XPS 15 (Haswell) Owner's Lounge

Ordered the top spec model of this on the first day and thought it was time to start an owner's lounge as the other thread is full of a lot of posts regarding getting discounts on the machine.

Will be good to have a spot to post questions once reviews start coming out and once we start receiving the machines.

I know the model number is 9011 or something like that. If anyone can remind me I will update the title.

 

Did you get the model with the 3200x1800 screen? I'm wondering how Windows will handle this resolution.

I currently use my Retina Macbook Pro with Bootcamp and Windows 7 and at 2880x1800 resolution many things I do are so teeny tiny it's unusable.
Being an IT person, even the simple task of doing a remote desktop into our server brings up a postage stamp-sized window of the server screen.

Looks like November before anyone actually gets one?

Also, the model number may be 9530. Here is the link, and the URL shows 9530.
http://www.dell.com/us/p/xps-15-9530/pd

Update: model number confirmed as 9530.

 

Update OP with specs, as well as links to the manuals etc: http://forum.notebookreview.com/del...ntel-haswell-2013-refresh-42.html#post9414145

Ordered mine on 18/10, top spec, Delivery Date is 18/11. Currently in build

 

I like the display density, I'm pretty sure win 8.1 will handle it ok (in fact I'm working on figuring out how to make the title bars smaller on the desktop on my l521x since upgrade, they're taking too much vertical space) but that there will be issues such as lancorp noted that need to be dealt with.

I don't think I care at all about a touch screen, and for my use on a computer that's actually bad. Partially because I hate a dirty display, unless they've figured out a magic coating that is 110% fingerprint, smear, and dirt repellent, but even more so that while I'm working on a PC I don't like removing my hands from the keyboard at all. It just slows me down.

Maybe I'm too old but I just don't understand the drive to have touch screens on general purpose machines.

 

I agree. Touch screen for an OS where the extreme majority of the apps were written for a mouse and keyboard is useless.
It's useful for some entertainment front-ends, but otherwise it's just frustrating trying to tap in just the right spot where I would normally point my accurate mouse to and select it.

I also see that there is no Windows 7 drivers for the new model. Windows 8.1 only. YUK. I find myself in a "rock and a hard place" situation...I dislike Windows 8.1 greatly yet I dislike Apple and their strong arm marketing tactics more.
As Apple has made it impossible to buy anything you can upgrade (ie., buy lower specs now and upgrade as needed) you must somehow foresee what I will need years from now and just hand over my wallet for the most expensive model, hoping it has everything I need next year, or the year after.

Windows 7 forever.

 

I would add the model number to the thread title, but I would also keep the "(Haswell)" designation. Personally, that's the easiest way to denote versions.

lancorp, what DPI are you running Windows 7 at? Also, if there are things you don't like about Windows 8.1, then take a look at this package of customization tools from Stardock:

Object Desktop - Windows Customization and Productivity Enhancement Suite

You can also buy each tool individually. Start8 is easily the most popular, and it replaces the new start page thing with the good old Windows 7 start menu. I'll most likely be buying this when my laptop arrives.

Edit: Just saw you have over 3k posts here, so perhaps you already knew this. In that case, I'm curious as to what your other complaints are.

As for screen smudges... maybe just don't touch it? It's like you're forced to use the touchscreen (though you are forced to pay for it I guess).

 

When I upgraded my PC to IvyBridge-E (dat 6 core) a few weeks ago I did a fresh install of Windows 8.1. Despite some initial minor annoyances (like AutoCad Inventor 2013 not working *at all*, forcing me to upgrade to 2014, and things like the default apps for media opening in metro), they're easily fixed.

I actually like it a lot... it's neat.... and that's with a keyboard and mouse. Once you turn on the wallpaper mirroring in metro, sort out all your app shortcuts (and remove all the microsoft crap on the start screen) and change all the default apps to not open in metro (ie picture viewer, media opening in VLC etc etc), it's fine. I basically never venture into the metro interface at all.... plus it's fast.

*shrugs*

I kinda agree with you on the touchscreen though, it's a bit silly sticking it on a laptop. Makes sense on tablets, but it's a bit funny having several input methods on a laptop/desktop. Meh. Not like you have to use it anyways.

 

You may not need to use the touch-screen, but you certainly paid for it.

 

When you have to apply hacks and fixes to 8.1 to get a start menu, you ignore the metro interface, spend a bunch of time cleaning up the Windows 8 default icons and shortcuts, and you force yourself not to touch it, then you basically have Windows 7, which is my point -- Why change?

I hate their app store look. I could not imagine more of a mess. Any search I do comes up with a dizzying mess of multicolored, unsorted and random apps that are impossible to sort through and painfully "grade school" to look at.
It (basically) has no class. I just haven't found a compelling reason to want to upgrade. Unfortunately, the new XPS 15 isn't sold with or support Windows 7 (yet).

Granted, I have not wasted my time upgrading to 8.1 yet, but have things really improved that much? I'm guessing not.

 

Because it's fast and has a number of under the hood improvements (in terms of graphics and power management systems) that make it very nice to use. Really, it took half an hour of messing around to get it how I want it.... and I'd spend the same time in W7 doing exactly the same thing.

I agree that the whole metro interface is a bit of a mess (they really should have had 2 separate installs, one for tablet/touch based machines and one for desktop/laptops, I don't think they have the blend of interfaces quite right yet, close though)... but meh.

The XPS15 should support W7 no issues, they're standard parts that should have W7 drivers available... just because dell doesn't supply them doesn't mean they dont exist

 

Any Dell specific drivers and applications may not support W7 on the new model, fair warning.

Similarly W7 may choke on the display resolution as that res wasn't really common until "lately" - maybe not though. I think it'll really come down to per-application how well the high res is handled.

 

Just ordered mine, estimated ship date 11/18. Got a pretty good deal on the high end model, got it for $1,792.79 plus tax using a Dell MedAssets coupon

I have a 2012 15" rMBP right now which is a nice machine, although the Nvidia GPU failed entirely immediately after one year, rending it nonfunctional. This required a logic board replacement ($300) although I ultimately persuaded Apple to cover half the cost since the problems began prior to the end of warranty, then worsened just after it expired. I choose the rMBP after being disappointed with Windows 8, but think with the Touch screen functionality and 8.1 updates, I may just prefer it to OS X.

I was disappointed in the 'new' Macboook Pro just announced - it doesn't offer much in terms of upgrade for owners of the 2012-2013 machines. Configured similarly to the Dell with the 2.3Ghz i7 and 512GB SSD, the net (after tax) price difference was about $900 compared to the high end XPS 15 model.

I look forward to comparing battery life and of course the (Samsung) Retina screen in the rMBP versus the (Sharp) IGZO screen in the Dell XPS. If the Dell is a keeper, I will finally retire the XPS 1640 with the beautiful RGB-LED 1080p screen I bought many years ago - which still works very well.

 

I'm selling my 2012 rMBP if I like my XPS 15 enough. I never fell in love with OSX and this thing spends most of it's time booted into Windows for school and gaming. I actually hate the screen on this when gaming in Windows, it's way way too dark and no matter what I do I can't get the color contrast to be better so I can actually see things.

Got the middle spec US XPS for $1775 before taxes, shipping, accident protection, etc. This will be my 4th XPS laptop and I hope I like it as much as I did the others.

 

Bought the top one for £1574, have high expectations for this! Replacing the bent P35K I received last week which was slightly too noisy for my liking sadly, nice machine otherwise and great value.

Estimated delivery for 14th November but in production now so could I expect it earlier?

 

Anyone managed to find out more about the 'In Production' status? Calling the automated number hasn't worked in a long time and I'm curious to know if there's another way. I'm surprised they don't have a pile of these just waiting to be shipped, since you can't customize the hardware on the different choices. It's only been 4 days and I'm already dying to get it.

Edit: I understand Dell loves the JIT supply and delivery method but something like this I'd expect them to have pre-produced a bunch. Unless they only decided a few days before launch what the configs would be.

 

Amazon has the base model and middle tier model on stock...the problem is that they cannot ship due to some sort of agreement they have with Dell to ship systems after Nov 21st....that is what the Item Availability chat clerk told me about the machine when I contacted them last night...

 

I ordered my XPS 15 on the 18th, wasn't on pre-production stage for long, has been "In-Production" for 6 days now. Estimated delivery date is 12/11. (That's 12th November, UK Date). It might move a bit, but I think its fairly reasonable. Interestingly I ordered 2x spare AC Adaptors separately on the 21st, that has an estimated delivery date of the 29/10.

 

I couldn't get the reps to subtract 5% from the price of the laptop in lieu of the 5% Dell gift card.
The best price (not including tax) I could get via online chat for the midrange unit was $1,702.99
The best price (not including tax) I could get via online chat for the toprange unit was $2,023.19

I guess $320 isn't bad for the 512gb SSD (what kind is it?), but I already have a Samsung EVO 250gb that I was going to use instead.

There's no pressure in buying later so I thought I'd mull it over a bit and see if I could get a lower price via phone chat. My buddy has a 15% off coupon he bought off Ebay he never used, I wonder if I can get that code to work on the prices above. That would be awesome.

 

Hey ekovalsky, you've mentioned this MedAssets coupon many times like it's something that everyone knows about. Is it just unique to you? How does one get in on that? Please share. I've never heard about it and I'm in the medical field. I Googled it and didn't come up with anything. Thanks!

 

Can anyone compare the major PROs and CONs compared to the L502x R2 (i7 Sandy)?

I am considering selling my current XPS and putting on the extra cash to buy an XPS 15 Haswell.

 

The guy in the Precision m3800 thread just posted a bunch of pics. It's exactly the same as the XPS 15, just different gpu.

http://forum.notebookreview.com/del...35359-dell-precision-m3800-owners-review.html

Edit: He's also very complimentary of the laptop. Making me more excited for mine.

 

So excited about XPS15. Cant wait for it.

 

Then you don't get the much improved Boot Times, File History, new/faster/better File Explorer, Power User Menu, more keyboard shortcuts than W7, faster indexing and search for app/docs/settings than W7, overall speed, better with games (many videos on utube to verify for your fav game) and etc....


Also 8.1 adds even more to that list, with new lock screen, improved Start menu, integrated PC settings, improved and increased Snap app features, built in help app now, Smart Search, can boot to desktop now, deeper sky drive integration, and updates for all Metro apps..etc.

In the words of Paul Thurrott, "the improvements Microsoft has added to the desktop side of Windows 8, you’ll discover that Windows 8 is a bigger improvement over Windows 7 than was that OS over Vista. Mull that one over for a second, then drop your preconceptions and misguided biases. It’s true."

 

How have you been able to get it for that price! Cheapest I've been able to get it is 1664 with the replacement for the old EPP stuff

 

I used the 10% VIP voucher. I tried my luck at haggling but the rep barely knew coherent English and kept linking me to the VIP page so I figured 10% was a pretty good reduction anyway! You need to be a student/employee but they did not ask me for proof, however someone in the other thread said he was phoned to supply proof of his student status. Could try your luck.

 

i agree i just got s W8 machine and i was going to install W7 but its not as bad as ppl make it seem like at all i had to adjust things around but after all its fine i dont use the touch screen at all and its works, the W8.1 made it even better. easy to learn.

 

That guy reviewing the M3800 put up pictures including ones of the internals. One thing I noticed is that the USB ports near the Wifi card seem to have some sort of shielding over them:

http://www.appstate.edu/~taylorsa1/m3800/7.jpg
http://www.appstate.edu/~taylorsa1/m3800/8.jpg

Intel has a paper out there somewhere about how USB 3.0 can cause interference problems with 2.4 GHz wifi when not properly shielded. It always seemed likely to me that this was at least one of the reasons for the L521X's wifi issues, as people reported much better performance with a 5 GHz signal. If that's the case, it seems they may have fixed it this go-round.

Edit: Here's the paper:
http://www.intel.com/content/www/us...al-bus/usb3-frequency-interference-paper.html

 

Can the XPS 15 output to both the DisplayPort and the HDMI output at the same time? I'm really interested in getting one, but I need to make sure I'll be able to drive my two U2713HMs and I'd need it to output on both ports to pull that off (with a little custom resolution trickery, I believe).

 

I'm not sure (my guess would be no), but it seems that DisplayPort 1.2 can drive multiple monitors:

DisplayPort - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

 

You can daisychain off of it, but the problem with the HM version of the monitor is that it doesn't have the DisplayPort out to do that with. Given the resolution of the monitors, my only options look like buying a new monitor or spending a few hundred dollars on a Club 3D box that only seems to exist in not-America. Right now I solve all this via an EPort dock on my Latitude, but I really want that QHD+ screen.

 

I just ordered the mid-range Dell XPS 15. I really wanted the high end with the 512GB SSD but I couldn't afford it. I paid $1,598.39 before taxes for the mid-range model. Used the Dell Employee Purchase Program (student discount) + 10% military discount coupon. I can't wait till I get this. I'm thinking about buying the leather case on ebay also. New Genuine Dell XPS 15 Black Leather Laptop Protector Sleeve GC9G2 0GC9G2 | eBay

 

So.. I also purchased the xps 15 from dell australia.. I got the most top end model they offered. I ordered it on 18 oct.. and was told I would get in 7 to 10 working days.. but the order still says "WORK IN PROGRESS" and est delivery date is same as most of you 18th nov.

Im really anoyed at them for being misleading.. but to be more honest I just cant wait to get this baby in my hands.. oh and I paid 2360 AUD.. and I got the 15% education discount cause my missus is a teacher.

Sent from my GT-I9505 using Tapatalk

 

That's pretty expensive mate, did you get extra warranty on that? I paid more than you but I've got 3 years warranty.

Well, the estimated delivery date was always 14-18 for us, they were even concerned about delays if the demand was high. 10 working days seemed pretty ridiculous considering older models don't even ship that fast normally, let alone one that literally no one has.

 

Yep I did get extended warranty.

Sent from my GT-I9505 using Tapatalk

 

Only 2 years?

 

Ok just checked with extra 2 year warrenty I paid $2360 inc gst

Sent from my GT-I9505 using Tapatalk

 

Can't wait to get it too.

 

Yep.. I hear that! I actually had an alienware m14x r2 with really similar specs.. 16gb ram 512gb ssd 650m gpu etc. But it was just too heavy. . Im really looking forward to the new screen res. And giving my shoulder a break

Sent from my GT-I9505 using Tapatalk

 

I was at Best Buy today, perusing their notebooks, and noticed the Lenovo Yoga. The specs/price sheets said QHD+, so I checked Windows 8.1 display settings and sure enough it was 3200x1800 (or something like that).
Core i7, 8GB RAM and 256GB SSD for $1149. Seems like the XPS model (understanding 15" vs 13") is much more expensive.

First impressions of the QHD+ display--I wasn't that impressed. I think it was just Windows 8.1 looking ugly that turned me off, but I truly wasn't WOW'd by what I expected to be extreme sharpness, etc The screen scaled nicely for the super high res,
but to be honest, I think a 1080p screen would look just as good with Windows 8.1 (which is rather mono-colored and squarish anyways). Everything on the screen seemed normal size. I expected much more screen "real estate".

I suppose with some apps running showing off the true res and colors, I might be more impressed, but the retina display on my MBP seems as nice or nicer than the QHD+ display in the Yoga.

Is this the same display in the new XPS 15?

 

The new Yoga 2 does have QHD+ resolution but I'm not sure if it's the same IGZO display.

 

i saw the yoga 2 as well and i think it looked gorgeous compared to anything else in the store.

 

Having also used the Retina MBP with Windows 8.1, I can say that screen real estate is all about scaling. Have you tried 8.1 on your rMBP? Windows 8.1 does a MUCH better job scaling than 8 did. I think Windows looks fantastic when it's scaled right in this high of rez.

Here's my rMBP not scaled at 2880x1800.



And here it is with the scaling I use.



While Windows looks great, the same can't be said for applications. Chrome is a good example. It doesn't handle the scaling on this well at all. Everything is just a touch blurry. Setting the resolution to 1900x1200 or 1680x1050 helps with that a bit, but until Windows applications catch up to screens like this you're going to find that some don't look good at all.

But hey, with 4K up-and-coming hopefully everything will catch up soon. 10 years sound good?

 

Yes, I am familiar because I do run Windows 7 under Bootcamp with my rMBP. I agree with Chrome and other apps looking fuzzy, and many other things are so teeny tiny it's ridiculous.

Curious how you went about doing 8.1 on your rMBP...Bootcamp? If so, did you need any special drivers or is there a Windows 8.1 Bootcamp now? Are you running Mavericks as your OS X? What scaling values did you use?

Thanks!

 

That's a killer price (although it seems to be $1199 online), and I think it's going to force a lot of other companies to drop the prices on their premium laptops. An i7/8/256 "high-end" laptop has been sitting firmly at around $1500 for awhile now, and here's Lenovo slapping everyone around at $300 less, with an 1800p display. I found the build quality of the first Yoga to be kind of bleh (creaky, with a lot of flex), but even if the new one is the same it offers fantastic value for the specs.

 

In-store there was $50 off that price. It does seem a rather affordable price considering CPU, SSD, and display are all high(er) end components. I might go back and spend more time looking at it.
I had a coffee-maker in my arms and a wife waiting out in the car, so I couldn't waste much time.

 

Yeah just went through Bootcamp Assistant with a Windows 8 Pro iso and a USB 3.0 stick I had, then updated to 8.1 using the Windows Store (stupidest process ever. !@$!@ Microsoft). Apple added Windows 8 support in Bootcamp 5. No issues with drivers or anything although I did download the actual nvidia driver from their website and the touchpad is a little hypersensitive when it comes to touch-to-click. I tried using Parallels and Fusion to run Windows but found that actually booting into Windows worked so much better and lets me play some games as well.

Yes I'm running Mavericks. Not a huge change for me. Haven't seen a noticeable improvement in battery life, though I don't spend much time booted into OSX so that's hard to say. Reason I'm getting the XPS 15 and selling the MBP is it spends most of it's time in Windows for school stuff (Visual Studio and various forensics programs) and I would like to have more than 3.5 hours of battery when using Windows. Other big gripe is when I have to use the Thunderbolt-Ethernet adapter on Windows (school WiFi sucks). Thunderbolt isn't Windows plug-and-play so you have to remember to plug it in before booting. Also can't sleep the computer once it's booted with that plugged in. So that's annoying.

I've actually never decided on a permanent resolution/scaling ratio. On plain Windows 8 I'd run it in 2880x1800 for a while, then drop to 1680x1050 for a while. On 8.1 now at full res I use the second-highest scaling option on the slider and leave unchecked the "Let me choose one scaling level for all my displays". I haven't tried a lower res because this seems to work well for me.

 

I'm the unfortunate person that wants a dedicated gpu in his Ultrabook. Guess that means a $300-$400 premium? Hmm I could buy another GTX 660Ti for my desktop for that....

Edit: I just saw your post on page one and wanted to see RDC on 8.1....



I guess there's a hotfix that will let you scale Server 2008 from the RDC but we haven't applied it yet. Server 2012 seems to have built-in scaling options, don't know about any other OSs.

 

This laptop seems great, except it is too bad that Dell does not offer the choice to have the i7 version come with a 1920x1080 display.
I would hate having to "squint" to read text all the time, or be constantly "re-sizing" things just to use the laptop as I normally would.
If you change the native resolution of the QHD down to 1920x1080, would everything look "fuzzy" or would the high pixel density compensate for this, and actually produce sharp images and text ?
I guess we won't find out until this thing comes out and the reviews start to pour in.
And now we wait ...

 

Im pretty sure you just set the DPI scaling to what you want. I think what that means is that if you set it to 200% for example (you can choose any value) it looks like 1600x900 but has the sharpness of 3200x1800.

 

From the review of the M3800(pretty much the same laptop) the high pixel density makes lowing the resolution on this screen like an old CRT so it doesn't have the fuzziness and continues to have a sharp image. I haven't confirmed this in person or seen it in a video so just word of mouth so far. Seems promising and logical though.