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

There is a glitch with the latest Dell release of the drivers and the Catalyst control center disappears. I'm running Windows 7 and the newest version for it works fine. My advice is to find the older version of the drivers if you desperately need the CCC.

As for the BluRay software, PowerDVD should be preloaded on it. No, they don't send the disk for some reason, but if you complain enough you can get it. I did. If not I have an image I can upload later for you so that you have the software, just let me know.

 

Dell Studio XPS 1640 on Microsoft Windows Vista Home Premium x64
Processor: P8600
RAM: 4GB DDR3
Gfx: ATI Radeon Mobility 3670 512MB
Monitor: 720p (at the time). Currently a 1080p but haven't tested it out on this one yet.

 

Studio XPS 16 (1640) Laptop: Intel Core 2 Duo P8700 (3MB cache/2.53GHz/1066Mhz FSB) w/2.0MP Integrated Webcam
1 Dell WebCam Central 1.0 software
1 Operating System Label
1 Power DVD Software
1 Dell Wireless 370 Bluetooth Module
1 Intel WiFi Link 5300 802.11a/g/n Draft Mini Card
1 8X DVD+/- RW(DVD/CD read/write) Slot Load Drive
1 256 GB Solid State Drive Ultra Performance
1 Integrated 2.0 Mega Pixel Web Camera
1 90W AC Adapter
1 Software
1 Dell Support 2.0 Software
1 Obsidian Black with Leather Accent
1 Scratch &amp; Dent
1 Operating System CD
1 Software
1 125V Power Cord
1 Software
1 PowerDVD Software
1 Genuine Windows Vista Home Premium
1 Shipping Material
1 4 GB DDR3 SDRAM 1066MHz (2 DIMMs)
1 Label
1 512MB ATI Mobility RADEON HD 3670
1 Microsoft Works 9.0
1 Facial Recognition Software
1 Roxio Creator 10.2 DE
1 Notebook Keyboard
1 64BIT Operating System DVD
1 6 Cell Primary Battery
1 Service Software
1 Resource DVD
1 16 inch Edge-to-Edge FullHD Widescreen RGBLED LCD (1920x1080))
1 Windows Live
1 Shipping
1 Image Restore Software

there you go, delivery is scheduled today, 10am this morning.
im a little nervous waiting for this baby to arrive.

 

Here is my new 1640 to be delivered TOMMORROW!!!
I'm interested to hear any comments on my configuration since I dont know what the hell I'm doing!

1 224-5213 XPS 1640, Intel Core 2 Duo T9800(2.93GHz/1066Mhz FSB/6M L2 Cache)
1 320-7330 Obsidian Black High Gloss Finish with Leather XPS 1640
1 311-9487 4GB, DDR3, 1067 MHz 2 Dimm forXPS 1640
1 320-7329 16.0 inch Wide Screen 16:9 1080p FullHD RGBLED LCD W/2.0 MP, XPS 1640
1 320-7337 ATI Mobility RADEON HD 3670 - 512MB
1 341-8982 256GB Dell High Performance Solid State Hard Drive, 2.5MM
1 420-9319 Microsoft Windows Vista with SP1 Home Premium Edition 64-bit Edition English
1 330-1917 DELL RESOURCE DVD,BACK-UP XPS 1640
1 420-6576 DELL WELCOME,Software Dimension/Inspiron
1 420-9100 Dell Dock Consumer
1 463-2282 Dell Owners Manual installed on your system,click on icon after system set-up to access
1 420-6436 Vista, PC-Restore, Dim/Insp
1 420-7938 Dell Connect 2.1
1 421-0092 DELL-DOWNLOAD-FLAG
1 421-0323 Windows Live Search,Multiple User Interface
1 430-2600 Integrated 10/100 Network Card
1 410-1883 ADOBE READER 9.0 MULTI- LANGUAGE
1 313-7056 BluRay Combo Drive
1 420-9850 Roxio 10.2 DE
1 420-9681 PowerDVD DX 8.1 Bluray Playback, True Theatre High Definition
1 313-4783 Integrated High Definition Audio 2.0
1 430-2955 Intel WiFi Link 5300 802.11AGN Half Mini Card
1 410-1839 McAfee Security 9.0, 3-Year Subscription
1 312-0811 56 WHr 6-cell Lithium Ion P Primary Battery, for XPS 1640
1 412-0148 No ISP requested
1 420-8051 Microsoft Works 9.0, English For Inspiron
1 993-3487 Dell Hardware Warranty PlusOnsite Service, Initial Year
1 992-4500 Third Party At HomeService, 24x7 TechnicalSupport, Initial Year
1 960-9187 CompleteCare Accidental DamageProtection, Inspiron, 1 Year
1 412-0358 Soft Contracts - Consumer Complete Care
1 950-9797 No Warranty, Year 2 and 3
1 412-0360 Soft Contracts - Banctec
1 960-8710 Warranty Support,Initial Year
1 988-7707 2GB DATASAFE ONLINE 1.1 FOR SDO/DIM/INS/XPS
1 988-0099 To activate your online backupaccount, go to Start, Programs, DataSafe Online
1 420-9518 DATASAFE ONLINE 1.1 2GB FOR DIM/INS/XPS
1 330-0171 S and P Drop-in-Box Marcom forDHS Notebooks
1 430-3206 Dell Wireless 370 Bluetooth Internal (2.0+Enhanced Data Rate)
1 320-7618 Premium HD WLED Display Obsidian Black, Leather 2.0 MP Webcam
1 420-8223 Dell Video Chat
1 420-9330 Dell WebCam Central 1.0 XPS 1640
1 420-9699 Facial Recognition Sensible Vision
1 310-8628 You have chosen a Windows Vista Premium System

 

Seeing that my new computer will be here tomorrow my question is if anyone can reccomend how to initaly set it up straight out of the box. I havent had a new laptop in 7 years and I want to make sure I get off to the right start, since like I said above I have no idea what I'm doing!

Thanks..........

 

Try YouTube, there are some very useful Vista tutorials on there.

Vista also has a built in start-up procedure (setting users, etc) on first boot-up, after you finish that, you can get into other stuff like removing bloatware.

Thats also a beast of a machine you purchased !!! Seems like you maxed out all the upgrades (except for RAM). Should be a very (very) nice upgrade to your 7 year old machine.

 

i got the laptop in my sig for £920, 900 if i didnt pick wireless. i got 15% off.
i didnt pick blu ray but got the rgb led screen and intel 5300 wifi

 

I'm thinking about buying an XPS 1640, but it has to be delivered by May 15 - and I won't get the money to pay for it until May 2. Is that enough time for the refresh, if it does arrive soon?

 

There is a huge difference in performance in these particular SSD's. The 128 is the old Samsung tech and Controller. The 256GB is the brand new leading edge technology and controller that came out first a couple months back. This 256GB is retailing for $700 so it is worth every penny with our upgrade option for half of that, as their is no SSD on the market that can touch it for that price/size/performance of a Dell upgrade on a new SSD.

256GB review-
http://www.reghardware.co.uk/2009/03/17/review_storage_ssd_samsung_mmd0e56g5/

There is an SSD thread on these boards where some people follow the technology quite closely and can provide further insight.
http://forum.notebookreview.com/showthread.php?t=208242&page=523

 

Depends. Right now (4/21) on Dell's (US) site, it shows an initial ship date of May 12 if ordered today. Of course, that's no guarantee, and even if it ships the 12th, it may take a few days to arrive, depending on the shipping method.

If you are willing to go with a refurbished model, I've heard the turnaround time is MUCH less, b/c the units are already built, and basically just have to get boxed and shipped.

 

I just scored this SXPS 16 with 15% off for $1,683 (that's with tax and free 2nd day shipping), how'd I do?

Intel C2D T9600 (6MB cache/2.8GHz/1066Mhz FSB)
1080p RGBLED (1920x1080)
6 GB DDR3 SDRAM 1066MHz (2 DIMMs)
500GB 7200rpm HDD
Blu-ray Disc Combo
Intel 5300 WiFi
Dell Wireless 370 Bluetooth Module
Vista Ultimate


One question: Since the ram days 2x 3GB modules, this will be in dual channel mode right?

 

I've been keeping an eye on the dates recently, though. The delay between ordering and shipping went up yesterday or the day before that - it was something like only a week before. Heck, the whole Dell Studio line seems to have had a spike in that time.

Worst comes to worst, I suppose I could pick up the current 1640 model from Best Buy - they claim they'll have it shipped next business day after ordering. Is that reliable?

 

It has been a long time since I've had a new laptop, and I want to make sure I set it up right out of the box. I know nothing about computers except that when you turn it on for the first time it steps you through the set up process and this is where I need some help, are there any suggestions that you can make so I make sure I make the right initial choices!!!
Thanks

 

If you're not going to reformat it, you need to do the Windows updates first. You should then update your Anti-Virus. After that you need to update any drivers by going here.

http://support.dell.com/support/downloads/index.aspx

You can type in your service tag or your model type and then make sure you pick the 64 bit OS. After that download any updated drivers and install them. Once you're done with those updates and have rebooted you'll want to update any software that came with the computer, i.e. PowerDVD, Fast Access, Roxio, etc. There were some more in depth answers posted earlier to you if you look back through the thread though.

 

The first series of Vista set-up processes are fairly basic; setting users, date, time, etc. There really isnt anything that you can do that will jeopardise your laptop at this point.

Once you get more comfortable with Vista (and know that its working properly), you can start optimising it, like removing unwanted software, tweaking some of the settings, etc. And, there are great tutorials online that show you how to tweak Vista to make it faster (try YouTube).

 

I got the laptop in hand yesterday.
It's a beautiful thing to behold, the RGB screen is fantastic and I don't have the slightest issue with any oversaturation. Also the text is very readable at that resolution, so those two big concerns are non-issues for me. I also tried out a BluRay on it and it looked incredible.

I backed up the Dell OS installation (just in case), then proceeded to re-image a clean install with a format. Reloading necessary drivers and windows updates went off without a hitch.

I got the Samsung 256GB SSD and I am so happy I did. The SSD just silently purrs like a tiger. It's quick, snappy and quite responsive. I only wish everything I copied files too or from was as fast as the SSD not to slow it down.

I have had no heat issues to speak of. It gets warm but nothing more than I would expect. I used it with and without an active cooler and maybe it's due to the SSD keeping things cool.

I'm glad to see all the concerns some have raised about this laptop were non-issues for me. With all the features/benefits of this laptop I'd be happy to compromise in some areas, the thing is that as of right now I don't feel like I really compromised anywhere. Well there is no pause/break key on the keyboard I could find and I like to use that periodically, so there is one compromise.

I'm glad to join an elite group of happy SXPS 16 owners.

 

What's peoples speaker setup in the OS?

2 speakers?

I guess I was wondering if it acts like a 2.1 with the sub. I haven't found any way for the subwoofer to be treated as it's own channel. Every audio test I've used that tries to use a subwoofer, when it gets to the sub it just goes silent. Or if I click on it in Windows test it doesn't emanate a sound then either. I just want to make sure the sub works cause now it has me curious, I'm used to a sub being on it's own channel and I can't say for sure it's working.

 

Congrats! Glad to hear you got a good one. I would hope by now some of the issues are being resolved pre-shipping.

 

The sub just plays everything at <30Hz .. you can tweak this in the IDT menu but cant assign a channel to it. ie. It doesnt do the .1 channel at all; you can only get this if you output it.

Congrats on your laptop, i have a similar config, and yes the 256SSD is a beast.

 

So, I received my replacement SXPS 16 yesterday and guess what.... the L&R speakers don't generate any sound only the off-center peace of $hite speaker makes any noise whatsoever. I'm telling you guys, I don't know what happened with Dell's quality control. It's really suffering ever since they moved to Poland.

I tried reinstalling the audio drivers from the Dell support site. Reinstalling the OS. I even ran the Dell Diagnostics. I also went as far as removing the keyboard/palm rest to check the speaker connections and found that all the ribbon cables where connected and connected to their respective connectors on the mobo. Everything looked OK as far as I was concerned.

In the end I gave up and phoned Dell to order a replacement. This would be my third machine.

Third time lucky I hope.

 

On different note. I bought a Zalman ZM-NC2000 (silver) notebook cooler for my SXPS16 as I found whilst playing games (TF2, L4D or WoW) it does tend to get pretty hot under the palm rest.

The cooler works great and really helps keep the temperature down. It's well constructed and works like it should, out of the box. Unlike my 16x more expensive lappie.

It's very light and could be transported in a laptop bag that would support 20" items. I won't be travelling with it as I won't be playing games whilst out and about, besides I don't travel that often.

Some reviewers complain about the cooler's underside being constructed of plastic, but that doesn't really bother me.

It works (in this case you get what you pay for) and will probably extend the life of my lappie's components and reduce the heat expansion of its plastic parts.

 

i want an SSD, but a decent 250gb is like £300+.

 

Why is the Intel 5300 wifi 3X3 a good upgrade?

Let me share...

First, it's a decent WIFI client.
Second, 3 streams (3 transmit, 3 receive) allowing up to 450 Mbps (theoretical) on upcoming 3 stream N routers.

http://www.smallnetbuilder.com/content/view/30702/89/1/1/

 

I got my 1640 about a month ago and the laptop perfore flawlessly. I have been using the 9 cells battery and I don't think I would ever use the 6 cells battery. Is it worth to keep the 6 cells battery or just sell it. What does the 6 cells worth?

Thanks.

 

I'm looking to buy a keyboard cover/protector skin for the 1640 but can't find any that would fit this keyboard. does anyone know which one i should be ordering...???

 

talking about that "6 cell battery", its actually a 4 cell capacity battery only, dell is lieing. when does a 6 cell battery only provides 75 minutes life on high performance? keep in mind, studio 16 is running on montevian 25w chips and with lcds screen britness tone down by bios.

 

p8600 v p8700, any real difference?
i know the p8600 is 2.4ghz and p8700 is 2.53ghz but its only a .13ghz and i wont do much gaming.
plus the cache is the same (3mb) unlike the 2.53ghz t9400 (6mb).

its not availible in the UK anyway and i not giving my laptop back for a minor upgrade.

once, you get mobile quads and i7 or whatever it will be in laptops, that .13ghz wont make mch of a difference will it, compared to the huge gap between the newer processors.

 

what do you mean the brightness is toned down in the bios? why did dell do that?

does it say anywhere its a 4 cell battery? it should tell you its a 6 cell battery. i cant see dell doing that. if your just saying that as the battery life is , it probably is on the studio xps, but mine lasted about 2 and a half hours on light usage, what most notebook this size will do...

Also, why dont dell use decent thermal paste on the laptop so it stays cooler on the inside, its very cheap anyway. and we are buying £800+ laptop at least

 

how do you change the backlit keyboard's britness settings?
its quite dim even its on, i mean when backlit auto come on in dark place.

 

i dont have my new dell yet but if i remember, hold FN and theres a button near the botom right of the keyboard you press, you get 2 brightness's and a off setting.

ordered my dell 18th april sat, and its going to be here friday 24 april . less then 1 week, and this happened 2 times i ordered. dell have very quick delivery.

 

I saw that there were some questions about blu ray player software. You can go here,

https://smartsource.dell.com/Web/Login.aspx?ReturnUrl=/web/main.aspx

and register, and you should have access to all the software that was not included with the system on the disk (preloaded). So, if you install W7 or WVU, you can go here and dl the software. Hope this helps!

Also, I had to replace my HL-DT blu ray player due to bad reading. (It would not read certain audio tracks) They overnighted the sony optaric 5600 br dvd burner, which works MUCH better But my point is, when I pulled the bottom plate, the wireless antennae (the wire with the gold end) were smashed and damaged from them putting the plate on too quickly. It may be something you want to check. The complete service manual for the xps 1640 can be found here.

https://support.dell.com/support/edocs/systems/sxl16/en/sm/index.htm

Anyone found out how to increase the performance of the video card yet?

Thanks!

Charlie

 

So I went ahead and did the bad thing...AGAIN! Yes, I ordered another Dell. No, I haven't gone blind yet. I ordered during the Spring sale, and apparently so did the rest of the free world, so alas, my order is delayed. The friendly folks at Dell sent me a note saying that because my order was delayed, I could cancel and we would still be friends. If I could only afford Alienware's 23% APR, I would be looking at a shiny Alien head now. So, I check the Dell site daily to track my next nightmare, and low and behold I discover that under the Sound Options tab, they are now offering what appears to be some kind of software/hardware motherboard hybrid Soundblaster option for only $25. Specifically, it's called a Soundblaster X-Fi MB. I called to see if I could upgrade to this gem, and even after speaking with two very nice folks who spoke the Queen's English, I still don't know exactly what it is. It's mainly software, I did get that much from Creative and Dell, but it's not that easy. The software has to be compatible with the motherboard and chipset and audio codec...whatever that is. So, are the new XPS 16's shipping with a different motherboard? Never got a straight answer on that one. Can I buy the software from Dell separately? Again, no specific answer, but I was told an external sound card was the best overall option. Well that's dandy, except that I don't necessarily care to purcase external speakers or plug in my headphones every time I wanna hear sound. Creative says the software is only available from OEM manufactures...too many compatibility issues apparently for them to sell it outright, although if you google it, it does show up on their website, along with a PDF file you can browse. I decided not to cancel my order and loose the $350 in upgrades from the Sale just to get a $25 sound card, but naturally I still want it. Can anybody shed some light on this rambling? One last thing...all of us that have been told our orders are delayed, has anybody been able to get any kind of comcession or upgrade as a result? Thanks for the rant.

 

PowerDVD is not included in the download store. The only things available there are Roxio, Fast Access and Dell Webcam Software.

 

How would you guys compare the size of the studio xps 16 to a standard 15 or 16 inch laptop? Weight doesn't really matter to me, I'm mainly curious of length/width/etc in comparison.

 

its about 1" wider than a Studio 15 and 0.1" thinner, depth about the same.. if I recall correctly, the XPS 16's dimensions are: 15.05" x 10.1" x 0.95".. and if I'm wrong, I know its real close to that

 

Actually PowerDVD 8.2 and SightSpeed are also up there now, at least when I look in the US.

 

New Dell PC Tune Up 2.0 application is up today on the site, 64 bit compatible.
Not sure if it's worthwhile.

That's just a generic description though used on other updates.

http://support.dell.com/support/downloads/driverslist.aspx?os=WV64&osl=EN&catid=-1&impid=-1&servicetag=&SystemID=STUDIOXPS16&hidos=WLH&hidlang=en&TabIndex=
(Vista 64 Link)

P.S. New Intel(R) WiFi Link 5100/5300 driver came out yesterday.

 

You are correct (on the software part) I have a request into Dell support to add the other items onto the site. Lets hope... They have been suprisingly responsive as of late! But for ppl that were not aware of the link, at least it is a start. I forgot to mention that I have the 1640 with the ATI 3670. (on my question about increasing performance for the video card)

I had found a site that would manipulate the standard ATI drivers to make them compatable to misc. notebooks. Does anyone remember what that site was?????

 

Probably guru3d.
That's where I go anytime I want latest vid drivers.

 

With the UK outlet 1640's, do you get the knatty black coth cover that the normal Dell shop users get?
Should the TV tuner card have an ariel too?
I sned an email to Dell Support UK and recieved a rather terse email stating that these are not included with an outlet laptop. I can't belive that Dell would knowingly ship laptops with a TV card and no ariel.

 

That's good to hear, I don't have to upload the image for people anymore then.

 

hey when i tryed to install the pc tuneup from doll it asks me for a serial code, is this a product i needed to originally buy and if not how do i get the serial for this application?
Also i have intel wifi 5300 and tryed to install the new driver for it, i was given a error message 'not compatible' or something like that, is this one of those drivers i need to unistall manually before installing the new driver?
Cheers for any advice on these issues.

 

Yeah, I noticed that too.
I've just flashed my bios to A06 and i've noticed that my fan is running a little louder. I guess this is to lower the laptops running temp. I've also noticed that the Bluetooth card runs very hot, it's not a feature that I use so I've disabled it and my 1640 is running a lot cooler now.

 

Well I finally received my new 1640 yesterday, because I am a computer idiot I did not reformat like I probably should have but I was worried I'd screw it up, anyways can some one who has recently received a new 1640 share with me the programs that you deletedto get rid of the bloatware......
Thanks!

 

For all those waiting for their notebook, remember that the EDD is an estimate and a pretty poor one at that, mine had 3rd day shipping and came a whole 5days before it was supposed to. EDD was 4-21-09 it came 4-15-09.

 

Basically, any trial software should be removed. Also, programs that you arent going to use; i got rid of the face recognition and Dell Dock for example, since im never going to use them (although, some ppl might).

Actually, the sxps16 doesnt come with much bloatware at all; maybe, because its a premium laptop going for a higher price. Good luck.

 

Thanks for reporting back. Be aware the link I provided is specifically for Vista 64 so if you have Vista 32 the driver won't work, you need to back up and go to Vista 32. Otherwise, I know as much as you, I was just a messenger.

 

hehe, yeah reformatting is definitely not necessary. I only do because like to know of everything that is on my machine. If you don't use it than uninstall it. Look in control panel/programs. There shouldn't be too much you need to remove, as said above.

 

Does anyone know what the difference is between the N03X1604 and the N04X1604?

I have a N03X1604 according to my order PDF. I checked Dell's UK sales site today and I found that N04X1604 is now listed right at the top of the order specs.

 

Spoke to a sales rep and he said that the only difference is that 03 is March and 04 is April. It basically helps them identify the special offers for each month.