XPS 15 (L521X) Owner's Lounge

Right now I am at a loss as to what to do with this laptop. I still have 10 days left on my 21-day no-hassle return policy but I really like this laptop and would be willing to hold out for longer. I leave for college next week so I don't have the luxury of trying multiple laptops and seeing what works and what doesn't.

Do you think Dell would fix faulty units once the fix is released? at no extra charge? even if it means sending me a replacement unit?

EDIT: It appears they have pulled the XPS 14 as well, are they experiencing similar issues?

 

Just another proof that this is very likely done because of a major hardware design/architecture issue. Both of these units 15 & 14 have the same WiFi issue as posted by the owners.

Not sure about throttling and/or cooling design - I was not that concerned about that yet as WiFi is a big issue for me that is totally unacceptable.
With WiFi - it's not only the speed - it's sensitivity and signal strength. I could not get the signal @ the Airport, on the plane (with WiFi - I had to use my tablet) or at the Hilton. Sure I can get the signal in direct vicinity of AP, but all it takes is a couple of walls and a flight of stairs to completely loose the signal - it's a joke as my 5 y.o. Latitude D830 or my wife's 3 y.o. E6400 gets Excellent signal with almost the same speed as next to the router.

Got to give to Dell though - it is a bold move and a responsible one at best. Hope they get this one done and move on with otherwise great product. Not sure I will wait for them to fix it while holding on to my top spec unit with some 17 days left on return schedule, but I sure wish them to resolve the issue with minimal pain to all, including customers.

 

I see it too, but in my country it's still available (as always, non-US regions are much less served . Hell, at today here Reps don't even know if XPS 15 has a backlit keyboard, which we all knew more than a month ago!). Hope they will pull it here too.

Here they actually lowered the price yesterday: base i5 config is now 1299€ (before it was 1300€ )

I'm with you. If it's the case, they have made a very responsible choiche preventing other people to buy faulty units. Hope they will come with an updated laptop in regards of
- wifi
- thermal (if it's possible at this point to change something hardware in the cooling system)
- display (come on, not acceptable to see vertical lines on a Full HD display, even if you slap your face on the screen...never seen either in Acer notebooks... )
- optical drive noise (maybe is a BIOS tweak enough here?)
Again, if they pulled to try to solve major issues before selling more units i clap to them: problems may occur with brand new products, it's the way a company faces them that tells how great (or not) they are

 

Disabling new purchases has got to be the most exciting response I've seen Dell take. That's about as close to "we screwed up" as we may get in regards to a public message. I doubt that there is anyway they can keep anyone from returning their unit. I hope that they will offer in-field exchanges for those of us that have kept our units. I am really interested to see an update from Bill now, lol.

 

Still available for sale (checked all the way through checkout) in the UK at 10:30 am, so let's not assume there's a ship hold just yet.

But clearly the comms silence from Dell and feedback censoring on their site is significant. I just hope it's not going the denial route.

 

Yeah I was able to order one up in the US. All the configs for both the 15.6 and 14 were there for me to customize and add to cart.

 

Also still available in France at the moment. Why is that according to you guys?
As it isn't possible anymore to order one in the US, isn't it weird that they apparently try to clear the stock (maybe the stock reserved to the french market? i don't know how they organize themselves) while they know there are design problems!?

 

I've just checked the US site and now it's possible to order one, but the difference (yesterday it was just impossible to buy one) is that they mention a delay. So was it really just a stock problem for some pieces (but the delay isn't the same depending on which configuration of the xps 15 you choose, so maybe the stock explanation is the right one?)? Or do they plan to fix the issues we know by then?

 

i received mine a few days ago and it arrived 1 week late. They told me it was due to delays in some parts. So the theory of it being taken out due to delay in parts might be accurate.

 

XPS 15 is back up on the US site now. You guys are getting too jumpy .

As for me, I spent all of yesterday waiting for the Dell technician to come and replace my (dead pixel and trapped dust) screen but they never came. Dell's support center called me at 2:30pm and let me know that replacement screens are on indefinite back order and offered me an entire replacement system. So now I'm waiting for my replacement L521x, it's like the day after ordering all over again.

Truthfully, although I'm annoyed by all these problems the support team at Dell has been preitty good (except for scheduling a repair when the parts are not available) and I never felt like I had to push them for anything (although I would have pushed them, hard, if necessary).

 

Long time, first time.

I can second krayzie's comment as I just received mine after a two week delay (though I did get somewhat of a custom build in getting the i5, a 750 HDD, and 8 Gb DDR3). The wifi is about 1/3 the speed of my old Inspiron E1705 in the same location and with outdated stock components (getting around 7-12 Mbps download on my XPS15--serviceable but could def. be better). I don't really want to have a tech come and do a bunch of pointless troubleshooting since I know after reading these forums that it will do little if any good. I ordered through Dell business and they've been great about offering their assistence, but I'll wait for an actual fix, return it, or get a USB adapter (might not be a bad way to go with the new 802.11ac ramping up).

I also posted a relatively nice comment in the Dell reviews yesterday that touched on the Wi-fi, but not showing as of yet.

 

Just talked to a German dell worker on the service chat. seemed to know nothing about these problems and assured me that the would take the xpa off the market if there were such problems. Guess he really did not know what he was talking about. Only told me to wait if I had doubts about buying it as there might be a revision of the xps coming out , whatever that means. Anyways the xps is still on sale in Germany and actually the first online coupons have come out (80 euro reduction).

On another note, did the new BIOS dell promised for today actually get released yet ?

Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using Tapatalk 2

 

Taking L521x off the market will cost Dell more then repairing current units. I think about 10-20% L521x owners will call repair center to fix their Wi-Fi (if it's even fixable), the rest will not care or not even notice. 0,5% from this group of 10-20% will return the product. 80-90% will just keep L521x and buy another model next year/in 2 years. So if the Wifi is fixable - that's great. If not - Dell surely wont care much.

 

It's out XPS14 review on notebookcheck.com (only in German) and they have wrote that have already tried BIOS A06 for XPS14.

Test Dell XPS 14 Ultrabook - Notebookcheck.com Tests

 

If i'm to understand what they said was the bios did fix the random throttling of the cpu:
" During the stress test will no longer break the cycle frequency and also in everyday life (Cinebench & Battlefield 3), we could detect no longer the previous problems"

It will still downclock to keep the heat in check, but it seems they did manage to fix the problem, at least for the xps 14

 

I got my Dell XPS L521x today and am very pleased with it's aesthetics. But I am really concerned about the WiFi and throttling issues that I faced today. I hope the A06 BIOS answers both issues. I am not able to find the A06 BIOS on the website. I will be glad if anyone can send me the link to it.

@Bill : I am sure you are doing your best to find what the real problem is and i hope the tiger team will come up with something soon. Kindly send me the link for the A06 BIOS if you happen to have one.

 

I hope DELL can fix the issues of the XPS15. The consumer pc-notebook panorama is discouraging, the XPS15 is the last hope for most of us to not eat the forbidden fruit.

Well, it is not encouraging at all, really, unless it is usual for DELL to suspend sales of a model for six hours.

I cannot recommend the XPS15 to my friends (and to anyone) until DELL makes a bit of clarity and we can stop having the feeling that they are trying to clear the stock.

The throttling is not random at all. On the XPS15 the "beta" bios fixed the CPU throttling by making the GPU to throttle.

That's not itself a problem, the problem is "how much". I have not big expectations: I hope we can get 640m LE performance at least starting from autumn, at least in games.

 

I am the edge about buying Dell XPS 15 with the I5 processor and 750HD and 8 GB of RAM for 1299.00 should I wait and try to get the I7 with a 2 GB video card. Are they any deals? I was going to get the Inspiron 15r SE at first. Any help is greatly welcomed.

 

Just another question I Dell have the XPS 15 XPS 15 PNX15HX [225-2991]
Operating System Windows® 7 Home Premium, 64bit, English W71HP6E [421-5780]
Processor 3rd Generation Intel® Core™ i7-3612QM processor (6M Cache, up to 3.1 GHz) 2I73612 [318-2090]
Memory 8GB DDR3 1600MHz Memory 8G2D [319-0065]
Keyboard English Keyboard KYBDENG [331-7262]
LCD Silver Anodized Aluminum and 15.6" FHD 1080p Truelife WLED Display and Skype-Certified HD Webcam HDTLED [320-3536]
Video Card NVIDIA® GeForce® GT 640M with 2GB GDDR5 VRAM


For about $1650.00


on their small business site they have the XPS 15

XPS 15 XPS 15
Operating System Windows® 7 Home Premium, 64bit, English
Processor 3rd Generation Intel® Core™ i7-3612QM processor (6M Cache, up to 3.1 GHz)
Memory 8GB DDR3 1600MHz Memory
Keyboard English Keyboard
LCD Silver Anodized Aluminum and 15.6" FHD 1080p Truelife WLED Display and Skype-Certified HD Webcam
Video Card NVIDIA® GeForce® GT 640M with 2GB GDDR5 VRAM
Wireless Driver SRV Software for Intel Centrino© Advanced-N 6235 and BT4.0
Hard Drive 750GB 7200 HDD with 32GB mSATA
Adobe Reader Adobe® Reader
Optical Driver Slot Load Blu-ray Disc BD-Combo (Reads BD and Writes to DVD/CD)
Sound Waves Maxx Audio 4.0
Wireless Intel© Centrino© Advanced-N 6235 & Bluetooth 4.0
for 1399.00


Is the a different in these systems?

thanks

 

Hey guys!

First and foremost, I do not own a XPS 15 yet. I am planning on buy one and was waiting for the wifi and CPU throttling issues to be fixed.
I recently chatted with 2 Dell Representatives. One stated that the wifi issue has been fixed, but he was unaware of the CPU issue. The other said both have been fixed.
Below are both the chat logs.

[REMOVED]

So from these both chats, it seems as if they have fixed both issues. Probably the reason why they suspended sales for a couple of hours.

 

Good news. What about those whe already bought the laptop?

...08/03/2012 12:31:11PM Agent (Regina I): "they are both hardware updates"

So it looks like, if are hardware updates, they have to change to most who already owns them.
It will be perfect to get fixed these issues, I like the laptop.
I also spoke with a Dell Rep. and he said that they received some complains regarding WiFi issue.

 

This is great news! Bill can you confirm? Hopefully Dell is proactive about this.

 

So she called bios update a "hardware fix"? I'm 100% sure Regina said about 2 hardware fixes because otherwise she wont sell you notebook. It's BS in my opinion. Dell engineers are brainstorming looking for the CAUSE of the issue and Regina already have a fix for it. Don't believe it, what else she was suppose to write? "No sorry our laptops still have 2 serious issues, would you like to buy it anyway, sir?".

 

We should give a bit of time to DELL, the web is a lot faster than a big company.

 

By random i meant passing from 2.8 Ghz directly to 1200 Mhz, and vice-verse.
the bios, from what they say, seem to resolve that issue.

Now, if everything works ok the processor should downclock gradually as the temperature approach the limit, taking the max out of the cooling of the notebook, just how Intel turbo-boost should work.

Also the specs for the gt640m are 625 Mhz, yet it keps full turbo (on the first bios) all the way to 90+ degrees at 710 Mhz, they realy could disable the turbo once it reach 80º or so, but it would be unaceptable if the graphic card underclocked even more during games.

We should know soon enough.

 

Sorry to have been away, folks. Been dealing with a flood of deliverables, sick kiddo (again, ugh) and a sitter on vacation. I skipped over all posts from page 137 to here.

Throttling:
First a correction. I heard "A06 will be posted at 3," but what they guy said on the call was "A06 will be posted on the 3rd." #voipfail
I just checked, and A06 is not up as of yet. Hopefully it will be up later today as promised. Sorry for the confusion.

WiFi:
Still under investigation. I finally heard back a ton of detail, but I need to get the story clear before I post an update. I sent over clarifying questions and expect to receive an answer over the weekend. I'll make a point of checking email Saturday and Sunday to see if I got a reply. Once I have the details straight, I'll post back.

What we can say now:
Not all systems are affected. The card seems to like 5GHz better than 2.4, but this may just be related to the real root cause and not the card. (I repeat, this is a Dell issue and not an Intel issue.) We have identified a few possible root causes, but validation testing is going on now. We will know which ones are applicable in a few days. The fix will come after we get root cause and settle on how the fix will be implemented. Anyone who still owns the system when we have a fix will be eligible for it.

 

At the moment, using the A04 bios, the CPU is forced in protection mode "PROCHOT" when the GPU goes over around 71 °C. So you see the strong transition. It can happen even if the GPU is on, but idle - warmed by the CPU -, or even if the CPU is far from a critical threshold.

Some i5-i7 have that "protection" frequency at 1.2Ghz others at 800Mhz, this explain the difference between the XPS15 and the XPS14.

If the GPU is off, the CPU works without problems and reduces the boost at 95 °C.

I don't use the word "throttle" to call the reduction of the boost frequency, or the reduction of frequency because of light load.

Yes, this is why I think that something went wrong... like the XPS15 was rushed or production models behave in a way engineers didn't expect.

With the current bios, the CPU is forced at 1.2Ghz when the GPU reach 71 °C, but then the GPU can reach a critical temperature without slowing down the boost frequency!

The beta bios ("a05") throttle the GPU when it reach 71 °C. This is a more understandable behaviour. Sadly in my test with the threshold at 71 °C and an hot ambient temperature (32 °C), the GPU can throttle to 125Mhz for small periods even with Diablo III, that's a game that leave the CPU almost untouched.

Anandtech benchmarks were made in a very unlikely condition: CPU clamped a 2.1Ghz and GPU with maximum boost. On my system I don't dare to try it.

 

Thanks for all BILL, your words are informative and like water in these hot days of summer. I'll point you as an example to my girlfriend, she has started to work into web marketing.

There was a strange error (?) on DELL US site that left most of us feeling disconcerted, the XPS15 was marked "unavailable" for some hours.

 

Unfortunately, I can confirm that tech is still keeping this tight to the chest. I spent an hour with a tech rep and she admitted it seemed like a "generic" problem--something affecting multiple systems (though it sounds like not all systems according to Bill). They pretty much asked me what I wanted to do: hardware replacement (many of you have tried to no avail) or system replacement (at this point, also seems like a mental band-aid until the system arrives with the same problems). I asked numerous times about a fix, and both the rep and her superviser evaded the question. Both were complete professionals though and as helpful as I felt they could be in the situation.

So hopefully something comes through quickly!

 

Does anyone have experience in how Dell rolls out a hardware fix, if indeed a hardware fix is the solution? Does Dell insist a tech come out to apply the fix, or can the Customer give it a shot themselves using a Dell-supplied part and instructions? Perhaps it depends on the nature of the fix.

I have no experience in applying updates other than what can be pushed out through a web browser -- unless Google has figured out how to push hardware mods out through Chrome... now that would be cool

 

If google knew how to push hardware mods through chrome, my cr-48 would be a beast of a machine.

Thanks for the update, Bill. Really hoping to see some progress soon.

 

I am having the same grid issues...called dell today they are sending me a new screen I have no idea if it will fix the grid issue. I told the tech that a lot of people are having this problem and to check this forum, he told me that I am the first to call him about this issue. I had to take picture of my screen as well so he could see it in remote assistance. I hope this screen is good lets hope it fixes the issues!!!! Also there is an "urgent" driver update for the video card "Dell NVIDIA GeForce GT 630M version A00 8.17.12.96.01" released on 27/06/2012 you guys think it will help the issues or not?




My Screen model is, Hopefully Bill you can help me out, thanks... :


6985X

Liquid Crystal Display, 15.6FHD, Wireless Local Area Network Card, Top Latch, Assembly, Au Optronics Corp

 

It is really ugly. Must have been defective one. You have it since purchased or after some time of use became the way it shows? Mine is great so far. No complains. I like it.
Manufacturer: Mine is 6985x_B156HTF
Monitor ID: AUO00ED
Quickset64 works fine no problems so far. No issues with laptop, except the WiFi issue.

 

@bill, Since you skipped... I have a system that has problems with wifi at range. I bought it about two weeks ago for a conference and I want to know if I should contact dell support now about the issue or wait for you to indicate that there is a fix available?

 

Yeah I am starting to notice my XPS 1640 has downloads speeds 2x faster then my XPS 15 L521x...will any driver updates help or do we have to wait for a hardware fix... Bad LCD + slow wifi is depressing...

 

Hey Bill! I realy appreciate you work at Dell. I understand you are a bit busy now. We would be glad if there's this A06 BIOS update right over the the Dell's support page or atleast if you can provide provde me with the link to the same.

I am also looking forward if there is a real fix for the WiFi problem. I greatly appreciate your time regarding this concern.

Cheers,
Nikhil.

 

That's very good news - well done Dell!

 

Any update on the availability of the A06 BIOS?

 

I am waiting for it too. If most issues will be fixed it will be perfect laptop.
My 7-day return policy is up next week, USA is 21-day.
The one I have is working perfect, except the WiFi range is not that good. I did not encounter any throttling yet. I do not plat games much.

 

I just got my brand new L521x yesterday. There are some issues with it like others have mentioned.

1) Wi-fi - Easy fix, buy the Intel 6300 super cheap off ebay and to replace it yourself it also super easy!
2) Eject Noise from BluRay (Really annoying)
3) Throttling

I have also noticed that if you rate your system using the WEI the Processor goes from 7.3 down to 6.1 or 6.5, or even 7.0. Everytime you rate it is always changes. Sometimes is just not right with this either as both of my L502x does not do that. My XPS 8300 does not do it either. I really hope to see another BIOS fix soon.

I did perform a CLEAN INSTALL of Windows 7 using the Re-Installation DVD from Dell, this was not an easy task but I managed it, and it did "NOT" fix the Eject Noise issue sadly so it is something hardware related not software.

 

I think others here have tried to replace the WiFi card to improve speeds and it made little to no difference.

 

My Intel 6300 lets me download at 2MBPS if not more so I have no issues with my Wi-Fi. I know there are many cards out there and some are horrible especially those wi-fi / bluetooth cards. I would only Recommend either the Intel 6200 or the 6300.

When I put the wi-fi/bluetooth in my L502x it was only giving me around 500KBPS or less. So I feel strongly that its a wi-fi card issue either hardware or driver or maybe both.

 

Interesting... 2 Mbps is still quite low, however.

 

Sorry but how is that low? That is also what I get using the Ethenet Cable? I have used Time Warner Cable with Turbo Boost back in VA and only got around 2MBPS as far as downloading something. Here in AZ using Cox I get the same thing.

Now if we talk about Speedtest.net - The Global Broadband Speed Test I do see speeds of 20MBPS + and my upload is very high as well...

 

So you are saying that the N-6300 makes difference. I have a few of N-6300 and N-6200, I will check them. I have not opened the back of the laptop yet, no issue to do it. I will do to see if there is any difference. If I will change, the bluetooth no more on system.

 

I don't know what you are using, but speeds are typically measured in Megabits/per second (Mbps) not Megabytes/per second (MBps), capitalization is important!

If you got 0.5 Mbps with the Intel 6235 in the L521X and 20 Mbps with the Intel 6300, then that is quite an improvement.

 

Correct, it was around 0.something using the 6235 but the 6300 gives me great results especially after I re-install windows and updated the drivers to the latest from the (intel) site for my wi-fi card.

I can not complain with it. I can game online without having lockups, freezing, etc. Youtube never buffers either, especially when others in the house are using the internet also on there devices.