XPS 15 (L521X) Owner's Lounge

on a side note.. Im getting 7h 04m at 89% on power saver, just browsing the internet.

 

Dell's Windows 7 Quickset drivers work fine on Windows 8 and allow you to do that.

 

Thanks. That's added some features, but still the backlight cannot be adjusted, despite moving the slider. I have a couple of errors listed in Device Manager, so maybe there is still something else required. I just wish Dell would get the drivers sorted. It's not like Windows 8 was a surprise, and they're now selling the flipping machines, so where are the drivers? (Rhetorical)

 

What model of adapter did people get sent out because of the faulty wifi? I recently posted they were sending me out one, they said it would be a mini/compact one, so I assumed it would be a nano adapter, that doesnt take up too much room, boy was I wrong!

They sent me a BUFFALO Wireless-N NFINITI Dual Band Compact USB 2.0 adapter. Its far to big to be classed as even a temporary solution..... I cant exactly sit and move my laptop round regularly without worrying about having the flimsy thing look like its about to snap off and get stuck in the port! On top of that the range is awful and the download speed is only 1 Mbps better than the internal card at range. I have a 3 year old Belkin N1 adapter at home which can get 34Mbps on our 65 Mbps connection through 2 walls a floor and some stairs, with 2 X Boxes interfering and 3 laptops too, the Buffalo gets 7 or 8 and my internal card gets 6 Mbps max at the same range, so I messaged @dellcares telling them the solution they sent was NOT even a temporary solution, and I expected them to do something about it, no reply for 2 days since.

So much for good Dell support, I will insist on a refund of a newer win8 version of similar spec (512GB SSD, i7 but new one and 16GB RAM) if I have to..... Then if they still haven't fixed it, I will never buy from dell again.

 

Just emailed the resolution center as well as other setors of dell. I was left with no choice, tried calling Dell, emailed , was told on the phone someone would would get back to me but nothing so...Figured id share it.



Hello ---------,

I have also not received the 600$ back from Dell, so if i am to understand this correctly, Dell replaced my laptop with a malfunctioning broken down system, they then took away my warranty and pretty much "stole" the 600$ seeing as its been 2 months now. The wifi is horrible, the touchpad is broken, the screen has horrid grids. The depot was suppose to fix these problems.. all they did was replace the hard drive with a blank one, no dell utilities or recovery partition, they broke the touchpad, screen still horrible and unpleasant, As well as the wifi speed is only at 3mb, reception and range also limited to a few meters...wow.. And Dell still owes me 600$ .

How is this just, why is Dell treating me so wrongly. I have been nothing but patient.

I do request once again that your reach me as soon as possible, this behaviour from a company like Dell is completely flabbergasting and for them to display adds saying they have the best support,service and quality products is false and they are misleading customers, I have yet to use a working laptop since august and am so very frustrated.



I have requested many times that I be allowed to send back this system and Dell can send me a new system when all these unacceptable problems have been fixed, i should not have to keep sending this system to depot because of Dell's design and hardware flaws. I have performed over 9 reformats in a month. And I am requesting once more that I be allowed to return this system and have one sent to me in a month or so, however long it takes Dell to fix all these problems for i have no use with such a broken down system.



Awaiting some kind of response,

Elvis
613----------
current service tag : -------

customer number : -------

 

Has anyone tried replacing their Centrino Wireless 6235 card with another Intel card?
Found this card below at Amazon...it would seem to fix the issue?

Amazon.com: Intel Network Wifi Link 6300 633AN.HMWWB Half Height Minicard Vpro Enabled Excellent PerformanceNew: Computers & Accessories

 

yes, i have,as well as many other users.. before i sent back my studio xps 1645.. it had an intel centrino....6300 .. but there are conflicts. first, that card requires 3 antennas, the 521 only has 2 . also, it didnt work any better and 3rd, that card does not have bluetooth.

 

That was me. They worked fine on 5GHZ not 2.5. 2.4GHZ did NOT work well. However most publicly available wifi is 2.4ghz, and 5GHZ has less range than 2.4. The wifi issue is NOT solved.

 

I go normal throughput latency etc with 5GHZ, but this is not really a solution. 5GHZ has less range, and many public / work wifi routers do not support 5GHZ.

 

There are a lot of other cards too....But you would not have to use a third antenna. If you look at some of the reviews on the cards listed at Amazon they reviewers had some of the same issues we have with Dell laptops and the cards were able to resolve those issues. Has anyone else tried different wireless cards in their XPS laptops?

 

Non intel cards do not work with widi...

 

Hey, guys, I am a novice compared to most users here and have a couple of questions about the L521X issues I've been reading about.

First, what exactly is throttling? Does it interfere with gaming? I've been playing games on the L502X with a 540M and Sandy Bridge, so I would assume the L521X with a 640M and Ivy Bridge would perform better all around... But I don't know what this throttling issue is.

Second, I asked earlier if people with the new W8 systems would report any problems. Responses I got seemed to think I was implying that W8 itself might fix the issues. But that's not what I meant. The new systems not only come pre-loaded with W8 but also have new CPU and new wireless card. I was kind of hoping there were more revisions done that they just weren't sharing. That's why I wanted to hear from people who got the actual new W8 systems and not just the W8 upgrade for their existing system. So is it confirmed that nothing has been alleviated at all with the new systems?

And, finally, this wifi issue that everyone keeps talking about. Does it slow you down no matter what you're doing and where? Or is it only in public places or only during LAN transfers? Or what?

 

Throttling is when the computer turns down the performance of your processor and graphics card, to avoid overheating, over consumption of power (when unpluged), etc.
So even tho you have a more superior CPU and GPU, you might still get lower performance (mostly on gaming) due to the fact that the system turns down their performance.

Personally, I don't notice that. But evidently a lot of users do.

We are not sure about the new systems yet. At least I am not.

 

Hey guys I got a question about windows 8.

I heard that if your PC was made after July this year you get a free upgrade to Windows 8 is that right?
I bought mine a month ago but how do I claim that?
Is there a website I go to or what?

Thanks.

 

Here ya go: http://windows.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/upgrade-offer

Sent from my MB886 using Tapatalk 2

 

Not free, but for $15 its pretty cheap.

Windows Upgrade Offer - Landing Page

It also appears that an official proof of purchase isn't required... hint hint...

 

Cheers Guys!
Yeh $15 is almost like free.Compared to the previous windows.

 

Hi Guys,
Does anyone have any ideas about this Keyboard backlight issue?
I just swapped out my 750GB HDD for a new Samsung 830 SSD. All works fine, re-installed Windows and all of the drivers, however, the backlight on the keyboard appears to have stopped working. I also noticed that in the Bios, the status for the kboard now reads 'non backlite'
Windows Mobility Centre indicates the Backlight is turned on.

 

Jake_P: the same thing happened to me, and all is it is that the small ribbon cable connection near the power connection has come undone due to pressure from the cable's pull tab against the battery. Just pop off the bottom cover as reseat the cable & close the latch. Make sure the pull tab is tucked along the side of the battery so it doesn't pop open again. Cheers.

 

Even your wifi works fine? You reinstalled windows 7 with boot cd? reinstall drivers with the provided drivers cd or download new ones from online? Also what did you do with the msata ssd? Reformat and use as data driver?

 

BTW how's the 830?
I am think about buying one of those lately. Not sure if i should get that or the crucial m4 or the ocz vertex 4...

 

xnap - thanks, I will check this..
homerchiu - seems good so far, significant improvement on the standard hdd - been transferring and installing programs so far so not had much chance to use properly as yet..

 

Samsung 830 is the most reliable and fastest. M4 is next in reliability and speed is on par. OCZ vertex 4 is fast but OCZ is very unreliable.
If you want, you can also get the new samsung 840 but get the pro version of the 840, that one is even faster than 830.

If you wait until Black Friday, I'm sure you'll find some good prices on SSDs. I got myself a 830 128gb for $75 shipped recently but have yet to install it. A good price point would be .50 / gb.

 

has anyone else noticed a shorted battery life with windows 8?

 

You should look for a different laptop, none of the problems on this one have been resolved and it has been around 4 months since it has been released, honestly I don't believe that the issues will be resolved at all. I have had 3 dell laptops and they have all had issues, they release unfinished products into the market and people keep buying them, so why should they change their practices? I am voting with my money and I'm going to spend it elsewhere, I will also be advising anyone who asks me which laptop to buy to avoid dell at all costs. Please don't wait to buy this laptop, accept the evidence that has been put in front of you in this thread and look for an alternative.

 

I am on wireless N 5.8ghz and the connection is at 9mb/s :S 10 feet from router.

 

Elvis7,

May I ask what is your speed when plugged into your router via ethernet cable and your providers promised speed?

Thanks in advance.

 

This is a great looking laptop but I can't believe they still didn't fix it with the newer version shipped with Windows 8. I really wanted this but I guess not anymore. Currently looking at Samsung laptops as an alternative.

 

The problem is with this stupid xps 521... i never had internet problems with the studio xps 1645...

My router is a linksys e4200,
isp: rogers 28Mbps/down 1Mbps/up

on the 2.4ghz network
-Link speed is 39-144 in flux from 10 feet away
-network transfer speed(pc tp pc) is 2mbs
-speed test 15ms ping 8Mbps/down 0.94 Mbps/down


on the 5.8ghz network
-link speed 10 feet away is 200
-networ transfer speed is 10mbs
speed test : 15ms ping, 15.68mb/down 0.95/up

 

My battery life on 'Power saver' mode dropped to 3 hours from 5.5-6 hours.

And is anyone else experiencing dead fan issue? After I put Windows 8 to sleep, my fan isn't working anymore. I have tried to restart and everything but no success.... Currently my CPU is running at 100 CELCIUS and GPU at 96 celcius degrees...

 

Those temperatures cannot be good for your CPU or GPU. Did you update all drivers?

 

Just yesterday the fan decided it didn't want to do it's job or what not...and it was hitting 88 for no reason... had to shut it down to avoid it shutting it's self down improperly

OH and this ish happens in safe mode... come on!

same issues here, eventually the laptop will shut it's self off of course, big problem... - no I do not game and every time it happened to me I was doing little more than reading a news website or checking email... or listening to music(not on the web)... - happened in both w7 and w8 for me multiple times in each OS.. even after they replaced fan, heatsink and motherboard, wificard..etc

I am giving Dell 2 more chances, either they get the 2nd version of the XPS 15 521x right and they send me a new one in exchange for the garbage I have now...and then IF that still doesn't work then I will give them 1 last chance and hopefully the XPS 14 421x will have less or use-able problems...

terrible battery life, touchpad, overheating, not performing up to cpu/gpu ability, wifi, screen issues...ARE individually unacceptable but understandable, combine them with months of replacement parts and no change for the better...and it's audacious.... honestly the nerve of who ever is shot calling on this one.

 

I still haven't seen confirmation that someone has recieved the 2nd version(not just installed w8 on the 1st xps 15 521x version)... looking forward to hopefully seeing some sort of 180 degree turn around.

 

your handle is appropriate.

 

There's been a few if you read the thread.

 

Folks, for those of you not willing to read this entire thread, the story hasn't changed. Multiple unsolved issues with the Dell ultra-thin models. Some may call me a troll, but I just don't understand. I've said it before. The XPS line is failing. You don't know my background experience, but I assure you they only want your money at this point. If you buy this laptop, they win. I've been tracking many variables on Dell's product line for almost 10 years. This is unprecedented. I'm not trying to spread hate. I have historically loved my Dell experience, but recent events make me take notice. If you don't read the entire thread then good luck. You have been warned. I hope they turn things around next year. If you still want to stick to Dell, that's okay. Try the Inspiron 15R SE or Alienware. Or maybe Latitude. I'm not going into specifics anymore. Read the thread. Don't drink the Kool-Aid.

 

I really need some help here. The depot sent me a new Hdd empty, it only has the os. but every so often it make a loud click noise. Now then, when i tried to plug my old Hdd in it said no boot device on startup and just sat there. the replacement Hdd is a western digital and my old one is a seagate.

still dont know why the depot would be so dumb as to replace the hdd when i clearly wrote display,wifi,touchpad, gpu/cpu.

how do i get my old hdd to boot up so i can sent this one back?


Update: i tried booting up in windows 8 and 7 install, tried repauring too but i get told no operating system found.. did the depot do to my perfectly functioning hdd. i tried gparted but even it says somerhing is seriously messed up and it wont do anything util its fixed.. Help

 

I have been following this thread for a while now as a non member of the site, however i am not sure if this driver has been mentioned yet or tried.

Drivers and Downloads | Dell [Australia]

i am still sitting on the fence as to whether or not to buy the XPS 15 so fingers crossed the wifi is resolved soon.

Thoughts on the above driver update ^^

 

A quick update for anyone intrested:

After I realised my XPS 15 suffered from the same WiFi issue as almost every other XPS 15, I called Dell UK.

They were quick to admit that the sleek design of the laptop has led to a compromise in WiFi performance (i.e. when not very close to the router). They didn't even bother to offer technical assistance with drivers etc.

Instead, they immediately offered either a free WiFi dongle or a full refund.

As I already have a WiFi dongle that has the same performance problems* as the onboard WiFi, I went for the refund. It's a shame since I really liked this laptop, but the WiFi issue makes the laptop totally unusable to me.

*the same dongle works fine on other computers and also works fine on the XPS when the laptop is close to my router. But not when I move the XPS more than 4-5 meters away from the router.

** Just to WARN potential buyers: right after I talked to Dell technical support and they admitted the compromise in design that led to WiFi performance issues, out of curiosity I called Dell sales and asked about the XPS 15 WiFi issues. They said that to their knowledge, these issues had been resolved with the newer models. They said the same when I asked the same question 3 weeks ago, right before ordering the XPS 15...

 

@thomas: That is the current driver (as I've been using for a while) and it seems to depend upon the individual system whether it works well enough or not.

I've said it before and I'll say it again, software tuning of the system can help to some degree, but the hardware has limitations.

Whether the system with limitations is suitable for your use only you can say. If you rely heavily upon wifi for large data rate work then I would be very hesitant to purchase. Working with Dell for returns and service work is by all accounts here just Not Fun.

 

I am sure this has been asked and answered, but went through tons of posts and cannot see an answer.

Has anyone from the UK or elsewere, bought one of these from the outlet, and have they fixed the WIFI issue on the refurbs ?

If not, what did they say when you called to complain, as they are selling for like 600.00 at the moment, which seems quite good.

Thanks

 

Refurb arrives tomorrow, I'll let you know.

Sent from my Nexus 7 using Tapatalk 2

 

Got the new model today. Does anyone know what the button on the bottom case does? It seems to turn on a little light behind the vent.

 

That's the battery indicator.

 

Can u write something more about screen quality and wifi performance?

 

I'm pretty sure (90%) that I've seen one person report a DFO purchase that had all the same problems, which is to be expected.

Don't expect a DFO purchase to be anything other than have the OS reloaded from a master image.

Returns are probably handled the same as a non-DFO purchase, I would assume (e.g. in tons of cases, badly, but I'm a cynic).

 

To be fair to Dell, I feel I need to mention that they handled my return very smoothly, despite being over the 21 day time-frame. I would actually buy another Dell, but not this model or the XPS 14.

This product on the other hand... it still seems like they're shipping out a lot of faulty units. The number of units with the Wi-Fi issue seems really high, only a few are not reporting it and the throttling issue doesn't seem to have been fixed at all and Dell isn't admitting anything.

If you care at all about performance, this still doesn't look like the right system to buy.

 

Everything up to date from whatever I could find

I re-flashed my UEFI (or BIOS, whatever you want to call it) and it seems to be working right now..... and man. The more I use this laptop, the more problems I find. I happened to come across a full white screen at night and I've found some serious amount of dead pixels on my screen. They are noticeable on bright screen and I see about at least 4 separate parts of the screen that has dead pixels.....

 

that's the battery indicator

 

Just got off the phone with my dell resolution person.
He still says he cannot replace the system when there is an official fully functioning one released and that the only real issue is the wifi.
even though ive sent proof and spoken for hours about the issues im having with the touchpad and screen.

after an hour on the phone , he will send over a tech to replace the display,motherboard and touchpad. I had asked why cant I just have the system replaced in a month with one that will work out of the box, because he is having every part replaced anyway.. HE said no.

As for this horrible wifi, he said there is still no solution, that the problem seems to only be with intel cards and assures me that when a fix is out , I will be getting it too.

sigh.. nothing more I can do, I just hope the new pad and display don't have issues.