New Dell XPS L521X (Ivy Bridge)

Mmm, just got off the phone to a UK rep. Was trying to get him to do £1050 with ADP, but he was saying he could not do that. Best I got was £1036 for the lowest configuration or £1126 with ADP.

I am pretty miffed as to why on a laptop such as this ADP for the first year is not included or at the very least discounted as the US is included, could you comment on this Bill?

 

Then don't buy it. Kind of dumb for you to say that considering many here have bought it already

 

Did the rep work up a quote or just tell you the prices? Reason: if there's no quote on record from a sales rep, Rachid may be able to generate a quote which might be different.

 

Are you saying you got an L521x for under $900.....

 

He sent me a quote, but without any discount with the highest config. He only gave me discount over the phone?

 

I was told by a rep today that the $200 Gift Card for students do not apply to the XPS 15. Is this the case?

Thanks!

 

I was just told that 7/10 is the earliest ship date due to problems with the lid assembly. Now I'm miffed. Cancelling my order.

 

Im afraid thats false information considering that reps have told dozens that their devices will arrive this weekend possibly..

 

Geez. I hope your wife doesn't tell you she'll be delivering your first-born a couple days late. Kidding. Just kidding.

To each his own, if you needed it by a certain time...

 

My 14 was ordered last night (UK) then this afternoon when I checked the status it said 'Cancelled'. I phoned them, they didn't know why it was cancelled and I had to place another order. Suffice to say delivery date is now a day later than it otherwise would have been. Grrr

 

It is not supposed to be no, but I called them up to place my order and asked about it and they gave it to me either the xbox or the $200 gift card.

 

We three engineers are in the market for new laptops, and we were very hopeful regarding this laptop. It looked durable and capable of handling some image processing and/or CAD work. The material choices are smart, and Dell does have the best warranty, considering hardware failure to be the major issue. The L521x, even with a nice 20% discount (not comfortable discussing this), does not offer a suitable screen to match the experience it "should" offer consumers for the price point. It is too bad that a better screen was not found suitable at release time.

I'm aware that future screen options are in the near/immediate future, what with Windows 8 on the horizon. Waiting for the W8 deployment to upgrade the hardware is smart; however, Dell lost all three of us as customers.

The better hardware should already be an option, even at a higher price. This laptop is premium, minus that screen. It doesn't bode well for customers that Dell is not releasing the nitty gritty hardware 'details' for that screen just yet. Regardless, I hope everyone enjoys what they buy. I think I'm headed to Vizio to pursue the CN15-A2.

If you guys have anything to counter the above opinions, please - we are all ears. @Dell-Bill_B: You're quite good at what you do - we would like to hear back from you, in case we have missed something. Thanks for the "thrilling" 476 pages of discussion, guys.

 

A sales rep just told me that the operating system is installed on the mSATA. I thought I read here that it was for caching only. Anyone know for sure?

 

Rachid was already looking into this. I just had an IM chat with him. He's still following up. Hold tight. No promises, but we're working here.

 

Could anyone comment on screen quality of all the dell Laptops in an increasing order.?

like XPS > XPS 15z > Inspiron 17R SE > Inspiron 15 SE...??

 

Awesome, holding tight!

 

First post, here we go.
I've read this entire thread, but I still have some questions on my mind (these are mostly dedicated to Bill):
1. The 640M supports bistreaming of uncompressed surround sound (DTS-HD MA and Dolby True HD), but does the laptop support this?
2. I'm trying to get in touch with Dell in Denmark, but they are quite heavy to dance with. Could you please help me find out if Dell issues student discounts in Denmark?

Secondly. I think people are getting away from the point if this laptop by complaining about the screen. I personally have the Dell Studio XPS with the 1080p RGBLED screen and yes, the colours are good, but the screen itself is bleeding light so badly that I'm almost crying out loud every time I use it (hence why I'm using it hooked up to an external screen). Wait for the "retina" edition to come out. This one should have exact colours since this type of screen is dedicated to editing photos. And btw. If you want to watch movies and listening to music, then hook your laptop up to a good tv and a hifi system. No laptop speakers justify listening to music anyway.

Edit: thanks for a great forum. This is really fantastic. And thanks to to dell for keeping in touch with their customers. This is something that every major company should do. Thumps up!

 

It's more of being willing to pay the premium to be first on a premium product and for premium service, being told it would ship on 6/27, and then having the seller not be able to follow through.

And now being told my order cannot be cancelled because it is the final stages of production, where it will remain for the next week (or more). Also being told I cannot be compensated for the discrepancy between what was promised and what is being delivered service wise.

This may be my last Dell.

 

LOL@ "lid assembly." Sorry, but that part is incorrect. There may be a delay until 7/10, but it's certainly not for a manufacturing issue. (laughing at the Dell rep, not you)

I think I have detailed screen information somewhere in my inbox. I'm currently in another back to back meeting, but I'll look for it when I get off the call. I did request the information from the launch manager and engineering, but I still have to verify I received a reply and post back what I got.
Mind expanding a little bit on what specs you require for a screen in the meantime?

Wrong. mSATA is a cache drive in the factory config, but you can put the OS on it if you prefer.

 

Keep it civil. There's no need to attack others. He was just saying his viewpoint.

 

Understood. Keep us posted on how it goes. You're not the only one in the U.S. who has ordered it, so you may not be alone in the delay. I think we're all curious on the fluidity of the process and the finished product, should you decide to keep it. Here's hoping it works out for you.

 

No wonder my order says estimated delivery date is 12th July....

hoped for it to arrive next week...

 

My guess would be XPS B+RGLED > 17R SE 1920x1080 > 15R SE 1920x1080 > 15z 1920x1080.

That is in order based on the color gamut I would expect the displays to have, assuming that they all would have similar contrast, and ignoring effects of the matte finish.

 

How long does it take for you to take my money Dell, I'm trying my hardest to buy it and get confirmation from you.

Went for the highest commercially available 15" UK option as I have more need for the fast processor than the msata ssd.

 

I will have to discuss this with the other guys and come to a compromise. It seems that viewing angle, brightness, and color "gamut" in Adobe RGB are the most important from what we discussed. Overall, we aren't terribly picky with screens, but this initial screen 'seems' to be a revenue stunt by dell. And, when it comes to nitty-gritty hardware details, we are most interested in the model, revision, and manufacturer of the LCD. It would be nice to have a faint idea of when to expect the W8 re-release of the L521x. Thanks, Dell-Bill. I will see if we can come up with a basic screen requirement. I doubt there is anything significant that dell can offer us, but regardless...

 

Heh...I had a huge post detailing a metaanalysis of the marketing strategy regarding this comment. Then, I remembered this is a forum and (1) TL;DR city, and (2) I probably shouldn't be boring people to death with that.

Anyway, that's pretty much the sort of answer I would have expected. I don't think it necessarily suggests what the more distant future will look like, but it probably doesn't bode well for near-term alternative offerings. The 3612 isn't a bad CPU, although once you get to the top-end offerings it starts to look a bit underwhelming.

 

Any idea on how long this code is valid for?

Edit: Found it... 1st August gives me time to wait for reviews now.

Was gonna buy straight away but the non business site has annoyed me enough to hold off.

They've sorted out the errors on the warranty part but if you increase it to 2 years for £88 it forces you to take the 1 year accidental cover for an extra £100 on top.

Least on the business side the accidental cover doesn't cost much extra. Also Win 7 Pro.

 

You lost me at "bitstreaming" but thank goodness for copy/paste. I will send your question over at close of business and post back the answer when I get it. I have a feeling this one will meet with raised eyebrows and take a bit longer to answer, but I'll ride it out for you.

Hmm. I'm thinking the Precision line is more for your needs, but I'm far from an expert, so I won't be condescending and tell you that's what you need. It could be the XPS/Vizio class of styling is preferable to the relative mundane looks of the Precisions to the extent it has significant influence on your purchase decision.

I found my answer to my specs question, and it's not what you're looking for. I'll have to go back and reinforce the need for detail. Sorry I don't have the answer everyone is looking for just yet.

 

I had the same issue initially, when I spoke to a rep after 24 hours he emailed me the order confirmation. I got an automated confirmation a few hours later anyway and it was dispatched same day (apparently, UPS has still not updated).

 

Hey Bill, do you see any future discounts coming for the XPS 15? I'm looking at the i7 model and $1699 is much to be honest. I'm trying to get a summer job so I can get the money for it (only in high school) and I don't see me getting that kind of money by the end of the summer.

 

Could you please send me a PM with more details about your request and I will be glad to help you with this purchase.

Rachid

 

Bitstreaming is passing the audio straight to the amplifier without decoding it first. It is described better here Bill, I personally would be surprised if the XPS did not do it:

FAQ on bitstream, passthrough, reclock

 

Bill, do you have any coupon for Mexico?

 

@ BILL will there be an i5 version with the 640m in time to come ????
wondering if i should wait till the win 8 refresh an see what new is gonna come in the XPS ....

 

During the live event, when asked about the 3720 being a possibility, the reply was that its additional wattage and minimal increase in performance was not worth making it an option. But the 3612 is available on the Inspiron 15R SE. So why am I paying a premium for the XPS 15? Why is this thing $1,999 with a 1TB 5,400RPM? Apple can get away with that kind of pricing because Apple's customers -- and nobody respond to this if you're an Apple fan; this is a Dell/XPS forum, so I really don't want to hear it -- they don't question, they don't know, they don't care. They see, they touch, they buy. Good-bye. And sadly there are more fools in this world than geniuses. Dell cannot pull an Apple. Its customers are smarter than that. I'd even be willing to spend >$2,500 on a 3720, 650m, 512GB SSD, IPS/R+GBLED FHD, Blu-Ray RW, etc. I'd go all out if Dell went all out. But between the Inspiron line and AW, I really don't see what's so special anymore about the XPS line. The styling is nice, but it ain't all that.

Only time will tell if they add options and reduce their pricing. I hope time tells me what I want to hear.

 

I think you forgot that this is a laptop, not a desktop. If laptop speakers all suck that bad, why even have them?

You're wrong anyway, because the L502X had great sound.

Your suggestion that a "premium multimedia" laptop should be hooked up to a TV and hi-fi to be used is ridiculous.

 

Several people here asking coupon to Bill. Look at his avatar/pic, he's not red dressed, doesn't have white beard and moustache and a funny white&red hat ending with a pon pon.......




(hey, just kidding)

 

Documentation is up. Some of the spec questions are answered.
Documentation

Most of the screen questions are answered except for the vendor part/revision number and contrast ratio, which I'm assuming can be determined from the vendor ID stuff. I had a major duh moment when I was whining to my co-worker about not being provided the part number when requested. She said, "Can't you just boot up a unit and get it?"

Bill fail.

Sorry, guys. It's close of business now, and the person with the keys to all our units has left for the day. The lab guys are all gone as well. I'll definitely get the vendor part info tomorrow and post it back.

 

Well, according to this logic, why pay 1300-2000+$ for this/a Mac/any high end laptop when a 700-800$ lap will do just as well?

 

I'm told it's supported.

 

Hey Bill looked through those documents and didn't see anywhere of it talking about the memory configuration. I bought an 8GB model and every rep I talked to said it was 2x4GB but I've heard several times on here that it is 1x8GB. Can you confirm this?

 

Go to the owner's manual page 25-6. It should have the information that you're looking for.

 

With the prices Dell is asking for this, all configurations should just come with 1x8 in the difficult-to-access spot, making upgrades easier.

 

Been thinking about all this XPS business. I think part of the disappointment and a major mistake on Dell's part was to give this new laptop the XPS name. People were expecting a new XPS with a similar price or maybe a little more expensive than previous models. Instead, we got a machine with reasonably good specs (but not amazing) at almost double the price.
Dell should have given the Inspiron SE the name XPS, and this new machine a brand new name. They actually hurt the Inspiron SE too because it does seem like a quality machine but the "Inspiron" brand is associated in people's minds with popular, cheap machines, not with high end.

I know the XPS is a great name and has name (and quality) recognition but they should have named it something else. It has almost nothing in common with the previous XPS models anyway.

 

Good point Muffin... I didn't realize that the GPU in the 15R SE is nearly on par with the 640M DDR5 until just now....

Can get FHD screen, backlit keyboard, BluRay and it has an mSATA port I believe with 3 years warranty and accidental damage for around £1k here.

Weight is similar too along with width and depth.... Only main difference is height of up to 1cm.

So for the same specs, I'd be paying £500 for a saving of 1cm and better build quality / materials + looks.

After a little more consideration, I think I'm going to have to wait for reviews before committing £500 extra for that reason.

 

I've felt for too long now that Dell, like HP, and any brand out there, had too many product lines. AW is for gaming. Inspiron was their basic retail every-man line. XPS was supposed to be the aesthetically appealing, above-average specs and product-support line. The XPS line is no longer that. Visually pretty, perhaps, but the performance aspect, no. And during that live event it became very evident that in order to create this new chassis they had to sacrifice a higher-end CPU, GPU, and screen so as to protect the thermals and power. Having said that, the XPS 15 had better not even feel lukewarm to the touch, not once and not ever, because if it gets hot doing anything, and I mean anything, then they have failed. Then they have failed to build a better mousetrap, and they failed to provide the consumer with reasonable choices and options, and they have failed to outbid their competitors with better pricing.

I don't know why I'm getting so worked up about this when I've said repeatedly that I can wait, and most likely will, until the end of the year before getting a new laptop. But I think there are a lot of folks out there (on here) just as disappointed with the outcome as I am. This new tact by Dell is unacceptable. And I don't blame Bill. He's awesome, and from what I gather he's in marketing, so these decisions are made on another floor. But even someone in marketing can't put a positive spin on this new direction by the company. They may be saving jobs, but they may be losing sales. Maybe the price jump makes up for that, but you catch a lot more flies with honey, not salt.

 

It only just launched; I'm betting there will be some coupons in the coming couple of weeks. Considering this is more expensive than the Thinkpad W530, that says a lot. Thinkpads are usually the more expensive PCs on the market.

 

Dunno.... I'll wait for reviews and see how I feel.

Maybe I'll spend a little extra and treat myself as its going to have to last 4 - 5 years.

The scrooge in me can't quite handle it though when as mentioned in my edited post on the previous page regarding 15R SE / XPS the weight is similar too along with width and depth.... Only main difference is height of up to 1cm.

So for the same specs, I'd be paying £500 for a saving of 1cm and better build quality / materials + looks.

Aaaaaaaah well I've had enough for now.

I have at least until the business 10% off voucher expires to decide.

So did the Inspiron 15R SE.... Or a week or two ago anyway I think.

 

That only tells you how to replace the RAM. It doesn't tell you if it comes as 2 x 4GB or 1 x 8Gb

Yeah I really hope so. It needs a major discount to be attractive to me.
It also needs to last me at least 5 years

 

That's what you get I suppose for being impatient and buying right away from dell when you can get it in best buy almost 2 weeks before your ETA