Is XPS16 right for me?

Hello everyone,

In the next couple of months, I'm considering buying a xps16 (hopefully one with a radeon 5xxx by then). It's purpose is to play Starcraft II at high settings and Diablo III (if it ever comes out) + as my main pc replacement. I just have a few questions.

1) How is the build quality of the XPS16?
I want a laptop that can last at least 5 years (not gaming-wise, obviously). I haven't seen it in person yet but I've seen the Studio 15 and it seems kind of solid.

2) Is there a heat issue?
The xps16 will be an i5 and I do plan to get a notebook cooler. I skim through the forum and on the net, my impression is that some people seem to say it's hot ( but not too hot? ) and the lcd screen turns yellow from the vents?

3) How is the RGBled screen? Is it worth getting?
I read about the throttle issues and that you need to configure the settings. My current monitor is 17" and 1280x1024 and I"m slightly worried that I might have to squint a little to see 1080p on a smaller screen. Also, I'm worried if the laptop's heat output might ruin the screen. Then again, I read that it is really the best thing since sliced bread.

Thank you all for your input. I'm also considering the Asus G51, if the xps doesn't work out.

 

I was given a 1645 as an "upgrade" for a sys exchange, and I can tell you (owning the 900p WLED) that I would NEVER buy this laptop with my own money.....

Reason being first of the heat/throttling issues due to bad air flow design, and the WLED screen looks pretty flimsy....

IF you must by a XPS 16 buy the RGB.

 

I have the i7 620, and 900p led.

I can run starcraft at full resolution on high settings. I do get a little lag when ever I get a high count of creatures on screen (zerg rush?!?!?!?). Overall it runs pretty smooth, and even then my fps is fine for gameplay.

I idle around 43c, and even under load I don't think I hit above high 60's. I did apply some arctic silver mx-3 however, but most anyone would want to do that at the least.

I personally would opt for the 620m due to the fact that it's going to run cooler than an actual quad core, yet provide better performance than the i5 overall.

The build quality overall is great. It's a very solid laptop, and when you don't get a lemon it's an overall amazing machine. When you do get a lemon Dell support is overall pretty awesome about getting things fixed.

So yes, I'd definitely pick up a 164x for Starcraft 2, as it's pretty ideal for that game.

I have no experience with the studio 15, so I can't comment on this. You definitely will get more bang for you buck, but you may not get as solid of construction.

I'd also like to say that I'm happy with the wled 900p screen. Icons seem to be at just the right size, and the screen brightness is pretty great.

 

To answer some of your questions (I have an XPS16 with i7 720QM)... It runs very cool when doing light tasks like web browsing (however this is probably due to the fan kicking in). If you are gaming (as with ALL modern laptops) you can't leave it on your lap unless you don't mind your leg getting toasty. Since you are getting a cooling fan (and i5), this won't be a problem.

I don't have an RGBLED screen (their availability changes often) but I do have a 1080p screen. Windows 7 has DPI scaling and is set to 125% by default. This means your desktop icons, applications, and Windows in general are almost always great for your eyes.

As for the gaming- the 5xxx series card to replace the 4670 will be the 5730. It's already on the driver site, available in some other countries other than US, and a few people 'magically' got them (telephone order or something). The card's performance isn't much better than the 4670 (probably 2-10%) but it supposedly uses way less power and runs much cooler. The current issue with the 4670 is that it throttles when it hits 84C.

I don't know much about the Asus G51, but the graphics card (NVIDIA GTS 360m) is certainly better than both the 4670 and the 5730.

I'll probably pre-order Starcraft 2 sometime soon which now comes with a free beta code. If so, I'll let you know if the beta runs well in 1080p on highest settings.

Edit: played SC2, runs fine on Ultra (but I didn't get into any large 8 player battles yet)

 

I have a new (ie. I got it this past Monday) XPS 1645 with the i7-720QM/Radeon 4670 and 1920x1080 WLED screen

1) Great build quality. Except for the new Mac Book Pros with the Unibody design, I haven't held a laptop that feels as solid as this one. I LOVE this screen, the keyboard feels wonderful to my fingers, and I'm planning on keeping this laptop for many years. My last laptop was an old Acer Aspire 5630, which I kept for over 3 years... I like to keep laptops around for as long as I can, and I think the XPS 1645 is going to be with me for quite some time.

2) Many people have reported heat related problems, but the CPU no longer throttles and the GPU will only throttle if you push it higher than 84 C. So far I haven't managed to do that yet... my laptop seems to run pretty cool considering the ridiculous CPU and GPU that are packed into this laptop. I play Dawn of War II, Stalker, and Counter-Strike:Source.... but I will definitely be picking up Starcraft II. The keyboard and palm rest areas never feel very warm to me... in fact I would say my old Acer was much hotter. It is a pity that the main vent points out the back, and hence at the screen, but so far it hasn't caused me any problems. I haven't applied Arctic Silver yet, but I might do that at some point in the future if the mood strikes me.

3) I can't speak for the RGB screen, because I only have the WLED screen (1920x1080), but even this screen is one of the best I've seen yet. I LOVE the high resolution. Windows comes by default with everything enlarging (125%), so everything was the same size as my old 1280x800 screen, except a little crisper. I found that setting and turned it back to the normal (100%), and LOVE the extra area on the desktop. Granted my eyes are fine, but I love having multiple windows open side by side, each showing a full page or more with everything showing up crystal clear.

I DO recommend this laptop, particularly since you don't sound like a hardcore gamer, I bet you won't run into the GPU throttling problem. Also, mine came with a full 2-year warranty, which I'll use at a moment's notice if anything goes wrong. It's an incredible bang for your buck. On another note: I love the outside design of this laptop as well. No gaudy or bright indicators, just a few soft white LEDs for the essentials (HDD indicator, Wifi, etc).

 

Hit or miss. Coming from a SXPS 1340, I can honestly state this 1647's build quality far exceeds the latter. My previous 1340's "edge to edge' plastic protecting the LCD bulged above the webcam and did not align with the bezel. Some of the cuts on the plastic were not precise either. Generally I felt the SXPS 1340 was product that would be amazing in theory but in execution failed to hit the spot. As a previous poster had mentioned I would definitely NEVER pay anywhere near retail price for the 1340.

However, when I received the 1647 I was rather shocked. It is a really solid build. It has virtually all the same parts as the 1340 but has been put together solidly. All the pieces match up perfectly and has near perfect execution of parts--no protuding edges, everything lines up and boy does it make a difference. I would not mind paying $1k for this laptop.

If I had ordered 10 1647s and they were all the same build quality. I'd confidently recommend the build quality of the 1647. However, since I have not, bottom line:

Purchase your 1647 with EOL warranty + complete care and you will be fine. I think they are calling it "Advanced Warranty" now. Budget accordingly.

No heat issues. Not even close. Cool as a cucumber for now. Received laptop on 4/20/2010. Been running for 72 hours; no shutdown. Never gamed; only played 720p/1080p mkvs/multi tasking/websurfing.

My initial reaction was: over hyped. My Reds/Oranges were not glaring as other had mentioned. However, the color temperature was noticeably cooler. After I installed mark's color profile, I noticed the difference. Once my eyes got used to the monitor...man my HDTVs and other LCD monitors just don't compare.

It's not that the other monitors sucked, it's just that after your view the RGB's natural color reproduction and picture quality, you just keep attempting to alter settings on the HDTV/monitor to replicate the picture quality found on the RGB.

err...what I mean is...yeah I guess that means the rest don't measure up in comparison.

I kinda regret receiving the RGB screen. I had the 1340 before and had hdmi out to a cheap but adequate 26" Vizio. And I was happy playing all my movies on the bigger screen.

But now the 26" gets no love because whenever I drag the movie over to the 26" it pales in comparison to my 16" RGB so I just end up watching it on the 16".

What a waste of $250. Anyone want to buy a 26" 720p Vizio?

 

Thank you everyone.

 

you mention that you've played games and yet not have the GPU throttle on you. are you playing games using the laptop's WLED display, or hooked up to an external monitor? i ask this because i'm looking to purchase the (hopefully) model with the 5730 ATi card, or maybe the exact same config as yours, and i simply want to know if using the laptop with the lid closed will make any difference when the laptop is under load: throttle on or off?

 

the sxps16 is one of the best laptops out there in the market.... the build quality is pretty solid and the performance is awesome. you can check out my specs below....I hve never had any throttling with the 90w or 130 w power adapter... I have played Prey, GTA vice city, San Andreas, Hitman, Crysis, Far CRy, Diablo II, WOW, HALO 2 among others...and am quite satisfied. Also if yu are a bit adventurous I will recommend getting the merlot red! Looks awesome!

 

LOL what a great comparison

 

look at this one, lot better video card than the xps 16, and better resolution screen-1650 x 1050...

http://www.xoticpc.com/msi-gx640098us-p-2766.html

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rWZHO28RFaE

as for the xps16 being one of the best made,,that is debable , consindering all the other makes out there....sager, ibuypower, nforce, cybpower, hypersonic, msi, maingear, etc.

 

thats quite unfortunate. i was thinking about this one specifically b/c of the lcd panel was said to be better than most these days..

 

It's not that bad, but from what I hear about the glass screen I am sure there is just no comparison.... And when spending 1.5-2k on a laptop, what is an extra 2 or 300 for an awesome display?

I won't lie it isn't that bad though.... don't let me hold you back... go see one for yourself and let us know how you like it.

 

bestbuy may have one...have seen dells there

 

Can't speak for the RGB screen, but as an owner of the WLED 1080p screen, I can tell you it is by far the best lappy screen (or any screen for that matter) I have used. MUCH nicer than the lcd on my old m1530, nicer than any macbook pro screens I've seen. Tis a great laptop

 

i have never seen one,, quess i better seek a xps 16 and take a look...okay, i saw one on youtube, and the lcd screen does look nice, got to admit. one thing i don,t like is the hinges that hold the lcd lid, it has external screws showing...delll should have covered or hidden those somehow..it would really improve the looks.,,but the laptop otherwise looks nice.dell makes nice laptops, some of them...i don,t like the cheaper ones from dell, plain looking..i hate some of dells policiys,,,like ruining the great forum they use to have...pay for tech support..they are getting greedy..dell financial sucks...i now buy for sager, ibuypower, compal, msi...got to be careful today, i have been at frys electronics scanning the laptops....the screens on those cheap rigs have only average images....nothing to brag about..the apples look good, at least i thought so...

 

I have the RGB on my 1647...it is great
The "color resolution" coming out of it is phenomenal (well, at least for me). Much better, then what I had with my 1530.

All in all the 1647 is a great laptop ~ Looks, power, durability & reliability..(so far) !

Cin...

 

Hehehe... I have to say I disagree with you on this point. Maybe it's just because I'm an engineer or something, but I love the big metal hinges with the screws exposed. I love sleek designs, but I don't mind seeing some of the hardware as long as it doesn't stick out. In this case, the screws are nicely recessed.

Anyways, everyone is free to their own opinions, but I like the screws

 

Yea I love the screws he he. Nice industrial touch...

 

^^I third..I think the screws give the 16xx an added extra "special" look.
Looks' great with the Red Trim on my Merlot Red on the inner lid!

But yes, to each their own!

Cin...