XPS 15 (L521X) Owner's Lounge

Dell Terry B's message on the WiFi thread on Dell's website from today as follows:

"...I know that engineering is currently working on another BIOS update soon to help with WIFI issues. Please be on the lookout for it."

Thread link below (only 3 pages ): Re: XPS 15 L521X ....Latest Problem - XPS Club Forum - XPS Club - Dell Community

 

I have been working with the @dellcares folks on twitter. They have been promising me that A11 would fix the WiFi. Here is the twitter messaging:

9h
See link to BIOS version A11 released this morning. Let us know results after you install it. Thanks, SV http://del.ly/6013Tfv7

8h
Interesting. Nvidia issue is fixed, but wifi speed not improved.

7h
Hi, yes. Engineering is currently working on another BIOS update for the WiFi issue. ^RS

 

At least the A11 didn't create any NEW issues to speak off. And they really seem hard at work, churning out BIOS updates almost on a routine basis, one of em has to be the silver bullet

 

Touchpad ought to be number 2, imo. If you can't use the the internet or type, what is the point of the rest?

 

I agree, the touchpad is probably my biggest complaint now. My wireless did slow down a bit too with A11 but at least it is still stable with Win8.

 

I love the advert showing up for me above this thread... It features an XPS 15 and reads, "People, Products, and Protection meant for the way you work". Evidently, Dell thinks we work without the need for WiFi or quiet slot-loading optical drives.

 

My CPU/CPU tops out at 80C and generally sticks around the 77C range while playing games. Of course, the fan is going hard the entire time (which makes sense).

I came from A06, but went straight to A09 upon receiving the computer.

EDIT: It appears that my upload speed is now at normal levels. However, download speeds are still 20 times less than what they should be. Really strange.

 

I don't understand why now Dell posts updated drivers before they can be downloaded.

 

Can you flash back to A04 after flashing to A11 or is it like A09 and you can't flash it back?

 

I'm on A06 and it's already 7.1 for graphics. Others are higher than 7.1 (7.5, 7.9 etc).

 

I haven't heard of 7.5 or 7.9 for graphics in Windows experience... where did you see this!?

Mine is 7.1 with latest nVidia drivers from Dell, 6.5 with latest nVidia drivers from nVidia. Bios A04.

 

I think he meant the other experience scores, not graphics.
I have 7.0 on A04 but I'm not on latest drivers.

 

Just ordered by own XPS15 now, getting the i7, 16GB RAM, 512 SSD, GT 640M version, luckily I had a 10% off voucher, free shipping and free xbox lol.

Anyway, seeing as this machine is not a fast shipping one, I would assume they are going to build me one, which means hopefully the fix is implemented, I will post back here when it arrives with how my wifi performance is, and how it is doing whilst I play GW2.

See you all soon

 

It's AMAZING how people are still buying the defective L521X laptop even after being made aware of all the problems on this thread which is nearing 350 pages. I guess you guys don't mind dropping $1600 + on laptop that basically doesn't have wireless. As another unsatisfied owner of this pretty looking brick, I don't appreciate how Dell is essentially sweeping the issues with the L521X under the rug in offering worthless driver and BIOS updates that have failed to fix any of the issues since this laptop was released prematurally several months ago. Lionel why don't you get in touch and I'll give you my address to send a check to compensate for all my time beta testing.

 

I've updated the wifi driver with the Dell d/l as LM suggests above, but curious because in Device Manager it's showing the driver as "15.3.0.16” with driver ”date 22/08". There's no A02 suffix.

Is this correct from what you people are seeing after the update?

Oh, and I'm getting a file cannot be found error for the other three *sigh*

 

I think it would be interesting to compare how many thousands of people have bought one of these laptops and not had problems compared to how many are actually having issues to be honest. Most of us who have found our way here have done so after purchase, not before. Except for a few of us that did some research before the fact (which I did, and still chose to go ahead with my purchase).

The only issue I've noticed is CPU throttling; which I believe is a physical hardware limitation. No wifi issues, no touchpad issues, no screen issues, and nothing else that I've seen in this thread.

I'm actually pretty impressed with Dell's customer support so far. There have been 3 representatives fairly active in this thread for a start, I think you'd find most other companies wouldn't do that. If you weren't happy with yours, why didn't you return it?

 

Can someone tell me why anyone would buy this overpriced problematic laptop.

Sent from my Nexus 7 using Tapatalk 2

 

It would be interesting to hear the statistics, but I am inclined to think most of the laptops did have the problems. I think many of the people reading and posting here would be doing so whether or not it had problems. People are reading about what other people are doing with their laptops. Possible mods. Software and driver developments. Gaming, performance, temperatures, third-party hardware, etc. And then there is that percentage of owners who have the problems, but just don't realize it. And I honestly think they probably wouldn't be too active here anyway. The majority of people posting here did have the problems.

Plus look at the other evidence. How long has this model been out? Two or three months? We are up to BIOS A11 and there have been several Urgent driver updates. I'm inclined to think Dell wouldn't be so active in these efforts if there were just a few problem laptops out there. Other evidence? Read the forums on the other ultra-thin Dell models. They are having the same problems. And three Dell reps responding here. I applaud Dell's efforts, don't get me wrong. I just think this laptop should have never been released before these issues were solved. Sure it would have cost money, but this is surely costing them money too. And it angers customers way more than simply having to wait a few more months for a laptop that works right off the bat. Plus, they are now turning off customers that are just entering the market to buy. Well, these issues should be turning off customers. Based on what I'm reading, many people are still going ahead with the purchase. I just don't get it. Maybe Dell figured out people will buy a nice, shiny, cool looking laptop regardless of the issues.

 

What?!!

That's the one I'm about to buy. It lists for $2,537 and comes to $2,253 after EPP discount. But that's the best I can do. Where did you get that voucher and Xbox deal?

I tried to get the $200 student gift card, but that's expired (I'm a student, too). Help a brutha out!

 

So what are the improvements with the A11?
I still can't download it, I am currently under A06 BIOS, will I see any improvements with A11?

 

Throttling fix through BIOS update: It's quite clear that any BIOS update can't fix throttling issue otherwise it would be already here, simply setting to max rpm the fan, but L512X cooling system simply can't handle the heat generated when CPU and GPU working together.
BIOS update can only change the way of throttling on CPU/GPU, but it will continue to throttling in every case.
Solution: hardware redesign.

WiFi fix through BIOS update: I don't understand how people can suppose that BIOS update can solve the WiFi problem. BIOS can manage all components of motherboard, but WiFi card isn't a motherboard component, it's not soldered to motherboard, you can change it with a different model or different brand.
How can you explain that with first BIOS (A04) without changing any driver and without any BIOS update, WiFi card is working as it should only when it's connected to external antennas (display+antennas spare part)?
The answer is easy this is hardware issue, the aluminum lid + Gorilla Glass are acting as a shield for radio waves.
Solution: hardware redesign.

Display grid issue: It's not a real issue, it's simply the display quality and IMHO this quality is inadequate for a premium laptop.

I can understand that people that are not aware of the issues still to buy this laptop, but I'm reading many users of this forum that are aware of issues that want to buy this notebook despite all known problems, so Why should Dell fix it?

 

Ok so my replacement l521x just got here... It running bios A09 and the gpu is visible. also, there are no driver differences that ive seen. However, at 10 feet from my router, it has a link speed of 300bbps and the older 521 is in flux between 180 and 200 ish. download speed for 521N(new) is 15ms ping, 51.12 mbps down and 1mbps up .. the 521o(old) is 17ms ping, 30.91 dowm and .98 up wireless 5ghz N only .

Transfer speed to the 521n from the 521o (a 1 gig movie) is at 6mb write and copying is at 5mb as well.
transfer speed to the 521o from the 521n is at 5mb while copy speed is at 7mb

transfer speed from the 521n to my home desktop(gig lan) is 22mb write while copy is at 16-18mb
transfer from the 521o to my home desktop is 11.4mb and read speed(copy) is at 10.5


battery life, the 521n at full performance is at 85% 2h 53m while the 521o is at 65% with 49m.. both laptops were turned on at the same time and had a full charge.

its been about 30m and the 521n's battery life is at 80% with 4hours left while the 521o us at 49% with 50m left and its fans are constantly on...

now testing distance.

 

16 feet from the router, through 2 walls, both 521 are in flux between 180 - 240
28ish feet from router, through 2 walls, the 521n(new) is in a flux of 30-40 while the 5210(old) is at 6mb


One floor exactly above the router, the 521n sits at 180mb with occasional 240 while the 521o can see 3 bars but cannot connect...
one floor up, about 16 feet away from router, the 521n is in flux at 24-54(3 bars) while the 521o can see 2 bars connected at 9mb

one floor above, 28 ish feet, one wall, the 521n can no longer see the network but can see 7 others while the 521o also cannot see the network but can see 5 others

outside,one floor above, 16 ish feet away:
the 521n is connected to the network at 300mb with 3 bars and sees 9 networks (a foot further and the connection drops to 6mb)
the 521o cannot see the network and can only see 6 other networks.

battery life :
521n at74% 4 hours
521o at 27% 22m

 

also, the touchpad on the replacement is so much better, precise, the right click clicks right everytime, both click opens ina new tab.. no longer buggy ill run a test with the screen closed and see if theres also a conflict between the touchpad and screen.

 

I'm still on the fence about getting the laptop. It seems like it works for some, and not for others. So people take the plunge hoping theirs will work - I'm also one of those people but I'm hesitating mainly for the same reasons [-Mac-] posted above. The issues affecting the machine are mostly hardware-related, not software.

I haven't come across people swapping their Wifi cards for another, which given the headache from waiting on updates or chatting with tech support for hours, is rather worth spending another $20-30 on a new card and seeing if it works. Has anyone tried this!? Regardless, if this was a fix, then people would be suggesting it left and right. Seeing as this isn't the case, it must be an antenna/hardware issue.

The CPU/GPU throttling is always going to persist, again, like [-Mac-] above wrote. I was considering changing the TIM of the processors, maybe the fan would kick in sooner, cool it sooner before it gets scorching hot? I doubt it would remove the throttling issue altogether, but perhaps make it manageable. Just an afterthought...

For +$1200...any other suggestions? The Asus U500 maybe...probably be around $1500-$2000 based on the specs alone, and it comes with the GT650M card - the GPU that should have been in the L521x (640M minimum, 650M upgrade) IMO.

 

Hello everyone, I am Spanish, and I read the entire post .... Yesterday I received my DELL XPS 15 with the following configuration:
-Processor: Intel Core i7-3612QM
-Memory: 8GB DDR3
-Hard Drive: 750GB ATA (7200rpm)
-Mini SSD: 32GB mSATA (Although I'm waiting for a Crucial m4 128gb which will install the OS)
-Graphics: GT640M 2GB GeFrorce NVIDEA
-Wireless: Intel centrino 6235n

I must say that I love the computer, the sound is amazing, never seen a sound on a laptop like this,the touchpad its quite good, the screen, the design....But of course, not everything is good ...

Like other users I have two problems:

1-WIFI card Problem: I have a router n, and from the floor below the router, the laptop dont pass the 54Mbs .... although sometimes I get 180mbs, 260mbs and 300mbs peaks (so i don´t think that aluminum is causing the problem..).Im not goig to wait so much for new versions fix, so I've watched a wifi card to replace: http://www.ebay.es/itm/New-Intel-Centrino-Wireless-N-2230-2230BNHMW-WIFI-Bluetooth-BT-Mini-PCI-E-Card-/180958225782?pt=US_Internal_Network_Cards&hash=item2a21f36576#ht_3705wt_1163)

Do you think this will resolve the problem?

2-DVD Sound: When I boot the computer the DVD player makes an unpleasant noise, but this does not worry me much

Everything else its fine, but i not done any deep analysis because I have never done and i dont know wich programs to use and althought i dont now to analyze results ....

 

GSTegi, wifi card swaps have been tried with no useful results. It isn't the card.


Sent from my brain using neurons fueled by glucose

 

to be fair, cooling systems in general for laptops are subpar and most mainstream laptops throttle, even the Asus u500 you mentioned. If you wanted to really play games you should buy a dedicated gaming laptop which are allot thicker and have superior cooling systems.

 

As with all BIOS, you cannot flash backwards, only forwards. If you REALLY want your A04 back, you could do a full system restore. but BACK UP YOUR DATA FIRST! It all will be deleted...

 

Well, can't speak for others, but I am one of those guys who had read about the issues and still went ahead with the purchase.

Personally, I am not too concerned about the throttling problem.
I do not intent to do heavy gamings on the laptop, so I highly doubt I ll be pushing it to the point where it throttles. As a matter of fact I have a second generation i5 with 4gb rams and Radeon 4670 (a very old card) on my desktop. I can't even use up all its capability.

The screen grid and touchpad? I am pretty sure they are not a design fault, as many users dont have such problems. (some do) At the end of the day, if I do receive a unit that's faulty, I always have the choice to go for an exchange, provided it's not a bad design that appears on every single unit.

You say they use low quality LCDs to make the screens? perhaps, but I also heard a lot of people saying good things about it. If it pleases many people's eyes, it'd likely please mine. My standard isn't that high so I'd probably be ok with it. After all, its a FHD resolution fitted in a 15.6 inch screen with a 350 nit brightness.

Ah ha, the wifi. I must admit that's the part where I was worried about. Therefore, before I made the purchase I had a written guarantee by a rep stating that if the wifi doesn't perform like it should, as its specs suggest, he will grant me a full refund, including the shipping, no question asked. I have a record of our conversation so I think I am covered. My plan is to get the laptop, see how bad the wifi is, and then decide. Knowing that I can get a refund should it not work, I can always choose another model after trying this one out.

I did do quite a lot of research before going for this one. The XPS 15 IS one of the rare options on the market that meets all my needs. At the end of the day, nothing counts until I try it for myself.

Just my opinion tho.

 

Hi there,
Just did a real life testing with the A11 BIOS and the N mode disabled, still Ubuntu 12.04 for me, this test was to play back the BOSS episode in 720p over the Wifi, the video is stored on my NAS.

And I can confirm the A11 BIOS doesn't solve the wifi issue, 5m from the router, playing that video is a painful experience, with a lot a artefacts and playback stops.

 

Then how were people able to flash back from A06 to A04?

 

They never tell you what the different BIOS updates do. It's really frustrating. I'd like to know before I update.

 

Who flashed back? I tried and was not able to flash back and Dell also told me it was not possible. I know if you google it there are ways around it but nothing that was easy to do

 

@homerchiu:

WiFi is a big part of what makes a laptop be a laptop - so no/poor WiFi is a big deal.

Amazon's selling the XPS15 also, and you get 30 days Full Refund Return on your laptop - I specifically emailed them about this reason last night. In a nutshell, a non-working Wifi = non-working laptop = Full Refund, $0 restocking fee (my inquiry was specific about the wifi and throttling). Here's Amazon's reply:

Computers sold and shipped by Amazon.com will receive a full refund if returned to us within 30 days of the item's shipping date. If the return is because the item is not working properly you will be issued a full refund. if the item is returned because of a defect you will not have to pay the 15% restocking fee.

 

Thanks! Appreciated! :thumbsup:

 

You can't unflash or downgrade a firmware update. Once it's done it's done, unless you sent it back to the factory and the demigods at Dell work their magic on the board

 

One question, this laptop brings WIDI? i cannot find the drivers on the page....

 

So i finally bit the bullet and got out my old Netgear WG111v3 wireless USB adapter. I'm glad I did, because I now remember what decent WiFi is like. I hate the look of a USB adapter on a new laptop, but in my classroom, 20 Mbps down beats .53 Mbps using the Centrino. Now, I just wait patiently for A12.

Does anyone else find the heat from the HDD coming up next to the touchpad to be bothersome? I know it doesn't apply as much to those of you using a SSD.

 

It's under the VIDEO subheading on Dell's driver website >>
Drivers and Downloads | Dell [United States]

:thumbsup:

 

I have not on this laptop. But on the XPS 13 ultrabook, I flashed back several versions until I found one that worked correctly with intel rapid start. I did this on three of them with no problem.

 

thanks! i got it!

 

Flashing back and forth between A04 and A06 was fine, but A09 was signed differently and would not allow you to go back. I'm guessing it has something to do with the UEFI being added.

 

You had Wifi issues with Ubuntu 12.04 as well?? If so, then this is obviously not a driver problem (and probably not a BIOS problem either). Sounds to me more and more like a hardware problem, which means we're probably screwed.

 

Hi guys,

Is there a definite way to tell what video driver is being used, whether the Nvidia or the Intel HD Graphics one? Or are both used at the same time? (does that even make sense?) I am a little rusty on Windows (I'm a Linux guy) so unsure how these video drivers interact.

I have a feeling my Nvidia card is not being used even though the driver is installed. When I launch the Nvidia Control Panel it sure looks like only the Intel HD Graphics 4000 device is being used....Can someone set me straight please?

 

Has anyone figured out the product codes that sometimes appear with this laptop? My service update says, "System Type: XPS15,NBK,BTX,L521X,WW".

 

I admit I don't know a sure-fire way, but I think the Nvidia card will only kick in when needed. If you are looking at the control panel, the video needs of your computer are probably low, so it would only be using the HD4000. I think some have commented that during gaming, the fps may drop dramatically, indicating it switched back to the HD4000. I think I remember reading that the Nvidia card needs the HD4000, meaning it's not like your computer is operating two independent video cards. I think you can use some third-party software to help figure it out, but we will have to wait to hear from someone who has more experience with that to respond.

 

The Intel GPU always generates the image out to the internal display, and the HDMI out. The Nvidia card writes its output to the framebuffer on the Intel GPU. That's what Optimus does.

On the XPS 15 the Displayport is attached directly to the Nvidia card so it's not part of this equation.

 

Something interesting just happened to me... I've been away at college for about a month and came home today and went up to my room where I normally would have the disconnecting and reconnecting problem that is common with the laptop (obviously). Right now I have actual pretty good reception, it is not excellent which I rarely have up here but it is certainly usable and pages are loading in seconds I am in awe because I am still on A04 and wifi drivers 15.3.0.16.

Not sure what changed I haven't updated any other drivers quite surprising.

 

I dont have one but i was following this post for a while from now, maybe the wificard have problems on some channels or maybe its the N wireless the one that dont work and the g works fine, anyone can make a test like it.