[HELP]1640 Issue, Yellowing LED, scratches and the THROTTLE!! Need opinion

Hi,

I know their are already many threads about these problems, but I need an opinion which i couldn't find anywhere...

My problem is the screen just above the exhaust gets yellow when it gets hot, and boy does it get hot a-lot [Pics attached for those who might disagree],

and there are scratches all over the screen from the key board, just looking at it anyone can tell that its from the keyboard [Pics also attached]

plus, i get massive frame drops to of 120 fps to 12 fps, playing CS:S, which i guess is due to the throttle [I never hit the thermal throttle which playing, Pics below]

I talked to the dell representatives and they said they would replace my screen + mobo + graphic card, but I wanted to ask,

the fact that they are just replacing, the problems will come back, the yellowing is due to the exhaust, which will remain there, the scratches is due to the keyboard which will come back, and there is no guarantee that replacing the mobo + graphic card will fix the throttle

So should I take the replacement or ask them to give me a proper fix??

And moreover, will my 3 year complete care warranty be still valid after the replacement??

If need be, i can send the laptop back to the US from where I bought it, and peruse legal action for poor/faulty design and negligence...

or even worse cause them sales loss to the tune of over 500,000 USD.

Pictures :-


Yellowing in the screen, directly above the exhaust vent (The yellowing is only there and no where else)


More of yellowing and a scratch due to the power button


Scratch due to the power button...


How the yellowing looks when the screen is blacked (its a serious problem)


Throttle in progress (look at the temps., all below the thermal throttle value) [Take while playing CS:S] PS:- the multiplier should be 9x...

Full size images at :-
http://picasaweb.google.com/Argetlam.akshet/Dell?feat=directlink

Thanks A lot for reading
Sincerely
Argetlam

 

Can't read the temps.. It's like 100 pixels wide.

 

Sry about that... i just took a screenshot, the only thing i could manage with the comp. responding after 5 min. intervals...

the CPU cores are : 48 - 50 C
the GPU is : 61 - 64 C

 

If you could upload some higher res photos that would be awesome. There are a lot of people who have been looking for evidence like this to prove to dell that the power and heat management on the Studio XPS 16 MUST be fixed.

You'd be doing everyone a favour if you could provide better pictures.

 

that's the spirit. use this link to vote for the complaint titled:solve the problems of xps 1645 and post all your pictures and comments there so that dell can see clearly what the hell they have made of xps series and yet sleeping.
if you are able to take legal actions, then do it immediately and help the whole community of xps 16 sufferers! it's high time dell have made a good notebook.

 

@Iceman82
I am sorry, I thought they would become hyper links to the original pics...

here are the originals :-
Picasa Web Albums - Akshet - Dell

@daredevil anand
legal way might take long for me, as i will have to send th laptop back from india to the states

If any one in USA can get a class action suite going it would be a great help!!

 

You can change all the parts you want in an XPS 1640 but it will still throttle. This laptop is defective and Dell have not got around to fixing it yet so you might as well ask for something else. The latest bios and a 130 watt adapter does not fix the throttling XPS 1640.

When the tech comes by to replace 101 parts, when he's all done you can run Prime95 + Furmark and your laptop will quickly throttle like crazy. If the tech or Dell tries to complain that this load is too big for a laptop then tell them to read this post.

http://forum.notebookreview.com/6382811-post552.html

My Latitude D830 with a T8100 and an Nvidia GPU has no problem running that exact same load for half an hour without any throttling. Dell cut a few too many corners on some of the laptops built during the last two years.

HWMonitor might be reporting your CPU temperatures incorrectly. For many Core 2 mobile CPUs it uses a default value of TJMax = 100 when it should be using TJMax = 105. What CPU do you have? Is it a P8600?

You can look it up here:

ARK | Your source for information on Intel products

and the Intel website should show you the correct maximum TJunction temperature. Once you know that you can edit the hwmonitorw configuration file to make sure this program is using the correct value.

CPU_0_TJMAX=105.0

 

@unclewebb

If I use ThrottleStop, to prevent throttling will it be safe??
I mean can it get too hot and the whole system melts??

 

With ThrottleStop I can't guarantee you anything. If you use it, it's at your own risk.

If it lets your CPU run faster then yes, that will create more heat but it will be pretty much impossible for your laptop to turn into a molten pile of plastic.

ThrottleStop can be used to measure both your CPU and GPU temperature and you can also create power profiles so it can automatically switch between different profiles based on whether it is running on AC or battery power as well as have it automatically switch profiles based on CPU or GPU temperature. It's a powerful program that in the wrong hands can cause damage but if you're not trying to set any new world records then it can do a great job of improving the performance of your throttling laptop without burning down your house.

With an ATI GPU just enter this into the ThrottleStop.ini configuration file.

GPU=2

and while you're in there you can also enter:

TJMax=105

so ThrottleStop will monitor your CPU temperatures. Intel rates their CPUs to run reliably up to this core temperature so you don't have to worry too much about hurting it. Intel's thermal shutdown temperature isn't until the 125C to 130C range so obviously if Intel thought these temperatures would cause a melt down, they wouldn't set these limits so high. They are confident in their CPUs. A lot more confident than Dell is.

 

I don't understand...

If the laptop is working properly, if it is not allowed to throttle using ThrottleStop, why does it throttle in the first place?

Is it because of too much strain on the adapter? or just a bios bug??

I tried playing Bioshock 2, with throttle stop on, and my adapter got too hot to touch and i stopped playing? is the 90W insufficient? should i ask dell to send me a 130W adapter??

 

the xps laptop has the inbuilt quality of throttling because of its flawed bios due to which it is unable to fully utilize the power source and hence the cpu and gpu fail to give their best performance and run at much slower speed.
dell itself has said that a 90w adapter is insufficient for xps 1640 and 1645 and replacing it by 130w adapter free of cost. so talk to dell for your replacement.

 

No matter what power adapter you plug in, the bios is designed to limit power consumption so the CPU and GPU can not possibly both run at full speed at the same time. You'll have to ask Dell why they build laptops like this and then don't bother fixing them when this problem is brought to their attention.

ThrottleStop reduces the amount of throttling but it can't eliminate it. All it can do is monitor for throttling and try to get your CPU back up to full speed as quickly as possible. It's a band-aid solution which helps make laptops more usable but it is not a 100% cure. A total fix is up to Dell.

Using ThrottleStop is not recommended if you only have a 90W adapter. It can result in too much power being drawn from this adapter which can cause it to shut off or permanently damage it.

Instead of asking Dell for a 130 watt adapter, why not ask them for an XPS 1645 or XPS 1647. You might get lucky and end up with a laptop that doesn't throttle too much and is usable for gaming.

 

@daredevil anand
i talked to dell, and they said the 90w adapter is sufficient,
could u give me the link, or some proof that a dell representative said that, so i can show it to them??

 

Here's the post where the Dell representative on Notebook Review announced the new bios for the XPS 1640 and the 130 watt adapter replacement program.

http://forum.notebookreview.com/6091362-post610.html

When this didn't fix the problem, he disappeared and has not commented on this matter since. Great way to handle a problem.

Maybe 6 months from now the XPS 1640 adapter replacement program will catch up with the XPS 1645 program that was recently announced. It takes forever for Dell to get things together.

http://uat.dellpowersupplyprogram.com/

The problem is identical for both laptops but they chose to fix the newer model first. Whether they get around to fixing the XPS 1640 is anyone's guess.

I think the Dell rep made it very clear. I'm not sure why these tech guys you talk to want to keep lying and arguing about this.

 

I have read that people got upgraded to 1647 or 1645, one guy even got a m15x in replacement??

How does one get those, i would defiantly be a great upgrade
considering 16** all throttle and since i found ur great program, i play all my games with it on (only way to play it at a decent fps )

the dell rep i talked to, seems adamant the replacing the mobo + heatsink will fix the throttle, but all evidence suggest otherwise, is he just wasting my time??

btw i have a 3+1 year complete care warranty, so through how many replacements does my warranty last?? (he is also replacing my RGBLED due to the scratches and yellowing)

 

Usually you have to go through the Dell merry go round of replacement parts before your situation gets escalated and you have the chance at a new model.

Of course he is. Throttling in the XPS 1640 is a well proven fact that even employees of Dell agree with and admit to as shown in my previous post.

The lower level employees you deal with on the phone are not allowed to admit this which is why you have to demand to have this matter escalated to their supervisor.

It would cost a fortune and would likely bankrupt Dell if they had to replace every throttling laptop they've built during the last 2 years since they started producing the crippled Latitude E6000 series. By forcing users to waste their time and go through call center hell, they only have to replace a few laptops. Making their customers suffer saves them money. Not a great long term business strategy but their share price is up 13% during the last 12 months so they must be doing something right.

Keep fighting. They can afford to give you a new laptop that actually works but you're going to have to do some begging to get it.

 

wow, just noticed another thing..., seems like teh dell XPS16 like is an epic fail...

on low brightness, my laptop screen flickers between normal color and a yellowish shade, is that normal?? (the dell ppl are replacing my rbgled, will it fix this??)
probably didn't notice this before cause the max brightness it too bright...
anyone else has this problem??

PS- it doesn't happen all the time, noticed it while scrolling through a pdf file...
PPS- seems like it happens all the time on battery

seems like the SXPS16 line is a huge disaster by dell..., which they would never admit too, people in the states could make big buck suing them , class action would be even better, don't we have a lawyer among us?? or someone with any experience/knowledge in class action lawsuits??

 

Hey, I talked to a dell representative, and i have a problem...

So i have severe trottle issues with my 1640, dell has already replaced my mobo once, this time they replace my mobo+heat sink+fan and gave me a 130W adapter...
but instead of a 4670, i now have a 3670, because they shipped the wrong parts

i am really frustrated with them, i was talking to the supervisor and he said, that he would like to replace the system, but can't as i am not in USA right now (i am in india currently, and won't be in the states anytime soon),

he said that, he would send me another mobo, to fix the 3670 problem, but he didn't seem sure if it would fix the throttle...

does anyone have any idea how i can get a replacement, from outside US, anyone I can contact...???

He said that dell india would most probably not do it, as the machine was bought in USA,

I am studying in a college here, and i really don't have time for endless part replacement, but i at least want a system which works for what i paid...

I already missed a lecture today because i had to pick up their part dispatch, and missing lectures here is a big thing

 

Class action:

Lawyers: We just made millions. Easy $. LOL. :laugh:
Consumers: I just got a $50 check from Dell! Owned!(Happily thinking Dell got screwd).

It sure is win-win.

 

But, we at least get a non-throttling laptop...

I didn't suggest class action to earn a quick buck..., but to get this problem fixed, as dell seems to be still in denial of the fact that their XPS164* throttle