Dell Studio 15 1558 Thread

emtownsend, is that SoundBlaster X-Fi HD any good?

Tried to look for reviews on it but couldn't find anything. The Dell site doesn't even tell you much about it either. I couldn't even find it to buy - but you know I suck at looking for stuff on websites!

 

OK,
They are very close now.
Your CPU looks a tad but faster then mine.
GPU results are mixed so 10.4 does not seems to add considerable difference.

 

I think it is pretty good, but it is really only a software solution. As far as I know we all get the same hardware. The X-Fi option includes the software and a key to unlock it.

 

I'm getting similar bench score to you emtownsend, except in the CPU department, since I've got the i5-540M. It would be really interesting to see how the 5470 fares in the benches. Could someone with a 1558 and the 5470 graphics card please do the bench and post their scores?

 

I finally ordered! Getting the Studio 1558 in pink with i5-540, 4GB DDR3 1066, 1gb graphics card, 500 gb hd. Should be here in a couple of weeks.

 

Pink! Excellent. How much did you pay and what graphics card?

 

I have arranged a call from dell support next week for diagnostics. I am going to experiment by uninstalling the drivers and seeing if the microsoft ones are better

I have noticed that the sound at 4 to 6 % is loud enough for earphone use and any higher it will deafen me, maybe this is the problem: http://imgur.com/GRvnz.png

 

can you share your CPU benchamrk, It will be interesting to know the difference between i5-520 and 540. For that matter if anyone has the 430 version it will be interesting to see that too.

From the CPU benchmarks I have seen 520 and 540 are pretty close but 430 lags quite a bit and closer to i3-350.

 

The 430 has a slightly lower bus/core speed ratio @ 17 vs 18 for the 520.
Also, the 430 is slightly slower in clock speed 2.26 vs 2.4 with a slower turbo max at 2.433 vs 2.933. So the 430 in turbo is as fast as a 520 going its normal speed.

Probably the biggest operational difference between the 430 and the 520 is the 430's lack of virtualization technologies, which is:

Intel® Virtualization Technology for Directed I/O (VT-d)

The 430 also lacks:

Intel® Trusted Execution Technology
AES New Instructions

I think the biggest benchmark differences are obviously the raw speed difference though.

The main 520 vs 540 differences are speed. 520 @ 2.4G to 2.93GHz and 540 @ 2.53 to 3.06Ghz and a slight difference in the bus/core ratio of 18 for the 520 and 19 for the 540.

 

It's the ATI Mobility Radeon HD 5470 graphics card. I hate to say what I paid as I'm sure someone will come along and tell me they got the same or better for cheaper, and I want to enjoy it without feeling like I got a bad deal, lol. I will say I started at DMX Dimension, and that led me to the best price for the config I got (which I upgraded a good bit).

 

Well i'll say mine came to $1600 cad$. Don't think it was the best deal but I like what I'm getting.

Mine is a studio 1558 but is only i3-350M 2.26GHz (3M cache)

color=Sunburst by Mike Ming
6GB Shared Dual Channel DDR3
15.6” Full High Definition (1080p) High Brightness LED Display with TrueLife™ and Camera
ATI Mobility Radeon™ HD 5470, 1GB
500GB SATA Hard Drive (7200RPM)
Genuine Windows® 7 Professional, 64bit, English
Slot Load Blu-ray Disc (BD) Burner (Writes to DVD/CD/BD)
High Definition Audio 2.2
Intel© Centrino© Advanced-N 6200

It shipped today.

 

i am happy for you hope you enjoy it ! i like mine so far!

but i got mine like a week ago 4 gig mem , i5 520, blue top, 3 years warranty, hd 5470, 320 gig HD, no Blue Ray, 1080p screen, for 1234$ with second day shipping tax included, they had a deal going on that time with 2 years warranty and i upgraded for 3 years!

i did call DELL was talking to the rep.......ordering it

ordered on apr 24th got it on the 29th .

did i get a good deal?
i am sure i could have get a better one if i am more presistant!

 

I think yours is good. I think my price was kinda high, but I was adding everything to it. mine also was with dell printer, cooling pad, 1tb external drive, laptop bag.

 

I just then purchased a Dell Studio 15 for my brother. This laptop wont be used for gaming but for movie watching.

Intel® Core™ i5-540M Processor
4GB (2GBx2) 1333MHz DDR3 SDRAM
ATI Mobility Radeon™ HD 5470 – 1GB
500GB 7200RPM SATA Hard Drive
15.6 " Full HD(1080p)WLED (1920 x 1080)Display with TrueLife™
3Yrs Ltd Hardware Warranty, InHome Service after Remote Diagnosis
9-cell Lithium Ion Primary Battery

I chosed this laptop over the other big brands (ASUS, SAMSUNG, HP, ACER, TOSHIBA) because it was the only 15-16 inch notebook with a FULL HD display.

So far the only disadvantage with buying Dell laptops is the 1 month waiting period.....

 

Can anyone explain why the GPUs being sold with the Studio 14/15 are relatively crappy?

Studio 15 maxes out with a Mobility Radeon HD 5470. Studio 14 can have a Mobility Radeon 5450.

Meanwhile, the Lenovo Y-Series laptops are getting the HD 5650 or HD 5730. Those cards are 90-100% faster according to notebookcheck. That's twice as fast.

Notebookcheck: ATI Mobility Radeon HD 5470
Notebookcheck: ATI Mobility Radeon HD 5650

The Dell Studio laptops are equal or better in every other aspect - looks, screen, etc. Price is about the same. I'd love to buy a Studio 15, but the much weaker graphics card is an enormous deterrent since it can never be changed.

This seems like a huge oversight by Dell. Or is Lenovo just an anomaly?

 

I hope you ordered fries with that too!

A great spec you got there. They're a lovely machine to work on.

 

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

 

The last couple months I was down to using just my netbook, so I can't wait.

 

I have tried Windows default drivers and clean install - no help the buzz/hiss is still there. I'm afraid its a hardware thing which we cannot fix by software.

And about loudness - you're right it deafened me for few secs when I first tried it with headphones that was scary!

 

I finally got around to installing my SSD and I am glad to have it back. For those of you on the fence if you can live with a smaller HD it is the best upgrade you can do. It still has enough room for all my programs and music. For those times when I go out of town I stuck the stock 500GB drive in a red external enclosure to keep video on. 10 second boot-ups are very very nice. By far the best upgrade I have ever done to a computer, and I have been building my own for close to ten years.

 

Hi

I recently received a i7 1558 from the outlet and i'm having a few problems. The laptop keeps restarting itself for no apparent reason between 10 and 30 mins after startup.

I thought it was a driver issue so i did a clean install but it still does it. It came with bios A04 which i thought was meant to fix this issue but doesn't seem to have in my case.

It would be a shame to send it back as its an i7 with a 1080p screen which i got for a bargain price but i don't have time to mess about as i need it for work.

Any ideas before i call support?

 

I don't know the answer, as when I'd read about this problem the bios update supposedly solved it in March. Please do let us know how you get on as some of us have laptops on order and would like to know what the problem/solution is!

 

Great review. What SSD/size/cost did you go for?

 

It's a 60GB OCZ Vertex. I paid $159 for it. They can be had even cheaper now if you can deal with rebates. When I got it they were typically going for ~$180.

 

Hehe, live in the UK which means we'll be paying top wack! Cheapest I've found is £130 which is around $190 depending on what flavour of currency rate you take.

I suspect that you'll get better battery performance too.

 

Since my replacement laptop is going to have an i5 instead of an i3, I am reading about Turbo Boost and found this:

Intel® Turbo Boost Technology Monitor is a Windows Sidebar gadget which provides simple display of increase in processor frequency when applications request and Intel Turbo Boost Technology delivers more performance.

 Intel® Turbo Boost Technology Monitor

Has anyone checked it out?

 

yes many of us have it with i5 or i7

 

It's good to know that Dell took care of your problem. I looked at your other posts to see why your laptop had to be replaced, and now I'm a bit worried. I recently ordered a Studio 1558 i5-540 and it's been shipped. I thought the bios upgrade had fixed fan problems or I would've waited to order. I hope not everyone has these problems!

 

The BIOS fix was for crashing. The fan issue is that it constantly cycles off & on. In a quiet room it's noticeable and annoying. Dell's "solution" is to replace it. I think there needs to be another BIOS update and just posting about it here won't help. That's why they think a replacement will work becasue as far as they are concerned, it's not widespread. From what I have read, it's not just the 1558. If you look at other threads it affects other ones too. I also have the 9 cell battery which raises it up a bit for better airflow, so it's frustrating. The air coming out of the fan is not even warm.

When is yours scheduled for delivery?

Edit: Here is a link to another thread. http://forum.notebookreview.com/del...ontrol-studio-1745-47-49-inspiron-1564-a.html

 

Mine is scheduled to come in the next few days. I really hope there are no issues. Fingers crossed!

 

Is there anyway i can reapply Bios A04? Whenever i use the utility it says i already have the same bios so it won't apply. I'm clutching at straws that when the bios upgraded to A04 the first time it didn't apply correctly.

I need to stop this crashing somehow!

 

Regarding the hissing sound issue, I just talked to dell support who offered to replace the earphone ports anytime, i declined for now, because i dont think it is that big of a problem. (and not certain that the problem is the hardware.)

I noticed that in the IDT Audio control panel, the Independent (RTC) headphones is not outputting any sound, and has a red down arrow, showing it is disconnected. However on the 'Jacks' panel on the right, it is detecting properly when I connect a set of earphones. (the circle goes bigger). Therefore I think this might be a driver issue.

 

what was the message you got when you tried updating the bios the first time? If you can still boot your laptop, then it means it didn't fail completely. If you bought it recently, and it still has random crashing problems, then I suggest you get Dell to replace it.

 

I'm not sure exactly what the problem is, but you could try A03, then flash back to A04. Be sure you are plugged into AC power.

If you are not familiar or comfortable doing this, contact support by chat and they can walk you through it so you don't brick it.

Have you checked your temps?

 

There must be some issue with hardware or BIOS that you cannot change... in that if a clean install does not correct the issue, calling support is your only option. I think some suggested applying BIOS A03 and then A04 again, but I'm thinking it is time to get Dell involved. They'll likely swap out your logic board, RAM, or harddrive (or all three eventually!).
I guess you could try pulling one RAM stick and running. If it fails, swap RAM chips and run again. If it fails again, then you really have exhausted all avenues unless you happen to have a spare SATA notebook drive to swap out as well. It is going to come down to trial and error unfortunately.
Of course, there is the caveat that this seems to be a known issue for others, so who knows what Dell is going to do. Maybe we'll see a BIOS A05 in the near future. Maybe you could see if they would allow you to install an advanced release to see if it makes a difference...
One thing is certain with Dell... Don't be afraid to push for escalating the problem to a higher tier of support. The first line folks typically will run you through scripts to troubleshoot and won't be interested in deviating from that. So, if you feel you are getting nowhere, ask to escalate.

 

Ok keep us posted if you find something. I have tried pretty much everything related to software (except changing to other OS) and haven't got rid of the hissing sound.

 

I just got my studio 1558 about 1.45pm today. Not much time do really do anything major. However I did check out the blu ray movie no country for old men. Very nice screen and no problem viewing web pages at all with the 1080p HD. I have not noticed much noise at all and the clicking that the slot load blu ray does is almost un-noticable. I will keep checking it out over the next couple days but so far I love it.

 

I think the BluRay drives in general are pretty quiet. There seems to be a lot of complaint about DVD drives being noisy, especially on start up. My BluRay is really quiet. I like ...

 

So far no heat problems, no nothing. Im going to bring it to work with me tonight and keep checking it out.

 

I used a netbook for a year, it was so damn costly in hindsight. Power is everything

Reckon you could post a benchmark of yoru SSD using CrystalDiskMark ( Crystal Dew World - Software - CrystalDiskMark) - im thinking of getting an SSD and although the performance is ridiculous in some benchmarks, I don't know how great it will be on the Studio. Some input form you would be greatly appreciated

You'll be surprised.. I was looking at SSD power usage vs the harddrive in my Studio atm. Looks like its a difference of half a watt (0.5watts) or something, with the platter-based drive in my Studio ranging from 2-3watts of power usage and an SSD using 1.8 - 2.5watts or so. Don't be fooled by the power claims.. it's all about performance with these drives.

 

Hello,

I'm looking to buy this laptop for my nephew as we've just hired him into our company and I want him to have a good laptop. I believe this is the best speced laptop for the money...

about $1653 online at Dell's Home & Office online store. Specs are below.

Question, can I do better if I call Dell and place the order with a sales rep? Or will they likely quote me what I'm seeing online?

Thanks,

Ben




COLORS Black Chainlink edit
PROCESSORS NEW 2010 Intel® Core™ i5-520M 2.40GHz (2.93Ghz Turbo Mode, 3M cache) edit
OPERATING SYSTEM Genuine Windows® 7 Professional with XP Mode, 64bit, English edit
MEMORY 6GB Shared Dual Channel DDR3 at 1066MHz edit
HARD DRIVE 500GB SATA Hard Drive (7200RPM) edit
MOBILE CONNECTIVITY Internal Mobile Broadband not included edit
WARRANTY AND SERVICE 3 Year Advanced Service Plan plus Lojack edit
VIDEO CARD ATI Mobility Radeon™ HD 5470, 1GB edit
HD DISPLAY 15.6” Full High Definition (1080p) High Brightness LED Display with TrueLife™ and Camera edit
WIRELESS CARDS Intel© Centrino© Advanced-N 6200 edit
KEYBOARD Back-lit Keyboard edit
OPTICAL DRIVE 8X Slot Load CD/DVD Burner (Dual Layer DVD+/-R Drive) edit
SOUND OPTIONS High Definition Audio 2.2 edit
My Accessories
OFFICE SOFTWARE No Microsoft Office edit
SECURITY SOFTWARE McAfee SecurityCenter, 15-Months edit
DATASAFE ONLINE BACKUP Dell Online Backup 2GB for 1 year edit
ALSO INCLUDED WITH YOUR SYSTEM
PROCESSOR Studio 15 Laptop
BATTERY OPTIONS 85 Whr Lithium Ion Battery (9 cell)
INTEGRATED WEBCAM No Touch Software

 

I ended up calling Dell and asking for a replacement for my 1558 (the backlight on the 1080p LED LCD seems uneven, from a slight angle you can really notice it). Dell said the 1558 cannot be paired with the Intel 6200N anymore so they are sending the Dell card. As a result of this downgrade, they added bluetooth and an additional 2GB ram.

 

Just tried looking for the unevenness on my keyboard. Was it brighter towards the left and darker towards the right?

Edit: Scrap that, you were talking bout your screen, I was half asleep.

 

Do you know why it cannot be paired with 6200N? as I have it.
is it because of the heat it produces near the mouse pad?

 

similar things were being said by Dell reps relating to the Intel 5300 being used on the M6500. But they still offered it on their online sales site and many of us M6500 owners ordered it with the 5300 with no ill effects.

I'm wondering if its poor "intel" (pun intended) on the reps end of things.

 

Some people say they can haggle on the phone, but I didn't have much luck. The only thing I managed, after probably a couple of weeks of trying, was for them to give me the same discount I could've gotten with a code if I had ordered online (and it was hard to achieve even that) -- and even then I didn't get the cashback I would've gotten from accessing the site through a cashback portal if I'd ordered online, and they wouldn't give me anything to compensate for that loss. But I'm in the UK, your experience may be different. I would've saved money by ordering online if I didn't need an option that was only available if you call to order.

I would suggest you look around for discount codes online and see what kind of price you'd pay. Then call Dell and see what they offer you and try to haggle a bit (btw, if they can't give you a lower price on the phone they might give you some free upgrades). If they can't beat the online deal, tell them they can't and that you'll order online. If that doesn't make them better the offer, you'll know where to place the order.

 

Im looking into buying the dell studio 15 -- color black chain link. does the black chain link color have the design also inside the laptop on the new studio 15's?

 

My replacement laptop is scheduled to be here tomorrow. It's all the same as my sig except it will be an i5 and ATI Mobility Radeon HD 4570 512MB.

 

Yes inner grey surface is also chainlinked like the outer shell

 

I have one now and it runs with no problem, just a little bit of wireless I need to work out the kinks with.