Dell Studio 1557

Nah, it's be posting personal correspondence was why it was removed. Technically it shouldn't even be posted on this site according to the forum rules.

 

Well pardon me all over the place. I always thought that one of the unequivocally useful services forums provide is as an effective bulwark against the crap that huge corporations dish out to the little people they are suppose to serve

 

Ok so I'm still a peeved about my sub so I'm feelin ya Nifkin....

But I think mine may actually be working now, I'm not too sure :-S

Last night I was playing around for maybe an hour, now I couldn't see any "sub" moving through any of the grilles during bass playback but after fiddling with sound properties the sound has just got an almighty boost!!

In W7 audio properties I went into speaker configuration and although the IDT panel was set to 5.1 the W7 native control panel was set to stereo, so I changed that and still on the test screen where you can click a speaker icon to get a sample playback I couldnt hear anything from the sub.... Went into media player to carry on watching an edited video I just made and BOOM it was like twice as loud and sounded great!!

I dunno if my imagination is working overtime or whether something has changed, but to be honest I couldn't even see a subwoofer or speaker through any of the grilles!! LOL

 

Oh and to whoever asked about the dual-display setup.... Yeah works on either screen or on both as either duplicate or extended desktop!

That's in W7 with the Dell drivers/utilities installed operating from the F1 hotkey :-D

 

I just checked my Battery specifications using the EVEREST software and I got some information that worried me a bit... .

I have a 9-cell battery that is supposed to have a 85Wh though the designed capacity is showed as 7800mWh and fully charged capacity as low as 7458mWh...

Someone can tell me if it's actually normal or my battery has in fact a lower capacity that should have????

By the way, this is my second battery and I haven't got it from DELL...It was bought at EBAY.ca as a original replacement battery....(half price of DELL website)

Thx

 

Ok I am pleased to report my sub is 100% definately working and I can even see the tiny little thing through a small square grille now that it's lighter in here


Has anyone got a specific monitor driver for their 1557?? Mine is just showing as generic pnp monitor!!

 

Chill, I wasn't saying I thought you should remove it or anything; just that was the reason why it would have been removed from the Dell site. If I had deemed your posts to be offensive or a serious breach of the forum rules for NBR then I'd have reported the post. Fact is, I did not. Some forum rules I very very strongly agree with - for example I will report any sign of piracy immediately.

That particular forum rule; well I don't always agree with it because as you say, these chat transcripts are often helpful.

This site however is not all about rallying against the big corporations. It is about helping one another out, giving advice, getting opinions, reading reviews.

 

HD Tune: SAMSUNG SSD PB22-JS3 2.5 Benchmark

Transfer Rate Minimum : 6.3 MB/sec
Transfer Rate Maximum : 159.8 MB/sec
Transfer Rate Average : 134.2 MB/sec
Access Time : 0.5 ms
Burst Rate : 110.4 MB/sec
CPU Usage : -1.0%

Just so you have the ssd results

 

That'll be me and that is excellent thanks.

Now I know I can use two external monitors in extended desktop mode I have a couple of related queries if you don't mind answering them.

Can you designate which connector (vga or hdmi) is the primary and secondary display?

If the monitor to be used for the primary display is not the same resolution as the laptop screen does it resize automatically or do you manually have to change the resolution? Likewise is it a problem when you disconnect the monitor?

Not that it should be of much use but can you have the laptop and the 2 external screens on at the same time?

Sorry for the queries but your answers are appreciated.

 

By the way guys, I invite any of you having issues with your subwoofer to post on the official Dell forum where I have started a thread relating to this issue. iI think it would be good to keep all the information in one place to help others who might not find any info buried in this huge general thread. Who knows, posting over there might even invoke some Dell attention if it causes enough of a stir!

http://en.community.dell.com/forums/t/19300158.aspx

Cheers,
Rob

 

Have you tried as was suggested in the post earlier in this thread?
( here is a quick link back to that post)

 

Hi Fragilexx

Yep I've tried that and many variations of it. I've tried pretty much everything short of reinstalling the OS or taking the laptop apart!

I haven't really gathered if this issue is only happening on certain systems yet so I'll have to go through the posts and see if there is a pattern but for the record, I'm running Vista Home Premium x64 SP2 with all the latest updates installed.

 

Just updated my sig with my specs

 

can anyone speak to their experiences with the 512mb card and WoW?

I've got a 2ghz core2duo studio 15 and the 256 meg card and I can't maintain 30fps in even low population zones unless im plugged in and i've got everything set to low/middle including draw distance.

I've got a i7 w/512 model on it's way (estimated shipping 24/11/09) and I'm hoping it allows me to put the settings at or near max finally.

 

@Fragile: I'm chilled! I'm chilled! TBH, I'm really not some sort of idealist who thinks a forum is a place to get things changed on a corporate level. I posted the transcript of my chat with tech support firstly to give a flavour of what to expect from Dell concerning the issue; I thought it may be useful to arm other forum members affected by the same problem just in case they receive a contradictory response when speaking to Dell. Secondly, I posted it because I find Dell's telesales and tech support department's "tell them anything to close a sale/get them off the phone" attitude breathtaking to the degree that I'm slack-jawed with disbelief! I have dealt with Dell on numerous occasions, and, save for one very helpful rep (whose limited remit to assist customers was clearly evident, but she did her best), you can spend an afternoon calling Dell on a given issue and receive 10 or more totally different responses to a single issue from their staff.

Nonetheless, the issue of the subwoofer not working is not actually huge for me; I still have stereo sound, and it certainly doesn't affect the tasks that I purchased the machine for. If Dell were to acknowledge the issue, or at least have a tidy procedure in which such issues can be logged by the support team, pending feedback from other customers, I would be satisfied; I don't even expect a turn-around time for a resolution! However, it is responses like the one I received from tech support yesterday that drive me crazy; poorly trained staff who resort to distorting the truth to wriggle out of assisting customers make a mockery of Dell's claims to provide a good after-sales function.

@deadpencil: yes I've seen your thread on the Dell Community forum, and have contributed to it; it's where I had my post removed from (see my earlier post here)!!! Let's keep it going!

@JayAce: Thanks for your advice there; I'll check out my settings when I get home! Fingers crossed!!!

Just want to add; I've really enjoyed the banter and advice I've received on this forum so far! You lot are a great bunch!

 

What I was trying to ask is if Someone with a Studio 15 1557 and a 9-cell battery from Dell could run that program EVEREST and take a look at power management specifications and check out how much is showed as a design capacity and fully charged capacity ????

It would be really appreciated and I could decided whether return or exchange it.....

thx

 

Is it possible to put a bluetooth card in the 1557? Because i couldn't choose it while ordering.

 

It's an option with Dell at the moment and it's listed as a 'Dell Wireless 365 Bluetooth Internal (2.1)'.


There are a few on Ebay for not a lot so give it a whirl.

http://shop.ebay.co.uk/i.html?_nkw=...286.m270.l1313&_odkw=dell+bluetooth&_osacat=0

 

for me it was an option in the second stage of customisation with accessories and periphals oddly enough.

 

Subwoofer Shenanigans Part 1,367....

Yesterday I called Dell tech support, and, once I'd been put through to the right department, explained to the guy the problem with my subwoofer not working, and how I'd reinstalled the drivers and done a hardware diagnostic, but the problem still persisted. He then said he'd place me on hold while he conferred to find a solution.

Just over eight minutes later, he returned to me, and told me that he'd managed to confirm that there wasn't a subwoofer installed on the the Studio 1557 and that I was mistaken. I then provided him with this link from Dell's own website:

http://support.euro.dell.com/support/edocs/systems/studio1557/en/SM/subwoofe.htm#wp1180768

With that, he then put me on hold for a further, oooh, 30 seconds, and, when he returned, told me that his manager had in fact informed him that the 1557 does indeed have a subwoofer! Well, well, well! Fancy that!

He then asked me to connect to the internet on my Studio 1557, which I was unable to, as I was calling him from my workplace and did not have my laptop with me. He then said I could receive a call back from tech support whilst I was at home. I said OK, how about 7pm tonight? Again, I was put on hold. When he returned, he told me that 7pm would be inconvenient, how about tomorrow (now today) between 6 and 7pm? I agreed to this. Am keeping my fingers crossed they'll keep their promise, and it wasn't just another ruse to get me off the phone!

Will keep you updated

 

good luck Nikkin !

by the way I am very pissed off ... Today I've opened my order status and they changed AGAIN the date (the fourth time). Now it's 17/11, from 11/11. Well It's more then a month of wait. I called dell and a guy told me the same samecrapthing of the others. They don't know when the laptop will be available.

? The i7 core is still unavailable in italy. I think that's is because of the lack of intel cpu. Or not? :|

 

Wow. I count myself very lucky that from order to delivery was only eight days for me! What strange supply problems Dell are having....

 

Maybe it's a driver issue? Dell Belgium & The Netherlands don't deliver the Studio 1557 with Windows 7 they can only deliver it with Vista.

 

Help!!! Ok finally after a month and a half my order has finally shipped, good thing right?... Nope. Stupid Dell has screwed me over so bad. I needed this laptop for my vacation which I'm on right now. Well turns out it's now shipped and I'm 1000 miles away. So this is my question, anyone know what happens if they send my order back to Dell? It says they will try to deliver 3 times but I'm pretty sure I won't be back for that. Please anyone know what's going
to happen? Seriously I haven't even got my PC yet and I already ing hate Dell.

[EDIT] - Problem solved! I called Fed-ex and gave them my tracking info. They are able to hold the package until I get back from vacation. So looks like I'm leaving the airport Friday and headed striaght over to pick up my new Win. 7 1557!!! WooT can't wait.

 

I HOPE that isn't for the subwoofer issue on win 7.. or I will kill dell with fire!

@Nifkin: How is the HD monitor? Fonts are too small on windows? Or the problem is only with some java apps?

 

I went for the 1080p primarily coz I do a lot of photo processing and higher res is bestest for that! As for day to day usage, I was expecting to have to lower the res, but, even though I have poor eyesight (but good specs!) I find it quite nice, even with the small fontage.

Problem with java apps?? What's all that then? I musta missed that post!

 

Hmm somewhere I've read that some java apps can't change the font size, so It can be pestering if you use them a lot.
In my case, I am not a graphic or a photografer, I am a programmer, so bigger fonts are a must! (Infact I have a 22" on my workstation..but I am getting blind likewise :|)

 

DELL start to drive me crazy !!!!

I was expecting some delay in the laptop, so far really annoying but not that a big surprise....though I've got it a week ago...

As soon as I got it I ordered my Windows 7 and was showed the estimate ship date as 11/05/09... A bit longer that I would like since I placed that order in 10/28/2009...

But right now I just checked out and the ship date and it went to 11/16/2009

Really disappointed......even the Win 7 they are having delivered issues....

omg...

 

Did someone mention about a bulge to the top left of the keyboard??

I've noticed today that I too have a slight bulge there, like literally just an inch or so to the left of the SRS Premium Sound text!!

Getting a bit annoyed now, seems things are going from great to good to bad to worse!! Does anyone know whats underneath that bit???

 

Why isn't the Intel 5100 compatible with the 1557? I saw it on internet, but don't remember the website. And when you configurate a 1557 you can only choose between 1397 and 5300.

I wanted to buy a 5100 or 5300 on ebay (alot cheaper than dell). A 5100 seems easier because you have only 2 antenna cables.

 

Don't worry Jay Ace, mine does have some bulge over there too. Nothing serious, just don't pay attention.

I've noticed when I move my laptop the battery unit moves a little bit, like it was loose, I have not seen this before, dunno if that's normal in this model?

Still looking for the Pause key and they numeric keypad...

Screwed by java applications running with minimal font size all the time in my 1080 screen.

 

The Saga of the Subwoofer, Episode MDCLXXVIII

I got my call from Dell tech support, as promised, at 18:45 last night; I spoke to a very nice man who accessed my machine remotely, twiddled about with the IDT and Windows audio control panels for a bit, then asked me to play some tunes on my media player and tell him if there was any bass response.

There was not.

He then said that there was nothing for it but to have the subwoofer unit replaced. I said steady on, my good man; are you sure it isn't a driver issue? He said nah, it would have to be replaced. Now, being on a basic collect & return warranty, I was none too pleased about this, as I'd only received the laptop a week ago. He acknowledged this and said he would "upgrade" my warranty to home service, and would send an engineer round to my place on Friday to sort it out, in situ! Well, I thought, if my communications with Dell have confirmed anything, it's the fact that any dealings with a huge organisation can range, all in the space of a single query, from the sublime to the ridiculous (or the other way around, in this case); first I had to cut through the crap with the first couple of people I spoke to in tech support, who insisted my machine didn't have a subwoofer, and now this, which is shaping up to be an exemplary piece of customer service (but I guess I shouldn't count my chickens yet; will have to see what happens tomorrow...). OK, so I have to take a day off work to let the guy into my house, but I didn't even know Dell had a at-home service plan!

For those of you with the same subwoofer problem, I'll let you know the tech guy's findings once he's visited; I'm hoping the info might come in handy!

Watch this space...



EDIT:

p.s. How big is this lump?? The area you're talking about on my machine is quite flat; I checked it with a spirit level

 

Excuse me if my question stupid but... how did you notice if your subwoofer didn't work? I mean what's the sign that it's not working? I don't know if mine is or is not.

 

If you've played any music which requires a decent bass response you'll have noticed if it's working or not. Most contemporary pop stuff'll do. Or try a little bit of drum & bass; in that case you'll notice that it's just drum &, well, drum if it's not working. If it's working you can put your ear close to the small grille on the front right-hand underside and definitely hear it. You can actually feel the bass through the keyboard and mouse pad if it's working; a friend has a 1555 and his works and the difference side by side with my machine is very noticeable indeed. It's not as if the subwoofer is large enough to be punting out subsonic levels of bass, so it's quite obvious; if you can hear nowt it aint working

p.s. also, if you do a speaker test in both the IDT and Windows audio control panels, the L/R speakers clearly respond, but the subwoofer doesn't, but it should!

 

It sounds good news nifkin! Hopefully, the tech guy will be efficient.
I wait for the final round before calling the tech support too.

 

But have you tried what Jay said? Turn it on both in IDT properties and Windows sound properties in the control panel. He said it works.

Well I'm not really sure if mine is working since the sound is much much better than any other laptop. I'd say it is cos when I watch tv on it, it sounds great and bass enhanced.

 

Yes, as I had said in a previous post, I've done as much as I can with the control panels for both IDT and Windows audio, I have tested and retested the speakers at various settings. As mentioned in my subwoofer update above, The Dell technician did exactly the same. There is no sound coming from my subwoofer, and it seems that the few people that have had a bit of success have only been getting intermittent sound, which suggests something is wrong.

My guess is that, with most people not being concerned as much about the audio hardware as the visual with a laptop, a lot of people haven't even noticed that their subwoofer isn't working! Yeah, the sound is OK as it is; better than my gf's Inspiron 1525, but not as good as my old Inspiron 6000, but neither of these two had a subwoofer, which is meant to be the difference; an in-built 2.1 sound system instead of the usual 2.0. When it's working, there is a very big difference between the two.

 

I received my Studio 1557 with Windows 7 yesterday, first thing I did was to listen for the Subwoofer... If I hold my ear to the Sub I can clearly hear there is bass response coming from it, and that was without playing without any settings.

 

Nice one, nstream; it's not hard to tell if it's working or not, huh?

 

I am a refugee from the Envy 15 forum. I returned my Envy to HP after my dislike of the unit--so I am looking for a new laptop. I did the "What Notebook Should I Buy" post and was directed to a Studio 15. I have read through the threads on the 1557 and see that the major problem seems to be the subwoofer not working. Are there any other issues? I assume heat issues with the I7 is not a problem as I haven't seen any reports here. I would use the laptop mainly for watching Blu-ray movies, internet, office apps, and streaming video (Directv2PC or Netflix streaming, etc.)

Would you recommend the Studio 15 with the I7 for my needs? Any input would be appreciated, I am thinking about placing an order soon. Am also looking at the Sony CW but am leaning toward the Dell.

 

You're quite right in thinking that there isn't a heat issue; it gets a bit warm but that's about it.

As for whether it would suit you; to be honest, judging by your usage list, I would say the 1557 would be a bit overkill for you. The i7 cpu is very powerful, and would hardly be put to any great test by the stuff you want to do; I got mine because I want to run 64bit-capable CS4 doing lots on photo processing and a bit of video editing, so I was after the i7's multithreading capabilities. For your usage a 1555 with a C2D T6600 would probably be more than enough. I mean, how future-proof do you want to be???

 

Thanks for the quick reply. I am about to call Dell to make an order. I was looking at the I7 to be more future proof and any configuration I make on the Studio 15 would probably be less than the Envy 15, so I didn't want to skimp. Thanks for addressing the heat. I will be using the laptop on my lap on a laptop pad (non-cooled) and don't want too much heat or weight.

What are your thoughts on 6 cell vs. 9 Cell Battery?

Also, I was going to choose this monitor. ---15.6” Full High Definition (1080p) High Brightness LED Display with TrueLife™ and Camera/Facial Reco---

It looks like the best choice, but I was woried the text would be too small. Althought I could use the Windows 7 scaling to make it more readable.

Again thanks for the input. I am going crazy having to work on my desktop computer rather than kicking back with a laptop.

 

Hi Nifkin, I can clearly hear bass without holding it to my ear but I wasn't too sure on how much bass the main speakers produced so I went that extra way to test )

Just in case the problem is driver related but I doubt my driver version for the IDT device is 6.10.0.6217

 

Out of interest, when you do the test using the Windows audio control panel, does a test signal come through the subwoofer?

And is this the same for the IDT control panel???

 

@bdms08: Oh, and when I talked about a core 2 duo processor being better for you, I meant T9600, not T6600

As for battery live (mine's a 6 cell), I haven't done a test with it in constant conditions yet, as I've gone from light to heavy use and back again whenever I've unplugged it, so I can't give you an accurate and relative idea of battery performance. I tend to use it plugged in wherever I am, anyway; not much into sitting in Starbucks supping a frappacino and MSNing my mates! ;-) From what I can tell battery life is quite respectable for a desktop replacement; certainly none the worse for being a core i7.

 

when running the tests the only noise is from the two speakers... I'm assuming the Sub is implemented as a crossover from the two main speakers so will only produce bass only when a piece of audio has enough Bass for the Sub to work.

I think the 5.1 test on the IDT control panel will only work correctly when connected via HDMI to a surround sound system that will see the seperate 6 channels or the configuration to switch to 5.1 as it is only virtual it still only runs a generic two speaker test. White noise does not carry enough Bass.

I maybe wrong though but I work for a UK audio company so have a good understanding of some speaker configurations.

 

I think what nstream has just said is correct, the subwoofer is not setup as a seperate channel....

When doing a speaker test I get noise from both front speakers when a bass signal is played and also from the "rear" channels when it's set to 5.1 mode.

Also in WMP I noticed that the bass response is MUCH more prominent with the Dolby settings turned to night mode!! God knows why but it makes a hell of a difference to mine!!

 

Thanks. OK, it seems that the control panels for the driver don't provide a sufficient test, and the proof is in the using. Well, mine still aint working, so judging by your experience, it must be a hardware issue for me. We'll soon see tomorrow!

 

Sure, I get all those sounds too, JayAce, but they all come from the L/R speakers below the screen. If you change the speaker set up from 5.1 to L/R & Subwoofer (i.e. 2.1), I only get sound from the L/R speaker test, not the subwoofer test.

 

I am going trough the delivery late. Probably tomorrow I will have more info directly from a friend that works in dell.