Dell Studio 15 1558 Thread

Thought I'd start the 1558 thread as I imagine a lot of us will now be getting out 1558. Order placed on 10th March > shipped from China earlier this evening. Should be here by Monday or Tuesday.

 

I ordered mine the 18th. It's still in production, estimated arrival of April 5th. I'm kind of regretting it, only because between now and then I'm going to drive myself crazy checking the status every free chance I get.

I went 1080P screen, 1GB graphics, i3-350m 2.26Ghz, 4GB ram, 500GB HD, backlit keyboard and bluetooth. Sadly I had to come in under $980, so I couldn't beef it up quite as much as I wanted but I'm still happy with it.

 

See my sig below. I got mine about a month ago now and tbh I STILL have not really been able to knock it around a bit. Thing is I am not a gamer, so really, it could be argued my system is a bit overkill for my/our needs but I wanted to future-proof it a bit as well.

I HAVE recently installed vmware player as I need to take some cert exams. Ive installed a WinSvr2008R2 VM and want to add one more. I think it will be interesting to see how the processor handles the load of the host and 2 VM's at the same time. The memory of the VM's will be the recommended min of 768MB as I dont need them to do anything other than boot up and open mmc's. Plus Ill use ready boost with a 2GB usb key to augment the 4GB on the system.

So far I AM very happy with the system. I have not had the sudden shut down issues mentioned in a few other threads for the 1558, and my fan has not been overly load or constantly running. It WILL cycle on and off even right at boot up, but the only time the rpm increase/noise has been even close to becoming annoying has been when I was watching some youtube videos. Even then, it wasnt all that loud.

I have to say I LOVE the 1920x1080 HD LCD. Even on minimum brightness it is striking imo.

 

I've had my 1558 since Tuesday now. Spec'd it as:
i5-430m
4GB RAM
500GB 5400RPM HD
ATI 4570 512MB
1080p WLED Screen
Backlit Keyboard

No buyer's remorse yet! It is the best piece of kit I've bought in a long time. Only thing is, I don't like using my desktop pc anymore as my 1440x900 19" monitor looks terrible. I'll have to get a 1080p screen before I can bare using it again

The only game I've tried running on it so far has been Civilization IV. It's not exactly a demanding game but it runs like a dream at 1920x1080 I can't wait for Civilization V to come out later this year, and see how it runs.

When I initially received the lappy, I had a few dead pixels on the screen. Someone replaced it on Wednesday and the new screen is fine, but they forgot to reattach my web cam properly! Someone is coming next Tuesday to sort that out though, couldn't be happier

-Lucko

 

Wow I'm glad to see such positivity around the 1558

I don't game either, I gotthe i7720QM, 4GB 1333mhz, 1GB 5470, 320gb 7,200rpm, 1080p screen, backlit keyboard. I was worried about mine being a little underpowered.. but maybe not afetr reading your posts. It's a desktop replacement for me though.. replacing a 3.4Ghz P4 and a 1.6Ghz atom-based netbook.

 

What GPU do you have btw? 4570 or 5470? Im interested to know as your'e gaming in 1080p very well

Edit: How many many dead pixels did you have, and is this all covered by the standard 1 year warrenty?

 

I've read some places that Dell will call the day of arrival or the day before to schedule your delivery to make sure you're there to sign for it, does anyone know if they still do this? I don't have a phone so I had to give them my mothers number, but she's having some problems with creditors lately so she doesn't usually answer 800 numbers, and I'm worried they might call and I'll miss it.

 

See my sig for my specs. Machine is being returned as I've had some issues with fan noise and a bricked BIOS.

HOWEVER....I like the feel of the system so I ordered a replacement with newer GPU. Overall, good battery life and excellent screen.

 

What do you mean a bricked BIOS?

 

4570! Civilization IV is a pretty low-intensive game though. Newer games I'll imagine you'll have to run medium settings and a lower resolution.

I had three dead pixels. I don't think it's covered by the 1-year warranty, only during the returns period. I was talking to the tech about it and he said he's never had to replace a new (Dell at east) screen with dead pixels before. Shouldn't be too much to worry about

All I can say is I'm dead chuffed with my laptop!

-Luke

 

Yeh I bet they say that to everyone. Keeps their rep high..

Im not a gamer at all, but hopefully the video card will allow me to watch HD movies flawlessly. Got a lot of 1080p movies heading my way (software-based)... I didn't get the blu-ray drive.

 

I've watched a few 1080p .mkv's the past couple of days and they've been fine!

 

wildmancal, i see you ended up getting a 1558. a customizable studio 15z is taking forever to be available.

anywho, i went to dell's site and liked the price and specs (1 gb 5470!) except i was only given the option to configure 1066 MHz ram. how are some of you getting 1333 MHz ram? or is this option available outside of the US?

 

With RAM so cheap, I think many people upgrade on their own, as far as I know Dell only gives the option for one type of RAM.....

I orderd My 1558 last Friday...
I5-520M
Intel 4500MHD
4 GB RAM
500 7200 RPM
Wireless N
9 Cell
1080p Screen

For some reason the integrated Graphics is delaying my order to 4/5. I didnt get a graphics card since I really wont be doing any gaming on the laptop (Maybe Civ4). I will mostly be using it for basic computer needs and watching movies that I have on a Hard Drive, I just couldnt justify the separate card\price.

I got the above set up with a 3 year accidental insurance plan and a Mini 1012 (6 cell battery\Wireless N) for $1250 including tax and shipping. IMO not a bad deal ....

 

I too configured with the 4500HD and was given a late build date. I bet they are working out technical details with this new CPU/GPU combo. Most mainstream systems for sale right now use either the discrete graphics or the on-board but have not setup switching between the two yet. Anyway, I bet they are just sorting out the details on making it work...

 

Congratulation guys for your new Studio !

The reason I'm here is, I was hunting for a 1080p, full HD laptop under $1000 USD

Again, I'm not a gamer too and I had never played and will never play any game on any computer. But I want a laptop to last long and that can be only possible if the laptop produces less heat, which is inversely proportional to the life of a laptop.

My requirements were ....
1. 15-16" laptop with Full HD, 1080p resolution
2. i5-520M processor
3. 4 GB DDR3 RAM
4. 500 GB 7200 rpm HDD
5. Chicklet + backlit keyboard
6. Onboard graphics will do for my requirements

So, with the above all I can go for Dell Studio 15. But want to confirm, whether the new Studio 15 has really a chicklet keyboard or not ? Please confirm it. Also request you to put the price you have paid for your laptop as your signature.

 

As far as I know and from what I have seen the 1558 keyboard is not a chiclet.

 

I love the keyboard on it, when I use my old laptop [an Acer] both the keyboard and touchpad feel horrible now. Why would you want chiclet?

The screen on my Acer looks disgusting next to my 1080p Dell too Especially now I've sorted the Cleartype settings.

Great machine IMO, maybe I'd have got the Studio 17 i5-540m if I'd waited a bit longer but can't say I am unhappy with what I've got!

 

Can anybody please share the self taken pics of Studio 1558, mainly pointing to keypad (with backlit and without backlit) and the snap of the desktop with start menu open ?

Thank you in advance.

BTW, Now I had a chat with Dell sales agent, and he told me currently Dell.com is not offering Studio 1558 !

 

The 1066Mhz ram comes with the i3 or i5 processors. 1333Mhzz ram in any machine with a mobile i3 or i5 would be limited by the CPU's bus speed which runs at 1066. The i7 on the other hand has a bus speed of 1333Mhz, and thats why the guys with 1333Mhz modules will have an i7.

If you see a machine with 1333Mhz and an i3 or i5, thats just Dell not being clear that they've specified fast ram which is being limited to 1066 due to the processor.

 

Again, Studio 1558 has an i5-520M processor which has embedded graphics in it and also the laptop has dedicated graphics. How can I only use the embedded graphics disabling the dedicated graphics card ? Please explain.

 

Hate Dell Chat. Or any form of Dell. I'll post a FULL review on the 1558 on Tuesday or Wednesday next week when my machine arrives, so stay tuned!

 

Don't think you can switch actually! Read this somewhere on the 1557 thread with regard to the 4570 and i7. Which is a shame really.. that said the 5470 uses a little less power / emits less heat.. so its an improvement on the old GPU and you'll probably appreciate a dedicated GPU...

 

From where did you place your order ? Hopefully from Dell.com. But those are saying they do not have any info for 1558

 

Im in the UK, So dell.co.uk, or euro.dell.com... the 1558's been on there for nearly a month now...

 

I dont think they have ever listed the 1558 "officially" on their site. If you click the link for the i5 it shows the product as the 1555, even though what you are actually getting is the 1558. I believe the 1558 is a 1555 with i3/i5/i7 CPU, I forget the exact designation on where the cut off is though.

I ordered through the 1555 link like but added the i5 and when you finally check out and get your itemized printout youll see it changes to a 1558.

As far as pictures go, I think there are a few pictures of the 1555/1557 in this forum if you do a search youll probably find them. The keyboard layout should be the same.

EDIT: Heres a link with some pictures of the Dell Studio 15 with Core2Duo the layout, keyboard, ect should all be the same for the most part:
http://optimitza.cat/actualidad/2009/01/11/analisis-review-dell-studio-15/

 

I think Dell has this disabled for whatever reason, so we have to wait for a firmware update to actually take advantage of it. There were some posts regarding this in this forum, so if you do a search youll probably find it quick...

 

I think the GPU has something to do with it. Difference between 1557 and 1558 is the GPU, the rest is identical afaik. (FPU goes from 4570 to 5470).. agian. No changes design-wise.

 

When I did the BIOS update to A04, it hung at block 59 for over 3 mins. I turned the laptop off and it became a "brick". It would turn on but did nothing. Took over 4 hours of investigation before I was finally able to use the Phoenix BIOS Recovery to fix it.

 

Yeah, this new order will be my third 1558. First had dead pixel and RAM issues, second the fan was ALWAYS going off. Waiting on the third which will have a 5470 in it. Fingers crossed third times the charm.

 

AFAIK, 1557 has quad core i7 and 1558 has dual core i5 processor.

 

Thank you for the link.
But, Yday I had been to a local Dell store and I found some differences what I have seen and what are in the pictures.

In your link picture there is a touch sensitive multimedia panel at the top of the keyboard panel, but what I have seen here did not have such one panel

Again, the keys of Studio 14 and studio 15 are completely different. I like the keys of studio 14 but of studio 15, it looks of 80s. Even the new Inspiron has the stylish keys as I have seen on studio 14 or very close to XPS 16.

See the below image from Dell about studio 15. The keys are nice but what I have seen were different. Again you can see there is no touch sensitive multimedia panel at top of the keyboard panel. There are so many variants







So, there might be some difference, I guess.

 

This whole process moust have taken months.. literally. 2-3 months so far I'd imagine? Im surprised you're giving them a THIRD chance!

Incorrect, as I have a 1558 in transit with the i7 720Qm processor.

 

See the below 2 links for 1557 and 1558 from NoteBookCheck.net, then see what is the difference in processors.

Studio 1557: http://www.notebookcheck.net/Review-Dell-Studio-1557-Notebook.23009.0.html

Studio 1558: http://www.notebookcheck.net/Review-Dell-Studio-1558-Notebook.24496.0.html

 

I don't care about third party reviews. The primary source of information is DELL. This link ( http://www1.euro.dell.com/content/p...-studio-1555?c=uk&l=en&s=dhs&cs=ukdhs1&~ck=mn) has enough information on it to tell me the 1558 comes with an i7, or i3 or i5... you can customise it. The difference is therefore NOT the i5.

 

Mm interesting - that certainly wasn't the case before. Either a misprint, or they've sold out of 1557 chassis and have started putting the quad-core i7s into the 1558 chassis? If indeed the chassis were ever any different in the first place.

 

Right guys, need some advice.
I already have a studio 1537 which i have now given away and im looking at another dell.
My initial interest are at the new Studio 1558 or the New Vostro 3500.
I am really stuck between the two.
Any pointers?
I would like to add that i will not be gaming on it as i have my PS3 and XBox for the that
The only difference i can see is that the studio comes with an optionl full hd and the vostro has
the fingerprint reader and activity lights.

Vostro 3500 Deal

Dell Studio 1558 Deal

Cheers Guys!

 

Read the manual, 1557 was i7 quad core only and had PM55 chipset and 4570 graphic. The 1558 has newer chipset, HM55 witch can operate i3, i5, and i7-620m with cpu integrated graphic and 5470 ati graphic at the same time. The 1558 has newer system board which replaced 1555 and 1557.

 

Agreed.

My 1558 with the i7 720 is currently sat in a warehouse some 20 miles away! Will be delivered tomorrow.

 

Can someone here tell me why the following doesnt work on Dells website:

Code:

Discount:
    £90
Minimum Spend:
    £549.00
Promotional Code:
    DC$36080JSKCC6
Expiry:
    30/04/2010
Instructions:
    ALL VOSTRO LAPTOP : £90 Money OFF Above £549
    From 22/02/10
    Until 30/04/10
    Code : DC$36080JSKCC6

Dell Vostro £709 Deal
Thanks

 

Usually Dell has a limit on the amount of products that can be bought with a coupon. I dont get any error with the coupon, but it doent look like it accepts it either. May want to look for a different one.

 

You'd think I would have moved on to another company but Dell is the only vendor I can find who will custom build a laptop with the specs I am looking for.

Biggest difference between them, besides look & feel, is screen size. You can get a Studio 15 with 1920x1080, whereas the Vostro you are limited to 1366x768.

 

Well folks.. this is what you call the ultimate in customer loyalty.

I totally agree with you, and for the price they offer some could say its worth the wait if you dont NEED the new PC, but if you WANT it...

BTW....... REQUEST FOR EVERYONE WHO HAPPENS TO SEE THIS MSG.::: Could you all spare 1 minute and click the link in my sig and fill our the survey. It'll take around a minute and it'll help with my research project that I'm currently involved in. THANKS!

EDIT: Heckk. if you want, feell free to put the link in your sig for today! Would be much appreciated!

 

I gotta agree on the price. I was all set to buy a new Macbook Pro 13' refurb from Apple when I checked Dell and saw their March deals. It was a tough decision, but in the end I just couldn't justify spending $1000 on a Macbook Pro 13' when I could get what surpassed a $2,200 Macbook Pro 15' from Dell for well under half the price. Sure the build quality and customer support isn't the same (in my experience), but that's the one sacrifice I make for a lot of gain.

Good news! My 1558 just rolled over to 'shipped'. Still no tracking number or anything yet, but it's looking like I might get it before April 5th after all.

 

No as they may ship separately.....

 

Mines coming tomorrow. Wooptidoo.

 

Well I have my Dell, and it's a lovely piece of kit!

Before I got it I already made my mind that I would get rid of all the bloatware on it. However, the machine flies and I don't even notice any slowdown. Did get rid of office trial though - that was a step too far!

The HD screen is beautiful. Just watched a brief mkv file on it.

Have updated it to the new A04 bios. Just ran the exe and it does everything.

Only issue I have is that the Dell backup software won't let me create a restore disc. When I pop a disc in, it says that my machine doesn't have a burner! However, if I put a disc in, Roxio kicks in so it recognises it has a drive.

Tried using an external usb hard disc, but it doesn't let me use that either. Looks like the only option I've got left is to get hold of a 6Gb usb stick.

But apart from that, great machine. There is also a sim socket under the battery compartment which I only discovered when I was flicking through the manual.

Did go into the bios and changed the default function keys to act like function keys rather than having to hit fn + key to get the function active. If i want the multimedia buttons, I can just do fn + key which seems a bit more sensible.

The touch pad is actually quite nice to use even though I really despise them!

Haven't really thrashed the machine yet.

 

Good post! Thanks for that little overview. Few questions - to update the BIOS you fjust run the exe and it does the rest for you? That sounds so easy, is that correct or not?

And why do you want to create a restore disc. Im probably missing the point here...

Did you mean the external usb HD didnt work at all on the PC, or was this in relation to the restore disc??

Thanks and im expecting you to do a review perhaps? Or as least tel us how thrashing it goes...

 

Yup, you just run 1558_A04.exe. It pops up a warning which is on a timer and soon vanishes. It tells you that you should close down all applications but I never really got round to doing that either. It counts blocks and verifies each one as it goes along. Seemed to count down from 84 blocks. I walked away while it was doing it and discovered it had rebooted the machine. So yes, pretty painless.

The restore discs are there so that if you accidentally wipe the dell partitions, you can recover the system. I'm doing this just in case a nasty virus turns up and gives me grief. Ok, you can probably get it back via full version of windows 7 but this approach just seems easier.

External hd worked fine in windows. I think the crap dell backup software was at fault. There might be a newer version out there but I've not looked.

I'm just loading up my software at the moment. Will thrash it tomorrow once I found out how too!

 

Cant wait. You have a similar spec to me if im not mistaken? i7 720qm, 4gb 1333mhz, 5470 gpu, 1080p screen. backlit keyboard? i got a 320gb @ 7.2krpm, that might be dif on urs..