Dell XPS M1730 Owner's Lounge, Take 2

Well, A10 was posted on 1/22/09. I updated that very same day. I did not experience a heat issue until mid July on a system that was 13 months old). If it was caused by the BIOS (which I doubt) then I would think it would have occured sooner. I could be wrong and only Dell knows what they truly put into the A10 change but as far as the release notes go, it was:

We all know this was right about the time they started launching the 9800M series. So, conspiracy? 'Only the Shadow knows...'

 

Dude, that was obvious.

And I remember, one of the members calling 'em up and inquiring into the exact specifics of this 'New Graphic Card'. I think it was Hankaroon, so do correct me if I'm wrong. I believe he was told that the support's for the 8700m, which just got him to hang up the phone on the spot.

Man.

 

Whats "thesh*t" driverwise?
trying to play Age of COnan

 

186.81 - you'll get speed out of these.

 

yeah, i've just installed them! they were released by nvidia yesterday or sum? kewltnx
=)

Btw, elron911

I also have external vents on my m1730, but instead of blowing air underneath, you should have them "suck" the air out at the back. I've found this more effective (keeps my idle temps at 59*C- got 3x 120mm vents)
just a tip

 

A quick question to the experts here..
Taking into account the general failure rates that users of this forum report, is it safe to assume that the 9800m gt cards are less likely to burn/malfunction comparing to the 8800m gtx ?

 

this is my problem :
the biosupdate for the 9800gt, replacement with a new or refurbed lcd screen and gpu,......nothing helped at this moment.
Also that biosupdate (image burn to dvd blablabla...) after starting up with that dvd i only see a black screen with cursor, thats all??
i have that problem with my last 2 replacements, also after the engineer replace the screen everytime i have to use the "fn key with screenbrightness key" after i restart the xps.

 

Woah that's some hell of a good work done there. Why do you decorate the wings?

 

I currently have 186.03, should i be upgrading to these 186.81 drivers ? My system seems to run perfectly but then again i`m not really a gamer so my graphics don`t get tested out that much. Ive not done a Nvidia driver upgrade before, do you uninstall your old drivers before installing the new ones or do you install over them ?

 

Use this process

 

The Stig,
Go to BatBoy's blog again for more reference.

I'll give you the basics on how to go about updating drivers.

Download a programme called 'Driver Sweeper'.

Always go to control panel, right-click the GPU profile, and delete the entire driver, including the software associated - it will ask you to delete the software.

Then reboot into 'safe mode', by pressing F8 key after the Dell logo screen has passed. In this mode, open 'Driver Sweeper', and run it as admin. Select Nvidia driver and chipset, and remove them from your system.

Reboot again, and install the new drivers.

Reboot after installation is complete, and you're set to enjoy smoother gaming.

EDIT:
Oh well, BatBoy beat me to the punch. His link is golden. Enjoy.

 

just out of curiosity,

Whats the typical selling price/worth of my system?

 

Batboy, i have a slight problem. Its not to do with your instructions.

I downloaded the following driver

http://www.nvidia.com/object/notebook_winvista_win7_186.81_whql.html

It says on the link that its for windows Vista, Windows 7.

Ive un-installed my previous Nvidia drivers as per the instructions on your blog link, that went fine.

When i come to install the driver on the Nvidia link i`m getting an error message coming up which is saying the operating system detected is not 32 bit and that the driver is only designed fore 32 bit.

Now it didn`t say on the Nvidia link that it was a download just for 32 bit, strange.

 

Just an update, i went to the Nvidia site and installed these drivers.

http://www.nvidia.co.uk/object/notebook_winvista_win7_x64_186.81_whql_uk.html

How do these 186.81 drivers generally perform, its an upgrade on my previous ones which were 186.03

Since i have done this install of new Nvidia drivers which are version 186.81 i`m getting a distortion noise through the speakers just before i reach the desktop on boot up, also when i was putting my password into the vista log on page the page dissapeared for a few seconds and went to a black screen then it came back, dissapeared again and then came back. It never used to do any of these things on the previous drivers i had, any ideas ?

I don`t know if this has any bearing on anything, when i was in safe mode i noticed the "install new driver" icon appeared on the task bar and was installing some sort of driver, i followed all the instructions on the blog of how to install the new Nvidia drivers, also after i un-installed the Nvidia drivers the restart your pc now option didn`t appear, it just took it away from my add/remove programme list and i had to restart manually.

 

Well, on my M17x the 186.81 is performing perfectly. No issues at all. Obviously that doesn't help you, so to answer your question - I'm not sure how they will perform on the M1730. If you are finding you are having an issue, just uninstall and install another driver.

The last driver I was using on the M1730 was the 190.40 driver modded by xfastest. It was very stable and provided excellent temps.

If someone here can suggest a better driver, go for their suggestion. I knew this would come up at some point... I will assist where I can as always - you all are a cool crowd and I love the M1730 Owner's Lounge - but I can't test anymore on the 1730

Try 190.40 Stig. See how that works for you

http://xpsm1730.blogspot.com/2009/08/19040-nvidia-driver.html

The driver is compressed into a .rar archive. If you don't have a third part tool to access this format, use this one - its free and works great. Once installed, you can change the file formats it recognizes so it doesn't mess with .zip archives. Let the OS handle those.

http://www.extractnow.com/

 

Thanks Bat

I re-installed the previous driver version i was on but i still got that buzz noise through the speakers just after log on and just before the desktop, i thought thr best thing to do is a system restore to yesterday so that i had the previous set up which was fine.

It seems ok after a couple of boots, i thought on a system restore to a previous day that it removes any new software you have added after that point ?

This didn`t, i obviously need to install CC cleaner and driver sweeper to do the driver update, these are still on my system even though ive rolled it back to a day earlier, is that normal ? Its just when i have done a system restore in the past on one of my other laptops it removes any new software thats been added after the point you want to roll back too.

 

I dont use Sys Restore to be honest. I use Acronis True Image Home and run incremental backups usually weekly. If something major glitches I just load up the last image.

I believe that with Sys Restore it will leave your file structure intact and just roll back sys file changes (i.e. Driver updates, etc.).

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

Just saw this over @ support.dell.com - looks like Dell doesn't feel the M1730 is Win7 compatible. WTH?
http://support.dell.com/support/top...t/dsn/document?c=us&docid=360683&l=en&s=gen#1

 

The 186.81 drivers are running nicely for me, no probs so far. Getting good performance in crysis, Coh and L4D.

 

Dell is going to replace my XPS 1730. I have had 3 motherboard replacements and now in the past 3 weeks after 16 months of no issues 3 x 8700M SLI replacements. I wont know what they are offering me until next week sometime but I was told that because my system was a refurb to begin with, my replacement would be a refurb. I was also told equal or upgraded. What should I expect them to do?

 

Replacement systems are typically always refurb's. This doesn't mean its going to be a lemon but definitely check it over upon receipt. If anything is amiss, contact the person who you are dealing with immediately.

It is Dell's policy to replace your system with equal or better specs. Not sure why they couldn't tell you what system they were going to replace it with, typically this is something that you would discuss on the spot once it is determined a replacement system is needed. Once you have the specs, if you don't feel it is equal, explain this to the rep with why you do not feel its justified and tell them what you think is equal. There i nothing wrong in doing so and at worst, they can only say no. In anycase, stay on top of things. If there is a drop in communication, take the lead and reach out to the rep you are dealing with.

Hope it works out.

 

Cueball , i think at this point you should be pushing for a refund, i have just received a full one for my m1730 that was on its 3rd set of 8800gtx, 2nd motherboard and 3rd set of fans.

The m1730 i got was a replacement for a old one of mine and when they upgraded me i got the updated cpu and went from 8700s to 8800s , but personally id get my money back and if you do want to stick with deal then you have the ability to barter over the phone with one of the reps. Dont take any rubbish from them and dont be afraid to CC in the unresolved and customer complaints teams, it certainly made them pull their finger out for me

 

SomeFormOFhuman,

I also am big into 3d max, but I usually find that on the m1730 that the performance is not what I would expect. Though maya usually does ok, but I prefer max. Are you using any tweaks/ driver enhancements? I find that textures flicker and the UI also has a strange flicker as well. Its nice to know that there are other max users on this forum too. also the trim around the wings looks sweet.

 

Thanks Hikkoo, GTA IV definitely runs great with an X9000 CPU, that´s my next upgrade

 

batboy, just wondering..since the m17x has a 9400 as well, when i decide to upgrade drivers, can i use any drivers from laptopvideo2go site or do i have to make sure it supports hybrid sli or get it only from the dell support site.

i noticed ur using the ones that arent on the dell site, is there a special way to install or do i install it the same way i do it with my 1730(uninstall,driver sweeper etcetc) any extra steps to do?


oh and is it possible to do any gaming on the m17x on battery? my 1730's cards automatically downclock severely to 2d clocks and stay there the moment im on battery ever since the 180 drivers even when ive disabled powermizer

 

A06 lol

 

Thanks, eleron.


Well, amazingly, my burnt out pair of 8800's that I roasted back to health in the oven have burnt out again in two weeks' time. So, I open up the replacement box I requested two weeks ago that has an 8700 in it rather than the 8800, so I call Dell and ask for an 8800 since the 8700 is a mistake. They give me a bunch of crap and tell me the 8800's were a "one-time-deal" or some garbage like that, and I have them escalate the case. I exclaim, "If that was a one-time-thing, why did Dell replace the 8800's now three times?" They kept apologizing and just saying they can only send an 8700 since that came with my original system...anyways, I'm going to ask for an m17x when I talk to the Senior Support Rep because they can do anything. If I can't get that I'm asking for 9800 GTX and an X9000 as a compromise, because I've already surpassed the three strikes rule. That is an actual rule, right?

Anyways, mean time while I'm on the phone, I figure, what the hell, I'll stick the 8800's in the oven AGAIN. Guess what computer I'm posting from now??

 

Did somebody tryed the biosupdate for the 9800GT ?
Here i can't install the update i download the driver to my desktop, then copy and burn the iso (with roxio) to a dvd,...restart and select dvd but nothing happen,.....only a flashing cursor
any help because this might resolve my problem with that green issue on my screen.
thx

 

bpat, I tried GT and GTX version on my 8800, I got an update menu for both and it attempted but I got GPU mismatch. I burned ISO to cd not DVD and booted from CD. The menu came up both times, something's not in right burning ISO or boot.
If I remember right it should first say NVIDIA update utility or similar and then a choice menu appers.

Also, if you get this to work, note your before and after GPU temps. I saw in some other forums that this update caused increase in GPU temp.

Good luck

 

Thx gadgetBoi i will try to burn the iso on a cd, ....crossed fingers and let you know.
thx

 

Wow... you baked the 8800s again and they turned up working?

If so... wow.

 

Yup. It appears the solder points on the card are pretty weak, and the heating up (expanding) and cooling down (condensing) of the silicon components is what seems to cause problems with the card. I'm just a bit confused and alarmed I was able to do it twice in a row...you know, first time I thought was a fluke, but TWICE? This time it wasn't even BSOD, it was just a blank gray screen and start up.


But Dell is giving a lot of crap to a customer that just bought three more years of warranty service. I am not happy.

 

Best of luck, mate. Don't let Dell win this one over. They'll have to honour the warranty and this 'one-time-deal' thing won't last too long either. They will eventually run out of the 8700m as well.

 

i have this feeling sooner or later all 1730 owners will get a m17x replacement cos they run out of refurbished parts to go around and they have no more supplies of 8800gtxes and 8700s or some other part

and its gona happen sooner than when the 1710 owners got a 1730 as replacements

 

Greetings M1730 owners... have something for you to try out. Dell posted Quickset v9.6.6 on 8/17. It is for Vista/Win7 32 & 64. This is the initial Win7 release. Not sure on other changes since I can't test, but I wanted to pass it on to all of you.

I've updated my M1730 blog with the info and if it turns out it wont work properly, let me know and I'll pull it.

R226931

As with the other versions of Quickset, I suggest running the installer without uninstalling. It should prompt you with 'Do you want to update'.

Enjoy!

 

The bios is installed now but i have the same green issue,.... strange because they say that bios wil fix the problem.
grtz

 

it seems the 1730 does not like this version of quickset, and for me light FX does not work after i installed it.

 

I'm on Win 7 x64 RTM and it would not install, it said would you like to upgrade, I said yes, then it said I needed to uninstall the current version first. I uninstalled, rebooted, and ran the new one, it installed fine, but there is nothing in the start menu to access it. So I found it in the program files folder and ran quickset64.exe or something similar, and I got the Dell mobility center, but no options to customize my colors, etc....

 

Just thought I'd drop in and give notice of the X9000 disappearing from the UK website. Sadly, potential XPS owners can no longer opt for this CPU.

Personally, if I -had- to get an M1730 again, I wouldn't get it with anything less than an X9000 - seems to be the perfect cooling solution.

Edit:
Oddly enough, if one was to select the second basic configuration, then the option for th X9000 is available. Funny, because their 'extreme' model is only limited to the choice of T9500. This would be the perfect face-palm moment.

 

Just out of curiosity i overclocked my X9000 processor to 3.4Ghz just to see what it was like after some people on here said that the best thing to do with an extreme processor is to run it at the max, well i certainly couldn`t live with the fan noise at its max as its way too noisy to live with.

These were the temps at 3.4Ghz, do they look normal as they look quite high to me ?

 

Personally, the fan noise doesn't really bother me that much, although the M1730 sits on my desk about 75% of the time and after living in a small bedroom with three desktops running in there for years... I'm just used to it.

Your temps at load are a bit high, yes. I'd strongly consider undervolting, as my temps peaked at about 75C after three hjours of Orthos testing under load. I don't usually get above 65C or so when gaming, so the undervolting does its job.

The beauty of overclocking the Extreme processors is your GPU idle temps stay nice and cool. I stay around 45C or so on idle temps, with a maximum of about 50-51C.

 

@ Hikko
Thx for all your efforts mate GTAIV runs really well on 9800 GTX's. I get nowhere near that performance in it. Or probably game uses new SSE 2 instructions, that X7900 doesn't support From what I saw in Crysis benches, HyperX RAM gives an about 1-2 fps increase.
Oh, btw, new version of fraps just came out. Finally got that crash at the start-up fixed for me.

@ BatBoy
I guess, what they mean by saying that M1730 is not Windows 7 compatible is that they will not give suppoort for windows 7 for us. That said, there will be no drivers from dell for windows 7. That's quite disappointing tbh

 

Surely that can`t be true ?

If thats the case then shouldn`t Dell have been advertising that all M1730`s on their website as not being windows 7 compatible given that windows 7 will be the new operating system from microsoft ?

Ive only just bought my M1730, if i had known that kind of information i would have probably looked elsewhere, its an amazing laptop but i will be dissapointed if its not going to be windows 7 compatible.

 

Welp, my M1710 went down on july 1st. Got a replacement M1730 on aug 5th, and aug 27th it died... Looks like the motherboard isnt reading the memory right. Tried 4 sticks of ram and always same fault. sometimes it powers up for 10 mins, then dies again.

So off goes an email to all the management teams again. Going to request refund or M17x. Not having an M1730 if it fails after 2 1/2 weeks! And certainly not keeping it if they're not doing windows 7 support!

So, M17x 2.93ghz, 4gb RAM, GTX 280 sli if i get replacement. Or will use the £1900 to build an i7 desktop and get a sony P series portable from hong kong as my micro laptop! Fingers crossed!

Shame really, for the 22 days it worked, it was a great little work horse!!!

 

My temps:

- idle. Cooler on GPU switches on when temp = 75° C and off when 69° C.


FurMark. CPU is ok but GPU - temp >85° - max speed and it didn't help so when I had 93 I stopped the test. Is it normal? How high can be max temp.? I don't want to burn my computer. Has this notebook protection like automatically decreasing GPU clock speed (when temperature is dangerous)? Or maybe better to call Dell support and asking for less hot GPU?
Cooling is good but this GPU makes a lot of heat so cooler uses hot air to cool it and temperature rises.

 

DDT5,
I'm not trying to downplay the cards, but the difference is too insignificant. Even twin 280m in SLi will drag with this game if you cramp it with an x7900. Just have a look around some PC GTA 4 forums, and the one fundamental benchmark-commonality you'll see will be this game's hunger for CPU power. The fact that Hikkoo's yielded such good results is 98% driven by the superior X9000 with greater L2 cahce and better instruction set.

What's even more: A 2.0 GHz quad core will take this game further, because it's also coded to utilise quads very well.

Like I said, it's all in the CPU for GTA IV.

. . .and yeah, nice to see Dell's standard decline even further.

I was doing a comparison between my two machines - old busted system and the new downgraded/damaged system. Here's the real @$$-kicker - the 'new' and 'improved' 9800m GT actually drags and my older, slightly glitchy 8800m GTX does a better job of yielding stable results. ?

 

@ the stig - Windows 7 runs fine on it and all the vista drivers work fine and tbh its only the quickset drivers that you actually need from dell anyhow. I've had zero problems with 7 since the RTM came out.

You cant really expect dell to support 7 on the 1730 when they're phasing the machine out.

 

other good news:
tomorow a new huge patch 1.5 for the battlefield 2 owners

 

X7900 is fast, but it's signigicantly older technology. Hell, there's areas of CPU gaming where a T9300 will outperform the X7900. One thing to keep in mind is that the, L2 cache can become signficiant in certain scenarios. With the X7900, we have the older 4MB, but with the newer X9000, we have 6MB - that's a big step up. I remember I had a 2.0 GHz in my Toshiba with 2MB L2, and a 2.1 GHz in my XPS M1710, with only 0.1 GHz of difference, but the 4MB L2 really brought a world of difference with cpu-intensive games.

Over and above all else, this is mainly relevant with games that do eat CPU. Majority of them don't really need a very powerful CPU, so. . . yeah.

As for the 9800m GT. Well, to be really fair, the card's already artifacting. Lawl.

 

93 degrees is way too high for 8800m GTX. Open the laptop and clean out the system, I did that and my temps never reaches above 80 degrees on load when playing Crysis or any other game for that matter. UT3 games only brings the temps to around 75 degrees on load all this at 1920x1200. The higher res you play at the more you stress the GPU´s.

Now clean the fans on the GPU´s. I used isopropanol and small wool sticks to reach into the fins to bring fix the very small dust that is on the fans.

I do use very often air duster that´s why my system was pretty clean as it was already. But opening it up and cleaning definitely helped even more.