Dell XPS 9550 (16gb, 512gb) Return for Razer 2015?

I am looking for some input and information from anyone that has had **** experience with Dell XPS 15 (9550) and turned it around into a positive experience.

I had a Razer 14 (2014) model that was purchased on Microsoft Store. I had a nvidia color issue and USB port problem so I returned it (thank god for the warranty). They refunded me and told me to select a different notebook so I chose the Dell XPS 15 (9550) with 16gb, 512gb sdd and was sold that the specs and screen size were the Razer killer. Long story short I had to send back the first one due to external monitors flickering. This one now goes to sleep but will never wake and my bluetooth sucks along with lagging mouse and keyboard. Bottom line is I am very unhappy with Dell but I am debating on sending it back and going with the Razer 2015 model. The specs show that the video on the Razer are better but the screen, thunderbolt (when it works) and form factor are hard to give up. Do you think these issues are worth waiting to see if they get fixed or should I say screw it and get the Razer? I hear the new Razer won't be out until May - July so thats too far and I don't see anything else on the market, non dell, that I would want to own. My requirements are 16gb > ram, 512gb ssd and a dedicated graphics in a 15-14" somewhat lighter form factor. Again the Dell did it right when it comes to hardware but did a **** job when it comes to QC and driver support.

Forgot one last issue - scaling with external monitors set to less than that of the notebook. SQL management studio looks horrible and unusable even if I try to force 1080p to all monitors along with setting no text scaling.

Just sad...

 

I did the opposite. It depends on how important future-proofing and battery life are for you. The Xps 15 is a bit better at both

 

Did you have issues with the 2015 Razer? I normally would agree with you but having my computer not work lowers my production of work. Battery life is important but it's something I would overlook if it meant having a more powerful system that just works.

 

No, my only issues with the razer are the the battery life and heat. The warm palm rests and hot rear-chassis under load are annoying to me. Stability-wise it's always been rock solid. It took me weeks to get the XPS 15 working right, including replacing the WLAN card. The XPS15 is really a qualified "yes" right now and a definite "yes" in the future when (I assume) Dell gets off their asses

 

Tough decision. I wish I could throw more money at the problem but from what I have seen nothing else compares to these two machines. The performance of the Razer isn't that far off and in some cases surpasses the Dell but you are right in the future proofing aspect. I don't game and use the machine to only develop (visual studio, sql, photoshop, etc..) and watch Netflix. Although the speed of the dell is not as fast as I thought it would be. I tried installing with AHCI but ran into too many problems so went with a clean RAID (NVME) install. I would say that my old Razer (2014 - 8gb) wasn't much slower at surfing and watching videos. Although I might have something configured wrong but I am not going back to AHCI due to all the problems I had.

 

Question on replacing the WLAN card. What problems were you having/did it fix and did you replace it or send it in for repair?

 

Don't get the Razer Blade 14 (2015). It's a fantastic laptop. But it's primary advantage is a high-powered GPU in there (nVidia 970M), which is about 75% more powerful than the nVidia 960M found in the Dell XPS 15. Since you don't game, don't bother going with a Razer Blade 14.

 

Not sure why others have so many issues with XPS15 but mine worked correctly from the start with few minor annoyances that I can deal with. I haven't noticed any build quality issues that I've seen others post here either. Unfortunately getting a good unit seems to be total hit or miss and based on your luck.

Currently I'm running my 4k built in screen at 150% and my Dell U3415W at 100% through the Dell TB15 dock without any issues with SQL Management Studio 2014. However I've seen some minor scaling issues going between the different resolutions of built in screen and my external Dell U3415W with Skype for Business after I've disconnected and reconnected my TB15 dock thunderbolt port to XPS15. I've noticed that after this disconnect and reconnect it looked like Skype for Business was running at 150% (scaling of my built in screen) of the size on my external monitor even though external monitor was set to show at 100%.

Biggest issue that I've found and haven't been able to resolve so far is the sound quality issue I get through the Bluetooth headset. I've tested it with my Motorola S11 Flex HD and there is huge sound quality difference from the Dell to my Samsung Note 4. I'm guessing XPS15 needs new driver version to fix this as I'm on the current version already.

 

Funny, I just updated Nvidia's latest driver and it fixed the scaling issue with SQL Management Studio. Go figure. The Bluetooth, sleep issue still exist. The mouse issue is intermittent so not sure if I can chalk that up as a problem with the driver or software. The Razer 14 (2014) was awesome and I very rarely had an issue. The extra boost in graphics always helps with photoshop or once in awhile video editing. I'll hold up for a day or two to see how this latest update worked out.

 

I did it myself. Basically, the wifi would always drop on 5GHz but interfere with BT behavior while on 2.4GHz.

 

So today I tried to talk again on Skype using Bluetooth and things didn't work so well. I decided to replace it with a Razer Blade. I just don't have the patience when I pay that much and need it for work. I figure when Razer releases there update I'll sell this one and jump into the new version. I figure the resell of the Razer is better than the Dell and Microsoft priced match Razer's current sale so that helps. Thanks for the input everyone!

 

If you're planning on just keeping the Razer Blade temporarily, until you have upgrade, you might want to consider buying a used 2014 Razer blade model. They can be bought for about $900-$1000.

If you buy a new Razer blade 2015, you're going to spend $2000+, and lose a great deal of value when you sell that laptop in a few months. Buying used may be a good idea, especially since you're not a heavy gamer.

Sent from my XT1575 using Tapatalk

 

Great point. The good news is that it's a warranty replacement up to $2300 and they will price match Razer's current promotion so I shouldn't have to pay very much out of my pocket. In my case I want the most machine I can get for the money. Or at least the best resell value.

 

Mine is selling for very cheap <.<