XPS 18 Owners Lounge

So I pulled the trigger on this AIO a few days ago. Didn't see any other owner's thread but mods feel free to remove or sticky

Specs:

Dell Product page:

Drivers and Downloads

I chose the i3 model as I don't need much power, but wanted Widi since there's no physical HDMI port.

My upgrades so far:
Corsair 256 GB SSD
Poetic Slimbook case
Pack of STY-HD Capacitive Stylii
Updated to Windows8.1 Preview

Still to do:
Upgrade memory to 8GB


Thoughts so far:

• Replacing the HD made a huge difference! Boot time ~5 secs
• IMHO using widi is sporadic, but much more useful than a physical port. I can extend my display while still using the desktop.
• Windows 8.1 isn't final, but Im beginning to prefer it over W7 on such a large touchscreen
• (Should've been 1st, but..) The screen is gorgeous to me. And the weight is surprisingly light
• Using the stylus works like a champ. In fact. I'm using it to type this - 2 handed typing in fact
• 
  
  Cons: (mostly W8 issues):
  • keyboard doesn't auto appear in desktop, but does in any charm app
  • touch is sporadic with browsers (IE, FF, Chrome.) sometimes just refreshing enables touch scrolling
  • wish there was a pull out/up handle. hate picking up by edge. the built in stand is nice though
  • If Dell is going to refresh w/ Haswell, I may return, but can't see any real need based on my experiences
  • Almost have to remove a ribbon cable to get to the RAM slot.

Still getting used to the device, but I'm really impressed so far.

Regards,
Tony

 

From what I have read, the ram slot is under a piece of foil, and you need to replace the foil as its part of the heat dissipation system.

I just picked up one myself, it arrived today. Got a good deal through dell outlet.

I'm really liking the unit so far. I'm curious about your thoughts on teh Poetic Case? I got the dell neoprene case and its ok but doesn't really protect the screen as much as I'd like.

I agree the screen is gorgeous. I did notice a bit of light bleed on the bottom left edge when booting (and it gets worse if you push the screen there) but you can't really notice it once the machine has booted. I don't know if its on all machines or just this one as it was a refurbished unit. I plan to go to the store and experiment.

Did you get a battery life boost going to the SSD? I can live with 20-30second boots and 5 second resumes but another 30-60 minutes of battery life would be worth the upgrade. Did you make recovery media then use that on the SSD after install or did you clone the drive?

Thanks,

 

I was able to find the ram slot and replaced the 4GB with an 8GB stick so I've got 12GB total.

My only complaint about the Poetic case is that there's no opening for the SD card slot. Pain to have to take the unit out of the case when needing access to the slot.

Never noticed the light bleed. Boot up time is under 20 secs, and haven't seen any problems with the screen after boot up.

Battery life is weak, to be expected with this setup though. I don't move around much with it so not much of a deal breaker.

If the Haswell would have come out during my return period I still would have went with the Haswell.

Good luck with your purchase.

Tony

 

just purchased an xps18, not yet delivered, and am wondering:
is it worth the $?? do all models have 500GB or is there a model with 1T??
any recommendations for a backlit keyboard?
just learning, so am wondering if WiDi means I can wirelessly project onto my flatscreen??, if so, how? what do I need to buy?
Thanks, if you can help. I just learning!

 

is it worth the $?? do all models have 500GB or is there a model with 1T??
Not sure about the Pentium model, but the i3 comes with a 500GB, the i5 and i7 come with a 500GB HDD and a 32GB mSATA
any recommendations for a backlit keyboard?
None that I can think of. My i5's came with a keyboard
just learning, so am wondering if WiDi means I can wirelessly project onto my flatscreen??, if so, how? what do I need to buy?
yes you can project your display using a WiDi receiver. There are plenty of manufacturers selling receivers. I have a Netgear PTV 2000 and 3000. If I had to buy a new one though I'd go with the 4th gen Actiontec ScreenBeam ($70 @ bestbuy)
Thanks, if you can help. I just learning!

Good luck and feel free to post any questions.

 

@mb2k

I just get the Xps18 core i3 (Dell XPS 18 XPSo18-2728BLK). I would like to upgrade the RAM memory. I notice that your signature shows that you have 12GB. However, per Crucial web-site, it shows Maximum memory: 8192MB
Slots: 1 (1 bank of 1) *Not to exceed manufacturer supported memory.
Am I missing something?

Thanks,

 

If I recall correctly, there is 4G on board. So adding an 8GB memory card I was able to get 12GB total.

Hope that helps.

 

Does your i3 recognize and use all 12GB RAM?

 

Was yours -- the one with the 12GB RAM -- an i3 or an i5?