===> The Official Studio XPS 1640 + ATi 4670 GPU Owner's Thread<===

call DELL and they (most probably) give you permission to clean the screen yourself.

i got OK by phone on a other DELL laptop so i did it myself instead of waiting 2 weeks on a new screen. (took about 30min)

 

I have a brand new 9 cell and a black travel remote available since I just returned my 3rd XPS 1640. If you are interested pm me with an offer.

 

How much did you pay for the battery?

 

Yeah I fired off an e-mail to the representative that sent me the replacement along with the photo I posted here. We'll see what they do, I have to leave town at the end of the month for 6 weeks so hopefully they get a repalcement out to me before then. If not then I'll just keep the old display (now that it's dust free), seal it myself and then swap parts between the two and send the frankenstein build back to them. Whoever buys it at the outlet can have fun dealing with it. BTW the new build uses a Sony blu ray and the old one has a hitachi. Not sure what the difference may be but I'm gonna test it out and see.

 

Hey everyone I ordered my laptop last week and its now somewhere in Reno on its way to Phoenix!!! I was wondering if anyone saw a MAJOR improvement from running a fresh install or should I just wait and do a fresh install of 7 when it comes out??

Also how much bloatware is on this thing...is it worth keeping any of it??

 

for Windows 7 upgrade:
i won't be in the US when it will be released so i can't require from Dell to ship it to me. i thought the only solution would be if i find someone in the US who receive it then forward it to me, but now i heard from someone an other option, don't know if it would work though.. so, basically he said, that if i wait and download the Dell Windows 7 OEM iso when it will be released, i just install it, there won't be even need for serial or activation, because the installer will read the slic 2.1 table from the BIOS (don't know exactly what that means), so basically every laptop sold within this win 7 upgrade program will be identified and activated through their BIOS automatically.
do you think that's true?

 

I didn't wipe mine, there is really not a lot of bloatware (save the dell help whatever its called software). It's pretty clean from what I can tell.

 

This is the battery and remote, I have all the paperwork for the order

 

You know what I don't get? Why Dell bothers to make the notebook so thin if you're gonna have to put something in between your lap and the notebook... I think while just web browsing it gets uncomfortably hot, a problem that could be fixed by a bit thicker chassis.

 

Just ordered my new XPS 16 today. The 4670 was only just released last week here in Australia!

16" RGBLED (black)
1GB Ati 4670
2.66GHz (T9550)
4GB RAM
128GB SSD
TV Tuner
3 years XPS Premium Warranty

AU$2671

 

Just ordered mine today too.

Obsidian Black High Gloss Finish
2 Duo T9800 (6MB cache/2.93GHz/1066Mhz FSB)
Genuine Windows Vista® Ultimate Edition 64-bit edit
16.0 inch RGBLED LCD (1920x1080) W/2.0 MP
MEMORY 8GB Dual Channel DDR3 SDRAM at 1067MHz (2 Dimms) edit 500GB 7200 RPM SATA Hard Drive
4X Slot Load Blu-ray Disc (BD) Burner (Writes to DVD/CD/BD)
ATI Mobility RADEON™ HD 4670 – 1GB
ExpressCard Sound Blaster X-Fi Xtreme Audio Sound Card
Dell Wireless 370 Bluetooth Module (2.1+EDR)

I just have to say that the notebook review forums were a BIG help in finally narrowing which laptop. The final nail in the coffin though was the 25% discount on Dells site...once I finally dug it up grrrr! It was worth it though as I basically got a fully loaded one for the price of a stripped MBP 17.

Now the hard part...waiting.

leland

 

25% discount?? Damn...here in AUstralia, the most we get is usually around 10 or MAYBE 15%!

 

Not only in Australia. Compared to US and Canada the rest of the world pays 70-80% more for same configurations of dell laptops.

 

Hi guys,
I've been trying to find a good latop in the £800 range for a while now, and think the XPS Studio 16 is about the best you can do for the money.

I've found the following spec

PROCESSOR Intel® Core™ 2 Duo P8600(2.40Ghz, 1066MHz, 3MB)
OPERATING SYSTEM Genuine Windows Vista® Home Premium SP1 (64 BIT) - English
LCD Black Leather back cover : 15.6" (inch) Truelife 1080p Full HD WLED Edge to Edge Display
MEMORY 4096MB 1067MHz Dual Channel DDR3 SDRAM [2x2048]
HARD DRIVE 500GB (7,200rpm) Free Fall Sensor Hard Drive
PRIMARY BATTERY Primary 6-cell 56 WHr Lithium Ion battery
OPTICAL DRIVE Internal DVD+/-RW (DVD & CD read and write) Slot Load Drive including Software
GRAPHICS CARD 1GB ATI® Radeon™ HD 4670 graphics card

for £799 (including discounts which expire today)

The only problem is, I swore I'd never buy another Dell after they screwed me (and many others like me) over with the "Dell Vertical Line issue" on my current Inspiron 9300. I'm thinking I would probably have peace of mind over this if I bought the 3 year warranty with it (another £130)

Does anyone think I need the warranty? Is it worth the money?

Again, this deal expires tonight, so quick comments are appreciated!!

 

Reasonable spec, but the screen upgrade is something you really should look at spending the extra money on.

 

I am interested in your remote, but cannot seem to pm you... What would you want for it?

 

It's another £290 (US$465, AU$568) for the screen upgrade, BLU-Ray and TV tuner package (which includes upgrade to a T9600), and I just don't do enough high level graphic design, watch BLU-Ray movies or play Crysis level games to really justify that.

 

lovsn - there is also a 5% discount code you can add to reduce your total some more, let me know if you havent got it and I will post it here.

I am currently looking at the £850 as you get 1080p screen, 4gb ram and 500gb HD.

If the 1080p screen is the same as the LG screen in my studio 1555 it is well worth the upgrade!

 

Yeah, I've included the 5% discount code and the 5% cashback you get from Quidco in my prices.

The upgrade being talked about is to the RGBLED monitor, which is another £227 if you choose it on it's own.

I have picked the standard screen, and thought it was odd it was listed as a 1080p, when I have mostly seen reviews which state it's a 720p (and only the RGBLED screen is 1080p). It might be a misprint on the website, but maybe if I order it, and it is incorrect, I can parlay that into the better screen for a reduced rate.

 

ahhh sorry I am with you, I looked at your £799 price and assumed you had picked the base option.

Yeah the mid option has the 1080p WLED and the base has the 720p WLED.
The RGB is supposed to be amazing (havent seen it myself) but I can also vouch for the 15.6" WLED screen, I am sure they will use the same model as in my 1555 and it is the best LCD I have used!

Also I wouldnt worry about rushing through for todays discount, Dell have a discount going all the time, I got a 10% discount code for my 1555, was also hoping for a 10% for an XPS

 

Yeah, it was the combination of the free delivery, free hard drive upgrade, £120 off that specific model, 5% discount voucher and 5% quidco that makes it very worthwhile today I think.

 

I know, it is a good deal. I am really tempted but I keep telling myself my 1555 is good enough (they didnt have the 4670 option on the xps when I bought my 1555).

I also wanted the 9 cell battery but I cant find an option on the uk website

 

maybe a very noob question... but from what I know, the xps16 is a 64bit system. Then why do all my saves go to the 86x folder?

 

I believe because there aren't many 64 bit programs out yet. Most of the programs you have will be 32 bit programs that are capable of running on a 64 bit OS. I'm on my office PC which is 32 bit but I believe there are two different program file folders. I could be wrong but I think that's why.

 

Just out of curiosity, has anyone had a chance to test gaming performance for the 1600x900 resolution using recent releases? I'm interested to know what kind of performance I'd be looking forward to. Yes, I understand the 1640 isn't a purpose built gaming system but I'm curious.

No, I don't care about Crysis... Although it is/was a system killer, I do consider it to be a somewhat dated baseline for performance figures.

 

Im just curious which version of the service pack2 should I dl?

* ISO for Windows Server 2008 x86/x64/ia64 and Windows Vista x86/x64

* x86 for Windows Server 2008 and Windows Vista x86

* x64 for Windows Server 2008 and Windows Vista x64

* ia64 for Windows Server 2008 ia64

 

Here's the direct link to the 25% page:
http://www.dell.com/us/en/home/performance-deals/fs.aspx?refid=performance-deals&s=dhs&cs=19
-Leland

 

How is that RGBLED screen a $139 option in the US but a £250 option in the UK?!?!?

 

The joys of living in rip off britain!

 

If you read his post it's not just for the screen.

 

also, in the future, is there absolutely no way of atleast somewhat of an easy way to upgrade the gpu?

I may me a lil naive here but it seems to be the xps16 will be one of the best laptops if only the gpu was stronger.

 

got an automated email from dell today

Your order has been further delayed due to a supply shortage and we need your permission today to continue processing it (as required by the Federal Trade Commission).

ACTION REQUIRED: please contact us today (by 9pm CST tonight) to continue with your order that has a new Revised Estimated Delivery Date (see Revised Estimated Delivery Date below).
We must receive your permission today or your order will automatically be cancelled.

the estimated revise delivery date is august 26... 4 days after the month mark of my order being placed (july 22).. this is also after my order was expedited twice from reps

 

Has to be the screen?

 

I was told it was everyones order and all LCD panels but I think that is bs... I was told my rep would call me within 30 minutes and it has been 45 still waiting

 

Hi to all,
Just joined this band of XPS 1640 (4670) owners.

First,
Sorry for your troubles Kompressor.

Took delivery of a P8600, 4Gb, WLED screen, 4670, 1640. On first impressions I'm very happy. I'm getting the usual eyelid drooping update woes but things are coming together slowly.

On a side note the screen is 1920x1080 resolution out of the box and very crisp and clear, if any Brit (UK person) wants to save the £250.

It still rankles that we have to pay over the odds compared to other countries but, as "ninja2000" says, Welcome to rip off Britain.

 

How is the screen size? Is it noticeably smaller than the 16'' ones that have been shipping thus far? thanks

 

Hey can you try to post pics of the 15.6" screen...im looking to save some money and want to see if the smaller screen looks awkward. Thanks!

 

newhit: please, please, please post some pictures of the HD WLED 15.6" screen. You would do *a lot* of people over here a huge favor

 

is this the 1920x1080 WLED (NOT RGBLED) screen? if so what resolutions are available, is 1600x900 available? I say this because the RGB screens only resolution below 1080p is like 700p or something which is crap, 1080p is ridiculous in most resolutions for a 16" screen but i'm going to try to get upgraded to get this order to me, this is absolutely ridiculous, and my first time ordering through dell.. depending on how I get treated when I get a call back this could be my last

 

My "previously ordered new" outlet notebook came today. First thing I did was format the main drive partition and do a fresh install of Windows 7 Ultimate x64. Install went fast, even with the 5400rpm drive, and there were no problems. My SSD still hasn't shipped from Dell, hopefully they will soon or I may cancel and get the Intel 160gb or Crucial 256gb.

First impressions are very positive. The RGBLED screen is really bright and incredibly vivid. I can tell the reds are exaggerated but will tone them down later with some calibration. Default font size was 125% and the text is really crisp and very readible. Notebook is not small or light but nicely dimensioned. It is quite portable for a desktop replacement!

Build quality seems very good. Maybe because it was from the outlet, quality control seems excellent -- there is no flex to the keyboard, no embedded dust or other screen defect, no cosmetic blemishes on the case. I'm coming from an HP dv2700t so this is a huge upgrade!

 

Please post some pictures of you 15.6" screen.

 

I second that. Please be kind enough to post some pics of it cause nobody's seen it yet.

 

In Italy we've to pay even more, about 315€ (445 $)!!

 

i find it hilarious that there isnt ONE picture of the 15.6 inch screen. lol everyones just waiting for the one pic. lol.

 

my order was placed the day the new 15.6 screens went up on dell.com (july 22) and i've been delayed 3 times... I think I will be the first person with a picture

I was upgraded to next day shipping as well

 

Use this great colour calibration file to fix your colours:

http://forum.notebookreview.com/showpost.php?p=5163931&postcount=30

Instructions how to apply to the whole GUI in Win7:

http://forums.macrumors.com/showthread.php?t=651014

If you run this ICC disable colour management in Firefox if you use it:

http://kb.mozillazine.org/Gfx.color_management.enabled

Also have you tried the official Dell IDT audio drivers on Win7 x64 as they crash after a while for me?

 

iaTa,

How do I do that in Vista?

 

For Vista you need to apply the colour profile and then use a LUT loader:

http://www.xrite.com/product_overview.aspx?ID=758&Action=support&SoftwareID=724

Read this thread for more info:

http://forum.notebookreview.com/showthread.php?t=382939

 

Yeah, I'm not following this.
If you use that ICC profile, it doesn't effect the whole OS?
What does it effect? It won't effect your desktop for example?

 

Well I have read that, but nobody had answered my question. What is an LUT loader and how am I supposed to use it... Sorry I'm new to this haha