Studio XPS 16 1647 questions (wtb owner comments!)

Hi,

I'm really tempted to get the 1647 on sale right now (almost $300 off!); I've been shifting through the forums trying to get some answers to things before I buy, but it's hard to find consensus on some issues.

I read with the A04 bios update and getting a 130w adapter, the throttling issues are gone. True/False? (and what's the deal with the screen brightness?) If I'm going to be gaming, do I need the 130w adapter or can I get by with 90?

I also saw you can't get the RGBLED screens anymore, just WLED. If I'm coming from a regular old laptop LCD, will it really matter? WLED can't be that bad, right?

I also noticed on the Studio 16 page there are two types of screens:
HD+ Widescreen 15.6 vs Edge-to-Edge HD+ Widescreen... are there any differences other than the obvious?

My current laptop is an HP business machine--how's the XPS customer support? HP has been great to me, but my laptop's refresh ( HP 8540w) just doesn't seem to compare to the 1647's specs and price.

Finally, are the heating issues really as bad as they're made out to be? I plan on throwing some AS5 on myself when the machine arrives, and I'll be elevating the laptop when gaming.

Thanks!

 

Some people are still complaining about throttling, but most of us don't have it anymore. Now that the 1647 has the 5730 GPU (less heat/ power consumption) you should be fine. I'd still call and try to get a 130W supply out of them, just say your 90W is overheating (which it probably will).

There is nothing 'wrong' with WLED. In fact they're great monitors, well above the average laptop LCD. It's just that the RGB LEDs are even better. But they also draw more power, and were one of the contributing factors to the throttling. I bet you'll find the WLED better than your current laptop monitor.

They are currently 2 different LCD's offered. The 1600x900 (HD+) and 1920x1080 (FHD) 15.6" WLED LCDs. The edge-to-edge thing is just talking about the sheet of plastic that covers the screen, and is the same for both of the displays currently offered.

As far as service goes, the XPS laptops have their own 'premium' service department. I've found them to be very helpful and willing to replace anything you're having a problem with. I'd consider them to have a business-class level of support.

Temps aren't bad. Look at some of the other threads on this board about temp control suggestions. I did AS5 and removed the dust filter, took about 10min for both, and my temps stay reasonable. I can get them up to the low-80s, but only when I really try, by running prime95 on all CPU threads, and FurMark on the GPU. For regular 'real-world' gaming, temps should max in the mid-70s.

I hope this helps.

 

Throttling only happens now when you max CPU and GPU at the same time, and only on some systems. It would be wise to get the 130W adapter.

The WLED is really nice, especially the 1080p resolution. Coming from a regular LCD you should be impressed by the backlit WLED. It's definitely not bad.
Also, the WLED uses less power than the RGBLED so you'll get much better battery life.

XPS support has been great to me! I had support with the travel remote and with getting the 130W adapter and it was very easy.

If you apply AS5 then you should be absolutely fine! The 9 cell helps and if you want to go any further then cooling pads aren't the worst things in the world!

Best of luck!

 

Actually, I am getting tired of the RGB screen hurting my eyes. The colors are awfully over saturated and it still looks way off even after a proper calibration. I'd rather have an under-saturated 15.6 LG FHD WLED or even AUO B156HW01 over my current Samsung RGB. The RGB screen is overhyped. It's still a TN panel. In the end it's all about preference.

 

What is the travel remote? I didn't see that on the list of components on the Dell site.

 

Any windows media-center compatible remote should work on the XPS 16.

 

Yeah and I just got the £15 one of the Dell accessories site when I ordered my laptop!

 

Is it IR or Bluetooth? Can you please post a link to it?

 

IR. There's a small receiver on the front right-hand side of the laptop, near where the Core i# sticker is.

 

It's IR, and I can't actually find a link! Lol it took me ages to find in the first place! Dell's accessories page is awful (and overpriced)!

 

An, okay. I found it on the U.S. site.

I have not been able yet to find it on the Canada site, which is the site I would have to order from.

 

That's funny. The backpack I ordered from the US Dell site was shipped out from a Canadian warehouse, lol.

BTW, here's the link for Canada: DELL Dell Travel Remote Control IR, Customer Installed : LCD TVs, HDTVs & TV Accessories | Dell Canada

Personally, I find it easier to search for things in Google "dell canada travel remote", then follow the link to the Dell site, as the Dell search sucks, and it seems like you can never find what you're looking for.

It seems like a pretty cool idea, a remote that fits in the (usually) empty expresscard slot, too bad my expresscard slot is occupied by a smart card reader.

 

LOL, that's exactly what I did: I Googled it and found it.

I agree, it does seem like a good idea. I was planning to order a Studio XPS 16, so I think I'll also order a travel remote.

 

1. Ask for a 130w adapter. That with the new GPU should keep you throttle free. I have an i5 and the old 4670 and I do not have any noticeable throttling issues. Also order over the phone. Have what you want listed out. For instance you should be able to ask for the Intel 6300 wireless card even though its not listed when you configure the system. Also you can usually talk the price down a bit.

2. There is absolutely nothing wrong with the WLED. Its default color temp is a bit on the cold side but the RGB is way on the warm side. Also as others have said it consumes less power. IMO the SXPS16 has one of if not the best laptop screens on the market. It is also extremely bright (yet very reflective).

3. Already answered.

4. If you do not get the US support (extra warranty option) then make sure you call during daylight hours in Malaysia. Dell Malaysia's reps are very professional and speak extremely clearly. Dell India on the other hand is in my experiences nothing short of terrible. So in other word try and call when it is like 3-4am in India. On a more positive note I hear Dell's US reps are very good.

5. I must have a very cool system because heat has never been a problem for me. Some thermal paste and a Zalman NC2000 notebook cooler should destroy any possible heat issues.

Also this is a very professional looking laptop. Its classy but not flashy and I have received many positive comments from coworkers and classmates. About the only other laptop you should consider is Lenovo but you will not get nearly as good a screen even in there best laptop.

 

I can't argue with that. I had originally purchased a Lenovo Y560 2 months ago to be my new laptop. It's specs were quite similar to the XPS16, except the Lenovo only came with a 768p screen.

Anyway, when the Y560 arrived I was horribly disappointed. The laptop body was made of very thin plastic, you could twist and flex the entire thing. The backplate was so thin that I was afraid setting it down too hard would crack it.

The screen was HORRIBLE. I mean it was literally the worst display I've ever seen in any laptop. And it wasn't just because of the 768p resolution. It had very poor contrast, the whole screen looked washed out, very weak colors. The whole screen was grainy, and the gradients were so bad that there was no smooth transition from one color to the next, it looked more like colorbars.

I ended up sending it in to be serviced (even though I had the at-home service option, they wouldn't replace my display, they made me send the whole thing into the depot). Long story short, it sat in the depot for a month, and was sent back to me without being fixed. I returned it, and at least they gave me a 100% refund, but I'll never buy a Lenovo again. I then ended up getting this XPS 1645.

There are only a few laptops out there that met my requirements, the XPS16, the Y560, the ASUS N61Jq, and the HP Envy 15. As far as I'm concerned, the Dell XPS 16 beats the Y560 and N61Jq for build quality, looks, and display. The HP Envy 15 is also good, but much more expensive. You also can't beat the XPS service from Dell. I have to say I'm very happy with my purchase.

 

Thanks for all the info guys!

One more quick question: I really want to get bluetooth with my 1647, but it's not offered on the model I'm looking at (the "Better" one @ Studio XPS Laptop Details)

The "Best" model comes with bluetooth, but it's also got a Core i5-450M 2.4GHz (2.66GHz Turbo Mode, 3M Cache), vs the Core i7 720QM (1.6GHz/6MB cache) of the model I want. Does anyone know how much of a difference there is between the two?

Or even better, if I phoned in to order, would they just throw bluetooth into my model even though the website doesn't allow me to do so?

Thanks!

 

If you call in you should be able to get bluetooth as an add-on, but it's sort of agent-dependent. For example, the first sales agent I had was about as useful as a sack of rocks - and this is through the EPP phone line too (although i'm willing to bet that both Sales and EPP line are the same). I ended up talking to his manager and configured the laptop with him. Eventually I got the notebook configuration I wanted.

With some sales agents you can haggle and get upgrades here or there, but it really depends on who you get on the phone. Initially I didn't want to waste my time trying to haggle, but as soon as I mentioned I wanted to order the 3-year warranty, the manager on the phone almost immediately mentioned that he could "knock off" the prices on a few upgrades. I got the 6GB -> 8GB memory for $50 (versus $125), Intel 6250 wireless for FREE, and Bluetooth upgrades for FREE. It seemed like ordering the warranty is akin to saying "The tiger has taken the lily pad" to the M'aitre D at an Italian restaurant... At least that's my experience.

 

Great to know, especially considering I was going to get the 3 year warranty anyway, haha!

 

there's no guarantees about the upgrades, but at least that was my lucky experience. i guess make sure that you mention the 3-year warranty first? might make the rest of the process easier on you haha

good luck!