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

I just received an email that mine has shipped from best buy 1 day before i was anticipating the order to be cancelled.

I honestly have already moved on from this computer and was planning on ordering an HP dv7-1270us. Now i'm torn on what to do.

 

In terms of performance they're in the same class. The 9600GT with the same type of RAM (DDR3) is more powerful, and with DDR2 is slightly slower (in synthetic benchmarks at least-I think I remember someone saying it's actually faster in real world things).

But...ATi doesn't support their mobile hardware, even unofficially. You have to resort to using third party tools to mod their drivers, which can have various issues. Because of that, Anandtech is recommending you only consider Nvidia for notebooks, which I completely agree with.

Well...it's about the same, just wider. I was really happy with the resolution, personally. It's just about perfect for the screen's size, to me at least. The screen's one of the better ones on a laptop too.

Basically my two complaints with that system are 1) No Nvidia GPUs 2) Bad cooling...which is too bad, because otherwise I like it quite a bit.

 

gosh i'm really having a hard time deciding between keeping this and the HP. here are some comparisons and see if you can help me out.

Both have the P8600 Core 2 Duo processor, Intel 5100 wireless card, and Vista 64.

RAM
The Dell has 4GB DDR3
The HP has 4GB DDR2

HDD
Dell - 320GB 7200
HP - 320GB 5400

GPU
Dell - ATI Radeon
HP - Nvidia 9600GT

Monitor
Dell - 16" WLED 1336x768
HP - 17" WXGA+ 1440x900

cosmetics
Dell - backlit keyboard is a big plus, but i like the feel of HPs more.
HP - i really like the touch pad over the dell's texture like feel. I also like the IR remote that comes with the HP.



my computer habits - internet, streaming video (hulu, youtube, etc), watching dvds and blu-ray movies, itunes and music management as well as torrent downloading/seeding.

i know this is more of a dell forum, but help me out.

 

To me, there are two big differences.

The HP you're mentioning has a much better GPU, since Nvidia actually provides support for it (it would have slightly better performance too). On the other hand, the Dell has an LED backlit screen instead of florescent, which for me is a fairly big deal...other than that they'd be pretty much the same.

Oh, main system RAM would be the same. DDR2 and 3 would have the same performance in these things. the 3 is clocked faster, but has worse latency. So i wouldn't worry about that one way or the other.

 

Just so you know, the 1640 has IR capability, just no remote as an option. You can purchase a remote from Dell for something like 23 bucks. I've tried it, and it works.

 

Hi. I received xps Studio 16 a few weeks back and love it. Brilliant machine. cutting to the chase, as I could go on about all the goodness involved with this laptop for sometime plus you guys know!
The one thing that has been unfortunate is that I was using Win 7 beta on my inspiron 6400 and it ran fantastic. Remarkable really. My S xps 16 came with Vista 64. It runs fine. Fast. 5.5 user rating . Nonetheless as the RC of Win 7 approaches I really miss 7 more by the hour. I know it will install fine. But I do not want to lose all the xps features. Make that any of them. Facial recog, pinch touch etc.

My question to you all is : Has anyone managed to install 7 64 bit and have their Studio running with all the good apps that it comes with? Dual boot or otherwise. I have considered grabbing an iso of the "as shipped" partition, tweaking that. I would be more than happy to collaborate with someone who also wants to get this working. Anyhow, fantastic forum.
Regards,
J

 

I've got W7 x64 b7048 installed with everything, except I didn't install facial recognition, or webcam, since I don't need those right now (they may work fine though). I don't know about 'pinch touch', but the touchpad software installed without a problem and is working (except for in FF3.1b2). All the drivers I installed from the dell website in the order they recommend (I restarted after each one).

I haven't done a whole lot on it yet though and only have a couple apps installed. So, I'm not sure how great the stability is yet. But 7000 is super stable (not 1 bsod) on my desktop.

 

I'm using Firefox 3.1b2 with W7 x64 b7048. EDIT: OK, I got it working in FF3.1b2 (the settings in about:config are a little different I think). Finnally, the reds are fixed, but I think they are actually a little to orange. How can I brighten them just a tad? I'm using the Tux-Neutral profile.

I wonder though, what things don't use the ICC profile? I've got MPC home cinema with Win7 Codec pack fomr shark007. I wonder if this program works with the color profile correctly? hrmm...

 

Is it still possible for me to install a copy of W7 x64 b7048 ? if so where could i get it? Do i need to activate a serial key with this beta version? I would like to dual boot on my 1640 between vista and windows 7

Thanks.

 

I just got my XPS half an hour ago. Just out of its sleeve, when I examine the screen, I can see specs of dust here and there behind the glass screen. That concerns me. I mean if there are already noticeable dust there when brand new, what are the risks of having more a year or two from now?!

Anyone notice the same with their XPS?

 

Others have had a problem with the screen not being sealed properly and they had the same dust specs. I'd get it replaced.

 

I recently got my 1640 but didn't notice anything worng with the screen..where should i be looking?

Screen off/on ?

 

ive also just finished my first day with this notebook, not one problem with dust in the screen here, infact i really put it through the paces today and cant really fault it, the only issue i had was after 2.5 hrs heavy gaming i noticed temps getting alittle high: core 64 GPU; 81, i think ill try and find a good cooling pad and see what that does to drop the temps a bit.

it doesnt help that i study in india where temps are already mid 30's celsius before i even put a game in lol. Anyone know of a good cooling pad that is obtainable in india it would be much appreciated.

all and all, very happy with this notebook, and also the service i recieved from dell.

 

Try this one - it has excellent reviews
http://www.amazon.com/Zalman-ZM-NC2...2?ie=UTF8&s=electronics&qid=1236631391&sr=8-2

$65.99

I will be ordering one later this week.

 

Thanks much! Looks like I'm one of those unlucky dudes who got an unproperly sealed screen. However, I'm glad that at least, it is POSSIBLE to get a screen with no dust.

 

It's really easy to spot the dust particules if they are present.

Simply start by cleaning the surface to remove the dust *on* the glass and then look closely with the screen turned off. If you can't see any, then congratulations.

 

Hmm, I checked ebay and youtube, and yes, reds are a little bit "orangish". (The pure red of an AdobeRGB image is even more orangish.) My calibration isn't perfect. I rushed doing it as the calibration device isn't mine that I just borrowed from someone.

 

Ive never calibrated a screen. But, isnt it possible to adjust the different sliders until it "looks right".. although, you wouldnt get an icc profile for printing and such.

 

No problem, sorry you have to. My screen if fine, so your next should be.

 

Dang, if it could just be upped a tad, it would be perfect. If I knew how to edit the ICC file in textpad or something, I would.

For video I adjusted saturation to 80 in ATI avivo video. It did the trick.

 

what is the main difference between this computer's moniter, the WLED 1336x768 versus a WXGA+ 1440x900?

 

Well since you mentioned the LED, this has LED backlighting, while most still have florecent.

Besides that, the resolution of course. 1336x768 is roughly 16:9, same as an HDTV, while 1440x900 is 16:10, slightly more "square". not really that big of a difference IMO.

 

ok i'm not trying to be mean or racist here but are all of you in this thread from INDIA?? because every few pages i see the word india. How many of you are from the USA? Is this an american-based website or an indian one?

 

I noticed a small spec of dust behind my screen today while cleaning. It can't be seen when laptop is on and running and you would really have to be right up at it to see. Kinda bummed about it but I broke my big screen TV a few years back and when the guy came to repair a piece of dog hair (the dog sheds a lot) got stuck behind the new screen SO... I'm hoping I can just let it go. I think it being new (had it less than 2 weeks) makes it a bit more difficult and the fact that it came this way.

Has anyone returned theirs because of dust behind the screen?

 

Umm...I have not been here that long, but this comment makes no sense at all. A quick search of this thread shows the word india mentioned 20 times out of almost 2600 messages, and most of those have to do with Dell in India, not forum people. It seems to me that a fairly high majority of users here are from the US or Canada.

 

i just got my xps...and im also seeing dust behind the screen as well.. this is disappointing.. gotta send it back and wait again.

 

can someone refer me to a site that will acutally show me what the 3670 is comparable to in nvidia cards? thx

 

Anyone know if there is a 64bit version of Quicktime? I have some movies I converted and I can't find a 64bit version of it.

 

i have to ask what point you are trying to make with your comment.......i cant at all see what it has to do with firstly notebookreview or secondly dell studio XPS?.
but because i can see it really seems to upset you im going to throw a spanner in the works....i never said i was from india....i said i study in india....im actually from new zealand....oh my....hope that doesnt trip you out to much....
anyway back on topic......very happy with the screen resolution i had a asus with a 1280x800 WXGA screen and the XPS has quite a noticable improvement in brightness, colours and overall smoothness.
still very happy with my purchase
takecare.

 

stupid question.. but how do i get the MediaDirect 3.3 disc?

 

will this be getting a 4xxx gpu soon?

 

thanks for the link....it does look like a fantastic cooler, i hope i can get one in india as this looks like just what the doctor ordered.
Cheers for your help.

 

The 3670 sits between an Nvidia 9600m gt DDR2 and an Nvidia 9600m gt DDR3 but thats with stock drivers. People have been able to raise there 3dmark06 scores for 4200 with dells stock drivers to 5000 with modded ones

 

Where is a safe place to get the modded drivers?

 

To be honest i havent found them people say there are using Catalyst 9.1 mobile drivers but i havent installed them

 

3670 versus 9600M GT

http://optimitza.cat/news/2009/01/1...gaming-benchmarks-vs-nvidia-geforce-9600m-gt/

Performance between the two is very similar (1640's 3670 with 9600GT DDR2).

Also, from NBR's review:

Dell Studio XPS 16 (2.4GHz Intel P8600, ATI Mobility RADEON HD 3670 512MB), 1280 x 768 4,855 3DMarks

comparable with:

http://www.notebookcheck.net/NVIDIA-GeForce-9600M-GT.9449.0.html

Pavilion dv7-1050eg ( 1280x800) T9400 4096 MB 500 / 400MHz 512MB GDDR2 175.53 4419
Pavilion dv5-1060ew ( 1280x800) P8400 3072 MB 512MB DDR2 nVIDIA ForceWare 175.86 4460
JHL90 ( 1280x800) T9400 4096 MB 500 / 400MHz 512MB ForceWare 175.61 4565


Though it lags compared with GDDR3 version of 9600GT

Aspire 5930G-864G32MN ( 1280x800) P8600 4 GB DDR2 MB 500 / 800MHz 512 GDDR3 + bis zu 1791 MB shared Memory 5678
Aura P8400 Madril ( 1280x800) P8400 4096 MB 500 / 800MHz 512MB GDDR3 VRAM 7.15.11.7597 - Forceware 175.97 5684
MacBook Pro ( 1280x800) T9400 4096 MB 500 / 800MHz 512MB GDDR3 + GeForce 9400M (G) ForceWare 176.44 (Windows Vista) 5821

 

How does the "up conversion" of regular dvds look? Possible to tell a difference?

 

Hi yes I saw at least 3 dust specs. They were actually pretty small so I sent it back to depot. They will be replacing the screen for me.

 

I'm running the Catalyst 9.2 drivers. I found them on here somewhere but I can't exactly remember. I believe it was in the alienware forum. I saw a significant increase in my fps on Counter Strike Source.

*edit - Here's the link

http://forum.notebookreview.com/showthread.php?t=355375

 

i've been comparing this pc so much with an hp dv7 that i just cant keep them straight.

Does this notebook come with recovery disks? I know there is a recovery partition, but i'd like to have disks if possible. If not, is there a program that allows you to burn recovery DVDs at the initial start-up like the HP has?

 

Im gonna try and install are you sure it works? Show a screenshot with Device manager open please and could you also explain how to install them?

 

Ive got maybe 2 in my screen im not gonna worry about it till theres more or it begins to get in places were it upstructs my view due to me not being able to be without a computer

 

i dont know if i should send it back about the dust... and is this part of 1 year warranty? i can send it back anytime within a year ?

 

Here is the Catalyst SS



Here is Device Manager, it still says Driver Version 8.582 but I believe the Catalyst is a modified version of that driver, someone correct me if I'm wrong.

 

I just installed im about to run 3dmark and see what i get i got 4200 last time.

UPDATE I just ran 3dmark and only got 4366 166 up from last time. N20D5OH there is no difference in our configuration what is up?

 

Hey guys. I downloaded the latest driver from ATI Redeon website. The thing is I couldn't find the HD 3600 series under notebooks section but it was under the desktop section..anyway i downloaded it and installed it. I was wondering if I did the right thing?

 

thanks krion so basically what your saying is that this is a good gaming notebook?

O yeah and howcome people dont like ati and like nvidia better ?

 

I prefer ati but yea its a fairly good notebook. Its in the performance gpu class. There are 4 ranges. Entry, Mid-range, Performance, and High-end.

 

I don't know what to tell you. I didn't benchmark mine, I tested it playing games. I got about a 30-40 FPS increase when I changed drivers. I didn't change anything else, I don't think it was a coincidence, then again, maybe it was. But there was no difference besides the drivers.

Read that whole thread. You need to run the mobility modder and modify the drivers. I'm doing it now, link me to the benchmark test you used and I'll run it when I'm done.

*edit - I did exactly what it says, it still says build 8.582 but the Catalyst version is 9.2. Maybe someone a little more knowledgeable will step in, but I know I saw a performance increase.

 

Arrgg, I really wish this laptop didn't have screwed up colors! The rest of it, I love. Who wants to full with ICC and program individual profiles and have icons, thumbnails, and system windows/desktop still be way over saturated. I didn't pay $200 extra to look at pictures that were supposed to be red, but showing as pinkish bright as hell red.

I don't know what to replace it with now. I was looking for a 16:9 16" and there are only a few to choose from, while none of them appealed to me as much as this one. shiza