Dell XPS 15 (9550) list of hardware and software problems

My two XPS 15 9550, both are set to use AHCI and with Samsung NVME drivers, I do not have any BSODs since I got them(one month period).

 

After i installed Samsung NVMe drivers I haven't had any BSOD. AHCI+Samsung NVMe driver= NO BSOD

 

That's unfortunate. Not sure whether it helps, but users on this site (not related to the XPS 15) reported the same error log item as you indicated.

 

Well, I personally do not have BSOD, running AHCI + Samsung NVME driver + PM951 ssd. De-installed Intel RAID software.

 

Guys... straight talk. Would you recommend this laptop? Does it overheat? There are a LOT of apparent problems with it, but I understand that this is basically the "my laptop is ****ed" thread so it's a distorted perspective.

 

I have two of them. I have none of the problems mentioned in this thread. I don't know what else to say. If you search Apple forum, Macbook family has problems as well, My Macbook Pro's lid was not aligned to the base, I have to open it and readjust because Apple say it is normal. I think it depends on how picky you are and how much luck you have...

 

You have to read the entire thread to get the best handle. Many problems, but many resolved. From the beginning, leaving my two 9550's stock except to add 8 GB of memory to bring them to 16 GB and adding HDD to the optional bay, the machines are very fast and the 1080p screens are great. The only problem we have that hasn't been resolved is the sticky space bar.

 

So here is my experience:
Laptop # 1 (i5/1TB HDD) - no issues at all. Put in a 950 pro and never had one issue. Sold it because I got a good deal on my buddy's i7 and wanted the bigger battery.
Laptop # 2 (i7/512 SSD) - had an issue on reboot with ACHI mode that was fixed with bios .19 - no other issues since.

Purchased 20 laptops for a customer - she only needed 16 in the end, but they are all running fine without issue. One thing we did to them though is did a fresh install on one and ghosted it over to the rest so they all had the same baseline. They are all running in ACHI mode with samsung NVME drivers (the 13 with 4k screens and SSDs that is).

I also have no heat issues with my laptop. I bring it to school everyday and I've played the witcher 3 when I had a 2 hour window between classes. I bring it to my buddy's house every friday night while the GF is at work and we play games (RTS and FPS mostly).

 

here's where i differ from seemingly everyone.

my first clean install used AHCI + Samsung NVMe drivers + BIOS 1.1.15 + PM951 and i got BSODs right off the bat, plus "missing hard drive" msgs.

next clean install was AHCI + full IntelRST + BIOS 1.1.15. zero BSODs, no HD faults, rock-solid.

upgraded to 1.1.19 and the BSODs came back. reverted to 1.1.15.

new Intel Thermals came out, installed those AND tried 1.1.19 again: zero BSODs so far.

YMMV ... whatever it takes to get your system stable, just stick to it.

 

I think I will now stick with the replacement of some of the parts during next week I hope.. However I will read some threads over there. Thanks for your attention

 

SSD performance issue is not just after sleep. It also happens when on battery and on A/C after being on battery. See here for full test results with all drivers (this is for a 256GB Samsung PM951). (The reboot bug has been fixed via a BIOS update.)

 

Thunderbolt Controller Driver updated today and available for download

File Name: Chipset_Driver_8J86F_WN32_15.3.39.250_A01.EXE
Importance: Urgent

Description: Update Package for Microsoft® Windows® (59.51 MB)
Release Date: 11 Feb 2016


Version: 15.3.39.250 ,A01
Last Updated: 22 Feb 2016

 

Even though last update date is updated, I don't think there is any change to the driver from the previous.

 

@Woodking @SonyHome

noticed that this is for docks. the chipset version was refreshed a little while ago, and has the same version number as this one. is there even a difference? ah, Dell ...

 

I'm not sure what dell uses to update the last update date on these drivers but I've seen many cases where dell drivers have no change even though last update date was updated.

 

Perhaps it is updated, the origional file is replaced and readvertised with the same version number to cut down on the amount of fixes. Less confusing this way I suppose. Checking the files checksum would show if there have actually been any changes from the previous if in doubt.

 

Is it possible that this new thunderbolt driver made my xps run cooler and quieter?? The fans simply wont come on now, unless I'm gaming!

 

Issue with that is that their installer doesn't seem to be able to update the installation since it says there isn't anything to update. You would have to uninstall it and reinstall it and even then you may not know if it's different.

 

Dell do this all the time, I have extracted files from both in the past and they match, I doubt this re-release will be different.

 

I've only heard very low level hum coming from the XPS 15 fan for normal use when plugged into my TB15 dock. Nothing I would complain about...

I'm planning to add Razer Core to my TB15 when that comes out but so far very happy with my setup.

 

I think I will get a Razer Core too. It will eliminate the necessity of a desktop for me

 

Received my 2nd TB15 today - this time I ordered the 180W version as my power requirements are not that high. I have an XPS 9550, 512GB PCIe system drive, 2TB Samsung Evo SSD internal drive and 32GB RAM.
I have the software/firmware updated through Feb 19 (I didn't use the Thunderbolt Controller Driver dated Feb 22.).
Attached to the Dock are 1. Dell UP3216Q 32" 4K monitor through DP; 2. WD MyPassport 3TB 3.0 USB external hard drive; 3. Sandisk Extreme 900 2TB SSD (external) USB-C 3.1; 4. Ethernet
After a few reboots of both the Dock and the computer things seem to be stable. No dismounting of docks or Ethernet (or monitor for that matter). Sleep mode works well - hit the button on top of the Dock and the computer goes to sleep. Hold the button down for 2-3 seconds to wake it up. Sleep mode initiated on Laptop also works well as before. I have done restarts and cold rebooting and everything seems to function normally.
This is the second batch of Docks that Dell just put on their website last Thursday - shipped out on Friday with next business day service (free). Revision is still A00 with date of 1/19 (on box)
Now will have to see how it works in day to day use. The fan does operate while the dock is plugged it but at low speed and is not bothersome - however later I woke the computer up and no fan noise at all (and I have the 2/19 revision of the firmware).

 

Glad to hear that things are working for you with the new TB15.

Thanks for the info about the TB15 button. I was actually wondering what the use case for that button on top of TB15 was. Typically I either shut down the laptop or just let the laptop go into sleep mode on it's own and I use the laptop power button to wake it but if you use the dock and laptop with the laptop lid closed then I can see that button coming in handy.

 

I didn't know that Razer Core would come with bunch of I/O ports including ethernet too but since they do I think Razer Core could potentially be used as your dock.

 

Those results don't have any "A/C after being on battery" without the sleep part and I've just tested, it doesn't happen.

 

My mistake, thanks for the correction. I was trying to make sure all the various scenarios were tested but also reduce number of test cases.

 

My 950 Pro is permanently stuck on PCIE x1 link width which limits the read speeds to around 811MBs. HWinfo and Samsung Magician both show maximum link x4, current x1.

Ive never seen it operating at full speed since i installed it, its very frustrating. Im running ahci mode, all latest drivers including Samsung NVME driver, removed the intel RST driver, ive tried 19 and 15 bios, second install of Windows 10...

Has anybody else experienced this and knows a fix?

 

Odd, my 950 pro is running at 4x link. Can you reinstall the samsung drivers? Maybe reseat the 950 pro? Reset bios to defaults and reconfigure?

 

4th laptop is here, (FINALLY GOT A GOOD ONE!) this is the upgraded 32gb/1tb SSD that now ships with a toshiba SSD that's almost on par with the 950 pro.

form Factor
M.2 Type 2280
(Double side)
THNSN51T02CJ7 (1024 GB)

Performance[6] Sequential Read (Max.): 2400 MiB/s[7] {2516 MB/s}
Sequential Write (Max.): 1500 MiB/s {1572 MB/s}

Interface PCI Express Base Specification Revision 3.1 (PCIe)
Maximum Speed 16 GT/s[8] (PCIe Gen3x2 Lane) 32 GT/s (PCIe Gen3x4 Lane)
Command NVM Express Revision 1.1b (NVMe)
Size L 100.0 mm 80.00 mm 80.00 mm
W 69.85 mm 22.00 mm 22.00 mm
H 7.00 mm 2.15mm 3.50mm

 

The specs look good, lets hope you don't have any problems with this one!

I wonder why Dell went with Toshiba over the Samsung SSD - any idea?

 

Cost springs to mind but the performance is faster than the 1tb samsung I think.

 

is there a fix at all for the fan always being on during charging? It's not a huge deal, but it is annoying, but I'm not sure if it's worth trying to get a replacement over. I have yet to check my BIOS settings, so I'll do that before anything else.

edit: some stuff I posted in the owner's lounge as well

so a couple issues I've noticed with my machine:

-there is minor backlight bleed on the lower edge of the screen, primarily in the bottom left corner. I only see it when I see the dell logo screen when rebooting, so it's not a big deal
-the aluminum and carbon fiber are ever so slightly unaligned on the front edge. i don't really care about this since i'm not constantly touching it, so it's a minor thing.
-the fan stays on when I plug the AC adapter in. Kind of annoying, I know some others experience this, and I really want to fix it lol.
-The red tint is there, but only at extreme angles, and so far I've only seen it on the dell logo screen again, when rebooting
-there seems to be a very hot spot right next to where my left shift key is. kind of uncomfortable because i tend to keep my hand there when lying down typing. only very hot when the whole machine is heated up though.

another thing is, I did a clean install of windows 10, updated my bios, and reinstalled all necessary drivers, but may battery life calculator keeps giving me different estimates every time i check it, ranging from 4 hours to 8 hours (i was at 99%)

idk how much of this is normal stuff. should I be concerned about anything? The only things that really bother me are the battery and the fan thing. I have the i7/16/512/FHD model. I don't really want to go through the hassle of getting a replacement unit, but for a machine this expensive I do expect very high quality, do idk.

 

Is anyone having headphone jack problems? Whenever I use it my sound stops working and when I remove my headphones the sound is still mute. I pretty much have to restart the laptop to get sound working again but I can't use earphones with this thing.

 

I'd add to the list of recommendations to install GPU drivers directly, jsut explain how to bypass the whole "your system is not compatible with this driver" etc.

 

Just got my first BSOD on resume from sleep-- something about HAL. I didn't see anything in for this error specifically yet

 

Bingo! Don't ask me why this worked... I rolled back to the .15 bios, no change. Reinstalled the .19 bios, and suddenly I have x4 link, with over double the read speed, from 810MBs to 2,100 MBs

Did you follow the instructions on the first post? I.e. run AHCI mode without the Intel RST driver? I had the same problem with occasional BSOD when waking from sleep, but it appears to be fixed now after mucking around with the driver configuration.

I believe I now have a fully stable system. It seems to be a matter of installing and reinstalling drivers and firmware until everything is stable. Maybe this system is fussy about the sequence in which the drivers and firmware are installed / updated?

 

Hey guys,

I have found a small issue that I cannot really explain:
My i7 6700HQ does nearly never clock down to 800MHz during idle. It is always at 900, even if there is absolutely no load (also verified in process explorer).
I already tried limiting the CPU clock in windows power management by setting minimum and maximum clock to 0%. But still, mostly staying at 900 or 1000 MHz.

Any ideas on this?

 

Nvm. Got it. Now the screen isn't turning on from sleep lol. Trying to wipe Intel and Nvidia drivers and will reinstall.

 

Eughhhhhh bluetooth speaker pairing doesn't work. After connecting, I often no sound and it crashes various GUI interfaces i.e. Chrome, iTunes, nothing works until I disable bluetooth and re-enable it.

Can anyone who uses bluetooth without problem check their device manager and let me know what version of the drivers you're using?

Thanks.

 

Well, I just discovered that my 6700 is running at 1600MHz 99% of the time during idle. This would explain my bad battery life, the problem is I have no idea why it does not go to 800MHz. CPU utilization is 1-2%, and CPU keeps running @1600, just occasionally for a second it goes to 1.4 1.5, but almost all time it is at 1600MHz!!!

 

Are you on high performance power plan?

 

No, I am on Dell profile (minimum processor state is set to 5%).

I tested, on Dell, Power saver and Balanced it keeps it at 1600MHz at idle, at high performance it is above 3GHz all of the time.

Also I noticed that if the laptop is plunged in it is idling @1600 (1596 to be precise), the moment I disconnect the charger it goes to 800MHz but just for one or two seconds and then back to 1600Mhz and stays there...

 

I can confirm this behavior. Luckily for me, it is 900 MHz in my case, not 1600...

By the way: I installed all the chipset drivers again, hoping it would help. But it did not...
Will give the Bios another shot.

 

900 for me or 9x multiplier as it says.

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Has anyone tried to use the Dell AC511 Sound Bar with the 9550 - I have a Dell UP3216Q monitor hooked up through minidisplayport from the TB 15 dock but no sound from the soundbar - computer recognize it in Device Manager, have it enabled as default in audio devices but no go. When using the same monitor and soundbar with my desktop workstation thru HDMI no problem (Deskttop is Windows 8.1). All latest drivers for the TB 15 are loaded etc - it does the same thing if I connect the USB to either the laptop directly or thru TB 15 port.
Any thoughts?

 

Before receiving my TB15 I had 9550 connected directly to my DELL U3415W monitor via HDMI port and I was able to get sound through the monitor speakers. With my TB15, I plugged in my speaker/subwoofer system to the back of my TB15 and I'm also getting sound that way.

I'm also getting sound if I change the sound setting to Dell U3415W in control panel sound settings while going through the TB15 via HDMI.

How do you have the sound bar connected and are you sure 9550 is sending sound through the display port? Does it work with HDMI?

 

I have it connected through USB from the soundbar - it doesn't get sound from the DisplayPort - it comes from the laptop itself directly (whatever sound is coming from the computer should be played out through the USB connections from the soundbar - there are 2 connections - one for power which comes from the monitor itself and the other one needs to be plugged into the computer - and yes I can see the sound meter active during test

 

My apologies - after being on Dell technical support for quite a while and them telling me that the AC511 is incompatible with the XPS 9550 - I happened to look on the left side of the sound bar and I had hooked up a sound output from a BlackMagic Decklink 4K card from my Video Editing Deskop (in addition to the USB cable going to that same computer.) I disconnected the Declink card output and everything is now working fine from the TB15 Dock and the laptop.
Sorry for postng this.

 

i have the latest intel drivers, but my display still flickers at lower brightness settings...anyone else running into this? it didn't happen the first day I used it, but it's doing it now, and I primarily have it on pretty low brightness, so it's kind of annoying...

i contacted dell today to try and make an exchange, so hopefully that pans out. If I get another defective unit, I think I'll just get a macbook or something, even though I'll get less performance for the money

 

Do you have Dell premier Color software installed? I uninstalled it since I had trouble with the brightness readjusting by itself, now its 100% manual, no flicker or High brightness while on Battery....


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