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

I have found with mine that there is virtually no screen flex at all. Everytime I use my laptop, I slowly lift the screen but I lift it typically from one side or the other and not the middle and I realized that the screen stays pretty rigid. Maybe a bad build on yours? After scrutinizing the construction of my laptop when I got it, I saw how the metal band along the front face of the screen acts as a rigid support to maintain rigidity which imp, is a great idea. Those folks with screen flex may have a poorly constructed machine. Just my two cents.

 

It happens on mine, too. However, I didn't purchase the Creative Labs Sound Blaster, either. Did you?

~Ibrahim~

 

Check out this great review of the i7 820QM. This is awesome! I'm really glad I waited a little considering this and the HP Envy with dual HDD slots, HD 4830, and quad RAM slots for cheaper 8GB DDR3.

 

Yes, I did.

 

It'll have an awesome price, too.

 

I'd love to have waited for the core i7. It was so tempting. But for $1466 I got 2 laptops. One's an awesome machine and one's portable as heck and quite capable of lots. I can't say I'll regret it much even if I can get a comparable machine for $1800 with an i7. I'd rather pay extra for a nice SSD and see more of an increase day to day.

 

Got one of those babies on order now, to replace my m1530 which screen got broken

Can't wait to get it!

One question: Can one d/l and use the regular Catalyst radeon drivers on AMD's site and it will detect and work with the 4670 in this machine? If not, where to get the latest Mobility drivers (don't answer Dell's web site please)?

 

Sweetness! I'm glad i7 is coming, but at the same time I'm in love with my system.

4830 1GB + i7 + 8GB: beast machine. Most of us don't need that power, but that will be faster than my desktop (well, not graphic-wise, lol)!

@NyctoBello

Hmm.....I would give a call to Dell for this. Don't we XPS users get like a special hotline or something?

~Ibrahim~

 

Go to the link below

http://www.driverheaven.net/modtool.php

best thing i did!

 

F***, my delivery date has been pushed back from 23/09/2009 to 15/10/2009. I was one of the unlucky ones to order the Alpine White lid before it was taken down from the website.

Dell did not even notify me. I am seriously considering calling them to cancel the order. This is ridiculus. I don't even know if they will fix the issue which has seemed to plague the Apline White lids. From what I have read there seem to be unremovable stains on the paint job.

Ironically as I am writing this, the Dell "lolipop" advert just came on.

 

Yeah, I see now. This is the same kind of tick with ATI that I used to do with the INFs and nVidia

Thanks for the response!

 

As part of the hard drive click sound and the screen brightness flicker issue I contacted dell support a few times ran diagnostic tests, updated drivers and what not..
Finally the HDD click sound issue is a defect with the seagate 500 gb models firmware..and am asked to wait for update.
with the brightness issue since all LCD tests were fine the support said that the screen is fine.
All this was ok.
After that when i rebooted and started playing HD videos in youtube the ones that i had played successfully coupla days ago the video stutters,it does not play contiuously.:-(.
Also i see a definitely lag when i scroll long pages in firefox. for example cnn.com or even this forum. its slow,it lags,the page kinda overlaps...
I dont know what exactly happened .
solutions please.
thanks.

 

scrolling lag is probably attributed from running in power saver or balance mode. If you switch it to performance then it should be smoother.

 

Well I ordered mine on the 13th. Supposed to have it by October 1st. Can't wait! Specs are in my signature. Total configured was $1900 and I got it with $476 off, total $1490 with tax and shipping. I guess I ordered at the right time!

 

you are right.the power options was changed to max battery option.thanks.

 

I got mine in the mail today~

 

And I observed this today. I played the dark knight trailer http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yQ5U8suTUw0 while pulling the power cord out and the video stuttered a bit. it was not continuous..does the power options change when the laptop starts to run on battery..?

 

Also I bought the new xmen wolverine blu ray disc to test the blu ray drive and a issue here to. popped in the disc . powerdvd wanted to update ,install a patch.. did both.. restarted pc..played the disc.. the trailers played well.. even when the movie started the the 20th century fox played well.. and then once the marvel logo started.. distortion started .. it was pretty bad..i moved a few chapters later and still the same issue.. got pissed off.. played the disc in a regular samsung blu ray player connected to a tv and the movie played perfectly.. contact dell support again.. he wanted me to install mediadirect 4.7 when i did that it threw me an error " mediadirect BDPack needed" the dell rep could not find that.. i could not find it from google... installed powerdvd 9.1 trial version ... same result... bummer again...
Seriously this laptop is a huge dissappointment so far.. mebbe just me..
1)faulty hard drive. click-clunk sound when drive is accessed - hdd led glows... its a seagate 500 gig drive issue...
2)screen flickers --changes in brightness rather in small intervals whenever the brightness is less than 60 %...
3)blu ray disc play..
I have not tried burning a blu ray...not sure how it will go..
and now this hd video stutter in battery mode...
I am now thinking between replacement and refund.. not sure which one to pick.....

 

same configuration as me.. if possible try to ask the customer care for the hitachi hdd coz the seagate one has issues..
http://forum.notebookreview.com/showthread.php?p=5249043

 

why do normal dvdrips appear as low quality when played in the 1640 with rgbled screen.whereas they appear top notch in normal computers.. Also red appears as bleeding red in some cases. infact red appears more rose/pink..

 

?! I didn't even know that these were actual stains! F*ck me, i'll have to return it :/

 

Is the P8600 or P8700 not available any more in Canada?? that's the one I wanted!
Now I only see too high or too low...

 

omg, i tried put QX9300 at my sxps16, it was can booting up, but bluescreen appear in windows. T_T

the proc temp was at 40-45'c, that is not hot issue, the bluescrren error is something memory error....

anyone can help?

 

did you find a solution for your screen flicker issue ?

 

@netcitizen

It may look distorted because of the screen's high resolution versus the relatively low resolution of the ripped DVD?

@kelvin hata

I think it is a BIOS issue......meaning Dell would have to fix it, I think.

If anyone has gotten the Blu-ray burner, can I get the name of the exact model?

~Ibrahim~

 

My SXPS 16 has been replaced because of it running so hot. I requested an upgraded gpu I figured that I might as well have the upgrade if its going to run hot anyway.lol The old and new specs:

Studio XPS 16

P8700 2.53Ghz
4GB RAM
16 WLED LCD
ATI Mobility RADEON HD 3670 512MB
500GB HDD
Obsidian Black Finish with Leather
Delivered 3/31/2009

Warranty Replacement Processed 9/15/2009

Studio XPS 16

P8700 2.53Ghz
4GB RAM
16 RGBLED LCD FullHD Widescreen
ATI Mobility RADEON HD 4670 1GB
500GB HDD
Obsidian Black Finish (Dont Know About the Leather Yet)
ETA 9/25/2009

 

Just ordered the Dell studio xps badboy with,

Base Intel® Core™ 2 Duo Processor T9900 (3.06GHz, 1066MHz, 6MB)
Microsoft Operating System Genuine Windows Vista® Home Premium SP1 (64 BIT) - English
Memory 6144MB 1067MHz Dual Channel DDR3 SDRAM [1x2048 + 1x4096]
Keyboard Internal UK/Irish Qwerty Keyboard
Video Card 1GB ATI® Radeon™ HD 4670 graphics card
Hard Drive 500GB (7,200rpm) Free Fall Sensor Hard Drive
Optical Devices Internal Blu-Ray RW (Blu-Ray, DVD and CD read & WRITE) Optical Drive with Software
Wireless Networking Intel WiFi Link 5300 Half Mini Card (802.11 a/g/n) (Centrino)
Cables 1 Meter Power Cord (3 Wire) - UK
Shipping Documents English - Documentation Studio XPS 16
Gedis Bundle Reference N09X1605
Standard Warranty 1 Year Premium Warranty Support
Enhanced Service Packs Premium Plan: 3 Year Plus Plan & Accidental Damage cover
Bluetooth Dell Wireless 370 Bluetooth Module
Order Information Studio XPS 16 Order - UK
Primary Battery Primary 6-cell 56 WHr Lithium Ion battery
Carrying Cases No Carry Case
Dell System Media Kit Studio XPS 16 Resource DVD (Diagnostic & Drivers)
Camera Integrated Camera with Facial Recognition Software
Accidental Damage Support Accidental Damage already selected in your Protection Plan
Online Backup Data safe already selected in you Protection Plan
TV Tuner and Remote Control Integrated DVB-T TV Tuner and Antenna (MLK base)
Labels Wireless Label (Intel Wireless Cards) - Core 2 Duo
LCD Black Leather back cover : 16" (inch) Truelife 1080p Full HD RGBLED Edge to Edge Display
DataSafe Datasafe Local 2.0 Basic
Microsoft Application Software Microsoft® Works 9.0 / English - (Does not include Microsoft® Word)
Protect your new PC Antivirus already selected in your Protection Plan
Power Supply 90W AC Adaptor

Can't wait for it to get here, Delivery date is on my birthday i hope its not delayed!

 

You know the xps 16 is getting the i7 mobile very soon. I'd cancel and wait.

 

netcitizen, be sure your power settings are on High Performance. It's quite likely that when you pull out the power cable it auto switches to Power Saver.

 

Not to rain on the parade, but you shouldnt get non matching dimms. Although it will work in dual channel mode, its not recommended to have unmatched pairs. I am refering to 6 gigs being a 2gb stick and 4gb stick.

 

It won't run in dual channel mode. Always make sure to keep the dimms the same in each slot. 4GB in full dual channel will out perform that 6GB easily.


On a side note, I wish that Dell would have an intergraded TV tuner for the US....

 

You probably saw my other thread about i7.. I did some more reading and I think I'm just going to keep the machine when it arrives. I was told that the i7 platform is going to be a LOT more money. Around $600 for the i7 upgrade. Sadly I don't have enough for that right now. I know the mainstream i5 platform is due Q1 2010 which will be much more affordable.

Core2Duo is still a great platform especially with the DDR3. Very fast and right now very affordable.

What really sucks is the fact DX11 will be out within a month... But like DX10 it will be 6 months before we see any mobile version of DX11 I bet.

 

Or they're just in the business to make money. Crazy thought, I know.

 

For the 8 gig upgrade option they wanted an extra 440 pounds which I thought was very excessive? Is there a cheaper option to upgrade myself?

thanks

 

As of now not really, DDR3 is very expensive still. The 4 gig's is plenty unless you're doing some seriously memory intensive tasking. If you're just using it for standard household/school duty, 4 gig's is perfect.

 

$600? Yeah I think I'll just stick with c2d for now. That would end up costing around $2000 including the 25%+7% off. Without the discounts, I'd just get a sli notebook for the same price.

 

Ok just got my xps 16 in, the screen is GORGEOUS holy cow. The best I've seen on a notebook for sure. Now if they only use the same screen in the m15x I'd have to return the xps.

 

lucky lucky I get mine hopefully by friday. Probably monday though, but one can hope!!

 

Yeah ok I do have one thing I don't like so far. The edge to edge they used looks like some cheap plastic cover. It has a sort of hazy plastic look to it with any light reflecting on it.

 

Hmm I played L4D but the performance doesn't seem that great. Half the time I'm getting 60 fps but then it will dip to 10ish for no reason in the same area. I have no AA enabled, settings at medium and at native res (1080p) and max performance.

 

If your running vista open a new profile. in that profile switch of uac and all the visual affects. Down load game booster then try if that works. Im currently waiting for my xps at the mo,but i have a hp dv6 dc2 2.2 ghz proc ati 3530 512mb 4 gig ram and i can run it fine on all high settings no aa 1224 720p
hope it helps!

 

Ok so I got my new lappy. I reformatted and dowloaded the latest drivers and I got her all patched up and purring. Here's the issue, I cant find the webcam software that it came with or the facial recognition software. where is that stuff?

 

If you're playing in a scene with a lot of action going on, the fps will drop down to 20ish with the 4670 at native resolution. 10 is a bit too low, especially with medium settings though. Which driver version are you using? The 186.81 drivers from nVidia give good results. When I had the SXPS 16, I was running at native resolution with with high settings and avg'ing about 40-45 fps with the lows in the mid 20s.

 

In sxps16 the block under/in which the battery is in shakes a lil bit. is this normal ?? theres a visible jerk ...

 

I had preinstalled vista 64 and installed L4D and fps dips in the teens without anything major going on in the game. In fact I could just stand there get max fps then it dips for no reason to teens. I installed fresh Windows 7 and it does the same thing. Is the video card not capable of running in native res or something?

 

The Arctic Alpine White option is once more available as an option. Still waiting for mine to arrive.

 

Waiting for my coming SXPS. Spec below. Would this be able to play FF10 on emulator ?