SXPS 13 - A good choice?

Hey everyone.

I've been looking for a new laptop from Dell, and had trouble deciding between the Studio XPS 13, Studio 1555, and Inspiron 1440 (all configured to similar specs).

I'm leaning more towards the SXPS 1340 because of the build quality and size, and I just have a couple of questions before I make the order:


1. Heat:
Besides the physical design aspect where the screen partially blocks the exhaust vent, the BIOS update from Dell supposedly "fixes" the heat.

But does anyone know what exactly the BIOS update does? I'm just afraid that it discreetly clocks the CPU/GPU at a lower speed to control the heat...does anyone have benchmarks showing the before&after performance of the BIOS update?


2. Slot-loading drive
Secondly, I've read that the HLDS GS20N slot-loading drive that comes with it is not only loud, but has a high rate of failure. Did any of you need to have the drive replaced? I most definitely need a good optical drive because I like experimenting with operating systems and occasionally watch a DVD movie. Do most customers receive a drive that works perfectly?

 

The BIOS update just cranks up the fan. Earlier BIOS's only turned on the fan when the heat reached ridiculously high level. Now the fan turns on at a slightly more sane temperature, and the laptop stays cooler as a result. I'm pretty sure it doesn't perform any underclocking.

I have a GS20N drive, and it's working fine.

 

I have an SXPS16...the new BIOS for that does not change clock speed as confirmed by RMClock which I am using to undervolt.

 

Anytime you have bios update that just runs the fan more often, you can be sure the fan will become noisy much sooner. Also i had nightmarish issues with the nvidia 9500m display chipset: won't let you go come out of sleep mode. Also the media soft-keys stop working many times when you come out of sleep. I strongly suspect that the nvidia chip has a bug which dell has no answer for. I worked with Dell support for a week on this where they had me reinstall the OS and drivers and they did all kinds of settings changes but they could not get the sleep mode issue fixed. Finally they wanted to send me a motherboard replacement. That was the last straw. Luckily i bought this laptop at costco so i could return it easily, no questions asked.

I did like the design/look/speed of the laptop. However i did not want to live to regret holding on to this piece of problematic junk. Stay away until you can verify that they have fixed all the issues, which have actually been well documented on this forum.

 

sxps 13 is a bad choice because it still uses the thermal pad on the graphics like the xps 1330. Unless you're going to copper mod it, I don't suggest you to get one.

 

I don't think the 9400M or 9200 would have the same chronic failure as the 8400. Bad solder bumps were a thing of the 8xxx series. But the heat problem lies with fitting a fairly good graphics card on a relatively small chassis.

 

I have SXPS 1640 and my slot failed within 4 months and I got it replaced.

I was having Sony slot earlier and now they have given me hitachi.

 

I have the GS20N and haven't had an problems. Also, the heat only gets bad if both gpus are running and then it get's pretty hot. That's just a factor of a CPU and two GPUs producing a lot of heat in a 13" laptop. No matter what they do or how it's designed a notebook of this size is going to run hot under heavy load with this kind of hardware.

 

Thanks everyone!

Looks like any failures (such as the slot-loading drive) are completely random and entirely dependent upon how lucky you are...

I honestly do not play games on laptops. And I will also be building a laptop cooler for my desk, so I'm just hoping the heat will not be too extreme over its three-hour battery lifespan away from home.

Were I to get this model, I do intend to replace the thermal pads with AS5 as well.

Since I wouldn't do gaming on it, I would order this unit with the onboard 9400M chip, and the regular CCFL screen since the WLED is far beyond my budget.

Would a 13.3" CCFL still be great on this machine for extensive everyday use?

 

IMO if you will be using the laptop on a desk, heat is a non-issue for the most part. The primary occasion on which the computer will heat up rapidly (and become far less bearable directly on one's lap) is when the 9200M GS is enabled and thus two GPUs are running at once.

IIRC my slot-load drive is only becomes more noisy when the laptop is moved with a disk inside. That said, I might be less "sensitive" to noise as I didn't notice too much of a difference between BIOS update A04 and A05 which many other complained of.

 

I have no intention of getting the hybrid-SLI version, since I won't need the extra power or heat.

What about the screen? Seems like everyone here has the WLED option which I cannot afford.

I would be using this for many, many hours during the day, so would the WLED display offer significant clarity/brightness over the CCFL?
If so, then I would rather choose another model altogether where the LED screen comes stock and not as an upgrade.

 

I have the WLED option so I can't comment there though IIRC there was nothing explicitly wrong with the CCFL monitor (though it is less bright and consumes a bit more power). If you are on a budget and don't need a great warranty, I suggest looking at Dell Outlet to see if any of their higher end systems show up. Other OEMs that come to mind and often bundle LED monitors with their systems are Asus and Apple though the latter will be more expensive than Dell.

 

Other manufacturers such as HP, ASUS as well as Dell are beginning to standardize LED screens in their laptops. I wonder what's the case with the SXPS 13

Been checking out the outlet lately and the models that have the WLED screen goes around 900+ Occasionally I do see some models with the screen below the price.