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

Since you guys are all so helpful , I'll risk asking a non-M1730 gaming question!

I bought a copy of GTAIV 'complete edition' (not pirated!) but am having trouble getting it to run after installation. Is it a Windows 7 x64 compatibility issue? If so, do I have to de-install and re-install with different settings?
Cheers, Andy

 

Are you getting error messages, or just nothing happening?

Try right-clicking the shortcut and select properties. Go to the compatibility tab and click the button for all users and set the mode for Vista SP2 and check to run as admin. Let us know if that worked for you. (This is the only way Crysis64 will run for me under Windows 7, so maybe the same is true for GTAIV.)

 

Thanks, Mr Fox, that was quick! I got it working after doing some net searches - apparently I needed Microsoft C++ Redistributable (??). After downloading that, it seems to work, or at least it's opened the program and right now I'm downloading a 'required' update. I'm a bit put-off by the need for logging-in to 'Games for Windows Live', etc., but if that's what it takes.....While I'm here, if there are any of you guys running GTAIV (PC) successfully, any assistance as to what patches, tweaks, etc will be appreciated!
Cheers, Andy

 

Yea, it`s on the top 5 things that I forget after installing, right after Net Framework, Flash Player, DirX and Antivirus

Best GTA IV patch is the latest, I can`t remember which one it is though. Second, third, beats me.

 

Small bump guys!
Sorry i wasnt able to log in alot in these days, but work is getting overtime and im kinda leaving my xps behind in favour of my desktop (in those rare cases of gaming, thats it, almost 1 hour per day...if im lucky).
There are still alot of things to do, the guide in primis, plus the latest nvidia drivers which i heard they're awesome on 9800mGTX, or even the newer quadros, even better.
I hope i have time to test these things soon.
Cheers!

 

Anyone playing Bullestorm here? Runs beautiful maxed out 1920x1200. However the game I have already completed it but I just can´t get enough of it. The graphics grows on me every day and it´s a damn fun FPS shooter.

 

I`m still waiting for my CPU to come... on the 28th it was still somewhere in a China warehouse in Guangzhou...

It would be awesome if it would get here until Friday ...

 

It's probably the way they are shipping it to avoid customs duty fees. About a year ago I ordered a battery from a vendor on eBay and it shipped to the US from China. It took about 2 weeks to arrive and the outside of the package had a label stating the content was "bound printed material".

 

Well, I don`t mind how it`s sent, as long as it gets here in one piece, all ready to go...

Cause, oh man, I`m nervous for that bad boy to come and boost performance...

Any print screens ?

 

I'm excited and happy for you eleron. I am anxious to see you posting benchmarks like Magnus and Kingpin. What a fun time that should be.

 

It looks like it won`t arrive today, darn it. And I was looking forward to some hardcore gaming

 

Hello guys I got a small question :
I have an m1730 with X7900 2.8 EXTREME

Currently i have 3Gb ram running @ 667 MHZ
I wrote down the serial/type of my ram currently in use and it says :
hynix pc2-5300s hymp125s64cp8-y5 2GB
and 1 other generic of 1Gb

Can this laptop handle 800MHZ ram ? or will it downclock to 667 ? I've read before that the m1730 has 667 as max speed ? Is this true ?

Thanks for your time and advise


(i'm planning on upgrading to 4gg)

 

Yes it will downclock the 667Mhz effective due to the chipset limitation. 8GB is the maximum it can support.

 

then why does the dell website suggests me to buy 800mhz ram modules, i know they downclock but why pay for 800mhz when you get 667:s

 

eleron yes I will post some screens when I get my XPS back, a friend has borrowed it

 

Well, got the receipt today, but the post office was closed by the time I got there, and of course, no weekend hours.
Guess I have to wait until Monday for that...

 

I got the 9800m GTX SLI, is there any way i can disable PHYSX? I'm not playing any physx games and I wan't to be able to use my 2 cards at full power not using capacity for physx i don't even use...?

Thx

 

Oh well, you can disable it into NVCP.
Anyway, theres few games who uses Physx, not all of them. On those, mostly you can disable Physx effects, like Mafia 2, Batman and Mirrors Edge.
In those games like NFS:SHIFT the physx is handled by the cpu so even disabling it, it doesnt help at all.
If a game doesnt use physx, then it uses two cards at his full potential. The driver uses parts of the cuda cores of the 2nd card only when needed so dont bother with it.
Its not an "always ON" setting.

 

3 more days...can't.....wait....need....x9000....arrrrrgh

 

I had previously discussed in this thread that the X9000 may be a suitable upgrade for my M1730. I was told that Shirley's CPU on eBay is a good place to purchase this item. This store seems to sell only engineering samples. Has anyone on here purchased an ES and what has your experience been with it?

Also, how, if at all, will upgrading my CPU affect my warranty with dell?

 

I got one from Shirley, but I won`t install it until Monday, sadly, cause the Post Office is closed.
Anyway, from China to Europe, at my local PO it took under a week.

 

Mine is running one of Shirley ES cpus as well. From china to italy it took 3 days only. It works good, but it needs v1,47 to stay stable at 3,8Ghz, while v1,38 to stay stable at 3,6ghz.
4ghz isnt reachable by any means. Plus my second thermal sensor (core 1) reports wrong temp in C1 idle state (149c) when load is below 10%. When it raises theres a difference about 5-6c between it and core 0. Anyway it peaks 70c under gaming, nothing biggie.
This with 3,4ghz oced in bios for full fan blast, then manually oced to 3,8ghz using Throttlestop.
Awesome performance.

And yes, your warranty will be voided by it. First, its not the OEM version that dell sell, second youre manually opening your laptop, which voids the warranty before even talking about upgrading the cpu.
If you're ok with it and extremely careful, if anything happens, put back your original cpu and send it to dell.

 

Hey folks, couldn't find anything on this so I thought I'd stop lurking. I've had the m1730 in my sig for almost 3 years now. Sure there has been a few repairs (video card replacement, mb, ac adapter, led). Its been solid as a rock for 1.5 years now after all that. I went ahead and sent in for the NVIDIA GPU Litigation Settlement and just got my approval back for whatever they deem fit to replace.

Since I have an R3 coming at the end of the month, I figure I'll just wait til that gets here, then ship off the 1730. My question is, if I'm completely happy with the 1730 and would just like to sell it, would you go ahead with the claim?

 

I would go ahead with the claim if I were you.

My assumption is that the 8800M GTX will be replaced with the 9800M GT/GTX cards, and that's an improvement. Hopefully, that assumption is correct because they should not replace one defective device with an identical defective device.

If you're going to sell it, that would be a plus for you and the buyer. You might get more money for it, since people that know the M1730 know the 8XXX cards are junk. If you end up keeping it as a second computer, it would be an even bigger plus. If I were you and it came back with the 9800M SLi module, I would hang onto it. It would work nicely as a HTPC with an expresscard TV/FM tuner.

If you're not interested in having a second computer, you can possibly make more money parting it in out in components on eBay than you would get selling it as a complete system. Having a brand new 9800M SLi module to offer, that part alone might sell for more than the entire laptop is worth. Selling that, the display panel, CPU, HDDs, RAM, chassis, etc. I would not be surprised if you made 2 or 3 times what you could sell the laptop for.

 

How would one make that Nvidia litigation claim, and under what circumstances?

Had my GPUs replaced three times, twice for being broken and once for being downgraded.

 

It only applies to US citizens. If you have a US address that you can use, you file the claim at The NVIDIA GPU Litigation - Home Page. The deadline is March 14.

 

Hi everyone.

I just came across this information today and am a bit confused about this issue and would like to ask for some advice.

I previously purchased a refurbished XPS 1730 almost three years ago that falls into the time frame of this settlement case. I had enough problems with my original refurbished notebook that Dell sent me a brand new XPS 1730 replacement (after only six months) that also was manufactured within the time frame of the defective gpu's settlement case. I have just recently had problems with my notebook and Dell has replaced both the gpu's and motherboard under warranty. Unfortunately, the replacement gpu's as far as I can tell are still the same 8800 gtx type cards. I will soon be going overseas where there is no Dell service coverage and am worried that I may have the same problems with these 8800 gtx replacement cards without being able to get them replaced even though I still have warranty coverage. Is there some easy way to check to see if the replacement 8800 gtx gpu's are defective cards that were made within the time frame of the case settlement?

What do you recommend that I do? Should I try to ask Dell to replace the 8800 gtx gpu's again with another set of gpu cards? The cards seem to be working ok for now. I do not really care about getting better cards, but just want to be sure that I do not have defective replacement ones that could go bad while I am overseas for the next year. Should I call Dell or maybe go ahead and file with the settlement case if I qualify?

Any suggestions or advice would be greatly appreciated!

Best regards.

 

I have a cousin living in the US. Would it matter which address I use? does it have to be a specific one, or just any address ?

 

Great, a GPU fan died, and my system turned off automatically.

Back to the warehouse again

It's funny, HWMonitor reports 85C but the top isn't hot, definitely not over 60, cause I've touched it when it was hot and it was way worse than now.
Could it be a faulty temperature sensor? and if so, another GPU replacement?!

Like, for instance, now it's been on idle for half hour, and the GPU reports 74C. Fans are all on, cause I ear-checked ( ) and powermiser is also on, the laptop is cool as ice...

 

hello i tested my dell xps m1730 on 3dmark06 the score came like 9500. does any one know why my laptop performance is so less???

dell xps m1730 with.
intel core2dua T7500, 2.2 , 4GB Ram , Nvidia 8800GTX SLi , ALGIA phyx 100 series

 

eleron, I don't think it matters as long as it is a physical address (no PO Box) and someone you trust, like a cousin. You will need to provide a US telephone number also. Once the claim is filed online at the settlement website, a letter will later arrive (for me it was 6 weeks later) with pre-paid shipping instructions for FedEx. I think you might have to ship your system to your cousin so he/she could ship it within the US.

Probably because your CPU and 8800M SLi are on the lowest end of the performance spectrum offered in an M1730. If you are trying to compare your benchmark score to those of the Extreme CPU and 9800M GPUs it is not possible. It seems to me that your 9500 score is not out of line for your system specs. When I still had my M1730 it was the T9500 2.6 GHz CPU and 8800M SLi and the scores in 3DMark06 were right around 11,000. (See attached)

 

Not really. The 8800M GTXs are fine (it's the 8700M GTs that are slow), you just need a faster CPU. Keep in mind 3dmark06 is old, and at this point in time much of the score (all three scores, not just the one labeled CPU) are determined by CPU performance.

Think of it like this. Graphically, you have more than enough power, but your CPU can't draw enough frames for your GPU to render, leaving you with fewer rendered frames, and a lower score in every category.

 

I agree, the 8800m GTX is exact the same as an 9800m GT and very close to a 9800m GTX. It seems a CPU bottleneck case.
Cheers

 

The T7500 is a 2.2 Ghz CPU, so it was slower than my T8300 at 2.4, which scored 10.5k. So yea, definitely a bottleneck issue there.

Man, I just don`t get my issue, hope they`ll figure it out fast, cause it`s just 2 months since I got it back and now it automatically shuts down for now reason on account of 'overheating'... and I've checked, the fans are working, the laptop isn't hot, it's just reading the temps stupidly, like a +20C out of nowhere...

Never have I seen this issue before. Maybe the GPUs are hot and the fans are not doing a good job or the heatsink cave?

 

Eleron the only way to see if its the gpu itself or the fans is to install the x9000 and oc it thru bios for 3,4ghz and full fan blast.
If even with fans always on it shuts down then it could be an issue with the gpu itself.
Check if vents are clean from dust and not obstructed.
Imho wait till you install the x9000 to see if it behaves the same with fans always on.
Or just unistall the drivers,do a deep clean with driver sweeper and try another driver. I heard that newer verde betas 267.24 are really something, you may want to test them out.
Also try to boot with media button to see if the problem arises with one gpu too.

Edit: forgot to add, since youre opening the laptop for the x9000, repaste the gpu as well and reconnect the fans firmly.
It may be an easy fix.

 

I don`t know how the GPUs themselves are or are not broken, as I said, the fans are on, even at high speed at times, and they do keep the laptop cool, I touched it like everywhere, and still, temp readings are insane. 75C idle, over 90 and auto shutdown when gaming for like 10-15mins.

If the GPUs are defective, man, I will definitely be pissed beyond any measure...

I know it's not the drivers, cause both in Vista and XP it's the same issue.
So it boils down to either GPU / heatsink failure or temperature sensor failure - which makes no sense if it adds temps, just like that.

So, in order to check that, I`ve placed the laptop in a cool environment and I will monitor the temperature rising, if it starts from like 30-40C, then it`s definitely a GPU failure...

UPDATE: so after leaving the laptop in a cool room, and I mean 5C for like 5 hours, when booting up, the GPUs were at 72C. Which is impossible.


So the question is : if anything, like heatsink or such is detached or misaligned, could it give a faulty sensor reading?
I don`t want to wait for another GPU replacement if there`s only the matter or reconnecting something ...

UPDATE 2: fans are definitely working, and everything is ice cool there. It must be a faulty reading... so what does that mean?

 

If the heatsink isnt touching the chipset core as well as the sli bridge due to thermal compound that has worn out, it can lead to skyhigh temperatures.
As i said, you have two options:
Take apart the laptop now, disconnect the fans, unscrew the gpu plates and after thoroughly cleaning the cores, reapply a GOOD thermal compound.
You can either tint the core, or apply a blob in the middle of the size of a rice grain.
Put everything back in order and try again.

OR

Wait for your X9000 to ship and do both in one shot. Personally, if you ask, id already took the beast apart if i were in your shoes, like i did when my GTX came in the first time.
I had the same issue and it turned out that the thermal compound was basically evaporated and the fans weren't connected correctly. Im sure that most of the beast masters will advice the same.

As for the TC, i highly advice these:

- Arctic Cooling MX-4
- IC Diamond
- Arctic Silver 5 as the last resort

Still AC MX4 is one hell of a TC. Great product ever.

 

Maybe I'm wrong here, but isn't there something different about the 9800M GTX cards? I thought the 8XXX family are among the GPU's that suffer from the NVIDIA defect and that problem was rectified in the 9XXX family. Admittedly, I haven't followed it as closely as some since I no longer own an affected system so it does not matter to me. It also seems, from reading posts by NBR members like Kingpin and Magnus, that they are getting performance results that are not being achieved by M1730 owners with the X9000 CPU and 8800 SLi. I also remember a few posts by other folks, like Bloodroses, that realized a performance boost with the 9800 GT SLi when they were upgraded from the 8800M GT SLi. It would seem odd that NVIDIA would bother manufacturing the 9800M if it was completely identical in every way to the GPU used on the 8800 modules.

I agree, the 8700 GPUs are slow. That's what I started out with on my M1730 and the 8800 was a move in the right direction.

If I am assuming too much, I apologize. My comment about the CPU was accurate, so that's a plus.

 

There isn't an 8800M GT. The GPUs are the 8700m GT, 8800M GTX, 9800M GT, and 9800M GTX.

The 8800 GTX and 9800M GT are the same exact thing with different firmware, and the 9800M GTX is the same architecture on a smaller process if I'm not mistaken.

 

8700M = NB8E
8800M GTX /9800M GT = NB8E
9800M GT/GTX = NB9E

9800M GT / 8800M GTX = 96 Shaders
9800M GTX = 112 Shaders

So the 9800M's use a newer process, and the 9800M GTXs are ~15% faster than the 8800M GTXs, newer process and 1gb frame buffer versus 512mb. The 260M is the same basically as the 9800M GTX except it uses the NB10E.

There's a crossover period in there depending on age whether your 9800M GT's use the 8E or 9E.

9800M GTXs are all NB9Es.

So some 8800M GTXs and all 8700M GTs use the NB8E (cue ominous Nvidia music HERE)

 

Thanks for the info, electrosoft.

So, it appears they are not necessarily the same depending on the version. That's consistent with what I remember reading.

Dell did not even have any 9800 SLi modules in production at the time they gave me a new M17x R2, so I haven't made following the evolution of these aging video modules a big passion. It has been a little while, but I think it was a month or two later that the 9800's became available as a warranty fulfillment option. I cannot remember the last time I had such good timing. (Thus, I accidentally left off the X in my reference to the non-existent 8800M GT. It was too long ago for me to remember.)

Based on what I have read, and comments posted by some NBR forum members, it would seem to be an accurate statement that the 9800M GT and GTX are an improvement over anything in the 8XXX family, if for no reasons other than a firmware patch and double the memory. With twice as much memory and smaller process design, (probably lower power consumption and reduced heat production would go along with that smaller process,) I'm thinking "similar" might be a better description than "exactly the same."

 

Mr. Fox and others

What I can confirm from my experience is that the 9800GT is just another nvidia piece of garbage that has been replaced twice during the short period I've had them (in less than a year).

I am extremely disappointed in both Dell and Nvidia in not taking ownership of the issues.

As for the performance gains...meh, as I have also found that running SLI on an external monitor (two different 24" monitors, both Dell) causes artificats and distortions when playing games or video. I therfore disable SLI and any performance gain I might achieve because of yet another issue with the machine/graphics cards.

I am still in limbo as to whether I should sell this machine or pursue a lawsuit. Infernal machine.

 

Bloodroses, it's good to hear from you again.

It's not good hearing that you have endured more problems. It seems that it is never going to end. It appears that eleron is having a similarly terrible experience. While waiting for an X9000 CPU to arrive to upgrade his M1730, some fan problems started. It's a sad situation. What an engineering abortion the XPS M1730 turned out to be.

It will be interesting to see how many "repairs" to the M1730 through the NVIDIA settlement don't last long and leave the owners holding the bag with nowhere else to turn except for their own wallet.

 

Yea, there isn`t any overheating, triple checked this morning, the CPU was at 16C, while the GPU with fans on high since pressing the On/Off button was at 77C.

Definitely a sensor screw up.

I got the X9000, and I`m installing it today, but it won`t change the fact that the GPU temps are giving faulty readings...

Must be a first, I tell you. Good thing I just upgraded my warranty for 2 more years.

 

Well you cant be sure that its a thermal problem, it may be the thermal compound.
If that turns out to be the problem, you will feel pissed for a thing you could had fixed by yourself.
Since youre opening it, repaste the gpu as well,why not? Besides its more easy to do than installing the cpu itself.
Just give it a try i always repasted the gpus myself, both of them.

And about the whole gpu family questions, the 8800m gtx and 9800 are the same card,physically and mechanically speaking.
The only difference on later revisions (GT2) are different memory modules and voltage regulators beside an improved firmware.
Turns out that the card is more cooler and efficent, but performance wise is the same.
The 9800m gtx on the otherhand its a different core architecture. It uses the same g92b core of desktop 8800gt with same cuda cores and memory bandwidth.

 

Edit: heres the 8800gt desktop card specs: techPowerUp! :: GPU Database : NVIDIA 8800 GT

Im running the same clocks since the notebook version its a bit
Downclocked, but its the same card nonetheless.

 

Well, took it to the service, just in case, and insisted that they thoroughly checked the thermal paste.

With my luck, I won`t get it back this week and I`ll be utterly pissed...

 

Funny, SLI works great for me on external monitors (one Acer, one Samsung). I've recently played through The Witcher without a hitch.

 

@Cebalrai: same here. I guess that his problem is with drivers. Not all the peoples knows how to configure them or what versions to use. By their nature, drivers should work OTB, but they beg to be configured proprely.

@eleron: man that sucks balls. Anyway i wish you the best mate. If the problem is the thermal sensor then theres nothing they can do about it as its located in the die itself, on the surface under the heat spreader. And its a minuscole thing thought. Hope its not that.

 

Yea, we'll see. If so, this would be my 4th GPU replacement, and I`m sure as hell not taking it back this way.