XPS 15 (Haswell) Owner's Lounge

FYI: My order status just changed from "Work in Progress" to "Manufacturing Build Complete". The estimated delivery date was moved from 19 March to 18 February. I ordered my XPS 15 February the second. Thank you.

 

See all they said to me was "Sorry, nothing we can do, if you need your laptop quickly we won't hold it against you if you go elsewhere"

No such luck on my part. Is there likely to be a difference between UK orders and US orders?

 

Mid-tier model is on Amazon! (especially for those of you with Prime who want to get it quickly) The price is awesome.
Amazon.com: Dell Computer XPS 15 XPS15-6842sLV 15.6-Inch Laptop: Computers & Accessories

Ordering directly from Dell is a giant headache and waste of time. It makes no difference and you get their warranty either way, unless you're trying to add extra warranty to your plan.

This is the best option for those of you who want to put in your own SSD (2.5" and mSATA) instead of buying the top model with only mSATA for storage.

 

I am not sure to be honest. And by the way I live in Australia!

 

Yeah, I think there is a difference . I ordered from UK too on 28-02 and it appears that it will come on 25-03. Mine is still in pre-production although I dont get it how people get more detailed status. Mine has only 5 stages , order received, order processing, Pre-production, production and shipped.

 

Yah, I know what you mean. Unfortunately, it was really dry and thick-like pads. I just did this to the CPU and GPU. the other pads, on the chipset, seemed to be ok on mine, so I didn't bother. You could, if you wanted, do the chipset as well though. If you get the chance, I would be curious to see if yours is like that as well.

 

IC diamond should be just fine. definitely better than the factory thermal paste! I just had some extra on hand from some previous PC builds I did for other people and it works very well and has good thermal transfer properties. I don't think it would since no hardware is being swapped out or modified in any way and there are no security stickers or such to let Dell know that the back plate was taken off. But maybe others have some input on this?

 

Great for you 'mericans. Not for us, only place to buy Dell over here is Dell I think...

 

News from the delivery date lottery:

My second XPS 15, ordered on Jan 7th, was scheduled for a delivery on Feb 18th (next week). It went into production yesterday (just in time), but got magically and silently postponed to Mar 24th today. I called the support, but they have no clue about the origin of the problem. According to their systems all parts are on stock, no shortage. They don't know why the delivery date was postponed for 5 weeks.

According to the delivery dates in the online shop, a new XPS 15 would also be delivered on Mar 24th, if ordered today. Weird.

If you remember my rant from last week (Feb 5th), I got a similar problem with my first XPS 15. It was suddenly postponed for 6 weeks, then magically shipped in time. It should arrive soon here. I hope that the second XPS 15 will also ship soon.

 

An update on my mid-tier repair status:

A week has passed and the laptop is still in the process of being repaired. Note that I waited for a month and half for the machine to arrive and when it arrived, the next thing is to send it for repair.

Given all these inconveniences, I just want to return this machine and get my money back. Contacted after-sale service asking about the return policy. And below is the reply:

Dell consumers have the right to return the system within 14 business days
after the purchase of the laptop.

But this is only possible if no repairs have been made.

So basically, they provided me collect&repair instead of NBD and now because they provided me CAR, I lose the right to return it?

 

Has anyone found the driver for this?


Edit: I found the driver here: https://downloadcenter.intel.com/De....0+eXtensible+Host+Controller+Driver&lang=eng

Edit #2: Updated the link for the newest version of the driver.

 

Officially jealous! Ordered my February 3 and still says March 18. Fingers crossed I get an updated delivery date as well!

 

OK guys, I am just wondering how you see the whole Dell XPS 15 Haswell situation. If we go back 2 years, when Apple introduced MacBookPro retina, the rest of the laptops were ages behind. I mean, for that particular hardware and that particular size/weight/quality/battery the rMBP was WAY ahead from anything else. After TWO WHOLE YEARS Dell manages to introduce a laptop as good as rMBP: Dell XPS 15 Haswell. At this point let's all assume that Apple used alien technology for the first rMBP because if they didn't then Dell and the rest of the companies should just close down and start selling fish and chips. Over the past years LOTS of win/linux users were forced to buy an apple machine because there was no other option. So, here we are now, Dell has an rMBP equivalent. LOTS of people have been waiting for this machine. And Dell does what? Forgets the quality testing. Forgets to make sure the materials used for the laptop do not suffer from discolouration. Forgets to screw the monitor on the body straight. Forgets to check the screens before shipping the product. Forgets to use non-low-quality coils on the motherboard. I mean seriously guys, these are ridiculous issues. A serious company should never have issues like these.

 

Is this a sign that the top tier model will be coming to Amazon?

 

The battery life between the middle tier XPS and the top of the line will be pretty significant, no? Like everyone else, I don't want to wait a month and a half for a machine, but I am guessing it will be completely worth it.

 

Dell outlet USA now has the XPS 9530 in stock with most configurations. Prices aren't great, with the top tier only being $2,199, down from $2,349. Dell does typically run 15% and 25% off promotions from those prices, so you could pick one up for less. Still not as good as the mystery box 30% off deal they were running for new, non-refurbished units at the beginning of the month though.

 

Sorry, I used my coupons to buy my own system and some others for friends -- plus Dell's employee purchase rules state that the system has to be shipped and billed to the employee even if there's an ownership transfer to someone else later. I have no idea when the next sale will happen since I'm not even close to the right department for that, and even if I was, I doubt I'd be able to tell you something like that. Sorry!

If you're running Windows 8 or 8.1, you do not need that driver because it has USB 3.0 drivers built in. The only time I've seen that device (and it was exactly like that complete with the Device Descriptor Request Failed issue) was on a different Dell system when one of the internal components wasn't fully connected to the motherboard after a tech had worked on it. When I got it attached correctly, it identified itself as a webcam and then I could install the right driver. I suspect that may be what's happening here.

If you're running Windows 8.1, I can post my Device Manager list if you want to try see what's missing on your system.

 

I Just wanted to state for the record that my two top tier XPS 15s which I got a week ago seem to be running perfectly in all respects (no stuck pixels, no bleeding, put together properly, no coil whine though someone said it could be the house power that causes it? I had a bit on my w520 in the same house though). So I really have no complaints, and don't know what the statistics are on defects, or if they are improving now (although I saw someone with recent delivery complaining about coil whine).

Still trying to optimise power in Linux...

 

I wiped the hard drive on the machine and installed windows 7 on it. That was the reason why I was asking for the driver.

 

That is good! Hopefully mine will be problem-free too!
Can I ask what issues you got with Linux so far? I am a Linux user so this is important for me. Thank you.

 

My March 7th ETA to the UK got updated to next Tuesday after changing to shipped today.

 

My F5 finger is getting tired.

Really hope my date gets sooner, not sure whether whinging to customer services is going to do more harm than good though.

 

When I got it, I shrunk the Windows partition and didn't do a reinstall.

I then installed Ubuntu from UEFI followed by Fedora 20 (I am less familiar with the latest fedoras as I switched to Ubuntu when I got my Lenovo W520 due to NVIDIA problems).

For the Install I turned off secure boot and also legacy boot, to make sure it installed with efi/gpt.

I then turned on secure boot again, and it works with the grub Ubuntu installed but not the one Fedora intstalled(you can choose which one to boot from in the setup menu).

Everything pretty much works out of the box in both systems(SD Cards, wifi, sleep, brightness, etc).

I got bumblebee working in both systems, but the NVIDIA driver doesn't seem to work with the kernel 3.13 I tried. Also, power consumption seems higher in 3.13.

I am tweaking Ubuntu first, and blacklisted the NFC module as it seems that sometimes it consumes significant power.

The touchscreen seems to be a bit of a power issue still, after a while (don't know why) it seems to appear in Powertop as using .5-1W power... don't know how to shut it off, or if I want to.

Touchscreen works, but without more gestures is of limited use. (no zoom, and I only got scrolling working with firefox using a plugin).

Love the highres, good for developing (using ctrl-scoll I can zoom in and out with the editor in Android Studio). Of course you need to tweak the apps you use to get the best use out of them.

I don't think three finger middle click is working on the touchpad. Anybody have any ideas?

The Wifi seems to get less range than my W520 in 2.4ghz, but more in 5ghz... but that can also be some movement in the antennas, etc... dind't test it carefully.

I actually like the fact that home/pgup/pgdn/end are just fn-arrow combinations, works great if you are a two handed typist. I think I had something similar in my HP 8520 computer, and actually prefer it to the layout on the thinkpad with the cluster at the top(where you have to move your hand from the arrows to the top every time you want the home key, which I use A LOT on the command line).

 

I ordered mine January 21st and it still says delivery date March 21, yesterday it finally changed to In Production.
This whole process has been utterly , even Dells customer service departments have departments, they have no idea what's going on.

 

Well if it's in production, it shouldn't be much longer for you I would imagine.

 

mine was in production for about 5 days.

 

House power can't be causing this coil whine, too many people reporting it. I know forums are usually a place to go when people need to complain but the quality issues here are too rampant to be one-offs or other causes. I agree with the previous poster that they need to get a handle on this if they expect to get the top dollar they are asking for the XPS 15.

 

Well, If it is not house power, then I got two computers that don't have this problem... Maybe they(or Intel?) are slowly getting a handle on the problem.

 

Or maybe it's a quality control issue that only occurs on some machines?

 

Okay well, I get a call from customer service today telling me that my machine had been delayed. I ask him why and he told me because the laptop is pre-launch. He tried to sell me on the story that I 'pre-ordered' a laptop that I saw with my own eyes at Microcenter and Costco! Getting tired of dell service!

 

Interesting observations. I'm running Kubuntu 13.10, and so far really like the experience. If anything, there seems to be less problems than on windows 8. On windows, wifi would often drop, and I had to manually reconnect. The touchscreen would also randomly stop working. The most annoying thing for me was scrolling with the touchpad was really jerky and not smooth (especially in Firefox). In linux, I have none of these problems.

Could you elaborate more on which NFC you blacklisted? I would like to improve the battery life in linux. How can you tell that bumblebee is working properly?

As for three finger tap, it's working for me. In Kubuntu, I just have to enable it in system settings -> Input Devices. I'm not sure about Ubuntu and other non-kde distros.

 

Seems to be that, maybe I was just lucky...

 

I will try to install synaptiks and try to configure the extra button, the standard config program doesn't give many options.

As for the NFC module, I noticed in powertop that it was sucking a lot of power the other day, possible my Galaxy S4 was too close to the computer). So after a bit of testing, I added the following to my "/etc/modprobe.d/blacklist.conf":
blacklist nfc
blacklist pn544
blacklist pn544_mei

At least now my phone doesn't beep when I rest the phone on my touchpad, and I can;t find any use for NFC on the computer.

 

After having bought MacBookPro retina Late 2013 and selling it back because it had a lot of problems with Linux, these news sound awesome! Thanks man!

 

I'm waiting for the top-tier model to come on Amazon: Amazon.com: Dell Computer XPS15-8947sLV XPS 15-Inch Touch Notebook: Computers & Accessories

Big question; wait for Amazon or buy from Costco?

 

Responding to myself as I think in the 3rd person. I recently had an issue described above. After one hour on the phone in india the tech support guy said they would replace the screen. I told him I don't want a used replacement as its brand new. They are now going to send an email to someone higher up and may get a new system out of it. I have had the computer for less than 3 weeks and barely used it.
-I currently only have the one year in home warranty. Would anyone try to get this upgraded to the 3 year for the hassle? I am assuming it will take awhile as they are backlogged.
-What is the warranty on parts as the packet only says it covers labor?

 

Why not get it from the Microsoft Store? I've had nothing but good experiences when buying from them. Plus you can also get 5% cashback if you have a Discover Card (must buy it online) and a 10% student discount if you buy it in store.

 

For anyone that cares, I bought the 1080p model of the XPS 15 and it does in fact come with an IPS panel (as one would expect). It's panel: AUO11ED, it's got good brightness and great sRGB coverage, but just average contrast. Here's the full work up for anyone interested. Unfortunately for me the minimum brightness was still way too high so it's going back (migraine sufferer).

 

If you can get that, that would be great. We are seeing issues here and there, and even who knows if a solution for the coil while will appear later, or on the other hand, a piece will break apart.

I have 1 year warranty myself, and I am considering upgrading it later in the year. As far as I understand, you can request an extension as long as you are still covered by the current warranty, right? I guess the price will be the same as when buying the computer (about 100€ per year, if I remember correctly).

 

It doesn't matter which store you buy it from -- they're both directly through Dell and come through third party retailers (you still get the basic warranty service and whatnot, and are still considered a Dell customer, etc). Costco seems to be running a generous deal on the top-tier XPS 15 right now for under $2k. They also have great return services -- they never question you on returns. (From my experience, at least.)

Dell XPS 15 Touchscreen Laptop | Intel Core i7 | 2GB Graphics | Quad HD+ | Backlit Keyboard

The deal on Amazon, in my opinion, is a monster deal (1.7k vs 2k). After tax, you still stay under $2k and that configuration is my personal favorite since you get more storage to play around with (with aftermarket SSDs and whatnot). I feel like the extra money you have to pay for the 512GB SSD is a waste. I can just go grab a 1TB Evo and call it a day. It would end up being the same price. The difference in battery is not a big deal for me -- I'll be saving a little more power too after I switch out that HDD. The two configurations are literally the same, except the battery and storage options.

In other news -- How's everyone enjoying their XPS 15? Let's see some pictures!

 

Just a message for anyone in the UK:

There is absolutely no need to extend the warranty, the Sale of Goods Act covers you for any defects in the product that were present at sale, even if they don't manifest themselves for up to 4-6 years (depending on what is considered a reasonable lifespan for a £1.5k product).

Look it up, it should provide all the cover you need. If you want accidental damage cover, check your home/contents insurance policy. The only reason I can afford an XPS now at all is because I dropped my XPS17 (L702x) on the power cord and they wrote it off.

 

Nice hint! I just checked that there is a similar law in Spain: https://facua.org/es/guia.php?Id=61&capitulo=570

Consumer goods are mandatorily guaranteed for 2 years in Spain, unless extended guarantee is offered by the manufacturer. The only point is that after the 6th month of use it is the consumer who has to prove it was a manufacturing defect and not a damage caused by them.

 

My (first) XPS 15 arrived today. Apart from a dust spot between display and glas I'm very pleased. No coil whine! I'm not sure if I will ask for a fix of the dust spot. I doesn't disturb me yet. It's only visible in front of a white or light gray window.

The second XPS 15 that was scheduled for next week has been delayed until Mar 24th for no apparent reason.

 

Because it is more expensive from the Microsoft store?

Yeah but what I want is the bigger battery and hence I want the top tier model. Simple. I guess I'll buy from Costco today.

 

I have just been advised by my Dell rep that my replacement has been shipped, so a month earlier than scheduled even if on Dell website is still in production and as estimated delivery date is still March 20.
The delivery time is around a month just as the first time.


Edit: Now even Dell website confirms shipped status.

 

Lucky you I am stuck at pre-production for 2.5 weeks now. I noticed that people form outside of EU get it around 17-03 ( estimated( while people form EU around 25 even thouhg I order the aptop earlier than some .. weird. I hope I will get mine earlier than that

 

It's not an IPS panel or AU Optronics has used the same code name of a old TN panel for a new IPS panel...
Unfortunately Notebookcheck is not always reliable in describing of the technology used in the notebook panel.
Just for example in M3800 review they describe the same panel used in XPS15 9530 as IPS made by LG instead of PPS IGZO made by Sharp as it is.

AUO B156HW01 V1 Overview - Panelook.com

http://forum.notebookreview.com/har...550475-15-6-fhd-1920x1080-panels-reviews.html

Review Schenker XMG P500 PRO Gaming Notebook - NotebookCheck.net Reviews

Review Schenker XMG P501 Gaming-Notebook (Clevo P150HM) - NotebookCheck.net Reviews

 

Need some advice from members of this forum. I posted on my issue a few pages back but long story short I had an issue with the panel where there was missing adhesive between the panel and the frame that caused light to leak. I talked to dell for an hour yesterday and 40 min today. It sounds like I can get a system replacement once approved or return my laptop. I originally paid $2250 + taxes to $2400. The laptop is available on amazon for $2299 tax free with a 1-2 month delay. Costco has it for $2000 + tax but I don't have a membership there and neither does anyone I know. The dell rep said I will get a brand new one if confirmed and the replacement would take presedence over new ones ordered so it should take 10-20 business days if all the parts are in but with the panel shortage who knows. I tried to get an extra 2 years added to my 1 year warranty for the hassle but he told he couldn't do that. Price to extend was $379+tax which is weird because you can order a new one with the 3 year for $279. This is frustrating as I ordered it on 12/12 and received on 1/28. With that being said here are my quesitons.
-If I got a replacement laptop as it's within the first 21 days how do I know its brand new and not a refurbished one from some kind of trickery?
-Should I just get the replacement laptop and call it a day?
-Return it for a refund then try to haggle with a different rep for a cheaper price?
-Return and buy from Amazon or costco(if membership found)?
-Return and get a rMBP?
-I am a CSCI major and not familiar with apple that much so would apple vs windown 8.1 be that big of an issue?

Thanks
jesse

 

Yeah, I see the top tier model is now on Amazon: Amazon.com: Dell Computer XPS15-8947sLV XPS 15-Inch Touch Notebook: Computers & Accessories. I would have paid the extra $100 if the shipping was 2 days. I got it yesterday via a Dell chat rep for $2185 (inclusive of taxes) which I thought was a pretty good deal all things considered.