Studio XPS 13 or 16?

dear all
I wish you can give me an insight regarding the Studio XPS 16/13 I heard there are heat and finishing problems. Based on your experience, how is the build quality, usability, cooling, noise, screen quality (any stuck/dead pixels? ), touch pad sensitivity nd buttons, keyboard flex, speed? generally any practical hands on experience would be greatly appreciated..what is the dedicated memory in the 9400 M btw.

Many many thanks for reading this and for your help.

 

I think the heat problem is overrated. My XPS 13 does get warm, but it's not overheating. But on battery mode, the computer will cool down noticeably. CPU and GPU temperatures are usually below 60C, which is well within normal ranges. The fan is very quiet, but the slot loading drive is noisy and it vibrates noticeably. Overall, I love my XPS 13, it's a great machine. My only annoyance is that the glossy finish is a pain to maintain.

 

Pretty much said it all. I have a 1640 and can testify that the same goes for it. Also you can check my vids (sig) for reviews on my 1640.

 

Depends on how mobile you want to be and if gaming is important to you. In how I use my 1640, always on a hard surface never on my lap, heat hasn't been an issue at all.

 

Great, what about , build quality , dead pixels.. and all other general issues?

 

I am using SXPS 1640 and I will never recommend it!

Check:

http://forum.notebookreview.com/showthread.php?t=404453

http://forum.notebookreview.com/showthread.php?p=5150499

Common Problems:

Finger prints magnet

Speakers gets dirty very fast

I just do web browsing and after browsing it for around 30 minutes, it gets damn hot, Dont ever think that u can please it on your lap.

Do some resource hog work, say running a video for 30 minutes then its touchpad will get unresponsive and it gets damn hot.. u cant even touch it.

I already told this to dell tech and they said that it is common issue

 

I dont think Ive really seen any notebook that has that same level of power as the XPS series that will remain cool to use on your lap. With a powerful system, it's inevitable that it will get hot. I use my laptop on the desk, as well as on soft surfaces (carpet, bed) and although I admit it gets warm, the temperatures of the CPU, GPU, HDD etc do not exceed manufacturer's specs.

The XPS series is also probably one of the best looking notebooks out on the market (in my opinion) and at a very reasonable price. I had actually sworn never to buy Dell again after having an Inspiron 6400 which felt cheap and was poorly designed. I am actually surprised at how well built the XPS series is, I have to admit. The only thing I dont like about Dell is that their software support is pretty much useless, but they are very good on replacing hardware.

 

Just read this and can't agree more, however I can't testify to Dell support since I never had to use it.

There will be lemons with every laptop, obviously 1 of our forum members on this topic had the unfortunate experience to have one. However, read this forum in its entirety (or at least the first few pages) and see what the general public opinion on the laptop is. Then, compare its specs (if you know how to) with some other ones you are thinking about, and compare the prices. IMO, I didn't believe you could pack so much power into a laptop the size of a 1640 until I received mine.

 

I heard sxps 13 is still using the heating pad like the xps 1330 which is bad if you're going to game on it.

 

When I purchased SXPS 1640, I thought that if I just do browsing it will not get hot...lol..My bad assumptions...

 

nobb pretty summed up all of my problems and feelings towards the SXPS 13.

Additional things to note:
1. The enabling of the 9200M GS (available if you order it with the 9500M GE option) will cause the laptop to get noticeably warmer, faster so I would not suggest using this laptop on your lap while doing anything graphically intensive. Though I wouldn't suggest using the laptop directly on your lap with only the 9400M G, I'd say it certainly remains bearable when doing basic tasks for non-extended periods of time.
2. The laptop had audio latency issues. If you don't know what this means however and aren't an audio connoisseur, chances are it won't be too noticeable.

There is no dedicated memory on board the 9400M G simply because it is an integrated GPU. The 9500M GE option consists of the integrated 9400M G with a dedicated 9200M GS w/ 256MB on board GDDR3 memory with the latter GPU only enabling when selected so by the user. Note however, that when the 9200M GS is enabled, the 9400M G will still occupy system RAM unfortunately.

 

I am torn between the 13 and 16 myself. I am going to order one of them as soon I can make up my mind. I can get both systems for about the same price with the specs I want (the best GPU option, 8700 CPU and 4GB ram), the main difference is the laptop/screen size.

Pro 13
* smaller/lighter
* Slightly higher battery than 16

Con 13
* more problems reported (heat, sound latency, freezing)
* concerns that might be too small when working to crank up reports etc for hours

Pro 16
* Can serve as a desktop replacement
* Roomy screen
* It gets slightly better ratings vs 13
* Just got a new motherboard (with the new ATI) and it seems to be an improvement over the last one (heat-wise)

Con 16
* slightly heavier & bigger than my current laptop (Gateway M460 15.4)
* less battery life than 13

I do not usually play games ( I might try one or two since I am going to have a pc that supports the current games) but I will be running MATLAB simulations (I am an engineering student btw). When I do the latter the laptop is going to be plugged in and be left alone to finish the simulations.

In a few words, I like the features of the 16 but I hate the idea of hauling that thing around. However, I prefer that over a smaller one that would be unusable due to issues (heat, freeze etc).

 

If you don't plan on using the laptop directly on your lap for long periods of time (or while doing resource intensive tasks), I wouldn't worry about heat on the SXPS 13. Freezing is more of a driver/software issue than an inherent problem with the laptop I'd say.

Audio latency is the primary issue of the ones you listed that is actually an issue IMO. However, I've heard Dell is to release a BIOS update addressing this in August.

 

Just thought I would add to this. One major annoyance Ive found with this system is the slot load dvd drive. Unlike a conventional drive where you can stick a paperclip to remove the disc, there really isnt anything you can do to force eject a CD. Especially when windows is using it.

 

My XPS 13 is on my laptop right now and is ever so slightly warm. This is with the secondary gpu off. I have used it for a while now and come to the conclusion that all you have to do is have a fresh install of the OS and you will be amazed at the difference in heat. DO NOT USE THE DELL RECOMMENDED POWER SETTINGS! just use windows default ones and tweak accordingly. The way that this thing ships from dell it runs hot as hell. I only ever turn the second GPU on when I want to play a modern game like left for dead and at that point it is sitting on a table or desk so the extra heat from the second GPU doesn't matter. And the battery life with the 6 cell is around 4 hours with the windows power save mode and 5.5 -6 hours on the the 9 cell battery. That's with just web browsing and word processing and wifi and blue tooth on, screen set to 1 notch above min brightness.

 

I have been using my 1640 all day today, about 8 hours straight.
Complete reinstall of Vista, installation of many programs, web browsing and general computing. The touchpad area and palm rest is warm at best. It is not hot whatsoever. I haven't even noticed the fan at all. Granted I am not doing any heavy gaming, but to say it gets way too hot just surfing and general use I can not disagree more..

 

They are both great laptops but 13 vs 16 is a totally different market. Usually you'll compare models that are relatively similar and these laptops are only similar in name. 16 is very big compared to the 13. I'd focus more on the size you want and then get down and dirty with which model suits you better.

 

Runs warm yes, but it wont burn you.

Quality for my buil was fine. no dead pixels etc.

Runs games just dandy.

 

My wife has a 16 and I have a 13. We really use ours for different purposes. I need the portability of a 13 inch computer while she does not, she only uses it around the house.

I also have the upgraded graphics card in the 13 because I like to game occasionally, and she does a lot of Sims3 playing on the 16 and its great.

 

The heat problems on my studio xps 16 are definitely tolerable, and as much as I wish the battery life was twice as long with the stock 6-cell and probably 25% longer with the 9-cell, I also like to keep it in high performance mode. I'm sure you're battery time would be much more satisfying. As far as dell's finishing problems? read here http://forum.notebookreview.com/showthread.php?t=405845 for more information. The touchpad, although not the best, is far from bad. I do use a mouse when my laptop is on a desk because although the heat is more than tolerable, I prefer not to have sweaty hands, and the mouse is just easier to use. The "new" (I put that in quotes because it is new to me but I don't know if it actually is new) scrolling motion is really helpful on the touchpad and the fact that people say it is multi touch sort of makes me giggle, seeing as how the only thing you can do (to my knowlege) is zoom in and out and it is extremely rough. The touch controls are great, no problems there and the screen is fantastic - never really seen anything quite so crisp aside from an OLED. And the keyboard is great, no flex for me and it feels pretty close to typing on a macbook or macbook pro or any of the other new dell keyboards that I've used. As far as speed goes, I have had absolutely NO issue there... It is a beast for what I paid for it and for being as thin and portable as it is. Oh and one last thing, if you like watching movies say hi to your new portable dvd player. The 16:9 ratio is perfect for it and there are no more borders.