Wow! I just ordered a Studio XPS 16 with the i7 and ATI 5730.......I asked the salesperson if there were any issues with compatability of the processor to the graphics card or any other processor issue (of course the answer was no!). I had cancelled an order for the Studio 15 because of what I read in these forums and other sites as well. This would be shocking news about the i7 processor!!!!

Hi guys,

I recently puchased  DELL Studio XPS 8100 with Intel i7 880, 12GB Ram, and ATI 5770 etc. I am dissapoitned this expensive machine could not provide USB3 and SATAIII. It is so limited in terms of expandablity and deprived of higher transfer speeds. But I had little choice because I had to resolve my previously owned M2010 that had over 2 years warranty left but my lost time and nuisance caused after Dell replacing 5 new motherboards, replacement CPU and 4 Graphic cards - it simply had to go!

So far the new PC been as solid as a rock. Window index is 5.9 let down only by the slow read write speeds of the HDD. If I had been able to get SATAIII I think it would be 7+.

I suspect, but do not know, that the reason why i7 is being withdrawn is because of low sales compared to the more clockable i5 offering better all round value.

USB is prone to collapsing in the best of machines, and sometimes it is because folk forget to try and use the same port each time loading a USB device. But there are many other reasons of course. Have you wiped the HDD clean and re-installed? Have you run a registry cleaner? Have you looked at the ports to see if anything is jamming? I realise this advice may not be very helpful if the motherboard has really gone sparky, but maybe?  

Fact is that despite all I think this XPS is the best yet I have had from Dell despite it's limitations.

Nonetheless I am very interested in your posting and will watch over. Thanks, CRC2.

I know what you're saying, CRC2.....the XPS 16 I ordered is to replace my XPS m1530, which died a month ago. The display went white, and the guys at Geek Squad said the the motherboard was shot. Unfortunately, out of warranty. Point is, until that happened, for three years was trouble-free and the best computer I ever owned. I wanted the i7 because I'm usually the last to jump on the "new performance" bandwagon...

So far, it looks like the i7 is still the choice for XPS, and has been withdrawn on the regular Studio 15.

My Studio laptop only has 2 USB ports anyway and I had been using the same port for my mp3 player every time.  I have a USB mouse that is constantly plugged into the only other port.  In all honesty, the crash when I hook up my mp3 player could be an incompatibility issue with the mp3 player.  It is old.  But, the fact that the system crashes with nothing but the mouse connected and only the screensaver running is not an issue with the mp3 player.  And those crashes still have the bugcheckcode 254 for USB even when nothing is running on the system except the operating system and screensaver and only the mouse is connected.  I have not tried a clean install of the operating system.  I was considering it but wondering secretly if it would have any effect at all on USB ports.  I may try while I'm waiting for Dell to get back to me on the specifics of my refund, especially since I have to clean the system anyway to send it back :)

Hi again LILKEL34 and VAUGHAN1,

Good to hear from you. The i7 is a more capable CPU than i5 and I agree it is best choice if one can afford the extra cost. I was amazed to see 4 cpu's ripping my audio at the same time- a complete CD within 20 seconds. By the way I am not into overclocking, I just need raw speed for rederring video stuff etc.

OK, I missed the point that you have a laptop. I would suggest that wiping the HDD clean is a good thing to do as a re-install will rewrite all the OS from a clean sheet. USB's do tend to get mixed up with lost connections. If you have Windows 7 installed this only takes 20-30 minutes from clean using your orginal install disk. As it seems you can still log on don't forget to back up (that is if you have a network at home- or another PC/Laptop that you can connect to via cable). 

Another trick is to uninstall 'plug and play' from the system (Device Manager- System Devices- Plug and Play Software Device Enumerator) so that all the hardware drivers have to re-install. This might just save you from a complete re-installation.

Good luck, CRC2

My personal experience with another vendor's system was that using an external USB hub eliminated the problems I was seeing when I plugged devices directly into the motherboard's USB connections. An external hub also reduces the damage caused by constant plugging and unplugging of external devices like thumb drives. A hub is more cheaply replaced than a motherboard or laptop.

Hi seldenb, and welcome to the discussion. What you say can be correct based on individual cases. It's never easy to pin point a diagnosis and arrive at a 100% cure when dealing with any computer.

In my experience (not an expert) I suspect that as each USB device is connected a signature is written up as a permanent allocation to that port. Over time it seems these signatures build up to the point of overload and by way of confusion render the port unusable. 

In the past I have used an external port some with 4xUSB and others (8+ USB ports) to try and overcome the problem. My findings suggest that these devices are actually more prone to trouble because the OS is then writing a great many signatures into the one USB port that the external USB multi-port docking station is connected to.  

Also noted- sometimes a bad programme, infections, or even a temporary blip in the OS, can cause USB failures. This explains why sometimes even trouble free USB connections are greeted with a fresh installation.

My own solution has been to install a basic PCI card that provides additional USB ports (they are quite cheap) so that I can connect all my external drives etc directly to the mobo and reduce the risk of 'signature' overload. These drives are of course permanently connected. That was over a year ago and I have not had any USB problems since.  

All of which does not help LILKEL34 of course because his laptop is limited to two USB ports and he cannot fit a PCI card. As his machine is destined for replacement/upgrade then one last try to reinstall the OS (clean) will at least confirm which way he has to go?

Cheers, CRC2

Thanks for all the suggestions from everyone who joined this conversation.  M system was returned to Dell this week and I am now waiting for my refund.  My problem with the suggestions and "work-arounds" is that you should not have to do a clean install of the operating system on a brand new, fresh-out-of-the-box $2k machine.  You shouldn't have to use an external hub, the system just should not have problems straight out of the box.  Also, I have never, ever had a problem with USB ports on any computer system before (3 Dell desktops and 2 laptops) so I can't understand some of the posts about USB problems being there all over the place.  I am glad Dell offered a refund because these problems just should not exist.  I'm also curious if they have maybe figured out a link between problems with the core i7 and ATI video cards finally and that's why they pulled the i7s from the Studios.  Just a curiousity.

I'm also curious if they have maybe figured out a link between problems with the core i7 and ATI video cards finally and that's why they pulled the i7s from the Studios.

Just got my Studio XPS 16 Tuesday, and I've ran it hard to see if I'll get any issues. I have the i7 and the ATI 5730 video card. So far, no issues...I've played a few online games and it's done well....but it's only been a couple of days. You're absolutely right about the USB ports! There is no reason for that to be an issue, and I'm glad Dell is giving your money back!