New Dell XPS L521X (Ivy Bridge)

No, I've never been into overclocking, but I've also never had to resort to such low settings in a game. Guess it's time to start looking into it. Either that, or waiting for 521... And I've got TERA and Diablo III coming up very soon, so I wonder how the 502 will handle those two.

 

Its the GPU what holds you back not the CPU , and the new 6 series mobile GPU's seem to be underperforming as well .

 

Yes it's his cpu holding him back. The fermi parts of the 6xx series are underpowered but the new kepler parts should be a lot faster (640m+ besides 670-5m) and should provide an insane amount of overclocking headroom as well depending on gddr5 ram how many fans dell includes on this (hoping for 2).

Unfortunately TW2 is quite a demanding game, and while being faster, the 640m gets 4fps at ultra according to notebookcheck. Im not sure what resolution this is on but it will defelently run it way better than on your l502x.

 

I'm kind of lost with all the different versions on the 640m (Fermi/Kepler, gddr3/gddr5). Which one is supposed to come on the new xps (in theory that is, considering no official info came out yet)?

 

Well, whatever the improvement will be with the 521/640 over the 502/540, I might as well wait for it. I already waited a year to buy the game, what's another month or so? I'm probably getting the new system, regardless. Just hope it retains the superb display of the 502 as that was the main draw.

 

Stay away from the 640m. Nvidia is trying to trick consumers and consumers have to say it's not alright to do this. We can vote with our wallets by not buying the 640m.
See Anandtech overview for the latest Nvidia mobile GPUs.

 

The 640M is a 28nm Kepler part.

 

Yeah I hope it has the B+RGLED and the same 2.1 speakers as the L502x, fingers crossed

 

Yes, but if Anandtech is correct, the 640M LE is either Kepler or Fermi. Updated the link for Anandtech to point to chart. See above.

 

Well I would but then again I don't think there will be much choice if you want an XPS! Considering that the two "options" are the 630m (Kepler) and the 640m, I assume that the 640m is the Kepler version and not the Fermi one. I really wouldn't want the 630m to be "upper-end" version of the XPS!

 

630m isnt kepler the lwoest one is 640m. i think 630 is a rename of 555 or 550

 

635M is the 555M. There are two Fermi versions of the 630M, and one Kepler version.

 

my bad jsut looked it up, rename of 540m, 550m, and kepler

 

Dell should let users choose the GT 650M. They use the GTX line for Alienware and the GT line for the XPS so even if they allow the GT 650M in the XPS, it will not overlap any Alienware laptop. Maybe they are worried about heat issues at 850Mhz. Anyway, these are still rumors.

 

They will give the 650m for the 17" xps, not the 15".

 

The 650M is available in the M14x, but the 540M is also in the M11x, so there's evidence that they don't specifically avoid offering the same GPUs that are in some Alienware machines. They simply don't go as high as the upper class 1 GTX units because the XPS line isn't intended for extreme gaming.

 

According to Dells business model as of recently this would make the most sense. The 640m doesnt even use as much power as the 540m so in theory a 650m might be able to go in there though they are making it thinner so idk... the 640/650/660m are all the same card anyways just binned.. as long as we atleast get a gddr5 version of the 640m, which is what they will probably offer, it would probably overclock to 650m levels.

Hp and other companies are putting 650m's into their 15" notebooks, although there not as thin, they are cheaper laptops so i would like dell to put a 640m gddr5 or 650m ddr3 variant in there.

But if there putting a 650m in the m14x theres no way that dell will put it in the xps 15. Dell needs to stop worrying about competing with itself.

 

Any news when Dell will announce this?

 

Tomorrow, 08.00 CST.

 

Awesome news indeeeeeeeeeeed!

 

how u know this lol

 

The XPS 15 refresh should come with the Kepler GT 640M w/ GDDR5. The current XPS 15z can barely cool the GT 525m with the i7-2610M, and I wouldn't expect Dell to put a hotter GPU in an even thinner laptop.

Just don't buy the GT 640M LE. It makes no sense to avoid the GT 640M altogether.

 

is the new xps 15 gonna be thinner than the xps 15z??

 

If the leaked specs are correct, then the refresh should be marginally thinner at .95" or 24.2mm. The XPS 15z is .97" or 24.6mm thick.
So they're basically the same thickness, actually.

 

For those who want Nvidia to stop the unscrupulous naming, not buying the 640 line is to make a statement. On desktops they are even worse since they will sell 3 640 cards mixing Fermi and Kepler. At least on laptops they add an LE to separate 2 of the 3. Many people will still be confused I bet.
Anyway, the 650M is only a little bit faster (850Mhz vs 625Mhz) but if games like the Witcher 2 taxes the system, it would still help. The alternative is to go with 17" XPS or Alienware or HP which is too big a change. If they can't put 650M because of heat issues, okay, but if it's because they want market segmentation, seems like they will likely miss out on an upsell potential.

 

^^ another option is Clevo/Sager. If you're into the 650M, they've got them in 11" and 15" laptops. The upgraded screen for the 15" is also pretty nice (not exactly the sought after rgbled, but it's still good) btw.

I'll be watching for the xps announcement tomorrow as well, hopefully the redesign is awesome.. Had a l502x for a brief period of time, so I'm curious how they re-do the line.

 

That sounds rather misguided. Avoiding the GT 640M only to buy a more expensive GPU does not motivate Nvidia in any way. Moreover, the distinction between "LE" and not LE should be clear enough. Simply avoiding the GT 640M LE makes sense, as it would discourage OEMs from using confusing GPU's.

 

As long as we're still on the side-topic of The Witcher 2, it looks like it's by far the most demanding game of any that have benchmark scores on notebookcheck. To my knowledge, it was developed from scratch in Poland, the undertaking being a first for many involved, so I'm guessing they didn't really optimize it nearly as well as they could or should have. Seems you pretty much need an extreme laptop or up-to-date desktop in order to play on anything but low. That somehow makes me feel a bit better. Like it's not all my fault for owning nothing but a mid-range-at-best laptop for PC gaming.

 

The 650M comment was just why Dell can use the better chip on the XPS 15. Really, buyers who dislike Nvidia's tactics should avoid any manufacturer that is taking advantage of these similar named items to confuse consumers. And adding an LE will still confuse many buyers because products conventionally are labeled Major-minor. And we're still talking 3 products with 2 names for the 640M line in either case. And what about the 630M (Fermi/Kepler mix)? Look at the confusion on this very thread.
I generally dislike regulation but it's because companies pull this kind of crap that we have labeling laws at all. Now I understand that boycotting a chip won't make much difference because not enough people even understand, so any change will be a result of the government or a class action suit, but there's nothing good that can come from these naming tricks.

 

It'll just get more demanding if the next Xbox/Playstation will be released next year since PC gaming is often console bound. Those of us who have a 1502x could probably wait until Haswell/Nvidia 700 in 2013 anyway and let Dell work out the kinks in the L521x line.

 

thats true but witcher is because of poor optimization. the thinness of the refreshed xps seems very intriguing... are they going to combine the regular line with the z line? but thats a nice thickness me like

 

I don't believe this for a second. Do you have a link or source to back this up? I don't think we will see XPS models until mid May.

 

I'd like to know where that came from, as well. But, I also suspect facetiousness.

I'm personally not anticipating being able to order a new model until June, but that's based on the absolute latest time frame I've read about in all the speculation I've seen. If I go by that, I can only be pleasantly surprised if it's sooner as opposed to disappointed if it's not. :]

 

the new dv6 and dv7 are on the us hp site, ready for configuring. one with i7 3610, gt650, full hd display, 8gb ram, and 750 gb hdd for 1075 dollars without coupons. $800-$1200 Laptops & Netbook PCs | HP Official Store
and backlit keyboard
i thought the dell xps with ivy bridge would be out the same day as the hp but still no sign of the dell.

 

very nice find +rep! now just waiting on the envys

 

Just to point out, I posted that at around 00.30 my time; I meant Monday at 08.00. Have a look over at the Alienware forums. One of the Dell reps. there mentioned it more than once.

But you're right; I'm sure what you believe trumps everything.

 

I have a right to be skeptical. Not trying to be mean but it would really help solidify your findings with some proof. If you look at posts above and below me, others feel skeptical the same way I do. If you want to shut people like me up then show the proof. I have no problem admitting I am wrong.

Do you have a direct link to the post in the Alienware forum by the Dell reps? If you know where it is at then just post the direct link to the Dell rep reply or even just the actual reply by the Dell rep. I think a lot of us are anxiously waiting and there a gazillion threads on the Alienware forum of which I am not going to filter through all of them to find the one post.

 

@UP
I think that everything is in the thread about new M17x/M17x... You should read last 10 pages.

 

So you're just being rude to people by claiming they need proof when you've provided none. Nobody said you didn't have a right to be skeptical. But your skepticism isn't proof.

 

The reason I didn't post a link is that the thread is bloody huge, but here:

http://forum.notebookreview.com/ali...-r2-m18x-r2-coming-speculation-thread-51.html

Post 1513. Can't find the post referring to the specific time.

 

Here is a link to the Dell press release:
*****************************************************
Intel Ivy Bridge Goodness Coming Soon - Direct2Dell - Direct2Dell - Dell Community
*****************************************************
Dell: Intel Ivy Bridge Goodness Coming Soon
By: John Blain 27 Apr 2012 3:00 PM

Hello, technophiles!

There’s been a lot of anticipation surrounding Intel’s next-generation processor technology, a.k.a. “Ivy Bridge.” A quick look at PC Mag’s write up on the technology goes a long way to explaining why. More power under the hood is always a good thing in the computer world.

I’d like to let everyone know that we here at Dell are just as excited as you are about these soon-to be-released CPUs, and that it’s been hard not to say anything.

While I still can’t say too much at this point, what I can tell you is you should be on the lookout for updates to our product lines very soon. Ivy Bridge is just around the corner, and we always want to provide our customers with the latest technology they’re looking for.

Next week, we’ll clarify more Ivy Bridge-related details on the recently-updated Alienware laptops, and we’ll have more Ivy Bridge news on new Vostro and XPS desktops. Stay tuned…
*****************************************************


So based on that, they should release more info next week. I've been watching these forums for weeks waiting to see something about the laptop I've been dreaming about. It looks like it's almost here! My other option is the Samsung Series 7 Gamer Laptop, but I fear that is just too big & heavy for my taste.

 

Do you even know what you said? I don't think you make any sense. I need to show proof when I am skeptical about an upcoming release date? How can I show proof when I don't think its happening? Do you expect to see post in a dell blog link that says..."NO we are not announcing the next XPS lineup on Monday, 4/30 at 0800 CST"

I am not saying he is 100% wrong but for the sake of others that are interested as well, a link would help to justify where you he heard the rumor. Evidence is always the best way to win any argument period. Also I mentioned in my last post that if I am wrong I will gladly take back my word.

Btw Serephucus did post a link so I thank him for it.

 

thanks for the link. I read the post. They didn't really mention which day though but at least it some time next week.

EDIT: Found the day and time Monday, 8:01 CST in the speculation thread. Its post #1434 on pg. 144 in the link. Thanks for the heads up.

http://forum.notebookreview.com/ali...r2-m18x-r2-coming-speculation-thread-144.html

EDIT 2: According to that same thread on post #1440, it looks like Monday's announcement won't include XPS laptops.

 

I saw that dell blog too after some digging. It doesn't mention anything about more info on XPS laptops though but rather XPS desktops. Hopefully Dell includes the next XPS laptop refresh information as well. I know many of us are waiting anxiously for an XPS Ivy Bridge and Nvidia 600M graphics card refresh laptop.

 

Thanks for the update. Here's a direct link to post 1513 as well.

 

Dilemma for me:

Looking to pick up a new Dell laptop, likely an XPS 15z. I have an old XPS Studio 1330 now and have had it for years.

Ok, my dilemma. Currently, with the discounts and such, I can get a Sandy Bridge 15z w/ a 750GB hard drive, 2GB GPU, i7 2640 CPU and 8GB RAM for about $800. That seams like a smoking deal. I have been looking at the Ivy Bridge specs, and am having a tough time deciding to spend the extra $600+ for a similarly spec'ed Ivy Bridge XPS 15z (albeit w/ a faster CPU and GPU) but by all accounts, a fairly minor upgrade. My gaming needs will probably top out at Diablo III. I don't play FPS on the PC.

Any thoughts? I get increased battery life (supposedly) for the Ivy Bridge, but, what? 20 more minutes? I don't know that an Ivy Bridge XPS 15z is worth almost double the cost.

Just looking for ideas. Thanks in advance.

 

where did u get specs for the 15z? i thought only the 15 specs were leaked.

This is my input for the xps 15: for cpu, that is a minor upgrade and if its a large premium, dont get it. For gpu on the other hand its a major upgrade. going from gt 525m to a gt 640m ddr3 with a week ulv cpu is a 2.33x upgrade. the ddr5 should be even faster (3-3.5x). even when comparing the same 640m to gt 540m, its still about 2x faster so major improvement in gpu

if you can, I would wait for the refresh your comp would be much more futureproof.

if you do end up getting the 15z, save money and dont get the 2gb upgrade for the card, 1 gb is more than enough for that card.

just my $.02

 

He's talking about the current 15z.

They will have coupons for the 15z even after the new Ivy Bridge XPS is out so if you can wait a month until the reviews come in, you can decide if the features are worth getting.

I don't know how GPU intensive Diablo III is but you want to always get the best GPU you can afford if you do any gaming since new games come out and you will likely have your laptop for a few years. The Kepler GPUs for L521x should be faster than the 500 series in the 1502x. So if you are waiting for anything, it is probably Kepler rather than Ivy Birdge.

 

yeah but he mentioned a $600+ premium which i was wondering where he got it from, if speculation.. that seems a bit high

 

I'm just saying a current 15z (Sandy Bridge) is about $1,400 list, before any possible coupons. I assume the new 15z when it comes out will be about that same price.

That's where I got the ~$600.