Studio 1558 Unit Replacement under CompleteCover - What to expect?

So I have a 2010 Studio 1558 with the following specs:

Proc: i5-450m
GPU: ATI 5470M
RAM: 4GB @ 1066MHz
HDD: 500GB @ 7200RPM
Display: Full HD Glossy
Keyboard: Backlit
ODD: DVD+/-RW
Battery: 9-Cell (degraded to less than 40% capacity years ago)
CompleteCover warranty for 5 years till 2015 (Best investment ever)

Over the 4 years it has had 4 motherboard replacements, 2 HDD replacements, 2 keyboard replacements, one DVD drive replacement, one display+bezel+top lid replacement (Mostly overheating issues, and the rest component failures). After the most recent motherboard (GPU) issue, the Dell guys are offering a "Whole Unit Replacement" since they ran out of parts (Honestly I'm not surprised ).

The guys in charge of providing me a replacement system haven't reached out to me yet, but I am wondering what they might offer me for this FOUR year old 1558. Honestly I only care about the Full HD display and the backlit keyboard, as these were the two things I paid to upgrade from the base model when I purchased it on their website. But currently the only laptop with these two things on the Indian website is the Inspiron 15 7000 with the following specs:

Proc: i7-4500U
GPU: Nvidia 750M
RAM: 8GB @ 1600MHz
HDD: 1TB @ 5400RPM
Display: Full HD Glossy, Touch (Though I would prefer it without touch, I consider it a waste of battery at best :|)
Keyboard: Backlit
ODD: None (I would consider this an upgrade )

Clicky: ( Inspiron 15 7000 Series Touch Laptop Details | Dell India)

They also have an i5 based model with 6GB RAM, 500GB HDD, which I would not mind at all except it has a 1366x768 display. Since they don't seem to offer the customise tool anymore and only have fixed configs, I would want the Full HD model. This model costs a lot more than the Studio 1558 costed me 4 years ago, but inflation etc. Do you guys think they would agree to provide me this config if I pushed for it? If not then what would you reckon they would consider a fair offer?

 

In theory the specs of the replacement model are supposed to be equivalent if not better than the original unit... so if you have an FHD screen on your 1558, you should definitely be entitled to getting an FHD screen on the replacement. I think the Inspiron 15/7k is a reasonable replacement and you'd be justified in pushing for it.

 

Good to hear that! Albeit my aim is to get something that is most similar to my studio 1558, rather than wanting the fastest one I can get my grubby hands on. So I would kinda feel guilty to force them to give me the higher end i7 version. Ideally if they offer me the i5 based model but with a Full HD display then I'd be completely satisfied. Anyway I did a little more digging and found that this line essentially went like this in India:

Studio 1558 -> XPS 15 (2nd gen processors, L502x etc) -> Inspiron 15R Special Edition (3rd gen) -> Inspiron 15 7000 (4th gen)
XPS 15s with 3rd and 4th gen never made it here though there still seems to be an up-to-date XPS 15 in other countries but it looks suspiciously similar to the Precision M3800, which a friend purchased recently (One hell of a laptop that).

I would be most satisfied with a refurbished XPS 15 L502x as it is physically the most similar to my studio (three 3.5mm audio jacks with two outs is insanely useful, for watching movies quietly with someone or for 5.1 output) though I would accept anything else from the above line too as long as it is Full HD. But the "System Exchange Specialist" who initiated contact with me today said they only give out new systems :/

I just want to have the necessary data and an understanding of their replacement process before bargaining. Might there be anything else I should keep in mind, or any tips etc to ensure I get what is most right for me? Or if people have been able to receive refurbs as replacements? I have searched these forums for related terms like "warranty replacement" and "wur" (whole unit replacement) etc but none of them offered much insight into the process, and all of them (understandably) wanted the newest and the best.

 

They got back to me with their initial quote, offering me an Inspiron 15R 5537 with the following specs:

i5-4200U
4GB single channel RAM @ 1600MHz
750GB 5400RPM HDD
HD 8670M 2GB DDR3 GPU
1366x768 display
Non backlit keyboard

Now all I would be able to do with this config is sell it on eBay for cash, so I sent them an email or two telling them nicely I cannot accept this replacement, and that the 7000 series one is a much better match to my Studio 1558 within the warranty terms.

During the conversation they mentioned the backlit keyboard is available only on the XPS 12 and the 7000, so I asked them to look into those two. The XPS 12 is a much more expensive model and I would not want it either. She wanted a day to "consult higher teams" about those two, so let's see what they come up with.

They also offered me a full refund of the laptop and warranty, to which I said they have much more to lose if they do that as I would not be inclined to buy a Dell again in the future if they opt for this. Besides this refund option is not mentioned in the warranty terms anywhere, so that sounded suspicious to me.

 

They got back to me today with some good news. Looks like I will be receiving the following config, which doesn't seem to be listed in the India website but rather the Singapore website:

Studio 1558 --> First offer (Inspiron 15R)--> Second offer (Inspiron 15 7000, approved/accepted by me)
I5-450m --> i5-4200U --> i7-4510U O)
4GB (2X2GB) 1066MHz --> 4GB (1x4GB) 1600MHz --> 16GB (2x8GB) 1600MHz O)
500GB 7200RPM --> 500GB 5400RPM --> 1TB 5400RPM Hybrid HDD with 8GB Cache
ATI HD5470 1GB DDR3 --> ATI HD8670 2GB DDR3 --> Nvidia 750M 2GB DDR5
1920x1080 Non Touch --> 1366x768 Non Touch --> 1920x1080 Touch
Backlit keyboard --> Non backlit keyboard --> Backlit keyboard


Well that was a surprising jump in configuration, I have no idea why they offered me the middle configuration if they were willing to give me this @_@

But if they don't change their mind or something and actually send me this, then count me in as another happy Dell customer!

 

Congrats. Now ditch that SSHD and grab a real SSD!


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

 

Oh absolutely! Already have the cheapest reseller in my cart for an 840 EVO and a SATA to USB3.0 drive case for the 1TB SSHD :thumbsup:
Just need to decide if I need 500GB or if 250GB is sufficient.

I believe there is no other upgrade I can perform on it, except the wifi card to a dual channel and/or AC card ,which I don't need as I use ethernet at home (better NAS connectivity) and 2.4GHz when I'm outside.

 

When my Studio 1558 (i7, 8 GB RAM, FHD screen) died for the third time (first was under warranty, the second time I fixed it myself), I retired it and picked up this M4800, but I plan to resurrect the Studio next weekend. I am out of town at a wedding, but I have everything I need to pull the thing completely apart, replace the heatsink and fan again, and put in a new SSD (the SSD I had in there came with me to my new machine).

I'm looking forward to using it as a house laptop that anyone can use when they feel like it.

 

Nice config on the M4800 How much did that cost you?

Are you going to keep the Studio open after you fix it? That way you can make your own cooling arrangements. That is what I had planned for after the end of my warranty, I hadn't considered it dying completely requiring a replacement like this :/

Despite the constant heat issues I love the Studio for it's display. I can't stand 1366x768 displays after 4 years with 1080, but I can't imagine what the 3200x1800 feels like. Do you use Adobe software, and if you do, do you have scaling issues at this resolution?

I am looking at the M3800 (or it's successor) after the Inspiron 7000 that I will hopefully receive soon. Warranty on the Inspiron is for 15 months only, as that is what remains of the 5 years my 1558 has right now (They don't allow more than 5 years, and since the Inspiron is only to replace my Studio, the studio warranty applies ie 5 years does not start over from the date the replacement is delivered). Does the Precision line also have CompleteCover accidental damage warranties like their Home lineups (Inspiron, Studio, XPS, Alienware etc)?

 

I think the M480 cost me ~$1,800-1,900, which was about what I paid for the Studio, way way back in the day.

I hadn't planned on keeping the machine open - my housemate is currently using an old ThinkPad (x61 maybe) that she kind of hates, so my main motivation was to get her a nicer, slightly more modern machine to use.

I couldn't agree more about the display - it's probably the reason I put the effort and time in to get it working again. The 3200 x 1800 screen is pretty great. I do almost no Adobe work - I do use Photoshop and Illustrator, but on our work machines, since the licenses are tied to them. I heard a couple of the programs have been updated with hi-dpi support.

I think I have 4 years warranty on this machine (I got Dell to give me an additional year for free because the machine took so long to ship) - I did not opt for the accidental damage coverage, but I believe everything else is comparable or the same. The M3800/XPS 15 is a pretty nice machine - my housemate has one that he dual boots linux and windows on (he's a java developer, so also no Adobe, sorry).

 

In my mind that's totally worth the config you got. The M3800 with a similar config as yours costs around 3000-4000 USD in India. In fact the market price of the Inspiron 7000 they have offered me converts to around 1800 USD (from the India/Singapore website), versus 1150 USD for the exact same config on the US website @_@ I wonder which exact individuals finally pocket all that extra dough :/

Yeah I guess most mainstream software would support hidpi by the time I consider buying >1080. I used to dualboot with linux too on my Studio (code compiling, Android is a hobby of mine apart from architecture, which I am studying ) and that's why I was thinking of springing for the 500GB EVO instead of 250GB. They go at an equivalent of 170USD and 350USD respectively here, the 500GB costs not an insignificant amount for me O.O

 

Hmmm, I just replaced the heat sink and added an SSD, and it still seems to be overheating. Bummer.


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

 

The order for my replacement system has been placed, but apparently they are having a little trouble initiating a pick up for my Studio 1558. They say the software they use to do that is too new to support my 4 year old (and out of production) system, and they may need at most a week to add support. Until then the order will not move into production so essentially no movement till then :/

I hope it's just a matter of adding my system to their back end database or something, that should not take too long.

Oh that sucks. Do you know what component is acting up?

In my system it was always the fan that failed, leading to overheating above the already greater-than-normal temperatures of all Studio 1558s. That slowly kills the motherboard next. That's what they said at least. Also I have never used the trackpad for more than a few minutes at a stretch because of the super hot wifi card right below it

What are your exact specs, processor and gpu model etc?

Sent from my Nexus 5

 

i7-720, FHD screen, 8GB RAM, 1GB discrete card (don't remember which, Radeon 3450 or something?).

Yeah this is my fourth heat sink fan assembly since the machine was new (Dell replaced it once and I have now done it twice).

The fan was pushing air just fine last night when I was trying to boot the windows installer from a thumb drive, but the machine just powered off during "windows is loading files."

I tried again this morning and now it doesn't want to even post..


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

Ok, it still posts, and the fan is definitely blowing air, but it dies at about the same point every time. Is the motherboard gone, or did I completely screw up the paste job?


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

 

I think you should try different ram sticks and a different USB drive and/or slot first, rule those out since they are easier to test than the motherboard (unless you have a spare mobo lying around )

If you get nothing there you could also boot a Linux live USB, should be able to run a few tests there. Oh and not to forget the inbuilt diagnostic extended test. Power on while holding the fn key is the fastest way to get to it. It's widely accepted among the Dell tech support guys that if a Studio 1558 reboots in diagnostics then they need to replace the motherboard, the fan, and the heatsink assembly

Sent from my Nexus 5

 

Thanks for the suggestions. I definitely tried two of the three USB ports. I haven't ruled out the ram or the USB stick yet (but I used it successfully pretty recently).

I'll give the diagnostics a shot and possibly try the recovery CD, but I have a feeling it's the mobo. Any idea what they run on eBay roughly?


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

It just shut down during the memory portion of the diagnostics. Maybe I'll try pulling one stick tonight and see where that gets me.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

Yup better to rule out the cheaper components first. As for mobo cost, I have no idea. Whenever Dell has replaced them for me, the sheet of paper I sign mentions the value of the component as around 15000 Indian rupees. This is the one with the ATI 5470 graphics. If that's the market price, It is cheaper to buy a two year complete cover warranty at 13000 INR @_@

Also ask Dell about their break-fix warranty. I heard it's a service for out-of-warranty systems where they will fix it completely and give you a one year warranty on the entire system. At a cost of course, and assuming they have parts available.

Sent from my Nexus 5

 

Again, thanks for the helpful information. I doubt I'll go through the trouble/cost of getting Dell to repair it. I have a solid machine to use with a four year warranty, so I am not depending on this to do anything. For me it's primarily a hobby/interest - my sunk cost so far is ~$29 for the paste and heat sink assembly. If I can't get this working, I can make use of the SSD elsewhere, and it was only $100.

I'm seeing some motherboards on eBay for $40-$70 - any idea what the part number is for the i7/5470HD board?


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

Not really, don't the listing mention the details?

Sent from my Nexus 5

 

I wasn't able to find them but I was looking on my phone. I'll do a more thorough search later from a computer.

Thanks again.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

Whew... After the new system order was placed on 10th, it was processed on 11th and was built by 13th. Currently on its way to my country

My studio 1558 took 12 days to go from getting processed to being built, so this was pretty quick

But still no word from the local courier service that's supposed to pick up the old system

Sent from my Nexus 5

 

Sooooo? hahaha did you get it?!

 

Indeed I did

Had a couple of issues with it too, it came with a bent keyboard (bent near the tab key) and a barely functioning power button. Got those fixed. They replaced the entire palmrest assembly including touchpad, speakers etc. The new palmrest came with a non functioning right side speaker, speaking to them about getting that replaced as I type this -____-