Dell XPS 15 R2 - L502x - Owners Lounge

Hello guys, I have had my l502x for about 3 months and I am noticing some odd fan behavior.

When I boot my laptop and just browse the web and listen music, at first the fan is off. After a while it starts running, but it never goes off manually, no matter how long I wait.

But when I change the power plan, for example from balanced to high performance, it shuts down immediately. Doesn't matter if I set it from a high to a lower power plan, just changing the power plan does the trick.

Then after a few minutes the fan starts blowing again and never stops manually again.

Does anybody else have the same problem?

TL;DR: my fan never turns of by itself, only when changing power plans.



UPDATE:

OK so I noticed I was using the dell drivers for the graphics card(540m). I just tried the nvidia drivers and now I believe the fan behaves properly.

 

Hey guys.

Got my L502x yesterday and guess what... dead on arrival. Booted it up, battery and ac plugged in and everything, and while I was setting up windows for the first time, it just shut itself off.

I call tech support, guy tries his earnest, but then suggests that I remove the hard drive. Normally, I'd have no problem with this, but this is a new $1300 laptop. Had it been a few months into ownership, I would've obliged, but I told him thanks but no thanks.

Anyways, a tech is supposed to come out in the next few days and resolve the issue. However, my problem is basically, my $1300 laptop is no longer "new" in my eyes. It's been serviced, essentially making it a $1300 non-new laptop... So now, is there anyway I can contact someone at dell to give me a discount or a new unit or something else altogether? I was extremely disappointed, not to mention very dissatisfied.

I remember someone posting an email address like [email protected] or [email protected] or something like that to let them know what's going. Not looking for any handouts, just looking to get my money's worth.

Thanks in advance.

P.S. And since this is NBR, here's my specs for $1305 and some change.

1 225-0675 XPS 15
1 317-6408 2nd generation Intel Core i7-2630QM processor 2.00 GHz with Turbo Boost 2.0 up to 2.90 GHz
1 317-6415 8GB,DDR3,2 DIMM
1 331-1669 Standard Internal Keyboard - English
1 320-1673 15.6FHD TLF B+RGLED LCD L50xX
1 421-3874 Camera Software 2.X, Factory Install
1 421-3642 Basic Stage
1 320-2122 NVIDIA GeForce GT 525M 1GB graphics with Optimus and TV Tuner
1 342-2370 750GB 7200 RPM SATA Hard Drive
1 318-0490 Elemental Silver Aluminum (WLAN)
1 318-0392 Windows Live Wave 4
1 330-6222 Windows 7 Label
1 331-1674 Resource DVD (L502X)
1 420-6436 PC-Restore, Dim/Insp
1 420-6576 DELL WELCOME,Software Dimension/Inspiron
1 420-9691 DataSafe Local BackUp
1 420-9876 Cozi-Calendar
1 421-0092 DELL-DOWNLOAD-FLAG
1 421-0757 Skype VOIP Application
1 421-5780 Genuine Windows 7 Home Premium 64 bit Service Pack 1, English, No Media
1 421-2086 eBay Webslice
1 421-4118 WHITEPAGES.COM,Webslice
1 421-4289 Dell Support Center Software 3.0
1 430-4038 Integrated 10/100/1000 Network Card
1 410-0548 Adobe Acrobat Reader
1 318-0151 Tray Load Blu-ray Disc BD-Combo (Reads BD and Writes to DVD/CD)
1 318-0434 Roxio Creator Starter, FI
1 421-4550 Power DVD 9.6, 3D
1 318-0138 JBL 2.1 Speakers with Waves Maxx Audio 3
1 430-4048 Intel Centrino Advanced-N 6230 and Bluetooth 3.0
1 421-4736 Wireless Display Software
1 410-9452 McAfee Platinum, 30 Day, MUI
1 312-1186 90 WHr 9-cell Lithium Ion Primary Battery
1 410-0487 Microsoft Office Starter: reduced-functionality Word and Excel with ads. No PowerPoint or Outlook
1 939-4850 Dell Hardware Limited Warranty, Extended Year
1 939-4860 Dell Hardware Limited Warranty, Initial Year
1 939-4880 Dell Limited Hardware Warranty Plus In-Home Service After Remote Diagnosis, 1 Year Extended
1 939-4870 Dell Limited Hardware Warranty Plus In-Home Service After Remote Diagnosis, Initial Year
1 950-3338 2 Year Limited Warranty
1 420-8878 Soft Contracts Dell In-Home Hardware Agreement
1 925-4561 Warranty Support, 1 Year Extended
1 933-0410 Warranty Support, Initial Year
1 988-0099 To activate your online backupaccount, go to Start, Programs, DataSafe Online
1 927-2357 DataSafe Online 2.0 2GB
1 421-4356 Software, DataSafe Online 2.0 2GB
1 330-0171 S and P Drop-in-Box Marcom forDHS Notebooks
1 430-3893 No Mobile Broadband L501X
1 600-0002 State Environmental Fee for display 15 inches, less than 35 inches

 

Since you got your laptop yesterday, just cancel your appointment with the tech guy and return the laptop to dell. I believe you will get all your money back except perhaps a 30$ fee or something like that.

Good luck.

 

I am sorry to hear that - nothing is more frustrating than a dead laptop on arrival! How long did you wait to get it?

 

The estimated delivery date was 08/03/11, but I got mine on 07/27/11. I wish they had taken the full amount of days to ensure everything was working smoothly...

 

Hello, this is my first post and I recently ordered an xps 15 L520X and I have a few questions . Here are the specs worth mentioning:

2nd generation Intel Core i7-2630QM processor 2.00 GHz with Turbo Boost 2.0 up to 2.90 GHz
6GB
15.6FHD TLF B+RGLED LCD L50xX (1080)
NVIDIA GeForce GT540M 2GB graphics with Optimus
750GB 7200 RPM SATA Hard Drive
Intel Centrino Advanced-N 6230 and Bluetooth 3.0
56 WHr 6-cell Lithium Ion Primary Battery
Backlit Internal Keyboard - English


I have been exploring topics on these forums and from what I have gathered, a clean windows 7 install is recommended. I have never done this before and would like some advice. I have searched online and there are several topics explaining this in detail but I was unable to find anything specifically for the xps.

However, I did find this post made a few months ago.

Also, I found that you need a recovery disk or something? Because I'm a student, I can upgrade to windows 7 pro ($30) by buying through microsoft.
Microsoft Store Online - Windows 7 Professional Upgrade

There are two versions: 32 & 64, and i'm not sure which would be more beneficial for me. (I will be using this for college) If I download it directly from them, do I need to do a clean install? I'm unsure I want to maximize the performance of this laptop to ensure that my battery lasts as long as possible, b/c i didnt want to upgrade to 9 cell. Anyway, I am uncertain as to the exact route to take because I will probably need step by step instruction.

If there is anything else I should do besides the clean install, I could also use some assistance/advice with that.

Any help would be appreciated and I apologize for the long post. Thanks!

 

@ failware

I believe L502X doesn't support 32bit OS because i don't see 32bit drivers on dell site. Why'd you clean install it? Simply just remove bloatware.

 

New BIOS posted on Dell's site. Version A06.

I haven't updated yet so I can't comment on it.

 

Just ordered an XPS 15 (replacing Y550p)

Want to know any suggestion what should be done first (except clean re-install), and any common problem that may arise should be tested?

Thanks.

 

I always like to test the RAM first for errors. Rules out a lot of possible BSODs and headaches lol.

 

I 'm pretty sure this xps is 64 bit compatible but would it be better to see if Dell can send me a clean windows 7 dvd disc? (I think its like $15) But you're right, I could not find the drivers either and i'm not sure whether there are even 32 bit drivers available. Unless, I should just keep the basic OS and just delete bloatware even though I thought that its more efficient to do a clean install because it removes that anyway?

 

I'd take the cheapest option. I believe any Windows 7 discs should be able to install any version of Windows 7. It merely activates features based on the key you input when you activate. So as long as you have a disc, I believe you can do a clean install...then you'll have to go one by one and install the drivers and any additional software (for hotkeys, webcam, or whatever).

I just received my XPS 15 yesterday; it only came with an OS disc. This must be a refurb thing, but I don't mind because it makes installing a fresh copy easier when I put my SSD in this weekend.

 

Just legally download a Windows 7 disc off torrent and use the serial on the backside of the laptop.

 

I've only used it for about an hour total, but here's what I've learned thus far:

- the 1080p screen is awesome

- the speakers are great

- there were no scratches or dents on my scratch and dent laptop

- backlit keyboard FTW (had one on a MBP before, wanted this again)

- I initially had the fan issue (ramping up and down continually) but after changing power profiles to high performance, running all windows updates, manually installing newest Nvidia drivers, and checking that I had the latest BIOS (A05) it appeared to have lessened/gone away. I now see that a new BIOS was released today...will have to check that out this weekend.

- Baseline 3DMark06 score was: 7501. This is with the 2630QM, 6GB RAM, 525M, and stock 7200RPM 640GB hdd. Does this seem low? I thought people were getting closer to 8K.

- I tested my first overclock (680/1360/900) and it was stable through a 3DMark06 pass: 84XX (can't remember exactly) GPU temp hit 75C max.

- The 6230 wireless does seem rather lame. I was getting great speed and signal on one of my routers, FAIL on the other...not sure why yet.

What percentage of people are having issues with the fan (changing speeds continually) or the 6230 wireless card?

I'll be posting more this weekend after I install the SSD and repaste with
AS-5.

 

This works too.

 

Well, the 6230, a small portion of us have problems with it. It is a newer shrunk down version of the 6200 with BT 3.0 embedded in it, which been released since Jan.

My problem resolved itself ... Reseated card and antenna.

Don't know it fixed by that or I happen to get myself a new wireless AP at the same time.

 

You might also accidentally discover Dell's universal OEM Windows 7 Ultimate cdkey somewhere.... Which also might just happen to work on any L502x....

 

You are not allowed to post that info here or even hint it.

 

Yeah theres no such thing as a legal download of win 7.

 

Any chance of posting pics and a description of the taking apart of the laptop and the repaste of the thermal compound on the forums?

 

Just had my laptop delivered today.. 2720QM/8GB/2GB 540/1080p screen

Was expecting to turn it on and see the apparently awesome FHD 1080p screen.. I was thoroughly underwhelmed...

Then realised that it wasn't the HD screen. Dell have put in the wrong one :|

 

I had no idea that the key activated features and not the disc itself. Good to know. Also, I don't mind purchasing the product keys for pro/ultimate but I think the upgrade for students to pro is only for existing XP & vista OS and I would not be eligible (through microsoft). I think they charge $90 for the upgrade to pro & probably over 100 for ultimate. Since I have never done a clean install before and am somewhat inexperienced, I'd prefer to do it the "right" way and not the "wrong" way. Unless, I'm going about it the wrong way anyway. I'm unsure what disc they will include with the xps but it comes sometime next week.

Thanks for the input everyone, appreciate it!

 

Yeah there is
http://forum.notebookreview.com/win...-7-download-links-just-like-vista-before.html

 

Sure. I'll take a few pics and post them up this weekend after I tackle the SSD install and CPU/GPU repaste.

I'm using it for the second time now. I have to say I'm in love.

I've yet to find anything about it I don't like.

 

Does anyone here own the Wenger Synergy backpack? I see so many recommendations for it but I'm not sure it will securely fit the l502x with the 9 cell.

 

Anyone tested out the new Bios A06 for die XPS 15 L502x yet?
I hope they fixed some of the fan behavior. (spin up/down problem).

/Dev

 

Here: http://forum.notebookreview.com/dell-xps-studio-xps/598895-xps-l502x-bios-a06-available-dell.html

 

I installed bios update a06, and I am still having some fan related issues.


My problem is that while doing stuff like browsing the web, sometimes, my fan shuts down automatically after a while but sometimes, it keeps running forever.

When it doesn't shutdown by itself, things like opening the nvidia panel or changing to a different power plan make it go off.

I also run ubuntu 11.04 and am noticing the same sort of behavior while using the acpi_call kernel module to turn of the nvidia card(no optimus support in linux). After I did the acpi-call and turned the nvidia card off to save power, sometimes when I open firefox for example, the fan runs for a very short while and then goes back off, but sometimes it keeps running forever.

Turning the card on and of again with the acpi_call module turns the fan back off again.


Is anyone else noticing the same fan behavior? It's quite annoying to having to change the power plan every time when the fan doesn't shut down by itself. But I'm not sure if everybody has this specific problem because I saw in some threads that some people don't have any fan issues.

 

I noticed the same behavior. Up to a certain level of temperature you can switch to ANY Powerplan and the Fan spins down (off). I´m using the 99% CPU Power "trick" to prevent the cpu to go into turbo boost, and therefore consumes a lot more TDP that needs to be transferred away(due to the higher mhz and vcore). The Difference in using Turbo and not, is hardly noticeable.
PS: In the linked Thread someone posted the changelog for the Bios.
No info that the Fan profile has been changed.

Fixes and Enhancements
1. Updated Intel microcode.
2. Added support for Intel AES-NI feature.
3. Updated Intel IGD VBIOS to v.2117

/Dev

 

Hi all,

I have this XPS with the HD screen. I downloaded the calibration profile posted on the first post and installed it because I was not totally satisfied with the stock color of the screen.
But I think the corrections are huge and it looks worse than the normal colors and we are far away from the reality (or I did something wrong, in this case my bad).
Did you notice the same thing?

Thanks in advance for your answer

 

Received my XPS yesterday and the screen is AMAZING. I'm also very pleased with the back-lit keyboard.

Just waiting on Dell to send me the Windows 7 DVD so I can do a clean reinstall of the OS. Very pleased with my new toy so far!

 

what is the best choice for upgrading the 4gigs of ram to 8 ? do not need some expensive hardcore version, but should be better and more reliable than the stock version

 

I got a stock 8GB kit in the marketplace if you want to take a look. If you want real performance, the 1600 MHz kits will cost you.

 

Well, I've had a bit more chance to play with my new XPS 15 and thought I'd add some for those looking for additional feedback.

As far as the laptop goes, its been great. The wireless is fast (although it does bounce around quite a bit on signal/speed), its definitely quick, and is still able to get surprisingly good battery life (even with the 6 cell).

The build quality is great IMHO, the 1080p screen is phenomenal, the speakers are outstanding, and the backlit keyboard is a welcome luxury.

I have ran into a few niggles, however. Dis-assembly is a bit of a PITA. Swapping the hard drive is rather straight forward and I wouldn't consider to be too difficult. Reapplying thermal paste on the other hand, is a large ordeal.

I've also been encountering the fan ramp up/down issue regularly, and that is less than stellar. I've yet to find anything that eliminates this issue....I'm fully updated with windows updates, dell drivers, and Nvidia 275.33 video driver. The only thing I have yet to try is the A06 BIOS.

Unfortunately, I've also been having difficulty with the temps. It appears, after 2 attempts at reapplying artic silver 5, my temps may have actually gone up both times. I've posted pics below of the large amount of thermal paste Dell applied; I'm having trouble believing that my conservative application of a higher quality thermal paste could result in higher temps. This is exactly what I'm encountering though. I've tried the dollop on one corner and spread over entire surface with a credit card method, as well as the dollop in the center of the chip method. Both my attempts seem to have failed to decrease temps; in fact, they may have raised them.

I'm looking for feedback/suggestions as to what people have done and what temps they're seeing. Anyone willing to post temps on CPU/GPU at idle or load would be helpful.

Anyways....here's some of the pics from my initial re-paste attempt.

 

Did you clean the heatsink too?

 

Yes. I cleaned the heatsink. I've never had a problem with AS5 application before. My desktop has been OC'd from 2.6GHZ to 3.5GHZ stable for 3 years now.

The only variable is the age of the AS5....its several years old. I already ordered a new tube which should arrive this week. I will reapply again and see what results I get.

I'm just curious as to what temps others are getting at idle and load before/after reapplication of thermal paste. I had lower temps the first time I used the machine when I had it OC'd further on stock paste....so something is amiss.

I appreciate any information anyone is able to provide.

 

I've heard of one other having the problem of it not turboing as high after a re-paste. Mine did the same, but is behaving correctly now. Try giving it a week, maybe do a burn on it or something. I think pastes with lower viscosity have to be baked in a little don't they?

also I had higher temps repasting and its because I spread it on the surface of the chip. I re-pasted using a pea size on the nvidia and a short line on the cpu and clamping down. Temps decreased drastically.

 

I appreciate the feedback. I'll give it one more attempt after I get some brand new AS5 and see what I get. I know that AS5 especially is supposed to take up to 200 heat cycles to get to full effectiveness, but it's been my experience that you can usually tell a good application rather quickly.

I did exactly the same thing....tried spreading it with a credit card first...temps were higher. Did it again with just a drop in the center of both chips and clamped down, again the temps seem to not be affected much. I'm going to try and take the black stick-on mesh out from the bottom plate (over the memory area) and see if that helps the airflow/temps any. I saw someone did this in another thread and he mentioned it helped with the heat.

I haven't been able to exceed 8622 in 3DMark06....I figured I'd be able to get closer to 10k with this setup...

 

Man I'll never understand people's desire to re-paste, and I certainly don't understand all the AS5 talk. It was a good TIM years ago but now they're all more or less the same. If you're obsessed with temps *today*, get something like Shin Etsu. You'll see slightly lower numbers and there's no break-in period. But more importantly, it's a huge waste of time and effort to re-paste something that's not extremely old, especially a laptop, since the temps will always be bad. Also you're more likely to make matters worse if you're not very experienced.

 

I am experienced. I've been messing around with OC'ing for years. I've been involved with computers and electronics for 15 years.

I've never had any system respond poorly to the techniques I've utilized in applying article silver 5 compound. I've OC'd and undervolted several laptops previously.

I've just never ran into a scenario where the stock paste (which was applied liberally, see pics) somehow managed temps lower than a conservative application of a higher quality compound did.

 

just wondering if anyone knew for sure whether I can easily swap a backlit keyboard onto a computer that came with a normal keyboard. by "easily", I'm just wondering whether my laptop comes with the backlight connection/ribbon attachment even though it didn't come with a backlit keyboard, not the difficulty of the swap itself.

also I've come across two part numbers for the backlit keyboard: PVDG3 and GRJ7V. confirmation?

 

I was upgrading cpu, so why not? I'm happy with the results even if I had to do it twice. Its not really that difficult, especially with Dell's documentation

all I would say is think twice before repasting the GPU ram, its not going to be as thick as the pads. I left them on and no problems

 

Real quick, new to the forum, been having some issues.

Clean install out of the gate, no issues during. All current drivers from Dell and nVidia.

i-7 2.00GHz
nVidia 540
8gig ram

#1 - Totally random crash, can be doing anything, typing one second, only to be rebooting the next second. Happened a few times, each time just net surfing.

#2 - System totally freezes, but the screen freaks out. Kind of looks like the flickers during a change in screen resolution, but the only way out is a hard boot. Happened several times. During a java update, while running itunes, while surfing the net, and during random desktop stuff. Its happened with both the nVidia and the Intel set as global in Optimus.

#3 - Kind of like #1, but when I leave the computer for a while, the keyboard (backlit) and the screen shut off as I've set them to do, mind you this isn't sleep mode, just a screen shut off. However when I come back, the keyboard lights up right away but the screen remains off. Nothing bring it back a hard boot is the only option. Happend during a download from steam and itunes.

It is been already asked I'm sorry, its a pain trying to search this thread with a 15 second waiting period between each search (I know its there for a reason...) google hasn't given me much either, at least not the same issues I'm having. This thread is also 175 pages long...anyway if you have a link or a page number I would be very thankful.

 

You're not using a crucial ssd are you? Learned today that firmware 0001 causes a lot of issues.

 

Na, just the standard 500gb disk. I was thinking about a ssd upgrade, but they aren't cheap...

But no nothing "aftermarket" or "extra-fancy" pretty much just a stock system.

 

Have you tried loading up a memory tester to check if one or more of your RAM modules are shot?

It could be some driver issues as well but not likely since you did a clean install. Sometimes the system comes out of Dell all screwed up due to driver issues.

Give a memory tester a try first.

 

Just picked up one of these, and am totally blown away by the build quality and the speakers on this thing! I also got the 1366X768 screen, but was lucky enough to get a Samsung panel. I have a couple of questions:

1. Has anyone got a Seagate Hybrid drive in this, and is it worth it?
2. Will 8GB of ram make any difference?
3. I read there is USB 3.0 issues, is this true?
4. I want to get a USB 3.0 memory stick, which make?
5. I purchased this second hand ( less than a month old ) by px my old laptop. I am in the UK, so is the warranty transferable?

 

Gave one a shot, no issues reported. I just finished my 3rd (and final) fresh install. As before every driver goes in smooth, windows updates without issue, memory tester run as suggested, scandisk run, cCleaner run to clean up the registry after the install. The part that really sucks from a troubleshooting stand point is how random the crashes are. They don't happen everyday, maybe two or three times a week. Maybe thats not a lot but my previous laptop rarely crashed. But I'm resolved to keep track of the crashes until I see a pattern or something. If anyone has any other suggestions I'll gladly give them a shot. If I happen to figure this one out, I'll report back.

 

Just grabbed one of these off the Outlet, hope it was a good spec!

XPS L502x

Genuine Windows 7 Home Premium (64 BIT), Processor: Intel Core i5-2410M processor (2.30 GHz with Turbo Boost 2.0 up to 2.90 GHz)
640 GB SATA Hard Drive (7200 RPM), 4 GB (2x2GB)1333MHz DDR3 Dual Channel Memory
8X Tray Load CD/DVD Burner (Dual Layer DVD+/-R Drive), Display: 15.6 inch High Definition Display with TrueLife
Graphics : 1GB NVIDIA GeForce GT 525M Graphics card, Battery : Primary 6-cell 56W/HR LI-ION
LCD Back Cover : Silver WLAN, Back Up Media Not Included

£440 all in

It doesn't actually say what the screen is but signs are pointing to 720p.

There was a 540M on there but the HDD went down to 250GB and the processor to i3. Since I am actually going to be doing some music stuff along with the games, I think the middle ground should be ok.

 

The wisdom around here is that the 525 GPU is probably fine for most people-- some say it's the same as the 540 just clocked a small bit lower. So I think you did fine there.

A lot of the folks around here, including me, feel that the full HD screen is really worth getting. If it's the 1080p screen it will say R+BGLED. You can always cancel and try to get another model from the outlet. A few posters have gotten the 720 screen and feel it's adequate, but that wasn't the way I felt when I had one.