** The Official Studio XPS 1640/45/47 replacement thread **

Agh Corporate Vinay told me he sent a replacement hdd with os installed and a leather lcd and after the tech came he gave me a hdd with no os installed and AGAIN for the 3rd time w/o the leather binding and with a big scratch on the aluminum.

I am honestly about to swap the LCD's myself from my old 1640 to my 1645 and call it a day

 

Dang.. makes you wonder.. is this the techs fault or Dells? Like did he not get the right memo into which parts should be put in?

Shtuff like this shouldn't happen... this is just poor attention on someones behalf.. shameful...

Hope things work out for you man...

 

Oh jeez... things just get worse and worse, so after finally installing win7 myself, I find that not only is the lid scratched and not leather but now I find it is the 1600x900, oy.. this is driving me insane

 

hmmm...

3 keyboards
2 motherboards
1 audio card

 

I got my replacement system and Dell is going to replace the drive with Blu-ray and leather lcd kit as promised.

Most importantly, I talked to a supervisor online and I talked him into giving me a 256 GB SSD after telling him I'd rather have it then the extra 2 gb of ram they gave me. I think they're giving me the SSD and are going to let me keep the ram anyways.

 

Wow, what the hell is going on? Dell is giving me EVERYTHING I ask for. Today I asked if the RGBLED screen from my old laptop can be replaced onto my current laptop, and they said yes after asking a supervisor. AWESOME.

They gave me a 5730, 2 more gb of ram, an i7 820 and a 256 GB ssd for the loss of nothing!\\(Oh and it's a new computer, not refurbished)

I didn't lose my RGBLED <3

 

WOW, lucky man..... congrats!

 

Got my replacement today.. the specs are
i7 720qm
mobility 5730
4gb ram
500gb hdd
15.6 wled 1080p
9 cell....

The problem is i m missing the leather case on the screen.. any1 else had this problem?? bcause i need it.!!

 

Got dell to offer me a replacement and only had to deal with getting the fans and heat sink system replaced .

My strategy was to call, say that I had evidence of throttling (which I did) talk rapidly for a few minutes about the nature of my problem (trying to confuse and overwhelm them a bit). They said oh so we'll replace your mobo and cpu and I said I don't think that'll work I would like a new computer (be clear that you don't have time to deal with a bunch of replacement appointments etc.) It wouldn't hurt to point out that you have had issues using dell chat with your studio xps either anything to make it clear how in the right you are.

That was pretty much it have a studio 1749 being sent to me at some point.

Is there any way to find out what is going to be in this machine before it arrives? Is there any way I can track the status of the order?

 

If an order has been generated then yes. Log into your dell account and you will see your orders in the top right part of the homepage of your account.

 

THAT IS AWESOME!

 

Thanks.

Its not there yet, anybody have an idea how long it takes for them to actually generate an order?

 

It took them about 1 day to generate my order. 3 days to request the parts for my order and about 12 days to get my computer to me. Although I just realized I checked in a different place than you. If you go to support.dell.com and look to the left you will see a category for "Product Support", under there, there is a link for "Dispatch Status" I used entered the info I was given and used that to check on the status. It might take ya to the same place I dunno...



On another note, has anyone noticed how ridiculuously noisy the 130W adapter is...i mean holy crap whats the deal. Any time I click on something or scroll a web page or even just move my mouse over top of a button it makes a really loud noise.....its quite annoying....

 

I hate to say it, but you need to call Dell and get that fixed. It's not normal and may be dangerous.

 

Mine doesn't do that I feel like any time an adapter makes noise thats bad.

 

Haha great thanks for the heads up guys. I've only had it for a 2 days and today is the first day I've really used it so I hadn't noticed it before. Sounds like just one more thing to complain to Dell about in addition to throttling when I get back on Wednesday...hopefully it won't explode first..

On yet another note: Not only that, but when the tech was replacing the heatsink/fan mechanism thingie he said that the copper part had serious deterioration from overheating...or something along those lines. It seems kinda hard to believe that it could have overheated that badly considering I had only had the laptop for 4 or 5 days at that point and its not a refurbished unit. I don't understand why Dell can't just give me the quality product that I thought I originally paid for in my m1330...

 

Wow that's impressive! and congrats on retaining your RGBLED screen!

 

We'll if it makes you feel better the tech that came to replace my fan and heat sink was clearly a moron. Not a bad guy but all he knew about computers was how to take out and put in parts.

Maybe you tech just had no clue what he was talking about...hopefully?

 

haha yeah hopefully he just didn't know what he was talking about although he tried to act knowledgeable. Not only that but it took an extreeeemely long time for him to replace everything. Don't get me wrong he was a very nice guy but it took at least three times as long as the same operation normally took on my m1330 and there were several times where he just couldn't get things apart or together which never really happened any one of the many m1330 repairs. Its possible that the 1640 is simply harder to repair though as I have no reference points.

I have normally watched everything that Dell's techs do on/to my laptops so that I know that no funny business is happening. But he was an older gentlemen who smelled rather cigarette smoky (not that I have anything against cigarette smokers as a whole but they do tend to smell like cigarette smoke which is not my favorite aroma I must say) and he seemed to get rather flustered occasionally and was very sweaty and shaky so I kinda felt like I might have been making him nervous so I left the room and did other things for the majority of the operation since I was afraid he might take longer and damage something in a nervous wreck. I offered him beer in hopes that it might calm his nerves but he declined...it must be against company policy or something because I don't know a single guy that wouldn't want a free cold beer. He muttered something about already having coffee. Plus he said he hadn't worked on very many SXPS 16s before so that may have had something to do with it.

It will be interesting to see if he is the tech who comes to repair my 1640 next time.

 

I went from a XPS 1640/T9550/4gb/4670/500gb/bluray/6cell/rgbled
to a XPS 1645/i720/4gb/5730/256ssd/bluray burner/9cell/wled

The replacement machine originally had a 500gb but through chat got the upgrade to ssd. They were supposed to send it directly to me but instead shipped it to the local tech who was more then happy to just give it to me and get paid for doing the swap.

I'm going to chat the techs one more time and tell them I want to swap led panels. I've taken the 1640 apart multiple times, its probably one of the worst laptops to do maintenance on. I've never had to remove 20+ screws and disassemble the entire laptop to replace the keyboard.

 

Any throttling?

 

I think they were just so sick of talking to me that they are complying with everything I ask for lol.

Be persistent guys and girls!

(Thinkin' about just selling this fully loaded laptop and reaping profit)
Got it for $985, unsure of the price now

 

are the current XPS really that bad of problems

 

hate to say it but yes. Every day usage is fine , gaming is another story.

 

Dell reps don't seem to willing or able to talk about what is going into my replacement. The dispatch information shows...

BASE (ASSEMBLY OR GROUP)..., NOTEBOOK..., STUDIO, CTO, 1749

I hope this doesn't just mean I'm getting the base model w/o a dedicated graphics card because I would really prefer not to have a tech replacing the mobo on my new computer 1st thing to get the specs right.

 

@apoutwest: When I received this SXPS16 the website never actually displayed my specs and, not to get your hopes down, I pretty much got the the cheapest SXPS 16 possible. The only thing it actually displayed was the processor which isn't the cheapest possible. Although I did also get the FHD screen and the backlit keyboard which I suppose isn't the cheapest possible.


I'm pretty disappointed with Dell right now. All I want is a well built laptop that can play HD video and do some light gaming (meaning Rome: Total War, The Sims 3 and Civ 4) without getting extremely hot and lagging so bad after 20 minutes that I can't even play. I don't play them that often, just like once a month when I watch a cool TV show on the history channel or a cool movie or something like that that spikes my interest. I see no reason that any of these games should stress the system at all. I don't need a large screen, the one on my M1330 was just fine and that computer fit my needs just fine except for the whole problem with it breaking every 2 months. I need to talk to them about my problems with the throttling and noisy adapter still but Dell really doesn't have any computer that can satisfy what I need unless its possible to get an SXPS 16 that doesn't have throttling issues. I'm just trying to watch HD recordings of The Office while I procrastinate my studying, is that too much to ask???

Edit: The closest thing they have is probably the Adamo. Does anyone know if its possible to switch from a M1330 to a SXPS 16 to an Adamo. Actually, I'm not even entirely sure that the Adamo is well built, I'm just assuming it is based on it being in the luxury category for Dell. And I probably shouldn't assume anything since its Dell we're talking about here . I know it can't play any games but at least its similar to my M1330 in most other aspects. Also, does anyone know if it would be possible to just get a refund and take my 2 year old money and remaining 2 year warranty somewhere else? Perhaps I'll just have to keep hoping that they will eventually give me a SXPS 16 that works correctly...

Thanks!

Edit2: after looking more into the Adamo I've come to the realization that it is pure garbage.

 

A refund is worth a try. Or go for the Adamo, the games you listed would probably run on it pretty well (though you'll need an external optical drive).

I know they're going to try to give me roughly the cheapest laptop they can but they are obligated to give me one of equivalent or greater power than the last one.

Which absolutely means a dedicated grphx card, I would just like that card to come installed in the computer. I don't want to have to argue with dell again an then have a tech tear the thing apart before it is right .

I might try to give them another call tomorrow shouldn't be a long wait on the 4th.

 

This is an excerpt from an email from a Dell Case Manager that i've been dealing with since June 23rd, and i've been speaking with various dell reps since the beginning of June.

"I have no problem with setting up another warranty service to repair this unit if we can determine that the issue you are having is the result of a defective component on your system. If the issue you are seeing were a result of either a BIOS power management issue, a defective graphics card, the AC adapter, or a defective fan or heat sink, we would have seen a change in the symptoms after those parts were replaced, and that was not the case. So, either we are looking at an issue with a different component, like the hard drive or CPU perhaps, or the hardware is functioning as designed. When you are running this system under heavy stress, like playing games, both the CPU and GPU will heat up which is normal.


I have already outlined to him in a novel of an email the throttling issues that i've been having. They replaced the mobo, heatsink, fan, i got a 130w power adapter, did all the system updates they told me to do. Flashed the bios updated the drivers etc. And he still has the audacity to tell me that its functioning as designed and that its not a defect on Dells part? That no matter how many pieces they replace in the laptop that it still won't fix that throttling issues i'm having? I guess that they did design it to throttle...but still...come on.

I realize that its going to get hotter then the devils while im gaming, and he has reinforced this fact to me throughout every email we've exchanged. Its getting quite annoying.

So at this point should i start asking for a replacement laptop? Because i have just found out that i apparentley only have the 3670 video card and no the 4670, so a tech is going to have to come replace that either way. And i found that out after i ran a 3DMark06 test and only got 4000 or so on it. And i figured that something was wrong, and checked it out, and to my surprised when i ran DxDiag it was a damn 3670 that i have. So in lieu of everything else that i've been going through with Dell this was really just the cherry on top of the cake that they've been baking me in.

Anyways, i'll end my rant here and eagerly await any advice that i can get from the enlightened minds that frequent this thread.

 

It can unfortunately be a very frustrating experience, especially finding out they put in a 3670 instead of a 4670.

From reading on here it seems that once they have tried to replace components 3 times they will start talking about a replacement system, some sooner, some later, just depends on the rep.

Document everything, get your case numbers, reps name, etc.

Hang in there Dell does seem to try and make it right in the long run...

Here's a quote that sums up my experience with the 1645 I got as a replacement (my luck was worse than the average):

 

You paid for a computer that is advertised as being a gaming machine if it does not fulfill that requirement you have effectively been defrauded. (though If I were you I would be clear that you have modest gaming demmands, I was un-able to play 5 year old games on my 1640 )

Just remember that because you have every right to a laptop which performs as advertised.

If Dell offers you more replacements inform them that you have already been told that replacement parts will probably not fix the problem. Tell them you don't have the time to be constantly diagnosing problems and dealing with technician appointments.

Have a clear idea of the computer you want. (Here you might be better off waiting people with all models of the studio xps are still reporting throttling issues so unless you are interested in downgrading to a well equipped studio model you may be out of luck here.) (though some 1645 and 47's have been reported as throttle free)

Ask for the computer you want be firm and make the case for why you deserve this computer (especially if it is an upgrade) point out that you have been un-able to use the computer for its intended purpose, mention the time you have had to spend on the phone and with technicians.

Finally be polite and friendly, its hard when you've had to deal with so much crap but remember the person your talking to really has nothing to do with the cause of your problem. The tech your talking to also has very limited choice in what they can offer you, just remember the tech is not dell just a dell employee/puppet. If your nice to the tech they are going to be much better advocates for your case than someone you have pissed off .

Also if you need to be more firm and aggressive at some point in the conversation you will be more effective because until now you have been seen as calm and friendly.

Have fun

 

It took me one tech visit and 3 calls and about a week to get a replacement system.

I'm not sure if I just got lucky or what but I wouldn't wait for dell to offer you a replacement. I requested one after the 3rd call to dell (Call 1 bios and vid card update, call 2 they sent me a fan and heat sink, call three more updates and testing, call 4 they offered me a mobo and cpu.

At this point I basically said I have very limited time, I cannot be frequently missing work and other appointments waiting for technicians. This problem has been heavily documented across the web and it is apparently endemic to this entire line of laptop. I would like a replacement that functions properly.

And that worked for me.

 

having my fingers crossed.
"Also I would like to inform you that it would be same or upgraded version depending upon the parts availability and the lead time is 3-4 weeks."

 

Here are the specs of the old system (Studio XPS 1640):

issues: throttling, overheating, motherboard and heatsink failure/replacement twice

-Intel Core 2 Duo P8600 @ 2.40GHz
-Windows 7 Home Premium 64bit
-4GB DDR3 RAM (2x2GB)
-16 inch WLED screen (1366x768) w/ 2.0MP webcam
-500GB 5400rpm hard drive
-Intel 5100 agn wireless
-Dvd+/-rw And Bd-rom
-ATI Mobility Radeon HD 3670 - 512MB
-56 WHr 6-cell battery w/ 90W adapter
-IDT 92HD73C1 Audio
-10/100/1000 ethernet

The new system specs are as follows:

-Intel® Core™ i7-820QM Quad Core Processor 1.73GHz (3.06GHz Turbo Mode, 8MB Cache)
-Genuine Windows® 7 Home Premium, 64bit, English
-8GB Shared Dual Channel DDR3 at 1333MHz (2x4GB)
-Edge-to-Edge FHD Widescreen 15.6 inch WLED LCD (1920x1080) W/2.0 MP
-500GB 7200 RPM SATA Hard Drive
-Dell Wireless 370 Bluetooth Module (2.1+EDR)
-Intel® 5300 WLAN Wireless-N (3x3) Mini Card
-Dvd+/-rw And Bd-rom
-ATI Mobility Radeon™ HD 5730 - 1GB
-85 WHr 9-cell Lithium Ion Primary Battery w/ 130W adapter
-Soundblaster X-Fi Hi Def Audio - Software Enabled
-10/100/1000 Ethernet

Delivery date: 4/6/2010

I'd say that's a bit of an upgrade

 

oh and also, on a side note.....I'm not entirely sure about the screen type in my replacement system. When I checked the order status, the parts list showed the following:



Anyone know which screen that is? I'm not too sure, but I was guessing it's WLED

 

It has to be the WLED the RGBLED's 1 dont come with these any more and 2 the RGBLED is a true 16in.

 

That is the best screen available now since RGBLED is gone!

 

Been reading through the thread and it seems like you guys know the config of your replacement system. How? All they told me is an equivalent or upgrade may be sent out. I have no knowledge on what it is.

 

By simply demanding to know.... I wouldn't just be ok with letting them send whatever they felt like.. come on, IT's DELL!!! haha

 

You have a case number I assume?

I would send them an email state your situation and ask that a list of system specifications be sent.

This worked best for me.

 

It should be listed on Dell's site as well!

 

yes i do have a case # but they told me they wont be able to tell me anything about it for 10 days. Was there stuff you guys HAD to demand to get?

 

For me I gave them suggestions on what the "tech's had told me to reduce heat" (5730 GPU and SSD), I never found out what they were going to send until it arrived at my door. They were very good about calling me every 3-4 days and telling me the process was going forward, but kept saying they couldn't tell me details yet, but soon. Before I could call and give them a hard time about the specs it arrived a couple of weeks early, but I did get what I asked for so I can't complain.

I agree with you should be able to see it...mine never showed up in my account info tho

 

Very odd, all 4 of my machines show up super quick.....I would expect nothing less from Dell!

 

about how long did it take to receive the replacement? They quoted me 3-4 weeks.

 

Mine took 4 days from start to finish, and that was over a holiday weekend. So technically I had my replacement in less than 48 business hours.

 

Took me 5 days after complaint to having lappy in my hands in most cases

 

Just logged into dell and saw my specs. Although i didnt get SSD ,upgraded cpu or 6gb of ram upgrades like the other user did , they did give me the 5730. So i guess I am happy.

 

Well they just will not give me the 5730, I think they only want to build new ones with the 5730 instead of replacing the motherboard in the 1645 I have now

though he said he will check on replacing my hdd with the ssd and see if a tech can transfer my old rgb screen onto the new 1645 after I asked him if I could speak to his supervisor which he told me he had none

 

I could have gotten mine by today (1 week) which would have been about 6 days but I politely asked for a few upgrades after the order had already been processed which bumped me back to Monday.

 

is that right.... i dont mind waiting what did you ask for? and HOW did u ask it?