Dell XPS M1730 Owner's Lounge, Take 2

I honestly prefer Everest, simply because it shows on the LCD display, but also HWMonitor always had something the same. I think it was CPU, it never showed the temperature of each core, which Everest does.

PS: Love your signature, I use that line about life all the time =-P

 

it is really NOT discontinued. they roll out new versions all the time.

 

Everest Ultimate Version is what we all use. current version is EVEREST v5.02 (2009-05-25) >>> http://www.lavalys.com/

 

hikkoo, why don't you use RAID?

 

SO just finished a 2-3 hour long game of Sins of a Solar Empire. Upon exiting, HWMonitor shows that my 8800's got up to 91c!!! I think that's a new high for me. At what point do these things melt?!

 

Lol well, let's use my messed up temps as a benchmark. I hit 94 degrees without trying while gaming. Still working perfectly fine (although worrying). So yeah, you don't have to worry too much heh.

 

Just a heads-up... NVIDIA posted their WHQL 186.03 notebook driver - not sure if the heat issues have been corrected. I'm downloading now and will post some thoughts later today.

Vista 64:
http://www.nvidia.com/object/geforce_notebook_winvista64_186.03_whql.html

Vista 32:
http://www.nvidia.com/object/geforce_notebook_winvista_186.03_whql.html

Windows 7 64:
http://www.nvidia.com/object/geforce_notebook_win7_x64_186.03_whql.html

Windows 7 32:
http://www.nvidia.com/object/geforce_notebook_win7_186.03_whql.html

Sorry - no XP driver as yet. Check LV2Go if you are running XP. They may have it.

 

Looking forward to your update!

 

Me too. New drivers are always exciting.
Last weekend I opened the beast for the 1st time. I love the way it's build. It's a solid design, but what else can you expect from Dell.
I'm intending to play with it as long as possible. At least till my warranty will end. I've 3 years left from now.

 

does dell replace completely broken XPS m1730's with the new dell alienware m17x?

 

As long as they have spare parts they will repare/replace your system.
How it will be in the future when they can't repair I don't know. Maybe they'll replace it with AW or a different Dell. Who can tell?

 

Our 9800M's and 8800M's Nvidia says that they can stand up to 109c, but my 9800M GT's never went over 84c as i know of. and 109c is hella hot i wouldnt want mine to go over 95c.

It loos as If AW is replacing XPS as Dells Gaming systems, and M1730 is so very close to retire. AW is already up on the Dell website.

 

With 186.03 I am seeing the same issue with right clicking on the desktop and delayed context menu as 185.85. This is under Vista 64 using the stock nvidia inf file. The only known solution for this issue which I have been able to locate is here:

http://www.evga.com/forums/tm.asp?m=100643552

Anyone else seeing the delayed context menu/slow loading NVIDIA control panel?

This is a deal breaker for me and if I can't find a cleaner fix I will be reverting back to 185.81. 186.03 3DMark06 numbers remain about the same as 185.81.

Ok another issue... LOL - Geez NVIDIA - get your act together. This is supposed to be a WHQL certified driver release... I just rebooted and upon reboot the resolution defaulted to 640x480. Now what is that is that about?? lol.

Will edit this post back with temps once I have time to game a little. With the issues above, I just don't see keeping these drivers installed. I will try a modded INF and see if that changes anything.

Well, after a few reboots and failure modding the 185.81, 185.85 and 186.08 INFs to work with this release, I have reverted back to 185.81. Hopefully, one of you will have more luck than I - I just cant see waiting seconds for that context menu to open... Yep - I'm picky.

 

Hey BatBoy,

I obtained my laptop today This thing is HUGE but I love it and the screen is awwwwwesome. I already have 64 bit on it so I dont have to reinstall everything again but I was wonering whetehr I should dl the drivers in your blog and sintall them on the new laptop even though I did not install the os again. Is it a good idea or should I keep it as is?

 

Congrats! Like the rest of us, you are going to love it!

Personally, I like to keep my drivers up to date. It is your choice though. As before, I strongly suggest imaging your system so you have a nice clean backup prior to any tweaking.

An external HDD works great - much better than burning to DVDs. I believe I mentioned it in one of the PMs, Acronis True Image Home is my backup app of choice. Very quick and has yet to glitch an image on me.

 

K thanks

 

All i have to do is download them from your site and then install them right?

 

People,
I have news regarding the performance issues I was having with Crysis and some of the other intensive games, especially stutter-related.

This solution upped my Crysis DX10 - high benchmarks from 27 average and 11 minimum FPS, to a bloody 31+ average and 18+ minimum FPS. The game runs much better now.

Apparently, it was the 'search index' application that was running in the background. The moment I turned the entire process tree off, the performance jumped. I believe my system still needs some serious tweaking, and I could still benefit from formatting the HDD seeing as both drives are almost full.

Anyway, I'm still getting the occasional artifact, but it ain't a big deal until these 'artifacts' become a regular problem.

 

Yep - not related to gaming but I agree with disabling this. If you find you rarely ever use the Windows Search feature it's best to just disable Vista's Index Service.

When disabling services, always use the RUN command and type services.msc. This will open up the services main page.

To disable Windows Index Service, look for Windows Search. Stop the service and select Disabled from the pull down.

 

Quick Question-

I installed EVEREST and after 30 min of playing Runes of Magic Online (similar to WOW), I have:

CPU # 1 = 45
CPU # 2 = 45

GPU # 1 = 64
GPU # 2 = 55

And GPU # 2 never got above 56 or so even when GPU # 1 got to 67 - 68.

Is this normal? (for the GPU to be so far apart in temps?)

I have SLI enabled.

Cheers.

 

Hey guys. Where did you guys get 3DMark06 from? I installed one version but I wasnt able to change nay of the settings because ill have to buy it to do so. Is it the same thing for you guys?

I ran 3dMark06 with high performance and SLI on and only got like 10900. Isnt that low considering I have X9000, dual 9800M gt in SLI, 8Gb of RAM, 128Gb SSD + 250Gb HDD at 7200 rpm?

 

Is it me or does the new driver run hotter?

185 series ran at around 55C SLI enabled, and the new one runs at 59-60C.

 

Just a note for those interested, Frank from HW Monitor will be sending me some test code soon (not sure the e.t.a) to see if he can get HW Monitor Pro's fan control working with all 3 fans (CPU, 2xGPU) in our beast.

He seems reasonably confident he can get it working, here's hoping .

 

Downloading 186.03 as I type - I hope these will run better on Win7 x64 than 185.85 did! Will check back with a report soon! Anyone else wanna chime in on how the drivers are going for you? And BatBoy, the context menu delay issue, doesn the registry edit fix it for you in these drivers? And the performance which you mentioned is *same* as 185.85 - are you talking about stock NV drivers, or modded ones?

 

Navigate to

HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\Directory\Background\shellex

Delete: NvCplDesktopContext key and all is good, now right click is fast as ever. If you need the Nvidia Controle Panale

all you have to do is select it from Programs and Features.

Ok now the fun part; for all of you who want the context menu this is how you add it back without the delay:

HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\Directory\Background\shell

then Right click on Shell and add new Key: Name that key Nvidia Control Panel

Then Right Click on that new Key and add a new Key: Name this key "Command" (no quotes)

Then with the new key Command selected in the right hand pane double click the Default Value Key and type:

c:\windows\system32\nvcplui.exe


as for the low res after reboot, dont know what to tell you.

do me a solid and connect your xps m1730 to an hdtv using a dvi-hdmi cable, and then open counter-strike:source and click on any server, do you see this tearing on screen? this tearing, for me, also coincides with random tearing while playing WOW. this has happened with both 185.85 and 186.03. I will be switching back to 179.xx until this is fixed.

 

just a follow up: has anyone with Complete Care, since the release of the m17x alienware, broken their laptop by accident, only to have it replaced by the alienware m17x, instead of getting a repaired xps m1730

 

I'm sure they have plenty of parts lying around somewhere lol.

 

hmm maybe if we all had accidents at once, one of us might get lucky

... and the rest of us would get screwed!

In other news, I tried installing Everest Ultimate and configuring the LCD display. I then played Sins of a Solar Empire and had a blue screen/hardware dump. Restarted and didn't run Everest, no dump. Weird.

 

The free version doesn't let you mess with the settings, its good though, keeps everyone on the same default res for comparison.

10,900 seems a bit low, you should be around 12k+ @2.8ghz. Which drivers are you running?

 

ask in a year

and you dont need cc to get a replacement

 

RE: 186.03 - the heat issue (almost 10c warmer under load) was apparent with 186.08. I did not notice this issue with 186.03 however I am unable to verify the thermal problem has been resolved since I decided to DUMP this driver into the circular file.

The issue with the context menu is something I will not tolerate on my system and I really don't care to manually mod my registry to fix it using regedit. NVIDIA can resolve it then I'll give it another try. For now, I'm sticking with 185.81.

For those that were asking, 185.85 was fine from a thermal perspective as well - just like 185.81, 185.68 and 185.66. Problem I found with 185.85 was that blasted context menu delay... no thanks.

Oh and Zenith... the info you posted is a direct quote from the page I linked to Also, if you search youtube you can find videos of a guy who had a Inspiron 9300 and dumped it in the bathtub to get a E1705. I would not suggest this - for one its chicken s&^! and Dell isn't that lame to not catch on if there is a sudden peak in CC warranty claims for accidental damage requiring a replacement...

 

Right...so I'm back from preliminary testing, and 186.03 seems to be a rock solid release for me. Max temp (I ran 3Dmark 06 thrice) for me was 81C, which seems decent - though I'll have to play a heavy game to actually see whats what. 3Dmark score on Win7 x64 was 10784, which is pretty much the same as what I was getting in Vista using 185.85. I think thats about right for my machine (considering I have a t9300). Um, Batboy, mind giving me your 3dmark 06 score (everything stock, please) with 185.85 and/or 186.03? I guess besides the HDD, our specs are identical.

I know 3dmark 06 is a little outdated and doesnt truly represent actual gaming performance, but it does give one a fair idea of where two machines stand relatively speaking.

 

is anyone connecting their dual 8800m gtx's to an hdtv via a DVI-HDMI cable? if you do, and you have counter-strike:source... try opening CSS when you have ur pc connected to your tv... make sure sli is enabled and make sure you're using 185.85 (or 186.03)...

click find servers... do you see a visual distortion on the screen, like a screetching flickering at the server you've clicked?

here's what I see (taken with digital camera because screen shot looks normal)

 

and just to clarify that this is not a problem with my TV...

1. ive done this on my mom's tv (totally different model and brand)
2. other driver versions, especially 179.XX do not do this.

 

Looks like Runes of Magic doesn't support SLI. This means even though you have SLI on, only one GPU is used. In this case those temps are normal. Nothing to worry about.

As been mentioned before, you change settings in free version of 3D Mark, which got its own benefits. As fo your score, it is a bit low. Make sure you set your power profile to performance. Also, did you tweak your windows at all? If not, that could be a reason for your low score.

That's great news! Please keep us posted. Thanks a lot for aking the initiative on this one

 

Well, thanks to ZenithNoesis - I took another look at the info on the link I posted earlier. Granted ZenithNoesis had posted a reply with an abbreviated version however when I tried it I still had no luck. The manually added reg entries just didn't work for me. What did work though was opening up notepad and adding the following:

I then saved it as a .reg file and then just merged it with my registry. Worked out perfectly. Not sure why manually adding it didn't work - most likely I botched it somewhere along the line. Oh well.

Thanks Zenith (repped your first post on this) - I ended up taking a second look at this issue and now all is fine. Will post more on 186.03 once I test it more.

 

if you are going to need more guinea pigs - count me in ...

 

YW. kudos to you for finding an alternate way to make it work, hopefully many others will benefit from this.

Now, the real question is... what is causing the problem and why hasn't nvidia fixed it already? lol

Another thing is that nvidia never really seems to fix any of the major issues I've had with their drivers... (intense flickering in wow with high shadows and sli on, that screen ripping i've showed you in CSS when connected to an HDTV, the right click delay, windows aero being slow when on battery even though powermizer is off....)

the list continues, but frankly, nvidia is noobs.

 

Have to agree with you on this - the drivers they have been coming out lately are really buggy to say the least. I'll give them kudos for fixing PowerMizer w/SLI but all the other little issues are starting to annoy me.

What's really amusing is that the 185.85 context menu delay bug was resolved with 186.08 BETA (according to the release notes) and now we are seeing its back in 186.03... Go figure.

I know you mentioned the issue with CS, just curious but you do not see it with SLI disabled correct?

 

Anyone know how to prevent the GPUs from downclocking on battery power? Where I live, there are power losses now and then - and it's annoying to see my framerates suddenly drop to an unplayable level!

Also when my GPUs downclock (even on AC power), Aero effects slow down and are pretty rough. Is it possible to set a higher downclocked clock instead of 200/100?

Any help here would be great! I'd rather not disable Powermizer - it keeps my temps nice and low (*fingers crossed*)

 

With all the talk about the AW M17x, has anybody found out if the interface for the SLI GT280's is the same as the interface for the 9800m GT in the 1730s?

 

Sorry for the late reply, I`m caught up with graduation and final exams.
XP and as for 7 64 bit, I didn`t need any driver, it worked instantly

 

Double that, me 3

Also, I`ve never heard of these GPUs to have different temps...what gives?

 

join the club lol...

 

Unfortunately it's not compatible, the M17x has an MXM interface.

They do, it depends on the monitoring software you're using, I know for sure that rivatuner shows 2 different temps but there are probably others.


Anyway, I'm sad to leave the XPS M1730 club today after more than 1 year of following it. After having my GPU replaced 4 times dell wanted to replace the whole laptop but they only had 9800 GT. Since I bought GTX cards I didn't accept the "downgrade" so they're replacing it for a M17x with a small fee for the upgrades.
See you later on other threads

 

Nice upgrade for you Axionkt.

Well done!

 

Hey guys,

after some tweaking and updating drivers I was able to get my 3DScore06 to 12550. Can anyone please tell me if that is the score I should be getting given I have x9000, SLI 9800M GT, 8Gb RAM, 128Gb SSD + 250Gb HDD?

Thanks in advance for your responses.

 

Here's the thing Doc... With 3DMark06, your score is very dependent on CPU - just as much as GPU really. The number 1 thing to do when benching with 3DMark06 is disable all non-essential startup items and services prior to testing. Also, you can see the difference by first benching it @ 2.8Ghz and then bumpin up your CPU and then benching again.

In the end the thing to understand is its just a number. What really matters is how your game experience is... If you are happy with your favorite game's performance (FPS, thermal temps, etc) - be satisfied.

Personally for me, I was unable to obtain a higher score on 3DMark06 than what appears in my signature. What's really amusing is that way back with 175.19 or some other ancient driver I was able to score 11600 something and this was without OCing the GPUs. The best I've been able to manage since that rare score was the 11752 with 185.66. Keep in mind this was with OCing the GPUs which I don't really recommend doing unless you are benching 'The Beast'.

Since I know you are probably going to ask I will tell you anyway... I used NVIDIA's System Tools to OC the GPUs.

 

I have had mine for awhile, but I am pretty awful with the intense computer systems. And for some reason I think I should not have gotten the 8700 sli in it, but should have got the 8800. Am I right in thinking this because I have some gaming problems occasionally, like F.E.A.R. kinda lags out really bad sometimes on max settings. Idk, I'm happy I just joined this forum though, should be a help.

 

Hi everyone,

Just to keep y'all updated, I got in touch with Dell about my graphics card heat. They advised me to update BIOS and GFX drivers, which I've already done months ago. So they say they will be replacing my graphics cards. They've already replaced my Heatsink, Fan and Motherboard - so this is the only thing that could be wrong.

Here's hoping it'll be resolved soon!!