Dell XPS 15 R2 - L502x - Owners Lounge

yeah peel it off

 

i have ordered it with this config: i7 2670QM processor,HD (1366x768),4GB 1333MHz DDR3 SDRAM,750GBHard Drive,9 Cell Battery,2GB GT 540M graphics
any advice regarding its usage i mean graphics cards,cpu etc from experienced users
also need suggestions for screen protectors,cleaning kits etc

 

**Cancel that order**

You got the 1366x768 screen and that is not something you should do when buying the XPS. Downgrade to the GT 525M (it's a mere 12% difference and both are overclockable) and use the money to upgrade to the 1920x1080 B+RGLED display. The 1366x768 screen is awful (bad image quality, and the low resolution makes it difficult to fit very many windows onscreen at a time), but the 1920x1080 B+RGLED display is one of the best 15.6" screens available right now (both image quality and multitasking usefulness). The screen makes more of a difference than any other upgrade because it affects everything you do. Plus, you got the i7-2670QM processor which I highly doubt you need if you're only a moderate gamer. Never take the processor upgrade over the screen upgrade.

Cancel the order before Dell locks you into it. Frankly, that is a rather bad Dell XPS 15 configuration.

 

(edit: double post)

 

Anyone else having a problem with the two usb 3.0 ports? Mine don't work since I updated to the latest driver!!

 

My 17 boots in around 13 secs oh and is fast access any good? I take it not since you disabled it.

 

i dont think full hd display is that important hd one would be enough graphics card i have taken 540m because its not upgradable afterwards..i7 for future proofing..and it also adds to the speed alot with heavy programs and multitasking.
full hd display i guess is less productive upgrade than processor..
this is my opinion ..

 

You are wrong.

B+RGLED is so awesome display, you should really upgrade it.

 

Though I respect your opinion, I too would argue the HD display is the best investment for this laptop. It is the best non-ips laptop screen yet, it's high res gives you a huge amount of desktop space and makes the laptop more future-proof than any cpu or gpu will do. Any of these chips will be outdated within the year, whilst the lcd panels are updated a lot slower. The few % more speed in 'heavy programs' or 'multitasking' is marketing talk, and fun for those who get their kicks from running benchmarks. The screen accounts for way more of the user experience than the marginally faster cpu or gpu ever will. The full HD display will have way more impact on productivity than the processor choice for this laptop.

In short, I too would advise to get the HD display, even if that means cutting a few corners hardware-wise.

 

but now what i do i have placed the order after changing it so many times
now its showing work in progress in order status ..
guide me if something could be done ..

 

You mean FHD display.

 

yes. went back to the previous drivers and it seems ok again...

 

can the xps 15 handle 16gb ram?

 

mine worked for a bit but now both ports are dead. ive tried everything.

 

please someone tell how can i get the fhd now when the order is in work in progress status.
also i should replace it with i7 or not whether i will impact gaming experience or not as i am gonna play high end games like crysis,gta4 etc on this laptop..

 

The latest nvidia drivers change some of the profile settings for certain programs, I noticed with earlier drivers when running MediaPlayerClassic my system was using the nvidia GPU and with the new 285.62 drivers it defaults to the intel gpu. This might be helpful to the person who said he was having issues with VLC with the latest drivers. I have found it very helpful to turn on the tray notification that shows you when the nvidia gpu is active. I have since reverted to the 275.33 drivers as they seem to have changed the fan speeds with newer drivers and it's a lot louder when watching movies etc.

 

I managed to use VLC with the nvidia graphics by doing a tweak in nvidia inspector but when I reboot my laptop it goes back to integrated settings, what were nvidia thinking?! We don't need the GPU for watching movies?? I do.

 

Works with MPC for me, but I still went back to 275.33 because its quieter. Makes a difference when you are watching movies at 3am.

 

This sort of depends on where you live, and what options Dell gives you there. Best bet is to cancel the current order and place a new one, as I've gathered Dell refuses to 'update' existing orders when they've gone into work in progress status. I would call Dell to see which is the best option, but like I've said I expect your only option is to cancel and re-order.

 

Just got my laptop today! They said it wouldnt arrive until 11/2. It shipped out on friday. I was really amazed.

One thing i noticed is theres kinda some spots between the keys which looks weird. It's hard to explain.

Also the keys so far apart will take a little getting used to.

The fan does go on and shut off a lot but its not that annoying.

Last thing. I had a m1530 before which was suppose to weight like 5.9 pounds or so. This thing feels like it weighs less!

Ok really last thing this time. It seems like the keyboard does flex a tiny bit.

One question i have is what does everyone use as their cpu monitor?

heres a pic of how my keyboard looks

http://img155.imageshack.us/img155/1635/wp000081d.jpg

 

You did remove the plastic film that sits in between the keys right ???

I use Cpuid for temp monitoring

 

I tried to look for any plastic covering but there didnt seem to be one.

Ok now I'm a little curious why I got this laptop so fast.....Like if it was refurbished.....now keyboard protector and the keyboard flexes alittle bit. Is there anyway to check?

 

Double post....dumb iPhone

 

Look for a tiny plastic tab just below the esc button or the same button position on the other side, all xps15's have the plastic film

 

Ok thanks!!! You were right! There was a plastic covering. It was kind of a pain in the butt to get off!! It looks much better now!!

 

You have to call Dell and cancel your order and do it as soon as possible.

It's your order and they have to cancel it for you. If they refuse, you have to be persistent. Dell reps often play the lock-you-into-your-order game.

And don't settle for a receive-and-return deal.

 

Yes, none of VLC, Media Player Classic, Windows Media Player, or iTunes can be set to use discrete after updating, all are set to use integrated and it's greyed out...

Also, I use Cyberlink Meda Espresso to convert DivX/Xvid to MP4 for playing on iPad, it always used Quick Sync in the past. Now it defaults to CUDA (i.e. launch with discrete!?) which is the worst of all according to AnandTech review of QuickSync - x86 > QuickSync/AMD > Nvidia. I had to force it to use integrated to get back to using Quick Sync. Nvidia transcode quality is awful...

 

You can use 'NVIDIA Inspector Elevated Settings' and go to the desired profile and change 'enable application profile' from SHIM_RENDERING_MODE_USER_EDITABLE to SHIM_RENDERING_MODE_ENABLE

But it goes back to 'normal' after a reboot.

 

I am pretty happy with this computer overall and I have to say the 1080p screen looks amazing!!! The build quality is also pretty good, except for the slight keyboard flex.

One thing though. It looks like the computer used integrated graphics by default for everything. For example I was trying to do the windows rating thing and it used the integrated graphics. Also when i went to one of those "can you run it" websites for video games. Again it used the integrated graphics from intel.

I'm about to test out this baby on l4d 2 and starcraft 2 once they finish downloading.

-2670qm 2.2ghz turbo boost up to 3.1ghz quad core
-540m graphics card
-6gb's ram

One thing thats cool about the 2670qm processor is that the ram is expandable up to 16gb according to intel's website.

 

even with global settings set to integrated graphics? i have noticed alot of fan useage with mpc as well. assumed it was using the integrated graphics but maybe i'm wrong?

 

what about the payment as i have already sent the money and also should i replace the i7 with fhd as i will be playing some good games and programs like photoshop etc...
so please tell me whether i should go for these complications again or do the upgrade afterwards..

 

Hey, I just performed a fresh install of Windows 7, and I'm having trouble installing a driver for "SM Bus Controller" which currently has the yellow exclamation point in the device manager.

When I download the driver for the JMicron JMB389 Card Reader from Dell and install it, Windows tries to install a driver for "SM Bus Controller" but always ends up failing with the error "no driver found."

Anyone know what to do about this?

 

Hi guys.

I just bought an XPS L502x from the Dell Outlet. I've noticed that the temperatures appear to be going crazy high during things like watching a flash video while installing windows updates. I've seen it go as high as 85 degrees Celsius while doing the previously mentioned tasks. It's quite worrying, seeing as how the laptop is brand new.

I'm wondering if I have a faulty model or if this is normal? Should I ask customer services?

 

You can try repasting it.

 

@ManuelloSex. Get Cpuid and have it run through the dell stress test, dells temp monitor is not accurate or in real time like Cpuid. Temps should not go higher than around 92 or 93 during the stress test.

Also make sure your not blocking the bottom of the laptop. Bit 95 does sound a bit high for what your doing

 

They would refund you if they cancelled the order.

And yes, you NEED to get the FHD screen if you use Photoshop. No, you don't need the i7, an i5 should be fine.

 

Where can I find CPUID?

Do you mean download HWMonitor and run some kind of stress test? I may have been blocking my fan at the time, so I would like to run the stress test you mentioned.

 

You'll find the stress test in the Dell Support Center, go to run pc checkup and then select custom scan, the stress test is there.

Yes, HWMonitor is CPUID...same program

 

What is FastAccess? I can't remember if I already disabled that.

 

Mine still works.

 

It only has two RAM modules slots. I do not think 8GB modules exist (yet).

 

Don't use a CPU monitor, or at least don't use a CPU monitoring gadget and leave it open all the time. There is a quirk in which CPU monitoring gadgets cause the fan to continually cycle on and off.

 

I just ran the test, and I got the following results in the following image. Look under the Max column. The highest temperature is 95 during the stress test, and that is with the 9-cell battery, meaning that there is more airflow underneath the laptop. Is this too high? If so, what can I do about it?

 

Also, you can see in the thumbnail in my previous post that I have 14% battery wear. Is that normal, considering that I just bought my laptop three months ago?

 

they do exist, but cost about $200 for one 8gb stick.

this page states that the max mem size for that proc is 16gb.

www .intel. com/content /www/us /en/processor -comparison/
processor-specifications.html ?proc=53469

 

I know, but I think the BIOS still limits the maximum RAM. According to Dell, the maximum is 8GB total. Furthermore, upgrading from 8GB to 16GB is not going to give you any more performance. (Neither is upgrading from 4GB to 8GB for most people).

 

According to Kingston Kingston Technology Company - Kingston Memory Search - Search Results for:

it can take 2x8Gb...the problem is: there are no 8Gb modules

 

what cooler is everyone using with this model?

i am torn between the nc2000, nc3000, and u2. i believe the u2 is a little less quiet than the other two. the nc2000 is looking good. doesn't raise the laptop up so much and looks like it would be best for sitting on your lap...

 

A desk Its far to heavy to use it on my lap. Mine is however cool enough to operate without any external cooler even when gaming...

 

corsair and crucial make them. you can buy them on newegg. just google 16gb 204 pin sodimm. $619 = f u