New XPS 15z

That driver is NOT for the 15z...it's for the Dell Ultrasharp U2412M monitor.

 

Someone here sent me this link on how to open the base cover:

Dell XPS 15z Disassembly - Bottom Cover Case Assembly How to Remove to Upgrade - YouTube

Do you see this person doing anything wrong? He use a credit card and rim thru it and it seems to pop up easily? Looks pretty easy and why is that ???

 

It looks easy because this person has had his 15z opened before. The more times you open and close it, the less tight the clips hold. As soon as I saw how easy his popped open, it was obvious he'd had it opened a few times already.

Some Outlet 15z's have already been opened a few times, depending on the previous owner. Others are still "virgin". I had one 15z that had to be repaired/opened about 6 times, and by the 6th time, the bottom cover pretty much falls off.

 

The SSD is cooler, but that doesn't necessarily affect CPU core temp readings. There is very little open space in the 15z for warm air to move around, and the chassis tends to act as a heatsink so I'd think a warmer HDD would dissipate it's heat in the general area of the HDD.

This particular 15z of mine was so perfect (from the Outlet) when I got it, that it looked brand new. I don't think I've ever opened this one up since it came with the Samsung 830 SSD and 8GB of RAM. As a matter of fact, it was fully loaded with i7, 8GB, 256GB SSD and 1080p and 2GB GPU for $789!! (if I may gloat a bit!)

No reason to open it, so probably stock paste on the CPU.

 

I see. Mine will not new as it is a refurbished. I hope it come loose easily. I shall see tomorrow.

 

I got my refurb 15z just now.

The keyboard and screen is georgeous!

On the bottom part, the W7 serial label is about to get peel off and it is worn.

The front around the strip area thare some indent about 2 paper size thick. I guess thats where the tech open it ??? This look delicate! I might not open it.

Now debating if I should try to open n put in a new SSD if I dont get this below. I know SSD is fast, but I dont game and whats a 10 sec wait ??? Decisions!

The base wobble! It try on 3 surface already and it still wobble!

I am going to call Dell and ship it back. If they give me a discount, I might(I say might) take it.

Do they exhange for another flat base that dont wobble?

Your comments?

 

Is the chrome strip that goes around the unit marred? If so, call and complain. Tell them there is a gap and that the strip is damaged. Tell them it wobbles and it's not level. They'll send out a tech to replace which would get you a new bottom part and a new top part!

Since it's already messed up, you have nothing to lose changing out to an SSD now!

It's up to you, though. It was a low-price deal, so you can't exactly order another one at that price.

Good luck!

 

OK, first 2 call, I got disconnected. I dont know if it is on purpose.

Finally 3rd support was able to do a write up. It took 25 mins?

They are going to sent a technician to come n replace my base cover at my work place.

Now go ahead and replace the base cover and put in my SSD now?

 

They're not replacing the chrome trim??

 

I didnt use any tools at all.

I read some of your advice and pointers and follow what you said!

Pay very attention on how you take it off. Furge around it a little bit and see how the play comes on and off before you take the whole thing apart at the front end !!! Watch that video.

I got my new SSD 120GB put in and nothing bad happens. It all snap back in correctly. No dinks. I notice my screw head is somewhat strip!

I am soo happy. I would not want to do this often.

BUT YOU KNOW WHAT ???

Please pardon my french: My wobble is gone! What the hell happen ????

Did the tech didnt do it right at the factory ???

When the tech call me on in 1-2 days, I have to tell him dont come. This is weird!

 

I got everything back on my 15z. No yellow mark on my control panel. Dell driver website is not user friendly. I just use my best judgement and the highest number is the latest.

There are Dell drivers and then there are manuf drivers on there.

Where are the Dell webcam driver and software. I cant find it. Can anyone help? Thanks!

 

Which glue will be used for sticking the sticker (window 7 and the intel one) on laptop panel ?

 

Hey guys, I got my motherboard replaced and it seems that the heat issue is a design problem. It didn't do anything to the temps (still mobo is hitting 95c and processor is hitting 98C and sometimes turning off)

 

Mine was perfect until i opened it. Then i put screws back, and mine was wobbling too. Then i've unscrewed, and put it back not so hard. That was the problem. That screws were so tight.

 

Good job man. Can you pm or post it here(settings for overclocking GPU)

 

Download Nvidia System Tools:
NVIDIA DRIVERS 6.08

Here are settings I used:
Core 740 Mhz
Shader 1480 Mhz
MEMORY 900 Mhz (DO NOT TOUCH THIS VALUE!)

You can increase the core or decrease by as much as you want but DONT touch the memory speed. If you feel you system is still cool after 740 mhz, you can try increasing it for extra performance. I say if it stays below 80C then it's safe.

http://openhardwaremonitor.org/downloads/
Best open source for temp monitoring. Got more features than HwMon which i currently use.

 

How do you overclock it? When I was on the phone with the tech, they say you cant do it. But I read can be overclock from 2.3 to 2.9 ghz.

A very tight screw can make it wobble? So the tech must be using an air compressor or electric wrench!?

 

DO NOT OC the processor in this laptop. The CPU already reaches burning temps without overclocking (I reached 98C before I put Aztec Diamond cooling paste) and if you are using the stock paste and if you OC your processor, there is a very good chance of you messing up your motherboard as this is OEM.

And do not ask dell if you can OC or tell them that you did. This will void your warranty. Of course, they can't know unless you tell them, or overclock it by so much that it burns the mobo. lol.

Overclocking the GPU is very safe as it stays under 80C with my OC speeds. (stock is about 71)

 

Yes it can make it, and even without electric wrench I've done it using hands, problem is that screws can be tighten crookedly. That is the problem.
uchihacg, thank you very much. It is really helpful tip.

 

Hi guys,
Another issue with this laptop now after they replaced the motherboard. Whenever the fan turns off, it makes a small sound then if i touch the metal part of the laptop, it produces a little shock (like a tickle). I called dell I'm sending it back to them.

Do you guys think I can get a different model if they find this system faulty? ex: under the same price I bought this computer for. Suppose a normal Dell Xps 15. This computer was $1100 so can I get one that's equivalent in price?

 

Mine is shocking too.(omg crappy 15z and it problems). I guess it is because of disassembling and assembling it in a wrong way.
I don't know how is it in USA. But yeah you need to try it. At least there is an option to take another xps 15z.

 

I install this Intel toy on Dell site and I see that is doing the sidestep thing. It flucatuate between 2.30 and 2.8 when it need the kick. I rather that it do this when it need the power.

Now isnt this overclocking? Overclocking when it need it?

 

Oh you're talking about turbo boost? It automatically overclocks when the temperature is cool and you need more speed. You don't need to do anything.

 

Yah. I really dont know what it all means until I got my machine this week.

So what they are saying is turbo boost on their own terms, not when you want to OC it like a on desktop.

This is misleading information.

 

Well it's not dell. It's Intel that advertises that. And if it's an intel i5 or i7 it's like that for desktops too.

You CAN overclock this processor past 2.9 ghz but what i said was that would be dangerous. It's not really that misleading.

 

I thought for desktop is different. I am able to overclock my i7 950 from 3.1 to 3.3 something over air using eVGA software. I forgot the exact number. Now the speed does stay constant. Not like this. My memory chip runs so hot. But I find it no use to overclock for me as I dont game or render video.

But this turbo boost is still find with me. It make no sense running 2.90 ghz in idle.

 

I call Dell and they they say I have to go to smartsource website to download the Webcam driver and video as it is not free software?

But I cant get into smartsource now as it is buggy. Can you get in?

They also sent me a CD for it.

 

That is the way how it works. I don't like it too. So power saver mode is your solution. Or high performance, when it is stable 2.9 ghz(or 2.8 with 2 cores).

PS. OClocked my GPU, and it was 6200, and now it is 9000 in 3dmark06. That is really impressive. Thanks to uchihacg.

 

Hi Guys,

Just got my XPS 15z today and I must say the screen colors are really out of wack. I'm coming from an Envy 14 Radiance screen, which was beautiful right out of the box even with just 1600x900 resolution.

I've already turned off the "splendid color" feature as suggested by others, which has made it a little bit better, but the colors still seem really oversaturated.

I'm not an expert on calibration. Can anyone suggest a color profile or just give me numbers for gamma, saturation, hue, etc...?

I think the right way to describe it is that other than oversaturation, the colors seem overly "cold".

 

Idle is 40-50
Yes, Gaming
It was something installed already its with quickset i believe

 

I don't know I have i5 2430 and temperature lies between 55 to 65. Don't how bad and poor quality of paste and thermal pads are used by Dell.

 

Does anyone have any experience contrasting this Laptop with the new (2012 refresh) of the Envy 17 / Envy 15 from HP?

 

My laptop is silence when it is idle.

Only when it is working the fan comes on. And when it constipate, thats when the jet engine takes off.

I think this is normal behavior with my SSD in it.

What software do u use for temp?

I notice no hd indicator light.

 

^^ CPUID and AIDA64, there are lot of software available.

 

If you're talking about the new Hp Spectre line (envy 15 spectre) it's specs, design completely blow away this laptop in all aspects.

Buy it over this laptop any day.

- Superior audio
- Same built in extended battery
- Superior performance options (better GPU and option for quad core cpu)
- Excellent Design
- BETTER SCREEN

It costs a lot more though. I think starting price is about $1300. I'm not sure when it'll be released.

If you're talking about the ORIGINAL ENVY line (envy 14 and 17) I say stick with dell xps as the current envy line has many problems.

 

Open Hardware Monitor - CPU Temperature, Fan Speed and Voltages in a Free Software Gadget

 

Its hard to imagine that HP can still do laptop.

I will take a look at HP if they are as generous as Dell in their outlet dept.

 

What is a size of thermal pads inside 15z 0.5mm, 1.0mm or 1.5mm ?

 

Not sure when the new Envy 14 and 15 will launch, but I imagine we'll have our refreshes out around the same time.

 

You can't look for these laptops in the outlet as they are not released yet. The OLD envy line is REALLY BAD. Don't buy it. It's not worth the money at all.

 

Please put in a better 720p screen. Or even better a 1440x900 or 900p screen. I can see one reason why multimedia people would be turned off by this laptop.

 

I am not use to the 1080p on the 15.6" screen.

Now I am snoop in and my nose is 1 ft from the screen.

6 in. for critical operation.

May need to get a 14z and get an external monitor to lug along.

 

Yup, I wished they put in something in between the 1366x768 and 1080p screen like 1440x900 or even better, 1600x900.

 

Does anyone own a 15z with the hybrid hard drive Dell's offering? Is it worth a $100 upgrade (and 500GB less storage)?

 

If storage is your prime concern, stick with the 1TB one. The Hybrid drives are pretty fast. They get very close to SSD performance. If you're looking for speed only then go for the Hybrid Drive.

Though the Hybrid drive greatly increases your speeds, keep in mind that $100 is NOT worth the UPGRADE IF THAT'S ALL you're getting.


With deals, you can get a 500 GB hybrid drive for under $100. They normally sell around $120 though.

 

Sadly, the 15" IPS screen on the new Envy has the same OrangeGate issue as the Sony SE.

 

Thanks for the insight!

I've heard from several people that going from a HDD to a SDD is like night and day for every-day performance. I doubt I would ever use an entire TB, so I guess it's not so much an issue of storage, but whether or not the hybrid would noticeably speed up and thus improve the experience of daily work.

 

Daily work as in?

If you transfer a lot of files, open programs that have really long loading times, want fast boot times, deal with photo/video, then that's what the Hybrid Drive is for.

Other than that, there's no real need for a Hybrid drive unless you're an enthusiast like me who wants top notch performance

 

I just got myself an XPS 15z and I've got an issue with the screen.

At first I thought that perhaps I just needed to play with the ClearType settings, but it doesn't seem to help.

When I look at the screen the image just does not seem very sharp and I need to strain myself just to read the screen. When I look in close, I can see that the sides of things like text will have blue and red lines bleeding off the text.

Is this something that I can correct, a byproduct of having a 15" 1080p screen, or is it a defect on my monitor?

 

most likely due to 1080p crammed into 15 inch. I even had trouble with 1080p on 17 inch laptop and had to make DPI adjustments (which made it look terrible)