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

Hi,

finally received my dell xps studio 13-- Wow, it is fast, no heat issue so far but i did not play with it yet. I will post review of the beast.

However, that would have been too good if i was not having one issue. the slot load dvd drive is making a hell of a noise and does not recognize my freshly burnt windows 7 rc disk used on another pc without any issue.
Need to call dell. does anyone has experienced the same issue?

 

Hmm, my slot loading drive is not to loud at all IMO...

 

My CD/DVD reader makes a few noises before beginning to "whine" but I don't hear anything I wouldn't expect.

 

Yes, I had the same problem. The factory image was corrupt, so I tried to install a fresh copy of the OS but it crashed about 1/2 way saying it couldn't read the dvd and the drive sounded like it was shreading the disc. I was able to borrow a usb dvd drive to re-install a fresh copy of vista 64. Then I could deal with Dell tech support, who tried to blame it on bad media since it could recognise a dvd initially but died while tryign to copy files. After almost an hour of support trying things remotely, I was able to get them to send a technician to replace the drive. Now it's much quieter and can read all the dvd's i've thrown at it so far.

 

After much consideration I've now ordered the XPS 13 with the following key specs:
Intel® Core 2 Duo-processor P8600 (2,40 GHz, 1066 MHz, 3 MB)
6144MB 1067MHz Dual Channel DDR3 SDRAM [1x2048 + 1x4096]
256 MB nVidia® 9500m
320GB Free Fall Sensor (7200RPM) Hard Drive
Original Windows Vista® Home Premium SP1 (64 BIT) - Danish
13,3" LED-screen, WXGA (1280 x 800) and TrueLife
One year accidental damage warranty

I thought about the p9600 processor instead but decided not to spend the extra money as I don't think i will notice the difference anyway. For some reason it was $162 cheaper with 6GB ram instead of 4GB ram...

Total price including the damage-warranty: $1328.

Now I'm just a bit nervous that mine freezes all the time, has heat issues and a dvd-drive thats not working. Seems like common problems for this lap.

Anyone completely satisfied with their xps?.. Anyone?

 

Since I'm running W7 on my SXPS 1340, I wanted to try the latest GFX drivers. However, even tho nVidia lists the GeForce 9400M card as supported in it's W7 drivers, the setup program only detects the HD Audio.

Someone mentioned that in case of Dells, the drivers need to be "hacked". I have, however, been unable to find any trustworthy source of info on the matter. I suspect the "hack" in this case is just modyfying the INF files to include details about the 9400M used in Dells as well, but I've no idea how to do that.

Please point me in the right direction... where could I find the latest drivers that would work with Dell or some info on how to modify the drivers myself?

 

Update on the issue with reading dvd's. I used all others dvd's types (music , movies, data) successfully. Noise at the insertion then it was pretty much silent during the reading. I finally figure out 3 iso's dvds that were recreating the issue, all of them have been created with windows 7 iso burning tool. I did install nero and then burn the iso again . Put in the dell and now no issue at all. Conclusion: my dell dvd drive does not like dvd written with windows 7 iso burning tool. I will just avoid the tool in the future and use nero (that I should have been using anyway, simple laziness)

 

I've had both types of DVD Drives in my 1340.

The first, a GL20N (Manufactured Sep 08). And I've had the updated Toshiba/Samsung TS-D633A (Manufactured Jan or Feb 09)

The GL20N was replaced due to it rubbing discs no matter what position the laptop was in. But the few times I got it to read the disc without rubbing it was still significantly louder than my M1530's (one with a DVDRW, the other with a Blu-Ray Burner). It was louder to read and to eject as well (sounded like a minirobot getting ready to takeover something). The Blu-Ray was the louder of the drives in my M1530's and this GL20N in the Studio 1340 was louder than that.

I now have the TS-D633A in the laptop and I am very happy with it. Its quiter than the GL20N, and similar to the Blu-Ray drive in the M1530 in terms of noise (the DVDRW in the M1530 is really quiet, I can lookup the drive model if anybody wants it). I've updated the TS-D633A, but I believe that only fixed any burning issues. Overall I'm happier with the TS-D633A as its quieter, doesn't rub and seems to be working 100% now that I've replaced my GL20N.

You got yourself a nice system, especially with the CompleteCare. I am happy wiht my 1340. While it feels a little hotter, it never gets to what my M1530 temps do. I love the keyboard on this, especially the backlight, my favorite out of any of the current XPS keyboards. Wish I got the 9500M and LED, so I'm sure you will enjoy those upgrades, but I'll probably pickup another 1340 in the next few months with those options.

 

Try ImgBurn. I use it for all of my ISO creation and burning. Its fast and easy to use, and a very small installation. Free and no spyware with it either.

I haven't used the Windows 7 burning tool, but I've never had any problems with ImgBurn, always seemed to get the job done for me so I haven't tried the Windows Burning Tool yet.

I've used ImgBurn with Win7 too so I know its working 100% as well.

I tried the Nvidia drivers of my 9400M directly off the website for Windows 7. I think they installed correctly as I noticed a difference in TF2 after install yesterday. The ones off of LaptopVideo2Go were giving me trouble installing saying it couldn't find the driver, but the Nvidia installation seemed to work fine.

 

Could you elaborate which site you have in mind? I couldn't find any drivers on Microsoft's site for W7 (aside for Microsoft specific hardware)... but than again, it took me two days to figure out how to download archived drivers from Dells site, so...

 

Downloads are from www.nvidia.com

Microsoft does not host drivers and you won't find any on their pages.

 

Ahh, well... I DID download drivers from the nVidia site, both the ones for notebooks specifically as well as the ones for Windows 7; neither worked.

 

Okay, well I was just telling you that the ones I got from the Nvidia site worked for me. So I'd try again or start troubleshooting. There are notebook ones available for Windows 7, should work fine. Make sure you're picking 32-bit or 64-bit accordingly as well.

 

Could you please check via Device Manager the hardware IDs for your card? The DEV and SUBSYS values, specifically.

 

I have used the laptop for two days now and it is pretty nice. After a clean Vista install, it has been very stable. The temperature, especially near the exhaust, is hotter than I am used to (upgraded from a Sony SZ491) and hopefully that doesn't cause any issues.

In sleep mode, is it possible to turn off the hinge lights? The pulsing light is fairly distracting at night.

Thanks for the help!

 

No way to disable them unless you break them

 

I found myself in that exact position a while back, even without the lights on the side, the blue led on the charger plug was enough to keep me awake.

I just ended up covering the blue light with electrical tape (The black tape) and turning off the machine when I go to bed.

 

Hello all...

I just purchased an XPS 1340 (4gb RAM, 320gb 7200 HD, Nvidia 9400, 2.4 Core 2 Duo) and am seriously loving this laptop so far.

I am a diehard Mac guy (since 1987) and this is the first real PC laptop I have ever bought. I have, however, built PC's and ordered preconfig'd PC's in the past.

I must say I am truly impressed with the Price->performance ratio of this notebook. Great specs....and after a day or so spent configuring it (A06 BIOS update, new NVIDIA driver, settings, etc.) it is performing fantastic. Good job Dell (this is my first Dell comp).

I am using the thing as a PC counterpart to my Mac Pro for music production and it is a great addition....oodles of power and nothing has crashed yet (cross fingers). Software and drivers work well so far with Vista 64 (although it took me some time to figure out how to disable all the crap that makes Vista so sluggish feeling.....yuk....).

Anyway, will be wholeheartedly endorsing this lappy to my friends.

Cheers

 

anyone experiencing loud fan noises?

 

^ Do you have the latest BIOS (A06)? If not, you should upgrade to it.

 

Hi DH,

Yeah I do.

 

If you dislike the fan noise, revert to bios a05 and send dell a mail complaining about the sound.

 

Thank you for your answer, mine was having the GL20N unfortunately. it is making some noise and I was having some read errors on a few data dvds randomly. Also I was thinking that I was out of the hood with this laptop but then I started to used it fo real.
Played portal --> blue screen laptop was getting so hot
played Tf2 --> blue screen was getting so hot
using various control panel function --> blue screen
explorer.exe was also crashing from time to time
remove the 4gb stick, still some crashes occurs but less often

Decided to reinstalled vista 64 cleanly, one driver at a time all with drivers from dell websites, reboot in between
--> blue screen

I have narrowed the issues to be:
- the p9600 processor , damn fast but was getting real hot despite the 25w
- the 4gb + 2gb memory stick was defective
- the dvd drive was defective
for a refurbished laptop that is a big no-no

it was the fastest pc i have ever used but also the fastest to fail.

I do now think that the best way might be to get it with the slowest processor and 4go of mem to avoid any potential issues and if you are still willing to take a small risk of having a bad one. . I send it back because it was simply defective and you should not lose so much time with a laptop, you live real damocles sword above your head in term of stability. Hoping for the next version of this laptop to be better and other buyers to have more luck. it will be tough to find better performance for this price tag.

 

SO I guess top of the line = crap for the studio xps 13

lower specs are the way to go

 

That was a refurb as well. Keep that in mind. It very well might be hardware issues at large.

 

I have the a06 bios installed and i barely notice fan noise and i defiantly notice the drop in temps. I think ill take the little noise over a 20f increase in temps on my lap.

 

Studio XPS 13 (1340) Laptop: Intel Core 2 Duo P8600 (3MB cache/2.4GHz/1066Mhz FSB)
Certified Refurbished
500 GB SATA Hard Drive (7200RPM) with Free Fall Sensor
256MB NVIDIA GeForce 9500M
4 GB DDR3 SDRAM 1066MHz (2 DIMMs)
13.3 inch HD WXGA Edge-to-Edge Laptop screen with 2.0 Megapixel Camera

I paid $836.81 including the 15% off coupon from the outlet store.


On ebay I found the xps 13 for $ 969 and includes the following upgrades

P9500 Intel Penryn Core2 Duo (6MB Cache, 1066MHz FSB)
13.3" 1280x800 (WXGA) White LED Widescreen Display with TrueLife

Ebay Link

Is it worth going with ebay just to get the LED and better CPU or should I just be happy with what I was able to get from the dell outlet since it seems like it's a pain to get a nice system for a good price.

 

i dont think led screen on studio 13 is all that good. its just slightly brighter than ccfl ones. you may want to go to notebookcheck.net to find out the lcd tests on studio 13. this led screen on studio 13 is not the same as studio 15's which is a grade A.

 

Huh? My configuration with an LED monitor, 9500 GE, P8700, and 500GB hard drive model has worked fine out of the box thus far. Initial results seem kind of "hit and miss" with it.

 

@nomoredell: The larger the screen, the more difference an LED screen gives. It may still be better, but another notebook with a 13" screen would be a better comparison. I can tell the difference side by side, but also don't forget about the battery implications. LED uses much less battery power than CCFL.

On a different note I have been running 185.81 drivers for a few days now and I have seen nothing but good things so far. HDMI connectivity works much better and it is a lot less finiky when trying to display on my TV. I only updated because the new drivers are now officially compatible for Windows 7. You will need a modded INF file to install this. I don't play games, but if there is an interest I supposed I could 3dmark it and maybe download a demo to check some framerates.

Edit: I have the 9500M.

 

Greetings from Norway.

Had my lovely Dell 1340 for a while now and installed Win7. have some problems whit the drivers from nvidia.com

http://www.nvidia.com/object/geforce_notebook_win7_x64_185.81_beta.html

so since i run a 64b win7 i decided to try this driver from nvidia's home page, but i cant get it to run, all i get is this error:

some advice?

 

Searching ebay I found the LED Display.

I found one on ebay.

http://cgi.ebay.com/NEW-Dell-Studio...5|66:2|65:12|39:1|240:1318|301:1|293:1|294:50

Not sure if it's worth the upgrade.

 

Unfortunately i can't find A05 anymore. When i got my laptop out of the box the first thing I did was upgraded to A06.

 

You can find old versions of the bios on the drivers page if you check under the new bios, and click on the old versions link.

 

So... with regards to the panel - keyboard, are the little gel bumpers enough to prevent scratches?

I'm worried about the long term effects; I could just make do with the protective screen that was provided with the laptop. It's annoying to put it in and take it out all the time, but better that than end up with a scratched screen.

 

You will need to download the modified INF file from here. Put this file in the folder extracted from the driver installer. Mine was C:\NVIDIA\Win764\185.81\IS\Display

http://laptopvideo2go.com/drivers/win7x64/185.81

Nobody probably cares but I benchmarked these new drivers at 3694 in 3dmark06.

 

Guys I have an issue with my new 1340. I have an Samsung A650 52 inch TV and it works great with this laptop when its plugged into the VGA. The problem is I can not get the HDMI port to work. I have checked what settings I can, set the laptop to the resolution that is supposed to work with the TV but I either get no picture or or a pink colored one that skips jumps etc....
I am at a loss. I really would like to use HDMI because that provides sound etc...

On a side note I have mine configured with a 2.66 proc, 4 gigs and the 9500M SLI. I am running Crysis at medium levels and though it is not what I would call super smooth, it is playible. Pretty impressive for a 13 inch laptop that I paid 1200 for.

 

Windows just came out with the Windows 7 Release Canidate 1 (expires June 1st 2010).. Does anyone have this release and do you have any problems with the wifi drivers? I am scared to upgrade because last time I upgraded to Windows 7 earlier beta, my wifi would turn off randomly every 5 minutes and I had to reformat my computer back to Vista

Link: http://www.microsoft.com/windows/windows-7/download.aspx

**Update: I think I will just partition my hard drive and install win 7 on the seperate partition, so that way if it does not work I will not have to get rid of vista

 

I just downloaded and installed the 64-bit RC, posting from it now. Everything in Device Manager is installed correctly (after a couple of restarts) and so far everything seems to work perfectly. Wifi is fine (using 802.11g). I had to install the motherboard drivers from Dell, but I'm using the Win 7 NVIDIA drivers for graphics that came through Windows update.
Also, man, it's really fast!

 

Awesome.. I can't wait to try it out tonight when I get home

 

help!!!

i am having intermittent problems with freezing still (curso doesnt work, alt-crtrl-del doesnt work but suprising the brightness and wifi/media touch buttons still work). It occurs about once a week. i have updated all my drivers and bios to a05 (didnt try a06 as my notebook runs cool).

also still suffering from the not waking from sleep proble.

i have 4g ram, 9400 intergated graphics. i have also clean installed vista from the dvd.

any other suggestions before i call dell?

 

thanks for the advice, but didnt help. still get the error msg even whit nv_disp file replaced.

 

I posted this on Dell's Ideastorm:
http://www.ideastorm.com/ideaView?id=087700000000Q92AAE

It basically about adding a option to the BIOS or a tool that allows you to change between silent or cool operation.
Promote or demote as you wish

 

Hi..

Having some freezing issues when waking from sleep, restarting or anything with an SD card in the port. Anyone else? 3 restarts in a row, and whole thing would freeze up, restarted again with no SD card, and worked fine. I'm running BIOS A06. THoughts? thx.
-Allen

 

I've got one problem where it'll freeze after a period of inactivity and I'm not sure why - it's not long enough that it's trying to sleep, this is after probably 10 minutes. It'll actually be fine until I try to do something, then a Please Wait screen appears and the system locks up. Not sure why but I'm sort of looking into it.

 

So I just installed Windows 7 RC1, and everything seems to be working fine. One thing I noticed was that my windows index score is now only 4.8, while in vista its a 5.4. Did they change the scoring for 7 or is this a driver issue? I installed all the latest ones from dells site (ment for vista), plus any updates from within windows.

 

I'm thinking about getting a Studio xps 13 next year for school. It sounds like they are notorious for having some heat and freezing issues. Would you sxps 13 owners recommend this laptop to someone looking for a portable pc for surfing and word processing?

 

They just updated the scoring so it comes out a little lower, I get 4.8 too. I know back in the beta performance was good, so it probably still is. You shouldn't need to install the graphics drivers from Dell though - NVIDIA has already made Win 7 specific drivers which come automatically through Windows Update. They seem to be working OK.

 

If you are just surfing/word processing and don't care for longevity/future proofing then no as there are other things out there that are lighter and have better battery life for less (e.g. netbooks). If you do wish for a rather strong machine however that is moderately attractive I think this is a great choice if you manage to find a good deal and can throw on EPP if your school supports it.

For heat and freezing issues, I have yet to experience the latter. Most cases with BSODs were fixed by reformats and that problem seems to be less common. This laptop can get rather toasty but this is a trend among most 13" laptops. When conserving battery life with only integrated graphics running, heat is a non-issue if you aren't running the computer on your lap and still not TOO bad if it is on your lap. However, enabling high performance modes with the dedicated GPU (9200M GS) can cause the laptop to become a scorcher on your lap and the palm rests become noticeably warm. Thus far as a new SXPS 13 owner, I am very satisfied with my purchase.

 

Personally, I love this laptop, its extremely fast and small, but not too small. It is very well built, I've been carrying to school everyday since early march, and it doesn't even have one scratch (knock on wood). The only thing that may hold you back as far as protability is the battery life. I get roughly 3 hrs use per charge, so if thats not enough you may need an extended battery if you go with this laptop.

Ok, thanks. That kinda sucks no though, in Vista had one of the highest ratings for a laptop, now in windows 7, its closer to a mid level score....sigh.