Dell XPS 15 (Skylake) 9550 Owner's Lounge

Hi,

I just got my new Dell XPS 15 with UHD display in the mail today.
When i got it setup next to my 27" 2560 x 1440 display, Now i see that i need a higher DPI screen than the one i got, To create a more seamless working environment with the Dell XPS 15.

I have been looking at the DELL 27" 5K Display unfortunately the Dell XPS 15 will not be able to run two 5K Displays.

I`m searching for two displays with the same glass front design as the Dell XPS 15, What does the forum recommend?

Kind regards.

Tony

 

Hey guys. My laptop is Dell xps 15 9550. I purchased it last year on ebay and its been pretty good. it was bought new but not sure if its refurbished or not as people told me a while back it probably is refurbished. Best laptop i ever used in terms of speed however.


It has

i5-6300 hq processor @ 2.30 ghz

8gb ram

250gb ssd


My computer is pretty fast but the one thing is i use a lot of chrome windows. When i use task manager, it shows my Ram usage to be at least 80%. As of now it showing im using 6.5/7.9gb so 82% ram. Many times i seen it go to 90% ram. This is due to having so many chrome windows open etc.


Would a ram upgrade be a pretty good idea? And if so, does anyone know how the 8gb is installed on this computer? Thus im assuming its 2 sticks of 4gb on this computer as oppose to 1 stick 8gb ram? So if i have 2 sticks of 4gb ram, then i should buy one 8gb ram right? Then i would install one 8gb ram and keep one of those 4gb ram so i have a total of 12gb ram? Or is there a way to have the max of 16gb ram? Im assuming only way to get 16gb ram would be i have to get two 8gb ram pieces right? However, would you say 12gb ram is more than enough? Its still a very fast computer. It only lags when i have lots of chrome windows. When i don't, there isn't really anything wrong with it etc. So how would i check how many pieces of ram i have on this laptop? Also is it pretty simple to open up this laptop, and install the new ram on it? Or is it a lot complicated etc?

 

Chrome lags with 32GB of ram, chromes buggy

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Also windows caches if you have extra memory so that it takes advantage of it ... so it may just look like you are using more memory but you don't need it. With that said it's pretty easy to open this laptop. Bios should tell you whether you have one stick or two.

 

I meant to say it is 2 sticks but as Fant said, look in the BIOS it will tell you there.

 

Is Dell replacing 9550 machine with 9560? I saw one user on reddit got a replacement with 9560 I'm not sure if it's a fluke.

 

I got one as well, if you fall into the replacement category (3 failed repairs) you can demand a new one.

 

I already have 2 repairs with the keyboards spacebar issue. Is it 3 of the same issue or different issue? How did you bring it up?

I also upgrade the ram to 32 GB. Is the 9560 and 9550 use the same ram?

Thanks

 

I have tried and the 2133mhx ram works fine in the 9560.
I didn't bring it up, I moaned I was due for a 3rd visit in that year to replace a faulty fan and they started saying they had to change the mainboard, I complained the stock they send out is dodgy and I could end up with coil whine again and just to send out the fan. They offered to replace the laptop and as the 9550 was out of production I was specced up for the 9560.
Obviously you do not get any more warranty than you already have.

 

I didn't know the 9550 is out of production. Thank you for the info. My screen flickering is still problematic. I might request 9560 and swap my 32GB ram.

 

WoW Dell refused to replace it saying my system is over a year old even though I have premium support and onsite warranty for 3 years. They replaced my motherboard, now it's going to be my screen. Sigh

 

Phone back, try and remain calm and tell them you have sought legal advice due to taking time off work to be in for the repair as you have zero confidence in the techs and even less in the quality of the "refurbished" parts to risk leaving the laptop with anyone else, you can throw into the mix you work on the road so this is a huge inconvenience to you. (say open quote/close quote before and after refurbished to get the point across)

State you will be starting a chargeback against Dell for the full amount and can you have a returns address as you are required to return the laptop and have proof of delivery for the card company to start a chargeback.

You can then start going on about replacing the screens not going to fix the problem as they are PWM below 25 (ish)% brightness as you have done your homework on this and that is the root cause of the issue.

yada yada yada you have have an opportunity to fix this and have not so you are left with no choice other than a replacement or refund and you don't mind going down the chargeback route as it will be faster than waiting for a refund from Dell.


And no tech support can find out how you paid, this is handled by a different department all together and it would seem neither communicate with each other

Good luck!

 

They kept saying that my laptop is more than a year old even though I have 3 years warranty that it can't be replaced. Sigh this is frustrating.

 

ask for resolutions.

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how to get rid of these freezes and system hangs
i asked in another thread also but i want to replace my SSD, found a 960 EVO 500gb in cheap price but im too afraid to spend that much money n then find out its still freezing ... cause i find my ssd getting too warm during any video playback
i first want to try a clean system re-install n then if it improves performance then change the ssd drive ...
i still curse that moment when i sold my macbook 2015 n went for this crappy machine ... everyone on forums is having one or another issue but on youtube reviewrs are praising this machine for no reason ... no one has even touched these BSOD or system hangs issues ...
@GoNz0 thanks for ur help here, ur the only guy responding to every query
hope i hear some good n cheap solutions ... ssd which i have in this machine is 256gb pm256 with 300mb/s writes n upto 1300 mb/sec reads ... no thermal pads/strips etc

 

cheap is buying a 1.5 and 2mm thermal pad and see what size you need to touch the case. This will stop the ssd overheating. Just buy cheap pads, nothing special. http://m.ebay.co.uk/itm/100mm-x-100...mal-Conductive-Silicone-Pad-hc-/232369689464?

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@GoNz0 ... I have the 960 Evo got from a friend to test. Do I need to clone the windows or do a clean install by downloading ISO from windows website or get this ISO you have made? Will it be activated automatically or do I need any register keys etc? Sorry for noobish questions as I shifted from MacBook so not familiar with activation these days ...

 

Any, and see the pm

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There was a problem with the SSD of my 9550 and since it’s still under warranty, it was replaced... I’ve updated everything through the dell site and everything is good.

The only problem is the GeForce Experience... After updating it, it still does not show the games in its homepage. There were some tips like reinstalling it and making sure the Preferred graphics processor is NVIDIA. I've done both but nothing has changed. Hope you guys could give me some tips...

Thanks

 

That's totally a software issue. See if there is an option in GeForce experience to rescan for games.

 

Thanks for your reply Fant...



Yes, there is an option to scan for games it can play but it keeps saying there are no games found. These are the same games I’ve been playing before the SSD was replaced

 

Can you manually add them?

 

Nah, I did a clean install but still getting same issues ...
The system was working fine initially but now boot time is slower (just one day after doing clean install)
Now getting BSOD again of same old error "Critical Process Died" but now there is no rise in temp of SSD or any ramping up of fans ...
Any help guys?
I tried running with 960m disabled ... Is there anyway we can disable Integrated Gfx (Intel HAD 530) cause j have changed rams, SSD and did a clean install n still having issues

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Let's nip this in the bud, stop sending me pm's and posting the same stuff here as it confuses the hell out of me. Answer my pm here please post the requested screenshot and ssd make

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If you did a clean install ... did you actually reinstall the games or just put the folders back?

 

Well SSD is Samsung PM951 256 Gb MZVLV256
And I'm getting this BSOD error



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Which samsung drivers are you running? Or are you in RAID mode?

 

I tried original ones which windows installed n then Samsung 950 nvme drivers also
And changed to AHCI when doing clean install of windows ... Windows version 1703


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Can't help you personally as you have the driver installed so phone dell and ask for another make of drive.

 

Hi GoNzo...


I followed these

Geforce Experience does not recognize my supported games anymore
http://www.tomsguide.com/answers/id...rience-recognize-supported-games-anymore.html

and this

How do I customize Optimus profiles and settings?
https://nvidia.custhelp.com/app/answers/detail/a_id/2615/kw/setting nvidia as the graphics card


I followed everything but its still not working, it can't find the games. Am I missing something? Because when I purchased the laptop everything was good, it was perfect

 

That doesn't tell me which version you have running. If you double click on the samsung NVMe controller and go to the driver tab, what does it say?

 

well i changed the SSD, got a 960 Evo from a friend on trial basis n i installed it with samsung nvme drivers ... n it has not crashed or gave me any BSOD ...
the culprit was PM951 SSD ...
lets hope it works fine
in last 4 hrs it has not crashed ... n is handling temp upto 70C during benchmarks easily ...

 

actually changing the SSD from Samsung PM951 to Samsung 960 Evo solved my issue ... PM951 had issues with these firmware/drivers ... so far it has not crashed n system has improved alot ...

i did these steps and so far it has proven good for me. Did same on both SSDs

1. Downloaded Windows 10 1703 ISO from Windows website (if someone needs a link, ill post it if allowed by forum)
2. Downloaded wireless and all 5 drivers from dell website
3. In Bios, set my SSD to AHCI
4. Booted and via F12 chose to boot from USB drive and followed Windows installation steps
5. After that installed one driver at a time starting from wireless drivers
6. Disabled Windows Updates from Services n connected to internet
7. Installed other drivers one by one, and waited 30-40 min between each n ran ASSD, ATTO, Crystal Disk Mark n Samsung Magician to check any system crashes under stress
8. In the end installed Samsung NVME drivers

System is stable so far. And i will keep updating with further updates Im keeping this Samsung 960 Evo and will suggest others to must try to change SSD first before sending it change of motherboard. And also change thermal paste, it will definitely improve your thermals.

 

I had a VERY similar problem. Dell replaced my Samsung PM951 1tb SSD with a Samsung PM961 1 tb SSD and
reinstalled Windows 10 .

 

Wow, lucky u
Congrats

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If you had newer samsung drivers installed on the PM951 you will get BSOD's as well.

 

which drivers one should try with that ssd ...

 

Version 2.0 or older.

 

Plz do share any download link etc

Update: So far my co.outer is working flawlessly. Not a single crash or any other issue
Really happy that I switched to Samsung 960 Evo


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It's not real hard to google samsung nvme 2.0 driver, but here you go:
https://onedrive.live.com/?id=5014229B9E752333!30939&cid=5014229B9E752333

 

Recently updated:
Realtek ALC3266 High Definition Audio Driver
Enhancements: Enhanced driver compatibility with Windows Creators Update
Version 6.0.1.8142, A07
Release date 17 Jul 2017 Last Updated 17 Jul 2017
http://www.dell.com/support/home/us/en/19/drivers/driversdetails?driverId=33HNF

Also, is the Intel HD Graphics Driver 21.20.16.4664, A10 released 06 Jul 2017 at Dell site okay for the 9550?
http://www.dell.com/support/home/us/en/19/drivers/driversdetails?driverId=M56HN
(I'm currently using the 4627 and it seems stable with the Anniversary update, though I guess I've had a bit less screen brightness flicker before)

 

Hi guys. Just searching for a little advice. I am currently using a 9550 XPS 15 with the 4k screen and i7 processor.

I’ve had the computer for a little over a year. I would say the first 8-9 months I was pretty happy but now it’s somewhat of an annoying nightmare. The screen is constantly flickering. I can’t seem to play games like I once did as there is always some error about my graphics card or the 530 and the trackpad can’t be clicked because of the distended battery. I can’t send it in for warranty as it is up and I live in South America anyways.

I am currently running windows 10 with the newest Dell drivers from July (Intel 530:4664, GTX 960: 8205) in hopes that Dell had fixed something and my bios is 1.2.21.

Can anyone give me any advice on how to minimize this terrible flickering? I just want to go back to when it didn’t suck so much.

 

Head over to the flickering thread and you will see what drivers worked out best for people. Search it out, it's buried in this forum section somewhere.

 

Here is the http://forum.notebookreview.com/threads/xps-9550-4k-panel-screen-flicker-thread.795285/page-34 screen flicker thread.

 

http://www.dell.com/support/home/us/en/19/drivers/driversdetails?driverId=F7M6G

XPS 15 9550 1.2.29 BIOS released
Fixes & Enhancements
1. Fixed a potential security issue with Bootguard code integrity chaining enforcement
2. Fixed a potential security issue with the Support Assist PreBoot feature
3. Updated processor microcode
4. Update Computrace 957
5. Support Win10 RS2 Enterprise
6. Enhance NVME support and reduce noise
Version 1.2.29
Release date 01 Aug 2017, Last Updated 01 Aug 2017

Anybody tested, any issues or improvements, on which Windows 10 release?

 

Dell Premier Color Software update Version 3.06.002, A04 for XPS 15 9550 released

http://www.dell.com/support/home/us/en/19/drivers/driversdetails?driverId=DDG4J

Fixes
- Not applicable

Enhancements
- Add X rite colorimeter support.

Anybody tested, on which Windows 10 release? Does X-rite colorimeter support mean that X-rite colorimeters can be used for calibration with within DPC without X-rite bundled software or that the two warez coexist (so that DPC needs not be uninstalled for calibration)?

 

[QUOTE=" XPS 15 9550 1.2.29 BIOS released

Anybody tested, any issues or improvements, on which Windows 10 release?[/QUOTE]

I have installed it and haven't notice any issues or difference so far. I'm using Windows 10 version 1703.

 

Should be easy to find out.
Install it and have a look. ;-)

 

I don't like GAS making me buy stuff that may even not work ;(
I've got a few years old i1 display 2 colorimeter which happens to be obsolete. To have a proper look, I'd have to buy another. Plus XPS 15 is notorious for calibration issues, for instance see the recent Anandtech 9560 review, and there were/are? compatibility issues of DPC with recent Windows releases. So I'd like to read a success story first.

 

In particular, any issues with USB connected devices on WD15/TB16 docks?