New XPS 15z

Win7 has very easy to use power options. Set it to performance before playing, and it wont downclock at all. Just be ready to watch that battery meter drop.

 

exactly...once you get the base off everything is very easy to get to and arranged very nicely. What are you going to replace the stock hard drive with?
Got a great SSD in mind?

 

I have come across a few reviews that did mention it got very warm especially under gaming conditions. To be honest I am deciding between whether to get the XPS 15 or 15z. The only reason to get the 15z is obviously its thinner body and better looks (subjective), though I personally find the XPS 15 looking pretty beast. Back to the main point, the reasons why I am seriously considering not getting the 15z is because the screen is of lesser quality than that of the XPS 15's B+RGLED (90% vs 60% gamut). Also its an unequivocal fact that the XPS 15 with its JBL speakers + subwoofer has the best audio on any laptop to date. For some reason, Dell decided to do with a downgraded webcam of 1.3mp vs 2.0mp on the XPS 15 and that matters to me a great deal because I skype alot. Other things to take note of but not as significant is the lack of quad core and blu-ray on the 15z. As such, I am leaning towards the XPS 15.

 

I don't know about those reviews of it getting warm specifically under gaming conditions. Let's be real. What laptop DOESN'T get warm while gaming?

I don't want anecdotes either. I've gone through 10+ laptops in the last 3 years and enough in the last 15 years to make a head spin so I've had my share and experiences. Actual temperatures with reference points.

I don't want to belabor the point, but heat issues on it's own is understandable and a true concern. Reviews calling it warm while gaming on the other hand? Means nothing to me without numbers given the huge disparity of opinions (an absurd amount that are worthless) out there.

On your personal dilemma, it sounds to me like you've already decided on the standard xps 15. I solid choice imo. I WILL say this though. If I'm going for a 15" laptop where the absolute thinnest frame isn't the primary consideration...I would look STRONGLY at the HP D6VT. The 6770M it packs is just something I can't turn away from. Basically, if it's the thinnest, power, reasonably priced 15" laptop, it'd be the 15Z. Sacrifice the svelte look of the 15Z, I'd do the D6VT.

 

there fixed for you

 

Thanks for the tip with the HP. Anyway when I was talking about the potential heat issues of the 15z, I was comparing to the XPS 15. I have played around with one with max settings and it was barely warm to the touch. I am concerned about the 15z as it doesn't appear to benefit from the superb heat dissipating design of the XPS 15 which has been raved about in many reviews since it came out. Perhaps it is inevitable that slimness and heat buildup will always come hand in hand.

 

Sorry but no, I'm not talking about serious gaming but its nice to have a decent video card. The old XPS's Enys etc ALL have superior graphics card, I suppose no one 'needed those'. If the 15z is offered with a 540-550 I'll pay the premium 'just in case' I decide to game on kitchen table when my other PC is being used. Whatever the circumstance, newer hardware aimed at same user should be at least as powerful as previous generation. IMHO Alienware/G are just not my cup of tea.

 

hi guys,
How about is the FullHD WLED screen in the XPS 15z comparing it with the FullHD B+RGLED from the XPS 15? and the audio? (speakers are JBL in 15z?)

I'm not sure which laptop to purchase according to my needs.
I'm not a hard gamer (some casual games ocasionally), the use would be browsing internet, watching movies/tv and programming tasks (with VisualStudio).

In store for my country (spain), the current offer for the 15z with FullHD screen comes with the following specifications:
*i5 2410M
*4GB RAM
*WLED FullHD
*500GB HDD (Dell sucks with RAM and harddrive config for my country!!)
*Nvidia 525 with 1Gb
1099 Eur (967 applying current discount vouchers). Next level (i7, 8Gb,etc) is too expensive (1399 without dicounts).

A XPS15 with i7 quadcore, FullHD, 6 GB, 500 GB hard drive and wifi card 1030 (can't choose the 6230 card in the spanish dell's store) now costs 1,009 euros. (And without backlit keyboard:is not a choice in my country )

 

Sounds like computers are pricey in Spain. To answer your question, the screen on the XPS 15's B+RGLED has 90% gamut while the WLED on the 15z has 60% gamut. That means the 15z has about 50% less color reproduction than the B+RGLED. Aside from gamut, everything else seems fine about the screen. In regards to audio, the XPS 15z does not have the JBL w/ subwoofer so it won't sound as crisp and deep as the XPS 15z. If the XPS 15 is not available then by all means get the 15z. Otherwise, I would give it some thought.

 

Hmmmm.... I don't speak Spanish, but it seems to me that the Dell online store does offer the Core i7 version for the same prices as in the Netherlands... La tienda en línea de Dell. Construya su propio sistema

 

Yes... same options/prices in europe (maybe except UK) for XPS 15z, at least until the date. The XPS15 (L502X) has options not available in spain such as Advanced Wireless 6230, Backlit keyboard, and some more.

Dell has incomprehensible things, as the case of the backlit keyboard: There is a spanish latin-american keyboard (the same in fact) but do not allow us to select it.

 

It would be safe to say that no desktops are safe from this either... it's the nature of the beast... use the system components to their limits... they'll heat up.

I'm not a gamer, but if I were worried about performance and heat, I would go with the 15 instead of the 15z. Interestingly enough, I think the huge speaker grills that flank the keyboard on the 15z are also as much for venting due to the thinner construction. Co-workers have commented on the "wasted space" but I prefer the centered keyboard over the 10-key layout and I've come to appreciate why Apple did the same with their 17" MBP.

Still playing... will probably try to run a battery test today but it's been pretty decent... it's a bit shocking to click on the battery icon and see "94% 8 hours 41 minutes", when the most I've ever seen on previous laptops was somewhere near 4 hours.

 

whoa whoa... this is heartbreak right here. Where does it tell the gamut specs? I thought it had the same screen as the xps 15.....

 

Yeah these Sandy Bridge chips are seriously amazing.

 

They are not same screen.
But i'd tell you it's good enough for general use purose, unless u are photo editor or productor.

The 60% is from "according someone by according someone by according someone by .....................................................................................................................................

Here is the exact tested result
Test Dell XPS 15z Notebook - Notebookcheck.com Tests

According to REAL X220 IPS screen users (they actually bought them and used them), most of them thought the screen is fairly awesome.
If u click on the XPS 15z vs X220 ips , they have similar color space.

It's all you choice,u can always return it if u don't like.
I used SXPS 16 RBGLED before, it was over saturated and my eyes feel pain if i look at it longer than half hour. Real user's experience. No make up by imagination

 

Welcome to the wonderful world of interpretation. 99% of home users will claim they crappy, glossy TN screen will look awesome.

But when i look at those, i see the screen is just junk. When they see my screen, they want one too (yea, actually half of my class wants a screen like mine, and it it's "only" 60% gamut. okay, that has a lot to do whit the higher resolution).

The screen in the lenovo X220 is good because it is an IPS screen. Not because the overall specs are anything spectacular. Compare the xps 16 RGBled display to the elitebook IPS display and you see what i mean. 200% gamut or not, TN is still crap for photo editing.

 

You do relise the 525m and 540m are the same thing, just the 540m is clocked 70Mhz higher, which you can do yourself (and further), right?

A laptop that can play Crysis/2 and Bad Company 2 at medium settings with a decent res is a pretty good gaming laptop if you ask me, which the 525m supposedly does just fine.

 

My Acer 3820TG. MOH at high settings w/OC'd GPU normally in the 60Cs and under stress in the low 70s. KB and palmrest quite cool. It also makes ice.

Bronsky

 

Ugh too bad that's exactly what I do. Luckily I do have a large lcd for my main editing but would have loved a high quality panel for editing on the go

 

Too bad, 99% xps 15z buyers are not professional photo editor. So you are suggesting Dell to use a HP 16 bit IPsS screen on it because 1% buyers need it? It will also cost $1000 more.

From what I know, 99% professional are using the notebooks which company offer. Most of them probably buy MacBook for home.

How many ppl actually spend their own money to buy a $ 3000 HP IPS book for work

 

But heat is a much bigger concern for laptops, because the user actually touches the machine while using it (i.e. the palmrest and the bottom), whereas for desktops, the only parts that we touch are the keyboad and the mouse, which don't heat up. Heat-induced fan noise is also a bigger problem for laptops than for desktops: you can put the desktop's CPU box on the floor under the desk so you hear less of the noise, but this isn't an option for laptops.

 

I agree it's a much bigger concern but you just listed why it's almost impossible to avoid... unless yours makes ice like Bronsky's. ;P

To anyone who does have a 15z... does your lid flex as much as mine does? I noticed it because I was going to remove the protective plastic over the Dell logo but it's not just a little flex, it's like a big bubble you can push in, a little disconcerting.

As to a poster's question about the comparison of the trackpad to Apple's glass one... the glass one is much better and more responsive. But if you've never used the glass one, you won't notice.

 

Any chance that the screen can be switched out? Might want to try to put the 15" matte in

 

Anybody else order it this past weekend? Mine seems to be stuck in "Production" according to the dell website and the estimated delivery from 6/3 to 6/6 and probably beyond since it doesn't look like it'll ship today.

 

Mine has been stuck in production since last friday

 

Anyone that has the 15z, can I ask how the fan behaves ?

I ordered an XPS 15R2 a couple of weeks ago, but returned it because of the fan behaviour. Basically any time I did anything the fan would burst to life for a few seconds, then shutoff again. So even rendering a page in firefox would result in a brief, but annoying burst of fan. I tried loads of things to mask it (changing cooling policy from active to passive etc etc), but could never get rid of the behaviour all together.

I kind of assume the 15z will exhibit the same behaviour (same BIOS ?), but wanted to see if anyone had any feedback ?

Thanks

 

I have never heard the fan come on yet! Last night I converted 2 avi files to DVD format then burned them and the fan never came on....so cannot help you with the fan noise....

 

Hey jamezr, can you tell me about the heat? I've been hearing about the heat being an issue with this lappy. I don't plan on doing much gaming, but I do watch flash videos online, does it heat up quite a bit? Also, does anyone here know anything about replacing the battery? I spoke to dell tech support and they claim out of warranty the battery will cost $300 to replace including labour which is giving me some pause about buying this one.

 

Can you explain in a little bit more detail on how you use your xps15z and your experiences with it.

I'd like to know if when playing a game for an hour or two that the laptop will shut down. My old acer laptop would get hot playing a game or when i was watching tv via a tvtuner connected to it. When that acer got hot it would just shut down.

For that laptop I ended up getting a kind of stand with usb fan. It would keep the base of my acer cooler and it would not shut down.

Also. if you were playing a game or doing some video enconding, can you have it on your lap while it does this or will it get too hot after say 30minutes?

Also, I see that you bought the i5 version. Why did you choose the i5 instead of the i7? I'm not sure which one to get. i7 is going to be faster but probably use a bit more battery. But from the perspective of performance, is the i7 a huge amount faster? I'm trying to work out if the i7 is worth the extra cost.

If it was a quad core i7 then it would be very obvious on whether or not it is worth the upgrade but because the xps15z is using both dual cores for i5 and i7, it is less clear to me if the upgrade is worth the extra money.

 

It's not worth the extra money. The performance difference between the i5-2410M and the i7-2620M is there, but for the cost it's not worth it. The only upgrade you really need is the 1080p screen (and believe me, you really do need the 1080p screen. Don't buy the 720p screen.).

 

Hi, thank you for your response, it is greatly appreciated.

The screen is a definite must, as you point out.

 

Will replacing the battery be a pain down the road? Unless I'm mistaken it's internal right?

 

To remove the battery you have to remove the base. To do that remove the bottom 8 little screws. The battery and all system components are very easily accessible after that. So the battery is replaceable...
Hope that helps!

 

I watched a movie on Netflix and surfed the web for about 2 hours. The laptop was on my lap while I was wearing shorts. The laptop never got uncomfortable or warm. It was resting on my legs the whole time. the fan never came on and after all that i still had 5 hours battery life left! Hope this helps.
Also to replace the battery ...remove the bottom 8 little screws and pry the bottom base off. The battery, hard drive is very easily replaced after that.

 

Ok that's it. I'm going to order one tonight. OMG yes

Too bad I have to wait a few weeks for it to arrive

But at least I have something to look forward to

I'm just annoyed that there isn't too many reviews on this laptop yet since it's obviously quite new.

 

I watched a movie via Netflix online and surfed the web for 2 hours and still has 5 hours battery left. The laptop was on my lap resting on my legs( i was wearing shorts) and it never got hot. When I was converting the AVI files it was on my desk. But the fans never even came on....
I chose the i5 because it has a great performance and great battery life.
I had an HP Envy with the i7 quad chip and it was very hot after about 20 minutes of normal use and the battery lasted about 1.5 hours. I have not noticed a difference in performance between the Envy and the XPS 15z.
Hope that helps.

 

Thanks! I have my gaming laptops that I basically use as desktop replacements. They are great but I'm looking at something thin and no too expensive that I will use mainly for business use. Seems like that puppy is what I need.

I know that there's a lot more compact or thinner laptops out there but they lack a DVD drive which is a deal breaker for me.

 

Hey jamezr, thanks for the info, I really appreciate it. Would you humor me with a couple more silly questions? Firstly, did you get the base i5 with the HD, or did you up the ram and HDD too? Also, as a follow up to that, would you recommend going with the the base model with the better screen or should I cough up for extra ram and a bigger HDD. I think I'd be pretty content with the i5 specially because I've heard it's better with cooling, but I'm wondering if the additional ram and the better GPU (2GB) is worth splurging on. Finally, does the wrist-rest tend to get warm in a noticeable way? I remember reading online about the front left side getting toasty after use. Thanks in advance, and sorry for all the noob questions, this'll be my first lappy so I'm a bit hesitant.

 

The 2GB GPU is a marketing scam. On a card of this level, nothing will even be able to even use take full advantage of 1GB letalone 2GB.

Also you can generally upgrade RAM yourself for less than it costs to upgrade on the website.

 

Hey Iceman.....I got the base i5 with the stock hardware. I then upgraded the HD to the SSD in my signature. For me the base model with the 1080 screen is perfect. The i5 chip has a great blend of performance and power saving. It really does get the battery life it says in the advertisements. I get around 7 plus hours of normal use for me. I don't do gaming on my laptop. I have my desktop for that. So the video card that comes with the base model is plenty good enough for me. I have never felt heat on the bottom while it is on my legs or on the palm rests. This is a great laptop! It blows my HP Envy away! Hope this helps!

 

Thanks again jamezr. I'm doing my order now.

 

Ok, I ended up ordering the Dell XPS15z i7 with the best components I could select.

My order was placed just now on June 2nd 2011.

In the email I just received it says that the estimated deliverly date is on or before 4th July 2011.

Hmm...seems like a long time. Hope it changes so that it arrives sooner.

I'm excited, lol

 

Feels better that I'm not alone.

I debated over this for some time but the performance your got out of the i7 was pretty marginal to what you paid. The 2410m should be more than enough.

This is good to know since heat seemed to be a reoccurring problem in the early reviews (With i7's) so this helped reaffirm my decision, thanks!

 

OMG! How much money did it cost? I wouldn't feel comfortable carrying around something so expensive, for fear of damaging it or getting mugged!

 

I paid $1424 AUD (Australian Dollars) for it. I was able to obtain a coupon that gave me a 15% discount

 

I went with the stock base model because it had everything I needed. I upgraded the HD to an SSD. That gave me performance increase and better battery life as well. I ordered it on launch day and recieved it 3 days later!

 

I have looked at a ton of reviews for a lot of laptops... The Sandy Bridge chips are awesome and the speed increase from a i5 to an i7 for most users will be not noticable. Thats why i went with the i5 so as to get the right blend of performance and battery life. Plus the i5 does not produce as much heat and the i7 does.

 

very nice If I had the money for a SSD I'd have liked to do what you did. I think that you have the best setup. I'll be satisfied with what I'm getting though.

The Aussie dell store doesn't have many selections so that could have caused some confusion in my prior post in terms of cost. If you see the aussie dell store there is only two basic packages.(and you can't really adjust the core parts like ram and hard disk etc) The American store has 5 odd packages you can choose from and then you can customise a lot further than what we can.

 

When I ordered mine there was not an option for the SSD. I ordered that myself from Newegg.com and installed and reloaded Windows 7 using the CD key on the bottom of the laptop.

 

Hi Everyone, my first post!

Ordered two Dell XPS 15z laptops on May 24th here in Canada. i5 with 1080p upgrade. Says they have been shipped today, expecting them tomorrow, BUT Canada Post is supposed to go on strike tonight at 11:59pm! Fingers crossed!