Dell XPS 15 L501 Thread

For people who ordered it from the US, faced this kind of problem? I ordered mine and not yet delivered. kinda worried reading the above message.

 

Problem "grid" on hd-ready monitor in XPS15 L501x

I’m having big problems on my dell xps 15 L501x with 15.6 High Definition WLED TL (1366x768) 720p.

The laptop arrived 12 november 2010. The monitor of the laptop had bad image quality: in a uniform blue background I could see the different brightness of the vertical lines of pixel:a uniform blue background results in alternates lines dark blue and light blue.

The 17 of November a technician came to change the monitor. The new monitor had a similar defect. In the second monitor I could see a “grid”(matrix) of pixel of different brightness in comparison to the adiacent ones(with uniform colour background) In addition the second monitor had ONE bad (bright) pixel.The technician agreed that the defect was still there (plus the bad pixel)

The 18 of November the same technician came with a new monitor, motherboard and flat cable. The third monitor had the same “grid” defect of the second one plus TWO bad pixel (wihite dots on black background) The technician told me that the pixel defect was not covered by the warranty. Fortunately I was able to find before the technician left that xps line have zero pixel warranty. The technician told me that he will return for a third time to change again monitor motherboard and flat cable to fix both the grid defect and the bad pixel defect.

On 20 november I was contacted by phone form dell italy and they told me that the repair had to delay until DELL form Vien told them how to fix the grid problem. Since I was not contacted anymore I called on 2 November and they told me that the grid problem is not a production defect but is an Engineering defect, a design defect of the hd ready version and that DELL haven’t found a solution yet. They told me that full-hd monitor version don’t have the grid problem, I asked them to fix my laptop with the full-hd monitor but they told me that they can’t supply full-hd monitor since I ordered the hd-ready monitor.. but they can’t fix the laptop with an hd-ready monitor either because the grid defect wil remain anyway. I’m still waiting for a solution and still not using my laptop after a month from the delivery.

do you have some suggestion for the solution of this problem. Thank you and forgive me for my English.

Best Regard

 

I haven't heard any reports like that in the US, I think my case was just one unlucky one. But I am sure yours would be good, no need to worry yourself, think positive
Then again I am unlucky with Dell, I ordered three PCs from them a couple of months before and ALL three were defective, they took 4 months of going back and forth before they decided that they need to replace the machines, at that time I said I just wanted the refund. Yeah so dell probably just has me on their screw him as much as possible list.

I wont get the XPS 15 again only because of the lack of 1080p screen, otherwise I would have given them one more chance to screw me over again. I am hoping that with Sandy Bridge that HP brings the HP envy 15 back to life...( I doubt that will happen, but I can hope can't I ? )

 

They do not change your order without your knowledge.

 

Hi

I ordered my new Dell XPS 15, i7-840QM, 8GB DDR3, 640GB, NVidia GT 435M, 15.6" B+RG LED last week - I've noticed a few people say they couldn't order a backlit keyboard because it wasn't available - you simply contact a Dell Representative and they'll add this for you - I'm in Australia and with my 10% uni student discount I got the backlit option for $22 *AUD* (normally $25).

I've notice StormWerks has exactly the same configuration as me. I was wondering if Storm or someone could comment on battery life with the Core i7-840QM processor.. I also have 8GB of RAM with a 9 cell battery

Also, can someone please tell me if it's possible to make the Blu-Ray play any region using HD ANYDVD - thanks..

Battery life is something I need to know about

- NewcastleBoy

 

Here in Argentina I've asked for the backlit option (asked for English keyboard, Spanish or whatever) and the they say that it was not available for LA even if the keyboard was requested with an English layout.

Yes you are right, as well anydvd will protect you from the automatic (only 5 changes are available) zone changes on the DVD/BR player at hardware level. If you do not use Anydvd and you use disks from different zones, every time you use a different DVD zone, one change is burned at hardware level on your DVD/BR player. the last 5th change remains fixed and unchangeable at hardware level. Anydvd prevents this behavior.

 

The availability of parts seem to be determined by where you live. I know the TV Tuner wasn't available in my country after a certain time, but I was able to order a FHD 1080 monitor, thankfully.

That's great to know. I have several DVD titles I want to replace - either the DVDs were flippers or non-anamorphic when I bought them back in 2000 - so they were very early DVDs.

I've been to the ANYDVD HD site they're charging 108 Euro for lifetime subscription (access to all updates) - that seems a bit steep. They won't be offering lifetime subscription after January 11, 2011

 

Oh, I forgot to ask - do I have to use ANYDVD HD on the DVD too, or can I use existing software I have at my ready to change the DVD zone.. does the BD work independently of the DVD - so ANYDVD HD to use on the blu-ray, and something like ANYDVD or DVDREGION+CSS Free for the DVD?

 

Use only AnyDVD HD; it will work; it will handle zones for both (DVDs and BDs). Install AnyDVD and use any player or players you want.

 

I can't wait for my Dell XPS 15 to arrive being my first laptop and all. I notice several of the parts seem to be on their way such as the laptop carry bag and mouse - at first I was getting excited thinking the computer was on its way, then I realised that three orders had been generated with the computer being only one.

The blu-ray / DVD will be very important to me. Also the portability. At work we don't really have enough computers - my manager bought her home laptop in for me to use one day (I didn't really think that was fair) - it was a very nice machine. Depending upon the number of computers, I might take my home laptop into work to use. I'll be needing to do work in my student capacity, also.

Probably the most important feature for me is the Blu-Ray / DVD - I can see me using both a lot, particular the DVD+RW feature. Eventually, I'd like to get a large HD television and hook up the laptop's blu-ray or dvd to it.. As for gaming I haven't played a computer game in almost 18 years, I wouldn't mind having a POWOW session. The webcam will be extremely important - my brother lives over 1000kms from me, so it will be good to chat with him over the cam. I'll be happy if I get a little over 3 hours out of my i7 machine with 9 cell battery. I'm probably planning to take it to a cafe - somewhere where I have a lot of room - years ago there was a cafe and it was possible to stay there the whole day **the owner never complained** - once I helped to fix his computer up and got a free coffee - a very nice guy. Not sure of many cafes like that around my area any more, but it was in a great location with heaps of room to lay your feet out.

So does everyone have their uses all worked out for their new Dell XPS 15 netbook?

 

I too am interested, Im in Essex/Sussex areas.

 

Not sure which part you are referring to, I never said they changed my order without my knowledge? I said the first time they shipped the 720p screen when I specified the 1080p and said it was marketing error that the 1080p was not available in LA, and the other times they gave me three defective machines. Not too sure which part you are referring to.

 

I also need to get rid of my laptop to pay some unexpected bills. It is an i5 460m, 4Gb, GT 420M, B+RGLED, Blu-Ray purchased on 12/16/10 has 1 year warranty that I will transfer.

In USA only, PM me or email krug dot jonathan at gmail dot com

 

Based on your message you have ordered a 1080p screen and received a 720p screen, due to X reason, then:
Inspired by your message I've contacted Dell and they say if in your purchase order says 1080p you have to receive the 1080p screen.
If your order needs to be changed to the 720p screen due to a Dell's marketing error on the web site or if they are short of stock , or any other problem, they will send you a notice.
You said as well "So if any of you ordered it while it was an available option get ready to be a little disappointed."
Sure it was an isolated error, i guess.

 

Everyone keeps talking about the crappy screen that comes with the XPS 15 720p. My question is that are all the 720p screens affected? If not, how can I tell which ones are the afflicted models?

 

Wanted to follow up on this as I had a similar thing happen to me and am currently trying to get what I ordered out of them. They actually DID switch the 1080p to the 720p without my knowledge though. No notifications whatsoever. Here is the post that I posted in another thread regarding my experiences.

To everyone who upgraded to the 1920x1080 screen shortly before Dell took the option off of their website. I would like to share my experience so far with you all so you too can check if you received the correct product.

I ordered my XPS 15 with the upgraded full HD screen and received everything I ordered except for that. They shipped me the 720p screen instead. I was not notified of the switch nor was I given back any of my money! This whole thing could have been avoided if they just called me up and told me they were out of that screen and asked if I would like to cancel the order. Within the next few days, I had called numerous support representatives to which one even assured me I had the correct screen and then spent the next hour trying to get it to the full resolution and finally gave up and said something else must be wrong! Each customer support person I talked to told me that the 1080p screen was shipped with my laptop. I couldn't believe what I was hearing. I easily deduced that I did not in fact have the full hd screen by comparing the HardwareID of the LCD panel to info available online for that part number.

Basically, at this point, Dell is completely out of the 1080p screens now. They've tried to get me to take a refund of the difference between the screens; they've offered to give a full refund for the laptop, they've offered to exchange the laptop which doesn't make any sense since when I asked them how they were going to get me a 1080p screen they said "Oh, you'd be receiving the same screen with your replacement." Uh...ok? And they've offered to replace the LCD with a refurbished 1080p screen to which XPS support said not to do. Brand new laptop, used parts? I think not.

Bottom line is this, I want this laptop...I want the 1080p screen, I told them I can wait for them to get them in and they can install a new one on my laptop. They told me that wasn't an option since there is no ETA on the 1080p screens. So my 21 day return time is winding down and I have no options here. Bad situation all around. I hope they come up with something better than this. I'm a first time Dell buyer and if this is how they operate...not so sure I will be buying again.

Anyways, everyone, please please please check your lcd to make sure you can indeed get that 1920x1080p resolution you paid extra for and if you're still unsure check the Hardware ID of the panel to verify the native mode for the panel.

 

Hello Its really sad to read this; it seems they are quite incompetent.

How do you check the Hardware ID and How to be sure the the Hardware ID found belongs to the 1080p screen?

Txs

 

You can check the HardwareID of your panel by following these steps:
1. Open Control Panel -> System
2. Click Device Manager
3. Expand Monitors category and select the panel.
4. Right-click and click properties.
5. Go to "Details" tab and then select Hardware Ids in the "Property" drop-down.
6. Your Panel's Hardware Id is shown.

I simply googled my panel's Hardware ID which was AUO22EC and was able to find the native resolution of the panel to be 1366x768. In another post I read that the 1920x1080p panel could be the AUO17ED. Think of the Hardware ID as the individual part number for the component.

 

Can anyone confirm, does the European models have backlit keyboards? I can't find that option anywhere !?

 

So far the only area where the backlit keyboards are available is in the USA and in Canada I think. The rest fo the world does not have them yet.

 

Thanks man!! mine is arriving next week I'm going to check that as soon as I receive it.

 

Probably mine was an isolated error, and if in fact the 1080p is available in LA then they lied to me , but I never got any notifications though. But like I said my luck with dell has been really bad with all machines I have ordered from them so far, but the reason I continue with them is because they have the best warranty options where I live.

 

I'm currently using an studio 15 with 900p screen every day (and a lot of days working 24 hs a day), since one year and a half ago, ad it works flawlessly. I'm only changing this laptop because I need 1080 screen and Display port output.

The XPS 15 price imported here is 1800 US dollars.
Yeap it seems that Dell is making repetitive mistakes with the 1080p screen, if I receive the 720 screen next week I'm going to send my unit back.



Thanks for inform your experience mad: XPS)

 

Someone w/ a backlit keyboard.......can u give me the dell part # for it? Should be on the build sheet. Thanks!

 

Hi, does anyone have the model and part number off the Intel 6200 AGN card?
Cheers!

 

@kgh00007
Here u go

 

I just got a call from Dell, they said that my laptop will be delivered between 9am-5pm tomorrow Aussie time, Im so excited. Can't wait to play some music on this thing.

 

Hey man, thanks! If you ever have the memory cover off the bottom of your laptop could you check the numbers printed on the 6200 itself? Cheers!

 

@kgh00007
i will !

 

Xps 15 now available at Dell Outlet. Many configs list the screen as "Full HD", so if people want the 1080p there's your shot.

 

looking now, of course the home coupon expired yesterday

 

There are no XPS 15 there when I looked.

 

They are still there. You have to look under the check availability and choose laptops. The XPS 14, 15, and 17 are in the laptop list. I can't post an image because I'm on my phone, but it's there

Proof http://outlet.us.dell.com/ARBOnline...1_425891_1_795008_1_795010_&FamilyName=XPS 15

 

Ohh man I don't know what to do. Seems too good to be true - 1080p + blu ray + i5-460m for $789? Too bad we still can't get 15% off with that coupon.

 

I ordered one! hope it works out.

 

Hopefully they'll be in stock for the next round ofbome coupons. Business is next.

 

Hi everyone. My first post in this thread. I have been waiting for a true replacement for my good old XPS M1530, and finally I have ordered this XPS L501. I originally ordered a Vostro 15 with i7-640m, but then I found out Dell has just updated its web site with this new product. I cancelled my order with the Vostro straight away, and placed an order for this thing.

One question for those use dual external screens. I was using dual external screens on my M1530, and they worked just fine (VGA+HDMI), I can unplug the screens at any time, and put the computer to sleep, use it at home and bring it back to work and as soon as I replug the screens back to the laptop and close the lid, things will just resume right. However, I found that the L501 doesn't handle this very well. I use HDMI+miniDP this time for external screen, and it seems the miniDP wouldn't work after waking up from a sleep. I have to restart the computer to get the miniDP to work again~!

Has anyone out there experienced the same thing? My one is a i7-740m, and I use two Dell U2311H, one with HDMI-DVI cable, the other one with miniDP-DVI connection. The miniDP one is an adapter from miniDP to DVI with a DVI cable. I have tried two different brand's adapter (one from Apple, the other one from eBay), and they both give me same result.
The HDMI one will work after waking up from sleep, but not the miniDP one. Anyone can share a clue or some experience?

 

Does the Fn key activate the numpad on the JKL and UIO letters? Also, can you lock the Fn key so that you don't need to hold it for numbers?

 

I am thinking about buying a XPS with a Solid State Drive (SSD) instead of a regular harddrive. Mainly because of possible quicker startup times for the OS and applications.

Does anyone have an XPS with a SSD drive and did you see an increase in startup time?

Or can anyone comment on the advantages of a SSD drive over a regular harddrive?

 

SKisaGooner - I do not think it does. I got mine yesterday and I can't see how you would turn it on.

 

Actually an SSD gives a decrease in startup time. It used to take a while once I got to the Welcome screen until the actual desktop showed and then longer until all the startup programs loaded. Now everything is lightning quick. It had to be pushing two minutes from pressing power to all startup programs loaded with the HDD. With the SSD I would guess 30-40 seconds. I think I posted it somewhere else on here. I will see if I can find it.

As long as you get a second generation SSD, you should have all advantages except price/Megabyte. SSDs have faster read speeds and at least equal write speeds. The seek times are much faster. They are lighter and generate less heat. They have no moving parts so there won't be any mechanical failures, and they are more shock resistant. They are supposed to use less power, but I've read that sometimes they don't.

 

Just got my XPS 15 yesterday and did the WEI rating test. You can see the results below. The graphics test is only 4.6 which I think is low. My specs are

Intel® Core™ i5-460M Processor (2.53 GHz,3M)
4096MB 1333MHz Dual Channel DDR3 SDRAM
1GB NVIDIA® GeForce® GT 420M Graphics Card
500GB (7,200rpm) Serial ATA Hard Drive

I think it switches between Intel HD graphics and the Nvidia card. I tried switching on the Nvidia card and it brought the rating up from 4.2.

Is this right? Is there a quick way of toggling on the card?

Just thought this was low as my last laptop 1520 had a Nvidia 8600M card and had a 5.5 rating.

Any help appreciated as I need to know within the 7 days if there's something wrong

 

This is 3dmark test. Does this seem ok?

Result

 

This original post was ignored. Can someone please answer?

 

You can't make people answer JTStreet but I know how you feel

 

I have heard that Dell does a ty job when it comes to applying thermal paste on the processor and graphics card die. That may be one of the reasons that it is at that temperature. Most of the GPUs and CPUs have a cut off temperature of 100 C. After that they just shut down.
I think it is better that you reapply some proper thermal paste like AS5 or something similar. And then you would probably see a dip in the temperature range and also dell has never been good in terms of dissipating heat.
So using a notebook cooling pad will reduce the working temperature.

Here are some useful links:
For changing the thermal Paste: http://forum.notebookreview.com/dell-xps-studio-xps/462021-video-guide-changing-thermal-paste-as5-studio-xps-1645-a.html
For notebook cooling pads: http://forum.notebookreview.com/accessories/304671-notebook-coolers-buyers-guide.html

And you can just ask in a better way to get answers rather than blatantly forcing an answer..... Many posts are ignored.... We are also users of the same laptops and its not like we are sitting at a TECH SUPPORT CENTER or anythin!!!!!! Am jus sayin....

 

Hey guys, im new here.

I am needing help to buy this notebook, was checking through eBay and there are very few deals for XPS 15... the ones i found had this description "JBL 2.0 Designed & Certified Speakers + Waves Maxx Audio 2.0 Audio: 2 X 3W = 6W Total" regarding sound card, i thought all XPS 15 had JBL 2.1.
Where else can i find good deals to buy this notebook?

Thanks in advance, Martin.

 

Hey guys - i just got a replacement 1080p screen for the 720 screen - and the resolution is much better... but the colors are 'wierd'. I put my color calibrator on it and the reds are over 20% overblown, but it seems a little 'flourescent'. I've checked the color depth and various brightnesses - does this seem strange or is it particular to LED screens?

 

Uh - and one more thing... my old m1530 wei score on aero graphics is 5.7 vs. this 420m @ 4.2 - I think there must be a problem somewhere

 

if you have an i5 cpu (ie running optimus) then the integrated gpu will be running the aero graphics, the nvidia gpu wont be used so this explains the scores