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

Must be fairly handy at the multiplayer by now!

 

Actually I haven´t tested multiplayer at all yet for Crysis I am not a multiplayer guy except for LAN I love coop games.

 

Me 2. Would`ve loved a Serious Sam Coop but sadly I gave the game away and didn`t think about it...

 

anyone interested in buying my m1730 ?

 

I'm not. But if I was trying to sell one, I'd give more details. There's a lot of different types of M1730's out there!

 

Ok i'll make sure i send some pictures btw. can usb provide power to 3 120mm fans?

 

But what if i play games like crysis or batman or some other stuff that uses physx? will my 9800M GTX X 2 perform slower without my ageia card or not

 

just a feeler, the basics are in my sig except i've been using 200 GB and 320 GB as opposed to 2x320 GB.

i would post it up in the fs section if i knew there were interested buyers. absolutely clean condition ... no scratches, everything functions good.

i want to sell it because i don't game anymore on it and it's inconvenient to lug around when i need to.

 

well, you should check the fans power drain, usb gives 5v x 500 mah = 2.5Watts according to my calculation.

a quick google reveals that one fan takes 50 to 100 mah, depending on the fan and the speed its running at. so yes, i think one usb port can power three fans with no problem at all, but make sure to check it thoroughly.

 

In the first place there aren't a lot of games that are designed to use the physx engine till today. If you play games that aren't using physx, there can't be a difference in perfomance. The power of the physx engine will not be used.

One year ago I performed a test with Kade Storm. I tested Cryostasis with the dedicated PPU and without. Cryostasis is a game that uses physx a lot and is very dependet on this engine. I couldn't prove any performance loss without the Ageia card. This confirmed my presumption the Ageia PhysX card had become useless at that time.

Your GPU can handle physx more efficient than the Ageia card. So in the end there'll be no difference. Don't bother about this card it's a waste of your money.

 

I'm going to try to make it this weekend, any idea what brand/type are good coolers ? and what RPM should they be

What if i take 3 x 12V fans will i be able to power them with 1 12V power source or will i need 3 times 12V, sorry for the noob questions i'm just not really into this electricity stuff

 

If your power source is powerfull enough you can connect all 3 fans parallel to it.

For example; if you have 3x 2,5W fans your total powerconsumption is 7.5W.
This is the power capacity you need.

 

What is the best os for M1730 win 7 x32 or x64 ?

 

--- win7 x64

 

Definitely x64.
I can multiboot and choose between Vista Ultimate x64 or Win7 Ultimate x64. I never had a BSOD with these.

 

and 7.5 W divided by 12 volts = 625 mah

 

Hey everyone, has anyone tried the latest nvidia drivers 257.21?
I'm waiting for some feedback before I leave my 197.16

 

not yet ...

 

my xps is arriving today, with dual 9800m GTX, should i use the dell drivers 179.24A00 ? or the latest nvidia driver 257.21 WHQL?
I'm probably going to download the other drivers from the signature url from psyloid

I also saw 9800m gtx bios upgrade on the dell site, can i check what firmware it has now so i know if it has newest firmware or not ?

 

get the nvidia ones ...
I think you can see the gpu bios version with GPU-Z

 

Didn't know you could update the gpu bios.
How can it be done?

 

it doesn't do anything except fixing the "yellow tint issue" that only some people had.

yellow tint issue = all whites apear as yellow on the display

 

If only they could fix the heat lol

 

ive been building a cooler too. i haven't really been using it tho. you should really get a fanspeed controller, theyre so noisy.

as for power, i dont know about other more consumery fans, but i have a 120mm "nmb" matsua and a 90mm panasonic panaflo both from surplus and together its nearly 1a (1000ma).
not at all hard to find a 12v 1a power supply, but the 120mm one here is .6 amp. so for simply 3 of something like that youll have to find 1.8a @ 12v!
it would be a big supply and hard to find.

im just guessing... but really the most important air is the air that actually goes through the heatsink fins. so if you wanted a less of a mess of wires psus and fans for a cooler, i would recommend using 3x 80 or 90mm fans at more like .3a each, and spacing them directly under the 3 fans already in the laptop.


of course if you run them at 5v then you need different amps, or at that point it just doesnt matter i dunno. thats why i said get a controller because i THINK - someone correct me on this if im wrong -all they do is adjust voltages, its handy to be able to adjust the speed and noise exactly.

on that note, another great reason you could get a fan controller is if they just control voltage, you could design an adapter from your 20v laptop psu plug. ive been thinking of doing it myself just needed to learn what a voltage regulator is, and i did so thanks. lol LM350 - 3-Amp Adjustable Regulator or apparently just the right type of resistor since its already regulated

this could run like 8 120mm fans from your 20v laptop supply, and its adjustable.

 

Is there a way to fix it on 8700/8800s ?

 

check the dell website for GPU BIOS Update?

 

yeah, sometimes i ask stupid questions ... applying the bios update as we speak

 

Our beasts are still capable of great things.
With ThrottleStop I let my X9000 run @ 3.8GHz. I get a 3DMark06 score of 16465.
I'm not complaining at all.

I have to do more tests coming days. Let's see if I can squeeze more out of it. I'm also curious what Vantage will tell, cause 3DMark06 is outdated.

 

Ha ha nice ernstig, yeah that is a impressive 3D Mark score. Run a Vantage score too and see if you can beat those M17x

I will definitely get an X9000, I just love this laptop.

 

Well done!

What do M17x's run at on average?

(btw as I've said before I don't think there's a laptop significantly better than the m1730 yet. We need 512 bit gpu's fit that.)

 

Your 8800s overclocked?

 

I don't think we can beat those M17x's.
I'm first trying to find the best/optimal nVidia driver. I also tested an old one. The 185.81 was very stable one year ago.

The average score is 21.000 at 3DMark06 and 15.000 at Vantage.

I need to overclock my GPU's to reach that high.
It's a shame I can't reach 4.0GHz. My CPU is real power hungry. It needs more than 1,5V to be stable. So 3.8GHz is my max.

 

Nice ernstig!
++rep for you

 

That's a good score especially for twin 8800s. Hikkoo's 3.8GHz + OC'ed 9800M GTX SLI is around that score too; 16660+ I think.

I've no plans to overclock my 9800s at the moment... Don't really game alot these days. My scores are all at stock.

You ran it in Windows 7 or Vista? Cos' I seem to be exhibiting problems on Win 7; I get 10000+ sometimes with SLI. Which is really awkard and everything is under 60*C, full performance mode and AC. It doesn't affect gaming performance in anyway and that's the good thing. Changing drivers doesn't help unfortunately. Probably an issue with 3DMark06.

 

Thanks mfractal.
I wish I could go higher.

 

Yes I reverted back to Vista x64. Some strange behaving between 3dMark06 and Win7. I just have to find the best possible nVidia driver for the job now.

 

hurray, i passed for school and tomorrow i leave for two weeks of Sweden !!!
see you when i'm back !

 

Have a nice time and we'll hear about you back soon.

 

Goodluck Psyloid an dont forget to come back okay


ernstig ya making me 9800mgtx's look bad again ..... woow! im impressed ya can match what ever throw at ya heres another one but @ x20 in sig .....ant finished yet ...wth! forget about x20 going for x21 instead...lol if melt me rig @ x21 atleast be going out in style breaking 18K

 

x20? x21?
I can forget about that. My CPU don't let me to.

I have to find other ways. I was busy a whole sunday afternoon already. My only chance is a FSB mod.

 

hmmm....ya cpu sounds like been naughty... one solution blast the bugger with cold air me set TS to 1.4250v, x20, Perf1 an got me room temp to 10c to run 3dmark06 succesfully......freeezing yeks!


wondering a PLL MOD from 200 to 266MHz(if works) would it give higher benchy scores?

 

I don't think my temperature is the bottleneck. I know these CPU's can handle extreme temperatures. They're rated to run 100% reliably up to 105ºC. While the thermal shutdown temperature is 130ºC.

The VID setting of 1,5V is the maximum that the Intel Core 2 mobile CPU's can use.

So I need to find myself another X9000 or start a FSB mod. I think that's my best chance.

 

if you do FSB mod, you should try some next gen cpus on this platform. maybe an x9100, t9900, or even qx9300 will work. you never know until you try.

 

I know, it sounds really interesting. It is a completely different way of overclocking. I read some posts about it. It must be possible. I'll jump into it and try to find my way out.

 

i have a small enough soldering tip. i havent soldered in forever tho, really dont trust myself.

i think thats what it really comes down to... if you havent read to that part yet im just not sure i can solder that tiny at all. probably will try it soon tho too especially if someone here has success on their m1730

 

I'm an engineer and soldered a lot in the past. I think I can do it. I'm working all my life with high sophisticated electronics. So I'm not that scared.
It's just I need to know for sure I'm doing the right job. It was an almost €4000,- costing rig. If I make a big mistake I can screw my warranty for sure.

 

Could you guys point me in the direction of that fsb mod? Sounds interesting. Also, I assume it has something to do with mobo modifications, meaning that if you screw up you just in for a mobo replacement. I am willing to donate a mobo for this experiment- I have one that has some issues with video card but you can still test on it.

 

mfractal HERE

another thing> what is the highest voltage a x9000 can handle? different for each x9000? starting to think me x9000 having difficulties coping with higher voltages

whereas first 6 months from new x9000 handled 1.4625v on 3.4 > me vantage score in sig an 15480 3dmark06 were both on 3.4 an 1.4625v. if try now on this voltage get crap cpu scores , only way to get decent cpu score with RM-clock. but now we have TS .....

 

The VID setting of 1,5V is the maximum that the Intel Core 2 mobile CPU's can use.

@ 4.0GHz and 1,5V my CPU crashes almost immediatly before I start testing.

 

DIY XPS M1730 DUST FILTER UNIT (L394xW97xH16mm) to stop dust clogging internal heatsink fins HERE

1. Parts used to construct filter unit


2. Layed XPS upside down on cloth so not to scratch lid

3. Taped piece paper over XPS AIR vents to protect anything falling inside, espically particles from cutting or filing.
> two Ramset plastic plugs (size 7x30mm), cut to 25mm length an carved taper on plugs so to fit into XPS chassis holes firm not tight.

4. Used Logitech X-140 Speakers > Cut little off bottom end of Speaker GRILLs so to be able to overlap an lock GRILL B into GRILL A achieving required Length.
> Reformed side edge of GRILL A with Panelbeating-Tools(dolly an hammer) to make slightly wider for GRILL B to snap in tight.
Then filed edge of GRILL B to line up level with GRILL A an Test is FLUSH with bottom surface of XPS

5. Cut 2 Plastic End-Blocks from Logitech X-140 Speaker Casings, then cut about 5mm off base of End-Blocks to get Height 16mm > cut an filed End-Blocks just enough for 2mm gap inbetween Grill edge an XPS surface for rubber seal to compress against bottom XPS surface creating dust seal.

6. Drilled two 4mm diameter holes through Grill to allow Feet to be screwed into Plastic End-Blocks .
Feet for raising filter unit about 22mm off benchtop. (pre-drilled 1.5mm hole into Plastic End-Blocks for 6G screw to fix in easier an to prevent splitting Plastic End-Block)


7. Aligning & Marking Filter Unit position for Drilling 4mm diameter hole into each end of Grill an through End-Blocks, the 4mm diameter holes are for two 6 Gauge screws to go through freely grill an End-Blocks screwing into Ramset plugs in XPS chassis holes. these two 6G screws hold Filter Unit securly to XPS.
> Had to be real careful not to use to large Gauge screws in Fear of cracking chassis, also made sure screw not to long & not touch Screw heads in bot of XPS chassis holes

8. Removed Feet & End-Blocks an Fitted 3mm thick FINE FILTER FOAM, Cut 4 holes out of Foam for Screws(3mm Hieght Plastic-Spacers fit into holes of Foam)

IMPORTANT: Type of Foam used = "OPEN CELL FOAM" specially designed for Filtering AIR.
seen 4 grades of this special foam > Very Fine / Fine / Coarse / Very Coarse
Very Fine an Fine can be sliced to 3mm @ supplier(some have special equipment to slice thickness).
Coarse an Very Coarse problem to slice @ 3mm thickness
NEVER use "CLOSED CELL FOAM" for filtering Air. e.g closed cell foam used for furniture seating.

9. Cut to 3mm height 4 Plastic-Spacers for placing on End-Blocks over screw holes > found it was easier to assemble filter unit with Plastic-Spacers glued in Foam only, not glued to End-Blocks
NOTE: 3mm Height Plastic-Spacers are for protecting Foam not to wrap around screws an tearing when turning screws

10. 2 Rods 370mm length cut from coat hanger then wrapped insulation tape around Rods.
RODS are important for creating air space inbetween Foam an XPS, to prevent Foam been sucked against XPS Air vents. if foam was placed against XPS Air Vents could restrict air flow to a certain degree because open Area of XPS vent holes will be less (think air space inbetween helps keep Foam cooler than Foam against XPS vents)


11. Washed filter Foam an dried , cleaned rest of filter unit parts from any cutting or filing particles then Fixed 3mm thick single sided adhesive foam @ base of End-Blocks to create Dust Seal.
Refitted Foam , Rods, Blocks an screwed back feet into End-Blocks to hold Filter Unit together

12. Two lengths of hollow soft rubber seal. Peeled carefully all self adhesive glue off rubber seal so not to adhere to XPS.
Cut a slit full length for clipping rubber seal to grill edges > making sure slit on rubber seal opens up & grabs both filter Foam an Grill frame edge same time.

13. Screwed on Dust Filter Unit. Attached feet to raise front 20mm (Ramset plugs 6x30mm cut to 15mm length an inserted into XPS chassis screw holes)

14. Fix filter foam over XPS front speaker grills an in logitech display because found dust in both areas inside when dismantled XPS.

15. Formula for staggered round holes Open Area % = [ (DxD) x 90.69 ] divided by (CxC)

16. Logitech X-140 grills Staggered Holes SPECS: Diameter holes= 1.15mm, Pitch C = 1.68mm, openess= 42.5%
capture taken with usb microscope, has real cool software to measure dimensions.(also check by inserting exact size pin into grill hole then measured pin with Vernier Caliper = 1.15mm diameter)

Most difficult is finding grill with about 1mm diameter holes very close together for higher % open area(50-55%), wereas if perforated holes in speaker grill were far apart, open area becomes less an cause less air Flow to XPS fans.

Stress test with Orthos, also Crysis gpu benchy set @ 10 repeated runs > so far only noticed 1c increase for CPU & GPU when filter unit attached, but idle temps dont see a difference. Tests done with Bios set to 3.2ghz to switch all 3 fans to max speed continuously(GPU fans = 3440rpm , CPU fan = 3700rpm)


Filter unit concerns > Grill open area % not enough an peak summer(feb) can reach room temps about 30 celsius, could cause significant temp increases? keep monitoring temps. wash Filter Foam maybe every 4months. Also can check one gpu heatsink fins with THIS if filter keeps fins clean .
Be nice if manufactures design removable washable filters for future High Perf Notebooks.
Reckon dell owes me new pair of speakers ASP

UPDATE: couple of days notice dust collecting on filter unit, clean outside Filter Unit frequently by turn upside down an breathe out real fast to remove dust off grill