Dell Inspiron 15R Special edition (7520)

Hey guys, I got my 15R SE and I think I may have a bit of a problem.
Does anyone else's laptop fan spin really loud (BIOS says up to 4600 RPM) at odd intervals for no reason at all in idle mode?
I'm feeling the air coming out, and it's cold. Also, CPU temp is around 40-50 Celsius.

I reinstalled Windows 7 on this computer in AHCI mode (it was in Intel SRT with the SSD) if that information may be useful.

 

Check temps and see how they relate to the fan going loud. Even at idle the CPU/GPU might get hot.

 

All I'm doing right now is running a 720p flash video online and my fan is running at max (4500 rpm).
Here's a picture of temperatures at the time:
It doesn't look normal, unless the GPU is defective?
But this will happen even when I'm just running Skype or surfing the web.

 

Since I do not have this model, all I can tell you is that 7720 does nothing close to this at all. Maybe other owners can tell us if it's "normal" or not.

 

I have the 7520 (15R SE) and no issues with temps or fan going full blast... in fact it was even pretty quiet during BF3 testing for 1 hour....

I've only heard it spin up once during a 1080p video on youtube. It was still very quiet and not loud.

 

Hello,

Could anyone tell me if mSATA drive can be replaced on 15R SE daughter board (if of course mSATA port is installed)?

Could anyone post a photo of a daughter board with or without mSATA slot?

I’m going to buy 15R SE and this is the last thing I want to clarify before my final decision.

Thanks!

 

Thanks Qbasix - I called Dell and they're going to replace my cooling unit. I just hope it's not another defective part (GPU or hard drive) that's heating up or a problem with the motherboard's temperature sensors.

 

Download the 15R owner's manual here: Documentation
It has a comprehensive tear down guide that will get you to the daughter board (be warned that getting to the daughter board is a hassle).

I have the SSD version of the 15R SE however I never really took apart the system down to its daughter board, so maybe you can distinguish from the pdf the mSATA is there or not.

 

There is no information in user manual about mSTATA port.

Only "Comprehensive Specifications" says that there is an option for 32GB mSATA drive. But no details.

 

According to the notebookcheck review ( Review Dell Inspiron 15R Special Edition Notebook - Notebookcheck.net Reviews) it doesn't come with an mSATA slot unless you order it with mSATA.

 

Yes, I know that. But can I repleced it with another drivie when I order vesion with 32GB mSATA?

 

Just had a Dell tech replace my fan 2 hours ago. Sadly, he damaged the laptop more than fixed it. Lots of the plastic hinges broke off during tear down. Images attached.

And the fan still spins at max ... even now when I only have 2 tabs open in Firefox. I'm going to call in for a replacement model.

Also @SDek - I told the tech guy to look for the mSATA drive while he busted open the laptop, and apparently he couldn't find one and said it was probably built into the motherboard. Not sure if this is 100% true, but thought I should let you know either way.

 

Hi all!

I just received my new 15r inspiron and am loving the keyboard and screen so far. I got the i7 model with the amd dedicated.

Anyway, I wanted to ask a question about the switchable graphics.

I have never used switchable graphics and I wanted to test out the gpu and monitor the temps, etc using gpuz and hwinfo. When I run hwinfo it only finds the hd 4000 card. I checked the device manager and the amd 7730 is also listed there in the display driver area. So i tried to launch gpuz and it would just freeze on the launch logo for gpuz even though a process would show up in the task manager like it was doing something.

I looked online and peopel said to disable the hd 4000. I tried this and the amd 7730 started to have a conflict so the OS disabled it

I re-enabled the hd4000 and the amd also started working again

so i checked the windows experience index and the gpu got a 6.6 which i think is better than the hd 4000 would give, but I am not sure....

so.... my question is.... is there a way to use only the amd gpu and to totally disable the hd 4000? How can i be sure the amd gpu is being used for games (under the switchable graphics area do I use the high performance option for the dedicated gpu???)

I am so confoozed!

seriously, any help or thoughts would be appreciated

 

for what I learned in the past few weeks, the amd dedicated start automagically when it's needed , and shuts down when it's done. That switching means that you can't "see" the card if you're not in game, and so the only way to check temperatures and usage is to use a background logger. If you think for any reason that the discrete card didn't start up properly, you can force the switching on selected *.exe from the ati control panel (i don't know exactly where from, try googling). Disabling the hd4000 is a very bad idea (if it's even possible), forcing the discrete card to remain constantly powered would only add excess heat and power consumption to the laptop.
All of the above is just what I learned around, I don't (yet) own an Enduro system

Question: I placed the order for the 15r se 3 days ago, and now the tracker is stuck on the "in production" phase. How long does it last? I thought that those standard configurations were pre-assembled, that's the whole point of removing customization options, isnt it?

 

yea it should be quick... i ordered mine with no modifications at all in the early morning and it was shipped by the end of the day

 

ok kewl, thanks for that info...

If I want to upgrade the video driver for the amd card, do I just do it the regular way or do I need to do something differently?

 

Yes, you can.

You can replace the 32GB mSATA SSD with, say, a 128GB mSATA SSD and use it as a boot/OS/apps drive in conjunction with a large (500GB, 750GB, 1TB) HDD for storage.

 

Have you actually done this on the 15R SE yet?

 

I would like to ask if you have some experience with overheating this model. I would like to use as multimedial notebook. I have owned ASUS N45SF and it was terrible (everytime overheating and crashing). I want to buy version with i5 "only".
And my second question is: can i replace DVD ROM for mSATA-SSD. It means mSATA into HDD slot and HDD into DVD slot?

Thank you

 

Anyone know where I can download the latest BIOS version? Apparently I had A02 until my motherboard was replaced and now I have A00.

 

Hi,

I am still having some problems getting anything out of the HDMI port - I connect it up and nothing happens - the TV doesnt recognise that there is a device connected, and nor does the PC. The cable works perfectly with my PS3.

Also, does anyone know why intel widi over dlna only allows you to output at 720p?

Please advise,

thanks!

 

Its depand on compatibility of devices. I had ASUS N45SF with GT555M and half LCD TV didnt work correctly. Ithink that the most important parametr is how old is your TV. My 4 years old TV is simply out and is not support

 

Hi,

my TV is a 2011 samsung TV so it is fairly new and it shouldnt be a problem - connects fine via vga.

also, am i the only one who doesnt have the setting in the bios to disable the hd4000?

 

No settings in BIOS, but you can do it in Nvidia control panel. I think it will stay off for good.

About TVs, I'm nor sure. My 6 year old Sony works perfect. My new LG works perfect.

 

When i had ASUS. VGA out was only connect withIntel HD3000 and HDMI was connect with discret graphic GT555M. So my problem was in GT555M which doendt support my TV. VGA worked but HDMI didnt.

 

This is a logical statement, however on this site: http://support.dell.com/support/edocs/systems/ins7520/en/specs/specs_en.swf, Dell claims that their mSATA port only supports up to 32 GB.

 

Yes, as a cache drive.

 

But i can change HDD with SDD and have only SSD in basic model?? I know that in other manufacture its possible

 

Has anyone tried using the Dell Touchpad driver with Google Chrome? I have the latest upate, and on my 7520 it scrolls about 10 pixels then stops scrolling, even if I keep scrolling in the same direction or change directions. I need to constantly release my fingers and replace them to continue scrolling, which is ineffective.

Scrolling works in IE and Windows, but not Chrome.

Edit: I fixed the issue by editing the installation files. Now scrolling works fine.

 

could you post more details? I use chrome extensively, so I'll probably need to apply the fix too. Thanks

 

It actually took me 3 hours to get it working, so let me do some final testing and I'll upload the driver.

 

Hey guys, here's an un-boxing video I made for a few friends of mine. Thought of posting it here as I have got a lot of suggestions from this forum too.

 

Thank you, take your time. I can do some testing too if you need, I should receive the laptop by the end of the week

EDIT: sorry, double post.

 

Thank you, take your time. I can do some testing too if you need, I should receive the laptop by the end of the week

 

Alright, here's my version of the 7520's A01 touchpad driver:
Download touchpad.zip from Sendspace.com - send big files the easy way

I mainly updated the application extensions, made them compatible with Dell's, and shrunk the install size. I have no idea why Dell's driver is 140 MB and mine is 13 MB. There's no need to add files to make the download over 10x the necessary size.

Anyways, open up 'readme.txt' and enjoy!

 

I have one question please.
Can someone upload results from HWInfo or another programs after stress test or playing some game (Skyrim etc.)?
I would like to know, where are temperatures of CPU and GPU.

Thank you very much.
I choose between R15 SE 7520 or Acer Travelmate R643.

 

Does anyone know how I can disable the Intel Graphics? Thanks in advance

 

Also just got mine today the 15 inch one and it doesnt seem to read DVD but can read blu ray....anyone esle run in to this problem?

 

This is a bit risky, but it works (most of the time):

1. Open control panel
2. Click device manager
3. Twirl down the display adapters
4. Right click on Intel graphics and hit disable
5. Confirm disable
6. Reboot - if resolution changed then right click on desktop change screen resolution.

I have no idea how stable this is, but you're not gonna get much battery life out of it.

 

is the 15SE portable?, or is it too heavy to be portable.

I dont care much about battery live, but I just retuned my XPS15 (due to wifi problems) and looking for a alternative.

 

From nVidia control panel one can choose what card programs can use. This is a better options since it's easy to do and works both ways when using battery.

 

I already did this but it already doesnt seem to work with the first game i tried it with counter strike source? Anyone else?

 

Is the HDMI out tied to the AMD card? I plan on using this laptop in Linux exclusively, and GPU switching is dicey (to say the least) under Linux. Being able to lock out the AMD card entirely and just run off the integrated GPU is preferable.

Thank you,

---Jason

P.S. And thanks for clearing up the maximum memory issue! Knowing that the 15R will take 16GB is very good news!!

 

I wonder whether Dell will continue to put out the Special Edition. After the special one day sale, the Canadian website has taken down the verson with Blu-ray. It may be temporary. Nothing has changed in the US site.

 

Sorry, I thought jadbox was asking about the 15R SE.

If you only plan on playing counter strike, the HD 4000 is more than capable. Although my method practically ensures that all graphics uses the dedicated card, it's a bit unstable. Might as well just leave Nvidia optimus to do it's job - it's way better than AMD enduro.

 

Unfortunately, the original Intel Centrino Wireless-N 2230 WIFI card supports only 2.4GHz.

There is interesting model of the WIFI card - Intel Centrino Wireless-N 6235, which basically differs only with the support of 5GHz networks.
Could you tell me, if you have tried to install this or another WIFI card, which support 5GHz network in this laptop?

 

I am considering an Inspiron 15R Special Edition for my daughter for her College laptop. A few questions for those that know more about the 15R SE than me.

1) Is it worth $260.00 more than a "regular" 15R? Main differences I see are the case (aluminum vs. plastic) and the video card.
2) I've seen video card problems mentioned a fair amount here. How prevalent are the problems?
3) Any thoughts on the wisdom of 3-Year On-Site Warranty and/or 3-Year Accidental Damage protection?

 

hello everybody..

Greeting from Malaysia.
I just get my over my hand the new Dell Inspiron 15R with FullHD screen and 32 GB SSD.
The screen is pretty amazing... and it boots up in less than half minute.

However, I encounter some problems when viewing Youtube contents on IE 9.
It loads the youtube website but then the video just dont get loaded.
I installed Flash Player 11.3 but the problems just sticking.

And i have an inquiry, if I wanna reformat my dell, will the windows file being saved to the SSD? or we have to do it manually? If it is manually then how to do it?

Hope to get a helping hand over you guys here, as i am a noob in computer.
;-(

 

Just received my 15r, It's amazing. I spent a whole 5 minutes playng with the laptop before shutting it down to upgrade to an ssd. I bought an amazing samsung 830, and mounting it was a breeze. I'm installing windows now (btw, dell sent me the original "clean" windows installation dvd) and as soon as I'm finished loading drivers and software I'll mount the original hdd in a odd caddy.

 

Hey guys.

First of all, I'm sorry for my worse english and I'm terribly sorry for my impudence not to read all the 55 pages here. I'm in a time stress so the quick answer would awesome
I'm actually thinking about buying this laptop coz my old one just died and I have two simple questions, I'm pretty much sure they were already answered in previous posts tho
1) how is the construction? I mean, how solid the case is, how good the cooling system is etc. I've read some reviews, but none was written when after f.e. two hours of gaming. I just want to know if the cooling works fine, so the GPU does not underclock, and if the base and the case itself is solid enough for everyday carrying in a bag.
2) does the Enduro system really work fine? I mean, I guess it still needs time to become almost perfect as Optimus did but aren't there any problems with switching the graphic cards?

Thanks for your patience w/ me and thanks a lot for your answers. It seems in our country noone has this notebook and I pretty much want to buy a new laptop on this monday, so I'm counting on you
Once again thanks a lot for answers.