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

This thread is full of information. It helped me a few times understanding tipical things about my M1730.

For now I don't have any desire to buy another gaming laptop.

 

How long do your batteries last?
Just out of curiosity i think mine last way to short at only 45 mins.

 

45 inutes is decent. It's pretty normal.
This gaming laptop uses a lot of power. I never use it without the powercord, cause the performance would decrease during gaming.

 

on full performance i get around 50 minutes
on max power saving and minimum brightness i can sqeeze 1hr40min out of it

 

Used to be able to get about 1hr30min out of it. Now lasts for about 40min tops. looks like the battery is dying. Don't really mind it though, I think of it as more of an emergency backup, in case the main power goes down.

 

Yea, the battery in the M1730 is glorified UPS! But it does that job very well.

 

If you want the battery to last, disable SLI, and disable a GPU, Undervolt the CPU, and disable all the unnecessary services.
I think you should get around 2 h that way.

 

Question about the 1730 keyboard. I have noticed that the Plus and Enter (2 largest far right) on the number keypad seem to curve up on the right sides of both keys. They function normally. Does anyone else notice this?

 

Can you show us a picture?

 

hey,
does anyone get a REALLY hot left palmrest?
im worried because many reviews say its actually quite cool.
this is without anything in the dvd drive slot too, which youd think would help. i can touch the black tape on the underside of the motherboard there - for about a second. it has painfully burned me, its not just a little hot.

im serious about replacing the graphics card guys.
maybe the old proprietary MXM port can be hacked? its 2 MXM slots.

not that it wouldnt take some difficult connector sourcing and soldering, even if all the inevitable bios obstacles were somehow dealt with.

oh but if anyone still wants to go the conventional route... thought i might as well post this:
Dell XPS M1730 2GB Video Card 9800M GTX SLI K650M - eBay (item 170500135356 end time Jun-19-10 11:37:44 PDT)

 

Nope, my 1730 is quite cool. Do you have the latest BIOS installed? Could you have some dust bunnies clogging your vents?

 

It was hard for me to get decent pictures. The first is the left side how they should look and the second two are the right side that is raised up.

 

Weird. It looks like the metal bottom of the keyboard isn't well mounted.
Was it always like that or did something happen? I mean, has the keyboard taken out recently?

Just try to take it out to see what's wrong. A awry clasp or something. As far as I can see from the pictures, there's nothing wrong with the keyboard itself.

 

^^ That
But, if you're under warranty just contact Dell and they will overnight you a new keyboard.

 

I dont know the history. I got it from the Dell Outlet. It seems to work fine.

But yes it is under warranty.

 

You can let it replaced under warranty, but why the hassle if you can control/fix it easy yourself. The keyboard is the most easy component.

 

Improper mounting, the way I see it.
As others suggested, have them overnight you another keyboard. Heck, it might even look newer

 

Something strange happened today while I was testing my CPU @ 3.8GHz.
I was using unclewebb's ThrottleStop and used prime95 to stress-test it. While my temps where hitting 85˚C CPU-Z showed me the multiplier got down-clocked every time.
It looks like some temperature control down-clocks the CPU to keep it below 85˚C or am I wrong??

 

i have the second latest bios installed..... and i take it apart all the time. there is no dust in the vents or near the palmrest.
i think its right where the southbridge is, maybe...i wonder what it means?

in other news, i asked an ebay advertised "m1730 bios modification" WHAT is precisely modified and HOW its different at all. more importantly i told them that the graphics card is mechanically but not electrically propriety and if they can identify bios whitelisting and implement workarounds.

they told me: "Hi, The modded bios I have is to support WINDOWS 7, nothing particular about graphics card. Thanks."

wow. i guess i shouldnt even take those ads seriously at all, even for fun. thats just lame.

 

Indeed it does. That's the problem I'm experiencing with my CPU @ 3.4GHz at the moment. As of lately I had to up the voltage of the CPU in order for it be stable. Now it just runs too hot, so it downclocks to 15x multiplier for about 10 seconds, then back to 17x multiplier. The laptop has been cleaned about a week ago (by taking the machine apart), so I guess I should just use it @3.2GHz now

 

You guys may want to try using RMClock for Undervolting, and reapply thermal paste; I use ICD7 for mine. My X9000 @ 3.4GHz has a max temp of ranging from 65 - 70*C max. No down throttling here. 3.4Ghz gives me 1.2625v the very minimum.

Running at 3.8Ghz will have me at 1.45v, 85*C maxed. I've some heatsink modding plans ahead...

 

That's the software I'm using. However, I'm able to undervolt only to 1.415 (or something like that) with CPU being stable @ 3.4GHz. I was going to apply Arctic Silver 5 paste to the CPU, but then realised I don't feel to comfortable taking the whole system apart, including the motherboard.
Eh...got 3 more years of warranty left, so don't worry about it too much.
Do you guys think I can ask Dell to replace my CPU if it is not stable @ 3.4GHz. Does Dell even have any X9000 in stock to replace my CPU with? X9000 would be a nice upgrade from my X7900 tho.

 

i think they have officially said it can be unstable. the warranty will cover you but not guarantee perfect overclocking.

if your cpu was to perhaps die while you had it overclocked however... maybe you could get an x9000 somehow.

 

wow, this M1730 thread is still going strong huh!!
Lots of new recruits I see! lol

For those who are interested, I originally created a load of M1730 videos, which you can find here....
I believe I had my graphics card upgrade video up on Youtube a few months before Dell did their version, and mine still have more views

 

I don't have issues @ 3.4GHz.
Just @ 3.8GHz the CPU gets throttled by Dell's clock modulation. With ThrottleStop I can set my clock modulation at 100%. I have to try that else to overcome this problem.

About my temps:
I use AS5 for my GPU's and CPU. I replace it ones a year. So that's not the issue here.
One year ago I tested the CPU with all possible multipliers and VID's within RMClock. The test result was that my CPU is thirsty for power and needs a slightly higher VID than average to be stable. Unlucky me.
So @ 19.0x (3.8GHz) I have to feed my CPU with 1.4750V to be stable while using prime95. The result is a higher temp. At >85ºC (or about) Dell's clock modulation intervenes.

Please keep us informed about your heatsink modding plans. It sounds really interesting.

 

I was looking at your videos on the 1730. Just wondering if there is any easy way to change the backcover color wing inserts?

 

Hey guys, I`m having issues with the latest nvidia drivers. I keep getting frozen on screen in Starcraft Broodwar, I can`t even play a single match, usually in 5 mins it will freeze.
Now, what drivers are you using, and specifically, I would like a reply from someone with XP 32 bit and with Starcraft installed...

I`m afraid that it might be hardware wise(but after it locks, and i force-restart it, the screen goes on 640x480) so I need to rule out the driver possibility...

 

Not easy. The color wings of the backcover are mounted with screws from the inside. You have to take your screen apart completely.

What latest drivers do you use? The 197.16?
It sounds like your GPU's are starting to pass away.

BTW, the latest drivers for XP is 197.16 and the new Vista/7 is 257.21.
I wonder why this big jump in version number.

 

eleron run the diagnostics and see if any GPU is failing, or just try with SLI off and see if the problem persists.

 

Been using 197.16, and only with driver over 19x. have I had this issue...for now.
Went on 186.x drivers and no more locking, for now. I don`t know what to say.

What diagnostic is that, Magnus ?

 

@eleron, can you tell me exactly which driver did u install ? 186 what ?

 

186.81 for the time being.
The previous driver I had locked in NFS Shift also, this one on the other hand, worked without issues.

Also, just checke my warranty status, Dell did something stupid, I was suposed to have it until March 2011 and now it`s gone...

 

whaat, how can they do that ?
i am having my own set of problems - bought the m1730 off ebay, the guy gave me the service tag and i saw there's still warranty on the laptop.
He also told me that he's the current owner and that transferring ownership is not an issue.
So today i get it, i try to transfer ownership but i can't. Dell tells me the guy is not the owner and now i am stuck.. Don't know what to do now..
He claims he can fix it with Dell, should i return it to him or give him the opportunity to fix it? Problem is, that ebay buyer protection is only valid for 45 days, and i am at day 27 more or less, so he'll have about two weeks to do it and and after that i won't be able to apply for a dispute @ ebay.

 

@eleron, when you boot your XPS and hit F12 you can choose the bios but also diagnostics test to test every single component of your XPS. If there is any problem with your GPU´s it should be seen here.

 

Anyway just an update. I changed the backcover inserts took around an hour. ALso verified that I have a Samsung screen. Also fixed the tweaked keyboard while I had it out.

I did follow this thread: http://forum.notebookreview.com/4582473-post1.html
but didnt take all the wires off. Just got the LCD out enough to get behind it and take out the inserts. ALso opened the bezel with a credit card. I dont recommend using a screwdriver like what is shown in the above thread. Also he shows screws on both sides of the LCD screen. I only had them on one side for some reason. Not even any holes there for screws.

Not too difficult as long as you are careful.

 

Ok, thanks Magnus, I`ll try it later on.

I`m gonna get pissed of if Dell don`t fix this soon

 

Hi all

My M1730 is a year old now. Recently had my GPUs replaced (9800GTXs) due to heating issues. The new ones had been going fine for a month or so till a couple days back. I'm now experiencing freezes intermittently, not just while gaming, but while doing stuff like watching Youtube, or even listening to music. Really don't know what to make of it. Ran the system diagnostics but is absolutely clean. There is no artifacting or other glitches, no BSODs - it just freezes - and if some audio is on, then it gets stuck (if y'know what i mean). Holding the power button down gets it to turn off.

My warranty has just run out a few days ago, and my renewal has not yet been approved. So what do you people say? I had been running the beta 256 drivers for the last month, working flawlessly. Nevertheless, after this happened I tried the WHQL 256 driver, but the issue is still there.

Issue seems similar to what eleron is experiencing, but then, my diagnostics didn't tell me anything.

What do you guys think?

 

Are you running on batteries or mains power? Also you've got the Battery Setting to Performance - correct?

 

I'm on XP32 , using Dell stock driver for 9800GTX - no problem with any games . Before , when I was used nVidia web site drivers , I had many issues in games .
Try it . Unfortunatly I have not Starcraft installed .
All the best .

 

Got a question:
i bought m1730 with 2X 9800M GTX, i was reading that it supports physx from itself, so my question now is, does it make any difference if the gpu handles the PHYSX then it would do when i have real ageia PHYSX card(physical) inside the system??

I saw a ageia pshyx card for m1730 for sale for 45£ so i dont know if this is any good to add with 2 X 9800M GTX
Please clarify this a bit if someone can!! Thx a lot

 

AGEIA is really unnecessary... don't bother with it.
I know some people even pulled them from their laptops so it won't take system resources.

 

The Ageia PhysX is a complete waste of money these days. Your GPU's can handle it even more efficient than Ageia ever did.

Oh yeah, I'm one of them who removed it.

 

Actually when I disable PhysX and run it off the PPU instead I get better framerates in games I think the PhysX on the GPU is holding the performance back a bit in regard to framerates. Now of course a PhysX game should run better with GPU PhysX than the PPU.

 

Hello guys!
I bought a M1730 with dual 9800M GTX, never had any overheating issues before! To maximize the life and performance i was looking to buy or make laptop cooler for this beast! Now i have a few questions about this cause i'm reading a lot of different things that confuse me!!

Is there any really good M1730 cooler ? i read that the zalman and antec are not working for some people....

Suppose i make my own laptop cooler, how much fans would you take ? 3 X 120mm? or 1x220m? 5v or 12v ?

What is best blowing cold air to the bottom, or suck air away from the bottom by turning the fans upside down ??

Any remarks/info/comments are welcome and your help is very much appreciated

Cheers
Thomas

 

the cryo lx is a very good cooler for m1730.

 

Whoa this is my best Crysis benchmark yet, with my CPU at 2.6GHz and 8800m GTX SLI at 640&1600/980.

TimeDemo Play Started , (Total Frames: 2000, Recorded Time: 111.86s)
!TimeDemo Run 0 Finished.
Play Time: 60.18s, Average FPS: 33.23
Min FPS: 28.30 at frame 1955, Max FPS: 55.28 at frame 996
Average Tri/Sec: -28570152, Tri/Frame: -859690
Recorded/Played Tris ratio: -1.07
!TimeDemo Run 1 Finished.
Play Time: 45.64s, Average FPS: 43.82
Min FPS: 28.30 at frame 1955, Max FPS: 55.38 at frame 1004
Average Tri/Sec: -37355732, Tri/Frame: -852397
Recorded/Played Tris ratio: -1.08
!TimeDemo Run 2 Finished.
Play Time: 45.65s, Average FPS: 43.81
Min FPS: 28.30 at frame 1955, Max FPS: 55.70 at frame 995
Average Tri/Sec: -37281344, Tri/Frame: -851009
Recorded/Played Tris ratio: -1.08
!TimeDemo Run 3 Finished.
Play Time: 45.60s, Average FPS: 43.86
Min FPS: 28.30 at frame 1955, Max FPS: 55.70 at frame 995
Average Tri/Sec: -37354504, Tri/Frame: -851661
Recorded/Played Tris ratio: -1.08
TimeDemo Play Ended, (4 Runs Performed)

 

Congrats, great stuff. Are you still playing Crysis?

 

Yeah, congtratz Magnus72. +1 rep.

Also credits to unglewebb who gave our beasts a second life.

Correct me if I'm wrong, but as far as I remember Crysis was very CPU depending. I've to install Crysis again and see how it'll perform @ 3.8GHz.

 

If you are serious about making your own laptop cooler, you should take 3 x 120 mm fans, if you take 5v fans you can power them from a usb port, otherwise you need a power adapter, make it so that the fans blow air inside the long grill on the back bottom of your XPS, make sure they blow and do not pull, if you pull air it will diminish cooling instead of improving it !
and if you make one, we wan't pics

 

Yes still playing Crysis, overclocking the CPU definitely helped Crysis benchmark a bit.