[NEWS] Studio XPS 15 and XPS 17 !!

While not an F, I just recently bought a Vaio E with presumably the same 1080p screen that would be on the F. I must say, the screen was very nice; however, there were other significant issues. The biggest being a CPU noise that sounded like a dog whistle (which Sony said was acceptable, not warranting free shipping on the RMA). As others have said, the Vaio speakers are just terrible. Finally, I could no update the video drivers which were dated all the way back to February 2010. Sony doesn't allow companies like ATI and Nvidia to update the video drivers on their laptops.

I RMA'd the Vaio last week and just ordered an XPS 15. Not dealing with Sony customer service ever again.

 

What about DDR3, which is what my research leads me to believe it has?

 

Thanks for all the feedback on the Sonys. I can deal with the crappy sound (headphones), but the washed out screen is a killer. I also noticed the high pitched fan noise in a Sony F at Best Buy, it is quite annoying. The Vaio Z is nice, but too small and too expensive. Sorry for talking so much about Sony in this thread, but since the Vaio F was compared to the Studio I thought it was worth bringing it to the discussion.

 

It should be the same or close to GDDR3 from what I've gathered. Uses less voltage though.

 

The primary reason to get Dell XPS over Asus N61JQ is the Full HD resolution, 1080p screen. Asus has a crap resolution screen of 1366 x 768 which is a deal breaker. Also the sound quality of XPS over N61JQ.

 

Once you have a 1080p screen (even for a pretty short time) - you aren't able to part with it ^_^

 

Some members have mentioned that they have got the XP 15 for less than $700 (almost $150 below the starting price for the base model). I was wondering how one could get such an amazing deal. I am a federal employee and would love to take advantage of EPP discounts for my order. I'd be very thankful if someone knowledgeable about this matter advises me on how to get these discounts (so as to cancel my order and place a new one).


Thank you,

Kajouma

 

Anyone know why you cannot configure the XPS with both the Intel WIMAX 6250 and Gobi 3G?

 

Fell my pain... I am parting ways with a 17" 1920x1200 XPS Gen2. Beautiful colors and 16x9 aspect ratio.

 

I have never owned a 1080p laptop.

But I agree 1366x768 on 15.6 inches is very poor in general. I have used XPS M1330 (1200x800) which was very very good, because the screen was good, and it was only 13 inches. This is far better than Asus' 14 inches laptop with 1366x768 (bad quality too).

If it wasn't for the stupid graphics thing I would get the XPS 15 with 1080p right away. Sony laptops are fragile like Sony Ericsson phones, I have seen decimated Vaios (just like everyone has a Dell laptop horror story, which is inevitable, really).

IdeaStorm | i5 with high end graphics in new XPS line.

 

I only got the order acknowledgement form and on that it says 15th November but I seriously doubt it.
Wont know for sure till I get the order confirmation letter
As far as discount goes, I didn't have to pay for an extra 4 gb of Ram as the Sales representative knows me well because of 4 returned SXPS 1645s
Add to that, he threw in a free Bluetooth headset.
And I just took a 1 year plan.

 

Hey!
Whats the config you are being offered? Can you please share it ?

 

How long does it take for those websites to write a review?!

They've had the things for ages now. The reasons they are sent XPS 14s, 15s, and 17s beforehand are to give glowing reviews and to facilitate sales.

What else, but reviewing/testing the laptops, are those people to do? It's their job.

 

THIS (i7 quad + GT 425M)

Review Acer Aspire 5745DG 3D Notebook - Notebookcheck.net Reviews

to silence those who laud GT 425M (though admittedly there are few).

It was not as good as the HD 5650 on an Nvidia biased game (Mafia 2), and also lost in Bad Company, Modern Warfare 2, Risen, Starcraft 2, and Metro 2033.

Note that some of these "high frame rates" are only at 1366x768 or Lower.

Yes, only XPS 14 (which has 1366x768) has GT 425M, but then again GT 435M is a version of GT 425M, so...

What's the deal with 3D Mark scores shown on Notebookcheck? GT 240M and GT 330M have higher scores, yet are placed below GT 420M (so what is the point of the scores). Similarly, HD 5650 has comparable 3D Mark scores to GT 425M but they are apart.

 

What wait with such anticipation then, if all they are going to do is talk up the product?

 

Yes, and the 5730 is only a version of the 5650. So...?

 

Because in the process of talking up the product they will mention some aspects about build and performance that are fair enough for us to have a better idea of the XPS laptops.

 

I'm not posting any coupons here (probably against forum rules ?).
But through DELL EPP you get 2% off (it was 4% when I ordered), plus $50 off $799 (it was $75 when I ordered) or $100 off $999 coupon (these 2 coupons can be found on the EPP website,left bottom).
I also used 16% boeing discounts (if you have friend/family/retiree or contractor that works for boeing of course ).
So you get a total of around 30% off.

Start your build from the base model.

My system was $680 AFTER taxes for the XPS 15 base model with back-lit kb option.

I'm going to reorder one,XPS 15 base model with 1080p,Bluetooth and Back-lit KB upgrades.
With the discounts it comes up at $760 before taxes

Hope it helps!

 

In a crude manner

I7-740QM
The Full HD Screen
8GB Ram
500 GB HD
The Blu Ray drive
435m 2gb
9 cell battery
Backlit Keyboard
130W Adapter

Thats about it really.
And the Bluetooth Headset I Mentioned earlier
Total Value of that order is like 77k
If your old SXPS-1645 was in the same range price wise, I'm sure you can get the same config as mine.

 

Hi guys

The 740qm is .. wait for the 2720qm or go for a dual-core option..

 

What are you asking?

 

I put my XPS 16 P7450,4GB,320GB HDD,Radeon 3670,900P,6Cell,Windows 7 for sale on CL since I'm getting the XPS 15
Was hoping to get around $600-650 for it and I got an offer for $550.
Should I take this guy's offer? I bought it in January this year for $700 (Dell outlet)

 

I would, I think $150 is a small loss after having a laptop for 10 months.

 

That Acer got worse benchmarks than a Dell XPS 14 with a GT 420. Something is dragging that thing down other than the card. Acer might be shipping it with very old drivers or something.

Also, at higher resolutions, the NVidia's larger number of shader cores should really open a performance gap over the ATIs.

 

I dared say the iPad doesn't give you the full web, and is very limited compared to a real computer, and got posts deleted... iOS is a joke in many respects, but we're only allowed to criticize Microsoft

 

Ok thanks for your input guys.

 

We really should leave gadgets out of the equasion when were discussing devices intended for serious stuff.

(Hey, I had another word in mind, but this forum is not for flaming.)

*snort*
That's exactly how I feel about my 17" wuxga 1200p (1920x1200) screen,but there seems to be a consperacy not to build them into affordable (less then €2000,-) laptops anymore.

Once upon a time they were abundant and almost mainstream. :'(

 

Just ordered my XPS 15.

Base config. with 1080P display,Bluetooth,Back-Lit KB 3 years Basic Warranty (was able to negotiate the 3 years for only $100 extra) for $880 after taxes!

 

If 3D CAD is your game, things are even worse:
The GF330 scored 4609 points in Cinebench OpenGL, where the GT425 gets 4244. (Relevancy: the GT425 comes in Sony's F13 line)
The GT435 and 445 will do better, but still are streetlengts behind on ATI's lineup

 

The problem is that the non-computer savy people that buy laptops nowadays have been brainwashed into crap terms such as "720p" "1080p" and "HD". Years ago nobody talked about laptop resolutions using that terminology, it was either the real resolutions (1920x1200, 1280x1024) or the acronym (VGA, XGA, WUXGA). We can thank the same crowd that buys overpriced Apple products for the industry dumbing down affordable laptops.

 

actually, I heard the manufacturers can cut more panels out of a single production 'sheet', so 'cheaper by the dozen' would be in place. It gets even worse: we're talking about numbers like 10% in raw material price here...

:shakes-head-no-no-no-they-moved-over-to-the-dark-side:

 

How good is Dell's return policy? Do they always enforce the 15% restocking fee? Do they consider things like an overheated palmrest a defect or they just say "working as designed" to collect the restocking fee?

 

Just ordered a pretty loaded XPS 15 (i7-740m, 9-cell battery, 8 Gb RAM, 1080p display), I hope Dell does not come up with the 1080p screen for the XPS 17 tomorrow!

 

Dell does not offer B+RG LED as the optional feature for XPS 17. Now I am more keen on getting of refurbished studio 17 with B+RG LED.

 

By the way guys the XPS 15 base model with 2years warranty,Bluetooth AND $50 Dell Gift card is $734.99 at DELL EPP. (you can find it at the main page where it says:"$50 promo gift card included with these hot deals" )
-$50 off using their $50 off $799 coupon (found on the bottom left of EPP website)!

I canceled my order from yesterday and used that one.

 

I've found that you can get a somewhat better deal by calling and speaking to an EPP rep. I just configured the system I got with the above offer, and it was a $144 cheaper calling a rep as compared to the website... Just a thought.

 

after 6 tech visits for my Studio XPS 1640 Dell offered to replace it with the new XPS 17! I told them i would not settle for anything less than what i had configured on my 1640. in particular ( 1080p screen / 256 SSD / Blu ray BURNER not just a blu ray reader)

spoke with a rep yesterday and they said they would match my configuration or give something better including the 1080p screen so maybe they have it just not available as an option online at the moment.

 

Or, they are just saying that (as they often do).

They simply should not mention 1080p when there are obviously no plans yet to do that (officially).

 

The deal I mentioned above is dead.Look like it was a mistake.Its like $899 now.

 

After looking at the xps 17 I am almost assurably waiting for SB, 1080p and
possibly this

Intel Light Peak tech coming--will Apple follow? | Nanotech - The Circuits Blog - CNET News

better arrive in quarter one 2011

 

I've heard late 2011 is a possibility. Intel doesn't even have USB 3.0 support yet, so I'm not holding my breath for Lightpeak. (I'm not even sure I want it since it's yet ANOTHER connection + the laser it uses is actually in the class where it's a health hazard, and I don't know that I want them run all over my house with ends shining in my eyes LOL)

 

They do have plans for a 17" 1080p display because it is listed (along with a touchscreen) as an option in the manual.
In fact an AU site recived a 17" XPS for review that HAS a touchscreen, even though that is not an option when buying yet. I imagine the new display options will show up fairly soon.

 

Looks suspiciously like Intel didn't add USB 3.0 support to current chipsets in order to stunt its growth and then get their own technology (ie Light peak) out as early as possible next year.

 

Did you say something specific to get that deal?
How do they get you such a price reduction by calling instead of online?
I'm planning on getting a loaded XPS 15 through the EPP site for university students n

 

Yes, I agree especially now that they are talking about holding off on adding USB 3.0 support until 2012.

 

Ah then I am corrected.

In any case they are not selling XPS 17 in my country, and the XPS 15 configs suck.

 

What the hell, "credible speculation" puts support for USB 3.0 from Intel to 2012? What's the bloody point of it all then? Whoever made USB 3.0 should have thought of making it SB 1.0 instead.

Typical Intel, saying everything will be done fast and soon. Industry insider blah blah...

 

Unless I am mistaken, the XPS 15 and 17 come with USB 3.0 support by way of an NEC chip. The XPS 14 only supports USB 2.0 as the chassis isn't large enough to house the additional NEC chip.

 

New Review

XPS 15 Will Blow Your Mind

Great Laptop With Benchmarks


Dell XPS 15 Review & Rating | PCMag.com

 

Well, the "benchmark" aspect of the review is pretty much a huge joke.

Comparing GT 420M to HD 5470 and Intel GMA HD???

In any case GT 420M is less than GT 240M or GT 330M on Notebookcheck's 3DMark scores, if this is believed. But still, he should not compare GT 420M to THOSE.