Best Road Warrior Laptop: Dell Studio 14z

The right combination of size, performance and price

Updated July 21, 2009 Set Alert

If you're always on the go with your laptop, a "road warrior" laptop may be right for you. Our pick for Best Road Warrior Laptop is the Dell Studio 14z.

The Studio 14z offers a great combination of size and performance. Although only an inch smaller than Dell's own Studio 15, the 14z has half the bulk and a third less weight. Further, most small laptops are severely lacking in the performance department, but not the 14z. It has the latest chipset with DDR3 memory and Nvidia 9400M graphics that offers an amazing combination of performance and battery life (normally high performance equals short battery life, but not in this case). In fact, a 14z with a T6500 processor earns a Windows Experience Index score of 4.8 yet still achieves 5+ hours of battery life with the 75 Whr battery. Excellent.

NOTE: Studio 14z configured with T6500 processor, 3GB DDR3 memory, 320GB 5400rpm hard disk running Windows Vista Home Premium SP1 64-Bit.

The Studio 14z has few shortcomings. To save on size and weight, Dell opted to not include an internal CD/DVD drive. However, for most of us, this is of little concern as external CD/DVD drives are readily available for the few occasions (like installing software) where we still use one. The advantage, of course, is that you're not lugging around the weight of the CD/DVD drive on a day-to-day basis. We think it's a wise tradeoff.

Finally, when ordering this laptop be sure to carefully consider the options. The optional 900p display ($50) gives you a 900x1600 desktop (almost 40% more pixels than the standard 768x1366 display) which makes for less scrolling and a far nicer overall experience. The Dell 1515 Wireless-N card ($25) shouldn't even be optional - this next generation wireless card should be considered a must have option. The optional 74 Whr battery ($40) gives you 5+ hours of battery life and fits flush with the bottom of the computer. The internal Bluetooth option ($20) allows for wireless mice and cell phone data tethering. The backlit keyboard option ($25) is nice if you frequently work in a dim environment. Finally, the 34mm PROExpress 8-in-1 media card reader that fits in the Express Card slot will be handy for those who like to transfer lots of pictures ($20).

The good (+)

• small, thin and lightweight
• long battery life: 5+ hours
• fast: Windows Experience Index of 4.8 is superior to virtually all small laptops
• runs cooler than most laptops of this performance class
• good connectivity (eSata, Gigabit ethernet, HDMI, DisplayPort, etc.)
• backlit keyboard available
• 900p upgraded screen available (recommended)

Shortcomings (-)

• no internal CD/DVD drive (but external CD/DVD drives are inexpensive and adequate for occasional use)
• no fingerprint reader available

Don't forget to order these options

• 900p display
• 74 Whr battery
• Dell 365 Bluetooth internal card
• Dell 1515 Wireless-N card
• Backlit keyboard
• Express Card 8-in-1 media card reader

Where to Buy

The Dell Studio 14z is available at various retailers such as Best Buy, but if you want to custom configure one with a 900p screen, backlit keyboard or other upgraded options, you'll have to order through the Dell website.