===> The Official Studio XPS 1640 Owner's Thread<===

Would the SSD help much with the heat problems that the system seems to have?

 

500GB 5400 rpm and 7200rpm have the same price. I wish I ordered 7200rpm but it will delay my shipment if I change now and I am tired of waiting but it is a nice option.
They are not seperately sold yet, though.

 

I kind of like the plastic over a metal body or whatever. Both the Macbook Pro and the previous gen Dell (1530) have all kinds of weird electrical/shock type issues. I sent back a MBP for that. Overall I really like this design, except for the blocked vent (and I want an Nvidia GPU even more than I did before I ordered it).

 

So did you already send this laptop back? I know you said that you were going to do it this past Monday.

 

Dell officially sucks....
My order has been in testing stage for over a week! I kept calling in everyday to check and all I hear is "your order is in testing stage." I called rep and she told me my order is fine and it should be shipped out in 3-5 days. When I called in again today, the status is "build stage"....? how can dell treat me like that. I am a loyal customer for years and now they're doing that. Also, many people ordered the system way after me, and they got theirs shipped days ago....Dell sucks and no wonder why they're losing to HP. I hope they go bankrupt, now I hate them....HP here I come

 

What do you guys think is the likelihood another GPU will be offered as an option in the 1640? Is that a simple component option, or something more complicated and unlikely?
Thanks.

 

LOL the longer the wait... the better you will be stimulated when you get it
Also you will change your mind about hating dell when you do get it
I have been through this will dell.
However I would like it if their tracking system was better.

 

Yeah, I dropped it off on Monday. I've even got a new computer (n80 from Newegg)...only it says on the outside of the box-has a mercury warning. I don't know if that's just a generic warning or what, 'cause it's supposed to be an LED backlight, and I'd have never bought it otherwise

 

I don't know the FPS

I have it set to High settings, almost maxed. The system handles it well and it looks good to me. I am not seeing any real slowdown when there are many units on the field.

I am running a P8400, 3GB ram, 500GB 5400

BTW, my windows expirience score is as follows




Processor 5.2
Memory 5.9
Graphics 5.9
Gaming Graphics 5.5
Hard Disk 5.5

The P8400 seems to be more of a bottleneck than the GPU.

**Can we get some scores for some other cpus and the 7200 RPM drives**

 

Might knock a few C off the hard drive temp but most of the high temperatures will come from the GPU and CPU.

 

I hope this works out for you. I'm still on the fence with the 1640. I'll wait until next month, maybe there will more positive user reports & options by then. If not, I'll have to consider something else. One option I wouldn't mind seeing would be a matte-black (instead of the glossy) option.

 

+1 [Midnight Blue]

 

I forgot about the midnight blue. That was the color I chose when I ordered the M1530 last year which I ended up canceling after a 4 week wait. If that color (matte would be preferable) became available...

 

For the configuration in my signature I got the following scores:

Processor: 5.4
Memory: 5.9
Graphics: 5.9
Gaming Graphics: 5.4
Primary Hard Disk: 5.8

 

http://www.tomshardware.com/news/Samsung-256GB-SSD,6628.html

I presume this is the 256GB Samsung SSD model which goes into the 1640. I didn't know that a 256GB SSD can permanently delete all of the data in about 2-3 minutes. That might help when you have the police/FBI on your doorstep.

Well, anyway it's nice to see SSDs with reasonable capacities (a lot of people can live with 256GB) becoming viable options for more people.

 

If the FBI were at my doorstep, I'd have sledgehammered my hard drive and be well on my way to defecting to Cuba.

I'm just waiting for a 320 option and for the prices of SSDs to come down.

 

I think more and more people own their 1640 now. For you owners out there:
1. I read somewhere that you can boot into Media Center mode without starting Windows, how you do that with 1640?
2. There seems to be some issue regarding software CDs that Dell suppose to send with the order, can you post what were being sent with your system? I got Vista Home reinstallation disk, Norton Internet Security 2008, and Dell drivers disk (I haven't check what are included). I'm a little dissappointed with Dell not including extra accessories for this premium line.

Thank you,

 

I'd say a hd 4670 shouldn't be hard to offer on this system - they are meant to be pin-to-pin compatible with the old HD 3XXX series after all...

I'm waiting on that before I buy!

C'mon Dell!

 

i think il be getting one soon if i can sort a price out with dell.
i dont mind the graphics card, its still good considering i never use it.

i just sold a laptop with 9600m GT 512mb and i never used it.

 

My P9400, 4GB RAM, 128G SSD, RGBLED yields:
Processor 5.4
Memory 5.9
Graphics 5.9
Gaming Graphics 5.5
Hard Disk 5.9

For the many posts I've seen warning that SSD, despite all it's read speed, suffers during write-intensive apps, I haven't noticed a performance hit.

 

I already got my laptop though. Is there any way to just buy the battery? I couldn't find that anywhere.

 

I'm curious to see how this would look on the 1640. It looks, and works just great on the 1530


Cin

 

What are the specs on the laptop you got, and what Resolution and AntiAliasing settings do you use? I can't get anywhere close to 50 fps with everything maxxed.

 

Im waiting for my order as well (order: Jan 26, edd: Feb 13); as long as they deliver within the edd, im happy. Otherwise, there will be h*ll... lol

But, checking every day will only make the wait seem longer.

 

Has anyone managed to identify which particular Windows Update item is causing BSOD on 1640 (Vista 64-bit)?

 

I still think anyone getting that should list their configuration (and for the matter, whether they've run Memtest overnight), 'cause a lot of people never saw any crashes.

 

I noticed that the people who reported crashes have the 64-bit Vista, while those who had no BSOD whatsoever are running 32-bit versions.

 

Not in my case. Everyone in the U.S. at least got 64-bit with theirs, and mine updated just fine.

 

Same here. 64 Bit worked fine. The only problem I had was that my printer had no driver support for 64 bit.

 

I didnt order Bluetooth on my 1640. Can a card be installed by the consumer on the motherboard or does it have to be soldered in? Forced to use a pc card?

 

Oh okay.

So here's my configuration. To those who had no BSOD whatsoever with their 64-bit, can you please point out which from your configuration differed from mine?

Thank you a lot!

P8600
2 x 2GB dual channel RAM
320GB 7200rpm HD
Blu-ray drive
5300 wireless card
RGBLED screen
Dell Bluetooth module
no TV tuner
6-cell battery
Windows Vista 64-bit
MS Works (no Office)

 

Mine was the same, except:
-2.53GHz/6MB CPU
-5100 wireless card
-no Bluetooth
-regular 1368x768 screen.

I'm kind of suspicious of the Bluetooth, as I remember reading on Dell's forums a while ago that it was causing crashing issues on some laptops. (Would have been before the 1640 launched though.)

 

Mine is the same except I have the T9400 and the 5100 Wireless Card. The only time I got a BS was when I rebooted after the very first set of updates. But when I shut down and restarted again, everything was fine.

 

Hi compwiz0620,

Could you check your Windows Update > View update history screen, and see if you have any failed updates?

 

That's sad I have canceled my order after reading this.

How about HP HDX16?

 

I belevie this is what you will need to order

http://www.ciao.com/Dell_Wireless_370_Bluetooth_Mini_Card_network_adapter__15532331

 

Hey all!

I received the following with my Dell DPA monthly statement, and thought I would share:

• $150 Free Promotional Gift Card with purchase of this system when you use your Dell DPA. Offer ends 03/15/2009
• Take 5% off select systems when you use your Dell DPA
• 12 Months, no interest
• Both the 1340 and 1640 are priced at $1,139.05 after 5% off, when you use your Dell DPA. Regular priced at $1,199.00
• This is the E-Value Code to use (for both): 6M278-DYPDFP1
• This is the link to go to for the deal: http://www.dell.com/content/topics/...s=dhs&~ck=anavml&dgc=DM&cid=28146&lid=1027401

Valid thru 03/15/09.

I hope, that this is beneficial for some! The Gift Card is a great deal.
You would just have to use your Dell DPA to get it.

I am going to also post this in the 1340 thread, so users there can see it ~ and perhaps someone, can get some use out of it!


Cin

 

Thanks Cin'!

Checking out imdb lately???

When I input the e-value code it just brings me to the config screens. Do you have to wait till checkout to see the giftcard and discount?

 

HaHa!....Yes, I tried to correct the link before I got caught!
You busted me! darn.

I think you have to wait til checkout, and be sure to use the Dell DPA, that is the only way you are going to get it.

If you can't get it to work..you can call this number for assist from a Dell Rep:

1-888-476-8039


Cin

 

I dont know if this has been answered anywhere, but has anyone checked out the DPC latency on these machines? I just returned a M4400 because of latency and I'm waiting for my XPS 16, but if it has the same trouble I'll just cancel before it gets here, save me from waiting.

Also, has anyone tried installing XP?

Edit: Here's the link to the DPC latency program, it's really small and doesn't need to install anything. If someone would check I'd appreciate it

Edit 2: and of course the link... duh. http://www.thesycon.de/dpclat/dpclat.exe

 

Hi all, first time posting. I have been reading this thread for about a week and am very close to purchasing a Studio XPS 16 but I had a few questions that have been on my mind.


1. Warranty. I've been following the deal on bestbuy.com and it is a great bargain. But i know that if you purchase through best buy all warranty issues are done through geek squad instead of dell. Is this something i should be weary of? Is it worth spending a couple hundred extra and purchase through dell to insure that i have their warranty?


2. Blu-ray drive. Why would they offer a blu-ray drive on a system that doesn't have a full 1080 monitor? Are there any benefits to have the blu-ray drive with the 720 monitor, or should I just purchase the standard cd/dvd drive?


3. Monitors. This PC will not be my main source of HD multimedia, nor will I be using some of the graphically/visually intensive programs that many of you use. That being said, will I be fine with the standard WLED monitor?

 

What does Dell 'DPA' stand for?

 

Im using a 1366x786 LCD now (same as the WLED LCD on the 1640); i went to the 1080p display because i found it difficult to multi-task. The only video i watch on a laptop is youtube (etc).. so, its nice to have the video running on the side and doing whatever work you have to do; this is much harder with a 720p screen. .. but, its really a personal choice.

I dont see the point of the BD drive and the 720p screen; you might as well get a standalone player for about the same as the BD drive upgrade.

 

This'll probably sound flippant, but yeah, there's a HUUUUUGE difference between DVD and Blu Ray quality. Unless you absolutely hate movies and/or TV, I'd get it. Not to mention, even if the computer only had a 640x480 monitor, it would STILL be nice to have Blu Ray as you could play the same discs you buy/rent for home.

I had to buy an external Blu Ray drive for my current laptop, and it would be soooo nice if I had it built in like on the 1640.

Yeah. The 'worse' monitor is really good by laptop standards. I'd just pick it by resolution. For me, that 1368x768 is near perfect at 16". I'd pay more to get it over the higher resolution screen. For others though, they love those super high resolutions, even on small screens.

And it really has nothing to do with what programs you run for the most part, just what resolution you prefer-and IMO 1920x1080 is crazy on a 16" notebook.

 

Don't see the point? The point is you want to watch shows and movies on your laptop. I don't know what the screen resolution has to do with that. Sure, if you can it's nice watching Blu Ray or DVD on a 40" screen or whatever, but obviously if you've got a laptop, there's a good chance you're going to use it in some other location.

The point of having the Blu Ray drive is the same as why you'd have a DVD drive, or a decent GPU, or a notebook at all in the first place-so you can use it portably.

 

Wel, if you plan on downloading 720p x264 movies or tv shows (like itunes store sells) then you may be ok with the low resolution screen since there isn't much difference between 720p and 1080p quality, especially on a small laptop screen. But it is really nice to have blu-rays of some great films and shows and a Blu-ray film is always better than an encoded and compressed rip. Then since you have the blu-ray drive, 1080p screen would obviously not hurt

 

Sure 1080p is better, but 1368x768 is hardly low resolution, and Blu Ray's still night and day difference with DVD, which is of course many times lower resolution.

 

Of course there is a point for it; but its not free, its a $250 upgrade in Canada and its not even a burner. You can get a real BD standalone player for that amount, which will also pass through the new HD audio formats.

But, if watching BD on a laptop is THAT important to you (ie. $250 for a read only BD drive), then why settle for a 720p screen? You will be able to tell the difference given that you are closer to a laptop screen than a television.

 

Well, at least in the U.S. it isn't that much-and for me it's mandatory now. I'm not going to have a computer that won't let me watch movies/TV (or play games, or do whatever else I do with a computer).

Unfortunately I had to settle for an external USB drive on mine ($114 I think). Works at least.

 

Why are dell studio xps's so overpriced for its specs.

i mean the only good thing is its black metal casing. and the macbook and the Sony vaio FW have them, also the leather on it could scratch. ALthough i have to say it looks nice.

there is no need for blacklit screen or keyboard as theres enough light coming off the screen to see at light.

the specs are only good when you start paying lots.my budget is £800 and for that i get the basic crappy model.

which one is worth it:
Dell studio xps 16
P8600, 4gb ram, 250gb 7.2K, 64bit, 1366x768, ATI 3670, DVD RW for £870

or the Sony FW35V
P8600, 4gb ram, 320gb 5.4K, 64bit, 1600x900, ATI 3650, DVD RW for £820

I dont game at all and i dont watch blu rays as iv got a ps3.
I watch movies (downloads), go on the internet and do school work.

I seem to be leaning towards the Sony as they both look nice.