XPS 13 (9333 Haswell) Owners Lounge

Thanks for the reply I was looking at the Crucial M500 series 480 gb mSata drive I hope it's a good drive.

 

Does anyone have issues with auto contrast? I cannot find a way to dsable this permanently and it is annoying.

Ive tried disabling auto brightness in the power management settings, Ive disabled the Display Saving in the Intel Graphics Control Panel but I cannot find a way to permanently disable this

any ideas?

Thanks

 

Hello, I'm looking forward into buying the 9333. But I'd like to change the cpu for a Haswell-Y one to increase battery life...is the cpu soldered on the board?

 

Yes it is soldered, so no chance of changing it.

 

Have any of you guys tried hooking up the XPS 13-9333 to 2 external monitors? Does the laptop support Multi Stream Technology (MST) via the DisplayPort? Otherwise, I suppose the method would be 1 monitor via DisplayPort and the other via some sort of USB-to-display connector.

 

Anyone get one of those new motherboard revisions that reduce system noise?

 

I bought one, xps 13 touch screen 9333, unfortunately..
My considerations:
- battery life claimed up to 8 hours? It works up to 3 editing docs at 40% brightness
- screen flips absurdly very very little.
- fan is noisy and overheaing (its October )
- claimed spillproof keyboard is not.
- touch screen is far away from tablet responsiveness and if you touch it at the top it will bounce the keyboard half.
Thanks

 

Sorry to hear you've had such a bad experience. I've purchased and manage several XPS 13 laptops for users and have an XPS 12 myself.

- If you have only 3 hrs battery on 40% brightness, something is wrong. I'd contact Dell support.
- screen flips? I'm not sure what you mean by that, but this is a very small and light weight laptop with a touch screen, the screen is solid and sturdy, but will move a little when touched.
- Fan noise? Again, it sounds like you may have a problem. It's worth checking for BIOS updates. Are you running any unusually taxing software?
- Keyboard - There's a big difference between spillproof and waterproof. The XPS series are certainly not marketed as mil-spec durable and protected.

Best of luck to you.

 

Just received my XPS 13 yesterday (purchased from Mircosoft store) and liking it so far. The auto contrast is very annoying and I think I've fixed it by disabling sensor monitoring services.

I'm still getting used to the keyboard. It seems like when I hit a key there is a "millisecond" delay with the letter showing on the screen. It's hard to explain but my typing feels fragmented.

When I was messing around with the display settings, I noticed my cursor is a bright white. I think I found the settings for this but it seems a little odd to me.

I've never had a screen with this resolution, so trying to figure out settings for web viewing. Some sites and windows are blurry (I'm using firefox). This could be my eyes playing a trick or just getting used to the screen but I feel like there is a peach "hue" to the screen when browsing in firefox. I didn't notice this when I first started the computer. Again, it may be me just getting used to a new computer. Also, when I'm in gmail, it's hard to tell the difference between a "new email" and one that has been read.

Overall, I like it and will try to figure out some of the small issues I mentioned.

 

I've figured out most of my "small" issues with the laptoop except for the keyboard. Has anyone had a latency problem with the keyboard? I"ve already had one call into Dell and they tried updating drivers, bios, etc.. Nothing worked but I'm going to get a hold of them again.

 

i don't know if it will fix your keyboard issue but have a look at this : https://www.computing.vt.edu/kb/entry/3558
BTW, did you purchase the 4289 model? Do you notice any coil whine on your laptop? I am also looking from buying the XPS 13 from microsoft store but I am afraid they don't have the updated version which doesn't have the coil whine....

 

I tried to go to the link you provided but the site said I didn't have access. Do you mind copying and pasting the info? Istill have the keyboard issue. Dell sent me a CD to reinstall the Operations System. It's kind of hard to install a using a CD when then laptop doesn't have one.

It looks like I posted in the wrong thread, I do have the 4289. I was worried about the coil whine but I have not noticed it so far. I may have to send this one back since the keyboard lag is driving me crazy

 

Nah, you do have the XPS 13 9333, but the 4289 variant which basically determines the CPU model (i5 vs i7) and such. For the website, the access is indeed denied....strange. It is accessible if you access it in "cached" mode. Here's what it said for a potential fix of your keyboard issue :

You may have accidentally turned on the Filter Keys feature, or you need to adjust your keyboard's repeat delay and rate settings.

To turn off the Filter Keys feature:

Click the Start button.
Type: control panel
As you type, results will appear and change. Select Control Panel.
Click the Ease of Access link.
Click the Change how your keyboard works link.
Clear the Turn on Filter Keys check box.
Click OK.

To adjust your keyboard's repeat delay and rate settings:

Click the Start button.
Type: control panel
As you type, results will appear and change. Select Control Panel.
Click the Ease of Access link.
Click the Change how your keyboard works link.
At the bottom of the page, click the Keyboard settings link.
If it is not already selected, select the Speed tab.
Drag the Repeat delay: slider to Short.
Drag the Repeat rate: slider to Fast.
Click OK.

Tell me if it fixed your problem, I'm curious lol. Also can you confirm that there is no coil whine when keyboard is lit ? thanks!

 

Ahhh....I wish that fixed the problem, no go. Dell is sending me a USB with the OS.

No coil whine for me so far, that's with the backlight on without battery and with. I really love this laptop if I can get the keyboard lag fixed. It's really strange and sometimes comes and goes.

 

Did you buy them recently? Do the i7 models have the coil whine still?

Does yours have the coil whine issue?


IS COIL WHINE STILL A PROBLEM FOR ANYONE?

 

I got mine last week no coil whine I have the i7 model with 8gb ram and installed a 480 gb msata drive everything works like a charm.

 

Are you from Canada? Where did you buy it from?

 

I am in Canada and bought it online through the chat I had a coupon for $200.00 off that they honored and the warranty was for 3 years included in the price.

 

No coil whine for me on the i5. I really do like this computer. I'm still having the keyboard lag issue, even after reinstalling the OS. It seemed to work fine for about 2 days and came back. I'm really not sure what it could be. The only thing I've downloaded are firefox, classic shell and windows updates. There were about 50 updates to do, so perhaps it's something with that. I'm getting a little frustrated and may just return it.

 

At this point, I'd ask Dell for an exchange...It's probably a faulty manufactured unit.

 

I have the exact same problem.
I found out that the lags does not exist in safe mode, so its probably something wiith the OS.
Another thing I found out is that when i plug the laptop to the AC its working fine (no lag).
talked with dell support about it, they replaced my cpu, motherboard and ssd, but with no change.

 

I'm glad I'm not the only one that had the problem. I did an exchange and received the new one yesterday. I'll update if the problem comes back after doing all the Windows updates. I'm going to take my time messing around with the computer before I do all the updates.

So far no coil whine in the new laptop.

 

Turns out I have the same problem with the replacement. When AC is plugged in no lag but unplugged I have the lag. This is very frustrating and kind of defeats the purpose of having an ultrabook (light and thin) to be used on the go or airplanes, which is my use.

I'll contact Dell but was wondering if anyone had a solution.

 

try use it on safe mode and tell me if the lag still exist (when unpluged to AC).

 

Sorry for the delay in getting back. I don't have the lag when in safe mode and uplugged AC. I'm surprised I haven't seen more people posting the issue, since I've gone through 2 computers with the same problems.

Dell said they are having an engineer look into the problem; not sure what that means. I really like the computer but I'm getting fed up. Took me ages to find something I liked and may have to start over. I love the size/weight and price point of this one

 

I have been dealing with the keyboard issue and Dell for the last couple months and finally able to send it in to them after they already tried replacing the battery, system board, and keyboard.

Here is how the input lag works from my troubleshooting.

Keyboard WILL NOT lag in safe mode, when plugged into AC adapter, when recently unplugged from AC adapter but has not hibernated or gone to sleep since, or while running a Linux OS.

Keyboard WILL lag when operating in normal Windows and on battery power when it has not been plugged into the wall since last wake or boot.

You can test this by plugging it in (no lag), unplugging it (no lag), closing the lid and reopening it (lag), putting it to sleep and waking it (lag), rebooting it (lag), plugging it back in (no lag)...

I have updated the BIOS, updated firmware, re-installed the OS countless times, ran all the up-to-date Dell drivers, ran no drivers, ran generic non-Dell drivers, ran every combination of drivers, and the list goes on. I have messed with BIOS settings and all Power settings in Windows. The issue is the same as outlined above.

I have selectively disabled Windows services and found that the Windows "Power" service is causing the issue. This service manages screen brightness, sleep/wake, etc and is crucial to every day practical use of the machine. If you disable this service by Run -> msconfig -> Services -> disable/uncheck the "Power" service and reboot the machine the keyboard will behave correctly. However, you will lose crucial functionality of the machine. Something with the system is causing this service to behave wonky.

This is an issue with the machine most likely in software somewhere. The Bios maybe? Even on a completely fresh install of Windows with no drivers or applications installed the issue exists. As I said earlier, my battery, system board, and keyboard have already all been replaced.

Hope this provides some more info for you guys suffering from this debilitating issue. The machine is completely useless in the current state.

 

Thank you so much for that post, which is really helpful. The lag/no lag scenarios you mentioned are exactly what I've gone through. This is really too bad and looks like I will have to return it. That's really a shame; it took me ages to find a laptop (size/weight) in this price point that I liked. Dell just mentioned to me that I should try to create a new Microsoft account to see if that helps; I doubt it will

 

That works for me too, but you can't really use the laptop like that.

 

I'd suggest return it if you still can. I'll update everyone once they send it back to me and let you all know if they fix it.

Oh definitely can't use it that way, just wanted to let everyone know whats causing the issue.

 

Has anyone tried playing with the power settings when NOT on AC to see if those are causing it?

 

Yes I tried everything in Windows, had everything on Highest Performance (both using default profile and customizing all settings manually) when on battery power and it still did not resolve the issue. I also played with a few of the settings in BIOS and those didn't help either.

 

I just picked up a refurbished i5 XPS13 from Microcenter. It had the coil whine for about 10 seconds when I first booted it and I have not heard is since. It's been about 2 days now.

So far I am really enjoying the machine. I have a 256GB SSD mSATA from a XPS12 that I am thinking of putting into it. How hard would it be to make an exact copy of my current SSD to the 256 and then just installing the 256 inside of the XPS?

 

Make a backup copy on a USB stick from your XPS 13 system, change the harddrive out then boot with the usb stick to install the os, if you put any programs or documents on the XPS 13 you will have to reinstall them.

 

I am getting pixelation / moving pixels when on battery power when the battery is about 80% or less. It's most noticeable with a white background in a web browser. It goes away with the power adapter plugged in. I am wondering if it could be the battery. I've changed the power settings several times with no success. Has anyone seen this issue?

I also get significant light bleed on the bottom of the screen with a black background like when booting. I don't notice it otherwise (usually).

Thanks.

 

Regarding the laggy keyboard issue:

I just got my XPS13 back from the Depot fix. They overnighted it both ways and it was really fast.

I initially reported that the issue was fixed, however after running windows update and making it completely up to date the issue re-appeared. Will have to talk to dell again

 

If you are having the keyboard lag issue, can you try to uninstall the Intel HD graphics driver and see if it helps. Please report back. Thanks

 

it helps. .

 

Try installing the latest GPU driver from Intel instead of the one approved by Dell/Microsoft Update.

https://downloadcenter.intel.com/Detail_Desc.aspx?agr=Y&DwnldID=24245&lang=eng&wapkw=hd+4400

 

Latest driver was released in October. Unfortunately they won't install due to a missing *.inf on the Intel installer...

 

I've unstalled the HD display driver and this seems to be helping. Can you tell me what happens when I uninstall this driver? I noticed my brightness buttons don't work anymore. What else stops working?

I did try the link to intel but received an error while installing, as mentioned before. Also the driver in the link is from 8/29.

 

i installed the latest driver but it doesnt help

 

You don't use the installer, you use the .zip. You just use device manager to install the new driver manually.

It's from October but look at the version number, It's newer than both the Dell and Microsoft version.

 

Hey all,

I've had the xps 13 for about 5 months and for the most part, love it.

I have the coil whine issue, but it goes away when I turn off the keyboard backlight.

I have the rocking issue as the bottom of the computer isn't exactly flat so it rocks from corner to corner if I push on it.

I have some screen bleeding, but you can only see it if the screen is black.

But despite being okay with all those things, two things are bothering me a lot.

1) My battery used to last for 5-7 hours. Then I played a couple games on the computer (warcraft) that were probably too heavy for it, and now the battery only lasts for about 2.5-3 hours even when I'm only doing regular things at 40% brightness or so. Also, the battery seems to charge much slower than it did before. And the charger heats up pretty hot when charging. Could the battery have been ruined so quickly?

2) Also, does anyone else have issues with the little metal xps panel on the bottom of the laptop popping out? It sticks out and won't stay all the way in anymore and I just find it annoying aesthetically.

I appreciate all your help and insight.

 

My XPS 13 has pretty poor CPU and graphic performances.
It definitively slower that an older Dell notebook dated 2011 !
I made a quick check with Windows experience tool (it's hidden but still present in Windows 8.1), and here are the results:


The configuration is i7-4510, 512 GB SSD, 8 GB RAM and Windows 8.1.
Is anyone else noticing this poor performance ?
Could you share the experience index, or any other benchmark, from your XPS 13 ?

 

Here is mine

 

This is from my i5.

 

Thanks for posting your test results!
The problem with my XPS 13 is definitely in the CPU (4,8 vs 7,3) and graphic (3,5 vs 5,9) section.
I contacted Dell Support, which updated the drivers but this had no impact on performances, then suggested to either repair or reinstall Windows.
However, it hardly seems a Windows problem... any suggestion ?

 

No luck for me with the new driver and manual installation. I still have the keyboard lag.