Replacement XPS 9560 Offered. Do I Want It?

Hi all,

I contacted Dell about a somewhat minor power issue that would almost certainly be fixed by a motherboard replacement as I have had many experiences with port problems fixed by replacing the loose port.

For whatever reason, they seem to want to offer me a completely 'new' device instead (to be confirmed in a few days). Is this something I should jump on or should I decline? I assume new = refurbished.

The computer is just about two years old. A new battery would obviously be an upgrade since mine has been somewhat bad from the start and only gotten worse. Other than that, I've been mostly happy with the computer. The 4k display is solid and I got the faster of the two 1TB SSD's when it was made.

The rep also implied I could shift my current SSD over to the new computer but I assume I would have to do that myself. If so, is it a lot of work and complications if I have no experience doing that or is it just following a youtube video? Will there be potential driver conflicts and things that go wrong to a hardware amateur?

If it is not too much trouble to transfer the SSD, would the new computer boot up the same as my current machine or would it just be a way to store files on a clean installed windows? Basically, will I still have to start from scratch and reload all the software and stuff like that?

Is there a significant risk that the new device would have lower quality components than my current? I assume they would give me the 9560 and not a 9570 and the specs would be the same but I have no experience with replacements.

Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

 

It's very easy to change SSDs. I would take the new computer if it comes with a new warranty.

 

Thank you for the reply. I doubt it comes with a 'new' warranty as I am only 2 years into a 4 or 5 year warranty (can't remember) but let me know if it doesn't work that way.

Glad to hear the SSD swap is easy. What about the other questions? Among others, will I have to start with a clean install if I swap my SSD?

 

I had My 9560 replaced by Dell about 1,5years ago. I just swapped my SSD, set the Bios the same as the old XPS and everything just worked. I also have to say that I received exactly the same configuration as the old one came with. Also I had removed the stock Windows from the old SSD, so no recovery partions, etc...

 

Thanks. I'm afraid you got a bit out of my expertise with 'removing stock windows' and 'setting the bios the same'. I may have removed the stock windows when I clean installed but I'm not sure and it was awhile ago. As for setting the bios, do I have to do that before booting the computer?

Is the swap easy? What about a keyboard swap? Is that hard?

If all the components were the same, would you have bothered just to get a newer battery?

 

Idd, I meant that I did a clean install of windows on the old XPS. (Wiped all partitions and changed to AHCI mode instead of RAID)

As for the BIOS settings. If you never changed anything, e.g. RAID to AHCI, you can leave everything as it is. Otherwise you’ll have to switch back to AHCI mode after swapping the SSD.

If you’re afraid to lose data, just make a copy of your old SSD with e.g. Macrium Reflect.

The swap is easy. You need a TORX 5 screwdriver and a Philips screwdriver to remove the bottom plate. Then just unscrew the SSD and replaced it with the old one.
Just google it and you’ll find some tutorials.

For the keyboard... I also was doubting to changing it, but you‘ll have to remove almost everything out of the laptop. So I didn’t do it. There are also some tutorials on YouTube.

A new battery is always an upgrade.

I would just accept the replacement. You’ll get a higher value for the laptop if you’d ever like to sell it.

 

When they tend to jump on the replacement bandwagon it often means they no longer carry the parts and the only option is a new machine, you may well end up with the 9570 so say yes. I had this with my 9530 after 18 months and got the 9550. Ask for the build sheet and you may be in for a nice surprise.

 

Thanks for the helpful info. After a few follow up questions the rep said they would send me the specs before dispatching it. I assume I would reserve the right to say no thank you. They also said it could take up to a month (not in US if that is relevant). I had made clear my issue is not urgent so I should be able to wait if needed. I'd be surprised if they gave me a 9570 but assume they would be a no brainer upgrade. If the spec sheet reads very much the same as I have no, you'd still say yes, right? Even though that means I will have to manually move the SSD and keyboard to the new machine having never done it before which I assume means hours of work and the risk of messing something up.

 

See what ssd is in it 1st
I would accept it.
Saying it could take a month means it will be a new build.

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Thanks again. Maybe I'm being dumb and lazy but would prefer to not have to reload all y software and back everything up from scratch. I'm also a bit uncomfortable returning a harddrive to Dell since my understanding is that an amateur like me can never fully clean everything on it without being tech savvy.

I will definitely report back when they give the specs.

 

The BIOS has a secure erase feature, no coming back from that. Send it back wiped, they don't care. TBH I doubt they would notice if it had no drive in it as I have sent a couple back with no power supply.

 

They finally got back to be with the specs that I will paste below. Is this a no brainer to accept? I will also post the specs of the original machine under the proposed new specs.

Is the warranty affected at all by having a replacement or it just continues on as if it was the original laptop?

Is there any reason to keep my hard drive or question any of the specific components? The representative I am working with seems great and helpful and said if there are any details I would want to request changed, to let him now before they begin the build. Any advice would be very welcome!


Proposed replacement (removing some of the duplicates from old to new build):

XPS 15 (9570)
1 8th Gen Intel(R) Core(TM) i7-8750H (9MB Cache, up to 4.1 GHz, 6 cores)
1 15.6" 4K Ultra HD (3840 x 2160) InfinityEdge Anti-Reflective Touch IPS100% AdobeRGB 400-
Nits display
1 Palmrest for 81 key (Finger Print)
1 XPS 15 Cover.
1 Silver Color
1 16GB (2x 8GB) DDR4 at 2666MHz
1 1TB M.2 2280 PCIe Solid State Drive
1 NVIDIA(R) GeForce(R) GTX 1050Ti with 4GB GDDR5
1 Killer 1535 802.11ac 2x2 WiFi and Bluetooth
Programs
1 No Out-of-Band Systems Management, ME Disable
1 Additional Software Win 10
Service
1 1Yr Premium Support with Onsite Service
1 Standard Service - 1 year Collect Return hardware support included with your PC
1 No Accidental Damage Protection
1 Keep Your Hard Drive Service - Not Selected



Original Laptop:
210-AKIF: XPS 15 9560
338-BLDO: 7th Generation Intel (R) Core (TM) i7-7700HQ Quad Core Processor (6M cache, up to 3.8GHz)
340-BKPN: XPS 15 Placemat
370-ACSE: 16GB (2x8GB) DDR4 at 2400MHz
391-BDCQ: 15.6 "4K Ultra HD (3840 x 2160) InfinityEdge touch display
400-APWJ: 1TB PCIe Solid State Drive (Samsung)
490-BDMW: NVIDIA (R) GeForce (R) GTX 1050 with 4GB GDDR5 graphics memory
555-BDHS: Killer 1535 802.11ac 2x2 WiFi and Bluetooth 4.1
580-AFN: MOD, KYBD, 80, US, ENG, M15NSC-BU
631-ABHM: Systems Management SW
658-BDLK: Killer 1535 Wireless Driver

 

Do you really have to ask if you should accept this?
And the old warranty will get transferred.

Told you it would be the new version

What was the fault with the original?

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Thanks as always for the reply. I assume you don't think it necessary to request any alterations to the proposed build as you were clearly right. Because the rep did say he would be open to making any specific alteration requests, I figured I might as well ask, but in general it seems like a clear 'yes!'.

If you think the SSD would also be any kind of upgrade, I could just take the extra time it takes to restore all my work onto the new computer even if it's a bit cumbersome for me. I would then google for a walk through of the BIOS secure erase feature which I was happy to hear you suggest and trust.

They had already replaced one motherboard with a part that had it's own issues. My guess is they were going to need to replace that again but I'm not exactly sure. I would think a motherboard alone wouldn't be cause for replacement. Maybe somehow it doesn't cost them that much do to this because from my end it seems pretty surprising. I definitely wasn't pushing for a replacement or anything as is clear from me starting a thread wondering if I want to even bother.

 

Repeated issues can trigger a replacement, more so if they had no reclaimed boards in the country (refurbished is crap, they harvest from broken laptops and often don't test)
Chance is they showed no stock so they have to replace it. I Would take it, everything will be faster including the NVMe drive. If not swap it before you return yours.

Nothing beats a format and reinstall to speed things up.

 

Thanks. Any chance you have an updated link to how to most easily format and reinstall in a new XPS 9570?

After that, do you just manually install driver updates from their site or go through some automated process?

Is the BIOS secure erase function easy to use?

 

Windows 10 really doesn't need a guide to install it any more, it has the drivers to get you online and windows update does the rest.
Secure erase is very simple, just follow the prompts.
Return it with a blank drive as you have no need or obligation to put Windows back on.

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Thanks.

Windows update actually can do the Dell specific updates like Bios updates?

I'm not good at this and only done it once before. Where do you initiate the install from? I realize you are saying a walk through isn't needed, but I just don't know where to start.

I'm guessing I can easily google how to do the secure erase. So once it's done, the computer is basically bricked for my purposes?

 

I think it is in the security section of the BIOS, WU doesn't do BIOS you get that from the Dell download page, BIOS isn't anything to do with the OS.

And the laptops a doorstop once you secure erase until you reinstall the operating system.

 

Thank you again. What updates do you recommend from the Dell download page? All of the ones marked urgent? Just Bios? Or all hardware updates on their page?

From where do you initiate the Windows clean install? Also in the BIOS? Or I just download it from Microsoft's homepage onto a USB?

Do I need to load a specific wifi driver as well?

 

Just the BIOS, and download windows from Microsoft, the download tool sorts the USB out. Windows should be mature enough to grab all the drivers once it's online, worse case you need WiFi drivers but I'm sure they are built into the standard ISO.

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When the laptop arrives, what would you say is the right 'checklist' to go through to make sure the laptop that arrives is in good working condition and doesn't warrant an immediate complaint?

I can think of making sure the screen looks fine, coil whine, and audio issues, but I'm curious if there are other common issues that may not be totally obvious when first checking out the computer?

Also, with a clean install, which drivers do you download? Wifi, BIOS (latest has problems?), and Dell Update? Or do you strongly recommend against using Dell Update?

Also, is the Dell secure erase feature in the BIOS full proof such that the data can never be recovered when sending back the old laptop?