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

Just chatted with tech support again - My replacement from the xps1640 to the 1647 was approved- im just waiting for a system to be available.

Dell had sent me an Alienware M17x - with a P8600, 250gb and dvdrw- when i was promised a XPS164x, with a 500gb 1080p and blu-ray. but would not make any spec offer as to the processor. hoping for good news tomorrow and arrival by the end of the week.

 

Having a little trouble calibrating my RGBLED.

Found the windows ICC import to change it system wide. But the profiles i tried were tinted brown. Or is that how things really are?

What are you using Teknics?

 

After reading all of this should I NOT order a i5 RGB XPS16?

 

From the "The Official Studio XPS 1640/1645 + ATi 4670 GPU Owner's Thread"

Thats the profile I used. Not every screen is the same so it might not look the same but to be honest I used it on my first 1640 and it looked perfect and Im now using it on my new 1647 and it still looks perfect, identical.

 

Thanks tenknics. That one is very nice. I'll see if i can get used to all these damn colors. It is a very nice screen, but different.

 

Well its a Wide-Gamut monitor...Most good/decent monitors hover around 90-93% color space and that's on desktops. The best laptop monitors hover around 50% with the best being 70%..The RGBLED on the studio xps has a color gamut of 112%. You have to properly setup firefox and windows with color management and other programs that support color management as well...Once you do this as well as calibrate the display as well, you will look at other displays in disgust. It does take a little to get used to..I had the wide-gamut monitor already in the 2408wfp, so it fit nicely in my setup. Check out the link in my sig..

 

System has been shipped, Hope to god its a better performer than my previous,I am gutted about the screen though

1 Studio XPS 16 : Intel Core i7 Processor 820QM(1.73Ghz,8MB cache)
1 Display : 15.6in WLED Black Leather Edge to Edge Full HD 1080p with TrueLife
1 Camera : Integrated Camera with Facial Recognition Software
1 Ship Accessory : English Docs
1 Resource DVD : Studio XPS 1645 Diagnostics and Drivers
1 Memory : 8192MB (2x4096) 1333MHz DDR3 Dual Channel
1 Hard Drive : 500GB Free Fall Sensor (7200RPM)
1 Optical Drive : 8X DVD+/-RW Drive including Roxio Premier SD software
1 Power Supply : XPS 130W AC Adapter
1 Power Cord : UK 250V
1 Battery : Primary 9-cell 85W/HR LI-ION
1 Not Included Carry Case
1 Graphics : 1GB ATI Radeon HD 4670 graphics card
1 TV tuner : No Integrated TV tuner
1 Wireless : Dell Wireless 1397 (802.11 b/g) Mini Card European -
1 Wireless : Europe Dell Bluetooth 370 Card -
1 Keyboard : Internal UK/Irish Qwerty Keyboard -
1 Operating System : English Genuine Windows 7 Home Premium (64 BIT) -
1 English Microsoft Works 9.0 (Word Processor, Database) with Recovery CD 630-12116
1 Dell Dock 1.0 -
1 Software : Datasafe Local 2.0 Basic -
1 English McAfee Security Centre 10.0 - 15 Month Subscription -
1 One free Dell Expert call to help with your PC queries within 60 days of purchase -
1 Standard Service - 1 year of coverage included with your PC -
1 Premium Service - 3 years Next Business Day service + 3 years Accidental Damage Support -
1 3 years Accidental Damage Support -
1 DataSafe Online Backup 2GB -
1 DataSafe Online size - 2GB Trial
1 Computrace LoJack for Laptops, 1yr license
1 Software : Computrace LoJack for Laptops, 1yr license
1 Studio XPS 1645 Order - UK
1 I have already selected the Services promotion.
1 YES, Dell may contact me by telephone in relation to my order
1 Studio NB - System Only

 

Wireless : Dell Wireless 1397 (802.11 b/g) Mini Card European
Does this mean i can only use wifi in europe? Surely not.

 

So I contacted Dell again regarding my status, and also requested an alienware m15x rather than the studio as a replacement, i'll let you know what happens.

 

Good luck, they weren't that generous to me, although I can't say that a brand new 1645 won't be enjoyable : ) when it gets here....

 

which is better wireless 5300 or 1397 and why?

 

Well, to start off the 5300 is dual band wireless n which will be a lot faster than the 1397 which is b/g only

 

Well,

That was quick.

Fired off a letter to Mikey at Dell.

Received a call from Ty at the corporate office.

Was offered another POS 1645. I said No Way. I was told that there are no longer issues with the 1645.

I laughed and asked him to have a look online.

Dell said take it or leave it. Okay, that made the decision easy.

I'll take the cash and move back to Apple. The technology may not be the latest, and the OS is looking dated; but when I have a problem, I can take it into the store and know that I'll be taken care of.

Bill, what a wasted opportunity.

 

Got a call from my guy today, going to get the 4gb dimm to make a total of 6gb, the config I made was supposed to have 6gb to begin with.

I also requested to have my warranty extended, at my cost, not asking for it for free, but damn my butt started to hurt when they started listing prices, 3years 680$ for in home service/accidental that's not including tax 13%. I was offered 10% discount then the sales dude called me back and offered me 18%. Is there any way to get an extended warranty that won't kill my wallet? I mean for that price I might as well get a new computer if this one breaks down after the warranty's up.

 

thought you were going to sell it?

 

Having a very very hard time finding something to match the specs/screen I found an Asus that I wanted but a 16" screen running at 720p is just worthless.

I also received the keyboard skins. Not so good... the material is too thin for it to stay stationary, it covers the entire keyboard and outter edges but a swipe with your hand and it's already off. I've gone back to using the thick silicon cover that I had before, I got both sides so it would fit the keyboard and not overlap over the speakers. works greats. These things are definitely worth 1$ but nothing more. If it was made of a thicker material that wouldn't move around as much then I'd recommend it but as for now I can't, seems the one my girlfriends brother has is thicker but its from the same seller...

Anyways I'm going to keep the laptop if there is a motherboard refresh with a new GPU I'll get it replaced free of charge, I have a written and verbal (recorded) agreement from Dell. So lets see what happens, but if someone were to want to trade their similar specs Asus for this Dell I would highly consider it.

 

what silicon cover thing? pics?

 

Got my replacement 1647 today after 3 months! lol It was brand new, too!

 

So it should be!

 

Hot damn, less than 24hrs and I have a 4gb sodimm at my door, now a total of 6gb. I love how fast the shipping is.

 

It has got to make up for how long it takes them to package shizzz

 

Yea its nice isn't it..Was it refurbished?

Also what keyboard cover thingy were you talking about, not the cheap ones you order but the other...

 

oh right sorry, I forgot my camera at work yesterday so I couldn't take pics. The laptop is new from factory. The laptop runs fine but for some reason it's idling pretty hot 49-53C, I've tried AS5 and Notcua HT-N1, My last resort is AC MX-3.

I'm customizing the silicon cover that I was talking about yesterday, cutting it to a proper size and whatnot but I do have a second one currently on the unit that's untouched, I REALLY like the feel of this one.

https://dl.dropbox.com/u/3226360/IMG_0353.JPG

It looks a lot worse than it is. I'm cutting the other one so that it covers the touch buttons, power buttons, and cut the edges so it doesn't cover speakers. These cost 6$ 2 in a pack, they're from some korean company, I'd give you the name, but I don't know how to read korean

Also any idea how to disable quickset from controller the keyboard? I hate the little "A" that pops up, and it doesn't respond as fast as I'd like to. Sometimes it actually causes the entire system to stall...

 

Not sure if this is known or not, but I was going over some of the logs of my conversations with my case manager, the i7 will throttle at 90c to protect it from heat damage.

 

I was referring to the ram, was it refurbished? the one they sent you over night, to be specific?

 

I'm guessing it's a refurb as it was in an anti static bag... how would I be able to tell exactly?

 

mine said refurb on the box, it was a sticker..

 

Nope nothing of the sort on the box.

 

Well I just put in an order for an M17x got great reviews on the alienware forum
should be here by the end of the month

 

Is it a Replacement or bought with your own money?

 

bought with my own money can't wait for the refund

 

I am surprised that you are going back to dell to spend your hard earnt cash on another dell machine after what youve just gone through with them. time to jump ship.....no?

 

The problem is there aren't really any comparable products beyond the envy. The envy has been plagued by heat issues. So either way you go, you're damned.

Plus the xps has a TON of great things going for it. It just has had some major hiccups. I'm a bit biased though, having gone from a m1530 to a 1640, I really do like this machine.

 

I had the Envy as well before my 1640. My main reason for return was the Bing Cashback craziness, but I was on the border on keep vs return with the heat issues. It was close to a keeper, but many other little nitpicks made me go cheap for a 1640 from the Dell outlet and keep my eye out for an upgrade when mobile GPU's catchup a bit.

 

A question for those who got their replacements, did your warranties tranfer over? I just checked the warranty on my replacement and it says that I have none. Am I supposed to tranfer it manually or should it already come with one?

 

Yes they do

 

Nice to see that most of you guys are getting something done. I went ahead and emailed Michael at dell and I will see what happens. Seems like most everyone gets good results with that method.

I also sent him the last reply I got from dell Tech support. Corporate needs to know how the techs are treating their customers.

I just dont understand why they make you email the CEO of the company to get anything done.

Just make it right the first time and there would be a lot less complaining and grief.

I think I am going to try to push for an Alienware M15x if I can but I will settle for anything comarable that works.

 

i'll be selling my new 1645 when it comes for a m15x : p

 

I'm on my FOURTH RGBLED now. I'm getting ridiculous amounts of dust inside the screen and flickering.

I just received my laptop back from a screen replacement (last night) and there is a huge piece of dust or dirt inside right in the center of the screen. Its big enough that I can see it at 100% brightness.

I'm gonna be calling again, this time I want a new laptop or something. Unbelievable -- this shouldn't be a problem on a $2000 laptop.

 

Just posted this in the owners thread:
I'm trying to get a replacement asap...
On the next problem I want my cash back...

Yeah, shut down my Laptop two hours ago and now my screen is gone yellowish and does not let me change brightnes anymore...

Dell is going to get a call from me tomorrow (Well, not tomorrow, because there is no support at the weekend):
- Scratches in screen from closing the lid
- Crackling speakers
- Some keys on the keyboard are a little bit lower than others
- heat vent issue
- screen now going yellowish
- no chance to change screen brightnes anymore

Problem: I just have 1y CAR, so they will tell me, to send it in and wait 4 weeks till they get it repaired.
Alternatively I buy the extra on-Site service. But I am gonna tell them that I get my money back from them if there is any more thin wrong with the machine.
Good old germany. After to tries of repair within the first 6 month you can get your money back from them.
And right now I would take the money and run far, far away from them...

Attached: Picture of the screen...

P.S.: I could call the XPS 24/7 Service. But after Mo-Fr 8am-6pm they only give support in english. I don't think that I as non native english speaker want to speak to another non native speaker when even the german support team sometimes is hardly to understand...

 

wow, that screen looks absolutely ridiculous...

 

So I just got the specs for my replacement


1 312-0950 9-cell Battery
1 313-7056 BluRay Combo Drive
1 313-8545 High Definition Audio 2.0 with SRS Premium Sound
1 317-2364 4GB, DDR3, 1333MHz 2 Dimm
1 317-2825 Intel CoreTM i5 540M processor (2C/4T, 2.53-3.06 GHz, 3M L3)
1 320-1208 ATI Mobility RADEON HD 4670 1GB
1 320-8333 15.6 inch Wide Screen 16:9 1080p Full HD WLED LCD, W/2.0 MP, XPS 1645
1 320-8352 Obsidian Black High Gloss Finish with Leather XPS 1645
1 341-9802 320GB 7200 RPM SATA Hard Drive
1 430-0700 Dell Wireless 370 Bluetooth Module (2.1+EDR)
1 430-0762 MOD,CRD,NTWK,6200,CNB


I talked to them and since I currently have the RGB LED when I get the replacement they will send me out the RGB LED to swap out, give me the 130w power adapter, and if I have any cpu issues they will swap it out for an i7 hopefully

 

mine transferred automatically after I received and setup my new one.

I can't believe you bought another dell out of pocket without first getting a resolution from the first one. Unless the money is in route or already in the bank I wouldn't feel comfortable spending more money on Dell laptops..Do you have a guaranteed refund coming from the first one(s)?

 

For those of you who have actually received a replacement laptop back from dell, how long did it take from when you received your order number to when it was at your door? Mine is sitting on "in production" doesn't even have an area where it tells me the estimated ship date or anything. I emailed [email protected] pushing for more upgrades such as the i7, more RAM, and a Blu Ray drive. I feel as though I should have the same computer you guys are getting, specially considering this is my second exchange in a year.

 

BIOS update for A12 or something fried my laptop twice.

ed at Dell for literally a week straight, I guess I got annoying. I knew what I was talking about as well, so I kinda deflected stuff whenever they tried to talk me out of things.

 

I had a dispatch created for my replacement officially on the 31st, got my order number today, but some people wait a lot longer, I have been contacting the chat every single day for the order number, and asking them to expedite the process.

 

I called dell today about overheading/shutdown issues with my XPS 1640 today. Also having issues with a clump of dead pixels and TONS of dust under my RGBLED screen.

The woman was nice, but said they wanted to send a tech out to replace the fan, motherboard, and screen. I told her I work all week in marketing, and that I'm usually not even in the same state as my apartment. I asked to just have a replacement sent, and she said that was not an option. She started quoting my warranty (3yr XPS w/ CompleteCare) and saying that I couldn't get a new system. I asked for a manager, but none were available.

I'm waiting for a follow-up call from a higher-up that should happen today. I wasn't trying to get any freebies, but I honestly can't spend a day @ home and wait for a tech to replace those parts. I figured it would be easier to get a replacement, seeing the posts in this thread about ppl with similar issues getting replacements. Am I just not enough of a jerk to them?

 

Tauruskazoo, Dell will need to attempt to fix your issues- also it has been noted many times that when people Ask for Replacement - Dell techs will refuse- Im my case Dell came out 3 times in 1 week and could not fix the issues- the Dell Tech suggested the replacement - So give them the chance to fix, it will likely not work and you will get in the queue for a new one..

 

I for one was lucky enough to have them take my word on the heat/throttle issue and am having a Brand New Replacement sent!!

It will be sold brand new with ext. warranty... I want a M17x

 

I just got off the phone with a dell manager. (Quick response: nice!) She said that they HAD to do a replacement for just the specific parts that were a problem at first, and if I continued to have issues, then they could request a system replacement. At this point I caved, it isn't worth fighting for. Especially since she informed me that I could have a tech come out on Saturday or Sunday. That makes a part replacement possible, so it ended up not being a big issue anyway.

When they do a part replacement, do they use the same parts that you had already? I'm just worried that replacing parts that are known to be unreliable with the same parts but new is going to be a waste of their time. I guess it's their dollar though, and it can't hurt (cross fingers lol).