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    Dell XPS 1640 throttling attempts - Please help

    Discussion in 'Dell XPS and Studio XPS' started by Apocolaps3, Mar 13, 2011.

  1. Apocolaps3

    Apocolaps3 Newbie

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    Hey everyone, this is my first post on this site.

    I have only recently stumbled upon a few of the threads on this site that explain how the CPU throttling degrades the performance of my laptop, since I previously thought it was overheating/not meeting pc requirements during games.

    Basically, I have the same symptoms as other people, I start a game say, then after maybe half an hour of it running smoothly, the frame rate drops by a fraction, then more, then more to the point I normally quit out, reboot my pc and the cycle continues!

    I have looked through the posts and came across a number of things I can do to help this:

    1. Use UncleWebb's throttlestop appliation to stop the CPU being throttled
    2. Update the bios/all drivers etc
    3. Clear the fans of dust
    4. Open the laptop and apply new thermal paste or maybe new thermal fan and heatsink
    5. Maybe buy a laptop cooler to cope with the potential increase in temperature from removing the throttle
    6. Get the 130 Watt power supply, up from the 90W

    So, basically, I would like to know what of these I should do, or should I do all of them?

    I have updates all the drivers and am now on the A14 Bios.

    I have cleaned the bottom intake fan as well as I can without using compressed air or taking the laptop apart, but obviously no hope with the outtake fan, as the brilliant minded dell engineers made the screen block it up... :confused:

    I have had a look at laptop coolers, and my favourite at the moment must be the Zalman nc3000u, but it is quite pricey (cheapest £37). Does anyone recommend any other good value ones?

    Ive also downloaded the throttlestop program, but havent got my head around the workings yet. Wont take long though.

    (nearly done) :eek:

    Then I have the choice of opening the laptop, I am quite good with my hands, and know my way around electronics, but If anyone has previously opened a 1640 it would be good to know if it would be worth it to clean it out, and how easy it was! Also, whether there was a noticeable improvement in performance after.

    Finally, I have heard mention that the 130W power supply is a good thing to get, as the 90W is not substantial enough, only problem is, I am now out of warranty! So would it be worth buying a new one, and where should I get one?? I see alot on ebay etc, but I am not wholly sure if they will work with the xps 1640, a link to a working one would be greatly appreciated!

    So yeah!

    Sorry for the information overload, but to be honest, if all these questions get answered in this thread then it will be a great read for anyone to yet come across this problem.




    Oh, and my specs are:
    Intel Duo P7350 @ 2.00Ghz
    4Gb ram
    ATI 4670 1gb


    Anything else needed, please ask!

    Thanks in advance for the answers :) :)
     
    Apocolaps3, Mar 13, 2011
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  2. Apocolaps3

    Apocolaps3 Newbie

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    Bump! Please help
     
    Apocolaps3, Mar 14, 2011
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