Studio XPS 13" Audio Popping/Slow-Motion

I don't quite understand what it is with these new laptops that are coming out nowadays. It's as if the companies selling them don't test them fully at all. I don't make random accusations, I speak purely from first-hand, personal experience.

About two months ago I bought myself the 13" Macbook Aluminum. I never liked the Mac OS much, so I installed Vista Home Premium using Boot Camp. First thing I noticed was, when I played any music, videos, or games, the audio would at regular intervals play in a slow-motion manner, and distinct popping noises can be heard in the background. So I did some research and found out that it was due to the Broadcom Wireless N network card's driver having some compatibility issues. After updating the driver, the problem was solved. But I wasn't happy with the way the trackpad worked in Vista, so I returned the Macbook.

Now two months later, here I am with this very sexy Studio XPS laptop. I have to admit, the quality of these Dell computers (at least aesthetically) has dramatically improved. I can walk around with this thing in my hands with as much confidence as if I were to walk around with the sleek and sexy Macbook Aluminum. But as I turned on my Studio XPS, and I'm talking within the first hour of receiving this laptop, I came across two major problems.

1) My optical drive was definitely defective. It makes INSANELY loud grinding noises when any disk is put in, and at times the disk would stop spinning completely during an installation, and the installation would either pause or abort.

2) To my surprise, really, to my surprise, this Dell has the same problem my Macbook Alunimum had when running in Vista. The audio makes popping noises, and at regular intervals it would play in a slow-motion manner. So once again I Googled around and wanted to look for some answers, but nothing useful came up. So I called Dell Technical Support, and the lady was extremely patient and professional, but she wasn't able to solve the problem for me. So here I am, with a $2000 investment that I am not completely satisfied with.

Dell is sending me a box within the next few days so I can send this Studio XPS back for repairs. For some reason I really doubt the audio problem will be taken care of after it comes back to me. The optical drive should be easy, if they decide to swap a new (functional) one for me.

If anyone has the same audio problem that I am experiencing, and has found a way to take care of the problem without such compromises as turning off WiFi, please feel free to comment and share.

And lastly, on a side note, if anybody cares, I was extremely disappointed in the time it took for me to get this laptop from Dell. I initially placed my order on January 19, 2009. I received the laptop on February 20, 2009. It took an entire month for the laptop to finally come, and now I'm looking at another 20 days or so for this thing to go through shipping and repairs. Seriously thinking about getting a refund on this Dell and going for something else now.