XPS 15 (L521X) Owner's Lounge

I get a hard long line too but don't think I get key pressed.

 

My fan appears to run on turbo mode when the laptop is meant to be sleeping/idle (as soon as I wake it up it slows down). I'm on Windows 8, any ideas why this might be happening!?

 

Indeed no, I've got the 6235N because at the very beginning of the v2, this was the wifi card delivered with the computer in France. When I asked Dell, they answer "the 6235N is the only reference". The bad news is just few days after the new computer was sent to production, they changed for the Dell 1901...too late to change the production order.

I don't know exactly what is not factual in my messages except for the conclusion about the images. I'm pretty happy with this computer, but the wifi is not good, that's all. I've not completed all the testing I wanted to run, I'll do, but in the mean time, everyone can see the results in the Google spreadsheet.

As you can see there are a lot of improvements in the wifi area with the v2. The first part of the spreadsheet is about downloading through FTP a 763 MB ISO file. This file is stored on the nas included in my router. Then, I tested to watch SDTV and HDTV, and finally a 720p video also stored in the nas. This router is in the 2.4 GHz bandwith only. The XPS is 5m from the router, with no obstacle.

To me, the issue is not so related to the wifi speed, but to the quality of the connection. The new W8 task manager is very instructive to see the rate of the data is not constant but suffers from several drops.

In term of speed, unfortunately, the machine is still far from the old Macbook Pro reference.

 

Hello

I will shortly be receiving this laptop as an insurance replacement for my recently destroyed M1530.

I will receive a 1TB HDD and 32GB SSD drive with 4GM of RAM.

Due to the nature of the insurance process I am unable to change the stats/performance of the machine from source. I wish to perform video editing and therefore feel I should extend the memory to 16GB.

My main question is, having read the instructions on how to replace memory, is that it seems less straight forward than anticipated.

Should I be worried about taking all the components out to install the new memory? I have never done this before and despite having confidence in doing this I am worried I could ruin the computer.

Is the process straightforward enough, following all the instructions in the owner’s manual? I guess I just need reassurance I can pull this off with no issues, and protecting my warranty.

My second question is really, should I replace the SSD drive to maybe a 124GB one and install windows on this drive? Is it worth it in terms of speed and video editing? I’m not worried about a few extra seconds on start-up but more general speed in day to day use and the editing.

Many thanks in advance to my questions.

 

If you have the right tools, which is mandatory to make a clean job, the service manual, the good environment (a free and clean table). It's really feasible, but you must very carefully follow the manual instructions.

 

Agreed.

I had no problems when I upgraded the RAM on mine.

The only thing the manual doesn't tell you is that the first time you boot after doing the work the machine will go into black-screen lock with 5-beep pattern - nothing is wrong here - it's just the BIOS telling you it noticed that the BIOS battery was disconnected. Just power down and restart and all is well.

The only wierd tool you need is a Torx T5 screw-driver. Keep in mind those torx screws use very light pressure, don't ham-hand them.

Just go slow and be diligent and it's no problem.

wrt:OP's question about enlarging the mSATA ... I've found that moving the OS to the mSATA has been a tremendously nice upgrade in overall behavior of windows, when using, vs even the SSD-cached-hard-drive.

BUT, for video editing, I'm pretty sure it would not make much of a difference, as my impression of that is that the egregious quantity of data movement is really the issue.

The larger issue will be that the 1TB drive that he's getting is a SATA-2, not a SATA-3, which limits drive throughput considerably.

If you REALLY want to tune the machine for video editing I'd replace BOTH the mSATA and the HDD

- 128 Gb or larger mSATA, put OS and applications on that, redirect all primary "user" directories to locations on the HDD in order to conserve space on the SSD ( Documents, Pictures, Videos, Downloads, Music ). This can be done via taking "right click -> properties" and changing the "target folder location" from within Explorer. Decent mSATA SSD of 128 Gb capy can be had for about 100-120$. Larger is nicer but with all data stored elsewhere it's not NECESSARY.

- get a two-device external USB-3 Super-Speed enclosure and put two 512 Gb SSDs (or HDDs) in a RAID, and use that for your video content instead of the interrnal HDD. SATA-2 devices have a max interface speed of 3 Gb/s; SATA-3 is 6 Gb/s; USB-3 is 5 Gb/s. Leave the internal drive for final-content storage - playback will be fine off the shipped device but it'll be performance inhibiting for the workflow, is my assumption. FYI, two 2.5" 512 Gb SSDs plus enclosure probably will run around 1000$ or more.

If my job was video editing, and this was my machine, that's how I'd spend money.

 

Is there a way to allow only the Nvidia 640M card to utilize graphics instead of the integrated Intel graphics? I've been trying to change the settings for this but can't find it. Every program seems to be using the Intel graphics instead of Nvidia.

Edit: Found the settings under Nvidia Control Panel. I set the global settings to use Nvidia 640M card but still some programs are not given the option to use this card. They are defaulted to the Intel graphics card and are grayed out to change their settings. For example, VLC media player is defaulted to Intel graphics and I can't change it.

 

Sadface. I posted earlier about my awful wifi issues.

- They replaced the wifi adapter, to an intel centrino N2230 or whatever. Didn't change a thing.
- Sent me a wifi dongle. Didn't improve anything.

When they called after the dongle they tried to suggest it were router issues. Nice try, guy. I get 2mbps speeds, my boyfriend's macbook pro gets 25mbps in the same exact location. We tried the same thing at school and he got 100mpbs and I got... 10. A day later at school and it was also 2mbps. This slow speed is visibly noticeable, as in, webpages take longer to load and by god so do videos.

The laptop was a gift, but I think I am close to done with it now. I like how it looks, I like most of its quality, but sitting there getting 1/10 the speed of anyone around me is just something I can't feel happy handling. The issue is, I'm not sure what kind of replacement laptop I would get if I were to attempt to get a refund for this one. I don't like macs, but I want something relatively powerful and top-of-the-line. I was hoping that what is supposed to be one of Dell's best offerings would work, but apparently not. I guess as a last resort, does anyone here have any suggestions of close substitutes I could look at?

 

Many thanks c0derbear and romu for you replies.

Thanks for the advice on the practicalities of performing the upgrade. I will take my time and ensure I followi everything to the book.

That is a good suggested regarding the intern HDD speeds. I have little money right now but will consider that for the future. In terms of editing it will only be small personal projects (friend’s youtube /website vies and home movies) and I have access to a beefy system for work.

This is all a bonus to me as I didn’t expect to be put in this position from my insurance claim. Seems I have done well on that!

 

Just had a call from Dell as part of a customer satisfaction survey asking if I was happy with my XPS 15 L521X.

Just coincidence, or are they digging deeper into the problems?

Dell rep was most suprised when I told her I was returning for a refund as they weren't prepared to exchange it.

 

If the USB adapter is not showing any improvement then I would guess that there is something wrong beyond the normally poor WiFi issues. All of the WiFi issues are with the internal stuff (card, antenna, interference) once you attach an external USB solution you should be bypassing it all. Is this a windows 8 or 7 machine? from the sound of it it came with the 1900 card?

 

Sorry guys probably in earlier post you have already answered this question but the thread is getting bigger and it's diffiulte to search in.

If i have a dell xps 15 L521X model with wifi issue..
What is the best thing to do?
I've already sent an email to the tech assistance through the site but i have not yet answered.
Should i wait for new driver release (it's possible that no driver will be released??, is it possible that this wifi issue is not related to a software problem but on a hardware problem??)
Should i ask for a replacement (It's possible to ask for a replacement of the entire machine for a newer version of the same model but bugs free???, does exist an xps 15'' laptop withouth this wireless issue??)
Does a simple usb wifi dongle work to fix the machine wifi problem? If yes, could you tell me which one to buy?
Does a modem replacement fix the machine wifi problem? (Ive got a thomson gateway TG585 v7, there is a particular configuration to boost wifi?
Does only a wireless card replacement on the laptop would solve this problem?

I've seen that many have been give a wifi dongle but it seems not working properly and the wifi is still not good.
I pay for 20 mbit contract so on i wifi 700-800 kbs stable are well for me.. Now i am 1 meter from the router and the connection is about 200 kbs stable when i get far the connection speed drop down very fast since it become impossible to navigato at 9 meter far away from the router.
Thanks for the answer.

 

To me, the replacement has been a good option, as the new XPS brings a good improvement in the wifi area, but it is only an improvement, in no way a fix (=get a wifi with rates according to G and N specs).

I guess only an USB wifi dongle could provide a "normal" wifi behaviour, but I didn't test one.

I've tried 2 adapters, the Intel 6235N and the Intel 5100 and the results are not strong enough to justify an adapter or the other one. I'm waiting for my Dell rep anwser to get a Dell 1901 and make further testing.

This answer is only for 2.4 GHz wifi networks, I don't have any 5 GHz to test with.

 

How can i ask for a replacement of the machine (better wifi machine)?

I have to spend some money?

They replace the entire machine and give me a new one or they change only the wifi card?

How long does it take?


There is some one that has found a good wifi dongle to have a decent wifi speed?

Thanks for the answer

 

Kraster010: best advice is contacting Terry-B_dell here on the board and asking nicely for help, seems the most reliable path.

If it is a brand new purchase though, maybe just a straight return if you are signing 21 day windows ... And then buy one again. Has as much likelihood of getting a better unit as anything else maybe.

Re:USB adapters - the netgear WNDA3100v2 I have seems to work fairly well, it is an 802.11n 2x2:2 MIMO device so reasonably capable. It is important to disable the internal wifi if using a USB device though - otherwise you don't know which device windows is using!

On a whim I bought a replacement for the 6235 for my machine and I has been working much better ... It is a Bigfoot Killer-N 1202 ... Does everything but WiDi. It may not work as well for everyone, but it literally doubled my transfer rates at the same distances compared to the 6235 on 2.4 MHz band.

Now I need to take the time and compare it to the netgear device.


Sent from my brain using neurons fueled by glucose

 

Addendum: If someone is working with dell on the wifi and they are trying a WLAN card swap, maybe try to get dell to swap in the Killer-N ... Dell uses it on the Alienware machines so they have it somewhere in their parts stock.


Sent from my brain using neurons fueled by glucose

 

What's the exact reference of the card? I'll try to buy it on eBay if I can't get one from Dell.

 

Does anyone have any luck with the SD card reading SD pro duo? Mine can't seem to read those? Or is the SD card reader on SD and SDHC?

 

Just do a Google search for "Bigfoot killer-n 1202" - there is only one vendor selling them aftermarket, but you can fund them on both eBay and amazon from them.

Sent from my Nexus 7 using Tapatalk 2

 

(from previous page)

It's the windows 7 version -- I got it around early October, I think. I don't remember which card it came with (whoops) but it was a different intel one that the models originally came with. It got replaced with another intel adapter, N2230 off the top of my head.

I'm not sure what the issue might be, but the wifi dongle didn't help particularly much. It registered a very SMALL increase, but this is not good enough. (I did a test -- BF got 150mbps at school, I got 2-10mbps without a dongle and 20mbps with. At home, it's 25mbps for him, 1mbps without a dongle and 2-3mbps with a dongle). I guess that's an "improvement" but it's still incredibly poor performance I'm not happy with. There is no reason such an expensive laptop performs so poorly compared to anyone else.

If anyone tech savvy could explain what else could be causing such a dramatic difference in speeds I'd love to hear it. Otherwise I'm going to look for some kind of refund and see if I can find some kind of substitute.

 

Saturday, the only thing that I can think of is that there is some software on the machine slowing it down ... antivirus ... other ... the community has seen dramatically different performance levels with different driver revisions for that matter.

But, you sound like someone who just wants something that works, not a fiddling-around kind of person.

Go get a return/refund and check out the latest Asus ( UX51 ).

 

Some really good news on my front concerning the grid lines.

So my GPU went faulty somehow, it was recognizing the Intel HD Graphics 4000 but not the NVIDIA GeForce GT 640M. So after many driver uninstall and re-installs, they sent out a tech who replaced the mother board (CPU and GPU all connected). However, upon flipping open the lid with the tech, at a certain angle the picture became displaced and fell apart. This had happened once the night prior, but I thought it was a little glitch. Anyway, he said I needed a new screen and would be back in two days.

Today, he returned and replaced the screen and guess what, yep no more visible grid lines unless I pull the laptop within roughly 6 inches of my face and even then they are very very faint. And if the picture is HD they all but disappear. The edges of pictures on websites have also smoothed out (naturally, not perfect, but most sites are not configured for HD). Similarly, the text does not have a slight fuzz to it. Regardless, I am stunned and happy. Even the splendid color option, which exacerbated the grid lines now looks decent. And no, the replacement of the GPU was not the fix, as the screen still had its visible lines with the new GPU.

Conclusion, there have got to be two screens (I'm sorry I did not write down the model I had prior to its replacement) OR Dell got a batch of faulty screens by a supplier and some of us got them and some didn't. I definitely had the faulty/poor quality one.

So now all I have left to gripe about is the damn wifi, but supposedly there is a new driver/update that improves its reception. And yes, the screen can get a little better....

And again, it bears repeating, my keys are not being pressed on by the screen when it is closed and I have no heat problems (but I have an SSD).

So I will be keeping the laptop. It's a pretty damn fine machine. Will report back after testing the new wifi update but I have a feeling, worse come to worst, I will accept a dongle. Without it, I still have great connectivity within a 15 foot range, dropping by 60% at 30 feet and a wooden door.

 

My killer-n should be here Monday or Tuesday. I'll do some speed comparisons before and after install this week.

 

Yes, and I would advice to switch to the A12 Bios, I got a quite big improvement in the wifi area with the A12.

 

Hey SYF, can you check what model your display is? If you are not sure how to find this, download this app
Monitor Asset Manager (MonInfo) – display info tool | Rarst.net
EnTech Taiwan | Utilities | Monitor Asset Manager

Thanks for your help.

 

Keep in mind the grid lines are still there...just not hurting my eyes evident


Monitor
Windows description...... Generic PnP Monitor
Manufacturer............. AUO
Plug and Play ID......... AUO00ED
Data string.............. 6985X€B156HTF [*CP437]
Serial number............ n/a
Manufacture date......... 2011, ISO week 0
Filter driver............ Monitor
-------------------------
EDID revision............ 1.4
Input signal type........ Digital
Color bit depth.......... 6 bits per primary color
Color encoding formats... RGB 4:4:4
Screen size.............. 340 x 190 mm (15.3 in)
Power management......... Not supported
Extension blocs.......... None
-------------------------
DDC/CI................... n/a

Color characteristics
Default color space...... Non-sRGB
Display gamma............ 2.20
Red chromaticity......... Rx 0.620 - Ry 0.349
Green chromaticity....... Gx 0.324 - Gy 0.606
Blue chromaticity........ Bx 0.152 - By 0.118
White point (default).... Wx 0.313 - Wy 0.329
Additional descriptors... None

Timing characteristics
Range limits............. Not available
GTF standard............. Not supported
Additional descriptors... None
Preferred timing......... Yes
Native/preferred timing.. 1920x1080p at 60Hz (16:9)
Modeline............... "1920x1080" 136.200 1920 1968 2068 2086 1080 1083 1084 1088 +hsync -vsync
Detailed timing #1....... 1920x1080p at 40Hz (16:9)
Modeline............... "1920x1080" 90.800 1920 1968 2068 2086 1080 1083 1084 1088 +hsync -vsync

Standard timings supported

Report information
Date generated........... 15/12/2012
Software revision........ 2.60.0.972
Data source.............. Registry-Active
Operating system......... 6.1.7601.2.Service Pack 1

 

What 3 formats does the SD card reader read? SD, SDHC, SDXC?

Tried putting a pro-duo in there and it doesn't seem to work. You'd think Dell marketing this as a multimedia laptop would at least include a 9 in 1 card reader like the last xps

 

you need the pro duo adapter. like a micro sd to sd card adapter.

yeah, terry b hasn't replied to the message I sent him he has been active on the dell forums but has yet to reply to a week old message, I guess Dell told him no more helping us ;( the guy in charge of my issues(display/keys and wifi) does want to do anything but keep replacing parts , reformatting the os and software troubleshoot ;( seriously, Dell is messing up big time and 70% of the world doesn't even know about it, no news or review sites, nothing, and we are simply being ignored!

 

Hi, little question for the owners of the L521x v2, is there still the Windows 8 serial sticker under the metal plate at the bottom of the computer? Just to check this sticker has been forgotten only on mine

 

I don't know specifically for your model notebook, but the Win8 notebooks (factory installed) I've worked with did not have a product key sticker (just a Windows8 logo sticker). I think the product key is now written into the UEFI BIOS (the secure boot stuff). If you re-install Win8, it recognizes the PC's product key automagically. I'd suggest being cautious before resetting any BIOS settings though as I'm not sure how that would affect the key.

 

Ok thanks. I understand, but as my main OS is Ubuntu, I need to create a W8 virtual machine to run specific applications, so I need this key. Do you know how I can retrieve the serial key?

 

Use Belarc Advisor. That's how I found my Windows 8 key (I too didn't have my key sticker under the laptop. It's written in the BIOS now).

 

Hello Everyone,

I really like this laptop, and I'm in the position to shell out 1200 dollars for one laptop in amazon.

I've read the whole thread since the first xps version that came up with the L521x in July. Seems that the WLAN issue still remains plus some screen issues. The people posting problems with the W8 machines is less that the W7 version...

If I replace the WLAN card with the Killer NIC the issue should go away right? I see someone did this, but I would like to know the results on the latter. Performance remains?

Regards,
Roberto

 

I should have my killer-n tomorrow and will post test results before and after sometime in the next couple of days.

 

Sounds good. If Wifi works well with the Killer-N, I wonder if Dell would provide us this option.

 

Thank you man! Really appreciate that. If the results are good..I will purchase this laptop...

 

Where did you order your killer WiFi from?

 

Amazon....

 

In my use the Killer-N has definitely upgraded the wlan performance, it's reliably about 2x what I was getting with the 6235.

I had to do some work on my wife's notebook (it's a studio xps 1645) ... it was having spurious reboots ... so while I was in there cleaning and re-pasting the coolers on the gpu/cpu, I also swapped-in the 6235 to replace the dell 1510 (1501?) that was there. We'd upgraded her to win8 and there are no current dell win8 drivers for the 1510. The 6235 works dramatically better in her machine than in mine, which I expected.

I haven't had the time to do serious performance comparisons, but now the two machines seem "in the ball park" of each other, rather than wildly different.

Part of what I need to spend some time investigating is the fact that while with the current intel driver on her machine it reports getting an 802.11n connection to our router, the throughput is roughly *half* of what it was with the default win8 driver.

Literally half.

With the default driver it was getting 70-80 Mbps, and with the latest driver from Intel it gets 35-45 Mbps in the exact same situation.

I also need to compare both to the WNDA3100v2 that I have, as Netgear finally released final Win8 drivers for that. It's very possible that device may out-class either, but I won't know until I spend some time testing.

 

Great news on the Killer-N performance. IMHO there are three issues with the WiFi. Performance (Which you have answered), Range and asymetrical upload / download (Upload being much higher than download). The more critical next one for me is range. How is the killer N doing with distance, connection reliability and ability to see other networks.

thanks

 

range: what are your range requirements?

Like I said, I haven't had a chance to do good testing, but the connectivity was solid and rate good at about 30' (with one wall and one HDTV between DLink DIR-655 WAP and PC). Adding the second wall (which was definitely solid/structural and probably fire-retardant) and another 10' dropped the date rate below 10 Mbit, but connection was solid. Keeping that distance but sit-stepping around that wall edge brought up the data rate quite a bit, but I don't have specifics.

I won't have a chance to make more good testing at home until Friday. If I'm lucky I'll get a chance to do some out-of-home testing and see if I can find a 5 Mhz band test in addition (comparing to my earlier reports).

I will also be testing with crypto disabled, as that significantly affects throughput on both cards. It may be a router limitation, since mine is very much an inexpensive consumer unit.

All this really makes me want to spend 200$ on a *really*good* router, but that will have to wait.

FWIW: I believe that the asymmetric behavior was driver/hardware specific to the 6235 - I have a completely unfounded, non-technically based belief that it is related to the WiDi support in at least the driver ... since that requires streaming HD video-audio "upstream" from the unit.

It also mystifies me why the released Intel drivers drop performance so much compared to the stock Win8 drivers. That's just nuts.

 

reasonable range. I have had trouble at 10 feet through one wall, or through a floor. With the 6235 I have been unable to connect at reasonable places like Starbucks though I don't know if that is range or ability to fight for bandwidth and connectivity, so more stability of connection. It sounds like you are getting reasonable performance. In my home office which is at the edge of what I would consider reasonable range - but still usable - for most of my devices. The Dell does not even see the network. My portege, Thinkpad t400, Moto Xoom and phone are all OK. The Dell is only OK with a USB stick... I have the Win 8 machine here, and my son has the Win 7 machine at school. The Win 8 is a replacement and I am trying to get it working well enough to swap, as is it isn't really much different IMHO

I see the asymmetrical transfer - much to my surprise with the Win 8 1900 which has no WiDI

 

useful knowledge, if frustrating.

 

Amazon.com, $55 shipped

 

Just received a message from terry, it seems the rumors are true, Dell is refusing all system exchanges and is only offering a usb dongle... What is going on, is Dell really allowed to do this to customers? legally?

 

in short, yes. very legal.

 

Well, after a couple of days with my XPS L521X I can say I'm a very happy owner of the laptop. After few tweaks here and there it's become the perfect laptop.

Issue 1: Heat throttling caused by turbo boost
Solution : Use a pogram called throttle top to limit the CPU to 2.0ghz, works just fine, games play excellently and the GPU/CPU never throttle down. I found with the turbo boost freqs. of 2.8ghz the GPU would throttle heavily.

Issue 2: WiFi issues
Solution : I'm sorry but I can't say that I've had any issues with the wifi. On my wireless n at home I get about 100mbit on SMB file transfers. Mind you I'm only about 10ft away. Likewise I have no issues with the wifi at work. I noticed that on the back of my laptop there is a plastic band on the back of the hinge, where I assume the aerials are. Is this the same on everyones machine?

Issue 3: The horrible over saturated colours and over-sharpened screen
Solution: Very easy. Press Windows + X and set the default display color to generic color. Perfect

Issue 4: Heat coming from the machine.
Solution: I have no heat issues at all, this is the coolest laptop I've used and really poops all over my MacBook Air sandybridge, that thing got uncomfortable.

Issue 5: Poor sound quality.
Solution : Under the Dell Audio control panel I switch off Waves MAXXAudio and suddenly every thing sounded great. This may not be the case for others as I usually run high end cans. This test was done using a pair of Senn HD650s, and the difference was night and day. These kind of optimisations are meant for headphones with poor frequency response and to also help out the laptop speakers. I recommend turning it off all together.

I have to say that after having all my issues dealt with that this is by far the best laptop I've owned. The rubberised coating feels great, the keyboard is fantastic, the screen is vibrant and contrasty (compared to my old XPS 1640). I love the cache SSD, it makes the whole system feel so snappy. The sound card is adequate.

Before I owned this machine I had an HP ENVY 15-3040nr, what a pile of crap that was. The build quality left a lot to be desired, particularly compared to this new XPS, this thing is solid. The screen colour accuracy was appalling, reds were oranges violets were .. well they weren't violets. The system lacked any form of cache ssd and was slow as hell. The typing experience on the HP ENVY 15 is about the worst I've ever had. There is an inconsistent amount of flex and rattle from the keys as you move from left to right, making the keyboard feel like it hasn't been secured properly and that the whole machine was build on the cheap.

Reading this forum made me very worried about my purchase as it was in transit, but having used the machine my confidence has been restored. I hope there are other users out there who are as happy with the machine as I am.

 

Update on my WiFi problem. My display and WiFi card was replaced on a Win 7 build. The new 1901 card drivers did not work on Win 7 so Dell sent me a replacement laptop (Win 8) a week ago. The WiFi now works much better, about twice as fast 20-25 MB down. I still think some sort of interference is at play and the WiFi could be better. Sorry to hear that Dell might have shut down exchanges as it is very clear they have a problem and providing a dongle hanging out the side of a very expensive laptop would not be satisfactory. Besides a few minor dislikes I really like the laptop.

 

RIght, My XPS arrived a couple of days ago. I have the windows 8 version (3632Qm, 8gb of ram, 750gb HDD and blu-ray optical drive) but at the time of purchase over here in New Zealand they only offered the version I was buying with the Intel Centrino 6235 wifi card.

So:
Screen: is perfectly fine. Even on the splendid setting it looks brilliant. I Can't see any grid lines unless my face it literally touching the screen and even then they are very faint. Not sure wheather this is becasue its the Windows 8 version or i just got lucky, but i'm happy.

Heat/Throttling: I have not had time to test the throttling (and will not for a while as i am going on holiday) but worst comes to worst i could always use throttle stop. I must say though during my first day with it when I was basically downloading and installing programs it was very cool. I don't think i actually even heard the fan come on.

Touchpad/Blu-Ray drive noise. Touchpad did take some use to getting to but there is certainly no issues with it . As a few have commented on it the Blu-Ray drive does make a sound every time you open a app that uses it, or plug in a external device but this is minor. Plus my old laptop had a slot load drive and did the same thing so I am used to it

WiFi: unfortunately my worst fears have been realized. I am on a firbe optic connection so I always get speeds off 100mbs plugged in and about 50-70 on wireless (with my old laptop which is a studio 1555). Sitting right beside the router i get between 20-25mbs which is definitely not up to scratch. Even worse though is then when i move to my bedroom which is a few meters away and through 2 walls the speed drops all the way down to 1mbs or just above. Not good at all. First thing ill do when i get back from my holiday will be to contact Dell and get them to replace the 6235 card with the Dell 1901 card as that seems to of helped many people. Even is that does not fix it i guess will accept a wireless dongle as a temporary solution as everything else about this laptop is amazing and I really do not want to return it

 

Good good, seems I'm going to get this system with Windows 8...and the Killer NIC card just in case. Don't wanna call Dell and make a mess...had a bad experience with a Lenovo..and living in Costa Rica did not help much.