Dell Studio 15 1558 Thread

I'm having the same "problem(?)"

I've did a clean install etc and gaming performance is just horrible. I got the i7 720qm and the 1gb 5470 version. I've tried playing CoD2 on it and it runs.. on low. Supermaxlow. CoD4 doesn't even run on everything on low :/

Is the performance normal for my 1558? or did I mess something up?

Edit : According to tons of benchmarks it should run CoD etc perfectly fine on high.

And people on youtube are running mw2 (way more intensive than cod2/4) perfectly fine maxed out.. :/

 

Please understand that laptops in general are not meant for gaming! Only laptops with high end dedicated graphics card (which 5470 is NOT) can run (new) games at decent FPS.

If you bought Studio 1558 for just gaming you pretty much blew your money.

 

I know they're not meant for gaming and I didn't buy it for gaming (prim. school stuff and some other stuff (I already have a high-end PC for gaming etc)) but it would be nice if it were to run a game or two

So it's not me? It's the laptop's hardware?

 

It's graphics card "problem"

 

Hmkay. I dont think you can replace laptop gfx cards, can you?

 

Some new 10.7 catalyst drivers to feast your eyes...

ATI Catalyst? Mobility Display Driver

 

poor old grafix card...

well i will say first one is your problem.. and next with dell

you didnt choose properly.... if you were lookin for gamin powerhouses you should have gone for higher laptops.. atleast dell studio xps..


dell could have given one more choice which includes a better grafix card which i doubt should be vulnerable for dell xps itself.. (then also..)

you can use your system to run i am running most of the games with my 4570 grafix card decently... (only gta 4 felt like too heavy ...)

for work . or for school this is a good one.... i am doing 3d modelling, sketching, photoshop, rendering etc nicely..

same will be the case with 1558..

 

anyone find any improvements in nex catalyst 10.7 drivers?

 

enlighten us

 

Its not a gaming powerhouse lol I was just wondering if it was normal that it ran cod2 etc really crappy For some reason gameplay has been ALOT smoother today :S So.. weird stuff lol. But I bought it mainly for school stuff, but like I said it would be nice to play a game on it every now and then. I already have a high end gaming PC as gaming powerhouse thanks for the help though

 

If your laptop is "new" ... say a week old ... it may take your laptop a good week to "settle down".

During the first week or two of ownership, you are going to be receiving all kinds of updates (OS drivers, device drivers, application updates, etc). If you are trying to game during a major download, that could have an impact. If you are tyring to game during this "update phase", your performace may fluctuate until all the updates have caught up.

 

Hm.. My performance was super good last night (I could run every game I tried on max (Cod2/4)) but after it updated today it's been as bad as before

 

On my machine (i5,ATI5470) I installed and played fine GTA San Andreas (I know a bit old), Football Manager 2010 and Tropico 3.
If you get a laptop you should know before what its capabilities is. I read all about my graphics card before and I knew I wouldn't be able to play new FPS games. (I wouldnt want it anyway, as I would pretty much ruin the keyboard and of course a mouse is needed). So I choose to install games with less requirements that play just fine. For FPS games I always use my desktop.

 

...

Seriously

For the last time, I'm not using it as a gaming powerhouse and last night the performance was absolutely AMAZING. And now its crap again. There's obviously SOMETHING wrong. Stop saying that the laptop isn't meant for games... I know and I posted that twice.

And @theoak, the laptop is 2 days old. So I guess I'll just have to wait abit then. Unless above is something that doesn't have anything to do with updating.

 

It is hard to say what the issue really is ... my guess is really as good as yours at this point.

It just makes sense though that if your system is busy doing other things, updating drivers, etc ... that it could impact your gaming performace ... especially if drivers are changing.

 

Yeah but the thing is, it's not

It's really weird. I havent changed ANYTHING at all since last night, except it updated windows when I was done. Perhaps a update is screwing with my system? It's the only thing I can think of :/

Edit :

I did a system restore to last night before it updated windows, and bam. It has perfect performance in games again. Which update's causing it though I really, REALLY, cant be arsed to select and install all 60 or so updates 1 by 1

 

Does it start off well n then the performance drops??? Maybe its just heating up.. my system throttles once in a while... i play battlefield bad company 2 often n usually it gives me 25 fps on medium.. then suddenly the cpu just throttles in 5 min n the fps drops to 10!

 

Nah, the performance is just pure crap whenever.. I'm going through all the updates now 10 remaining, thank god.

 

Hey, anybody having a problem with the left Ctrl key on the keyboard?

I have the backlit keyboard and the left Ctrl key has been sticking down lately, it pops back up with a loud click after about a sec. I've cleaned it out and can't see any reason why it's sticking.

 

I dont, but I dont have the backlit one. Maybe there's something under the key? You can try whipping it out with a knife or something. Allthough i'm not sure if that's safe with a backlit keyboard, I never had backlit myself.

 

explain more about your performance issues.. what sort of ???video mostly >??> what were you using.. and what were your expectations...

 

I just bought a Dell 1558. i5 520. I just changed keyboard with a back-lit one. Its AWESOME!!!!! Just 1 thing though. Once I have finished typing with backlit it slowly fades after about 20-30 secs. How do I access the settings to change this.

 

Dex77, just hit the F6 key again. It toggles between modes. How to change the behavior manually??? That is a good question...

 

You can find some manual settings inside QuickSet folder:
c/program files/dell/quickset/backlitKB

 

New A08 bios:

Fix:
1. Device Manager will show yellow bang of Intel Turbo Technology when resume from S3.
2. Fix System will hang up after lid open in DOS mode issue.
3. Clarksfield CPU does not have dim display option in Win7.
4. Sometimes has little pop sound via adjust brightness F4/F5 or F2 play music.
5. Video output abnormal when connect VGA/HDMI in DOS.
6. System will show BSOD 9F after running S4 stress under DC mode 10~25%.
7. System will hang up when flash BIOS under OS mode.(set dim display 1 min)
8. Intermittently hang on Winflash BIOS restart bar via longrun winflash(10%).

Available from Drivers and Downloads

Post feedback here!

 

Dim display is now available in power options, that is good update but why it took so long.

 

Thanks guy's. For some reason I didnt have quick set installed. Its sorted now. I can control how long keyboard stays lit!

 

i have to know whether the studio 1558 with following specifications can efficiently handle the applications like photoshop, nero 9 and conversion of video formats (like from .mpeg to hd video) besides the general uses like web browsing, movie watching and programming. i do not have any intentions of playing any game or video editing.

core i5-540m
1 gb ati radeon hd 5470
4 gb ram

also i will like to know whether the problem of BSOD has been completely fixed by A06 BIOS and latest ATI drivers?

 

it can handle photoshop , video conversion,nero 9 etc easily....

 

Hi Everyone, nice joining the forums... even nicer to see a lot of people enjoying their Studio 1558 like I do .

Quick Question...

Anyone know if I can upgrade my Studio 1558 with a Slot Bluray drive??.. it wasn't avaible when I bought it, and Im looking to buy one.

Thanks!

 

yes you can... just ring dell...

 

Unfortunately, no Slot load Bluray drives are listed in dell.com for a Studio 1558... any other suggestions?

 

but my second question about its stability yet remains unanswered

 

You can buy slot load sata drive on ebay, will be much cheaper than from Dell. Look for Panasonic UJ-XX5 series like UJ-225 or UJ-235

 

Awesome! thanks for your help... I will look into these and maybe get one

 

Several questions about the 1558:

- since it is well established (especially in this thread) that the HD 5470 card is pretty lackluster for gaming, what benefits are people getting from this card compared to the integrated graphics chip (seems the choices are bad and not-so-bad-but-still-bad for the on-board chip and the 5470, respectively)?

- does the integrated graphics chip allow for CPU off-loading of HD-decoding tasks? If so, does the 5470 handle the off-loaded tasks so much better that it would be worth the upgrade despite it not being very good at gaming?

- is the case construction of the Studio 15 more closely comparable to the Latitudes or to the Inspirons? I have a Latitude D630 that seems fairly solid for the most part, but I inspected an Inspiron 14 at WalMart a couple of days ago, and it felt like a cheap toy (flexing in the area around the touchpad, worse on the underside, and screen housing that felt like it would curl if left in a warm car for 15 minutes or so ... does it make a difference that the WalMart sample wasn't an Inspiron 'R' version?). Maybe I'm expecting too much in this class of laptops?

- if the construction of the Studio 15 is close to the Inspiron 15R, would it make more sense to save a couple hundred dollars and get a 15R? I can spec a Studio 15 and an Inspiron 15R with pretty much exactly the same components (assuming an i5 + 720p display) except for the baclklit keyboard which doesn't seem to be available on the Inspiron 15R. Maybe the Studio (i5 / 720p) has some not-so-obvious advantages over the Inspiron.

- I was interested in a 7200 RPM drive, but the 500 GB 7200 seems to be a Seagate that has been highly criticized in the reviews I've read (including on the Seagate forums). Noted issues include high complete-failure rates, loud clicking noises and other firmware issues. The 320 GB 7200 seems to be a Western Digital. Is the speed of this drive worth the downgrade
in capacity, or should I just go with the 640 GB 5400 (which appears to be a Western Digital) and forget about any of the 7200s available from Dell? *

- it's my understanding that the Studio has no latch for the lid. Has this caused in issues in real-life useage? Seems it might (I forgot to check whether the Inspirons have latches or not).

Thank you.


Note:
My conclusions about what brand a particular drive might be are based on searching for size + RPMs in Dell's parts catalog. I could find no other way to do it as the customization menus do not specify brand. Is there any way to check or specify a brand before purchasing (maybe via telephone)?

 

I can game at medium settings on native res without any lag at all in SC2. High settings, maybe a stutter here and there, but mostly smooth. Ultra doesn't go so well. 5470 isn't the best, but it's not terrible.

No idea, I don't use it for that task, sorry

The in-store models are abused by customers and store clerks, and the Inspirons are alot worse than the Studios. I reguarly pick up my Studio 1558 by the corner without seeing or feeling any chassis flex. The touchpad is solid but it gets very warm, almost hot, at times. The screen housing is semi-rigid, but it's not a real problem unless you're in the habit of slamming your display closed one-handed by the corner. It's on par for the class of laptop, the business class are probably sturdier/sturdiest.

It's not on par. The Inspirons I've used felt clacky and frail compared to the solid feeling from the Studio. The Studio gives you the option of getting a discrete GPU, whereas the Inspiron does not. If you're getting an integrated GPU, this may not matter to you.

I had hard drive issues at first, relating to the accelerometer, but not the issues you've described. In any case, Dell shipped me a replacement for the HD and RAM next day under warranty without a second thought.

Not at all. In fact, the laptops I've used that relied on the latch to stay closed all broke the latches in about 2 years and had issues staying properly shut.

The brand and capacity vary. I had a seagate originally and it was replaced with a toshiba. Same goes with the RAM. Elpida first, then Samsung.

 

Thank you very much for the quick and thorough reply. It was very helpful.

However, I've got one clarification to make regarding this exchange:

As you can see from my quote above, I was referring to the Inspiron 15 R (I can't comment on the non-'R' versions), specifically excluding the option of 1080p , and it definitely can be equipped with the same video card as the Studio 15.

The following specs (first the Inspiron R then the Studio) are very close except for type of wireless card and backlit keyboard:

Cost:
Studio 15 as above = $1053.99
Inspiron 15 R as above = $869.99

Seems to me that the build quality of the Studio as compared to the Inspiron, per your assessment, would be worth the stated difference and then some. But I really would like to see a Studio in person before deciding.

Any more comments are greatly welcomed.

Thanks again.

 

The Studio 1558 has two extra connectivity options that the Inspiron 15R doesn't have:

- an extra mini pci-e slot for internal 3G or TV tuner usage.
- an expresscard slot

The expresscard is useful if you intend to DIY ViDock your system with say a US$300 GTX460 desktop graphics option, which will seriously outperform the HD5470. In which case could spec up the Studio 1558 with Intel HD for better functionality (Optimus support), better battery life and lower cost.

 

Has anyone played with virtualization with the 1558? I have a Studio 1555 but the processor does not support virtualization, and I have been thinking about getting a 1558 for myself, and intended usage does involve virtual machines.

 

I have a 1558 and it runs VMware WS7 great.

 

Thanks.

I'm pretty much leaning towards a Studio without a dedicated card.

A few more questions though:

- a couple of times in this thread the topic came up of whether the dedicated card could be tunned off when not in use, and it was said that Dell must have disabled the functionality. Is this still true (if it ever was), or is Intel's Switchable Graphics (as I believe it's called) available?

- does re-installing the OS and re-partitioning cause issues with warranty or how you get treated by Dell's tech service if you have an issue with the laptop?

- do you get the OS and other software disks with the purchase?

- does anyone have experience / issues running Arch Linux (32-bit or 64-bit) on this hardware?

Thanks everyone.

 

Has anyone else noticed a problem with A08 BIOS update?

I'm having trouble after computer wakes from sleep. After sleep brightness is on max and changing the values through control panel or by keyboard won't have any effect. And sometimes (not always) wireless connections won't establish connection properly (shows that I'm connected but don't have internet access even though after system restart or after hibernation all works perfectly).

These 2 problems only appear after I updated to A08 from A06 and only when computer goes/wakes up from sleep. If I hibernate then everything works as should.

 

I was about to post it.

A08 installed.
same problem here, after waking up from sleep, can't change brightness.
OSD will appear and change values, but screen won't react.

 

looks like I'll hold off on A08 until some things are fixed

 

Hi guys, new to the forums here and I've almost managed to read all 110 pages of this thread!!! Took me a fair while as well!
I took the plunge and brought my dell studio 1558 from dell outlet before reading through this forum and only came across this after I'd brought it! Ah well!!
I just got 3 quick(ish) question. I have the standard 1 year warranty in he UK and I'll be studying abroad in the EU. Will I be able to do warranty repairs through dell in the EU country I'm in? Also, if something is wrong with my dell (eg hard drive) When dell send the replacement does the old one need to be returned and if it does do they pay for the return postage?
Last question for now! I am getting the laptop with a i5-430M processor. will I need the power supply with a higher power rating and if so how would I go about getting the "better" one?
Thanks for your help in advance =)

 

Just got the 1558 today. I love fedex showing up at the door. It's like christmas knocking on my front door.

Laptops seems really good and i'm excited to go pick up SC2 to play. Hopefully it will run smooth with the upgraded graphics card.

Question: My screen looks very purplish and uglyyyy. How do i adjust the setting for my display to the optimum settings?

 

90w power supply is more than enough for an i5 based studio model...

 

Bios A08 = no way to change brightness after sleep mode even when on battery. Dell, Bios A09 needed !!!!

Hibernating system solves the problem but sleep mode is useless at this stage.

 

Quick question:-

I am looking to buy the 1558 new on Ebay BUT it doesn't come with the Backlit Keyboard, Wireless N Network Card or Bluetooth.

Is there anywhere in the UK that I can get the Backlit UK QWERTY Keyboard, Wireless N Network Card and the Bluetooth card? Also how easy are all these to change / install? Do I void my warranty by opening the laptop myself or do they treat the laptop warranty like they do the desktop warranty (you can open it yourself and they will still cover it).

Thanks in advance.

Cheers,

Ross