XPS 15 (Haswell) Owner's Lounge

Are you kidding? Do you believe yourself what you're writing? No way.
You're always saying the same ... hahahaha. Kindergarten.
"Dell has already acknowledged ... the rep someone else spoke to is wrong - of course, you are Dell and you're right ... fix is in sight at the end of the month, next month, next year and so on. Dell will provide everyone who has the coil whine problem (this isn't an issue anymore ...) with a replacement .... hahahaha ... if they do so, they are going out of money or Michael Dell will spend his own money - of course, he won't ...
Do not trust him. Do not order the XPS15 until the problem is really solved.
I got a XPS, and send it back and got a full refund, and I am very happy with my decision, because I do not have any (coil whine) problems anymore. Greetings.

 

Um, wow. Ok, let's clear a few things up.

First, you tell people not to trust me about ordering an XPS 15 until the issue is fixed -- but ironically, in the post of mine you quoted, I specifically said I do NOT recommend getting a new system until the coil whine is fixed. The person I was talking to asked what his chances were of getting a replacement system that did not have coil whine if he got it now. My point was that if Dell is working on a fix, the issue is obviously widespread enough that there's a good chance that a system built before the fix has been deployed will have coil whine. So nice try, but next time it might pay to read what you're quoting a bit more carefully.

As for the rest, I'm not expecting anyone to take my word on this as gospel, nor have I ever claimed to speak for Dell. If you'd bothered to look at the Dell Communities thread I mentioned, you'd have found that I'm just repeating the announcement made by Terry B, who is the official Dell liaison on those boards. And if you'd bothered to look up THAT person, you'd have found several cases in Dell Communities threads where he's said that a fix for whatever issue will be available at a certain time, and guess what, it was available at that time. One of the more recent incidents was the Latitude E6430u "cat urine smell" fiasco. It took Dell a few months to deliver a solution, but when Dell finally had a fix ready, Terry B posted in the thread on the topic that it would be ready at a particular time, and when that time came, he posted steps for how affected customers could get the fix.

Until recently, Dell has always just said they're "investigating" the issue. They have NOT issued any firm dates for when a fix would be available and missed them, so I don't know where the "fix is in sight at the end of the month, next month, next year and so on" comes from. The first firm date issued was sometime between the end of this month and the middle of next month. If Dell misses that date, I will be right there with you criticizing them especially given how long this has already taken. But they haven't missed that date yet. So until then, keep doing what you've mostly been doing so far: keeping quiet on this forum. It's better to be silent and have the world think you're an idiot than to open your mouth and remove all doubt.

 

I'm thinking that EQ settings are more speaker-dependent than DSP-dependent, so what works well on someone else's speakers is unlikely to work well for you. I hardly ever play with EQ settings, but I disabled the MaxxAudio "enhancements" immediately when I connected my external speakers because they just made the bass overinflated and muddy. MaxxAudio seems to work well enough on the built-in speakers, but since I'm almost always connected to external speakers, it just wasn't worth it.

 

I agree with the bass. I put the Maxx Audio preset to 'Music.' I kept all the settings on but turned off MaxxBass since it makes it real muddy. I don't have any audiophile type terms but overall sound and volume "sounds better" than when Maxx is completely off. I have Harmon Kardon Soundsticks as my speaker setup.

 

Is there anyone with the new Haswell i7(4712HQ)? What about coil whine with the new Device?

Hopes are, that the new chip will fix the whining...

 

Hey guys,
Those of you who have gone ahead with changing the 32gb cache drive with a proper sized msata, what drive have you gone with?
I'm leaning towards the 840 evo 250gb (from here: Samsung 840 EVO MZ-MTE250BW 250G mSATA III Solid State Drive SSD - QLD Varsitylakes ).
If you know of a better drive in relation to speeds, time between failures or if this drive is a better option then could you let me know how much you got it for and if its cheaper than the link above, where you got it from.
Thanks

 

The 840 Evo is by far the most popular mSATA SSD right now. The other comparable model is the Crucial M550. Take a look at reviews to compare benchmarks and other features if you want, but in real-world usage they should be about the same, so I'd get whichever is cheaper. If they're identically priced, I'm biased toward Samsung because they're the only vendor that makes all of the components of their SSDs in-house: PCB, NAND chips, controller, and firmware. Everyone else buys at least one of those from someone else -- often Samsung!

 

According to the Dell liaison in the Dell Communities thread, a new motherboard is the fix. Nobody here has reported having actually received a system with a 4712HQ. I think one person in the Dell Communities thread has one and mentioned still having coil whine, but I'm wondering if Dell decided to ship those systems with the old motherboard. Maybe the 4712HQ was unintentionally launched early or the redesigned motherboard took longer than expected and Dell decided they couldn't keep delaying the orders for systems with the 4712HQ. Or maybe launching the 4712HQ and the new motherboard together was never part of the plan. All of that is entirely speculation on my part, just to be clear.

In any case, from what's been said officially, the CPU doesn't seem to be the cause or solution to coil whine. Again, keep an eye on the Dell Communities thread for posts from Terry B about updates.

 

Does anyone have an icc (.icm) file that they're willing to share, following calibration? I know every monitor is slightly different, but it should get me closer to a more realistic colors. There's one on notebookcheck.net but I think it might be with splendid mode on. Thanks!

 

Yep, it's been posted a few times in this thread. For the QHD+ panel with splendid mode off: http://forum.notebookreview.com/att...-15-haswell-owners-lounge-qhd-calibration.zip.

 

Ok, let's stop fighting amongst ourselves. Remember we have a noisy common enemy.

Whoever wants to continue a private discussion, is welcome to continue it in private.

 

Originally quoted post removed, response no longer worthwhile.

 

Thanks. I was going to buy the top-end Dell XPS 15, but with all the uncertainty and time it has taken, at this point I am going to wait for the new ASUS with 4K display which is said to be coming out around the fall.

 

Thanks! 10ch

 

Well, one post deleted and one post edited. Those who visit this thread frequently will know which. Kudos to those who didn't engage in the trolling and reported it so the mods could take actions before the flames were truly raging. Here's a link to the forum rules for anyone who needs a reminder or anyone who hasn't read them yet.

 

I had a look around at some other places online that are close to me and looks like that evo i linked up is the cheapest. Also checked out the M550 but its not too much of a difference and much more expensive.

I'll be going for the evo. Priced fine aswell.

Thanks

 

As soon as I got mine. Used and cleaned my cpu with ceramic 5.

Would recommend it. It's dead easy just use the manual. You don't really have to strip that much back. Do it in good light. Take your time. A good set of screwdrivers. You'll be fine.

Sent from my HTC One_M8 using Tapatalk

 

Guys if you want a good notebook stand. Not cooler see if you get hold of a logitech one. Without the fans. There not expensive at all had mine years. I'll post the link.
http://www.gizmag.com/logitech-speaker-lapdesk-n700/14291/


Sent from my HTC One_M8 using Tapatalk

 

I just tried that icm profile, splendid modes off and it still turned things red, oh well.

 

I got exactly the same result. Whites became pink. I think I'll stick with the windows default!

 

i was abt to use this calibration but few users like GONZO just posted that there colours went pink etc.....then what is the fix....i actually read anandtechs update on this display with the generic mode and he said that without calibration the generic mode isnt perfect too with the delta e value upto 4 to 6...but when calibrated its less than 1 which is virtually perfect....here is what anandtech quoted (Long story short, then: if you want better colors on the Dell XPS 15, use the Generic color profile. Pre-calibration it’s at least better than average, and post-calibration all of the tested points are below 2.0 dE, with the average being below 1.0 – essentially perfect. If Dell – or someone else – can deliver a laptop with that sort of color accuracy out of the box, we’d definitely be talking about Editors’ Choice material – for the display if not for the laptop as a whole. For imaging professionals, the combination of a high DPI PPS (like IPS) panel (e.g. “future proof”) that calibrates to nearly perfect colors is the best we have ever tested)...........now i want that colour accuracy tooo...i saw a macbook with retina display today and its colours look way better than dell xps 15 with generic mode on...blues are much beterrrr.....but i m a simple user i cant calibrate my display on my own....what shud i do???this file u provided corrupted GONZO colours...help will be highly appreciated

 

Dell USA just flipped the switch and almost all the XPS 15 configurations are now coming with the i7-4712HQ Haswell Refresh CPU.

http://www.dell.com/us/p/xps-15-9530/pd?~ck=mn

 

Thanks so much for letting us know. I would be all over this if we knew it solved the coil whine. So instead I have to wait until we have word from Dell on what the fix is and how to be sure to buy a system that is not prone to the issue.

 

You're asking how to to fix an uncalibrated display's performance and achieve calibrated display performance...without calibrating your display. The fix is to calibrate your display. Calibration files are specific to individual units (and sometimes even the ambient lighting environment of that unit), so it's not surprising that someone else's profile didn't work as expected on yours. Given that you're a self-identified simple user, calibration equipment probably isn't worth the cost for the improvement in color accuracy for you. But if you want it, then that's what you need.

Keep in mind that this display out of the box with generic mode on is already more color-accurate than most panels, laptop or desktop. It seems like you just want more accuracy because you read that it's available. Well more accuracy was probably available on other systems you've used, and I assume that didn't bother you then -- and some of those displays even AFTER calibration might not have been as color accurate as your display is right now. So I wouldn't worry about it. And as for the rMBP's performance, blues looking "better" does not mean they're more accurate, fyi. They certainly might be, but some people think splendid mode looks "better" because everything is so vivid and pops -- but it is definitely not accurate.

 

'better' looking is subjective. The point of calibrating is to eliminate subjectivity. Personally I think calibrated looks better, even though the primaries tend to be more muted in appearance. It wouldn't surprise me if apple 'splendids' their blues a bit given its use in their out of the box UI.

It's also worth noting that calibration drifts over time as a display ages and especially in different temperature swings. If you really care that much, invest in a hardware calibrator... they're not that expensive.

 

I ordered my XPS 15 today

Not particularly concerned about a minor CPU upgrade or coil whine, especially since I ordered from the outlet so I don't know how long it would take for those fixes to migrate over.

i7, 16 GB memory, 512 GB SSD, 91 Whr battery, 750m, QHD+ screen for $1415 pre-tax. I think I could've saved a little more with some patience, but pretty good!

You guys were quite helpful. Even the troll - solid comedy.

 

Someone please recommend a slipcase/sleeve that can fit this. Most cases are advertised as made for macbook and considering macbook is a bit smaller than the xps I'm a bit skeptical to order one. Thanks.

 

The top hit when I Googled "sleeve xps 15 haswell site:notebookreview.com" was Page 67 of this thread, where the top post contains a sleeve recommendation.

 

those with the mid tier models, I DARE YOU!

www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B00ITJ7WDC

 

I need some help.

After 3 replacements of motherboard the issues with the system were not fixed I decided to just return the system (I can't have my system beeping constantly in the meetings at work). However, when I spoke to customer support twice today told me I can't return it anymore because I'm 4 days after my 1 month period. They told me to speak to Dell Tech Support - who then send me back to the Customer support that told me the same thing. The most ridiculous part is that I spoke with the guy at the tech support (not the contractor, but Dell guy) who told me not to worry about return period and that I will be able to return it if the last attempt to fix it fails (I asked because I was worried exactly about this situation).

I remember that someone mentioned that Dell vouched to either fix the issue or give you your money back even after the return period. Does anybody know if that's true or where I could find that?

Or any other advice would be appreciated. Thank you!

 

The tech guy is probably right. It's quite probable that you can finally return it. But it's not easy. They kick you here and there, back and forth. This is one of the common tricks Dell uses to prevent quite some customers from returning items.

But still, you might meet some guy like jphughan that defends Dell and tells you that Dell is such a wonderful company.

 

it was me, but I used my credit card and threw that in Dells face to start the argument off and it was all I needed to say.

Charge back ment I would have my money back and the laptop still sat on my lap.

 

Thanks gonzo - what of you mean that you used the credit card? And the charge back? Sorry dont understand that

 

You can't do a successful chargeback without returning the item. Otherwise many could acquire items for free and it would become some type of honor system.

Sent from my SCH-I545 using Tapatalk

 

well there were alot of profiles in the color management setting and all were same except one of the macbook pro mid 2012 setting in there....it has a slightly less dark profile compared to the default which makes scenes in movies lil brighter and easier to see...try that profile...same colours but lil bit brighter screen overall

 

The way it typically works is that Dell will try either once or twice to fix the problem with on-site service (assuming of course that you have an on-site service contract). If the on-site attempts fail, they may ask you to send it into their repair depot for further investigation and service; sometimes they'll skip that part. If the depot service fails or they skip it entirely, they offer you a system exchange, i.e. you get a brand new system of the same model or (if that model is no longer in production) the nearest equivalent; a buddy of mine had problems with his Precision M90 late in its warranty contract that couldn't be fixed, so they gave him a brand new Precision M6400 instead. If even the system exchange fails, I believe you can return it at that point; you may even be able to request a return before the system exchange happens. I'm not sure about that part.

The credit card chargeback GoNz0 is talking about is a service offered by at least some credit cards where basically the credit card company goes to bat on your behalf with the company if you have a legitimate reason for wanting to return an item and the vendor won't accept it back. Some credit cards (like AMEX) even offer automatic extended warranties on certain items when purchased with that card, so even if the vendor won't budge, the credit card company will do a refund or replacement under the terms of their warranty coverage.

Not really sure where that came from.... If you feel I've been unfairly charitable toward Dell somewhere, go quote that post and write an intelligent reply. No need for cheap little potshots like this.

 

google credit card chargeback, you are after all on the internet.

 

After about 4 weeks using the XPS 15, I am really impressed by the machine. It has a really nice screen, a speedy processor, a powerful graphic card, and a quiet operation under a normal usage, good battery life and light/thin for a laptop of its size.
I can tolerant the keyboard. However what annoying me the most is the trackpad. Surprisingly, I didn't notice any of the noise issue mentioned here. I really hope Dell can update the trackpad driver so that the scrolling can be smoother and more consistent across different programs. I am curious, though, for those who installed a windows 8.1 from scratch, rather than using the image from the machine, is there any improvement in the area of trackpad operation.
I have also notice that there is no battery calibration software from Dell. After few weeks of use, my battery has drop to 96% of its design capacity. Does anyone know any good way to calibrate battery on this machine? Many thanks.

 

Try installing Synaptics touchpad driver version 16.3.15.1; it's an older version, but it's still hosted in various places and installs without any workarounds, and some people have found that it improves the touchpad quite a bit. And whichever version you use, definitely disable any gestures you don't need to reduce the chances of false gesture recognition.

As for the battery, I'm usually on AC power so I set mine never to charge more than 80% and not to start charging again until it drops to 50% to maximize its longevity; that's done in the BIOS. I haven't seen battery calibration software for quite a while, in fact I'm not even sure I've ever seen it on systems with Li-ion batteries. But a calibration isn't going to restore your battery's maximum charge level; that degrades naturally over time. The best you can do is slow its degradation by limiting behaviors that Li-ion batteries don't like, such as keeping it topped up all the time, constantly running it near empty, charging it only for short periods of time before disconnecting from AC again, etc. I wrote a longer post on Li-ion battery maintenance a while back in this thread; I'll try to find it if you're interested. Also keep in mind that battery capacity doesn't degrade linearly, i.e. just because you've lost 4% in 4 weeks doesn't mean you'll lose 100% in 2 years.

 

If you mostly run on AC and then use the 50-80% charging sceem won't you
add a lot of cycles to the battery ?

 

So with all the issues so far with the XPS 15 (noticeably the coil whine) do I go with this or the UX51VZ? I don't think I'll be able to wait for the NX500 since I'm leaving for college in late August.

 

On the ICM "issue":

a) just because it looks magenta, doesn't mean it "is" magenta, your eyes get used to a display very quickly. I've had mine calibrated and it showed a green tint prior, but now it's perfect, however, if you switch to the old profile and then switch to this profile, it looks magenta, but it definitely isn't.

b) just buy a bloody calibrator if you're that bothered.

 

I should have been clearer. Those settings prevent the system from sending any AC power to the battery; they do NOT prevent the system from using AC power to run. So my 50/80 settings mean that the system will charge the battery only up until 80%. At that point, the system will continue to run on AC power but will simply not send any current into the battery to charge it or even maintain its current charge; the battery is effectively disconnected at that point. The battery will self-discharge over a period of time as a result (several weeks), and when it has discharged down to 50%, the system will charge it back up to 80%, and the cycle repeats.

So yes, I do end up with some extra discharge cycles, but that is far less detrimental to battery longevity than keeping it constantly topped up to 100%.

 

Question, how does this laptop handle a game like League on its native 3k res?

 

Hello,

Checked the dell website: XPS 15 Touch Screen Laptop Details | Dell

The i7 is now: 4th Generation Intel® Core™ i7-4712HQ (6M, up to 3.3GHz)

Did this update? Mine shows as i7-4702HQ

 

Yes, someone else posted a couple days ago that the US finally got the 4712 that's been listed in other markets for a while now. The only difference according to Intel's documentation is a 0.1 GHz speed boost (less than 5% improvement), so this appears to be a change driven by Intel discontinuing the 4702 as opposed to a refresh from Dell. Unless of course the CPU turns out to be part of the coil whine fix in addition to a redesigned motherboard, but until that fix is available for existing customers, nobody can say for sure.

 

Its a no brainer. Duh.

 

is UX51VZ really close to the dell xps 15?

 

A quick spec comparison shows that the UX51VZ has a CPU and GPU a generation older than the XPS, no QHD+ offering or MiniDP, and a 4GB max on RAM. It also uses N WiFi rather than AC (though it includes onboard LAN), and the SSD options are all RAID 0, which might boost performance depending on their specs but doubles your risk of data loss. But a little research on your end and perhaps reading some reviews would tell you that and more.

 

well its screen resolution is also less...only a stupid will buy zenbook for that price of more than 2500 dollars.jphughan can u tell me how to fix chrome....according to xps 15 wiki i did everything for chrome and every thing scales fine now except for the command bar at the top....how can i fix that? command bar is microscopic so i cant type the web adresses properly