XPS 14 UltraBook Owners Lounge

Hmmm... Although interesting, that is not a valid comparison because larger sized SSD's tend to preform faster than their smaller counterparts.

 

I'm not sure who you're responding to with this post. I was just posting impressions regarding how these two laptops appeared to me in person. I wasn't advocating their purchase, though I did consider some of the relative merits between the XPS 14 and S13.

Thanks! I think I wanted to like the S13 more than I did. On paper, it's clearly superior on some critical specifications, as the CPU/GPU combination is a significant step up from the XPS 14, and it comes with an optical drive. However, it's hard to get past the way it felt in terms of build quality, and that display. I think I'd be too nervous about durability and support to purchase it, and I'd wonder if the display would bug me over time. I wish the Folio 13 had a better display and a quieter fan

Anyway, back to the XPS 14 of course ^_^. So far, it seems like people are generally happy with it? Cowboy, where did you get the Samsung mSATA? I thought those were only available to OEMs

 

It wasn't a comparison of the two drives - I was merely showing their respective benchmarks for those that are interested.

 

Usually the smaller SSDs are slower. I did the same thing with my 64 and 256.

Gotta love the 830... soooo fast

 

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Yeah, sorry I tend to read things different than their intended purpose. I just left it since it had some valid information for people to see if they were comparing the two systems. No harm intended!

 

So, home from work, XPS unboxed...up and running. Here's my take, fwiw.

1. Packaging, nice, unnecessary but a nice touch.

2. Laptop construction. Wow! Best I've seen, including macbook pros that I've seen and played with...don't own one myself. But this is a spectacular laptop from a construction standpoint, I am totally in love w/ it.

3. Performance. Have not upgraded memory and swapped out spinner for SSD yet. SSD still on the way. But, performance seems good, super quiet as folks are reporting (under normal use). Can't speak to battery life yet. I suspect performance to go thru the roof w/ the Samsung SSD installed.

4. Keyboard, love it. Pretty nice to type on, good spacing. I personally don't feel cramped at all on it. Never liked number pads. Pretty much perfect for me.

5. Touchpad. Not sure why some of the reviews of this early on cracked on it. I find it very responsive, probably the best touchpad I've used on a Dell, or any PC for that matter. Again, not familiar w/ how good a macbook pro touchpad is, folks seem to love them, but the one on the XPS is definitely just fine.

6. Display. I'm with the few folks that don't like it. I'm calling it marginal crap. I might learn to live w/ it. But images look like **** and with Aero running the gradients look like ****. As a development/portable unit, it'll be fine I guess. But I'm going to give STRONG consideration to returning it for the new XPS 15 w/ 1080p. I'm going to agree w/ an earlier comment someone made about it being tough for OEMs to find a quality 1600x900 display. This really (to me) looks like they took a crappy Vostro 1366x768 and slapped some Gorilla Glass on it to cover up the fact that it sucks. One pro of this display, very bright.

Sorry for being negative nelly here. Just expected more. Otherwise this is a great little notebook. I'm going to sleep on it and work w/ it for a couple of days and see if I can adjust to it after being used to the pretty spectacular 1080p display on my E6510.

Not that anybody cares, but if I have other thoughts, I'll post more later.

 

Congrats, I'm glad you like most of it! The viewing angles on my XPS 15 are almost as good as the IPS panel I have on my other laptop. Very nice display for a TN.

 

So you are referring to the NEW XPS 15, big brother to the 14 here? Not the old 15 or 15z?

I really wanted to stay smaller, the XPS 15 weighs in at the same thing (pretty much) as my E6510. I really wanted to shave some weight, but comfort during use (visually) is just as important. Gonna have to go read the 15 owners thread now and see how it's going over there...see if it helps my decision.

Ugh, what a pain. I mean, I won't be disappointed if I keep it...but at 1100 (+ 3 year warranty I purchased), that's quite a bit of $ to fork out for it not to be perfect. But, is anything EVER perfect?

 

I think he view on display depends heavily on what you're coming from. If you're coming from any 1080p screen, then you're going to be disappointed. If you're coming from a 720p screen, then it'll be an improvement.

Right now I'm using 1024x768 on a 12" lenovo x60, I'm hoping the screen is a big improvement on what I'm using now.

 

How do you guys feel about the weight of this unit? I know what the weight is (which sounds kinda heavy to me) but how does it *feel* on this particular laptop? Hopefully some of you will understand what I mean.

Thanks.

 

Yep, I think that's definitely true.

But...comparing it to my old Latitude D630, which had a 14" 1600x900, this is a step down from that as well. This is brighter, and the glossy cover helps it. But it's not as sharp and definitely has some grain to it.

So, yea, coming from lower res, or a lower quality display (yes, this is still better than my V131) you will definitely like this display and consider it an improvement. It's probably even an improvement over many crappy 1080p displays. Don't get me wrong, it's still pretty good. But I also agree w/ the few folks that have called it 'grainy', even w/ the Gorilla Glass on it. I suspect w/o the Gorilla Glass, it would look better than my V131, but not by a whole lot.

I'm no expert display critic either. I don't do image editing, video editing, not overly sensitive to color discrepancies. I don't even really see a big improvement with IPS displays, in fact i find the old regular lit ones to be too dim. I'm just comparing what I've owned in the past to this.

In the end, for the size, will probably keep it. But I think the varying opinions on the display show it's far from perfect...or as close to perfect as one would expect at this price point.

 

It feels heavy, but well built. I don't know how else to describe it though.

 

Not sure exactly what you mean, but it's well balanced and solid. Yes, probably heavy for a 14" notebook. But keep in mind it's sorta competing with a MacBook 13, which is pretty much the same weight. In that regard, they feel the same. It's seems dense throughout the unit...if you know what I mean My E6510 is heavier, but in places it seems 'less heavy' which adds to it being someone unbalanced and cumbersome when you pick it up. With the XPS 14, it feels consistent side to side, front to back.

I don't feel it so much lighter than my Latitude to make much of a difference carrying it around. But it's not quite so unruly to pick up and move around with. So that makes it feel lighter (IMO) than it really is.

Given I have to carry my adapter now, w/ the Latitude, I'm going to be a couple of pounds lighter once all is said and done. Assuming I get over the display issues and keep it...which I'm leaning more and more toward as I use it. I'll be able to make my decision once I get some of my dev tools installed and play some.

 

gosh, these display comments make me really want to play with one before plucking down $ for it. When will BestBuy have one in stock?? heh.

btw, you mentioned macbook 13, you meant to say, macbook pro 13? right?

 

Completely agree! This is the first Windows based system that can face the counterparty of Apple...the Macbook Pro 13"!



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Excellent - thanks - mine has now been dispatched - yipe e

BTW - are there any site with a XPS 14 Teardown?

 

The notebook is heavy for an ultrabook but very solid so if you want something lighter I would go with the XPS 13.

 

Has anyone found a case or bag that fits this machine well? My older case that I had my 15.6" machine is too big and it flops around. Not good for travel.

 

I got a Tucano sleeve for it and put in in my backpack, the backpack is for a 13" notebook so it is a snug fit but it doesn't flop around and with the sleeve on it it doesn't get scratched.

 

Still looking myself. I have a booq backpack and a messenger, both are too big for this. Looking at stuff that fits the MacBook Pro 13, but the XPS is just enough bigger width/depth that I'm questioning whether it'll fit something that is made for the MacBook 13.

Someone should start a thread on that as they find things that fit.

At this point, I'm probably going to look at a neoprene insert that'll fit the 14/15" slot of one of my booq bags and fill the space in...and just go w/ that.

 

I bought this, fits perfectly:

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Wenger-GA-7...CWM6/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1342030247&sr=8-1

I previously had a genuine Dell bag from 2003 which is still in good condition but just way too big considering I don't actually carry it anywhere - its just to store it safely at home. Room for the mouse & power supply but not a lot else.


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CowboyCoder...

How much of Dell's software and stuff did you put back (you did a clean install of win7, right?). I'm just curious if you didn't put the battery and power mgmt stuff back (custom from Dell) how the battery life seems. I'm torn between just imaging over to my Samsung drive, or doing a clean install. Looks like MOST, if not all of Dell's add-on stuff is on the support site for download, but not sure if I want to be free and clear of as much of Dell's stuff or not. Just curious what all you did after your conversion to the SSD.

Thx.

 

How do I stop the brightness from changing everytime I switch applications.

No amount of battery savings is worth that annoyance.

 

I didn't see any warranty stickers preventing opening up the device. I imagine you can just save the old hardware and put it back in if you have to ship the unit for warranty service.

Anyway, I wasn't advocating purchasing the Sony models over Dell. I just wanted to share my impressions of them since I was considering them as a possible alternative. The S15 is definitely out for me; I don't like the keyboard at all, nor really the feel of the unit. The 13 was OK, I guess. The display is pretty rubbish, but the specs are quite good otherwise. However, the build quality does leave me somewhat nervous about longevity and I don't think general use would feel as nice as e.g. the XPS. Still, it's lighter and more powerful, and has an optical drive. Maybe it's a good alternative for someone who feels OK about the display and feel of the chassis, and anticipates being satisfied with Sony's customer support *shrug*. I don't anticipate getting an S13A personally at this time, though.

That would drive me crazy. Surely, there is a way to disable it?

 

I did a clean install because I like my system to be as quick and bloat-free as possible. After installing Windows 7, then SP1 and all the drivers the only other Dell stuff I put back was:

Dell Touchpad
Dell WebCam Central
and
Dell QuickSet64

The battery and power management stuff I presume is part of QuickSet, as Fn+F3 brings up the Dell battery utility. I get excellent battery life - 6 or 7 hours easy.

 

i got mine yesterday, i didnt like the screens vertical viewing angles, i felt it to be insanely bad since the slightest movement, even an inch of head moving up or down caused obvious contrast changes, unless your viewing it from a higher angle than straight forward...and on top i could see the same screen matrix ive seen in other laptops which makes the screen look grainy. it totally killed the whole deal for me, and i felt it to me a tad too weighty for its size. Made it feel less portable. but not a big issue there.

ive been trying to return it since. BTW...avoid bestbuys site if buying from them...as im having one hell of a crazy issue which either party accepting the return because it came from dell but bestbuy charged me. Its crazy

 

are there any heat/throttling issues? the last dell laptop I had was the latitude E6400.. that thing would throttle if ya just opened a webpage with flash.

now i'm seeing comments about the xps 15 throttling.. this is scaring me.

 

I am so glad that I'm not the only one. My XPS 14 arrived just a few days ago and it has blown me away in nearly every aspect except for the display (which is arguably the most important of all aspects). I am upgrading from a 1280 x 800 resolution on an M1330, which I can sadly tolerate more than the screen on my recently purchased XPS 14. I will give it this: it is extremely bright, which I love. However, it is indeed grainy and some images look so terrible that I cannot justify keeping this notebook (especially considering its premium price).

I will be returning it immediately, which deeply saddens me as I truly thought I had found a perfect fit. It is such a beautiful machine in so many ways and it's unfortunate that more attention was not given to its primary focal point.

 

Samsung 830 128gb installed tonight, along w/ 8gb ram. It's definitely not for the faint of heart (the disassembly required), but it's done and I am too for the day.

So obviously I decided to keep it. My whole goal here was downsizing but staying w/ a quality constructed product. It does all that, but w/ a blah display. I'll learn to live w/ it. For the most part, I'll be hooked to an external display on client sites and in my home office. But I still just cannot believe that Dell let this (an XPS) out the door w/ this display. Of all of their product lines, the XPS, really?

Anyway...this thing screams w/ the SSD in there. Thanks to all who suggested the Samsung, lovin' it.

Gonna just let it spin here tonight w/ a bazillion windows updates and then start adding all my junk to it tomorrow.

CowboyCoder, one last question for you...well, maybe not my last. But how did you (or did you) totally wipe the 32gb mSata drive? I managed to take it out of RAID and then was able to get to it in Computer Management, but I can't delete the 8gb 'Hibernation Partition' on the mSata drive. I turn hibernation off, never use it. There was a hiberfil.sys file on the C drive anyway which went away when I disabled hibernation, so I'm guessing a Hibernation Partition was something else. But I can't kill it, right click, nothing. I can only assign the remaining 21-22gb to a drive letter. Any ideas?

 

I think it's set up when you install the Intel software. Try using DISKPART util from a command line. A quick Google should give you the commands you need. You can then unhide & delete it.

I installed the OS in Intel RST mode in the BIOS. I think I'll get faster performance from AHCI but I can't change it without getting BSODs. There's a reg tweak but it's changed with the new chipsets. More investigation required, I don't want to reinstall Windows again if I can help it.


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I have a crumpler bag for my 13" M1330 that I have measured and should fit the XPS14 perfectly

Unfortunately discontinued but it similar to one of these but not a "zip" version (much cheaper) - lovely bags http://www.crumpler.eu/index.cfm?seite=laptop-sling-bags&productID=7398&sprache=EN#.T_6vnPVdd1g

I basically sized my laptop up and used their internal dimensions before I ordered (BTW there are a load of cheaper re-seller for crumpler bags so don't be put off by the price )
Edit: this is the one I have : http://www.amazon.co.uk/Crumpler-Silver-Medium-Expresso-Sdg-m-003/dp/B0019OOCEQ

 

Hi there!
Really unsure about what to buy: xps 14 or mbp13. My target is university life, engineering. I can have mbp for 1200 euros or xps for 100€ less. Which should i prefer? I have read about some throttling issues, are these serious problems? Last question: are there any students discount (in europe)?

 

Engineering? A Dell Precision M4600 with IPS display is what you need.

 

How bad is the glare on this laptop? From all the videos I've seen, it's way too glossy.

 

I've looked at it but it's too heavy! Almost 3 kg is too much to carry around all day i guess

 

I'm sure Matlab would run on any of these. When I was in engineering, we were running Matlab on pretty terrible computer lab machines.

 

To be honest, it's a lot if fuss about nothing. With the brightness on 50% it completely removes all reflections unless you have your back to a window or you're outside, but those conditions would be challenging for a matte display too. In short, it's not a concern.


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What is the return policy and how would you return it? Is there a restocking fee?

I'm not sure that I want to return mine, but it'd like to know the details...

 

Cheers.

I'm currently using a Samsung S9 (900X3C) and would like the extra RAM plus better battery. I'm okay with the extra weight and size but my main concerns are below. Using the machine primarily for coding.

- Glossy display (which you have already covered, thanks)
- Grainy display. Are you noticing this?
- Throttle issue. I see the XPS 15 is having issues and I'm unsure if I would get the model with the GPU or not.

Other than that, I'm sold I think. Roughly what battery life are you getting too?

 

Display is a little grainy when viewed off angle. I only notice it on the toolbars in Visual Studio though.

No throttling issues for me, think that's just the gamers.

Battery life, I get 6-7 hours for light usage. That's with the SSD.


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Can anyone post some images of the 14 with the back off - just to have a look at the fan/pipe/GPU/CPU config?

 

Just finished working on mine last night, here's a pic of the internals. VERY easy to remove the back cover, 6x Torx T5 screws, plus 2x philips screws under the XPS plate in the middle. Hard drive, SSD, WiFi, and RAM can all be removed individually.

 

Excellent - thanks for that - looks similar to the XPS 15 without the drive bay? The Dual cooler pipe looks the same config as the 15 - Not that I am bothered as I won't be gaming on it - thanks for that

BTW did you put the mSATA in or is a mSATA/HDD Combo you bought MD82?

 

Thanks, didn't think about DISKPART. I've used it before, not proficient, but I'll find the commands and go that route.

I had the same problem with AHCI and RST. Didn't know to change it up front. Samsung Magician indicated AHCI would perform better, but switching it in the BIOS did the same thing for me last night. On my list, and at this point, may reinstall windows. I think it took about 15 mintues on this SSD

I wonder how much performance is REALLY impacted in RST vs AHCI ???

 

Anybody get the base system without the upgraded GPU? Seriously thinking about getting this to replace my m11x. As I rarely if ever game on the m11x, especially when I am on the go, I'm thinking the Intel 4000 GPU build into the CPU would be plenty.

Other then some people having issues with the display any other problems so far?

I would probably swap in my SSD and look into bumping the memory up to 8GB.

 

Anyone? I'm seriously considering returning it but would like to know how long I have to decide/act.

In case anyone's wondering why, it's because the graininess of the screen is really poor. I'm a bit picky about displays, and this screen looks like it's displaying everything on top of really fine graph paper. I am upgrading from a dell studio 14z aka 1440. That also has a 900p 14 inch screen and its equally bright, but it doesn't have any of the graininess seen here.

Otherwise this laptop is perfect. The glossiness is not at all an issue for me. If only they used screens that are as good as the ones they used 3 years ago...

 

I did. Stock $1100 unit (i5, 4gb, intel gpu). Just upgraded the drive and memory last night to the Samsung 830 128gb and 8gb crucial memory. Disassembly wasn't fun, but not that hard. As with any tiny electronics, just be careful.

I can't speak to what the Intel GPU can/cannot do. I do software development, youtube vids or movie from time to time, zero gaming or gpu intensive tasks. For that type of usage, the base model w/ i5 is more than adequate for my needs.

 

I did. I don't play any games, just need it for Office and Creative Suite. SSD and 8GB going in tonight.

I agree with CowboyCoder on the display, it's not perfect, it's not a huge deal. I run a second display that is primary. I actually like that it is a little heavier, feels very solid.

It's going into daily service next week, so I'll have more updates then, but everything else has been great with battery life around 6 or 7 hours.

 

Just received mine but having issues. Hopefully DELL corrects this because I am NOT a happy customer. Short video below.

DELL XPS 14 Ultrabook Unboxing Fail - YouTube

On top of that, DELL's website states next business day shipping but I'm being quoted an estimate ship day of the 18th.

 

On my Latitude there was a difference of 7.1 with IRST and 7.6 with AHCI. If this is the same then it is worthwhile as its the difference between a cheap SSD and the decent one you've bought.

There are reg hacks on this forum so you don't have to reinstall windows but no one has posted the keys for the new chipset yet.

I might reinstall mine. Does only take 15 mins as you say, but bloody hours putting all the updates and software back. Still worth it though.


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