**OFFICIAL** Dell XPS M1730 Owner's Lounge, *Part 4*

You don't need xp x64, just plain x86. There aren't really any games that support more than 4gb of system ram, as the max recommended ram under xp for any dx9 game is at max 2 gb.

With 4gb you have 3,5gb of usable system memory as the remaining 512mb will be used for video resource allocation under xp.
The xp graphical interface uses GDI drawing therefore is handled by the CPU, thus freeing the gpu from the workload of the interface.

That's why using gamebooster is a common technique under XP as it frees CPU resources.
Also remember that DX9 under 7 is emulated by dx11 framework thus is noticiably slower compared to Xp.

So the optimal setup for our beast is Windows Xp sp3 x86 and Windows 7 x64 in dual boot.
Get rid of vista as it's slower and clunky compared to seven about performance and general system handling.

7 is not officially supported because Dell didnt bother to open a win 7 section in the download page, but I assure you there's nothing that doesnt work on it.
All the Dell apps and programs works just fine if you want to use x64 apps like the hotkey utility.

 

Okay, so I know there was a thing posted on the forums referring to a website I think where there was info about getting drivers for the beast if you are to use windows 7. By chance would you remember this site? I can try google anyways.

Also, I havent dual booted a system in a good long while -.- Do I install XP first or Windows 7? I think you start with the older OS first... but yeah...

Thanks for the reply!

 

Start with Xp first,then go for 7.
The beast guide you're referring to is old and outdated, plus there's nothing interesting to download there.
You don't need anything beside Dell quickset available from Dell itself.
Then go over intel and grab the intel chipset software utility in zip format (create a shortcut to setup.exe and add -overall at the end of the exe path, under proprieties,for a complete installation).
Then download latest nvidia drivers for 7 x64.
For xp, get it installed and I'll be more than happy to give you a modded inf for it

 

Well I was well underway to getting XP installed on the Beast but ran into an issue. It pertains to installing XP on a RAID set up. I have a sp2 disc which I am aware does not have the drivers on the disc itself to support RAID during installation (or at least that is my understanding). However, I could have sworn I had a SP3 disc lying around somewhere that I got from Dell.

Before I bother trying all sorts of crazy sh*t with my SP2 disc, will SP3 have the drivers preloaded onto the disc?

 

Meh...

Went and created a Windows XP sp3 disc with raid drivers. Took me a minute but its out of the way now.

 

That's good, however I advice to drop the raid setup as we concluded it's not reliable on our xps based on the test/findings made from other users in the precedent megathread. We had quite a problem.
The ideal is having a fast drive/ssd for both oses and a bigger one for storing data such games.
You're installing it already right, otherwise I would suggest to switch to Ahci mode and leave the Hdds as individual for their life sake.
The intel raid chipset on our xps is crappy and it's known to screw up partitions and data speed with serious data streaming issues after some time.

 

Yo guys i had time to test a few games under XP with 275.50 betas, usual tweaks, cpu at 3,6.

Alice Madness Returns: Maxed Out, Physx Max, Average 64fps (the bug about the physx is present here as well as on my pc, basically particles are rendered badly therefore the framerate drops to 30's. Framerate is unlocked by config)

Duke Nukem Forever: Maxed Out, FXAA, Average 45fps.

Sega Rally Revo: Maxed Out, 8xCsaa, Average 60fps.

Shift 2 modded sli profile: Maxed out, ultra quality mod, Average 45fps.

Thats all

 

Woot just bought a new monitor for my desktop.

ASUS 23" VH238T LED 1080p

Talk about great picture, awesome quality. Must say my GTX 460 holds it´s own at 1080p no problem at all running all games

Definitely SLI soon with GTX 460 in SLI

 

That's great, I'm running an HS244Hq bmii acer, 24" 3dready fullhd led.
I prolly end up doing sli with my gtx570 although I have a few records already under my belt.
Still since the power of the 570 is so huge I don't feel like buying another one.
And we're talking about maxing everything while having framerates well above 90fps lol.

 

Yeah with consoles setting the standard nowadays there is no need to upgrade anytime soon

 

Hey,

So I installed XP and Windows 7.

I had some huge issues with the XP disc I created. Long story short... In the end I gave up and installed XP on one hard drive and Windows 7 on the other.

I dont have SSD's n'or the money to get them so my 7200 rpm drives will have to do.

Just finished installing drivers and updating Windows XP now. Currently in the process of installing Steam. After that I'm going to install Black Ops and see how it runs.

 

Wait man you were installing two oses on one drive due to raid? Good thing you weren't able to, as it could lead to major disasters late in the life span.
As for xp, remember to install latest drivers, but you need a modded inf.
In this case I have yet to publish the 275.50 beta inf, but you can grab whql 275.33 inf from here.
Just click on my nickname and search for the threads I've started, there should be one for modded infs.
Also remember to setup the nvidia control panel/manage 3d settings like this:

- display to single display mode
- disable powermizer
- download nvidia inspector, go into nvidia profile settings (small toolbox on the first app screen near the driver version) and in the first panel, the one called Global Settings, change power management to "prefer maximum performance".

Remember also that everytime you install a driver you need to manually enable Sli.
Black Ops is a CPU hogging pos. You're not able to overclock your CPU as you don't have an extreme CPU, but you can oc your cards using Msi afterburner a bit.
Stable clocks for 8800/9800gt are 650/1600/950.
Good luck

 

Yeah see, I wanted a Raid 1 set up so that my XP and W7 partitions would be backed up on the second drive in case anything went wrong.

Anyways, long story short I couldnt deal with the headache anymore so I said "f" that.

At the moment I have nvidia's official notebook driver installed. Last updated in January. I just need it to test black ops initially... then afterwards ill search around for better performance drivers.... or make tweaks to profiles etc.

 

So I've tested Black Ops with all settings other than AA on and set to max (AA set to 4x) and Im pleasantly surprised to see the game runs and runs well. I get about 40-45 fps after the initial minute or so of being in the game.

Before, when playing under Vista I wouldn't be able to play with shadows on. I mean... I was able to but at around 30 fps or below.

Nice to see Black Ops working with no stutter issues either. Something that can't be said for my Desktop running W7

Alright so im going to look around for different drivers. Ill take a look at the ones you suggested. ( I think you suggested some for XP...)

 

The best I can achieve under windows 7 with black ops is an average of 50fps, but that's with 3.6ghz CPU.
Under xp it shouldn't be an issue running the game at 60fps or more while using both AA and SLI, at least is what I'm getting here.
As for xp, remember you need:

- desktop Xp 275.33 Whql driver
- intel chipset software installation utility in zip format, installed with -overall switch
- my modded inf
Here's my thread http://forum.notebookreview.com/gam...a-modded-inf-windows-xp-sp3-mobility-inf.html

Then try to play black ops under xp and compare it to seven, you'll be amazed.

 

Seems that my adventure has come to an end
I've sold my beast (well prolly I'm parting to it in a week) for 800$.
I'll end up getting a g53sw since I want something portable and light with a good compromise spec-wise.
The gtx460m should score the same as my 9800m gtx sli in dx9 games plus the added bonus as sandy's i7 and dx11.
Dunno how this will turns out, hope the buyer doesn't hold back.
I'll keep you posted

 

Wow, 2nd page, bump....

so after several months without major problems with my beast (!!) now I've got one. In the beginning just want to say I haven't done anything before it happened.
So this morning when I turned my beast on with X9000 inside OC'ed to 3.4GHz via bios I noticed fans aren't at max. speed... When windows loaded up I open CPUz and see CORE CLOCK: ¬500MHz ://////. ?? I shutdown laptop reconnect power supply, turn it on.... and again. Go into bios, check if it's OCed (obv. yes). Trying to mess with speedstep by disabling/enabling but no luck. Also tried changing CPU speed in the bios but nothing changed, 500MHz in windows. CPU temps low (around 50C under load in prime). Thoughts?

 

Is it me or do all games based on the Unreal 3 engine stutter when turning with the mouse? I mean, every game I've tried as such has issues when turning and feels sluggish at time : UT3, Bioshock, Duke Nukem, BlackSite: Area 51, Frontlines: Fuel of War etc...

Is there something specific or is it simply my system? It's playable, there's no framerate drop, it's just that the switch between images feels like it jumps from one frame to like the 3rd or 4th, instead of fluently...

 

Check if the power supply is recognised by the BIOS. This usually tends to cause similar problems. I can't remember off the top of my head, but somewhere in BIOS info section there should be a line about power supply. If it says "Unrecognised", then there is something wrong with either your power supply or motherboard. Check previous thread, there were plenty of discussions on this topic.

 

Thx, indeed power supply is not recognized :/. Will investigate. cheers.

 

Hi,
Have you tried Starcraft 2 by any chance? What drivers/mods would you recommend for it (windows 7)? It drops below 30fps when there is a battle on high setting for me . Don't know what's going on.

 

anyone know if the m1730 has gigabit 100/1000, i think it's only 10/100 but is there anyway to check, tried googling but isnt really getting me anywhere lol?

 

It's definitely a gigabit NIC.

 

Ahh right, thanks for the reply, was guna use it as a server for a lan party, but I think it needs to be 100/1000, tbh I know nothing about networking if you couldn't tell lol

 

100/1000 is gigabit

 

I have got similar problem ( Alpha Protocol , Rise of the Argonauts )

 

+1, yep, it is

 

Thats good then, thanks guys.

 

By the way, here are the network card drivers that came out a couple of months ago. Can't heart.

 

Starcraft 2 runs great at Ultra settings for me 1920x1200.

 

Hello guys, i wanted to ask you 1 question if you have some time for me

I currently have an M1730 with following specs:
X7900 @ 2.8, 9800M GTX SLI, 4gb ram @667 mhz, 2 * 200 RAID 0, 1200P screen + BD-RE

I wanted to upgrade to a 2nd hand M17X-R2 with these specs:
Intel Core i7-840QM
8GB (8192MB) DDR3 1333MHz
2 * 500GB Serial (SATA) 7200 RPM
17.0" 1920x1200 (WUXGA) RGB LED
Blu-Ray Combo
2 x 1024MB ATI Radeon HD 5870

I can get this sytem for about 1500 euro's ( I'm thinking of putting 1 crucial C300 64gb ssd disk in it)

I wanted to ask your opinions or advise if i should buy this laptop knowing that i already have a pretty good m1730 that runs most things on high/very high. How big of an upgrade would the m17x r2 with those specs be compared to mine? Would you buy it ?
Any advise or tips are welcome!

Thx for your time and effort
EDIT: I forgot to say that I really like the looks of the m17x r2, it looks so fancy and alienoid ! and i really like alienz

 

It really depends on whether you're prepared to spend the money or not, but I would say that m17x is still a bit upgrade and would be a lot more futureproofed, you also have the bonus if you sell the m1730 now, whilst it's working of getting a decent amount of money for it, if you leave it a while, as unreliable as the xps m1730 is you runt he risk of the gpu's dieing, then you won't get much towards the alienware if you were to sell it then. Also I know what you mean about the looks, I love the look of the m17x, I'd like one too but really can't afford one right now haha! That's just my opinion anyway lol.

 

So I'm not the only one. Magnus, are you experiencing the same issue with Unreal 3 engine based games?

Like stuttered turns when moving the mouse? even Bioshock pissed me off now, when I turn, it turns in movements not fluent, but like it skips frames or something...

 

You are probably better off asking this question in the official m17x thread in this forum. A lot of people there used to have M1730, so they'll know better what kind of performance boost you will get.
Personally, I'm holding off to upgrade until next gen cards based on 28nm manufacturing process will come out, so we'll finally get some noticeable boost in performance. That won't happen for another year, year and a half though.

 

eleron for me 99% of the UE3 engine games is stutter free. Bioshock is stutter free as is Bulletstorm.

 

I think you would be smart to take the advice of xps_m1710 and sell your still functional M1730 before it dies and get something better to replace it. The R2 is a good choice if it fits into your budget. The XPS M1730 and M17x R1 were selling for about the same price, concurrently, as competing products before Dell made Alienware its flagship high-performance product and degraded the XPS product line to second-fiddle in performance.

I received an M17x R2 as a warranty replacement for my XPS M1730. In every way the Alienware was an improvement... performance, reliability, looks, and build quality.

The R2 has a few known issues, but they are primarily annoyances that are nowhere nearly as problematic as the M1730 with the GPU issues, debilitating charging system problems and spastic RAID controller. I have no regrets whatsoever on the exchange Dell provided. I have also found Alienware's tech support to be a cut above Dell's XPS support unit. The AW reps seem to be more knowledgeable and there is far less drama and incompetence when you call for assistance.

The only thing I have identified that I can say I dislike about the R2 is its touchpad. It works OK, but the buttons are a single bar that is not comfortable to use. Sometimes cursor movement is erratic with the touchpad. That's not a deal breaker to me because a touchpad is worthless for gaming anyway... at least to me, a mouse is the only way to go in gaming.

The R2 is end-of-life and no longer sold by Alienware except as a refurb through Dell Outlet. The R2 has been replaced by the M18x, which is an incredible machine and a very worthy successor to the R2.

The M17x R3 is a current product, yet it is inferior to the R2 and the M18x most notably in build quality. It is also a single GPU system with no ability to accommodate SLi or CFX. The R2 and M18x are both equipped with an anodized aluminum chassis (base and lid). The R3 has lots of plastic, a spongy keyboard with too much flex, poorly fitting panels and a rubberized finish that is not nearly as durable.

The R3 comes with a second-gen i7 on Sandy Bridge and it's single HD 6970 GPU performs almost as well as the dual-GPU HD 5870 CFX in the R2. It's not confirmed yet, but the NVIDIA 580m option that is coming out may do even better. It's a very strong performer with compromises on fit and finish that are contrary to Alienware's reputation for selling solidly built machines. But, it's also less expensive than the R2 was and the M18x is.

I hope this helps with your decision making.
------------------------------
On another note, it's great to see so many familiar people still posting on what is now Part 4 of this Owner's Lounge thread. I haven't stopped by for many months and I am glad I did. I had nothing but problems with my M1730, but I am very glad to see that there are still a fair number of these beasts alive and kicking booty.

 

What? How come?? What driver version are u guys using (I assume it's from laptopvideo2go obv) ? Do you set any special settings in Nvidia Control Panel? I've got 14.5k points in 3dmark06 FWIW (@3.4GHz).

 

Wow, I am shocked. I simply don't get it. I will post a Duke Nukem video later on, and show you what I mean.

You must tell me your secrets when it comes to max setup, I'm at 3.6 Ghz, and the GPUs are at 600/1500/900, and no way in hell are the UT3 games smooth. Ok, UT3, but when turning, Duke Nukem and many more seem like I`m running a 7th series card

Starcraft 2 runs great even on a 2.6 Ghz CPU with max details.

No special settings for me.


***************


What is the latest chipset you guys are using and from where?

 

@eleron
I played just the demo version of Duke Nukem Forever, but I didn't notice any stuttering at all.
Could it be that you pushed your system too far? I mean I have the same GPUs as you and I can't OC them over 5% without running into all sorts of stability issues. Granted, every GPU is different, but still... Try returning CPU and GPU to the stock speeds, see if it reduces the stutter.

 

CPU's fine at 3.6.

Returned the GPUs at stock frequencies, same thing.

I'll post a video later on, it's kinda hard to explain.

 

Video driver and chipset driver can introduce mictro-stuttering. Try changing the chipset driver eleron.

Here is how Duke Demo runs for me:

YouTube - ‪Duke Forever, XPS M1730, Ultra Settings, FSAA, 1920x1200‬‏

 

Yours seems so much smoother, and the only difference is that I'm running the CPU at 3.6, and the GPUs stock, with the 275.33 driver.

Lots of micro stuttering and screen tear, even with VSync its present, and not mention the lower framerate.

This is like the millionth time when your system runs so much better compared to mine, either I`m dumb and cannot properly set up a gaming laptop or there are tweaks that I`m not using and that costs me a lot..

My Windows XP instal is a clean one, no additional tweaks, so if there anything, please let me know. I'm tired of trying out different drivers just to have inferior systems outperform me...

Here's the video :
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GSdCrFPDcrU

 

Just registered to remark on this: M1730 (the old 8800M sli blabla version) here, it runs win7 64bit just fine. Probably a known fact anyway, but i just stumled in here

 

So, updated the chipset driver, and no improvement.

I seriously have no more patience with this, I'll have to settle for crappy performance.

 

It´s strange that your´s stuttering while my vid I posted was ran in Win 7 and with the Quadro drivers just fine.

I´ll have to give it a thought of what could cause your stuttering and see if I can come up with any idea of what it can be.

 

I don't have win7, cause I would replicate the gameplay...

Anyway, I forgot, I'm not using nHancer, since it's a relatively new win instal.

is there a profile I should use?

nevermind, nHancer doesn't work with this driver, so I need the inspector thingy

 

Yeah, I will give you the SLI bits I use for the Duke Demo and see if that helps for you.

 

@eleron
Just another thought. Could it be caused by your RAID1 array set up by any chance I wonder? If you believe Intel at their SSD presentation a year or so ago, they were saying that slow hard drives could cause stutter in games. Of cause, they were trying to convince people to switch to their SSDs, so I would take that with a grain of salt.

 

This is a long shot, but it might be worth trying if you haven't already...

What antivirus and security programs are you running in the background? Try disabling or uninstalling them and see if you still have game stuttering issues.

 

Nod32, for about 5 years now.

I don't have RAID anymore, it's on single drive mode, thought I'd give that a try. Thanks for the heads up, updated the sig (although after 3 years it sounds ridiculous )

Sure, I'd like the bits, Magnus. At this point, I'm willing to try anything.