I've decided to get an xps 16 for college, and I am curious as to which to get. I plan on using it for college, but also plan on playing quite a few games on it as well when I have the time. Which would be better overall to avoid throttling issues, and just have the best performance for this overall?
On a side note, on the dell site, how do I tell which is a 1640, 1645, and 1647?
Please note that my GPU Throttles down when it hits 84C. This cycle will continue up and down as the system system downclocks the GPU.
View 10 Replies View RelatedSo yes I have no cred and I am relatively new but I think we can all agree the direction of the heat vent on the XPS 16XX series needs to be changed to face downwards at least, so that the heat isn't dicipated directly onto the screen!
There doesn't seem anywhere available to add a secondary vent, so at least the primary vent needs to be improved.
I will send this to Dell_Bill_B as he requested in the throttling forum, and he said he would take this issue up at the next conference call!
I am currently being offered a exchange for my 1640, and they are giving my the option to configure it.
Which is better? And how do i know which is the 1645 and 1647 on the website?
for 130 Watt Adapter and update to the latest BIOS
View 10 Replies View RelatedI'm trying to decide between the two though I lean towards the 1645. I'm also open to any of the doubters trying to argue for something else altogether.
I'm a gamer and a relative power user, but I don't fret benchmarks and I don't mind if I get some throttling after a few hours of gaming so long as the issue will go away once I quit to desktop and give the comp 15 minutes to cool down.
I'm also not chasing every last bit of graphical detail or processor power. If two years from now I can still play new games on modest graphical settings with an acceptable frame rate, and if my desktop experience is crisp and responsive .....
I currently have the Studio XPS 1645. My uses for the machine are client visits, presentations, and occasionally gaming on the road.
I probably only log 5 hours a week on the laptop 3 weeks a month and 30 or so in the other week (when I am not at home).
I have read about the throttling issue and this is my last day to return. So knowing my usage pattern. Would you keep the quad core or change out for the 1647.
ftp://ftp.dell.com/bios/1647_A05.exe
ftp://ftp.dell.com/bios/1645_A08.exe
So I have a 1640 with a t9900 3.06ghz processor being replaced with a 1647 i5 540M processor. Does the t9900 outperform the i5 540M?
On notebookcheck.com the i5 540M is rated lower than the t9900.
Been following all the throttling issues on these forums religiously for a while now. I have been eyeing these laptops since they came out. Looking for some opinions on what I should buy. The "business" reps are trying to sell me a Precision but that price point is really high.
Primary uses will be:
Software and Database Design and Development -- mainly C++, .NET technologies (WCF, WPF, C#, etc), Silverlight, Sharepoint, Expression Blend, SQL Server (not express). I will be installing the entire development environments and tools that come with these. Also MS Office Enterprise.
Other occasional uses:
Movies (getting BR for sure), some gaming (not hard core like most here) and other regular day-to-day tasks (surfing, etc.)
With above said, should I get the i7 620, 720 or 820? I can get the RGBLED with the 620 but not the 720 or 620 -- is the RGBLED worth it -- don't mind spending the $$ for it -- or is the WLED just fine (even for BR movies)? Also, I am definitely getting the SSD for speed.
today I bricked my new 1645 when I was examing the BIOS for the 1647. The BIOS release 1647_A00.exe released this month automatically begins flashing on an 1645
and does not seem to check compatibility or confirm with the user before it updates.
The BIOS is completely incompatible with the 1645 to say the least, so be very careful if you download it on to a non-1647 system.
Dell is building a new system due to this really sad event. Rip XPS 1645 - December 5th 2009.
Looked around here but could not find the answer. Are there actual hardware differences between the 1645 and 1647 xps studio 16? Just curious if the 1645 can handle the next gen procs (i5, i7 Arrandale cores). Also can the bios for a 1647 be used on the 1645?
I got forced a 1645 in a system replacment and they would not do a 1647 even after they said they would and I pushed HARD on my end. I now wonder really what the hardware differneces are if any?? Also want to know if this thing will allow future upgrades as to the cpu past the Clarksfield cores it runs now?
Also mine did not come with the SB x-fi software. Is this worth asking for or obtaining?
I was giving my 1645 a nice cleaning when I noticed a depression on the left hand side palm corner. The black of the palm rest actually sinks below the the silver trimming. Is this normal? is it supposed to be flush? Does it mean I need yet ANOTHER part replaced on this damn laptop?
View 10 Replies View RelatedI am one of the many people here who has a defective Studio XPS 1645 (random crashing and throttling issues). I was promissed a replacement system by a tech support supervisor and Studio XPS 1647 was mentioned by him as a replacement for the 1645 system which will fix all outstanding issues (as claimed by him). I don't have a detailed system configuration yet and will post as soon as I recieve one.
I just don't want to be a beta tester for Dell once again if 1647 proves to have design flaws like the 1645.
Does anyone out there have 1647 yet? Is this an upgrade to 1645 (hope its not a downgrade)? Should I accept this offer or demand a full refund?
I am planning to get a new laptop within the next few weeks. My main purpose of use with the new laptop is Photography, so Image quality is paramount!!! I have been browsing through this forum and researched with good reviews about the dell studio 16 rgb led screen. Now problem is each model 1640,1645,1647 has it main problem of issues ranging from extreme heat,constant freezing,lock up,fan noise and the most noticeable throttling issues.
I dont plan to use the laptop to it's absoloute abilities...so hardly any gaming will be involved, just mainly phtography software and occasional movie watching. So overall which model has the less problems for what I will be using this laptop for?
My only criteria is I want the rgb led screen. Is the 1640 good enough?(is there a big peformance difference in Photo editing between a 1640,1645?
I write this thread as I dont want to spend time chasing up dell for parts,complaints and constant searching on threads for solutions! Or should I just get away from delll all together and get a Sony Vaio F series or AW? btw which screen is better Sony AW rgb screen or Dell xps 16 rgb led.
I was on chat with dell a few months back and I was telling them to replace my motherboard and processor and I was complaining about heat.
Anyway during the whole convo I was joking (not really) about giving me a 4670 motherboard instead of the 3670. Well I have had the parts for a month now and was just going to return them because
I didn't feel it would change anything replacing the same parts, knowing that the xps just gets warm on it's own. (and yes I undervolted, helped a lot and added more thermal paste)
Any to make a long story short the dell tech sent me a motherboard now with a 4670 ati chip on it. The processor was the same but man am I stoked.
Anyway is my computer a 1640 still or a 1645. Should I update any other drivers besides the video card. My service tag is irrelevant now also when downloading drivers.
The bottom line is that this laptops are not worthy to buy!
1. Throttling Issue (No real fix so far)
2. Random freezing (Speculations about driver fix)
3. Brightness control stops working randomly (remove batery to fix)
4. Sub-buffer rattles (nobody knows why)
5. Stereo leaks between left and right (no fix)
6. System runs extremely hot (1645 a little bit less than 1640)
All-in-all nice looking and feature complete laptop with a lot of issues.
try and source a mobo and cpu if they can be found at a reasonable price i fancy some core i7 action and the wait for the precision is taking its toll!
View 9 Replies View RelatedFor you people who are wondering: SXPS 1640 on left, 1645 on right.
http://files.fredfx.com/Dell%20Studi...Difference.jpg
I am looking to get a Studio XPS 16 soon, but can't quite decide on which model to get and had a few questions...
1) What is the battery life of the 1647 (i5) compared to the 1645 (i7) assuming they have the same specs. I've read that i5's should last longer, but I really couldn't find anything comparing the two for these systems.
2) When configuring the 1645 and 1647 side-by-side with the same specs. The 1647 is about the same price as the 1645, if not more (depending on which processor selected). I thought the i5's were supposed to be less expensive than the i7's. Since they are about the same price, would it be better to go with the i7? Any reason to choose the i5 over i7?
What does everyone think about starting a dedicated thread for the XPS 1640 (and 1645?) with Windows 7? ("Official 1640/1645 and Windows 7 Thread")
I think starting now, there will be a flurry of driver updates, behaviors, tips, questions, etc.,
and it seems it would benefit everyone to have all those in one place instead of having to search through a myriad of individual posts
Dell Studio XPS 1640 1645 Serial Flash CMOS PINS
The process to be used appears credibly outlined at the following web address: http://www.darkmagic.org/mike/dell-tag/dell/dell.html
But the laptop used in the above web site is not that of a Dell Studio XPS 1640 or 1645. So parts location, disassembly and reassembly are unique with the 1640 & 1645.
I have had the 'privilege' to be stonewalled by Dell 'customer service' when requesting the lost password to access CMOS & BIOS setup on my Dell Studio XPS 1640.
I purchased a used Studio XPS 1640 that was just under 2 months out of warranty from another who was disgusted with the hassles that have developed with some of the 1640s & 1645s over heat, throttling, RGB screen blinking, inadequate power supply, etc, etc. The formal transfer of ownership was immediately completed on Dell's web-site .....
You can hear this effect around 60%-80%+ volume(varies by system) usually from the right speaker(more noticeable). It sounds like a speaker when its damaged from high volume or a bad amp you hear a buzzing/cracking/distortion sound on the right speaker usually(you can also verify it with the dell audio diagnostic, test my Dell technician even realized it). Ive had 3 xps's replaced(due to other issues) all of them had the same problem (additionally I had 2 speaker replacements and they had the same problem). sxps 1640 and 1645. I remember when a technician came and opened my motherboard I took a look at the side speakers. It seems that the right speakers are loose compared to the left ones. You can press on it and it goes a bit in and out.
I just wanted to start a new thread for Bill to bring this issue also to the attention of the engineers. I think I know what the problem is, I will be putting rubber pads in my laptop to enforce the speakers from vibrating. Someone brought this solution to my attention a long time ago.
Reference:
Post number 10(Metroline solution): http://en.community.dell.com/forums/t/19258055.aspx
Does anyone else have this problem? Verify so Bill can bring it to the attention of the engineers. Bills going to have big meeting with big players soon so post up if you do have this issue so he can bring it to the table. I didn't want to use the throttling thread for this issue.
My temporary solution is not to go about 60% volume... since it's load already but it would be nice to blast the volume and listen to music while doing other chores in the house or hang with friends but the audio quality is terrible.
Note: I can not verify this for sxps 1647 because I do not have one.
I will give you guys an update on my results, when I dampen the system with pads and reinforce it.
After waiting for over a month or so, I finally got my XPS 1647 from dell. I was very keen on adding a second HDD to store bulk data and use a SSD as primary driver for OS.
Speical thanks to this specific thread, specially Nando4 for all the information.
Pre-Requisites:
Confidence to open your laptop
HDD Caddy to replace the Optical Disk Drive - I got one from New Mode Electronics, which sells such caddys. This specific machine uses 12.7mm (height) slot-loading model with SATA external interface. You can buy it on ebay too for a cheaper price, but most of them ship from China and takes a long time to arrive.. and if there is a problem..its a nightmare to return or re-order.
A second HDD
Dell Service Manual for Studio XPS 16 series - Specially how to replace the Optical Drive
Here is the Pictorial :
Click on each of the image below to see a larger image (in a new window)
Step 01 - Ready to Dismantle the Laptop
Step 02 - Remove the Back cover (10 screws to remove)
Step 03 - Remove the Rear caps (slide, and pull out as described in the dell service manual). Don't apply force.
Step 04 - Remove 14 screws (this is needed to remove the palm rest). On my system 10 screws were marked "P", 2 were marked "K" and 2 were flat screws.
Step 05 - Turn over, and remove the two screws to remove the palm rest. (Point to remember - once you are done, and when you tighten this later, don't tighten it too much, else the plastic under it would crack). Once the two screws are removed, use the two tabs to pull out the palm rest (as described in the service manual)
Step 06 - Disconnect the cables connected (by lifting the tab - again - its described very well in the service manual).
Step 07 - Remove the cables connected (two of them). Now the palm rest is free & the motherboard and the ODD is visible
Step 08 - View of the mother board and ODD
Step 09 - View of the mother board and the 3 screws that need to be removed to free the OOD
Step 10 - One screw at the back to remove the ODD. Point to note - the HDD caddy did not have this screw hole - but the HDD Caddy fits in place securely with other 3 screws.
Step 11 - the ODD is now free - You can see the inter-poser (SATA to the motherboard pins) - simply pull it out from the ODD to set it free.
Step 11a - View of ODD out of the system
Step 12 - The ODD and the HDD Caddy that I got from New Mode Electronics. There is a component that is used on the ODD to secure it to the motherboard - This needs to be removed (2 screws) and put on the new HDD caddy as shown in this image.
Step 13 - View of ODD, Securing Component, Interposer, and the HDD Caddy - all side by side.
Step 14 - The new HDD caddy with the 500 GB Seagate HDD (that came with my system), interposer and the securing component
Step 15 - Plug in the HDD caddy in the system and fasten the screws. From this point, its just a reverse process of putting things back in place (palm rest, screws, rear caps and the back cover)
Step 16 - BIOS - now shows the second HDD !
Step 17 - Window Shows the second HDD!
Total time taken from start to finish (including taking photos..etc) - 60 mins!
So, there you go.. you now have a second HDD in your XPS 1647..
I've been stalking the XPS 1645/1647 for a while now hoping that the overheating/under clocking issues get resolved. I'm to the point now where I just need to roll the dice and make one of these work for me.
Currently I work off of a Mac Book Pro (latest unibody) with the 3.06 GHz processor upgrade and the 256 SSD upgrade and 4GB RAM. I do primarily web design (.NET, WordPress, etc.), so I stay in Windows (via Bootcamp) most of the time or work on my Sony Vaio Z. I was waiting for the Bootcamp upgrade to come out in hopes that it would help the hardware cope with Win7 better. Well, it came out a couple of days ago, and it did help, but it's still lacking in a few ways.
My question is around the processor. My everyday activities, making up 80% of my day, are fairly light with the exception of Adobe Creative Suite apps and Microsoft Visual Studio, but I do a decent amount of video processing. I am looking for the most power available without sacrificing battery life. If I understand the processor options correctly, that would be the i7-620M. How would that processor compare to the i5 540M in terms of speed and battery life? I have read that the i5 is "newer technology" and "should" be more efficient than the i7's.
This was released at the same time as A09 for 1645, why is nobody talking about it? Does it remove the 84 degree gpu limit like A09 does?
View 10 Replies View RelatedI ended up choosing the Studio XPS 1647
It should be shipped in a week or two, and I was wondering what recommendations you all had for it. I plan on reformatting it to get rid of all the bloatware and also undervolting it.
I'll use it as a desktop replacement and occasionally play some games on it (probably nothing too demanding though). So any suggestions on what to do to start off right and keep it healthy?
I'm getting this next month (or the order says I am), and I have a couple questions reading this forum:
1. I'm getting an i7 Quad Core -720, that's still a 1647 right? I keep reading that the 640 is what that goes up to, but am not sure.
2. What is throttling? I do a search on the internet and all I get is Drag Racing info Is that when the fan starts to spin super hard?
3. I've got a 1640 that I'm selling once I get it....it's new from Dell because of an exchange so no warranty (but can be upgraded by the buyer), what do you think is a fair asking price? It's a P8700 2.53 Core 2 Duo, 4GB RAM 320GB HD, 512MB ATI 3670. HD screen, etc.
I just got my 1647 in yesterday and it's been a struggle of immense proportions. I have a MSDN subscription, so I ordered it with Win7 Home and reformatted it when it got here to install Win7 Pro. I have finally got all of the yellow exclamation marks gone from the Device Manager, but I don't have any Bluetooth connectivity.
I could have sworn I checked that box during the build, but I can't find it in any of my documentation. What's worse, when I go back to the Dell EPP site, I don't even see the Bluetooth module listed as an option when trying to build another one. Could this mean that it isn't available on XPS's configured on the EPP system?
I do see the Bluetooth radio listed in the BIOS to be turned on by the wireless switch, but the light never comes on, on the front of the machine when turning wireless on and off. I'm taking that as a bad sign.
I have just ordered a XPS 1647 & was unsure if I should download all the Bios from the DELL website when I get it. There is currently the A00 & the A01, do I download both or just the latest release
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