XPS 15 (L521X) Owner's Lounge

If that is the case then your results are very interesting indeed. At least a couple others here have switched cards to no avail. Here is one of those posts: http://forum.notebookreview.com/del...s-15-l521x-owners-lounge-122.html#post8743572

 

The Intel Advanced-N Centrino 6300 card does not have Bluetooth. Did you check how your 6235 card would perform with Bluetooth disabled?

 

Your right it does not, but for me I do not use Bluetooth for anything so this was not an issue. I have tested the 6235 without bluetooth (fully disabled) and it made no difference, sorry.

 

I tried disabling the Bluetooth on the Intel card and it did nothing. (At least so small that I could not tell)

 

That means your laptop isn't doing the WEI in full power. Plug it in and set the power options to High Performance and the WEI will stay constant

 

You can not run WEI unless you are plugged in. I have tried with the original 90 AC as well as the 130 AC power adapter. My settings are already High Performance and that does not make any difference...

 

So what do we do call dell tech support which I am guessing wont help or wait for a dell fix for the wifi issue? They are already going to replace my monitor and I still dont know if a new monitor will even help with the grid lines...

 

What about trying 6325 instead of 6235/6300?

 

I think it's previously been established that the WiFi issue is a design flaw related to the antenna/case and is not card/driver related. People have tried various cards, including several non-intel models.

The only exception is v-4abrew's post above, and since he's comparing Internet download speeds at different times, I think it's far from conclusive proof of an improvement by changing the card. Also, with this kind of problem, even a minor placement/angle difference between tests could make a big difference.

Can anyone else reproduce the 6300 result?

 

Intel 6300 needs 3 antennas, but L521x has only 2 antennas...

Inviato dal mio GT-I9100 con Tapatalk 2

 

Has anyone got any updates regarding the A06 BIOS release? Kindly post the link if you guys do. Thank you!

 

I've heard you can find complete of 3 antennas on ebay and connect it.

Also if not 6300 then 6325 - it is 2x2 + Bluetooth.

 

I don't know any intel 6325, but from the specs that you give looks equal to Intel 6235 already used in L521x.
Ok, you can buy 6300 antennas from Ebay, but where you put the third antennas in chassis of L521x,
I guess there isn't space for it.

If you have read threads of L521x, some owner has already tested others Wi-Fi cards, without improvement.
Only when someone have tried to use display (that includes antennas) out of chassis Wi-Fi cards works perfectly.

Inviato dal mio GT-I9100 con Tapatalk 2

 

Hello all,
I plan to buy a L521x this week (hopefully tomorrow) and I have a few questions. I hope it is okay to ask here, the 500 page L521x thread seems to be mostly fighting.

I am trying to decide between the 128 mSATA+1 TB model and the 512 SSD model. How does one install the OS on the mSATA drive? I see bits and pieces of how to do it and references to you guys doing it but I can't find step by step instructions when I search (these forums are hard for me to search though, I apologize if i missed it). Also what are people doing that keep the mSATA as a cache drive. As I understand 64 GB is for caching and 64 for normal storage. Would you install the programs and data you use everyday in the "storage" part? Would installing the OS on the mSATA drive void the warranty? How much more does the 1TB configuration weight than the all SSD configuration?

Thank you for your help in advance.

 

Although it's probably difficult to find, a Dell rep has already stated that the 128GB msata config ships with windows on the msata drive. The caching only makes sense if you're using Windows installed on a hard drive so you won't need to worry about that.

Changing OSes and install locations won't void your warranty so you don't need to worry about that. And as for weight, it's really dependant on if the 1TB drive has an extra platter or not but even if it does it's not going to make a noticeable difference. I personally find it quite light but I'm a pretty big guy.

I personally bought the cheapest config with the quad core processor and 640m and a 256MB MSata drive (I also prefer the faster hard drive) for less than the 128GB msata config but if you're not comfortable doing the install yourself it's not a big deal.

 

I thought we later on established that the 128GB msata doesn't come with the OS installed on it

 

Until this is repro'd by someone else, I can't really take this seriously, since we've had several people try different cars with negligible performance deltas reported.

Agreed. We need this repro'd by at least two more people. I could have swapped the included intel card with a 6300 when I had my hands on it, but I opted to not do that because of time limitations and an already large number of reports saying that it did not help.

To those of you saying it needs three antennas...I don't think that is the case unless you require 3x3 performance--if you're ok with 2x3 (max 300Mbps...which is what you get with the included intel card) then you don't to be fretting about getting "another antenna"

We did.

 

That is correct, the 128GB msata is only a cache drive. And the only part of it is used...

 

been busy so i havent checked the forum in a while, is there any news on the latest BIOS? Im checking dell.com and dell.nl and both are still saying A04 while ive read people talking about A06.

and me getting my 2 cents in, im not the biggest fan of the speaker location, only sounds good when you have it placed on a hard surface. so if you have your "lap"top on your "lap" it comes out quite distorted. and this also applies when im using the mousepad, my palm covers the speaker and i only hear the left with the right making the left sound worse (i typically have 2 fingers on the mousepad and my thumb right over the power light).

 

I just talked to tech support about the wireless...he said he is going to send me a Dell wireless 1901 card he said it should fix the problem. Let see if it works lol...is this card actually better then the one that is currently in my laptop lol???? The tech support rep told me that it is a better card and can pick up signals better what do you guys think?...need some feedback especially after spending 5 hours on the phone with tech support...

 

This is nonsence - one guy said that it works with 6300 and all of a sudden there is a bunch of believers on a bandwagon and trust the unconfirmed data that WiFi is an "easy fix".
I'd rather thrust my own eyes and several (majority) of the members of this forum who have/had this laptop for a longer period of time, put it through paces and tried it all - including switching the cards. It is not a WiFi Card, Driver or any other software issue - it is a hardware design flaw.
Is it some wishfull thinking or we have too many optimists that so easily follow unconfirmed data that WiFi is no longer a problem - and the funny thing is, the guy who posted it could not even figure the correct measure units, let alone we have no idea if he was testing right next to the router etc. - he just said it works without any other proof.

Statements like that will make it to Dell support as true and hundreds of customers will be mislead into thinking that it's a real "easy fix" until it's too late for them to return the unit.

 

An "easier fix" is to attach a WiFi 1x1 USB dongle.

(I'm still an uncomfortable half-owner as my son hasn't got around to returning his L521X yet. The screen and internal WiFi card were replaced by Dell technicians, but no improvements have been observed.)

 

Man...when the computer first came out, all the good reviews I saw were so good. I finally saved up the money and I currently work for Best Buy. So the discount of the computer is great, but now looking at all this I don't know what to do. My co-workers tell me ASUS is so much better..me as a sales associate in the computer department, usually tell my customers that judging by brand doesn't help because either way any computer has the same chances of failing as the next. But I've been in love with the XPS line of computers and currently own a XPS m1530 and I really like it. I've been dying for a new computer ever since the old XPS 15/17. The Z series came out and I can get the i7/256-SSD for practically 800+tax&warranty. But then the XPS 13 came out and I fell in love with it. I always played with it in my job and am very envious of customers who buy it. However the small size killed me. Now they make the computer of my dreams and it has wifi issues....this is like a real kick to the balls. Should I wait? What can Dell do about this...? I asked their 24/7 guys questions and they seemed extremely clueless, took very long to reply and still wanted me to buy the computer. -_- I really like this design and my only other option is going for either a USB adapter(if that works..) or a retina display. My apple sup offered me a good deal on one but whats the point of spending 2g when I'm going to buy it for windows anyway. If Dell fixes this problem I would buy asap. I don't get how it's a design issue? Anyone can elaborate on that? Is it because where it's placed? Or...the material for the unibody?

 

Maybe both. All we know is that one person removed the antenna from the screen assembly and once freed from the confines of the screen it worked normally.

 

Is that confirmed ? I am following this thread, but I did not read that.
And I thought that Dell is still looking for the cause...

 

http://forum.notebookreview.com/del...5-l521x-wifi-test-results-10.html#post8755238
http://forum.notebookreview.com/del...5-l521x-wifi-test-results-11.html#post8756263

 

I hope DELL didn't forget the new BIOS.

For what's worth, I'm able to easily trigger the CPU throttling (BIOS A04) using Adobe Premiere and 30 °C ambient, just by exporting a video that requires more than 2 min. Since DELL promised a new BIOS, and the beta bios should fix this issue already at the cost of gaming performances, I see no need to post details/graphs/screenshoots for now.

It's possible to trigger it even while editing, but the heavy optimizations of Premiere will likely hide the effect of throttling. I'm not sure what will happen using other video editing programs.

 

Damn can't find the post now. But from memory the testing was performed by a Dell Technician and a fairly knowledgeable sounding user. They tried replacing the card, and it did nothing. They then tried the antenna outside the case in various positions and it performed fine.

edit: Looks like someone found it

 

Thanks !
So I think there is no need to wait for a fix: it would probably be an economical aberration for Dell to develop an hardware fix. And even if they do, it would take months to redesign the laptop and launch the production...
Their "fix" will probably be a refund or a replacement by an Alienware. RIP XPS 15.

 

I don't know, Bill posted a few days back ( here) that there's a more legit fix in the works. I'd think if a different series replacement was the resolution, he'd have said as much. That's not to say it won't involve external antenae or an exchange program. But you have to factor in the marketing, launch, and initial design and production costs too and I think it's early enough in the release to do a recall if needed. They're still processing orders, which leads me to believe they're committed to the model. Bill also said not all systems were affected, though I've yet to see someone say they got great wi-fi speeds.

 

could anyone point me to where i can find the drivers for the 640m? only thing i see on the dell website is the 630m and on nvidia they only have beta drivers

 

What Dell labels as "630m drivers" are just repacked regular Geforce drivers; they'll work fine with the 640m as well (at least, they did for me). Most people (me included) currently use the beta drivers though, and these work very well too; haven't had any issue with them.

 

This is the one for GT 640M/GT 630M I am using now. Is legit taken from Dell.
http://downloads.dell.com/FOLDER00399909M/8/Video_nVIDIA_W74_A00_Setup-2RWDM_ZPE.exe

 

Hi, after several days following this thread and others in this forum i was scared about my new xps 15 that some days ago i had ordered, but I just received it and i'm totally happy, it fullfills all the expectations that i had, and lucky of me is working ok, i'm going to check now which version of bios iits installed, but i´ve just connected it to my wi-fi university and i got 20 MB, faster than using my old laptop (samsung). I have to say that my xps 15 was ordered one week ago from the spanish web of Dell, and its the cheapest model, intel i5 with NVIDIA 630M, now i'm at work, but this evening i'll check other mentioned issues in order to check that all works ok (throttle, wifi's speed at house, etcétera).

Sergio

 

Hopefully it won't be throttling. All reports we've seen so far say that the i5 version doesn't throttle.

I've gotten ~20 Mbps all over my house at Speedtest.net on the WiFi and 34Mbps (which is off by 2Mbps off what I was getting wired so it's possible that is the limiting factor) in the next room to the access point. It's better than my phone or my last notebook (HP dv2201), but both of those are 802.11g devices.

All-in it's not really bad enough to bother me, because if it's good enough to watch 1080p youtube videos and stream media it's got 99% of my network use covered. I don't have another 802.11n device to test it against.

 

I really hope so. The thought of selling a defective computer really really irks me. Why do they still allow people to buy it if it's not even working.
Hopefully they fix the issue, I really want this computer and don't want to have to resort to a different one.

 

Getting a little frustrated. Just ended another chat with Tech and they acted like I was the first person to report a wireless issue with the xps 15 and are adament I try another card (yay, we all know that's a wasted service call). I stressed that this was a widely reported issue, but they seemed totally oblivious. So either the supposed fix is still in its infancy and not yet unknown to the tech reps and their supervisors or there is no fix and we're all doomed to try wi-fi card after wi-fi card until we give up. It's a great computer, so I hold out hope. I urge any of you who have yet to do so to contact tech support about wi-fi. They obviously need to hear about this in a larger scope.

 

Hi all,

So I called tech support about 5 days ago to ask for a fix for my screen issue. It would lose color and flicker at a certain angle, they decided the easiest fix would be to just send me a replacement system. I had also called them about the poor wireless performance and after they sent me the second card which did nothing they assumed the replacement system would fix that too.

Basically for me the wireless is fine one floor up where I use it 70-80% of the time reaching speeds of 144/Mbps which is basically what every other computer gets and is what it's always been. The problem for me is when I go up another floor to my room (2 floors up and several walls away from my router). I've never had the greatest of speeds up there anyway but I'm always able to connect and have usable internet. With my XPS even with 2 bars it is constantly disconnecting and reconnecting and can never establish a usable connection.

I received my replacement today with a fixed screen issue and decided what the heck I'll give the wireless a go. I check device manager and it is the same Intel 6235 card in my old one except with the 15.1.1.1 drivers that I have updated on my old one to 15.2 (to no avail) and one floor up they are both getting 144/Mbps from the connections center in Windows. It is when I go up to my room where I couldn't even make a connection with my old one where I find a surprising discovery, the new one can actually connect to the internet and has a usable connection (albeit slow and really only useful for web browsing) but a connection nonetheless where the old one could not.

There is absolutely no difference the system config or the wireless card except for the drivers which made no difference on my old one. Very interesting results, I'm not exactly sure what it means but I am happy that even if it is slower than normal I can actually use the internet 2 floors up.

 

It means what Bill was saying, and what others have mentioned is true. Not all systems are affected and not all are affected in the same way. I for one get routine 20MBps like every other laptop in my house. Others can't even get more than 2MBps from line of sight.

 

Wow! That's really great!

Now I'm just waiting for Bill to give some input here....(He hasn't been very active lately so I'm a little hesitant...)

 

ITs monday .... I would give him a break... got to catch up from all the emails/task that he didnt finish last week and new ones from the weekend.

 

Dell just came and collected my laptop. I cannot fault in any way their customer service, it was top notch. Alas they were hampered by poor quality control and testing resulting in a castrated laptop.

 

Tech support will do one of two things, I'd imagine: 1. most likely replace the card or 2. system exchange. I don't think either will fix the issue in time for your conference. The exchange may fix it since not all systems are affected, but I'm pretty sure a card swap is a waste of your time.

I have no idea what happened with A06. We were told it would be live on the 3rd. I have a meeting in the morning where we should get a clarification or update. Sorry for the confusion.

I also have no specific information or updates about wireless. I can say we are looking at more than one issue and more than one root cause. We're going after all of them until we get the best WiFi performance possible.

 

Hmm, too bad. So much promise for a series of video reviews. Would this be your last post here, then?

 

I dont think so, many of us really liked this ferrari.

But if they supply a ferrary with a bad engine and a broken wheel its no fun driving the ferrari, even if it looks good.

But if Dell will fix the engine and replace the wheels many would buy the ferrari again. If they havent bought the bugatti veyron pro in the mean time.

 

It sounds like wireless N improves the speed whereas i thought it just improves the coverage.

Anything more conclusive we can use to confirm if our particular machines are affected other than comparing wifi speed with another device?

I have 10meg broadband and get 3-4meg on wifi and 8-10meg on wired connection?

I will say again i cant stream 1080p. video without it buffering.

Sent from my HTC Desire using Tapatalk

 

I love this computer, but i notice that sometimes when i doing stuff, it gets like a second of lag where the picture goes fuzzy and the sound gets distorted, quickly corrects itself but, its rlly annoying, Anyone else experiencing something like this?

 

I had a 100mb connection that I use a lot, which I was unable to use unless in the same room as the router. Coupled with the fact it kept crashing and uninstalling the GPU, it had to be returned. I have bought a Macbook Pro now, which ironically cost £400 more than I paid for the Dell.

 

sorry, what I meant was should I contact tech support now to let them know that I have a problem with the wifi so that they can get me a fix when one comes out? My conference has already passed so now I'm just trying to figure out what I should do about the wifi problem. From the postings I've seen so far, the tech support call would most likely not result in anything useful and swapping out a system is not very appealing unless they will let me swap HD so I don't have to reinstall all the stuff again...

 

Well, your stuff is tied to the bits, not the rotating platters. Create an "image" of your drive and hang on to it. Acronis TrueImage is one of the many tools of such capacity.

Also, before Dell takes your computer away, you should restore the hard drive to factory image.