XPS 15 (L521X) Owner's Lounge

Started a new thread. Pulled the trigger on one on launch day, ETA: 06/28

I will be installing a crucial m4 256 ssd as soon as I get mine today, also will be verifying if my XPS has one 8gig memory module or 2x4 gigs. I opted for the model with the 750gb hard drive, 32 gig msata,and blu ray drive.

 

Got one in my hands right now, hahaha.
i have the 4gb (added another 4 myself), only 500gb HD(added a 256gb Crucial m4 Myself), gt630m.

 

There still seems to be a lot of confusion about launch day orders that were entered as fast ship on 6/27.

I'm still showing delivery on 7/10 online, and the Dell rep I spoke with yesterday confirmed it would ship 6/27. The rep I spoke with this morning said it still hasn't shipped, and may in the next 3-5 business days.

 

Ordered the same one on the 26th but my expected delivery is expected 7/10 even though I have 2 day business shipping. Contacted them hoping to get it early next week.

 

I ordered 6/26, supposed to ship yesterday. Has not shipped yet. My sales rep said they're on their way to the fedex location, should show tracking by tomorrow morning, probably delivered on Monday.

N

 

awesome for you guys, you will love them.

 

Really have to thank you downlinx for your review helped with the decision tremendously.

 

I just got mine today! Have it sitting right in front of me.

 

So yours shipped yesterday and you bought it on the 26th?

 

Ya I ordered it on the 26th before 9:30am Central Time.

 

Damn I must have missed the time deadline for the quick ship... Bummer looks like a few more days of waiting for me

 

Trying to open the bottom of the laptop is a pain in the . I have one screw left that just won't move! Also I confirmed it. It has 2x4 gig memory sticks if you ordered the 8 gig version. Going to be a pain to upgrade.

 

Aw, that stinks. Which config did you get?

N

 

I got the 1699 configuration with the 750gb hdd, with 32gb msata 8 gb of memory, and blu ray drive.

I do admit it does start up very nicely with msata drive, and I really love the screen.

 

Muddy can you do me a small favour and load a YouTube HD video on battery and also while plugged in. Does the fan spin up at all under either circumstances?

 

Nooooo our worst nightmares have come true! Atleast 8 gigs will serve will for a few years until I'll be forced to upgrade to 16.

 

I ran a 1080p video on youtube for 5 minutes on battery and plugged in. It was the same. Fan did not spin up, and computer remained quite. It did get a little warm by the USB ports.

 

Hey Muddy what are your numbers for Windows Experience Index? Or a screen cap.

 

I received my order confirmation email at 11:15am est 6/26, mine still says estimated delivery 7/10 online which really ticks me off since when I ordered it it said it would ship the next day. I got the $1699 config too.

Muddy, did your order status actually update to shipped with a tracking number when yours shipped?

 

Here you go! This is all stock 1699 config. It shows as 5.9 because of the hdd
http://i49.tinypic.com/52kpx0.jpg

My ship date updated the same day it was shipped. I had a tracking number by the end of the night on tuesday.

I also noticed this HDD runs very warm, and its located right under your left hand. I can't wait to put in my crucial m4 ssd

 

Great stuff, seems they have made strides with regards thermals and fan profile!

 

+1 Thanks Muddy aside from the HDD, which is to be expected, some very solid numbers there!

 

As per the 8gb ram, the sales rep told me that they shipped all 8gb configs with 2*4gb sticks as it was way cheaper than a single 8gb stick. Therefore only the 16gb laptops get the 9gb sticks (duh!).

 

Hey Muddy, hows the battery life/build quality?

 

Any one know what the delay is in shipping these out. I order mine the 26th and received my email confirmation at 11:50 AM with a delivery date of 6/28/12. Checking the status of my order it still states "In production" with an expected delivery day of 6/28/12. I called customer support twice and told that I would receive an email updating the status which I have not gotten???

 

Hey Muddy!
1. What do you think about screen viewing angles? Could you post some photos at different viewing angles please?

2. Do you happen to game with your laptop sometimes? If you do, could you run the haviest game you own for a while and tell us what do you think about temperature and noise in that situation please?

3. What do you think about sound and keyboard?

Many many questions here, but we're all so curious! Thank you in advance for any information!

 

Haven't run it off the battery yet, will do tomorrow. Build quality, I love the screen, design and aluminum finish. I hate the bottom cover of the laptop. If you are removing the bottom cover be very careful, I had my bottom cover almost crack, by the vent when I was removing it.

1. I will a little later tonight.

2. I do game a lot. Currently the heaviest game I have installed on the laptop is Star Wars The Old Republic. I will run some tests off of that tonight. Temperature wise it does run a little warm, especially on the side where the hard drive is located. The left palm rest gets very warm, and the right palm rest is cool. So once I get my ssd inside there I will see how much of a difference that will make.

3. The keyboard is very nice and comfortable, and really enjoy the backlit feature. Sound is ok.


I will update this post later with my test results.

 

Hello guys! I just ordered this laptop yesterday, and I was wondering what would be best to buy as a hard drive replacement. Would the ocz vertex 4 be any better than the crucial m4? How would I know if they are compatible with the laptop?

Thanks!

 

I would rather wait for 8GB Sticks prices to come down in an year or two and upgrade to 8GB*2.

About the mSata configuration on new L521X.

I have some queries:

1.Will there be separate partition for the SSD and HHD?
2. Will user be able to access both drives?
3.Will it be one drive like Raid mirror?

On SSD,HHD Hybrid Heard most commonly used data will be on SSD.

4. Does mSATA put the most commonly used data on SSD automatically?

5. Does user will be able to configure all of the above for optmized battery life?

 

How could it happen? Is it so fragile?

Sent from HD2 with Tapatalk

 

Kinda, it is fragile by the vent openings, and if you don't open it correctly you can cause a crack

 

Is the battery replaceable. I know you will have to open it up but is it easily removed once opened?

 

Looking at images and manual I'd say yes, let's wait some owners' answer

Sent from HD2 with Tapatalk

 

1) you wont see the ssd the Intel software manages that (only way you will see it is if u format it and disable the Intel software)

2) you will be able to access the HDD drive / change settings for the ssd through the intel software.

3) nope

4) IDK but in theory its supposed to keep a list of programs and files u access frequently and use the speed of the ssd to increase performance in those apps and maybe copy some of the programs files over to the ssd while in use so it runs faster (feel free to correct me on this i maybe wrong)

5) (confused but ur english in the question) but from what i understand the question is will the user be able to modify settings for power optimization ??
most likely no only option you will have is the time for the HDD to power down in the windows power options thats about it an SSD uses less power than the HHD any ways maybe the intel software might have some power saving options i dont know for sure

 

Yes it is replaceable, But it will easier based on your expertise.
Looking at the images and manual, I feel it can be removed without breaking it.

http://forum.notebookreview.com/dell-xps-studio-xps/673177-dell-xps-l512x-review-almost-perfect.html

Thank You for your response.

I would rather install software and OS to SDD partition and let the Intel SW take care of my other data. Can't wait to play with it.

But looks like no support for linux

 

AnandTech - Intel Z68 Chipset & Smart Response Technology (SSD Caching) Review

No linux support as far as i know. But of course you can always try google. SRT is not much more than 2 bare drives and a bunch of software, without the software the 'cache SSD' behaves like a normal hard drive.

 

Hi, i'm really thankful for all the information from you guys. I want to buy this xps 15 but still have one more question to ask.
About the 32 Gb SSD for the laptop, you cannot access it like a normal hard drive unless you format and disable the Intel SW.
Is it the same even to the 128 Gb SSD?
I thought i can access the 128 Gb SSD like a normal hard drive and i want to install the OS in this one and use the 1 TB HDD for storage.
So if i want to use the 128 Gb SSD as i wish, i need to format it to make it become a normal hard drive and install the OS in it. Am i right?
Thanks guy!

 

Yes, that's right

Sent from HD2 with Tapatalk

 

Thanks for this post guys. Newly registered user here and am looking at purchasing this laptop. My question to the owners is this:

If I purchase the model with a standard 750GB or 1TB drive in it, could I purchase and install my own SSD at a later date? If so, has anyone done it and which drive did you use?

(I realize an individual on this post says that they installed an SSD on their machine... I wasn't sure though if that meant they bought the model that came with an SSD and replaced it or what)

Thanks in advance.

 

You will easily be able to put in your SSD and replace the HDD. I know most of us are planning on it, but yes I believe you can take out the HDD with 2 or 3 screws than slap your SSD in there.

 

So does this mean that it doesn't have room for a HDD as well as a SSD? I was under the impression that the laptop could ship (if desired) with both.

EDIT: I believe your signature might also have answered my question for me... but I'm assuming I'd need to get an mSATA compatible drive? (mSATA is new to me, so I'd need to do some research on it.)

EDIT2: It appears there aren't many mSATA drives so I'll need to rethink my position on this. Damnit.

 

Correct, you cannot have an HDD and an SSD but it ships with an mSATA which is replaceable and you can find plenty of them on amazon or Newegg. It simply takes frequently used files and programs and puts them into cache so speeds up those files. You can also install Windows onto the mSATA if you change the settings in BIOS and use it as an SSD that way.

 

So how do you like yours? :] Does it boot up and sleep/wake quickly? Will that functionality continue to work if I wipe the HDD once I get it and install my own copy of Windows without any of the Dell bloat?

I do have some reserves on using this functionality as I've never heard of it until seeing this laptop. Especially because that functionality could be so crippling to performance if somehow it malfunctioned.

 

Unfortunately mine is currently still in shipping but I should get it by the end of the week and I plan to take some pictures of the unboxing for everyone here.

If I'm not mistaken some one can correct me if I'm wrong but the mSATA's default configuration is iRST or something like that which handles the booting and resuming speed. If you were to wipe the HDD it wouldn't have an effect on that, however if you changed the setting in the BIOS to to use it as a separate drive and install Windows onto it I assume you would see the same advantages.

Again someone can correct me if I'm wrong on that but that's what I've heard/interpreted.

 

If i buy the XPS with 128 mSata and put the OS in this, will it be faster than just let it be into cache ?
And if i just let it be into cache, what the difference between 32 Gb and 128 Gb mSata?
Thanks!

 

I think there would be a big improvement if you installed the OS and all the programs onto a 128GB mSATA because every program including the OS will run much faster as opposed to just frequently used parts.

As for the size difference 32GB would probably be too small for installing Windows and programs where 128GB would be perfect for that. Flip that around and 128GB would be way overkill for just cache purposes.

 

Would it be possible to partition the 128gb mSATA to have 2/3 of it store your OS and programs, while leaving the rest and the HDD for intel's software to do it's thing?

 

Thanks, mSata is still new to me. How is the speed of mSata, much difference compare to normal SSD Sata 3 ?

 

If you've already got everything on the drive, you wont need the caching mechanism that iRST provides.

 

But will it be faster if i install the OS in the mSata and use 1/3 of it for the cache? Or no effect ? Thanks!