Dell XPS M1730 Owner's Lounge, *Part 3*

Your motherboard when you have it removed. Your CPU's behind it.

 

Hey everyone! I've got a question, maybe one of you smart MF'ers here might know, lol.


Is there any way, on our M1730's with the WUXGA 1920x1200 screens, to reproduce or replicate the 'Motion Flow' (120hz) look/effect you get on a 120hz LCD TV? I know our systems are 60hz, and I know there was a way to reproduce it a while back, but it was a very arduous task. Has anything been done, or any new technique been discovered, to achieve this?

I'm playing High Definition .mkv (x264) movies on and through it, with the setup seen in my sig.

Thanks in advance for any and all input!

 

Hello,

First post on the forum ^.^ . I've been noticing the last few version of the Nividia GPU driver for my M1730, have not been coming with a nvidia control panel.
If i try to run Nividia phys-x properties, It will open the nvidia control panel and intently get a run time error.

I have tried two different drivers and reinstalling them, all helpfull suggestions appreciated .

( If this is not the right forum/thread to post this could someone please direct me where to... Google hasn't been very helpful :/ )

Thanks

 

HELLO NICE PEOPLE!
So I've bought this M1730 on 20th November 2007 and my warranty covers for another 1 year+.
Lately my laptop have been slowing down and lagging a lot in games and I suspect it's because of overheating. Idle temp would be 73 deg and when I game it would go up to 90 deg and also it have recently shutdown due to overheating.

So my questions is this: can I get a new notebook from dell? I'm from singapore and I guess their warehouse is in malaysia. Will the replace me with alienware? Because I've heard that their m1730 isn't in production anymore.

thanks! and sorry if I didn't explain myself clearly

 

As far as I know, and tested, unless you have a 120HZ LCD screen...it won`t work. Same thing for 3d effects...
If I`m wrong, all the better

 

The #1 cause for slowing down and lagging is going to be because of spyware / viruses. I would scan and clean the system and/or reinstall Windows first with the recovery DVD.

 

Download and install 'DriverSweeper'.

Also, download one of the official Nvidia WHQL or Beta drivers. I cannot comment on or make any guarantees about the drivers from Laptopvideo2go.

Then go to 'Control Panel' -> 'System' -> 'Device Manager' -> 'Display Adapters'.

Delete both 8800m GTX entries, and also select 'Delete driver files'.

Reboot your PC and enter windows in 'Safe Mode'.

Run Driver Sweeper in Safe Mode and select the two Nvidia sections and wipe them clean.

Once the above is done, reboot your system and then install your new drivers.

I believe after taking these steps, the control panel issue should be resolved.

 

Have you ever cleaned it out? Over time dust will clog the fans and heat sinks and will noticeably increase temperature.

73 C idle anything is crazy, even in Singapore.

The best way to clean is to take it apart, but for a quick clean, force the fans to high speed, apply compressed air first around the bottom round vents, and second through the vents on the back panel (dust should come out right back at you). Repeat until you don't see dust.

 

Yes, you can interpolate the 24 fps in movies to 60 fps on the screen, giving you the same type of effect.

Some software can do it for you easily with regular DVDs (PowerDVD, WinDVD used to), but with custom containers or HD content it's going to be a total mess and require a ton of CPU power.

You can look at this thread to get an idea of what you'd be getting into if you want to try.

 

Nm88, regarding temperatures.

What about the peaks of 75 at idle? A lot of forum members report those, even with a cleaned out cool environment for their laptops. I am taking PowerMizer into account, which is running on all machines.

I bring this up, because up until I had my own BIOS tapped, and then the X9000 upgrade, my temps were similar. They were generally stay idle at 60-ish, and then have a rare peak to 70 and the fans would kick into medium-low and the temps would go back down to like 55 or something.

 

Have you ever tried reapplying the heatsinks?

I had a similar problem with X9000; Dell simply did a bad job of applying thermal paste and the heatsink. I was getting 90+ C spikes at bootup (before RMClock can reduce the voltage). By taking off the heatsink cleaning all contacts, putting fresh Shin Etsu X23, and cranking it back down very tightly, the same spikes where down to the 50s, which prevented any instability before the voltage was reduced.

 

Thanks for the information.

The issue wasn't with the X9000, but my older CPU.

I put Arctic Silver 5 on the CPU and GPUs a couple of days ago.

However, I think I'll clean them properly and nail the CPU heat sink down nicely next time I open the machine. As of right now, the system's running fine, and no stability issues - 1.2375v at 16x.

 

I take it still no news about a new BIOS ...

 

nor update official drivers from nVidia.... been ages since an update.

 

I highly doubt the 1730 will get a new bios as they're giving m17x as replacements to some people. No reason for them to spend time working on a system going out the door.

 

Thanks for the replies guys.
I've recently installed windows 7 and my idle temp is now 60 deg. however, when I play games the temp goes up to 93 deg peak.
and I'm experiencing some baddddddddddddddd lag. for example, playing wc3 or borderlands on the lowest settings/resolutions. For the first few minutes playing, there won't be any lag. After playing for awhile it starts to lag really bad.
any advice?

 

Sounds to me like a dust problem. Had the exact same issues.
Vacuumed all the vents at the bottom and the back... and it worked! So try that!

 

Wow, changing the threshold for fan startup would take what...5 mins?

 

ummm, the fans are at full speed already

ok thanks! but I just want to ask if it's possible to get a new system because I still have 1 year+ of warranty period left. (my battery's dead, screen has a little crack and my "." button at the numpad is spoilt.)
not trying to cheat dell, just making sure I make full use of my warranty

 

There are 3 sections, Display, Chipset and PhysX, which two do i wipe clean?

@ Everyone, On Another note, My 1730 is starting to slow over time, Reading some past posts it looks like a dust issue, What is the best way to go about cleaning it?

I have also noticed talks about different GPU's to mine ( 8700mGT's ) , Did you guys upgrade yours? And how?

Also noticed talks about BIOS updates, I haven't updated mine, do I need to? If so, where do I do this?

Do I need to update my Phyx drivers?

Lastly, Is there anything else I need to know about my M1730? Tips? Known issues? Etc?

Thanks

 

BluePlum,
Select 'Display' & 'Chipset'.

Also, most of us got our 8800s back when they were new, with machines. Others got the cards when the 8700s were disappearing from the market and the 8800s were the next logical step.

Which BIOS are you using? I believe A06 should be just about the right fit, for the time being.

PhysX drivers can always use an update, but I am not satsified with the kind of drivers Nvidia are currently releasing. However, these are your only options. Go to http://xpsm1730.blogspot.com - BatBoy's blog and have a read in the drivers section for the right steps to installing PhysX drivers.

Note: Majority of games do not use PhysX, so this shouldn't hold a proper bearing on how your machine is performing in general, including 3dMark06.

With regards to cleaning out the dust. I have tried both methods mentioned earlier - vaccum and disassembly. I prefer disassembly, but vaccum-cleaning will also get some results. You have to make sure you are doing a thorough job, as I always used a compressed-air can to make sure no more dust was blowing out from either side of the laptop.

 

Known issues : GPU failures on 8800M GTX.
Tips? Clean the dust at least once every 3 months, keep the back propped up at least an inch or so and update drivers, chipset , gpu etc.

 

Firstly, Thanks for the replies, Much appreciated.

Secondly, How do I find out my BIOS version?

 

No worries.

You get the BIOS number when the computer boots up with the massive Dell logo. Look for the writing underneath the logo.

 

hoping for an answer, thanks!

 

I completed this steps but the problem still persists. I went into the driver directory and tried to run the control panel installer But it failed. I could give you the error if that helps.

 

@BluePlum:

Which driver version failed to install?

 

Hey guys, just to say that my mate is looking for some new blades and a screen surround for his M1730, I have posted a wanted thread here http://forum.notebookreview.com/showthread.php?t=437534
Thanks

 

I might as well ask here, anyone here who wants to sell an X9000 CPU to me?

 

No! i'm using mine.

Seriously though, good luck in your quest mate. And be careful what you buy and where from.

 

Yeah I have been looking on Ebay though most are from China and Taiwan, thought it would be better to buy from a fellow NBR forum member.

 

buy a compressed air spray can and spray into all the vents on the back,bottom an sides. you will see a lot of dust come out; and hopefully much lower temps

for the BIOS : go to the dell website, select support or downloads (deppends on the localized site you choose)
enter your system, download the newest BIOS and maybe the updated drivers as well, install te new bios (read the instructions that come with it, for how to ...) then install the new drivers, that should speed up some things as well and make the machine more stable

 

still haven't got an answer, so I'm gonna go ahead and ask. lol.
will dell replace me with a new system if overheating is because of the dust?(I have warranty)
thanks mates.

 

I cannot say what the driver version was before my current one ( Which was the first one experiencing the issue ) But I'm pretty sure It was WHQL certified, non beta and from Nividia

The current one is 195.55

 

I dont think so, they will send a techie to your place, and he will fix/clean your system

 

Hello guys,

I've googled and check the search here but couldn't quite find a solution to my problem. I've got a Dell M1730 which had Vista on it. Now I wanted to install Windows 7 but it told me "A required CD/DVD drive device driver is missing..".

Now Google told me that this was some kind of RAID problem and I should switch the HDD to non-RAID, which would wipe my OS. I didn't mind wiping Vista so I did that, however, that didn't solve the problem.

I tried the original driver disc and a CD/DVD driver from the Dell page, but neither of those fixed the problem, it just says the driver's not on there. Can anyone help me out here please?

/€dit: I've just realised, I get the same error on my M1530. Does that mean faulty Windows 7 DVD or is that one of those XPS problems?

Thank you so much,
MepH

 

Dude, I think this might be a driver issue pertaining to your HDD controller. Our original Dell O.S. discs contain the relevant files, but when reinstalling different stuff, you might need to install the driver again. You probably didn't even need to undo the raid configuration to solve your problem.

Have a look at http://xpsm1730.blogspot.com - BatBoy's blog. Look for the intel controllers for the HDD. I used these and Windows 7 seems to be working okay.

 

Get the 32-bit or 64-bit floppy-based Intel drivers from here, and load the driver when you install 7.

 

Hii all,

I've just downloaded GRID from steam for £3.74 and I was wondering if anybody has managed to get the Playstation 3 control to work on the 1730?


I'm not bothered about using bluetooth to run it just want it to run via usb.

Thanks.

 

Link:
http://news.filefront.com/how-to-use-a-ps3-controller-on-a-pc/

I got this to work on my other laptop, but somehow, on the M1730, it just doesn't operate. The controller is detected amongst the 'gamepads' as 'Playstation 3 Controller', but no movement and button feedback.

Perhaps you can have a crack.

 

Okay, since I'm moving over completely to my AW m17x now, and just wiped my XPS's harddrive with the German standard for erasing data, I can finally offer up for sale some spare parts I have lying around for fellow m1730 owners.


-keyboard - used for a couple weeks

-G15 screen - tested to see if working

-85 WHr battery - year old - holds a full charge and only used three times (I used my 1730 like a desktop replacement; always plugged in)


I will put up a FS thread for them shortly, but wanted to give you quick-notice in case anyone is dying for these parts and does not have warranty.

 

Hi, I'm new here, from reading all these XM888 failures I'm kinda "iffy" on buying an XM888.

What are the going prices for Dual 8700m gts? I'm selling them for $200.
And is this a good price for xm888s http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=280428866932

 

Hey,

Just wondering If anyone has any idea's about my Nividia control panel issue, It's hard playing without SLI :/

 

Thanks for the heads up, I'll check it out!

 

I have to say that I sometimes doubt the power of the M1730 but I installed GRID yesterday and it has totally blown me away, everything is maxed out with 2xAA and i'm getting a constant 60-80 fps. What a beast this laptop is.

 

Yeah the XPS M1730 is no slouch

 

Lawl.

If the M1730 is a slouch, then all the current consoles are dead in their graves, which means that a bulk of the best AAA titles are moot.

Man, I got an Xbox 360 today, and I just don't feel right about the purchase.

 

I've a PS3 and the M1730. I think they're different machines for different roles. Like the PC for strategy (Empire Total War, RA3, ArmA II (although that still doesn't run that well)) and the wide screen PS3 for driving, multi player soccer games, watching AVI's etc.

 

Yeah, to me it's only Killzone 2, Infamous, Uncharted, Genji, Heavenly Sword, Dynasty Warriors: Gundam - the general console-niche-stuff. I officially dropped-out of the whole 'they're two machines for two different purposes' school-of-thought around last year, because this generation's been a plethora of multi-platform titles, and it becomes very hard to eclipse myself from the cold-hard nature of that truth.

I don't even play strategy games--too little patience--so my primary focus are these cliche action/RPG/shooters, which means mostly multi-plats.

Taking all that into consideration, every single multiplatform game, on a 1080p HDTV and on my laptop screen, the M1730 slams the PS3. I have a joypad with better dead zones than both the PS3 and 360 pads, so I am not even one of those 'Keyboard + Mouse' fanatics. Seriously, I tried my best to see the benefits of the HDMI-to-TV-7.1-whatever, but it always resulted in me gazing at the same entry-level textures and low frame-rate that even an XPS M1530 could execute with a bit of help.

The consoles are clearly a low-grade, cheaper experience of what I can capture at a much better fidelity on the M1730. The only--but very important--exceptions: Economics, and exclusives. They have their place as excellent alternatives for those of us on a budget, as well as those of us who are almost suffering from eating-disorders thanks to the driver and software issues that gimp our hardware.

 

Playing soccer on a M1730 with mates over might be a bit hard! There is no "cold-hard" truth. They are two different machines with two different roles. On the PS3 there's no messing about with setting up the M1730, HDMI cable each time, pressing Fn+F8 to get it up on the screen, sorting out the drivers, installing anti-viurs, defrag'in the HD. Its a 5 second start-up and straight into it. Its not all about the graphics and fps.