New XPS 15z

Really? Ok

 

I am almost sure you are correct. LCD supplies are often unreliable, which is why laptop manufacturers nearly always obtain panels from multiple sources. And like I said earlier, this is the likeliest explanation for why some people find their 15z 1080p screen excellent whereas others hate it so much they have to RMA the laptop.

Interestingly, I have only heard of high-res panels having supply issues, but not low-res ones. It seems that manufacturers have a tendency to underestimate the demand for decent LCD panels. Maybe that's one of the reasons why they went from 4:3 to 16:10 to 16:9 in the first place, thinking "16:9 sucks but no one would mind anyway".

 

If you don't have an icon in the system tray for the Realtek HD audio manager, try the control panel>hardware and sound.


I updated the drivers and now my touchpad sucks bad, really laggy, skips/jumpy, can't decide if it wants to scroll or zoom. I'm assuming its from the Data Acquisition for Gesture Engine having lost it's data and has to re-learn. You'd think they'd put that data someplace that wouldn't be over-written.

 

deleted......

 

I'm used to the nice Thinkvantage's System Update which shows what drivers I have and what are new!

Is there no similar utility from Dell?

 

I highly suggest turning off either zoom or scroll, whichever one you use least. They don't seem to play nice together.

 

Worked perfect before updating the driver, just held both fingers together and it'd scroll fine, nice and smooth, move apart for zoom. I'm having less problems with it wanting to zoom now, but the scrolling is still laggy and jumpy.

 

I believe 2.3.6.3 is a reliable version

Scrolling and Zoom is sucky... so I just disabled zoom (and use zoomy extension on Chrome)

 

So I finally took the time to contact support via chat about my hibernate issue and after an hour or so of Dell Connect (they Citrix into your computer and diagnose it) and changing video drivers, disabling bluetooth and adjusting power settings, the recommendation was to factory reset and if that didn't work, motherboard replacement.

Well... the factory reset did not work, still would not hibernate... so now they are sending out a tech to replace the motherboard.

I guess not only do you pay more for buying early... but you get the untested stuff first.

Bah.

 

yep...will not buy another Dell.....4 tech calls and 4 technicians finally diagnosed mine with a bad video card. Sent tech to replace motherboard. Still had video problem...Sent tech out to replace LCD screen.....Problem solved.....then 3 days later the speakers had vibration and rattling noises.....Lost my patience...sent it back and now waiting for a refund...their customer/technical service is the worst! They kept putting me off and would not offer a replacement unitl the speaker issue...too little too late....Going to get a Macbook Pro. Apple would have replaced the system the first time I asked them too....

 

@jamezr:

Were you beyond the return/refund period?

I'm a bit concerned about the quality of these units... the support person assured me that there are no issues with other 15zs and the hibernation problem but I've read more than one count on Dell's own forums.

The problem here is there are no other notebooks with 1080p resolution that are fairly thin and have a good battery life other than the new VAIO Z but that runs $2k.

 

Yes I was beyond the return period of 21 days. I got mine on release day and returned it last Friday. But it was a lot of work for them to get to that point. I has to argue with techs and supervisors. Be sure to get names and Dell IDs and let them know you are writing a letter to Dell about their quality and customer experience. At first they insisted no refunds/returns because I was past the return period. But after replacing the motherboard and LCD then the speaker going out they relented.... I will not buy another Dell....Apple would have replaced the laptop the first time no questions asked....

 

The tech is replacing the MB in front of me and it's kind of like watching iFixit.

So many screws and connectors...

Good news:

Watching this gives me some idea on how to replace the HD with an SSD and also how to switch out the battery.

Bad news:

Taking off the back panel looks like a pain... he messed up my chrome trim so now he has to come back to replace the palm panel. And now the keyboard doesn't work he's so taking it apart again... gah.

Will update once this is done.

All this tinkering makes it seem like it's not brand new anymore...

 

I'm not so sure those techs have as much experience as a user who has gone over the tear down guides provided by dell a couple times before doing their own repairs.

The only difficult part of the 15z I noticed was to replace the display you need to get a replacement bezel because it is taped or glued on.

After tinkering with my XPS 15 non z, I feel I could repair anyone's similar laptop with the proper parts. Usually it seems like they are replacing items just hoping it fixes the issue anyways. A little bit of training would help these techs a long way, but I guess its not cost efficient.

 

Well... the system works other than the broken trim but it still does not hibernate.

So you know what Dell tells me? I have to contact their tech support again so they can go in and check settings. I told them we already did that but they say because it's a new MB, they have to check things again.

So I get online chat again and after about half an hour of "checking"... they determine I have to factory reset... again.

I'm tired... it takes about 25 minutes to do that and I need to go somewhere so they'll call me back in 2 hours.

Bleh.

 

Sorry but what all have been done to resolve this problem?
1. change mobo etcc

 

Wow... so now Dell is blaming the OS and because it's a software problem... they won't send me a replacement unit and want to send me a Win7 disc and some kludgy procedure where I change the status of partitions on the HD.

This is the link they sent me:

Why doesn't Hibernate work any more (Windows 7)? - Super User

So... instead of telling me this when I first call:

1. They spend almost an hour on DellConnect trying to figure out what's wrong.
2. They have me reset to factory default (erasing all my programs and data)
3. Send a tech to replace my motherboard (who messes up my keyboard trim)
4. Then asks me to recontact support, who still can't resolve it
5. Asks me to factory reset again because it's a new MB. That still doesn't work.
6. Now they have to send me a Win7 disc to try this kludgy solution from a website.

Or... I can contact their Paid Software support (why would I pay for support on a brand new system) or try Microsoft Windows support (what?!?).

Gah.

 

jamezr, what problem did you have with your LCD? and did you have 1080p?

 

What's weird is instead of offering a full replacement... they offered a refund instead.

Why not just send me another 15z?

This hasn't soured me on Dell... I still like their notebooks and even with my support problems... at least they send out techs next-day which is better than having to send in the notebook for repair.

 

how hot does your 15z get?

mine is a i5 and it seems to get a bit hot on the left side next to touchpad!

is there a utility to show (and maybe manage) the heat?

 

That's where the hard drive is. When they took mine apart, most of the cooling is concentrated around the CPU so that will probably be the warmest part of the notebook.

 

I did not have the 1080 LCD. The color was all greenish blue. Like in the old days in Win 2000 when you replaced a video card on a desktop system before you updated the drivers? The screen was almost unreadable...you could see the screen and the objects but could not read the text. So the laptop was useless....

 

Maybe they want my machine back for the 1080p screen.

It's interesting there is no current option for the 1080p right now... my same config is out there but with 720p for the same price.

 

I chatted with a Dell rep today about the sudden disappearance of the 1080p screen and was told it was simply because they are out of stock right now.

 

yep one mont from now on to get new 1080p svreen i cannot wait much longer that for i will get one at outlet Dell Factory Outlet

 

Good luck... I've been looking for one on the outlet with no luck so far (at least in the config. I want) ... though there's one in the outlet HERE for $1579 and says it comes with two processors!?!? Is it me?

 

You can get one from ebay, there is a seller that sells a lot of refurbished dell laptops.

 

Dell warranty included? Can you PM me the link (if that is allowed here).

 

don't buy refurbished, not worth it

 

Why not???

 

Don't give advice unless you have something to back it up with. Why is it not worth it to buy it from the outlet? You save a lot of money (especially with the coupons), and you still get the 21-day return option and a 1 year warranty.

 

I'll buy a refurb Dell as long as it's the right price and the right specs.

Probably going to try to get a 1080p 15z off the Dell Outlet with the 15% discount coupon.

 

That's what I just did. I've seen a couple pop-up for 899 (pre-coupon), which is a pretty good deal in my opinion

 

$1199 vs $899

2 years in home warranty vs 1 year mail in service
Retail package vs refurbished package
If u need replacement in future, refurbished will get refurbsihed, unless you agrue to the rep so much, they probably offer u a brand new one

The biggest deal is, refurbsihed has less resale value.
Anyway, it's your choice

I'm just giving my suggetions to some ppl, you like to buy it , then go ahead

 

For the Dell Latitudes and Precisions, I think the Outlet is the way to go because the prices are usually very good (especially when you use a 15% or 20% coupon) and all laptops come with three years of warranty. For Dell Home laptops, the warranty is only for 1 year and so I personally would rather buy new. That said, the 15z came out so recently that the refurbished units on the Dell Outlet are almost new.

 

Hi,

I'm about to buy the 15z and have the Intel 510 SSD exactly like yours (250gig). Did you just replace the HDD for the SSD, install Intel Rapid Storage and that was that? Or did you have to change things in the BIOS, reinstall Win7 (which is not a problem as I do this as soon as I get the PC to upgrade my WIN to Ultimate)? Also, the registry hacks suggested are only for the Vortex, right, no need for the Intel?

Thanks for the advice.

 

when you buy from the outlet, you do have the option to upgrade the warranty.. I've been watching the outlet patiently. They finally get the perfect config for me this morning and their 15% off coupon expired yesterday lol.. oh well

 

you can ask in cahat to upgrade waranty but it costs a lot for +2y i need to ad 300USD shock

also i asked in cahat to give me just -15% discount

 

they have removed 1080p option on tech spec
pff

XPS 15z Laptop Details | Dell

i am MAD

i want one but with 1080p screen and in outlet thay have only one for 1400USD MAD

 

Damn. Bought the fully loaded 15z (1080p/i7/8gb/2gb520m) for ~$1150 shipped ($1200 refurbished + coupon). Returned it because the display was no good for graphic designing and that silver plastic trim looker like it was getting ready to go.

FWIW, someone said that outlets don't get in home repair - i got the default cheapest waranty, and they did a in home repair and replaced the display for me.

 

Has anyone had any issues with the 15z fan running pretty loud ALL the time, regardless of what youre doing? even with absolutely nothing open the fans are pretty loud. any help would be appreciated.

Another issue I've been noticing is that whenever I right click on the desktop the laptop makes a high pitched noise. only on the desktop though. the sound is off so it can't be coming from the speakers. thoughts?

 

My 15Z refurb came yesterday. Total (with tax) was $809. This is with the i5-2410M, 500GB hd, 6GB RAM, 1GB Nvidia, and the 1080p screen.

If I look close, a couple extremely faint scratches on the top. Looks like there are a ton of driver updates to apply. I updated the touchpad in order to get the multi-gesture to work.

Haven't really used it much yet - screen looks very nice. Very thin unit. Yea, there is a premium for the design. I'll dink around for a couple days with it yet.

I had already decided it was going back before it came - gonna pay the Apple Tax and just get the base Macbook Pro 13" for $999 (via Microcenter). This of course, is a little harder to do now with the Dell here. Bigger screen, hard drive, RAM, much higher resolution.....

 

has anyone tried replacing the optical drive with an SSD?

 

Just need some advice. I was looking at the 15z, but then saw the
HP DM4x it is 14" Lighter (4.4lbs) and has similar specs, except no USB 3.0 or Neutrino Lan.

I mostly surf, chat, cam, watch Hulu and use Word..all at the same time,

Not a gamer or a graphics editor, but I want speed...will I regret not getting usb3.0 or the Intel Lan cards, in a year ?

 

Hey guys quick question and thanks for your responses in advance.

When looking at previous posts it seems u guyz are getting battery life of approx 8 hours .. or atleast 6. Personally, I am getting only like 4.5 hours max with light usage. Wen I called the Dell rep, he said thats standard for 8-cell so they cant do anything. Is 4 hours really standard and if no do you guys have any ideas as to how i can convice the dell rep to replace my battery.

PS. This is the $999 configuration and I've had this unit for approx 1.5 weeks.

GG

 

Hi All,

I would like to know about Dell XPS 15z with following configuration ($1099).
##################################################
XPS 15z XPS 15z
PROCESSOR 2nd generation Intel Core™ i5-2410M processor 2.30 GHz with Turbo Boost 2.0 up to 2.90 GHz
VIDEO CARD NVIDIA® GeForce® GT 525M 1GB graphics with Optimus
MEMORY 6GB Shared Dual Channel DDR3 1333MHz Memory
INTERNAL OPTICAL DRIVE 8X Slot Load CD/DVD Burner (Dual Layer DVD+/-R Drive)
WIRELESS + BLUETOOTH Intel© Centrino© Advanced-N 6230 & Bluetooth 3.0
BATTERY OPTIONS 64 WHr 8-Cell Lithium Ion Primary Battery
SOUND OPTIONS Waves Maxx Audio 3
HD DISPLAY Elemental Silver Aluminum 15.6" 300-nit FHD (1080P) WLED Display with Webcam
HARD DRIVE 500GB 7200 RPM SATA Hard Drive
KEYBOARD Backlit Keyboard - English
Integrated Network Adapter Integrated 10/100/1000 Network Card
Adobe Reader Adobe® Reader X
###################################################
I saw many reviews only talks about i7-2620 processor ,750 gb harddisk and 2GB video ram. I would like to know whether this one(500gb) also has hard disk spinning sound issue ?. Any heat issues with i5 processor ?.
Please let me know if the RAM upgrade from 6GB to 8GB is easy or difficult(opening and closing the unit)?

Thanks

 

So why are their a ton of scam posts via Craigslist for Dell 15Z???

Stupid me called Dell today to get an RMA for my 15Z. After they tried to refund $50 for me to keep it, I got stung with a 10% restocking fee because I told them there was nothing wrong with it!!! Argh!!!! I haven't even really used it to know if there is anything wrong with it! Why didn't I just say the fans kept running?!?!?!

Of course now there is a case against my account/purchase that says I just changed my mind....... stupid stupid stupid!!!

 

this is not true.. call them, ask to speak to someone in charge, tell them you have a problem with any of the following:

Screen door effect
Hard drive always on
Fans too loud
Trim is too flimsy

if they still wont let you return, keep calling about any of the above 4 and request repair, until they get fed up and let you return.

 

Hi XPS 15z owners,

I am seeing DELL XPS 15z model have wireless connectivity issues as per below thread from dell fourms.
http://en.community.dell.com/support-forums/laptop/f/3518/p/19382502/19912598.aspx

Does all XPS 15z owners facing the wireless issues ?

Thanks

 

Lol, cz9h3d...I couldn't really understand you...so you DO like the laptop?