Looking to buy a Studio XPS 16, any glaring issues?

Hello~

I got a job assignment that will require me to be away for at least a year from home, I still have an old Inspiron 6000 that have served me very well (actually, it' still in use, with Windows 7 on it) but it simply won't cut it. I looked around, and it seems the Studio XPS 16 is my best bet. I can wait a while, no rush, so I thought I would ask questions here. Yes, I have read numerous reviews, and a lot of the thread here.

Any issues in general with this model in particular? How is the palm rest in particular, does it wear out easily? I read a thread here about a user who was getting electric shocks from his model, isolated incident?

I have several months, one issue I would like an opinion is, I have no interest in buying an i7-equipped system, as I believe it'll be overkill, yes I realize it's future-proofing, and this model is in fact a DTR, but I simply don't see myself using it a lot when I eventually return home to my desktop, that and the premium price that comes with an i7 system is rather hard for me to swallow. That and before I got the assignment, I was going to upgrade my desktop, to be frank, buying a laptop with a better processor than my desktop rather irks me a little. A C2D will still do, right? Which brings me to my next two points,

Do you think Dell will keep the C2D Studio XPS 16 model for a while, or do I have to jump the gun on this now? I'm simply waiting for a better deal, although it's looking pretty good right now.

I'll answer some of the form questions found on "What Should I Buy FORM (Must Read Before Posting)" here,

I will not be taking the laptop with me a lot. It's just the usual usage stuff, music, videos, internet, office work.

Yes, I will want to play games on it, but I realize it's a laptop, I already have a gaming desktop, the 4670 will fit me nicely, I'm not looking for anymore than running games on medium.

The RGBLED screen costs a lot, I read the review here, if I opt for the regular screen, it won't really be a day and night difference, would it?

Where would I get coupons for this? Is there even coupons for this model? Anything I should watch out for?

 

Heiji1412,

I have also done a bit of research before taking the plunge with the SXPS, to me it really sounds like the Studio 15 would be a better option for you, as it's much cheaper for a C2D system with 9 cell battery. Only reason I personally went with the SXPS is that for the same specs (i7 cpu, etc) with the Studio 15 line, the price difference was little - so why not get the newer line..

The Studio 15 has a great deal on at the moment (in the AU though, where are you located?) and if you, or somoene you knows are an autoclub member (RAC, NRMA ETC) you can get 8-10% discount on top of deals already on offer. Dell AU currently have $200 off one of their models, so trick this up a bit and you have a great C2D system that I reckon will do you basic gaming needs;

-P8700
-Win 7 Home Prem
-Remove Essential Help
-Add 2 Yr warranty
-Up to 1080p Screen
-Up to 9 cell Battery
-Up to backlit keyboard
*total before autoclub discount- $1732
*After 10% discount - approx $1559

Pretty good deal if you ask me, almost got this myself (+100 for mike ming art) but then the i7 models came out and I chose to future proof a little, hence the SXPS was the go. I also think the Studio screen, although still glossy would not be as bad as the SXPS glossy 'edge to edge' if this bothers you (something I'll have to learn to live with, along with poor battery life!)

Coupons for AU models are over at the wirlpool.net.au forums.

Good luck!

 

Yes, I'm in fact in Australia, and yes, I can take advantage of that discount, that's actually a really good deal on a Studio 15, the way you configured it. Thing is, I'd still much rather have the SXPS16, I've used a Studio 15 personally, and didn't really like the the way the keyboard felt, I know it's not that big of a deal, I'd prefer a 4670 than a 4570.

But that is really tempting. I'll definitely keep that in mind.

One issue I forgot about, I have a habit of simply keeping computers on for prolonged periods of time, since I use them everyday, I don't even put the system to sleep most of the time, if there is one issue that the numerous reviews mention about the SXPS, it's that is puts out a considerable amount of heat, can anyone comment on this, I don't mind buying a laptop cooler, but I'd rather just do without it if possible.

 

You'll probably be using external speakers, but just heads-up: the speakers on the laptop itself isn't that great. In some cases, my music is crystal clear even with volume turned up, but there are other circumstances where the sound "clips" very easily, and I'd say my old HP dv5000 Altec Lansing speakers on that laptop were much better.

 

i've found that undervolting with RMclock and a replacement of the crappy dell thermal paste brings about good enough cooling results without having to get a cooler (i already have a cryo NZXT) and just put it on there to cool the southbridge which is located under touchpad and for gaming but as far as heat goes i think its blown outta proportion my CPU got to 87'c(while hot not volcano lava) before undervolting and after hits a cool 64'c (both are under load of course)


as far as the shocking issue its pretty isolated maybe 2 or more cases of it so no worries there you can def game on high/medium settings on the 16, also i would stay away from the Studio 15 build quality sux compared to SXPS 16 (i used to have one and it sucked majorly glad i got this to replace) also touchpad is horrendous compared to the SXPS 16 touchpad

RGBLED screen vs. reg screen is night and day

C2D i dont think will be gone for a while but not really sure

Speakers arent that bad i mean im not an Audiophile or anything but they are alot better than my old studio 15's literally whisper quiet

Alot of people talk about using EPP Cin' posts alot of coupons and stuff have you checked the Dell Coupon section located here: http://www.notebookreview.com/dellCoupon.asp

 

I purchased a Studio xps 16 and have been using it constantly for about a week, so I can give you a new-owner opinion.

The 16" RGBLED screen is just amazing. It is a truly exceptional display. I don't know how much of it can be described rather than experienced; colors are vibrant and clear... it is lovely. I am glad you have read a lot of reviews; it is a major and expensive $250 upgrade. In fact I was not aiming to get one, but a refurb machine popped up with the right specs and I ended up with it. In retrospect I love it so much I think I would have paid the extra money for it.

I will be staring at this screen for 15 hrs a day for several years so personally I was quite happy to end up with the nicest screen However, unlike you (sounds like), this is my main and only computer.

The build quality of the XPS line was also quite important to me. I was also considering the Studio 15 recommended earlier in this thread. In fact, I would have preferred a 15" laptop. However, the build quality on the Studio 16 is very high (imo) - it looks and feels like an expensive machine. No flex anwhere. Great backlit keyboard. Carry a cloth around to wipe off fingerprints as it is that lovely It is your call whether this is worth the premium.

It does seem to heat up some while gaming. I will be looking into the suggestions above myself actually... reviews will tell you about that.

Personally I love my XPS 16 but the above poster is correct in that the Studio 15 is a very good and probably much cheaper option.

Edit: I see your post about the keyboard so I will go into a little detail. I have to write all day for my job and keyboard quality was one of the things I thought hard about while I was shopping. (I nixed any gaming machine with reviews that said "awful keyboard") .... I have disliked some of Dell's keyboards. The keyboard on my old m1210 was always too squishy for my tastes.

I like the keyboard on the XPS 16 a lot. It's a little squeaky right now but keys are very easily pressed and yet are very firm. I am a very, very hard typer and I slam my keys so the firmness is good. The chiclet-like shape is great for touch typing. The backlighting is adjustable and very cool. Overall the keyboard might be one of my favorite parts about my XPS 16 - it seems like a minor point but when you do as much typing as I do, it's a big deal!

 

Okay, thanks guys.

Speakers won't be an issue, I use headphones most of the time. Battery won't be an issue either, I won't be far away from a power point for long.

The RGBLED screen though, I'm rather torn about this. I plan to hit up the local Dell Outlets in a bit, and see if I can see the difference in person, I can't find pictures that compares both, and I'll see if I can talk them into giving me a better deal while I'm at it, the website models forces a few things on you that I really don't need, I'll also see if I like the feel of it.

Yea, I already checked out coupons on this site, there aren't any currently, but I found a few based on zarrs' suggestion, there is a 15% one that expires tomorrow, the issue with he coupons is some of them are region based. Does Dell usually replace coupons immediately? The 15% coupon is too good for me to pass up, I might even use that and go for the RGBLED screen.

How about the palm rest guys, does it wear out easily? Although the heat issue might've been exaggerated, do any of you here keep the XPS on for say, a few days straight at times? I'm well aware that this thing is a fingerprint magnet, being an owner of a black PSP-1000, I can live with that.

 

Heiji1412,

I would highly recommend popping down to your local Officeworks if you have one near by, they stock both the SXPS and the S15 and although not specced how you would trick yours up, it's a good place to have a play with them - just ask the sales staff to unlock windows for you so you can have a fiddle, and a type etc.. this really helped me!

IMO I think the Studio 15 build is still great, like I said previously - I would be perfectly happy with the S15, also I've just checked the website again and the P8700 base model has just been dropped to $1399 (was $1499 yesterday when i put that price together.. with a dell 200 discount) so it's a total steal at the moment!!!

Regarding heat, I personally think this is personal preferance - not a something to effect the life of the laptop, my HP DV1000 that I bought in 2005 (Pentium M 2ghz, 512 ram etc) served me for 4 years, took drops and a trip around the world and back! it runs SUPER hot as the hard drive is located under the palm rest... I don't think dell would continue selling systems that would cause problems within a warranty period as it would cost them a fortune, I think the question here is whether the heat would feel uncomfortable for you - for me, it never bothered me and I suppose because of that I'm now 'used to it' - I think it's a petty issue to worry about in a laptop, heat is inevitable!

I don't know if you would notice a huge diff with the vid cards from posts i've skipped over but I may be wrong, you should look around for this there is plenty of info, also check notebookcheck.net for vid card infos (fps etc).

Autoclub login (to get up to date coupons) is below for ya'

http://www1.ap.dell.com/content/top...n?c=au&l=en&s=dhs&dgc=DM&cid=34289&lid=831223

 

Must've posted that before you read my post, zarr.

Anyway, the deed is done, I already placed the order for SXPS16, Dell slashed prices today, the same setup would've costed $100-200 just yesterday, couple that with the 15% Coupon, I think I did pretty good, I even opted for the RGBLED screen and it all still came under 2k Australian.

One thing I noticed they didn't mention anything about whether or not I would have physical copies of Windows and Drivers, but I suppose I can deal with that.

Time to play the waiting game, let's hope everything goes by smoothly, I have to say I'm rather excited by this.

And thanks again everyone, been a great help~

 

Dell is really good about sending you the software that came with your computer. You'll get an OS recovery disc, driver disc, and most of the applications that come pre-installed. And congrats on the purchase!

 

Congrats!

If you ordered the C2D model I presume your EDD should be a little more accurate! (Well let's hope for you!)

Hope it serves you well!