Dell M1730 - 8700M GT SLI Problems - Troubleshooting Hint

There are already a few posts about this new machine, and some users are having extended problems with their new M1730s. I'm one of them. Two bits of news:

1) Dell Canada rep just let me know that the Aegis PhysX card is _missing_ from a number of notebooks that were released. The driver will install even if the component is missing! Check your Device Manager to see if you PhysX card got installed!

2) The Nvidia driver has a file drop down option under the SLI tab (where you enable SLI) called "3d Setting". Under this drop down you can enable an overlay that shows how each card is splitting the duty in your favourite game. Though I've been having problems, the overlay works in two games I get fantastic performance from: Battlefield 2142 and Team Fortress 2. The overlay does not work/appear when I run Call of Duty 4, a game that is running terribly.

Could be a hint that the driver issue for the M1730 could be more about game support than Microsoft or Nvidia support.

 

I was one of them, still waiting on my replacement to arrive, but in no real rush as i am not missing the card.

 

What are you running Billy? Any games not performing? Have you tried the SLI overlay?

 

UPDATE:

I have received the Aegis card, but noticed no real performance improvements after installing it. I also updated to the Nvidia 169.09 driver using a modified .inf file at http://www.laptopvideo2go.com/

Driver is running stable, better yet the overlay SLI overlay now appears when running Call of Duty 4 and performance is greatly improved.

 

Troubleshooting Dell XPS M1730 graphic.



I solved it all….

I bought my laptop in febuary 2008..

Since then I wase able to play any games that I throw at it, with a driver that I found on Laptopvideo2go

But 2 month ago, my XPS died of a heat stroke…mobo fried and the cpu fan to….((( I'm a real gamer to that thing, but it suppose to deliver extra performance.

Send the pc to dell, and they return it to me 4 days after my sending.

Good service do.

When it came back, I install the ghost from the HDD, and install the new Nvidia driver 175.32 from the site.

OH BOY!!!! What a lag….any game that I try was choppy and ugly….so I began to tweak the machine, install around 30 drivers from Laptopvideo2go and so on…..after 2 weeks of sweating on this ting (( like if i had nothing else to do))

I solved it all….here is what I've done


****First, don't use the ghost image on your hard drive for installing windows on your new Laptop. (( that ghost is full of bugs and scrapwar install in it, dell put to much stuff that are not necessary in general. And it makes some conflicts with hardware)))***

- So, I install Windows from the cd that came with your brand new machine. = FRESH INSTALL FROM CD.
- Reboot
- Install chipset from dell site
- Reboot
- Install audio driver from dell site
- Reboot
- Install the last video driver from Nvidia: 175.32 whql
- Reboot
- Install Call Of Duty 4
- Reboot
- Test the game in 1600x1200 in aspect ratio of 16:9, Dual video card enable and the rest at maximum settings.
- *****wow, never seen the game so byutifle and fluid, no lag = PERFECT for the first time since january*****
- Install Nostromo game pad + Raser Lachesis mouse driver
- Reboot
- Test again COD4 = perfect no change
- Make a restore point
- Install Dell Quickset from Dell site
- Install Dell LCD monitor from Dell site
- Install Lan from Dell Site
- Reboot and test againe = perfect
- Made a Restore point
- Install Ageia Physx
- Reboot
- Test againe = perfect…..

So, to have a real XPS laptop without any graphic problem, you have to make a fresh install from cd, when your machine is built up, use Norton ghost to make a real ghost that you will put on a cd or on an other HDD.

Hopping it will help you run your XPS laptop like Hell…

Spamer : French Canadian dude.