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

that 13859 sc was it for 3.2 or 3.4? DanXbix please dont upload vantage sc for points because using PhysX is not allowed in Hwbot
im interested in ya gpu sc for vantage with PhysX an No PhysX, thanks

think gpu done dissapearing act for good, cant complain atleast had a fantastic 19month run with fault free J951N, admit me silly for believe Gpus would last a good 4 years even though Bios set mainly on 3.2ghz.

So crazy that any Gpu provided by dell in XPSm1730 could develop a fault at any time, except find it very odd Nvidia wont include 9800mGT SLI Gen1 an Gen2 in settlement yet, also punched in Part Numbers for both Gen 9800mGTX SLI > J951N an K650M on Nvidia settlement site an says 'you may be eligible to file a claim' ..... be great if Nvidia bring out Gen3 9800mGTX SLI with better technic, but doubt it after fail with K650M Gen2

 

13859 was bios at 3.2ghz and throttlestop @ 3.4 x17 Mod=100% i think. i noticed the K650M is slightly different then your model. i will upload GPUZ image to compare with yours.

How do i disable physx with nvidia 260.99 drivers? select CPU in NV control panel? or deselect PPU in vantage options?

Will run some more benchmarks tonight

Have you tried Blackops or NFS2010 if so what FPS/Settings are you getting?

 

What's the point of flashing to a different cards bios???? Does it change anything? Surely you just have the same thing with a different name ??

I need enlightening...

 

disable it in PPU Vantage options lol that way ya know for sure

dying to install NFS, cant even try A11 yet, stopped using beast until fixed, because very concerned faulty gpu could short out Mobo
do not wont a prob refurbished mobo from dell

 

Do any of you guys needs some benchies/bios other stuff?
I got 9800m gtx sli as well,k650 revision.
Currently running 269.03 drivers,win7 x64 with x9000 @ 3,8ghz.

 

Are there any 8800M GTX SLIs still going for sale on eBay? Or is the only source for these now directly from Dell?

Have any of you guys had success with the oven fix method?

 

Are there any other benefits in the new BIOS for users who already have X9000 and A09 (or whatever the original BIOS was) set to 3.2GHz (so fans already at full, or 3800rpm at least).

Ouch. How long did yours last? I have mine set on 3.2GHz, I was hoping it would last a while.

 

How many people still have working 8800M GTX SLI units?

 

I do... They were newin march 2010 shud last ok ....

 

I do have also my old 8800m gtx converted to 9800m gt working good. Xm888 version afaik,anyway now its a fully updated 9800m gt.

I put it away for the future as ive installed the 9800m gtx.
I see you guys asking about hot pursuit performance.

Well with 16xAf and sli AA 8x (multisampling) i get from 45 to 62,with average of 50-52.

Running at 3,8ghz with x9000 and ts.

 

Maxed out and vsynched + external triplebuffering (d3doverrider) @ 1200p.

 

Have you REV02 9800GTX SLI? What win version are you running?

 

Has this GPU overheating problem occurred with any of the newer nVidia models, like the 260M or 280M series or higher? What do the newest gaming laptops use?

 

If im not wrong it should be k650 rev.02, but i should double check in case. While im petty sure that my old 8800/9800 is rev.00.
As i stated already,im using win7 x64.

 

No overheating here with full fans on (3,4ghz in bios). My gtx sli runs at 600/1500/900 daily with the cpu at 3,8ghz.
It reaches 83c in furmark, average in gaming its 73c.

 

The problem is not the GPU, it is the laptop design mainly the fans and heatsink and how the BIOS controls the fans.

 

Well, technically, mine were ok up until a month ago, now they replaced them with 8700m GT SLI lol, and I`m still waiting to calm down. I`ll run them over with the car tomorrow if they don`t change things.

 

My 8800m GTX SLI GPU´s have never been replaced Going strong here over 2 years of usage.

By the way is it best to run with clock mod ticked in Throttlestop or without? I get a slightly better score with clockmod ticked. However I don´t know if it´s bad for the X9000 to run with 100% clock mod?

 

I always run it with chipset clokmod,but not with clockmod. Gonna test it!

 

Yeah, with only chipset mod clicked I score 1000 less in 3D Mark 06. However with clockmod for CPU clicked I get 1000 points more and generally better performance in games too.

 

Opened my m1730 up last night to clean it out. i noticed on my 9800gtx sli cards (red box in picture) that the black cover had melted a little around one of the tiny black capacitors,fuse? just to right of where the black cover has a slit cut into it. Not sure if it came like that from dell but my grx cards have never got hotter then 78c (furmark). It seems to function perfectly though. anyone know what those regulators around that area on the board do? should i ring dell again and get replacement?

 

I just reinstalled windows 7 on my m1730 but i can't remember how i got the LED's to work in winamp.. someone help? cheers. I know i used some alienware thing from the m17xx

found it

http://dell.driversdown.com/dell-drivers-downloads/Alienware-AlienFX-Media-Plug-In_25390.shtml or similar but it works

but is it possible to make the keyboard backlight flash? it just sits there.. xD

 

its included in dell quickset but you need to install a few versions in a certain order.

http://xpsm1730.blogspot.com/2009/03/xps-m1730-vista-drivers-64-bit.html

 

Thats just a thin layer of electrostatic cover. usually it comes out or get damaged while removing the card; my old card had the same near your sport and works perfectly. Theres nothing important on that side,usually the far sides of a gpu board are dull/empty of solder tracks or vital components.
Dont worry about it

 

Can you give me some advise guys?

I have a M1730, X9000, 9800M GT sli. I slill have one an a half year of warranty. I do not overclock processor or graphic card (i do not like noise if I overclock processor.

If I put Furmark and without a cooler, I get about 94º Celsius and It goes on increasing. I allways stop the test, because I do not want to destroy my laptop, and I have only tried to pass the test about 3 times. Gaming, normally I do not pass 85º celsius (89º in crysis), if I do not overclock processor.

I spoke to Dell and they offer to me changing the graphics cars. But I do not know if they will install a refurbished 9800M like mines, but refurbished... And maybe my temperatures are normal. I am in the EU

Will you ask Dell for changing the cards even if they can give me a refurbished ones? Are my temperatures normal for 9800M GT without overclocking and with the computer over a table without any laptop cooler?

Thanks a lot!

 

I could never understand how to get quickset to work..

 

Those temperatures are very high.

Overclock to 3.2GHz in the BIOS immediately and use RMClock to undervolt it and limit it to 3.0GHz. There should be a guide on how to use RMClock somewhere on these forums.

You might not like the noise but you will have to put up with it.

Observe temperatures after that. Do not let Dell replace working graphics cards because as far as I know, there is no guarantee that they won't give you something worse.

Make sure you raise the back of the laptop off the table by at least 1 inch.

 

Btw has anyone who is keeping the fans on full via BIOS overclock had a chance to check the fan speeds via CPUID Hardware Monitor or some other similar monitoring app?

 

If I reach the computer 1 inch, that is what I usually do, I do not pass 80º Celsius playing.

So you do not recommend to change the graphics in warranty if they work? I was wondering if they could change the 9800M GT for 9800M GTX, or if they could give me a colder graphics card.

 

Then your graphics cards are fine, keep it raised 1 inch at all times and keep the fans cleaned (with a can of compressed air).

I would still recommend overclocking to 3.2 in the BIOS then undervolting with RMClock.

I would not recommend trying to get new cards under warranty if your cards are fine. Dell usually sends used cards back out, not new ones. The performance difference between 9800M GT and 9800M GTX isn't worth the risk.

 

CPUID = CPU-Z, right? Could you point me to where exactly fan speeds are displayed?

As been said before, it is very likely that the cards that you will get as replacement could be worse than the one you currently have. Have you ever cleaned your system? If not, than that's what causing these temps. There are tones of guides on this forum on how to disassemble M1730 and clean out the fans.

EDIT: Oh! And install new BIOS rev. A11

 

What are the differences in the new BIOS revision? Worth updating the BIOS even if I already have the fans set to full via overclock?

This is the CPUID program I'm referring to:

CPUID - System & hardware benchmark, monitoring, reporting

I have it running at all times. Shows all the temps, even battery power, UPS battery power, fan speeds.

 

Release notes state that only fan behavior has been changed in the new BOIS. However, there may be some undocumented enhancements made as well. Couldn't hurt updating IMHO.

PS. Will check it out and report my fan speeds when I get home.

 

I have never cleaned my system, but opening it under warranty is a big risk I think.

I have A11, and fans begin to work at 50º Celsius instead of at 65ºC like before. In short: fans begin to work before and faster, so the notebook is louder but colder.
The problems I have seen in a11 are:
1- Fans never get the same spped than what you get when you overclock processor. I used Furmark and at the end the result is the same: it reaches 90º Celsius and going up and fans are not at the speed they reach overclocking processor.
2- If you overclock with BIOS, fans are allways at 100%, with tremendous noise. Big mistake again, I think that if you are web browsing fans should not be at 100% with its noise.

 

If anyone has a bluray drive on their M1730 make sure to install it properly or you'll keep getting BSOD's once in a while like i found out.

 

Btw, has anyone had their fans actually go out on their video cards? If so, were they able to find replacements anywhere? Can you get a fan from something else?

 

If your cards stay under 80 C with fans on full via BIOS overclock, but go to 90 C without, then you are going to break your video card by not putting up with the noise. The same thing will happen to any replacement.

I thought you said earlier that placing the laptop 1 inch higher but leaving fans on normal (not overclocked) kept temps low? Does it still hit 90 C if doing that? If not, then at least do that.

 

Dude, for 6 months, I had the laptop running at 3.4 GHz and fullblast on fans. If there's one part of this machine that never failed, it was the fans. Going the overclock route also helped seeing as the laptop didn't have a single GPU failure and I put that beast through hell with a lot of experimental overclocking on the GPU.

This is the bottom line with the 65nm cards and the M1730's design. It won't get cooler without loud fans. If people can't handle this, then the only logical conclusion is that they should move on to another machine with a generally cooler, spacious chasis in comparison to the M1730.

Of course, this maoning about the noise completely escapes me since these are gaming laptops, but to each their own. I am simply stating the facts of the case. You can clean the system regularly, and you can apply the best thermal compound with asiduous effort -- all this brings very mild desirable improvements to a system that'll still be going through the cycling where the temperatures get a bit too high before being cooled down to the other extreme until the cycle repeats again. Bios overclock is THE way to keep this machine's GPUs alive, and Bios A11 is a step in the right direction to accomplish this without overcloking extreme CPUs.

The M1730's GPUs will not run cooler without louder fans. Perhaps they should build 55nm versions for the M1730, which they won't because the machine's so outdated by Dell's standards.

 

The temperatures I get are, without overclocking and without lifting the computer:

• Almost 90º Celius with Crysis.
• Almost 85 with gamer like Batman AA, or Company of heroes
• Furmark cannot be passed, I stopped it once at 96º and increasing, to get a screenshot to send to Dell. I think a gaming laptop should be able to pass Furmark, and not getting melted in 5 minutes, don´t you?

Lifting the computer 1 inch, decrease about 6º Celsius in all Cases (so about a maximum of 80 in Crysis). This is what I do when I play, but I still do not think it is an adecuate sollution for a 2.500€ gaming laptop. And overclocking the computer with the fans at 100%, maintain the temperatures much colder, but for me is not suitable.
I think that the noise of all the fans at 100% is not normal for a normal use of the computer without earphones. The computer seems and airplane!

 

I think that you seriously need a repaste and fast otherwise your idle temps in few months will get higher and higher at the point that is unusable.
The problem is that youre still ubder warranty,so the only way will be send the beast back.
Otherwise open it up (its not hard at all),plus there arent warranty stickers to void iirc. Those high temps can be three possible things:

- fans not working
- dust stuck in dissipators
- thermal paste screwed for good

 

Could you tell me, or anyone in the forum, what are his temperatures playing crysis or passing Furmark (AAx16, full screen), without overclocking and without lifting the computer?
I just want to see if my temperatures are not normal. Because if I overclock processor, and lift the computer 1 inch, I think I also do not pass 74º Celsius playing; but I do not think these are normal conditions and noise for a computer that should be prepared to play.

I think A11 is a good step, but after all this time, I do not understand why fans do not get the full speed they get when you overclock if it is required, it is a Dell´s problem that I do not have to suffer as a buyer of a gamer laptop of 2.500 €.
I do not blame Dell for having some noise if I play Crysis during summer with a gamer laptop, it is normal. I do not blame Dell if the computer maked a little noise web browsing to maintain 55º, as does now with A11 but I do blame Dell if my computer cannot pass Furmark without overclocking it, because fans do not get the full speed they can achieve. And I do blame Dell to keep fans at full blast with a terrible noise if you overclock but you have 50º and you are web browsing with the processor at 1,2 Ghz because or speedstep. I think there are not excuses, this is a stupid thing Dell has made, their BIOS fan behaviour is awful. In the other hand I really like Dell and their warranty, I think it is a good computer company, and M1730 a great computer, but I think that the engineer that did the Bios of M1730 did an horrible job that have not been totally mended with A11

 

Good =D

Just wondering, any idea on how many hours these things (the fans used on the GPUs) are usually rated to? Gotta be at least a hundred thousand, right? Or tens of thousands?

 

So I escalated my case to Dell, they apparently say that the original system came with 8700M GT SLI, whilst I know for sure that it was with the 8800M GTX SLI. Even in the warranty transfer transcript I had it with 8800M GTX SLI

This is so stupid, I tried Crysis on the 8700M GT SLI and where I had 23-26 fps with the 88M GTX, with the 87M GT I have under 10...

 

CPU fan: 4064 RPM
Fan 1 : 3725 RPM
Fan 2: 3538 RPM

These are fan speeds with my CPU OCed to 3.4Ghz. According to the program all 3 fans are running at 100%.

 

Good. Escalate it down their throats if you have to--politely, of course--and immediately stonewall their efforts to distort the case by presenting them with the 'Warranty Transfer Transcript'.

Also, keep a track of all these statements on their behalf. Such as them claiming that your system was originally 8700m SLi. If they get too cocky later on, you could send this to the higher-ups to support the idea that they not only cheated you with a downgrade, but also made factually false claims about your case, warranty, and original spec that puts their ethics into negative spotlight.

 

Wow. The things reps will do to get rid of you. I hope you get what you deserve and then some more.

 

Hm, I guess that's close enough. All three of mine are around 3800. When mine got dirty (with dust) the reading was higher, over 4000. If you haven't cleaned your fans out recently, you might wanna do that and see if fan speed reading changes.

 

I'm starting to get pissed off with my M1730, in two years I've had the motherboard replaced twice and the GPU's replaced twice, I now have the AC Power issue where the Bios won't recognise the 230w Dell power block, I do have warranty until 2012 but what then ??


The power issue seems to be the power supply itself as if I mess around with the cable it eventually works, they sent me a replacement power unit which wouldn't work no matter what I did so I assume it was faulty, the guy on the call wanted to replace the MB but I was reluctant to do this as I was travelling away for 3 months where I would have no onsite cover and didn't want to risk an unknown MB, plus I don't believe that is the problem, all in all I am travelling now with a machine that is not working properly, when I get back I have a window of 2 weeks to get it sorted then I'm off again, the main problem is just simply overall reliability, if I didn't have the warranty this machine would have been returned a long time ago, the fact now that I travel a lot I need a reliable machine which I don't have, and when the warranty runs out what then ???

 

That sounds like my power issue, although are you certain that it is in fact the cord? Mine would give me the error and then spontaneously begin to work several minutes later without adjusting the cord, though it has since degraded to failing to charge my batteries at all.

 

@MrMWalker

I have made an profile now for Splinter Cell Conviction. However I cannot get SLI to work with the game, it doesn´t like SLI at all which is strange since it is an UE3 engine game. However setting the SLI to Single then the game is playable, though not witht too high framerates sadly.