Dell XPS M1730 Owner's Lounge, Take 2

@chiefbarker

Yes and no! I just took old 500gb from m1710 and put it in this one. changed no settings, no have 2 drives. HOWEVER you need 4 little screws. I nicked 2 out the M1710, and have 3 on each HDD now. seems for the best. But dead simple!


Whacked in 4gb today. ram usage has gone from 67% on 2gb to 45% on 4gb.. where has this extra 11% come from!

 

As I've said before I've played with both 4gig dell ram and 6 gig of dell ram. There is little to no appreciable difference in real world performance.

All things being equal I recommend leaving the 6gig of ram in your machine.

If there's a memory performance test for vista x64 I will be happy to test both the x4GB and x6GB set ups and post the results.

 

@Evil

I went overboard with hard drives. I ordered an entire second caddy and screws. The idea was to be able to swap between raid set up and then a multi boot configuration that I had.

This turned out to be a nightmare (although this may have been due to my old machine)

Although I had changed the settings in the bios regarding hd settings I found that I routinely had problems with corruption. Eventually both OS installations failed.

After the second time that this happened (4 total 2 times for both drives) I decided that the xps m1730 wasn't meant for this type of swapping.

Now I have hard drives and an extra caddy laying around in my box with tons of other things as well.

This makes me hesitant to upgrade my dvd drive to a blu-ray. All I need is more extra parts laying around.

 

Not sure, definitely one of the eastern countries, Malaysia? India? /shrug.

On the 2nd failure while speaking to tech support I asked to speak to a manager and was forwarded onto what he called Dell Customer Services. I had my called logged by the manager??? at that time relating to my concerns.

On the 3rd failure I requested the same, and when talking to (a manager at???) the Dell Customer Services dept was when I asked about an alternative product. He acknowledge the 3 failures were noted on the system, and it was him who actioned my replacement.

 

Only 16 votes so far, and really too soon to get any real clear picture, but still an interesting pattern emerging.

The non-extreme M1730s currently have a 66% 2-or-more failure rate in the poll which is a little scary.

Can't really comment on the non-overclocked extremes as currently there's only 2 votes (1 ok, 1 2-or-more).

And the over-clocked extremes currently have an 80% ok rate (4 ok, 1 2-or-more).

Makes sense I suppose, and what I guessed, the laptops that have the fans on more consistantly (due to hotter CPUs) are having a much better success rate.

So what does this mean?
Thermal threshold for the GPU is too high (75C before the fans kick in)?
Why are they failing at 75C anyway? Sub-standard substrait material akin to the G82/84 issues? Dry-joint solder issue (i.e. the oven fix)?
Why has NVidia removed the downclocking of the cards when idle in the drivers anyway?
/shrug

Will see how the poll goes over the next day or so.

 

Thanks for the information. I am asking around because I want to understand the relationship between successful upgrade-replacements and the language-barrier that often comes our way using Dell technical support. Here in Europe, Dell's support is outsourced to East Indian call-centres and it is often very hard to communicate a proper point across to them because they seem to be trained to follow a certain script and if something that the script can't cover comes up, they try to dodge with a completely unrelated excuse or take it up with their 'customer relations' rep. If you insist on asking to speak with their superior or customer relations directly, they often assure you that they'll do the job for you and contact you at a later time. I think people would have more success if they spoke to the actual supervising individuals here in EU, because then you can argue with them directly and reach a successful form of resolution. I find that this is why people get more results in U.S., because the support staff/call-centres are U.S.-based.

Anyway, your hypothesis regarding GPU thermal thersholds might be accurate. I've started using I8kfan at full-blast when games run, since I'd rather just have the GPU's run cooler and deal with the noise. Although I must ask: Isn't powermizer--downclocker--enabled in the new Dell drivers?

 

My laptops been dead a few weeks now, never had a chance to try the new 64bit drivers.

Kade, be very careful with l8kfangui, it will only turn on the CPU's and GPU1's fan, GPU2 will remain off. The guy who originally wrote the software no longer maintains it and it was written for older Dell laptops with only single GPUs.

Your 2nd GPU may well still overheat.

 

I called today to Dell support to ask for the new servicetagnumber or customer/ordernumber to follow it up on the internet(orderstatus).
monday 03/08/09 they said to me the delivery will be at or before 24 august....now today 3 days later they say the delivery will be for tomorow or monday, youre item is shipped 04/08/09)....
They didn't know the servicetagnumber, and they send only the ordernumber with email ( so i can't check )....its not a m17x but no problem i only wanted a fine good working gamersnotebook without any failures.

 

Kade - please dude, for the love of all thats good in the universe, DUMP i8kfanPOS from your machine now... it is DANGEROUS and not worth the risk. It CANNOT control the fans - it is a GPU killer. This app is so outdated and really needs to be dumped from the internet.

Kracsnz is 100% correct... its not being maintained and the last unit it was certified on was like the E1705... get rid of it unless you want to deal with Dell again.

Use the 190.40 driver I linked to several posts back. It is stable and is producing good thermals/results. Ensure your 1730 has good airflow and you will be fine.

 

I have had downclocking @ idle on the last several driver versions, pics are 190.40:

 

Actually, I didn't check the clock speed on the last few drivers, just monitoring the temp. If mine was downclocking and still reaching 75C thats a bit worrying.

Also noted your fan was on even with your downclocked card. Benefits of overclocking the extreme edition CPU I guess.

 

190.40 does implement PowerMizer correctly. If you are not seeing the downclock in 2D, try uninstalling the driver and clean, then reinstall.

 

I bought a refurbed 8800M upgrade for my laptop, no problems so far. I actually bought two, the first one failed so I got a refund.

Along with an OEM X9000. I ran it without the fans at full blast for like 2-3 weeks but now I've overclocked it to 3.2GHz to get the extra cooling. Perhaps I should have done it sooner, but I had it on a laptop cooler with the cooler fans at full blast so the idle temps rarely got over 69-71c.

I haven't upgraded to 190.40 yet, but Powermizer is enabled on the cards, and it downclocks to 200MHz core, 100MHz memory in GPU-Z. With Powermizer on, the idle fluctuates between 50-70. With Powermizer off, it fluctuated between 65-75. With the fans on full blast, it idles in the 40s.

The temps would rise no matter the clock speed. Only the fans keep the temps low.

 

Ah. Sh*t. Thanks for the warning.

But I already use 190.40, and this is on the old laptop.

I've got an O.C.D. against new things. Naturally, I wouldn't touch a new machine when I've got an older one half-working, still around. The new laptop's just setup and ready for use, but I haven't touched it since.

 

aye kade, i've been using that hwmonitor program. not as descreet as i8kfangui tho. Tried speedfan, but the game panel ini makes no sense to me. anyone got one they can share?!

Loaded fraps and off to see what framerates i get on these 190.40 drivers on L4D. And with my 4gb ram. yay!

 

Again, there is no way (at present) to control the fan timings on the GPU. It's best to not meddle in such things

With i8k, the only thing I worried about with using it as a temp monitor, is that it still installs all components. Meaning, that all of its files are installed, including the fan control info. Granted you aren't actually activating that aspect, but just having it on the system worries me.

Anyway, I could go on and on but I wont. Each to their own I guess...

 

I do remember that I8k was like for old laptops using single GPUs with P4 CPUs. You know, it was relevant back when I had the Inspiron 9100. I just thought about giving it a try and forcing all fans to high - on the old machine - and that tryout is over.

Anyway, for temps, I prefer HWmonitor. It's simpler and problem-free.

 

Ahhhh - well now I'm relieved... lol. I thought you installed it on the new machine Kade. ROFL

 

F'-no, man. It's NEW! I wouldn't even install 3dMark, yet. Once Dell take away this laptop next week, then I'll slowly start adding some games that I wanted to finish, but I'll stick to the formula of three games at a time. Must keep HDD clean.

 

LOL - I hear ya.

Hahahaha!

 

@GadgetBoi

How did you get your temps down so much?

MY 9800GT's were running at about 70-75 idle before I changed the driver. That was without SLI enabled.

With SLI enabled they're running at 55-65 on the 190.40's that Batboy recommended.

 

Combination:
1) unvervolted CPU
2) Extreme CPU OClk'd to 3.4GHz fans are full on all the time even @idle
3) 8800M GTX sli OClk'd and fans running full on all the time even @idle
4) Setting on Cryo LX cooler

Keep in mind all fans are full on and my cpu is 1.2GHz @ idle and my GPUs downclock'd @ idle

 

My CPU is undervolted, got some pretty significant gains from that.

I've been looking at cryo lx for quite some time but the reviews are sporadic.

My current laptop stand is not sufficient for this laptop and has two small fans.

Back is eleveted off the stand to allow for beter air flow.

I haven't tried overclocking the GPU on the laptop. Will it reduce temps by causing the fans to run max or is that due to your over clocked x9000?

I've strongly considered purchasing an x9000 but i'm considering the cost and worried about getting a stable chip. With that money I can get a SSD =)

Is the x9000 really worth the upgrade?

 

Shipped my M1730 out today, was kinda sad to let it go lol.

Really well built machine, miss it already
While packing it up, I noticed how cool the bottom looks, imo anyways.

I also have some x9000s up for grabs, if anyone wants to pimp out their M1730s

 

Yeah Rip - I know I'll be a bit sad to when I have to ship my 1730 back to Dell. Even with its issues, I will still miss it.

You guys should jump all over Rip's x9000s. That's a tough price to beat for an OEM.

 

I think so, and not just because I'm selling them . It was the first thing I did when I got my M1730, replaced my T8100, with an x9000. If you run past 3.0ghz, the fans will stay on the whole time, and will help cool the laptop. Plus overclocking via bios is great.

 

In a word? YES. If you've got his asking price, Ripfire is making an EXCELLENT deal for an X9000. These are the real deal, not the ES models that I have... and priced low enough to be a bargain even compared to those.

Not all X9000s are the same, but I'm one of the minority that really couldn't get a stable, cool undervolt at 3.4Ghz... I have a wonderfully stable undervolt at 3.2Ghz, and this machine just flies. My most recent 3dMark06 score is 13,102, and that's running older drivers and keeping my 8800Ms at stock clocks. I tried overclocking the vid card earlier today and managed somewhere in the 13,600 range... not bad at all.

You also get the benefit of the fans being on full at 3.2/3.4Ghz, and the cooler temps help dramatically.

If you can't jump on Ripfire's deal and have to go for an ES, only get the ones marked Q174. These are the highest quality and most stable of the bunch(and what I have in my machine currently).

If you have the money, go for it. You won't regret it.

 

I actually saw Ripfire's deal right after I posted.

I almost PMed him right away I was so excited.

My situation is a bit different, I have the chip right below the x9000. I'm already at 2.6Ghz.

I have to weigh the jump from 2.6 to 3.4 vs. the upgrade to an SSD.

I can't really afford both as that would leave me spending around $700.

Rip's chips are also not guaranteed non DOA. Whereas the SSD would have a warranty.

::sigh::

Processing....processing

 

?

I have ran both of these chips in my computers, M1730 & m15x, both work perfect. And I do guarantee that they will not be DOA or a full refund
I mentioned that in my OP, but I just edited the post to make that clear. No DOA Guaranteed = DOA Warranty/Refund, changed it so nobody gets confused.

Sorry, don't wanna derail the owners lounge with my sale, just wanted to clear that up.

 

I don't think it's a problem Rip as I was prattling on endlessly about making a decision and one of the options is what you happen to be selling.

Dilemmas....dilemmas

 

Depends on what you want blood - SSD for quick load times or processor for more intense loading. Honestly, I love my XPS and I guess since I got the warranty extended for another three years, I might as well get an x9000 to play more modern games, but then I remember that getting a quadcore computer would just be simpler and volumes times more valuable. Stick an Intel SSD and a quadcore ~2.5 ghz processor in there and you should be set for the next 2-3 years of gaming. One caveat though...I refuse to game at less than 1920 x 1200.

FYI - on my t8300, my CPU is at 100% on all high settings in L4D (all the NPC zombie models loaded). I know batboy's is not and he had the 9300?

 

@hankaaron57

I have a Q6600 system along with this notebook. They're both overkill for what I do. I hardly play any games, certainly none that tax the system.

I've been looking at SSD's for quite some time. Was thinking about the patriot torqx 128 or the intel 2nd gen 160. Either one would be fine for me.

I've been reading about the x9000 chip....not sure what to think. Maybe 20-25% cpu performance bump if it's at 3.4?

The reality is that I would probably notice the SSD more in terms of performance. It'd also be a lot easier to install. I'm not thrilled with the idea of taking my xps apart. I've heard it's easy and I've taken quite a bit of it apart but I've seen dell techs spend an hour getting the beast apart.

Still, it's a compelling price and I trust Rip because he's been around. I'm sure the decision will be made for me, people will grab the chips before I make up my mind.

 

I look at it this way Blood (and others), you wont find a better deal in the sense that:

1. Its NOT an ES chip which is a GREAT thing.
2. Its @ a steal price
3. Its someone we are familiar with from the trenches.

Oh and did I mention that its next to impossible to grab an x9000 on fleabay anymore that isn't and ES chip?

If I didn't have a M17x inbound and was sticking with the 1730, we would be processing a transaction. Ok Rip - now you owe me 1 slot load BluRay Burner for pimpin your chip... J/K

 

@Batboy, lol thx man

I'm getting out of the notebook game, and moving to a desktop, as I'm no longer required to travel for work. So I priced them to sale, gonna go on eBay this weekend if they don't move on here.

 

x9000 dealers, hmph. I know it'll make me feel good.

As I said before it's tempting.

I use my xps as a desktop basically. 24" dell monitor, external keyboard and mouse.

Just a few weeks ago I thought I was going to have to sell the laptop for school... who knows that still might be the case but financial aid is like a circus.

About the only nice thing is that it's a desktop I can choose to take with me.

Most of the time I just grab my vostro 1400 because I don't want to lug around 20 pounds in a backpack.

The situation is just perfect, that's why I'm making the pause and evaluting. If I'm EVER going to move to an x9000 now is the time. Otherwise I'd just abandon that option if I don't get it from Ripfire.

 

Aaargh! i too would be tempted by that x9000 chip! Alas it would invalidate my warranty! But desperate to update the 2.1ghz in here!

Its not fair!!

 

You just swap back in the old cpu when you need to use the warranty. I would say at 2.1 to 3.4....it would be well worth it.

 

@Evil

Would it invalidate the warranty?

Can anyone else confirm this?

I have 4 years CC warranty.

 

Its not going to invalidate anything folks. If a situation arises where you have to have Dell do a remote access diag or the system must go to a repair depot (doubtful since most have onsite coverage), then you put your chip back in as dblock mentioned. No worries. As soon as my system arrives I'll be dropping in a QX9300. I'm not worried.

 

@Batboy

That's what I figured. Like any add on you'd just remove it and put it back to factory shipped configuration.

Although if I were troubleshooting a problem I can't imagine taking apart the computer just to swap processors for a remote diagnostic. I guess that'd be an absolute last resort.

My factory config was a single 500GB HD, I certainly would tell Dell to go * themselves if they demanded I put that drive in if that had nothing to do with the problems I were facing. Yet dell often does absurd things like that. Asking me to reinstall the OS when my system is shutting down from over heating or when I can't boot the system at all. Sometimes I wonder if they even listen.

"P O W E R BUTTON does not turn the system on. How am I going to reinstall the OS if the system will not turn on?"

Dell Rep : "Reinstall the operating system" "Call back in 24 hours when my supervisor is in" "I am sorry I am not able to help you"

Oh the stories.

LOL

 

It most likely will, but that doesn't mean that you can't replace your processor before making your claim.

 

Hmm... it is indeed a big decision! xtremeness would be amazing.. Need to check what the exchange rate is for the pound at the mo!


Edit: Works out at about £200 before shipping and tax when customs find it! Wish my mate wasnt getting married! thats the money i've put aside for him!

Looks like i will be stuck on dual coreness for sometime yet!

 

@Evil

I'm in the same situation. Financial aid could give me a ring and say hey you owe us your soul and we're coming to collect.

I also just bought $200 worth of thomas and friends trains for my son. That's just the start of Christmas purchases for my sunshine.

Despite that I'm still considering it. I mean an x9000! I could rule the world!

Behold 3.4Ghz of doom!

::awkward pause::

I mean extreme doom!

 

@ blood

Aye, its a good £400 cheaper than a new one! And the 2.4ghz chips are £200 here! So its a fantastic deal! Alas the economy just wont let me do it!

 

Oh and on the subject of remote diagnosis, the response should be:

"I'm sorry about that - but I'm on dialup and I haven't been able to get over a 14.4 connection for the last couple of days. I have a trouble ticket with the tele people... what else can we try?"

or,

"I had to cancel my DSL/Cable Internet. Economy sux."




(Sorry, just a bit of batboy humor...)

 

BatBoy, how much for the QX9300?

 

ooh, forgot to report! L4D was hitting about 29-32 fps last night. so around a 5-7fps increase with 190.40 drivers. Cheers for that batboy!

although my internet explorer and firefox now hang after 10 mins web use.. i have a feeling using ccleaner did bad things... Need to try and restore later..


Edit: Just been readin up on those X9000 chips... its mad not to buy one for $300! it really is!

 

502.15$ if i recall correctly from HP.


Thread is on AW forum.

 

Indeed, awesome deal. If I wasn't from Europe and had that money, I've got one for myself.

 

@Batboy

I think I've done remote diagnostics once and they were able to confirm the obvious. Wonderful tool used by .... tools.

I never have that software installed and I often tell them I don't have the authority/privledges to install it or some other excuse like the company doesn't allow remote connections.

I noticed that dell's warranty has explicitly changed to service after remote diagnostics.