Dell Inspiron 15R Special edition (7520)

@Nerull87

1) It has one space for a normal 2.5" hard drive, it also has a space for mSATA SSD drive, this is not a normal hard drive, but a smaller kinda of SSD drive you put in there to speed your computer up.
The high end model comes with 32GB mSATA SSD drive.

We do not know if you can put a bigger one in there, I might try.

2) Some countries have backlight default, others as option. You will have to check with your dell sales rep.

3) Cant help here.

 

Well I just purchased my 15R SE

Got the top of the line model with all the features, chose 3 year warranty and extra dell mouse too.

I guess it should arrive next week, then I can answer some questions too.

I dont play games so dont think I can help too much about the 7730M video card.

@Nugi@bavaria,
When you were using the standard 12.4 catalyst drivers, did you have crashing in games or even in desktop (when not playing games?)

 

Thanks a lot Nugi!
Those driver problems seem to be 'normal', let's just hope Dell solves them quickly.

@ leebaldock
check out this (australian, afaik!) page: http://forums.whirlpool.net.au/archive/1911466

 

I poked around on the NL site a bit just now, and I did not see the mention of standard backlit keyboard. That doesn't mean it's not there, but more like my search skills are not the greatest. I know this is an ongoing issue in the UK that we are trying to get worked out. Would you mind posting the link to where it says it's standard on the NL site? I checked the top config, and it has it as an option. Some regions/countries are not offering it at all, and it seems like where it is offered, you have to choose one of the top one or two configs to get the option.

I'm going with 8GB for now until I can get that verified by engineering. I know the CPU will support like 32GB, so this is a motherboard or BIOS limitation. If it is a BIOS imposed limitation, I can gather size and sentiment in online conversations about the limitation and send it up the chain. Engineering may enable support for more RAM, but we will have to work the process to make it happen if it can happen. I'm on it.

Officially, I'd say stand by for a few days. The eSupport team may not have uploaded the service manual in time. I searched by the 7520 product name in the support manuals section at Support.Dell.com, and the one that came up was the normal Inspiron 17R. This should be worked out soon.

I can't think of any good reason why we would limit the size of the mSATA drive. I will have to check this and post back what I hear. I will caution on one thing that may or may not have changed since we launched the first round of mSATA equipped systems: We support and qualify the mSATA models we ship with the system. We cannot guarantee functionality of all mSATA drives on all our systems. I would attribute this to the technology being fairly young in the market, and firmware for the hardware and laptops are not fully developed and playing nice just yet. But like I said, this may have changed over the past few months.

1) 99% of the time (in Consumer and Small Business) Dell only supports and provides drivers for the OS version we ship on the system. In this case, we have not qualified or offered 32 bit Windows.
2) Almost* any Dell AC adapter of 90W or higher will work. The exception is Core i7QC + discrete GPU on the 17". That one requires 130W or higher Dell adapter.
*I say almost because obviously some of the old netbook and the current XPS 13, for example, have different DC-in plugs, and/or are not 90W.

I can expand on the topic of Dell AC adapters in a separate post if there is interest. Just let me know.

1) The 17 has 2 HDD bays. The 15 has one. Both have an additional mSATA port.
2) The backlit keyboard option offering varies by region. You will have to check the configurations available in your region to verify if it's available. Sometimes you may have to look at the top configs to see the option.

 

@Dell-Bill_B,
Thanks for the answers!
I'll just buy a 90w adapter that matches the one thats shipped when it arrives.

If you could check for us about the 32GB mSATA drive, and if its possible to upgrade it to a larger mSATA drive?

The guys on the XPS thread are also wondering about this.

 

The XPS guys will have to wait. LOL. That product, if it exists or will exist, has not released yet.

All you need to know for the adapter is: 1. 90W or higher, and 2. It's Dell and not some generic aftermarket part. It can be any Dell 90W adapter. Latitude, Vostro, Inspiron, XPS, Alienware. Just Dell+90W is all you really need to worry about.

 

It is a shame there is not nVidia option for this laptop as I would have bought it over the new XPS, due to it having a subwoofer unlike the soon to be announced L521X. ATI really suck bad with Windows drivers, and their dual graphics technology is nowhere near as advanced or mature as nVidia.

 

Indeed, the AMD card in this system seems to be its achheeles heel....

However if your not gaming I dont think its a problem.

@Dell-Bill_B,
Yep, gonna buy a genuine dell one, and match the specs and amperage.
Thanks!

 

Dell-Bill, what can you tell me about the FHD screen on the SE/7520?

 

Hi Bill,

Thanks for your reply

"standaard achtergrondverlichting" = backlit keyboard in default config.
Also - I did not get any option to select the backlit keyboard as an option although I did take the top model.

I will also contact dell support about it today.

 

I just got a 15z (the one with the solid state hd) as a replacement for my studio 15 and it has just shipped out to me. Now that I'm looking at this I think this would be a better replacement. As we were having a hard time matching the specs of my studio 15 (Quad core, Blu Ray, 1080p screen) and a few weeks ago the 15z seemed the closest, but it has no quad core (only dual) and no bluray. Would I be better off getting them to replace the 15z ( XPS 15z Laptop Details | Dell Canada - the 1599 one on the right) with the new 15r special edition? Would anyone be able to give me some advice. I dont get why there is such a large price difference ( http://www.dell.com/ca/p/inspiron-15r-se-7520/pd.aspx?~ck=anav) the best 15r is $500 cheaper than the 15z that I got. It has a worse processor, no bluray, and worse graphics card.

 

17.3” HD+ Widescreen, 200-nit (1600x900) 900p; (std)
17.3” FHD Widescreen, 400-nit (1920x1080) 1080p (opt)
17.3” 3D* FHD Widescreen, 200-nit (1920x1080) 1080p (opt) (
*Requires NVIDIA 3D Vision glasses, sold separately)
Color gamut on the non-3D version is 72%. Not sure about the 3D version.

I'll go back and try to find the link where you pulled that screenshot. Thanks.

If you want, you can PM me your service tag, email address, daytime contact number and current shipping address. I can get your information over to the support team in NL. I can't speak for what they will do, but if you feel misled by the website, I'll definitely include that in my note.

 

Bill, isn't the 7520 the 15.6"???

Tnx for the info. What I actually meant to ask was that if you had seen the FHD screen on the 15.6, what did you personally think of it and its quality?

Tnx....

 

The 7520 is the Inspiron 15R SE. As of now, though, the user manuals and system documentation you get when you search the manuals site for 7520 come back as the regular Inspiron 15R instead of the SE.

I have looked at the 17" screen but not the 15" yet. My impression of the 17" (and I'm not all that particular about my laptop screen; much more into screen quality on my phones, but that's just me) is that it had good viewing angles, good color reproduction and none of the old "screen door effect" we've seen reported on previous models.

 

I guess I'm really dense, but I can't find that information anywhere. Can you post the link you were on when you click to find that screenshot and tell me what you clicked, please?

 

TNX. Reason I'm asking is because I'm undecided about the laptop I want to buy and screen quality is very important to me since I stare at it most of the time. I guess if I'm paying more I want a great screen, otherwise what's the point, you know?

 

The screenshot comes from this page: Informatie over de Inspiron 17R Special Edition-laptop | Dell Nederland. It's also in the table at the bottom of this page: Inspiron-laptops | Dell Nederland

The backlit keyboard is an option on 3 of the 4 available configurations. The third configuration on this page doesn't have it as an option: http://www.dell.com/nl/p/inspiron-17r-se-7720/pd.aspx?c=nl&cs=nldhs1&l=nl&s=dhs&~ck=mn. Another thing with the third configuration is that you cannot buy recoverymedia with it.

The same goes for the UK site ( http://www.dell.com/uk/p/inspiron-17r-se-7720/pd.aspx?c=uk&cs=ukdhs1&l=en&s=dhs&~ck=mn). The backlit keyboard isn't available on the third one and recoverymedia isn't an option on all configurations. By the way: the UK site also says the backlit keyboard is standard
http://www.dell.com/uk/p/inspiron-17r-se-7720/pd.aspx?c=uk&cs=ukdhs1&l=en&s=dhs&~ck=mn

With the recoverymedia I believe you can perform a clean install on another hard drive or if you replace it with a SSD?

 

Hi!
I am new to the forum and very interested in both the 15R SE and the 17R SE.

Dell Bill and stef123: about the Dutch backlit keyboard - when ordering the cheapest 17R SE model you get an option to choose the backlit keyboard for an extra 40 euros. (it's in the "Build my Dell" part of the ordering procedure).
(Here the page you can choose the option: De online winkel van Dell: stel zelf uw systeem samen click the arrow to the far right and click the keyboard picture)

Further, I am seriously considering getting the 17R SE. I was just wondering if anyone has a really good argument for me not getting the 17" but rather the 15" besides weight. Please let me know if you have

Does anyone know if there's a big difference in battery life between the configs of the 17R SE? Because there is a big difference in processor and graphics (90W /230W).

Not totally on topic: RAM: 6GB or 8GB, is there a big difference? I heard RAM has to work in equal pairs? (4GB x2 for the 8GB, but the 6GB has 2GB x1 and 4GB x1)


Thanks!
Michelle



EDIT: You're right about the backlit keyboard. 1 of the configs doesn't have it (the 3rd with the FHD, i7, 8GB and 720GB) strange..

 

It's very unfortunate that we are living in countries that are at least six hours apart, or I would have read your post before attempting to install the mSATA SSD...
Maybe I'm just blind, but I tore down the laptop this afternoon using the regular 15R manual and earning an additional scratch to the base unit in the process, and couldn't find the mSATA port. I removed the mainboard, too and couldn't find that thing... Someone should hace definitively put a red arrow somewhere with a sign "Put SSD here...")
Anyway, beside the nasty scratches I was able to restore the notebook back in working order.

Concerning gaming: The problem appeared everytime I tried a 3D game. JA Wildfire and normal browsing didn't present any problems.

 

sorry it is the 15R SE you have is it not ? just confused as to why you would try and play a 3D game ?

 

Maybe I phrased it wrong... I meant any game that uses a 3D engine. I grew up with 2D games like Diablo and Command and Conquer or the before mentioned Jagged Alliance.
By the way, Diablo III just crashed again, so it would be time to fix the problems. Otherwise I have to return the 15 R SE and wait for the XPS that is rumored to feature middle class NVidea graphics (for a more expensive price though...)

 

Hey guys,

got my new Dell Inspiron 17R SE yesterday. I ordered it with i7 and GT650M + FullHD Display but without backlit keyboard, because it was not available in my country (Germany). Shipping took exactly one week (from Shanghai).
In fact the laptop has two hard drive bays and one msata connector which is free accessible.
The quality of the complete laptop is amazing comparing to my previous ordered XMG A702. Keyboard is nice for long texting, touchpad is very responsive.
The non-3D FullHD panel is in truth really bright and has great viewing angles.
As second hard drive I installed a Crucial M4 256GB which makes the system blazing fast.
I had not really much time to game on this thing, but short gaming sessions with battlefield 3 or starcraft 2 weren´t a problem.
On idle it is very quiet and the fan stays off most of the time.
While gaming it turns a little bit louder but not too annoying.

Someone here in this forum has asked for temperatures under full load (no notebook cooler, ambient temperature: 23°C).
So I tested the system around 30 minutes on furmark and prime 95:
-CPU reaches about 87°C on the hottest core and 82°C on the "coolest"
-GPU reaches around 90°C but begins throttling then to stay at this level.
While Gaming the temperature reaches about 80°C but as I mentioned I played not so long. But I think throttling should not be a problem while gaming.

I try to answer all your questions about the 17R SE and sorry for my bad english

 

many thanks to Bill and to Falseproject for answers!!
You have helped me a lot!!

 

Has anybody made a review of the 15R SE yet? Also: To people who own it, what kind of battery life do you get, and how is the AMD Enduro graphics switching compared to optimus? (especially if you've used both)

 

Hmm this is not a goo sign.... it shouldnt crash like that all the time?

Is it blue screen or different crash?

 

It'll be good to get the final word on whether the 15 SE's really are limited to 32GB mSATA and whether non-Dell drives will work.

Also, I notice that the 15 SE screens make no mention of anti-glare, yet the $1100 (US) 17 SE does. Is that actually correct? I would think that Dell would offer one or the other but not switch them up like that. All the ones I'm looking at are 1080p, too.

 

15.6in Full High Definition (1080p) WLED with AntiGlare

as stated in my order from dell for 15R SE

 

I can confirm that the screen is anti-glare, too, as I'm looking at it right now

@ Qbasix: Yep, blue screens. I can onlyy read them until the "display driver" part, so I don't really get to know what's wrong with them. Maybe I set the system up wrong after formating the HDD to get rid of the bloatware...

Is there any "My display driver keeps crashing" thread in this forum?

 

Looking at pulling the gun on the 15R Special Edition..The 7730 should be plennty of power. The older brother, 7750 is on par with the 650m.

I keep hearing about driver crashes..? How bad is it? Battery life? How portable is it? How well is it playing games?

 

Guys, we have an Aussie forum here which has a lot of discussion on the 15R SE which might also be helpful:

http://forums.whirlpool.net.au/forum-replies.cfm?t=1911466

There have been at least 3 or 4 reports of the 15R SE getting BSOD's during gaming or even during the windows performance index test.

I would recommend all users run the Windows 7 Performance Index Test when they get their laptop to make sure its 100%.

If it crashes to a blue screen (BSOD) during this test I would recommend contacting Dell, it should not crash during this test.

 

Thanks for pointing out that thread. I've long seen threads there turn up in Google, but I've never had to post there before.

Among the distressing comments was a consensus about the build quality. The sales materials play up the "anodized aluminum," but selected comments in that thread include:

"Chassis is a combination of plastic (on the bottom especially) and some aluminium."

"Yeah bit disappointed in the 'aluminium chassis.' It's just an alumnium bevel."

"It's plastic with aluminium fascia."

 

I was reading up on AMD Enduro technology (which is part of the 7730M).

In this article:
AMD launches the Radeon HD 7000Ms and Enduro - BeHardware

They say that "special" drivers are needed from BOTH intel and AMD to make use of the Enduro technology...

So it would seem that normal catalyst drivers should NOT be used on the 7700M range of GPU's...

You said that you installed Catalyst earlier? Maybe try to do a full clean install and see if that helps (only using the Dell provided drivers)

 

link to Inspiron 17R SE ontwerp. On tab "Ontwerp" about the middle of the page.

I'll send you PM aswell

 

I find build quality good - as good as you can expect for the price. But indeed - I wouldn't call it aluminium. More like hard plastic.
If you want top build quality you will have to wait for the new XPS 15.

 

I agree on this part btw. I saw it on the website as well and i was a bit flabbergasted that it didn't show in the buying section. Heck, u can't even choose the option if u want the most expensive versions of the laptop.

I'm still trying to decide whether i will buy the laptop or not, (only downside on this one is that i wanted a faster GPU), but it's not correct and utterly misleading that u guys advertise with a standard backlight keyboard while in fact u have to pay for it if u really want it. Moreover, u need to contact the dell support if u even want it on the more expensive laptops, which make u loose a part of the discounts u can actually get from dell.nl

The lapt0p itself gives a lot of bang for it's buck though. 2 bad i can't get a AG screen + bluray & ssd all in one order (it's one or the other...)

 

Dell-Bill_B,
If you could also get info on the mSATA card and why its missing from the 7520 tear down manual?

It shows up in the 7720 tear down manual on page 35 section 11.

I hope its not been emitted because it cannot be changed?

 

Dell-Bill_B,

i talked with a dell rep here in india about the full hd screen availability on inspiron 15r and 17r in india,
but they are saying that it wont be available at all in india.
Dell India website says that they are available.

here is the link Inspiron 17R Special Edition Laptop Details | Dell India.
See the tech specs

can you confirm this?

 

Could you tell us the reference of the screen panel. Is It ChiMei or Phillips LG??

 

It is an option on the most expensive version. Just not for the most expensive without 3D.


Which is better 15R SE or 17R SE? There a quite a few differences besides size.
Can anyone tell me about the batterylife with the 90W or 230W graphics?

 

This is what I found out:

Model: HDKPVf173HGE
Monitor ID: CMN1720

I read that this model is also used in Alienware M17x....

 

7520 and 5520 is the same system and shares the same user manual.
You will not find anything about mSATA in any user guide, Alienware 14r2 has one but nothing about it in user guide.
For some reason (money) Dell wants you to buy overpriced SSD's when you configure your system and not cheap parts from the internet.
For the same reason in the UK you will have to buy top spec system to be able to add backlit keyboard for £30.
Very unfair from Dell.

 

But as Qbasix mentions, it is in the 5720/7720 guide. It's even in the Vostro 3560 guide. Why not the 15R SE's?

 

It looks good. Thanks for the information.

 

@Dell-Bill Will the Inspiron 15R and 17R Special Edition laptops be customizable in the future in terms of hardware specs? If this is truly going to be the only 17 inch option this year, I would like to be able to customize some of the hardware specs. This is one of the main reasons I choose Dell over other competitors and not to mention price.

Also why does the Inspiron 15R SE contain a 10/100/1000 Ethernet card while the Inspiron 17R SE contains only a 10/100 Ethernet card? Sounds rather strange that nowadays every manufacturer is including a Gigabit Ethernet Card. Can you comment on why this is the case and whether it will be corrected?

One more thing, is the Geforce GT 650M 2GB card using GDDR5 or DDR3 memory?

 

Only in 17R user manual you can see where the msata card goes but in 15R, 14r2 or Vostro you can see the mainboard from both sides and there is no place for msata card.

 

The Vostro 3560 doesn't show you, but they explicitly tell you what you have to do to get at it, with these excruciating steps:

Remove the:
a) SD Card
b) express card
c) battery
d) base cover
e) optical drive
f) hard drive
g) keyboard
h) display hinge cover
i) palmrest
j) system board
k) WLAN board
l) LAN board

 

So after you remove system board, WLAN and LAN boards where is it?

 

Apparently readily visible, since the remainder of the instructions is just:

Remove the screw that secure the mini-SATA card in place. Slide and remove the mini-SATA card.

 

well if nothing else! after you have replaced it you'll be the master of your own 15R

 

Some temperatures after playing Diablo 3 for around one hour.
I have no notebook-cooler and the ambient temperature was 23°C.

I can´t see any throttling of GPU and in my oppinion the termperatures are quiet low...