[NEWS] Studio XPS 15 and XPS 17 !!

How long will it work on this, in office work,
56 WHr 6-cell Lithium Ion Primary Battery [subtract $40.00]

Cause i don't want to have 92. Reason - uglu step under laptop.
92 WHr 9-cell Lithium Ion Primary Battery [Included in Price]


--

I see
6-cell LI (2.6Ah) standard; Up to 5 hours, 14 minutes9 of battery life with 6-cell battery
9-cell LI (2.8Ah); Up to 9 hours, 9 minutes9 of battery life with 9-cell battery

 

Wuuuuut, optimus only on i5?

 

Reviews says 3 hours with 6-cell...
and you can only get Optimus with i5 since i7 Quad don't have iGPU...

 

And what about sandy bridge? i see it will be available only in 2011, should i wait? what's interesting there?

 

Faster iGPU, faster CPU, i7 Quad will have iGPU, hence switchable GPU is possible...

 

Well sounds interesting, maybe i'll stop my horses

 

Hi

I ordered a XPS 15 last week and got it in writing from 2 dell reps that the back lit keyboard was available and shipped as standard in the UK. Noticed this morning after reading previous posts that the tech specs page had changed so decided to check it out.......

1/07/2010 09:27:39AM Robert Judge: "Hi Can you confirm if XPS 15 has a backlit keyboard in the UK?"
11/07/2010 09:27:43AM Agent (Bhanu_Koduru): "Welcome to Dell Chat Sales, This is Bhanu, your Dell Sales Advisor. My email address is [email protected]. Hope you are doing well."
11/07/2010 09:27:57AM Agent (Bhanu_Koduru): "Hi"
11/07/2010 09:28:01AM Agent (Bhanu_Koduru): "There are a few instances where chats get disconnected (we don't disconnect you on purpose),just in case this happens Can I have your contact number to get back to you or alternatively please email me or come back on chat with my name."
11/07/2010 09:28:27AM Robert Judge: "Sorry my phon is not working at moment but i can be contacted through e-mail if you wish"
11/07/2010 09:28:55AM Agent (Bhanu_Koduru): "Not a problem."
11/07/2010 09:29:49AM Agent (Bhanu_Koduru): "At the moment , XPS 15 doesnot come with the backlit keyboard."
11/07/2010 09:30:38AM Robert Judge: "I have paced an order last week for one and was advised by 2 reps that it came as standard - can you confirm?"
11/07/2010 09:31:49AM Agent (Bhanu_Koduru): "Please wait"
11/07/2010 09:35:46AM Agent (Bhanu_Koduru): "The laptop doesnot come with the backlit keyboard as standard and there is no option to upgrade too."

Looks like there is no backlit keyboard options after all - think I'm gonna cancel, don't like being lied to

 

I know it's a different thing but I have an XPS 1645 and if I remember correctly the order spec didn't list the keyboard as being backlit but it arrived as such so you may find that they do still have it.

A Studio 17 that I ordered with an upgraded backlit keyboard did list the keyboard as being a backlit one on the order.

I must also say it's something that I wasn't bothered about when I ordered the machine but now I have it I really like it and wouldn't want to be without it on any future laptops.

 

im planning to get this xps 15 and plan to use it for at least 3 years for academic purpose... yeah..

do you think the i7 740 + 4gb RAM + GT435M combination is good enough for me to use native 1920x1080 on the 15.6" laptop + an external 23" full HD 1920x1080 extended monitor via hdmi?

my main purpose of the computer is office productivity (words pdf n stuff), watching movie... occasionally some analysis software (civil engineering). i have minimum gaming requirement... maybe diablo3 in near future ... i only have PES/FIFA in my computer.. not graphic intense games

i see that they have the tv tuner also.. but i cant configure it in website... anyone know what is the tv tuner about?

reason i prefer xps 15 over 14 because the 2 USB3 ports (yea.. for the 3 coming years) and the speaker...

the weight not really bother me because the laptop will probably be a 'stationary' one because i will bring my netbook to classes... this xps15 will just stay inside my hostel.. and follows me when i go back for my hometown during vacation...

 

Ditto, same here.

 

just done a run through on dells site and no backlit keyboard option...
contacted customer support and they responded saying there is no option of a backlit keyboard for uk purchases of new xps systems.
Also if you order through the i core deals section you get a free upgrade to a 750 GB HD. Order it through normal page only upgrades to 640 Gb...strange eh?

 

Wish they'd do an option without any hard disk and knock £100 off. If I buy one I plan to fit my 128gb SSD anyway.

 

These bus-powered USB 3.0 solid state drives look interesting- and prices are bound to fall sooner or later:

OCZ Enyo USB 3.0 Portable Solid State Drive OCZ Technology

 

Perhaps you could just use the hdd as an external drive for back up etc?

 

This has irritated me now. I was sure when I ordered that it said backlit on the website. This has been verified by others. I only double-checked because someone aske the question on here. When I went back to the XPS page, all references had disappeared. If anyone has a screenprint of the page with the backlit displayed as standard I'll happily take a copy. I'll be kicking up a fuss about this. I'm tempted to cancel and switch back to ASUS. The laptop I'm replacing (which died while playing Civ 5) was the ASUS G1S. Although the G53JW-A1 is an ugly beast you gotta love the specs.

Good spot! Although, it's £799 compared to £779 on the normal page.

 

I wish I had taken a screen shot, but I will be using my email as proof. I will also forward it to anyone else in the UK if we get shafted in order to make a complaint.

 

Got a NAS box so not really got a need. Shame Dell don't have the option to downgrade parts to decrease the cost anymore - they only seem to offer upgrades on each of the base specs.

 

Gkomega, the Anandtech review that appeared in searches will not be posted for a few days according to the reviewer.

I presume the answer is no... but any chance the new XPS range have SATA III (6.0GB/s) support?

 

I doubt it. Not that it really matters, desktop 15,000rpm disk drives don't come close to saturating the SATA II 3.0Gb/s limit let alone 7200 laptop drives, and even SSD's aren't there yet, though they will be eventually. Even the fastest SSDs are still around 300 MB/s max (about 2.4Gb/s). Just because the bus allows 6.0Gb/s transport doesn't mean that the drive will be faster if it can't use all the available bandwidth.

 

Fastest SATA SSDs are close to the max for SATA II. Not an immediate problem, just will be a consideration in the not too distant future I think.

 

Update on the backlit keyboard option: I just got a call back from a Business sales rep he said their system has been updated and he is able to add a backlit keyboard for $23 over the phone. This is for Australia.

I am thinking of buying one now (14"), as follows:

Style
Anodized Aluminium LCD Back Cover (for WWAN/6300 wireless card)
Build My Dell
Genuine Windows(R) 7 Home Premium 64bit (English)
Intel® Core™ i7-740QM Processor(1.73GHz,4Core/8Threads,turbo boost up to 2.93Ghz,6M cache)
I don’t need help while operating or getting started with my PC
3-Yr Ltd Hardware Warranty, InHome Service after Remote Diagnosis
McAfee(R) Security Center - 15 Months Version
8GB 1333MHz DDR3 SDRAM (2 x 4G) (operates at 1066MHZ for Core i5 processors)
500GB 7200RPM Hard Drive
Tray Load 8X DVD+/-RW Drive with DVD+R double layer write capability
2GB NVIDIA® GeForce® GT 425M (for Core-i7 processors)
6 Cell Primary Battery
Intel Wireless Network Card 6300
No WWAN Info mod
TV Tuner
Accessorise My Dell
Microsoft(R) Office Starter 2010
Genuine Windows(R) 7 Home Premium 64bit (English) DVD Media

+ the backlit keyboard.

Is there any changes or additions that anyone can think off that I could / should get that I may have forgotten.

The laptop will have one main use for DJing in clubs with a Digital Vinyl system like serato or traktor (tired of burning CD's all the time).

That system is coming to $1756 total.

 

@raji d: i think it´s ok considering what you´ll be doing with it; but if weight and size aren´t your matter, tr to set up a 15' with the same specs; the 15' has (i don´t know why) a lower base price, perhaps that way you could save some money.

If your into dj stuff, also the 1080p screen may be better if you´re gonna have several windows opened.

 

size ideally is a factor, I would like the bigger screen, but then it just gets way too big to be lugged around. Some people are calling the 15 a desktop replacement coz its so bulky.

The base price on the 15 is exactly the same here in AU. The only thing is I would get USB3.0, some more HDD and a higher clocked GPU at the expense of bulkiness.

In terms of the resolution. Im sitting on a 20" desktop lcd right now that is 1680x1050 aka 110dpi and i have never had a problem. The 720p screen @ 14" is exactly the same dpi. While DJing only one window is open, and if im doing uni work or something at home it will probably be HDMI'd to my monitor. The only thing is quality of the screen picture and viewing angles. Im pretty sure viewing angles wouldnt change so yea not too fussed.

Overally im pretty happy. Just waiting for the Sales Rep to email me the quote with the backlit keyboard added and then ill bite the bullet

@nomoredell. Thanks for the advice. In terms of weight yea i agree its heavy, but if you compare to similar high specced lappys (eg Envy 14) its lighter. But then 15 is even heavier. In terms of the 12W woofer, I feel its so pointless and just a gimmick, I really fail to see how a 2" cone can produce anything at decent db's below 250hz. Sure it will sound better than the 6W the 14 has but if sound is that much of an issue one would plug it into a sound system, or use headphones. Personally for me I have a 200W thumper under my desk haha, and well in clubs, they usually have a couple of 15"ers

 

ORDERED!!

Wooohoooo

 

Now the waiting begins
I can't stand it. I've ordered on the 28th October and my EDD is 9th December That is soooo long

 

I am leaving the country on 6th December so I definately need it before then!

But after all I am in little old Australia haha


Now, time to find that status update checker thing and hit F5 a couple thousand times

 

I think the main problem with laptop displays has nothing to do with resolution, but the fact that there's too much gap between the pixels, making them look 'pixelated'. Like Studio XPS 16 with 1366x768 display... On the other hand, I have a 15.6" laptop with 1024x768 resolution but I have NEVER considered it to be pixelated - there's almost no gap between the pixels, even though it only has a measly 83 DPI. I'm quite happy with the low DPI in fact. What I'm saying is that you can't be too sure that the XPS 14 (even with same DPI) will look similar to your 20" monitor.

 

any idea about the performance of double 1920x1080?

 

For me the problem is not how pixelated it looks, its how much info I can see on the screen at one time. If you have Visual Studio or even Adobe Illustrator or Photoshop opened with all the side bar and tool bars etc, the workspace become incredibly small, and difficult to work with.

 

Agreed. It wouldn't be quite so bad if they'd stuck with 16:10 ratio. The pixel width isn't a problem. It's the height on a 16:9 screen. The 1680x1050 on my ASUS G1S was perfect.

 

Hmmm. Valid point. It might be the case because I dont have any complaints about my monitor (besides the backlight bleeding - it sucks, but hey it was a cheapy LG). I guess we will have to wait and see

Turns out I gave them an account to take money out of I shouldnt have (various reasons). So will have to call tomorrow and hopefully if they havnt done anything change the name and account details.

 

Guys,

I am placing order today. One question is bothering me... should I go for 460M or 560M? is the $90 worth it if I go for 560M?

Thx!

 

I really dont think you will see the difference in day to day use.

I have a 450m and 540m and I would never be able to tell the difference

 

When it comes to computers, my moto is, always buy the most computer you can afford. So if you can afford it, I'd say yes, go for the 560.

Of course, you'll get many different opinions on this.

 

I read on another thread that there was virtually no difference between the 460 and 560, so probably a waste of money in this particular case. In fact, the 560's CPU mark is less than the 460.

 

big confusion...
yeah... I understand to get the best... but if there is no big difference between the two, then I feel the $90 is down the drain...

Anyway... the keyboard option is up again on the site...

Also, another question... when my card will be charged... on the day of order or the delivery?

 

Guys, I'm planning to buy a XPS 15, i7-740, 6GB RAM, 1920x1080, GT435, 500GB 7200rpm etc... May I know how much battery life are people getting with the 6-cell and the 9-cell battery... Dell is giving the 6-cell one as the default option, may I know what people are generally taking and if 6-cell's are being any good?

What about heat... Is such a high end configuration giving heat issues?

 

The problem is that there is no real way to quantify the difference, aside from benchmarks, which aren't related to day to day usage. Therefore my moto.

 

If you cant quantify the difference without benchmarks then why bother?

If you want it for encoding then get a quad.
If you want it for gaming then the 420m/435m will be the bottleneck long before the cpu.

In general windows you wont see a difference. I would put the money saved towards an SSD or something where you will see the performance difference

 

^ exactly!

 

Good point!

 

Has anyone received their order yet or are they all waiting to be built/shipped? I'm wondering how hot the XPS15 gets with i7 and 435M configuration. Some hardware temps at idle and under load would be nice to know. Also how hot does the notebook itself feel? I would also like to know more about the 1920x1080 screen. Is it very glossy? Does it get bad glare on the screen?

 

I don't think anyone's received one of that configuration yet.

 

It will be charged on shipment date - not on delivery date

 

What are the chances that if my xps15 is delivered without backlit (UK) and I have proof on email of been told it definitely does, that I can moan enough to get them to fit it with one, or even just send me a keyboard to fit myself? Failing that I'm quite tempted to return it and try and get hold of a envy 14 with radiance screen, tbh I would have done it already as I'm getting angry at dell but I really want to see the benchmarks for the 435 before.

 

I will be trying the same route. Or worst case will try and get some money back/vouchers

 

Def no ba keyboard in UK - see e-mail from Dell below

Thanks for email.

Yes, I recollect admitting that the newly launched XPS 15 has backlit keyboard. This was following the product details supplied to us at the point of launched.

At the launch the system was proposed to be offered with it, however due to availability constraints on this designs we are not shipping units with backlit keyboard.

We therefore apologies for the miscommunication and inconvenience caused. As of now systems with upgrade to backlit keyboards are not being offered[/I]'

 

I assume that means that they won't be willing to sort it out. Anyone know if fitting one myself once I can get hold of one will void my 3 year warranty? If so any ways round it?

 

Got to congratulate them on their grasp of the English language and attention to detail.


Looking through my Dell emails, before my order on the 30th (in sig) I ordered a slightly different config. before cancelling and re-ordering. My order acknowledgement from the 22/11 still only says "Internal UK/Irish Qwerty Keyboard" - no mention of backlit. I guess at the time I just assumed it was included as it was listed on the website and never bothered to double-check.

It's very annoying but there's not much we can do besides kick up a fuss. They may give something for the inconvenience if you push hard enough.

 

Decisions decisions.

I have the XPS m1530 (P9300) 4gb, 256mb video. The nice classic 15.4" 16x10 ration instead of this 16x9 @ 1680X1050 and great classic dell keyboard.

I love this computer, the look, performance, etc. However, I like to keep buying up to get the most value of my current notebook (still has 130days warranty) on ebay.

Screen
Here's where I need your suggestions. I think 1080p is going to run a little too small on a 15.6" XPS notebook, so I was thinking on going to 17" XPS (i switch back from time to time).

However the 17" is 900p (similar to my current resolution on my 15") and it's text and icons are massive on a 17" (saw a hp 17 with that resolution the other day). Why do they offer a high res on a 15" and a medium res on a 17" beats me.

I have never seen 1080p on a 15.6", can anyone give me feedback?

Keyboard
The keyboard I have on the xps m1530 rocks!! Best dell has put out to date. I noticed that dell has used the flat keyboard approach, which i think is similar to the inspirons they have at the moment. If this is the case it sucks. Try using the space-bar, especially for documents and games, my thumb hits the casing that the keyboard sinks into. Don't get me started on the sound the keyboard makes, twice as loud as the old one. Of course this is the Inspiron 15 I'm referring to, however they look identical, I hope they have fixed this with the new XPS 15.

I realize that i'm going to have to bite the bullet on these 16x9 ratios for notebooks and even desktop's monitors now (although i hate them). However I don't think I can do 1080p on a 15", i'll have to wait until someone shows me a screen shot or two. As to the keybaord, maybe it'll just take some getting used to.