Dell XPS 15 (Skylake) 9550 Owner's Lounge

Good to know. I've got an old Crucial M4 SSD that is 9.5mm. When I checked it for fit, the SSD thickness seemed to prevent the cage from being flush with the screw mounts on the base.

Did you just put your 9.5mm drive in anyways and screw down on the cage, either bending it or not tightening screws all the way (meaning it ends up not quite being flush with the base)?

MikeBravo posted some SSD bay related part numbers here.

 

Yes, Macrium Reflect Free is awesome. Did an image backup from a Macrium USB stick boot (what they call "rescue media") to a network drive of the entire 9550 drive once I got everything I wanted installed/configured. It also has the ability to launch a command prompt to do misc. tasks. Nice.

 

It will be in smart response mode so you will only see a single drive so you shouldn't be able to get it wrong as the SSD is taking on the role as a buffer.

 

Thank you for being the Guinea pig. Since I'm installing a ssd heat is probably is not a concern but for a spinning drive air flow could be a concern.

Good luck on your new machine.

 

Perfect, just a normal install by the sounds of it. Thank you.

Is all the SRT taken care of in bios and nothing to do with a reinstall of Windows?

If I update the bios will I need to enable the cache drive?

Sorry for all the questions.


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SRT is BIOS level, it will show in intel RST if you install it.

BIOS updates do not reset Dell laptops.

I uploaded 2 custom ISO's of home and pro with raid boot drivers integrated & most of the latest drivers pre installed to save messing about. The 3 missing drivers self install via windows update.

feel free to grab a copy if you feel lazy

Home https://mega.nz/#!348HkbZD!ni8rK7ZZj6zwbHPDGiKOe7s-ayTagQeoATlpdfB1mHE
Pro https://mega.nz/#!Os9wGaib!2MMY9Soud3I9KHqjJ5aRRoPw3vZpfSwdPSioqAKngTo

 

I saw that in an earlier post, very kind of you, thank you.

If the SRT is bios level why are raid drivers needed? If I don't use your ISO will I need to install raid drivers at some point during install? I'll probably use yours anyway but just checking.


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Thanks for the link.

Yes, I just put the 9.5mm drive in and screwed down the cage all the way. It didn't bend the cage much, if at all - it was more or less flush.

 

I expect it will be using intel raid to run SRT so you may need boot drivers during install as windows 10 doesn't have them.

I say "may need" as I cannot test it with being a 1 drive system.

 

For anyone who had coil whine from both the laptop and the charger, did getting a replacement charger from dell fix the issue? It seems like some people only had noise from the AC adapter, so obviously replacing that would fix it. But I have sound coming from the laptop itself as well, and I don't see how a new charge alone would fix that. Im assuming I just have to get the whole thing exchanged.

 

I just got my 9550 yesterday and its great!! I got the i7, 16Gb, 256Gb, 960m, 4k touch, and I'm going to get the 950 Pro 512Gb because its the same price to buy the 950 Pro as it is to upgrade from 256 to 512Gb PM951 which is just such a rip off, DELL!! Anyway, can anyone recommend some software that I can use to make a disk image of my 256Gb drive on to an external HDD and then transfer it onto the 950 Pro after I install it in the laptop? Thanks in advance!

 

Just read 2 last pages..

 

got a quiet one here, should the replacement have a perfect screen and have coil whine I will swap the screen onto this.

Macrium reflect has done a perfect clone, when you install it and it asks you to create a rescue disk click change PE mode and make sure the last option for "Windows 10 PE mode" is selected and it will work,

 

Thank you very much I just have one question. I want to do a complete image and put it onto my new drive exactly as it is now rather than installing a fresh version of windows and having to download drivers and software etc. If I make a PE rescue disk wont that install a new version of windows?

 

Just use Macrium Reflect. MR will create a complete image, including all hidden partitions, of the installed drive so that you can restore it too the new drive.

 

No the rescue disk will allow the laptop to boot into macrium so you can restore the image from an external drive or whatever you have it on.

 

The part number for the spacers (listed as 'sleeves' in the service manual) is: 3XYT5. I was originally told that the part number represents a set of two (2) spacers (sleeves), but when I ordered them, they shipped me only one spacer (sleeve). I asked for and am receiving a no charge replacement order, but I think, once again, they are only sending me one and I am just too worn out to fight with them again so soon. I also got a similar pair of sleeves off eBay. They are not exactly the same, but can be cut to fit if necessary. I'll see when I do my upgrade.

 

So the cage actually keeps everything in place and not the baseplate. That's good news. But it seems some 9.5mm drives are thicker than actual measures.

I'll let everyone know if I am successful in my install (precision 5510)

My 2 cents

 

If it helps anyone obtain the XDYGX interposer SATA to motherboard cable from another vendor, here's some pics and part numbers from what I received from Dell:

AAM00_HDD_CABLE
DC02C00BL00 REV: 1.0 (A00)
JPC 2015/10/26
CN-0XDYGX-DATI2-5AF-03PT-A00​

 

Is anyone using a bluetooth mouse here?

Got my XPS15 yesterday and loving it so far. However, when I connected my Bluetooth mouse my WiFi speed drops to about 3MB/s from about 40MB/s. It literally returns back to normal the second I flick the switch on the mouse.

Any advice is appreciated, I'd rather not be using my USB ports for a mouse if I can help it.

 

Yeah the WiFi card that comes with the XPS sucks on bluetooth stability. Some people recommend switching it with Intel 7260

 

I thought that should be an Intel 7265 ?

 

Yeah! Sorry! My mistake

 

What are the specs of your wifi system? I just upgraded (essentially "over upgraded" ) my wifi system and don't seem to have a problem with the Bluetooth mouse producing problems (Microsoft Windows sculpted mouse). As it was done by an outside contractor I'm not sure of the frequency (Netgear X8) but think it was 5 Ghz. I've heard of people with problems at 2.5 Ghz. When I first got the computer I had problems with the Bluetooth randomly cutting out but since the BIOS upgrade and all the latest drivers update there does not seem to be an issue.

 

Okay, I finally cracked open the machine and installed my 1 TB Samsung EVO in the HDD bay. I also upgraded the memory to 16 GB. All is well except that I have the same issue others have that the machine hangs during reboot. Like someone else here said, its a small price to pay for now. In the future, I guess I'll try to switch over to AHCI mode. I'll keep watching here to see how everyone else is doing and for any new tips to make this computer ever better than it now is.

 

BTW, after opening the machine I noticed that the Dell 1830 WiFi card is 3 X 3. Yet, the Intel 7265 AC mentioned here is 2 X 2. Anyone know of an upgrade for the 1830 that is 3 X 3? Not that I have a complaint. Running off my Netgear Nighthawk R7000 I occasionally hit 867 Mbps or at least my Netgear Genie reports it as that.

 

That would probably be the Intel 9260, but it was not released by now.

 

Yeah, a search doesn't show it anywhere. I'll just have to wait.

 

Make sure you don't have the samsung nvme driver installed, and if you don't check the boot priority.

No not yet.

 

I'm still running the windows driver for the PM951. The EVO doesn't show up under SATA 0 under 'system' in the BIOS so I don't suppose it will show up in the boot order either, but I'll check that again the next time I boot up.

Also, I found it a very tight fit for the EVO using the Dell HDD sleeves (spacers). You have to remove paper inserts from inside them and this uncovers a sticky glue of some sort that I suppose is to help keep the sleeves on, but it isn't necessary as the drive barely fits with them on.

 

I play Battlefield 4 using an HDMI connection to a 60hz monitor but I've heard that higher refresh rate monitors are better for games like Battlefield 4. I'm considering buying a monitor with a higher refresh rate but I've heard HDMI doesn't support anything higher than 60hz. If I get this adapter, https://store.google.com/product/usb_type_c_to_displayport_cable, will I be able to run games at a higher refresh rate if my monitor supports it?

Also, is it worth getting the Dell Thunderbolt dock?

http://www.slashgear.com/dell-outs-usb-c-and-thunderbolt-3-docks-and-macs-can-play-too-06420821/

 

3x3 802.11ac speeds are great for doing file transfers on your LAN. I was clueless until I bought the 9550. Prompted me to upgrade my dependable, but old D-Link DIR-655 router (802.11n 2.4GHz 1x1) to an Asus RT-AC68U. Same as you, I can almost do gigabit Ethernet transfer speeds.

I was so impressed I'm upgrading my other laptop to a 3x3 WiFi card. Haven't put it in yet (it was a whole research/sourcing project obtaining a third antenna and getting antenna cable/plug adapters). 3x3 cards are hard to find - giving up the 3x3 in the 9550 and going back to 2x2 isn't something I'd want to do (although I don't use Bluetooth much).

If I was having issues with Bluetooth I'd probably try using/upgrading to 5GHz - especially .11ac - first, rather than give up the 3x3.

 

Ok, checked the BIOS and under boot priority is shows Windows Boot Manager as first and the Samsung PM951 as second. Under drives, NVMe drive, SATA-0, and SATA-1 are all checked as enabled. When I get time, I'm going to reread back through all the pages here and see if this was addressed.

 

Install the merlin firmware on that AC68

 

Yeah, I have an ASUS AC router already, so maybe that's why I don't notice a conflict with the Bluetooth mouse -- the AC connection probably uses the 5GHz band. AC has a lot of bandwidth, more than my internet connection. It's the one reason I've not been in a hurry to get an Ethernet adapter. Even if it exceeds the internet speed, it may be useful to have the extra bandwidth for when you're on the other side of the house and the signal is weaker -- it'll still be better than the older standards, right?

Ok, I just switched to my WiFi guest network, which is only 2.4 GHz. What do I look for? The mouse is still responsive. Maybe there is something else to it. Note that the BT mouse I bought supports the "SMART" standard, BT 4.0. Someone suggested that the SMART aspect might be key to a stable BT mouse.

The only problem I have is sometimes it isn't recognized after the computer wakes up, but it's worked for me all day today.

 

I have the PM951 512 in my configuration and I am experiencing the RAID performance decrease after sleep - on the flip side, if i enable AHCI, not matter the drivers - i get all the reboot issues and my system cannot reboot. It just seems like luck if youre able to run the Microsoft AHCHI drivers and reboot?

Or has anyone figured out a way to make AHCI work, reboots and all, and i just cant find it in this thread?
I am running the latest BIOS, did the reboots yes.

 

apologies if this has been discussed earlier...

i've seen a lot of comments (both here and on /r/) about severe stability issues, mostly pertaining to immature skylake drivers, that cause random BSoDs. having experienced similar issues with the Surface Book, i'm hesitant on plopping two grand on a laptop that purportedly has similar issues. if this is indeed driver/sw related, it should be a reasonable fix. have you guys noticed much improvement on the drivers front? is stability still an issue on a day-to-day basis (the Surface Book would keel over once a day!)

also, what has been your experience with throttling on the 9550? i understand most laptops will throttle when running on battery power, but apparently these skylake machines have had problems returning to the high performance state (once they've been unplugged) without resorting to a restart

 

Read more posts before asking
Bios 15 fixed the speed issue, I have a 100% stable system after installing a fresh windows with the latest drivers. I even created a 80% complete windows 10 image, I say 80% as 3 drivers self install once connected to the internet as I couldn't be bothered to look into it any further.

 

That .15 bios is a life saver. Even now in my subconscious I hear 'staph it' anytime I reach out to unplug the AC cable lol. That 1.5ghz capping issue really got on my nerves. XPS now in fantastic shape. FHD/i5

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thanks a lot GoNz0! I tried going through the posts (and a few other threads here + /r/) but ended up getting lost in the sea of grief and sorrow

one further q - re doing a clean installation (do you need to get an additional copy of the actual Win10 software, even if you can reuse your existing key), does it ask you for SSD drivers during the installation process? i'm thinking of getting a cheaper HDD XPS 15, then adding a M.2 to create a dual-drive rig. is that an easy addition (i've built many desktop rigs, my experience with laptops is generally just adding RAM). the "original" M.2 drives come with a bit of thermal tape, where did you get yours? is it crucial?

thanks again!

 

I currently have a Issue with my Dell XPS 15 where every reboot of Windows 8.1 causes it to go into 'SupportAssist'.

Also if I enable 'Bitlocker' it forces me to enter my 'Bitlocker' password on every cold start.

The Laptop Sata operation is set to AHCI and secure boot is disabled.

Has anyone got a fix for this?

 

Guys, for someone who is buying this machine new (I am considering buying the Microsoft Edition, which apparently comes with none of the Dell software that prompts updates); which are the updates that you absolutely recommend downloading?

It seems like Bios 15 is a must. Any other that aids getting a completely stable and up to date machine?

This is the list that I see at the moment:

http://www.dell.com/support/home/us/en/19/product-support/product/xps-15-9550-laptop/drivers

Also, do you recommend dowloading Dell Update Application for an automatic search for driver updates?

Many thanks

 

Feel free to use my win 10 home ISO > Click< or win10 pro > Click< It has the current drivers, no Dell bloatware and the 3 missing drivers auto install via windows update once you get to the desktop. The Raid drivers are included in the boot image so it is about as easy as you can ask for.
Serial is in the BIOS so it will pick up on that so long as you install the correct version.

Buy 2mm thermal pad for the nvme drive, it is needed as it has no ventilation so it needs the chassis to disperse the heat.

Dell update isn't needed and I linked to my personal build ISO for the 9550 minus bloatware.

 

Anyone notice some moderate color banding with the UHD screen? I have mirrored the display to my Vizio M series TV which has decent picture quality, but is by no means a wide gamut display, and they exhibit similar levels of banding with test images. I don't think it's a source image issue, as I have made greyscale and color gradients in photoshop, and its apparent there as well. I've uninstalled dell premier color, and used the icc profile from the notebookcheck review, but it's still there. It's not jarringly bad, but given this is supposed to be a 100% adobe rgd display, I wouldn't expect it to have any banding issues whatsoever.

 

So with your ISO my xps 15 will recognize the ssd? I wont need intel drivers?

 

Hi guys, I successfully installed my Samsung 950 Pro SSD today and it works perfectly with the quoted 2500mb/s read and 1500mb/s write.

This is the process I used:
1) Install Macrium Reflect and create a clone of your drive onto a USB HDD.
2) Make a bootable rescue media onto a USB pen drive.
3) Shut down and go into the bios settings and disable secureboot and enable booting from legacy devices (I'm not sure if that's necessary but it worked for me).
4) Shut down and take off the back cover and replace the SSD and replace the back cover.
5) Boot into the macrium reflect recovery USB pen drive with the USB HDD plugged in as well. Search for the backup you made on the HDD and then click restore this image and select the new 950 Pro.
6) Wait.
7) Once its installed go back into the bios and restore the defaults. Remove the USB drives and restart into windows.

If you are upgrading to a larger drive then you will have unallocated space on the drive that you will want to add to the C: drive.
8) Install MiniTool Partition Wizard to resize the C: drive using the unallocated space in the drop down window. This will be quite quick.

Bam! You're done and you didn't have to install a fresh version of windows and stuff around installing drivers and software!

I hope this helps someone

 

Hi guys,

Prospective future XPS 15 9550 owner here, just want to ask one question before i take the plunge (apologies if it's been asked before).

If i order the model with the 1TB drive, and add another M.2 Samsung SSD in the extra slot provided by ordering the 54w battery, can i later choose to boot Windows off of the M.2 drive after fresh formatting? And use the 1TB as a backup?

Thanks

 

The main reason I made it was to integrate the intel drivers during install

I threw in the Dell/Intel/Nvidia latest drivers that contained an inf file to speed up things but 3 of them (Thermals & a couple of others) only had exe files that didn't contain an inf after extraction. I wanted to get WiFi drivers in so you could sign straight into a Microsoft account.

You can skip the partition tool as windows disk management can expand a volume on the fly, but Macrium is a very good free tool.

 

Does anyone know how to change what the Function keys do? I tried using a

You can't extend a partition if it has other partitions both sides and the recovery partition is in between the C: drive and the unallocated space.