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

Wow I really should have googled my problems sooner lol. This thread is full of usefull information. Im gonna be here reading for days lol.

Anyhow I have the typical issues, overheating to the point it burns my palms when typing, random lockups and shut downs, programs such as Visual Studio, or games hang and/or lock up completely requiring a three finger salute to fix.

Currently I am waiting for my 2nd motherboard/heatsink replacement, this time however they are replacing the fans as well, and are replacing the lid as there is some issue with that.

My questions are

1.) What are they going to replace my screen with? I'm reading that they don't make the RGBLED anymore?

2.) Assuming that this mobo follows suit and doesn't fix the heat issue I will be doing the whole email michael@dell or whatever. What type of system should I expect for a replacement if it gets to that? My current system is XPS 1640, Intel Core 2 Duo P8700(2.53GHz/1066Mhz FSB/3M L2 Cache) 500 gig hd, normal dvd r/w 4 gigs of ram, the 1920x1080 RGBLED along with a whole list of other options facial recognition and all that. The price tag was like $2800 when I got it, but it came with 3 year completecare/accidental damage and all that. I got it in like March of 09, and they sent me a new one I think the end of May 09 as the original had a fatal crash. Just curious if anyone has similar specs what they were offered as a replacement.

 

xps studion1645

- Powers on, but does not boot.
- Blank screen.
- Power LED stays on.
- HDD LED blinks at the beginning and stops.
- Bluetooth LED blinks every few seconds.
- Keyboard LEDs flash once after powering on.
- CD/DVD tray won't open, but spins for a second after powering on..

Nothing else happens

ATI Mobility Radeon HD 4670 1Gb video card seems to be the problem. Where do I get a replacement or upgrade.. can't find it on dell
Any help would be greatly appreciated.

 

Finally got fed up with the overheating / throttling / and fan being on constantly.

After having my motherboard, heatsink, fan, and speakers replaced last week I'm still having throttling problems. (Albeit at the newest bios.)

I spent 3 hours on the phone working my way through Dell customer support, who wanted to replace my motherboard again or have me send it away to deport for a week, neither was an acceptable option.

I also emailed Michael@dell, which proved to be a much better option, and received a call the next day saying that they would be looking for a replacement (refurbished) XPS 15 for me.

Should I push for new, or are most of you getting refurbished computers?

Also he stated that I would not get a new warranty, and that the 9 months I have remaining on my current warranty would have to suffice. Is this common practice?

 

Well I just got the new mobo/heatsink/fan installed this morning. I have been running a game minimized and have a browser open and the temps are idling at 70-85 degrees C. So Im not very optimistic that this issue is fixed.

I also put an email in to [email protected] yesterday, a day after called tech support to get the new mobo and that. Still haven't heard a reply from that yet.

However IF they do end up calling me and offering me a refurb anything, I won't accept it without at least a 1 year extension on my complete care warranty.

 

So yeah. Spent a total of 2.5 hours on the phone today with various customer/technical support reps. The first one said they will send out new parts to be put in. I said not gonna work. I want to speak to the consumer resolution department. She gives me a bogus number for them 1-800-695-8133.

I get another customer/tech support guy at that number who has me run the same b.s. hardware diagnostic test the first guy did. Which of course showed no problems. Then he remoted into my laptop and updated the bios from v A10 to v A15 which he assured me "solves this issue for most customers". After the reboot he reconnects turns on the hardware monitor and within 3 minutes Im sitting at 85 Celsius idle. He transfers me to his supervisor. Who asks me to turn the laptop off for an hour. Let it cool down, then get back on it and see how it does. He stated he would call me back within 2 hours. Yeah right. 3 hours and 15 minutes later no dice. So I called them back yet again.

I get some random guy and immediately request to speak to a supervisor. He asks me to give him some info so he knows how to route the call. I give him the case number and he puts me on hold. Comes back and says they need me to send my laptop to the Depot. Which is NOT an option for the 5th time I said. And I do not have the time to keep setting aside 4-5 blocks for some random tech to come replace parts that are not going to address the underlying issue. I said "Please escalate me to the consumer resolution department". "Hold one moment sir"

5 minutes later he comes back and says "I do not have the authorization to transfer you to the consumer resolution department. I can either send you a tech with parts, or have the laptop sent to the depot." I said "Give me your supervisor." "My supervisor is unavailable right now." "Then get me a different supervisor". He puts me on hold. 10 minutes later he comes back and transfers me to a supervisor who tells me "Sir I am authorized to send out a tech, or have you send the laptop to the depot. That is it" I said "Well that isn't going to work for me. Let me speak to your supervisor" He says "Someone will contact you by Thursday of next week, have a nice night" And he hung up on me. ! I'm ready to rage.

 

That would enrage me to the core too. Sorry to hear that. Maybe try the Unresolved Issues route. Dell can really be stinker when their service (or lack of it) is like that. You have keep going until you're satisfied with the solution (within a certain limit), don't be discouraged. Keep us updated and good luck.

 

Don't give up hope, although I realize how frustrating it can get.

Always keep your cool. Don't worry too much, they told me the same thing ("We'll have someone contact you by Thursday of next week"), and I got a call from the customer resolution department the next day.

 

Thanks for the words of encouragement guys. I did in fact use the unresolved issues thing. As well as dealt with tech support again last night where the guy flat out told me I was wrong, the 1640 does not have a throttling issue. I then asked him "Why then was there a post by a Dell engineer that bios revision A14 was issued to address the algorithm that deals with the cpu control causing throttling?" 15 minutes later much of which was on hold he told me corporate would be calling me today.. And they did. I will apparently be getting an email with an XPS17 configuration for me to look over and approve as a replacement. We shall see what they send me.

Anyhow thanks to everyone on this forum and Unclewebb from the throttle thread for the fantastic insight. I would have probably continued thinking the laptop just couldn't handle visual studio or anything requiring a lot of cpu power, and that all laptops got so hot they burned your hands, had I not stumbled across this site.

You guys rock!

 

Hey Guys, Dell Has offered to give me a replacement system and I was curious as I regret the purchase of a notebook and now desire a desktop; would they ever replace a laptop (dell studio xps 1645 ~3months old) for a desktop ?? Of greater/similar or cheaper price?? I'm on the market at the moment for a budget gaming desktop (~1000-1200) but my laptop I purchased for about $2300 and a replacement would be similar to my budget pc quota...

any ideas?

 

anyone? Kinda in a rush to get things sorted.

 

I really doubt it, I'm getting a system replacement now and they didn't even want to stray outside of the XPS line. Let alone desktop to laptop. That being said maybe you could get them to throw an alienware your way? Or an XPS 17. Those are really good desktop replacement systems (I know you want a desktop) but its probably the next best thing and the only thing in the realm of possibilities. That being said it can't hurt to ask. Especially if you're willing to downgrade i.e cost dell less money.

 

I highly doubt it. But you can always ask. Personally I didn't rock the boat as I have read a lot of good things about the XPS17 and that is what they offered me out of the gate. Of course they offered me a base model and I went back and forth to get things that matched what I had. Though I did get a few upgrades. Its still in production but I am quite happy with the outcome. Well I will be once I get the new laptop and it doesn't prove to have issues running Visual Studio and that.

 

Original System
XPS 1645 - parts always dieing!
- Intel® Core™ i7-720QM processor
- ATI Mobility Radeon HD 4670 1Gb video card
- 8GB Shared Dual Channel DDR3 Memory 1333MHz
- 500GB 7200 RPM SATA Hard Drive
- 15.6 HD+ (900P) screen with Facial Recognition
- 8X Tray Load CD/DVD Burner (Dual Layer DVD+/-R Drive)
- Intel® Centrino® Wireless-N 5300
- Bluetooth 2.1
- 6-cell Lithium Ion Primary Battery
- Backlight Keyboard

Replacement System
New (non-refurbished) XPS 15 - L502X
- 2nd generation Intel® Core™ i7-2720QM processor 2.20 GHz with Turbo
Boost 2.0 up to 3.30 GHz
- NVIDIA® GeForce® GT 540M 2GB graphics with Optimus
- 8GB Shared Dual Channel DDR3 Memory 1333MHz
- 750GB 7200 RPM SATA Hard Drive
- 15.6 FHD B+RGLED TL (1920x1080) and Skype-Certified 2.0MP HD
Webcam & Facial Recognition
- 8X Tray Load CD/DVD Burner (Dual Layer DVD+/-R Drive)
- Intel® Centrino® Wireless-N 6230 & Bluetooth 3.0
- 56 WHr 6-cell Lithium Ion Primary Battery
- JBL 2.1 Speakers with Waves Maxx Audio 3
- Backlight Keyboard

I didn't get a warranty with the replacement system and have just 30 days left of the original warranty.. wondering if I should fight for an extended free warranty...

 

Wow, that's quite an Upgrade!

NEVER hurts to ask, Never.

 

So after getting another repair (fourth) like the agent said, my system remains the same so I called and spoke to a girl who refused to let me talk to the agent I spoke with before and instead kept "leaving" and coming back after talking to the agent and she said after me holding fora bout an hour in total that she would call me back in 1 to 2 hours. That was 8 hours ago and still no call . So tommorow looks like I might have to call up again *sigh* and try and speak to one of the two agents who serviced me in the past because re-explaining the story is frustrating..

She said a replacement is on the table for acceptance with the finance department however.

 

Update: Skipping everything because I just cant be bothered explaining it all, long story short heres my new replacement from a Dell XPS 1645 that had a ATI Radeon Mobility HD4670 1GB and a i7 720QM.

New Specs:
XPS 17 MLK Fast Track Base
DU510703AU-XPS17 MLK 1
2nd generation Intel® Core? i7-2630QM processor 2.00 GHz with Turbo Boost 2.0 up to 2.90 GHz 1
17.3" (43.94cm) HD+ WLED TL (1600x900) 1
Anodized Aluminium LCD Back Cover 1
ODM BTS Info Mod 1
Directship Info Mod 1
System Drivers 1
My Dell Download
4GB 1333MHz DDR3 SDRAM (2 x 2GB) 1
750GB 7200RPM Hard Drive 1
Tray load 8X DVD+/-RW Drive with DVD+R double layer write capability 1
Roxio Creator Starter 1
9 Cell Primary Battery 1
3G NVIDIA® GeForce® GT 555M With Optimus 1
No WWAN Info mod 1
Driver for Intel 1030/6230 wireless

 

For those of you who continue to have overheating problems, even if you are out of warranty, I suggest you checkout this post: http://forum.notebookreview.com/dell/622833-getting-your-money-back-dell-heres-how.html#post8051937.

I noticed that this thread for Studio 17 is closed but, if there's a mod around who could reopen it, I'd suggest posting this to that thread as well.

 

I've been dealing with my 1640 for sometime now, and I finally decided to do something with it (ie: Call Dell!).

I purchased it in April 2009, but I got the 3 year warranty with it (thankfully!). However I did purchase it on a lease which I am STILL paying for (which sucks) but if I get a replacement I'll be happy.

Overheating is the biggest problem with this laptop (since I travel quite a bit) and I've felt like I've burnt myself from it, but I've also started to have several problems with the LCD (it occasionally goes red/yellow, and needs to be shut down to fix). Also the powershare esata/usb port doesn't seem to be working (only worked for the first few months).

I spoke with a helpful rep today, who initally wanted me to send the laptop in, but as I'm leaving for travel next week, they said they would ship the parts to a local technician who will come in a few days to repair the laptop at my house.

So far they are going to replace the motherboard, fan/hs, circuit board for esataport, and LCD screen. She also mentioned they will be replacing my 90w adapter with a 130w adapter as well (anyone else have this?).

 

I've got the bit overheating problems but its nothing I can't handle so I'll save the complaining for later maybe when my warranty is about to expire. I've had to replace my LCD MANY MANY times because of that small plastic aesthetic piece falling loose. and getting the 90w adapter to a 130w adapter is an easy upgrade if you just simply ask. or just tell them you have throttling issues (thats just their fix for it and they don't bother asking too much detail)

Although complaining to get it replaced and asking for an alienware sounds appealing to me :3 I would consider the xps 17 but its too big. Even the 1647 I have currently is borderline too big for me

 

Well the dell tech is currently over. They are replacing almost everything on the laptop, however the laptop won't power up now, so he's on the phone with dell tech now.

 

sounds bad best of luck to ya. I'm considering a replacement system :[ poor performance with battlefield 3 for some reason. but skyrim runs fine

 

My XPS 1645 has throttling issues still. It's been repaired twice. I can't get them to call me back at the agree-upon time "window"- they always call me back way too late for me to be available. So, I filed a claim with their "unresolved issues" thing and never heard anything back (was over two weeks ago).

My latest steps was emailing the details of my frustration to [email protected], [email protected], and [email protected] since I couldn't remember which was the proper email.

We'll see what happens. I'm not happy right now. I should be able to use my GPU and CPU at the same time without either of them throttling back to avoid overheating, especially when my house is only 68 degrees.

 

Here is my original system:
XPS 1647 - i5 540M, 4GB DDR3, 500GB 7200RPM HD, ATI 4670 1GB, RGBLED, Intel 6200, Dell 370 Bluetooth, 6-cell battery, 3-year warranty+accidental coverage

Had multiple problems with the laptop. Replaced MB twice due to heat issues.... and recently replaced pretty much all parts due to bunch of issues... even then there were problems. Finally dell decided to replace my system... with the specs given below. I think its refurbished.., but I am good.

Except for the display (I had RGBLED, but now i get a WLED)., everything else is a upgrade for me...

Here is what I am getting as a replacement:
XPS 17 (L702x)
Intel i7-2680QM!!!!!
LCD -- 17.3FHD WLED AG CHI MEI OPTOELECTRONICS
NVidia GT555 with 3GB RAM
8GB RAM 1333MHz
750GB 7200rpm HDD
BluRay Reader, DVD RW drive
Intel 6230 Wifi card + BT 3.0
9-Cell Battery
150W Adapter

Its on its way & should be getting the system on Monday 12/5/11.

What do you think?

 

Sounds like a good upgrade to me, but how did you get your system replacement I'm considering doing it because I can't play battlefield 3 and it bothers me. what options did they give you? like did you have any choice in what your new system would be? spec wise or laptop model? because i'm primarily interested in the xps 15z because the regular xps line doesn't look that great and i'm not too interested in a 17 inch ._. too much of a hassle to carry around
pm me please thanks

 

Well, the motherboard had to be replaced twice in the last 8-9 months due to heat issues.. and after that, the system was still not working as it should. even the original LCD was replaced once (due to dust in between the cover and the lcd screen., which started to grow), the replacement lcd had problems (bad lcd).. the hard-disk crashed/crc errors/...

So, I had to escalate the issue to dell escalations.. finally, i guess even they got frustrated and replaced the system!

I too asked for 15"..system, but they did not have anything readily available...and...the replacement that they offered me seemed good..

 

Oh okay so its based off of their availability. Thanks for the insight, I'll prolly have to just keep trying to ask for a 15 from time to time seeing if they have any in stock

._. one of my speakers are starting to go now. and I just had replaced my lcd again, just last week too

 

So the computer didn't power up, so the dell tech put back the old parts. He came back on the Monday (3 days later) with new parts. Laptop powered up and no LCD problems, but esata port and overheating still remains (almost seemed like it gets hotter!).

Back on the phone with Dell tech again today (I was out of the country for 2 weeks). They wanted me to send in the laptop to their depot, but I said that they would be spending more money for no reason doing this, since there wouldn't be anything else they could do at the depot, that the tech they sent did.

She asked me what I would like to do, so I asked about a replacement/upgrade and she said that would be possible after getting approval. After putting me on hold for 10 minutes she came back saying that I am NOT qualified for a replacement as a depot repair will fix the issues. I kept asking WHAT the depot was going to do other then the tech and she kept rambling on about how they can test where the heat is coming from etc, and that it is their policy before a replacement.

So.. now waiting for a box to send in the laptop.. Keep you updated in about 10 days or so.

 

hey so do you know exactly what the policy is? cause the dell rep is telling me I don't have the system exchange available. and they told me: The warranty covers only part hardware replacement if there is any failure it does not cover complete system exchange.

 

After months of going back and forth with Dell and having them fail to fix the throttling after two attempts, I've been offered a replacement after emailing michael AT dell.com

my original configuration:

System Model: Studio XPS 1645
OS: Windows 7 Home premium-64 bit
Processor: Intel Core i7 720QM
Memory: 6 GB DDR3 SDRAM
Hard drive: 500 GB SATA Hard Drive (7200RPM)
Optical drive: DVD+/-RW Combo
Graphics: ATI HD 5730M 1GB
Screen: 15.6 inch WLED 1080p
Wireless: Intel 4300 b/g/n
Battery: 9 Cell Extended

my replacement:

System Model: XPS L502X
OS: Windows 7 Home premium-64 bit
Processor: Intel Core i7 2630QM 2.0GHz (2.8GHz Turbo Mode, 6MB Cache)
Memory: 8 GB Dual Channel DDR3 SDRAM at 1333MHz (2 DIMMs)
Hard drive: 750 GB SATA Hard Drive (7200RPM)
Optical drive: 6X Blu-ray Disc Combo (DVD+/-RW + BD-ROM)
Graphics: NVIDIA GeForce GT540M 2GB graphics with Optimus
Screen: 15.6 inch FHD (1080p) B+RGLED Display with 2.0 MP webcam
Wireless: Intel Centrino Wireless-N 1000
Battery: 9 Cell and Microsoft Office Starter

It seems to be an upgrade, or at least a draw, in every single category, so I'm excited. Hopefully it actually works properly, unlike the Studio XPS 1645, so I can keep that excitement. I'm most excited aboutt he B+RGLED display, as I am an amateur photographer and the screen should be quite an improvement for photo editing.

 

Not exactly. She pretty much said that they need to do a depot repair before they can do a exchange. FYI if it matters, I'm dealing with Dell Canada XPS Support.

dqniel: I'd be happy with that exchange.

 

now did you actually send it off to the depo?

 

Yup I sent it off last week. I got a box in the mail from them the next day which I put my laptop in and shipped it to them.

 

I am currently battling with Dell to get a replacement for an overheating XPS 1647. The 1647 was a replacement for an M1530 which had the infamous Nvidia GPU problem.

The Support chap is stating that the replacement will be inline with the original M1530 spec wise, so is offering an XPS 15.

My main concern is the screen. I bought the M1530 for the 1920x1200 screen which had a greater amount of vertical space than the 1920x1080 SXPS 1647 that I am using at the moment. My question is, am I within my rights to fight for a replacement with a 1920x1200 screen (none were available when I got the 1647).

Many thanks,

Adam

 

Anyone?

 

Equal or better is Dell's replacement policy. So if the CSR is saying that the XPS 15 will be inline with the M1530 you had, then yes, it is 'within your rights' to ask for a 1920x1200. If that's not what he's saying then it never hurts to ask if you could get a laptop with a 1920x1200 res. Mention that you had it with your M1530 and you had no choice but to manage the 1080 on the SXPS 16, as none of the 1920x1200 res screens were available at the time.

The problem is that not too many 15" laptops come with that screen resolution nowadays. The norm is now 1920x1080 or "Full HD" as they market it. 17" laptops are more likely to have the 1920x1200, but even Dell's XPS 17 doesn't seem to have that size screen. If you find a Dell laptop you like that has that screen res, you might as well give it a shot. However, it's worth noting that Dell doesn't like to offer replacements that are outside of one's laptop line. So if you have an Inspiron, your replacement will be an Inspiron, and so on. So you might be stuck with 1080, which isn't too much worse than 1200 IMO. Give it a go though. Good luck.

 

Do you guys know if Dell is still replacing parts for the 1645? Or have they stopped and are now doing system replacements? I'd like to be prepared for what's to come.

For some reason, my Dell has started throttling. It didn't before, even with seeker_oc's OC'd BIOS. I've installed an official Dell BIOS A13 just to see if the OC was the main cause - made no difference.

Since getting my 1645, I have replaced the thermal paste a while ago (about a year), removed the mesh covers from the baseplate, and I use a laptop cooler.

I am throttling under game-load, and also when I am running my virtual machines. I used to be able to keep WinXP and WinVista VM's running concurrently, now I can't even have my WinXP VM running for more than 20 minutes before it crawls to a near halt.

Appreciate any info you can provide!

 

I forgot to update, that I received my laptop back on the 13th. Yup, thats right, they barely had the laptop for a day and it was shipped back after the weekend.

Esata/LCD is fine, overheating still a serious issues. Was extremely busy during the holidays, but I'm finally back on the phone with them again (physically as I type as it's been 35 mins online). Spoke to one useless rep who wanted me to check the BIOS (WTH?) then spoke to his manager who said that they did NOT replace the heatsink in the laptop (BS) since I saw the inhouse technician do it, and then it was suppose to be done again at the depot. He wanted me to send it AGAIN to the depot which I declined and asked for a replacement at this point. He said he would transfer me back to another tech to process a replacement (which would be done through another department) only to.... wait for it.... get disconnected.

sigh.

 

So I spent the better half of another hour on the phone yesterday, and today I've been on the phone for close to 2 hours now. But it looks like they are FINALLY going to replace my system.

L502, i7 2.2, 8GB, 540M, 8GB, N1030, RGLED, backlit, the works. BUT no bluray. They said they don't have it in stock, so they said once I get the laptop, to call back and create a dispatch to have them send it out separately and that they'll exchange it that way. 7-10 days replacement time.. so I'll post another update when I get it.

 

I had my 1645 - i7 720, 4GB RAM, HD 4670 replace with the laptop in my sig. (I added the SSD myself)

 

Solved my XPS 1640 Core Duo overheating problems by undervolting my CPU with ThrottleStop 3.00 software.

Original was 1.375V if i do recall correctly, but this works superb at 1.10V or even at 1.05V without crashes, can be pushed down to 1.00V but then will crash with super heavy usage rarely.

With 1.10V (Set Multiplier: 10.5) my CPU temp hovers around 50C with normal surfing, max 60-63 with gaming. Very happy, no more thermal throttling problems.

Note: this only works for Core DUO. Mine is Core Duo T9550 @ 2.7 GHz.

Edit: the lowest voltage i'm using is 0.95V, with Set Multiplier 6.0. Works flawlessly. Temp around 45C with heavy surfing.

 

I chatted with tech support today without looking at this thread. My laptop throttles constantly, overheats and for some reason I dont seem to be getting all the performance out of my video card that similar users on here have gotten with configurations like mine. The rep was extremely friendly and went though the "remote desktop support" before agreeing to send a tech to replace my heat sync (sink? im still a newb), MB and other assorted items. Based on what i've seen on this thread, it probably won't work. I'll let the tech do his thing... but I need some advice:

If the issues persist (and from what i've seen on here, most likely they will), should I call back or email [email protected] ? I don't have the time to ship something to a depot where i'll be out of a laptop for a week's time.

Days like these, I really miss my 1st gen Vostro 1500.

 

I suggest checking out my post here.

 

Thats helpful, but aside from the throttling i really do like my laptop... just need something that doesn't burn the hell out of me when my laptop is on... my lap

 

I'm in the same boat. I really like my 1645, but I must call up Dell this weekend as I just can't work this way. I've been spoiled by having 2-3 VM's running concurrently, on top of all the other programs opened. Now I can only have 1 VM open and must have the other suspended.

I'm hoping that I don't need to go through motherboard-replacement Hell (no offense to everybody who did) and can just get them to send me a replacement unit.

 

The parts have been dispatched and the tech guy will either be here today or Thursday. I'll give an update as to what's up after that

 

They seemed pretty firm on 'wasting' money by doing the whole sending a tech over, then sending it to the depot, etc, BEFORE getting to a replacement. I have no idea why, but they just do.

I'm also in Vancouver (Richmond) and was in the same books as you. I really liked my 1640, but couldn't take the issues any longer.

 

Thanks for the info!

I don't mind if they have to replace the motherboard - so long as it is the actual solution to my throttling problem. And so long as I don't have to go through 5 motherboards for them to figure out that it's not the problem. If after a 2nd motherboard replacement, I'll just go down the [email protected] route as I don't have much time to waste on negotiating part/system replacements.

In the meantime I've gone and re-pasted the CPU and GPU, but that has not helped.

I have also re-arranged my office desk so that it's right by the window, and I have my laptop right beside the open window. Being just 1C outside right now, it is remaining cool and I can have my WinXP and Win 2008 Server running. I'll give it another hour to see if my laptop starts throttling again.

 

nope, I just got dell to give me a replacement, sure it wasn't what I wanted but eh, its an upgrade from what I have.
It is going to be:
L502x // 1647
i7 2670qm // mine came with an i5 M540
500gb hdd // mine came with 500gb hdd
8gb ram // mine came with 6
blu ray (not sure if it can burn too) // mine came with cd/dvd combo
768 resolution screen // mine came with 1080p one (although the dell rep said that he would replace the screen with a 1080p once I got the laptop)

:\ I was hoping for an alienware but w.e I've decided I will buy a mbp for travel and this as a desktop replacement

 

Tech just left, with the laptop on for less than 15 minutes the throttling and heat came back.

[email protected] it is...

 

So my XPS 15 arrived today! So far so good (although I do have to say I much prefer the look of the 1640).

Few quick questions:

1) On the 1640 the power cable connected on the side (preferred). It connects on the backside of the XPS15. Is there anyway to get a right angle adapter so it doesn't stick out in the back as far? The concern for this is when using the laptop in a plane. If i'm running on AC power, this will take up a few extra inches of space.

2) The XPS15 laptop came with a 750GB 7200RPM drive. While the extra space is nice, I previously had upgraded my 1640 to a Seagate Momentus XT 500GB Solid State Hybrid. I'm thinking about 'downgrading' in size to the 500GB drive (for the speed increase and to remove all the bloatware). I haven't opened up the XPS15 yet, but i'm just wondering if anyone knows what exact HDD comes with the XPS15?