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

I think you can get banned for discussing part swapping/scamming.

As far as battery goes, Dell warranty does not cover it.

 

Thanks.

I think Battery is under warranty for one year, and if you wear level is really high, you should get it replaced. But I am not sure with of my batteries is broken...

 

Seriously dude, you'll get banned...

 

First, I apologize if what I'm about to ask has already been addressed, 300 pages is rather intimidating to sort through.

I've been trying to run StarCraft 2 on my M1730 but have been running into CPU throttling. Some more context can be found here, and some CPU monitoring program results here. I am Melancholia in the first link if it isn't clear. With SpeedStep disabled and the power settings set to run the CPU at 100% all the time, what could be throttling the cores? Also, am I mistaken in that the core speeds I got even according to RealTemp were lower than the clock speed I had set?

My second question is whether anyone's managed to figure out how to control all the fan speeds yet, and if so how. If not, is there a way to control any of them without endangering my computer, and without overclocking to 3.2 GHz to make it run at full blast?

Thanks for any help you can give me, this has been driving me nuts for ages and I'm hoping that having identified the CPU as the definite source of the slowdown will let me sort this out.

 

I think throtting should come for your temperatures, I think you could use a software to change voltage of your processor in order to reduce temps. Another good software is the one that allows you to change multiplier in extreme processors, and voltage, you can reach 3,8-4 Ghz, but you first of all revise your temps

I am sure about the other stuff. There is no way of keeping fans at the speed they reach when you overclock processor, if you do not overclock it with BIOS.

 

It is absolutely, 100% not due to temperature. Because the core were running at such a low speed and the overclock fan speed was on I maxed out under 100% CPU load at 35C. The laptop was barely warm to the touch. Moreover, the core speed started there when I booted, so it couldn't have hit any peak that would force it to throttle.

I also wouldn't want the fans on maximum, I'd rather set them to run at medium continuously unless the temperature spikes. The medium speed cools everything down just fine so far.

 

maybe to do with dells "Triggered cpu throttling" ........think to save battery?

try unclewebs ThrottleStop > tick 'Clock Modulation' box to test if stops dells throttle
(for me beast it stopped throttle... Go! Go! uncle )


you have latest BIOS A10? possible older bios more the throttle


EDIT:
Also ya need to first enable speedstep ,otherwise run on lowest multi

 

Both before and after disabling SpeedStep I had been running at 4.5 multipliers or lower at times, even under full load on the CPU. Enabling it and running Throttlestop appears to have fixed the issue though, muchas gracias!

And no word on the fans?

Edit: I should ask just to be certain: when overclocked to 3.0GHz I should use a x7.5 multiplier to get 1.5GHz per core, right? Or x15 to get 3.0GHz? Because I can't seem to get higher than a x14 multiplier, I'm reading through the thread now to see if I've missed something.

 

Right click on the monitoring pane, and select Unlock Multiplier in ThrottleStop.

 

Doh. Thanks, that did it.

Just to make sure that in my ignorance I don't ruin my computer, is 60C is a safe temperature? That's what it's maxed out at under load.

 

60*C is really fine for a CPU. What speed is that at? 3GHz?

 

Yeah. I didn't want the full blast fan if I went higher than that.

 

Today I've finished Singularity. Good game with nice story but short. No problems with the beast so far (after the GPUs has been replaced 4 months ago).
Hope it won't break too soon, as now I'm playing Split Second and I really wanna finish it.

 

If you want your M1730 to last run fans at full blast. yes they are loud but its worth it unless you have warranty left. My m1730 has been fantastic since i had Graphics, Bluray & Graphics Cards Replaced it won't die lol no m17x for me

Throttlestop v2.77 is great app and if you have a extreme processor there is a guide somewhere on this forum to unlock cpu within windows.

 

I don't have an Extreme CPU so no full blast fans for me. I won't mind if it'll fail, all I hope is to get an Alienware if it does.

 

I have 8700gt sli overclocked to the limit and currently playing Mass Effect 2 (All settings high, 1920x1200res) & Call of Duty MW2. They just keep running and running and i have to say they are pretty good cards for what they are.

Now to stop tweaking machine and finish ME2 lol

What Version Graphics drivers are you running? i'm running 258.9?(latest)

The original owner of my m1730 transfered the rest of Premium warranty to me (complete care) and if i extended it (not complete care with only NB, Parts, 24/7 tech support) will they still replace with m17x if no parts are avaliable over the 2years?

 

I'm running 197.16. I'm too lazy to update them.

 

Hey everyone with the fan control issues:

Quit complaining! all you need to do is take out your graphics card, get rid of the yellow wires on the fans off and wire 2 potentiometers/trimmers each to the red and black wires, respectively.

Seriously. Dell is not all powerful over your fans. This will give you COMPLETE control and your laptop will overheat if you dont keep track of your temps and turn up the fans accordingly.
wont even void your warranty if you just use different fans or make it from a molex extension cable. what more could you need?

 

also:
today a certain worldwide tech service dispatch told me something he said he shouldn't have while replacing my LCD...

maybe its already been spread around... but if you're wondering about getting your m1730 replaced with an Alienware, their policy is literally 'third times the charm'
if you get 3 service calls, and theres still an issue, you'll get an alienware.

...at least thats what he said.
really nice guy too. didnt even care that it was half taken apart

 

Hell, really? I wish i'd known that before my warranty ran out, I was on call 2!

Speaking of which, would anyone know why sometimes when I plug my computer in it tells me it's not a recognized power brick, even though it is the Dell brick designated for the M1730? I've had the issue over two bricks so far, it was one of the things I was calling in about.

 

About your power brick, sounds to me you have a bad connection. I have had to cut and splice my power cable 2 times already. This second times as held up over 3 months now. Having the machine on my lap stresses the power plug and wring. The DC voltage wiring is "beefy" to say the least how ever there is a small flimsy sense wire that is prone to breakage towards the end of the power plug. If your hand with a soldering iron and some shrink tube dive in dood and save your self the replacement.

 

yeah im going to complain more about my motherboard because the speaker connection is all messed up... that will put me on #2

I think your power adapter problem has to do with the center pin of the plug - I say that because its what you can see - it goes through a green wire to a strange chip on the motherboard. This is what communicates the adapter type.

You might be putting to much stress on some part of the cable if this keeps happening for you. They have been known to be defective but more on the 90w version of this era for 1530s d830s etc

Personally I'd like to know if there are any 200w or even 160w adapters that could work with the m1730. Considering that they ship both the 8800gtx and 8700gt models with the same one, I dont think I need this much power.

 

My warranty calls are

(1) Motherboard, graphics cards, LCD, ram replaced
(2) Bluray Drive Replaced

Is it 3 warranty calls of any fault or 3 of the same before they replace with m17x?

 

Took me 13 !!

 

I dunno, ultimately they probably can decide to do whatever they want. He just said 3.

Although my grandma in Georgia actually got a newer replacement system after having some service calls and issues. This was a while ago, I think it was initially an inspiron 1520 or something.

She did it by yelling at them.
notable points she made were "I want to talk to Micheal Dell" and "I run 8 of the biggest consumer reports blogs" ...or something to that effect.
It could just be her delivery though...

Next time you call dell practice sounding like a 70 something lady from georgia who watches way to much CNN and could lose it at any moment that will get you an alienware

 

My laptop started displaying green lines down the screen yesterday.

Uninstalled and reinstalled the display drivers - no change.

But now when I check device manager the video cards have a yellow exclamation mark next to them and in properties it says "Windows has stopped this device because it has reported problems. (Code 43)".

I'm guessing this means video hardware has failed. Is there anything else I can try?

Sux because just out of warranty (1 yr 3 months I have had this laptop from new).

 

Sorry to hear. Big mistake on passing on the warranty though.

 

@Redteam yes one or both gpu(s) is/are fried. My gpus did the same when they died. You can try to extend your warranty, maybe it'll work.

EDIT: Does anyone know what kind of panel has this laptop? I have the LG one, the viewing angles are more than decent, but colour reproduction is awful.

 

The hardware failure rate on these laptops seems quite high.

Is this just the m1730 or are all performance laptops the same?

 

Not all laptops are the same, only the ones with 8xxx and 9xxx series gpus are affected. Newer nvidia cards don't have so many issues.

 

Bake the video card Redteam. Search this forum I posted some info, hit me up if you have any other questions. Why not try it? Its screwed already and your out of warranty what do you have to lose? I swear by it although it does sound ridiculous!

 

I have had 2 samsungs. It surprises me that you have an LG. I like the colors a lot on mine, they seem pretty accurate... but i dont have much reference i guess except for my ltn154x3 which is obviously worse.

Maybe your LG is not the "bright view" model or whatever. is it WUXGA?

 

I've recently replaced a sharp panel with a samsung and the difference is dramatic! The samsung is much brighter, colors are very natural and precise and viewing angles are good too. The sharp was much worse in all parameters.

 

I didn't really liked LG, due to the fact that it is rather over saturated and limits my Photoediting accuracy. And in some images, the skies had a green tint instead of pure royal blue, and red became an orange-like appearance. I swapped it with my Inspiron 1720 Samsung SEC3155 model. Some people say it looks "dull", but I shall emphasize precise and accurate colours on a monitor more than vibrancy.

 

I don't know if it's "bright view" or not, but it is WUXGA for sure (all panels for the M1730 were WUXGA).
It is really bright, good viewing angles but has an awful colour reproduction. Even the nVidia logo looks yellowish instead of green.
I was wondering what kind of panels the M1730 uses, I guess they're all TNs.
LG makes verry good and awesome desktop monitors, I don't know how they messed this one.

 

oh well that could be the "yellow tint" issue resolved by a newer vbios right?
maybe not...
I'm having it on mine ever since it was replaced but it alternates when turning on and off.

 

From what I have read all LG panels that came with the M1730 had this issue with green turning to yellow, red showing pink and so on.

 

I've had my 1730M with 8800GTX for over three years now with absolutely no problems whatsoever. And I've spent mega-hours gaming on it. Am I the only one who's had a trouble-free experience???

 

I also have had my 1730 with 8800's for almost two years which is also running great without any issues at all.

 

Make sure you're still on warranty. You never know and with such an expensive machine I won't risk a thing.

 

I too have had my M1730 for two years this month with on problems until last week when one of my video cards died, it was the 8800GTX. I called Dell on Friday and after they tested it they had a new 9800GTX at my home on Tuesday. Now all is good again.
I do have two more years on my warranty.

 

I only had the one-year warranty, so I'm far beyond it.

 

My working very well so far. Manufactured in April 2008 . Nice to see that
I'm not alone
Regards
Pit

 

My SLI is acting up, when in SLI I keep getting lockdowns all around, and system crashes.

Maybe my GPUs are finally dying...

Mine is made in March 2008, so far it was ok, but now... i don`t know.
Might be a driver issue, maybe not, but still, it`s not cool

 

Over 2 years of usage here and still going strong

 

Half a year with my twin 9800 GTXes. Sold my 1 year old 8800s for $620 + shipping. Bought the 9800M GTX SLI at a bidding for $600 + Shipping, new condition. Made $20. No problems so far. Machine about 1.6 years.

 

Well reinstall the drivers and make sure it's not their fault. Also you could reinstall your OS, just to be sure.

 

mines still running strong though i have had the whole computer rebuilt under warranty (MB, Graphics Cards, Bluray, Ram, Screen) lol

 

Hello, there!
I just purchased the WD Scorpio Black 320GB Hard Drive, and I am wondering if it's stackable with one of the 128GB HDs that came with my XPS. Do I have to add a jumper, or is it even compatible with the other HD? I understand it is an array, but I have no idea what that implies as far as compatibility, or setup. I tried to just install the HD, and it only recognized the new HD. Is this because I needed to set a jumper? The 320 doesn't have any jumpers set at all. Please tell me how to do this, or should I return it and buy 2 different styles of HDs? Actually, if you could tell me how to upgrade my XPS to the utmost capability, I would DEFINITELY appreciate it. I don't plan on changing the CPU, so leave that out. I ordered the 800mhz modules to replace my 667s, so that is also already done. I bought the creative X-fi remote soundcard...pretty damned cool! Anyway, any help would be appreciated!

Joe

 

How did you get 6GB of RAM to work on your system? I thought it max'd out @ 4. I just purchased 2, 2GB of the 800mhz.