How does this XPS16 config look :)

I ordered this config today

What do u people think of it??

Intel Core 2 Duo T9550(2.66GHz/1066Mhz FSB/6M L2 Cache)
Obsidian Black High Gloss Finish with Leather XPS 1640
6GB, DDR3, 1067 MHz 2 Dimm
16.0 inch Wide Screen 16:9 1080p FullHD RGBLED LCD W/2.0 MP
ATI Mobility RADEON M96XT (this is HD 4670 right??) - 1GB
500GB 7200RPM Free Fall SensorSeagate Hard Drive
Microsoft Windows Vista SP1 Ultimate 64-bit
BluRay Combo Drive
Intel WiFi Link 5300 802.11AGN Half Mini Card
56 WHr 6-cell (Will order 9 cell battery later with the 100$ gift card )
Dell Wireless 370 Bluetooth Internal (2.0+Enhanced Data Rate)

Thanks

 

How much ?

 

Same config as mine basically, well except I cheaped out on the wireless nic and got the 5100. Waiting on the 9cell too. Also didnt really care for the bluetooth thing.

Also mine said m96 also so im assuming it is the 1gb as well. Its what i picked anyway during the build.

XPS 1640, Intel Core 2 Duo T9550(2.66GHz/1066Mhz FSB/6M L2 Cache)
Obsidian Black High Gloss Finish with Leather XPS 1640
4GB, DDR3, 1067 MHz 2 Dimm forXPS 1640
16.0 inch Wide Screen 16:9 1080p FullHD RGBLED LCD W/2.0 MP, XPS 1640
ATI Mobility RADEON M96XT - 1GB
500GB 7200RPM Free Fall SensorSeagate Hard Drive
Microsoft Windows Vista with SP1 Home Premium Edition 64-bit Edition English (I ordered on the 25th but rep told me I qualified for win7 upgrade)
Integrated 10/100 Network Card
BluRay Combo Drive
Integrated High Definition Audio 2.2
Intel 5100 Wireless-N (1x2) Half Mini-Card
No Virus Protection Requested (who wants macafork your computer haha)
56 WHr 6-cell Lithium Ion P Primary Battery, for XPS 1640

 

Looks like a kickass config to me... How does the gift card thing work? I'm thinking of getting one of these soon too...

 

Great configs! You're bound to do some gaming on that rig. And yes, the M9XT Radeon 1GB is a 4670. The 3670 is a 512MB.

 

Why not go 8GB and have "dual channel"? With 6GB, it's not doing dual channel, AFAIK.

 

That would just jack up the configurations. 4GB is enough for Vista 64-bit.

 

Why the 6GB? Unless you are planning on doing something really serious (not gaming) with the machine, it's a complete waste of money.

 

buy 4gb and in 1-2 years when you need 8gb it will be like what 4gb is now. 6gb is a waste of money as they charge you loads for even 1 4gb stick

 

I was going to say the same thing. I don't think, didn't care to google it, that they make 3gb sticks. So that means you have a 4gb stick and a 2gb stick which will make it run in single channel mode as opposed to dual channel mode if they were the same sticks. There has been plenty of people saying it does and doesn't matter, I'm not educated enough to have an opinion. I will say that 4gb was plenty in my previous setup. I rarely used more than 50% of it.

 

Right now, I'd rather put the money into getting the T9800 instead of the 6GB RAM. RAM prices will come down, while you are not likely to be able to boost the CPU for a reasonable price.

 

Processor's a really nice option over the RAM. You won't need much. Just 4GB. SXPS 16 already has a discrete card. Unlike the SXPS 13 which eats onboard RAM due to its IGP..now that could use the 6GB.

 

Thanks to all for your responses.

The current config comes out to be around $2500 (will also get a $100 gift card).

Regarding the suggestion to get T9800 instead of 6GB RAM, will the processor upgrade cause any more heat issues.
Will T9800 cause more heat than T9550?
If it won't affect the overall heat generation much, I can upgrade the processor and let the RAM remain at 4GB.

What do u people say??

 

Are you going to be doing anything that's processor intensive? I really don't see spending the extra money on the processor, but that's just me. The 8600 did just fine for me and it uses less power therefore generates less heat. As for the ram, it's worth the upgrade to go to 8GB, but 6GB is a catch 22. Yes, you have more RAM, but it's going to run in single channel mode.

 

Thanks N20D5OH.

How much performance improvement will it be dual channel over single channel?
Also will 4GB in dual channel mode be more beneficial than 6 GB in single channel mode?

If that is the case then keeping all other config the same, I can simply go for 4 GB RAM (saving some money, maybe for accessories )

 

There is an arguement over the whole dual and single channel thing. To me if it's made to run in dual channel, it should.

How much is the processor upgrade?

 

Processor upgrade is additional $275.

But I don't think I need that much processing power, so I could still go with T9550 and reduce the RAM to 4 GB. It will decrease the overall price to around $2150.

 

In that case, I would get 4GB and the T9550. Then if the 4GB is not enough, you can still get a 4GB stick from Newegg for less than Dell charges for the upgrade to 6GB, or you can wait until prices drop on DDR3 and get more memory later.

 

Thanks everybody for your suggestions/comments, it really helped

So my final config is below, I ordered it already, estimated arrival date is 23 July

I saved a cool $350 by going back to 4GB RAM...thanks.

Intel Core 2 Duo T9550(2.66GHz/1066Mhz FSB/6M L2 Cache)
Obsidian Black High Gloss Finish with Leather XPS 1640
4GB, DDR3, 1067 MHz 2 Dimm
16.0 inch Wide Screen 16:9 1080p FullHD RGBLED LCD W/2.0 MP
ATI Mobility RADEON M96XT (this is HD 4670 right??) - 1GB
500GB 7200RPM Free Fall SensorSeagate Hard Drive
Microsoft Windows Vista SP1 Ultimate 64-bit
BluRay Combo Drive
Intel WiFi Link 5300 802.11AGN Half Mini Card
56 WHr 6-cell (Will order 9 cell battery later with the 100$ gift card )
Dell Wireless 370 Bluetooth Internal (2.0+Enhanced Data Rate)

 

One reason not to get a T based processor is because of the power consumption:


sSpec Number:
CPU Speed:
PCG:
Bus Speed:
Bus/Core Ratio:
L2 Cache Size:
L2 Cache Speed:
SLGE4
2.66 GHz

1066 MHz
10
6 MB
2.66 GHz
Package Type:
Manufacturing Technology:
Core Stepping:
CPUID String:
Thermal Design Power:
Thermal Specification:
VID Voltage Range:
Micro-FCPGA
45 nm
E0
10676h
35W
105°C
vs P based CPU:



sSpec Number:
CPU Speed:
PCG:
Bus Speed:
Bus/Core Ratio:
L2 Cache Size:
L2 Cache Speed:
SLGE6
2.66 GHz

1066 MHz
10
6 MB
2.66 GHz
Package Type:
Manufacturing Technology:
Core Stepping:
CPUID String:
Thermal Design Power:
Thermal Specification:
VID Voltage Range:
Micro-FCPGA
45 nm
E0
10676h
25W
105°C


The T9500 consumes 10W more than a P9600. I know the P9600 isn't available on Dell's website so the smart thing to do would be to pick a P8600 instead and upgrade to the 9600 or quad core. This laptop runs hot enough already and with the extra 5 W from the 4670 it will only add to that. Throw on an additional 10W from the CPU and you may have a furnace on your hands. That's why when I was configuring my system, I chose to go with a P8700.

 

If heat were such a horrific issue, why would they let you configure it with a processor that high anyway and not just force the p86whatever.

 

hmmmmm....

Is there any other difference or is it that apart from the power usage they both are same??

I've ordered mine now and will go with the same. Hopefully using a cooling pad and maybe under-volting my processor should solve the heat issues

 

You will find out when you receive it Unless Dell revised it's cooling system (which I doubt), the laptop can get very hot. Hot enough where you can't use it on your lap and even on a desk it gets hot unless you prop it up with a 9 cell battery. Personally, I'd rather minimize all possible heat and one of the smartest ways of doing that is eliminating 10W of additional processor energy consumption.

 

Undervolting will certainly help but it won't solve the problem. I mean you could always get a P9600 and undervolt that as well so the difference remains. You're taking on an additional 15W of power consumption compared to a SXPS 16 system with a 3670 and P processor. Remember, the studio xps 16 is a compact chasis for it's size, it barely fits a single hard drive in there and all the parts are fairly snug. The ventilation system in the back is poorly designed, it gets partially blocked by the LCD and if you don't have it on a desk, the bottom vents get choked as well. A laptop cooler will probably help quite a bit with keeping the system cool. When I receive mine, I plan to open it up and take out the factory goop they use to cool the CPU/GPU and use Arctic Silver 5 instead. Another factor that I think will help greatly with heat output is investing in a SSD drive. It has no moving parts and probably runs cooler compared to a 7200 rpm drive. Unfortunately, the current SSD prices are insane so I'm waiting on Intel's new SSD drives to come out that promise to expand storage capacity and drop prices.

 

people using a high performance laptop on thier lap and being shocked that its warm/hot is funny . Given the hardware in that you would want a hard barrier between you and it. Heck even my moms old inspiron gets warm.

But we shall see when I get it. My uncomfortable may be different than someone elses as well.

+1 for your SSD comments as well. The price needs to come down before I jump in that boat, also m0ar capacity. Itll happen just like it did for HDD.

 

thats basically what i have except for the ram and blu ray i only have 4 gb but its plenty. i got mine for 1575 shipped. : )

 

Hi
i ordered mine on 24 of July exactly same config as yours. But i didn't get any gift card..
Would you tell us how did you get it. Did you get it through the company you working or .. ?
Thanks

 

in italy.. p9700 is available trought the call center..

This is the config that i've made:

p9700
fullhd rgbled 1080p
4gb ddr3
4670 1gb
500GB 7200
Bluray reader dvd burner
wifi 53000
bluetooth
2years nbd + 2years fullcare (no theft in italy.. )

around 1650€.. in us.. the price is too much better with the 25% discount.. that in italy isn't available!!

for the 9cell battery.. there is a gift card or coupons?? (now the price is too high!! 180€!!!! crazy!!!)

thanks bro!!

 

According to your topic, I seem to have a laptop with a configuration roughly what you are describing. I can say that the T9800's idle temperature is low 40s (Celsius) and gaming temperature is 70s without a cooling pad and 50-60s with a $10 pad off eBay. I have never had to use more than even 2 GB RAM (no joke), so 4 GB was plentiful.

 

how about my config? I just ordered it 5 days ago. i am planning on using it for cubase for recording. any input? thank you guys. love this forum.

1 224-6025 XPS 1640, Intel Core 2 Duo P8800 (2.66GHz/1066MHz FSB/3M L2 Cache)
1 320-8178 Obsidian Black High Gloss Finish XPS 1640
1 311-9977 6GB, DDR3, 1067 MHz 2 Dimm forXPS 1640
1 320-8180 15.6 inch Wide Screen 16:9 900p HD+ WLED LCD W/2.0MP, XPS 1640
1 320-7337 ATI Mobility RADEON HD 3670 - 512MB
1 341-8989 500GB 7200RPM Free Fall SensorSeagate Hard Drive
1 330-1917 DELL RESOURCE DVD,BACK-UP XPS 1640
1 330-6222 Windows 7 Label
1 420-6436 PC-Restore, Dim/Insp
1 420-6576 DELL WELCOME,Software Dimension/Inspiron
1 420-7938 Dell Connect 2.1
1 420-9100 Dell Dock Consumer
1 420-9691 DataSafe Local BackUp 2.0 Basic
1 421-0187 Dell Support Center Software 64 Bit 2.0
1 421-0323 Windows Live Search,Multiple User Interface
1 421-1193 Download Store Links
1 421-1737 Genuine Windows 7 Home Premium, 64bit, English
1 421-0092 DELL-DOWNLOAD-FLAG
1 420-9352 Dell, Software, Wild Tangent Inc Games
1 430-2600 Integrated 10/100 Network Card
1 410-1883 ADOBE READER 9.0 MULTI- LANGUAGE
1 421-1361 MOD,SW,RXO,EZCD,10.3,DE,FI
1 421-1582 Cyberlink Power DVD 8.3 Playback
1 313-8874 8X DVD+/-RW Slot Load Drive
1 313-4783 Integrated High Definition Audio 2.2
1 430-3603 Dell Wireless 1520 802.11n Half Mini-card
1 410-2090 McAfee Sapphire MUI, 15-Month
1 312-0811 56 WHr 6-cell Lithium Ion P Primary Battery, for XPS 1640
1 420-8051 Microsoft Works 9.0, English For Inspiron
1 950-3339 3 Year Limited Warranty
1 993-3498 Dell Limited Hardware Warranty Plus At-Home Service, Extended Year(s)
1 993-3497 Dell Limited Hardware Warranty Plus At-Home Service, Initial Year
1 992-1212 QualexServ Next Business Day In-Home Service after Remote Diagnosis Plus Nights and Weekends, 2 Year Extended
1 992-4460 QualexServ Next Business Day In-Home Service after Remote Diagnosis Plus Nights and Weekends, Initial Year
1 960-3652 Warranty Support,2 Year Extended
1 960-8710 Warranty Support,Initial Year
1 412-0359 Soft Contracts - Qualxserve
1 991-1179 LoJack Theft Recovery Service,XPS - 1 Year DHS
1 420-8655 LoJack Theft Recovery Softwarefor Laptops, 1 Year
1 467-7771 Thanks for choosing Dell!
1 988-7707 2GB DATASAFE ONLINE 1.1 FOR SDO/DIM/INS/XPS
1 988-0099 To activate your online backupaccount, go to Start, Programs, DataSafe Online
1 420-9518 DATASAFE ONLINE 1.1 2GB
1 330-0171 S and P Drop-in-Box Marcom forDHS Notebooks
1 320-0985 15.6 HD+ WLED Display Obsidian Black, 2.0 MP Webcam
1 421-0188 Facial Recognition
1 421-1010 Dell Webcam Central v1.4
1 330-5125 Intel Core 2 Duo Label

 

additionally it was $1450