Dell Studio 15 1558 Thread

I too am running the i5 with no problems. Initially, I did have my BT module go out. Dell swapped it within one or two days and it has been great ever since.
tasseloff, if you no longer want the optical bay adapter, please PM me and I might take it off your hands.
I am running an SSD at the moment. It won't be a problem to run two different OS's on your lappy. Just set the BIOS for the one you wish to boot first.
I would like to maintain my 64GB SSD as my main drive, but having my 640GB drive onboard would be nice instead of using the eSATA. eSATA is very fast by the way. Hands down faster than running USB 2.0.

 

Finally insatlled a skin.... no more fingerprints....

 

Cheers, updating now.

 

Also new ATI driver is out 10.8

http://forum.notebookreview.com/del...ver-10-8-available-4570-4500-5400-series.html

 

Release Date: 8/25/2010

Over a month ago...

 

my bad did not see anyone mention it on here and I just found out myself too. There was quite a bit of talk when 10.6 came out 3/4 months ago.

 

Ooh, didn't see the 10.8 drivers.

Cheers for that.

Quick question, can the hdmi output 1080p? I hooked up my laptop to my plasma last night for the first time and it only outputted at 720p. I didn't really investigate whether I could bump this up to 1080p. If it can, I'll explore further.

On a side note, the quality is fantastic at 720p and is probably the reason I didn't bother going to investigate. Plus, I was lazy and it would have meant getting up! I was able to control it via a bluetooth mouse - ultimate laziness.

 

I had mine hooked up to my plasma the other day and I got 1080p out of it ok, but it didn't seem to be doing 1:1 pixel mapping which was odd.

 

Right, in that case I'll have a proper look at the settings when I next hook it up.

 

Hey, cough, tap tap tap, Is this thing on?

all I know about shopping for computers I learned from LeoLaportte, twich, Dell website feedback and reading the threads here.

Im gonna purchase a Studio 1558 with an I-7 720QM
4 Gb DDR3 SDRAM 1333MHz (2 Dims)
1 Gb ATI mobility Ratheon HD 5470

Im gonna purchase it from Dell Outlet Scratch and Dent
is this OK to do????
i dont care if its pretty just so it rocks

tried to configure it new, but new studios can't be bought configured with
faster RAM (they want to give me the 1066Mhz ram!)
and they cant configure with slightly better GPU (they want to give me the ATI 5450.)

am I rite that the components I want are a slight upgrade?
Is DELL REFURBISHED O.K.???,,,,,, ie. not a nightmare
Am gonna get 2 year onsite tech either way
Help me NoteBookReviewForum, Your my only hope

any ways, Im gonna report to you guys every step of the way on my new machine as the pain or glory evolve

Oh yeah, I'm thinking of buying GTA4 as a good game to test with, to check ride the machine...... any other, or better, suggestions
Thanks, D Rok O G

 

i think dell outlet is a great steal. the scratch and dent are a bit like the lottery really, but most people i saw in this forum who brought scratch and dent said their laptop looked brand new except maybe a small scratch line on the cover.

btw, u know dell is lauching a new xps 15 in october right? u will prolly start seeing that in the outlet 1-2 weeks from now. it has the gt 425m i think, about the same as the ati 5650.

hope u make the right choice!

 

thanks!!
I dont want to wait but i might just have to wait to see
On the other hand, is new model new hardware?.
Id rather buy last years de bugged hardware than go through any kind of early adopter trauma.
I want to learn about computers, but prefer as little drama as possible.
Any thoughts?

Gonna check Dell website now

Sounds like a good step up in gpu
Was I right on the memory, that 1333 Ghz should make a difference over 1066 Ghz coupled with the i7-720?

 

In that case, you should not spend big bucks on the latest models. Intel "quad core" i7 sounds cool, but do you really need it? The discrete GPU, do you really need one, too? I use a Studio 1558 with i7 720QM and the touchpad gets really hot to the touch ("untouchable pad") after about an hour. I do graphics and video intensive work, and the applications I use do take advantage of the cores and the hyperthreading capability. Otherwise, the Core Duo and Core 2 Duo processors still offer a lot of power.

You may want to check the Inspiron models with Core Duo CPU selection at very affordable prices. The Dell Outlet store may save you money, too.

For web browsing and word processing, I use a five-year-old laptop without any problems, smooth as silk.

 

Thanks Kaso, that is the kind of advise I am looking for
Did you see my questions in permalink#1461 above?

I am approaching this purchase as my tech education budget. I am going to learn Ubuntu and hope to develop aps for Android, build websites for folks and generally get on the tech train.
I love games, though I have not played any since the PS2. I used to smoke in photoshop back in 1995, the last time i owned a good computer. Since then I just borrow peoples machines, and that is a peralous activity.

So I figure I want a kick butt machine to program, play games, have lots of windows open for research, and future proof.
Do you still think I should just stick to the Duo Core without a discreet GPU?
My ignorance is great, feel free to let it all out.

 

Does Having and i5 reduce heating problems?
Doesnt heating problems only show when you are using lots of the resources of the chip.?
I mean does heat problems occur all the time, like when just doing surfing?

I understand the use of external keyboard/mouse might be necessary when doing intense stuff.

 

Droko G.: I admire your plan and wish you the best! You will definitely enjoy Ubuntu and learn a lot from it. I wiped clean one of my laptops and loaded Ubuntu 10.10 on it last Sunday 10/10, and the ride has been great. A full installation (OS and essential apps) occupies only 3GB of hard drive, while Windows SP3 claims around 12GB, and more for Windows 7. Sigh!

As soon as video/3D games are mentioned, we have to think of discrete GPU, you see. The latest Intel HD graphics processor is great, but I am not qualified to say if it can adequately handle the kind of "kick but" games that you may want to get into. If we leave that factor aside, I can recommend the Intel i3 or i5 (which has the HD GPU integrated) which is not only less expensive but also consumes less energy and produces less heat than the i7 720QM running alongside a discrete GPU like the ATI Mobility Radeon HD 5470, as in the Studio 1558.

I seriously believe the 1558 has certain fundamental design problems in conjunction with the CPU, the GPU, the heatsink and the fan. The hot touchpad and the fan noise can be intolerable sometimes. The machine is otherwise very nice and capable. But you don't have to get a 1558 per se in order to "kick butt".

If I were you, I would start small (and inexpensive) at the beginning of the learning curve, and reassess your need (and budget) about a year from now. You will be much more knowledgeable by then. The initial machine can be kept for lighter tasks when you upgrade to a heavy-duty (and expensive) laptop -- while giving technical advice at forums such as this one. Good luck!

 

The heat? The 1558 touchpad becomes really hot after about an hour of use, no matter what the workload is. I've been using an external full-size mouse (as a productivity habit), so the hot touchpad does not prevent me from working. I find the machine capable and useful otherwise, and did not return it.

 

Thanks, entertaining and educational +++ u rok

 

yeah, kaso is right, the touchpad overheats even on my 1555, its due to the wireless card (partly). the i5 is actually quite a bit cooler than the i7.

yes 1333mhz ram is faster than the 1066mhz ram, but if u end up getting the i5, it can only utilize 1066mhz ram, meaning the ram will downclick itself (correct me if im wrong).

 

you're correct.

by the way, a system is much more than the technical specs of the components. one must ask "faster" my how much, in what conditions, running what kind of applications, at what price, etc... just "bumping everything up to the max" does not create a great system.

 

Droko G.: Look at chaugh's signature

studio 1555 | p8700 | ati 4570 512mb GDDR3 | 8gb 800mhz ddr2 ram | toshiba 500gb 5400rpm |1366x768 AUO WLED | intel 5100 AGN | mike ming sea sky | razer diamondback ​

That laptop has a P8700 processor, 5400rpm hard drive, DDR2 RAM and "quite good" 1366x768 LCD. Are those specs inferior? No way. I can bet that, if you use a laptop like that for your immediate needs, you will not feel "handicapped" at all. All the details about "high speed" this and "huge size" that will not make any perceived impact to you when you sit in front of the thing (well, the heat and the noise are very real).

 

Thanks, I guess that is why the 1558 with the i7-720 can be had in the outlet with rich features for a reasonable price (US $959)

so far I have not found a comparable i5 unit with the features i desire (bluetooth, lit Keyboard) for the rite price.

I have heard that the intel gpu's kinda suck for gaming so that guides my hand to some degree

I understand the advice about just getting a fly-weight machine to start . makes sense but in sports equipment, cars, and food I have always found that getting the best you can afford always pays off. Dont handycap yourself rite out of the gate. It is fun to git wha chu want
Maybe Ill just get this dell Lattitude D-800 a powerchord and call it a day!!

I have looked at the refurbished i5s , Ill go check the i3's now. Any thoughts on the differences and similarities between the two.

I looked at the new and refurbished Duo Cores and same snafu as the i 5's
no good gpu upgrades.
Im going to look again

Stuck with dell cause I want someone there when things go awry.

Would just drop on alienware 15 but thats just crazy cash. Would rather be half way there than not even close.

Thanx for any effort in advising me, past and future

Stubborn as Hell yet wanting to listen, Drokog

 

you guys are awsome!!

meditating on your truthy words

 

light weight and small footprint do not make "weak" in computing, my friend. if you have the money, enjoy spending it! but i beg to differ on the analogies of food, car and sports equipment.

have you looked into the ThinkPad? you should. i own both Dell (different models) and IBM/Lenovo (ThinkPads). The ThinkPads are the best -- not in the sense of "maxed out" components, but in overall quality.

 

how about service and support at lenovo?

i will look for sure....D

 

if you need people to gingerly hold your hand, then Dell, Lenovo, HP... are roughly the same, meaning: not too hot.

i find the Lenovo support folks relatively more responsive. but everyone has their own pleasant/horrible stories to tell. they're all parts of your "learning curve". so don't buy as if it's gonna be your ultimate system.

frankly, you learn to help yourself by talking to experienced friends and exchanging ideas on constructive forums like this one.

do you get knowledgeable (and altruistic) advice like this at the stores and over help lines? i doubt it.

 

he he he he hehe he

 

haha, i feel happy my laptop got praised, but to be honest i'd be glad to sell it to you any time lol

so what is your price range? i just checked the outlet, and most 1558 with the ati 5470 are around 1k. For that price, u can get a much better laptop, but from shadier companies. for example, check out iBUYPOWER Featured Gaming Laptops
I have been eyeing their laptops for a while now, but really cant comment on reliability and customer support

 

thanks man but no can
dont go to unknown websites on others computer
when i get my own Ill catch the plague just to see what its like
but for now Im over cautious

Im fishing lenovo outlet now, ...... mmmmm yummy looking

 

Has anyone noticed that "Fast Access" actually slows down the startup of the laptop considerably? Once I am past that, the laptop is FANTASTICALLY quick, but startup is slow(ish).

 

thanks for the good and wize words, I did learn somthing
but impulsive, just couldnt help myself
" WHATEVER YOU DO...... DONT TOUCH THE BIG RED BUTTON""You mean the big...... Red..........SHINEY button"
oh well, hope i like my Lenovo IdeaPad Y560 0646 with the i3 duo core and the video game friendly Radeon 5730

All the Best thoughts to Caugh and Kaso thanks for talking me back from the edge. I'll be over on the Lenovo thread when I get my machine. Drokog

 

Droko G.: Did you pull the trigger? A Y560? Good for you! Enjoy it when it arrives.

 

Cheers for this I can now play CODMW2 flawlessly

 

XPS has display port +P while Studio 15 has HDMI so the XPS will do 2560x1600 on an external display using an active dual-link DVI converter while the Studio 15 is limited to 1920x1200 and can't use inexpensive large screens.

An inexpensive passive converter means that the XPS can still be plugged into HDMI monitors and TVs.

If I'd known that, I'd have bought the XPS.

 

And i never knew that.... and i still always loved xps over studio....

 

ATI Catalyst? Mobility Display Driver

10.10 AMD driver is out now.

 

Can someone please help? I've been back & forth w/ my Studio 1558. I got the top of the line (everything,) up to and including the Core i7 top, all the frivolities, etc.

To whom it may concern, for those of you who expected a recovery disc and found out that it's a thing of the past, go in via sales chat and use the phrase "one time courtesy," and they'll give you over to customer service. Keep resisting their policy of "media reduction," a knowledge base article (fyi article of sorts that's buried in the site,) and they'll give you one!

My question is this: I'm trying to trim-down the so-called bloatware. Appropriately phrased!

What is the STMicroelectronics Accelerometer?

I found out it's some sort of motion sensor. Is this needed or will it harm my system without it?

I'm running Win7 x64. I don't plan on using the built-in cam, avatar creator or anything of the sort. I'm on Home Premium with no plans to run Ultimate, as the Ultimate features don't seem to benefit me.

I'd say the biggest dissapointments of this awesome notebook were the one singular USB 2.0 port (again, my fault for not looking, but expecting...) and the power adapter/cord port being so loosy-goosy.

Could I take it back, I'd have sprung for an ASUS G-series and saved up for a few months.

Thanks in advance, guys...

n842m

PS - I hope the Recovery Disc info benefits someone. I know nLite and vLite, but people should not have to know that to slipstream or anything like that!

 

I posted a little while back concerning problems I had with my Dell 1558. For the moment the problem is not resolved, at home it still works fine but at university it still crashes very often (I suspect a wireless problem since its the only difference).

Anyhow I also mentionned I had a SSD drive I was going to install and replace the optical bay for a second hard drive. I did it yesterday and everything works perfectly fine so far. I ordered the optical bay from newmodeus, and followed the instruction online from Dell's site to replace the part. I have to warn anyone who wants to do it that its actually a lot more complicated than just changing the standard hard drive...you basically have to take the whole laptop appart.

However now I have two hard drives, and my main OS is running on my new intel X25 80g drive

Now hopefully I can narrow down the source of my freezing problems...I wanted to wait before installing it all but finally cracked.

 

Revision to subscribe to notifications.

 

I suggest starting with Event Viewer and seeing what is going on there. If you don't know where to find it, just type it in the Start search box. Have you monitored your temps? Hardware Monitor is small and straightforward.

 

That accelerometer is for stopping the hard disk in case of a free fall to prevent data corruption - there are 3 usb ports.... with one being combined with the esata port

 

Thanks for the suggestion. Actually I've reinstalled everything and since then the system is OK, but I haven't really tested it since I was at home and it rarely froze while over there. Today is a real test though, i'm at university and usually I had a 100% success-rate of having it freeze on me. Crossing my fingers that it doesn't!!

 

Anyone know how long the mail in service turnaround should be? My internal Bluetooth card failed on me today, talked to tech support and they say I have to get it sent it to get the motherboard and Bt card replaced. I use my 1558 everyday for college, so I need it back asap.

Also, you think they'll replace with a new motherboard or replace? And what are my chances of calling again (I chatted online for warranty service to send it in) and getting the system replaced? Because I wouldn't mind switching for an upgraded system.

 

has anyone had problems with CCC on their 1558 with an HD5470?

I've tried cleaning the drivers etc but CCC jut won't open anymore. It has in the past though. Some others must have had the same problem as well, how did you resolve it? Driving me crazy, I'm just trying to get a few extra FPS out of Fallout...

 

I bought a Dell Studio 1558 yesterday and lastnight I put it to slep and unplugged the power cord. Well, today when I go to use it , it doesnt turn back on I ussually on my desktop just have to press the space bar or move the mouse.

Any ideas of what I can do? As I look at it I dont even notice a power buutton on it. I had a freind help me set it up and I was payng to much attention when he powered it up.

Another thing is lastnight after I did use it for a little bit , it went into its own sleep mode and all I did was shut the lid and open it back up and I was able to get the screen to turn on.

Any advise would be appriciate.

Thanks,

 

The power button is on the right hand side located in the hinge. Press it and the laptop should come back on.

 

I just received a 1558 i3 500gb drive onboard intel graphics, from the Dell outlet.

The fan is not real loud at it's lower rpm, but it cycles on and off every minute with no applications running. It is noticible enough to be irritating.

The hard drive is not too noticible, but it never seems to spin down when idle.

By comparison, my Dell 6400 is nearly silent.

My question is, do all 1558's have this cycle on and off fan issue when idle?
If not, I may try to get a replacement.

 

Both my wife and myself have two new studio 1558 laptops,and the fan is on low both of them permanently. It is at a really low level and doesn`t cycle between loud or quiet when it is idle. The hard drive is constantly spinning as well. It never really powers down at all.

 

which configuration do you have?