All the small things about the SXPS 16

Has anyone else realized how many small things about the SXPS 16 makes it good? I mean it's mostly personal preference, but:

- Standard English (not bilingual) keyboard, so full-size left Shift and normal Enter key
- Arrow keys fully integrated into the keyboard so the bottom 3 arrows don't stick out and none are 1/2 size of regular keys
- White backlights and hinge lights, which I think represent simplicity
- Flush screen (plastic cover) that hides the cam light and stuff, so it seems all integrated and stealthy-looking
- I actually like the fact that there is only 1 plate to remove on the bottom of the laptop, makes it seem more organized

I just wish that instead of 2 huge speakers that don't work as they seem a numerical keypad should've been included, moving speakers up below the screen and moving the multimedia keys a little to the center. Also, a bigger touchpad would've been nice (mimicking a MacBook) because the multi-touch gestures are easier on bigger area.

 

I think it is an outstanding design, simple modern and elegant. I love the pulsing hinge light in sleep mode. Agree about the speakers, they are actually quite small in a large space wasting incasement. That area could have been utilized better.

 

The grid of the speaks is actually quite annoying, all kinds of little dust pieces get stuck in there and wont come out! Thats probably the only design flaw besides the screen that is blocking the vent at the back.

 

Things I like about my new Studio XPS 16:

- The backlit keyboard (worth mentioning again)
- The sturdiness of the computer... Feels extremely strong when I pick it up by the edges.
- The edge-to-edge glass looks awesome. I know there's a lot of hate on this site for glossy screens, but the glass combined with the RGBLED screen is gorgeous!
- The buttonless touch panel thing. I never really thought I'd grow to like this, but after having assorted buttons and dials wear out on my last laptop over time, this is a welcome change.
- Vista (!)... I'm actually liking this OS compared to the 32-bit XP I had on my old laptop. After I did the clean install and got all the drivers downloaded, there was no more lagging or crashing.
- The touchpad. Since I don't use it, I'm glad that it doesn't take up the entire palmrest.

 

Just a question, is the backlit keyboard included by default or you have to customize it ? For my case, I couldn't see the keyboard selection during the customizing process.

 

It's included by default

 

Thanks. Can't wait for my laptop to come ! It's still In Production. Argh

 

lol It's gonna be "In Production" for quite a while yet still....

 

mines been in production since 7/22

 

You got me beat....8/29 here....

 

Wow, how is there such a big delay? Did you order online or via phone? I called in to order around beginning of July (when the 4670 came out in Canada) and got it within 3 weeks.

 

Woah, guess u guys gonna get it before I did. I ordered Sept 8 and it's In Production since then =(

 

Aesthetics and function.
- I like the design, the font used on the keyboard is pretty neat and unique, so are the square key designs. They also don't clutter the keys with too many "alternative or Fn" text so the key area in general looks simple and clean (unlike my HP dv5000). Touch-sensitive function-row at the top is very helpful to me/nice/advanced.
- I am actually glad they decided not to add the keypad on this 16" keyboard, because then I think it woulda ended up like one of those HP 17" laptops that has reduced key sizes and small arrows. By omitting it, they were able to keep it simple by putting the speakers nicely flanking the keyboard and keep keys at a pleasant size.
- Backlighting.
- Key "action" (touch of keys when typing) I find REALLY NICE and makes me want to type on it!!!!!! Very silent/muffled "taps." Feels sturdy (unlike the feel on my old HP dv5000)
- Carrying it around feels comfortable to the grip.
- Slim design.
- Great feel on touchpad and its keys. The touchpad is continuous with the rest of the panel at the bottom. Again, keeping it simple by omitting "function" labels on the touchpad, but you know the function is there, and you can use it (clever!!!!!! When I first saw the xps16, I thought I wouldn't be able to scroll on the touch pad anymore!)
- Quiet fan.
- Slot-load optical drive. Reduces potential space clutter and issues that comes with tray-load drives. I was originally worried about slot-loading out of paranoia of a disc getting stuck one day, and w/o having the emergency pin hole. But then again, I think the chances of that are rare, considering I use optical discs less now, and the issues that comes with tray-loaders are probably not relevant anymore.
- Plain fast.

 

The backlit keyboard is a feature I really didn't care one way or the other about...till I got it. It is great and really makes a huge difference for us hunt and peck typists in low light conditions.

 

Backlit keyboard... and dumb as it sounds... was a make or break for my next laptop. It would ahve to have it. I work so often in the dark and not being a really good typer I sometimes have to look at the keyboard.

 

My two cents about my SXPS 1640:

Love the keyboard, still getting used to the matte finish keys over my old Hp's silvery smooth keeys.

I agree about the speaker placement, but considering the battery placement, the speaks wouldn't work up there.

Speaking of the battery, I'm not fond of the "hole" in the machine when i leave it out...kinda looks cheesy.

I DO love the one panel removal on the bottom. I opened mine up for the first time this past weekend and I loved how I could get to everything without the needless unscrewing of 50 million screws and then forgetting where they all go.

I was suprirsed to find a subwoofer (albeit a small one) contained on the bottom side of the machine...very nice perk.

HOT HOT HOT touchpad...not fond of burning my fingers if they are sitting too close to the frontside of the pad...that seems to be the ONLY place where things get toasty though. i found an old scale that I use to prop up the back of the laptop, so i get better cooling.

I DID remove the plastic netting on the bottom panel over the vents...I'll take my chances with more dust over leaving it be and allowing the machine to run hotter. I blow out the dust in my machine every weekend anyways. I WILL need to pick up some Arctic Silver for the processor though, that clay-waxy substance they have on mine proc doesn't seem like it's really drawing any heat away.

Lastly, the capacitive multmedia buttons are a nice feature, although the EJECT button is sitting right above the delete key, kinda ironic really, but sometimes I forget about that button and instead of deleting a character I hear the WHIR CLICK of the dvd drive. lmao My wife looked at me strange the first time it happened and i had to explain, to which she just laughed.
Otherwise, i am still loving my machine every day...it'll be a keeper!

 

Sounds like you and I had the same "old" HP Pavillion DV5...I take it your comparisions are about spot on to mine. I don't miss my HP anymore now that I have gotten used to my Dell. i will have to emphasize the keyboard layout as well. As nice as it would have been to have a numeric keypad, it's best for Dell to leave well enough alone.

 

I just figured out that our 46 70 is actually a lot inferior to a 46 50.

A big let down for me, and makes me think less right about the choice I took when I got this notebook.

 

FYI, the 4670 is a higher clocked 4650. If you're referring to the guy with the VAIO and 4650 that got a higher 3dmark score, it's because his was overclocked. Dell locks overclocking on the SXPS systems. If you had spent 5 minutes researching this before buying the laptop, you'd have known this.

 

what are u talking about? 4670 is stronger in every way than the 4650, and thats because its an overclocked 4650. already told u in ur 3dmark topic.

 

You are both wrong.

A 4650 in a compal notebook will always be faster than our 4670. Even NOT overclocked.

Dont ask for the why though - I do not know the answer ...
I know for sure, a friend of mine has a DevilTech with a 4650. The notebook looks cheap but performs faster in games and 3dmark than my Dell.
We got the same CPU though.

 

Its because his is overclocked.

Yours cant be overclocked.

Now quit taking the thread of track

 

He didnt overclock the card. For some reason he gets better results even with his slightly lower clocks.
Well it seems you guys dont want to hear about it.

Honestly it pisses me off too. Sorry guys ...

 

chrusti: sry, but u're wrong. the 4670 is an overclocked 4650. it's a fact. it's just the same card but have significantly higher clock rates by default. even in the picture u posted in the other topic it's clearly written that by default he with his 4650 only got 5700-5900 score which is definitely lower than a typical sxps16 score w/ 4670.

 

I hope so~

thank you!

 

I meant place the speakers on the same row as the multimedia keys. They are small enough.

 

Your Idea doesnt sound bad at all. But I would hate a number Block on a 16' notebook.

 

I wouldn't mind the edge-to-edge screen if they had copied Apple PROPERLY instead of putting flimsly plastic that easily scratches. My "screen" is scratched pretty bad. If only they would have an option of no edge-to-edge BS and instead put a bezel with the screen recessed. This isn't touchscreen, why does the screen need to be edge-to-edge?

 

Looks fancier.

 

haha, with regard to the Disc Eject button; I guess they could have theoretically put it elsewhere and not so close to the Delete button lol

I really would have wanted an Arctic White version of the SXPS 16, but then I read about the smudges several people got on theirs. Ideally, I'd probably want one that is white (without smudges of course!) and also a white keyboard panel. Ha! It'd look close to a mac without actually being one; and more superior

 

Just a question, will it void the warranty if you apply the Arctic White thermal paste ?

 

Eh, not necessarily. Looks/feels "fancier" if the edge-to-edge is glass. Gluing a sheet of cheap plastic over a perfectly good display kind of ruins it.

 

How would they know when you send it in? I applied AC5 to my GPU, northbridge, and CPU, and there is no way to tell that I opened the laptop up and did it.

 

Anyone using skype? I notice a delay in adjusting the volume and it crashed my windows for the first time. I have to force reboot =(

 

The general consensus is, can they tell? Prob not, would it void your warranty if they found out... probably

 

I used Skype last night and it seemed to work fine. The only problem is that periodically the video/audio of the person I was talking to would freeze or lag, which caused some communication difficulties. I think this was due to the fact that my internet connection was not very strong at the time, though.

 

Why? It's useful space. They would just have to move the touchpad a bit to the left to be under the space bar and probably make the touchpad larger for the multi-touch gestures.

Or I guess they could have an option to include the keypad or not.

 

Fitting a numberpad works best on 17 inchers, imo.

15/16 inchers that try it just barely fit it, and usually end up cramping the rest of the keyboard by doing so.

Also remember, the more keyboard you have the more flex a laptop tends to have. Keyboards aren't the same as a sturdy chassis, and sometimes the build quality of the machine relies on having some 'unused' space just to keep it from bending or creaking... it needs solid surfaces in some places.

 

That's true, never thought of it that way. At least they should've put a keypad overlayed on the current keyboard, because I can't seem to do some functions that require the keypad.

 

Tbh, I have never used numeric keypads anyway, I like the way it makes the top look uncluttered

 

ya but you need # pads for NFS: Undercover to allow you to rotate your car when you place decals. Right now I can only place decals on 1 side of the car.

 

If you're serious about gaming then it's likely you'll have a seperate keyboard anyway seeing as laptop keyboards aren't really suited. For example, when using WASD on this computer, the metal edge of the plam rest digs into the side of my hand after a while leaving a dent which can turn into a bruise if I game too long.

I do see the advantages of having a numeric keypad, I just don't think that they are really an option for a 16 incher. 17 inch laptops can manage but if you try 16 you will more than likely be getting a weird size keyboard where the keys are too small. Just look at the HP HDX16t and you should see my point

 

I use Skype on my XPS 16. I notice maybe 70% of the time, the session's video (incoming video) freezes after an undefined amount of time. The person on the other side can still see me fine, and audio works fine both ways. Other times, it doesn't freeze for hours. Not sure if it's a problem with the connection/webcam/program. When the incoming video does freeze, I notice the white light near the webcam will turn off for about 1 second, turn back on, but the video would be frozen nonetheless.

 

Have you tried temorarily disabling fast access facial recognition before starting skype?

 

Same problem here. Reckon is the problem of skype. But I do have some audio problem. It's like lagging or cracking sound when the skype rings.

 

I took care of this issue by uninstalling IDT audio completely and letting windows do a default-detect-install. I had crackling issues/pauses in sounds before (first found out through Skype sounds) (there was a thread for this here) when I had IDT HD Audio installed. Of course, those who wish to keep the special sound features probably don't want to do this. But this is basically what it took to take care of the tiny sound issues pretty much every XPS 16 has.