was stunned to find a SkyNet truck waiting in front of my house, suddenly Terminator 3 popped up in my head, to my surprise it was the Dell Vostro I've been waiting for these past two weeks. And guess what, Its order No.1 for the day and perhaps the first to be delivered in Malaysia! Boooyaaa!

Specifications

17.3" High Definition+ Wide LED Anti-Glare Display
Intel Core i5 430M 2.26GHz
4GB Dual-channel 1333MHz DDR3 SDRAM
Windows 7 Home Basic 32 bit
Vostro 3700 Nvidia Geforce GT 330M 1GB Graphics
500GB Hard Drive, 7200 RPM
x8 Drive DVD/RW
Palmrest with Finger Print Reader
Wireless Network Card 802.11
Dell Wireless 365 Bluetooth Module
6-cell Lithium Ion Primary Battery
90W AC Adapter
Price:RM 3077.00



I'll upload the unpacking pictures when I can, gonna be a bit busy soon.
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Update!
Gosh, after a very busy day finally I'm able to upload the pictures, hope you guys like em!



Here's a link to my flickr account. I made it specially for the unboxing!

http://www.flickr.com/photos/48649820@N02/

Graphics
i. Just completed benchmarking it with Unigine Heaven 2.0 under Direct3d11, which turned out quite slow. Scored a lousy 259 with an average FPS of 10.3 on high settings with native resolution! I did another check on native resolution with low settings and it gave a score of 329 with PFS of 12.9, which isn't a big difference from the initial score. So the claim that some said that the native resolution was too heavy for the graphic card is now plausible.
Not so decent results, but I haven't tried it with games yet. Maybe I'll try it out with L4D2 since thats the only game I'm currently playing.

ii. Some of the guys here suggested I test it out on 3D Mark 06. Most fortunately, I've been holding an original CD which came along with my Sapphire where I couldn't get it to work on my current desktop. Until just today I got it to run smoothly with much patience. Had a decent rating on optimum settings with a score of 6721 which was what some reviews on the net gave for Nvidia Geforce GT330. It strengthened my faith in my new laptop.

I also attached the benchmark results for anyone who wants to check it out for themselves.

General Usage
Overall, the layout is great with a comfortable keyboard, got used to it quite fast; still craving for back lit ones. Weight is surprisingly lighter than what I expected. The design is sleek and elegant with the huge 17" screen. Sound wise, I bluetoothed an mp3 from my phone; which took awhile to figure out but the sound was below average. Strain it with high volume and there goes the sound, thinking of getting those mini speakers so I can watch movies with my girl, but I'll stick with my headphones at the moment. Battery lasted for about 2 hours with everything on, bluetooth, wifi, downloads etc. So its quite decent for work. OS response so far was good, but I still prefer a better Windows 7 edition with 64x. The DVD drive was running well but creates a buzz when its functioning, nothing to complain about. Overall, a good laptop for work/college, some media entertainment and light gaming which is exactly what I aimed for. To say its worth the 3k? I should say yes, definitely.

Opinion
As for the casing color I got mines changed for free, apart from the great service I was given, the pleasant surprises on the actual speed of delivery and the build itself; despite being a little disappointed about the graphics along with limited customization for Windows 7 Home Basic, all in all, its worth the 3k spent. Concerning the weight of the laptop, I think it weighs the way it looks, not as heavy as expected. Somewhat lite for its size, but rest assured its best to get a backpack for it if you intend to bring it around, the weight will definitely take a toll on your posture so its not advisable to use a sling bag. Skater bags are always huge so it would go well for this laptop. For those who are into the freedom of customizing your OS to your own preference, such as 3rd party themes, customizing windows layout etc, the Windows 7 Home Basic is limited from full customiztion because it is only available for Home Premium and above, so for me, this was quite a disappointment. The best I'm able to do is just change the wallpaper and change the appereance setting which only came with limited colors. It doesn't come with the 'Personalization' shortcut provided by the better versions.

Laptop Bag for teh Vostro:

I just went hunting for a laptop bag and found a sweet deal by someone in the Garage Sales section who was selling laptop bags called Everki. Despite its strange name, the bags looked quite simple and yet stylish for my taste. Well I went to the dealers place this evening at Bangsar, after a tour around Bangsar; lost for a moment, I finally found the place. It was the first turning to the left after the temple at Jalan Bangsar. With much anticipation, I met the dealer, and checked out the backpack. It looked surprisingly small for a 17" bag, which was good. But since the Vostro is quite big, it couldn't fit the edges in. The backpack was slightly smaller for the laptop to fit, even if it did fit, the extra space wouldn't be enough if you were to bring a whole lot of other stuff along. Despite the minor setback there was another model which is meant for 18" laptops, but with less luck. It was out of stock. The price is much expensive than the previous bag I had in mind. But it provides what I need, something to fit the laptop and everything else. So I'll be getting the bag later this Monday, so for those who're having trouble for their bulky/huge laptops, here's a heads up.

Everki Beacon Laptop Backpack: 18"

Everki Swift Laptop Backpack: 17"

Just got the Everki Beacon last night from montell81. It was a swift deal, I came, I saw, I tried and I bought it. Simple and precise. I love the look, I don't really mind its size because the design is quite good. The Dell Vostro fitted perfectly into the bag compartment and there was plenty of space for books and such. I even stuffed in my somewhat cumbersome headphones in. Its quite heavy if you put a lot of things inside, but the weight distribution over the shoulder was somewhat effective, so you wouldn't really feel the actual weight. The only minor downside is I didn't like the way the bag was wrapped around my shoulders, it was a tad wide around my shoulders, if it was slightly narrower it would've been perfect. Despite that, still it was a good deal and a great purchase! Thanks montell81 for the sale!

Here's a link to some of the pictures I took of my new laptop bag!
http://www.flickr.com/photos/48649820@N02/...57623732861912/


This be teh link to the seller:
http://forum.lowyat.net/index.php?showtopi...&hl=Laptop+bags


More to be done, more to be said, so once I'm done with my fun I'll update you guys!

This post has been edited by SPuNx: Aug 5 2010, 08:56 PM


Attached thumbnail(s)


Attached File(s)
 unigine_20100324_1427.html ( 3.21k ) Number of downloads: 149
 unigine_20100324_1442.html ( 3.19k ) Number of downloads: 78

Yes do inform the mod, am currently fidgeting with the lappy, the finger print thingy is annoying, I'll get to that later. Pictures have been taken.
Not really good at taking pictures though.

There were plenty of more pictures I wanted to add, but all the coding was really confusing so I randomly chose a few pictures from the start of the unboxing till the end. There were tons to pick but pecah kepala la wanting to choose carefully.

I don't have enough cash to upgrade it to a better one, its even 32bit... zzz..

@Beastx
I can't! LOL. My mini screw driver can't fit, its one size bigger. But yeah, its 2 screws.

Guys,

Get disappointed by the benchmark. Check out the main page.

This post has been edited by SPuNx: Mar 24 2010, 05:34 PM

Its the attachments.

@herofire86

As far as I know, the video you showed was the old vostro products which had horrible review, this is the new line of Vostros. I was really shocked with how the guy was treated, it was really disappointing to see a consumer being treated that way, it doesn't matter customer or business owner. Hanging up is like totally unethical, especially when the guy requested to speak to the manager. Well I'm alright with mine so far, most of its customizable. The only issue is getting used to the natural resolution.

In the video the specs for the screen was 15" WXGA. Whereas Vostro 3700 is 17.3" High Definition+ Wide LED Anti-Glare Display.

---

Added on March 24, 2010, 6:38 pm

Results through 3D mark on optimum settings! Quite satisfactory might I say, compared to the previous one.

This post has been edited by SPuNx: Mar 24 2010, 06:38 PM

Correction, I ordered on 10th of March which was stated in my Confirmation Order which differs from the one stated on the receipt, which is titled Packing Slip.

This post has been edited by SPuNx: Mar 24 2010, 07:32 PM

Overall its satisfactory, especially for a desktop replacement. The feel of its simplicity and sleek design combined with smooth performance and a 17" screen its quite satisfying. But the speakers are somewhat weak, maximizing the volume with heavy bass would definitely blow it eventually, so its best you get those mini laptop sub/speakers or a simple headphone. I need to get a bag to suite its size with everything else I have to bring along for college. Any suggestions? I was thinking of buying a skate bag because the space it provides is ridiculous! So adding a laptop sleeve to avoid scratches and voila!

And about exposing the exterior, forgive me for not having sufficient tools for it, although its just a small screw driver.
Can I get it at a hardware store? I'll try it tomorrow.

When I was benchmarking/multi-tasking it heated up to an average of 32-34c which in opinion; is quite good. But I haven't stressed it for hours yet, but so far the ventilation is quite good. I was doing all that while I was on my bed.

About the shipping process, the dateline given is just the first estimate for delivery, it may be sooner than that, or may be later. So you won't know unless you're persistent enough (with patience) to constantly update on your order status.

Because when I ordered mine, which was on the 10th of March. They received the payment and confirmed on the 13th, I was updated with the shipment tracking on the 15th where it stated that it would take 3 to 4 weeks till delivery, with much dismay it estimated around the 7th/9th of April; forgive me if my calculation is wrong. But the main idea is, I was supposed to wait longer. As I anxiously waited, at about 2 to 3 days after the update I was given new info, which stated that it was going to be shipped on the 31st, a week earlier than expected. Again, I waited, then on last Tuesday, the most fortunate happened; I received an SMS stating that my Dell was to be delivered on the 24th between 11am-2pm. To my utmost surprise, their shipping company, SkyNet arrived at my gates at exactly 9am. Thus began the story of my Dell Vostro 3700!

This post has been edited by SPuNx: Mar 25 2010, 01:25 AM

Quite satisfied with my purchase!
Well it would be great news for a lot of people who intend on purchasing it. So Dell usually extends their promotions?

Mobility for Vostro 3700 is inadvisable, like piscesguy said, unless you're a big person, weight wouldn't be an issue for bringing around. But due to its size you'd need sufficient space for everything else when you're at a sturbucks/Mc'ds etc. Unless you're fortunate enough to find sufficient space for everything everywhere you go.
I only intend to bring it to college mostly and maybe to any cafe if needed, which I can imagine the hassle looking for a table wide enough for the laptop and everything else.

But if you're not willing to go through the hassle go for a 14/15"

The only reason I bought this laptop because I find the value for the pricing is reasonable.

Sounds like a good laptop, whats the damage for XPS?
That was the initial laptop I intended on buying but my budget wasn't enough.



This post has been edited by SPuNx: Mar 25 2010, 02:39 PM

Yup, I definitely agree that Asus has the potential to expand and gain recognition, the service is known to be good. Their laptop build is ideal for pricing and they also provide high performance laptops and the first with USB 3.0! FTW!

Yeah, the screen issue is true. Move a little and there goes the viewing, but I don't think its much of a problem. The noise for the laptop is very mild, the only noticeable sound is when I run a DVD and thats pretty much about it. Btw my laptop runs at 34-36°c average. As I said before, for the price of 3k, its worth every buck!

@herofire86

Sorry guys, haven't tried it for gaming, a bit buys for games lately. huhu. But I'll update on that as soon as I can.

Vostro 3700 is only available with i5 430M and i7 720QM, the i5 520M is probably only available for Vostro 3500.

Haha, am really glad you like it!



Yeah, for those who've gotten their Vostro 3700 do feel free to post their images here!
But don't forget to resize it appropriately! ^^

@Spetre
You just ordered yours during weekends is it? Yup, you'll have to wait till monday. Remember, as a customer you have every right to enquire politely for your status! Thats the very purpose of the Dell hotline!

Haven't been playing around with the laptop much guys, still a bit caught up on my weekend. *pfft*
So many things to do on such short notice. But do check out the front page for any updates.

@Spectre
I'm not so sure about that, but if you're planning on paying through credit card, you can always get update on your credit balance through phone call right? And it also depends on which bank you're under.

@lawtm
Well since you've got a bank account, if you have enough cash in it for the laptop you want, then just do a bank draft. It doesn't matter where you stay, Dell will provide their services, call their toll free number for assurance!

This post has been edited by SPuNx: Mar 27 2010, 11:35 AM

Most probably you'll be informed by this coming Monday, but if you still haven't gotten any update, do call Dell.

Ordering something online is always a hassle, but if you think you like what you're buying, be patient.