Dell XPS 14 L401x Thread

I wonder if anyone knows how many L401x were produced before they were discontinued ?

 

So an update on my overclocking.

Its been about 2 months since I've started overclocking my GPU. Results are good so far. Using EVGA Precision. I typically run the Core clock anywhere from 672/740/800MHz, 1344/1480/1600MHz-Shader, 900MHz-Memory. I haven't had 1 issue with heat. I'll typically stay around 68-74C while playing games. Max temp I've reached so far is 76C with the cooling pad on. I can run battlefield 2, super old game maxed out at 8xAA and 100+fps... Running super smooth.

Still getting 5-6hours of battery life.

 

Does anybody have any issues with an OCZ Vertex 2 and the XPS 14? The SSD works on any other computer that I've put it in, but for some reason the SSD won't be picked up by the BIOS of the XPS 14. I've changed the SATA mode from AHCI to ATA and back with no luck.

 

That's amazing for your battery life. Was wondering the spec of your L401x. Please more details on the 5-6 hours battery life. Thanks a lot.

 

i5-460m
4GB 1333MHz DDR3 Memory
GeForce 420m
6-cell battery

Make sure your optimus is working correctly. For some reason, before I did a system restore, the Nvidia GPU would turn on and off constantly, so it would kill battery life, meaning its around 4hrs, but after the restore, it'll stay off and won't come back on unless I run a program that uses it. With wifi off I'll get 6+ hours, more like 6.5hrs w/o wifi.

 

Cool. Thanks for the info. In my case, i7-840qm, 8GB 1333 MHz RAM, GeForce 425M, 9 cell battery; therefore, no optimus for me. With wifi on, watching youtube video clips, it gives about 3.5 hrs. With light internet surfing, it gives about 5 hrs battery life. BTW, I saw someone show a picture of the DELL power option in the power plan. For some reason, it doesn't show up in mine. Any idea to get that? Thanks a lot.

 

Thank you so much for this. I'm going to have to give this a try, been looking on the net forever for advice like this.


Also, I have a question about bluetooth cards... I actually received my new XPS 14 as an exchange, but the reps keep insisting this model doesn't come with bluetooth.

Someone had posted this on their build information:
1 6K4GF Module,Card,Network,Broadcom Corporation,Bluetooth


Would it be possible to buy a bluetooth card, and which one should I purchase? I think it was in this thread somewhere, but I've poured over the pages and can no longer find it...

 

The bluetooth mine came with is the Broadcom BCM2070. Works great with my mouse that I use daily.

 

THANK YOU! I told them your model of bluetooth and now they're replacing it!

 

Hey Everyone,
I am having a problem with waking the computer from standby with a USB mouse and keyboard. I have gone into the BIOS and enabled the USB Wake setting. Then I have gone into device manager and ensured they are checked off to allow to wake the computer from sleep. This appears to work for so long.

However, after a while it will just stop working, I'll have to open the computer and click the power button to wake out of sleep. When I go into the device manger the "power management" tab is no longer there for the mouse and keyboard. Also, if I go into BIOS the setting is still enabled for USB Wake. So I end up having to disable USB Wake and re-enable in the BIOS for the power management tab to return in the device manager to enable my mouse and keyboard to wake the computer.

Does anyone know why this would happen? Why would the setting seem to reset itself like this?

Thanks for any help.

PS - The power management tab comes back after a simple restart. Still don't know why it stops working in the first place though.

 

Ugh, I went ahead and reformatted my system but the stuttering in games every minute or so is still present. I don't get it =/ Hard drive tests out fine, I don't notice any weird cpu or ram spikes. Multiple games have the issue. I can't believe I'm the only one experiencing this. Sigh.

 

Not that it is probably relevant, but I find that if I am stressing my CPU or GPU while trying to game I can get a stutter every couple of seconds or so. But that is only when I am folding on it while gaming simultaneously. Don't suppose your have something else like that running, or maybe you can monitor your CPU/GPU use to see if they spike periodically (hard to match completely to stuttering since you can't view them while gaming).

 

I've got my IM client and a torrent client running. That's it =/ Even set the settings down to lowest and still it persists. Gonna run memtest tonight, that's my last idea.

Update: Ran Dragon Age 2 for a bit and around the time of the stutter GPU-Z said my temp was 94. That sounds awfully high. Should I be concerned?

 

Ah, the shuttering or random chopping in a game... I feel like its the Intel turbo boost downclocking the core when it skips/chops/lags. If you have the intel gadget on it'll show the GHz of the core, so it'll show turbo boost. Well I know when I had the gadget on, it would go upto like the 3.06GHz that it boosts to, then when it'd go down to the 2.68GHz it would skip. So I feel like the CPU is causing the game to skip. However, I haven't had this issue in BFBC2.

I also had an issue when I had my laptop straight from dell. I would install games such as Crysis or urban terror (great!), but it would take my PC like 10 minutes to get to the loading page, it would just sit there after I clicked on the icon and it'd take forever to load. After I reformatted back to factory setting, wammo, games run like butter.

Also, BFBC2 is AWESOME! Probably the best game out there (my opinion). I'm running my GPU at 780MHz Core, basically 40MHz overclocked at 550m setting. I'm pretty sure the 420m is the same core as a 550m, just clocked lower. I've yet to get to talk to Nvidia about this claim of mine. So yea, not real worried. I do get upto 77C after a good hour and a half of online play. FPS is around 30-60fps @ 1366x768 with settings on high with 2xAA and 8xAntisotrophic HBAOoff. It runs great! I get about a 10fps difference from 1280x720 vs 1366x768.

Too bad Dell doesn't offer the new 400 series GPU's from Nvidia, they'd be so much better, like a 445m. GPU's on laptops need to be set on actual removable sockets so we can change GPU's...

93C on the GPU? It sounds to me like you have the problem that another owner had with the heatsink not even touching the GPU. I would be seriously concerned. I'm overclocking my GPU to almost double its core speed and I don't even hit 80C...

 

That's optimus for you / switchable graphics. I'd definitely go with the xps 15 just for that reason.

 

That's really impressive. 30-60 fps, that should be smooth. I'm surprised it runs that smooth. What gpu and processor are you using?

 

That's what I figured =/ I'm gonna have to pull it apart and make sure it's all tightened and whatnot. Just looks like a huge hassle to get to that I was hoping to avoid. Why can't it be as easy as my m1330 was?

 

Stock paste will eventually need a repaste sooner or latter, you'll see what I mean when you open it up.

It's not too hard opening up the thing, but make sure you know which screw goes into which hole! I placed the wrong screw under the battery, it went over to the other side and popped up a little on the fancy touch bar ;<

It's all worth it though, temps stayed low and I'm sure it would be even lower if I used IC7(I used AS5).

 

That was gonna be my next question. So Dell used paste, not a pad? Just wanna be sure it's fine to replace it with thermal paste. My m1330 had a thermal pad and you needed to use pieces of copper to space it properly if you removed it.

 

Paste on both GPU & CPU. It is more difficult than the M1330 (from what I recall), since you have to basically get down to just the motherboard by itself. I was the one that commented earlier on my GPU heatsink not touching the chip. Added a copper shim and things are much better. Still hit high 70s if i have the notebook flat on the surface while stressing it, but if i raise either the front or back it only hits low 70s.

 

Done! Wasn't too bad. I think it took me about an hour with taking my time and closely following the service manual. My god is there a lot of screws on this thing.

Immediately upon removing the heatsink I found the issue. No paste on the gpu AT ALL. I mean how the hell Dell? Pretty pissed about that, not to mention the heatsink wasn't even fully seated. Also discovered one of my speakers wasn't in the holder properly (still sounded great tho). Pretty much fail all around.

http://i.imgur.com/0rRTO.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/VBBU1.jpg
Those pictures are before I cleaned anything. That GPU was super shiny, never seen thermal paste in its life.

After I got it reassembled with AS5, my idle temps were about 20 degrees lower. Played Dragon Age 2 for about 30 minutes and never got about 60 degrees. SOOOO much happier. It was worth the hassle.

 

Nice job, you can expect even lower temp after AS5 has fully settled(takes 200hrs).

 

Ran some BFBC2 tests. Here's what I get. Enjoy if your lookin to get it.

Overclock setting:
Core: 760MHz
Shader: 1520MHz
Memory: 900MHz

Game:
Level of Detail High
Texture Quality High
Shadow Quality Medium
Effects Quality Medium
Anti Aliasing 8x CSAA
Antisotrophic Filter 8x
VSYNC OFF
HBAO OFF
Resolution 1280x720
Total Average 42.84FPS

(Playing 2 maps and doing 9 tests of fps for 60 seconds)

 

how did you manage to get 760mhz clock? In my case, (gt 425m) the msi afterburner shows a max of 730mhz clock that is possible.

So guys, for all who did the repaste job, are you sure that the gpu has no thermal paste/pad in it?

 

Haven't heard anyone else except gaga006 who doesn't have paste on it. If you aren't getting abnormally high temps you shouldn't worry about it.

 

Well after contacting Nvidia regarding the GPU I have some factual information. I first figured that the 420m was the exact same chip as a 550m, the only difference I could tell was clock speeds. Apparently its a different chip. the 420m is a GF108 chipset and the 550m is the newer GF106 chipset.

I use EVGA Precision for my overclocking. Easiest program ever, so nice. The onscreen display in BC2 works great too!
If you want to see my stats regarding frames in BFBC2 check out my thread at overclock.net
Bad Company 2: FPS - Overclock.net - Overclocking.net

When I game at the 760MHz speed I'll typically be in the range from 68-72C in-game. Not worried...

 

Is anyone else waiting for these screens to come in for the Alienware M14x? I wonder if they'll be compatible with our units? I wouldn't mind a 1080p screen:

Alienware M14x gets caught in wild: 14-inch gaming notebook - SlashGear

Anyone heard any news on this? If they're compatible, I'll probably buy this screen instead of the LG one everyone has purchased already.

 

After putting a Dell XPS 14 on order, I'm also keen on modding it! I too am lining up a new screen and an SSD for it. Hopefully it'll arrive before the Easter break too.

 

AW 14 configuring page is up in some european dell site, the screen options are 768p and 900p, no 1080p. Not saying it's not possible to have a 14" 1080p, but I doubt it.

 

Yeah, though its possible, but things may look too small. A 900p screen would be fine.

Well does anyone know who is the manufacturer of the XPS 14's bios? Can anybody try unlocking the BIOS for obtaining a more reliable OC than a software OC like here ( http://forum.notebookreview.com/dell-xps-studio-xps/521990-bios-modding-gpu-oc-fun-profit.html)

Hey guys, I've a problem that I'm encountering with my xps 14, that is, if I use prime95 to load all the cores, then I notice that there is no turbo boost at all. It should turbo straight away to 1.86GHz, but in mine, it doesn't. Also, my temps are pretty much fine (65-74C for CPU) and still it doesn't enter turbo. Please help me guys. Thanks.

 

Kinda a no brainer but don't run your GPU at 800MHz. Got like 1700 errors on OCCT testing.... It is stable at 740MHz and 760MHz.

 

Can't seem to find the webcam software that comes preinstalled on the Dell site, only the driver. Anyone got it?

 

I found it at MyDellDownloads ( smartsource.dell.com)

 

Hey guys, here in Brazil a lot of XPS 14 users are getting some problems with the battery. It shows a pretty high wear level within a small period of time (or after few cycles). I had my battery changed for the 3rd time and the problem still there. I'm wondering if the problem is with the battery or with our charger (if I'm not crazy, our charger is different from yours). If it is possible, can you guys post here some information about the battery (model, manufacturer, wear level, time of use, ...) and the charger(model, power(90W, 130W,...), input, output, current, ...)? The Dell Support Center shows almost everything, but I prefer AIDA64 or BatteryCare. I know that it is kind of too much, but the brazilian Dell department is not treating us well and is giving us used parts that already have high wear levels for a brand new battery. Some users are seriously thinking in sue Dell about this and these information would be pretty helpful or to solve our problem (finding what is wrong) or to give some arguments for them. Thanks for the help! You are our hope!

 

That worked, thanks!

 

If your looking for the best overclocking with the 420m. I suggest sticking from 672MHz to 740MHz on the Core since those are the speeds of the 540m and 550m. Anything over 740MHz is unstable. Also, you get about 900MHz on the Memory as well. Anything over is a little unstable. Just use OCCT and run the error tests. My GPU now tops out at about 73C.
The thing overclocks like a beast. BFBC2 is niceee on it.

A little update on this issue. Overclocking the Core speed's are fine upto 760MHz so far. However, do note, overclocking the memory over 900MHz causes errors and degradation in OCCT testing. 900MHz is the very max speed for Memory that I've been able to run stable

 

I'm really curious as to what the specs are for the Dell Alienware 14" 900p screen...

I still think the LG one is probably the better out of the two... but it would be nice if there was a part number or something so we could compare...

 

My Dell XPS 14" arrived the other day, and I'm definitely impressed. I'm actually not bothered by the screen, I've spent the night coding games and playing a bit of Guildwars, to be honest, I'm happy with the way it is.

I'm even thinking I mightn't worry about getting an SSD, as I discovered my shipped with a Samsung 7200 650 gig hdd, which is awesome! Samsung HDD's will be a rare bread sooner than later, as I believe Seagate have purchased their hard drive department.

The only negative thing about my 14" XPS experience so far is the corrupt install of Microsoft Zune that it shipped with. I couldn't run it, uninstall it, repair it or reinstall it. Very messy, but I've cleaned out what I can and have decided not to bother with a format.

But as for the rest of the bloatware, well, there's been hardly any, so it's all good!

Two thumbs up for this laptop. As a hobbiest games programmer, it's excellent performance, very portable, and not a Mac!

 

Question:

Did you use EVGA Precision for the underclocking, as well? I used it for OC''ing and it works great!

 

Interesting, I've been running 750/960 and I've been stable. Temps however were around 85-87 degrees Celsius. I play Shogun 2 Total War, Team Fortress 2, Bad Company 2, and other various games for hours without problems.

EDIT: I realize that you guys are talking about the L401x. My bad! Cooling would be a little different compared to the L501x and L502x

 

A115TAR,
Yea, EVGA Precision all the way for any OC UC needs.

ClearIzzy,
If I go 1MHz above 900MHz on the memory I'll start getting artifacts and errors under OCCT. I'll also get errors at 780MHz on the Core even if memory is at 900MHz, just reaches its limits.
Are you using OCCT to test? Make sure its using the GPU and not the Intel graphics. I had to switch the "global setting" in Nvidia cp to H-P Nvidia processor and not switching...Shader at 7 and OCCT test for 20minutes at full screen with error check.

Yea, I dunno if you guys on the L501x have the black mesh between the plastic frame and cooling fan but I disassembled my laptop and took that black plastic mesh stuff out recently. Under OCCT test, it lowered my temps 4C just by removing that mesh crap. Yea it'll get dusty more but u can blow it out, duh. Highest temp I hit was tonight on my GPU, 77C, but my freaking room was at 26C(78F), dang hottt. Typically playin BFBC2 I'll top out at 73C. Also, just for comparison, I average 53.5FPS @ 1360x768 in BFBC2. Thats 20 different tests in SQDM for 10 minutes each... Runs great!

I'm perfeclty happy running 740/900. Basically its a 550m GPU...same specs.

 

You're getting artifacts at as low as 900 mem clock? Mine only starts getting artifacts at 1060 so I set it at 1050(with 777core clock).

 

For those experiencing annoying fan speeds & noises when runing simple programs or surfing the web, I suggest configuring up Windows Power Options.

I found one night after some gaming that the laptop naturally heated up, but when returning to the desktop to surf the web for a few hours, the fan would stop/start full speed on & off every few minutes and it would drive me crazy!

To fix this, I've configured a new Windows Power Option and named it "Silence", and turned off all of the power hungry settings. Whilst testing, I noticed that the Geforce 420M is now permanently switched off whilst "Silence" is active, meaning the whole system cools right down silently!

If required I can change the Power option to a higher performance mode if required, so I've added shortcuts to my start menu.

 

hi
i have an indian one month old xps 14 i7.
im running windows 7 and use "fast access" to login via face recognition a couple of days back the webcam stopped displaying my image but the webcam light would start. it fixed itself automatically but it happened again and this time nothing helps even the webcam central app crashes but the webcam light still starts up. i tried uninstalling the app but still no solution .. somebody please help!!!

 

Is there a way to elaborate on the changes you made? It's pretty damn loud atm.

I'm also getting about 3 hours. Very disappointed in the battery life on an I5 chip/6 cell battery.

LG swap is EXACTLY as advertised. Fantastic screen.

 

I have this EXACT issue.

Driving me nuts.

 

Anyone have an issue with the laptop after you leave it idle for about 20+ minutes and you come back to it, no screen saver or anything, and the laptop takes FOREVER to come back? Like you cant get the task bar on the bottom to come up for like 5 minutes then all of a sudden it works magically? Ive had this issue ever since I got the laptop. I cant leave it sit for more than 10-15minutes or else it does this weird glitch...

Took out the black mesh screen between the outter shell and the blower on the laptop, lowered my temps 4-5C...

 

Never happened with me. What sort of power settings do you have? Is it plugged in when this happens?

My laptop when plugged in never sleeps/hibernates. Is it coming out of sleep? That would be terribly annoying.

 

I know that the LG screen is a pretty good candidate, but it's possible to put a touch screen in ours XPS 14?

 

Has anyone been able to find the right caddy to put in a second hard drive in this lappy? I'm looking at swapping drive 0 for an SSD and putting the Dell provided drive into the caddy to replace the optical drive. The caddies at newmodeus don't appear to support the XPS 14.