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    Dell XPS 15 (L521X) Review Discussion

    Discussion in 'Notebook News and Reviews' started by Jerry Jackson, Oct 17, 2012.

  1. Jerry Jackson

    Jerry Jackson Administrator NBR Reviewer

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    Last edited by a moderator: May 7, 2015
  2. Mitlov

    Mitlov Shiny

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    Any throttling issues? I know that was an issue with some XPS laptop, not sure if it's this one.
     
  3. Reticent

    Reticent Notebook Enthusiast

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    Just go read the thousands of replies in the l521x owner's lounge thread. The new XPS 15 is a much disliked machine. The biggest problem is the WiFi, but throttling is still an issue. The design just does not feature adequate cooling, unless Dell has changed it since I got mine. Dell has been working for months on trying to solve the WiFi, but I really don't think they will. The customers who need a really stable, fast connection are either being given USB WiFi adapters or refunds.
     
  4. Jerry Jackson

    Jerry Jackson Administrator NBR Reviewer

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    We did not run into Wi-Fi issues with our review unit but, as mentioned in the review, the fan kicked on high pretty quickly whenever we stressed the system ... usually a sign that the cooling system is having trouble keeping up. We didn't experience throttling but our system doesn't have the highest spec processor available ... I imagine the CPUs with higher clock speeds generate even more heat inside this chassis.

    I'm personally looking forward to the day when more companies use carbon fiber for chassis design. If done right, it's as durable as many alloys but doesn't have the "heat sink" issue that turns a metal chassis into an oven.
     
  5. zooot

    zooot Notebook Consultant

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    The Gorilla Glass seems like a design error: a matte plastic screen would be lighter and more useful.
     
  6. Mitlov

    Mitlov Shiny

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    The problems with carbon fiber (like in the Vaio Z2) are (1) it's not as rigid as aluminum unibody (and so people complain it "feels cheap") and (2) it doesn't look or feel like metal (and so people complain it "feels cheap"). It's a great material by objective standards, hurt by people's expectation that things should look and feel like a MBP.
     
  7. Reticent

    Reticent Notebook Enthusiast

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    Well, in trying to balance the cooling system, we have been through BIOS: A04, A06, A09, A10 (in which they accidentally disabled discreet graphics), and now we are on A11. From what I understand, they keep trying to balance the GPU/CPU blend when the system gets too hot. As for the WiFi, people in the thread have noticed that the Windows 8 L521X laptops coming out have a newer processor and different Wireless/Bluetooth.
     
  8. traxtext90

    traxtext90 Notebook Enthusiast

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    i agree, people are so used to today's laptop's standards that they don't realize the standard of carbon fiber. Its lighter than aluminum and can wistand more damage.
     
  9. Apoxxx

    Apoxxx Notebook Evangelist

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    I think it's absolutely ridiculous to list glossy screen as a con. It's completely subjective and some people actually prefer glossy over matte.

    Not being able to choose between glossy and matte could be a con though like you said in the actual article and not the summary.
     
  10. Nick

    Nick Professor Carnista

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    I just purchase one from the Dell Outlet. If anyone has any specific software you'd like me to run, just ask.
     
  11. tdodd

    tdodd Notebook Consultant

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    I bought one from the Dell Outlet in the UK. No problems for me with WiFi performance and for my needs, which don't use the nVidia GFX at all, no problems with throttling. With a 128GB SSD, 1TB HDD and 16GB RAM the thing ran beautifully. Tragically the screen quality was woeful. The gorilla glass was not an issue, but colour depth/accuracy and contrast were poor, as were viewing angles, but the straw that broke the camel's back - visible pixel grid lines spaced apart in such a way that there was a vertical pin stripe effect all over the entire display. It made it ugly and stressful/tiring on the eyes and made assessment of noise and sharpness in photographic editing extremely difficult. Dell was not confident that a replacement screen would resolve the problem so tomorrow it is being shipped back. A great shame, because other than the screen it was perfect for my needs and very favourably priced.
     
  12. SureFix

    SureFix Notebook Enthusiast

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    Jerry with all due respect to your article and fact that your machine hasn't had WiFi issues - help me here. In your opinion, (this could help me decide whether to return my XPS 15) based on your own experience and all of the material within these threads do you honestly believe this is a good machine to purchase? Or maybe the situations that are being reported are by far in the minority? Even those on Dells Customer review confirm.

    Again, I am not trying to be sarcastic - but based on your research why would you rank this as a top 3 machine for people to purchase? I mean just because your Dell review machine was free from issues what about the huge group of people that seem to all be having a WiFI issue - wouldn't it be fair to mention this in your review to help consumers get a better rounded picture?
     
  13. Nick

    Nick Professor Carnista

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    I purchased one from the Dell Outlet a few weeks ago. My advice is to look elsewhere. My unit throttled itself heavily, and WiFi range and speed was horrible.

    http://forum.notebookreview.com/dell-xps-studio-xps/673630-xps-15-l521x-owners-lounge.html
     
  14. alikhebaize

    alikhebaize Newbie

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    please i want to buy this laptop Dell XPS 15 (L521X)

    do u advice me ?

    i red there is wifi issue, and display color and heating.

    please help to find out to buy this one or macbook pro 2011
     
  15. WindOS X

    WindOS X Notebook Evangelist

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    Don't there appears to be too many problems with this machine. You may want to look elsewhere such as the Dell XPS 14 as that unit does not seem to have the same issues as the XPS 15.