Owner's Thread: Dell Inspiron 7000 series

I tried it out at Best Buy once and the keyboard travel was extremely shallow and the keys just didn't feel good. Personally I have never used a keyboard that has felt as bad as the one on this computer, but my brother said it didn't feel too bad to him and it also didn't bother him.

 

Hi Akvavit,

Your laptop didn't come with an SSD right? Do you know if it got a free mSata port on it?

Thanks in advance!

 

Guess I can answer for him, his model didn't come with an SSD. It was the 500GB model. In regards to mSATA we have covered this already in previous posts, 3 confirmations from Dell that it has a free mSATA port capable of 6GB/s and max capacity of 256GB.

 

Thanks. I guess I'd just have to order one, see for myself, and return it if I don't like it... but this doesn't sound promising.

I'm a bit confused now. Didn't you post a quote from a Dell rep, saying the free mSATA port isn't actively recognized by the system - it's only there because it's part of the USB board they used? It wouldn't actually be usable in that case, would it?

 

True but who really knows, will just have to wait and see. Seems a bit pointless having it there and having the free space for the actual cards dimensions if it wasn't intended to be used.

 

If they use the same board in other laptops that do use the mSATA port, I imagine it might've been cheaper to use the same board here. It's probably better not to tell people it's there before we know if it's usable.

 

OK. This is a follow-up post from my initial one few days back. And to reply some here regarding the keyboard, I find it excellent and nicely spaced and comfortable to type.

Now back to my update, below are the issues I encountered.

1. Windows 8.1 update didn't went that smoothly. Anyway I managed to install it. But faced some drivers conflict, related to the HDMI and audio. Just a note that you need to download latest drivers from Dell and reinstall all the drivers. That fixed my problem.

2. I sometimes encounter a problem that when the screen turned off after a period of inactivity, it couldn't come back on. I know the system is still running becoz the HDD LED is blinking. I shut it down by pressing the power button. Turn it on again, I see the Dell Logo initially but after that it went blank again. The only way I can bring it back is by holding the power button for 4 sec which causes an improper shutdown, and then power on again. Is anyone having this issue?

 

mSata... Oh someone please take apart their and settle this question... pleeezzee?

 

We know its there, just need someone with one lying around or being used on their desktop mobo to give it a try to see if it's active.

 

Install driver recommended in this post. Should fix issue 2.
http://forum.notebookreview.com/del...33564-new-dell-inspiron-14-7000-7437-a-8.html

 

Dell US shows 4 models of the 15 7000. The highest configuration is on page 2 and has a geforce 750m ddr5, 16g ram and 256 g msata as the only hard drive. Which means there should be an open hard drive bay. Sweet, all for $1199. The bummer?-not available till mid December.

 

Yeah, waiting on someone to test the msata before getting one. Need msata plus a HDD.

Sent from my Galaxy Note 2 now Free

 

if I buy the inspiron 15 7000 in the US, would it be at all possible to buy a UK backlit keyboard and install it myself?

 

Couldn't thank you enough bro. I think it fixed the prob. Tried it 2 times and came back awake without a glitch. Superb!!

 

Hi I am completely new in this forum. I am a Ubuntu user. My current laptop is Dell Inspiron 6400, which runs Ubuntu smoothly. I was wondering if any Ubuntu user is here to report - how does Inspiron 15 7000 response with Ubuntu.

Thanks in advance.

 

A quick update:

Installed a samsung evo ssd this weekend. The boot times are now ridiculous, quicker than my desktop. Seriously, 6-7 seconds to desktop. It's only limited by the speed I can type my password. This has also made the laptop silent for 90% of the time, with the only noise coming from the fan occasionally spinning up.

I also upgraded to windows 8.1.

A couple of problems have developed too.

1. The laptop struggles to wake from sleep... I've installed the new intel graphics driver but that doesn't seem help.

2. I have a single pixel problem. I only noticed this after the upgrade to 8.1, so don't know if it's a hardware or software issue. I'll put a video up soon, but to describe it, the pixel is neither stuck or dead. If I have an all black screen, the pixel is black, but then if I open up a window with a white background, anywhere vertically below that one pixel, the pixel switches on white... If I move the window around I can see this pixel turning on and off as the area below the pixel switches from black to white etc. Very strange. It's like the pixel is in the wrong place on the screen.

 

Is this models keyboard the same/similar to the previous Inspiron 15 or 15R? I toyed with both models yesterday and wasn't a big fan of the keyboard.

 

I have been running with a dual boot of Win 8.1 and Ubuntu since a few days after i got the laptop - and everything runs smooth - no issues at all

 

I received the 17 7737 today. Unfortunately it does not have a touchscreen. Dell have confirmed that it should have and are going to arrange a refund once they have received comment from their manufacturing dept.

Everything else is as described and i would be happy to keep the machine as it is if i can agree some recompense with Dell. I doubt i would use the touchscreen much anyway. The only thing is i don't know what screen is in it at the moment. It looks okay and is set to 1920x1080 but worry that the FHD touchscreen would be far superior to what i have now.

 

The LCD would be the same, it would just have an extra layer of glass for the touch screen interface.

 

Thanks. If that is the case then i see no reason not to keep it.

 

Thanks a lot for the comment. Does the WiFi and Bluetooth work perfectly? Sorry for asking again.

 

hi guys i was just wondering how to open the back cover of the inspiron 15 7000 because my fan is broken and i want to replace it but i cant get the back cover open

 

Follow this, have you tried phoning Dell to get an engineer to come out and fix it?

 

Dell finally changed the shipping date on the US website for the Inspiron 7000 Series 7537, so I ordered one, should be arriving on November 15.... Was wondering if anyone already found a nice tight sleeve for this laptop. Found a caselogic on amazone, but that's for a 16inch laptop as well. Don't think it will fit really tight then...

Btw, if someone has the courage to try out the Msata port, pls make a video, really interested in that upgrade !!

 

OK this may sound stupid, but what is the access key to enter BIOS?
I've tried F2 or FN+F2 doesnt seem to work. F10, F12 does nothing either. I'm pressing it multiple times from before I see the Dell logo till it started loading windows. Nothing happened. Any secret key or method that I dont know about?

 

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Hi there,
Thanks for sharing so much already. I am considering some upgrades to this machine if I order - the same SSD drive (Samsung 840 EVO). Will I need to buy the samung kit that has the little spacer in order to fit the samsung drive snugly? Some 2.5" laptop drives are a little smaller size than others you see, which is why they provide a tiny spacer in the kit as well as the USB3 to Sata cable also in the kit.

Also, you intimate that the RAM is next for upgrading. Is the machine not at its maximum 16gb amount of ram or will this i7-4500U based laptop take up to 32GB ram?

 

All variants have max 16GB RAM capacity, Akvavit bought the 6GB version.

 

Anybody looking to try out the mSata on their 15in 7000 series.....

 

Review now up on Notebookcheck.com.

Negatives raised include: Glossy screen, wireless range and they say there is no mSATA slot.

However they don't seem to open it up enough to see the port we are talking about so there is still hope for that.
Also turbo boost seems to be maxed at 10.5W (should be 15). Can anyone confirm if this has been resolved in their BIOS (could just be an early review sample)?

 

7537 fast Battlefield 4 test

 

Thanks for the test info! Considering the current consoles run at 1280*720 upscaled to 1920*1080 and can't even handle BF4 (having to use motion blur and shallow depth of field to even achieve 30fps) then this seems pretty good. Praise GabeN.

 

I had this problem too, noticed it when I called Dell support over my screen / pixel issue. They wanted me to get into the BIOS, but I couldn't. I half put it down to having installed an SSD - hence making the boot too quick. Lets see what their engineer does when he comes out to replace the screen.

 

Ah OK. Many thanks.

 

This is excellent for a non-gaming dedicated laptop.

 

No issues with neither WiFi or BT, pure joy really

 

Review looks promising. I'm pleasantly surprised by the difference the GDDR5 makes. The Turbo Boost (non-?)issue is a little odd.

I just noticed the 1080p / 1TB model is €50 off in The Netherlands, plus free shipping. Sadly, applying the 10% student discount removes the €50 one.. at least the free shipping remains.

I went ahead and ordered it. Dell estimated arrival on the 25th, that's a bit disappointing (if accurate), but I can wait.

 

+1

Sent from my Galaxy Note 2 now Free

 

I'm looking to buy the Dell New Inspiron 15 7000 Series Touch with the 256GB mSATA SSD, I think it's a pretty good deal at $1200. But I am also looking at the HP Envy 15t-j100.

The only thing keeping me from buying the Dell over the HP is the better processor in the HP (i7-4700MQ in the HP compared to i7-4500U in the Dell). But the HP does not have the option for full SSD (only a hybrid), and I hear from people that full SSD is fastest. If I game a lot, which one would be better the better deal for me? Would the better processor in the HP be more beneficial for me or would the full SSD hard drive in the Dell suit me more? Thanks.

 

Mine arrived on Thursday, estimated date was Tuesday 5th.

Been playing around with it for a few hours now, everything going well apart from I am noticing a static/ground noise through my headphones, Anyone else having this issue? I've tried playing around with the settings but no luck. It also never came with the nVidia drivers installed so I installed GeForce Experience but have yet to try any gaming. Feel free to ask any questions.

 

That processor will effectively half the battery life, it's a trade-off between performance and battery life, for gaming the 4700MQ is obviously better (assuming the HP also has the 750M). Plus you could install an SSD at a later date.

Just depends on your needs.

 

I ordered my 7537 on 25th and its still showing to be in China on my tracking, how long has it taken you guys to get yours? (UK order btw)

 

I have the same thing, but isn't always there. Pretty weird but isn't doesn't me that much.
What does bother me is the WiFi, it's really slow. When watching YouTube-videos it's buffering a lot where my previous laptop didn't.

 

Are you sure it's not YouTube servers? Have you tried plugging in directly with cable? Could it just be your ISP?

 

Did you install simply Ubuntu on a second partition or you disabled UEFI/other things first? Thanks!
I ordered one on the 21st, they shipped it on 26th but so far UPS says the tracking number doesn't exist. It's been 8 days now and I can't even get to know the status of my shipment.

 

Hmm...certainly not what I expected from them tbh :/

 

Hello everyone, first post so please be gentle !

I am about to purchase the highest spec available in the UK, which is i7, geForce 750, 1tb hard drive and 1080p touch screen.

Do you think it is worth adding the extended warranty ? It costs £129 for three years which seems a bit steep to me.

Also does anyone know if you can buy the warranty extension at a later date?

Thanks

 

Speedtest.net says the downloadspeed is about 10 Mbps, with my moms laptop I get 50 Mbps.

 

Ordered 7737 on 19th, shipped from China on the 24th and received on the 30th.

 

I made a 25gb partition on the SSD, and installed it there. No problems found so far (12.04) can't say for 13.xx though.