Dell Precision M3800 Owner's Review

I've got to say that I've always been very happy with Dell's after sale's support ever since I bought my first Dell in 1993. In '93 all their systems had great warranty support. When they made the big push into consumer systems the support was tiered. The business systems continued with the strong support but I've always heard the consumer systems were questionable. Since I've only owned Precision machines since 2005 I have no idea about the consumer support.

Bloomington, my M4400 really shook my trust in Dell. The first was a refurb and had some serious issue which I no longer recall. Dell quickly replaced it with a new computer (sadly I lost my RGB LCD screen in that exchange but I did get a better CPU and a few other upgrades). Well the new system ended up having a whole host of problems and in the end Dell replaced it too! But the third one*... it turned out to be a winner and had no trouble after 4 years. It still works well today. It was kind of like having a car that was in the shop all the time the first year but then was trouble free for the next decade. Anyway, in the end I suspect Dell will not disappoint.



*When I started here, all there was was swamp. Other kings said I was daft to build a castle on a swamp, but I built it all the same, just to show 'em. It sank into the swamp. So, I built a second one. That sank into the swamp. So, I built a third one. That burned down, fell over, then sank into the swamp, but the fourth one...

 

Quick Googling would have turned up multiple results about this, but it's in Windows Mobility Center. Make sure Dell Quickset is installed and that the built-in display was enabled when the system started (as opposed to running only on external displays).

 

There are two Phillips screws underneath the service tag cover.

 

No such luck, at least with Civ 5/DX 11 -- still letterboxes.

Pretty sure with a few of these games it's a Windows 8.1 issue unrelated to the video drivers; works fine in Windows 7, at least with the desktop resolution reduced.

 

Stewartlittle, for anti virus I just use the free Microsoft one.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

Have you ever experienced this issue with QAT (check the picture)? It is very annoying.
Please let me know if you know how to fix this issue. I am using windows 8.1 came with my m3800.

 

Seen the same in AC2013, but I don't know how to fix it, unfortunately.

 

I have a few quick questions for you guys.

1. Other than the whining noise issue, are there any other major issues holding this laptop back?

2. How is it as far as heat? Does it get fairly hot or stay fairly cool? This is probably my biggest concern other than the whining/static noise issue.

3. If the static issue gets rectified, would you guys recommend this laptop to others?

Thanks in advance for any and all help given!

 

Maybe spend some time reading the Wiki or this thread rather than asking questions that have already been answers several times over?

1. There are some nitpicks with the system just like any other. I wouldn't say any of them are "holding this system back", even the coil whine. Again, check out the XPS 15 Wiki to see whether some people's niggles would constitute your dealbreakers. It even has a Common Complaints section for this purpose: http://xps-15.wikia.com/wiki/Common_Complaints. Note that many of those complaints actually have solutions, so don't just skim the list of issues without reading about them.

2. Heat is fine even under load. You may not want to run it on your lap during very heavy load, but that goes for lots of systems. That and liability concerns are why manufacturers for several years now have called their systems notebooks rather than laptops.

3. I'd recommend it now even with the coil whine.

 

Whoa, calm down there Sparky. I appreciate the replies but there is no need to get smart with/go keyboard warrior on me (as you seem to have a habit of doing in this thread). I have read a good deal of this thread, but people posting issues does not answer for me if they would generally still recommend the unit or not. I have read some reviews that claim heat is a major issue, yet others that say it isn't, so I was just looking for a little more info. Obviously I read the thread because I knew about the whining issue, I was just looking for a bit more info from people who own and use the systems on an everyday basis so that I could make a more informed decision.