Dell :: STUDIO XPS 1647- ONLY HAS MOBILITY 5730-no GDDR5
Jan 11, 2010
Turns out from the Dell Canada website that the new and (supposedly) improved studio xps 1647 will only sport the ATI's mobility 5730 which incidentally does not support gddr5- EVEN AS AN OEM OPTION! Many expected to see the mobility 5770 in the updated SXPS'S or at the very least, a 5750 WITH 1GB OF GDDR5. The 5730 is simply unacceptable! Dell charges TOP DOLLAR for these little puppies and now they are cutting corners on the GPU'S! Dell should be ashamed!This laptop does not even deserve the XPS moniker. The graphics are too weak. It should be a Studio Pro 1647.
AS WE ALL KNOW ALL OF ATI'S NEW MOBILE CARDS USE A RATHER LAME 128 BIT MEMORY INTERFACE AND AS SUCH, RESONABLE PERFORMANCE CAN ANLY BE ACHIEVED WITH THE USE OF GDDR5 ram which runs at about twice the speed of GDDR3.
My dell technician ruined my laptop 1640 and they are going to build a new one for me. Shall I go for the 1647 i5-520M + 5730 DDR3 or my previous build 1640 T9600 c2d 2.8ghz + 4670 GDDR5? I've added a screen shot of the specifications.
So at first I was confused but now I understand. First official, completely top to bottom support for all mobility cards (in the specified range of course) will come out with 10.3. What they didn't say that SOME mobility cards will be already supported with 10.2 and our " Dell (Studio XPS 16 Mobility Radeon HD 4670)" is on that list.
This was posted in another thread, but this wasn't the focus. They also have beta 10.3s...but I thought it was neat that official 10.2 WHQL certified drivers supported our card ....
Just noticed that when you customize a S-XPS 16 in the US, it now shows up as having a 5730. Good news?
So notebookcheck puts the 5730 just above the 5650, which is a few spots above the 4670. Sounds like a reasonable upgrade... maybe not a huge increase in performance... but it is DX11 and has the other new features of the 5000 series cards.
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?
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've been starting to see more references about Studio XPS 1647 here and on Dell's site, but I couldn't figure out what distinguishes this model from the others (1640 & 1645).
Im thinking about picking up this bad boy but I dont want to get caught like I did with my Inspiron 1520 when I bought it 3 years ago (I bought it and then 3 days later they bought out the 1525 which was 20% lighter etc).
Also i've heard lots of things regarding XPS machines running very hot, is it very bad? Or is it one of those things that are just blown out of proportion?
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.
From what I've heard it seems like the Dell Studio XPS 1647 has good enough specs to play a good number of games. But I want to ask the community who owns a Studio XPS 1647 to give me their opinion on it when gaming on it. Note that I'm well aware that the Dell Studio XPS 1647 isn't made for just gaming. Anyways I'm planning on buying one but I'm not too convince to do so.
I plan on playing games on the Studio XPS 1647 most of the time, but I'm also willing to do other things such as surfing on the internet, homework, etc.. From looking at the specs I believe that it would be a good computer to buy, but having to look at the graphic card (ATI Mobility RADEON® HD 4670 – 1GB) I'm not too sure that I'll be able to play the games I want to play with the graphic details I want to play in. When I say games I mean like Bad Company 2, Starcraft 2 etc..
Just curious if anyone else is having this problem/glitch when I unplug the laptop from AC power and the screen brightness is turned up about more than 1 tick the screen turns really red and dark but then brightens up a second later.
It seems odd that it turns mostly red and then back up to normal in a second
Got a the beep codes, but apparently they don't mean anything with this model.I have no POST, and it's a black screen. The LCD icons (sounds, mutes, et cetera) are doing nothing out of the ordinary. I did the LCD BIST, and the colors came up fine.
My current OS is Windows 8 Pro, Display driver: AMD 13-4_mobility_vista_win7_win8_64_dd_ccc_whql.exe1  If set Backlit brightness to level 2 for example, and after some time display turns off (turn off display after X minute) by itself, or restart the laptop; the Backlit brightness level remains same (level 2) but the actual Luminosity (Intensity of backlit) changes to something else.2  If I decrease the Backlit brightness (Fn + F4) to level 0 (the minimum level), and if I further press the key combination (Fn + F4) to decrease Backlit brightness, it will change the Backlit brightness, but the Backlit brightness should not be changing because it already reaches to the minimum level.This issue doesn't happen in Windows 7 with the same driver. this apart from reverting back to ATI v12.1 ?
It looks like Dell will be upgrading to the mobility HD 5730 (which is lame, by the way, since there will amost certainly now be no gddr5 memory but thats for another thread).
But my question is whether they have enabled the switchable graphics or are making us pay for an IGP we will never be able to use.
I'll bet the lazy engineers at Dell wont bother with it and argue that you dont need intergrated graphics if you have discrete graphics and so on ......
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.
I've decided to try and play some games on it, only to find out I have some serious problems with it..
I've tried two different games, and the result is the same in both - the computer will hang about 1 minute after launching the game and only hard shutdown is possible (holding the power button)..
After doing a little analysis of the memory dump, I found out the graphics driver is the one to blame.................................
Yesterday my computer crashed 3 times for no reason so I went to check BIOS and by chance found out that my ram is actually 1066Mhz. The order sheet says I ordered 4GB, DDR3, 1333MHz 2 dimm, and I remembered I did as well. So, did Dell send me the wrong RAM?
Or, as I've googled, is this all a Dell marketing scam such that the 1333MHz ram we ordered only performs at 1066Mhz by default and you'll have to manually overclock it to perform at 1333Mhz (which may not be safe for the system)?
I have been asked to start this thread by a Dell representative so this issue can be cleared up. It will also serve as a thread where future information relating to the 1647 chipsets (and ultimately switchable graphics) can be posted. This has been talked about in the owner's lounge but I'm sure most owners agree that this issue is of enough importance to merit its own thread.
As most 1647 owners are aware, the 1647 is not being shipped with the HM55 chipset, despite Dell's website claiming it would be:
Instead it is being shipped with the slightly older PM55 chipset which was introduced back in September 09' with the quad-core mobile i7's, and is the chipset used on the 1645. This has been confirmed here, here and here.Why would you want the HM55 instead of the PM55? For most, it's one simple reason. The HM55 chipset supports utilisation of the on-die IGP on the new Arrandale range of CPU's. The PM55 unfortunately does not; it cannot transfer the IGP data to the laptop screen, due to the lack of Intel's FDI bus capability (Flexible Display Interface).What does this mean? As the PM55 can't utilise the graphics processor built-in to the new Arrandale CPU's, then switchable graphics is not possible.So if we had the HM55, would we have switchable graphics? At the moment, no. Basically something like NVIDIA's Optimus software is required. Currently ATI do not offer a switchable graphics software solution. BIOS support would also be required from Dell.But, if software and BIOS support is eventually offered, I won't be able to utilise SG anyway, as I have the PM55, right? Correct. This is what we need Dell to clear up. Most owners (not all) purchased the 1647 on the premise that they would receive the HM55.For those interested, some further information on the PM55/HM55 chipsets and switchable graphics can be found here. Chipset information can be found below.
Mobile Intel® PM55 Express Chipset Mobile Intel® HM55 Express Chipset
There is however one "flaw" that would be present if Dell actually went by the chipset and CPU listings on their website. The flaw is the i7-620M. It's a dual-core 32nm Arrandale CPU with an IGP. In other words, it's far more like the i5-520M and i5-540M than the quad-core 45nm i7 CPU's. So, according to Dell's website listing, the i7-620M (as it's an i7) is to be shipped with the PM55. This issue will hopefully be cleared up by Dell also, so let's wait and see what they say.
Please let me know if I have missed out important information and I will include it here. Similarly, this applies if any of the above information is incorrect, please let me know and I'll correct it.
When I boot up my PC it comes to a screen expressing that the battery is critically low and the AC Adapter cannot charge properly, press F1 twice to continue.
The computer continues to boot up fine, but is running strictly off AC power. It boots up the same with or without the battery locked in. I even bought a used, but guaranteed functional battery and it had the same result.
After researching a lot online I saw a common solution is to update the Bios.   Currently my system has Bios A01, and I have tried updating to A07, A11, and even A00 without luck. When running the executable in Windows 7, just before it flashes the system with a new bios I get fail message saying operation cannot complete because AC Adapter and battery must be present and functional.
So I found a guide online to create an MS-DOS startup boot drive, along with the Bios .exe's which can be run from MS-DOS. The system booted up into MS-DOS mode fine, but I received an error running the .exe, "Cannot run in DOS mode". I also tried to run the .exe with the /forceit command afterwards with no luck.
So at this point I don't know if my laptop simply needs a BIOS update, or if I have a faulty motherboard or battery sensor.Â
Ideally I'd like a solution to upgrade the bios without a battery that works and can resolve my problem. But if we can't find a solution, I need to know what needs to be fixed so I can repair my laptop through Dell's Out of Warranty Repair service.Â
The touch sensitive media buttons above the keyboard on my Studio XPS 1647 stopped working the other day. When I tried to turn my laptop back on the computer beeped a few times and the screen flashed a few solid colors and then went black. I had to turn the laptop off and on again and it booted as normal except the media buttons stopped working. They do not light up or respond to touch.
I have restarted the laptop, updated the Dell QuickSet drivers and the BIOS and nothing has fixed it. According to this post the media buttons need to be replaced. How can I do that and where can I buy the parts needed?
I 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?
Studio XPS 1647 laptop can't boot past POST and stuck at Dell splash screen with progress bar at ~80%. After holding down FN and pressing the power button, all three volume LEDS would flash twice, immediately followed by the volume UP and DOWN keys flashing, and then followed by just the Volume Down LED flashing.
Recently my Studio XPS 1647 has had overheat problems, and sometimes they would cause BSOD with broken screen images. The BSOD always came with bcode 116 error: this is apparently video card related. So last weekend I opened the case, removed the heat sink and the fan. The heat sink vent was completely blocked with a thick layer of dirt, so it's no wonder for overheating. I cleaned up the heatsink vent and the fan, cleaned up the top of CPU chip and the top of GPU chip, reapplied thermal paste and put everything back together. After that, the machine couldn't pass the Dell splash screen on boot. I've already checked the discussions here and followed suggestions on holding down the power button to remove static, reseating the memory card etc., but they are of no use.
Finally I followed the instructions on starting up ePSA. I've tried it repeatedly, and every time the boot always stuck at the Dell splash screen with the progress bar at about 80% with or without applying ePSA. The SPA screen never came up if I held down FN+Power button. The difference between a generic boot and a PSA boot is that if I held down FN+Power button, all three volume LEDS would flash twice, immediately followed by the volume UP and DOWN keys flashing, and then followed by just the Volume Down LED flashing.
I've read from a few discussions talking about all three volume LEDS flashing would be a motherboard problem. But in my case it's three LEDs flashing twice, followed by volume UP and DOWN keys flashing once, and then followed by just the Volume Down LED flashing continuously. What this PSA blinking code means?
Did a clean install of Win7 Pro the day after I received my 1647 (see specs in signature). Updated the BIOS to A04 and received my replacement 130w adapter via courier yesterday.
Migrated my data from my old daily use machine and started to use the XPS1647 as my new daily use late last week. I immediately noticed that the hard drive tends to "click" (for lack of better terminology) on a regular basis. It almost sounds like the drive head is constantly parking and un-parking.
Note: I am pretty sure it is the hard drive causing the noise. Front left hand side next to the track pad is where the noise seems to be originating.
I have the power settings set to never turn off the hard drive when plugged in (this was my initial suspicion of what was causing the noise).
I am thinking of calling Support and just having a tech come and have a look at it. The problem is the noise seems to come and go as it pleases (ie I can't reproduce the issue at will). Of course if and when the tech comes to have a look at it and the noise isn't being produced they will just tell me I am nuts.
Are any other XPS1647 owners hearing the same thing I am? If this is indeed the Hard Drive I am a little concerned as it seems flaky already...
I would like to install a internal cdma/wimax ... EVDO Rev A. yadayada and would like to use Clear 4g network ...and since Intel card's are incompatible with the Studio XPS 1340 I have no choice but to use this ... don't like the usb modems
=i bought a new travelmate 5730 it came wth basic Linux.....so i formatted it nd installed windows XP 2......then i installed all drivers.......n stufff
actually i want that "empowering techoonology"......how to get it?
i installed everything frm the given CD......bt wen i press the button "E"
it shows error "file cannot b found"
so how to get tht "empowering technology" also want tht "e-recover,PSD,n other features of "empowering technology".......
I currently have the 5735z aspire. My problem lies with Acer not having any support for this notebook. I have been searching for anything to give a bios update. I have found the 5730 aspire is practically a mirror of my laptop except for the screen size.(5735z has a 15.6) I was curious if I could use the updates for the 5730 on mine. They both have gl40 chipset and the same cpu. I noticed the bios updates starts at 1.07 and goes up to 1.14.
Mine is currently 1.07. So my question is can I use the bios for the 5730?
