XPS 15 (Haswell) Owner's Lounge

The HDMI port is 1.4, which according to the spec can run 2560x1600 @ 60Hz and 4K @ 30Hz. The former has been confirmed by testing, but nobody in this thread has tested 4K.

The DisplayPort is 1.2, so it should be able to do 4K @ 60Hz, but again, nobody has tested.

 

I just realized that I ordered a 91Whr battery not a 61whr batter thus there is no 2.5 inch drive on my $1440 purchase with the 750mGT . I did not realize this until further examining the system internals. My questions are can I order the 61whr battery myself? And if I do the upgrade/downgrade myself will I have access to that 2.5 inch sata port?

 

Guys, I am also facing the same problem. I had the motherboard replaced and now the splendid mode setting is not available any more. It used be there previously. I did a factory restore, even then no luck. Please help...

Update: Fixed it. See here.

 

You'd need the 61 WHr battery as well as the SATA ribbon cable and mounting bracket. Part numbers for the last two have been mentioned either in this thread or the Precision M3800 thread, but thus far nobody has been successful getting either the 61 WHr or 91 WHr batteries through Dell Spare Parts because Dell apparently hasn't decided to sell them that way yet. But whenever they do, that's how you would buy those items.

 

Interesting.
Ghosting - as you described - is the correct term for an after-image that follows an object in motion - on an LCD screen.
I cannot comment on that for this screen - but I would like to ask if you have noticed any "image retention" ? (where there is an after-image present of windows, borders, images, icons, etc - after you switch to a blank screen - ie, you can see images of what "used to" be there)

Lastly - can you post pictures or perhaps a youtube video of what you are experiencing ?

 

Completely uninstall Dell Quickset, then reinstall it and boot the system with no external display connected. If that doesn't fix it, I'm not sure what's going on. I seem to remember some reports of people missing this option after their display was replaced, and now it seems motherboard replacements do it too? Or maybe I'm misremembering. Maybe splendid mode has been removed on newer systems because it was such a terrible idea to start with? Can you tell just by looking at your colors whether your display is currently in splendid or generic mode? If it's generic, I would consider not having the splendid option anymore good riddance.

 

I tried that. Tried complete factory restore, removed quickset, downloaded from Dell site and installed again. No use. Display is by default on the splendid mode, colors all look weird, the same way it was when I got the laptop. I called Dell support, they tried their tricks, that didn't work either. I have wasted over 10 hours on call in the last week over this and to troubleshoot the game throttling.

 

Anyone why can recommend a synaptics touchpad driver who is the best in terms of two-finger scroll and resource usage? This touchpad is really annoying me!!!!

 

Just to give another point of view, the M500 should have better endurance (due to MLC vs. TLC) and reliability (due to RAIN, see http://www.micron.com/~/media/Documents/Products/Technical Marketing Brief/ssd_rain_tech_brief.pdf).

Regarding endurance though, as jphughan has pointed out before, in practice MLC vs. TLC is probably a non-factor for most users. An SSD based on either will probably outlast the useful life of your system anyway.

As for performance, while the 840 EVO is technically faster in most cases, I'm not convinced I would see a noticeable difference.

All that said, I purchased the M500, but mostly because the 840 EVO was not yet OPAL and eDrive compliant at the time. (It is now.) Today, I would probably choose the 840 EVO over the M500, but I still try to convince myself there are valid reasons for owning the M500

 

Anyone a Lightroom 4 (4.4) user? It really doesn't handle high dpi at all, so I drop the resolution to 1080p, and then everything's blurry elsewhere, like in this box right now.

Any thoughts?

 

I don't think it's image retention. The effect occurs regardless of how long (or short) something has been on the screen (although it is a little more noticeable after, say, a few frameskips).

I tried taking pictures or a video, but predictably, my phone camera wasn't really up to the task. For what it's worth, I attached an illustration.

Note that objects don't have to be moving very fast at all for it to look like this. I'm well aware some degree of ghosting is normal; this is simply ten times worse than any other LCD I've used.

 

FYI: AnandTech review of our laptop is now up: AnandTech | Dell XPS 15 Haswell Edition: QHD+ with a Refined Design

 

I'm running Lightroom 5.2 and it runs fairly well, at least compared to PS CS6

 

Already posted some pages ago...

 

Yeah, looks like 5 has support for high def displays and 4 doesn't...

I wasn't going to upgrade, but looks like I've got to.

 

Hah, I could imagine since you've already bought it; might as well make the absolute best of it?
Very nice -- that cleared it up for me. EVO it is. However, I'm still trying to decide if I should go with 500GB or not. I am really depending on this coming Summer for a good sale on either the 2.5 EVO or the mSATA. Getting the 1TB 2.5 EVO and the mSATA EVO (most likely the 500GB) is going to be one expensive buy. Well, I'm thinking if I should just buy the mSATA first, and then buy the 1TB 2.5" EVO at a different time since it's not going to be the main drive (OS partition).

 

I wish I could find a review that isn't fanboy ridden. If only Lisa Gade from MobileTechReview would make a review of the XPS 15. I like her reviews a ton. She really knows how to keep a variety of users in mind while covering specifications and different features of a notebook.

 

Unfortunately I made that mistake yesterday. Bricked.

 

Wow, no idea what's up then. I remember on an older Dell system there was a way to disable the Bluetooth radio both via function key and in software -- but if you disabled it in software and then wiped your system, the Bluetooth drivers wouldn't install again because they wouldn't detect a Bluetooth device! Dell eventually had to release a utility whose sole purpose was to send the software enable command to deal with this exact solution. I wonder if the same will occur with this issue, though I can't imagine why a motherboard replacement would remove this option AND force the display into splendid mode. That actually makes me worry about whether I should get a replacement motherboard if the coil whine issue is ever fixed.

 

The AnandTech review seems pretty mixed and thorough to me, though admittedly I only skimmed it since I already own the system. I did notify the author about the splendid mode issue though, so he'll be retesting the LCD in generic mode. What strikes you as fanboy-ridden?

 

One more very long shot idea. Is the new motherboard in UEFI mode? I remember another system I got that shipped in UEFI mode but the replacement motherboard defaulted to Legacy. I don't know whether that would affect whether splendid mode is available, but couldn't hurt to check. Then again, if your old motherboard was in UEFI mode and your new one wasn't, I'm not even sure your system would be booting right now.

 

Yup I checked and it is the PM851. Either Dell uses the PM851 for replacements only or they completely switch over to it.

That sounds pretty bad, I don't know if it is worth updating the firmware if I can brick my system.

 

Hello everyone,
my laptop gets very warm at the area left of the keyboard, ~2-3cm under the power button, roughly at the height of keys 'Shift' and 'Tab'.

It seems that the heat is not related to the temperature of the CPU (e.g. gets warm even when laptop is idle and CPU temp is around 45-47 degrees)
Also, I do not use the nvidia graphics.

Does any one else experience a similar heat-related issue ?

 

It's the touchscreen that gets bricked, not the entire system or even the entire display. But like I said above, if you're not having issues with the touchscreen and/or touchpad (or don't care about the issues), then there's no sense installing the update. And if you need the update and it does brick, Dell will send a repair tech with a new display. Mine updated fine fwiw.

 

While I genuinely appreciate his effort and the testing he has done on the system, there are particular lines throughout his review that really aren't something you can just forgive and call a review. For me, an ideal review is not only an analysis of a system (with respect to notebooks in this situation), but a reasonable emphasis on the device. His consistent references to the Macbook Pro aren't necessary to a review like this. The remarks make his entire review prone to fallacy, which in essence is bias.

While Apple does have an upper-hand in making the high-end hardware readily available for their consumer systems, the author did not bother to praise the XPS 15 for having the versatility for aftermarket parts or bother to recognize both the advantages and disadvantages of upgrades between the two competitors instead of just merely stating if the price difference to upgrade was reasonable to him or not. Of course, he wouldn't need to bring it up if he didn't talk about the Macbook Pro. This is a review, not a comparison. True, you have to do some cross-reference while doing benchmarks and such, but the mention of the Macbook Pro was more lengthy than it needed to be.

I'm sure someone out there could bluntly argue that I'm in denial about the XPS 15's features and how that is inferior to the MBP, but then again, that's not what my point is concerned with -- it's the issue with these kinds of reviews. And besides, if that was the basis of my topic, I could easily point out that the XPS 15 has better deals, is more versatile for aftermarket customization, and is generally cheaper.

This is why I kind of wish Lisa from MobileTechReview did a review of this system. She's great at keeping everyone in mind as she goes through the specifications of a system. When she brings up a competitor, she does it in a professional way that doesn't distract you from the actual topic of the review.

I'm being picky, but I have a passion for writing -- I can't help but point out what I don't like sometimes and I plan on posting a few of my own brief reviews. I just felt like I should just state this as it is -- merely my opinion.

 

Good review ... very detailed test data

 

Hello everyone.

My XPS idle temp jumps anywhere from 45-60c and during gaming it reaches up to 97c...

What are everyone's cpu temps look like?

I spoke to Dell and they are sending a technician to my house sometime next week.

 

I just wanted to see clarification . To add an extra SSD to the top tier model I need to replace the larger battery with a smaller one and then I can add a SSD. This new SSD is NOT an mSATA correct but a SATA 3 ? At the moment it is not possible to get the smaller battery direct from Dell correct?

 

To add the extra SSD, you would have to get the smaller battery which would make room/clear the area where the 2.5" bay is (that was covered by the bigger battery). OR, if you haven't ordered your system yet, just buy the mid-tier and simply replace the HDD with an SSD so you don't have to get a new battery. But yes, the area that the top-tier battery covers is a space for a standard 2.5" SSD.

 

My fellow XPS 15 owners,

I am searching for a stand for my system, and I am debating between these two:

Amazon.com: mStand Laptop Stand: Computers & Accessories

This one is amazing quality from the videos I've watched and has a 5-star review on Amazon (nearly 1000 reviews). It's a gorgeous stand, but my only concern is the ventilation. Since the main vents for the XPS 15 are on the bottom/back of the device, will this stand cause any potential heat issues, or will it be fine? I'm really tempted to get this but I am mainly curious about potential heat-ups.

Here are the other two I was looking at. They have integrated fans into the stands, but they are not even close to being as pretty as the stand above. They are more on the functional side, but I seriously question whether or not those fans are a gimmick or actually help reduce temperatures. I would think that they should help since the vents for the XPS 15 are right on the bottom. It's direct contact almost. Here are the two I was looking at:

Amazon.com: Cooler Master NotePal ErgoStand II - Adjustable Laptop Cooling Stand with LED Light Strip: Computers & Accessories

Amazon.com : CM Storm SF-19 Gaming Laptop Cooling Pad with Two 140mm Turbine Fans (SGA-4000-KKNF1) : Large Laptop Cooling Pad : Electronics

The first one is honestly the best looking. I just don't know if the temperature support with the last two are really worth it to sacrifice the space-saving and minimalistic design of the first one.

 

Go for the first one.

The laptop will be raised slightly off the flat surface which should be enough to keep it at reasonable temps.

 

That is correct. You can see a good picture of it in the Owner's Manual. If you're interested in a trade, shoot me a PM - I don't need the extra disk space, but would love a higher capacity battery as I'm on the road a lot.

 

Correct, but in addition to the battery you'd also need the SATA ribbon cable and sled to mount and connect the 2.5" SATA drive.

 

Even with the vents at the bottom? It will be blocked by the part that holds it. Although there is a hole in the middle of the top part/holder of the stand. So maybe it will be fine...

 

I doubt the vents will get blocked, there are spacers on the top left and right and the bottom areas. There has to be feet on the bottom of the XPS15 as well. It's possible it will be even higher raised from the bottom of the stand than on a normal flat surface.

Worst case would be the bottom vents line up with those spacers and the feet on the XPS15 end up hanging over the edge or sitting on the bottom of the stand and the vents get partially blocked.

Only one way to find out.

 

What tools are needed to open the XPS 9530, surely a torx t5 screwdriver and also a Philips screwdriver, what's the exact number/size of Philips screwdriver?
I read that many people have difficulties to open the bottom after removing the screws, is there a specific zone where it is better to start?
Has Dell used some kind of click system?
If the answer is positive what kind of tool could be used to help to release the bottom?

 

Haha, I feel so ridiculous. I just realized the spacers on the top and bottom.
Good point, I will go ahead and buy this. The other ones with the fans bother me a little bit because I'm sure that with time, they will get louder and the annoying thing about the CM gaming one is that it has a power adapter. No thanks...

 

I believe it's a T6, not a T5. And that one might matter, because so far we've had one case reported of those screws getting stripped, likely because the wrong size screwdriver was used. Not sure on Phillips but frankly between #0 and #00 I've never had a problem.

I've mentioned it a few times already, but if you just buy this kit you'll be set for basically any consumer electronics device you ever come across, including devices that use the rare bits like pentalobe and Torx Security: 54 Bit Driver Kit - iFixit.

Fyi, it's already been established that running this laptop tilted can contribute to throttling. I haven't experimented personally, but someone who reported that was using a stand.

 

Just Checked, it's surely torx T5, instead torx T6 doesn't fit at all (too big).
Unfortunately that kit isn't available in Europe, in truth there is something very similar but seems very cheap:
54 Bit Driver Kit: Amazon.de: Elektronik

Maybe these kit have the same Chinese origin?
My fear is that economic screwdrivers may strip the screws, also I just find a set of torx T4, T5, T6 that I already had.

Any suggestion to this part:

 

You can find the iFixit screwdriver set also in the European store.

 

Oh, darn.
I was really looking forward to getting this stand. But only one user reported it? Why would it result into throttling anyway? What kind of stand was that person using?

 

This chatter and idle temperature is exactly the same in my case.

 

Yes, definitely T5 (I know because my kit stopped at T6). I have on of the cheap generic sets for mobile phones and I cannot recommend them - they are just not up to par, and could end up ruining your screws as they are usually made of softer metal than a quality set

I would also recommend a spudger (or guitar pick or maybe even credit card) to help separate the bottom cover from the frame. There are small "hooks" in the bottom cover that have to be released, and running something in between the seam is the easiest way to do so. Anything harder than plastic will damage the aluminum of the frame and the plastic of the cover.

 

I can't remember how many people or what stand(s). However, I seem to remember that the laptop was tilted back, not forward, which I could see being an issue since the heat escapes out of the back of the machine, and thus tilting it backward would make it more difficult for heat to escape upward. If you do some clever Google searches constraining results to this domain you might be able to find more about it.

 

Looking for a sleeve to put my laptop in, there aren't too many choices from Dell sadly so I have been looking at MBP15" sleeves.

Anyone have any experiences with them? Feel free to share

I was also looking at this but don't know if it fits: Amazon.com: Snugg Macbook Pro Retina 15-inch Leather Sleeve Case in Black - High Quality Case with Card Slot, Pocket and Premium Nubuck Fibre Interior: Computers & Accessories

 

Personally I'm irritated by such comparisons, in reviews and among my friends, for the simple reason that I _do not_ want a Mac, I don't like the Mac OS, and my main work applications _do_ not support Mac.

However, after comparing my Dell with my brother's MBP Retina, I must admit that the design and built quality is still higher on the MBP. It feels still thinner and lighter (oddly enough, since on specs the weight is the same) and sturdier. Again, I love this machien and wouldn't exchange it for the world (well, except the faulty parts for whose replacement I'm still waiting), but I will give that much to Apple - they are the kings in terms of build quality.

 

Those spacers look thicker than the laptop's feet so it'll be no different to having it on a desk.

Yep, only one in here, and Dell were coming out to look at his machine. Worry about it if it happens.

BTW, update on my machine, it makes a little bit of chatter, but you only here it if your ear is near it or the room is deathly quiet. Compared to my L702x its fans are almost never on. I've only had them come on after 40mins of Football Manager (medium settings, full matches in 3D) and that was while Lightroom was doing some crunching in the background. As soon as that was finished the fans dropped to a slower speed which was great, I'm really impressed.

I have no problems with the touchscreen, but the touchpad very rarely does this thing where it won't register scrolling gestures. I went to install the latest firmware and it came up with something that said "do you want to replace XYZ firmware with XYZ" and they both had the same name, so I didn't bother. Should I have gone through with it.

Also, what's the Win8 situation with regards AV? Should I keep McCrappee? If I get rid what should I use instead? I used MS Security Essentials on win7 and never had a problem. Am I right in thinking that's all built into 8?

Are the metro apps for things like FB, twitter etc worth it? Or should I just go with browser bookmarks?

I like having the window colour (in personalise) set to black, however windows isn't smart enough to put window header text in white to compensate, any way of forcing this?

Finally, I'm pretty happy with the performance, but I'm wondering if I could make better use of the 32GB SSD, did someone link to steps to turn it back into a separate drive rather than being managed by Intel?

Cheers!

 

Its working now. :hi2::thumbsup:

I saw your reply yesterday, but since I had checked to make sure that it was in UEFI mode earlier, I didn't do anything after seeing your reply. Today morning, I was just about to leave for office, looked at my laptop and remembered about your reply. I remembered that in my original motherboard, it had both legacy and UEFI options, but the new one only had UEFI. I thought I would check if the absence of legacy was the culprit. So I booted into BIOS, and added the legacy mode option (selected some random folder so that the entry would get added). Then I noticed the 'enable secure boot' option right beneath it. It was set to 'enabled'. I disabled it. Rebooted into Windows from UEFI mode and the splendid color mode tile was present. :thumbsup: So a big thank you to you.:hi2: If you hadn't replied, I was scheduled to have another round of troubleshooting with Dell tomorrow during which they were planning to restore my laptop to factory settings (which would make it probably the 9th or 10th restore in the last 2 weeks, most of them done by me because I don't trust my laptop once I give remote access to outsiders (Dell people remotely logged in for troubleshooting)). I guess the 'secure boot mode' is the culprit. Once I get back home today evening, I will confirm.

For those who didn't see my earlier post, my problem was this- after a mother board change, the splendid color mode tile disappeared from Windows mobility center.

Just quoting you since you also had the same problem.

 

If the firmware is identical, no need to update.

Win8 has Microsoft Security Essentials built in (now called Windows Defender). That's all I use. It's not the most comprehensive protection out there, but it's lightweight and doesn't get in the way, and it's just enough protection IMHO to augment being smart about what you do on your computer. If I were setting up a machine for grandma, I might use something more robust. If you feel the need for something else, I'd check out Kaspersky or Norton. I used to hate Norton and haven't used them for a long time, but apparently around 2009 they overhauled their AV software and it's now reasonable again -- as long as you buy just anti-virus rather than Internet Security. But again, my information is outdated.

I tried the Metro apps and didn't like them. I couldn't abide by the fact that they were locked in full screen mode. The only one I use occasionally for fun is the Photos app since it's fun to use the touchscreen to flick through photos. The Bing News app is also pretty good especially after you customize it somewhat -- but they're still more gimmicks and distractions for me rather than meaningful productivity apps.

To set the mSATA port as independent, go into the BIOS and set the SATA mode to AHCI rather than Intel Smart Response. However, I would actually recommend against that unless you plan on installing a larger SSD in that slot. Smart Response is probably the best overall use of that 32GB cache unit compared to the alternatives unless you have a very specific need for a certain 32GB of data to be on a relatively slow SSD at the cost of slowing down the rest of your magnetic storage. It may also not be possible to change that mode without having to reinstall Windows, so be careful of that. At the very least you'll want to disable Smart Response in the Rapid Storage app and Rapid Start in the Rapid Start app before making that change.

 

My XPS 15 is getting shipped, but fedex is saying the origin location is "TORRANCE, CA US"

I thought these came from China?