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

If you can note any temperature / fan behavior changes . . .

 

As far as I can see all of the above will work. The Q, X and QX processors will require more power though so can kiss your 1h 30m battery power goodbye. But if you really want more performance buy the T9800. It would be your safest bet. And you'll definately notice the difference.

If you're not going to do alot of gaming or run CPU intensive apps why bother changing what you have?

 

I just rec'd the laptop, and it looks even better than I thought it would! I am imaging the OS partition right now before I do a clean install later. If I even do a clean install. So far it seems really snappy! Just need to uninstall McAfee then install AVG. There is just a slight gap in the left hinge fitting, but I am not bothered by it (yet!).

I'll post further impressions as they occur.

 

Welcome to the "Gap in the Left Hinge" club!

 

A06 is A06.
What has likely changed is they changed the description, but had to go through an upload application in order to change the description.

It was well known that A06 did more than they previously described with cooling the laptop by engaging the fan more with some thermal changes.

It would be a shame to brick a laptop by updating the same BIOS that you already have if you have A06 already.

 

guys wat do u use to clean the keys ???/keyboard.
??

 

Agreed.. in fact, if you check the old BIOSs, A02 shows as 03/29/09. So they probably just updated a description or something and it updated the "date".

 

Typing this post now from my new SXPS1640....I LOVE IT!

 

I'm not a gamer but I am a torrenter. The Pro Shot Video of concerts on the RGB screen is like you are on stage with them seeing the sweat drip off their faces. This SXPS 16 with headphones is great. The WXSGA+T screen on my less than a year old 1525 is no comparison.

 

here is my ocd cleaning routine:

cover, lcd, and palmrest: use the provided dust cover (or paper towel) dampened with a bit of water, then buff dry to prevent streaking

keyboard: q-tips dipped in isopropyl alcohol, going down the rows, and then zig zagging.

speaker grills: collect dust using tacky rubber eraser, then dot with black sharpie to color the stubborn dust

 

how much of a difference would there be between the Intel Core 2 Duo P8700 and the Core 2 Duo T9400 or T9550? Does the 6MB cache vs 3MB make much of a difference? I'm curious from a gaming perspective really.

 

Have you tried a microfiber cloth? I find that alone gets rid of any greasy finger prints from things like that without any need for chemicals.

 

http://forum.notebookreview.com/showthread.php?p=4468221

 

thanks for the info, I've finally decided what to get and I pulled the trigger on this one from the outlet:

1 Studio XPS 16 (1640) Laptop: Intel Core 2 Duo P8700 (3MB cache/2.53GHz/1066Mhz FSB) w/2.0MP Integrated Webcam
1 Certified Refurbished
1 Dell Wireless 370 Bluetooth Module
1 Intel WiFi Link 5300 802.11a/g/n Draft Mini Card
1 4 GB DDR3 SDRAM 1066MHz (2 DIMMs)
1 Blu-ray Disc Combo (DVD+/-RW + BD-ROM)
1 512MB ATI Mobility RADEON HD 3670
1 16 inch Edge-to-Edge FullHD Widescreen RGBLED LCD (1920x1080))
1 320 GB Free Fall Sensor Hard Drive (7200 RPM)

total price after tax/shipping was $1,093. I can't wait for delivery!

 

Hello going to post here too since two are 1640's..

OK, well my OCD kicked in, and I bought 4 XPS systems to compare against each other, and would like some input.

For reference, I am happy with all screen sizes (currently on M1210 now), will NOT be for playing games, playing movies, professional photo/video editing, nor music production.

WILL be using some intensive CAD programs and doing SQL/Oracle reporting (Toad & Golden). (Still OK with smaller screen size.)

Can you please review the following systems and put your 2 cents worth in which would be the best system for me? I'm not configuring cost, because I got good deals on all 4.

What I'm looking for is which certain hardware configs may have known issues, and what would be best for what I'm going to use it for.

Thanks in advance for your help!!!

 

Initial observations:

Positive:
1. Beautiful screen
2. Keyboard is wonderful to type on, with very little flex. Feels solid and roomy to me.
3. No real heat issues, except as noted below.
4. Text is quite readable with Vista set at 120 dpi.
5. Speed...super fast, and I don't have the SSD. "Just" a 500GB 7200 HDD.
6. Vista. I was really getting tired of XP. I don't miss it at all. And yes, I know that is an unpopular opinion, but I don't really care.
7. No blue screens.
8. Touchpad. Very nice texture, finger just glides across the surface.

Negative:
1. Gap in left hinge, as I've already posted.
2. Almost the first thing I did was create an image of the OS partition. While this was being created, the laptop was pumping out major hot air from the rear vent. I was able to alleviate it by propping something under the back of the unit, to raise it off the table a bit. Since then, I haven't noticed the same thing. Could be because I've updated to A06 Bios. Now it is warm, esp. under the left palm, as others have mentioned, but not uncomfortable.
3. Uneven feet. The laptop wobbles a bit. I need to figure out a way to add some thickness to one of the feet to keep it steady. I didn't notice it right away, so it isn't super obvious. Right now I just have some folded card stock under the right front foot, which makes it even.

There's lots more to discover, I'm sure! Overall, I am very pleased, and glad I resisted the temptation to get a mac. (That was my second unpopular opinion, I'm sure).

 

Just Arrived Wooooooo

 

Ahh yes, I remember the glories of recv'g my laptop last week.
Problem is I've had no life outside of it the last week.

 

I don't know if I got a Media Direct CD to perform the re-install? What does it look like?

I only got:
Device CD
OS CD
_______

 

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

it seems to me bluray is now a popular choice among studio 16 owners.
do ppl really watch alot of bluray dvds?

 

Well, personally, if I was doing CAD work, I'd want resolution and neither the M1530 or 1340 offer that. So that narrows it down to either of the XPS 1640s.

The differences between the 2 SXPS 1640s is the processor (2.93 vs 2.66), the Soundblaster, and the warranty (3 vs. 2).

Even though you said not to mention cost, I have to believe that the first 1640 is much much more expensive than the one you found in the Outlet. I don't think the Soundblaster is worth it and the Outlet 1640 can probably be upgraded to a full 5 year warranty and you'd still be under the cost of the new 1640.

As far as which configuration is better, I'd believe that the 2.9Ghz will be better for CAD work (faster is always better right?), although it may come at the potential cost of additional heat. But I doubt it would really make a noticable difference (at least not so much so that you'd curse the fact you got a 2.9Ghz processor vs. a 2.66Ghz)

If costs really isnt a concern, then hell, get the new 1640.

 

15% off Refurbished Dell Inspiron, Studio, XPS and Studio XPS Laptops after Coupon Code: 4XC$$4J2ZFXH4S

if anyone out there is still hunting for bargains on dell studio 16.

 

Well, I have tried to find more info on color profiles in this forum, but all I've found is something about ICC color profiles, and that someone was going to post them. Can someone help me here? I don't understand what ICC profiles are and how they would be applied.

Anybody successfully reduce the blaring reds in the 1080p display?

 

After days of tweaking color settings via ATI CCC, I discovered that you cannot completely correct the problems this screen has, but rather come to a decent compromise. It will never be perfect, so you have to decide if it's tolerable to you or not.

Here are my custom ATI CCC settings:

Notebook Panel Properties > Avivo Color:
Hue = -4
Saturation = 83

Avivo Video > Basic Color:
Brightness = -3
Saturation = 85
Contrast = 104

 

i dont mate........and my system specs reflects that fact ;-)

 

A dell tech replaced my keyboard too and in the process damaged my laptop bad which was resolved with a new laptop in exchange for the tech-damaged one.

 

The Blu-ray player paired with the 1080p RGB-LED were two of the key components in my choice to purchase this laptop. I'm able to hook my laptop up to my HDTV through HDMI, or I can just watch it its own stunning native screen. Both options deliver a beautifully crisp picture that I was never able to experience before Blu-ray.

It can be an expensive investment, but it's well worth it if you're already working on a collection, or if you're cheap like me and have Netflix or Blockbuster Online.

 

So this is a feature? I have a very noticable gap on the left hinge compared to right, can see the led light shinning through, anyone complained to Dell?

 

Thank you so much!! Yes, the new 2.93 from dell.com was $500 more than the 2.6 from the outlet, so I'll have to think on it. The 320 HD iso the 500 is no problem as I store all my pics and mp3's on external drives.

But then the 2.9 may get me to keep it a year longer down the road then getting a 2.6, which could be worth the money right there.

hmmm....

 

It's a very common defect. I think all 1640's are like this. So even if you complain and ask for a replacement, the replacement is likely to have that same gap.

Notebookcheck's review also noted this.

 

I have the same issue, just decided its not worth it, they will make it worse if they send some idiot out to work on it!

 

Did you adjust the tint settings in video? and were these the only 2 areas that you adjusted?

Thanks for the input!!!

 

I just received my 1640 last week and I am still trying to get it set up with all the tweeks and adjustments. Is it safe to assume that this computer would have shipped with all the CURRENT drivers, when I went to the dell site for drivers and put my tag number in I got a number of drivers that were reccomended that were older releases, so I'm confussed as to what I need if any

 

As a follow up to the above, can someone list the DRIVERS that you would DEFINITELY want to update................

 

Both of mine are a little open. I don't give a crap though. It's not like I'm going to be entering it into any shows or anything. I like my computers like my cars, as long as they go good, I'm not too concerned if they look perfect.

 

What's wrong with your keyboard, Owais?

 

If you enter youre service tag when on drivers page you can filter drivers by importance i.e. URGENT, RECOMENDED & OPTIONAL. Obviously start with the ugrgent drivers first.

 

I havent noticed any gaps on my hinges.. i have noticed that when the lid is closed, the left side sits higher than the right side. Its not the rubber bumper either, probably has to do with the alignment of the hinges.

 

Thanks, I implemented your changes. The reds are much more bearable now!

 

No, I only changed the settings mentioned. All other settings are left default.

 

Hello..

I've read in a few places on the forum about cooling the laptop down by replacing Thermal Pads, using Artic Silver, and making Copper modifications.

Has anyone on this thread tried any of those things on the 1640? I did a search and didn't see anything.

I haven't received mine yet, but it's a 2.93GHZ with 6GB ram & the 5300 wireless, so I'm going to safely assume it will get hot.

Just wanted to see if there were any instructions or pics out there geared towards the studio 16.

Thanks in advance!!!

 

So after watching several movies, browsing youtube and playing music I noticed that the base from the subwoofer was causing some vibration noise in the chassis.

So I went on a mission to find the cause.

After taking off the back plate I noticed that since my system doesn't have a wwan card the two cables for the connection were just sitting in the empty area. Even though the ends of these cables are covered with a plastic/rubber sheath it could still cause noise from vibration. What I did was reroute these wires so that they were seated tightly alongside other wires in the wire guides.

Also after checking all the screws about 1/4 of them were loose.

Next I noticed that the cmos battery was just sitting in its slot very loosely. So I unseated the battery, and super glued some foam into the battery area. This allows for the foam to compress and hold the battery much tighter. I wasn't worried about having it seated in there really tightly since the battery is covered by a light rubber coating. This will help dampen any vibrations.

After these I checked the ram and found that one stick was not totally seated into its slot. Just with a bit of pressure I pushed it down until it locked completely into the memory slot.

Looking at all the wires in the wire guides I noticed several places were the wires could vibrate and cause sound. So I used a bit of superglue and foam here also. This tightened up the wires so they were less likely to cause vibration.

So after putting the cover back on and firing up some music with heavy bass, and some youtube videos that caused vibration before, I found I had significantly reduced vibration noise. I have to strain extremely hard to hear any vibration now.

 

WOW! Good tips!
Shame Dell doesn't check these things in QC!!!

 

noooooooooo my dell outlet order went from a shipping ETA of tomorrow to a week from tomorrow! Does that happen often?

 

well, the laptop has a original clock of 680/800. but its underclocked because of no need for that speed.

when i wanted to overclock it to 750/900, it didnt work, while it use to work.
the screen went black and i had to restart.
then i tried 680/800 and the same happened.

i use to get 775/920 and a 3dmark of 5250 on default res. i cant this way.

since, i have updated gpu drivers and thenew bios so its onw of those.

 

Gateway44 - Yeah this happens often in my experience. 2 days before my estimated ship date Dell moved it to a week later. (the laptop still arrive only 2 days later than the original estimate)

 

dont know, i can get the processors very cheap.

would i see a way bigger difference getting a SSD instead? (i think i would, as thats what loads everything?)

i think im going to leave it, and if i get one, il sell it.

i dont game or do any cpu intensive things so its not worth it?

 

If you don't game nor need the CPU speed then SSD would definitely be your best bet.

I was skeptical of the benefits of the SSD but now I can barely stand using my work computers with mechanical drives. Everything is just there, and turning off the paging file was another WOW moment also.

Once your system is setup to use an SSD in my opinion there is no going back.

 

I've got Ubuntu 9.04 Jaunty 64bit successfully installed using the Wubi installer. Everything seems to be working very well! I do notice that the system seems to run hotter when running Ubuntu...the fan is on more frequently.

 

Ok, I seriously need to stay off the outlet, so addictive!

Just found and bought a 1640 2.8GHZ, 8GBRAM, 320/7200, BLURAY, BT, 5300, 2YR LTD.

However, also am waiting on a 2.93GHZ, 6GB RAM, same add ons but 3YR CC.

1. When did Dell offer the 2.8? Not available to order now on Dell.com, so wondering how long ago it was. Was there issues with it?

2. Am I going to see any difference between a 2.8ghz 8gbram, compared to a 2.9gh 6mb ram??? Or do the processor/RAM pretty much rule each other out performance wise?

Thanks!!