Dell XPS 14 L401x Thread

I figured this thread would be a good source for those that want to know about the XPS 14 explicitly without doing too much digging. I will update this thread continuously with new information.

Reviews
User Review - Snapdragon - Core i7 740QM / Geforce GT 425M
User Review - TRF-Inferno - Core i5 560M / Geforce GT 420M ***You're looking at it!***
External Review - LaptopMag - Core i5 460M / Geforce GT 420M
External Review - Engadget - Core i5 460M / Geforce GT 420M
External Review - HotHardware - Core i5 460M / Geforce GT 420M

Useful Links and Other Interests
Geforce GT 420M overclocked to GT 435M speeds - 3DMark06 result
bill71's walkthrough for replacing the LCD panel quicker and easier - Post #129
Geforce GT 420M disappearing? Try this - Post #164
Wish your AC adapter plug was angled instead of poking straight to the back? toy4x4 found a 90 degree adapter - Post #248

Frequently Asked Questions

Question: Does this notebook run hot?
Not at all. It is about average in comparison to other notebooks, with its CPU and GPU temperatures in the low 30 to 40 degrees Celsius at idle or low load, and gets up to 70-ish degrees Celsius when stressed. See below:

Idling for thirty minutes:


Playing Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 for one hour:


Question: Does the palm rest area get hot?
Although many review sites such as Engadget and Laptop Magazine states that the palm rest area gets quite warm after a while, I do not agree here. My XPS 14 has been running for nearly eight hours now, running benchmarks and other programs and the palm rest is barely warm. That area does become warmer under gaming or heavy load sessions, but nowhere as bad as the aforementioned reviews stated.

Question: How is the screen quality?
The 720p screen that comes with the XPS 14, in a word, is okay at best. The color and brightness level is good, but the horizontal viewing angle leaves a bit to be desired. The biggest annoyance with this screen so far, in my opinion, is the dot pitch; at times, especially viewing images, the screen looks a bit pixelated.

Question: How is the audio/speaker system?
Excellent, one of the best sounding systems on a notebook I've heard, especially in the 13" to 14" notebook segment. It can get quite loud and stay distortion-free.

Question: How is the keyboard and touchpad?
Keyboard is excellent. There is no flex or give anywhere, and all the keys feels solid and firm, not mushy. The touchpad is quite good as well, offering good resistance on the surface, and its buttons feels slightly mushy, similar to those of on a Lenovo Thinkpad notebook. For those that got the backlit option for the keyboards, you are in for a treat. The back-lighting is very well done here, all keys are lit evenly and it is more than bright enough. See below:

In a well-lit room:


In the dark:


Question: How is the battery life?
I only use the notebook for web browsing and office work when it's off the plug, and with the WLAN on, Bluetooth off and the screen brightness at approximately 60-70%, I am getting slightly over four hours from a full charge to five percent power remaining (This is with the six cell battery).

Question: How is the fan noise?
At idle or low load condition such as web browsing or office productivity, the fan is virtually inaudible. When playing Flash-heavy content/website or other low workload, the fan will ramp up slightly, but it is still quiet enough not to bother those around in a classroom or library. Good news, is that even under heavy load such as playing a game for hours or encoding a AVCHD file, the fan noise is still tolerable, and does not emit an annoying high pitch like some notebooks such as the Macbook or the Acer 1410. In my opinion, Dell could optimize the fan noise further by not having the second fan speed level kick in too early at when the processor temperatures are around ~50 degrees Celsius, and all the preset speeds can be lowered by a few hundred RPMs and not adversely affect the component temperatures.

Question: So, does the LCD bezel have a glossy or matte finish?
This is probably a huge mix-up on Dell's part, but unless someone has further confirmed details, it should be matte. The whole debacle originated when Dell and some websites that reviewed the XPS 14 showed their notebooks having a glossy LCD bezel.

Case in point:

Dell's very own website:


Engadget:


Laptop Magazine:


Looks like we're all getting a glossy LCD bezel kids! Not quite; not that I'm complaining.


Benchmarks

3DMark06 at 1366 x 768 resolution (Geforce GT 420M):


3DMark06 at 1280 x 1024 (Standardized resolution, Geforce GT 420M):


Resident Evil 5 Fixed Benchmark (DirectX 10, NoAA, No Motion Blur, High Settings):


Question: I hate the factory 720p LCD screen! What can I do to make it better?
Unfortunately, you cannot do anything with the subpar factory panel. Good news is, you can replace it with another panel, as long as it's a 14", 16:9 ratio, with a 40 pin data connector. However if you don't want to waste time on the internet hunting down the right LCD panel, you can just find a source that sells an LG LP140WD1-TLA1 panel, which is a direct replacement for the XPS 14. This screen offers higher resolution (1600 x 900), better contrast ratio (500:1), better black level (0.80 cd/m2), better viewing angles, and is brighter (260 nits). Comparing the LG panel to the factory AUO panel is like comparing chocolate to horse manure. Best of all, especially if you can follow directions and take an hour out of your day, costs less than $100 to do.

Last updated: 12/11/2010

 

Whoa !!! how did you get one so early ?? great! can you post a mini/full review ?- it will be a very good weekend read . and please add some photos, too.

 

Damn excellent review!! Thanks so much! Keep updating!

 

Great stuff!

I'm actually hoping to buy the XPS 15 but this infor is still very relevant.

If you can, could you please post a video?
I really want to see the laptop in motion, without any of the fancy lighting effects.

 

Can you please tell me, how noisy it is while idle/surfing/gaming.
Can I surf with it in a university library (where everyone is learning) without being distracting?

 

An actual review/first impressions from a forum member seems to me a whole lot better than wasting time waiting for Anandtech review... Don't know how many times I've checked Anandtech, but I think I raised their visit count by couple of hundred by now...

 

Well, just ordered mine today... I hope all goes well and I'm actually happy with.

XPS L401X
Intel Core i7-740QM 1.73GHz / up to SC 2.93 GHz, 6M
4GB,DDR3,2 DIMM
Backlit Keyboard - English (Internal)
NVIDIA GeForce GT 425M 2GB graphics
500GB 7200 RPM SATA Hard Drive

 

Curious that you got the backlit keyboard mate, which country did you order in? In Australia here they keep telling me backlit keyboard is not available on 14"

 

I ordered the backlit keyboard too. I'm in NZ. The sales rep actually offered it to me for $25, but it wasn't available when I was customizing the laptop.

 

Original post updated, added fan noise information, more benchmarks and some information about the LCD bezel controversy.

 

Can the fan be turned off from BIOS? When playing games, is the fan noise annoying? I am talking about when in a silent room.

 

Would the same apply to an XPS 15 with i5-460m and GT420m ?and to XPS 15 with i7-720qm and GT435m?

Also, will a full HD or 720p screen make a difference to the heat,battery,gaming performance?
Is it so that a full HD resolution will be too high for the GT420m or maybe even GT435m to handle?

 

No fan control in the BIOS. The loudest I've heard from this notebook's fan so far is maybe low to mid-40 decibels. My M11x and Envy 15 is louder than the XPS 14 during gaming, in fact, I think the XPS 14 is one of the most quiet notebooks I've come across when subjected to heavy workload. I cannot comment on whether if this is annoying or not, since everyone has their own threshold when it comes to sound sensitivity and what is considered annoying to them.

Ideally, the XPS 15's thermal performance and noise dampening should be superior since there is more surface area to dissipate the heat, and hopefully allowing a bigger/better heatsink to be used, but I wouldn't know.

Remember, all these tests are done on a Core i5 560M dual core processor and the lowest GPU configuration, the GT 420M, so with a Core i7 processor and the higher Geforce GPUs, it's definitely going to get hotter. For all we know, while the chassis can handle the dual core and GT 420M's heat output fine, it might not be the case for the quad core setup. It's entirely up to Dell and how well the fan control system is programmed, and perhaps using a more appropriate heatsink for the quad core systems.

The 1080p or the 720p will not produce more heat over one or the other, but it certainly can impact battery life and game performance. With the 1080p, you will certainly drain the battery quicker since you have more pixels to provide power to, and game performance can take a hit because you have the ability to use higher resolution, which will decrease frame rates. Even if you are to run a game at 1366 x 768 on both 720p and 1080p screens, the frame rates should be identical assuming the CPU/GPU is the same, albeit the picture quality on the 720p will be better since you are playing at native resolution, whereas the 1080p screen rendering a 1366 x 768 image will look jagged and pixelated, unless Anti-aliasing is used.

 

Just for comparisons sake, how is it compared to the old XPS 1530's screen having a 1440x900 resolution?
And compared to envy 14?

 

Never seen the M1530's screen. The Envy 14's standard WXGA screen is marginally better than the XPS 14's, with better viewing angles and image sharpness. It pales in comparison to the Envy 14's 900p Radiance screen, but then again virtually no 14" LCD panel has come close to it.

 

@TRF-Inferno, I'm about to order a XPS 14 here in AU, just posted the setup im thining of getting at http://forum.notebookreview.com/6866202-post1281.html as a current owner, is there anything you think might need changing / removing / adding?

 

What is your opinion of the keyboard? Is there any flex or is it mushy?

I doubt it'll compare to a Thinkpad but if it is at least acceptable then that's always a good thing.

 

Ordered!

Wooohooo

 

TRF-Inferno, have you tried overclocking the 420m yet?

 

Hi TRF-Inferno can you post some pics of the backlit keyboard in light and dark conditions and tell us about the settings etc.

I was hoping to order a 14" from dell uk but its still not available in the uk, when its out no one seems to know

 

See original post. In short, I can't see anyone being disappointed with this keyboard, unless they just want a chiclet keyboard.

See original post. Its brightness can be adjusted quickly by using the Mobility Center shortcut in the touch sensitive panel where the power button is. I leave it on maximum, but it can be adjusted in small increments, all the way down to very dim.

 

How is the build quality? When you pick it up from a corner does it feel sturdy?

 

Yes, OC'ed at GT 435M speeds. Until we get more people with GT 420M, I can't say for sure if this is normal for the GT 420M to be able to achieve this clock speed or is this particular one a factory freak, but I've had it running 3DMark06 in a loop for two hours now, and no signs of instability or artifacts. Temperatures rose by a few degrees, but still well within accepted level. Best of all, no increase in fan noise.

If this is in fact a speed achievable by all GT 420M, this would be the ideal setting since it does not impact the notebook in any negative way besides a small increase in temperatures.





For the XPS 15/17 owners wondering what your GT 435Ms can do, here's a taste of it.

 

Solid as a rock. She's a little chunky, but definitely sturdy and sure-footed, or so they say.

 

wow what an incredible overclcock! did you try the memory?

+rep for your efforts

 

nTunes will not let me do more than 960 MHz (1920 MHz effective). I've only done about half an hour of 3DMark06 with this speed, so it's still not confirmed for reliability/stability.

Not bad for a 14" notebook.

 

Any insight on this? http://forum.notebookreview.com/del...x-replacement-1340-good-not-specs-inside.html

 

wow I think you got a winner there! I almost went with the 420m but thought there would be no overclocking headroom as the 425m is only 560mhz. I wonder if my 435m will overclock??

Could be a 5730 beater after all

 

Hi TRF-Inferno great stuff you have managed to do much better job showing the features and spec than the mighty Dell plus the best review so far and even answered my questions with the first pics anywhere of the backlit keyboard in under a few hours

 

My old 5730 used to hit 1100 (2200 effective) memory! Dell replaced the motherboard with one that refused to hit 1000 though...

 

My own mini review (feel free to put this info in the first post - i'll be updating it more today as I do benchmarks etc).

Specs:

XPS 14
i7 740QM
425m
6GB RAM
500GB HDD
9 Cell battery

Battery life:
As the i7 doesn't support Optimus, it's not the best. Using Power Save mode I get 3.5-4 hours when web browsing and checking e-mails etc. I am yet to test it when watching movies/playing games.
When I was running Prime 95 with the power profile set to high performance, battery life estimates went down to under an hour.

Speakers:
Definitely the best i've heard from a laptop, especially of this size. They are full and rich. The only thing they lack is decent bass, but without a subwoofer you can't expect that.

Fans:

At idle -
the fans are audible, but it's just a quiet hum and nowhere near annoying levels.

Under full load -
the fans start to spin faster when the CPU cores hit about 60 degrees. But again, it is a reasonably quiet hum and definitely not at annoying levels.
The fans got quite a bit louder than when I was running prime95. At max speed they were bordering on annoying.

Temps:

At idle -
CPU core temps average about 41 degrees Celsius
GPU core sits around 40 degrees

At full load (prime95 for 5 minutes) -
CPU core temps average about 68 degrees, with 2 getting as high as 70 degrees, and 1 as low as 65 degrees. I did not see anything over 71 degrees after 5 minutes of full load on the CPU
GPU core was at 58 degrees after 5 minutes of full CPU load.

At full load (furmark for 5 minutes) -
GPU core maxed out at 84 degrees after 5 minutes.

Heat:
I did not notice any part of the laptop heat up noticeably during the CPU stress tests, but the keyboard and palm rests started getting quite warm when running furmark.

Benchmarks:

Stock clocks:

3DMark Vantage (1280x1024):
Points: 3453
GPU: 2814
CPU: 10835

3DMark 06 (1366x768):
7302

Overclocked:

GPU core: 730MHz
Shader: 1460MHz
Memory: 900MHz

3D Mark Vantage -
Points: 4321
GPU: 3597
CPU: 10889

3DMark 06 -
Points: 8861

 

Thanks for the review, I'm pretty sure I'm gonna buy it!
Does anyone know if there's a way to switch between the Intel/nVidia graphics in the BIOS setup?
I use Linux most of the time, and I actually prefer the nVidia chip to be on only when using Windows, defaulting to Intel graphics otherwise (yeah, I know, I'm crazy, but I like the way Intel graphics works on Linux).
I live in Brazil and I will probably buy it here, but I think this should apply to every L401x.

 

No option to do so in the BIOS.

 

What did you manage to get on the core? and what 3dmark score did you get? would be good to compare.
I will try some clocking with my 435m when it arrives

 

Benchmarks added to my mini review at the top of this page

 

Fixed my only true complaint with the XPS 14.

 

How did you manage that?

 

Whaaaat? Howhowhow?

 

Screen swap; Switched the sub-par AUO panel to a LG LP140WD1-TLA1 panel. It's no HP Radiance display panel, but this is the closest you can get.

- 260 nit Brightness
- 0.8 cd/m² Black Level
- 500:1 Contrast Ratio

If Dell will not offer the WXGA++ screen, I'll put one in myself. The picture I posted doesn't do it justice; this panel is better than the FHD panel on my old Envy 15 and will butt heads with my 15" Santa Rosa Macbook Pro.

 

Right. Nice work... I wish I could, but I got the studio artwork on the back of my display and I quite like it.

 

You put a new screen in!! :|

How the hell did you do that!

 

The XPS 14 manual shows step by step instructions on self-servicing the laptops. It won't cause any damage to the artwork on the back if you do it this way, and if you're careful/know how to follow instructions.

 

Interesting.

TRF-Inferno, did you notice any affect on battery life with the new display?

 

Do you mind me asking where you sourced the screen? I am tempted to do something similar as I cannot stand 720p screens

 

Correct. Dell's instruction would be the right way of doing it, but after re-exploring the disassembly routine, you can theoretically just remove the LCD bezel without taking the rest of the system apart, but it requires being more careful and a second pair of hands to help. One person can pull off the bezel, remove the screws that holds the panel to the lid assembly, and have the second person hold the panel in mid-suspension while the first person disconnect the ribbon cable so the panel assembly can be removed entirely. This method saves a lot of time, but requires another person to help. I honestly recommend following Dell's instructions if you are not constrained on time, as it is the safer route and better chances are you will not accidentally tear or break a cable in the process.

I *think* I have lost about ten to fifteen minutes of battery life. I was getting around four hours and twenty minutes before, and now I am consistently topping out at the four hour mark. This is probably because there are more pixels to render and the screen is brighter. This LG panel's 50% brightness is like the OEM panel's 70% brightness.

That's the one. You shouldn't have to pay more than $90 shipped for it. If you guys don't mind tearing your precious new machines apart, I wholeheartedly will say this is easily the best sub-$100 investment you can make for this notebook.

 

Was there any significant improvement in viewing angles after changing out the display?

 

I'll let you be the judge.

 

10-15 mins? Not bad.. totally worth it. I'm looking into doing the same thing.

 

If there is as much an improvement as you say, it sounds might tempting.

But I cringe at the thought of opening up and risking damaging and voiding warranty on something I page $1600 for :s

 

I just ordered that LG screen from the linked website that was posted a few posts back. According to Dell, at the moment, my XPS 14 won't be here til December... but i'm ready and I'm looking forward to this mod

I've changed out several screens in the past, and i've actually just purchased a new screen for my old lattitude D620, the screen is due to be here in a few days. That's my backup laptop. (I had a Studio 1555 which I dearly loved, but decided to give it to my mom to get her away from her old dinosaur of a desktop...) Really I just needed a reason to buy the new XPS 14... So anyway, i'll have some fresh practice under my belt when I get ready to swap screens in the XPS. I'll be sure to let everyone know how that goes...