Precision M4400 Owner's Lounge

The DELL BIOS installer in very easy...just download and double click...it will reboot and install the BIOS...just don't power off the machine. Mine was built in Malaysia also...I don't even hear my fan...even when gaming heavy. Just don't know why some of these machines have these issues...I'd try BIOS A11 that's what I'm using and see.

 

You can look up 'M4400 downclocks' in this forum, you should find a handful of these posts. You pretty understand exactly what's happening already, there's not much of a solution to it besides trying to keep your notebook cool and on lower settings, it's a design issue you might have to live with.

Most machines DO downclock, we've been going through this since September there's no denying it. It's easy to blame NVIDIA but when the notebook can't keep a card cool it's not their fault, 85C is tough on these cards, my desktop GTX 280 cards barely reach 60C on peak voltage. If you want to see it live and in person, give Crysis a run on maximum settings and tell me it doesn't overheat. The games you're playing are not enough to break the M4400.

 

I'll disagree that 85C is hot for a laptop GPU. My notebook does keep my GPU cool, I can't get it about 81C and I have pushed the card hard. How do you explain that then? It has to be the card, or a DELL manufacturing defect which is what I guess you're implying. In that case, I'd get it replaced.

 

85C is hot for anything, like I said you're running weaker games on lower settings it's obvious you're not going to downclock. Give Crysis a run (edit: on maxed settings / native resolution) it will ruin your blindness . A card rising in heat and downclocking is not a card defect, the notebook can't keep it cool. I got it replaced 3 times, I know d*mn well that's not a solution and I'm sure in time you'll come to agree with me. I've experienced this system enough to not praise it anymore. I was just like you when I got my first one, hell I think the posts are still around.

 

Yeah the whole downclocking and also overclocking research for the m4400 is pretty well documented But i have to say though that on the gaming side all is going pretty good. Temps do get up to 81c but from most what i've read this is well within safe range for mobile GPU cards, opinions of that may differ ofcourse but "official" statements i've read did point in that direction.

That said...i didn't get this machine for gaming but for 3D and graphic work...and it does a pretty d*amn good at that.
And it can handle the occasional game....just don't expect to max out the recent games...get a desktop for that or a big *ss loaded 18" laptop, which will cost way more i think

 

You mean an octi-tron? Lol.

 

octi-tron? Ok, did a quick search on it...what IS that guy up to!?!?!? LOL

 

my inspiron 8600 went up to 80+ degrees regularly under load(even with a seperate fan for the gpu), and it went strong for 5 years.

as far as mobile GPU's go, they've been reaching that temp under load for many years now.

i think 85ish under load on the m4400 is pretty good, considering there's only one fan

 

Agreed, my 8600 gpu used to get up too 105 under hours of BF2, of course i didn't like it getting up that high but it did every once in a while. The laptop today is still running strong. What does Nvidia say the gpu max temp should be?

 

THANKS. I will contact Dell. I hope they will solve it. because it really makes me nervous. E.g. now, my frames got from average 150 fps to 20 fps. Really terrible !!!