Should I contact support?

I would like to have your opinion on the following issues with my 2 weeks old xps 1530:

a) There is a small periodic "kirk" noise comming from my xps. What could it be?
When I am playing some videos it is hardly noticable however, while working on a document it does become a bit annoying. I have noticed that the laptops from IBM are almost quite.

Could it be my hard disk? Compared to this my external 2.5 inch hdd is almost quite. Should I contact support on this?


b) The spacebar and the mouse buttons are a bit flimsy. It is normal?


c) The joints on the side (see pic) above the ports are a bit loose. Is is usual?
http://i44.tinypic.com/25ggxnd.jpg

d) How robust is the keyboard, would it be fine if i use is for playing games like need for speed.

 

a) What exactly does a "kirk" sound like? Is it like a loud click? Where does it come from? It sounds like it's more likely your hard drive, but if the sounds are abnormally loud, it may be a problem.

d) I don't think it should be any less robust than any other Dell keyboard... which it means it should be find if you abuse it a bit. In a worst case scenario you can them replaced really cheap.

Dunno about b or c, you'll have to wait for an actual M1530 owner for those.

 

i get the "kirk" sound too.... i guess it is the read write head of the hard disk retracting or something like that....something to do with the HDD anyway given the type, regularity and location of the noise.

i don't believe all spacebar keys or mouse buttons are flimsy. my entire keyboard and trackpad buttons feel fairly solid (i have 1530 too)

as for NFS, well even i play NFS:MW and other racing games. all ok till now but fingers crossed for the future (as mine's only 2 months old yet)

 

Verify that your HDD Acoustic Performance is set to: Performance and not Quiet or Bypass in the BIOS. This can help in reducing some HDD noise.

If it is still unacceptable, see if your HDD is one of the models listed in this firmware update. If it is, consider applying the firmware patch. Be advised: I applied this patch to the Seagate 320GB HDD and now I am seeing a lower than previously recorded burst rate in HDTune. Not sure if its the patch or not - still troubleshooting.

http://support.us.dell.com/support/...eid=R211337&formatcnt=2&libid=0&fileid=297636

 

a) Could just be the normal hard drive clicking problem with all M1530. Doesn't seem to change no matter which hard drive you place in it. There's less noise when they're in an external enclosure (already tested by me)

b) Doesn't seem flimsy at all.

c) The joints are removable when opening the media panel and keyboard. Shouldn't be very loose though.

d) I've played games from racing to fighting, RTS to FPS and so far my keyboard hasn't fallen apart. Hope that answers your question

 

Thanks BatBoy, I think you are right. My HDD is infact ST9320421ASG ; the 320 GB model with 7200 RPM.

 

Noopes HDD Acoustic Performance did not help. The Quiet setting was slightly better. I think I will now try the patch.