Dell XPS M1730 Owner's Lounge, Take 2

sorry double post

 

@trd1:

The XPS M1730 is a nice laptop - no question about it. Buying it used is a tough call. Buying it new direct from Dell is a definite 'no' in my opinion only because of the configuration they offer. It is pointless in my book if you can't configure the unit with anything better than an 8700M GT SLI. For the amount of money Dell is asking, I think its wiser to invest it in a M17x or for that matter go with a different brand with better specs.

Point being, why invest in dead end specs? Even the CPU is a tough thing to upgrade at this point. Do a search for Intel x9000 or Intel x7900 on eBay and see how many auctions come up and check to see where the sellers are located - I can almost bet 90% of them are in Asia and the chip is an ES CPU.

On the subject of Dell and their service, ya know - they used to be really customer oriented. Are they still? Possibly. Perhaps my recent experience with them is just a run of bad luck. The only real issue I would be concerned with is the quality of replacement warranty parts not just I have received but others here as well.

With that being said, I think the best thing to do is to carefully evaluate your own resources (budget), figure out the best machine to match your needs and go from there. If buying one from eBay is your only choice, then be sure to do your research on the seller and the condition of the unit they are offering. Personally, I would have a real hard time dropping that kind of money down for a system I couldn't visually inspect being sold by someone who knows where...

Just my opinion of course

 

If you are interested in the M1730, you should look in the NBR Marketplace, there are 3 for sale atm, including mine. I'd bet they are all cheaper than ebay prices.

A very powerful machine though, good price for performance atm.

 

Yep - thanks for pointing that out Rip... I forgot to mention in my post NBR would be a better place to start a search. At least here you have a 'known' community - at least in some regard.

 

This is the one I was thinking of getting. What do you all think?

http://cgi.ebay.com/NEW-RED-DELL-XP....c0.m14&_trkparms=65:3|66:2|39:1|293:1|294:50

 

Seriously dude, why would you drop 1900 bones on that when the M17x starts @ 1799, 1673 if you use EPP? Not too mention that machine in the auction only has a 8700M. Hell, for that matter, why not buy Ripfire's?? His specs put that one to shame.

As I said before, just my opinion but I think its money wasted.


-------

Oh and by the way everyone, looks like the M1730 has vanished completely from the USA HOME and USA EPP sites. It was there yesterday but now its gone entirely. Wow.

 

Such a sad day...

 

so buy my laptop instead! =]

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&ssPageName=STRK:MESELX:IT&item=190324205705

 

Do not, I repeat Do not! drop $1900 on 8700m video cards ..... 8800GTX or better

 

What do you think the ones that came with that super deal were shipped with? Any idea? I noticed I had to tweak my screen using Nvidia's CP because it was pretty bad when comparing it to my desktop monitor using the same HR wallpaper. However, after tweaking it looks great.

 

What guys do you think about Windows 7. Drivers, software, games how does the laptop run it with this OS?

 

I have been looking at the AW M17X on the UK dell website and they don't seem to be offering the 1920 x 1200 screen! it was there last week, why?

Anyway I am thinking of selling my new 1730 when it arrives how much will I get for it (£) considering it will have an X9000 cpu and 9800's, blu-ray 4GB ram and 2 X 250 HDD.

I was thinking around the £1600 mark?

I will not open the box unless requested to.

 

Yeah I was thinking the exact same thing. There's so much sh!t on that page about complete rubbish and the graphics card is only mentioned once. The seller knows what he/she is up and is looking for a foolish buyer.

It really does bug me that we can't leave a comment at the end of the eBay listings, maybe linking to this forum or some other source, so that all buyers know all the facts before parting with cash....

 

Damn. R.I.P. It's been one year to the day since I bought mine.

 

@Kade Storm, yes its not easy to make the right decision, about selling or not, yesterday i was thinking why so much people have problems with the m1730, i think its all about the heat inside the machines, that made short life.
If you see desktops with high-end hardware and the case with big coolers sometimes 3 or more or watercooling, and than think about the cooling in our machines.....
It's not normal that most of the xps m1730's show faillures after 18months etc..very expensive machines with short life guarantee, but it's bussiness, people ask gamelaptops so manufactors make it....

 

LOL @ hikkoo... Nice pic request

 

Well i've spent a couple of hours reading reviews on most gaming laptops (AW, Asus W9).

And I've come to the conclusion there istn't much better out there at the moment.

The Asus uses ATI gfx cards which aren't supported fully with the drivers.

The M17X with 280m's Is not that much more powerful than the 8800's in the 1730.

I'm not really sure if it's worth the extra cash outlay getting either as a replacement for my 'new' 1730.

I know the 1730 has it's problems but when it's running fine it's quite an awesome machine.

What do you all think?.

 

Did a little project yesterday. I purchased a new heatsink and CPU fan from ebay a while back replaced them. Here are some pics for reference, the heatsink was the same but the fan was a little different from original. Already seeing some temp improvement from my post last week:
http://forum.notebookreview.com/showpost.php?p=5094481&postcount=1164

 

I found the top ten of gaming notebooks on the internet:
10: Zepto Nox G14b - Deluxe
9: BTO X-Book 15M30+ Core2Duo
8: MSI GT627-293NL
7: Asus G50VT-EX106C
6: Toshiba Qosmio X300-15R
5: Xxodd XNi860tu
4: Dell XPS M1730 (N00X7304)
3: DevilTech 8800DTX
2: Alienware M17x
1: Asus W90Vp-UZ003K

link: "dutch side"
http://gadget.nl/top-lijst/27122/top-10-de-beste-gamelaptops.html

 

Thanks for that, the Asus W90 does look like the gaming laptops top choice but i'm concerned about the driver support for the 4870's.

 

Sorry I didn't have a chance for that, the buyer has already got it I'm afraid ; using a desktop for now, and wow - games are just more fun to play on, I mean had to use M1730 very very carefully to avoid scratching the keyboard, etc, almost took all the fun out.

BTW: hows the 3Dmark06 project going? got 'em SSDs yet? the new intel's X25m G2 price look okay, performance will be good too.

 

Keep the 1730. I typically like to skip generations when buying laptops - the last "gaming" laptop I had was a 9100 - sister to the original XPS laptop. It worked fine for me until finally last year I got sick of FPS slowdowns and lack of graphics quality.

 

I agree with Lord_Zath. M17x s not really worths it, if you already have any decent M1730 config with 8800m GTX and long warranty.

That said, the next gen i7 mobile based laptops seem to not be worth upgrading neither, when it comes out; only the 32nm CPU and GT300 mobility cards are worthy updates imo.

@hikkoo, congrats on the SSD, but sorry to hear that its not working out completely. Maybe W7 RTM will do better for you. It has better SSD support, not to mention it has far better handling of higher OC'ing level. I can boot off with greater overclocking level, than with XP and vista, but the milages do vary.

 

In Ripfire's guide, is the card pictured an 8800? If so, you'll notice that the two fans are different, one has more 'fins' than the other... My 8700m was that way. But my 8800 is not, it has the same higher-finned fan on both. Weird.

 

Ripfire has dual 9800's on his.

 

I didn't really notice the video cards. The fan I replaced was for the CPU. I went from a 13 fin to a 17 fin. My system was built in 10'07 so it was a pretty old unit and I had noticed the fan difference in other pictures. I originally had a T7500 2.2GHz CPU and wondered if Dell used a different fan for the era processor.

 

I was actually going to trade a new HP HDX 18t for this 1730. If I found someone on here willing to trade I would also consider. This 18.4 is too damn big. It is a quad core with 8 gigs ddr3 and two 320(7200 rpm) HDDs. Its drawback is the video card Nvidia m130 gt. I really wanted a 1730 and I should have just bought one fron the getgo. The Alienware m17x was 6 weeks out when I was ordering.

 

GadgetBoi as I understand you upgraded your system? If so how could you find all the parts and how much did it cost for you?
I would be glad to change my CPU and GPU.

 

wow i just read a few pages of the asus w90 owners lounge,.... diffrent owners are not satisfied with the number 1 gamersnotebook and wanted to sell it again.

 

I purchased everything from ebay or newegg, for parts on ebay, you just need to keep a lookout

CPU X9000 -ebay about 450.00 in 06/08
GPU 8800mGTX - Dell switched out for 8700mGT no charge 03/08
CPU fan and Heatsink -ebay about 25.00 04/09
4Gig RAM - newegg 12/07
2X320 WD black HD - newegg 03/09

Also, I kept all the original parts I changed in case the system has to ever be sent back or swapped out.

 

Uh, excuse me? How did you manage this?

And hikoo, did you download the Intel firmware update?

 

Yes, could you give here more details please?

 

See this post that dates back to 02'08. I don't think it would work today since the system and drivers have matured:
http://forum.notebookreview.com/showpost.php?p=3012830&postcount=4369

 

Smooth Gadget... I remember that now. Very smooth...


Also, I need a favor from all my M1730 buddies... Can someone help me track down hard data (with links) on the actual spec differences between:


8800M GTX SLI ( I have this info already)

260M SLI (Need: Core/Mem/Shader Clocks and #of stream processors, memory bus, etc.)

280M SLI (I have this info as well)

Notebookcheck is a decent source, but they are missing the actual data for a 260M SLI setup. They only have the 260M single data.

Thanks.

 

So I swapped out the fans in my Cryo LX for two Scythe S-Flex (1200rpm) fans, each on the outside and a Noctua NF-P12 in the middle. The Noctua is supposed to be very good for tight fits and behind grills. Now I've finally noticed an improvement in temps with the cooler, it's dropped a couple degrees. I have them all plugged into a Vantec fan controller from my old, now defunct, desktop. For a power adapter, I'm using this hard drive power adapter (for USB to IDE/SATA stuff) I had lying around which does 12v/1000ma. Set at full, they're really quite quiet, definitely quieter than the air conditioner or room fan that's always on anyway. The Noctua definitely blows a little more air than the other two or at least it feels that way. The laptop's propped up about an inch or a little more off the cooler.

Does anyone know what I could use to prop up the laptop an inch rather than sticking random objects underneath? Does any place sell rubber stoppers or feet on which I could place it? What would be the optimal height off a laptop cooler? half an inch? an inch? more?

As for the fluctuating temps... it does seem powermizer is the culprit. Sometimes it underclocks more and the temps drop more during idle, sometimes it does less. I'm going to re-enable powermizer and see how hot it gets on the cooler before I decide whether or not to oc up to 3.2GHz to turn the GPU fans on all the time. The cpu runs really cool so it might be worth the tradeoff in increased CPU temp from having to go up 200MHz and another 0.0125v.

I hope keeping this beast cool will help add some longevity! For what it's worth, regarding the M1730, I think Dell should have just dropped the price rather than get rid of it. With the 2.2GHz CPU and the 8700Ms, I ran the laptop 24-7 in crazy South Asian heat (sometimes gaming in 30-31c ambient temps, even with the air conditioner on) for a year. No problems whatsoever. I never once monitored my temps, because I knew it'd just stress me out, lol. Granted I couldn't run games at higher resolutions than 1024x768 on a CRT or 1280x800 on the LCD, but that wound up helping keep everything cool. The GPU temps shoot to their peak at higher resolutions. You can lower the resolution while keeping all high details in games and temps will drop. I had it on a Zalman cooler. Now I'm going to take it back with the X9000 and 8800Ms installed with the Cryo LX and we'll see how it holds up. Hopefully nothing goes wrong, because I can't fix or ship anything from there. I'll bring my old CPU and GPUs along just in case. I also paid out the wazoo for working 8800Ms (got one bad set off eBay first, had to get that refunded) and an OEM X9000 (not an ES), which won't be under warranty.

While this is an amazing machine while working, the stress isn't worth it, imho. Next time, I'm just going to build a micro-PC. A single top of the line video card will cost less than mobile SLI video cards and out perform them. Any top of the line CPU undervolted will cost less and easily outperform any mobile CPU, etc. etc. And the best thing about laptops, the portability and battery in case of power loss, can easily be compensated for in a micro-PC. I've bought several used APC units off eBay for very cheap ($75 for a used 1000VA 230v Back-UPS unit... almost as cheap as laptop batteries! I bought two, that'll power 600w for like 15 minutes... shipping costs are a though) and they'll easily power a micro-PC... hopefully there's some way to install battery power profiles onto one. Easy to transport, and a gaming LCD (there are some cheap ones out there now) is light on the power draw and also lightweight and easy to pack. What I might end up doing is building TWO identical small PCs and just lug my hard drives back and forth. All that together is probably as much money as a top of the line Alienware M17x these days... probably even less. And these will be a lot more reliable, a lot cooler, and a lot easier to fix.

 

@raad11:

Or, what you could do is build a nice gaming desktop and then pick up a low-midrange lappie for portable needs...

 

We have discussed these several times in the past:
http://www.pwx.cc/products.html

Good job on the Cryo mod. I am going to do something similar with mine. How did you decide on the fans?
Right now I am looking at these 2 models. I will probably do all three the same:
http://www.xoxide.com/coolermaster-smokegray-120mmfan.html
http://www.xoxide.com/enermax-magma-twister-120mmfan.html

 

On the subject of 8800M GTX cards, I just had a thought I would like to pose to the group...

I know that there has been previous speculation on the G92 moblie chip and the possibility it too has suffered from NVIDIA's solder bump issue like the G84/G86 but have we ever considered why Dell would've stopped producing M1730 systems offering the 9800M GTX SLI? The 9800M GTX is also a G92b chip. Makes you wonder doesn't it?

Perhaps it wasn't so much a shortage issue but rather a possible Quality issue. Given the issues surrounding the G84/G86 chips and the increased clocks of the 9800M GTX SLI over the 8700M, Dell may have decided to cut its losses and stick with the 8700, 8800, 9800M GT cards. Of course the 8800M GTX was the first to go and then the 9800M GT as well which left only the 8700M GT available in the US. Wonder why...

Anyway, I'm just curious why the 9800M GTX vanished so quickly. Was it purely a supply issue or possibly something more entirely.

I know we have a couple of peeps with the 9800M GTX, anyone care to share how the card is holding up and the current age of the system?

Just thinking out loud I guess... Most likely since I'm BORED TO HELL without my system running. ARGH.

 

I've already got another laptop for real portable needs since the M1730 is like my desktop replacement, LOL. I just need to port it across the planet 3-4x a year, then it stays put in my room.

 

Those look cool, but I'm worried the laptop would slide right off the laptop cooler? Lol...

I started researching all the 120mm fans I could find, and I was looking to see which was the most powerful and high speed fan I could get, so I could undervolt it to get lots of CFM at low noise, but it turns out most of the 120x120x25 fans were around the same CFM/noise for all intents and purposes. I read in another thread on this forum that the Scythe Slipstream fans (what I had originally wanted) were bad for horizontal use because of their bearings but the Scythe S-Flex were better suited. So I bought those. And the Noctua, I have no idea about any possible bearing issues, but it's really quiet, gives a bit more air than the S-Flex, and has better pressure numbers... which mean what, I have no idea, except that it can push air through grills and obstacles better.

In hindsight, maybe I should have gone for high powered fans anyway... these are so quiet, I probably wouldn't mind running some at higher and noisier speeds.

 

Well hikkoo, I'm hoping they last you forever of course... GPU-Z is correct in the G92 report. They are all (8800M GTX, 9800M GT, 9800M GTX) based on the same chip - just different clocks.

I also seem to recall someone posting here (or somewhere else) that Dell had indicated the 9800M GTX was not compatible with Vista 64 - which is a load of BS.

 

are you living in the past? Dell only offers the 8700m sli on the m1730 now. they're not cutting the losses and sticking with "8700, 8800. 9800mgt cards" they're only selling 8700's now, nothing else. the xps m1730 is all but dead to everyone, except those who purchased it with 8800's and 9800's while they were available... and those lucky enough to end up with hardware that doesn't malfunction.

 

They aren't selling the M1730 at all anymore.

 

There's a million reasons (actually i can think of 8) why the m17x is way better than any other gaming laptop out there right now, especially when compared to the m1730:

1. it has many of the aesthetic qualities of a mac: anodized aluminum case. slot load media drive. edgetoedge display. if apple made a gaming laptop, this would be about as close to it as you can get.

2. did i mention that it isn't made out of ty plastic like the m1730?

3. hdmi output. unless you like two cables coming out of your laptop (one for the dvi cable and one for the headphone jack) and an adapter if you have no hdmi-dvi cable, hdmi output is essential if you own an hd tv. anyone who is in the business of purchasing gaming laptops should probably have one of these. the fact that the m1730 doesnt have hdmi still blows my mind.

4. the bios is completely in your control. the alienware bios allows you to tweak pretty much everything about the system, including clock rates and FSB.

5. nvidia chipset. having an nvidia chipset with nvidia graphics cards makes all the difference in the world when it comes to all the bull problems we have with drivers (unless you pay no attention to detail at all) especially while using sli.

6. integrated geforce graphics - this one is a big deal. with the m1730, the graphics card had be to be so under clocked while on battery, aero effects and even the translucent selector on the desktop(when dragged to nearly the entire size of the desktop), were slow and laggy no matter if you disabled powermizer or not. having a separate low-end graphics solution allows you to run it at max performance and never experience these embarrassing effects while on battery ...not to mention the battery power and heat avoidance that comes with disabling the gaming cards while on battery browsing the web on your lap or in class (or both).

7. the m1730's memory (by its motherboard) is limited to 667mhz. by contrast, the memory of the m17x is 1333mhz (yes, that's double). while the FSB of the processor is a maximum of 1066, it can be overclocked to 1333, thus attaining a harmony with the ram. I don't know if you realize how much of a difference this has in terms of performance of the overall machine and to games, but its huge. its a really big deal that the xps m1730's memory was so limited by the motherboard.

8. I've personally seen the power supply of the m17x (and i used to own a m1730) let me just tell you that the m1730's power supply (especially the way it connects to the back of the computer) sucks horse c0cks. dell has replaced my ac adapter and motherboard more times than I can shake a stick at because of this. the m17x slides in smoothly and the brick (yes it is inevitably a brick) never gets hot.

its suffices to say that my m1730 was replaced so many times, they sent me a precision m6400 covet brand new as a replacement. although this is a nice machine with a graphics card (arguably) more powerful than the 8800m gtx sli (because it doesn't use sli and therefore lacks all of those issues), along with all the nice features like a fingerprint reader, edgetoedge display and a slot load drive, I'm selling it on ebay right now, with the hopes that I will make enough money to purchase a high-end m17x.

speaking of my auction:

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=190324205705




have a good day!

 

No, I'm not 'living in the past'. Check the UK site. I mentioned the 9800M GT since it is still avail in the UK. Best of luck with the covet.

 

hi batboy,

any news on whats happening with yours yet?

 

I'm totally with you on points 4 and 6... I'd get an M17x over the M1730 today just for those two reasons alone.

But you haven't mentioned money. The price for a high end M17x is insane. You could build a small PC that would blow it out of the water and get a nice gaming LCD and a battery backup/UPS, all for less than the price of an M17x.

 

ouch :/ do you have no sort of consumer rights across the pond?

id probably sell it on too.

 

May I ask about stock clocks of core and memory in 8800GTX ?
2d is 200/100 , performance 3d is 500/800 , low power 3d is ???
regardes

 

Consi,

I don't have the data on hand (its on my dead system), but if you install Everest you should see the PowerMizer clock levels. This is the only app I am aware of which will report all 3 (or is it 4? lol) clock levels.