Possible alternatives to new Dell XPS 15?

xerces

Hi,

Am I missing anything out there that would fit this mold? Ideally it would be:

• €1600
• 15.6 inch FHD 1080p Display
• Core i7
• 8GB
• min 750GB Hard Drive
• Good Graphics Card
• Quality Audio
• Stylish + Well Built

I had my heart set on the new Dell XPS 15 until I learned that there are currently wifi problems with the product (L521x model).

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E8rC-xSDZMM

"I CANNOT recommend this laptop now. I seriously suggest people vote with their wallets and do NOT purchase this laptop until the wireless issues have been sorted. Dell have been totally silent on the issue in the last few weeks, yet they continue to sell these laptops with this known issue. I cannot fault the way Dell customer service dealt with my return, but it is disgusting that they are happy to still take peoples money. IF they wireless is fixed, I will be happy to recommend. As things stand, VOTE WITH YOUR WALLETS!"

"Sorry guys there will be NOT be a Part 2. The wireless issues are too bad, it keeps disconnecting all the time and the range is crap. Therefore I requested a full refund. I cannot knock Dells customer service, but I frown badly upon their testing and quality control."

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x-KFW7_UxJM
http://en.community.dell.com/support-forums/network-internet-wireless/f/3324/t/19458762.aspx
http://www.metageek.net/forums/showthread.php?4950-XPS-15-L521X-Poor-Wifi

College doesn't start until late Sept, so it's not essential that I have the new laptop until then. I could try waiting to see if the XPS 15 wireless issues are resolved.

Thoughts/suggestions?

McG

Go to www.pcspecialist.co.uk or www.mysn.de and configure your own. You should be able to match those specs for way less money.

Torqay

I only see them offered with Core i5 processors. Gorilla Glass is excellent stuff, using it in smartphones, media players and tablets I can understand but in a laptop it's rather pointless. And for 1,600 yoyos you'll get a lot better than a GT 640M, the price is utterly ridiculous.

xerces

Torqay wrote: »

I only see them offered with Core i5 processors. Gorilla Glass is excellent stuff, using it in smartphones, media players and tablets I can understand but in a laptop it's rather pointless. And for 1,600 yoyos you'll get a lot better than a GT 640M, the price is utterly ridiculous.

They were selling it with Core i7 and 1TB (5,400) for about E1,535. That page changes regularly, they must be out of stock at the moment.

I'm liking the idea of customizing my own from the website linked, but the only qualm I would have is the appearance. I think the XPS 15 looks great, kinda Mac Book Pro-esque, which I wouldn't get with a custom build.

What kinda graphics card should I go for at that price, dya think?

Torqay

Well, the GT 640M, while not a bad GPU, will struggle with certain games at highest details. Elsewhere, you'll get a full HD laptop for this money that will play everything you could possibly throw at it, at highest details.

xerces wrote: »

What kinda graphics card should I go for at that price, dya think?

The Schenker XMG P702 Pro for example costs €1.461 w a Core i7-3610QM, 8 GB RAM, 750 GB (7k2) HDD, Backlit UK keyboard and a GTX 675M (2 GB GDDR5). No OS, you'll buy Windows 7 cheaper in Ireland (or download Windows 8 now and activate in October).

xerces

http://www.mysn.de/wkorb.asp?userid=883A8E4C92B24E67BF017226C4D1E9A9&KategorienOrder=010;010&step=1

What dya think of this for 1462.90? I could still go up to 1600, but the above looks pretty sweet to me.

Torqay

xerces wrote: »

http://www.mysn.de/wkorb.asp?userid=883A8E4C92B24E67BF017226C4D1E9A9&KategorienOrder=010;010&step=1

What dya think of this for 1462.90? I could still go up to 1600, but the above looks pretty sweet to me.

Pretty much the same I have specced, except it's a 15" and has a bluray combo drive.

They'll be running circles around anything Dell has to offer (unless you pay big bucks for Alienware).

Full HD on a 15" laptop would be too small for my likings, but everyone to their own.

xerces

Well it's gonna be on the move quite a bit so I don't fancy lugging a 17" around with me (I got a refund for a faulty HP Envy 17 recently so I know what the size is like).

Thanks for the help. So when you say, instead of getting Windows 7, to download Windows 8 now and activate in Oct, will I be able to put Windows 8 on it upon it's OS-less arrival?

Torqay

xerces wrote: »

So when you say, instead of getting Windows 7, to download Windows 8 now and activate in Oct, will I be able to put Windows 8 on it upon it's OS-less arrival?

Yes, you can download Windows 8 RTM now, 90 days trial, that should get you well past the official launch date.

xerces

I'm thinking I'll go with the 15.6" Vortex III from pcspecialist:

Chassis & Display: Vortex Series: 15.6" Glossy Full HD LED Widescreen (1920x1080)
Processor (CPU): Intel® Core™i7 Quad Core Mobile Processor i7-3610QM (2.30GHz) 6MB
Memory (RAM): 8GB KINGSTON HYPER-X GENESIS 1600MHz SODIMM DDR3 (2 x 4GB)
Graphics Card: NVIDIA® GeForce® GTX 675M - 2.0GB DDR5 Video RAM - DirectX® 11
2nd Graphics Card: NONE
Memory - 1st Hard Disk: 750GB SEAGATE MOMENTUS XT HYBRID, SATA 6 Gb/s, 32MB CACHE (7200 rpm)
2nd Hard Disk: NONE
SSD CACHE DRIVE: 40GB INTEL® 310 mSATA MLC SSD - (mini PCIe SSD for extra storage)
1st DVD/BLU-RAY Drive: SONY BD-5750H 6x BLURAY WRITER & CYBERLINK SOFTWARE
Memory Card Reader: Internal 9 in 1 Card Reader (MMC/RSMMC/SD: Mini, XC & HC/MS: Pro & Duo)
Thermal Paste: ARCTIC MX-4 EXTREME THERMAL CONDUCTIVITY COMPOUND (£9)
Sound Card: Intel 2 Channel High Definition Audio + MIC/Headphone Jack
Network Facilities: GIGABIT LAN & WIRELESS INTEL® ULTIMATE-N 6300 (450Mbps)
USB Options: 3 x USB 3.0 PORTS + 1 x USB 2.0 PORT AS STANDARD
Firewire: 1 X 1394a FIREWIRE PORT
Battery: Vortex Series 8 Cell Lithium Ion Battery (5,200 mAh/76.96WH)
Power Lead & Adaptor: 1 x UK Power Lead & 180W AC Adaptor
Operating System: NO OPERATING SYSTEM REQUIRED
Office Software: NO OFFICE SOFTWARE
Anti-Virus: NO ANTI-VIRUS SOFTWARE
Laptop Cooling Stands: NONE
Carry Case: NONE
Monitor: NONE
Keyboard & Mouse: INTEGRATED BACKLIT UK KEYBOARD WITH NUMBER PAD
Mouse: INTEGRATED 2 BUTTON TOUCHPAD MOUSE
Speakers: NONE
Webcam: INTEGRATED 2.0 MEGAPIXEL WEBCAM
Headsets (VOIP): NONE
Surge Protection: NONE
Printer: NONE
External Hard Drive: NONE
Warranty: 3 Year Silver Warranty (1 Year Collect & Return, 1 Year Parts, 3 Year Labour) (£5)
Home Installation: NONE
Dead Pixel Guarantee: NONE
Insurance: 1 Month Free Laptop Insurance inc. Accidental Damage & Theft
Data Recovery: NONE
Delivery: 2 - 3 DAY DELIVERY TO REPUBLIC OF IRELAND (£19)
Build Time: Standard Build - Approximately 7 to 9 working days
Price: €1625

Criticisms/comments welcome.

Jarren

Check them out

www.saveonlaptops.co.uk/customsystems/type/laptops

xerces

To let you know, I decided that I didn't require an i7 processor or as much RAM as I had originally intended to get. I bought an Asus N56VM from PC World. It takes care of my spec needs and looks/sounds excellent. I couldn't be happier with the purchase .