210W Dell PSU might have just fixed the M15x throttle issue!

I bought this adaptor after the my 240W adaptor started to die.

This PSU is made for precision laptops and as a result is not fully supported by the M15x. The battery won't charge with it.

Fear not however games seem to run flawlessly with it without having to do any anti throttle hocus pocus. It is amazing I can simply PLAY and enjoy.

So far tested Crysis 2 and FC3 both at max settings. Played each for about 30 mins back to back. Temps hit only 71C at stock clocks at 0.975V which is normal while the cpu is only running at 27/25/20/20.

When I have time I will OC a bit on the CPU and see how the PSU delivers!

The brick is quite a bit fatter than the 240W slim and also gets much hotter it seems!

 

Thats strange... How did you even figure to try out a Precision series laptop charger? Oh and, how long did your 240w PSU last?

 

The 240W adaptor lasted approx 1.5 years. Pretty pathetic. I tried the 210W adaptor because of this.

Either way I am glad I did. I intend to test in a hour or so higher cpu multis. Then if successful I will bump up GPU frequencies and voltage. I figure the brick should be good to give a good 250W if needed.

Battery charging isn't an issue I leave the 150W adaptor plugged and out of the way to charge if necessary. Considering what this adaptor seems to have achieved we can essentially call it the M15x gaming adaptor.

 

Can't wait to hear the reports when you push cpu and gpu higher! I want one of these for sure but prices in UK are similar to 240W adapter.

Slightly off-topic King but do you have unlocked A09 BIOS from bios-mods.com?

 

I don't have the unlocked bios as it doesn't do anything.

This adaptor has killed throttling. I just tried 21x then 22x and then 23x. Still no throttling and at 23x finally GPU usage was up to 97-100% in FC3! Temps hit 75C(cpu hottest 74C). This in ambient 25-26C (air con flat).

Unfortunately I have no time left tonight already midnight. Next I will try 24x and then I will sneak that gpu up a bit!

Seems the games do benefit from overclocked the 920xm. at 20x usage on the gpu was at 75-85% on average. The gpu was being bottlenecked by the cpu! I think 24-25x are good bets for performance.

Don't get the 240W adaptor it won't allow you to OC or game stably. The M15x recognizes it and holds it back. It would seem that this adaptor is not being held back at all!

The proof is in the pudding as they say. A good buy if you ask me! Worth 5x 240W adaptors!

 

That's very good but, are those temps with your cooling mod or just the M15x standard OEM cooling?

 

Hi King of Interns
This is it?
Dell M6400 M6500 210W AC Adapter PSU Charger UK Cord | eBay

 

Just standard cooling (minus intake and exhaust vent covers (kinda permanent mod there) The laptop is sitting on gel legs but not on the cooler or with fans on the bottom. If I used the cooler plus fans the temps are around 69-70C at the same settings.

 

I'm pretty sure this is the same one and is cheaper http://www.amazon.co.uk/DELL-LATITU...1377012787&sr=8-12&keywords=dell+210w+adapter Even though it says Latitude

 

Nope cause they will ship to you the 240W one. Careful to make sure you get the 210W not 240W.

New Genuine Dell PA 7E 210W D846D Precision M6400 AC Adapter 19 5V 10 8A | eBay
This would be a more trustworthy auction.

Yup that is the one mate!

Can I advise peeps wait it out a week while I do some more testing. I know this is exciting but I like to be a lot more exhaustive when I test something out especially when many might start buying these things!

I haven't yet touched the GPU so that at least is something I want to test before saying this is done and dusted.

 

Yep, better to wait before buying. King of Interns, anyway it's a great job. Hope with 210W adapter m15x will handle 920/940 OC with 100W GPU OC.

 

What if the power goes out for a second or two? And your battery didn't have any charge in it?

 

huh thats pretty cool..... who would of thought a 210w psu would work wonder for the M15x

 

Indeed! Hope to test the GPU a little tonight. Will report back in a few hours.

I never leave my battery empty. It is sitting on 18% at the moment.

StiHial it isn't a question of whether the M15x can handle that OC combo but whether the adaptor can. 210W isn't bad but the 920xm OCed plus 7970M OCed can easily consume way past 200W. I can't imagine the brick would be able to supply more than around 250W which would possibly still limit us. Still ALOT better than the 150W/240W adaptors.

 

Some bricks are capable of outputting 30-35% above spec which would allow up to 280W in this case I guess but I doubt it considering the brick gets pretty hot!

If this is the only functional gaming adaptor for the machine I might have to get creative and actively cool it somehow! Cooler = longer life and higher power supply

edit: Seems there is another adapter we could try
http://www.laptopsdirect.co.uk/AC_adapter_Power_YR948/version.asp

The 230W Dell adaptor made for the M1730! Perhaps someone could try this adaptor too!
The great thing is dell keep the tip the same and use the same 19.5V for all their adaptors. Trying them out is simple enough!
It is a beavy massive thing no doubt but if it works it will be the best thing for the M15x yet! Old school power is what we need

If all goes well I might get myself a small 90W adaptor for charging purposes and travel while keeping the big brick at home 24/7

 

Yep, M15x even with 150W PSU can handle XM CPU OC with 100W GPU. But mostly you should undervolt 6970/6990/7970 if you don't want to have GPU throttling. I'd like to say that, it would be great if M15x with 210W PSU will be able to handle (not extreme) 920/940XM OC, but enough OC level for not to bottle-neck OC'ed 100W GPU.

P.S. Maby if 210W PSU will work fine, we will be able to put 780M into m15x without any throlle issues

 

No doubt. Then again we may as well wait for the 880M (new architecture and die shrink) and the 9970M now The 780M is old kepler hat lol

 

A friend of mine used to race high-end remote-control cards which used very powerful batteries. When recharging them they got very hot so he made a wind tunnel to cool them down.
Basically a piece of draining pipe with a mesh grille for the batteries to rest on then a push/pull fan configuration. Perhaps overkill but the price of those remote control cars was extreme overkill!

My 150W adapter comfortably does 176W maximum which is just shy of 30%. 210W adapter should comfortably do 250W.

 

Overclocking gpu not a problem.

Played Crysis 2 and Far Cry 3 for a couple of hours with cpu at 27/25/23/23 and gpu at 900/1400 at 1.025V. GPU hit about 79C. This without using my cooling pad and external cooling mod.

Next I will try 950/1450 @ 1.05V but with cooling pad and mod engaged 80C is getting a little toasty for my liking. Gameplay is buttery smooth already. Unless I start using aliasing options the card isn't being pushed hard enough even in FC3 as usage stays between 85-97%. At stock clocks usage was up to max so really shows what an OC can do.

 

What TDP and TDC settings for x23 multiplier? Great to hear that you can OC both gpu and CPU. Surely the limitations of M15x were purely PSU/ID-chip based?

I bet you can get some kick 3dmark11 scores with those overclocks. Totally destroy new Razer blade, AW 14 and MSI GS70 (all cost more than $1000 and all have gtx 765m).

 

85W/65W. Actually sometimes the clocks don:t want to go into 3D mode. I have to run a HD video or something to get them up and then play. Once they are up though gaming is not a problem. Still far more manageable than before.

At stock clocks you can simply game straight away. I am still working on 950/1450 to work.

Still though I am pretty sure it is my memory holding me back. At 1200 mhz I can game no problem even with core overclocked. I am going to pull apart the gpu tomorrow and repad and repaste it. Pretty sure memory temps are too high.

 

I'm a bit confused. There are a few Dell 210W PSUs with different part codes. One appears to be for Latitude, one for XPS and one for Precision.
The pictures all look identifical so it could be they are all the same but there is about a £20 difference in price.

GENUINE Original DELL 210W AC Adapter Laptop Charger PA-7E , Complete with UK Mains Power Cable , 19.5V 10.8A , Brand New , Dell P/N : D846D: Amazon.co.uk: Computers & Accessories
http://www.amazon.co.uk/DELL-LATITU...8&qid=1377248080&sr=1-4&keywords=210w+charger

Any ideas King? What part code does your PSU have written on it? PA-7E I'm pretty sure is the one you're using but the one in the bottom link that is the cheapest doesn't have that code referenced. Bah!

 

Yes it is of the PA-7E family. P/N is D846D. Model : DA210PE1-00
Made by Delta electronics.

 

Thanks King, the vendor on amazon said that model is EOL and recommended I get the 240W one instead.
I think there is a seller on eBay with the correct model. Its £50 though so just justifying that expenditure at the moment.

Interested to hear what happens when you use the thicker thermal pads. Are they 5w/mk 1.5mm or 7w/mk 1.5mm pads? I'm running two displays at the moment with extended desktop (eyefinity) and base clocks are now 450/1350 running at around 55 degrees. Would be interested if I can bring that temperature down by using thicker pads.

 

I'm gonna see if just straight up taking the battery out makes a difference.

Edit: Nope.

 

They are the best 7w.wk pads. I am going to have fun with this. 50 quid is well worth it as I am certain I can prove later this weekend once my work is done. I have also done something about the gaping hole in the bottom. Soon I will have detachable metal vent covers that can be swapped on instead of the fans when need be.

 

Hello King, does this mean that the m15x will be able to harness the full power of 210W?

If true, I might wanna get myself that PSU and a new 7970m- mine went kaput a long time ago. I'm itching to OC the CPU and the PSU at the same time Seems like my m15x could use some new love.

How's your gaming sessions been the past week?

 

King started another thread for full discussion of 210w adapter http://forum.notebookreview.com/alienware-m15x/729756-m15x-throttle-final-solution.html
I bought one after hearing of King's successes. Basically it improves overclocking absolutely but both myself and King have run into problems with gpu clocks getting stuck at 450Mhz.
Perhaps be a bit patient till we've figured out what causes this.

 

Fixed this btw