Dell XPS M1730 Owner's Lounge, Take 2

haha Eambo. Im nearly at that stage at the moment. Will let you know tomorrow how it all goes.

 

My CPU had thermal paste (the thick ceramic kind), not a thermal pad. (I'd be pretty worried if the tiny core on that CPU were connected only by a thermal pad to the heat sink, since there isn't even a heat spreader on it.)

Clean it off with acetone and apply a good paste, like Shin Etsu x23. If you don't have that available, you can use a lower performing paste like Arctic Silver.

Then crank the heat sink down tightly on the CPU. I screwed it in until the screws hit the stops and would no longer budge.

By doing this, I lowered my spike temperatures dramatically compared to Dell's stock setup.

 

lol perfect fix! until the next problem

 

72oo, I`m happy with my Razer, and totally recommend it. Been using it for a year now...totally worth it. And it was cheap, 35~ or so last year.

 

I've had the exact same thing over the past 2 weeks.

Knew the GPU was overheating, told them so, they said no and sent a engineer out to replace the motherboard. And what'd you know, it still overheats and I couldn't use my laptop. Last week they sent him out again with a new 8800 GTX, within a day... It's overheating again and failing constantly, I gave it a chance and have spent a good few days reinstalling OS / Drivers and trying everything to fix it.

No luck, time to call them up again in the morning!

 

Yeah their tech support is a joke. I'll tell you exactly how mine went

1: I told them my system was overheating. They sent out a tech with a replacement Mobo, heatsink and fan.

2: Still warm, but I didn't realise how warm until I asked around here. Called them up again a few months later about it.

3: They come out and replace Mobo, fan, heatsink and gpu. GPU had one dead core.

4: They insisted my issue was a dodgy windows install. I reformatted, losing everything, to Windows 7 again.

5: They then insisted my hardware was incompatible with Windows 7! IT WAS THE SAME HARDWARE! But just to spite them, I wiped it with Windows Vista.

6: Called them up again. They replaced my GPU again. This time both cores were dead on the GPU

7: Called them up again. They told me it was my OS, even though it was a clean install. "You need to reinstall OS when you change GPU". I wiped again

8: After wipe I installed ONLY my gpu drivers. Couldn't boot up, proving it was the gpu. They remote desktopped me, and insisted the uninstalled devices were the issue. In particular the physx card ( which is useless)

9: After hours on the phone, I hung up and called back again later. They agreed to come out again and replace my GPU

10: Got the GPU replaced, this time finally working. The engineer forgot to plug in my keyboard backlight

11: Finally got the system working as it should have been.


^ A very long process. My mom (who paid for my system as a university present) was *so* ticked off, she couldn't believe I had the patience to get them to fix it. And I'm very understanding of Customer Support - I used to do it. But none the less, they were testing even my patience.



Morale of the story: Persist, persist, persist. If it's not running perfectly, don't doubt yourself - tell them. I often doubted myself thinking it might have been my drivers, something I was doing wrong. In the end it was all dodgy replacement parts, my install was perfectly fine.

 

Sounds exactly like what I've had so far, had the motherboard, fan, heatsink replacement. Then the total GPU replacement, of course not before they'd asked me todo the same things over and over again over the phone, send me round in circles, they even tried to send me off to the paid software support line too :|
I mean they should be thankful when they get someone who knows what they're talking about calling up anyway, or least you'd think so.

At the end of today I realised, I shouldn't have to spend days messing around with a laptop to get it working, it should work, I should be able to use 3d applications and games. Right now I can barely even use the laptop for web browsing without fear it's gonna lock up and overheat again.

I've replied to the email they sent me before, so hopefully they'll call me back tihs time, instead of me wasting 2 - 3 hours on the phone and footing the bill myself

 

Oh yes how could I forget. Three times they tried to fob me off to their paid software support - and in the end it was their hardware.

Ended up running up a £40 phone bill too - and it was all from calling them.

I can't stress enough, simply persist. If you feel you're getting nowhere, get onto the executives through email. I mass emailed all 15, and got a response from one, who managed to sort my issue out (or at least kept an eye on it to make sure everything was eventually sorted)

I get the feeling Dell don't test their refurbed parts...

I was left twice with a computer I couldn't use without safe mode - leaving me in 640x480 resolution, which is disgusting =-P

 

Wow yeah I got that too. "Well sir the problem seems to be software related let me put you through to paid support"

I spent ages on the phone the first time, had to explain my problem to 5 different people and still didn't hang up, stayed on the line till they agreed to send someone out. I'll be doing the same tomorrow, no matter how much talking I have todo all over again

 

You can also request they call you back, I done it once whenever they expected me to wait on the phone while they downloaded drivers to my computer. Tell them you've spent a fortune on calls and can they call you to save you money.

 

What do you guys use to monitor temps? And what are normal values?

 

I use HWMonitor, I've found it the best 'all-in-one' solution, and it's free!

I have my CPU overclocked to 3.4GHz atm, which means my CPU heats up more, but my fans are on permanently. After gaming for hours my temperatures have been:

CPU1: Min 38/ Max 68
CPU2:Min 38/ Max 75
GPU1:Min 37/ Max 74
GPU2:Min 37/ Max 74
Chipset: Min 44/ Max 82

Keeping in mind this is with the fans permanently on. Hope this gives you some idea.

Basically anything over 90 you should be worried about. Anything under 90 I consider safe =-P

 

@Eambo - if anything goes wrong with the system again, its time to insist on replacement. I just read over your detailed post and am shaking my head at the Dell you were put through...

 

Oh don't worry BatBoy, I've got the Dell Executives email ready. If another thing goes wrong with this I'm getting straight onto him - he seemed sympathetic with me with the amount of problems I've had, so I daresay when he references my case he'll see the amount of crap I've had to go through and understand why I don't want any more dodgy parts =-P

 

I had my system replaced twice. Sent to the depot twice. Within those three systems I've had: hard drive replaced 5 times, motherboard twice, memory 3 times, graphics cards 2 times. Still having problems. Demanded a different system or refund (its been a year so no refund). This is the system they gave me:

Precision M6400 Covet (Orange)

Windows Vista 64-Bit

Intel Core 2 Quad Q9100 1066 FSB 12MB L2

NVIDIA Quadro FX 3700M, 1.0GB Discrete

500GB (2x250GB 7200RPM Free Fall Sensor)

4GB 1066mhz (2dimms)

Edge-to-Edge 1920x1200 RGB LED Display

Slot-load DVD Burner

Bluetooth

Wireless N

Fingerprint Reader

Backlit Keyboard




The only thing about this laptop that is lesser in power than my current rig is the graphics card, which only scores around 11,000 3DMark06. My 8800M GTX SLI scores around 14,000.


Do you guys think I made a good decision accepting this?

 

I actually like the fact the 6400 can accept up to 16GB of memory (DDR3 no less), you've got the quad core and if I'm not mistaken - doesn't it also have that very cool subwoofer (it looks like the old M1710 chassis)... I truly miss my m1710 sound performance...

The only issue I would've had (SORRY DELL, NO DICE) would be the GPU - you paid for a system which had an SLI setup. I would've responded with "sorry, the M6400 isn't going to work for me - this isn't equal to my M1730 since it wont run SLI, and I purchased an SLI system"

If you are happy with it no worries though - your satisfaction is what matters.

 

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weird thing for my GPU's when i leave the computer running and go in the other room i come back and the Gpu's are around 81c and when i play WoW the average around 64 and just being online i get an average of 53

9800's vista ultimate 64 and nvidia 186.12, no cooler but i do have a stand keeping it raised about an inch off the desk

 

Have you given it a shot of compressed air lately? If not, try that. Also, I may be (and probably are) wrong, but doesn't the 9800m run just a tad bit hotter than the 8800m? I seem to remember reading this somewhere...

You didn't disable PowerMizer via that PowerMizer switch app did you? Can you verify the clocks are downclocking when not under load? Use GPU-Z to check (sensor tab).

 

Dude, that's a very nice machine. I really like the hardware, and even I miss the old M1710. But going once again by what BatBoy had said: You were traded short with the single GPU. It's a slightly better GPU than a single 8800m GTX, but you won't have that SLi edge that you paid for; Dell should've been more thoughtful.

You got the system as an SLi marketted laptop with enthusiast-level gaming performance, and now they've given you something that's more of a business machine and without the SLi features. Wrong. Financially, it might be an equal-value deal, given that the m6400s are expensive, but it ain't no SLi rig, and that's one of the key marketting points of the M1730. Your laptop will play games, but not the way your M1730 did in the past.

 

i'm using everest ultimate which is great on the 1730's because it offers the small LCD window support. if you go to the lavalys website you can get it for free, just sign up for a trial of emusic and cancel it.

 

Are these GPU temperatures hot?

8700M GT Min - 58, Max - 58
8700M GT Min - 64, Max - 65

I'm not playing a game or anything... perhaps it's just dust buildup. When I install the 8800s, I'm gonna clean out everything I can.

All the other temperatures are in the mid-high 30s. Which raises an interesting point for me. How hot does this system get when room temperature itself is in the mid-high 30s such as where I normally use this laptop in Asia? I usually avoid gaming until later at night or early in the morning.

 

Hmm. Maybe I can interject. I've used the dual 8600m GTs in my Toshiba. They use the larger die-size - 80nm, just like the 8700m GT, with the same number of shaders, but at a lower clock. My temps are around the same as yours, maybe a little cooler--by about 4 degrees--at times. So I think you'll get more heat. I'd say the temps look good for a machine that's in what part of Asia where the temps are 30-ish. My toshiba's temps are about the same right here in London. Also, the machine's temps climb up pretty good during intensive gaming but I never had any issues. It's kinda' sad in comparison to Dell, because I still haven't had a single problem with the dual 8600s, and they've been through hell and back - temps climb up into the early and mid 90s, but the cards never throttle or fail.

 

I got Everest (Thanks for the tip, WASUPDOG!) When I was playing COD4 With sli activated (I have 8700's ) gpu2's temp runs consistantly around 10 deg C hotter (Mid 70's) than gpu1 is this something to be concerned about? My 1730 is a replacement for an Inspiron 9300 that they could not get parts to me for. It is a "Refurbished" unit.
Thanks for helping a noob!

 

10C wouldn't worry me personally. However most people say anything about 7-10C difference could be an issue.

Make sure there's decent ventillation getting through the whole way - if one part is semi-blocked then this could explain the temps being different.

Mid 70s is perfectly fine too as far as I'm aware, I only worry in the 85-90+ area =-P

 

if you're not using a notebook cooler just prop the back rubber legs up with something. i use 1 deck of playing cards for each leg, some other ppl use bottle caps or index cards etc. i find this provides enough ventilation even when i'm gaming that i don't even need a cooler.

 

Hi,
I have diffrent problems,..
4x bsod blue screen
used diffrent gpu drivers
after that new install of vista 32 bit and use now the 186.03 driver from nvidia
yesterday with my fresh installation of vista i have problems with company of heroes, flickering screen, glitches....
Also with far cry, game plays slow even with lower settings, normally i can play that game with highest settings,...
I look to temps with hw monitor but temps its normal (75c°)
I called to dell and they look into my system with dell connect they didn't find anything wrong on this machine, they say.
Now i try again to play company of heroes and it just play fine....
But my computer works very slow on the intenet ex. opening pages on the internet....

Sorry for my english (Belgium).
Thanks a lot for advice and helping.

 

My laptop stopped working overnight. It was fine when I closed it, but refused to boot up in the morning. No software or hardware changes were made. Nothing is displayed on the screen, and there is no external video output either.

Seeing the diagnostic check quoted above, I thought I would give the Fn button start up a try.The result I got was:

Three series of fast beeps (5 beeps)
Two series of slow beeps (3 beeps)
1 beep

The above cycled until I turned the doorstop off.

Does anybody have the slightest clue what could be the problem? I have not called Dell support yet, as would prefer to be armed with some knowledge prior to doing so.

Thanks for reading!

Muppit

 

@Muppit:

Do you even see the Dell boot screen logo?

I believe 5 beeps has something to do with the CPU and 3 is typically memory or a video card issue.

Obviously none of these are good. Did you experience any odd behavior the night before it stopped working?

Have you tried reseating the memory? What about removing the battery and using only AC power at system power up? Reverse it and boot with only battery?

Try some of these if you can. Best to call Dell in the long run though if you can't gather any other info besides the error beeps. Not a good sign

Hope its not serious.

 

@BatBoy

Thanks for the response.

No Dell logo is seen. I do not even see the screen "charge" (for want of a better or correct term).

The battery was actually out of the unit when 'it' happened. I already have a call outstanding with Dell regarding the battery as a couple of weeks ago I removed the machine from power on full battery, only to see it fully discharge in a couple of minutes! A new battery is on hold for delivery as I am away from home, and will be for another couple of months.

The memory has been reseated; nothing changed afterwards.

So frustrating...

 

I am trying to overclock my 8800's using the Nvidia system tools utility. But I feel that it is overly complicated.

I need to set a custom profile to automatically overclock my cards when a game is launched, and return to the defaults when I quit a game.

Can anybody give a walkthrough in setting this up?.

I have tried to set it up several times but I run into problems as I don't quite know what I am doing.

I have searched on google for a comprehensive guide but have come up with nothing.

Thanks.

 

Random, spammish post:

Page 100 on our second thread. We're gonna be crashing the forums again in no time =-P

 

time to start take 3???

 

Alrighty... finally chiming into this thread after a period of inactivity.

My M1730's still working perfectly, no problems at all. I am running it overclocked at 3.2Ghz, and have achieved a stable undervolt. I am running extraordinarily cool... right now I'm at my workplace with an ambient temp of 81F(27C or so!). My cores are hovering around 35C, and my GPUs are hitting 48C idle. In my nice air-conditioned room they usually idle at around 40-43C... very nice considering SLi is enabled.

My max temps are also rather decent, as I rarely ever break 80C when gaming. I'm pretty comfortable with those temps, and overall happy with my system.

The only concern I have is am I damaging anything by having these fans running at max all the time? I'm not someone with the kind of budget to go out and buy an M17x if this thing fails in a year or two, so I do want reliability with my system. The fans really do a great job with keeping system temps to reasonable lows, but has anyone experienced fan failures on these yet?

I also just saw an earlier post explaining that the poster had been sent an actual GPU fan instead of a GPU replacement? That obviously sucks but if that means they're actually offering fans(instead of having to replace the entire damn GPU just to get a working fan) that bodes very well for me.

 

my new gpu card is in backorder by dell.
part nr. XN888 G92 is this the part nr of a 8800GTX?
grtz

 

IIRC, that is technically the same part number as the 8800M GTX. However, I have heard that Dell is now using the same part number for the 9800M GT, so you may get either card. Most likely the 8800M if it is refurbished.

 

Ok thx LegendaryKA8, yesterday i told them if they come with a refurbished card, i will send the technician back with his card.

 

I would stick to your guns on that one. As my machine was out of warranty before I started all my Frankenstein work to it, I have no experience with Dell service... although it appears as if several users here have had trouble. Just make sure they send you out a new card, as the refurbished ones generally are crap and more often than not have issues.

 

Yes i called them "he understand the problem", but that's the way it's going he said, and when the refurbished card is also damaged then they will look for a other solution...... the second step for me is then to ask my money back.
I told him when i buy a new car and something is broken, they don't repair the car with refurbished parts,........but with a new part.
What more can we do this is not normal for a very expensive notebook like the xps 1730.

 

AH! OK. Thanks for clearing that up. I forgot when I did my 32->64 bit it was a fresh install of Vista x64 and not an upgrade.

 

What are the circumstances to this? Is this a replacement part for a failed part under warranty? If so, what is the ETA on the part?

For what its worth, I had my m1710 (with dead GPU) upgraded to the m1730 last year due to the 7950 GTX card being backordered with an ETA of 30 days. Just thought I'd throw this out there since we all need to make sure we keep Dell honest. If you paid for NBD replacement, there is no excuse and they should be held to honoring the terms of the warranty.

Also, just for your info - I don't care what the guy on the phone tells you, all the warranty repair parts are refurbished. Just the way it works.

 

Batboy, today i called Dell 4 times, we make a "deal", the technician will come tomorrow with a "refurbished" 8800 GTX , he told me that the refurbished parts are all extremely tested and when this one also have failures, they will give me a new xps 1730,.............. yes that's the way Dell works,..on the forum here a read a lot of refurbished stuff, also on youtube...
(sorry for my english i'm from Belgium)

 

Random?....Spam?

I was under the impression that this forum was for people that need information and help with their 1730's.

I that is the case (after searching this thread and on google) then i'm on my own.

Thanks.

 

i dont think he was talking about your post i think he was just telling everyone that his post was off topic.

 

I made a video setup of what I am using/doing, you can view it here:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RPkdHJiC4tA watching in HD or full screen would be better
It follows this general guide:
1) Create a game profile for OC'd cards
2) Call that profile when a game(has to call the game exe) is loaded
3) Call the default profile when the game has stopped
I made this quick and on the fly so please ask questions if it is not clear.

I use this presently for playing CODWaW multi Player and have no issues or problems.

On the Random & Spam comment, I don't believe he was directing it at anyone on the forum, it was in reference to his statement about the thread moving so quick.

 

Just had my second failure in 2 months.

Had a few blue screens since they replaced the GPUs and as of 2 days ago the unit will no longer boot into Vista or Vista Safe Mode or VGA mode.

Now I'm stuck with waiting for the parts to become available... /sigh.

 

What drivers do you guys use with the 8800Ms?

 

I'm going to miss my M1730. It was fun while it lasted.

 

See my sig.

 

Anyone want to sell their M1730? Preferably the ones that got em for 1k in June..