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

Hey guys, I have a replacement for my 1645 coming out to me in the next couple of days. Should of come to this thread before requesting it!

S541013AU-Studio XPS 16
Intel(R) Core(TM) i7-740QM (1.73GHz, 4Core/8Threads, turbo boost up to 2.93Ghz, 6M cache)
16.0"UltraSharp(TM) Full High Definition (1080p) RGBLED Display with TrueLife(TM )-Obsidian Black
6GB 1333MHz DDR3 SDRAM (1 x 2GB + 1 x 4GB)
500GB 7200RPM SATA Hard Drive
Slot Load Fixed Blu-ray - Combo Drive
6-Cell (56WHr) Li-Ion Primary Battery
1GB DDR3 ATI Mobility Radeon? HD 5730

Replacement Specs:

U510304AU-XPS 17
2nd generation Intel® Core™ i7-2630QM processor 2.00 GHz with Turbo Boost 2.0 up to 2.90 GHz
17.3"(43.94cm) FHD WLED AG (1920x1080)
6GB 1333MHz DDR3 SDRAM (1x2GB +1x4GB)
2x 500GB 7200RPM Hard Drive
Tray load Fixed Blu-ray BD-ROM / DVD + /-RW Combo Drive
9 Cell Primary Battery
3G NVIDIA® GeForce® GT 555M With Optimus

I'm pretty happy with the new specs and I'm not too phased with the monitor downgrade. However I would much prefer the 2720 rather than the 2630.

How do you guys think I should approach Dell in regards to getting the 2630 swapped around, or is it too late?

 

Intel(R) Core(TM) i7-740QM (1.73GHz, 4Core/8Threads, turbo boost up to 2.93Ghz, 6M cache)
vs 2nd generation Intel® Core™ i7-2630QM processor 2.00 GHz with Turbo Boost 2.0 up to 2.90 GHz


plus 2720 is an intel upgrade to 740. Tell them that sinse you have 7X0 processor, you are entitled to 27X0 processor.

 

lol i didnt know that. i thought it was a downgrade

 

I'm still fighting with dell to get my laptop replaced..

THey want me to send it out to them to have it looked at..

I cant afford to do that and my warranty expires in like 10 days..


I want to strangle them!


Boof, utmmyak what did you have to do to get yours replaced?

Ive had mine replaced once and it still exihbits the same problems as the one it replaced. Ive emailed Michael Dell several times (it worked on the first replacement) but now they're requesting I send it off to the depot.

I'm afraid they're muck up my laptop and scratch it and return it in worse shape that it was in..Not to mention I cant afford to not have a machine while its out..

Anyone have any experience with this Depot business?

 

I was finally able to convince the rep to give me a 2820QM, (because the 2630QM lacks some of the more professionally-oriented virtualization and security features of the 820QM).

Anyway, tenknics, I never had to send mine to the depot, I got my computer when Dell still had standard in-home service for all studio models. But, emailing [email protected], and explaining that the throttling and overheating issues appear to be design defects, and that I want a computer which actually works pretty much solved everything for me. Good luck!

 

Well done, like wise I managed to get the bloke to budge and he is going to send out an onsite technician to install the 2720QM.

Other people have said it but you have to persist with these guys, you will get what you want if you fight for it.

 

Hello everyone..

I have a studio xps 1647...i5cpu, ati 5730,.....

Anyhow I got it in Jan..and I noticed it was getting quite hot on the palm rest and laptops fan inside was making way too much noise all the time due to the heat..and the other problem is that the speakers on this laptop were crackling and sounded very distorted... So I called up Dell and they sent a customer rep to replace my motherboard, & heatsink..they also took the 90w adapter and gave me 130w adapter... The rep came over fixed and left.. And when I started using the laptop I din notice any difference at all.. It was still hot & they dint do about the speakers..

I called them up today again and complained .. And again they are sending over a customer rep to change my motherboard, heatsink and the ram..
It made no sense to me at all.. Why would they again change motherboard an all when they know it doesn't work... the design of studio xps 16 is flawed from the get go.. The vents are placed at the wrong places.. How could they have a vent opening on to the laptop screen??

Anyhow, I have a warranty till dec.. And I'm totally unsatisfied and very frustrated with the overheating of the laptop..especially since it's summer now.. I'm just wondering why can't they just replace my laptop? I know many here got theirs exchanged and I'm jus wondering how did u all get urs replaced?

 

And also did any of you all use new thermal paste to reduce the temps??
If so which one??

 

Ic Diamond 24. My temps do not go above 69c while gaming

 

So you experienced overheat before and now u don after applying Ic diamond 24??

 

Before i repasted temps would reach close to 80 - 83 as the paste that was on there was applied so horribly it was a disgrace. But I didn't experience any throttling.

I repasted because lower temps, will increase the life on the laptop and with temps under 69c the fans never kick into high gear significantly reducing the power draw and reducing alot of stress on the system

 

Ya my temps run in the 80's even when jus browsing..the fan kicks in and makes hellva noise..I don wanna void my warranty by opening and applying the thermal paste and I'm just a nube... But u r sayin ur temps run into 80's while playing.. Mine while browsing they run into 80's.. So I have laptop under a 3 fan notepal cooler and I use my laptop on a desk in front of a window air conditioning.. I'm so frustrated .. And they are gonna change my motherboard jus like they did last time.. Useless wen it doesn work..I see u have a 1645.. I wonder if any 1647 users ar using any modified bios..

 

My temps ran into 80's while playing yea browsing were in the 50 - 60 range. With the repaste they are at 43 - 49 while browsing. And yea without the overclock my temps were 3 - 4 c lower. IDK if my system is blessed considering all the problems i had with the 1640 but i couldn't ask for a better system

 

ya you are one of the lucky ones to have a stable studio xps 16....actually you might be the only one since everyone having studio xps 16 are having problems and im regretting for buying it... it looked so promising when i got it.

 

it took me about 4 techs to come to my house before I got my 1640 replaced. I also emailed [email protected] and got a call a few days later by a rep at the corp center

 

Ya i emailed [email protected] too and got a call... so they set me up with a tech service at home today.. the agent came and replaced my motherboard and heat sink and also the ram and left... so i placed my laptop cooler aside and started testing it.. as im typing this reply i can hear the fan spinning inside and feel the heat on the palm rest... its just been an hr or so since the tech guy left after replacing with the new motherboard and there is no freaking diff in my laptop.. its still hot.. god.. they could have tried pasting a new thermal paste... jeez.. im so frustrated ..gonna do some gaming tests now to test throttling... im pretty sure its gonna throttle with this heat ..damn..

 

Hey,
Guess wat guys ?? Even after replacing my motherboard, heatsink, the fan and wat not, my 1647 was running hot.. So the Dell representive called me today to check how the new replacements were doing.. I told him there was no diff, it's still running hot... So he then said he would replace my 1647 with another refurbished system with equal or better parts... He said he would call me back with a new system and it's configuration on Monday...so mostly it's gonna be a the new Dell xps 15..

Here is my 1647 config :
1600*900
intel i5 m460 @ 2.53ghz turbo boost 2.79ghz
6gb ddr3 ram
500 gb 7200rpm hard drive
DVD RW
Ati 5730 gpu 1gb ram
9 cell batt

So what config should I accept from him??
What is ati 5730 equivalent or an upgrade?
Did any of u all have a similar system replaced?

I'm just curious about what config he will offer me on Monday and I don know which config I should accept... Any input from u guys would help !!!

Thanks

 

^ try to get the 1080p screen upgrade

 

OK ill try best for a 1080p...

what about the gpu though?? i mean whats equivalent to 5730.. lets say if he offers me some nvidia card, whats equivalent to 5730 in nvidia??

 

I was wondering the same. I strongly believe 555M is the equivalent of 5730 as it was the best graphics card at that time of XPS series, if I'm not mistaken.

Anilpalepu, are you from usa too? what's your current specifications and what did they offer you as a replacement?

 

^there is no 555m if they offer you a XPS 15- I believe the gt 540m is the one they should offer you for your 5730

 

If nothing else, just make sure to get the 1080p display. That and the included JBL sound package are it's defining characteristics.

The XPS 15 is only available with the nVidia GT525M or the GT540M. Either is acceptable since the 540 isn't that much better than the 525 (and the 525 is easily OC'd to be on par with the 540). The 1GB vs. 2GB memory is meaningless marketing.

1080p, i7 CPU and a backlit keyboard would be my minimum "demands", in that order.

 

It's my bad guys... I thought 555m was also available. 540m is totally the same 5730, a bit better when i checked the specs. in fact 5730 requires less power but 540m offers a bit more performance. so i think both are good. in my old xps1647, i had 1600x900 pixel graphics and since 1376 is less than my current resolution, i will ask for 1080p too. i will also ask for 6230 wifi card and bluetooth as my current one is 6200 and has bluetooth too. mine had backlit clavier so, i will ask for that too.

as far as i see they only offer one type of processor, am i right? along with 750gb drive and 8gb (unnecessary) ram.

i've a question. compared to the speakers of xps1647, how does new xps15 jbl speakers perform? i mean i was overly satisfied by the current performance of my 1647, especially the sound level was high and quality was good. so what do you think guys?

 

BTW do they offer L502x or L501x as a replacement?

 

The XPS 15 was available with i3, i5 and i7 CPU's.

If you were impressed with the SXPS16's sound, the JBL's on the XPS will blow you away when set up right with the included WaveMAXX software. I've never heard a laptop with better sound quality and volume than the XPS 15 offers.

 

@Grim

Thanks for the fast response. If I pay the difference can I get it with a creative soundblaster xfi sound card? they offer it only for $20 difference. I really want a notebook with stellar sound.

Could you also please reply my q above? thanks!

 

They will give you the L502x. The one I received was a refurbished unit, but it was like new and had no problems so far! As far as I know the sound blaster is just software. I dont have the sound blaster software so I dont know how it is, but without the software they still sound amazing and way better than the XPS 16!

 

Sk8mfm is correct. The Sound Blaster is just software and isn't needed. The included WaveMAXX software is all you will need, or want.

 

Ah i thought it was a creative sound card! well it sounds good to me.

previously i had i5 450 cpu, what would be the best to ask for? any good upgrades? is it possible to get i7 2620 or 2630qm?

 

Realistically, I'd shoot for the i7-2620M or i7-2630QM. Either is acceptable as the both have their strong points and are very comparable in performance.

 

Ya i jus checked the comparison of gpus at ATI Mobility Radeon HD 5730 - Notebookcheck.net Tech ... and it shows that 540m is marginally better than 5730... and also ya check online at Dell site what gpus were they offering for dell xps 15.. and they had 525 and 540... so obv ill shoot for 540 with them... lets see what they will offer me on monday...

 

So i got the call from Dell representative today and he offered me a Dell xps 15 L502x...but he was offering me 1366x768 screen res and a nvidia gt 525m... i declined the offer right away saying my xps 1647 had better configuration and a 1600*900 screen... i told him i need atleast nvidia gt540m.. he said he would check and get back to me tomo again with a better configuration.. Hope i can get a 1080p with a gt540 tomo...

But i do have to comment on Dells Support though which is GREAT... The day i complained about my laptop being overheated and all , the tech representative arranged a agent to come over to my home to replace my motherboard, heat sink and wat not the next day itself.. that was some rapid service ... and when that dint solve my issues, he was courteous enough to call me next day itself and find out how the system was .. so i told him it was same and there was no improvements ... and he was fair enough on his part to offer me a Dell xps 15....He was very responsive on the phone and well spoken and he seemed to understand well about the system and what my needs are... anyhow i jus wanted to say that i am having a great experience with Dell support..they are treating me well.. and i know not everyone is having or had the same experience.. i jus felt like sharing that..

Thanks guys.

 

Here is the total opposite experience of what you've had:
http://forum.notebookreview.com/del...6-worst-customer-service-experience-ever.html

 

Very sorry for the late reply. I must have missed it and thought nobody replied to my post.

Here is a REALLY great news that has taken me by surprise. I posted a "Dear Dell, F*** you and your XPS 1645." 2 weeks back when it crashed on me. I then received a DM from a dell rep. Must've been somebody monitoring the social networks for Dell mentions or smth.

After some short explanation on the situation, she finally agreed to make a one-time exception to replace my GC (as suggested by all you kind souls out there) as my issue was raised DURING the warranty period.

I just wanted to reconfirm if this REALLY is he GC issue, or is it most likely? Oh, and EDU, yes, after the reformat, it always crashed with the fuzzy screen followed by a BSOD and then a fatal error thingy when it has rebooted.

2 weeks into the fresh install now. No crashed YET. But again, it starts to acta bit weird. For instance, when I'm playing a YouTube video or playing a video on my lappy, it "jams & stutters" for half a second and then continue playing. I couldnt find a relation between the video codec and the flash player though. Am on K lite codec pack standard and Flash player 10.3. This doesnt happen when I'm playing audio.

I really hope my issue would be solved after they come and change the GC and all. I dont want to waste all of Dell's effort to come and have it replaced and then the problem recurring.

EDIT: EDU, my answer is yes to your questions 3) and 4).

 

jeezus man..i feel bad for you..im so lucky she is not handling my issue..
So what happened next???
I mean what did you settle with?? xps 15 or same old 1647???
what happened???

 

Are you getting your replies via e-mail or is s/he also calling you to offer specifications? she will call me again. and im already tense about it. our every talk is like a war between us...

 

Hey Orenzai. No worries about the late reply . I wish I could tell you for certain that it was a GC issue, but alas I'll repeat again "I'm no expert." Judging from all the "evidence" I could gather from your explanations, it sounds like a GC issue. The fuzzy/multicolored crashes, the less-than-normal game performance and the jamming and stuttering when playing videos -- those hiccups are all heavily related to the GC, so it stands to reason that it is most likely the problem. Sorry I can't be more certain but replacing the GC is definitely a step in the right direction. Unfortunately, the only way one can know is by trying.

It's funny the dell rep said "one-time exception." I bet you she was mostly concerned that you (another customer) was about to bite the dust and you weren't going to even consider Dell on your next laptop purchase . Think of it as damage control on her part, lol. Though I guess overall it was nice of her to make this "one-time exception." I hope the GC replacement will solve your issue. I feel like even if it doesn't (which I hope will not be the case) the dell rep will still be kind enough to help you until the issue is completely resolved. The hard part was getting someone from Dell to listen to you in the first place without a warranty (which you've done). It would be kind of useless and strange if she just quit on you after one attempt at a repair. Hope you have her contact details. So don't worry so much about "Dell's effort," it's their job. Keep us up to date as to how the GC replacement goes. Oh and when it's replaced try to update your video drivers the way I mentioned before. Good luck .

P.S. Just wondering, do you have a program called something like "Creative Sound Blaster X-Fi MB" installed on your laptop by any chance? It caused me some crash problems a long time ago when I first got my SXPS 16. Just curious...

 

The tech representative calls me daily ... he is not able to find a replacement yet to match my 1647 .. he was offering some low res and 520m in xps 15 which i declined .. jus waiting daily for his call and hoping to get lucky to find a laptop with equal or better specifications on it.. But the guy i speak to is very very supportive and friendly on the phone.. and seriously im so freaking frustrated with my 1647 due to overheating and all.. i jus wanna be a little patient to get what i deserve rather then jus settling for a lower config xps 15..
lemme know how it goes with your tech representative and what she is offering or suggesting... ill post back again after i get a call from my tech rep..

 

yupieeeeeeeeeeee !!!
ok im jus over joyed....

anyways.. the dell tech rep called me up just half hr ago and informed me i would be getting a xps 17... wow....

here is my 1647 config :

i5 cpu, 500gb HD, 1600*900, ati 5730, 6gb ram, dvd rw, 9 cell bat, ....

here is my replacement :

Dell xps 17
Sandy Bridge i7cpu
1080p
2 * 500gb HD (1TB total)
nvidia GT 550 with optimus
8gb ram
Blu-ray drive

and i don care what else is in the laptop but these are the main configs...
im so happy that they will be sending my replacement in mail (1-3days)..so i should be getting it this friday or on monday...

I am really happy how the tech rep has treated me and how glad & lucky im that i dint get assigned to any weirdo (like how Shadow_Shooter is dealing with)...the whole Dell customer service was amazing to me.. i dint not spend more than 10mins on the phone with them... like everyone else i was having overheating issues with my laptop, i was so frustrated... i read this forum..and many suggested emailing [email protected]... which i did and the next day itself i got a tech rep assigned to me and he was taking care of me...in this one week i got the whole motherboard changed and all and still there was overheating..so he got me a new config dell xps 15 which i declined since it dint match up to my 1647...and the tech rep was kind enough to find me this xps 17, which obv is above my current 1647 config...i jus feel like Dell treated me the right way.. and im very very happy and satisfied with the experience.

Thanks goes to everyone who shared their experiences on this forum..

 

It's great that you are getting one anil! I was also offered a similar xps17 that I had to refuse because of the size.

Today I've been offered the following Lx502 and I accepted it.
PROCESSOR 2nd generation Intel® Core™ i5-2410M processor 2.30 GHz with Turbo Boost 2.0 up to 2.90 GHz
OPERATING SYSTEM Genuine Windows® 7 Home Premium, 64bit, English
OFFICE SOFTWARE Microsoft® Office Starter: reduced-functionality Word & Excel w/ ads. No PowerPoint or Outlook
VIDEO CARD NVIDIA® GeForce® GT 540M 2GB graphics with Optimus
MEMORY 4GB Shared Dual Channel DDR3 Memory
HARD DRIVE 500GB 7200 RPM SATA Hard Drive
HD DISPLAY 15.6 FHD B+RGLED TL (1920x1080) and Skype-Certified 2.0MP HD Webcam
INTERNAL OPTICAL DRIVE 8X Tray Load CD/DVD Burner (Dual Layer DVD+/-R Drive)
WIRELESS + BLUETOOTH Intel© Centrino© Advanced-N 6230 & Bluetooth 3.0
BATTERY OPTIONS 90 WHr 9-cell Lithium Ion Primary Battery
SOUND OPTIONS JBL 2.1 Speakers with Waves Maxx Audio 3
COLORS Elemental Silver Aluminum
KEYBOARD Backlit Keyboard - English
No Mobile Broad Band Selected
Integrated Network Adapter Integrated 10/100/1000 Network Card

 

Hey good for u !!! finally you too got what u want... i don mind 15 or 17 cos this laptop will stay on the desk all the time so i dint mind a xps 17 with 1080p and gt550 .. but im sure ur glad that ur WAR is over now.. and u came out on top..

 

I'm also glad that the war is over!!! They are sending me a new notebook instead of a refurbished one. This is one big plus. I like the smell of unopened electronic device haha

 

Anil what's your order status showing? mine doesn't have an estimated delivery date...

 

Well i dint get a mail yet from the tech rep.. He made sure he got the address right and all..so i have no clue what my status is.. but he said i would get mine on friday or monday.. where are u checking ur order status and all???


Edit: i jus checked my Dell account and it doesnt display any order only...it says no recent orders to display..hmmm...does yours say something ???

 

I've received another e-mail from her after verifying my home address. Though she didn't give me any expected delivery date, she indeed gave me an order id and a link where i can check the status.

 

hmm i dint get any order id in the mail to check the status... i jus sent an email to the dell rep regarding a way to track my shipment... will get back to you on it tomo after i get a mail from him...

 

Great news, Dell technician came and changed my whole mobo today. Bad news, it didnt solve anything. As mentioned, my laptop has yet to crash since my fresh install BUT it is greatly under-performing according to fps results compared with other fellow forumers.

Since even if DOES crash after my fresh install, there is no way of making it happen when I want it to. I fired up COD and NFS to show him the very low FPS and he agreed but all he did was to call me to monitor my laptop to see if it still crashes. I'm guessing that he came for the purpose of the crash, not the under-performing GC. What should I do? Write to Dell and tell them that this new problem has arised?

EDU, I did have that installed in previous installs. It also caused my computer to crash last time. No more in my system now.

 

The Dell rep replied back saying i will be receiving my laptop tomo by 3pm ET and yes he also provided me with a tracking number... Its an overnight dispatch for my laptop so they are dispatching it today and ill get it by tomo...Cant wait

 

Hey Orenzai. The fact that they changed the whole mobo is cool, but that sucks that the GC is still under-performing. Did you try telling the "one-time exception" rep lady to see what she would say? The GC problem is not 'new' as it was also present when the crashes were occurring. However, it is strange that the GC is still under-performing after a complete mobo change. Could you try updating your video driver the way I detailed? The AMD Driver 11.7 (8.872) came out not too long ago. I'm particular about doing it in that specific way because it has made a difference for me in the past. Otherwise sorry to hear the problem persists but try contacting that rep. Hopefully she can follow through . Contacting Dell is also possible, though without a warranty I don't know how that will work. Maybe you can try the Unresolved Issues route. Good luck.

 

I'm getting the LCD replaced for my XPS 1645 (Dust behind protector) and the motherboard replaced (won't retain BIOS settings properly). Here's to hoping my laptop will work like it should. From what I've read in here, it seems that replacing the motherboard is kind of a crapshoot in regards to fixing the BIOS settings retention issue