XPS 15 (L521X) Owner's Lounge

What if I purchased the computer from Best Buy? Would I still be eligible for a usb ?
Dell's 1 year warranty still carries over so I would assume (and Hope) so.

 

Each time I plug in a USB drive, the DVD drive acts as if it's taking/ejecting disc. What's wrong?

 

Did someone try the new NVIDIA Driver 306.02 of August 27?

 

I've installed it over the previous beta driver from July. No issues so far, no noticeable performance benefits either, but then the previous betas already had those.

 

ok just had another engineer come in, changed the screen and the wifi card. whilest at the same time putting the speaker cables in the right place. so the screen pressure issue is gone and so is the connection problem that i had with the speakers. But no improvements to the wifi. But finally after spending yet another 3 hours on the phone with a tech support guy, i finally managed to convince him, his manager and his whole team that it's not just my laptop thats having the issue but most of the systems being sold! So finally got an appology for basically being ignored and called an idiot along with a wifi USB being sent to me free of charge. The most important thing through is that they finally acknowledged that there is a hardware production issue. I has taken me 2 weeks and at a guess around 20 hours to finally get some dell staff actually read about the problem and accept that they were wrong. This was UK customer service. Hopefully this information starts to spread, as none of the 30-40 representatives knew about the issue.

 

Round Rock we have a problem!

Zenbook U500VZ - quad-core Core i7 CPU, Nvidia GT650M graphics, full HD IPS anti-glare display, backlit keyboard with number pad and just .77-inches thick.

 

Time marches ever onward, you just KNOW that many vendors are looking to catch-up-and-somewhat-surpass the standard bearer.

Of course, there's a fair shake of difference between announced, available, and in-our-hands. ;^)

It'll be interesting to see what Dell announces over the weekend at IFA. Only saying because of Dell_Bill's link.

 

Hello I am from Malta and I've been trying to follow every post but I got lost somewhere along.
I am about to order the Dell XPS 15 (L521X) in 4 days but before I do so I would like to ask you guys a few questions.
So far I am aware of the following problems:

1. CPU Throttling
2. Wireless Connectivity
3. USB 3.0
4. Faulty Screen

Can anyone help me and tell me exactly which problems have been solved for sure and which haven't please?

Thank you

 

1. Not solved and probably never will be because of poor cooling system.
2. Not fixed
3. I'm not aware of any USB 3.0 issues...
4. No official statement from Bill. So far many users reported grid lines issue.

 

Ok thank you so much. Do you recommend I wait a while longer (2 weeks or so) or these problems can take up to months to get resolved? (As I have to wait 4 weeks to receive the laptop after the order has been placed)

 

If I were you I would wait much longer. I didn't buy it yet because of DELL terrible customer service and selling politics.

It's unbelievable that the wifi issue is not fixed yet and DELL still keep selling defected units for regular price.

It's unbelievable that users with defected units have no right to know the root of the wifi issue. It took them more then a month to decide that few users can receive USB dongle. It will take them few more months to fix the issue (if it's even fixable).

They will never fix grid line issues - I can ensure you that. That would cost too much to replace entire screens.

What you can do is to decide if you want to spend that money on a device with broken WiFi, screen issues and perfect P.R. from DELL. I will wait for some new model probably or I will go for different brand.

 

I am a newbie here. Not sure how to or why PM message is not showing up. I am trying to PM Lorna for USB - WiFi ?

 

you need 5 posts before you can pm

 

Well put.

Unless you want to throw your hard-earned money and your precious time at your infatuation.

The state of being completely carried away by unreasoned passion or love.
A foolish, unreasoning, or extravagant passion or attraction.​

I know, as I had to reason with my son before he sent the thing back. (I had agreed to take of half the cost, so I had some say in the matter.)

 

Can anyone recommend another brand that can level this laptop's specifications ?? I am open to any good brand

 

^^^ At the top of this site is the "What Notebook Should I Buy?" forum. You should post your question there. Fill out a form, stating what you need, want and like/dislike. Knowledgeable people will help you openly.

Life is full of interesting choices.

 

The only problem is that there are not much alternatives for L521x. DELL knows that very well and that's why they doesn't care at all. It's better deal for them to send you at their cost USB dongle instead of giving you money back for L521x. Let's say 100 users (just a symbolic number) want to send L521x back. DELL will send USB dongle to all of them. After few months Bill will come here and again using "maximum words/minimum information" strategy he'll say that USB dongle is the only fix. Now during the time those 100 users will get used to this "workaround" and just 1/4 of them will return the notebook. 75% will keep L521x with USB dongle because they will already got used to it or they will be too tired to start refund procedure or whatever.

How comes that people are accepting this "USB dongle" thing - I can't understand it.

This is how responsible and serious company should behave: DELL send you an apology for the Wi-Fi issue + USB dongle as TEMPORARY FIX (giving you a guarantee that indeed IT IS temporary fix) + sending you at least 20% money back for the time/nerves you wasted on that issue. Now after let's say 60 days if issue is still not fixed you should be able to send the entire notebook back and get rest of the money (80%) + 50% discount on your next DELL notebook ( if you ever decide to buy DELL again).

Of course that is not going to happen.

 

http://forum.notebookreview.com/asus/685796-zenbook-u500-announced-15-6-hd-ips-gt650m-quad-core-i7.html#post8812928

 

That one looks promising! I just can't see if it has flat front screen panel just like L521x has.

 

Because "people," like yourself, switch to dream mode and believe that...

reinforcing by the magic of...

 

I don't have a dream mode in that matter. It was just a quick summary of last few weeks.

 

Seems that we have a fix for XPS15
Here, there is a Video.

 

ASUS Zenbook U500 ... For storage options, you get either dual SSDs with up to 512GB capacity or the combination of a 128GB solid-state drive and a 500GB hard drive. And, like ASUS' other latest Zenbooks, this machine will sport a full HD, anti-glare display with IPS technology.

Life is full of interesting choices.

 

sure, if you like no optical drive, off center touchpad, numpad, ugly inset bezel around the screen...

 

But that's the way its built not a defect like the issues were facing here. I could live with those!

 

Who uses ODD's anymore?!?!

I actually like numpads--I'm used to them after having used a 17" laptop for years...
EDIT: Plus, it has full sized arrow keys and I think it has dedicated Home/End and Page Up/Down keys!

It's unfortunate the XPS has issues with Wifi, screen and throttling... Maybe this Asus will incite them to fix them faster, else I will have to abandon ship!

 

I as well would prefer dedicated Home/End PgUp/PgDn buttons...

There is a good chance that this will throttle too...and who's to say it wont have its problems in general...guess it will be up to the nbr forums to figure that out.

 

Personally I find ODD's very usefull, and buy a laptop without it is not an option, I have an external HDD and a lot of info there but i'm not gonna carry it all time, I prefer ODD's when I have to instal software from a cd/dvd or watch a movie.

On the other hand, I Don't own this laptop, but I was interested in it, the recent problems such as Throttling, wifi and recently some grid pixels have stopped me from buying it, but if Dell release a model with all the fixes and better customatization options, which seems improbable according to a conversation I had with Bill vía MP, I would think in buying it, luckly I've been seen that prices may drop, this week I received some 15-25% discount coupons in my email.

I may use my money for build a desktop, but I keep myself reading this thread for info, and maybe hope about the future fix of the previously commented problems.

 

Throttling isn't too big of a deal for me, seeing as I don't play many games--but I guess it's just another thing to add to the list...

EDIT:

I'd rather have extra battery space than an ODD. For those times you need to install software, you can always just download them online, or as a last resort use an external (or transfer it to a USB from another computer).

Regarding movies, I'm curious as to where you get the DVD's from? Most if not all rental places are closed down and buying them doesn't really seem economic. Again, if you had the DVD you could either use an external drive to either watch it or copy the movie to your laptop, or use another computer to copy it.

 

What's your explanation for people who like audio quality? I still buy CD's, plenty actually, and NOTHING can beat the sound of a CD, so for me and people like me who value sound. ODDs are a must.

 

Rip the CD's to your HDD in [near] CD quality. (Rip to MP3 with 192 Kbps bitrate)

 

Folks, as the thread name implies, this is an "Owner's Lounge" and as such, it is intended for owners of the product to carry on discussions, or potential buyers to ask questions of the owners.

If you don't own the product, are not a former owner, and don't plan to purchase it, please leave and find a new place to troll. This is not a Dell-bashing venue and infraction points or banning may be the end result for folks that are only here to spew their negative opinions. Please take the "what notebook should I buy" discussions to the appropriate sub-forum, as it is off topic here.

 

Or rip them using a lossless code like FLAC.

That should be codec.

 

Don't buy yet until ALL the problems are resolved.
They had the WIFI problem with the XPS 15z for the last 1.6 year and it is not resolved yet.
If I was you, I will get a MBP and run it with Boot Camp.

 

i do rip them, using the ODD makes my life more simple. Yes I could buy an external but that's inconvenient since I have a huge collection already that i need to convert plus new purchases.

 

I have 15z, the WiFi is working fine with N-6230, much better than
L521x

 

I am assuming these wifi dongles are a temporary solution.

 

They better be! I was lead to believe they were temporary so if there not we can process my return now.

 

Stay on-topic in here, I have removed several posts. As Mr. Fox noted, this thread is for owners of said product. Not speculators or those looking to jump on the bandwagon to take a shot at a larger entity.

I will close this lounge next time I have to send a moderator here or come back personally. Stay out of speculation, stick to hard facts, and don't harp about things you already complained about in the past (the latter is AKA 'trolling'). Then we shouldn't have any problems. Good day.

 

What type of Wi-Fi Dongles are being shipped ? Are they making wi-Fi better ?
@Bill - Can we specify what USB Adapater we want ?

 

I didn't specify, and they are sending NETGEAR Wireless Dual-Band USB 2.0 Adapter (WNDA3100). Bill mentioned that he just picked the most expensive, and you could pick (I assume from Dell) if you wanted something else. The issue with WiFi seems to be the antenna/card design, so yes they should improve it.

http://forum.notebookreview.com/del...s-15-l521x-owners-lounge-200.html#post8798143

 

@DELL-Bill

If we don't find the fix acceptable...can we return it then? Just in case the in field fix comes 2-3 months down the line

 

Not mine, it is still not working.

 

The Netgear WNDA 3100 Usb stick gave me ~ 30 fold better file-transfer through 1 floor ~ 50ft away compared to the internal card 1.7MB/sec vs 0.045MB/sec.

 

I can't speak for Dell but if I had to make an educated guess - no. Standard return policy would apply.

 

From what Bill has said in previous posts this case sounds like its an exception and that if you contact Lorena she will waive all fees and what not because of this fault in the laptop.

And to people complaining about the time, imagine shipping out thousands of units, different in configuration but have the same brand components, having a wifi issue and then not all systems being affected. Bill stated that the antennas are the same on all of them, wifi card, LCD, etc, with the exception of maybe a slightly modified motherboard for the i5 version.

You pretty much have to test every component in that case to even get a start on what could be the problem, and if you have been paying attention (with the exception of new comers, as this was several pages ago) Bill was hinting on it being an antenna problem.

And dell hasn't told us the root cause because they them selves aren't sure. Now bill has hinted that they are coming to a conclusion as I mentioned earlier.

That's it from me for a while.

 

Has anyone else noticed horrible transfer speeds via wired connection? I was at work trying to transfer a ~20gb vmdk from a gigabit connected Buffalo nas over wifi and was getting about 10MBps, I cancelled the transfer, plugged into the same gigabit switch as the nas and started the transfer again and only got about 3.5MBps after turning off the wireless radio. This is also a clean install of Win7 Ent, so no McAfee junk on there.

Also, maybe I'm not picky enough, but I haven't noticed anything wrong with the screen except the gorilla glass showing fingerprints like mad on the edges. I'm coming from a Lenovo T510 with the 1920x1080 display and I swear this Dell screen is all kinds of better.

 

Logically if a system is faulty and you demand a refund because of that very legitimate reason, no fees should be paid at all. Why would anyone pay to return a broken system? Bill acts as if returning this thing cost-free is a privilege, but I'm certain that it would be considered a crime if they did ask money for the restock. It has hidden issues, that the seller (Dell) knowingly does not admit. Look up your national law on that.
If you were to take this to court, I'm fairly certain you'd receive a refund + punitive damages.

 

poonjahb: that is the "wifi problem" that is known (and documented extensively)

 

But he's saying his wired Ethernet connection is working at a third of the speed of the WiFi connection.