Dell XPS 15 R2 - L502x - Owners Lounge

You do not want to buy the XPS 15 with the 1366x768 screen. It's one of the worst 1366x768 screens out there.

This is how bad it is: http://forum.notebookreview.com/del...oes-l502x-need-full-hd-cable.html#post7483123

The bottom two pictures compare the 1366x768 screen to his TV. The 1920x1080 B+RGLED screen will beat his TV in terms of colors since it's one of the best laptop screens currently available, and you can already see how good the TV is compared to the 1366x768 screen.

Depending on what country you live in, you might be able to find some coupon codes to help afford the 1080p screen. Don't get any upgrades until you've got the 1080p screen in there. No upgrade is as important.

Great laptop with the 1080p screen, but unfortunately if you can't get the 1080p screen then I'd highly suggest not buying the XPS 15. It just won't be worth it.

 

To be honest, I think it depends on the person. If youre coming from a tv with old bunny ears then of course even the 1366x768 screen would be an upgrade. I personally have the 1366x768, I can live with it although my desktop has 1920x1080. You can live with it, it may be a bit annoying but I personally think that it doesn't matter as much as everyone says it does.

 

Occasionally Dell gives you a bit better screen than what they normally give you. This may have happened to you, and in that case the only downside to the screen would be the ultralow resolution (and less vivid colors) rather than awful image quality as well. There are at least two LCD manufacturers for the 1366x768 screen in the XPS 15, but only one for the 1080p screen.

I still wouldn't suggest putting hard-earned savings towards a laptop with such a screen, especially given that there's a good chance you'll get the bad one.

 

I didn't expect it to beat my desktop monitor (TV) which is a S-IPS 10bit panel, but I at least expected it to beat my netbook and tablet. Some of it is one of those comparison deals. If you have had better it hurts, but since it is worst TN panel I own out of 5, I think it will be most peoples worst IF they get the same panel model as me. Mostly I just expected better from dell since they usually pride themselves on having great displays.

 

That might be because you have never seen the B+RG 1080p screen, which is gorgeous and worth every penny for the upgrade in terms of clour reproduction, brightness and deep, deep blacks.

 

McGooble,

I suspect you did this test with just your laptop. If you don't have your L502x connected to a 3D capable TV using only the HDMI port it will not pass the test.

The XPS 15 does not have a 3D-capable display or emitter. Only those screens on certain XPS17's have the 3D screen option. If you have a 3D TV connected, go to Start/All Programs/Nvidia/Enable 3d Vision and it will automatically make all the adjustments (Nvidia GPU, Physix, etc.) to display in 3D on that TV. You can then run your test and it will pass.

MR

 

I have the Intel Centrino Advanced-N 6230 and Bluetooth 3.0 wireless card, has worked fine, but currently a hotel and it works great, loses the connnection, then reconnects, over and over and over again, sometimes for a minute, sometimes a bit longer, but eventually repeats. Thought I read of some other problems earlier (tried search but it doesnt' work). anyone have similar issues? new drivers?

 

Use the usb2 port... Or use DVD.

 

Very well said. You can use the Intel & Nvidia panels to bring down the saturation. All other laptops are washed out as mentioned. Also the new Nvidia drivers 270.61 works well..

 

Well that messes up the dark tones.. Best way to fix the problem just use NEC BrightNess Controller i've uploaded for you. Its hard to find.
Hotfile.com: One click file hosting: Brightness Controller.rar

 

Also I'd like to hear from people with XPS 15 L502x that took the A05 Bios update, if you see any freezing/lockups. I've updated to A05 and started experiencing random lockups. Went back to A04 and none so far. We'll see.
My CPU is the i5-2410M so this might be isolated to this particular config. 4GB Ram. No heating issue locks up when IDLE very weird.
Be happy to hear others experience with A05...

 

Either your thermal paste inside the laptop is not well installed or if you just gotten the laptop give it some time, mine did this then after a week or so it stopped the fan spoolup. What I would do is grab Aida64, google it, then run the torture test for 1-2 hours it will cure the paste and you will find out if it is due to overheating. Ya it will go to 90c then throttle down and sit around 80c which is fine.

 

@essense25, you might need to edit your post #1060.

You could get suspended here.

 

On the L502, is it possible to use the Displayport AND HDMI?

I have my HDMI port connected to > Onkyo TX-SR508 > Samsung 50" Plasma TV.

When I plug my 24" LCD into my Monoprice displayport > HDMI converter and then HDMI cable into my LCD, nothing happens. The LCD is not detected. I have tried everything.

Help!

 

After reading through the thread it seems it is impossible to connect dual outputs in Optimus mode (something to do with the circuitry having to go through the HDMI port interconnected through the NVIDIA chip to the display screen and thus somehow HDMI output requires the NVIDIA GFX chip to be switched on - making Optimus an impossibility). However, I'm unsure whether this dual-screen inability still applies to the accelerated NVIDIA GPU mode. (utilizing the 525m or 540m). I can't help you yet as I'm not due to receive my order until 14/06 (pretty quick considering some people on here - 2.5 months sheesh)

On a side note:

From reading through the thread there does seem to be issues not unlike those I encountered with my Studio XPS 13 (XPS1340).

IE. Fan switching on randomly and whirring loudly, somewhat excessive heat during light-moderate usage, annoying GFX mode switching problems (sounds like the Hybrid SLI mode reborn).
Also problems with build quality (plastic palm rest and bottom, right-hand fan positioning, jutting imbalanced 9-cell), frame stuttering in gaming & vid playback modes, wide-gamut color display all concern me... but I'll reserve my judgement until I receive my machine.

Intel WiDi also sounds interesting, I'm sick of connecting cables to stream my notebook workspace onto my HDTV. I have a dinovo edge keyboard and would make good use of WiDi connectivity. Hopefully there will be some feature (additional circuitry) in future HDTVs to allow dual HDMI source PIP (not just internal tuner + 1 alt source), so I can wirelessly stream my desktop (via WiDi) and have sky business running in the alternate smaller window (saves my eyes from switching focus - shortsighted and a severe space deficiency won't allow me to set up dual monitors in my workspace + I could just resize my app windows around it and take advantage of the screen real-estate on my large HDTV). I'm kind of interested in mod-cons like slingbox, the sony locationfree player and other media streamers so this kind of seems the reverse of that. I'm not that* into TV widgets though and other InternetTV garbage.

-----

Config:

210-35313 XPS L502X Direct Base 1
213-13212 2nd generation Intel® Core? i7-2720QM processor 2.20 GHz with Turbo Boost 2.0 up to 3.30 GHz 1
230-11710 15.6" (39.6cm) FHD (1920x1080) B+RGLED display with TrueLife(TM
370-18801 8GB Dual-channel 1333MHz DDR3 SDRAM (2 x 4G)
400-21757 750GB 7200RPM Hard Drive 1
429-15940 Tray load Blu-ray BD-R, BD-RE / DVD + /-RW Drive with DVD + R double layer write
451-11534 9 Cell Primary Battery
490-12674 2GB NVIDIA® GeForce® GT 540M graphics with Optimus
510-10409 Internal High-Definition 5.1 Performance Audio with SoundBlaster X-Fi Audio
506-10177 TV Tuner
555-13637 Intel® Centrino® Advanced-N 6230 with Bluetooth v3.0+H
583-14665 Dell? Backlit Keyboard (English)
619-31513 Genuine Windows® 7 Professional SP1 64bit (English)
620-13210 Genuine Windows® 7 Professional SP1 64bit (English) DVD Media

Rest as Standard -
(inc. as standard Facial Recognition software, PowerDVD 9.6, JBL 20W 5.1 w/ Waves Maxx Audio V3.0, Roxio Creator, Stage Software etc. etc.)

$1788.89 (*AFTER* $480 cash back XPS promotion)

Figured $700 was way too* much for a Dell-delivered 256gb SSD, when for less than that price I could switch out the 7200 HDD for an equivalent storage sized SSD - OCZ Vertex 3 (which looks far superior to all other SSDs currently available) -http://www.anandtech.com/show/4256/the-ocz-vertex-3-review-120gb/8 (review for the 120gb containing comp tables of other SSDs including a benchmarked 240gb (beast!))

Couldn't justify the increase of $320 for the i7-2820QM (although .5mb incremental increase per core cache size was tempting the 100mhz clock speed diff largely irrelevant and customization cost was heavy), also assimilated into my decision making was the fact an Ivy Bridge CPU could be an option in the future depending on how satisfied I am with the unit (could last 3.5-4 years). Note: Only spec option was the 8GB of Dell-supplied RAM.

I figured I could purchase a 6-cell cheaper than a 9-cell if I was dissatisfied with the battery. Plus with my previous XPS 13 the 6-cell hardly lasted 2 hours and I was largely dependent on the 9-cell, even with efficiency increases in the power usage of the chips (NVIDIA Optimus, intel turbo modes, lower idling speeds etc.) I still think the 9-cell offers the most benefit (including additional ventilation of the unit and the nice propping on flat surfaces) unless you are really into keeping the traditional slim-line notebook form factor and have a $$$$ bag (or case) for which the 9-cell is unsuitable.


*spelling edit

 

hey guys, i was just wondering if anyone had any problems with the sound on this laptop? it seems to make this crackly popping noise every now and then like listening to a vinyl record.. i havent had any other problems with the laptop with it since i got it a few weeks ago.. it appears to be something with the sound card but im not to sure.. any ideas on how to fix it? :/

 

I just returned one because the 1366x768 was so awful. I'd have actually been happy with a standard-issue low res screen. My problem wasn't so much with pictures or video, but when typing black text on a white background. The letters were blurry and I got a super-irritating green ghosting in the letters. I called support and they offered to swap the display for another, but they said that Dell made no distinction between parts that come from different manufacturers. So rather than play the screen-lottery game I just decided to upgrade.

 

Has anyone noticed that the AC power adapter kind of hangs out of the back of the laptop? My last computer (Dell D830) had a very snug and secure fit back there where it plugs in, but I feel like the one with my XPS wants to fall out when I move it around.

 

just bought this laptop. is there a way to replace the glossy screen with a non-glossy one?

 

Hi, could someone point me to where I can get a messenger styled carrying bag for my L502x? I decided to get the laptop with a 9 cell battery (which is the main issue), so I don't know if it'll fit the standard bags.

I was looking at this but I'm not really too sure. Also, should I be too worried about protection from the bag?

 

Is anyone else having problems with the Bluetooth connection on the L502x?

I have had the laptop over a month and everything works fine except for the bluetooth. I can detect and pair with other devices but when I try to transfer data it isn't possible. There isn't even a send to bluetooth device or send to or receive option anywhere. When I check the connection in bluetooth settings, it says that the Remote device is not accessible.
Have tried reinstalling the drivers. Any other suggestions on how to fix this?

 

Did you get the 720p or 1080p? If you got 720p then you'll need to buy a new ribbon cable + AUO B156HW01 V4 (matte 1080p B+RGLED display)

If you already have 1080p then all you need to do is buy the screen.

Though the screen has been increasingly hard to find lately. I'd suggest looking around this thread for more info:
http://forum.notebookreview.com/dell-xps-studio-xps/554402-dell-xps-l501x-lcd-display-swap.html

 

I don't think so, btw I am getting this laptop as well, Dell is replacing my L501X so I am getting L502X as replacement.

 

thanks - will give it a try.

 

Thanks, I'm not sure which one I bought, I believe the 1080p?

15.6FHD TLF B+RGLED LCD L50xX

That's how it is listed on my order form.

Can you tell if it is 720 or 1080 from that?

Edit: actually nvm, I know it's the 1080p.

It's listed as L50xX. How do I know if it will be 501 or 502?

 

Well after my M1530 decided to give up the ghost a couple of weeks ago I took the plunge and ordered a new L502x from Dell.

Core i5-2410M 2.3Ghz
4GB DDR3 1333Mhz
500GB 7,200 RPM HDD
1920 x 1080 B+RGLED Monitor
5540 WWAN Module
6230 WLAN with Bluetooth Module
Nvidia 525M 1GB
6-cell Battery
Windows 7 Home Premium Restore Disk

The order was submitted onto Dell UK website Saturday 14/5/11, went into Work in Progress later that same day. In production on Monday 16/5/11 and finalled Shipped with UPS on Tuesday 17/5/11.

Arrived back from carrying out some server reboots over at our remote site at work to find UPS had delivered my laptop by 10.30am this morning at my office in Glasgow. Not bad going.

I remember my M1530 taking a couple of weeks and that was bought when the factory was in Ireland. All credit to Dell for this build and delivery! Five days from start to finish.

I've opened the box and it all seems to be in excellent condition but haven't switched it on yet although I really wanted to. Have a couple of hours before I get home and can't wait!

First thing to do though is rip the HDD out and put it into my little 2.5" enclosure. I'll then install the Corsair F120 SSD that I took out of my M1530... should make my new XPS 15 perform really well.

I'm also awaiting delivery of 2x4GB Corsair DDR3 1,333Mhz SO-DIMMS as they were half the price to what dell wanted for the memory upgrade during configuration.

 

with so many ppl changing out the HDD for a SSD, i imagine it can't be that difficult right?

 

seems like it can't be that hard...going to try switching to SSD as well.

 

Second generation XPS 15 is always L502x. The screen part number just says that.

 

As someone who has soldered a few peoples power in ports back in... that's not necessarily a bad thing. In fact I like those magnetic ones. All it takes is one bumbling fool tripping over your cord... even worse, is some are secure enough that when hit at the right angle they can pull the whole laptop out of your lap, often costing you the screen.



On that note, anyone notice the prices seem to have come down a bit and there are multitouch screens as an option? only with the crappy 720p screens and I wouldn't want finger prints all over my display, but still.

 

Thanks for the heads up.


Does anyone use their XPS 15 for photo editing? I am a wedding photographer and I'm looking for opinions on working on photos with the glossy screen.

 

I've had some trouble with the connection while trying to hook up several BT headsets. The software that handles BT is a royal pain in the rear (for headsets at least) as compared to my D830 BT software which was simple and intuitive. I'm hoping it's just crappy software and not sub-par hardware that's causing pairing problems with it.

 

Will updating the display driver from nvidia.com affect optimus??

 

No, it will not affect. Nvidia drivers from nvidia.com has optimus support. So no worries.

 

I have the EVO Messenger 15.6 bag (black with red highlights). The lappy fits fine, 9-cell and all. In fact, there is plenty of room in the bag for me to put my work papers.

 

This is the one I have:

BELKIN COMPONENTS Evo Topload Case - Fits Laptops with Screen Sizes Up to 15.6-inch - Black/Red : Laptop Accessories | Dell

It is well made and very sturdy. It gets 4.8 out of 5 stars with 30 reviews.

 

i keep getting an error trying to get into dell downloads to get powerdvd after a reformat. I'm using IE9 w/ framework 4.0 installed. Anyone experience the same thing?

 

Having ensured my new L502x was working and all parts present and correct I started the process of changing the HDD for an SSD.

Followed the instructions on removing the palm rest on the Dell website and everything went pretty much according to plan.

I used two plastic scribes as I found that easier than just one and started from the power button and worked the whole way around the laptop in a clockwise direction. I was gritting my teeth everytime I heard a "pop" of the plam rest freeing itself form another catches but nothing ontoward happened.

Once the plam rest is free the actual removing of the HDD is easy, just four screws hold the cradle in place and the HDD is fixed to the cradle with another four screws.

Putting the palm rest on was much simpler than removing it... ensure the two ribbon cables for the palmrest aren't caught up and place the plamrest back down, pushing down evenly until all catches have latched onto the plamrest. Then put the screw back in (underneath the batter) and power back up.

The longest part of the job is downloading all of the latest drivers...

From an end users perspective my Corsair F120 SSD is much quicker in this laptop than my old M1530 even when it was a new drive. Not sure why except that it must be a better SATA controller in these XPS 15's. I'll need to do some SSD benchmarking on this new laptop.

 

New L502x owner checking in. It was delivered to my house last week but now I'm waiting for it to wade through the FPO system to get to the ship..........



XPS 15|FHD B+RGLED|i7-2630QM|8GBRAM|GT540M|500GB HDD|BD-ROM|IBK|TV|SBX-Fi|7 HP

SXPS1640|16" FullHD Widescreen RGBLED|C2D T9600 (2.8GHz)|6GBRAM|512MB ATI RADEON HD 3670|500GB HDD|Blu-ray|Vista Ultimate

 

Cool, thanks for the link . Anyone else mind sharing what they use? The case that Ton linked is slightly out of my budget so...

 

Yea I would like also to get some feedbacks on good laptops bags, cases.

BTW I ordered a L502x this week and should arrive by the end of next week

 

I had the same problem using the links various posters had offered. I could get to the first page from the link, but when I try to sign in, I would get the error message. When you get to the first screen, where it lists the steps to getting the software, click on the little "FAQ" button in the upper right corner. That had instructions for accessing the "My Dell Downloads" pages. I remember having to go into "My Account" to make sure the computer was registered, and than it was painless. Good Luck!

 

So far I'm leaning towards this SwissGear LEGACY backpack to use with my new laptop this fall at graduate school: link

Any opinions or suggestions for other bags that will comfortably carry an L502X and some casebooks?

 

Ugh....needs to go from "In Production" to "Shipped"

 

Yea same here but i've only ordered this week

 

I'm not sure if this is the right place to post this, but I'd rather not be flamed by a bunch of AMD fanboys on a SC II specific forum. If anyone has played SC II on their L502x (I'm specifically using a gt 540m w/ 2720QM machine), can anyone explain to me why setting "Shaders" quality to medium ignoring all other settings (I've tried most of them with different combos, including resolution) produces noticeable stuttering independent of frame-rate while changing it to any other setting (e.g. high) removes this stuttering? I ask this as I would like to run the game at my display's native res. (lovely 1080 screen ) with medium shaders settings (all others on high) which produces a nice 50-60+ fps range in 1v1 but the stuttering is intolerable (high shaders setting drop my frame-rate by about 10-15 fps in 1920x1080). Even if the fix is dropping my res (which I'm fine with) I interested to know whether this is hardware of game related. Thanks.

 

i play sc2 fine on medium settings. It runs well even in marines arena when you're at 400-500 supplies. The card's OC to 800/1000 though.

 

I ordered 5/16 and expected delivery date is 6/1

 

Why did they make reaching the hard drive so difficult on this machine? Hope they fix this issue in the upcoming XPS 15z.

 

Does dell offer price guarantee or smthing incase a better coupon comes out within first two weeks of purchase?