Dell XPS 15 (Skylake) 9550 Owner's Lounge

I've had this laptop since may ... just replaced the 32gb m.2 drive with a standard Samsung m.2 256gb evo (not nvme) .. reinstalled windows 10 onto it ... works great and boots up real fast. Didn't even change any bios settings except to disable the 1tb drive.

 

The windows 10 was only installed on the 32gb ssd right? Also the m.2 256 gb samsung ssd you have, isn't it very rare to have one of those? Thus everyone else have the normal one?

 

Are the hdd rubber isolators really needed for the hdd? What does it do?

 

When shipped the 32gb acts as a cache for the 1tb. So no w10 is installed onto the 1tb but the 32gb caches most of the w10 files. No the Samsung evo 850 m.2 Sata is available on amazon so I don't think it's rare.

 

Re-pasted CPU/GPU/VRAM and still getting throttling, but it seems that the throttling lasts shorter - hard to tell though. It could just be a placebo effect.

 

Hi all,

I have my XPS 15 (FHD, i7,8GB, 256GB m.2) for two weeks now and after I posted my Hynix SSD experience I would like to share my undervolting details.

I undervolt with Throttlestop and at first I thought that I have very good chip, because my i7 6700 handled Prime 95 with -200mV (cache and core) and -110mV iGpu. It was only short test, but anyway impressive result.
Then to be safe I set it to -160mV and -105 mV iGPU and started using it on daily basis without problems.
I also played Paragon (demanding Moba with Unreal 4 engine).

But after week I installed Rise of Tomb Raider and game crashed after few seconds, I decreased undervolt to -150mV, still crashed, even on 140mV.
I had to set it to -130mV and -90mV iGPU to be fully stable.
It was already mentioned here, but it is interesting that undervolted Skylake CPU is more likely to crash in games than in intensive CPU benchmarks. Years ago, when I undervolted my Pentium M and Core 2 Duo laptops, it was not that difficult, you had to just find stable Prime 95 voltage and you were good even in games....

So now I am using -130mV (core and cache) and -90mV iGPU and it works good.
Laptop fan is off during light browsing and during Rise of Tomb Raider session I noticed max CPU temp 73C, max Ambient sensor temp 79C and max GPU temp 77C (room temperature 23C), laptop is on flat surface and no sight of throttling. BTW, it is really important, that laptop will be on flat surface, when I had it on table with tablecloth on it, temperature was significantly higher.

So for now I dont think I need repaste, I hope those temps with undervolt are good for laptop this thin, even VRAM (ambient sensor) temperature is ok, so maybe Dell fixed that in this late september XPS piece? As I mentioned, no throtling is observed here.

In general I am happy with this laptop, no major issues that are mentioned on internet, I only experience very quiet coil whine (you have to focus and be close to laptop to hear it). Then I noticed speaker cracking noise during gaming, repoted also on internet, but when I disable dell Maxxx enhancement then it is gone, so I have to manually disable it everytime I play some game, because I like those sound enhancements during youtube, music and movies playback... but that is not a big deal.. From my old Lenovo T530 I only miss that keyboard, XPS 15 keyboard is ok, but not close to that thinkpad keyboard, at least for me, anyway I am using external keyboard connected to WD15 dock most of the time...

 

Good tip!

Please check HWiNFO64 program while gaming as it may indicate throttling you are not seeing (e.g. PL1 and PL2)

Maybe Dell changed its production process and the CPU/GPU thermal paste is properly applied. And there is no longer a VRAM thermal pad defect. The good news is that is unlikely so you might find a significant performance boost for less than $20 and a few hours of research...

I did a scan of claimed i7 undervolts a while back and the range was -140 to -170, so -130 is on the lower side. Part of the reason might be that the sample only includes users who repasted their CPU-GPU (and some also replaced VRAM pads). You may be able to try gaming with slightly more aggressive undervolting. Try -10 escalators for stability as at the margin, this makes a big difference in performance.

It seems that undervolting accounts for ~2/3 of thermal improvement. Another ~1/3 is from thermal paste & pads. So it all matters in such a small laptop which is so constrained thermally...

 

-130 seems fine to me. Mine crashes below -150 if i stress both the CPU and GPU, but can reach -200 with only a CPU stress. Currently on -125. I saw someone who cant go below -75, so I'd say -130 is on the average side.

Dont't know about the VRAMs, but the VRM are definetly not fixed and easily TDP throttle, resulting in throttling even when overheating temps are not reached on the CPU and GPU.

 

If they did change the heatsink we need pics

 

Yeah. w/ithout them the HDD will rattle around. The isolators fit better on SSD's. On standard 2.5" HDD the fit is very tight.

 

Updating on me going to the repair shop on my issue with the windows only installed on the 32gb and not on the 250gg ssd


Hey guys went to the repair shop. Heres the interesting thing. When i went there and told him about the hard drive issue where you can't really download much into the computer, he said all i needed to do was change all my chrome downloads to the other drive... The Volume Drive the 230gb free of 232gb one. Then said just do that with other programs and thats good enough. I asked well what if i want to do with youtube downloader etc... then he said he was able to do this by changing the folder that all videos sent to by changing the C drive to the ssd drive etc. I said so i dont need to install windows 10 on the 250gb ssd. He said no i dont. But then i said but i was told online that i have to have clean install or imaging/clone because isn't it true when windows 10 updates, then i dont have enough space in my 32gb ssd? Thus i have less than 1gb left. So any updates it does, surely it will take 1gb later on in the future, wouldn't that be a problem? He said yes and said then updates probably wouldn't happen. So because of that, i said well wouldn't you recommend copying windows 10 into the 250gb ssd due to this and he said yes.


He recommended clean install as oppose to cloning/imaging. I mentioned that i want the 250gb as my C drive and of course have windows 10 there and he said that is easy to do. I asked him about the 32gb and asked what he suggested to do with it. Such as wipe it clean, leave it there or take it out. He recommended to wipe it out. As of now C drive has the samsung 250gb ssd as 201gb free out of 232gb. The 32gb shows 29.7gb free of 29.8gb. I asked would he need to swap the hard drive locations physically and he said no.


When i got back the laptop, i noticed that windows 10 the desktop looks a lot different. I went and pressed the start power and noticed the power button which i click on then press shut down wasn't there. He showed it to me where its on the bottom left corner the 3rd last button etc. He told me he installed windows 10 but i believe he said the 6th edition? He said it was the newest windows 10 edition. Does anyone know which version i had earlier? What got me is confused here is how did he install the 6th edition or the newest one when mine was not that one? Or i always had the option to upgrade to the windows 10 6th edition?


He also installed 10gb of programs like ccleaner, smart defrag, avg, skype, malwarebytes and even microsoft office 2016 as well.


Thoughts on this? I do feel good that my hard drive with windows 10 is on the right hard drive now. But confused why he installed the newest windows 10 on my laptop. I guess most repair shops want to install the latest version as its better? Also not sure why office 2016 is there as well as i think this is a real version and not 30 day free trial.


In the other forum, everyone said that should be fine and i'm set to go.

 

Also one other question. My previous sager laptop i always connected to a 24 inch laptop with an hdmi cable. I dont have that hdmi cable nor that monitor with me at the moment. But this laptop connects to monitors with just the hdmi to hdmi cable right? Just want to make sure of this.

 

Ahh Drew, it is wrong on so many levels but hey ho, it works so leave it at that. It looks like you got the help you needed from the other forums so best to stick to that one

 

Is the fujipoly thermal pad 17wmk best for vram chips?

 

TBH I think the higher wmk on Video ram are overkill due to the low power/heat they kick out, also harder pads give you no wiggle room and as I found out prevented the GPU contacting the heatsink. Due to this I would suggest a lower wmk softer pad.

 

What brand do you recommend? And wmk. How about using fujipoly 17wmk on gpu instead of thermal paste

 

Thermal pads are not to be used on the GPU unless you want it to overheat, way too much material.

Personally any mid range pad should do, take your pick just make sure it is a easily squashed. It isn't something I have delved into.

 

Thank you!

 

I guys.

I just stumbled upon a deal : XPS 15, 4k, 84whr, 512gb SSD with 3 year Dell premium warranty for 1500 euros (instead of the 2100 + 200 for the warranty I would have to pay). Do you guys think this laptop is still worth it ? I don't see the refresh having a 1060, more likely a 1050 which won't be too much of a jump.

 

Hi All, new to the forum, signed up because of recently getting a new XPS 15 (Dell XPS 4K 9550 - i7-6700HQ - 32GB DDR4-2133 - Nvidia 960M - 1TB m.2 PCIe SSD - 4k Touch).

Had a few problems with screen flicker, but solved by forcing the Nvidia card to take primary role with most apps.

My current problem us when connecting from HDMI to Dell 3008 WFP Ultrasharp Monitor (favourite old monitor) using DVI or Display Port, but I only ever get the mass resolution 1920x1200 and Windows 10 never always me to select 2560x1600 which other machines i have can drive the monitor at that resolution. I connect direct via HDMI or via a DA200 Dell Adapter still no joy.

Has anybody else got problems connecting to higher than standard HD problems?

 

For comparison, right now Dell.com has refurb in the US with i7, 4k screen 16GB RAM, 256GB SSD, 1yr "premium" support, free shipping for $1889 (excludes VAT which is usually an additional 6-10% in the US).

You don't know when or if a 9550 revision will be released; it is probably still early in life per GonZ0's guess (the XPS 13 was released earlier than the 9550 was).

The new nVidia cards look like a good jump in spec, particularly for gaming. NBR user Eason warns they get really hot, which will be a problem for the 9550 as the laptop is very small and thermally challenged with current configuration. From a practical perspective that might mean the new nVidia card might not be such a bump up.

 

Try creating a custom resolution first, and if that doesn't work, use a USB-C to DP adapter.

 

If I'm understanding you right, the deal I found is pretty damn good, right ?

If you own one, do you think it's worth 1500 euros in the configuration I gave ? Any good alternative ?

 

If it is an i3, I would pass.

If it is a new i7 and includes VAT and shipping, I think it is a pretty good deal...

FYI - I own an i5 9550 model and you can see my experience posted at NBR

 

Yes it's an i7, 16gb, 512 SSD, 84whr version, with VAT and shiping included yes.

I'll try to find your posts then, thanks.

 

I checked temps with HWiNFO running on background during 80 min Rise of Tomb Raider session and again didnt notice throtling.
By PL1 and PL2 you mean PL1/PL2 Power Limit value? Because those stay unchanged during gaming session (PL1 45W, PL2 56W), so it seems fine.
Btw max temps are similar as I reported last time - Max CPU temp 75C, Max Ambient sensor temp: 83C, Max GPU 77C ...

 

Update: Sound issues during gaming with Dell Maxxx enhancements mentioned in my previous post are probably related to HWiNFO, when it runs on background, then speakers randomly do craking noise... so good to know, now no more sound issues....

 

Ive tried the DA200 from Dell, USB-C to HDMI/ETHERNET/USB/VGA adaptor. Still doesn't work. Also tried custom resolutions. Dell have remote controled in as well, and they cant get it working, HDMI 1.4 cables in DVI and Display ports. Grrr

 

First day with my xps 15 (512 ssd i7 FHD), noticed that I have some coil whine when the content of the screen is changing, I have the new power adapter though.
should I request a replacement or this is general design issue.

 

Hey guys my xps 15 9550 has 1920x1080 resolution just like all of you. However, i connect it to an external monitor that has 1920x1200 resolution. Basically almost everything i do is on my external monitor which acts as my main primary screen. Thus i do sometimes open some windows or drag a window or so to the other screen like youtube etc to the laptop screen.


My issue at the moment is everything is way too big on the laptop screen. I want to have 1920x1080 resolution but its way too big. I googled what is my resolution on it and it shows 1536 x 864. Can someone tell me how to change this to 1920x1080?


My external monitor which is my main monitor is fine at the moment with the 1920x1200.

 

To change the resolution of your display go to Control Panel > Appearance and Personalization > Display > Screen Resolution. There you can change your screen resolution from one of the drop-down menus (the one that says "Screen resolution"). You can also access this directly by right-clicking on your desktop and choosing "Screen resolution".

Hope it helps!

 

I fixed this with another method. It was changing the size of text etc to the minimum which is 100 percent. It was at 125 percent earlier.


Does anyone know about this? I tried the screen resolution etc and that couldn't fix it but this did...

 

I have another question. To those of you that use this laptop, do most of you plug it to 100 percent battery. Then once once its 100 percent, you unplug it and then plug it back in once its down to a certain percentage? Thus most of you don't keep it plugged in 100 percent of the time because thats not good for the battery? However, this has an internal battery.


Another thing. Is it fine to leave the charger plugged into an outlet when you are not connecting it to the laptop? Reason i ask this is because it has that light thing that lights up to where you plug it into the laptop. I assume most of you just leave the charger plugged into an outlet even when its not connected to the laptop? Or is that bad and should you always unplug it so there isn't light that glows. Also how many laptop chargers have something like this? I haven't seen any chargers where the light is on the end of it etc..

 

Draining the battery is way worse than staying at 100%. If you want you can download Dell Command Power Manager and set a custom profile so it doesn't charge past a certain percentage.

 

The charging cables got a decorative light, the charging lights on the front of the laptop. And just leave it plugged in and don't worry about it,

 

I thought that leaving a mains charger connected and powered on to devices such as laptops and mobile phones, reduced the battery far quicker than if you regularly disconnected it once charging is complete? Recently read mention that it's actually better not to charge to 100% every time which is a new one on me. Also that it's better to start charging at around 40% charge as opposed to low percentages (20% and below).

It's also worth mentioning that not charging rechargeable batteries for long periods of time, can have a detrimental effect on their lifespan.

Happy to stand corrected by anyone who knows far more than I on this matter?

 

That used to be the case before BMS (battery management systems) became a big thing. With lithium ion batteries there is no such thing as a memory and the BMS can be configured to start/stop charging at specific levels. All laptops, cellphones, etc will charge up to 100% and then stop trying to add additional charge. Smart charging patterns will also not start charging again until the battery drops below a specific amount. The problem before was as soon as there was discharge from the battery the charger would replenish it, causing really unnecessary wear to the battery.

It is also better to recharge batteries from say 50% vs 10% because batteries are rated at a certain number of full recharges (say 300). If you recharge your battery from 50% every time you will get 600 recharges out of it vs 330 recharges from 10%. Also there has been mention that fast charge can be tough on cells.

The BMS systems on today's electric and hybrid cars are amazing. Every cell is monitored and they can tell when a cell is less than optimal. Each cell is also recharged to it's optimal level which greatly helps with longevity of the batteries.

Source: I'm a mechanical engineer (or was, I'm in medical school now), and my father in law is a EE who works for a company that does a lot of high end BMS stuff.

 

@custom90gt

Would you recommend using BMS, set to start charging when the battery drops to 50% and then stops charging at say 90% or 100%? Or, not bother and just leave mains charger powered on and plugged in all day whenever possible?

Thanks.

 

There is a setting in the BIOS setup for those of us who leave our laptops plugged in all the time. As others here have said, unlike the old NiCad days where batteries would develop 'memory fatigue' and get stuck at a certain level if there weren't discharge fully periodically, newer batteries based upon the lithium standard actually last longer if only discharged slightly.

All chargers are 'vampires'. If you leave them in with nothing connected to them they still draw a tiny bit of power.

 

It really depends on your typical usage. I just leave mine on standard and it hasn't been an issue. I use my both plugged in and unplugged daily at school for hours at a time and my battery wear level (guesstimate) hasn't changed.

 

I solved my flickering by forcing the Nvidia to be the default GPU in all instances, this works a treat, especially in browsers like Chrome etc.

 

How?

 

Hi...

My ATIV 8 just conked out and I'm doing some research on what will be the best replacement... I really want the Dell XPS 15 but there are too many units that have different specs. Which one should I get? I really need help. This will be used for games, movies and simple office files...

I'm using a 500gb Samsung 850 evo SSD. Can I use this for the xps 15 so I don't have to get a high SSD?

Thanks

 

Spend a few hours reading the forum m8!

A. There are two battery specs for the 9550, I think:

1. with the 32gb m.2 cache +1TB HDD config you get two drive slots - m.2 and 2.5 inch (with a small battery)
2. generally with m.2 SSD config you get only one m.2 drive slot (with a larger battery)

I have config #1 so can replace the 1TB HDD with a 2.5" HDD. I don't think a thick drive will work but do a search here as I think a lot of people are running the Samsung 850 in that slot. Also someone complained that drives in that bay were not running at full Sata III speeds so do some research there.

B. There is a FHD and 4k screen. Both are nice but not perfect so do some research here

C. This is nearly the thinnest laptop in the world so cooling is not great. And the graphics card is not particularly great for gaming. If you want a hardcore gaming unit, buy an MSI, Alienware, etc.

D. A refreshed 9550 should come out Q1-Q2 of 2017 with virtually the same CPU and a somewhat better Pascual graphics card but the new cards run hot so given the 9550s thin size, I don't expect one of the new high performance Pascual cards to be offered.

 

Speed Shift free upgrade - a humble request to the Dell 9550 community...

In 2015, Intel and Micro$oft enabled a new feature which significantly improves CPU performance for gaming and other intensive tasks. For some reason, Dell has not switched that feature on (it just requires a small change in next BIOS update, which is expected in November).

If you are interested in a free performance boost, please request Dell enable Speed Shift by:

1. Posting a request to Dell here ===> http://en.community.dell.com/support-forums/laptop/f/3518/t/19994644

(Dell techs monitor that site, and we can get more traction with more good posts)

2. Contacting Dell via phone, chat or email based on your service agreement

_________________

FYI - I did a quick very basic Speed Shift primer in a dedicated thread

http://forum.notebookreview.com/threads/dell-xps-15-9550-skylake-speed-shift.796891/

 

Well I have throttlestop lock my frequency at max when on AC power, so the only benefit I see is when on battery power it could finish sudden intensive tasks faster and clock down quicker to save power. Nontheless a good feature (I often notice terrible clock shifting on battery), just better "gaming" performance is kinda misleading.

 

Well if you're tight on budget you could grab the i5 + HDD, and manually swap out the HDD for the SSD. Note that the battery is much smaller on this unit.

I personnaly got the i7 512GB SSD, bought a SATA adaptor and used my old laptop SSD as an external drive. Better battery life since I'm a student wondering around campus all day.

Also, you mentioned gaming. Not sure if it's just my unit, but the 4K screen has slow response time, and a horrible hardware tearing diagonally (it doesn't show up on screen capture) on quick scenes.
EDIT: Quick research shows this to be a driver issue on (borderless) window mode.

 

Hey guys just curious but is there a huge difference between the i5-6300hq vs the i7-6700hq? I got the i5-6300hq but bought it through ebay and this laptop is very fast. I also have an ssd like i do with other computers but this laptop seems pretty fast.

 

Also is there a way to know how much mb/gb im using on my dell xps when online? I used to use a program called networx on another laptop that tracked how much mb/gb i used a day and it recorded either ethernet wired connection or wifi.


But i recalled on this dell, it actually showed the actual mb/gb but i dont know where it is exactly?

 

Better threaded performance, such as rendering.

Not quite sure what you mean...?