New Dell XPS L521X (Ivy Bridge)

I ordered online on launch day, it arrived (Edinburgh) yesterday around 1pm. I did kick up a fuss with an online rep about it being a fast ship order and still not being dispatched after 4 working days. I told them I might not have ordered it in the first place if I knew it would take 1-2 weeks.

I was then told it would be delivered Monday 9th at the very latest. I wonder whether the rep did anything to get it out earlier?

 

Heat is subjective..
i bet the Asus will still be cooler.
You could always underclock the 3610 to 3612 level
battery life is the same so not really any plus side.
VT-x vs 0.2 Ghz, don´t know who would be better for virtual machine..

 

Oh nice, so it only took 6 days from order to delivery? I ordered from small/medium business on the 3rd, current estimated delivery is the 20th. I'll be pretty bummed if I have to wait that long, hopefully I'll get as lucky with you with the delivery. Shame about your trackpad though.

 

How can battery life is the same with 6 cells instead of 9 and higher TDP CPU?

 

I can add:
Better sound
Keyboard with numeric pad
4 USB 3.0
There is blu-ray version

Perfect answers (+rep)

We don't know what kind of socket for 3612QM Dell has used in XPS15 .
3612QM has 2 versions rPGA or BGA, if it's rPGA there isn't VT-d as 3610QM.
We don't know if XPS15 chassis can handle in right way 3612QM & 640m, no serious review still coming out.

Ok, more heat is generated, but the effects depend on the ability of cooling system.
Battery is replaceable so you can have more than one if this point is important.


The price is almost the half!!!

 

tdp is only to limit the max current your cpu can draw, there is no lower vid or anything.
Unless your encoding videos on battery with turbo boost there will be no difference.

 

I thought it was already said its BGA. The spare parts for this system are CPU and GPU combos, there was no spare CPU or GPU parts. I think its all soldered.

 

Soooo you don't want a 200HP car because it generates more heat than a 150HP one*?
Keep your right foot to the floor, into both, and after that choose the one you prefer

Sorry man, if a laptop can handle a 45W CPU it would be that it has a better thermal dissipation than the XPS... needless to say... the only reason because they choose a 35W CPU is insufficient cooling power... in a 1500+€ pc...


*) of the same model

 

6 bigger cells can last longer than 8 small cells...

 

rPGA is designed to be inserted in a socket (Pin Grid Array), whereas BGA is used when a chip is soldered to the boards (lots of lead/tin balls under the chip package, when heated in a reflow oven they will melt and make contact with the board).

So with 99.9999% probability Dell has chosen the BGA version.

 

Anyone with a machine already know if it will support UEFI?

 

Thats a terrible analogy. Maybe the car can't fit a bigger engine in it for design choice. If you want to continue that kind of analogy, fine... Which car would you rather drive? BMW 328 or a Hyundai Sonata 2.0T. Well the Sonata has more HP, but man that BMW is a lot more fun to drive.

Long story short, Dell made choices. This is their product. Could they have gone with a 45W part? Possibly. I prefer the more efficient part that gives you 95% of the performance, but only requires 77% of the cooling power (I know the math isn't perfect, but you get the idea). If you prefer something else, buy something else.

 

That is a fairly broad assumption. Some laptops get so hot they feel like a portable furnace on your lap, that does not mean they are better for being more powerful (they may even throttle due to the heat).

From what I can see so far the XPS handles the heat very well and the silicone on the bottom should provide a more comfortable base when it is at full load.

 

I forgot to say "of the same model"

BMW 328 and Hyundai Sonata is like compare a i7 to a p4EE

 

That Asus is a valid system to compare....to the Inspiron R Special Edition. These are 2 systems in different sub-classes of multimedia notebooks. XPS is focused on premium build, materials, support and battery life. I don't believe that Asus can match any of those criteria. If you don't care about those criteria, and just want spec for spec and price matching, you are wasting your time and keystrokes.

Wouldn't the Zenbook or Zenbook Prime be a better comparison?

 

Dell called 15.00 5/7 - no trackpad in stock. Repair to be arranged next week. Another day wasted waiting on Dell.
L521X - solid build + a nice plain shape. The 'silicone' plastic pieces are soft touch and prone to picking up fluff, dust and general household debris. Easily wiped off but I do wonder re. longevity of the palmrest coating.

Monday 9th July - L521X opened by Dell technician and found ribbon connector was not plugged in. No need for the replacement part. Now waiting for the broken backplate to be replaced - not me, don't ask!! I will not add to the above. For anyone interested, my UK L521X is 2 * 4GB memory and not the 1 * 8GB which I have seen mentioned.

 

@Dell-Bill_B
Why haven't we seen more reviews for the L521X? (Engadget, anandtech, etc.)

 

@Bill
Many people that are in this thread search a system like a previous XPS L502X, specially for range price, and IspironR SE looses almost every comparison with other products in same category, specially for CPU/GPU and hasn't any special bonus like screen or audio to balance these lacks.
Zenbook is a 13" so it's a little hard to compare with a 15.6", but it's has an amazing screen and this is a great bonus.

I have found a interesting notebook Gigabyte P2542G to compare with XPS15
GIGABYTE - Notebook / Slate & Device - Notebook & Netbook - P series - P2542G
it's price is around 1100$
Specs are very impressive GTX660m, mSATA connector, speakers 4+1 (subwoofer), Do not have to get upset from the yellow cover, all black model should exist too.
Same weight of XPS15, 2.6Kg.

Gigabyte P2542G gaming laptop hands-on.mp4 - YouTube

Edit: Support maybe is a benefit for US, but in my country XPS15 is sold with a 1Y of NBD, 3Y NBD has a cost of 280€ + 50€ for 1Y for accidental damage
Total 1500€+280€+50€=1830€
I can buy literally 2 Asus N56VZ, so when one it's broken i can launch out of window and use the other so i have an NBM (Next Business Minute) LOL

 

That looks pretty good! But the body seems to be a lot of plastic?

 

I am wondering the same thing. Not even any YouTube videos of the new XPS 15.

 

They are waiting for delivery

 

Are there any coupon codes available or will there be in the near future? I had and still do have high hopes for this laptop but there are some factors that are still to be considered...

 

The Gibabyte site says:
"Coming in a vibrant yellow cover and with a hairline aluminum brushed palmrest"
Weight is the same of XPS15 around 2.6KG

 

Video says it's mostly plastic

 

well i just emailed my specs to my schools I.T department to get a estimate on how much its gonna cost me with their student discount ... anf ig i can change one or two options in the system

 

Can't exactly speak to why, but you should see mainstream reviews starting next week and fully into action the following week. If you look at the estimated ship date changes others are reporting, a couple of comments I've made to those who received their units early and the fact that there are no reviews up yet, astute "guessers" might put the puzzle together. It's not a big deal from an issue resolution standpoint, but it has to annoy the daylights out of anyone who ordered early on. Sorry about that, guys. We chose to err on the side of the out of box experience and take the hit on delays.

Yeah. I get you, and you have all valid points. All I'm saying is there's no way the new XPS will compete with those thicker chassis, lower build quality, lower materials quality and less quality supported systems on price and performance. IMO, the compares are not valid because of the trade offs we chose for this platform. If we fall short on some of those counts with the Inspiron R S/E, so be it, but that's the system we targeted at price and component conscious buyers. XPS is definitely not for the benchmarking crowd who values the spec sheet over the quality of craftsmanship and support.
I'm basically trying to save guys like you- a valuable and important customer segment- some time. These aren't the droids you're looking for. *waves hand*

 

I"m going to guess the review of the XPS 14 here Dell XPS 14 (L421X) Ultrabook review - reviews - Notebooks - Performance - PC World Australia mentions some kind of bios update.

 

No comment on the text I deleted in the quote.

Is the sales rep issue anything you feel we need to take to the sales team for some kind of action?

 

Dang! The 0.0001% has became realty!
Pic taken from an Italian forum... http://img819.imageshack.us/img819/2195/systemr.jpg

Platform: rPGA. So, sorry guys, no VT-d available. (if CPUInfo is right).

Ah, some screen measurements.
http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/713/measurementsz.jpg/

Source: http://www.hwupgrade.it/forum/showpost.php?p=37750657&postcount=14395 [ITA]

 

I have no idea if what the reviewer said was true, but that would explain why dell would delay shipment. And it would be a good reason

I don't know, I'm going to give him a few days, he was very helpful before, but now he hasn't answered. Maybe he's off for vacation or something. I inquired on June 30 about the lower price of the SMB XPS15, and advised I don't care too much about the ADW warranty. I asked if I could change my order (or I'd be open to a longer warranty and no refund, or some other compromise), he said he'd get back to me by end of business on July 2. I don't know if what I'm asking is possible, if I have to return the system and reorder or? I ordered through MPP / Dell Advantage, which claims to offer the best prices on Dells

That site isn't rendering correctly for me.

Are you going off a CPUz or similar program?

If so, my e6220 reports as being rPGA as well but if I'm not mistaken, all e6220's are BGA.

 

Reviewer was right.

Ahhh. I'll get with you in PM about this. I can make an educated guess as to what was going on there.

 

That unit is not mine, ask [-Mac-] if you have questions, he is actively involved in that thread...

All I can do is report... I've not bought the XPS (and it is in doubt I ever will).

 

@Dell-Bill_B

Are you aware of any plans to make Blu-Ray available on this model in Ireland? It is listed as an option on the Dell Ireland site but when I click through to select a configuration they're all DVD only.

 

This computer looks pretty awesome, but I hate number pads on laptop keyboards.

 

LOL, this laptop is not mine
But my rendering is enough good to say that programs that he has used are GPU-Z and HWiNFO64.
HWiNFO says rPGA

 

Speaking of the Inspiron R Special Edition, are there accessories available to purchase a 9 cell battery to replace the 6 cell battery?

 

I know, I just said that you are involved in that thread, not that the laptop is yours... pretty incoherent looking for XPS alternatives and at the same time buying one

EDIT: I have pasted the wrong link in my previous post. I've fixed it now.

 

HWiNFO says my i7 2620m in my e6220 is rPGA, so I don't always trust it.

 

I know this link was posted earlier, but for those who are wondering why the reviews are taking so long, and to further what Bill was hinting at, here is the translation from the French website which attempted a review:

"Consumption and initial surveys of autonomy

Now for our usual including some statements regarding the consumption of the machine. We selected OCCT in version 4.3.1 , because it allows us to use different stages and load elements together. Let's see what happens.

Resting on Windows: 9.6 W
In single CPU load: 41 W
Supported GPU (HD 4000 Graphics) only: 38.4 W
Supported GPU (GeForce GT 630M) only: 45.1 W
Supported CPU + GPU (HD 4000 Graphics): 44.3 W
Supported CPU + GPU (GeForce GT 630M): 46 W

As you can see above, a discrepancy appeared to us during this first test, since no significant difference in consumption is present between the integrated video chip and the dedicated. After careful consideration, we have detected a bug in our prototype. Indeed, when a load is applied to the graphics card and processor, it is limited to the minimum frequency is 800 MHz. We contacted Dell and the latter told us that this bug had touched the first units produced sent to the press, and he sends us a second machine, this final time, to see if the problem persists.

Know that we have currently identified autonomy in taking notes. To do this, we put the screen brightness to 30%, we disable the Wi-Fi and we let the machine run with this tool we have developed good old David. Our first three attempts give us 486, 489 and 487 minutes in this exercise, either ... just over eight hours, which is even far from the 11 hours announced by the manufacturer.

So we will wait another machine from the manufacturer before offering you a complete test."

 

Actually, that's rather interesting since The Verge reported the same issue.

 

Uhm, I have just discovered that GT650m in MBPwRD is clocked more than GTX660m (same chip) so this means that GT650m (900MHz) of MBPwRD is better than GTX660m

Nvidia GT 650M on rMBP actually better than Nvidia GTX 660M! - MacRumors Forums

 

Yeah, that's the only reason why I posted it -- because it appears to be a corroborated issue with the initial units that went out. Also, why consumers are having their shipments re-scheduled until it all gets sorted out.

 

Image of backlit keyboard from Italian Forum:

 

Monitor review with HCFR + spyder 3 sensor (by Mercuri0 from Italian Forum):
Display is as out of box with max brightness
450:1 contrast and 310nits (cd/m^2) brightness

 

Configurations options vary by region. The product description page for each region is supposed to be edited to reflect information about configurations available in that region. I'm actually in a meeting where we're talking about this topic right now.

As far as 9 cell goes, we do not currently have a qualified or offered 9 cell option. I will pass along the feedback about making it an option. If they eventually add it, you could buy it after point of sale, but that's a big "if" at this point.

 

Yeah, but keep in mind not a ton of games are released for mac, so it doesn't do much gaming wise. And the price is crazy high for me.

 

Great multitasker!

 

I'm sorry if this has been discussed before, but what are the differences between the XPS 15 (the config with 750GB + 32GB mSATA) offered in the Dell business website and the Dell home website apart from the price
($1399 vs $1699)?

New! XPS 15 laptop details | Dell

New XPS 15 laptop — 1080p Full HD 15-inch display with Gorilla Glass | Dell

The reason I ask is because when I ordered the XPS 15 with a Dell sales rep last week, I explained to him that this would be primarily used as a business laptop for work, and he didn't mention anything about the $1399 model...

 

Also keep in mind that if you toss Windows on the MBPwRD you lose graphics switching since Mac opted for their own proprietary version of Nvidia Optimus and it is not included in boot loader (and never will be.) Say goodbye to your battery life if that is of any importance to you. One of the many reasons people buy Macs in the first place.

 

You have absolutely reason prices are crazy, but at least they have something of really premium.
I'm not a gamer, but sometime can play some games, I guess we can install Windows on MBP ^o^

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