M1330 - CPU to 100% use

Hey,
So my launch day M1330 is starting to act up again (2 mobo replacments so far).
I'll be watching some YouTube (standard def) videos, and both cores will ramp up to 100%, and everything grinds to a halt.
Ram usage is about 50%.
The left side of the keyboard is quite hot, but I think my CPU temps are only in the mid 60s according to HWMonitor.

Time to call it in, or different issue all together?
3 yr warranty end at the end of Aug, and then another year of the extended.

 

Flash problem maybe?

Try updating your flash player.

 

ur fan might have gone bad or gotten disconnected mine did that the other day and my m1330s 2.2ghz cpu turned into a 400 mhz paper weight. after taking it apart and looking the plug on the gpu somehow got disconnected

 

It would be a good idea to run a log file using ThrottleStop while you are watching a YouTube video.

Many Dell laptops use a CPU slow down technique called clock modulation throttling. What this does is it slows the CPU down internally to a fraction of its Intel rated speed without notifying you of this. The result is that your CPU can't keep up with the simplest of tasks and your CPU usage according to the task manager will shoot up to 100% as the CPU struggles to cope with even a moderate load.

ThrottleStop can log for the 3 main types of throttling that Dell uses. Post a log file to MediaFire and post a link here and I'll have a look. Send me a PM in case I forget.

The quickest way to test for issues is to log your computer with ThrottleStop while running a test like Prime95 and Furmark at the same time. Here's an example of an old D830 that can run that load for half an hour without any throttling or over heating problems.

http://forum.notebookreview.com/6382811-post552.html

I'm not sure why Dell started cutting corners and some of the newer models choke and struggle so badly when you try to use the CPU and GPU at the same time.

 

Thanks, I'll give it a shot.

I ran futuremark a little while back, and my GPU shot up to 107 C during the test...

 

If your GPU gets up to 107C then there is something seriously wrong with the cooling solution. It is either not installed properly or is so under designed that it is useless and is the primary cause of your problems.

Stop testing if your GPU goes over 100C. It's not worth pushing it further.

I'm not sure what type of GPU the M1330 uses but for an Nvidia GPU you can add GPU=1 to the ThrottleStop.ini configuration file to monitor its core temperature and you can add GPU=2 if it is an ATI GPU. Monitoring and logging the GPU temperatures as well, if possible, should make it easier to see what is causing the problem.

 

Another obvious thing to do would be to open up task manager and see which process is responsible

 

ThrottleStop Log

 

I think it's time to call Dell again. There's no way a GPU can run reliably and at full speed if the cooling solution is letting it get up to 106C. That's nuts.

The first time this happens, the CPU keeps running at full speed but after a while the CPU multiplier drops down to 6.0 which kills CPU performance and then the bios starts using clock modulation on the CPU which drops CPU performance even further.

A 6.0 multiplier instead of a 9.0 multiplier has your CPU running at 67% of its Intel designed speed. Clock modulation slows CPUs down internally and is on top of the reduced multiplier so a reading in the CKMOD column of 37.5% says that your CPU is running at 3/8 of it designed speed. When these two throttling methods are combined, the grand total is a CPU running at only 25% of what Intel says this CPU should be running at. That's why the task manager starts flat lining at 100%. The CPU has to work as hard as posible because it is being so badly throttled. It's like someone tied a big ship anchor to the back of your car. You'll have to floor it to get anywhere. Same thing for your CPU.

You're going to have to find out why your GPU is so hot. If you don't want to pull your laptop apart and clean and re-engineer the cooling system then you better call Dell. I think even if you manage to get that running 20C cooler, you're probably still going to run into the CPU throttling issues. This tends to be more power consumption related in many Dell laptops. The DTS column shows that you are still about 15C degrees away from the Intel designed thermal throttling point. Fixing the GPU will probably help but I'm pretty sure your laptop has some problems at the original design level that so many other Dell laptops have.

 

Sorry, forgot to mention that the first test was done while running 3DMark03.

This one was started, and then I loaded up a YouTube. Stopped it when the video became unwatchable.

 

Ok, so what would I say to Dell to get them to replace or refund this thing?
Would this be a valid reason?

Right now, just surfing:
Cores at 78, 79 C respectively.
GPU @ 94.

 

Last round.
Freshly cleaned system (opened and blew out dust from fan).
Freshly booted system, loaded ThrottleStop and Chrome, and YouTube again.
Videos watchable. Temps still seem high?

 

That second log file shows your CPU running at only 12.5% of its Intel rated speed. At the end of the log the multiplier is OK because clock modulation is killing you and high GPU temperatures aren't helping things out. A clock modulation reading of 12.5% means that the bios is telling your CPU to go into an idle state and do absolutely nothing 87.5% of the time. You might as well go grab a Pentium II laptop from your closet.

Edit: Problem solved. A good cleaning and the third log file looks much better. You're running at full speed again.

Not sure if you can run Furmark + Prime95 at the same time but if you want to learn more about that test then head here.

http://forum.notebookreview.com/6382811-post552.html

 

Thanks for your help!
In log 1 and 2, I was using Firefox with a couple windows with tabs open, using about 250mb of ram.
That and I hadn't rebooted in quite a while (just sleep).