Dell XPS M1730 Owner's Lounge, Take 2

I assume you mean power supply.

The answer is no, you don't need your battery in but it's great in case the PS gets accidently knocked out or your power goes out.

Additionally without the battery in there that area is exposed.

I suppose I'd need to understand why you would want to remove the battery.

 

My new replacement arrived today, not with the 9800gtx like they promised but again the 9800GT.

and maybe you guys don't believe it, but again the same problem with the colours, green is fluogreen and blue is soft blue, i can't change nothing in the nvidiacontrolcenter to change the colours, does others with the 9800gt also have that problem?
When i start the computer and on the welcome screen you see the fluo green on the top of the screen

 

I was thinking that if my laptop is on mains power all the time then i wouldn`t need to use the battery, if the battery is not required then by not using it would this prolong its life as it seems silly to use it if i don`t need too.

I just want to do whats right really, thats more important.

 

It would be very very foolish to run a laptop without the battery in it. The slightly knock will disconnect the M1730's power cable and with it all unsaved data will be lost. Not to mention repeated hard shut downs can't be good for the laptop / OS.

 

yeah I like having the battery on the beast. If the power goes out, I have 30 minutes to shut it down.

 

Negative. Its better to leave the battery in. I have yet to remove my battery and its fine. By the way, the battery will still drain when not in the unit - so you are not really prolonging the life expectancy.

 

Hahaha. So true!

The battery in the 1730 is basically a UPS

 

Never use my battery. It's gathering dust somewhere under a bed. I only keep it because it's crucial to BIOS updates. Then again my computer is a desktop replacement, so these jostling "knocks" of chance never happen to my computer, and the AC adapter is never at risk.

 

Hmm. Sorry to hear. Maybe it's something to do with your OS settings or something. Maybe Dell ship stuff with a funny f'd up stock setting.

I'd give you my machine, but in a bit of a bind myself - I need to hang on to this 'replacement' as some important issues have come up that might change the course of my case file. I'll keep you guys posted, of course.

Simple lesson: Don't ever. . . -ever-. . . try to settle for even the smallest shortcoming in your replacement sytem. Such a tactic will only give them the impression that you're easy to jerk around with and probably even easier to manipulate into getting another shoddy replacement as opposed to a respectable upgrade for all the time and effort gone to waste.

Bpat, if your machine really does have issues, and doesn't function properly. Prep yourself, and take a proper, level-headed stand.

 

Thx Kade
the complete situation is not normal anymore, yesterdaymorning i made a call to the support to ask if they know when the new system will be deliverd, ...they say it will be for friday, two hours later Ups arrived with the box..... maybe friday another one? :-/ before i asked them to send me the parts for bluetooth and 3g broadband that i was missing on the new replacement, ....they send it two times in one week, so i got everything double.

 

Well, on the up side, at least you got your parts, within the week. . . twice.

I still haven't even heard from Customer Service, who only asked me about the part quite a while ago.

So yeah, the issues in general have now become an issue, because it's an issue, and now I've got an issue with these issues.

 

bpat, the colors on my screen weren't right on either so I had to use nvidia control panel to make them great. you should be able to do that regardless of which video card you have. if you cant then you are doing something wrong.

 

i too am chasing dell on getting me a bluetooth module for this replacement. Holding onto the old one for the time being as they still havent contacted me about the chip. I'm assuming its easy to fit, as long as they can send it!

 

http://support.dell.com/support/edocs/systems/xpsm1730/en/sm/btooth.htm#wp1179885

Just use your old one. Its doubtful they will even contact you. If they do, then deal with it then.

 

Yeah, my old one is in an M1710... is that just as easy to extract?

http://support.dell.com/support/edocs/systems/xpsm1710/en/sm/btooth.htm#wp1014146

not 100% sure this will fit!

 

my 3d mark score seems low I am only getting 9388 with the new 190.40 driver? i have never been able to break 10000 if any one else has a set up like mine would you run 3d mark06 and see what your rig is getting i know my cpu(t8100) needs upgrade but I still think I should break 10000.Thanks for any help

 

Result. Saroj just emailed and bluetooth chip will be sent! So they can have the M1710 back now! wonder if i can get away with keeping the HDD..

 

LOL...

Though seriously, do you ever get to use the bluetooth?

 

haha! i sure do quicklite! Sync my phones with it! easier than finding the mem card adapters!

 

I use a bluetooth mouse and keyboard whenever I'm playing games on the projector.

 

Used to do that myself, a slightly more ambitious task though. Had a Nokia 5800 a while ago, lost both the usb cable and card reader - and tried to transfer gigs worth of music via Bluetooth . Left M1730 syncing overnight, when I woke up, it apparently failed somewhere between the lines though think I even got about 50kb/s at once.

Then tryed transfer through wifi, got between 300-500kb/s, still took ages. Nothing beats a cable when you need to get things done, but once you get all those stuff in there, syncing smaller files via bluetooth is more convenient.


P.S: how did batboy get his M17x? did those poor folks at dell give in to his persistence?

 

I've got a M1730 that is having a weird issue with the CD-ROM tray randomly opening. I'll be typing along, and it pops open. I'll be doing nothing with the laptop sitting on the table, and it will pop open. Closing the lid sometimes and it pops open. Has anyone ever had this happen?

I've been on Windows 7 RC, and now rebuilt to RTM last week and still having the issue. Don't think it's OS related but not sure. The drive is seated properly from what I can tell.

Andy ideas?

 

If you still have the warranty I would call the drive in for replacement.

 

The man is a BEAST. And yes, much like myself getting upgraded to an M1730, whilst still having a fully working M1710, you just attack attack attack!

tho tbh, i thelps if you have a long list of support calls that have failed. like we both did!

 

I called this morning again to the support and after a few tests (D+powerbutton=colourtest) there is a problem with the gpu or the screen,................after one hour heavy discussions i probably will get my cashback, for me no more engineers/replacements/phonecalls .....

 

good result bpat! Wish i could've got cashback! for just £150 more i could've gotten x9000, 6gb ram, 1tb HDD, etc etc.. instead of this 2.1gh 2GB RAM 160gb thing!

But then we all know you'll buy an alienware M17x! its the laptop we all dreamed of as kids!

 

FedEx is delivering my Dell XPS m1730 today, 6GB DDR2, 2.5Ghz C2D, 8700M GT SLI... but after researching month after and finally knowing the reason why Dell stopped selling the m1730

"XPS 1730 has a techinical hardware conflict right out of the box that shortens the life of the hardware inside, this is why Dell no longer sells the system"

... should I be worried? Should I just return my m1730 and get a minimum of 85% of what I payed back?

I also regret not getting 8800M GT SLI or higher... now I have to pay atleast 500 USD to upgrade

 

Where did you read this? Would love to see it...

 

What's the point of having M1730 without dual 8800m GTX? Supporting Sli in M1730 is a major selling point, but linking two sub-par cards together aren't exactly going to help in games. Even a 15 inch laptop like M860TU, with a single 9800m GT would have more graphic power, than dual 8700m cards. Not to mention being more portable, as well as using latest technology.

Beside, I think the conflict you referred is the fact that 8700m GT is based on G84, which is defective in design.

http://www.tomshardware.com/news/nvidia-g84-g86-chips-overheating,6121.html

If having one 8700m is troublesome, then dual 8700m in sli would be like having a timed bomb, could go off anytime.

 

OK guys i'm f******fuming right now,

Called Sujay........ Mr 'i don't have a clue and don't care either' today and he said my replacement has been delayed again and told me to check the order status on dell's website on monday with the order number he gave me but THEY DON'T WORK the numbers he gave dont register. The same as the other numbers he gave me, what a wank stain.

I've had enough now, the whole bloody thing has been a shambles from the start.

What to do? it was agreed that the laptop needed to be replaced on the 16th of July.

He promised me the replacement would be here before the 13th, bloody liar.

I'm wondering if they are phasing out the M1730 and are having problems sourcing parts?.

Anyway i'm going now to get drunk.

 

Ask to speak to a senior support rep, and get it sorted. Every time you call tech support, ask to speak to a manager and tell them you're mad as hell and you've waited an unreasonable amount of time, and your lack of computer is getting in the way of your work <-- costing you money. Eventually you'll hit a stump who tells you the actual truth about how long it'll take. If things are being processed, they'll tell you. Can't rush teh 'putting together a refurbed system'. They either have the parts or they don't.

 

Chatted with XPS Online support, they want me to boot my laptop into the BIOS and let it sit for 2-3 hours, to see if the DVD-drive pops open there. The rep says it's probably software causing this, which I highly doubt since it was happening out of the box with all the Dell preloaded OS and drivers.... Never had this happen to any machine before.

 

@chief barker all those things what youre writing down also happens to me, and other ones to, they give me ordernumbers/customernumbers ...after putting those in the orderstatus online, everytime the same, wrong numbers,.....also with the delivery, sitting there and waiting the whole day but no delivery, i call them 30 to 40 times after a end a rep told me " sir you ask alot of our time" not customer friendly anymore, some of them get angry,.......but then it's you that must play it very hard to, because some of customers are getting afraid and thats what they want, at that point YOU have the last word!
Realy i'm very happy i'm finished with all those never ending problems with Dell support and refurbished 1730's, i have alot of patience but enough is enough, i also think it have to do with the end of life for the xps m1730 series.
(héhé sorry for my english maybe funny but i try my best and not easy for me)

 

Guys, use these facts to support your case when the case comes up, make that a point. You don't just complain about the machine, but you show them how you're sincere customers who've been horribly taken advantage of and how you feel cheated now.

I mean, look at what they did to Chief and BatBoy - so many delays and so much cross-department bureaucratic sh*te!

Hang in there, and be cool as well. You guys are entitled to better, so don't let them win.

 

I'd echo that. i refused to be taken for a ride by them and ask for a replacement as soon as refurbished GPU was put in my M1710. I just contacted them 2 weeks later and told them there were artifacts. Granted, i made the issue sound worse than it was, but i was geting problems that i was not prepared to live with.


DON'T let them walk over you! If they cant source an M1730, then get an alienware M17x as upgrade. keep demanding, tell them you've seen it done and you want the same treatment!

But please, dont let me be the last guy left with an M1730!

 

Nothing wrong with that! I say that such a strategy ought to be employed more often, because when if they think they can make a jack-@$$ out of a potential customer, they'll do it - it's business. As a consumer, you'll have to watch your own back. They have a policy to keep customers and provide support under contract, if purchased. However, they're not obliged to make the right choice for you or come up with a strategy that benefits you most, or offer you similar advice. Everything they say and do will involve them factoring in how they can save themselves $$££. So as far as embellishing the truth or facts go, I don't always dismiss the idea for those that have gotten screwed more times than they'd care to count.

Hmm. To be frank and honest, I'm not entirely confident with the M1730 Q&A standards here in EU at the moment. I know you got a good machine and all, and I wish you all the best - great deal you got! But. . . M1730s, even the so-called 'new ones' as of late, seem to be coming with certain issues. This applies specifically to those that get these as 'replacements' under warranty.

Dell techies assume that the customer's a dumb- or just finicky, and strip the replacement machine down as much as possible from the inside, as they don't expect the finicky types to look under the hood. Now as far as track-record goes, which is just coinciding information - not fact, the M1730s are no longer being built the way they used to be built. The standard is getting worse for these machines. Bpat's case is worrying, because they're quick to put so-called 'new' machines in his hands that don't seem to be working properly. Chief has yet to receive anything.

They're either lying about the machines being new, or their so-called 'new M1730s' are just not worthy of being treated as 'new' from a consumer-oriented or Quality-Control point of view.

Heh. Don't worry. Dell won't let all of us have our way.

 

Found - what could be a little gem- in Everest Ultimate Ver 5 just now....

It can pick up on 3 fans!!!



(Settings page on the left and the side bar widget displaying values on the right)

For those who have messed with and failed with Ik8fan this could be very handy. At the moment you can monitor them but I wouldn't be surprised if someone hacked how to control them soon!

Even at the moment its nice to see how hard the fans are working!

 

Lol evil ras the last guy on earth with a m1730 maybe then it will be a investement?
my next war will be "how much will dell pay me back"

and then....
what will be my next gamersnotebook(without any issues please)

 

and at the end i will miss you all, because these forum was/or is one of the strongest, with all friendly helping people. :wink:

 

Perhaps your next gaming notebook won't be a notebook, but a well-made desktop? Nah. I don't know. I'm too cynical.

I sometimes favour the thinking that gaming notebooks rolled out too fast, and companies got too ambitious with GPU chips and laptop designs, which resulted in poorly tailored SLi and Crossfire machines that succumed to far too many problems.

I remember back in 2006, I was talking to a tech-friend of mine. I was, at the time, owner of an XPS M1710, and the thing was doing a good job. So I found this RockXtreme laptop with dual cards, and my friend was like, "W.T.F.?! That's just wrong!" I told him that they've started doing this alot and there's even ATi Crossfire laptops, and he laughed saying, "you might as well call 'em 'on fire' laptops!" I don't know, maybe he ripped that line one off the net or something, but it was funny as hell at the time.

I wouldn't mind an M17x. But, if it comes down to a refund, then I might not invest in a laptop or even a desktop. Then again, maybe the cynic within me will die off and I'll end up with a Kobalt/Clevo or an M17x. Blah.

I'm stayin' right the f* here! No one's kicking me out! I claim asylum!

 

Looks to me that SLI is not enabled,nah ?
BTW, 190.40 just won`t work with my external LCD, BSOD`s when gaming...

 

Can someone take a look at this thread and see if you can help at all, if i can`t get the info i need from here then i`ll have to get a pc shop to do it...

All i need is to know how to wipe both my drives, re-install windows and set up Raid 0. Thanks

http://forum.notebookreview.com/showthread.php?t=408001

 

Okay, I'll need feedback from some expert as to confirm what I'm about to say on the subject.

You can simply open the hard-drive setup during boot, and then you have the option of setting up Raid(0), when you select this, both drives will automatically be formatted and you'll even get the warning of format with a final confirmation request. Once you opt for the config, the drives will be wiped clean and you'll have Raid(0).

 

Thanks, could you give us quick instructions of how you do this from boot.

 

Hold on a few minutes, I'll heve to reboot myself.

 

Sorry about the double-post.

When your primary Dell-logo screen passes, you should see some crap-info about the two HDDs and how they're configured, appear for a few seconds. Hold 'CTRL + I' at this screen and it should get you into HDD setup mode. In this mode, you have the option of creating raid configs, or non-raid configs - this I -just- confirmed.

Good luck. And. . . Yeah. . . I really do hope this works correctly for ya', because I'm still not 100% sure. Ifti's video instruction shows that the setup wipes all drives clean when going for any of the raid configs. Even I tried, but never confirmed the option.

 

Thanks Kade, i`ll give it a shot... I`ll let you know how it went, computers hey lol

 

Any RAID configuration will wipe the drives and lay them out as striped (raid 0) or mirrored (raid 1). And you cannot go back with out a wipe as well. I run Raid 0 for the past year. No worries.

 

When i boot up i get the Dell logo as normal but i don`t get anything after to do with hard drives, it quickly flashes to the black boot screen and then loads windows. I tried your suggestion on the boot screen but nothing happened.

was that CTRL plus the letter i as in a capital I ?

 

I am using 8700m GT SLI in my M1730 (just got it today) and looking at Riva Tuner standard is at 255/510/150 MHz for Core, Shader, and Memory respectively.

Is it safe to overclock my gpu to 750/1500/975? I am following the suggestion in the URL at the bottom to play Crysis on the M1730.

Oh and this machine kicks , atleast at the moment. I am appalled by the stories here in this thread.

http://forum.notebookreview.com/showthread.php?t=301768.