Dell XPS 15 L501 *Owner's Lounge*

Yeah man! No reason why not!!

 

Got mine today. So far so good. But:

1. The fun is continuously on and often events out hot air, even when just browsing the net ... and as I write.
2. Left palm rest area is slightly vibrating, guess because of the hard drive placement, which is also annoying.
3. The screen looks fabulous but the colour Red looks unnaturally vibrant.
4. Sound is good. Though lacks the punch [may I need to tweak it a bit]
5. Windows update and restart process are very slow. It takes ages to boot.

 

1. Mine was like that, I repasted with Arctic Silver 5 and the issue is lessened, fan still runs on and off but its a 54w processor at max draw, its gonna make heat.
2. I have the same 640gb 7.2k HDD as you, my left wrist rest never vibrates, even when doing massive file copies. Maybe a screw is loose that connects it to the chassis? If so, that is an easy fix.
3. Screen is awesome.
4. Waves audio has an equalizer you can adjust until you get it where you want it.
5. I did a fresh install of Win7 Pro, it has normal boot up times that you would expect from a 7200rpm HDD.

 

My fan was running often too while web browsing but has calmed down for some reason now and my temps before today reached 76c but now are stedy at around 40c while web browsing.

No vibration.

Colors are all good.

I agree the sound lacks the punch even after I tweaked it but it's still good.

Once all your Windows Updates are behind you maybe you'll get better boot times.

 

Did anyone buy a good keyboard skin/cover for their L501? I looked at ebay but only saw generics. Anyone have one they can recommend? Thanks

 

I haven't had any issues except it's super slow loading web page graphics and today, it can't keep up with my typing...

I'll be typing along and nothing shows up on the screen then a few seconds later the sentence pops up. Is this a video card issue? I did install the latest nVidia drivers from dell last week but this issue just started yesterday.

I originally did a clean install of win 7 ultimate.

 

That's doesn't sound right for an i5-460 (not slim) notebook. The machine at Dell's factory must be programmed for cream cake production rather than thermal pasting .

Kudos to you but you are in a tiny minority of users brave enough to take their machines apart .

A week ago, I suggested we collectively bring the matter to Dell's attention and since then, I've noticed several more new owners complaining about internal heat/ fan issues. It's clearly an ongoing issue and has almost put me off buying a Dell notebook. Well, might reconsider in the new year

 

I'm not sure why my XPS-15 came with the non Realtek Driver but it did??? My internal microphone problem was never resolved. I had to go through alot of grief just to get the Service Tag and Express Service Number associated with the machine.

Dell sent a Tech to my home and replaced the LCD Display and Flat Ribbon Cable. The camera and microphone are located above the LCD on a small circuit board but it was not replaced replaced. I was very un-happy with the Dell Tech. He didn't use a anti static mat or wrist strap. He tore into the machine very recklessly. He tried to do it without using the manual but couldn't figure it out. He had to get out his laptop and download the manual. After watching him handle my machine there was no way I was going to keep it! The bezel around the LCD ended up getting scratched and of course the mic still didn't work. He did load the Realtek Driver and I noticed the poping sound came back. He called Tech Support and they wanted to replace the motherboard next. I declined and demanded a Return Auth since it was still within the 21 days. It has since been returned. Funny how Dell takes up to 30 days to return my money but they require customers only 21 days to return their products!

I also own a XPS-M1330 which has had three motherboards replaced over the past three years and I've totally had it with Dell! Adios. Beast of luck with all your issues.

 

For those with the popping sound bothering them...see my post in this thread: http://forum.notebookreview.com/del...ermittent-xps-15-subwoofer-3.html#post6957758

 

well I tried and it won't let me install them...the setup tells me I don't have any compatible hardware, whilst trying to manually update the driver tells me the driver I have is the most up-to-date (which isn't true).

 

are you using firefox? the last version has MASSIVE memory leaks somewhere

about:memory

edit: what is this crap url parser? -.-
just type in about:memory in your address bar, if ts anything over 150MB restart firefox

 

Yes and thanks for your reply!

EDIT: I just checked and it says memory in use: 519,435,168

 

I ordered my XPS15 with the 6200 wireless card but it came without a wireless card. Dell is sending out a Tech next week to install a 6200 wireless card. I will let you know if it works.

 

i saw alot of review on this laptop and really wanted to buy but once i was ready to buy, the option for the 1080p is no more, i check all of dell site and found that there's only the 720p (1366x768), so i was wondering if it is still a wise choice to get it?i overall like all the specification and it is within my budget.

 

I would wait for the 1080p screen to come back into stock, it's amazing!

 

Cheers, can't believe they sent it out without any wireless card!!

 

My fan does that too. It goes on and off every few seconds and it's annoying as hell. I'm actually returning it because of this. It's too bad because I overclocked the GPU to perform better than a ati5730 and temps max at 75c which is VERY good. I just can't stand that fan . Tried almost everything. Re-pasting, different drivers, and downgrading bios to a03, nothing works.

 

can you elaborate more on "colour red"? what do you mean?

 

I think he means the oversaturated colors that are common with such high contrast displays. Red is usually the most prominent.

 

Hi mate, I have replied to your post in that thread....could you please read.

 

Turns out B+RG isn't just a moniker; it's a legit technology. Most backlights in use on cheap displays are B+Y, where Y is a yellow phosphor, usually YAG, but this results in poor color rendering, and really hot (blue-tinted; cool in layman's terms) whites. There's a lot to the recipe though, as YAG can be doped with different elements and its chromatic output can be tweaked. In general though, B+Y WLEDs are the runt of the litter.

B+RG, just like the name implies, incorporates a blue LED and both a green-emitting and a red-emitting phosphor, letting it reach the cooler whites and giving it a more "true" white output.

It's still WLED, but it is a high-quality backlight, not just a marketing gimmick. I was a little surprised when I came across the information.

The more you know, right?

 

when I read a news article on a white background on my screen, it looks more like yellowish/redish and warm.

is that what you mean by oversaturated color?

 

Hi Everyone,

I ordered my XPS-15 without a TV tuner -- now that it has arrived, I'm wishing that I had included a tuner.

Is it still a possible to have a TV tuner installed? Could I buy the part and have my local PC shop install it for me?

Cheers,

Jay

 

Okay this is a bit weird..
I just got my replacement xps 15 today, and it seems the replacement has the issue u've stated on #2. The previous one (same xps 15) didnt have any vibrating, but this one... it vibrates slightly from time to time....

 

Thanks all for your replies to my earlier post.

1. RED looks slightly deviated from the standard RED colour [checked with a few photos], it's oversaturated and bright compared to others (i.e. I think, Hue, Saturation and Luminosity in the presentation of RED is not accurate/ problematic) - and it ''attacks'' your eyes immediately. The in-built monitor calibration was of no help.

It would be of great help and a favour to the XPS community, if anyone with an access to a professional calibration device and software like Xrite etc. can prepare a few colour/monitor profiles and share with us.

2. The Keyboard is sturdy, can't find any flex, but I think it's too compact - perhaps because I am used to external keyboard. The '''Delete' key frustratingly tiny.

3. The Trackpad is very smooth and well-controlled. No jumping around. May be the plastic cover on the trackpad needs to be peeled off.

3. Temps (ambient = 25 deg cent): normal browsing = i5 core - range . 46 -60, avg. 53 deg cent, HDD - 44 deg cent.

4. My XPS has Samsung HM640JJ HDD [not a Seagate, as others have got] [Note: Mine was assembled by Dell in India]

Another favour:
This is my first laptop with FHD display. I need to tweak the system so that it renders the TEXT and VIDEO smoothly. As of now, it's very edgy, the contours of text and videos don't look smooth. Please advise.

 

There are several USB based TV tuners out there so no need to worry.

 

Hey... Thank u all for posting ur experiences... Its really helpful...
One question though:
Is there any provision for putting my sim card in the laptop? I once saw that u can...is it true? I ordered my laptop 4 days ago...

 

Hi Everyone,

I just bought a Dell XPS 15 L501x and this is my problem with it - Whenever I play a game 60-80% of the time the system crashes! It even crashed during the opening cinematic of witcher!

The games for which this happened are Witcher, Command & Conquer 3, Supreme Commander, neither too old nor too new and not even at the highest settings.

I have no idea why this is happening. I thought GT435M was a decent level graphics card but why is this happening even at medium settings in games over 2 years old? I mean the system is not even overheating when this happens - other than choppy play, the hardware doesnt even show any sense of being stressed.

 

thats certaily a memory leak in normal use it should rarely ever take over 150MB (= ~150.000.000 bytes)

restart your browser a couple times a day until this issue is fixed by mozilla, just as i do

 

Hey Leica, I have the same hard drive that you have.
If it is still vibrating the only thing I can think of is a loosened screw. Mine doesn't vibrate at all. I can't even hear it running.

 

does your screen look more redish/yellowish on a white background, for example on yahoo news article?

 

After reading many of the reviews, I was worried.

Am very pleased so far. Ordered most of the bells and whistles. A very solid machine. I did not find it big or bulky considering how much it can do. Really do not notice the fan. Heat does not seem out of line with previous computers.

Ordered on November 28 with 1080 p screen. Projected date to get the computer was December 23. It arrived today, Saturday, December 13.

I hope I stay happy.

 

You can but it is complicated. The difficulity in getting it done is not worth it as you can buy a USB Tuner for less.

I have done it myself. I thought it would be easier and started but it took 2 days of my time and a engineer visit.

You need 5 different parts for it.

 

Hmmm...

I had in mind that I'm most likely to use the TV tuner to help kill dead time in airports. That said, most of the USB TV Tuners look like they're designed to accept a coax input. I'm looking for something compact with an antenna to pick up over-the-air TV and HDTV.

Ideas?

Jay

 

posted in another thread, thought i'd share it here:

my temps above where with the default gpu clocks. i oc'd to 800/1600/1000, like ninja2000, and here are my results & temps.

 

3DMark is a pretty poor predictor of sustained performance. I oc'ed mine high and ran 3dmark and got great results. On those same OC'ed clocks I played BF:BC2 and in less than 30 min had a machine crash d/t heat, as 3dmark doesnt really stress the computer like a modern FPS will.
BF:BC2 runs all 8 threads of my CPU at 100% frequently and also fully stresses the GPU, both of which 3dmark doesnt do.

 

This may not work. Like USB you still need an input either by a mini Areil or coax. So it is same either you go with USB or internal. If you choose internal you will have to loose WWAN card if you have got one.

Have a look at this thread and it shows an Ariel which come with. But it only works if you have strong signal.

http://forum.notebookreview.com/dell-xps-studio-xps/536582-tv-tuner.html

 

Wow, I have to say that pretty much everything you said, IMHO is pretty much not true for me. hinges are good and tight, DVD tray doesn't bump, ALL the games I've played so far, half life 2, portal, rome total war, and also Civ 5 work great out of the box, although one issue is DX11 for civ 5, but it works awesome on DX9, and for such a game graphics aren't the most important, but I have to say the game looks awesome even with DX9.
other people have also said they have problems with temp, but mine is running nice and cool all the time. As for the sound, sorry, but you must be hard of hearing, these are the greatest laptop speakers I have ever heard.

 

1. VIBRATION ON THE LEFT PALM REST

But don't you feel the spinning HDD underneath the left palm rest? I can, and it's annoying when I type.

Please let me know, I am going to call up Dell tomorrow to report the problem.

2. SCREEN

i). No, I would say mine is white, without any tinge. I have checked the screen by using a white desktop background, hiding the taksbar and emptying out the desktop screen.

The screen has no issue, no dead-line or -pixel [not sure if LED screens are composed of pixels ]

I usually reduce the brightness; the screen can be very bright.

ii). The screen is LESS reflective than other laptop screens have seen. It doesn't act like a mirror ... thank you DELL, love the FHD screen.


3. BATTERY LIFE:
I got 3.15 hours on the 9-cell battery. That, I would say is a BAD performance. At least 4 hours is expected.

Do people think calibrating the battery might increase its life?

 

agree, plus I installed C&C the first decade (I'm an old C&C fan too) and every game, even Tib Dawn works beautifully without any modification whatsoever. I play Civ V with DX11 and it works well, with high settings the scrolling is sometime a bit slow but that's normal. Check web surfing temps, mine are usually in the high 50s.

 

anyone experience the following issue?

play a youtube video and maximize the screen, the progress bar on the bottom is choppy and fashing, very annoying. it could be due to Nvidia graghic switch.

 

Yes, I have seen that too, particularly when the video is loading. But it disappears when the cursor disappears.

 

Seriously, no vibration at all. If I didn't take mine apart I probably wouldn't have even realized thats where it sits.

I have to reduce my brightness by about 15-20% usually as well, even lower if I'm doing some intense reading.

Lower the display brightness some and go click on the Dell power settings and change it to 'Power Saver' or 'Balanced'. I get about four hours when doing homework only with the brightness slider near the bottom.

 

That's strange, I definitely feel mine vibrating all the time. How about other folks?

 

I have enabled "Extended Battery Life" on Dell's "Battery Meter" , yet the battery life is around 3.25 hrs - an increase of 10 minutes after this.

Will recharge fully and drain it out completely tomorrow, once again, to give the final verdict.

How does one calibrate a battery in Windows 7 / Dell XPS?
[I have migrated from MacLand, I knew the trick there, but not in Windowstan]

 

The brightness is the biggest drain of battery life, if you want longer life its really gotta be set to low.

 

To give you a comparison, I have almost identical specs as your laptop and I get about 5 hrs of battery life with:

Brightness at 30% (still more than bright enough)
WiFi on
Downloading torrents
Playing music via iTunes
2-3 other programs open (Adobe Acrobat, MS Word, FF)

Setting the screen to automatically turn off after 1 min of not using it + Dell's extended battery option I get about 6.5 hrs! :O

 

Oh and you don't need to calibrate the battery. Someone explained it on a thread buried deep on the forums about the new lithium ion & polymer based batteries, they really don't need it.
And cycling it from 100% to 0% is going to cause more wear on the battery than just leaving it alone.
I forgot his in depth explanation based on the science, but you don't need to do it.

 

I'm happy for you badben, really I am. Since I made that post a few days back my temps have stabilized to around the high 40's to low 50's while web browsing.

I think my subwoofer has a problem and needs to be replaced and that is probably the whole thing with the sound issue I mentioned. However, I didn't make that call on the sound without a second and third opinion so, unless all of us listening at the time were "hard of hearing" which I doubt, then our comparison was a good one but like I said, its probably my subwoofer.

So, when you reach over the right side of your lappy with thumb and index finger on the CD tray, is there any movement up and down at all? That is where the bump sound is coming from, the up and down movement which is minimal, but enough to hear it and feel it.

I don't have HL2 but I did download the demo from Steam. Using Fraps I've seen anywhere from a 80fps to 180fps. Very nice indeed, enough so that I'm going to buy the game.

 

My DVD drive is solid in place.

My first XPS 15 was replaced d/t the muffled intermittent popping sound and crackly audio, second system is awesome in all aspects.

HL2 is a great game, great value too, made awhile ago and is still good compared to the new games coming out. Has great graphics and awesome storyline.