Precision M4400 Owner's Lounge

let me try to setup raid 0/1 after I backup my data
will review in future.
so E6400 my friend can use too.

 

Had the motherboard replaced yesterday. This was to address the GPU heat issue.

After the install I played NFS for about 3 minutes and then the computer shut itself down. I repeated this once more to compare the heat. I looked at my temp logs and both times it shut itself off at 92C. It didn't downclock, it just shut off.

Before, it would get to 98C and downclock.

What was strange was how quickly it got that hot. I was planning on using OCZ Freeze so I took off the heat sinks to discover that the tech had done a really awful job of applying Dell's generic grey thermal compound. I looked at the GPU and saw that the IHS had thermal compound on only 1/4 of it, off to one corner.

I used the AS5 cleaning kit and then applied the OCZ Freeze. After that it didn't go above 87. However, I haven't given it much of a test yet. I had to stop to do other stuff.

I still have to flash the bios back to A02 to make fair comparisons. But I don't remember A11 being quite so finicky.

Could it be that the speed at which the GPU rose to 92 influenced the shutting down, and not just the 92 degrees alone? I can't be certain, but I thought I had had it over 92 with A11 before without this behavior -- but it had a better application of thermal compound and wouldn't have achieved that temp so rapidly.

To go back to an earlier discussion, this mobo WAS refurbished according, to the sticker on the bag.

Ok. More later.

 

hi baniels,

i had 3 mobo replacements so far and none changed the overheating problem. though all the replacements were refurbished.
interesting enough the time till overheating changed on each different mobo.

so far i used furmark to stress the gpu.

 

I still find it strange that some people are getting serious overheating problems but some, like myself, aren't having any. I'm running my 1700M at 757/931/1619 and even using Furmark haven't been able to get it to go above 75 degrees C. Is it possible that there's a manufacturing defect in the Nvidia chips themselves? Perhaps a space in the die?

 

If anyone has gotten Rivatuner running on their Precision, could you post what OS + Drivers you are using? I tried 178.x, 182.x, and 185.x with no luck in Vista Business.

 

I was able to do some more thorough testing this morning. Using NFS (which inadvertently became my makeshift benchmark since that's where I started noticing the issue), as well as 3dmark, furmark, and Nvidia geoforms, I haven't had the temps exceed 86C. It's appearing as though the new (refurb) GPU is not generating as much heat as the first one. The only variable that gets in the way of the comparison is the use of OCZ freeze instead of the AS5 I used before. The likelihood of that making such a drastic difference is very small, from what I've read of the comparisons of those compounds.

One thing I'm noticing is that this GPU is downclocking to various frequencies while it is idle. Under stress it it staying at 500/800. The first GPU would clock 500/800 all the time, idle or not (except of course when it downclocked due to heat). More of a peculiarity than an issue (perhaps the new driver release is responsible? (I didn't get to too much testing with that before the mobo swap)).

When I get a minute I'll post some pictures showing the difference in the markings on the two Nvidia chips that have occupied my machine. Maybe there is a correlation between these markings and the existence of the heat issues.

 

Here is the image comparing the two chips I had.

For the sake of searchability, I will note the text below.

Original:
U808C400 0833A1
S Taiwan
PB4167.S1P
G96-975-A1

Replacement:
U809C471 0838A1
S Taiwan
PB5284.S0P
G96-975-A1

 

I tested furmark: 87° GPU temperature max. But my problem are the idle temperatures. There are so high (64°C with a second monitor attached) that without manual downclocking the fan runs always on the second level.

 

I just tested 3dmarks Vantage max temp was 74C. Its also only 65F room temperature here.

 

Has anyone using this 770M for gaming tried these Nvidia Beta Drivers?

http://www.nvidia.com/object/geforce_notebook_winvista64_179.48_beta.html

Since this quadro card is based on a geforce gpu would these drivers work? Maybe the 770m would run cooler and more efficient for those who want to game.