Dell XPS M1330 - nVidia GeForce 8400M GS - Copper Mod

Thanks for the clarifications. You don't have to say it again. I have updated the information with relevant links in the first post and given you credit for the same.

 

Wow.....

I did it!!!

And after 30 mins of doing the copper mod, the laptop hasn't exploded or something (knock on wood though).

Seriously, besides cleaning the fans... this is the very first thing I do to the inside of a computer!! It was nerve-wracking sometimes, but the pictures in the guide were very helpful.

I have only tested my laptop briefly, but I can see about a 20 degrees drop in GPU load temps! (tested with rthdribl). It used to hit 95+ after only 2 mins running this test. I can even see a few degrees drop in idle temps as well. I can't wait to see what happens when the artic silver has finally cured!

This is a great idea. Thank you for writing this awesome guide.

 

Great guide, I followed it to the letter but now I have an issue.

I did this mod a few months ago as a precautionary measure, I didn't have any problems or anything. I didn't really notice a discernible drop in temps, idle or load (1-2 degrees on average).

Now my temps have increased rapidly to the point where it idles on 80+. Despite not having any problems while using it (no flickering, e.g.), Dell wants to replace my GPU. I no longer seem to have my foam pad so I can't put it back. Am I screwed? Will they cancel my warranty or refuse to replace the part because of the mod? Do you even think they will notice it, since they are contracted out? Do you guys think I should cancel the appointment until I get somehow get a hold of the original foam? I highly doubt the modification has anything to do with it since the temps were less than or equal to the stock cooling but can they hold me responsible for the GPU failure?

 

My M1330 GPU gave out again this past week. I'm one of the early adopters of the XPS M1330 back in August 2007. The first time the GPU lasted until February 2008 before burning out. This time, the GPU lasted until October 2008. It's now mid November 2008, and the laptop is at Dell's depot in Texas. Are you all saying that Dell and Nvidia has not solved the problem with the GPU, and that all they are doing now is replacing defective parts with defective parts over and over again until your warranty is out?

The Dell technical support guy kept going on and on about how there is a new fix and firmware (A13) released in August that supposedly is the solution. He said he had not seen any of the laptops come back with the new fix since August. I told him that August was just two months ago, so how can Dell and Nvidia make this claim? He didn't have a convincing answer. Anyone?

 

New M1330's are probably safe, but any warranty work, yep, you're just getting a defective part.

 

Anyone...?

I'm afraid I have no thermal adhesive on hand...
(... not that I really want that silly pad staying on longer than necessary )

 

The pad should just stick in place on its own... if it doesn't, dell will be none the wiser. Just be like "wow is it supposed to do that?" when it falls off as he takes it apart

 

So is the pad a kind of sticky sponge or does Dell actually apply thermal compound?

 

I think you should put the pad back in, and run a few minutes of a graphic intensive game/application (rthdribl). That should 'stick' the pad back on.

 

The good news is that it does stick on it's own

On the other hand, I don't know how many times you can remove & reuse the thing... I wouldn't want to run my rig too long in the pad's current state (but then again, I'm not planning to )

p.s. mystery905, a logical suggestion - aside from the fact that my 1330 won't even power up...

 

ha ha I just saw your profile pic, I assume thats the pad versus the copper, right?

That pad looks extremely porous, no wonder it doesn't work.

 

So My 1330's reborn... for the 2nd time

I haven't swapped the shim back in yet (simply no time) but I did notice two things about the GPU. The first is that the "ID" label (for lack of a more accurate term) is different from the other two GPUs:

G86 631 A2 for the current GPU,
G86 630 A2 from the other two.

Secondly, the other two GPUs cast a purple-ish reflection and this one's more brown. At first, I thought the chip-surface was burned, lol. Of course I took pics (see my sig. for the link).

Once I put the Cu shim back in, I'll check to see what the chip can do, OC-wise...

p.s. @Yomamasfavourite - yeah, that's the thermal pad. It's porous like that so that it acts like a sponge compression-wise. This way the pad is guaranteed to contact the GPU & HSF regardless of the variable gap that is inherit with such a single-HSF solution.

It's also the only possible risk with the Cu shim - if the shim's too thin or too thick, it won't properly conduct the heat...

 

I get the idea of the sponge = compressible idea, but given the inaccuracies in assembling (as you pointed out if you don't get the shim just right it won't fit)

If the blue foam one doesn't fit perfectly and expands or contracts some what, there is going to be lots of entrapped air pockets and bubbles, and given that air is an extremely poor conductor of heat its no wonder that the copper mod works so effectively as a replacement.

bty nice camera shots, and obviously quite a nice camera too!

 

Well, just like traveller I'm going to have my second motherboard replacement tomorrow. The last replacement was made just two weeks ago so I asked the supervisor at Tech Support how many times Dell was willing to send out field services to replace my MoBo before I'm given a new system but he simply said "it shouldn't happen again".

The GPU that was replaced the last time was also a 631 A2 series, and the MoBo Rev A06 (refurbished). I've again removed the copper mod in the meantime and am curious what they'll bring tomorrow. Maybe a new heat sink along with the board? Or an ATI GPU?

 

I (and everyone's that made the decision to do the Cu mod) are in 100% agreement with you on that

p.s. Thx for the compliments on the pics: It helps when taking pics of something as complex as a motherboard to use a tripod (and to avoid a flash at all costs!). Everyone can afford some kind of simple tripod so this shouldn't be seen as an extraordinary component. On the other hand, I have a very "sharp" Canon Macro lens and that also helps... ;p

 

Hi guys, my xps has a copper mod & my idle is around 53c to 58c is this temp ok?

while browsing only around 55c.

also i tried to play nba2k9 & the gpu max temp is around 69c after playing fro 30mins. is it ok?

i have vista32 with sp1.

thanks

 

That's good.

 

That sounds about right. You may want to stress test it by running RTHDRIBL (real time high dynamic range image based lighting) for 5 minutes or so to see your peak temp. Mine goes no higher than 73.

 

i see.. actually i am now afraid to use my 1330 because i dont want it to stress too much i dont have warranty anymore thats why.

maybe stressing it for about 30 minutes will loose the life of gpu for about 30mins also hehehe.. i'm only using it for emergency purposes

 

Or you could just use it as you wish, and if it does die we can help you replace the mobo, it's not that expensive to do.

 

After I did the mod I can run RTHDRIBL for ever and the temperature never exceed 71 degc, it used to hit 90 degc after 15 sec..

 

Nice, but your GPU is still going to die, the deaths are because of faulty GPUs, not hot GPUs, the hot GPUs just exacerbate the situation.

 

You hit the nail DEAD-on. They quoted £67.37p for that piece of blue Thermal Cooling Pad that fills the gap between the GPU and the Thermal Cooling Assembly. My Warranty expired.
Also the A13 BIOS has been withdrawn from DELL site ,World-wide, they made a boo boo again. The current BIOS has reverted back to A12 at time of this reply.
Wonder about the Legality in that DELL is deceiving its customers in regard to their faulty product has been rectified whereas they only produced BIOS updates to prolong the time before the final result, which is the death of your dream machine. Sooner or later, the Warranty will expire and DELL will no longer be responsible for the repair.

NB: The quoted £67.37p does include P&P

ALL IN ALL, WE SHOULD NOT HAVE TO BE IN A POSITION TO DO THIS MOD IF DELL JUST ACCEPTS THE RESPONSIBILITY THAT THEY PRODUCED A FAULTY PRODUCT. (DELL should do the mod not us)

Great Guide Sinstoic Great company this dell

 

Thanks Hep! thats very kind of you. Please give me your yahoo id or any way to contact you aside from this forum.

 

Best way to contact me is this forum, I check it more regularly than my email and I no longer use an instant messenger... unless you include Steam Community.

 

Did the mod tonight, had the laptop apart to clean out the optical drive, so I figured what the heck.

Wondering in there's anywhere I can get a thermal pad to throw back in there in case it ever needs repairs again, the one on the GPU was torn and fell apart into about 3 pieces when I tried to pull it off the heatsink.

So far temps are 10 degrees cooler at idle, 15 cooler at full load, will report back once the thermal paste has had time to cure.

 

Nice guide!

Thanks a lot!

Just a question..What is the cure period that some people mention? What is the point of it? Does it mean that I will have to switch my laptop off after some reasonable periods of using it? Could you please explain it a bit?

Thanks in advance!

 

Some thermal pastes, such as Arctic Silver 5, take time to set in before working properly. This is a one time wait, and the laptop can be used during this time, but your temps to be high. It's best to give it the 200 hours it needs, OR to use a thermal paste that has no cure time (such as MX-II or ASC).

 

You mean to give 200 hours after I apply the copper mod without using the laptop or just leave it at some point for 200 hours switched off?

Otherwise if I don't cure the Arctic Silver 5 would I face a problem?

 

Yes, right after you apply it, leave it off for 200 consecutive hours. This is ideal.
I think I cured mine for about 170 hours before getting bored.

Alternatively, you can use a different thermal paste like this:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835186020
which is actually better rated than AS5 is, and does not need cure time.

 

Urgent:
anyone knows bout thermal paste : Cooler Master Nanofusion
can it be used as a substitute to the arctic silver 5 ?

 

Hep, I'm positive that Arctic Silver's manufacturers refer to 200 hours of on/off cycles, not leaving your laptop off for 200 hours.

 

Actually, I looked it up, the cure is 200 hours of ON time.

 

Not only ON time. I think they refer to 200 hours of ON time including ON/OFF cycles. It's all about going from cold to hot and back to cold again. By cold meaning room temperature.

 

Hey, fellow Cu modders, maybe it'S time to get back into the 1330 Overclocking scene ;p

 

I don't even have any of my M1330s anymore, I sold them all.
But if I did, I still wouldn't OC! (I had no warranty except on one of them, which was the first one I sold)

 

Hep, thanks to members like you & Sinstoic and ideas like the Cu Mod, we can now at least "dare to" OC

The word overclocking implies a certain risk - this is true of any & every operating platform, every HW component. Of course, it helps if you can afford to swap out said component (or if it's under warranty)!

But thanks to the Cu mod, temps are quite stable - and as you yourself pointed out, nVidia's "bad" GPUs are sensitive to temp cycling. I OCed my last GPU (mild 450/650) and the GPU temp went up by only 1~2C (to like 76-77C).

If there's anything to worry about, it's the memory chip. Buried under the 1330's RAM sticks, I'd rather not OC it as there's no way to cool it down. The sticks in my PC have heat spreaders, lol, so just imagine covering the memory chip with that plastic insulator sheet just underneath the 1330's RAM sticks... uggh!

But I digress, this is not the proper thread for such careless abuse - this thread's here to save our GPUs, not fry 'em, rofl

 

Just for the 'ell of it, I'll throw in a third (my) interpretation:

The first curing phase occurs once you have gone through the initial heating-cooling cycle. This means run the Notebook for 30mins or more, then turn if off overnight. This will, say, bring the AS5 to about 90% of it's thermal-transfer capability.

The second and final phase occurs only after long-term use (200hrs...) and covers that last 10% efficiency.

Of course, we all want to see it at 100% efficiency, but I'm certainly not going to worry about gaming with my 1330 prior to that golden 200hr-mark Of course, I did avoid all 3D benchmark and stress tests until "the morning after"...

 

So I just picked up a used Dell Vostro 1400 for my dad. It has the 8400M GPU in it and it idles at 51 degrees!! I can't get that low even with my Cu mod!!

I looked to see if I could find where the GPU sits but the only heatpipe/fan I see is dedicated to the CPU. It desn't look like it even has active cooling for the GPU!

I guess maybe because it is a little bigger it might be better at cooling but still, that sucks!

 

Wow this is incredible! I just completed the mod a few hours ago and the results are amazing. I upgraded my T5450 to a T9300 along the way and added arctic silver 5 to both the cpu and gpu. My heatsink/fan assembly was the A01 revision, so it didn't quite match the gpu heatsink block. My idle temperatures for the cpu used to be around 38-40 degrees celsius and the gpu used to hover around 65.

Now after the mod, my cpu idles around 25 - 32 and my gpu idles around 55-60. Maximums after 10 minutes of Oblivion report 45-50 for the cpu and 74 for the gpu.

The biggest change is the gpu, which before the mod, reported a maximum temperature of 105 degrees celsius! That's a drop of 30 degrees celsius!

This was well worth the investment.

 

can someone post a link of where they bought there copper piece?

 

This is where I got mine from:

http://cgi.ebay.ca/1-5mm-Copper-Shi...hash=item110318846306&_trksid=p3286.m63.l1177

 

Thanks just bought one. about 9$ shipped.

 

I did the copper mod, but temps are still high. They seemed better for maybe about a week, but are now upper 60s - mid 70s (even 80) for GPU idle and sometimes the CPU temps are into the 60s (or up to mid 70s) on idle.

I used AS5 and checked to make sure it is seated correctly, looks like it is making contact. I also checked to make sure the fan is plugged in (and it does kick on correctly).

I haven't read the complete thread, but a good portion of it. Anyone got any suggestions? I got the laptop around April 2008 and had to have the mobo replaced already I think in Sept or Oct. No problems since, but the temperatures are extremely high (sometimes the corner of the laptop by the fan is almost too hot to touch)!

I should also note that the cooling assembly is slightly different than the one pictured in the original guide, it is the 1st one pictured in (post #11) of this thread
http://images.google.com/imgres?img...+heatsink&um=1&hl=en&client=opera&rls=en&sa=N
but mine is also marked A01.

I tried running without the back cover on, and the copper heatpipe feels extremely hot to the touch, so I believe the heat is transferring to that correctly, but why wouldn't it be dissipating the heat as well?

What is the "best" recommended BIOS and how do I tell which revision I currently have?

Thanks for any help!

 

Is this mod also for the rev. 2 version of the heatsink? Is heatpads used on rev. 2 version? Is there any newer versions of the cooling assembly that Dell delivers with the m1330 that don't use heatpads at all, and that works well? If so, what rev. number? thx.

 

Very interesting ... will Dell extend the warranty with the mod completed?

 

My M1330 has this cooling assembly as well...



I still plan on doing the mod as soon as the materials arrive but... I'm curious to know if anyone with this cooling assembly have had good results?

If I don't get good results, I plan on ordering the other cooling assembly from ebay ($20 - $25 shipped).

 

That's the one I have mate and my temps seem lower than most peoples on here after copper modding.

 

Don't use the heat pads - use a thermal compound ... Arctic Silver or LKQ for the maximum heat transfer from the GPU to the copper heat sink.

 

I think that was the one on both motherboard replacements I got (different from the original which didn't have so many fins on the casting). The current one is marked Rev A01 though there wasn't any very obvious difference from Gamefrk's.

Actually I got quite a good reduction in temperatures this week by going outside, facing downwind (want to avoid Silicosis) and blowing the dust out of the cooling assembly (without opening the machine). It is not the first time I have done it but probably the first in a while.