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

That's so great!

How's the M17x so far? How does it compare to the 1645? I just got a call from customer care and they approved my refund, so now I can order myself a new machine

 

looks like it will be tuesday.... maybe Monday- shows shipped 4/16/2010 at 12:00 AM - tracking number provided- however there is no info on fedex - which says it has not left Dell - just the shipping number gernerated- not scanned outside by Fedex.

could it not have been day sooner- i hate weekends.. LOL

 

If any of you are interested in photography or just want to check out my unboxing photos take a look at them here on Flickr!

 

So I got my XPS 1647, had some issues with the CPU, and the wireless card kept dropping, so they are sending me an i7 720qm to replace my i5 540m and a new wireless card, should be here today. After that i'll post all my pictures and pcmark, 3dmark scores.

 

What was the issue with the CPU?

 

Now that my XPS 16 replacement is completed - I thought my story might interest some of you......

I wanted a multi media laptop as my second machine- I was using a E6400 for work and E4300 for personal use- I liked having a small 13 inch as it was much more useable esp. on planes- ( small tray tables) - The E4300 replaced an old D420, Anyway the sound, video play back on the E4300 was nothing to write home about- and the size was not that much smaller than the E6400 so what's the point right? I started looking for a XPS-13. I did read all the reviews but still thought I would get one- I had a very hard time finding one with the LED screen- Most were CCFL. Then I noticed a XPS16 posted for sale locally on CL- I sent an email ( at $700 ) asking seemed like an OK deal- I got no reply.. A week passed- I see that the XPS was still listed so I shot off another email - This time I get a reply.. Yes it's still for sale - And the Seller noted that she was lowering the price as there was an issue with that battery charging- When I spoke to her more at length about it - I found she was using a PA12 not a PA4e Adaptor- I thought that had to be the issue- We agreed on a price of $425 for it.. ( yes a steal I thought) but I would have to buy an PA4e- ( which I had 4 already ) - I drove the 2 hours to pick it up. After arriving home I added the right power to it- no change- crap, still not working- The Windows install was all jacked up, someone had put Win7 Ult on it and not installed all the Dell drivers. So I reformatted and put Win7 HP64 on it- Still no battery charging and I noticed in the bios the AC was not detected- I check the S/N it is indeed in warranty- I transfer the warranty, which succeeded on the first try. I call Dell to report the issue and a day latter a tech was out with a new motherboard and power brick....That was attempt one to fix....

When the tech was installing the MOBO he noted that there were many screws missing and the plate that sits under the keyboard was not there- He asked if the machine had been worked on- Not to my knowledge I say. He asks if it's a refurb... Dunno..... So after the tech leaves- the machine dies completely- with some troubleshooting I find 1 dead stick of DDR and a Dead HDD. I call Dell to complain- Dell agrees to upgrade my HDD to a 500 ( from a 250) and I request a Ram upgrade to a single 4gb ( so I can add more later) I get the hard drive - the ram request is still pending at that time-

Repair attempt 2... Parts sent., Palm rest ( forgot to mention tech bent it ) LED - Small bubbles on the paint, and Keyboard- was bent- Tech replaces these items- Dell sent the wrong resolution screen, a 720p was sent I had a 900p - and I found the speakers did not work at all on the new palm rest.. I call Dell again to get the right parts re-ordered.

Repair attempt 3- The LED is replaced- this time Dell sent a 1080p ( great upgrade) and palm rest.. The same Dell ( third Party) tech came again - this time when he was leaving I noticed that windows was hung up on "Startup Recovery" I ask the tech to wait- he declines and leaves- Windows never recovers. I have to reinstall - after the reinstall the backlight on the keyboard is not working and it squeaks really bad.. So now I'm just POed.. This is on 3/17 mind you I bought the machine used for 425 on 3/05.

I call Dell - I explain all the baboonery on Dells part and all the issues to date- I do not say anything about a replacement- The tech pauses for a few minutes and comes back - "We are not going to continue to troubleshoot this machine... we are setting up a system replacement for you.." Whoa....Ok"

On to system replacement nightmare..................
Replacement is requested on 3/17 where it sits until 3/30 - mind you I'm calling everyday- told its expedited.. Manager who approved the HDD upgrade is involved.... Then on 3/30 I see the request moved to status IRR, from PND, great moving finally.... then I see an hour later... ORD... Yeah Ordered... Then I see m17x ( NO NO NO...........) I do not want a 12 LBS laptop- mind you this is replacing a E4300 as my person lug around... I call ASAP, they tell me that they have put in a stop to order.... To late it ships... Now I was promised the specs would be 1080p, 500gb, 4gb, Blu-Ray. as that was what I already had.. the AW M17x, was UWXGA, 250gb. 4gb..No BR.. When I call back after I see the laptop ships, I request the manager that was helping to call me back... I wait and wait.. in the meantime a new order was placed and I was given a new dispatch... When the manger did not call in the time I was told he would - I call in again - I'm told that he did call, he noted in my case that he got to VM... Where's the message, where is the missed call? So I request again that I get called back- When he calls he's very rude, he asks me.."why don't you want the AW, it's quite an upgrade from what you had.. You will not have any of the issue".....blah blah... I tell him that if I had wanted a 12lbs laptop then that is what I would have bought...... Then he pulls up the original order... He states to me ...Well I see that you originally bought a refurbished XPS16, and it cost 739.00 ( this is all news to me) He says "I'm going to process your refund, and get you your money back" ..... I say No way in hell...I want an XPS16 - I don't care how you do it.... He's says it's better for me to just get my money back and I can go order another system... I tell me for the amount of the refund I would need to have coupon discounts and such to get another machine at that price... He seems not to care. I tell him to do nothing...He says "Well how much machine do you expect for 739...? " The new order was already in and yet another manager was helping... I then send an email to micheal.dell.... The next day I get a call........

Finally getting somewhere- During the call from "corporate" - I tell the guy the whole story to date- leaving out the part of buying the XPS on CL for 425.. He says not to worry, he is personally overseeing my case... ( this was on 4/1/2020, On 4/08/2010 I had yet another run in with a Dell tech while trying to get a 130w power brick to fix the throttling issue- The Tech delayed my dispatch 2 hours until 7 min after the ship cut off- I call in again and ask for a manager again..... 20 min later my corporate guy calls me back ..and says... Lets order a system - What do you want..... He says I have an i5 540, with 500gb, 6gb, Blu-Ray... BT. he then says what color do you want..? I say Red... he then says do you want a RGB screen ... I'm like...Sure....... He says ok, we are ordering you a brand new build xps1647.. here is your order number- it's expected to ship 4/16/2010... The he says something interesting... He says please do not contact support on this case any longer- if you need anything please contact me directly... I'm taken back by this, I can can't figure out if I should be honored or offended.. I say fine and that is that..

Yesterday- I receive the new built XPS1647... it's awesome. I do have one very time fleck under the screen that I will just deal with... after everything else with this case, I just want to be left alone- no more techs no more calls..

Funny too - yesterday I also get a call from the "exchange retrieval team." They wanted my old xps16 back - Dell never noted that the AW was canceled even after I refused it and Dell got it back on 4/07/10. The Guy on the phone was saying we are sending some out to retrieve your old machine---- I'm say wait just a min, I have had my replacement all of 1 hour, give me a change to move my stuff off... " After I explain everything he notes it in my case and I will just send the old one back in a few days...

So for all that think that the process is easy...it's not, also its is interesting that if Dell would just do a better job from the start, they would save themselves big money.. For my case if someone had called and worked with me on a like for like replacement instead of blindly sending out a system that made no sense for me, they would not have sent a brand new machine that costs 3xs what dell received for the original machine..

Also worth noting- I made no demands nor did I request a replacement- I let Dell drive the whole process. It was their repeated failures in the support process that ended with me getting a Brand New System... So for me that you Dell for moving your support into the hands of incompetents.. In this case it worked out for me.


orignial specs.. 1640, P8400, 3gb, 250gb, DVDRW, 900p, ATI 3670
Parts Upgraded for C/S reasons or part shortages in the repair process.
Blu-Ray. 1080p, 500GB. 4GB

Replacement spec.
1647. i5-540, 6gb, 500gb, Blu-Ray, 1080p RGB, ATI 4670, BT

 

@Raether...considering everything that Dell made you go through and all of the time you invested into getting the laptop fixed....I think that seems like a reasonable system replacement

 

I find it funny how each of us has different requirements and Dell seems to send all of us the 'wrong' machine.

Most of us would probably love to get an M17x instead of an XPS 164x. I know I sent my XPS back to Dell, to order an M17x (which they wouldn't give me...)

Anyway, its nice to hear you're happy with the new machine!

 

About what is acceptable for a replacement- where dell failed me was not just sending the AW - They did so without asking me if i would be ok with it.. and for my uses i would not travel well- now - if Dell came to me and said we can send you an AW or a Studio 15.....Or..... since at the time there were no XPS16s to send ( according to Dell) I could have had something closer to what fit my needs.- that is where Dell misses- if a replacement product has to be another line- talk to customer to get what best fits that persons computing needs.

Stephen- yes, it was quite a mess and no i do not feel bad getting so much more machine after the lies, and poor follow through.

Dell's support is broken, and having problematic machines exposes how poor it really is-

 

So my replacement 1647 arrived today. Right out of the box, the DC in was loose. I had to take the laptop apart to screw it in properly. The rest of it seems fine but I will be doing some tests later tonight to see if it funcions as I expect it should.

 

Maybe it wasn't my card to play, mostly I was just fed up with everything I had gone through with my replacement, I did a bunch of testing on my system, as my warranty had expired on the 1st. (requested the replacement the last week of March) I am going to upgrade the warranty when I get back from my vacation, and know how much I can spend on one.



Anyways... After testing my computer I realized that the i5 540m only supports up to 1066mhz memory. I thought I had been sent 1066mhz memory, but after pulling the back panel off, I checked the codes and it was indeed 1333mhz memory, I complained to the manager that they had set expectations by sending me faster memory when the and it was frustrating to find out that the CPU doesn't even fully support it, he told me he would call me back.

I chatted with them the next day after receiving a call back and the manager said, "due to all the confusion, i'll make an exception and send you out an i7 720QM." This is now at my house, along with the replacement wireless card, so i'll install everything tonight and send photos of my replacement. Too bad I wasted that Arctic Silver on Friday...

 

This is the configuration I requested from Dell as a replacement. Everything is identical except for the CPU (I had a C2D 2.53ghz) and the wireless card (Intel 5300 AGN). I think that is a pretty reasonable request. I hope they do not give me any crap about it. Its not like I am asking for the 820qm, a 250gb SSD and 8gb of ram.

- Studio XPS 16 - Obsidian Black
- Operating System - Genuine Windows® 7 Home Premium
- Processor - NEW 2010 Intel® Core™ i5-540M (2.53GHz, - 4Threads, turbo boost up to 3.06Ghz, 3M cache)
- Memory - 4GB Shared Dual Channel DDR3
- LCD Panel - Edge-to-Edge FHD Widescreen 15.6 inch - WLED LCD (1920x1080) W/2.0 MP
- Video Card - ATI Mobility RADEON® HD 4670 – 1GB
- Hard Drive - 500GB 7200 RPM SATA Hard Drive
- Network Card - Integrated 10/100/1000 Network Card
- CD ROM/DVD ROM - Slot Load DVD+/-RW (DVD/CD read/write)
- Sound - Soundblaster X-Fi Hi Def Audio - Software Enabled
- Wireless - Intel© Centrino© Advanced-N 6200
- Battery - 9-cell Battery
- Bluetooth - Dell Wireless 370 Bluetooth Module (2.1+EDR)
- Guaranteed Buy Back Tech Forward Guaranteed Buyback® Plan for your new PC

 

Pasko, most likely they will send you that regardless, I had the same processor you had, and they gave me more than I could have asked for, plus it was brand new from factory and not refurbished.

 

So I have a decision and I need input from you guys. I got my replacement delivered and I put it up in the market but it doesn't seem to be getting many bites (go figure right?)

I have an extended warr. through 2012 and I am thinking about just keeping it, in hopes of a better upgrade???

My question is, those of us(pretty much everyone) with the 16XX that have units that throttle, do you think there is any chance at us getting something diff.???

Should I just load it up and run the benchmarking software and fwd it to Dell and request a system that doesn't throttle? (mind you I got this as an upgrade from a less spec'd laptop...)

 

Hi, I'm also in process of asking for replacement, since I had a plenty of problems with 1645. My current config is in sig and here is what I'm probably going to ask for:

Studio XPS 1647
Core i7 620M
6GB RAM
256GB SSD
RGB-LED
extension of warranty from 2 to 3 years
Intel wireless 6300

So it's "downgrade" of CPU, but 256GB SSD instead of 500GB 7200RPM + extension of warranty...

Do you think this could work, or should I even ask for more???
Do you have any advice?
BTW: I communicate with dell purely by email to have something in my hands...

 

Don't be too sure that you will get what you ask for... I went from what is in my sig to:
i5-520m
4GB ram which is rated slower than what I had previously
320GB Hard Drive rated slower than what I had
WLED screen which is worse than the RGBLED I had
Wireless card that does not work

Just be careful with your replacement. Dell has lost my confidence. My ordeal is here

 

Zswick, I would get dell chat support on the line, they sent me a WLED and they were willing to swap it out for an RGBLED screen, just tell them that it was worse than the one that you had and you want a replacement, same with the memory,hdd. Oh, and obviously just do this when you get the wireless card sent to you for replacement. Dell says that they will never send you anything worse than you currently have, so fight those specifications.

 

Dell just called me and said they may not be able to give me the i5 CPU I requested due to some sort of shortage. Now they are saying that they have to give me an i7. At this point I guess I should request the 620m or the 820qm. They say this whole process may take 3-4 weeks. So far its already been a week and the system has not even been approved.

 

I think it seems pretty reasonable but you might have problems with RGB and extension of warranty.

From recent calls with Dell, RGB is currently not available. I would make sure to mention that your CPU is getting downgraded.

They seem hesitant to throw in warranties; they'll throw in an extra upgrade or two, but usually (in my experience) not warranties.

Good luck

 

Uh its not a downgrade of CPU. its an upgrade. 620m > 720m

Slower rated ram? Unless you have defective ram, the ram for the 1647 (i5/i7) runs at the same exact speed as the 1640 (C2D), 1066mhz.
Also if you didn't get what you asked for one of two things happened. 1) you asked for way to much in comparison to your original build/price 2) you weren't firm enough with dell.

I built exactly what I wanted on Dell's site and emailed to my guy. 17 days later it was shipped to my doorstep. You have to be on the ball if you want to be satisfied with your replacement. You can't just let Dell take care of it for you, you have to hold their hand to get what you want. Otherwise you will be unhappy.


Lotta misinformation going around this thread these days.

 

What rights do I have under Dells warranty? I no longer want a damn 16xx series laptop and I don't want unqualified people touching my laptop (pretty much all their contractors that are playing guess work while taking the laptop apart).

 

Sure ;-) But not for Dell, they consider 720qm far superior to 620m ;-) (that's why I quoted the downgrade word)

 

Just emailed my agent about my current dell issue of heat pretty much deforming the laptop. The glue that keeps the silver trim is actually losing it's adhesive properties and coming off along the left hand side of the palmrest. And there's still a minor depression. I'm asking for a replacement for a different series, I won't rest unless it's an Alienware. Been through a 1640, 1647 and now a 1645.

 

Hey,

I experience severe throttling (CPU downclocks to ~10% of its rated speed when playing Starcraft2), possibly due to overheating.

I called the Dell hotline several times, which of course was unable to solve my issue and just tried to bullsh!t me like "this is normal, SXPS1640 isn't designed for gaming, get an alienware" or "we don't have a solution yet, get over it", so I would like a replacement with a 1647.

What is the way to go ? Does [email protected] answser to european customers or is it only for the US ? What did you tell him to get your 1647 (especially the people who got an i7 620M^^) ?

 

I've been waiting about 2 weeks for my replacement 1647 for replacing my old 1640 yet today I see they are just shipping me another 1640 with a t9900, missing the ati card with hdmi, missing the rgbled, missing the back-lit keyboard, and included the 90w power supply, not the 130. But they gave me 8 gigs of ram and a bigger hard drive. sigh.

what the hell is wrong with dell these days. I've always had pretty good support from them but not this time.

 

what does not make sence- all the 1640s have hdmi, all have backlit keyboard.. they should have given you rgb= you can ask that you swap out the screens upon arrival of the new 1640

the 130w can also be requested after from support-

 

different part numbers. the first one is the replacement. I thought hdmi was on either ati or nvidia options. this one appears to be using the intel graphics option.

T703D Module,Keyboard,86,US-ENG,DellAmericas Organization,1640
R266D Keyboard, 86, United States England/english, Xps Liteweight Single Pointing Backlit


I am not swapping anything out. The email from dell support said they will ship a 1647, they just made a mistake and placed the wrong order. Doesn't really surprise me anymore, not after reading this forum. This is the exact same support guy that said not to game on my xps and judging from his writing he's located in India doing what his supervisor is telling him, avoid replacements unless the customer is irate...

 

I received my replacement XPS 1645 yesterday. The new laptop is a brand new build and it came with the 130W adapter and latest bios/drivers. The cpu does not throttle under normal operation (even 8 threads of Prime 95) but if you include Furmark it clocks down to 8.5-9x multiplier. The temperatures are significantly lower (up to 20C under load) than the old computer. Now here is my question: the order stated that I would be getting a 500gb Free Fall Seagate hard drive (part # 341-8989) but instead I was shipped a Toshiba hard drive MK5056GSYF. According to the Dell chat agent the Toshiba is an IDE drive and that is the best ugrade option. I am sceptical especially since the agent said that an IDE drive is better than SATA drives. I couldn't find enough info on Toshiba's website and I highly doubt that you can even configure an XPS 1645 with an IDE drive. Should I insist on getting a Seagate or not? Thank you!

 

There is no IDE interface on an XPS. Only SATA. Also that line of drives is only SATA. It's 7200 RPM, 500GB, 16 MB buffer. It appears it does not have a Free Fall type parking system though, which is probably not going to be a deal breaker in their eyes. You mention it but just for grins here's the webpage for the drive (the trailing "F" in the model # is essentially irrelevant)

MK5056GSY

It does say something though that they are telling you that it's IDE. lol

harpseal

 

they keep shipping me 1640's i keep returning them, did the email to dell and am now working directly with this person from so called corporate office, it helped a little but they just keep shipping 1640's, i start up a game and it drops the clock x down to 8 and as low as 3 then i ship it back.

any advice?

 

Don't accept another 1640?

 

did the person from corporate send you another 1640s?

 

I finally got a hold of a more intelligent Dell chat tech who indicated that indeed my drive is SATA2 and it has the free fall sensor. The exact specs of the drive that he gave me are "500GB, S2, 7.2, FFS, 2.5, TSHBA-LC'. Thank you for your help!

 

Just wanted to share my experiences.

1645 (Specs in signature). Overheating, Throttling, Flickering, Speakers -Replaced, New.

1645 ( (Specs in signature).Throttling, Speakers, Overheating, Bad AC connector. Random Restarts.

Offered 1647, Declined. No RGB. Escalated.

Replacement in Production.

AW M17X R2

Space Black - Anodized Aluminum $0.00
Airborne Documentation, System Exchanges,Factory Install $0.00
Slot-Loading Dual Layer Blu-ray Burner (BR-R, DVD+-RW, CD-RW) $300.00
AlienFX Color, Quasar Blue $0.00
5.1 Channel Audio $0.00
Intel Core i7 720QM 1.6GHz (2.8 GHz Turbo Mode, 6MB Cache) $1710.00
4GB Dual Channel DDR3 at 1333MHz $40.00
17-inch WideUXGA 1920 x 1200 RGB LED (1200p) $200.00
1GB ATI Radeon Mobility HD 5870 $0.00
S and P Drop-in-Box Marcom forDHS Notebooks $0.00
Standard Nameplate $0.00
Automatic Updates: On $0.00
Alienware M17x 150W A/C Adapter $0.00
500GB 7,200RPM SATA-II HDD $75.00
Microsoft Office Home and Student 2007 - English $129.00
McAfee VirusScan Plus - 36-Month Subscription $89.00
ADOBE READER 9.0 MULTI- LANGUAGE $0.00
PC-Restore, Dim/Insp $0.00
DataSafe Local BackUp 2.0 Basic $0.00
CyberLink PowerDVD 8.0 Software $0.00
Nero 9 Media Burning Software $0.00
Steam and Portal Factory Installed $0.00
Genuine Windows 7 Home Premium, 64bit, English $0.00
Alienhead 3D $0.00
Alienhead 3D $0.00
Soft Contracts,Banktec Care,Alienware $0.00
Alienware Command Center, M17x $0.00
Bluetooth 2.1 with EDR $0.00
Intel Ultimate N WiFi Link 6300 a/g/n 3x3 MIMO Technology $60.00

My fingers are crossed.

 

Damn, hope you get it. LUCKY!!!!!!!

 

According to Dell's website, will ship next week on 5/6/10.

 

What did you say to get them to switch you to the alienware line.. I have been trying and trying and am getting no where...

 

RGB.

If there are no RGB displays for the 1645, then which machines have them?

AW M17 or the Dell Precision.

They were very nice and understanding.

 

Do you have a name of a rep I can use as reference?

 

Sorry.

Start here:

[email protected]

Tell them your experiences. I see that you have a 1647 with a WLED, it may be difficult for you; but it's always worth a try.

good luck.

 

Even with the WLED it throttles.... so should it really matter?

Thanks : )

 

I can't speak for Dell, but tell them your story. It worked for me.

 

Thanks for the words of encouragement man.

 

good luck.

 

Wow man, congrats. You're gonna love that thing. No lie, I'm a little jealous, but happy for ya. Maybe I can pull this same trick off somewhere down the line. Nice!

 

Here is my case:

Bought a XPS 1640 basic config - Speaker issue:
XPS 1640 - Core 2 duo 8600
1366 X 768 WLED
4Gb DDR3
320Gb HDD 7200 rpm

1st offer: Canceled
XPS 1640 - Core 2 duo T9600
15.6 FHD 1080p
4Gb DDR3 Ram
500 Gb 7200 rpm
+ $50 gift card

2nd offer:
XPS 1645 - i7 720QM 1.6GHz (2.8 GHz) Processor
9-cell Battery.
6GB,DDR3,1333MHZ,2 DIMM Memory.
Soundblaster X-Fi HD Audio card.
15.6 inch Wide Screen 16:9 1080p Full HD WLED LCD.
+8Gb DDR3 1066Mhz (this is a long funny story).

Question: Should I keep the 6Gb DDR3 1333? or change to the 8Gb 1066Mhz? Thanks

 

1333 with that i7.

 

I just reviewing my replacement with Dell and honestly their CS policies are total S***. They are shipping me a 6 cell battery with my 1645, even though when you configure a 1645 the only option is a 9 cell. They say since my 1640 had a 6 that is what I get. Yet they will give me a better WiFi card and and i5. But no a battery is asking for too much. How is it that people on here can get an m17x for their SXPS16 yet I cannot get an fricking battery. Also as I was arguing (politely mind you) with the CS rep I got disconnected, and so far I have received no call back. After this I am going to build myself a desktop and then just you my laptop for on the go needs.

 

that is crap- mine came with a 9cell- i came from a 1640, but mine also came with the crap 1520 wifi - when the standard is intel 6200. i added an intel 5300.

I also have a 6 cell for mine and i get about 2 hours.. - 3 on the 9 cell

 

Wow, that is pretty janky... CS rep tried selling me a 6-cell for 150... I laughed and told him I can get them on e*bay for 60-70...

I wish you luck... as I need luck wished my way too.... trying to rid myself of this 1645!!!!!!!!!!!!!