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mattwnz
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  #1149970 8-Oct-2014 14:20
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Mine came today too. Overall it is a nice laptop. Better build quality than my old inspiron. Noticed however that one side of the touchpad sits above the surround so catches on my hand. If I press it down it stays down for a while and then pops back up. Not sure if it is worth contacting them above, will see how it goes.  The screen is nice, but the viewing angles aren't as good as my old inspiron, which had an ultrasharp screen in it, and is the best laptop screen I have seen. It maybe because this new one is a touch screen with a glossy finish, while the old one  is mat.

Is anyone going to buy an overlay for the touch screen. I can see it getting scratched quite easily as it only appears to be plastic, and is a bit stick to slide your fingers across. But it will need to be a big overlay.



timbosan
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  #1150450 9-Oct-2014 09:12
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Hey all - has anyone who has got their laptop checked the wireless connection rate? I cannot get it to connect above 72Mbps, and I searched and it seems to be a 'common' problem.  Even though the laptop is 802.11ac, it is only a 1x1 card, which I understand should give 150Mbps on 2.4Ghz (correct me if I am wrong) and 300Mpbs on 5Ghz.

There is a 2x2 card that can be swapped in, and I am trying to find out if the laptop supports 3x3.

mattwnz
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  #1150602 9-Oct-2014 12:11
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timbosan: Hey all - has anyone who has got their laptop checked the wireless connection rate? I cannot get it to connect above 72Mbps, and I searched and it seems to be a 'common' problem.  Even though the laptop is 802.11ac, it is only a 1x1 card, which I understand should give 150Mbps on 2.4Ghz (correct me if I am wrong) and 300Mpbs on 5Ghz.

There is a 2x2 card that can be swapped in, and I am trying to find out if the laptop supports 3x3.


Yes I have also been having major trouble with wireless. I'm connecting to a Telecom Technicolor N wireless router, and the speed is around a quarter of what other devices can connect at, at the same location. The range is also poor and get regular disconnections at distances that other devices have not problems with. For example my MS surface gets around 14Mbps, same with an iPod touch, but this dell laptop only gets 2-3 Mbps in exactly the same location. This is with wifi disabled on each device after the test. I can see it is connecting via the N. Also updated all the drivers and same problem. Looks like Dell are goingto have to do something about it.



timbosan
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  #1150609 9-Oct-2014 12:17
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mattwnz:
timbosan: Hey all - has anyone who has got their laptop checked the wireless connection rate? I cannot get it to connect above 72Mbps, and I searched and it seems to be a 'common' problem.  Even though the laptop is 802.11ac, it is only a 1x1 card, which I understand should give 150Mbps on 2.4Ghz (correct me if I am wrong) and 300Mpbs on 5Ghz.

There is a 2x2 card that can be swapped in, and I am trying to find out if the laptop supports 3x3.


Yes I have also been having major trouble with wireless. I'm connecting to a Telecom Technicolor N wireless router, and the speed is around a quarter of what other devices can connect at, at the same location. The range is also poor and get regular disconnections at distances that other devices have not problems with. For example my MS surface gets around 14Mbps, same with an iPod touch, but this dell laptop only gets 2-3 Mbps in exactly the same location. This is with wifi disabled on each device after the test. I can see it is connecting via the N. Also updated all the drivers and same problem. Looks like Dell are goingto have to do something about it.


That's odd - I don't have any problems with disconnections, however I have read LOTS of reports online of this exact problem, however I do have a really good access point (Ubiquity, ceiling mounted).  I just cannot connect at more than 72Mbps.

I have updated the drivers using the Intel site and see if that makes a difference.

Just for comparison - I also have a Sumsung Series 9 Ultrabook - the original NP900X3A, which is made of 'duralumin' and is known for its poor wifi due to the antennas being inside a metal body.  The Dell manages to get a stronger WiFi signal 2 rooms away compared to the Samsung.

mattwnz
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  #1150612 9-Oct-2014 12:27
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timbosan:
mattwnz:
timbosan: Hey all - has anyone who has got their laptop checked the wireless connection rate? I cannot get it to connect above 72Mbps, and I searched and it seems to be a 'common' problem.  Even though the laptop is 802.11ac, it is only a 1x1 card, which I understand should give 150Mbps on 2.4Ghz (correct me if I am wrong) and 300Mpbs on 5Ghz.

There is a 2x2 card that can be swapped in, and I am trying to find out if the laptop supports 3x3.


Yes I have also been having major trouble with wireless. I'm connecting to a Telecom Technicolor N wireless router, and the speed is around a quarter of what other devices can connect at, at the same location. The range is also poor and get regular disconnections at distances that other devices have not problems with. For example my MS surface gets around 14Mbps, same with an iPod touch, but this dell laptop only gets 2-3 Mbps in exactly the same location. This is with wifi disabled on each device after the test. I can see it is connecting via the N. Also updated all the drivers and same problem. Looks like Dell are goingto have to do something about it.


That's odd - I don't have any problems with disconnections, however I have read LOTS of reports online of this exact problem, however I do have a really good access point (Ubiquity, ceiling mounted).  I just cannot connect at more than 72Mbps.

I have updated the drivers using the Intel site and see if that makes a difference.

Just for comparison - I also have a Sumsung Series 9 Ultrabook - the original NP900X3A, which is made of 'duralumin' and is known for its poor wifi due to the antennas being inside a metal body.  The Dell manages to get a stronger WiFi signal 2 rooms away compared to the Samsung.


The disconnections are when I am further away, but other devices don't have a problem with the distance. I did upgrade the driver for the WiFi chip and the wifi bars have gone from 1-2 bars, up to 4 bars, so that may have fixed that. But the speed is still as slow. When a iPod touch can get a far faster connection it doesn't reflect well on this laptop. I am hoping the WiFi is just faulty and it can be swapped, but if they have gone cheap on the WiFi and the speed can't be fixed it looks like I will have to get a refund. Just not looking forward to gong though the dell telephone support process with hard to understand call centre staff, and needing multiple call backs. Been through that before. I will spend some time updating all the drivers on it first, and the BIOS just to rule everything out. But the WiFi has been slow since getting it, which you wouldn't expect with a new laptop.

bazzer
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  #1150614 9-Oct-2014 12:30
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http://www.1-day.co.nz/products/AAIDEEVD9

Is this a better deal than ours? ;)

zaptor
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  #1150630 9-Oct-2014 12:36
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bazzer: http://www.1-day.co.nz/products/AAIDEEVD9

Is this a better deal than ours? ;)


I don't think so.

8GB (vs 16GB)
1368x768 (vs 1920x1080)
Intel HD 4400 (vs R7 M265 with 2GB RAM)

Okay'ish deal though.

 
 
 

Shop now on AliExpress (affiliate link).
mattwnz
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  #1150650 9-Oct-2014 12:50
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zaptor:
bazzer: http://www.1-day.co.nz/products/AAIDEEVD9

Is this a better deal than ours? ;)


I don't think so.

8GB (vs 16GB)
1368x768 (vs 1920x1080)
Intel HD 4400 (vs R7 M265 with 2GB RAM)

Okay'ish deal though.


Yes the 1day one is far lowerspec. Ironically the 1day one comes with a restore DVD, but not much good as it doesn't have an optical drive. Ours didn't come with a restore DVD nor does it have an optical deive, but you can make a USB restore stick

timbosan
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  #1150682 9-Oct-2014 13:18
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zaptor:
bazzer: http://www.1-day.co.nz/products/AAIDEEVD9

Is this a better deal than ours? ;)


I don't think so.

8GB (vs 16GB)
1368x768 (vs 1920x1080)
Intel HD 4400 (vs R7 M265 with 2GB RAM)

Okay'ish deal though.


These are also Refurbished, and I note the warranty is with 1day, not Dell.

Same base unit though.

mattwnz
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  #1150713 9-Oct-2014 13:46
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Just wondering if anyone else is having problems with this unit and wifi using N?

yitz
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  #1150723 9-Oct-2014 13:57
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timbosan: Even though the laptop is 802.11ac, it is only a 1x1 card, which I understand should give 150Mbps on 2.4Ghz (correct me if I am wrong) .
You need 40 MHz channel on 1x1 to obtain 150 Mbps at 2.4 GHz.

Stan

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  #1150787 9-Oct-2014 15:07
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Not me using and keeping mine :) 
Just something I have noticed for the casual gamers, you have to tell the laptop to switch to the dedicated card for most games otherwise it uses the intel onboard GPU.

timbosan
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  #1150797 9-Oct-2014 15:23
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Stan: Not me using and keeping mine :) 
Just something I have noticed for the casual gamers, you have to tell the laptop to switch to the dedicated card for most games otherwise it uses the intel onboard GPU.


How do you do that?  Is it per-game?  Or in CCC?

Stan

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  #1150804 9-Oct-2014 15:34
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timbosan:
Stan: Not me using and keeping mine :) 
Just something I have noticed for the casual gamers, you have to tell the laptop to switch to the dedicated card for most games otherwise it uses the intel onboard GPU.


How do you do that?  Is it per-game?  Or in CCC?


I am using hacked drivers but right click on the desktop and select switchable graphics.

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