Dell XPS 15 L501 *Owner's Lounge*

For current owners.

​

Dell Support​

• Dell Recovery Disks

• Manuals
• Bios Update Version A04 Available (November 28th)

Reviews​

• CNET Review
• Anandtech Review
• Laptop Magazine Review
• PC Magazine Review
• ZDnet Review
• User Review by Majesty Z
• In Depth User Review by Ninja2000
• Dell XPS and Macbook Pro Side by Side Pictures Courtesy of sprtnbsblplya

Service Tag​

It can be found in the Dell Support Center under the General tab.

Optimize Boot Up​

Open notepad, Paste the following 2 lines into it, save as a .bat file, and run as administrator after defragging the hard drive or performing any kind of Windows updates.

Rundll32.exe advapi32.dll,ProcessIdleTasks
defrag -b %SystemDrive%

Use the Save As function in notepad, and be sure to change .txt files to All files before saving.

NOTE: If you have an SSD, you can skip this.

Average Battery Life as reported by users for 6 and 9 cell​

6 Cell: Approximately 2.45 Hours
9 Cell: Approximately 4.00 Hours

More accurate data is needed

Screen Sizes and User Ratings​

720p: Initial Reports are that the 720p screen on the XPS 15 is of lower contrast and lower quality.
1080p: Superior Quality Screen in all respects. Rivals many of the top LCD screens for notebooks in mass produced notebooks today.

Audio​

Based on early reports, Audio is truly a shining experience for the XPS Notebooks.

Top Issues​

Backlit Keyboard not available in the United Kingdom right now and does NOT come standard when ordering.
If Power Options settings in Windows 7 don't seem to be functioning, try disabling the PowerSmart features in the Facial Recognition Software.
For notebooks equipped with the Optimus technology, only the drivers on Dell's website will work. Drivers from laptopvideo2go do not allow switching.

Keyboard keys tend to wear quickly, only after 3 months and light use, they are already becoming worn.

Heat​

At Idle


Under Load (30 minutes)


Thanks to MajestyZ for the temperature pictures.

Some users have seen temperatures as high as 80c under load. Your temperatures may vary.

Thermal Paste Guide​

Thermal Paste Guide 2​

Note on reapplication of thermal paste: Following the service manual will get you most of the way, but remember to also remove the optical drive and the last 3 screws that attach the base to the chassis. (The optical drive has to be removed to get to these last 3 screws. I would also set aside 2-3 hours to do this (though for those who are experienced it won't take this long.) As you will have to tear down the entire laptop to get to the heat-sync, and it will take some time to properly clean everything. In my case the paste was on so thick that the die of each GPU and CPU that they were literally encased in thermal paste and it took a great deal of time to remove the mess.


Note: If you are having high temperature issues and are afraid of opening your notebook to reapply thermal compound and don't mind lugging a cooler around with you, the Zalman cooler found here is recommended

How do I know which programs, displays, and videos are using the NVIDIA high-performance GPU?​

Click the NVIDIA GPU Activity icon in the Windows notification area. The window indicates:

• Which displays and video are accelerated using the NVIDIA high-performance GPU.
  
• Which display connections are driven by the NVIDIA high-performance GPU.

Want to replace your optical drive with a second hard drive? Do it here: http://newmodeus.com/shop/index.php?main_page=product_info&products_id=358

Note: If there is no GPU Activity icon, click View from the NVIDIA Control Panel menu bar and select Display GPU Activity Icon in Notification Area. (See Using the View Menu)

 

There's already an XPS 15 thread here

 

High Temps? http://forum.notebookreview.com/dell-xps-studio-xps/536065-dell-xps-15-fan-working-overtime.html

 

An owners thread is needed as weell I think .. that thread that turned into a when is my system shipping thread. with some great information in between.

Lead away DKWhite ..

I will post mine when I receive it.

M

 

Yes please continue this thread. The other thread is getting very long and you can easily lose your, as it were, thread.

 

Looks great dkwhite,

Here's my (short) review:
http://forum.notebookreview.com/del...8-dell-xps-15-l501-thread-29.html#post6888515

And I'll make pictures for you tomorrow to put in here, if you want.

 

Would the owners recommend this laptop? I'm on the verge of buying it, but could use some assurance that it's a great laptop. Thoughts?

 

Trouble is, give it a few days and this will be as long

 

It will, but I'll do my best to compile all the info that we need in the main post.

 

It will be great if someone posts his/her experience with a fresh install of Windows on this lappy.

 

Signing in
Any news on acquiring a backlit keyboard in the UK please let us know.
Also what does the Optimize Boot Up procedure in the first post actually do? is it worth doing?

 

It reorders the system boot files so that it cuts load times down. Vista and 7 are actually supposed to do this on their own, but the automated process has never worked right. Running the batch script just ensures that it gets done.

 

What time does the owners lounge close and will you be serving refreshments?

 

I'm retarded. How do I save it as a .bat file? I've saved it as bootup.bat but in properties it shows bootup.bat.txt
Does it matter where it is saved?

 

in notepad, do Save As. and then change the drop down from .txt files to ALL. That should fix it for you.

 

Hey.. so I'm quite a noob ... and what does that do? does it change the registries and stuff?

 

cheers worked

 

It doesn't do anything to the registry, it just reorders the system files so that they are at the inner most part of the disk and in sequential order to cut down on initial boot times. This is something that windows Vista and 7 are supposed to do on their own during an idle state every so often but it doesn't always work.

I ran it on my dell and it took no time at all to do it, so it looks like it's been done already. However it's a good idea to do it again after windows is finished updating.

I hate waiting on boot up, so saving a few seconds here and there is critical for me. and this saves a bit of time. More so on my HP's than on the XPS 15, but even so. hehe.

 

So does that Optimize Boot Up thing not apply if you have a solid state drive?

 

Some pictures I made, click to enlarge.

Top:


Right side:


Right side:


Left side:


Left side:


Rear - right side:


Rear - left side:


Rear:


SD Cardreader:


SD Cardreader:


Bottom:


Battery indicator:


Battery indicator (shows when you press the button, laptop is turned off):


Subwoofer:


Keyboard:


Keyboard:


Exterior:


Screen (Very hard to make pictures of, this isn't what it really looks like (better of course), but it's just an indication):


Enjoy .

 

I have any questions:

CPU & GPU temps in idle and Full3D?? In furmark??
Win7 index score of gt435m?? 3dmark06 score??
Quality of 720p screen?? level of contrast?? (in cdm/2 aprox..)
It´s the same Inspiron screens??

Thanks and sorry my bad english

 

XPS 15 comparison to 15" MBP pics coming in an hour!

 

I am waiting for that before cancelling my XPS 15 order and ordering the pricey MBP 15. I am very concerned about the negative user reviews of the XPS screen

 

Did you order the WLED one? 'Cause the comparison sprtnbsblplya is going to make is going to be with the B+RG screen, which doesn't have bad reviews at all, it's wonderful!

 

I ordered the B+RG although I am going to lower the resolution to 1366X768.

 

That makes me curious about you reading negative reviews about the screen, do you have a source?

 

Well I'm sitting in front of both of them right now, XPS is objectively better.
I wouldn't cancel it for a more pricey MBP.

 

On the XPS 17 thread, some user stated that he suspects that Dell had provided B+RG screens (and not regular 720p ones) to reviewers. If that's the case, I think spending $130 for the upgrade is not a wise decision on my part because the reviews do not single out the screen as a selling point for this lappy.

 

Thank you so much! I won't cancel the order. I am a Windows user and had wanted to switch to the MBP just for the nice dispaly

 

I'm not really sure what you're trying to tell, Dell put B+RG screens on laptops which should get the 720p on it, by accident?

If that's the case I still wouldn't risk it, and 130 dollars for this screen is a bargain, I have paid 200 euros for this screen in my country (the Netherlands) which is 271 dollars. And it's worth it .

 

The angry user suspects that Dell had put the B+RG on purpose; tto mislead the reviewers and prospective buyer. I personally don't believe that Dell would take such a horrible, imprudent risk and the reviewers should be able to detect which screens they have got since there is no 1080p regular screen.

 

My temperatures, without load:


And under load, 30 minutes of Prime95 stressed on all cores:


I guess I have a good paste job? Haha.
HWMonitor showed the same temps (even a bit lower).

Edit:
@ Kajouma, and I agree with you on that.. Non sense. Just get that B+RG, you won't regret it really.

 

What the hell are you talking about?

There's 2 screens for the XPS 15:

1366x768 LED-backlit LCD
1920x1080 "B+RG" LED-backlit LCD

Haven't read all the reviews for the 15 (Engadget reviewed the 14, not the 15) but I know Anandtech reviewed the 1920x1080 screen and mentioned it's one of the best laptops displays he's ever seen.

 

I'm installing all my software on the XPS right now and will get some pictures up against a matte MBP 15" at some point this afternoon.
Keep in mind this is an '08 LED Santa Rosa MBP, but the XPS beats it in everything but thinness and looks.
The XPS is one really nice computer. I looked at the current 15" MBPs and I'm glad I didn't buy one. I'm also really like Win7 Pro too.

 

Thanks for the temps. Have you change the thermal paste on the cpu ?
70 degrees that's really good !!

 

Apparently you are NOT read my previous posts for which the post you have responded to is a follow up! I mentioned that there are no REGULAR (i.e. non-B+RG) 1080p screens.

This is what I mentioned in a previous post: " I ordered the B+RG although I am going to lower the resolution to 1366X768."

 

No haven't changed a thing! It just get any higher than that, have you got any other stress tools for me I can try?

 

Man this machine is a multi-tasking beast.
I'm installing a WinXP VM, copying 200gb of movies (yes, real movies, not other videos...), running Windows Update, setting up Office 2007, and surfing the net, not a single slowdown, runs as smooth as if I were only surfing the net.
This is not an experience I'm used to from my C2D MBP.

 

Just got mine. I need to install stuff before I get around to giving my full impressions on it but so far so good! I haven't seen one super nagging thing yet.
One good point is that if you get the 9-cell, the butt + the battery act as a very comfortable grip to hold on to for using the laptop while walking around. (Underhand grip, holding the battery part with your palm and the butt with your fingers).
Another good point is the build quality and the look. The screen hinge is very smooth, unlike some other laptop hinges I've seen be very elastic. It feels alot like the hinge from the MBP, but less loud when you close it (I noticed MBPs close very loudly if you do it quickly)
The fan is very quiet during regular usage, but I haven't tried stress testing yet. I'll let you know.
One thing that I just noticed that does bug me abit is the touch sensitive buttons at the top. If you wipe your hand across them (I like to wipe the dust off my laptop with my fingers alot), it triggers all three settings menus (Mobility center, Instant Launch Manage, and Waves Maxx) at the same time.

 

There are many many disadvantages running windows (even windows 7 with the latest bootcamp updates) on a macbook pro...ask me how i know...I cannot stress this enough.
I currently have one and will be getting back to a windows laptop (probably the xps 15 or envy 14 equivalent in a year or so.

 

Quick overview of the machines, more to come later if I have time, getting ready for an anatomy final which takes priority over computers. Lets keep in mind this is an '08 Santa Rosa MBP with 2.4ghz C2D, LED backlit 1440x900 screen, 8600gt, etc.


Had to dim the XPS B+RG display a tad, it is very bright at max settings. MBP is at max brightness. XPS has slight edge in real life, photos are hard to get just right. I really like this display a lot. And keep in mind I royally hate glossy screens, have avoided them like the plague until this computer, and I like it a lot.



Dimmed the lights in the room to focus on the displays themselves.



Everyone loves the MBP trackpad, and for good reason, its one of the best. Well, Dell finally came out with the first real competition in my opinion, I really like this new trackpad, it feels great, is just as responsive as the MBP trackpad, however I haven't toyed around with the multitouch features too much yet.




Side profile, yes, it is a given the XPS is thicker and wider. That is expected in an i7 w/ GT 435m setup, and I don't view this as a detractor or a con at all. The XPS gets no more than warm to the touch, the MBP gets hotter than heck on certain parts of its aluminum frame due to Apple's design choices.



Lets see, what else?

The speakers, XPS speakers are light years ahead of MBP. There is no comparison. These sound better than inexpensive desktop speakers, they're really good, loving the bass.

Keyboard? I would say a tie. They're both good. The XPS feels solid, no mushiness on mine. Same with the MBP, not mushy, good travel, etc. If anything the XPS is just slightly more "stiff" than the MBP, not a big deal and hardly noticeable. I prefer normal keyboards over the chiclet fad going on right now.

When the fan winds up on the XPS, it is more of a "whir" that moves a lot of air, air that isn't even smoking hot, just hot air that one would obviously expect from a quad core i7. If you're not expecting hot air from an i7, well, get real. But the palm rest is only warm, not even remotely hot.
When the fan winds up on the MBP? Its the most annoying whine I've ever heard, in the library it is annoying to people around me (when I'm studying I'll run the computer to do video conversions while I'm focused on my notes). The palm rest on the MBP stays cool but above the keyboard is hot.

Operating system? I really like Win7 Pro. Much more freedom to screw it up, which I love, but screwing around isn't for everyone. Sayonara Steve J, not gonna miss ya.

The charger for the XPS is pretty huge compared to the MBP charger. Justifiable since the XPS sucks way more juice, whatever, no biggie.

 

Slightly bad news: I just got a stuck pixel on the first day of having the laptop. Green pixel in the top-right quadrant of the screen.

 

MajestyZ & sprtnbsblplya - thanks for the pics, of all the people who have recieved their XPS 15 you're the first to actually make the effort to put up some pics... K+ for you!

Just contact tech support, they will arrange for a new screen to be put on!

 

Could you show a few pictures of the MBP and XPS 15 screens to compare different vertical viewing angles?

 

I just received my laptop!! I have one quick question. Can anyone please tell me what this thing is that came with the computer? It's some sort of antenna but I don't know for what!
Thanks! [/url][/IMG]

 

TV antenna.

 

So for the antenna/TV tuner (I'm getting one with a TV tuner), is there a port on the computer that's like a standard TV cable port?

 

Anyone mind doing side views...i really want to see the thickness of the new xps line

 

Thanks! That's pretty interesting. I've never had a TV tuner before with any computer.

 

Your energy sticker is wonkey, think you should demand a refund and send it back to Dell!