Dell XPS 15 R2 - L502x - Owners Lounge

Thread for owners of the 2011 Dell XPS 15 laptop with Sandy Bridge processors. There is an order progress thread here


The laptop is mainly plastic, with an aluminium top panel and a metalish palmrest area. Keyboard is a new island style one, whether you get a backlit one or not. Typing seems comfortable - keys don't seem stiff, as some reviews have suggested.

Dell in the UK often deny that a backlit keyboard exists, but it does and is available and has p/n 583-14899 (thanks Occams). You may need to order by phone to get it. After purchase you can get it from the Dell UK parts and accessories supplier.

UK editions come with an HSPA (mobile broadband) card, whether you ask for it or not. Other countries can have a TV tuner with external aerial (not available in the UK) or WWAN. TV tuner can apparently receive OTA HD signal (not satellite). All countries seem to have the SIM slot (under the battery) regardless of whether you have the WWAN card, suggesting that you could add such a card later. The number of antennae installed varies - some have a full set regardless of which cards are ordered, others have only the antennae required for the cards ordered. Antennae are threaded through the hinges into the screen bezel.

The CPU and GPU do get warm, CPU in the low 50s in light use. 6 cell battery gave me 2.5 hours with 33% remaining, while browsing and streaming audio. I have got the CPU to hit 100C and throttle, while intentionally stressing it. I've also seen the CPU clock down to 2Ghz - below it's base speed - while under heavy load.

It's not milled out of a solid block of magnesium and the screen is glossy. It feels less solid than an MBP but I worked out that the equivalent Apple machine would have been around £1000 more - and would've been missing a mouse button.

The 1080p screen is the reason I got this laptop - and I'm not disappointed. It's an AUO17ED - AU Optronics B156HW01 v7. Blue LED backlight, red and green phosphor. B+RGLED, rather than individual RGB LEDs in the XPS16 backlight.

It seems that, at least for now, you can't duplicate your desktop to a TV/projector using the HDMI output and the Fn+F1 options - can only extend. You can duplicate using the displayport output though, and so using a DP to HDMI adaptor. This may be fixed now, using beta drivers from Nvidia.

Some links...

Other forum threads

• L502x Tools and Updates thread from lego99
• Disable keyboard backlight timeout, if you want it lit all the time
• System temperature reports and discussion
• Repasting the L502x (NoSlow5oh)
• Step by step repaste of L501x (sprtnbsblplya)
• Fix mis-aligned trackpad button (Razor2)

Dell Service Manual
Dell Downloads - download the software that was pre-installed on your laptop (e.g. PowerDVD) - good for after clean install or rebuild.

Reviews

• Laptopmag review, including pictures of the keyboard
• CNET video review
• expertreviews.co.uk review
• New Anandtech review of the L502x
• Anandtech in-depth review of predecessor, the L501x. Will update if the L502x is reviewed

Note that review prices sometimes don't seem to match the options they describe. Also not all options are available in all countries.

A calibrated display profile for the B+RGLED screen, generated at 5 blocks brightness. Screens vary, including a single screen over time, but it should be better than stock. View attachment L502x-B_RGLED.zip

 

Thanks for opening and getting the thread going zygotic!

Received mine on Monday and have been consolidating data from an old laptop. Also installing applications, customizing browsers and that sort of stuff at the moment.

Won't be using the touchpad at all so won't bother customizing that.

Which notebook cooler do people recommend? Never had one before and wouldn't know what the benchmark for a good or bad one. Thinking of getting it for when I start playing a few games. (likes of FIFA L4D2)

Screen looks great! Sound is very good too.

Overall I am very happy so far.

 

I ordered mine with the stock 4 gigs of ram. Had a WEI 0f 5.9 on the memory. I replaced it with Crucial DDR3 1333 2x4 kit ($85). WEI is now 7.5 on the new ram. I can see a big difference in overall performance. The ram dell used in my system was horribly slow for ddr3 1333.

 

Good plan Zygotic

Had mine 5 days - I love it, it's faster than my i7920 desktop, travel friendly and the screen is very good. Good battery life and relatively quiet, great selection of ports (Boooo, no VGA) and the build quality appears very good.

i7-2630QM, 8GB RAM, UK Backlit KB, 1920x1080, GT-540M 2GB, 9 Cell.

Runs a tad warm at full CPU/GPU capacity - though not enough to really ever be an actual issue in real life. Would prefer a higher RAM limit.

Mine arrived with no WiFi - the aerials had not been attached to the WWLAN chip and the BluRay drive was faulty - drive was rubbing and sticking and the drive would not show in 'My Computer'. Dell, the cheeky so-and-so's, sent me a replacement for the drive - a refurbished 9 month old, used and scratched drive which was a lower spec, slower drive than the one I had originally purchased. Mine was a Hitachi CT 30N 6x BR drive made in Jan 2011 - Dell sent me a refurbed Hitachi CT 10N 4.8x BR drive made in July 2010. However - Dell had also included an HSDPA module (with GPS, nice) even though I had not ordered it or paid for it.

This is a BRAND NEW laptop that they are expecting me to put refurbed older, slower versions of hardware into just 4 days after I received it! Needless to say Dell support was about as useful as a chocolate fire guard and after £25 in phone calls to their 0844 number they are still unable to pull their house in order and ship me a new replacement drive of equal or greater spec. Rubbish.

In short - I love the laptop, but don't bother getting the BR option as it's only a £55 upgrade on ebay for a new one and you'll get the standard slim line DVD player too Swapping them is easy.

I have put 8GB 1333MHz Crucial RAM in, and also a drive caddy in the Optical bay with the original Dell cover on it so it looks the same, with an extra 500GB HDD. The BR drive is run externally off the eSATAp socket using a SATA to eSATAp cable.

Fantastic laptop - Weak point as ever, Dell's very hit or miss customer and warranty services. Shame.

 

Had mine for 2 days now and all seems good apart from a small bulge in the keyboard. It is in the centre left hand side where the a,s and d keys are. I really havn't noticed any dramas with heating issues although I have not stress tested it. I ordered the 720p screen as I did not think it would make a difference for my use and I must say I am quite happy with it. I know im going to get scolded by a few on here but I really don't see me wanting to replace it any time soon which I was looking into after reading some of the comments on here. Overall really pleased with it
i72630, 6gb Ram, 720p, 540m 2Gb, 9 cell.

 

Any chance you could post a link to the drive caddy you purchased for the extra 500Gb disk?

 

I have edited the post above with the links you need. I ordered from the UK and it was an A1 top service getting here in a few days - fit was 100% perfect.

 

Thanks for the info. How did you go about getting this? Did you place an order online and then call afterwards (if so, who did you call), or did you place an order over the phone?

I ordered on-line as I used the 10% discount code and went through Quidco for a further 10%, but when I called to ask them to add the backlit keyboard, they said there was no way to change the order.

 

I was lucky and got Dell to add it on to my order for £30 at the point of ordering - don't ask me why they did it for my order, i just don't know. I always add a few configured systems to 'my basket' then call up and haggle. The BL KB can be purchased separately from Dell for around £55, I think. Kinda sucks that it's not a standard option, doesn't it?

 

Thanks OC. Yeah it sucks. I can't understand why the same options aren't available across the board - makes no sense.

 

When I called the tech support number to get the machine fixed I asked then about the keyboard, and they're sending one. HamStar50 got a UK one by calling a UK parts and accessories number - hopefully he can help you.

When I originally bought it I tried phone, chat and email to get one and didnt get anywhere.

About an hour ago I had a call from Dell to check whether everything's ok with my system and the order, so I told him about the inconsistency we seem to see in the sales guys in all of the Dell BUs. And he wasn't the slightest bit interested. When I said I wasn't happy because the machine was broken when it arrived, he said 'oh well i'm sure they'll fix it soon'. So i'm not entirely sure why he phoned...

 

Thats...upsetting. If they use cheap RAM they don't seem to pass the saving on to customers!

 

how is everyone cleaning their screens?

 

I got a WEI score of 5.8 for my GPU, surely can't be that low for a 2gb NVIDIA 540m ? Or did it check using the Intel HD graphics? I'm not entirely sure on this, how can I check?

Would appreciate if someone could shed some light in this. Thanks

 

Have not needed to clean it yet. But I have a screen spray and wipes for my monitors and I will be using that.

 

"Graphics" will use Intel HD graphics.

"Gaming Graphics" will use Nvidia GT 540M graphics.

 

my score was 4.9 for graphics and 6.6 for gaming graphics. i got the 540m too

 

I use this to clean the whole laptop. Works very well on all the different components.

For only $0.93 each when QTY 50+ purchased - Universal Screen Cleaner (Large Bottle) for LCD & Plasmas TV, iPads, iPhones, Galaxy Tabs, and smartphones | Cleaning Kits for LCD/Plasma TV & Monitor

 

My mistake. Thanks NoSlow5oh and blingers.

 

Thanks zygotic - guess I'll have to make some calls.

I can't believe the attitude of the CS person who called you. Like you say, why bother calling if he doesn't give a hoot.

 

That would be your Intel score, 3d gaming score would be your 540.

 

Yep, cheap ram at a high cost. Even the 15r I took back had a ram rating of 6.9. I can really tell the difference. Mine is the i5-2520.

 

Thanks, other users pointed that out too. I clearly didn't pay enough attention

I would like to reiterate my previous question. Can anyone give me advice on notebook coolers? Pros, cons, what specs I should be looking out for? Never had one before.

Thanks to all.

 

£70 inc. VAT my people for the backlit keyboard.

Here's all the info you need:
1. Call Dell upgrades: 0871 231 1900 (it's actually another company on behlaf of Dell)
2. Part number is: 583-14899 Keyboard : Internal Backlit UK/Irish Qwerty Keyboard
3. If you're struggling ask for Mark who did mine. Price is: £53 +VAT - they said total was £70.20p and takes 7 working days to order.

 

My Quidco didn't track :-( Is there anything I can do about that??

 

Just found out that the machine doesn't fit into a Crumpler Gimp 15w sleeve. Slightly too long - which I knew but hoped it was stretchy enough. Bah.

 

I am interested in this as well. This is my first laptop and I want to get a nice cooler for it. Something that works good but is quiet and will be semi comfortable resting on my legs while I am sitting up in bed. I have been trying to do research and looking at reviews on youtube and stuff and nothing seems to have really popped out to me yet.

 

I bought the 8GB from Dell with the laptop. My memory WEI is 7.8
Your score may have been related to a lower amount of RAM. Anyway WEI may not be an accurate benchmark

 

It almost certainly is. WEI isn't just "speed" its vague "capabilities", so it will go up for more RAM, because the swap file will be used less often.

 

My xps is on the FedEx truck on its way home. Wanted to ask if someone can post up a to do list of first things to do on the comp (fresh install etc.) Maybe even a video on how and were to get all of the drivers needed to do a freash install. Also wanted to find out about the cooler, want to get one to for my comp to keep it cool. Any suggestions?

 

how easy is it to change the normal keyboard to a bl keyboard on the l502x?

 

How necessary is a fresh install if I'm not switching out my HD's? I mean, the best it's gonna do is get rid of crapware, which I can do anyway, and it creates the hassle of hunting down all the drivers and useful software

 

Doesn't seem to be too bad, from the documentation, though I've not done it yet. Depends how happy you are inside computers, too.

Documentation.

 

Just got my XPS. YAY. The initial setup says to charge it for 12 hours but the battery says full. What do u guys recommend?

 

Pull one stick. WEI stayed the same after I re ran the test. Dell installed 2x2 5.9. Crucial 1x4/2x4 7.4.

 

It is not necessary. Some people like to have a Microsoft-only system to start, but it is a personal preference with a lot of work and you won't get much help doing it. Your system won't run faster, and you won't recover a noticeable amount of hard drive space.

It won't make a difference.

 

Greetings,

I have had my L502X for 2 weeks and I love the thing! However, it did run a little warm so I applied AS5 and ditched the stock crap. I did take the system fully apart and it was surprisingly fast/easy so keyboard swapping shouldn't be trouble. Anyway, I'm kinda a noob with computers and could use some help with the HD. Would installing a solid state drive for this notebook make a dramatic difference with gaming?

Thanks.

 

All you can do is start a Cashback Query. If you are logged into you account, go to this page to start a query: http://www.quidco.com/new-enquiry/

 

Thanks for the info HamStar.

Gah, £70 though?

Is it worth that do you think? Is it purely cosmetic or is the normal keyboard hard to see, especially in low light conditions?

 

Does anybody experience an electric buzzing feel when touching the aluminiium plate around the touchpad with the charger plugged into the laptop? Pretty annoying but don't know if anything can be done. It goes away when it's on battery only. But seems like something wrong with the construction, metal plate not isolated or something like that.

 

I have never personally seen the appeal. Even if I couldn't touch-type, doesn't the display act as a big flashlight for people?

I haven't noticed it yet, but I've mostly used it upstairs. Every laptop I've owned has done the same thing (except for an old Compaq with no exposed metal), though.

Try picking your feet up off the ground. :smile:

 

Yeah the price is crappy expensive for what it is but it's something I've been really wanting. I haven't received the part nor my laptop yet so can't say. Delivery for the keyb is likely to be mid next week so i'll report back exactly what it's like. Hopefully the laptop will arrive then as well so i'll i can try it and report back on here.

PS Thanks for the Quidco tracking thing...i filed a missed tracking - can potenitally get 6% back. I used the discount code to get 10% off originally.

 

What material is the bottom? Plastic? Metal? Once you open it, what kind of material are all the parts attached to? Plastic? Metal?

Thx

 

hey everyone glad to be a part of the owners club.
my previous laptop was a gx740 (msi) gaming rig. it was a beast.
but now i have the xps 15, i5, hd screen, blah blah. probably one of few who have an i5 from what ive seen. ive had it for 2 days and its great.

i have a few questions though,
i was looking into an ssd and was wondering what fits, best bang for buck, ect. and if anyone could help me or direct me to a thread that would be nice.

also i got the normal dvd drive and was looking for an external blu ray but itd be even better if i could get the internal one, so if anyone knows where to find one of those, please let me know.

otherwise thanks and if you have any questions on my experience or anything let me know.

 

Would you mind post CPU temp, please. When gaming and regular web surfing.

Thanks in advance

I consider to get i5 instead on i7 due to overheating problem.

 

As we've seen, this isn't necessarily overheating, or a problem.

 

my 6 gb ram runs 7.4 np. WEI probably is just like >4 gb? If you want to see (marginal) results get a legit ram test.

 

My OEM 6GB showed 7.5.

Not that it's the most accurate, but WEI does test frequency and latency for it's calculation.

 

I'm hoping it'll be good for the infrequently used keys (or keys that are in different places on various keyboards) that I end up hunting for - to hit shift+insert for example.

 

I have no direct experience, but check out the Sager/Clevo forum. There's often notebook cooler discussion over there.