XPS 15 (L521X) Owner's Lounge

not really sure about grainy....but the screen looks comparable to the MBA my wife has

 

After my fresh wipe and reinstall, I'm now getting a message "Your system does not appear to have intel rapid start technology enabled". Can anyone shed some light on this? I had a peek into the bios, and the option for it is greyed out?

 

Did you install the drivers from the CD

Nevermind. You prob do . Sorry

Sent from my PG86100 using Tapatalk 2

 

So i just got mine and my windows experiece score is as follows:

Graphics - 5.2
Gaming Graphics - 6.9

ive seen that many of you are getting scores around 7.0 for both. am i missing something, or is my graphics performance a bit wack?

 

Nah, it is the Dell branded nVidia drivers and Intel Graphics drivers not playing ball properly, same happened with the previous XPS.

Download the latest nVidia drivers from here to resolve the issue.

 

My 5 year old told his kindergarden teacher that his daddy "tries to kill people all the time." But forgot to mention that the attempted murder is occuring within a video game

 

Hmm. Laptop is just powered on from cold this morning..after about 1 min the fan is on :/ its not loud, but it is noticeable all the time!

There seems to be 2 fan noises..a quieter one is there all the time (GPU?) and then the CPU fan that kicks in when CPU usage goes up.

...and now I have noticed it, its driving me nuts! My old laptop was silent unless the fan kicked in. This one has a background fan noise all the time, then a second fan noise when the CPU kicks in.

 

Read through almost the entire thread am still undecided if I should get this or the Sammy Series 9 15 inch.

For someone who needs a hassle free laptop ownership experience, would you guys recommend this notebook???

 

There is only 1 fan inside...however maybe you have the same prob than I had with the plastic tape on the base cover being loose and touching the fan.

 

Must have a look!

Its not a loud noise at all..its just there in the background all the time.

 

Anyone notice any white spots on the LCD?

I just noticed this on a white screen (google) or the pale back ground of this forum.

There are 2 pixels which are bright white all the time. One just left of the centre and one lower right. Now I notice them I am drawn to them all the time!

I would let it go, but I did spend over £1000 GBP for this laptop!

 

I recently bought this laptop, and when I run 3d-mark06 it gives me a score in the high 11k:s, but CPU-score is only 5k, and it says that I have 1 logical processor, 4 cores that run at 1.19 ghz. Is that the same throttling issue I've been reading about?

This occurs even if I don't run continuous 3dmarks. If I do a cold reboot, run a 3dmark on startup - it still throttles down to 1.2ghz. Diablo 3 runs smoothly at 1280 res with low detail, but nothing higher.

Is mine even more faulty than the average?

 

Hi L521X Owners,

I was curious if the battery was user replaceable.

I've seen the great pics you all have posted and have read most of your comments, but did not see that info here. Dell mentions that it's not, but it looks like (from the pics posted here) it should be. I didn't see an official replacement battery on Dell's website either.

Thanks!

 

The CPU stays at 1.2ghz when idle, and that's normal and good. Some programs detect the CPU frequency when the CPU is idle. The problem most of people is noticing is that it goes fixed to 1.2Ghz when the GPU is over 70°. This would explain low "CPU" scores.

I noticed a better playability of games at 1920x1080 than at lower resolutions, I guess because how the resolution scaling is done using Optimus.

 

1920x1080 is quite alot worse, I tried that as well. If the CPU only throttles when it gets too hot, then the first few minutes should be playable at 1920 resolution, 640m might not be a top-notch performer but it should handle D3 at native without problems according to Notebookcheck.

I'm not too hot at benchmarking and the like, but the real world scenario is that I can't play D3 higher than 1280, with low detail, even if the laptop has been sitting through the night, boot it up and go. The throttling others describe is after at least 10-15 minutes of gaming if I understand correctly.

 

I DLed the newer ones from the Dell driver site or the L521x and installed them. On top of that, even after re-setting acceleration, for about 3-4 minutes after booting, the Intel Rapid Storage Technology service is off, then turns itself on. I've already changed the service from Automatic (Delayed start) to just Automatic, but it hasn't made a difference...

Also, I noticed prior to the install, while I was disabling acceleration on the mSATA drive, 8gb was assigned to a "Hibernation" partition... Now I notice that hiberfil.sys is still on my C: drive and is taking up ~6gb, so what's the point of that partition? I'm guessing I've failed to re-set this up, but I have no idea how, now that acceleration is enabled on the mSATA drive again, I can't see the partitions under manager.

 

Argh, the wifi on this laptop is pathetic! Sitting downstairs in my lounge, (My router is directly above in the study), I am getting DL rates of ~40-50k/sec - the wifi application states I am connected @ 4-5 bars, so almost max signal strength. I walk up the stairs with the laptop closer to the router and it jumps to 600-800k/sec, I have tested this several times now with different downloads and different parts of the house, and it is repeatable. My old Dell Latitude E5300 used to DL at full speed downstairs without issue.

So, is it the card, or the antenna that're not up to scratch, do you guys think it's faulty? I've seen other people reporting similar issues... Something's just not right, and I can't have this as this laptop is used 90% of the time sitting downstairs!

 

Does it drop when you're on battery? I found that it enters wifi power saving mode when on battery, even if you keep it on a high performance profile. I had this problem until I set it to always have full wifi strength.

 

Hi Bill, first thanks a lot for your work, I don't know any other rep posting on forum and taking care of customers' complains.
I'm sorry to post here but I was looking forward to buy the new l521x but some issues are blocking me, in particular the speakers. Now I got just one question: what do you mean for same sub-woofer?
The L501x that I have has jbl speakers and sub-woofer, while this one has skull-candy, am I wrong?if not, do you mean they are the same quality (I doubt it 'cause Inspiron doesn't have the sub-woofer).
Thanks a lot.

 

Hi,
That makes sense. If the resolution is low the CPU will have more work to do because it is not "waiting" all the time for the GPU. So if you lower the resolution both CPU and GPU will get full load - GPU pumps up framerats and CPU is busy too.If the resolution is high the CPU always gets a rest while the GPU is processing the (more complex) frames due higher res.

 

I noticed the same thing last week on mine -- a cluster of 3-4 bright white pixels in the lower center of the display. I didn't get any pushback when I called Dell. They sent me a new one (which I received yesterday) and the new one is fine.

They seem to be living up to their premium support

 

I downloaded the owner's manual for the L521X from dell.ca and there is a section where you can replace the battery (yourself, it looks like). But of course this involves unscrewing the back panel, unscrewing the battery, and disconnecting it from the motherboard.

 

It's...exactly what it says on the tin. It's a partition that stores the RAM on disk for hibernation.

 

Yes. When I took of the bottom plate to put in my SSD, the battery was easily accessible. It's just a little bit of a pain to take off the bottom plate, but it's nice to know that when I pass this laptop onto my son, I can replace the battery.

I've done that with the past few laptops. Just replaced the battery and he's good to go. The XPS, while not easily accessible, can be done too.

 

Just confirmed my order for the i5 3210M with 750GB+32GB MSATA, should be here around 26th.

 

Nice. I convinced myself to hold out until Windows 8.
Rumors of new screens are tempting.

 

Thanks, as to the screen I have the 1366X768 puke quality screen with horrible viewing angles currently. So going to 1080P with a much brighter display and improved viewing angles is going to be night and day for me!

Also for anyone who prefers doing over the phone, I managed to push for a 10% discount with my rep in the UK. I will be doing a video review, so if you want me to check anything specific within reason then ask me!

 

In typical noob fashion, I forgot to RTFM. Thanks again.

 

When Dell_Bill was talking about the same sub-woofer he was comparing the L501x to the Inspiron 15r SE and not to the L521x. The New XPS 15 doesn't have a sub-woofer at all.

 

guys i am also noting a substantial drop in wireless speed when not in direct LOS of router. Anyone else experiencing this/have a fix

 

I've noticed that that throttling on my system is totally dependant on the air temperature. At about 28C-30C it starts dropping to 1.2Ghz while gaming. Under that the only throttling I see is in 3DMark Vantage CPU tests. If they re-work the frequency mappings to drop down a bit, instead of right to 1.2 on a slight increase in room temperature this will be a perfect notebook for me.

As an aside I have noticed that the throttling seems to be happening at a slightly higher temperature than it was the first few days I had the notebook. Maybe the TIM is working itself in. I'm not 100% sure on this. And wireless performance is very good, at least for me.

 

Hi guys,

Im about to buy the XPS 15 from the Australian site. Currently looking at the $1699 version which includes:

•3rd generation Intel® Core™ i5-3210M processor (3M cache, up to 3.1 GHz , TPM)
•Genuine Windows® 7 Home Premium SP1 64bit (English)
•Silver Aluminium LCD Back with 15.6"(39.6cm) FHD (1080p) True Life WLED Display
•8GB2 DDR3 SDRAM at 1600MHz
•1TB 5400 RPM SATA Hard Drive with 32GB mSATA
•NVIDIA® GeForce® GT 640M with 2GB GDDR5 VRAM
•8X Slot Load CD/DVD Burner (Dual Layer DVD+/-R Drive)


I definitely want 8GB ram, but unsure on whether I should spend the extra to get an i7-3612QM processor (6M cache, up to 3.1 GHz , TPM). (The configuration with the i7 costing $1999, so $300 extra).

I'll mainly be using it for uni, which it will be fine with obviously, but I do some gaming. The GT640 2GB seems to do well enough for what I'm after but is it also worth upgrading to an i7? From what I've read, i7 processors don't really make a difference in current games and i5 processors are sufficient.

Just thought I should check here before I take the plunge.

(I have noted the throttling issues mentioned and realise this will be addressed with an upcoming bios update so that shouldnt be an issue. Also, did the throttling issue only occur to i7 versions or the i5 units aswell?)

 

Uhm is there an eSata port in the new XPS 15?

 

As far as wireless signal while on battery, I found it helps to adjust the wireless adapter settings in the advanced power options menu. In general, I can't pick up my router from my backyard when on 'maximum power savings' - the medium setting works well. Haven't had any problems while plugged in.

In all fairness, my L502 and 1645 behave similarly.

No eSata on L521x. It the market appears to be adopting USB 3.0 across the board.

 

I am sorry but I didn't mean to compare the l521x speakers with the inspiron but the l501x, probably I haven't been that clear about it.

 

Dell XPS 15 (2012) Review | Mainstream Laptop Reviews

Laptop magazine gives the XPS15 a pretty good review.

"The $1,699 Dell XPS 15 offers an impressive combination of beauty and power. The full HD screen is bright with eye-popping color, and the speakers are capable of delivering robust sound. We also love the luxurious soft-touch deck and appreciate the well-designed touchpad. We just wish the keyboard felt a little snappier and that the webcam were sharper.

In many ways, the XPS 15 is a good MacBook Pro alternative. You would have to pay $200 more to get a 15-inch MacBook Pro sans Retina Display with a 2.3-GHz Intel Core i7 CPU, Nvidia GeForce GT 650M GPU and a full HD screen. We prefer the keyboard on the Envy 15 and its Beats Audio, but HP doesn't offer that 15-inch system with a 2GB graphics card like this Dell.

Shoppers on a tighter budget can get similar graphics performance, but without the 1080p display, from the $849 Acer Aspire V3-571G-9435. And gamers should gravitate towards the MSI GT60 for $1,599. However, if you want a premium multimedia notebook, the Dell XPS is a very good and well-rounded choice."

 

For the moment the i7 processor doesn't change anything much at all for gaming since not very many games have the capability to use 4 processors. The difference is more obvious when you convert videos or audio or when you work with graphics design software.

Though I couldn't say for sure (because I have the i7 version) from what I can tell on the other topics on this forum, the i5 doesn't seem to be affected with the throttling. However, in North America the i5 model comes with the GT630, not the GT640, so that might have something to do with it as well.

 

I have the same problem ...I have tested it in my room and the speed drop is dramatic.
I also have an inspiron 17se so i have done a speedtest side by side

The best the Xps15 can do is 1.8mb while the inspiron 17se does 18.2mb.

Watching you tube the clips stop and start all the time on the XPS15
The inspiron 17se did not have any problems watching the same clips at all.

The wireless on the XPS 15 is a big disapointment.
I live in australia if i could return it i would ....
Not a good sign when the cheaper model outperforms the top of the line model
I wonder if there is a fix for it ?

 

Isn't that what hiberfil.sys is though?

 

Yep, I'm still having the wireless issue too. It has basically rendered my laptop not fit for purpose, as it was bought with the intention to use while relaxing on my couch most of the time.

Dell_Bill, any comment mate? Is this an issue your dev/engineer team are aware of? Any insight would be much appreciated as it seems to be affecting quite a large amount of people, cheers for all the hard work.

 

I am having the same problem and I have done both on power and battery.I have also tested it side by side with an inspiron 17se and it is definitely an issue with the XPS 15.
My Samsung nexus has better speeds than the laptop...

 

Remember to look for coupon codes! there was a 15% discount code...not sure if it still works

 

Can anyone explain this ordering process? I purchased over the phone, and received an order aknowledgement which gave me a link to my order status. However, I guess it was not ready to show details as only just ordered. I am now in receipt of an order confirmation which also gives me a link to my order status, but talks about digital delivery. I am confused as to what is going on?

Mmm, checked the packing slip and it seems it has shipped already? That is bloody quick if it has!

 

How much you get it for in the end?

 

I just did a speed test
Plugged in and same floor as my router I get 29+mbps downn and 3mps up

Unplugged in the same location
Speeds are the same

Went upstairs and in the corner of the house where my bedroom is, unplugged
Speeds are the same

In contrast with my Transformer Prime that gets 20 and 3, I go to the spot in my bedroom and it drops to around 3 and 3

So for me, my wireless is the same

EDIT - I just tried it right above from my router and i'm getting 17 down and 3 up.. so I saw some fluctuations.. Funny that the corner of my house is better.. and the router is located in the middle of my house on the first floor

 

£1076 inc accidental damage

 

Has anyone else done a clean install yet? I'm having problems setting up the mSATA ssd with Rapid Start Technology, the driver keeps saying that the computer doesn't meet the minimum requirements. I disabled acceleration, made the drive available again, re-created the 8gb (8192mb) Hibernate partition and tried again, but still no joy. Any advice?

 

None too shabby!

 

Try this guide

Yup, the accidental damage was a must for this kind of laptop.

 

Yeah I thought that was the case but wasn't sure. The i5 should be fine for me; I rarely ever edit videos or use photoshop and if i did I'd use my PC which has a lot more grunt. I only need the portability of a laptop for uni (typing) and occasional LAN's for gaming.

Whatever the case is Re throttling, Dell seems to be addressing the issue so I guess I'm not really worried about it.

Thanks, the AUS student code for purchases between $1500 and $2000 gives 12% off which I can use, so I'll likely be using that. I'll have a look around to see if I can find a 15% one for general use though thanks.



On a final note, the AUS options for warranty are:

1Yr Ltd Hardware Warranty, InHome Service after Remote Diagnosis [Included in Price]

Basic
-3Yrs Ltd Hardware Warranty, InHome Service after Remote Diagnosis [add $188.99 or $2/week-1]
-2Yrs Ltd Hardware Warranty, InHome Service after Remote Diagnosis
[add $80.30 or $1/week-1]

Premium Support, includes Software
-2Yrs Ltd Hardware Warranty, InHome Service after Remote Diagnosis with 2 Yr Oncall [add $149.00 or $2/week-1]
-3Yrs Ltd Hardware Warranty, InHome Service after Remote Diagnosis with 3 Yr Oncall [add $259.00 or $3/week-1]
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Not sure what the difference is between the Premium support and Regular support. On the site the premium version apparently adds *'How To' Software Support, Patches & Fixes, and Australian Local Support.* With the Basic version just including Parts and Labour Support.

Not sure what the premium version would amount to in comparison the the basic. If anyone has an idea, it would be much appreciated.