Dell XPS 14 L401x Thread

I bet they are.

 

Is my xps 14 the only one has cpu whine(high pitch)?

I just notice this high pitch a few days ago. I also know it's common issue in lots of laptops.
If mine is the only one has it, I probably ask dell to fix it

 

Mine hasn't shown any signs of whining at all. I know if mine does I will be on the phone with Dell ASAP. If I wanted CPU whine I would have bought an Envy 14.

 

I've noticed CPU whining on my xps 14--but I had installed the Intel drivers for both the HDD drop and smart storage. Also one other I can't recall related to the chipset. These I installed AFTER the laptop arrived.

I removed those--and it went away.

 

Thanks
Mine is running SSD, so I would guess there is no sound from it.
Guess I should contact dell later.
I remember there was no CPU wine when it was being used in first 1- 2 weeks though

 

Is there any fan control software that actually works with this laptop?

 

I just ordered the new XPS 14inch with

Intel Core i7 740M
Nvidia 425m GT (2GB)
4 GB of ddr3 ram (1333mhz)

i was wondering if i could over clock this graphic card to around... the 435m GT's speed without any overheats? can anyone confirm this?

 

Yes you can. There is an extensive thread about this on the XPS board--look for the one about using NVidia's drivers. Tons of OC info inside. It's many pages long.

 

Dell XPS 14 has been pulled completely from the Dell website. Updated product imminent?

 

Boy I sure hope that's what it means...

Maybe they'll add USB 3.0 and an option for a blu-ray reader instead of a reader/writer combination. DELL: IF YOU ARE READING THIS, PLEASE IMPLEMENT MY SUGGESTIONS.

 

For some reason , I though the xps 14 has usb 3 but only the xps 15 does.
I have a question to the people that have upgraded the ram in their xps 14's
Is There a big difference between upgrading to 6 gigs and 8 gigs???
Currently I have 4 gigs of memory.
Thank you in advance for your input

 

Upgrading to 8 from 6 will not make much difference unless you have a LOT of stuff open. If you have a game, a development environment, photoshop, a video editor and 3 browsers open, it will help. Otherwise, I never notice even my 6GB being used--and I multitask.

 

I have 6GB, but I never go over 3GB of ram. I use the CPU Usage gadget to monitor my usage. I'd recommend it to decide if you want to upgrade or not. 4GB is normally sufficient if you're not a big multi-tasker.

 

Hi,

I ordered a XPS14 on january 30. I was wondering what is an approximate date based on your guys experience I can believe to receive it. I'm living in Canada. Strangely, on dell website it says march 30...
Thanks

 

Or possibly a lot of problems. Mine choked after a month of service with iastor.sys blue screens. No resolution from DELL yet. I liked the computer, but man, their support has been pathetic. I am pretty sure it is a motherboard i/o hardware problem. Hoping the replacement lasts more than a month!

 

To be honest, I hope this is not the case. Cause I'd immediately return my xps14 that's gonna arrive on monday(which I waited for a long time ;<) and order the new one.

 

Thanks for the input guys, I think upgrading to to 6 gigs will be more than enough.
With the recall of the sandy bridge chips I would expect dell to hold off on any xps 14 updates. This gives them more time to sell the current xps 14.
I would like to see an update to a better screen and usb 3 although that wouldn't help us with our current lappys

 

Thank You guys. I hope it's going to be faster than what they are saying. March 30 is longer than what it said when I ordered.

 

So has anyone figured out how we can get a backlit keyboard if it wasn't ordered from Dell to start with?

Mine was a system exchange, and since my 1330 did not have a backlit keyboard, and it would delay shipping of the replacment they did not give me one.

I have read this entire thread and had seen some earlier questions for this asked, but no responses on anyone getting one.

Can I call dell parts now and get one? I looked on ebay and google but no luck.

I want one of these backlit keyboards!!
Help

 

Hey,
Has anyone else here experienced a pixelation issue with flash video on this laptop? I have the latest NVIDIA drivers installed but I still have the issue. Even the flash UI and ads are pixelated. I have some photos to show you. Anyone know what could be causing this, or do I just have to wait and hope NVIDIA releases a driver to fix this?
http://img651.imageshack.us/i/pixelated2.png/
http://img705.imageshack.us/i/pixelated3.png/
Best to view in fullsize to see what I am talking about.

 

I don't know if it's just me, but I can't see the images you linked.

 

I went into Live Chat with Dell asking them where that model was since I just got a booklet in the mail advertising it. They told me it's currently out of stock which is why they pulled it from the site, and are expecting it to be back within a month. I asked if they could mail me a detail spec sheet, but they were unable to do so "because it's out of stock." Hopefully they are just addressing the hardware issues that some people in this thread have complained about.

 

All,

I have been searching the web for "socks" for this little guy and haven't had much luck.

I have a laptop back the I really really like from OGIO and it will hold up to a 17" wide screen laptop. I don't like how 'free' it is moving around in there and I am looking for some added protection for it. I know OGIO makes two but they are both majority white and I can see them getting filthy real quick. They also only make 13" 15" and 17"

Does anyone have any sites they recommend? I have done some searches on this site as well as visited the accessories board too and no such luck.

Thanks,
Greg

 

What software is everyone using to OC the GPU to 435m speeds? I'm ready to OC it because im running crysis and I'm getting about 35-40fps on medium detail setting and I want it a little better... I tried the nTune from Nvidia but I got 2 blue screens and I cant remove a few .dll files and the setup file, even if I use Ccleaner...

Ok, I figured out Nvidia, kinda jank the System Monitor...not quite working right, when I mouse over things its wayyy off, I'll be to the entire left of my screen with the mouse and it'll highlight the items in the center of the utility... weird.

But I got the performance mod in the Nvidia control panel. GPU clock is at 650MHz and Shader is at 1300MHz. Running just fine. Haven't started any gaming yet but temps are exactly the same, since it should be using the Intel graphics...

 

Sorry for the double post.

I have 3 different profiles in my Nvidia control panel. The settings are the same as the 435m, 540m and 550m processors. I select no when I close my control panel so it reverts back upon bootup. I think this is best because it stays stock because I'll use the laptop for taking notes in class and things like that where I don't need the GPU OC'ed.

The 435m settings are:
650MHz Core clock
800MHz Memory
1300MHz Shader

540m:
672MHz Core clock
900MHz Memory
1344MHz Shader

550m:
740MHz Core clock
900MHz Memory
1480MHz Shader

I'm basically not going to clock it over 435m speeds unless I absolutely need to. I'll have a cooling pad on as well. I ran Crysis on all high settings for about 5 minutes on the 550m setting a little bit ago and I was getting 29-35fps.
I'm very impressed. Apparently going from the 420m to 550m speeds is a 50% increase. I believe it. I didn't have a cooling pad on so I didn't play it too long. It got upto 80C. I'll keep tabs on my progress. It's pretty sweet. I can't believe the difference in gameplay between the speeds for OCing. So worth it

 

I had overclocked mine using the Nvidia tool for a few days now using the settings from a early post in this thread.
From your above post I see this is even higher then the settings for the 550m!
747MHz Core clock
960MHz Memory
1494MHz Shader
I have been turning this setting on for each time i play crysis and taking them off when I'm done.

Play it for about 30 mins to an hour each time and had no problems so far... pretty impressive.

 

I have a profile clocked to the 540m specs (672MHz Core clock, 900MHz Memory and 1344MHz Shader) that I've been using to play the beta of Rift and it has ran easily for 4 hours without issues every time I play. I haven't verified the changes in temperature but the laptop does not seem to be running absurdly hot, as a matter of fact the area where my palms rest do not get hot at all. The rest of the time (video playback, etc) I run it at the base 420M specs. If I took the time to do a good paste job on the chips, I'm confident it could go above the 560m and maintain stability. The profile manager included in the NVIDIA tool does a really good job with overclocking and profile setting.

Aside from the crappy AUO screen (I should get my LG screen this week), this laptop is fantastic.

 

My right palm rest and right side of keys gets pretty hot when I play Crysis on 540m-550m settings. I probably won't use those setting without a cooling pad.
Any word where the graphics card is in the laptop? I'd assume its near the fan but its feeling like it below the right palm rest...

Running Crysis now on kind of a mixed setting. Some things on Very high, 2 things on medium, a high. I get great frame rates! I've got a U2 cooling pad from Cooler master. My highest temp after 45 minutes of gaming was 78C on the GPU and 74C on the processor. 550m OC setting

 

For those of you who are wondering about the XPS 14, I called Dell and they told me they have a shortage on some components and they can't give me an estimate whether my laptop will be delivered or not...

 

Can everyone see these? And does anyone else experience this, it is really annoying that this brand new computer cannot even show Flash Video clear.
Hope you can help!
Thanks again.

 

that's a driver and an optimus issue, maybe install the latest intel drivers from dell or intel, then get the latest nvidia drivers off the nvidia site.

 

I just turn "Hardware Acceleration" off. Right click flash video, then settings, and the option should be there.

If you're upgrading video drivers, remember to install the intel graphics driver before the nvidia driver. That's important

 

Hey, yeah I downloaded the latest Nvidia drivers as of January 18, 2011. However, when I go to the Intel site it tells me that I currently have OEM drivers installed and that installing drivers directly from the Intel site may fool something up. It says to get the driver directly from Dell. However, once I go to install that latest driver from Dell which is from back in November it says that I already have newer drivers installed (From the Nvidia installation). Should I try installing the latest Intel drivers from their site anyway?

**in response to TAK

Should I uninstall all Nvidia drivers... then install the Dell Intel drivers -> then install the recent Nvidia drivers from Dell or the most recent ones from the Nvidia site? Also, I have tried the hardware acceleration thing. It is still pixelated.

 

@Confuzzeled What I did was I uninstalled the Nvidia drivers and installed the Dell HD graphics driver. Then I installed the latest Nvidia driver from their website.

Edit: I didn't bother with the Dell's Nvidia driver so don't bother downloading it

 

So do you still experience this issue at all? OR do you still have to have "hardware acceleration" turned off? I am about to do what you said now. Hoping that it works for me.

 

The latest nvidia driver helps on other issues, but sadly the flash is somewhat the same. Turning Acceleration Off works best, with or without the latest nvidia driver. I keep mine off, though I'd still recommend installing the latest driver

 

So I did what you said. I still have the same flash problem. Oh well, I guess I'll just have to wait it out until Dell/Intel/Nvidia come up with a way to fix it. Hope it doesn't take too long!

Note** Have you noticed that on some sites the UI is crystal clear as it should be. However Youtube is always pixelated. It seems to pick and choose what it wants to display right. One site that I notice is gamespot.com. The UI loads correctly and is not pixelated, however the video still has that pixelated look.

 

Yeah, I've noticed that. I also blame the stock screen. Hopefully the LG screen comes this week. I want to see what all the rave is about

 

I can confirm that it is not the stock screen. I use my laptop connected to an external monitor when I am at home. However, I do not find the stock screen that terrible, the viewing angles aren't the greatest, but when you look at it straight on it is fine in my opinion.

 

Could someone tell me which driver controls the touch keys on top of the keyboard? Can't seem to find it.

Thanks!

 

Regarding the flash issue , The best solution is to turn hardware acceleration off

 

Dell quickset

 

Adobe Flash 10.2 was released today which I updated to. Now if "enable hardware" is turned on, the video just displays a black screen when you try to go full-screen. So I have to have "hardware acceleration" unchecked to watch anything full-screen. Hope this gets sorted out soon!

**ALSO
Does anyone else's computer randomly seems to change the saturation etc. like everything will go really bright and strange and then return to normal. The actual settings do not change in the settings but the screen colors go all over the place and change back. It has also happened when I was connected to an external monitor. I am wondering if this is also a known optimus issue?

 

i'm sure this has subject has already been discussed, and if it has, i'm sorry for bringing it up again, but... I got a phone call from Dell tonight, I had called dell last week because my 3 month old xps 14 was showing an expired warranty and I needed to straighten that out. I took the opportunity to vent on the subpar screen that they decided to use with my xps 14, course the poor fellow couldn't do anything bout it but listen... Anyway, when dell called tonight this particular fellow wanted to know why i was unhappy with my laptop. Of course i'm not unhappy with my laptop, i'm just unhappy with the screen they chose to use. When I explained how I thought it was pretty cheap of them to use such a low quality screen on such a quality system he totally agreed with me and said that that was one of the reasons why they pulled the xps 14 line. He also said to keep an eye on the dell forums for a resolution... indeed...

 

Does this mean that those of us that are still using the original screen we could call and get upgraded to a new one if that's what they are doing? Would they consider sending in the laptop and giving us the new screen?

 

They are probably like " oh nose LG is taking all the money away, we better take some action and offer a $200 screen upgrade on xps 14!"

Highly doubt it. You're not getting SB even if you got your clarksfield one day before the release. The stock screen has no quality problem, it's just not the best.

 

I have owned this machine for about a month when all of a sudden, it cut power and turned off, then when trying to boot up, I get 3 short beeps, pause, the repeat.

Since then I had the board replaced and within the same day, it did it again, however it looks like it's a thermal issue because when you wait a while, it'll boot back up, only to repeat the same shut off/beep issue. I opened it up and it looks like the thermal compound is all dried up. The dell tech never put on new paste when replacing the board, so I don't know. Any thoughts on this?

Has anyone else had this problem or do I just have bad luck with this system?

 

Did you get any error code on the screen before it rebooted? Did you install new RAMs? Could be a checksum/memory error.

With the thermal, remember that when you separate the heatsink from the chips, you'll have to reapply a new thermal compound and not just placing it back together since it had already "dried up". It'll likely overheat if you just put it back together (speaking from experience). It's pretty normal to have a "dry" looking paste once it's bonded and set. Not sure about the liquid thermal

 

Download the latest BIOS

 

Mobility Sector Updates: Waiting for Sandy Bridge and Market Analysis - AnandTech :: Your Source for Hardware Analysis and News

Anandtech reports that a XPS 14 update is NOT HAPPENING, and that it's being completely pulled from the XPS line. What do you guys think?

Come to think of it, even if Dell was low on parts or trying to recover from the SB recall, it doesn't make sense to completely pull the XPS 14 model from the website. Why not just make the model unavailable for ordering? Pulling only the XPS 14 and not the 15 or 17 models also seems unusual to me. Just my thoughts...