Dell Studio XPS 1340 GeForce 9400M G Overclocking?

Hi Everyone.
I need help in overclocking my studio xps 1340!
I would like to overclock my GeForce 9400M G video card just a lil to give me a better gaming edge.. For that I would need ur help I dont know what software to use and which one works best (had more options) or if I need to download custom drivers for that software..
I also wouldnt mind over clocking my processor 2.4 Ghz p8600 intel core 2 duo...

Thanks

 

Alex,

Unless Dell has radically changed the BIOS on the XPS 1340 you will not be able to overclock the CPU. The only CPUs which Dell has packaged with their portable line (with the exception of the Alienware M17x - this uses a Phoenix BIOS) that allows overclocking are the Intel Extreme mobile CPUs. These were found on the XPS M1710 and XPS M1730. The Intel Extreme CPU has an unlocked multiplier which the BOIS would recognize and a multiplier menu would be displayed within the BIOS. Your P8600 does not support it.

As for the 9400M G, it might be possible using NVIDIA System Tools, however I don't believe this is the case. You can give it a shot by downloading and installing it. Note: I haven't checked the 1340 specs, but unless you have a NVIDIA chipset motherboard and not an Intel Chipset, do not install all options when running the NV System Tools installer. Only install the 'Performace Group'. The other two modules/groups are for motherboards based on NVIDIA's chipset.

http://www.nvidia.com/object/nvidia_system_tools_6.02.html

 

I believe that 9400M G is integrated. But I guess you can still try overclock it if you want..

 

Yeah, it would be integrated. May be possible for NV System Tools to hit it, but I doubt it. Even if he can see it in Sys Tools and can access the OC menu I wouldn't risk it since its not a discrete GPU with its own fan. We'll leave that up to the owner though...

 

On to the question at hand. Yes, you most certainly can OC the 9400m G using nTune. However, it does restrict you to certain parameters. You can adjust the GPU to 600mHz max and there are similar restrictions on the shaders and memory. Interestingly, you can't underclock very much either. Not sure what their rationale is there. It might have been useful for lower powered 3d games. The system already automatically underclocks the GPU when running 2d, and so I suppose it's not all that useful.

In any case, feel free to experiment. If you overheat the system, it will simply clock itself down and run the fans full blast until the temp stabilizes. You obviously might want to help things along by stopping whatever app is causing the stress on the GPU - but I'm assuming you're not a complete noob and figured that out already.

 

Who said anything about "Laptops shouldn't be overclocked!!"?

 

well i know that the asus g1's video card is overclockable. basically what you would do is flash the video cards bios to another cards. with a 9400m i think you can flash it with the 9600m gt. let me get the links and insturctions for you.

 

Do tell. . . How will the bios of a discrete GPU such as the 9600m GT work on the 9400m, which is an integrated GPU with a significantly different architecture? Bios tampering is also the perfect recipe for bricking stuff. Why would one go that far when one would still have simpler, problem-free options to explore?

To the topic-creator, I would suggest trying nTune before uh. . . reflashing your GPU bios with something that's very vaguely similar to your GPU.

 

I'd be interested as well, I did a quick search for modding a 9400m to a 9600m gt and found nothing. But like the poster above said, its highly unlikely you'll be able to do it because of the large differences.

 

Well, technically, you can flash anything - provided you dig deep enough. However, you'll most likely turn your machine into a nice little door stop.

Just use the software to overlcock.

 

WOW.... you should put a warning label on that post, messing with BIOSs is not the smartest thing to do, and less when your trying to bunk in some unknown Bios into your system...

sorry to say this but... NO WAY...

You can overclock almost any GPU with the proper software, like Rivatuner for example, or ntune.

Overclocking is all about hitting the sweet spot between performance, stability and heat administration, you increase the clock slowly and run some games to see how much your GPUs heat increases ( not sure what is the "safe" temperature for the 9400, but for mine its less than 85C ) once you hit a good temperature, stop there, and if your games start to get colorful lines and start to disrupt, that means the GPU is unstable and you have to reduce clock, for Video Ram overclocking is similar, but if you go too far, your driver will start crashing.

 

THANX TO ALL FOR TAKING TIME TO ANSWER THIS!

I've used only 1 software tool that actually somewhat worked on 9400m g... i think it was Nvidia performance tools pacakage directly from nvidia site, but it only let me overclock shader speeds from 1100 and up but the core clock always gave me an error! so it always remained stock at like 410 i think...

Now i tried a few days ago downloading ntune, which for some reason gave me BSOD when i launched some parts of the program like stability test, performace and i havent changed anything! it got to the point where as soon as i launched the program i got BSOD..

Yesterday i tried that rivatune program and couldnt understand anything plus it said my card isnt safe to overclock because its really not on their list...

Here:s what i want to do. CAUTION: this might sound extremely DUMB! lol...
I want to buy an extra back metal panel for my xps1340 and drill a lot more holes in it so the system will have more airflow from the bottom at least.. and then possibly buy a laptop cooler..... thats ofcourse if i ever get to overclock my 9400m G..... Thats the way I am, never can leave anything stock

ANY TIPS? maybe custom drivers?

 

Check the service manual and find out where the northbridge is and find out where the heatsink and the fan for it is before you drill anything.

 

NVIDIA System Tools incorporates the current version of NTune.

As for buying an extra bottom chassis piece, well its worth a try. I don't believe a few more holes in the bottom of the chassis would help with airflow. I say this since there isn't a fan sucking in air from that side. Now a cooler pad blowing directly into that hole will help cool it but bear in mind the forced airflow into the bottom of the chassis may disrupt the normal exhaust airflow provided by the system. Modding can be fun and worthwhile, but be careful

Some part links (not sure which one you would need):
http://www.parts-people.com/index.php?action=item&id=6154
http://shop.ebay.com/?_from=R40&_trksid=m38&_nkw=M350G

Service Manual

I also suggest hitting up the 1340 owner's lounge. your fellow owners are great sources of info.

Good luck

 

Thanx for the tip I've taken a look at the service manual pictures, and the fan thats sucking in air is ridectly underneath upper left corner on the bottom on the chassy so im guessing buying an extra bottom piece and gutting it out would help a bit plus its not like i would void warranty lol

OO the good news: I gave it a shot with NVIDIA Pefromance tools and I overlcoked the 9400m's gpu processor from 1100 to 1125.
and changed cpu frequency from 2,400 stock to 2,736

On vista score board processor score went from 5.3 to 5.6
aero graphics from 5.8 to 5.9
gaming graphics from 5.3 to 5.4

The only thing I need now is somehow better the cooling..... Does anyone know if I can swap the cooling tray for a diffent one (not the stock aluminum) so it can taking in more heat and remain cooler ???

One more question system propertie still display processor at 2.4 mhz even tho its 2.7, anyway to change this?

Again Thanx for your time everyone

 

As far as I know, your system properties will not change. Its hard coded to the processor.

Be sure to monitor your temps constantly with HWMonitor while overclocking with NV Sys Tools.

I suggest trying a cooling pad first and see where that puts you.

In the end, as already discussed here, please be aware its an integrated GPU and not even close to an actual card in terms of performance. What I mean by this is you will only be able to push it so far before seeing negative returns. Above all else, be careful. We don't want to see you post that the lappie is now a big doorstop

 

Ye i deffinetly dont expect results as big as a dedicated card. Its just that I bought crysis a few days ago just to test if my video card will even play it..
Well it worked great when everything is on low levels and resolution is at highest, I guess i was getting around 40-50 frames at those setting but yet again thats with a naked eye. AND its crysis 1 not the latest one..
So i kinda wanted to boost it just a lil..

Guess what I just ran 3dmark05 and my stock results with all latest drivers and bios were 3959, and cpu score was 12***(something)
Now my score is 4195 and cpu score is 14527

I would say for an integrated card thats a HUGE imrovement! BTW Gpu processor was only raised 25 points! so I didnt overclock 9400mg a lot at all.
However I overclock the cpu a good amount but it seems to run stable. at 2,900 mhz it froze so i chose to go for 2.7 and not 2.8 as its a lil close to border line....

As in terms of cooling for now i just put 2 pencil underneath the tabs (where the vent is) just to give it extra clearance and it seems to work fine in 3dMark05...

Do you think I should stop overclocking there? also is there any tool that will let me work with fan settings?

 

My personal opinion is to leave the fans alone. Do not try to control them as their is no reliable app available to do so. They are controlled by the BIOS and that is where it should be left. Again, your best source of info on this will be the 1340 owners.

As for OCing with NV Sys Tools, you can continue to increase it but do so in small increments. 1Mhz at a time. Test out each setting not just in 3D but 2D as well. If the system becomes unstable then back it down. The 1Mhz increment is tedious I know but its easier to find the 'sweet spot' using this approach.

 

I've got a Dell Studio 14z and can assure you that nTune will, in fact, happily OC the ALU's to 600 but no higher. Strangely,the same is true of the GTX260M in my ASUS G51VX.

BUT, the 8800GTX's in my M1730 will go as high as you dare (until you start locking up somewhere north of 650 on the ALU's).

Did nVidia perhaps design in some limits within nTune regarding the GPU's that came after the 8 series? With the 8800's, you could theoretically rig up a vapor-change system and go to 800mhz or whatever. nTune will dutifully accept and try to implement whatever value you care to input.

Not anymore...

 

strangly when I download Ntune itself it locks up my system just by me starting the program, but nvidia system performace tools (which are basicly same exact thing as ntune) dont lock up on me but i can never change the core clock from 450, i could only boost gpu processor aka shaders, maybe coz its integrated..

Does anyone know any custom laptop heatsinks? like made out of copper rather than stocl aluminum? Does anyone offer specific parts like that for laptop cooling?

Im a strong believer in: if you try to achieve something you will... but i dont know if its impossible or not to find heatsinks??