New Owner R1 multiplier stays at 6 so CPU is only 1.6

That would be pretty cool if it worked out like that. I guess i could give it a go. A problem that i could foresee though, is when i call them again to tell them it didnt work they might actually give me a rep whose familiar with this problem. I'd be a big hassle if they just told me that there wasnt anything more they could do in the end.

 

This explains the mutant 1066 memory M11x's floating around I bet.... the original test machines probably OC'd on the test bios just fine to a 6.5 multiplier with the faster memory. By production *something* happened, either a deal fell through on the memory, or more likely internal test rigs started acting up and they stopped at 6.0, but the memory was still available and in the pipeline.

 

Well, All CPU Meter (a gadget) says 1.7 for me but CoreTemp (integrates into that) says 1.59, rounded up to 1.6, I guess.

 

Core Temp switched to the monitoring method recommended by Intel recently. Any software reporting 1.73 GHz is not accurate. That's not possible when the multiplier is locked to 6.0 by the bios when overclocking.

It is far cheaper for Dell to replace a handful of laptops because people complain then it is for Dell to rewrite and test a bios and admit to this problem. Don't be afraid to keep nagging them.

 

I can't imagine it would cost too much to rewrite the bios. I know quality control testing is expensive, but can't be that much. Only way they would probably do it is if they were threatened with a lawsuit for false advertising.

 

A bios rewrite wouldn't accomplish anything. The overclock is done with hardware, and the method leaves you locked on 6x multiplier.
The clock generator is locked, so without modding there's no way.
I'll sign on for this petition, to at least see if they'll give permission to mod without voiding warranty.

 

The clock generator may be locked but not the multiplier. It can clearly go to 6.5, just for some reason when the FSB steps up the multiplier drops down.

 

Ok, what they probably did to overclock is similar to a BSEL mod.

We all know that when you do a BSEL mod with an intel chipset, EIST is disabled and the multi is locked to the lowest value.

This could probably be solved with a new bios to stop EIST being disabled when the MCH detects that the CPU is overclocked with a BSEL mod.

If it's possible to do the bios mod, they should really do it to be fair.

 

Don't other Alienware laptops give user full control with overclocking in the BIOS?

 

Yeah, but the R1 is their budget model.
Why give us more performance for nothing, when they can charge $200+ for the privilege of a few fps?

 

Oh. Hmm, I think my BIOS (A04) still says 1.73 but I could be wrong on that.

 

Nothing wrong with Dell Alienware having a budget model but that doesn't allow them to promise a speed that is physically impossible to achieve. That's false advertising and in most countries there are laws to protect consumers from that.

 

Motherboard replacement didnt work, surprise surprise. Time to call dell and annoy them some more

 

Do make sure that you're making a log of the dates and times you've called, who you spoke to, what they said about the issue (that 6.5/1.73GHz is /supposed/ to be obtainable, etc.) so that you can have a case to show Dell about all of this.

 

Well I called them a second time but this time the guy seemed like he actually knew what he was talking about. I kept explaining this to him and why the last person told me that my mobo needs to be replaced etc, but he kept saying even though the cpu is overclockable, they cannot support anything past intel's specification for the chip. So I dont know if its worth calling them again?

 

Bayman - call them and ask for them to send you a new Motherboard with a su9600 soldered in instead of the 7300. Now that would be a StevenX model R1 right there.

Seriously though, really not much you can do. If most agree it's 1.6 then that's what it is. Best thing is to optimize like crazy, get SSD if you can. Good luck and happy holidays! Best Wishes, StevenX

 

What a bummer. Ive been reading up on some hardware modding on this thread:
http://forum.notebookreview.com/alienware-m11x/463095-m11x-clock-generator-ics9lprs387bklf-18.html

But it seems people have only been successful in getting up to 1.9 on the su7300 on some asus laptop, so i dont think its worth it to try it. I dont see why i really care. I dont honestly use the laptop much since i got it, the only intensive thing i do on it is playing fallout during class, but im out of school till next month lol. Maybe its just that im bored, or im a little mad that dell lied to us. If only laptops were as simple as desktops.

 

On my old M11xR1 unit, I just let it be. The CPU wasn't going to get magically faster, and the setup worked wonders, anyhow. So I just settled for what I had, and dug in (of course, I'm an nitwit, so I bought a m11xR2 when they went on sale...)

 

I'm pretty angry about this, any official word from Dell? I just received my laptop a few days ago and could have sworn it had overclockable to 1.73GHz advertised all over their websites... but I could be mistaken since I read a lot of reviews specifically on the R1.

 

This has been discussed in other threads. All tests seem to indicate the max clock on an Alienware M11x R1 (Core 2 Duo CPU) is about 1.6Ghz, not the 1.73Ghz that was advertised.

Yes, you could make an argument that Alienware used misleading or false advertising, and try to push a case where you somehow get a refund or credit towards purchasing another laptop from them. But honestly, you will most likely be wasting your time.

If it makes you feel better, the difference of 133Mhz will make absolutely zero difference to anything you do with your laptop. You will never ever notice that in real-world performance. I could sit you in front of a laptop clocked at 1.6Ghz and another identical laptop clocked at 1.73Ghz, and you will not be able to tell me which one has the higher clock speed.

 

No word. I even called technical support about this and the technical assistant just said "Ok".

It's a technical side effect of the method Dell uses to Overclock, so even if I pressed this harder, they can't do anything about it. Something the pinmod will fix.
The method Dell uses to overclock is by BSEL softmodding, which locks the multiplier to 6 (the lowest?) and the lowest VID, .9v.

 

I was tempted to do the pinmod until I read your disadvantages:

How practical is using your M11x like this? Number 3 especially scares me if hard reset means opening the laptop.

 

Here's the thing: I swapped my M11x for a friends M11x and did the mod. Numbers 1 and 3 did not occur on this machine. I haven't got reports of Numbers 1 and 3 occurring by those who did do the mod. Maybe it's just isolated to my M11x. I have ask some of the users if this does occur.
EDIT: What I meant by "hard reset" is that the machine must be turned off and on again as "warm reset" does not work. No hardware was needed to be opened, only the power button was used.

About Number 2, I'm testing a new more convenient method at the moment.

BTW, a 1.73Ghz SU7300 gets 60s in TS Bench, compared to 65s with 1.6Ghz.

 

I think I read in one of the pages you removed the 10k ohm resistor and removed the pin. Do these symptoms still occur on your machine?

 

Yes, the symptoms still occurred on my old machine.

 

Use the pinmod thread if you want to talk about the pinmod. Thanks.