XPS 435 Owners Thread

I'm going to go ahead and purchase some of the OCZ, should be able to get my vmware esxi sessions flying now :)

Does anyone have any input on the above question ?

Thanks

Hi Camps, it depends what uses your going to be using your computer for, for media apps like Adobe - then it will take all the memory you chuck at it.

6GB sounds fine for your needs, and if it changes and you find you need more, then you can always upgrade the memory at a later date.

What media/gaming needs do you have?

My needs are fairly basic, watch alot of Tv, Movies on my computer, and play a few first person shooter games, just getting into the pc games now. Im just confused at all the diff 1GB ati radeon cards out there, whats the difference between all of them ?

I am still getting a delayed boot from a cold start, not from a restart.  All upgrades have been applied, and all drivers are up to date.  In a race to boot from a cold start , my Studio XPS is only slightly faster than my older Dell E510.  However when Vista is up, the score I get for windows performance is at the top (5.9).

I can speed up the boot process a little bit by disconnecting all USB devices except the keyboard and mouse.

[quote user="sawaddi"]I've added another 3GB of RAM.....I am running Windows 7 x64 on it and it runs great.

Thanks.

- kh

There are lots of options for DDR3 ram that will work well. I purchased 12 GB of 1333mhz  from Newegg. ( http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820148247  ). I'm also running Windows 7 Build 7077 and it seems to be rock solid. Someone mentioned issues with VMware. I use the free Microsoft Virtual PC and it works well. No issues at all.

Does anyone have any additional information on a possible BIOS upgrade to allow ram use at 1333mhz?

Camps, you can swap out 3x1GB DIMMS for 3x2GB to gain 3GB of RAM.  Just make sure you install them in the proper slots so that you maintain triple channel config in both banks.

Received my Studio 435T today ! My primary use is media, gaming.I went pretty basic with RAM and videocard,(6GB tri channel, 512mb Ati Radeon HD 4670) seemed cheaper to upgrade myself. I plan to upgrade the video card, does anyone have any suggestions ? Im confused with all the dffernet ati radeon 1024mb cards that are out there. Also should i upgrade the RAM if i upgrade my videocard ? To upgrade the RAM do i need to swap out all the 6x1gb ramthat came with the desktop or can I take 3x1gb and change it for 3x2gb to make 9gb of ram ? Sorry if I confused you I do appreciate the help though !!!!

Though I probably won't do much gaming on this system (That's what consoles are for in my house, plus I have an older XPS 720), I think I still might upgrade my 435T to a nVIDIA GTX260 216OC from EVGA once I do a little more homework.  I'm *slightly* concerned about the power supply being able to handle it, but I don't think it will be too bad since most of my time will be spent doing video and photo editing.  I do know that I much prefer my experiences with nVidia cards to ATI cards, and until I have a good reason to change my mind, nVidia will continue to get more of my money :)     

I ordered as basic a 435T as I could and I'll upgrade the parts as I see fit, (ram, HD, video card), but I can't wait to get my hands on it.  My XPS 720 is still alive and kicking very well...just doesn't do AVCHD editing very well :)

Edit: Did some more research and found that the top card Dell offers in the 435T is the 4870 which as tested by Tom's Hardware consumes 153W @ idle and 283W under load during their benchmarks.  The GTX260 consumes 119W @ idle and 270W under the same load.  Looks like I have a winner for my 435T :)

Received my Studio 435T today ! My primary use is media, gaming.I went pretty basic with RAM and videocard,(6GB tri channel, 512mb Ati Radeon HD 4670) seemed cheaper to upgrade myself. I plan to upgrade the video card, does anyone have any suggestions ?

Thank you for creating this thread.   I have to say it is encouraging to see positive responses on the 435.   My experience with a brand new Studio XPS 435T has been a nightmare.   I took delivery of the system last Friday and out of the box, it started blue screening when it was doing the Windows setup.   After hours on the phone with tech support, they suggested reinstalling the OS.   While that worked (and I installed all the other drivers and software the system came with), it then started freezing up for no apparent reason and with no predictability.   I did a bunch of research myself and updated the ATI Radeon drivers (I have the  ATI Radeon HD 4870 GDDR5) and software as well as the more current version of Intel Matrix Storage Manager, updated the BIOS to A07, and still was receiving lockups.   They had me run system diagnostics overnight, and although that didn't turn anything up other than a USB error, they then recommended replacing both drives and possibly the motherboard.

Keep in mind this is a brand new system.   I have now replaced both drives, rebuilt the system, installed software, etc.   Not sure if it is stable yet or not, and have very mixed feelings about replacing the system board.    There is a huge part of me that wants to just send the system back and exchange it for a new one, but the lead times are ridiculous and I have already invested significant time and energy to getting this working.

Anyone else out there had similar brain damage, or am I the luck one?

Other system specs:   RAID 0 with two 750GB drives, 12GB memeroy and as mentioned, Radeon HD 4870 video card), Vista 64 bit

Thank you for creating this thread.   I have to say it is encouraging to see positive responses on the 435.   My experience with a brand new Studio XPS 435T has been a nightmare.   I took delivery of the system last Friday and out of the box, it started blue screening when it was doing the Windows setup.   After hours on the phone with tech support, they suggested reinstalling the OS.   While that worked (and I installed all the other drivers and software the system came with), it then started freezing up for no apparent reason and with no predictability.   I did a bunch of research myself and updated the ATI Radeon drivers (I have the  ATI Radeon HD 4870 GDDR5) and software as well as the more current version of Intel Matrix Storage Manager, updated the BIOS to A07, and still was receiving lockups.   They had me run system diagnostics overnight, and although that didn't turn anything up other than a USB error, they then recommended replacing both drives and possibly the motherboard. Keep in mind this is a brand new system.   I have now replaced both drives, rebuilt the system, installed software, etc.   Not sure if it is stable yet or not, and have very mixed feelings about replacing the system board.    There is a huge part of me that wants to just send the system back and exchange it for a new one, but the lead times are ridiculous and I have already invested significant time and energy to getting this working. Anyone else out there had similar brain damage, or am I the luck one? Other system specs:   RAID 0 with two 750GB drives, 12GB memeroy and as mentioned, Radeon HD 4870 video card), Vista 64 bit

Are you running a dual monitor configuration? or a Single monitor configuration? 

There's a *known* issue with the ATI 48xx series that cause BSODs when attempting to run these cards in a dual monitor configuration, when tweaking and/or auto-tuning the card (overdrive).  It has nothing to do with the 435T though - only with the ATI card.  The latest drivers *help* but don't correct the problem.. In short - if you have a dual configuration - you'll have to run it @ stock speed (essentially - when you go to dual monitors - the card goes into "3D" mode - with the higher clock/memory speeds (i.e. mine runs @ 160/250 in single mode and the stock "3D" speed when running dual monitors (625/993) - ATI 4850).

I do have dual monitors but have been running in single monitor configuration to eliminate that as a factor (almost from the beginning).   One of the first things I did was go off to the ATI site and download the latest drivers and catalyst software because I had seen  some threads about older video drivers being problematic.

Another level of detail I am seeing on one of the BSOD errors comes when I do the Creative Labs Soundlblaster Titanium update.   It gets about two steps into this process before blue screening and going into an immediate reboot.   The obvious solution here is never to update the Creative software, but that doesn't really provide an answer, and at the same time, I don't think it goes to the core issue of system stability.

Thanks for your input on the monitors though.   Believe me I will take whatever help I can get.   This has been unbelieveably frustrating.

Finally got my 435T and have been running dual monitors with both the installed and updated (Dell's site) without a single error. I've got the 4870 and installed the monitor specific drivers (not the generic PnP).

Those of you that have the "T", is your Drive activity light (next to the power button) very dim? I can hardly see mine and it is very dim even in the dark.

Finally got my 435T and have been running dual monitors with both the installed and updated (Dell's site) without a single error. I've got the 4870 and installed the monitor specific drivers (not the generic PnP). Those of you that have the "T", is your Drive activity light (next to the power button) very dim? I can hardly see mine and it is very dim even in the dark.

Welcome - 'O Creator of the "have you gotten yours" Mega Thread.. :emotion-2:

Glad to see you've crossed the line from wishful thinking to actual ownership.  :emotion-11:

To answer your question - yes - the light is extremely dim (though I don't look at it - as it's under my desk).  Give it a few weeks to accumulate some dust and you'll hardly notice the light at all.. :emotion-5: