Dell XPS 15 (Skylake) 9550 Owner's Lounge

I just plugged in a regular Xbox One wireless controller adapter and the same results - the fans will kick up 3.5 dB when plugged into USB-C port, and when removed, go back down to just under 40dB.

Edit: Same thing occurs with USB-C to hdmi adapter I own.

 

Regrettably returned this laptop as I couldn't go a day without constant BSODs with various driver crashes. I downloaded all the drivers and even got it "repaired" to no avail. I will say that the hardware is phenomenal though!! I decided it wasn't worth the risk to see if it is a software issues or not. I'll be looking at the updated Asus zenbook pro or Samsung ativ book 9 pro for now. Very disappointed in Dell.

 

Well this reminds me of the 9530 thread so I must say I am surprised that people think it is rushed out and has defects (keyboard harness) and also has driver crashes on this new chipset.

If you expect dell to get something right on release you are mistaken.

I am currently 18 months into my 9530, it has been exchanged for new 3 times in the 1st 6 months and then I made do with the coil whine as it wasn't that bad. 3 months ago a fan went bad so I had it swapped for a new fan that made a pulsing noise so that was swapped again the following month, now the new ones vibrating despite me stripping it out and cleaning it so Dell wanted to swap the motherboard and fan, I declined a mobo swap due to the coil whine lottery so they offered me one of these 9550's as a replacement.

I went for it as all I see wrong is the need to tighten the keyboard cable (as per youtube) and then wait it out to see if they release a revised keyboard.

Fan speed and driver issues should get patched out but as for the usb-c causing the fans to spin up I wonder if it has it's own temp sensor that triggers a fan increase when it gets warm, maybe you could try aida64 to see if it detects a chipset temp rise to coincide with it?

the 9530 sits at nothing or 2400 rpm under normal use, only increasing under heavy load/gaming.

It needs feeding back to dell if it is a fixable issue, maybe a slap of decent thermal paste on the heatsink will fix it though?

 

Just got my XPS 15, and overall extremely happy. The screen especially is absolutely stunning! I have one problem though.

I did a clean install of Windows 10 after switching to ACHI mode. After the installation completed I installed the Samsung NVMe drivers along with other drivers, which I got from the DELL website. Everything seems to work fine, however, only when I reboot, I get the error that no harddrive (SSD) is found. Any ideas on what I did wrong? I read multiple things about this occurence but unfortunately I can't find the posts anymore. Instructions on how to proceed would be highly appreciated!

 

I am also having the same issues and it appears others do as well. I started a thread on the Dell Community forums to try to alert Dell and get them to take action. Would appreciate you commenting there to increase the support for this issue

http://en.community.dell.com/support-forums/laptop/f/3518/t/19664735?rfsh=1450139859430

 

The reboot problem is a known issue using the PM951 in AHCI mode with either Samsung NVMe or Intel NVMe drivers.

I don't know of any current resolution. Because of this (and random BSODs when using Microsoft's default NVMe driver in AHCI), I went back to RAID.

 

Thank you for your reply!

That really sucks. I am seeing pretty big performance gains (from 310MB write (WHY SO LOW!? ) to around 650 write on AHCI). To go back to RAID, do I only need to switch it in the BIOS?

 

You'll of course need to have the Intel RST driver installed first. Then Safe Boot and change to RAID in BIOS at same time. (BTW, switching back to AHCI is same procedure involving Safe Boot.)

 

This leads to a BOOT_DEVICE_UNACCESSIBLE bluescreen before I can get into Windows. Any ideas? The RST drivers are installed.

 

Only thing I can think of is to double-check whether any BIOS changes were made when you did a fresh install of Windows 10.

I've not had this issue. Another person had the same issue - I don't think it was resolved.

 

...you might also check that you have C:\Windows\System32\drivers\iaStorAV.sys. I think it's the default Windows RAID driver and used during Safe Boot.

 

Thanks for the link, I posted a response, but it says moderator has to approve - so we will see when that happens.

 

I know a lot of folks here are swapping out the PM951 for a 950 Pro, but anyone here "downgrade" to put in the Samsung 850 M.2 500GB? I know the port supports both PCIe and SATA based drives. But I don't feel like spending the premium for the 950 PRO as this Notebook already costs a mini fortune to begin with. However, I got the 256GB version, and it's just not big enough once you try to install a few games. I have the Samsung T1, but will likely return and just try to make the internal storage bigger. I think 500GB is workable for a decent library of Steam games and the rest of my files/programs/apps.

If anyone has done this, let me know your procedure to get this done. I'd like to install the 500GB internal, then load an image backup of my 256GB partition onto that so i don't have to start windows from scratch. I'm pretty tech saavy, so I'm sure I'll figure it all out, just thought I'd get any tips from someone who's done this.

And yes, I realize the read speeds will take a hit, but I just can't believe the 850 is going to actually feel that much slower than what I have now, and in some areas, I saw the performance (on the write side) is actually better than the PM951 I have now!

 

Before I did a clean install of Windows I manually switched it to AHCI. Is that the problem?

 

It shouldn't matter - meaning you should be able to switch to RAID after the install.

Do you have the iaStorAV.sys driver I mentioned on your system (mine is version 13.2.0.1022)?

BTW your BIOS settings look fine (posted in another thread).

 

Thanks for checking. I have both iaStorAV.sys as well as iaStorV.sys on here. I just did another clean install (contacted Dell and that was their advice). Hopefully I can get this solved. Otherwise, I'm going for a refund. They want another 14 days to repair it if I can't figure out the problem myself, and I really don't feel like waiting any more.

 

They can't blacklist your from returning products, that's not legal.

 

So you have to switch to AHCI mode to use a SATA drive? I'm considering the 850 EVO M.2 500GB in place of the 256GB PM951 in mine. I was hoping to load my OS in using image recovery, but I've heard if you try to pull in an image based on a RAID install into an AHCI drive, I'll likely have issues.

I'd rather not clean install WINDOWS, but if I have to, I guess I can start from scratch ONE more time. UGH.

 

Well somebody should have told this guy Maybe I'll give Best Buy customer service a call, but honestly, I buy so few things from Best Buy these days, I don't really care. Their sales tactics are so shady, I don't really feel like giving them my money anymore anyways.

 

Been speaking with DellCares on Twitter - haven't been too helpful, but they asked me to reset BIOS to default settings. I did this...odd behavior that USB-C accessories cause fans to ramp up one notch for no reason seems to be gone!

The only option I had enabled in BIOS was USB PowerShare - something that I rarely need or use, but was simply curious about. I can live without it if it causes odd USB-C behavior, but I wasn't aware the USB-C port supported PowerShare. I thought that was just the USB port on the right side of the Notebook?

Anyways, I'll keep testing, but so far I can use the USB-C port and the fans don't ramp at all.

 

Does the laptop support outputting to two 4K monitors at 60HZ via TB3 to DP?

Edit: So I can't find any TB3 to DP cables on the market at all. Would USB-C to DP allow me to drive two 4K displays @ 60Hz via daisychaining or is it only one 4K@60Hz for the spec?

The jump would be so much easier if the Dell dock was out already...

 

No luck with this change for me. Tried both BIOS and Factory defaults but fan is still on high when using the Dell adapter. What BIOS version do you have, and have you tested this fix with the Dell USB-C to HDMI/VGA/USB/Ethernet adapter?

Also, per the specs all USB ports have PowerShare including the Thunderbolt3/USB-C

 

Sorry about replying to an old post but I'm just catching up. Save yourself some time and effort and just switch to Macrium Reflect v6 Home Edition. Works MUCH better than Acronis TI. I was a long time Acronis user and switched when I bought my XPS 15 because of the problems I was having with getting TI to recognize the SSD in the XPS 15. Just sorry that I didn't switch sooner!

 

Just switch to Macrium Reflect...it just works!

 

Does anyone elses fans turn on when their power adapter is plugged in from a low point like 30% left? I have all the battery options set to passive and yet still I have this issue. All my drivers, and even my bios, is updated. Any suggestions on this front?

 

Yes, several of us having this issue. Seems to be a BIOS problem as it occurs before starting Windows. Please take a look at the this thread on the Dell Forums and post your support. Hopefully they'll fix soon
http://en.community.dell.com/support-forums/laptop/f/3518/p/19660421/20854459?rfsh=1449959504330

 

I tried to post but it says my post is a duplicate. Anyway, they will definitely not fix it soon. This laptop is riddled with stupid little problems like that. If you're in the 30 day return window, to anyone reading this, just return it. The hassle is not worth it.

 

I have had mine for about 5 weeks now. I had a few minor problems in the beginning. All were due to driver issues. Other than that it is just about perfect. I think Dell has done a fabulous job with this laptop. Must be lucky I guess.

 

Did you manage to install 8260 or any other network card? Wanted to install killer on mine.

 

Is anyone else having any issues with DisplayPort over USB-C? I have the 512 GB 9550 Signature Edition from Microsoft and can't get it to actually display anything via the USB-C port.


I've tried 3 different adapters (2x https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B017OV622M/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1 and 1x http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00X4S5DKC?psc=1&redirect=true&ref_=oh_aui_detailpage_o04_s00). The latter at least appears in the Device Manager.

I've tried on two monitors, ASUS PB278Q, and there's no display on either. They work properly via DisplayPort on my XPS 9530, so I know there's no issue there. The only odd behavior is that after pulling in the Cable Matters cable, when the monitor goes to sleep, it locks up the computer briefly. It also switches from "No Signal" when not connected to "Cable Not Connected" when the cable is connected.

I've also tried using the Dell Command Update program to get the latest drivers and still no dice. Is there something I'm doing wrong or something I'm missing? This seems like it should've been pretty straightforward.

edit: After some more tinkering, I was able to get things to begin working combining the Benefi adapter + a powered MST hub. It's not an ideal solution, but I remember reading something either here or in a review that either the 9550 or these adapters can have issues with cables longer than 3ft (all of mine are 6). Going to try again tomorrow using just a normal 3 ft mini-DP to DP cable on the Benefi adapter.

 

I ordered these 2 items which I can confirm worked with my Dell 24 4K external display and 9550 4K/1TB updated with all latest drivers:
http://www.amazon.ca/gp/product/B0157RVTDW?psc=1&redirect=true&ref_=oh_aui_detailpage_o00_s00
http://www.amazon.ca/gp/product/B00C7RP2QQ?psc=1&redirect=true&ref_=oh_aui_detailpage_o00_s01

 

Try updating the Thunderbolt 3 firmware and sore. Fixed a lot of my issues since the Thunderbolt 3 runs the USB-C
http://www.dell.com/support/home/us/en/19/product-support/product/xps-15-9550-laptop/drivers

 

I'm glad I checked this forum whilst doing research. I had settled on the XPS 15, but figured I would do a few more days of looking at reviews. What a shame there are so many problems. Like the list seems never ending for some people. And all the big problems like the CPU slow down are huge.

Guess I'll go back to the drawing board on what laptop to buy. This one seemed so good on paper.

 

Hey guys, I just bought a 256gb PM951 ssd (removed from XPS 15) for my Alienware 17 R3. I want to ask how does it perform. Can someone post the screenshot of their crystal disk mark results for this ssd?

Any help would be appreciated.
Thanks

 

Picked up an XPS 15 yesterday--gorgeous screen and tactically enjoyable.

I owned the 13" model for a bit and while it was every bit as enjoyable to use it still felt slightly under powered.

Still have a few Apple USB-C adapters laying around that I'm planning to test on the 15.

 

Just a note to others - the Thunderbolt 3 Firmware update wasn't listed under my Service Tag, which makes no sense. Especially since the Thunderbolt Controller was listed under my Service Tag. Applied firmware update anyways - ran successfully.

One thing I couldn't figure out is how to get the Thunderbolt 3 / Alpine Ridge firmware version I'm currently running. Does someone know where this is?

 

Hey all, just wanted to report back. I purchased the Samsung 850 M.2 500GB to replace the 256GB PM951 in my XPS15. I didn't want to pay the current 120 buck premium for the 950 PRO. While I'm sure those blazing 3x-4x read speeds are quite nice, I'm not so sure the difference will be that noticeable for my use case. I'd rather wait until we see 1tb PCI.e M.2 cards later in 2016 for 300 bucks.

Anyways - this was an easy upgrade. You have about a dozen screws to remove and the back case came off quite easily. One screw to remove the PM951 and put the new drive in. Using USB recovery and a system image, I was back in business with Windows 10 without issue. Using MiniPartition Tools I extended the 256GB system image to fill the drive. I had to delete the 500MB recovery partition in the way, but that's about it. I now have 465GB at 550MB R/W.

No BIOS settings needed changing, and when in battery saver mode, I'm getting reports of 8-9 hour battery life, something I did not see with the PM951 drive in there. I'll report back if this extended battery life persists throughout the day. But it makes sense since the 850 is SATA therefore we aren't dealing with NVMe drivers causing issues with the CPU reaching lowest voltage settings as is reported to be fixed in an upcoming BIOS from Dell.

Also, the "gap" issue that allows the charging LED to bleed through the front of the case is not a gap issue at all, but rather just some blackout tape not properly aligned on a led light diffuser attached to the metal cover. This is definitely a "QC" issue, but i was able to place small strips of black electrical tape and now once the unit is back together I no longer have any LED light bleeding through joints between the back cover and the side of the XPS15. So for those annoyed by that, don't return the unit, it's a really easy fix.

 

I mean it's fast read speeds, like 1200 SEQ - but write speeds are about 300MB/s, which as others have reported seems slower. But since you are a gamer, you'll care more about those fast read speeds.

It's a fast as heck drive - not 950PRO speeds, but fast nonetheless.

 

More Crystal Disk Mark tests than you need (scroll down in link): http://forum.notebookreview.com/threads/trying-ahci-mode-xps-15-9550.785081/#post-10154646

 

Hey Guys as i was browsing the web to day, my driver crashed? Anyone can explain?

 

There aren't that many problems. You have a few upset and aggressive people floating around with so much anger. I have owned two XPS13 and one XPS15. The First XPS13 has a minor issue with some sticking keys on the keyboard - a legit reason to fix it for sure. The second XPS13 was perfect, I just suddenly wanted to go another way and get the XPS15. I haven't had any issues with my XPS15 other than some led light bleeding through the front of the case when charging - not enough of a reason to return it since it's only visible when you really look for it.

The CPU throttling when going off of AC power is annoying, but WILL be fixed in the next BIOS as is already confirmed by Dell.

I just wanted to add a voice in the mix that's positive on this laptop. I really really like my XPS15 - it's a gorgeous machine, with lots of power, well tuned fans, and now that I've gamed for hours on end without issue, I know it's a solid device.

 

For the love of pete, go install the latest Intel HD 520 Beta drivers - all your display driver stopped messages will go away.

 

https://downloadcenter.intel.com/pr...-520-for-6th-Generation-Intel-Core-Processors

To install the beta drivers, uninstall your current drivers from Device Manager. Make sure you check the option to delete the drivers from the drive as well, or it will just simply reinstall them. You may have to uninstall several driver revisions before getting the beta driver to install works. I think I uninstalled 2 drivers and was running on a Intel driver from June or something before I got the beta driver to install correctly.

 

Thanks so much @smugpanda

 

Just thought I'd report that I'm now stable (no BSODs, no reboot issues) in AHCI mode with the default Standard NVMe driver. (Original Dell system (no clean install), PM951, latest Dell updates - only system software I got elsewhere was Intel RST, which I left installed.) I think a Windows Update fixed the random BSOD issue.

 

FYI, new WiFi and Intel HD Graphics drivers showed up on Dell's 9550 Support page today.

 

Hey folks, question for you. I know in my previous laptops where I had a QHD or 4k I had to change the native resolution to 1080p if I wanted to game in full screen 1080p rather than 4k native and 1080p in game. Does anyone know of a setting in these machines that allow you to just stay with the native 4k and still game at 1080p in full screen? Thanks!

 

In that case, ignore my post about beta drivers. The number of this driver from Dell's website is higher than the Beta, so just download the new Dell supplied driver for the HD530 and most issues with crashing display will go away. I haven't had one since I installed the beta.

 

I don't understand the question...I plays games mostly at 1080P, sometimes slightly lower resolution. Once you exit the game, the display is still at 4K.

Now, don't get me wrong, Windows 10 still does a poor job with Scaling. A lot of times text will end up being odd after shifts in resolution. Odd in that text is no longer as sharp as it was. Also, sometimes icons will lose their scaled size as well. I notice this more after using external dispalys at lower resolutions...i'll have to see if it persistss when exiting a game.

 

That's not what was happening to me, it would put the game in a little box in the corner of my screen when I set it to 1080P. I found a way around it though, I updated the intel graphics drivers and set the scaling to full screen and now it is fine.