User Review: Dell Studio XPS 16 Update Discussion

Currently the most powerful laptop offered by Dell short of an Alienware, the Dell Studio XPS 16 is a sleek, performance-class machine. Recently, Dell refreshed the machine, adding Intel’s new Core i-series processors and a more powerful ATI graphics card. However, depending on the selected options, it can also bear a hefty price tag.

Read the full content of this Article: User Review: Dell Studio XPS 16 Update

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Nice review man.
It was quite a refreshing read. A welcome change from the formulaic(but still quite good) reviews from regular NBR reviewers.

On a side note those temp readings look mighty hot. I wonder if this chassis is too constricted for the likes of Core i7 and a ATi video card.

 

Thanks.

Yes, the laptop does get a bit hot during gaming, to the point where you will really sweat if you place this on your lap.

However, the size of the laptop makes lap usage somewhat uncomfortable anyway. A TV tray is a good idea.

 

Great review Biosci3c. I got mine about 3 weeks before Dell upgraded to the Core i7 procs and other than that mine is pretty identical. The price wasn't bad either, around 1400USD before taxes and in Merlot Red. I love the Studio XPS 16, Dell did a terrific job on the design and quality of the materials. Fit and finish on mine is excellent with all panels lining up perfectly. Yes, it does get hot especially resting my palms but nothing unbearable though. I get some compliments when using the SXPS 16, friends and family say that it looks very upscale and then they see the screen and they are blown away by it's clarity and color saturation. Thanks again for the awesome review.

 

Nice review. I have the Core 2 Duo version of this machine (see sig) that I got for under $800 during the Dell refurb clearance less than two months ago. The styling and performance are really great, but there have been some major issues for me.

First, even when heavily undervolted to 1.05v, the T9550 gets quite hot even when watching Youtube videos (peaks around 65C). The GPU gets quite hot as well. This is mainly due to the TERRIBLE placement of the rear exhaust port. When you open the lid of the laptop, the lid blocks the vent. Simply terrible design flaw. My Antec notebook cooler does little to help.

Secondly, the silver metal trim on the cover of the laptop has started to fall off at the hinges (right where the lit XPS ring is located), despite me not having dropped it once. Anyone know how to fix this? Or is it possible to get a replacement trim piece?

Third, like you mentioned in your review, the thing's a giant fingerprint magnet. The LCD also touches the keyboard when it's closed, meaning oils from the keyboard transfer to the screen.

Overall, I'd have to give this laptop a 7/10. The performance is pretty phenomenal. I managed to overclock the graphics card to 860/915, which is a huge bump up over the stock 675/800. My 3dMark06 score shot up to over 8600 (1280x800 res). The HDD and CPU and also pretty speedy, but none of this can make up for the aforementioned flaws.

 

Oh, no wonder! Whose bright idea was this?!
The lid does block the vent when open.

For me, these flaws are not enough to overcome the advantages, but you may want to consider them carefully.

 

Same thing happens on the Dell Studio XPS 13

Thanks for the user review - very well written, and very comprehensive - some rep for you!

 

What a major design flaw is that?

I hope the others can offer such a gorgeous comparable screen though!!

 

The flaw is the fact that the screen blocks the vent, and contributes to the laptop heating up under load.

It isn't a major design flaw, but it is something that was not thought out that well.

 

Am I reading it correctly ?

# Is Radeon HD 4670, 1GB is a new card on SXPS 16 ?
# Are i5/i7 processors new to SXPS 16 ?

Whats new in this refreshed SXPS ?

Again there is no work on heat mgmt on this and there are no USB 3.0 and switchable graphics Its a greatly designed laptop with poor hardware and heat mgmt

 

Seriously, there are newer models than this in the Studio 16 lineup. This review looks like it could have been done 6 months ago.

 

It's refreshed since last year, when it had the core 2 duo and earlier graphics. That is about the only change. Just recently, they updated the graphics card to the ATI HD 5730.

 

This is a review of the OLD SXPS 16, not the one that includes the new graphics card upgrade. I found the 'Update' in the title a bit misleading. Aside from that, the review was great.

 

I am not quite sure what you mean.

The original review covered the core 2 duo and ATI 3670 equipped model.

It has been refreshed with the core i7 and the ATI 4670 recently, and, even more recently, with the ATI 5730.

This is more of a performance-update + different perspective review.

The laptop itself looks just about the same (aside from a different screen) as the one covered in the official review.

Perhaps I used the term 'refreshed' too loosely.

Edit: Okay, I understand what you are saying.

Just to clarify, this is a review of a newer studio XPS 16, not the newest one.

 

Exactly...This review could have been done 6-7 months earlier

Again, as I like the design of this laptop, I wish it to host USB 3.0, ATI 5700/5800 series GPUs, dual core i5/i7 processors and switchable graphics option, with better heat management, else its like buying a old laptop with today's price

 

ATI cards suck for Linux - I would never buy any notebook with ATI.

Nvidia is the only choice.

The only thing I find going for the XPS 16 is it's screen. Heat management as noted sucks. The keyboard is so-so. Subjectively/aesthetically it may feel well built but I wonder what would happen if you dropped it or someone steps on it. Will the screen crack?
Overall, its an OK consumer notebook.

 

It's a big 16" media laptop, so it is not going to be terribly robust. I think it fairs well in its category.

I would definitely be afraid to drop it on anything resembling a hard surface from more than 1 ft in the air.

If you want robust, then you should go for a thinkpad or at least a smaller machine.

For example, my Dell mini 10 feels much more robust than my XPS 16, partially because it is smaller and partially because it weighs less. There is just less surface area for damage to occur and less leverage for an impact to break parts of the machine.

With regard to running Linux, I have booted Ubuntu off a memory stick as a test, and it seemed to work fine, but I did not do any further checks, so YMMV.

 

I find the name misleading ... "XPS 16," but it's only available with a 15.6" LCD?! At least, judging from what I've seen on the Dell site.

IS there a sku with an actual 16" LCD, and if so is it available at the FHD 1920x1080 resolution?

 

It is hard to find, but yes, mine has a 16" RGBLED screen (I don't know about the newest model).

I don't know why, but shortly after I got this, I had a hard time finding one with a 16" screen (I had to look in the small business section).

Why Dell makes this so complicated, I do not know. It might have something to do with the flickering issue.

 

There's still no RGB-LED available anymore at the Dell store in Europe (Germany) - just the WLED display. And there's no choice of a newer processor either - they just offer the i7-820QM and the GC is ATI 4570 as usual.

BTW, did anybody have a chance to compare the WLED (or RGBLED) screen to the Macbook pro and/or Sony F ?

Thanks

Wolfgang

 

I just got my replacement Studio XPS 16.

It is supposed to have a WLED screen instead of the RGBLED screen I have right now.

It is exactly the same size, but the screen is smaller (I.e. the screen borders are bigger to fill up the extra space).

The horizontal viewing angles are pretty good, but are nowhere close to those of the RGBLED. The vertical viewing angles are typical of most notebooks (I.e. okay, but not great). One thing I noticed is that the text seems much sharper on the WLED.

<strikeout><strike>Arrgg! Why must Dell give me a wonderful feature than take it away after I am spoiled? Seriously though, I am happy with the new screen, but the RGBLED screen would have been better.</strike></strikeout><strike></strike>

I will post more updates as I use my new machine more.

EDIT:

I take back what I said. I just compared the screens by looking at one of the backgrounds, and the new WLED screen is much sharper. I can also really see how over-saturated the RGBLED screen is in the red direction. I wish I could get a good picture, but my camera is too underpowered.

The bottom line is that the WLED screen is sharper and more realistic in the color space, but without the RGBLED's incredible viewing angles. The RGBLED screen is oversaturated and less sharp, but has great viewing angles.

 

Okay, an update.

I ran 3dMark06, and the score was about the same (7032 vs 7057).
PCMark05 gave a 6051 vs the old 7009.

Probably differences in the test environment, but at least the machines are comparable.