New laptop suggestions, Programming & Gaming

[Estex]

Hey guys,

Thought I'd give you an update on my XPS 15. It arrived today! Surprisingly, it only took 15 days between making my order and receiving it, so that was really nice. Shame it doesn't really matter though, since I'll be returning the bloody thing ASAP.

One night of working with it, and so far I've found 7 problems. They are as follows:
- Bad "coil whine" coming from the left side of the laptop, seemingly when plugged in
- Speakers make a loud crack when muted or turned on again
- Speakers are loud as hell, but even at 30% (which isn't very loud) they sound like they're blown. That is, they crackle with music
- The trackpad is oddly sticky with this matte finish, meaning the cursor is very imprecise. I think they should have stuck with a smooth/glassy trackpad
- Left click button on trackpad rubs against the frame, making it squeak with each click. Sounds like a squeaky shoe
- The cursor itself doesn't always move when my finger moves. It has to "catch up" and realize about 0.5 seconds later that I've moved my finger. This may not seem like a lot of time, but it really is
- And lastly, the machining of the metal is bad. The metal on the underside is improperly fitted for the carbon fiber body/interior, so on the front there is a small overhang of metal with a sharp edge. It's tiny, but I can feel it, and it's bound to get messed up over time.

SO! My final verdict on the Dell XPS 15 (9550)...

I can see what they're trying to do with this laptop. It's admirable. I think, however, that they don't have what it takes to do this and do it either right or well enough so that it compares to something like a Macbook. I can understand how people would like this laptop if they got a perfect unit - hell, if I had one, I'd probably keep it. For now I'm just disappointed and kind of annoyed that they even tried.


Two things before I start my hunt for a new laptop again...

1. For those of you who have the XPS 15 - I just read that Dell is aware of the coil whine issue, and will be replacing motherboards on affected laptops at no cost to the consumer. God only knows when that'll happen though, and I'd bet my left nut that it will take at least a month to complete for each laptop. What a hassle.

2. I...forget the second thing. I'll come back later and edit it in

Back to the drawing-board!

 

[sze5003]

Hey guys,

Thought I'd give you an update on my XPS 15. It arrived today! Surprisingly, it only took 15 days between making my order and receiving it, so that was really nice. Shame it doesn't really matter though, since I'll be returning the bloody thing ASAP.

One night of working with it, and so far I've found 7 problems. They are as follows:
- Bad "coil whine" coming from the left side of the laptop, seemingly when plugged in
- Speakers make a loud crack when muted or turned on again
- Speakers are loud as hell, but even at 30% (which isn't very loud) they sound like they're blown. That is, they crackle with music
- The trackpad is oddly sticky with this matte finish, meaning the cursor is very imprecise. I think they should have stuck with a smooth/glassy trackpad
- Left click button on trackpad rubs against the frame, making it squeak with each click. Sounds like a squeaky shoe
- The cursor itself doesn't always move when my finger moves. It has to "catch up" and realize about 0.5 seconds later that I've moved my finger. This may not seem like a lot of time, but it really is
- And lastly, the machining of the metal is bad. The metal on the underside is improperly fitted for the carbon fiber body/interior, so on the front there is a small overhang of metal with a sharp edge. It's tiny, but I can feel it, and it's bound to get messed up over time.

SO! My final verdict on the Dell XPS 15 (9550)...

I can see what they're trying to do with this laptop. It's admirable. I think, however, that they don't have what it takes to do this and do it either right or well enough so that it compares to something like a Macbook. I can understand how people would like this laptop if they got a perfect unit - hell, if I had one, I'd probably keep it. For now I'm just disappointed and kind of annoyed that they even tried.


Two things before I start my hunt for a new laptop again...

1. For those of you who have the XPS 15 - I just read that Dell is aware of the coil whine issue, and will be replacing motherboards on affected laptops at no cost to the consumer. God only knows when that'll happen though, and I'd bet my left nut that it will take at least a month to complete for each laptop. What a hassle.

2. I...forget the second thing. I'll come back later and edit it in
Back to the drawing-board!

My first unit never had coil whine or any of the issues you describe. The touchpad was fixed with the latest windows updates. There is also a new bios out there.

The speakers do make that weird sound when turning them all the way up and then down from the taskbar. I believe all models are like this. Even the speakers that were replaced on my original unit did this. The ones on the new unit do it a bit less.

Mine have never crackled with music. The latest bios seems to have made them softer.

I noticed if you don't install the Dell audio there is no more crackle.

Sounds like you got a refurbished one, bad metal fitting? I would request another if you actually want it. People doing exchanges now are getting them much faster than when I got mine.

 

[linkgoron]

Hey guys,

Thought I'd give you an update on my XPS 15. It arrived today! Surprisingly, it only took 15 days between making my order and receiving it, so that was really nice. Shame it doesn't really matter though, since I'll be returning the bloody thing ASAP.

One night of working with it, and so far I've found 7 problems. They are as follows:
- Bad "coil whine" coming from the left side of the laptop, seemingly when plugged in
- Speakers make a loud crack when muted or turned on again
- Speakers are loud as hell, but even at 30% (which isn't very loud) they sound like they're blown. That is, they crackle with music
- The trackpad is oddly sticky with this matte finish, meaning the cursor is very imprecise. I think they should have stuck with a smooth/glassy trackpad
- Left click button on trackpad rubs against the frame, making it squeak with each click. Sounds like a squeaky shoe
- The cursor itself doesn't always move when my finger moves. It has to "catch up" and realize about 0.5 seconds later that I've moved my finger. This may not seem like a lot of time, but it really is
- And lastly, the machining of the metal is bad. The metal on the underside is improperly fitted for the carbon fiber body/interior, so on the front there is a small overhang of metal with a sharp edge. It's tiny, but I can feel it, and it's bound to get messed up over time.

I have none of those issues, although I haven't tested the speakers at all, I'm always using headphones.

 

[sze5003]

I have none of those issues, although I haven't tested the speakers at all, I'm always using headphones.

Honestly I saw when they changed the speakers out. They are thin little plastic tubes and anything that's not well tightened down will cause them to sound like they are vibrating or distorted but only when changing volume with the task bar. Using the keyboard volume controls does not do this nor do they distort when playing video or audio.

 

[Estex]

I'm envious! You're probably right in that I got a refurbished unit. If I didn't, then it seems like their quality control issues are still unresolved.

The disappointing thing is that I can see what they're doing with this laptop, and damn it's a good concept, but what a headache it is to actually land a flawless unit if you're not lucky enough to receive one from the get-go.

Now that I've had a day to relax and think about it...if it weren't for the coil whine issue and the squeak that my left click button makes, I'd probably see if the updates fix everything else. Unfortunately those two things would drive me nuts in long-term use.

Anyway, onto the next one!
Most likely I'll wait for the Razer Blade 14, 2016 model, and see what's in store there. It will cost the same as a small mortgage, I'm sure, but sometimes the peace of mind from a top-quality laptop is worth it.

 

[sze5003]

I'm envious! You're probably right in that I got a refurbished unit. If I didn't, then it seems like their quality control issues are still unresolved.

The disappointing thing is that I can see what they're doing with this laptop, and damn it's a good concept, but what a headache it is to actually land a flawless unit if you're not lucky enough to receive one from the get-go.

Now that I've had a day to relax and think about it...if it weren't for the coil whine issue and the squeak that my left click button makes, I'd probably see if the updates fix everything else. Unfortunately those two things would drive me nuts in long-term use.

Anyway, onto the next one!
Most likely I'll wait for the Razer Blade 14, 2016 model, and see what's in store there. It will cost the same as a small mortgage, I'm sure, but sometimes the peace of mind from a top-quality laptop is worth it.

I wouldn't keep it either if it had coil whine or a squeaky mouse pad button. I've never checked into the razor series so i am not sure if they are actually good quality builds or just expensivw due to the brand.

 

[Estex]

I wouldn't keep it either if it had coil whine or a squeaky mouse pad button. I've never checked into the razor series so i am not sure if they are actually good quality builds or just expensivw due to the brand.

Yeah, those were the unfortunate deal-breakers for me

Razer laptops tend to be some of the best quality. Simply put, they're just black Macbooks with a gaming PC shoved inside. They're beautiful units, and getting even better with each iteration. They just released a 12.5" model called the "Stealth" at CES 2016, and it's a gorgeous piece of work. It's an ultrabook though, so they are marketing it along with the "Razer Core" which is an external GPU hub. The idea is that you can take the Stealth with you to do work and productivity stuff, but it's powerful enough to game at home when attached to the Core. Very neat little design. It's definitely cheaper than the other laptops in their line by about $1000 (depending on your configuration).

By the way, the second thing I wanted to mention but forgot, I'll put here.
I said something about the keys on the XPS 15 seeming smaller than other laptops, and as it turns out, that's the case. It's not a huge difference, but at least in comparison to my Samsung Series 9 and a macbook, the XPS 15 has keys that are around 1mm smaller on each side. The result is that the keyboard itself ends up being a good bit shorter, from side to side. I'll take actual measurements and post them here in a sec.

 

[linkgoron]

If I recall correctly the razer fhd model only has 8gb ram (seriously? In a 2015 gaming laptop?), and that's why I didn't even consider it. They also come with a small ssd (256), but it's not a deal breaker. I hope they'll fix it with their next model. Checking their specs, I find it surprising that they weigh about the same as the 15.6" xps while being a 14" laptop.

Stealth is also not a real option as it's a dual core.

 

[sze5003]

If I recall correctly the razer fhd model only has 8gb ram (seriously? In a 2015 gaming laptop?), and that's why I didn't even consider it. They also come with a small ssd (256), but it's not a deal breaker. I hope they'll fix it with their next model. Checking their specs, I find it surprising that they weigh about the same as the 15.6" xps while being a 14" laptop.

Stealth is also not a real option as it's a dual core.

Are the razor series not upgradeable? 8gb is fine if you can open it up later and add more.

 

[linkgoron]

Are the razor series not upgradeable? 8gb is fine if you can open it up later and add more.

Looks like it's soldered:
http://www.anandtech.com/show/8971/the-2015-razer-blade-review/8

"[...]the RAM is soldered to the motherboard, so user upgrades are out of the question"

 

[Estex]

Yeah, all of those details are why I didn't bother with the Razer Blade series until now. Basically I'm waiting on the next iteration of the blade because I have a feeling they're going to do it right. All of their laptops are -almost- acceptable, spec-wise, but not quite. The stealth being dual-core is a bit "WTF" to all of us, I'm sure. I'm also a little confused by the 12.5" form-factor, but that's just me being picky, most likely.

The one thing that really draws me to them is the build quality. The looks I don't care so much about, but there's something to be said for how solid a macbook frame feels. Here's hoping the 2016 Blade is worthy of note.

 

[sze5003]

It would be cool if the next one was upgradeable. I spent about $1360 on my xps15 by haggling with Dell but I'm sure if the razor was upgradeable I would have considered getting one had it been the same style and specs.

 

[Estex]

That would be fantastic. It's not enough, anymore, to have a laptop with tip-tier specs because advancements happen so quickly.

Heheheh, was it a hassle to get that price?
I spent about 3 hours trying to combine the student discount with a $150 off coupon I found, and the website just would -not- have any of it. Ended up only getting the $150 off. No complaints though - a discount is a discount, right?

 

[sze5003]

That would be fantastic. It's not enough, anymore, to have a laptop with tip-tier specs because advancements happen so quickly.

Heheheh, was it a hassle to get that price?
I spent about 3 hours trying to combine the student discount with a $150 off coupon I found, and the website just would -not- have any of it. Ended up only getting the $150 off. No complaints though - a discount is a discount, right?

It took a few tries to get an agent that wanted to make a sale. I used the chat option on their page. I told them I was interested in the xps15, if they had a corporate discount or any other discounts I could use. I also told them I didn't want the ssd that I would prefer the 1tb sshd that comes in the i5 model because all I cared about was having the i7.

After some back and forth banter it gets to a point where I felt like I was at my car dealership. What will it take for you to buy this today? They gave me a quote I was fine with and it included taxes so I took it. I realized on Reddit people have been doing the same thing.

Still trying to find that sata cable that comes only in the i5 model so I can order a second hard drive.

 

[IEC]

Wouldn't a Clevo P640RE/Sager NP8640 meet almost all your desired specs?

 

[Estex]

Wouldn't a Clevo P640RE/Sager NP8640 meet almost all your desired specs?

It would if the battery life weren't atrociously bad. It falls into the same category as the MSI GS60, for me. I looked at it really closely for quite a while, but the battery is absolutely tiny.

At this point I'm just going to wait until the summer, save up as much as I can and see what gets released. In all likelihood the Razer Blade 14 2016 will be announced around April, so that might be the way to go. If not, then I'll probably give up on getting something with a dedicated GPU and just get a high-powered ultrabook like the Lenovo X1 Yoga.