Thinking of purchasing an XPS1647. I have a few questions though (sorry!)

So I came here about a month ago, asking if the XPS16 was going to be refreshed, I was kindly informed that it might be worth holding back my purchase for a couple of weeks because an XPS with an ATi 5xxx was looking increasingly likely. Well I don't need to tell all of you...but it didn't happen haha

So im thinking of just pulling the trigger and getting myself a shiny new Dell But I have a few questions (isn't there always a but!)

- I've read that the Studio XPS suffers from some heat problems, parts of the chassis getting incredible hot etc, i'm planning on getting my XPS with an i5 520M is that known to get incredibly hot? I'm not planning on playing games with the notebook on my lap but I would probably browse the internet or do some video editing.

- Is the Chassis of the notebook quite sturdy? Is there a lot of flex when you pick it up? That also reminds me, is it heavy (I consider heavy anything 3KG/6.6LBS+)? I had an Inspiron 1520 from Dell, that was my first ever notebook, that had terrible amounts of flex when it was picked up.

- Is the RGBLED panel worth the extra £190?

- Lastly, i've had a look at notebookcheck for the 4670 and what it can do but can anyone here give me some "hands on" information about how the card performs in games (especially if you have a similar specification notebook to what I want to get). If it helps I play things like Team Fortress 2, Bad Company 2, Dragon Age: Origins and Mass Effect 2

Thanks everso much if anyone answers all this!

 

well, i can't answer the last 2 points because i don't have them. But for the first 2,

- the palmrest can get warm during extended gaming sessions, for me its fine, but for some, it may be slightly uncomfortable. I have the i5-520M as well. Since you're not gaming, it won't get hot at all, except when encoding vids (?)

- the chassis is the most solid thing i've ever seen, aside from the MBP, but it comes close. There is NO flex anywhere, even if you pick it up from the corner.

 

Awesome, thanks very much for that
I will be gaming, just not with it on my lap but I don't mind a bit of heat. My old Inspiron used to heat upto a toasty 80/90C when gaming for a few hours, although most of the heat was on the bottom, towards the back of the chassis. So hopefully i'll be able to live with it's heat output

Have you owned a MBP? Because im quite intrigued (and excited) but your comment about the machine having no flex. You may of just helped me with my decision!

If anyone has anything else to add, comment, opinions or can answer any of the other questions, please go ahead

EDIT: Im quite interested in the weight of the notebook too, thanks

 

Hey, I'm looking to buy the SXPS16 too and I've been waiting for this update for about 3 weeks. I still think it might be worth hanging around for the ATI 5XXX because it's direct x11 which is better (from what I've been told) and maybe they'll update other things, maybe optimise the integrated graphics from the i5/i7!
A few Dell rep's have told me the update is 'right around the corner' but it's just frustrating not knowing exactly when! Hopefully soon though!

 

Nooooooooooooo
Haha, dont tell me that!
It's taken me like 2 weeks to persuade myself to get the XPS16 with the current spec!
Aw man ha

 

I've played Team Fortress 2 and Dawn of War 2 on my laptop (in sig) and the both run amazingly at full resolution with high/ultra details. I'm running an i7-720QM cpu and haven't had any heat problems so far.

 

Compared to my inspiron E1505 i had, the SXPS seems very sturdy, i believe the internal chassis is metal, along with the full bottom plate, it has a solid feel when you pick it up. For the size laptop the weight 6.x lbs is quite reasonable.

Games i haven't had much luck with mine but mine was refurbished. I received a refurbished replacement 1645 i7 and now have 130w AC and BIOS A08, BUT the graphic card overheats after 10-30 mins of playing Left 4 Dead (1) or World of Warcraft if i turn the resolution and effects up (they have replaced the motherboad, fan and heat sink). From what i have read here people have had lots of heat issues trying to play Dragon Age: Origins, and i also have heard at least one person having problems with Bad Company 2.

For games it seems it is a MUST to buy a good quality notebook cooler, I'm getting one soon and hope that will help.

Overall it is a sweet looking computer, sounds great (as long as you have good speakers...another problem dell had to fix) and for most things functions very well.

 

i haven't owned an MBP, but i have used a school's one. oh and just for your information, with Crysis it heats to a max of 86 C, most of which is at the vents

 

Hey thanks for that
Im quite worried to hear that A) You seem to be having problems playing Source games using an i7 CPU and the 4670 and B) That you say buying a notebook cooler is a must buy, it's not something I was even considering buying!

I went to the Sony centre yesterday to look at a similar model Vaio that I configured online and I have to say, im pretty impressed by it, the screen is about the same as my Inspiron (viewing angles, backlight bleed etc), the keyboard was nice, chiclet (i think) and it was nice and light, it weighed about 2.7KG which for me is a big plus.

There were a couple of things that let it down, webcam only 0.3MP, silly grill above the keyboard and sparkly dots below it but all in all it seemed pretty nice.

It's really put the "cat amongst the pigeons" so to speak

I think I could cope with 86C whilst gaming, I dont do it often (im a casual PC gamer) and usually only for an hour or so at a time.