XPS 13 (9333 Haswell) Owners Lounge

Thanks for the additional info and the BB tip, I'll check it out - and YES , let's keep this focused on the XPS 13, sorry, didn't mean to hijack the thread. The XPS 13 is still my first choice if these problems can be fixed.

 

You've probably already seen this, but here is the nbr thread for the Spectre
http://forum.notebookreview.com/showthread.php?t=735074
HP Spectre 13T-3000

Sent from my Samsung Galaxy Tab 8.9

 

Hello all, quick question: I am trying to confirm whether the XPS13ULT-4286sLV model that is available on Newegg, Amazon, etc. is the 2014 model. Tiger Direct said it was 2013, but I cant find any mention of a 2013 model with a touchscreen or Haswell. Only difference I can see is Windows 8 vs. 8.1, but that could be a technicality. Trying to figure out why these are so much cheaper than on the Dell website before I buy.

thanks!

 

According to Amazon, that model has the i5-4200U processor, which is 4th generation Haswell. So, that makes it the most recent processor for sure. I haven't heard of a more recent release of the 13 since the touch with Haswell was released in late 2013.

edit: Just a little searching, here's the press release from Dell... the current XPS 13 with Haswell was released November 2013 Dell Introduces New Line of Tablets and Updated XPS Laptops: Create, Share and Access Content from Virtually Anywhere | Dell

 

For those of you who returned your XPS 13 due to the coil whine problem (the only thing keeping me from ordering the i5 model)

Did you end up being charged the 15% restocking fee (assuming it was in the 21 day return period)? How difficult was it to return for this reason?

Some have suggested that the coil whine might not be audible for older people (I'm in my 50s) so I might want to give this a go, but I don't really want to pay the restocking fee if the system is defective in that manner (only an issue if I can hear it, otherwise I'd not care).

Thanks.

 

Here is Dell's return policy. I returned a XPS 11 - no hassle. They just want it back before the 30-day period. The 30-days starts with the invoice date so its 30-days minus the shipping time of 3 or 4 days. They covered my return shipping with a prepaid label that was emailed to me. I had my refund within 10 days of my return. No restocking fee if returned in the 30-day period.

Easy returns. . . Send it back within 30 days of your invoice date for a full refund, including free return shipping. Dell will even waive the restocking fee.

 

Hi,

thanks for the message, my concern was based on what I found here

U.S. Return Policy | Dell which states:

"21-Day Return Period for Certain Products and Accessories: Unless you have a separate agreement with Dell, or except as provided below, all hardware, accessories, peripherals, parts may be returned within 21 days from the date on the packing slip or invoice for a credit or a refund of the purchase price paid, less shipping and handling, and any applicable restocking fees (as further described below)."

and

"Restocking Fees: Unless the product is defective or the return is a direct result of a Dell error, Dell may charge a restocking fee of up to 15% of the purchase price paid, plus any applicable sales tax."

I'll poke around the Dell pages and see if I can find a different return policy.

If it is a no-hassle/questions asked, then the issue of whether they acknowledge the coil whine is moot too.

 

Thanks, your message made me poke around dell's site some more and I found this link

Free 5 -7 Day Ground Shipping Now With Easy Returns | Dell

which states exactly what you said, so I think I may pull the trigger on the i5 XPS 13 model.

I'm going to see if I can find an XPS 13 around the Chicago area to look at first, even if it's last year's model, just so I have an idea about the physical size of the system and screen before I order it

 

Thanks dan76! I ended up ordering it from TigerDirect, but then had to send it back, so went with Amazon the second time around. Both are cheaper options than Dell, and TD has no sales tax for me as well. So far so good with the new one!

Brad

 

Very tempted to get one of these to dual boot, windows and Linux. The coil whine issue does concern me a bit though. The only alternative I see worth considering is the Lenovo X240.

 

Hi have just returned my Dell XPS13 9333 i5 42000U after nearly 2 months.

At first the whining coil issue bothered me, but I followed a thread where they were promising a solution. Seeing that the solution did not come I opened a ticket with Dell tech support and requested a refund but they decided to send a tech on site to replace mother board, keyboard, speakers, etc. despite they knew (or they should know) that there is no fix for the whining coil issue as it is due to a faulty hardware that affects ALL of the XPS 13.

After the technician replaced everything the problem was still there (of course) but the battery did not charge anymore. I was fed up with the technical support and with waiting long time to even get things worse so I returned the laptop and I'm waiting for the refund which hopefully is made soon and at no re-stocking cost as it is a Dell defective unit.

I have already bought a Lenovo X240 i5 43000U 8GB 500GB HDD + 16GB mSATA and I'm waiting to receive it. The design is not gonna be as lovely as the Dell XPS but hopefully it's the right decision.

 

Oh oh .. I literally just put my order in for the same system 5 minutes ago .. let's hope my ears can't hear the whine and my experience will be better.

Sorry for your frustrating experience. I don't think I'll be as patient, if it's not working right after a week or two it's going back and I'll start looking at alternatives. At this price it ought to work right.

I'm a long time Thinkpad T series user, but not familiar with the X series or the X240, maybe I'll take a look just in case ..

 

I just got my new XPS 13 two hours ago

I keep getting the FN and Control key mixed up when I type. Not sure why the much more frequently Control key is further away than the FN key.

Is there a way to swap the functions of these two keys? I don't care about the labels being incorrect in that case, but since I use the Control key much more frequently, I want it to be the closer key.

Thanks!

PS: So far I can't hear any coil whine, but then again, I'm 50+ .. ?

 

Hello!

I ordered an i7-4650 machine on the 11th in the UK. Even though the preliminary date of delivery was on the 18th, order status gives me the 25th.

How long would it usually take for dispatch of the machine?

Sent from my Note 3 using smoke signals.

 

How did you manage to install win 8.1 pro on that? I am getting an errror where installation hangs at "getting decvices ready 91%".

Thanks!

 

Oohh... geez. Honestly the Dell is quite a bit nicer IMO. I have reviewed both (and I love both brands), but the X240 has other compromises which hold it back from true greatness in my judgment. The XPS 13 is much closer to that ideal machine, even with the minor CPU whine issue that we've all experienced.

Here is my X240 review if you're interested:
Lenovo ThinkPad X240 Ultrabook Review: A Philosophical Shift | PC Perspective

My XPS 13-9333 review has yet to go live (on Notebookcheck)... probably tomorrow.

 

How do you compare the two keyboards? I.e., Dell XPS 13 vs X240?

I'm a long-time Thinkpad T series user, starting with the 560x, T23 and currently the T61 I've been really happy with the systems and their keyboards. (Even the E530 which I don't like very much, has a good keyboard).

While I liked the build and design of the XPS 13, I find I have a hard time typing for any length of time on it, so I'm considering ordering the X240 to try out. The Dell keyboard just feels cramped to me, and I wish the FN and Control keys could be swapped. The Dell is also my first machine with a glossy screen, and I'm not sold on that either (yet?) coming from a long line of TP matte screens, but mostly it's the keyboard.

As someone with experience with both machines I'd be interested in your take - thanks.

(PS: I had come across your review earlier, very thorough. Agreed on the negative clickpad development with the loss of physical buttons - but 95% of the time I use an external mouse anyway)

 

First off, thanks for the kind words on my review! Glad you liked it.

Well, actually, the keyboard on the XPS 13-9333 has been reworked with a higher-quality material, the keys are tighter, actuation force is lower, and the stop is more well-defined. So I REALLY like it, and much more than I did that of the previous-gen XPS 13 models. I had no qualms about the layout, but then again, that's one of those items that I have found I normally adjust to as long as it isn't completely wonky.

As for the X240 keyboard, you probably have already read how I felt about it:

A lot of it is certainly subjective, but I feel like typing on the new XPS 13 keyboard is easier. The T440s, on the other hand, has one of the best keyboards I've used recently.

I totally agree here. I just can't get used to a glossy screen and I find that coming from matte to glossy is very difficult indeed. I'm not sure that will ever change... but as long as you don't get the touch version of the X240 I think you get a fully matte panel.

 

Thanks for the post, I think I'm going to order the X240 and see for myself (have to look for some coupons etc first

I think I can live with the lower resolution (non-touch comes only with 1366 x 768) if the keyboard works better for me.

Ideally the X240 will arrive soon so that I can compare both machines next to each other.

 

Many laptop's allow you to swap the default behavior in the BIOS, so that F keys are default, and you have to press Fn to get the media keys. I don't have this Dell, but you may poke around the BIOS to see what you can find.

 

Hi, yes, thanks .. I've tried looking but haven't found that option. I also posted on a couple of related forums w/o luck. I might poke around the BIOS some more.

 

Here is the latest NB review of the XPS-13 with Intel’s fourth generation Haswell processors and full touch capability :thumbsup:

Dell XPS 13 (2014) Review: Same Style New System

 

If some are interested, picked a Crucial M500 480Gb at 220$ USD (+30$ tax/shipping/import so ~270$ CAD) and it is working flawlessly with the laptop. Installation is also super easy if you have a Torx 5 screwdriver (be gentle with the screw though).

Real happy to have opted for the i5 128gb/8gb model instead of the i7 one; I have more capacity and it's still cheaper! Now, if they could fix the coil whine issue, that would be the perfect ultrabook.

 

I'm in the market for replacing my 1st gen XPS 13 (M1330) and I`ve been doing some reading for the past 2 weeks. The more you read, the less you want to buy a Laptop Ultrabook / PC.

Anyhow, I've been looking at all the popular and even less popular laptop in the 13"-14" category and even considered bumping my budget from 700$ to 1200$ to try a buy a 'good' laptop, but I just realize that it's not the matter of finding the best laptop for my budget but the one that sucks the less.

I've looked at Dell XPS 13, Sony Vaio Pro, Lenovo Yoga 2 Pro, Samsung ATIV Book 9 Plus and they all seem to have their shares of problem even when you end up paying 1200$ for any of these with decent specs. I looked at all Dell's, Lenovo, Sony and Samsung lineup (won't consider HP, Toshiba, Asus, and Acer is too expensive), and can't seem to find one perfect option.

That being said, I'm still seriously considering the XPS 13, despite the coil whine issue primarily and some heating issue, I believe.

Is it stupid to be buying this laptop today, considering this is a known problem that won't be fixed by Dell and that so many current owners kind of regret / already returned their device ? Is it that much of a turn off ?
Also, some reviews list the battery life as being a Pro and other as being a Con.... Which one is it ?

The only other laptop in Dell's lineup that I would consider is the Inspiron 14 7000 but it seems the screen isnt that great. I would install a SSD if I were to purchase one, but for the price, I'm getting mostly look out of the Inspiron.

What do you recommend, current XPS 13 owners, should I join the group or boycott Dell ?

 

I guess everyone has their reasons for not buying from a given company, but I'll say my fiance and I both really love our HP Spectre 13t. There's a thread here on that model if you could convince yourself to look at HP.

 

I am personally a huge fan of Dell. I have currently have Dell, Asus and Lenovo laptop/ultrabooks... they each have their strengths, so it really depends on what's most important to you in a laptop. The XPS 13 is known for having one of the brightest IPS screens (350nits), and that's really important to me. I can't find data on the Latitude 7000, but I know it's predecessor the 6430u was only 150nits.

The Lenovo Yoga 2 Pro is also a great value and excellent spec'd machine, also with a bright screen.

The Asus Zenbook series are super powerful solid laptops, very fast with no problems at all, but a terrible keyboard.

Lenovo and Dell are known for the best keyboards, if you type a lot, that's all I would recommend. The new Yoga 2 Pro keyboard is not as good as the original Yoga, so for this generation, I still recommend XPS 13 or the 12 if you want convertible.

I really don't have much experience with HP, so they may be worth looking at.

 

I just received my xps 13 developer edition and out of the box the whine was always present with keyboard backlight on. Last night it would go away when I turned backlight off but the next day it was whining all the time. I was going to flash BIOS just to see if that helped (not expecting it would) and when I plugged in my USB thumbdrive the whining instantly went away. Pull out thumb drive, it's back. Seems like a grounding issue.

I also had really bad wifi speeds, but after plugging in thumb drive that seems to have gone away as well - I can't see how they're related after unplugged thumb drive and still have good speeds ..

I did chat with tech support though and they're going to swap the motherboard b/c they think it's a grounding issue. I'm happy to let them do it. If the whine doesn't go away I don't see how I can keep it .. it's annoying. The wifi needs to be 100% as well, obviously.

Here's to hoping ...

I do have to say though the tech I chatted with was really good and fast. So hopefully that's a good sign of things to come.

 

Thanks for the post and for reminding me about the Dev edition. Looking at it online, same specs as Win8 Pro is almost exactly $500 cheaper... amazing! I see it's the same core i5 processor, are you running Ubuntu or did you load Windows? Getting that and swapping in a bigger SSD and loading Windows is something I'm considering.

Thanks

 

wow that's quite a price difference ..

i'm using ubuntu on it ... no interest in windows.

it's really nice hardware ... i just hope the mb swap fixes the whine and the wifi issues because both are pretty crucial. i could PROBABLY even live with the whine IF it shut off ALWAYS when i turned off keyboard backlight but that hasn't always been the case.

 

I turned off 802.11n on my router and my wifi speed was quite a bit better. I decided to upgrade to 14.04 though to see if that helped at all b/c my connection information was still reporting 1Mb/s speed even though I was seeing faster transmission speeds.

14.04 runs MUCH better on wifi. No need to turn off 802.11n on my router and my connection information shows > 54 Mb/s now .. essentially it reports top speeds.

I did need to create /etc/modprobe.d/blacklist_i2c_hid.conf and put the following lines in it:
blacklist i2c_hid

this allows the touchpad to work properly since there's a conflict with the touchscreen and the touchpad .. blacklisting the touchscreen module allows the touchpad to work perfectly again (i don't use the touchscreen anyway).

beyond that, everything else is working great EXCEPT i still have the coil whine with keyboard backlight on.

i'll let the dell technician take a look at it and see if they can fix it. if not, i can live with it even if i wish i didn't have to. the backlight is something i can turn on when needed and if the room has moderate ambient noise i can't really hear it anyway. i wish something so simple wasn't a problem, it really seems like a design defect that dell should have fixed, but the machine is a super nice machine otherwise and i do appreciate the work they're putting into properly supporting and contributing back to linux.

 

More info ...

Dell technician arrived and replaced mobo. He was really nice and very careful to put everything back the way it came. However, coil whine was still there after he was done.

I did find that laptop turned on when was 'asleep'. Askubuntu question here:
power management - What causes Dell XPS 13 ProjectSputnik to wake up randomly after suspend and how to fix it? - Ask Ubuntu

with details here:
7 Facts About Intel's Smart Connect in the Dell XPS 13 | News & Opinion | PCMag.com

I know my windows machine (steambox) also turns on all the time even though I powersave ... I turned off on XPS and will also turn off on windows machine and see if this fixes it. stupid 'feature'.

all in all i'm still happy with this machine. i wish it was 100% perfect, but USING it is a joy. It's ubuntu .. it runs really well, the multi monitor support is DEAD on and works 100% of the time no matter how many times I yank the mini-display port out of it and shove it back in. So all in all Dell has done a great job here. That said, I did email my dell support contact and tell him I'm disappointed they don't address the coil whine ... if they fix this they have a no excuses best of breed laptop here that is unique to the entire market. Oh and I've been absolutely thrilled with battery life too .. minimum 6hrs and close to 7hrs from what I've seen.

 

I've been using this laptop for a while, but it never happened to me. Maybe I don't keep my laptop suspended long enough to notice this bug.
Anyway, I don't think the problem is Intel Smart Connect. I know that some users have this problem even with it disabled from the BIOS. There's also a kernel driver which prevents issues when this feature is enabled.


Anyway, I've been using this laptop for a while and I can only confirm the issues users are having (electrical noises, minor backlight bleed etc...). One thing that it's really bothering me though is this, even though it's a Linux bug only. I tried to post about it on Dell's forum without luck, does anyone how to make Dell aware of it?

I also leave this link here, it might be useful to the Linux users of this forum.

 

I received my XPS 13 with windows 8.1 yesterday afternoon. I'm a Unix/Linux admin so didn't really need the developer's edition. So far I have not experienced any issue. The display is extremely bright. I am wondering if there may be an issue with Ubuntu causing the whine and other issues. An alternative would be to install VMWare and then run Ubuntu virtually. It's the route I'd go with. I am wondering why Dell creates so many partitions on the drive. There must be 5 or 6.

 

Back when I got my XPS 13, I managed to change the 128GB Hard Drive with a 240GB Crucial-branded one. I used some sort of cloning software to transfer the contents of the old SSD to the new one, playing around with partitions to maximise my C drive. There were two minor issues that seemed to arise as a result:

1. I was unable to retain Intel Rapid Start functionality, because the two partitions that are required for that functionality did not behave as intended in the new SSD. Maybe it was because I was playing around with the partitions.

2. Windows Search is messed up. Typing "Prog" and "Cont" in the Search doesn't give me "Uninstall Programs (or something identical)" or "Control Panel" as the first option. They're both the second or third options, for some reason. Anyone know what went wrong here?

Apart from that, the SSD is working like a dream. The coil whine I can live with, since I'm rarely in a location that's soft enough for me to hear it.

Right click start button - "Mobility Center" and find the option pertaining to the "Function Key Row" and change the toggle.

 

I just got my XPS 13 today. I bought it for $999 from the Microsoft Store (model # XPS13ULT-4286sLV with i5|8GB|128GB) since Dell.com seems particularly expensive right now. I unfortunately need to have it replaced since I have 4 dead pixels near the top left of the screen (I wonder if QA just didn't look hard enough). So far that is a bit of an interesting process since Microsoft purchased the system from Dell more than 21 days ago and thus Dell doesn't want to do a new system exchange. It sounds like they might be able to resent the date of purchase to when I bought it from Microsoft but I am waiting to hear back tomorrow if that works. It also shipped with 8.1 installed before the update, so I think that has adverse effects on OS footprint on the hard drive. Does anyone have any experience working with Dell like this?

This is possibly unrelated but I also cannot get the screen very bright. It looks like full 350 nits when I turned it on, but when I unplug the cord or in any other way adjust the brightness the screen dims and even when it says full brightness it is probably only 150 nits. Anyone know the fix? Also is there any way to get the trackpad two finger scroll to be as smooth as using the touch screen?

Otherwise I really like this machine. The reviews online really don't do it justice. The body is so beautiful and the keyboard and trackpad are the best I have felt. The aluminum has a different finish than on Macbooks: the XPS 13 has a darker matte color that brightens up to the color seen on most reviews when it reflects a light source toward you. I was most seriously considering the Spectre 13t as an alternative having read about the coil whine and following the advice of a few posters, but when I tried the Spectre at Best Buy I found the keyboard and trackpad click to be really splashy. Having held both I also find the XPS 13 much more visually and tactily appealing. I couldn't directly test one before buying, but I liked the keys on the XPS 15 and the 13's are the same as far as I can tell; I like the 13's palmrest more than the 15's too. It seems that its pretty hard to find XPS's on display right now but for those shopping, I'd compare the Macbook Pro 13's keyboards between the retina display model and the older, thicker model. The older model has much firmer keys that I think are pretty similar to the XPS 13's. I also much prefer the concave keys on the XPS to any I felt (Zenbook, Yoga, Flip, MB Pro/Air). It also has my favorite trackpad, and although the click its a little loud, it's firm and has nice short travel. The gentle tap method of clicking works very well too.

I do have the coil whine, but honestly my whole apartment has coil whine. But seriously, I get the two different pitches with the two keyboard brightness settings. The bright setting has a lower pitched and more discernable noise and the low setting's is much higher such that I don't notice it from 14" away until I turn the backlight off (and then I can tell something is different but cannot really hear a difference). This is pretty characteristic of high pitch noises on the edge of your hearing band (I am 24 and generally passed my hearing tests in high school but on "How Old Are Your Ears? (Hearing Test)" on Youtube using Apple headphones with my XPS 13 I couldn't hear above 15000 Hz, but the sound was crackly so maybe the headphones couldn't either). Also right USB removes the whine from the bright setting (it whines for 3-4 seconds then stops).

 

You got a great deal I paid $1,133 plus $112 for a 2 year warranty. I'd have gotten the i7 and 256GB HD if I'd have known about the Microsoft store sale. I could return it for a refund but I can't detect a whine so far so I'll probably keep it.
I did notice the power adapter fits very loosely when plugged into the laptop. Is it like that on yours?
The keys are the best I have felt on any Dell laptop I've had. It was between the XPS 13 and the Lenovo Yoga 2.

 

I actually found my power adapter attached really firmly. I'd have like it to be loose but not insecure, the way it is now I could definitely pull the laptop off a table by tugging on the cord. And it was hard to restrain myself from the i7 model.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

If I pulled on the cord it would definitely come out easy. The i7 + 256 GB is sweet. I plan on replacing the drive with a 256GB Samsung.

 

I really doubt that's the problem. Also, the whine can be heard also when Windows is used.

6 on my laptop. It seems that because of EFI more partitions are required ( link), add something for Dell's recovery stuff something for Intel Rapid Start Technology and you get 6 partitions.

It's because of the automatic brightness, which limit the max brightness allowed when the "Power Save" plan is enabled (also "Dell" if I remember correctly). You can disable the automatic brightness or change power plan. I've never bothered to find an alternative solution (I mostly use Linux).

All my laptops (not many, all of them had Synaptics touchpad) had choppy scrolling. I don't know why is that, but I'd like to know if it can be fixed somehow. It's not an hardware issue for sure, scrolling is ok when I use Linux (and it always was with all my previous laptops). Also, it seems that the scrolling is better with certain applications than with others.

 

I started seeing slight but annoying screen flickering when on battery power when it's around 60%-70% charged. I went into the power settings and unchecked everything to do with conserving power when running on the battery but that did not work.

I flashed the bios to A04 from A01 and the flickering was gone. Later in the day I rebooted and the flickering came back.
The graphics driver from Dell was up to date so I downloaded an updated driver from Intel's website but it would not install because it wasn't Dell approved or certified and suggested I get one from Dell.

That was very strange. (I never had issues like that with nvidea in the past) At this point I am considering returning it since it is withing the 15 day period. When you exchange a new PC from Dell they send you a refurbished PC.

I haven't called tech support but plan to.

 

Hi.
Does anyone know if i can connect a external moniter with a higher resolution? possibly 2560x1600 or higher? Due to this laptop only has a mini display port... is a minidipslay port to hdmi adapter adaptable or do you have to buy a special one? Is this a problem or does it work fine?

 

From my communication it sounds like you get a new exchange until 21 days.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

Thanks for the exchange information. I do need more time to sort it out.

 

The Dell tech said the wireless adapter drivers should be updated to resolve the issue. Here's screenshots of the newest driver version from Dell. Both enumerators seemed to have remained the same (or reverted).
The driver description from Dell doesn't appear to match exactly the actual wireless driver that's installed. Can anyone confirm that these are the latest drivers?

 

I just want to say hi. I receive an XPS 13 last week and have been enjoying it. No problems with the one shipped my way. It seems to be everything I need for work. Coming from an AW M11x, I just have to get used to windows 8.

 

Congratulations on your new XPS 13. Does the power connector fit snugly when connected to the computer?

 

Can someone please tell me the difference between these two laptops? Specs seem identical but there is quite a price difference.

Amazon.com: Dell Computer XPS 13 XPS13ULT-7857sLV 13.3-Inch Laptop: Computers & Accessories
Amazon.com: Dell XPS 13 XPS13ULT-7858sLV 13.3-Inch Ultrabook: Computers & Accessories

 

Good question... they both have the same Core i7 4500U processor, 8gb RAM and 256gb ssd. Each are sold by different "Amazon stores" so the entries are different.

If you're considering those specs, ignore them both and get this one from the Microsoft Store for way cheaper: $1299 Buy Dell XPS 13 XPS13ULT-7857sLV Touchscreen Ultrabook - Microsoft Store

 

Can anyone please help me with this two issues:

- How can i activate or access the ambient light sensor settings? I am running windows 8 x64

- The touchpad sometimes doesnt react to the 3 finger browser back gesture. performing a single click anywhere on the website helps, the gesture works then

 

For the ambient light sensor, I think its in the power settings profile.

On the touchpad try increasing sensitivity.