M17x DPC Latency

Same problem. Though I couldn't find the video . Downloaded the service manual instead. The nice thing about my tech was that he was super anal about being careful with the system. No scratches, no pry marks - nothing. This guy genuinely cared about the work he did. It was quite refreshing!

 

I had to PM Moo while here was here to get the link to the GPU video.

I'm happy. It's going up for sale on ebay shortly and i'll get more money for it now that it has the 4870's in it.

All's well that ends well I suppose.

 

I was told when I called today that it was a known issue and that there is no official resolution yet. Dell is apparently working with Nvidia to fix the issue.
He also told me that the issue is solved on the Core i7 boards in conjunction with ATi cards. The tech told me Dell was working on a BIOS fix that is due out soon, but he said that if that fix doesn't solve the issue, replacing my mainboard and CPU for the Core i7 variant and the Nvidia cards with ATi cards would become an option.

 

my gpus are just changed to ATIs 4870 crossfire. look the dpc latency.. this huge spike occured just once but occured. generally spikes until 4000μs

http://i47.tinypic.com/2n9dt05.jpg

THE TRUTH (IMO) guys is that power pack of the nvidia motherboard is faulty for all M17X or not enough powerful to handle demands. why? except from my dpc latency, the eject button causing dpc latency which is actually the system stucking, the red spikes with nvidia gpus while the power needs change (overclock or downclock) all those show the power pack of the motherboard stucks. ATIs seem just to demand less power.


the technician actually confirmed that the only reason that a button (eject button in our case) can cause the system stuttering is the power pack of the motherboard. what actually happens is that the system collects power to send to the optical drive.

SO GUYS ITS THE POWER PACK OF THE NVIDIA MOTHERBOARDS. what you are going to do is your way.

 

I would gladly take a update to a R2

 

No, the R2 Intel mobo does not support Core 2 processors.

 

of course when i asked i meant i would buy an i7 too so the question remains

 

there are different heatsinks for the CPU and chipset, so a simple motherboard/cpu swap is out of the question

 

Yo Scook, jump ship and sell that for an R2. You know you want to. Gotta move to Team Awesome.

 

ok i will never take it then. if i ever buy a new one it will be a desktop anyway. no need to spend so much money for a R2. gpus are the most important for gaming and they have the same. cpu only matters for benchmarks. no difference in real life.

 

So does that mean you only have to add a new heatsink as well or is it a significant change to the chassis?

 

last time they "escalated" my case they only gave me a replacement of another R1

 

wow - that would be cool.

thats a 16000-18000 3dmark06 score at stock.

30% boost

 

Yeah, that's the way to go. It will also open the RGB LED upgrade option

 

Maybe they should just give a Dell credit for all customers that have had their motherboard, GPUs and PC changed a few times.

After all, spending $4,400 should entitle us to a working PC not plain pain for 6 months.

 

Well I am hoping the next BIOS fix fails and Dell relents and calls the R1 a biust and swaps them all for a R2

lol

I can dream can't I

 

Just demand ATIs people. what are you waiting for? i7core is not the big deal? as i have seen from the benchmarks even the i7 x920 performs only 10 % more than my qx9300 at its best (mandrake score at benchmark 06).

 

Just installed the ATIs. I asked the tech if he had done this before and he said no so I did the installation. No stuttering any more.

Only one issue. I modded the 9.12 but it couldn't find the crossfire configuration and it displayed 4 ATI Mobility Radeon (!!!!) I searched the forum and found others with the same issue. I reopend the laptop and reseated the cable but it didn't change anything. I put the cable back and after removing all the drivers I installed the R2 display drivers and on top of them the 9.12

Now everything is smooth. No issues for me anymore

 

Happy for you! Now, how about putting some Ubuntu on it ?

 

That's the next step Updates on your thread soon

 

yes i found this a few hours before you. first dell driver (i installed the R2 one as well) then 9.12 modded as good people in benchmark thread told me.

however there is one issue. while you cant set display options with dell driver you cant set anything in display menu with 9.12 modded.


i repeat ATIs are the solution for R1. games run flawlessly without fps drops. no stuttering, no sound corruption. only some red spikes until 4000μs (meaningless) which are absolutely due to the motherboard.

 

If you can land the Karmic on 4870s I'd be very VERY surprised . Fedora is getting on my nerves....

 

ok well just got done with a day of calling Dell/AW. They tech forwarded my case to their Resolution Department (there is one?) and that they will call me tomorrow to see what can be done. He told them that I am looking for a refund or a R2 upgrade. Let's see how this goes, but I have a feeling that I wont get any call.

Anyways, IF something comes about and I get a choice, which should I get? R2 or money back and look for another lappy? Any other laptops that compare to the M17x?

 

get the r2

 

I'd say go with the R2 as well. Definitely post how it goes, I'm interested in what they do!

 

money back

rebuy with 5870s and bluray

 

If you are desperate now about getting the best system - R2.
If you can wait a month or two - I'd wait till the CeBit in March. There will be some new hot systems from Clevo and maybe R2 will get the 5870s .

 

or wait until july 2011 for windows 8 and dx12 gpus. lool

 

R2 has power issues (CPU/GPU throttling) out of the box, so I wouldn't rush into it yet. It's either Alienware or Clevo, but Clevo is 1 month before the big refresh and the next AW refresh is probably will be around fall...

 

I guess we should have a 300 watt brick for these laptops lol

 

I was supposed to have my new cards installed by now - they have not even called yet.

What ev

I will escalate, get an r2 and sell it.

 

Unfortunate. Did they leave you a message ? They should schedule the replacement a day before...

 

Nothing new for me or most ex 1730 owners. Did they give you a dispatch number at the last contact? If not, then it hasn't been approved and processed yet. If you got the dispatch, give them that number and ask them is going on. It's either:

1. Part not available.
2. Installer not available.
3. Dell service rep "forgot".

 

Nope. No message nothing. I bet the original owner has a 100 messages. He did last time, when Dell scheduled a service call when I was away for a week (I told the CS rep what my availability was).

Serves him right for not submitting the ownership transfer himself when he sold it to me.

Dell ignores my ownership transfer request - CS reps tell me to re-submit - I do and then nothing changes. Cycle has repeated 4 times. Now I just keep the original owners details handy.

CS has my correct Tel# and email though.

 

I get it. Yes very sad, Dell doesn't really have the perfect data coordination. Every time I asked for replacement parts they promised sending me a service number but I never got one, although the service was delivered on time...
Will you buy another system after selling yours?

 

Yes. I can't live without a notebook. TV and movies don't do much for me anymore. I need to consume data and play games.

Besides, I have not cracked 100 notebooks yet in my lifetime (but I am getting close).

I don't know if I will get another AW though. I've had better luck with Apple, Gateway FX and Asus.

 

I'm thinking of giving Clevo a shot, would be nice to have a desktop cpu and 5870s, provided the design is less ugly than the current D900F

 

Is anyone else that switched to the ATI cards experiencing random os
freezes?

 

man M17x R1 AND R2 have problems ... dont companies bother testing out thier products? I am probably going to return the M17x and wait till march for the new Clevos.

shame though, I loved the look and features of the M17x

 

Me too. It is well made and looks great. My 70 year old dad thought it was the coolest computer he ever saw - and his G5 tower is pretty hot.

AW are designed by dumb monkeys. I suspect M11x will have issues too if the M17x, M17xR2 and M15x are any indication.

 

er what problems does the r2 have? any details on it?

i think i read about some cpu throttling in the r2 lounge but dint really get a full picture.

does the m17x r2 throttle for no reason or is it only when on battery?

any other issues that it has?

 

throttles/flickers if you have the 920XM

 

flickers as in screen tearing or the screen going black and then coming on again?

does it happen all the time or only becos it overheats

all 920xms will have it?

 

it is not a heat problem, it is a power supply problem

 

so what kind of flickers are we talking about? screen tearing or screen going black then back again

 

Discussion of issues with the R2 are taking place in the R2 owners lounge as well as this thread - http://forum.notebookreview.com/showthread.php?t=456634

We need to keep this thread focused on DPC Latency, Stuttering and Lock Ups as it relates to the M17x R1. If the R2 exhibits DPC Latency issues then those posts can be made here as well.

This is done to maintain visibility of the DPC issue.

Thanks.

 

i have seen that somewhere else too... lool.

Batboy i dont think there are not much more to discusss about dpc latency. for me nvidia chipset and its gpus are both deficient. they destroyed this machine. only ATI gpus work ok because they stress less the chipset ( although more powerful), thus less heat.

 

I wont accept that. I would be stuck with the same problems!
Refund or an R2 thats it. (don't wanna go off-topic here- but the R2 seems to have issues as well and therfore i might be best to just have my money back.....)

 

I'll rephrase -

This is done to maintain visibility of the DPC issue and not sidetrack this thread with pages of posts on flickering or power supply issues seen with the M17x R2. As you all are aware, Dell is keeping an eye on this thread and it is much better to see actual posts concerning the DPC issue rather than having pages of posts which are not related to it.

Keep the comments OT.

Thanks.

 

well if dell is keeping an eye on this thread they sure as hell arent showing it. i bet almost all dell tech support staff do not know of this issue except for a few senior techs.

my cards are gona be replaced to atis on monday. byebye digital vibrance and physx

and if they still dont solve the problem.. i think i just might go crazy. its like my xps 1730 case all over again. faulty model and dell doesnt want to replace cos the next model is 'worlds apart' according to them despite being the same price. and they wont give a refund cos 'its over the 21 day return period' and if i insist on a refund ill have to get the depreciated price.. what the bull..