[Conference Call] Nvidia GeForce GTX 580M 78C° Throttling [SEE POST #191 and later]

No, that was a modded vBIOS. I did not realize I selected that one when I made the screen shot. The stock voltage is .87 on both GPUs. Sorry for the confusion with that. I will fix it this weekend.

OMG - I certainly hope not. I don't want any tree huggers messing with my performance computer systems. They've already ruined the automotive industry.

 

I know what you guys mean, i was a former M15x owner, i used it for 2,5 years, had to sold it for getting a new one, but i live in Jordan, which a place that you cant get a Alienware pretty much damn easy ... i literally paid for it TWICE the US price we u get it guys ... & about problems, i had it shut down 4-5 times .. i got blue screen then boom, shut.
about the new M18x R2 .. is it gonna get in the market soon ? when ?
Mr. Fox, do you mean the M18x R1 = with 675 or the old one ?

 

LOL ... hahahaha good one!
again, it might be it ... i read an article on the 675 which does save less power ... dunno

 

They told me to re-format the hard drive when I received it because they did a lot of work to it. Then a tech called me and installed the drivers back on there for me. Then he had to flash the bios, and the second tech did the same thing when I called about the Intel HD. I still had the same issue. So I called Dell and let them know. I even though about buying a non-OEM licenses of windows 7 to see if this was the issue. I just go no where with the techs. They said it was software, and they don't support software. They did direct me to their gaming department. If you can help me Bill that would be greatly appreciated. I can send you my Dell information if that will help you. I can re-format it again if you want me to try that first.

 

Sorry for that. I will ask Federico from the L3 team have a look. He may contact you himself or ask one of his L2's to. We know it's not software now, since you did a clean install of the Dell image. You will need to make your 10th post on a thread somewhere in order for PM to be turned on so Fede can contact you.

 

Thanks for all the help from everyone and the quick responses!

 

Hi Chaps, Have been following this thread for a while (since getting my R3 last year).

Post conference call has there been and advance on getting a Bios update that will run the system fans any faster? Bill?

Having just re-pasted my GPU with some MX4 i've noticed while it still gets hot to the point of shutting down when there is not a good amount of space around the machine to allow very good air flow (after around 1hour, sat on the desk with the wall ~4inches away, behind.. ) while running games. The temp does however now drop very rapidly if I alt tab from Crysis2 back to the desktop (i.e. 2deg a second)!

Also, post conference call does Dell have a thermal pad kit available (to customers in the UK), for re doing the pads? Bill (think I may have asked you before via PM, any advance on that one)?

Cheers

Matt

 

I'd also like to know this (I was on the call).

 

I haven't heard anything about bios changes.

You can get a complete thermal kit, part number V1K2G. This comes with a brand new fan, new backplate with thermal pad, and new heatsink with a complete set of thermal pads.

 

When I purchased the V1K2G thermal kit/heat sink assembly, it included the new heatsink, pads and backplate, but no fan. Have they expanded the kit to include a fan? Is it different from the stock fan?

 

I'm only after the pads to refresh them next time I do the thermal goo, bit pointless getting a whole kit for that (unless they provide an uprated fan?.. which I would think is unlikley).

Any news on the bois Bill (faster fans)?

Cheers

Matt

 

i purchased a kit a week ago for 6970M and no fan included either.

 

If you would like a response from Bill you will have to wait until the week after next. He is on vacation.

 

Hello guys

I just had a dell engineer visit to replace my heat sink as per the e-mails doing the rounds from dell that suggests we can if we want to. I must say I should have got the parts and done it myself!

The engineer was a very nice man (old man ) he had very shaky hands. He took my old heat sink out and replaced it with the new one he had with him in the box (part no V1K2G). I must say the new heat sink looked rather old and when I asked him if that was actually a new part, he said he didn’t know

Anyway he replaced the heat sink and put everything back together. When he pressed the power button nothing happened for a few seconds and then the system started beeping 7 times. We both knew that there was a problem with the installation of the graphics card. So he took the system apart again and took the graphics card back out. To my surprise he started blowing in to the gabs where the card sits in!!! Not a good idea!!! He tried seating the card back in and tried starting the system again, but once more 7 beeps. He went backwards and forwards with taking the card out and putting it in for 30 minutes.

He then said that the card was not sitting in correctly because the new back plate was getting in the way of a screw hole so he needed to slightly push it to the side, which caused the system to beep 7 times. After inspecting the back plate I realised that he had installed it wrong!! I told him to take it out and turn in around, which he did and then managed to get my system past the 7 beeps. I immediately fired up the GPU-Z to check my temps but he said he had another appointment and had to go. I sat my system a while only to realise that my idle temp hadn’t changed.

What a big joke!! although he was a nice guy, he had no idea what he was doing. My system is still idling at around 60C I am not impressed with the quality of the tech. I am so pissed off with this issue! I feel let down by dell

What do you guys think I should do next?

 

The more people that continue to complain, the more likely dell is to take action on this. IMHO the conference call was nothing more than a facade.

There are multiple ways to solve this, many of which have been listed here.

More efficient heat pipes would be a great start, perhaps even a vapor chamber cooler. I don't know how many of you have run furmark with the back off and a finger on the blower side of the heat pipes, but they really aren't that warm, while the card is hot enough to induce pain.

This tells me the limitation is not in the fans or fins, but in the hot side of the cooler. The heat pipes are just not sufficient for the application in which they are being used. It was really at the border of sufficiency with the 460m, much less a 580/675!

 

I've sent in a request for the replacement parts as stated in the first post. It's only been 2 days, but I haven't heard anything yet. How long did it take some of you guys to get a response back?

I hope my situation doesn't hinder me getting replacement parts. I've moved to the UK about a month and a half ago, but I haven't transferred my ownership to my address here. Technically I am still part of the US (I have a US PO Box here) and I'm not sure if I want to change it over to the UK.

 

If my 560M idle at 55c and under, is that o.k. ?

 

DarkStreetS,

I would recommend picking up some good paste like pk1 and repasting yourself if you're comfortable. I idle around 55 - 60C depending on web browsing.

Are you experiencing the 78C throttle?

Unfortunately it does not take much to be a certified tech from what I've seen.

 

that sounds about right.

 

I'm so glad many of you are not having the issues that I am having with the gtx580M video card as mines not only have throttling issues, it shuts off after 15 minutes of gaming after my heatsink replacement by a onsite tech on april 16. Dell's remedy was to keep providing me services dispatch week after week but were either cancelled or no show from onsite tech. its May 17 now and for a month, i have a notebook that is just don"t work as advertised.

Whats a consumer to do when dell doesn't provide a repair, replacement, or refund?

Best of luck to you all and I hope non of you have to go thru what i went thru ever since I brought this notebook in february of 2012.

 

Yes I do, which is the annoying part in all of this. This new heat sink should have helped lower the temps, but it didn't do nothing for me.

I have e-mailed Dell requesting full replacement parts as suggested by DellChrisM a few posts back. I am waiting for them to respond.

I'll keep you guys updated when I receive a replay.

 

Sad that so many peps have this problem with the 580m
I am also one of you, been browsing this forum for a long time now and when Bill said he would make a video where they show the change of thermal paste and the pads. (not sure about the pads) But no video have been posted what i can see??

How ever, tried it out on my own, bought some mx-4 thermalpaste and some fujipoly 1mm thermal pads.
I had been looking on youtube how to "best" aply the paste, i went for the line in the middle.
Removed all the crapy thermalpads and replaced with fujipoly.

Idle temp stock clock for me is 49-51c
Load temp Max 71c (this is with the 0.87v vbios)

If i elevate the rear slightly my load temp drop på 69c
And last when i use my coolermaster u3 coolingpad my load temp is max 65c
With 690/1570 overclock it still never goes over 65-67 with coolingpad.

And 73c without.

In my opinion there is just not enough space for the fan to get fresh air from the underside. :s
Hope all of you guys and gals get your 580m fixed so you can enjoy it to the max

 

Unfortunately I'm getting a TON of throttling when playing Diablo III. The game isn't even the most demanding out there, but after an hour or so of playing, I start to get throttling every 10 minutes or so. It's extremely annoying and unacceptable for a laptop of this caliber. I have the room at 68F, so that shouldn't be a factor.

I purchased this system in the US last March, but my job took me to Mexico and I'll be here for a couple of months. What are my options here? Is there any way Dell can send one of their Mexican techs to apply the fix (I know Dell does sell Alienware here), or do I have to wait until I'm back in the US?

Please help me out, this situation is extremely frustrating.

 

How long does it take to get an email response? I followed what was stated in the first post and sent them an email with all my info. It's been a week so far. I guess I'll send another email and wait. If I don't hear back by the end of the week, I guess I'll try to give them a call.

 

They usualy answer my e-mails within 24h :S

 

Have you tried elevating the back, I find mine heats up over an hour (new paste, the temp drops like a stone if I alt-tab out of a game, but gets progressively hotter while running games) if just sat on a desk, to the point it throttles/shuts down. Bit of wood under the back (I SHOULDN'T HAVE TO DO THIS WITH A £2K LAPTOP!!!!! DELL!!!!) and it's good for hours of gaming.

-matt

 

Yeah, been using a prop since I got it. After a few weeks of working fine following a card and heatsink replacement mines at it again. Now it crashes and buzzes at anything over 72C! I paid £2.6K for this, very frustrating - switch out of game as soon as I see 71C.

trying the twitter route into @dellcares now but they gave me a 'i'll get back to you' a couple of days ago

 

So you made the fix suggested in this thread, and you are still getting issues unless you elevate the back?

I've been doing that for the past few days and it does the trick, but as you said, it's ridiculous that we have to stick a piece of wood on the back for this to work properly.

 

Or you could just buy a 1 or 2 dollar laptop leg..Previously I used a pink stapler box, obviously it didn't match the colour so got the leg on ebay-its a round black black thingy, i placed at the back/centred since there's fan on right and left. Same results, matching colour, and made moving around a non-hassle.

That aside, if you are still getting throttled at 78 degrees, might wanna do the hwinfo workround:
http://forum.notebookreview.com/ali...e-fixing-m17x-r3-580m-thermal-throttling.html

Seems Dell doesn't side step....much.It seems we can swap heatsinks if we want to, for me, repasting the gpu and cpu, elavating the back seems to do the trick. Occasionaly got to 79 degrees and had to apply hwinfo fix(a BS limitation considering it can take to 100degrees).

 

In working with Dell to solve my own throttle issue we were able to determine why, in my particular case, the laptop throttled.

For those of you who are interested and still experiencing the throttle please post the answers to the following questions and I'll try to explain what was going on in my laptop as best I can as it might pertain to you. I can't guarantee I'll be able to respond right away as I am very busy with work right now but I'll try as best I can:

1. Are you using a modified "unlocked" bios?
2. Have you disabled Optimus?
3. Are you in a RAID configuration?
4. Are you using a modified Vbios (.92 Volt)?

For those of you that answer no to all the above questions and are still throttling it is imperative you download GPU-Z and use the logging feature while gaming to determine when you're throttling and under what conditions.

The main points of interest are GPU voltage, core temp and GPU load. Without the data logs from my laptop the extraordinary conversation I was able to have with Dell support would not have occurred as they need data to be able to accurately troubleshoot the issue.

I can tell you that in my experience if you have actual hard data via logs or any other means then the guys at Dell, especially the ones who are part of this forum, will go above and beyond to make sure it gets worked out.

 

Micky,

Confused. Last @DellCares heard was that you called tech support, and they were replacing your system. You were just waiting on the specs for the new build. Is there a change in the situation? Let me know, so we can get the UK @DellCares team caught up. Hang in there, buddy. We'll figure it out.

 

All sorted thanks Bill! I thought I'd updated in a later post. I did call support and a replacement was offered and accepted. I did also tweet @dellcares to let them know that the case was ongoing now and I didn't need any assistance.

just got EDD of 6/6 Fingers crossed for a good one!

 

To add, basically, if you have a properly installed heatsink and thermal insulating material, you should not see throttling in games, as long as your airflow and ambient temps are good. It will throttle in rare cases, but for 99% of the time, you should be fine.

Ahhh. I see the source of the confusion now. It's my mistake for not looking at time stamps of your previous post and the case logs. Duh. Sorry about that.

 

NP. I have no idea how you manage to keep track of all the stuff you help out on!! You do your company proud

 

I feel the same way.

+Rep to Bill. Thanks for helping me out with my issue too. You da man Bill!!!

 

Honestly, I don't keep track of jack squat. I rely on email notifications, my Outlook inbox, and this site's feature of taking me to the last unread post when I click in from email. If it weren't for those things, my name would be Mud around here. lol

 

I have sent the parts request form that was posted by DellChrisM a couple posts back to Dell Cares, unfortunately Dell wouldn't sent me the full replacement parts and argued that it needed to be done by a Dell Engineer. Having experienced how the previous engineer dealt with the heat sink replacement, I arguably waned to do the job myself! Unfortunately Dell wouldn't let me do that.

Well maybe I should give them the benefit of doubt and let a different engineer tackle the issue. I am very much hoping that a new GPU and a heat sink replacement will resolve my problem. I will post back once the job has been carried out. By the way, how was your trip to Germany Bill?

 

An other engineer an other failure !!!

The engineer turned up today with the parts to replace both my GPU and the heat sink. Man I am pissed off !!!!

I really don't understand why these engineers can't take a little care when dealing with other peoples property?! Is it too much to ask to be a little gentle when working on a very expensive laptop?

Long story cut short, he took out my battery with a screwdriver and in the process scratched the battery release slider

I love my machine and have looked after it really well. I didn't have any scratches for months and then a engineer comes along and tackles a very simple task with a screwdriver!!!! What a joke!!! I would have been a little calmer but the GPU he brought with him did not work either! He installed everything and when we tried powering the system, nothing happened. Not a zip! Then he put the original GPU back in, the system worked fine. He said that the GPU seems to be faulty. Well I kinda knew it was going to be because he never used one of those anti static wrist bands when he was holding the GPU! Anyway Dell have managed to waste my time again. He said he will be back tomorrow with an other GPU.

We all have lives and work to attend, I can't keep taking days off so Dell can ruin it!!! I am really cheesed off about both the Dell engineers and Dell it self. They don't seem to care any more.

Does Dell really Care?!

 

Sorry to hear man. I also had the engineer use a screwdriver to remove the battery causing scratches. If they would have been visible I would have hit the roof!

I've noticed in recent times with on-site engineers they never use the wristbands, I was alway taught that it's a must before working on static sensitive devices.

I know it's all a pain when you have a life to get on with but I never had a problem with asking the engineer to come to my place of work to fix. Just give that address when he call is originated with support and they will pass it to the on-site company for allocation. Of course this depends on if it is possible where you work but worth asking if it is possible.

As for the scratches I would start another warranty claim (yeah I know, not again!) and send them pics, you should get a new base.

Good luck and I hope this time your machine gets fixed

 

Thanks for the info regarding the work place fix MickyD. Unfortunately that is not possible with where I work.

In regards of a new warranty claim, I don't know how possible it would be to just replace the scratched battery release slider. All I want at this point is that Dell would manage to send me a working GPU with a half decent engineer to do the job right that should have been done ages ago.

Well, we'll see if thats going to happen tomorrow..

Etit:

Just discovered that my dedicated GPU is not detected by the BIOS. One more great thing to add to the list. I belive I am looking at a whole MoBo replacement. Im so not happy..

 

Hi, Looks like Bill’s back from his hol’s now, any chance of an answer to my question about any head way being made on an R3 bios with an option to allow for the system fans to be run more aggressively while gaming?

I still see my system shutting down after an hour or two running Crisis 2, if it is not well ventilated (by that I mean with a lump of wood under the back to increase the space between the bottom of the system and the desk), after repasting the GPU with MX4.

I’ve concerns about the longevity of my system, once the years warrantee/service expires I’m a little concerned that the parts running hot are more likely to fail than other systems and I would be left high and dry, with an expensive premium gaming laptop with a dead GPU.. and costly replacement options.

Is there any option from Dell of (cost effectively!) extending the warrantees on M17xR3 systems to assist with this? I’m in the UK appreciate Bill your Dell USA. Being technically minded and having read all the info on here I’ve got on with alleviating the issue’s rather than keep phoning up support, which may be to my detriment in this instance… Is that something you could look in to Bill?

Also I can’t remember if I ever got an answer to getting a couple of thermal pad kits sent out to me (in the UK), don’t need the heat sink etc… just the pads. But would be prudent to change them next time I re-do the thermal goo imo. Service over here will just come out with a heat sink assembly , which while my local tech is quite good, he’s not that familiar with the M17x, certainly not to the degree I am now, with respect to the GPU thermal assembly….

Cheers

-matt

 

Matt,
I have asked Mark from the Alienware support team to join in here. He manages the team of techs who have just joined NBR.

I think if you have a properly installed thermal solution (heatsink+pads), you should not see shut downs in Crysis 2. What are your CPU temps looking like just before shutdown?

 

Hi Bill ,

can you please tell us if R4 mainboard can work on R3 body?

Thanks

 

Hi Bill,

Are you sure the R3/580 thermal solution is up to the job? My observations tell me not... It's not exactly hot at the moment in the UK and I need to prop the back of the laptop up to get enough air flow for it. If it's sat on it's rubber feet on the desk it gradually gets hotter and hotter playing Crysis 2 until it freezes.

The CPU isn't breaking a sweat (not getting very hot, to the touch), however the memory chip area of the 580 heatsink is the hottest area, far more so than over the GPU chip.

Also the HDD next to it is getting this heat transferred and heating up it's self which can't be to health for it?

-matt

 

I'm sure a properly installed heat sink is enough. Maybe under some heavy sustained loads when the ambient temp is a little bit on the high side, lifting the back edge helps. Tough to answer about your specific case without knowing the history of the unit. Have you done a repaste job at any point?

EDIT:

Oops. I could have scrolled up before I replied. Sorry about that. It sounds to me like the thin strip of TIM (very thin, the thinnest, long piece) is missing from your last install, either that or it's misaligned. That's the piece that sits over the GPU RAM and makes contact in order to pull the heat to the heatsink.

About the TIM, no, it's not orderable alone. We'd have to send out the whole heatsink kit. If you'd prefer to DIY, which is what I'd do with mine, we can arrange to have the heatsink kit shipped directly to you. The thing to watch when you open the bag is that the TIM often gets stuck to the side of the bag. If that happens, you have to carefully peel it away and arrange it back on the heatsink per the pictures posted earlier in the thread. No aftermarket paste is needed. The material that comes on the heatsink is fine for the GPU core.

 

Matt, I agree with Bill on the fix. It has to be adhered correctly. There is more discussion about this earlier in the thread.

Shoot me a PM and I will get you set up with our UK team for service.

Mark

 

Hi Bill/Mark,

Will pm Mark my details.

Not 100% sure if the pads are in the right place (they looked about right, but I do want to replace them to be sure, hence my above question about pad kits), the heat sink is certainly getting the heat to it though above the mem chips (I can barely touch it or the metal plate on the bottom of the laptop!), but there is only copper pipe over the other side, above the GPU die. I'm thinking the silver parts of the heat sink above the mem chips isn't as efficient and not dumping the heat over to the heat exchanger properly.

My GPU temps drop like a stone if I alt+tab out of Crysis with the laptop elevated at the back to get the air in, so i'm thinking that's a good sign the heatsink is well coupled to the GPU. And I am still amendment there just just isn't enough air getting round the system as it's designed (take in to account been used on a desk in a home, there isn't necessarily much space around the back and sides, i.e. clutter on the desk, wall behind etc, which while not ideal are a regular use environment, I would expect a system to couple with. I don't expect to have to clear the desk of everything, every time I want to play a game and chock the back up to get enough air under it).

Cheers,

matt

 

Finally. Jeez. Holy Legal review. Check out Louis walking through the heatsink swap.
Alienware M17X R3/R4 GPU Swap - YouTube

 

Nice video, how much is a replacement GPU heatsink for the GTX 580M?

 

My heatsink doesn't have that back plate for the ram on the bottom side of the card. I have a 580. =(

For back info... My laptop is a replacement for a broken R1 and the R3 I got for it came with a 560. I was upgraded to a 580 since my R1 had SLI 280m in it and this one doesn't have SLI as an option. But I was only sent the card. I used the heatsink that was on the 560 and it seems to be working ok. My temps do get above 78 if i'm not raising the back at all. Does anyone think this will be a problem? Typical idle temp hovers at 54-57.