[UPDATE - TIM Change] XPS 13 (2015) Review

[Ghost]

First the 8gb ram limit and now the Fan speed issue... this was going to be my next laptop but as my laptop usually only gets used in bed watching youtube (while the missus is sleeping) and on holidays etc this is really disappointing. what a shame

I will be replacing the thermal paste on mine with CL Liquid Ultra to see if it helps. Will post results here when I do it in a couple of days/weeks.

[DildorTheDecent]

I will be replacing the thermal paste on mine with CL Liquid Ultra to see if it helps. Will post results here when I do it in a couple of days/weeks.

Man that heatsink is so small. 

 

Good old CL Liquid Ultra though. Best "paste" out there. 

[Kyuubixchidori]

Oh. Was looking at getting this laptop for college. I need it to last all day though, but combining a I5+1080P screen, and the battery bank that comes with it now, wondering if it will still be a problem.

 

will the I5 produce less heat then the I7? and be quieter?

 

another question, would it be possible to undervolt to improve temps/battery life? never tried this on laptop but seems intresting. 

 

and do you ever use the touch?

[Ghost]

Oh. Was looking at getting this laptop for college. I need it to last all day though, but combining a I5+1080P screen, and the battery bank that comes with it now, wondering if it will still be a problem.

 

will the I5 produce less heat then the I7? and be quieter?

 

another question, would it be possible to undervolt to improve temps/battery life? never tried this on laptop but seems intresting. 

 

and do you ever use the touch?

They have the same TDP listed. No idea if you can undervolt. I would assume the BIOS is locked but that's only an assumption. Yes, I do use touch, sometimes it's just convenient, not on a regular basis though. The screen gloss hasn't been a problem for me yet. The screen brightness has always overcome it. (At the cost of battery)

[Kyuubixchidori]

They have the same TDP listed. No idea if you can undervolt. I would assume the BIOS is locked but that's only an assumption. Yes, I do use touch, sometimes it's just convenient, not on a regular basis though. The screen gloss hasn't been a problem for me yet. The screen brightness has always overcome it. (At the cost of battery)

Okay. because Im looking at this tablet, so if there was way to get into the bios to undervolt would be sweet. 

 

Im debating between the two screens. For that price diffrence(400) I could pick up another gpu, or 2 more 27inch monitors, or a console. So its hard to justify the cost unless I want to use touch a lot on the device. right now Im torn between this and a 2 in 1. but I need the long battery life. 

[Ghost]

I have updated the OP with my results when I changed the TIM. Enjoy.

[FloRolf]

I have updated the OP with my results when I changed the TIM. Enjoy.

Wow thats quite a difference in temps!

Can you manually turn down the cpu fan speed to make it somewhat silent under load?

[Ghost]

Wow thats quite a difference in temps!

Can you manually turn down the cpu fan speed to make it somewhat silent under load?

I think the load noise is perfectly acceptable right now. That 500RPM (In all but extreme cases it's a 1000RPM difference) made a very noticeable difference. This is all in "Balanced" mode. I expect the "Quiet" mode will be even better.

[FloRolf]

I think the load noise is perfectly acceptable right now. That 500RPM (In all but extreme cases it's a 1000RPM difference) made a very noticeable difference. This is all in "Balanced" mode. I expect the "Quiet" mode will be even better.

 

do you wanna try quiet mode + some thermals for me?

[Ghost]

do you wanna try quiet mode + some thermals for me?

I tried to watch 4k youtube on chrome. (This usually pins the CPU at 100%) Fan noise was acceptable. No stutter on video.

 

Hottest Core Temp after watching a 2 min 4k video: 78C

 

It used to hit 86ish.

[Fetzie]

I tried to watch 4k youtube on chrome. (This usually pins the CPU at 100%) Fan noise was acceptable. No stutter on video.

 

Hottest Core Temp after watching a 2 min 4k video: 78C

 

It used to hit 86ish.

 

Will changing the TIM void the warranty? I was considering getting this laptop and I have half a tube of the Noctua TIM lying around somewhere.

[Ghost]

Will changing the TIM void the warranty? I was considering getting this laptop and I have half a tube of the Noctua TIM lying around somewhere.

You don't have to break any seals to open it up. Dell has a maintenance guide online.

[Fetzie]

You don't have to break any seals to open it up. Dell has a maintenance guide online.

 

I just found it, and wow that guide has instructions to completely disassemble the laptop into its component parts and put it back together again.

[Fetzie]

I've got another question Ghost:

 

Now that you have had the laptop for nearly 3 months, are there any "niggles" that the laptop has? Any small things that annoy you but you live with them? Would you still recommend buying it (specifically the i7 with the high resolution screen that you got)?

[Ghost]

I've got another question Ghost:

 

Now that you have had the laptop for nearly 3 months, are there any "niggles" that the laptop has? Any small things that annoy you but you live with them? Would you still recommend buying it (specifically the i7 with the high resolution screen that you got)?

• Not a niggle really, but it's bright enough to use in full sun outside, however you do have to deal with the reflections, I have changed my background from black to some abstract art to make reflections less obvious those situations.
• Don't try to install Ubuntu, or at least, research how to get around "Secure boot" first.
• Scaling can indeed get annoying sometimes, but it's a small price to pay for the amount of screen space to do things in such a small laptop.
• The CPU is not powerful enough for some things, it takes noticeably longer to do things than a desktop, but I guess that should be expected with a 15W CPU.
• If you want support from dell, contact them on twitter and start DMing with them. It's the best support they have in my experience.

[cesrai]

For the love of who ever you worship use spoiler.

[The Sweetroll]

How are you liking the XPS 13 after all this time? I'm looking at buying a new laptop and the XPS 13 is the most attractive windows option but I happened to read this review: http://www.ultrabookreview.com/8142-8-months-dell-xps-13/ which takes up an issue with rapidly decreasing battery life after only 8 months, have you been experiencing anything like this?

[Ghost]

How are you liking the XPS 13 after all this time? I'm looking at buying a new laptop and the XPS 13 is the most attractive windows option but I happened to read this review: http://www.ultrabookreview.com/8142-8-months-dell-xps-13/ which takes up an issue with rapidly decreasing battery life after only 8 months, have you been experiencing anything like this?

It's still a great Windows option. I haven't experienced any noticeable decrease, however, it's only been out for 8 months, so it might be worth holding back a few weeks to see if more reports of the issue come through.

[Ex14]

wow thats a shit ton of TIM ._. hope the surface pro 3 is less liberal with their application, considering its sealed nature >_>