How to pinmod and further overclock the M11x R1 (SLG= Hardmod only)

I may just have to take you up on that offer, but not too soon. I want to get my proper hinge replacement first. Don't want them to say sorry, but your machine has been tampered with. Although don't know that they'd know. If you're serious though, I'd probably just mail it. 2.0GHz would be great actually. Maybe actually able to play Bad Company 2 at a decent framerate then.

 

if you can point me to a demo or something i can test it for you.


UPDATE:

so i tested the ram and i have one bad stick. so that clears all that up. i tried 2.4Ghz @ 1.1Vcore but didn't even boot. whatever, im not greedy. so i went back and reconnected VID4 to get my stock VID back and im stable!

this is awesome! so i get to keep my awesome battery life, temps and get a 10FPS boost in TF2! i couldn't really ask for more.

after i get everything back together and whatnot ill post a official 3Dmark for the front page for you DavyGT.

if anyone needs any pics, help or advice let me know.

thanks again everyone that helped out with this project!

 

Anyone overclocked SLG?

 

So it was an old wives tale about carrots giving you good eye sight.

Don't be surprised if " some guy" is reading this and twitching slightly.

Over 8000 3DMarks on an SU7300 SLG says he has.

http://forum.notebookreview.com/alienware-m11x/547341-how-pinmod-further-overclock-m11x-r1-slg-hardmod-only-25.html#post7109097

 

Well done @some guy for successfully over-clocking an M11xR1 SLG SU7300 A05 at approx. 2.0Ghz and having it stable at this time with 3DMark score over 8000.

I think that deserves a golf clap.

Thanks to Nano and DavyGT for all their work in the same field and all those that have contributed.

[update]Sorry for double posting on a technical thread and messing things up. It's what I keep berating others for. Naughty stool for me then..

 

I second said golf clap. Awesome work! Thanks for paving the way for us SLG owners. I'm amazed it stayed stable w/o the volt mod!

 

@Some Guy ---> outstanding work! (init Metallica in concert clap)

StevenX

 

@some_guy
is this tip small enough??

 

Just for a reference point, I have the same SU7300 in my Asus UL80Vt and was able to use SetFSB to get it to 320 FSB stable. I think the voltage there was 0.95V. The memory and cpu multipliers are actually handled intelligently in that notebook though.....(everything else on the AW is better though )

 

some guy's tip looks sharp enough to stab. You need a tip that is as small as or smaller then the pin. A pin is <1mm so it won't work well.

EDIT: One last mod before I move onto an i5:

It maybe possible for SLG owners who are solder shy to overclock to 1.73Ghz by lifting pin 2. This will cause the M11x to run at 1.73Ghz with Overclock mode off, along with 1066mhz on memory and SpeedStep. With Overclock mode on, you will have 1.6Ghz, 800mhz RAM and no SpeedStep. Note this mod has not been tested before so there is that risk.

Again, do not use conductive ink to connect the pin to ground as it will short the board and may damage it.

 

move onto an i5 as in volt modding an i5?!?

 

Move on as in getting an i5 R2. Edit: Maybe not so soon. When they flood the Outlet, that's when I buy. Not interested in R3- Sandy Bridge = no overclocking.

EDIT: Time to put 2 and 2 together: I think we have the 2:3 RAM ratio in Overclock mode because Dell can't get memory to run at timings slower then CAS6 despite having 1066mhz RAM (The RAM supports 1066mhz but not at CAS6 timings). Dell played it safe and just put in the 2:3 ratio so we weren't overclocking the RAM at 1.6Ghz (RAM stays at 800mhz) and if stock was constrained, it will let them DDR3 800mhz RAM in place of DDR3 1066mhz.

 

thanks for the "round of applause" guys.

@ DavyGT:

that kinda makes sence.


UPDATE:

well i did the DavyGT standard of 20 runs of IntelBurn @ max and it came back stable. so thats sweet! 2.0Ghz stable on 0.90Vcore.

im going for one last test before i cllose this bad boy up. im going to cut PIN2 for a speed of 2.16Ghz (non OC mode). this will also take the RAM up to 1333. i assume if i can be rock solid @ 2.0Ghz on 0.9Vcore, then 2.16Ghz should work no problem with the Vcore jumping up to 0.975. the cool thing is that if it works ill get another bump in speed, speed step back and ill be able to boot up in both non OC and OC modes. if it flat out wont boot up id be willing to bet the theHyperX RAM just cant hang at 1333 with the Cas timings the M11x uses.

 

You don't need to cut any pins. Just disable Overclock mode and it will run at 333mhz x 6.5. One of these two results could occur: you will have the fastest R1 around or it will fail to boot, forcing you to undo parts of the mod to fix it. Either way, we'll know if the HyperX RAM can clock or not.

BTW: Good to see stability tests passing.

 

hi some guy.... whats your temp????

 

The HyperX ram does not overclock very well (at least that has been my finding). BUT, it is the fastest thing around and like a rock at 1333 Cas 7

 

i have a screen shot that i will post if 2.0Ghz is my final stable speed along with a 3Dmark shot.

well right now with PIN7 set to "1" and no other mods, setting the bios to non OC mode would set the speed to 400mhz and the RAM ratio to 1:2. giving me 2.6Ghz @ 1600 RAM. (correct me if im wrong) i dont think that would work.

in this config im just leaving PIN7 set to "1" and cutting PIN2 will set it to "0". this way i should see 333mhz in both OC mode and non OC mode.



@ jai554

my temps @ 0.9Vcore are 35c idle and 49c full load under Intelburn max stress(room temp 70f). with the VID mod to 1.1Vcore the temps were 41c idle 62c full load under Intelburn max stress(room temp 67f)

 

nice temp!!! i think im not going to overclock my laptop to 2.79GHz since my max load temp is 90C @ 1.150Vcore......
can you suggest me how can i mod my laptop cooling system before i can overclock my CPU???

 

This might be a dumb question, i can't say i've completely kept up with the thread at this point (won't be at a place where i can even attempt this mod for a few weeks) but if one were to only cut pin 2, would that mean that in non-OC mode you'd actually be seeing 333mhz? Would that be a simpler way to overclock as opposed to connecting pin7 to 3.3? Or do you suspect that you'd hit a ram wall trying to do it this way?

 

the thing with trying to do cooling mods on ultra portable systems is near impossible. the space thats normally used inside the case is engineered to be super tight fitting... not leaving room for places you can just add more copper/aluminum on to the stock heatsink. most will tell you the best thing you can do i replace the stock TIM(thermal paste) with something better like AS5. this may drop a few degrees off but not much.

but in reality OCing doesn't really add more heat to your system until you start adding more voltage. (in the csae of the R2 you will notice a difference in temps if you use throttle stop with OCing because you are in fact telling the CPU its ok to run "hot" now)

is that a R2 heatsink?

if you cut PIN2 with nothing else changed from stock, in non OC mode you will go from 200mhz to 266mhz which will get you 1.73Ghz CPU and 1066mhz RAM

 

Oh okay. I think i get it now, I looked at the datasheet a little too quickly.

So in non-OC mode you've got 0/1/0 and in standard OC mode you've got 0/0/0. What you've gone and done with the mod is force 1/0/0 in OC mode and 1/1/0 in non-OC (which doesn't boot.) So if you cut pin 2, you'll end up with 1/0/0 in OC and 1/0/0 in non-OC mode (since Pin7 and Pin2 are basically locked to 1 and 0 respectively.)

 

exactly.

but i wont see if this works till later tonight. im thinking i might hit a RAM wall. but imo its worth the shot to see if i can get speedstep working and get 330mhz(effective) more CPU speed and 333mhz(effective) more RAM speed.

 

no.... im not a user of alienware..... i just found this thread because my clock generator is same as alienware m11x r1..... my voltage regulator is same as alienware m11x r1 too...... so, that's why i join this thread.......

 

sorry i forgot about that. well if you have room between the CPU cooler and the case(1/2" or more), try putting some ramsinks (little square heatsinks with double sided tape) on the top of the stock cooler.

 

Yes that is correct. I forgotten Overclock mode isn't a SpeedStep and 2:3 RAM ratio option for SLG.

 

The 2:3 ratio thing is really a let down. It is completely unnecessary. I would prefer to have my ram sync'd with my FSB optimally (1:2 is optimal) overclocked or not. Also the lack of 6.5x multi in overclock mode is even more lame

 

The 2:3 ratio is completely necessary since the M11x will not boot at any higher timings then CL6. It has allowed higher overclocks where it has consistantly beaten overclocking with Overclock mode off, with the 1:2 RAM ratio. The majority of the results achieved is with the 2:3 ratio since RAM is the first to give up before voltage or even the FSB.

The loss of 6.5 in Overclock mode is a result of Dell's workaround for not providing a programmable PLL.

 

The chipset can handle cas 7 1066 ram, just like the ram can. The only limitation is in the bios, just like the others I listed.

 

It can, but it's not happening. The 2:3 ratio stays useful so long as Dell doesn't fix their BIOS to support CL7, 8 memory.

 

Broken BIOS is no fun

lol - we need to see about editing

 

ether way i have to RMA/return this set because one module wont act stable at anything over 800mhz.

i dont know what my options are but i was looking at this set that i dint see before on newegg. i might have gotten it instead....

Newegg.com - Kingston HyperX 4GB (2 x 2GB) 204-Pin DDR3 SO-DIMM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) Laptop Memory Model KHX1600C9S3K2/4GX

 

Just curious, why i5 and not i7 R2?

 

The M11x cannot access the XMP profiles so it is no good. Might as well just get Thaiphoon burner and flash the ram to where you want it.

As for the RMA, seems like the last few batches of that ram have been a little shoddy Glad I got it early when they were apparently more solid (I was the first person on the forums to get it that I know of )

 

blah...

this RAM sucks, or i guess i should say this Bios sucks. whatever. 2.0Ghz it is then....

still happy with this whole project. maybe ill try for 2.4Ghz after some nicer RAM comes out later.

 

i suggest you to buy this ram
Newegg.com - CORSAIR 4GB (2 x 2GB) 204-Pin DDR3 SO-DIMM DDR3 1333 Laptop Memory Model CMSO4GX3M2A1333C9

 

the M11x only runs cas 6 so i don't think that RAM would be ideal.

this is what i have.


Newegg.com - Kingston HyperX 4GB (2 x 2GB) 204-Pin DDR3 SO-DIMM DDR3 1333 Laptop Memory Model KHX1333C7S3K2/4G

 

so here are my final benches:

 

Holy crap 50s from a lower clocked Core 2 Duo .Try some games and see how it goes against R2s.

Have you tried Thaiphoon Burner to edit the SPD? I had nothing working but you may have better luck. It requires a 32bit OS and failing to boot with a flashed stick means you have to use the other stick to bootup, hotplug the stick in and flash it to stock again.

I'd rather not pay the extra $200 for an extra 2 multipliers and 1MB of L3.

 

what results? lol


ill try after i get my HyperX RAM back from RMA.

right now one stick is goofy and i don't want to void the warranty on emm

 

Ok. I think your chipset can't handle 400FSB- you already had a 1.1v VID mod on the CPU and 1200mhz shouldn't be a problem for the HyperX RAM.

I think every 133mhz increase will drop 5s off TSBench.

 

yea i might be able to handle 2.4 if i had RAM that would work with the low timings. if i can hit 2.0 on 0.9v i don't see why i couldn't hit 400mhz higher on 0.20v more...

but i think 1600 is out of the question for this chip set with out a volt mod. they probably have it set really low for better battery life.

edit: my source games seem to be getting a 20% boost in FPS!

 

RAM isn't a problem, 1200mhz (thank you 2:3 ratio) for 2.4Ghz is more stable then 1333mhz for 2.16Ghz. CPU also looks fine.

You up for chipset voltmodding? I never seen anything like this before.

 

To boot with the PLL set to 400Mhz (2.4Ghz CPU), some guy would need set CAS=7 against the RAM's SPDtable entry, set Vcore=1.1 and cross his fingers. The PM45 chipset was clocked at 400Mhz BCLK here so it can do it.

I'd guestimate you'd be setting 3dmark06=9k with a 2.4Ghz overclock.

 

9k would be sick!

i wish my RAM wasnt bunk...

oh heres my WEI

 

Thaiphoon burner works on 64 bit windows 7 now

And there is no way the chipset will accept 400 MHz FSB unless you volt mod it too. Chipset voltages are why my M17x is limited to about 340 MHz FSB If I could get my FSB up instead of multi boosting with TS my M17x would be even more of a monster than it already is

 

some guy, could you please take some pictures of your mod? And is it necessary to change ram to your one?

 

some guy already posted pics of his mod here. It is not necessary to change RAM for 2Ghz. At 333mhz the RAM is running at 500mhz, achievable clocks for most RAM.

 

like DavyGT said. im actually useing the stock RAM right now cuz the HyperX kit i bought is messed up.

i have some better pics i can post later and nando4 can put them in his guide if he wants. but they just basically look like what the diagram shows.

i got a chance to play some games lastnight and i can tell you there is a very noticable difference between 1.6Ghz and 2.Ghz, even more so for source engine games. i was playing Crysis last night at native rez, med/high settings and getting 40FPS avg. i didnt know this lil guy was so powerful!

one more thing. i cant stress how imporant is is to make sure your stable!!! i left tsk mgr open to see my CPU usage and it was maxed out while playing games 95% of the time. so i would highly recomend doing like DavyGT said and do 20runs in IntelBurn max stress. i also recomend enabling the 335Gt during the test as i ran fine with intel 20 passes. but then enabled the 335Gt for a run at 3dmark and crashed almost instantly. (my RAM was the issue) you dont want to have to tear down your laptop allover again.

i can also confirm battery life is the same. last night i surfed around on 100% charge. an hr later battery bar said i still had 6:41 left.

 

Wait till you play Bad Company 2. Much more playable with the overclock as the game is running 25-30 FPS average then being stuck in the teens and dropping single digits for anything high explosive.

I only recommend 20 maximum stress runs of IntelBurnTest if the system has 4GB RAM. Have to have more runs on 2GB, it's barely more stressful then Standard.

Battery life should stay the same without voltmods.

 

Referring to the following thread, a 'standard' M11xR1 was able to get the following average FPS rate in Crysis Benchmark.

Run #1- DX9 1280x1024 AA=No AA, 32 bit test, Quality: High ~~ Overall Average FPS: 17.865

Crysis performance problem and benchmarks

This was using the following settings with the test ' windowed' and global setting of High

DX9 1280x1024, AA=No AA, Vsync=Disabled, 32 bit test, Windowed

If one was to run the Crysis benchmark, remember all these test results are windowed, otherwise the default scores are much higher.

Vorob can attest to that, as he was the one who set us right.