XPS 15 (L521X) Owner's Lounge

Updated A13 bios, all perfect.
One question,.anybody knows if in the l521x we can adapt 5.1 speakers?
thanks

 

the noise of the DVD reader dindent dissapear.....

 

I bought 1 of these to plug my 5.1 setup into . Sound Blaster X-Fi Surround 5.1 | Creative Labs Online Store

 

Not sure on the steps for the recovery disk since I've never used it. If it's standard Windows installation media then the Intel RST drivers need to be loaded during setup. Download the latest Intel RST drivers (most likely the f6flpy-x64.zip):

http://downloadcenter.intel.com/Sea...=Intel®+Rapid+Storage+Technology+(Intel®+RST)

Extract the files to a USB flash drive and during Windows setup when it's looking for a location to install, choose to load drivers and point it to your USB flash drive. Setup will install the drivers and should see the HDD at that point.

 

Can more people apply the A13 BIOS and let us know if any changes are noticed? Since the Dell site does not mention what's changed in A13 I'll pass, at least for now. The issues I'm having (WiFi) I don't believe would be resolved with only a BIOS update. I'm going to pursue an external USB dongle to take care of that.

On a side note, Dell has still not responded to my email request for support in over a week. Not bashing their email support as I've never known it to be the fastest but it's never been this slow before either.

 

i put the a13 bios on...

- on-screen keyboard in win8 was optionally enabled, so I disabled it (not useful w/o touch-screen)
- no other notable changes

 

Do you still have the DVD Drive unsolicited noise ( while inserting an USB Flash opening Madia Player...?

 

- usb insertion : nope
- media player startup : nope
- explorer startup : nope
- power-on : yes

 

received the replacement sd card reader, took out the battery and etc and replaced cards. I now have a working sd card reader still dont understand how it could have caused a surge and fried but at least its fixed now. The only thing left to fix is the wifi range and the screen pressing on keys issue but for now, i have nylon bumpers around the screen.

 

Would anyone recommend this to me as a future laptop? I probably won't buy it for a while because my current laptop is still working fine and I'd like the price to go down a little, so maybe by then they will have fixed some of the problems it seems to be having?

I also almost always use my current laptop within 20 feet of my router (no walls in between), and I don't mind playing games on their lowest settings.

 

WayneP: with your stated limitations I think you would be okay with the current unit.

Note however that wifi mileage varies quite a bit per-router. Example: I get 60+ Mbps in 2.4 MHz range from my d-link dir-655, but could not get better than 3 Mbps from an AirPort Extreme.


Sent from my brain using neurons fueled by glucose

 

I don't think you'll ever get rid of the DVD drive noise on start up, it seems pretty standard, my old laptop also had a slot load drive and it did the same thing. However with it not making the sound any other time is a welcome improvement. I'm assuming that's the only thing that the new bios fixed.

 

DVD noise on startup is standard as it has to check to see if a bootable DVD is in the slot. It's used for reinstalls/installs.

Just wish they fix the sd card reader slow boot time though. Still don't get why it adds about 13 seconds to my ssd boot time. I just leave it disabled all the time now.

 

well, after using windows 8 and using UEFI boot, the SD card reader slow boot time is a non-issue for me (just adds 1 sec more or so)

 

I'm using windows 7 and achi and it's still an issue.
I'm not a big fan of windows 8 and windows 7 is more compatible with my school's programs.

 

I tried the developers release of windows 8 a while back and hated it. I've been using it for a week not on my new pc and love it. Took me a few days you get the hang of it but I won't be switching back to 7!

 

20% off Refurb Dell XPS 15 Ultrabooks at Dell Outlet

Dell Outlet is offering an extra 20% off any refurbished Dell XPS 15 - L521X Laptops with coupon code 7VVH32VWL3NGFV.

Shipping is free on all orders.Ends 1/12 at 7AM PT. http://www.dell.com/us/dfh/p/?cs=22...1088763&acd=10666018-404255-291264&redirect=1

 

Today I found a new issue.
When I plug my headset into the headset jack, it doesn't detect it. I tried reinstall the Realtek HD Audio driver, and it worked, but after 2 hours, when Iplug the headset in again, it cannot detect it again. Sound comea out from speakers. If I plug into the headphone jack, it can always detect it.
Ithen plug in a headphone into the headset jack, it can detect.
Then I plug in the headset, it can detect again...

 

The same here, the system detects the headset, but no sound through it at all.
If I remove the headset the sound through speakers works fine.
I think the latest Bios A13 causes this, under A12 the headset was working fine.

 

I have a Bigfoot Killer N1202 WiFi card for sale. I paid $50 on Amazon, selling it for $35 includes shipping. Send a private msg if you want it, and we can do it via PayPal. I'll drop it in the mail monday, with tracking# (My second XPS went back to Dell, not going to try a third)

 

I pm'd you!

 

For me it does not detect the headset. Sometimes.

 

Thanks a lot Bunshaw. Although the drivers dowloaded directly from Intel did not work (I was on the verge of jumping off a cliff after trying 100 different suggestions from different forums), I Dowloaded Intel Smart Response Technology drivers directly from Dell. After unzipping it inside i found a folder called f6flpy-x64 which contained the drivers that worked!.

I ended up ditching win 8 (that could not end up convincing me, although WiFi performance had improved a bit in my case) and restored a Win 7 image I fortunately had created.

Thank you

 

Hidden method to downgrade BIOS to A04

Well, I have this notebook since October and I have tried every BIOS, that was released. I can't say I have seen any improvements made, in case of WiFi or throttling issue... Oh wait, throttling was "solved". I'm really pissed of GPU throttling feature which replaced CPU throttling. CPU throttle could be disabled by ThrottleStop, but GPU throttling at 80degrees cannot be disabled (only by modding bios, but I was not able to get vbios by nvflash or nibitor).

The worse thing is, when you install BIOS A09 or higher, you find out, that you cant revert this upgrade back, since A04 is not UEFI BIOS. So now you have notebook with terrible WiFi issues and throttling, which cannot be disabled. So anyone who likes to play games, is able to play it at max settings(e.g. far cry 3 Dx9 detail, maxed, res:1368x768), but only for 2minutes, then the throttling shows every few seconds...

As BIOS A04 seems still the best BIOS out for me, I googled a lot and found an undocumented BIOS recovery method for this notebook - XPS 15 (l521x)

WARNING: BIOS A04 is old legacy bios without security boot, UEFI and other features, so it works only for laptos released with Windows 7.
I really don't recommend to try it with Windows 8. I don't take any responsibilities for any damage you can take during flash process.
If you really don't know what you are doing, step away!, You can brick your notebook!

BIOS DOWNGRADE:

1. download bios A04 file and extract it using winrar.
2. open the extracted folder and look for the file with .fd extension
3. rename the file to L521X.bin
4. format USB pen drive(I used USB 2.0 2GB pen drive), and place the renamed file to root of the usb drive.
5. turn off notebook, disconnect all usb and other devices, !!!disconnect AC adapter and battery ( you have to open bottom cover of notebook and disconnect battery from mainboard)!!!
6. put pen drive into USB port(I have used the one, which is close to display)
7. press right arrow(End button) and keep it pressed
8. connect AC adapter and with and turn on notebook(right arrow still pressed)
9. it will start with full fan speed(now you can release the button), after 1-2minutes it will start beeping(it lasts for 2-3 minutes), wait untill the notebook turns off and restart itself.
10. if u have done everything correctly, in BIOS setup u will see version A04 is successfully installed.

Hope this guide helps everyone, getting bored and pissed of by these GPU throttling issues.

 

My USB 3.0 issue has been resolved. A replaced motherboard later and I am transferring at 3.0 rates.

Am I just not able to find it or does the bios on this thing not have an option to schedule a daily boot time?

 

Hey guys just got a replacement l521x for my l502x and I'm pretty impressed. Must say this machine is extremely nice.

My system does have the wifi issues everybody has been talking about, but I haven't experienced any throttling. Maybe it's because I'm using the laptop on the cardboard box it came in. I played Arkham City for a good 2 hours with no slowdowns or anything. So far things look good. Wonder if they can throw me a USB wifi adapter to help with the internet at least

Also, I had a problem with returning the l502x. I don't have a Dell AC adapter. I've been using some cheap knock off brand gotten from some amazon seller for like $10.

So how do I return the AC adapter? Do I return the cheap one because I long threw away the original because it died? Or do I return the l521x one? But then the adapters are not the same wattage/volts/etc when comparing the stats in the back of both. Will this affect anything? If I send the cheap one back, are they somehow going to charge me? I chatted with Dell, and the guy said to just send the laptop, though I didn't mention I have a cheap knock off. I just said I don't have an AC adapter. Somehow I don't trust what he was saying. He would not let me get a confirmation email from his supervisor.

 

I bought this machine about two weeks ago and my battery life is horrendous. I fully charged it and closed any and all unnecessary background apps and programs, turned it to power saver and turned the screen brightness down all the way. I am consistently losing slightly over 1% per minute. It works out to about 12% every 10 minutes. This is without using any programs at all, it just idles at my desktop. I talked to a dell support person on the chat and he said it's normal to get slightly less than two hours with a 9 cell battery and tried some fixes like tweaking the startup programs and my intel graphics 4000 settings which resulted in losing about 14% every 10 minutes. He said this is normal and there is nothing wrong with it, but that means my computer will only ever last an hour and 11 minutes before powering down. What can I do to fix this? My iPhone lasts 5x longer than this and I use it constantly for calls/texts/games/browsing nonstop everyday. I can't believe my $50 phone runs loops around my $2500 laptop. It's such crap that I can't even use it to take notes during class because it will die before the class is even over. I know it isn't the same thing to compare a phone to a computer, but I just want to point out I use the phone nonstop and it lasts for almost two days, but I don't touch the laptop and it lasts less than two hours.

 

Have any of you tried this solution to the wireless problem? Dell XPS 15 (L502X) Wireless Issues – Fixed | paulbouwer.com
The comments section essentially declares that it works miracles.

 

That's for the previous XPS 15 l502x, not for the l521x. I went to the driver and the website says it doesn't exist anymore and it autodetected my computer and found no drivers, so I don't think this will help anybody.

 

That's for the last gen machine (XPS L502X) Sorry.

But appreciate you taking the time to post and try to help us all.

 

Best method seems to contact DellCares on twitter. I emailed tech support with no luck but the DellCares team just dispatched one to be sent to me.

 

I'm no official, but I'd just keep all the AC adapters and return the notebook. If they call and complain tell them the original died and you threw it out years ago so you don't have it to return.

The only problem you'll have with the new machine and a sub-standard power adapter is that it may not charge as quickly, or charge at all while turned on. I actually have an old 65w adapter at the office for mine when I need to use it there, to keep from running out of juice. I keep the good 90w adapter at home.

 

Hi everyone. I just recently got my hands on a new XPS L251X.

I am getting very poor quality HD video play back. I've got the 1920x1080 screen and it looks great while playing games... But once i put a movie on using VLC or the Windows 8 the picture is very grainy. These films look great on my 32in HD TV, they looked great on my old XPS 1530M that only had 1280x800 pixels. I've got the Nvidia 1GB 630 with an i5. Anyone had these sort of issues?

 

I've seen complaints about screen-grid getting in the way for some people, but not something specific about video playback.

My machine (originally win7, from last July, now running win8) plays video fine in every case I've tried (vlc with various sources, windows media player in win7 or win8, powerdvd, iTunes, Hulu, Netflix, Youtube, Vimeo, Adobe Flash, Chrome). Mine is i7 with NVidia 640m, though I would expect any model l521x should be easily capable of hd video playback in of any type, cleanly.

Are you playing files off local media (HDD) or streaming? If streaming, over WiFi or Ethernet? If streaming, only thing I can think of is bit-rate limitation from wifi performance...but I don't know that it applies in your case.

 

Yeah all files are locally stored so there should be no problem with that. Like you say this laptop is more than powerful enough to play them. As i was running them on a 6 year old out beaten up XPS before. Think i may have to contact Dell on this one. Movies is a big factor for me.

Thanks for the reply.

 

I had a similar situation with my XPS 1647. Dell sent me a letter about it but I called to explain and didn't have any further issues. If Dell complains about a 'missing' adapter to you then you should be able to do the same. Explain and lay out the situation for them as you've done here and they should be okay. You cannot return what you do not have and they should not need you to return the knock off brand adapter.

 

My L521x has the wifi performance problem. After a calamitous onsite intervention, Dell propose to replace my computer with the same config (except Windows7 converted to Windows8). (same Wifi 6235). Is there any hope for a XPS15 with a functionnal WIFI ? Does the WIFI problem affect all the delivered units or only some or most ?

For short : Should I spent/lost 2 days to try an also defective computer ?

 

That's not normal at all. Did Dell Support make sure that no background process was taxing the CPU and that the Nvidia GPU wasn't active instead of the HD4000?

Since it's new, exchange the machine or have Dell send a tech to replace the battery (exchanging is probably safer). I'm only one example but even while gaming I can get 90 minutes, casual internet/office use nets me 4.5+ hours easy. I've yet to run the battery all the way down in one session.

 

Calamatous? Ick.

Short version: While there are a small number of people reporting units that work great, there continues to be reports of wifi-limited units, running both win7 and win8.

There have been zero conclusive reports of fixes / fixed units.

Do not buy a L521X if WiFi performance is a significant issue for you (and you are not happy using an external dongle).

Note that performance also depends heavily on the router used - some work better, some worse. For example, my l521x gets good (not perfect) performance with my router ( DLink DIR-655 ) at home up to 20-30' even through 1 floor and 1 wall, but at my in-laws it works abysmally at any range with their Apple AirPort Extreme no matter the range nor with direct line of sight.

 

If you have Wifi issues with your current machine, then a new one will most likely not resolve the problem. Some have fared better by having Dell replace the WiFi card with another model or by getting an external wireless adapter. If you do not want to go down this route and the rest of the machines features are not worth it to you then it may be better to look at other models/brands.

On a side note, does anyone else find it concerning that Dell is contracting out techs that are completely wrecking people's machines? Not that I think I'm some pro or elitist by any means but this is supposed to be their day job and they are ruining $1300-$2000+ machines. If people's property and time weren't involved it would almost be hilarious.

 

Just wanted to share my Wifi experience...

My 2nd Gen L521x with Windows 8 and the Dell 1901 card consistently gets about 6.5 Mbps on speedtest.net whereas my iPhone 4S gets 12.3 Mpbs usually.

Note I have only tested the 2.4Ghz band.

 

Completly agree, I am working on my third L521X and should have just taken the refund. I have replaced the network (KillerN), updated BIOS, Drivers and have not really seen consistent improvement. I would not recommend this machine unless you are primarily attached physically to your network. Real shame. FYI - I caved on my policy to not allow a tech to open a brand new machine. Net-Net the tech who came had NEVER worked on the machine - I had to recommend how to re-attach the LCD - not to mention he had to borrow my screwdrivers - REALLY??!?!

 

I am supposed to have someone come replace it, but they haven't called me like they said they would. They also are replacing the flap on the bottom that hides the service codes because it's missing one of the little metal feet and won't close fully. I'm just frustrated because I spent nearly $2500 on this machine and it feels so cheap and the battery life is just.. abysmal. I'm currently watching a 40 minute tv show on balanced battery mode. I was at 100% and it is now 38 minutes later and I am at 22%.

When I screen shared with the dell person, he made sure my video card settings were right and went into the task manager to see if anything was running that shouldn't be but couldn't find anything. I love windows and really didn't want to go apple, but I'm pretty close to returning this and getting a macbook pro. For some reason, I don't have the wifi problem but I have every other problem including the annoying grids on bright colors.

FYI in the time it took me to write this, I'm down to 15%. Definitely would not recommend this laptop. Apparently typing and having a video running is just too much for this to handle. Smh.

 

That's crazy though. I thought I got bad battery life. I made some major tweaks to my setting and set my own custom battery profile and disabled a lot of unwanted programs from start up. I get around 5 hours of surfing and typing word docs. It can handle 3 hour movies just fine and still have about 20% when done.

Of course this is with an ssd and a fresh install of windows 7 though. So maybe disable some programs and services from startup using system configuration and delete battery life eater such as mcafee. Instead go with MSE and malwarebytes. Also delete bloat if you wish

 

I haven't even installed mcafee yet. I don't know what's going on but I emailed the dell rep I ordered from and asked about setting up an exchange. I removed a lot of the stupid bloatware when I first got it and I have most of my programs running on SSD including the OS. I'm fed up. I just got done comparing bandwidth speeds of this and my seven year old inspiron 1420. XPS got consistently around 5mbps. Inspiron got between 30 and 45mbps. That was sitting next to the router, at the same time. Then I tested the battery and mine loses the charge about 3x faster than the SEVEN YEAR OLD inspiron. I'm just baffled. Even sitting at the same distance away, I notice grid lines on the xps and none on the inspiron. I know it has a crappier resolution and ppi, but hey at least the screen isn't blurry.

I'm assuming the technician isn't coming anymore since he never called me when they said he would, so I just hope they do an exchange. I also don't know why firefox is using 35% of my cpu and kicking my fan on when this is literally the only tab and program I have open/running. You'd think 8 hyperthreaded cores could handle one firefox tab. I'm on high performance too plugged in, of course.

I regret everything.

 

Just for fun, I tested my iPhone 4s to the xps. xps: 2.1mbps. iPhone: 19mbps. Argh!

 

Same for me, the guy which came to replace the screen module on my first L521x didn't come with torx T5, fortunately, I've one. Incredible!

 

I get 4-5 hours battery life as do others here, so something unusual is going on with your machine.
DO NOT install Mcaffee, they are a total messup, 6 months ago an update disabled everyones internet access and that wasn't the first time. Norton, MSE is fine just don't install Mcaffee.

 

monicaab: unless there's something running in the background that you can't easily see, chewing processor time, you just have a severely "lemon" unit. You could use the SysInternals Process Explorer to see if there are processes hogging the cpu.

BUT, the wifi isn't ever going to be reliably up to spec, unless you get REALLY LUCKY with a replacement unit.

My advice to you is, if you can, return the unit and get your money back and look to a different model of Dell, or a different brand altogether.

My XPS is fine other than the wifi performance, and by replacing the card with a Killer-N I got over the 50%-required barrier of performance for my use. As a backup I have a Netgear dongle that Dell shipped me. I consider myself a lucky one.

I honestly don't think it's worth fighting the hardware to think you're going to get something fixed by a tech or fixed by a replacement unit, it's just too scatter-shot with this particular device and the techs that dell is using in the field are frighteningly scary in their preparedness, lack of knowledge, attention to detail, and quality of work.

The fact that dell is on a vector to GET OUT of the consumer hardware business doesn't help the long term prognosis either, this will likely be my last Dell for that reason alone.

 

Well, something interesting happened. Dell tech showed up this morning without calling me to replace my battery. Managed to break the bottom lid and went to get another. Came back, put it on and it has the old widows 7 flap and there are a couple scratches in the soft touch bottom. I'm just so pissed, I can't believe he never called me and broke it too! The battery life seems improved, but for what price, a scratched up computer? I know it doesn't seem like a big deal, but I try hard to keep my electronics nice and have been very careful with it.