1640 Throttling - post here

Just gave them a call, the tech refused to send me one, I gave him the service tag of my old machine and he apologized and I now have one on it's way should be here tomorrow.

lso before even turning on the laptop removed the stock thermal paste and applied my own, used MX-3 on the GPU and Noctua NT-H1 for the CPU and now it idles at 40C, a whole 20C lower than my P8600 and the GPU used to idle at 63C and now it idles at 44C

Also checked out the RAM it's clocked at 1066 but on the chip itself and according to Everest its 1333mhz

 

No way I told the guy I was gonna report them to the BBB and that I'm not accepting that, Still no other offer I paid $ 2,889.67 new to be exact.

 

Man it really seems like these things are legos. Parts that shouldn't go together and can't be built together on the site are being thrown together by these techs.

6Cell and 1647? Doesn't sound right..On my build sheet I have a frankenstein. It lists the leather from 1645, ram from 1640 and cpu from 1647, haha I have a rainbow 164X


Mkelliny: So whats the status now? You're just waiting to hear from someone else? Have you tried emailing Michael Dell or escalating the case to a higher up person?

 

i ended up getting a used 9 ceel batt. off of Craigs List. the guy i got it from had a 1640 and gave up on it. He returned it but they would not take the battery back. it was still new in bag. it is not much better that the 6 cell.
i only get 3.5 hours doing nothing but surfing


to be on topic i called dell about my 1640 and got the run around. i now have a 1645 and will call back and demand a 130w AC

 

I am currently in contact with this gentleman, I still cant get an answer as to what I am getting, they just keep telling me they are going to expedite the building process i stressed that i will not accept a studio 15 so if he is expediting that build process he can forget it, but he keeps sending me specs for someone else with a studio xps 8100 or something like that i keep telling him these emails he keeps sending me are not for me, but I keep getting them Dell-Bill said he will help me sort this out so hopefully some result will be gained.

Edit the tech just emailed me this 224-7380 part number it says studio xps 16 laptop next to it I think its an SXPS 1647, not sure though

 

wow... in the last 2 hours I've recieved phone calls from 2 Dell Corp managers and 1 escalation agent asking me how I like the system. I'm currently on my way to work so I requested to get a call back tomorrow but whatever I wrote in my email must have hit a nerve or something there or they wouldn't be acting like this.

Quick question about the keyboards, after looking at how clean a new laptop is again and looking at the 1640 and how dirty that damn keyboard is I realized that I need to get myself a silicon skin or something to protect it.

Are there any recommendations?

Just thought this might be helpful for some. I just got some transparent packing tape and put it over the edges of the laptop where the speakers are, covered it completely, smoothed it all out and then cut out the speaker holes so no more dust and stuff will get lodged in there.

http://i39.tinypic.com/142wygl.jpg

http://i42.tinypic.com/biszl0.jpg

 

How is the exchange done is it parts or price equivalance?

 

As far as keyboard protector I was thinking the exact same thing! nice idea with the speakers btw!

My spacebar key and a few others seem severely "worn" on certain parts of the key. It looks like there is oil on the keys but obv there isn't. I assume its to wear but it as like that from really early on. So I too am looking for a keyboard protector. I want to make this 2nd go around as best as possible and learn from my experiences with the 1640...


Lets all hunt down a keyboard skin!

 

Depends on the person I guess. I paid about 850$USD for my 1640, I spec'd out the current laptop from Dell and it was

Starting Price $1,688.00
Total Savings $224.00
Subtotal $1,464.00

Keeping in mind that my original system came from the outlet store, it was a pretty damn good upgrade.

 

My girlfriends brother has a studio 15, he recommended these:
http://cgi.ebay.ca/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=170462374000&ssPageName=STRK:MEWNX:IT

He swears by them, they're the exact keyboard layout as the laptop and it protects it very well and need minimal cleaning. I just picked up myself 2, can't really go wrong for 2$ + shipping.

 

Yes, but in my case i paid $2,030 more than you and they are trying to give me a similar config i believe.

 

Please, please when you get them post a review. I think I saw those in the past but was skeptical about the 1 size fits all kinda mantra. I'm very curious to see how snugly it fits and how it fits when the lid is closed. Want to see if imprints are left on screen too, etc.

If you could take pics or something when you get it, it'd be greatly appreciated!!!


Edit: And wow you're getting a huge upgrade, I forgot yours was originally from the outlet and how cheap it was. Congrats man.

As far as me, I got blue-tooth, 2gb more ram and Xfi sound as far as my upgrades over my 1640. Of course I get the i7 620m, that's the most important

 

Don't take a downgrade of any kind, if they won't give you the value in parts, request a full refund. I'd be pretty pissed if they offered a studio 15 or something since they're completely different machines. If they refuse to replace it with another 16xx request an upgrade, you should never get less than what you paid for.



Just a little update, I was playing some startcraft 2 beta online with a buddy, we got a huge amount of units into the middle of the map and just idled there. Normally this would bring the system to a crawl, so bad that the FPS would drop to single digits now it's running at a smooth 60fps without any hiccups.

 

well see what happens i just don't want to get screwed

 

D'oh! I wanted to copy you EGM92 and do the same with the thermal paste. I remember I had some AS5 leftover from a previous build. It looked like it was almost gone as it only had a little bit left to go. I decided to push it and I got way more than I expected, definitely enough for the laptop, LOL. Just wasted it..Gotta get some more /rant

 

my god! less than 7hrs old and the laptop is already defective!!

the touchpad is completely unresponsive in the center, to the left and to the right of the center I can use it, but a very limited area, it's like it's mirrored because i get the scroll functions on both sides. the left mouse button has completely stopped working, it went from a nice firm press to a loose button and then just not reading in a matter of 20 presses or so.

 

Could be the driver, have you configured your synaptics driver correctly? Sounds like the settings aren't right. You can select where you want sensitivity and where you want scrolls. Check the settings man.

 

With the drivers or without the results are still the same I'm on the phone with Dell to get someone here ASAP.

 

224-7380 Studio XPS 16 Notebook $0.00
1 310-0173 Airborne Documentation, System Exchanges,Factory Install $0.00
1 311-9977 6GB, DDR3, 1067 MHz 2 Dimm forXPS 1640 $200
1 312-0811 56 WHr 6-cell Lithium Ion P Primary Battery, for XPS 1640 $0.00
1 313-7056 BluRay Combo Drive $150
1 313-8545 High Definition Audio 2.0 with SRS Premium Sound $0.00
1 313-9383 Dell Wireless 5620 mobile broadband built-in mini-card, Verizon $125
1 317-2825 Intel CoreTM i5 540M processor (2C/4T, 2.53-3.06 GHz, 3M L3) $965
1 320-1308 ATI Mobility Radeon HD 5730 - 1GB $0.00
1 320-8335 Premium FHD WLED Display, Obsidian Black, 2.0 MP Webcam $250
1 320-8352 Obsidian Black High Gloss Finish with Leather XPS 1645 $40
1 330-0171 S and P Drop-in-Box Marcom forDHS Notebooks $0.00
1 330-6222 Windows 7 Label $0.00
1 330-7786 DELL RESOURCE DVD,BACK-UP,MADISON,XPS 1647 $0.00
1 341-8982 256GB Dell High Performance Solid State Hard Drive, 2.5MM $520
1 410-1883 ADOBE READER 9.0 MULTI- LANGUAGE $0.00
1 410-2090 McAfee Sapphire MUI, 15-Month $0.00
1 412-0148 No ISP requested $0.00
1 412-0360 Soft Contracts - Banctec $0.00
1 420-6436 PC-Restore, Dim/Insp $0.00
1 420-6576 DELL WELCOME,Software Dimension/Inspiron $0.00
1 420-7938 Dell Connect 2.1 $0.00
1 420-9100 Dell Dock Consumer $0.00
1 420-9691 DataSafe Local BackUp 2.0 Basic $0.00
1 421-0092 DELL-DOWNLOAD-FLAG $0.00
1 421-0187 Dell Support Center Software 64 Bit 2.0 $0.00
1 421-0188 Facial Recognition $0.00
1 421-0304 Microsoft Works 9.0, English For Inspiron $0.00
1 421-0323 Windows Live Search,Multiple User Interface $0.00
1 421-1010 Dell Webcam Central v1.4 $0.00
1 421-1365 Genuine Windows 7 Ultimate, 64 bit, English $150
1 421-1696 MOD,SW,RXO,10.3,PREM,BD-P,XPS $0.00
1 421-1851 Cyberlink Power DVD 8.3,with Media, Blu-Ray Disc $0.00
1 421-2086 eBay Webslice $0.00
1 430-0700 Dell Wireless 370 Bluetooth Module (2.1+EDR) $20
1 430-3605 Integrated 10/100 Network Card $0.00
1 430-3620 Intel WiFi Link 6300 $45


COMPLETE UTTER BS

 

Agreed, pass on it. Just noticed! ATI 5730!?!

Ive read in other threads that a pre-production error!

 

I don't know if it's really a 5730 I might settle for the 540M. EGM92 did yours say that?

 

Even if it was, (but I doubt it, I checked another thread and it was confirmed by a rep to be a pre-production mistake), I'd still turn it down.

I had a t9800 and am getting a i7 620m as replacement. You have a t9900. You should AT LEAST be getting a 620m as well.

 

Did you get any email about your replacement yet from our guy? He said he will process mine today. Wonder if we can track it.

 

Well I just found this but I will look into it more when I get home as right Now I'm on my iPhone so I will most likely not accept it without a 620M

http://en.community.dell.com/forums/p/19316580/19635244.aspx

 

Yea man...I said I got a build sheet on friday night with order # and everything....maaaaan: P

Its still "in production" status. And it says I have next day air So whenever it's finished, he said by next week, I should get it the next day.

 

Ah how long after he processed it did you receive it the info?

 

After our phone conversation late friday evening I received an email less than a few hours later with the order number and purchase id all that jazz. He said he expedited it for me cause he wanted it to be in before the weekend.

 

Ah so ill probably get it by tomorrow, lets see.

 

I Dell supervisor called me and went over the specs the 5730 is real and i told him that the processor was unacceptable he tried to convince me the turbo boost alows the 540m to be equivalent i told him no way sir each core runs at 3.06 ghz when both are utilized in the 540m its 2.53 ghz and only when one is utilized then it runs at 3.06 ghz and he was giving me a hard time telling me he had to get approved for a 620m i told him that was the least that i would accept as even that was still not equivalent with both cores utilized and its got a lower mem cache but IDK i really feel an 820qm would be the closest thing but that is a quad core not dual core i gotta do some research on the 620m

 

There is no research to be done. i7 620m is the only equivalent you should accept. It runs its first turbo boost on both cores @ 3.06ghz. So that means it runs at that pretty much 24/7 and thats the same exact speed you got plus its a newer core so you will see 10-20% performance increase at the same clockspeed.

I agree with you 100%. I wouldn't accept a 720QM cause they are crap and I didn't think Dell would give me an 820QM so I didn't even bother with a 1645.

I asked for a 620m and got it. If I can get it with no replacement parts or tech visits from a t9800 you sure as heck should get it from what you went through and you had a t9900!!

 

finally let the thermal paste settle overnight and now the cpu idles at about 37-38c and gpu @ 44c

GREAT...

Not only does the trackpad not work properly, the capslock key keeps tabbing over now the eject button doesn't function! the light turns on when pressed but nothing happens. I have to forcibly eject the DVD from my computer.

 

Purolator just came by, dropped off the new 130w PSU PA-4E Rev X02 which seems to be a tiny bit thicker, wiring is definitely thicker, and the nice blue LED ring around the connector has been replaced by a tiny blue LED dot lol. Dell told me it would take 2-5 business days to deliver... well it's actually been less than 19hrs since I last talked to them about this problem.

Now just waiting for my agent or someone else from Dell Corp to call me back so I can give them an ear full of what's happening with this laptop. The more I used it the more problems I discover.

 

http://i.imgur.com/wbRUp.png

I have finally experience throttling. T9800 with 3670. I even undervolted my cpu hoping that would help avoid it. I have the 900p screen, so I don't know why It's drawing so much power. Not happy at all. Played about 35 minutes of BC2 and boom. Second time it's happened with BC2.

 

I'm on the phone right now with a Dell agent, I told him all of the problems that I'm having with my new laptop and he said that's a very rare case and he's going to go grab his manager/supervisor. I'll let you guys know what's going on with my machine...

 

Just got mine and waiting also. It's also annoying there is a sticker in the box for me to return the 90W. Now I have to go out and find a drop box, ugh.

 

You should be able to call UPS or whomever the shipping label is for to do a pickup. There's no need for you to go find a dropbox if it's a prepaid label.

 

New as in new to you? Or is this your 2nd 130w?

Mine is a slim model with the blue ring still around it like the 90w. Its model PE1-00 ? It says PA-4E family..but Im assuming its not the same as yours?

 

Just got off the phone, apparently they can't even setup a damn service call for my new system because the warranty hasn't transfered over yet and their system is "currently being updates and maintence is running" so they're unable to do it at the moment. Told me to call back later, I said that well if later if I'm not able to get a service call out if the system is back up what good would that do? I asked about another replacement, told me that the system would only be exchanged for the same thing. I of course said no that another exchange would not be for this laptop, fool me once. I'll be waiting for my case manager to be calling me back as it seems he's "the boss of my boss" according to the supervisor I talked to and he has much more authority than anyone there. Hopefully something can be done. This is just getting ridiculous, I sure as hell will not take another 16xx as a replacement.

It's my second 130w PSU. It's BEEFY, very thick compared to the other one that I had and it doesn't have a blue ring only a blue dot. Like in this picture.

Positive, I installed them tested it, and then uninstalled and tested the quickset drivers and still not functioning properly. All of the other functions/buttons work fine except for that.

 

man you are just having the worst of luck. not to say you haven't checked already, but are you sure the button problems you are having with eject etc is not a quickset driver issue?

 

Also checked the touchpad drivers, it's not a driver issue either and doesn't explain why my left button is so damn loose.

 

Yea mine is pretty slim, like the models pictured in the other 1645/47 throttling threads.

what was wrong with your 1st power brick, sorry for being redundant if you've already covered that.

 

What did you put on your Speaker grill?

 

Transparent packing tape. The good stuff, so there's even distrobution of the glue, and there's no foreign things/residues on the adhesive. Lay a long strip from the top of the laptop near the screen and slowly flatten it so you make sure there are no creases and whatnot. Once flattened gently rub your fingers over it to get rid of any air bubbles that may have formed and to make sure that it's stuck on. If you use the good stuff the heat transfer from the laptop will not cause the tape to leave glue behind when removing it. Once that's done cut out the edges. Under a bright light you should be able to see where the speakers are located, I cut out a square with an Xacto Knife, it doesn't scratch the grill or anything. Just be VERY careful when using it not to cut yourself. Once the shape of the speaker hole is traced out with the blade slowly bring up a corner and peel it away.

http://dl.dropbox.com/u/3226360/IMG_0335.JPG
http://dl.dropbox.com/u/3226360/IMG_0337.JPG



I discovered something else wrong with this system. As stated in the video don't know if it's OS or if it's hardware based but yea multiple reboots and the problem still occurs...

I made a video of it Here

 

So my case manager called me. We discussed the problems and he was dumbfounded that a new system would have such problems. We went over the problems, BIOS versions and even hardware ID's of some components. He offered me yet another replacement, I accepted under one condition. I told him that I wanted whatever the new ATI chipset for the laptops the 5000 series graphics cards that would be coming out in the upcoming weeks, he infact confirmed that the boards are already being shipped with the new graphics chips and that if I wanted he could arrange that the replacement have that instead of the 4670. I honestly hope that my new laptop does not have these problems...

 

Awesome if that really is true! Maaaan, that's one of the reason's I was waiting so long to take action on my situation. Trying to wait out any new upgrades there were coming out, specifically the 5000 series update. Shooot. I wonder if I can try to get that too because my build is still in production..hmm..Congrats man! bummer for me...Probably coming out end of the month officially across all the lines...:/

 

As a reminder, any image posts must be under 500x500. If larger, resize or link to the image. Forum Rules concerning image includes:

Thanks.

 

sorry about the images.

Just checked something i5 540m does not run the 1333mhz at full spec. It's running at 533.3mhz instead of 666.7

 

The i5/i7 dual cores only support 1066mhz officially. So yours is normal.

 

Wow Dell tech support is really Pissing me off. The tech just told me that the 540m was far superior to the T9900 because of HT the clock speeds do not matter, and that because it is 35NM and the t9900 is 45nm that its far more stable. I showed him these links
http://www.cpu-world.com/sspec/SL/SLBPG.html
http://www.cpu-world.com/sspec/SL/SLBPD.html
http://www.cpu-world.com/CPUs/Core_2/Intel-Core%202%20Duo%20Mobile%20T9900%20AV80576GH0836MG.html
http://ark.intel.com/Compare.aspx?ids=35568,43544,43560,43122,43124,39312,
http://www.notebookcheck.net/Mobile-Processors-Benchmarklist.2436.0.html

And he still insisted that it was not a downgrade! I told him to put his supervisor into chat and tried to be civil (ended up telling him that it was breach of contract), he said that he put the request in for an i7 620M but doubts i will get it and he will call me back in 1-2 business days.


EDIT: found something interesting for Windows 7 users its called god mode all you have to do is create a new folder on your desktop and name it this GodMode.{ED7BA470-8E54-465E-825C-99712043E01C} basically it allows you to access all your settings for windows 7 part of this SSD tweak guide: http://www.tweaktown.com/articles/3116/tweaktown_s_solid_state_drive_optimization_guide/index6.html

 

Yea that surfaced a month or so ago. Turns out it was never meant for users to access, it was meant for developers to use to have easier access to Win7 but obviously doesn't cause any harm. The name "god mode" isn't required and it really isn't a god mode. Thats just what the microsoft development team chose to call it. You can name it anything you want and the trick still works. There are numerous other "hidden" options like this too that work very similar to this trick. The name of the folder doesn't matter jusst the text string that follows. Check it out:

Starting with 'mode1' each text string represents the prospective menu trick in the image below..



{00C6D95F-329C-409a-81D7-C46C66EA7F33}
{0142e4d0-fb7a-11dc-ba4a-000ffe7ab428}
{025A5937-A6BE-4686-A844-36FE4BEC8B6D}
{05d7b0f4-2121-4eff-bf6b-ed3f69b894d9}
{1206F5F1-0569-412C-8FEC-3204630DFB70}
{15eae92e-f17a-4431-9f28-805e482dafd4}
{17cd9488-1228-4b2f-88ce-4298e93e0966}
{1D2680C9-0E2A-469d-B787-065558BC7D43}
{1FA9085F-25A2-489B-85D4-86326EEDCD87}
{208D2C60-3AEA-1069-A2D7-08002B30309D}
{20D04FE0-3AEA-1069-A2D8-08002B30309D}
{2227A280-3AEA-1069-A2DE-08002B30309D}
{241D7C96-F8BF-4F85-B01F-E2B043341A4B}
{4026492F-2F69-46B8-B9BF-5654FC07E423}
{62D8ED13-C9D0-4CE8-A914-47DD628FB1B0}
{78F3955E-3B90-4184-BD14-5397C15F1EFC}