Dell XPS M1730 Owner's Lounge, Take 2

my Dvi port is so annoying the computer likes to keep flashing the Display over and over when I try to hot plug it, my display drivers didnt matter and now i am on the ones from dell for the M17x i think

 

Nothing wrong with that 186.12 driver from Dell amj1627. Its doing just fine with my setup and so far has been the most stable out of the 185.66+ and 186.xx I have tried.

 

So I went to the Advanced tab on my broadcom nic driver and found a section "wake on lan" and it was set to "both". I set it to "disabled" and we'll see what happens. I sure hope that's it!

 

I had my 8800's replaced yesterday,

According to HWmonitor they are both idling at 80c

With the other cards I've had replaced have always started out at around 54c then go up to 74 before cooling back down to 54c.

The fans kick in and they only drop by 1c. All the case around the back is incredibly hot to touch. The fans stay on high all the time.

My little boy touched the DVI socket just now by accident and he burnt his hand.

What to do?.

This may be the last straw for me.

 

call dell tell them the burnt part and they will fix it, they dont want sued for it burning your boy. one rule they have if it isnt safe they replace it.

 

Finally got my bluray drive, thanks hankaaron57. (err...why does it say I need to spread +rep?!?)

Is it just me, or does M1730 look better with flat drive bezel?

 

@ Kade Storm, did you receive any news about youre replacement yet?
Did they send you any number or something you can follow it up?

Like you know my system will also be replaced.
The only thing Dell send me was a service call number and case number with email, and they say the replacement can take 2 weeks or maybe 2 months...but how can we be sure there will be a replacement ?
Sorry for my english (Belgium).

 

Can I upgrade from dual 8700M to dual 9800M? Or only to 8800M? 8800M and 9800M are the same thing, right? Does the 9800M have any issues?

 

Raad11:

2x 8700m < 1x9800m GT
8800m GTX= 9800m GT
9800m GT < 9800m GTX

Yes, provided that you could find the parts. Both 8800m GTX and 9800m GTX are pretty much discountinued, so the price are very high. Dual 9800m GT in sli is your most likely upgrade path.

For reference, a single 9800m GT can smoke dual 8700m in sli, having a pair is awesome.

 

I know it sucks Chief - but just call them up AGAIN and tell them to get back out there and replace it again.

 

I have a headache! and a result I think?.

I've been on the phone most of the day and the end conclusion is they are replacing the whole laptop with a brand new one.

I've just got off the phone with dell and the guy wanted to replace my current system with a bog standard cpu (from a x7900) and 8700's (from 8800's)

Obviously he didnt know what he was talking about and he is phoning me back tomorrow with the promise that I will get a like for like replacement.

I did try and get an alienware m17x but that was flatly refused.

I wonder if they are pressed further they will give in.

Fingers crossed all will come good in the end.

Thanks again Batboy.

 

Good to see they are starting the road to replacement. Couple of suggestions:

1. Do not give in. Stick to your guns. You have 8800Ms, they MUST replace them with 8800Ms or an equal counterpart. This does not mean 8700m's DELL.

Likewise, CPU and all other specs must match or no dice.

2. As to the Alienware replacement, they can refuse all they want - but keep in mind Dell will be hard pressed (at least currently) to replace an 8800M GTX SLI system. In the end, they may have no choice (if they want to honor their own replacement terms).

I have viewed a couple of threads lately where 8800M GTX owners are having to: a)wait for a 8800M GTX replacement card as they are in short supply or b)accept an 8700M GT. Neither of these are acceptable. DO NOT let Dell pull this s#*^.

You paid for the Next Business Day coverage, they need to honor it. Waiting a week+ is not NBD replacement.

Just my opinion of course.

Another thought - their have been ZERO M1730's in the Outlet for some time. Hmmmm... wonder how this factors into the replacement equation.

 

And your opinion is always welcome and highly regarded.

I wonder if the 9800 GT's are a worthy replacement in the new system?. As they are still showing on the UK Dell configuration tool for the M1730.

The equivalent system on Dell's website comes to about £2650, just about enough for a decent M17X?.

 

Why isn't Dell using 9800M GTs (or GTX) to replace the 8800s?

There are refurbished 8800Ms on eBay, a few 9800M GTs, haven't seen any 9800M GTXs anywhere.

 

9800M GT SLI should be identical to 8800M GTX SLI from what I've read here.

How much better is the 9800M GTX? Does anyone have one of those? I never even heard of it until now...

 

Most reviews put it at 10-20% improvement over the 8800M GTX.
Here's one:
http://www.notebookcheck.net/Review-nVidia-GeForce-9800M-GTX-Graphics-Card.11714.0.html
and here's future marks estimate:
http://service.futuremark.com/hardware/graphics_cards/nvidia_geforce_9800m_gtx

 

The only issue I see with Dell replacing the 8800M GTX with the 9800M GT SLI is availability - @ least here in the US. Dell is only selling it with 8700M here which is why I just can't see anyone dumping $$$ into a new system.

Not sure how they deal with replacement parts abroad however I can't imagine parts being sent out from the US overseas. Dell most likely has locations in Europe which replacement parts are shipped from (at least I would hope so).

 

chief barker , have you asked them for a Dell M6400?

 

Just as a FYI, here is the original blog that came with the release of the 8800M GTX for the M1730.
It may be of help when Dell wants to downgrade anyone to a 8700M, Who would want to take a 49% performance hit:
http://en.community.dell.com/blogs/direct2dell/archive/2008/01/29/43163.aspx?~ref=crss

 

Nice one Gadget - great reference link.

Well, looks like I'm going to be contacting Dell as well. My GPUs are showing a max temp of 88c after a Left 4 Dead session. This is well above the my normal max of 74c. This is only happening in-game and not with typical usage (internet, office docs, etc.).

Will post back once I speak with Dell. Argh! I am not looking forward to this.

 

I'm assuming you checked to see if it's dirty? How long did your 8800s last?

You're still under warranty?

If the cards are still working and it's just the temperatures that are going up, can't you order replacement fans/heatsinks or something?

Also, isn't it strange that they'd both shoot up in temperature like that? They ARE two GPUs...

And if it starts artifacting/crashing, I wonder if the oven treatment will fix it. It worked for one guy in that thread. Just wondering what the options are without warranty.

 

No dust bunnies here

Still under warranty - have 324 days remaining on NBD Warranty + Complete Care.

This system was shipped on 6/20/2008 so its 13 months old. Figures - Close to 1 month past the normal 1 year warranty coverage and its starting to show issues. Thank goodness my 4 year coverage from my previous system carried over. This is exactly why I advocate going with max warranty + Complete Care if you purchase a high end Dell lappie. Things break - and that added protection comes in handy.


------------------------

And so it begins...

I spoke with XPS Support this evening. Decided the best route was to replace the GPU which is fine by me. Intially he wanted to replace the GPU fans only however after a bit of discussion he agreed to replace the GPU. 8800M GTX replacement will be here with a tech on Friday. Hopefully this doesn't turn out to be like the other replacement horrors posted lately.

Kind of ironic - last service call I had on this machine was for a replacement DVD drive. I was having issues where it wouldn't read blank media. The date of the service dispatch was 7/14/2008. 1 year later... Weird.

More to follow....

 

When the tech gets there, try to get some info out of him. He must know more about why these kinds of failures are happening. Both GPUs shooting up in temps doesn't make sense to me. And if there wasn't any artifacting/crashing, maybe it was just a fan problem. Hopefully they get you a new 8800M or one that's in good shape if refurbished.

Have there been any other people who've had the high temps issue and only gotten the fans replaced? Has that done the trick?

 

Is it normal that some items on the Packing slip and the tax invoice will not be the same?

because in my packing slip it includes:


WXSN111-IN # Yr 1 Ltd Hardware Warranty, Inhome Service after Remote
Diagnosis

WXSP111-IN # Year 1 Standard POW

but it doesn't include these 2 in my tax invoice.

thx,

 

The tech who usually handles my area is a decent guy - he's been out 4 or 5 times on a previous system (my old M1710). I'll ask him about any other M1730 issues he has been out on...

As for the temps, not sure what monitoring software you use but HWMonitor always reports the same temps between GPUs (at least on my system). Have never seen different readings between the 2 cores. Remember, its the same card technically - just two 8800M GTX cores linked together.

Image with heatsink/fans removed (thanks to ripfire's kickin guide to applying AS5 http://forum.notebookreview.com/showthread.php?t=385427):

http://i186.photobucket.com/albums/x148/jlimage/Step22.jpg

 

BatBoy, I'm sorry to hear this... Why don't you try to replace the thermal paste? Use AS5 or MX2... maybe the temperatures will improve.

 

Well, my battery woes appear to have cleared up with the receipt of my new battery from eBay. Plugged it in and charging in progress. I'm soooo glad it wasn't the mobo...

Later - Mike

 

I posted a little bit ago about my GPU problems, after calling dell didn't have a clue so they took the laptop back to the factory to repair and replace anything that's broken, this was last friday.
They said 5 - 7 days for repairs so hopefully I should recieve word soon, has anyone else had theirs taken back to the factory like this, did it take long to get it back?

 

No I haven't mate, IMO it's not what i'm looking for as I need a replacement laptop to run the latest games as my broken m1730.

The least I am going to accept is an M1730 with an X9000 cpu and SLI 9800 GT's.

If they don't replace it with that exact spec.then I will insist on an Alienware M17X.

I'm not sure if they will give me their highest spec. M17 as I may have to put some money towards the extra expence of the laptop.

All things considered I have made it very clear that my youngest son did burn his finger on the VGA socket on a machine that has been repaired 3 times and failed.

 

No need - as much as I am tempted to do it myself, I'd rather let Dell handle the replacement under the warranty terms. If the replacement melts they can deal with it again until they get it right.


@Chief:
Stick to your guns Chief - going to be hard pressed to replace the X9000. Fight the good fight

 

I just bought this
http://forum.notebookreview.com/showthread.php?t=399783


Hopefully it will be problem-free for a few years

 

I hope it too. Everywhere around GPU's start to fail.
I get the feeling Dell can't handle the situation. Specially how they are trying to solve this with faulty refurbished ones.

 

My 8700Ms are at different temperatures. One idles about 3c hotter and the difference increased by as much as 5c under load. But the max temp isn't bad and no problems otherwise.

Also, I meant it's weird because I don't know what could cause both GPUs to both go hot at the same time. That rules out the fans being a problem I guess, right? The odds of both fans failing at the same time are rare... If it's a problem in the general board, I wonder if the oven fix would work. Oh well, hopefully your tech can shed some light on the issue.

Also, that guide is awesome! I had to use the service manual to take mine apart, wish I would have found that sooner, lol.

I don't apply the AS5 that way. I just put a generous little drop in the middle and let the heatsink spread it out when putting it back on.

Sorry for being redundant, but what were your GPU problems?

 

Where can i find good prices on a X7900 or even a X9000 I'm looking to buy.
Is the 4 vs 6 mb cache much diffrent?

 

Had issues with my 8800 GTX sli, first time it overheated and wouldn't get past the windows loading screen into vista itself. They replaced the motherboard and fans, did nothing, then replaced the 8800 itself.

That worked for like a day or so before the same problems started happening again, overheating, lockups, blue screen saying hardware malfunction, artifacts.

Called them and explained it all, it still seemed like just a graphics card problem but they insisted on taking it back to the factory this time, apparently I won't hear anything until the courier calls me to schedule bringing it back, so I guess I won't have any idea what was wrong / been fixed till i have the laptop back in front of me now.

 

The only place is going to be fleaBay unless you want to pay full OEM retail.

Be cautious with ES (Engineering Sample) CPUs from Asia. If possible, go with an OEM over ES on fleaBay. I say this only after reading this short piece I decided I wouldn't invest my money in a risk - I'm not saying all of them are bad, but I would be cautious. Might want to hit up some of the users here who have purchased off fleaBay and see if any of them can refer you to a seller who they have had luck with.

 

Thank you! i was looking at an X7900 on ebay and it had a picture of the top of it and i was looking at it and the writing on it is way different.
And i still would want to know cache difference before i buy.

 

Look at page 8 of the X9000 review and it summarizes the gain of more L2 cache:
http://hothardware.com/Articles/Intel-Core-2-Extreme-Mobile-X9000-Notebook-Penryn-Speed/?page=1
Look at this post from the old thread and it states some of the other gains:
http://forum.notebookreview.com/showpost.php?p=3066586&postcount=5435
Since apps and games have evolved from March '08, this statement is probably on the conservative side now.

BTW, I did purchase my X9000 engineering sample from ebay in 05-06'08 and have had no issues, but as BatBoy said you have to be cautious and given the choice, the OEM is the route to go.

 

Damn.

Has anyone had an 8800M not fail?

 

Mine was installed 02-03'08, never has failed and is still performing well. It was a new unit though.

 

Never failed over here. 8800's temperatures as low as 42*C with powermizers disabled in a non-airconditioned room. Hits the highest of just 65*C playing Crysis for 2 hours. Cooling abilities of the card is highly card dependant I guess.

 

Hey man,
I've been working at the problem with Dell, and of course, with much valued help from BatBoy, as well as the discussions on this thread from those that have had experience with system replacements, such as Eambo.

I'm getting a replacement system. They say it's a new unit with 9800m GT SLi, and the same specs all round - BD-RE and T9500. What they couldn't provide was an Ageia PPU card. I got a bit put off, and asked them to provide me with something as compensation. They kept referring to the 9800m GT as an 'upgrade', and I kept referring to it as the same card, if not a downgrade as it is only GT while the 8800 was a GTX. Of course, this is just semantics, and both parties are being idiots - they're the exact same cards! I wouldn't even call the 9800m GTX a compensating upgrade, but at least it is some form of upgrade. Long story turned short: I was offered a newer wifi chip along with a year's extension on my warranty. I discussed the offer and accepted the deal. "All this for the Ageia?" you ask, well. . . yeah. Dell hyped it up the little piece of crap so I'll ask for compensation.

Now reading the last few pages, I'm rather put off by the situation. So many GPU failures. . . ?! This is what most of our high-end gaming laptop companies have earned us by going for nVidia's infamously faulty chipset - G92. I personally attribute all the problems to the generally unstable quality and nature of this design. I'd rather have an efficient, but less supported ATi Crossfire solution at this point. Eh, whatever.

Chief Barker, I'd say what everyone else is saying, and that would be the advice of you sticking to your guns. Don't compromise, because you have rights as a consumer, and with their warranty service, they've put even more power in your hands. Yes, they did shoot you down with the M17x, but that doesn't mean that you don't have a shot, or that they don't owe you a similar machine/better in return for your current system. Plain and simple, the only replacement you should accept is one that is more or less the exact equal of your current machine, and you should be compensated for any small corners cut. If this machine fails, you do have an argument that their M1730 line is just not doing what it's supposed to be doing for the price that you paid - ask for a newer, better, and reliable unit.

 

Yeah mine was hitting like 75*C just sitting on the vista desktop alone, that was with the laptop sitting on an alaska cooling stand thing too :/

It's weird, it never had problems then just totally overheated, replacement however seemed like it was already faulty.

 

SomeFormOFhuman, do you use cooling pads?

 

Hey, I was wondering
A.) Can you buy the 280m SLi by itself

B.) Can I install it into my m1730?

 

A) Yes.

B) No.

 

Raad11- I bought mine on March of 08' and I have not had any problems at all, I guess I am one of the lucky ones. MY gpu's both idle at 40c and go to around 64c under load depending on the game but never go above 74c. I just used Ripfire's guide to disassemble the heatsink and fan assemblies on my gpu's and applied AS5 to the gpu's just to ba safe. Also I use the Cryo NYXZ cooler with an ac adapter from radio shack to run the fans at 12v on the cooler which help keep things cool.

 

Bummer, but thanks for the info.

 

Looks like we broke the forum again I hope its not like last time... Ouch.

 

I have one of those Zalman coolers, anyone know if I can do the same with that?

And if you don't mind me asking, what voltage is your X9000 at? Temps? What's the lowest undervolt people get for 3, 3.2, 3.4 GHz?