Dell XPS 15 L501 *Owner's Lounge*

Where are you, what country? Voltage convertors can be dodgy, are you using one? Check your powersupply, it should take 100-220v without the need for a converter!

 

Can anyone please test whether they can open the lid one handed without the laptop lifting off the surface?

 

Tried now, i can't; on 10-15 degrees the palmrest starts to follow the lid.

 

Yep I get the same...the reason I asked is that in the video below the lady seems to be able to open the lid one handed [2:13 into the video].

width='640' height="385"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/kxssdQisFLg?fs=1&amp;hl=en_US"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/kxssdQisFLg?fs=1&amp;hl=en_US" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width='640' height="385"></embed></object>

 

Its probably glued to the table

 

No luck with this tip but thnx anyway. Don't know what to do now I still have the option to send it back for a refund. Is this problem specific for the i5-460 processor??? Seems like people with a i5-560 do not encounter this problem.

 

Hi, I have the i5-460 and have no problems playing youtube videos. I have set the optimus settings to use the integrated graphics globally and then select the nvidia card for individual programs like games etc.

 

I have another question, does anyone know what the waves maxxaudio3 button do? When pressed it says to install the audio driver before using the button. Is this the same audio driver from the dell drivers list?

 

Hi, I have the i7 version. I've been playing 'medal of honor' on its lowest settings but have experienced the screen breaking up (wave effect) when moving fast. Has anyone else experienced this ? What can I do to stop this happening ? Would appreciate any input you guys might have, thanks.

 

I got the same message. Installing the audio driver from Dell's drivers site fixed the issue for me. When you press that button, the Waves MaxxAudio control panel should open.

 

For me the main issue is the optical drive. If I push on the optical drive (to keep it fixed) then there is no flex on the right side of the touchpad. There is still some flex on the top left corner of the keyboard though.

 

The palm rest assembly on the L-series is only screwed down in one area (over the optical drive in the 17, and under the battery on the 15). It actually clips into place elsewhere. I've found a bit of play on the top left corner of the assembly on my L701x as well, right around the JBL badge.

 

I seem to have a problem with Turbo Boost and an over active fan. I used CPUz and the Intel Desktop Gadget to monitor the multiplier and CPU Speed and I've never once seen it go above 2.66GHz. Tried 1 worker in Prime95, SuperPI, gaming, not sure what else to try?

Also, my fan seems to be on all the time. The laptop never gets hot, 73C was my max after hours of testing. Should I be calling Dell tomorrow? =/

 

hey...how to enable multi touch?
im not able to use scroll zoom or any o those

 

ny of u using Screen Protector??
cuz i don want fingerprints on my screen...ppl jus keep touchin it....

 

What are your specs? My answer would be no, 73C max is good!

 

Hey!
I am new to this forum, actually its kinda the first forum that I have joined properly and have cared enough to write something on it lol
I am going to get my XPS 15 with i5 and 720p screen in like 3 days Yayyy!
& since you already have the 720p so I was wondering if could upload some kind of SCREEN REVIEW of your XPS, it should be detailed with all the angles and gloss (lol). Even if you don't have time you can just explain in plain English because I really need someone's response who's actually USING it.

P.S: I was going to buy the 1080p screen but as its not available anymore so I had to settle for the 720p screen, which from what I have read on different forums and reviews is FINE and performs well.

Thanks in advance!

 

I have a 740qm, 6gb, 640GB, GT435m, 1080p.

The proc should turbo to 2.93GHz but I can only get it to go to 2.66GHz. Any ideas how to force it to ramp up? I want to make sure I dont have a bogus processor.

 

Hey guys,

I had the Dell m1530 for about a couple years and wasn't planning to upgrade but a couple weeks ago I came across a Dell EPP deal on the XPS 15 that I couldn't resist. I settled for the 720p because I wanted the native resolution to not be so high as to render my games slow in performance (ie. SC2). I ended paying only $650+tax w/ free next day shipping.

XPS 15
720p
Intel i5 2.53ghz
4gb ram
Nvidia Geforce GT 420m 1gb
500gb 7200rpm hd

Do you guys think this was a good deal? It lasted only for a couple hours so I guess I was pretty lucky.

 

Can anyone confirm their 740qm turbos to 2.93GHz, I've tried every single threaded stress test I can think of and I've only ever seen 2.79GHz?

 

You can check the videos out here. There are some good views and it will give you an idea of what you will ge getting soon:

YouTube - XPS 15

 

My 460M goes to 2.79 or 2.8GHz so it is r8
Np with it
Many are reporting problem with 740Qm.. Can you guys check

 

i have the 720 and it doesnt turbo past 2.6ghz. Turbo is really a gimmick it really wont reach its full turbo potential. It will turbo for a few seconds and then go back down. Thats just how it is.

 

Not true at all. It will turbo up only as long as it needs to. If you place a constant load on it, it will keep the turbo on indefinitely. Try logging it while running Battlefield:BC2, for example, and it will lock the multiplier at 21. If it's just video or media or whatever, it will fluctuate and boost up and down as necessary.

 

I´m glad to tell thatafeer an hour of solidworks not demanding modelling, some realtime hpotovioew rendering of an entire SW modle (over 700 parts, including complex surfaces) there's a lot of hota air coming out the vent, and the lft side of the plamrest and the trackpad are only a bit warm, and the left-bottom section is a little less warm than the left side palm rest... right side almost cold...

Rally nice coming from the i7-gt435 combo...

My old dv4 athlon x 2 was like a litle oven compared to this

 

Same story here (the config is a bit different but i can confirm you made a great deal IMHO - even talking about overclocking the GPU). Actually is one of the most balanced configuration in this price range. I hope to see improvement in the Fermi's architecture ASAP with newer drivers, so the deal will be really perfect

 

Slickdeals? I was never planning on buying a laptop at all and then this deal popped up. Could not resist...it was a very good deal

 

Hello Gonzalo, txs, that's good to know.
Have you logged the temps while working on your modelling/rendering?

 

So, I've been trying for almost 3 hours to return my overheated fried Dell XPS 15. I've been cut off twice, been sent in circles by the people on the phone, and have less than 36 hours to return it before the 21 days is up. I might be about to be out almost $3000. I hate Dell. I will never buy another Dell product again.

 

I feel your pain.

It seems to me that Dell Customer Service has become a poor excuse for it. Unless you need to speak to a sales rep, then certainly, you will get the right person on the phone right away who will be more than happy to take your money.

 

dude...contact them via twitter. They always respond quickly.

 

Yep. The only site I visit while at work.

 

Hi! .. just wondering if your system came with the remote control for the tv tuner or just the antenna and adapter?. Thanks for your input.

 

No i haven't; it's just htat i'm not into all this benchmarking and measurement stuff; i always evaluate things i bouy by having them in front of me, trying them, pushing'em to their limits, see what are they capable to do, how do they response... but no quantities, sorry!! Maybe you woun't take me that serious now, but as an indsustrial designer, i think i've achieved a clear concept of what is "hot" and what is "coold"

Anyway, i can tell, i had this HP dv4 with an athlon ql-65 processor; that lappy did really scare me whent it came to heating! I mean, there was a lot of really very hot air coming from the vent, and almost all the palmrest got very hot; that's not happening with my XPS, not by far even, it stays almost warm.

The other thing is, as i said, aluminium is a very heat conductive material, if you touch the bottom plastic part right under the palmrest's left it's kinda cooler than this last one.

I was wondering what would happen if i dissasemble the palm rest and apply some cooling paste beneath the left side...

 

Has anyone else noticed issues with the quote key (which is to the left of Enter)?

When I want to type a double quote by holding down Shift and pressing that key, the " character doesn't always immediately come up. I have to press space. Sometimes it gets typed twice. Same issue when wanting to type the single quote as well.

Is this a problem caused by some software on my computer or..?

 

Answering my own question..

Did some research on this and found the fix.

Changed



to

 

Also just want to share Dell Inspiron media buttons Winamp plugin Personal blog of Seph Soliman where we can download the plugin for winamp so we control it using the in-built multimedia keys (Play/Pause, Previous, Next).

 

Install Speccy and run it.

Go to Network.

See the screenshot below:

 

I have finally found the cause and solution to stuttering in BlackOps and I'm sure the results would be the same for all games. Compatibility: Nvidia GeForce GT 420m and Nvidia GeForce GT 435m graphics cards (All Dell XPS 15 L501X PCs I believe)

The problem: Dell's Nvidia Display Driver
The Solution: Nvidia's Display Driver

The Problem: Dell/Nvidia block the installation of Nvidia's driver, so you have to make some changes to the driver files to force them to install. See below for more information.

The Solution Result: No sudden FPS plummeting in BlackOps (and suspecting any game), higher FPS in general, high graphics settings achieved while maintaining playability.

Side effect: My audio driver was corrupted, but simply reinstalling the audio driver from dell.com fixed this problem easily.

Possible side effect: You 420m (I5) guys may lose the optimus feature, I have a 435m (I7) which doesn't have this feature.

Overview:

v260.99 Windows 7/Vista 64bit | Desktop - Mobile OEM - LaptopVideo2Go Forums
To install the Nvidia drivers, follow the link above and download both the Driver by clicking the "Download Driver" link, and the modified inf file by clicking the "INF Modified" link. It is easiest to save both downloads to your desktop. Launch the Driver file you downloaded, this will extract a folder onto your desktop. The new folder on your desktop consists of the driver installation files, which is what you will be modifying. Step 1 begins by going into the new folder on your desktop, and then into the Display.Driver folder, where you will delete specific files as instructed. Step 2 is simply moving the downloaded modified INF file from your desktop, into the Display.Driver folder. Step 3 is editing (deleting) some text within a driver file.

Jaymovez has pretty well written instructions. Read each step carefully before you perform them. If you make any mistakes in these steps, you will not be able to install the driver. To start completely over, delete the new driver folder on your desktop and run the driver .exe that you downloaded again.

Quote from Jaymovez in the forum:

Just to clarify for other users, since it did seem a little confusing for me:

1. Remove all INF files from Display.Driver folder. NOT any other files like .dll's.
Right click, Sort By, Type. Delete ALL INF files. Don't worry these are just barriers to stop you from installing the file itself, nothing to do with the install files.

2. Place the modified INF file inside Display.Driver folder. Just download the modified INF file and place it in there.

3. Edit the file "Display.Driver.nvi" inside your Display.Driver folder. To to this, locate the file, right click and click "Open With...", select Notepad.
Scroll down or use Find (Ctrl+F) to "<manifest>". Go down to the bottom of that list and delete all ".inf" listed except ONE ".inf". Rename this ".inf" file to "<file name="nv_disp.inf" />"
Do not delete anything else above the list of ".inf"'s, like .dll, .txt

4. Save the file, and run setup.
Voila! 100% working installation!



My setup:
EXP 15 L501X
1080p screen
Core I7 740
Nvidia GT 435

After fixing the Graphics driver issue, I officially LOVE just about everything with this laptop. The only very minor gripes I have is when comparing to my Dell XPS 15 M1530;
Again, very very minor negatives compared to the old style XPS. (Size of course, but it's worth it to me)
- The power port on the new XPS is on the back, I sit on my bed with a lapdesk and every once in a while the plug can get pulled out. The old XPS had this port on the side and the plug was never pulled out.
- The Media drive (CD/DVD/Blueray Drive) now has a tray, my old XPS only had a slot to push the media into it. I prefer this type of drive since the tray pulls out right where my mouse is on my lapdesk.

 

I was so happy when my L501 arrived. It had the works. It was wonderful. I loved it. Then after thirty hours the screen went black. Dell said it was the power cord or the battery and sent me a new one. When that did not fix it, they said it was the motherboard and it would be repaired in two business days.

Well folks, it is now nine days since my computer failed and six days since they promised to repair the mother board. No one from Dell has called to install the mother board. I contacted Dell this morning by computer and they said there was a problem getting the part.

To their credit, after the person on the computer promised to do everything possible to expedite it, someone called from India to confirm all these details and again promised to get on it.

I understand the pressure to make money. Margins are thin. Dell has been on a downward trend. But I remember a few years ago when I bought a top of the line computer and Dell gave me USA support and a special number to call. Those of us getting top of the line laptops are willing to pay extra for good support and service.

And I don't care if it is from India or the US, I just timely support. I do not blame the guys who handle the calls. They are doing the best they can with the resources that are given to them.

 

Got this laptop about a month ago or so. After about a week, I started having problems with it freezing. It would just happen randomly. I would have to turn it off by holding down the power button. When I turn it back on, I would select "Start Windows Normally", and more often than not, it freezes at the "Starting Windows" screen. I would have to turn it on and off again repeatedly. Sometimes the option to do a Startup Repair would show, but even after going through that, it still hangs.

Today has been hell. Hanging over and over again. Freezing at the Startup Windows screen constantly. One thing I do notice is that it rarely happens when I'm running on battery power. The problems do seem to occur when it's plugged in.

I've looked for solutions to this seemingly common problem, but I haven't found anything. Some suggest turning it off, unplugging it, removing the battery pack, hold down the on/off button for thirty second, put it all back together and try that. Other suggest these problems stems from a bad AC adapter, while some believe it's a messed up motherboard.

Maybe someone here who's had similar problems could help. I don't want to ship this thing back for them to repair it. That's a last resort for me.

XPS L501X
Intel Core i7
Q740 @ 1.73 Ghz 1.73 Ghz
6GB RAM
64-Bit Windows 7

EDIT: Forget what I said about it only freezes when plugged in. It just froze while running on battery power. I'm stumped.

 

Maybe it's a really bad paste job and it's shutting down because of CPU or GPU temps!

 

Being less frequent while using the battery as well leads me to think the same, download an use CPUID HW monitor, and let us know your temps.

 

Cheers for that, I've been having the same problems with my GT 420M OC to 435 speeds. I have a dual core, so update 4 has improved things, but I still get a lot of slow down. I've been playing at 1024 x 768 with standard settings and no AA to get things running smoothly.
Gonna try this and see how it works, what resolution can you play at now?

The only issue for me is loosing optimus, I hope dell bring out an updated driver soon, or allow us to install NVIDIA's drivers in future releases. Intel drivers for the integrated graphics are also locked, cannot install the latest intel HD driver!

 

dude...u have ur service tag with u?
go to dell . com....click on support n chat with them
mostly ull get a guy from india..
tel him ur prob n tel him as 21 days are not over u want a new replacement....theyll send a guy with ur new xps..
i had a prob with earthin in my house..told them..they were ready to send the new one cuz 21 days arnt over..if its after 21 days..theyll 1st try to repair n then replace...b4 21days its replace 1st

 

It didn't work when I did that, but I corrected it renaming the one left .inf file in the list as "NV_DISP.inf"

 

Help needed: I get 3DMark06 score of only 3807!!! What can I do??
----------------------------------------------------------------
Dell XPS 15" FHD B+RGLED, i7-740qm , 4GB RAM, 500GB 7200rpm HD, nVidia GT 435m, 6-cell

 

Hi everyone, I got my xps 15 a week ago and I am loving it. I only have one problem.

I have nvidia GeForce GT 435 and I am trying to get it to output 5.1 suround sound over HDMI. I cant get it other than stereo out.

My setup is as follows:
[GeForce GT 435]---HDMI---[LG HDTV]---S/PDIF---[5.1 Audio Receiver]

The same setup using my PS3 to the HDTV is working perfectly, which means there is no problem between the HDTV to Audio receiver.

I also used S/PDIF cable from the laptop to the reciever for audio and the 5.1 surround works fine too. But I would really like to get 5.1 surround sound to go over the HDMI.

I can't seem to figure out why this would not work; I guess the card supports it and I know the TV and receiver work.

NOTE: On my laptop when using the S/PDIF audio, the output device according to Windows 7 is "Realtek Digital Output", and for the HDMI it is "Nvidia High Definition Audio".

I hope this makes sense. ny suggestions/ideas/help would be really great..

 

Try the HDMI from the XPS to your receiver (if it has hdmi input) to test if the digital 5.1 signal is sent.

 

Thanks for the reply pituky, unfortunately my receivrer does not have HDMI inputs. I would like to know if there is a way to change the HDMI to have Realtek instead of nvidia.