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

The FW is a nice notebook which I might consider if things don't work out with the 1640. However, the 1600x900 non-WLED display on the FW is inferior to both display options on the 1640.

 

I think the 1640 is a lot more competative than the 1530 typically was.

The screen's pretty high quality, which is probably where a lot of the price comes in.

 

hey guys, thanks for the info on the blu-ray.


what do you guys think about this question though?

 

It may still be that the laptop allows S/PDIF passthrough through HDMI. I will receive mine in Tuesday and will post the results. I really hope it does. I don't need 7.1 but 5.1 through HDMI is a must.

 

What resolution are you guys using on the 1640?

1920 X 1080 is tiny.

 

you get use to it
I've also increased DPI

 

too what resolution?

 

i played around with my friend's Panasonic Toughbook which was 1920x1080 and it was almost too small for me to read. It's great for him b/c he has to multitask but it just isn't the right fit for me.

 

C H A N G E T H E D P I. C H A N G E T H E D P I.

Sorry 'bout that, but i just couldn't hold it back anymore

 

I should be getting my 1640 with the 1080p this week.

My current laptop has an 1366x786 res screen in a 11.1" size.. i wouldnt be able to go with the same res while increasing the size by 5 full inches. Have you seen the new VAIO P in person??.. its crasy, 1600x786 in 8 inches.

Different strokes for different folks.

 

Have you tired this ATI HDMI Audio driver?

http://www.realtek.com.tw/downloads...=3&GetDown=false#High Definition Audio Codecs

 

"This machine should be able to handle real-time streaming of audio and/or video data without drop-outs"

"Some device drivers on this machine behave bad and will probably cause drop-outs in real-time audio and/or video streams. To isolate the misbehaving driver use Device Manager and disable/re-enable various devices, one at a time. Try network and W-LAN adapters, modems, internal sound devices, USB host controllers, etc."

The latency kept varying quite a lot, as you see in to pic.

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4H05nGhWagw

There's a link for a video showing th 16's viewing angles. It doesn't say if it is RGB led or W led. [Would it matter?]

 

Do you have the Dell wireless card? If so that's the cause of the latency drops

On a side note, I ordered my 1640 3 days ago and was wondering if this makes any sense. In my email confirmation as well as in my account it says

Estimated Ship Date: on or before 16/02/2009

but when I look at my order status it says

Estimated Delivery Date is:5/11/09

it's going to take 9 months to deliver lol! That doesn't make any sense!

 

It's probably going to be delivered by sailing ships and a horse drawn buggy.

 

I'm pretty sure they're delivering it on a donkey... I'm in montreal and if I'm not mistaken it will probably be delivered from somewhere in Ontario

 

Ouch, thanks for taking the time, man.
Was that with "high performance" battery setting? Or "dell balanced" or something like that?
Also, which wireless do you have? Dell, 5100 or 5300?

Shub

 

all shipments coming into canada go through toronto then to the rest of canada

 

yeah exactly, so it shouldn't take 9 months hehe

 

On the US site the only option on the 1640 is Intel wireless cards.

 

Now that a lot of you have the XPS1640, can you please find out what type of Firewire controller chip is used in the XPS1640? Ricoh? Noname OHCI compliant? Look under hardware devices or perhaps system information.

 

It's a ricoh.

 

Argh! But thanks for letting me know

 

Very very nice find. That is awesome.

 

The wi-fi is 5100 and the settings were "High Performance". But then, I do have "only" 3gb of ram as opposed to the 4gb at everyone else has, and my proc is P8400.

One question though, it may be a little too noob like, but why would you use the on-board sound card for recording? I record my guitar using the Behringer FCA-202 and never got any latency even with my crapped out HP Nx6120...

 

Hi. The integrated TV tuner wasn't an option when I bought my 1640. I see it is now available as an option in the UK. Does anyone know if it would be possible to buy separately and install as an integrated tuner?

 

And I have read every single one of them.

 

Hmm..I just realised, since no one has mentioned it, that there is another service that DELL provides in India, that I believe it does not provide anywhere else. The day after I received my 1640 I got a call from Dell (obviously not dell but some company they had outsourced to) asking when I am free and that their engineer would come at that time and check everything about the notebook. Everything ranging from physical damage, dell diagnostics, browsing etc was checked despite my telling the guy that he was wasting his time as I had already done all that. I was impressed none the less, and he was the one who told me that this service is provided only in India. He also claimed that Dell does not send the drivers anywhere else.

Thought I would let everyone know...

 

Thanks for linking the video... Nice find!


Cin

 

I guess im not the target market for that type of service, but, i would find that extremely annoying. Maybe, that type of service for a new car.. but, i dont want some random person coming to my house to check out my new laptop.

 

2 questions. Is this notebook worth getting over a HDX16 if I dont play games or do any editing? Does anyone have the extended battery and if so does it add that much bulk on it that its annoying to carry around.

 

Hmm..not a bad idea..But I would prefer an Onsite Dell Technician coming to my house to fix and repair, etc. As, that is part of the covered warranty (if you purchased). Yes, I know that OnSite Technicians are 3rd Party = Outsourced.

And, I would only trust Dell on verbiage regarding the drivers, etc.

But cool deal..if this works for someone, great!

Cin

 

I dont play games either; i chose the 1640 mostly for its 1080p RGBLED screen and it used newer components. If it had an integrated graphics, i would have still bought it.

Otherwise i would have picked up a VAIO FW if it had a comparable screen (the top end model has a nice 1080p, dual lamp CCFL, but, i want the best).

 

Is the dell that big that its not portable at all?

 

If you want real weight savings you prob need to go down to 13 or 14 inch range... if you need the larger (16 inch) screen, then, all 16-17 inch laptops are in the 6-8 lb range, some are 10+ lbs. But, the 1640 is about 6.5 lbs and 6.8 with the 9 cell battery. Only you know if that is portable enough for you... myself, this will be a desktop replacement and i wont be toting this around anywhere.

 

Yes, it is portable. I know someone that got it, and they will be taking it back and forth to their classes.

Place it in a good, sturd, reliable backpack or messenger back..that has nice shoulder support..and pretty much *good to go*


Cin

 

that's what i'm going to be doing when i get mine also anything is portable if you are willing to make it so, heck you could carry around an all in one computer and call it portable!

 

Exactly! Lappy's this size shouldn't be made, if they are not *portable*

And, you will have a nice lappy with you to boot.

Do you have a backpack, already?

Cin

And, LOL..I remember this funny stunt done at Starbucks last year as a joke:
(talking about portability) LOL...I know this is OTopic of the thread but..it's late, so yeah! :laugh:

<object width='425' height='344'><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/EKEeHREK2nQ&hl=en&fs=1"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/EKEeHREK2nQ&hl=en&fs=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width='425' height='344'></embed></object>

 

Yes and if they make a laptop backpack for up to 17" then anything 17" and below must be considered portable.

 

i just found an old post in the forums that also relates to the studio xps. for those of you who want to get the media buttons working with itunes (even when its minimized) just add this itunes plugin driver:

http://www.hostfile.org/mmKeys.dll

to this folder:
C:\Users\\appdata\Roaming\Apple Computer\iTunes\iTunes Plug-ins

 

Wow, wow, that is amazing, it's surprising they brang crt monitors since this was made last year, was it for the effect or they just don't have LCD's yet? Most ppl i know have them by now...

And my dad has an extra "messenger" bag i think is what it is called, he has a macbook pro (new one) so it'll fit me 1640 well...

 

id like to get a wwan card for my notebook but i dont know how to figure out whats compatible. im talking internal, not a dongle. does anyone know if

 

Exactly! Laptops = defining portable!

This is very helpful! Thanks for linking!

Yeah, it's funny..it was done as a stunt! LOL..I loved watching all the patrons reactions! hee hee

Yes, that Messenger bag should work for your 1640


Cin

 

hey guys, what is the adress of that site in which we can download the apps like the face recognition one??
what number do I need to acess it??
I figured that I should start downloading things in advance, since my internet here is pretty slow.

 

I havent recieved mine yet but because most of the review mention the face recognition i'm guessing it comes with it, because reviews typically do not comment on how well apps run with a computer/laptop except for internet and itunes...

 

its https://downloadstore.dell.com/media
but you probably cant download it now because youd need to login with your service tag. but it doesnt really matter all the software comes installed already.

 

Tks for the response, metroline!
The thing is: it will matter if I need to reinstall windows, as some here said they had... My unit is one of the firsts, and those seem to have some software issues.
I could get that tag number, since my computer has already been delivered and it is with a friend in the US. If that is all I need to download stuff, I'm good to go.
Since we are in the matter, were can I find this service tag?

 

The service tag is printed on the back of your laptop.

 

FOlks, another thing:
With all those heat issues, I've been trying to find out a way to play in the 1640 and don't fry it.
Laptop coolers came to mind, obviously. But what should be the aproach? What would be the best fit? Is that Zalman any good? I mean, the vents are located in a position that would really cool it down?
As the Zalman costs ~$50 and my budget is low, I was looking at this one too: http://www.antec.com/usa/productDetails.php?lan=us&id=75004 ... Would it work?

I also found this: http://forum.notebookreview.com/showthread.php?t=344810 VERY enginious!! ... As effective as the laptop cooler? More?

Must add: cooler or not, I'm so excited to cut my table in pieces!! woohooo!!

 

My P8600/4GB RAM/320GB 7200RPM/RGBLED 1640 does not run that hot. Well, I still have not stressed the CPU and GPU that much, but here are my temps when doing usual stuff (browsing, using Lightroom/Photoshop/Capture NX2, Warcraft 3):

(lowest temps are recorded when idle)

CPU (33-35C to 55C)
GPU (45-47C to 67C)
HDD (38C to ??? - I forgot)

room temperature - 25-27C