--->The Official Studio XPS 1340 Owner's Thread<---

Hey everyone, I received my 1340 on Monday and am very satisfied with it. I did a clean install of Vista and encountered some wifi problems but downloaded all the proper drivers and everything has been running tip-top. However, today at school I was on it watching a movie, surfing the internet, doing homework, everything worked fine. I shut her down when I went to class because she was running out of battery power. When I plugged into an outlet in my lecture, she booted up fine and dandy, but none of my antivirus/spyware programs opened up on start-up, and not one program would open when I double clicked them. No internet, no games, nothing(I'm on my desktop now). I rebooted, and nothing. I shut it down and waited and booted up again and still the same problem. I thought it may be a virus so I wanted to run a scan, but of course the anti virus program will not open, nor will it even turn on. So as of right now, I have a computer that can do literally nothing! I figured it might be something common so I googled it to find a solution but can't find anything, does anyone know how or why this may have happened and how I could fix it? Or is another clean install of Vista necessary? Thanksss!!!

 

Hey -

I got my Studio XPS 13 today! And, most of all, very satisfied. I'd have to say one of the greatest surprises was that the heat was not nearly as bad as expected. I've been sitting with it on my lap for over half an hour now, and I'm not in the slightest amount of discomfort. Then again, it's not in performance mode right now, and I am used to my parent's laptops that make my legs sweat when I rest them on my lap.

I got the dreaded wobble. I have no clue how to fix it, but it certainly doesn't seem like a problem worth returning for. I think it's even gone down a bit.

Does anybody have a list regarding what needs to be done on the laptop when you first get it? I've searched around and found a couple things - reinstall vista, remove bloatware (though I don't know which ones I should be removing), and a couple other things. I just don't want to miss anything, especially after hearing about all these "latency" issues and what-not.

Thanks a bunch!

 

clay22, if you were to put a penny under the back left foot does that even it out? if so then to prevent the wobble you would need to shave down the front left foot thats what i had to do.. also.. ordering a 9cell does appear to remove the wobble issue as well

 

Finally got my replacement Studio XPS 13. Everything works as expected. So far I completely love this machine. Only problems this time around were Micro$oft related and not hardware related.

I definitely would recommend (as with any Vista machine) to get rid of all the bloatware and the Windows sidebar - especially if you got Trend Micro antivirus. Trend Micro and the Windows Sidebar didn't play nice together and kept freezing the machine. Selective startup without the antivir and disabling the sidebar fixed that.

My personal pro con list:

Pros:
*Attractive design

*Backlit keyboard

*7200RPM HD (I'm not a fan of 5400RPM HDD's and didn't want to upgrade to the SSD)

*Relatively lightweight. I am used to heavier 15-inch notebooks

*Overall seems to be a very fast system. I got it with the 2.4ghz P-series processor and the Hybrid SLI. I have to say its great for what I need speed/power wise.

Cons
* Gets a little hot on the bottom. I wouldn't say its as bad as some posts on this forum made it out. In fact, if its not in the SLI mode and using only one of those GFX cards it doesn't seem to get hot for me. I'm a little worried what this level of heat means for the longevity of the GFX card.

* Fingerprint magnet. Glad they give a little black cloth bag that almost doubles as a fingerprint wipe

* Bloatware that wouldn't let the PC boot the second time. I guess we can't fault Dell for this per se, but any time bloatware causes freezing someone may need to reconsider software packages and options. Trend Micro and Windows Sidebar don't play nice together.

 

Actually bloatware with this machine is not too bad, I think mine only came with Mcaffee AV. However a reinstall is mandatory with this machine.

 

Not on the back left... but I tried it on the back right and it worked like a charm! Thank you!

I attempted a reinstall... I'm not so sure I got it right. I put the disk in, exited when I got to Install Windows like the Dell Instruction Manual asked,
then F12'd when I got to the Dell logo. The system boot thing popped up, I went down to the CD Drive one, pressed enter. Then the Dell Instruction Manual mentions I should follow whatever other instructions come up, but no other instructions came up and my computer started rather normally. Is this normal? Or did I do something wrong?

 

Has anyone done a video card update? I'm on the hybrid sli 9500M G option and when I run the setup for drivers v179.48, I get prompted to install nVidia HD Audio Drivers instead of video card drivers.

***EDIT***
Seems like the drivers are incompatible with the 9500M. Strange because it's listed as supported. The setup is not detecting the 9500M and running the setup directly from the extracted drivers folder yields an error message stating it cannot find any compatible video card for these drivers.

 

ok well to solve this.. you would need to shave the front right foot OR order the 9-cell battery.. the 9-cell removes the wobble issue

 

With the WLED display, has anyone noticed that the screen sticks out at the edge where the two microphones are?

 

Mine stick out a bit but closer to the middle of the screen, around one inch above the aluminum. I didn't even notice until I read your post.

BTW does anyone know what software to use to control the webcam? The creative driverse doesnt include a user interface.

 

There should something on your computer called Webcam Central. If you did a clean install of Vista, you'll have to download it here as it is not included on the drivers disk that came with your PC.

 

For a rundown of graphics drivers, check out this post:
http://forum.notebookreview.com/showthread.php?t=352547

 

Thanks! I was looking all over for the program and was about to call dell.

 

Seems fine. It doesn't have a temp sensor on it, but the laptop doesn't seem to get particularly hot where it is or anything.

Also this sentence hurts my brain.

 

LOL...mission accomplished.

I was simply implying that the upgrade was an included part of the system I started with, so therefore, it was a part of the system that I paid for. The point is moot now; I cancelled that order and used Cin's link and code from earlier to order the same system + upgraded graphics for only 20 dollars more, and I will be getting a 150 dollar GC in the mail.

Any rep that tells you they CAN'T combine coupons with EPP is lying. It just hurts their commission/ratings, so they don't want to. Ticked my original rep off that I went to someone else, I think. By time he had emailed me to tell me that I had to choose either the EPP or the GC, I had already received the confirmation for my new, better, cheaper (GC included here) system.

Yay me!!! Still no screen upgrade, but W/E. This will be the fastest, fanciest computer I have ever seen, let alone owned. I know I will be awesomely happy. And all of my friends and family will be awesomely jealous...

 

what difference does the screen upgrade actually make? ..like in all seriousness whats the difference :\

 

Brightness is the main difference. Also there should be a minimal battery increase of ~5-10%.

 

oh ok i dont use lot of brightness on my setup as i like to converse battery life :x

and having a 9cell guess i dont need the 5-10% increase

 

Hi all!

My XPS Studio 13 is due on my doorstep tomorrow. I just have some questions.

I've been reading alot around, and it seems like the XPS Studio 13 is plagued by some poor quality control. However, I am also reading issues regarding huge DPC Latency spikes, supposedly due to the Dell (broadcom) wireless card. Is this something that is fixed already? (New driver or something)?

Also, it seems like the Studio 13 has undergone some minor design revisions too. Some say that the vent isnt as covered anymore. Are there any other changes in later produced units?

Kind Regards!

 

Battery life was my main reason for wanting it, and because it was supposed to be free. I don't think I'll ever notice if I never see one. How's the screen quality on yours, mooseymoose? You got the BestBuy standard edition, correct?

"My sister was bitten by a moose once..."

(20 bucks to whoever correctly IDs the source of that quote.)

 

Hey -

I have a relatively large problem. I did a clean install of Vista, like everyone suggested, and reinstalled all the drivers I could on the Dell disk - but now I can't get wireless. It's not a problem with my connection, because all my other computers have it fine. Does anybody know how to get my XPS 13 to receive wireless again?

Thanks a bunch to anyone in advance.

 

I am thinking of buying an sxps 13 soon so I will be keeping tabs on this page.
BTW how does everyone like their sxps 13?

 

i love mine!

 

Hi Clay, Are you saying you cannot see your wireless at all in network settings. Grab a copy of the Wireless 1515 driver. If you still have issues post back with more info

 

Thank you! I installed a driver on the disk I had missed, but it said 1510 and not 1515. My internet moves comparably slower than before so I'll take a look at that driver now.

 

Yeah, I'd agree with the quality control thing. Mine's fine but some of them have little issues like the wobbly feet.

The latency spikes aren't caused by the wireless - that was the cause on an older Dell laptop - and it's not fixed as no-one can work out where it's coming from. You probably won't notice it, depending on what you're using it for.

I'm pretty sure the vent is still covered. Some were saying there was now a bigger gap between the vent and the screen, but it seems more like random variation. Temperatures are usually fine - it shouldn't be a problem anyway.

 

Without re-reading the entire million posts, I have a theory. Keep in mind, I know next to nothing about DPC latency.

Is there a difference between the readings on machines with/without the LED upgrade?

Just a shot in the dark...

 

Your quote comes from "Monty Python and the Holy Grail". Send the $20 to my PayPal account, as you promised.

About DPC latency: don't worry about it, unless you do multi-track music recording/mixing, it will NOT affect you.

 

Speaking of graphics cards.. Would it be technically possible to switch out graphics card? Switching out the 9400m with a 9600m would be awesome!

 

believe 9400 is integrated so no

 

Nope, there's nothing awesome in that
9400M is already the most powerful integrated GPU currently available. Besides, you can not switch integrated card with a dedicated one, technically not possible. If you meant the 9200M, then 9600M is worse in terms of its thermal design and is more likely to fail due to overheating, so again, not awesome . For the laptop of this size, this combination (9400+9200) is one of the best (well, they could use 9300 instead of 9200, which are very similar, but there wouldn't be much gain anyways).

If you really need a better GPU in a laptop of this size, you should wait for laptops with GTS 160M/150M, which will be released in a couple of months.

 

No foot wobble here but I do seem to get a screen blink every once in awhile. Randomly the screen will (very) quickly flash black. Anyone else experience this? It's not a major issue but definitely annoying.

WLED screen, 9500, 179.48 drivers

 

Hi guys. Just bought my XPS 1340 and already faced problems with eSata port which is simply not working at all. Does anyone still has that problem besides me? I've read the previous pages, the solution with limiting the hard-drives to work in SATA mode instead of SATA-II didn't work for me; and I know that my enclosure is totally capable of working in SATA-II mode.

 

had that problem had to return for another one..

 

use new offically dell drivers to remove the blink mine was doing that as well.



sorry for double posts just read both posts and forgot to multi quote

 

This is a lot of pages to read. Someone should create a comprehensive list of things to be concerned with. I just bought one and it will be arriving tuesday!.

 

Does paypal accept rolled pennies? Kinda running short right now... I can give you twenty . I won't actually post twenty, as I hate the overuse of smilies.

I am not worried about it (latency spikes), was just trying to maybe throw out a probable cause that had been overlooked. Was I way off base?

 

Can you add the 9200 later? I already have my 1340 and did not get that option. I am thinking that I should have now.

 

Mine LED screen was also randomly blinking with 179.48, I installed the new 178.86 and it is working fine now!

My DVD drive broke down, and the day after I called Dell support a serviceguy came home and put in a new DVD drive. That is very good service!

 

nice! makes me wish i bought from dell and not bestbuy!

oh wait..my laptop was free nevermind :x

 

Does the 9500 on these support Physx?

 

So what video drivers should I be using? Should i just get the latest ones of nvidia.com and use the modified .inf in order to install it? Ive heard that the newer drivers results in significant performance improvements, but I've also read that there's some problems with it on the Studio XPS 13!

I want the best drivers possible, but I would also love having the feature that adjusts SLI based on the selected power profile in Vista!

 

There are 2 problems with that:
1. You can not just buy a laptop video card in a computer store, they are NOT being offered anywhere. You could possibly buy one on eBay many months/years down the road, when someone sells their 1340 for parts.
2. When I asked the Dell rep if it's possible to replace that dedicated card (9200M), he said Yes. However, from my research I conclude that it's not possible (although I may be wrong).

 

Yes. Physx is supported from 8-series and above.

 

Hrm okay. I thought it was a bit more muddled on the laptops because my m1330 didn't support it.

 

It did. Assuming you are talking about 8400M, you had to install drivers from August 2008 and later, to enable PhysX support.

 

That figures. I just got it a few days ago. I hate to return it. It is perfect. besides, I don't really want to wait for the replacement.

 

Are there any photos of a teardown anywhere, I would love to see one.

 

A philips screwdriver is your friend.

 

I just got a sxps 13 yesterday in the mail and am loving it. I hate to tell you, but at 90 degrees my vent isn't covered up at all. At my normal viewing angle, it covers up maybe half of one of the slits for the vent. Also I have absolutely no wobble, not even a little give in the rubber. I am immensely happy with my sxps 13 except for the fingerprints, but I will remedy that using the method I talked about earlier in this thread. Windows Vista and 7 are running fine and I have had no problems so far. Also the 9 cell is amazing. I got a little under 4.5 hours on the first charge with everything on and my settings on maximum.