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    S-XPS 1645 Throttling Info. and Updates

    Discussion in 'Dell XPS and Studio XPS' started by atlstang, Dec 27, 2009.

  1. atlstang

    atlstang Notebook Evangelist

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    sly ill let ya know, supposed to be shipped this coming week.

    I been lookin at the hp threads, as far as i know the envy hasnt had the throttling on battery problem fixed. Honestly that doesnt affect me in the slightest so im fine with it, as throttling on ac adapter is a show stopper. Personally i see throttling as lowering the system performance in reaction to something like heat or power. The envy one is curious as first glance sounds like a bios/acpi bug 0_o. I think unclewebb has plans for tests when i get it lol.

    vipermike, have you done a fresh install of windows? i remember there was a lot of convo's on the random crashing, it seems those that did a fresh install of windows were fine. Im sure throttling probably affects the stability as well in some respect, but would probably only be under load.
     
  2. Daddler

    Daddler Notebook Enthusiast

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    The problem is that task manager will often report a faulty 100% load, when in fact it's closer to 70%. At least that was the case for me when i did a fritz benchmark.I would strongly suggest that you run the same test and monitor the load% with real temp. Out of curiosity though, what was your fritz score? an 820QM should perform at about 15 times the reference score.
     
  3. fluffyuk

    fluffyuk Notebook Deity

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    How much extra did you pay to get the Envy 15 with the same spec?
    Granted it doesnt have the throtteling isssues and so you can look at as at least your getting a laptop that works to its full potential. But on the other hand I wouldnt go with the HP just yet incase a fix comes out ina couple of weeks also you have to admit they are plain and fugly.
     
  4. atlstang

    atlstang Notebook Evangelist

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    i dunno, i always liked hp theyre looks i guess is opinion based. But im pretty much function over form type of guy. I pounced on the 350 off deal they had a weekend or so ago. I ended up saving 100 bucks from the xps 1645 i payed for, and thats with a few addons to it as well. I will miss the backlit keyboard, but wont miss the throttling issues. As this is the point of the year i really need no hassle from a computer, couldnt wait for ever on dell.

    Honestly i rather have the cheap plastic feel vs the aluminum MBP type the envy's have. As plastic is a lot better heat insulator then all metal chassis heh.
     
  5. fluffyuk

    fluffyuk Notebook Deity

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    Nice ! good call on the discount. well then I take it back you got a decent deal and the backlit keyboard isnt a deal breaker so I dont think you will miss it and certainly not the throtteling issues.
    And as for the design your totally right each to their own, I my self perfer the metal and the insulating issue wont be a problem in Manchester lol as its cold as a b*lls :D
     
  6. fred2028

    fred2028 Sexy member

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    I think I clearly said that CPU-Z reported 1.73 GHz on my cores, which happens to be the maximum clock speed on my quad.

    Just did RealTemp for confirmation, 1.73 GHz 8 threads the entire test. I might also add that I have a 90 W adapter, an RGBLED, and a 4670.
     
  7. atlstang

    atlstang Notebook Evangelist

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    you should use i7turbo, realtemp, or throttlestop to monitor the cpu multipliers/frequency. And to watch for clock modulation, which doesnt affect frequency. Also report C0 state, as that will tell use how hard the program is actually working. I dont think cpuz is 100% accurate with the new i5 i7 series.

    fluffyuk, in a cold place the all metal bodies probably help cool a bit, like an extra heat sink haha. Wonder if that makes any difference at all hmmmm

    edit: sorry didnt see you tested with realtemp. info on the C0 states would be helpful
     
  8. fluffyuk

    fluffyuk Notebook Deity

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    HAHa who knows :) lets hope so.
     
  9. jeifei72

    jeifei72 Notebook Enthusiast

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    hey guys i just did a test with prime95 and the Real-time HDR program, i used i7 turbo to check out the multiplier, i noticed that it hit 7.00 when i put it in the power adapter (90w), it did jump up to around 8.5 for a bit

    but when i unplugged it, it never reached 12x multiplier :S am i doing something wrong (i am on high performance) because usually if i just run prime95 i get up to a 12.5x multiplier (ive reached 13 once). the max i recorded it at was a 10.68 multiplier, which is better than when its plugged in but not 100%
    Thanks!

    Here are my specs ... Core i7-720, 900p WLED :( , 4GB DDR3 Ram, radeon 4670 1 gig, 500gig 7200rpm, 90W power
     
  10. fred2028

    fred2028 Sexy member

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    C0 at 100% all the time during test.
     

    Attached Files:

  11. Lucho87

    Lucho87 Notebook Enthusiast

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    you should check out core temperature, maybe that`s what makes it throttle on battery.
     
  12. SlyNine

    SlyNine Notebook Consultant

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    Yea, and for some that shouldn't be acceptable, but for me it is, I really don't ever plan to run full power off of battery as that will shorten the life of the battery. But that laptop can get full power when it matters most to me, plugged in.

    Even at its reduced rate, it is still able to out perform this one plugged in while playing video games.

    However, I'm willing to listen to suggestions for a different laptop. My ears are open and I want the help.
     
  13. unclewebb

    unclewebb ThrottleStop Author

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    The throttling so far doesn't have anything to do with core temperatures. These rigs throttle less on battery power but they can still throttle.

    fred2028: Thanks for posting that. The C0% is the important number for the new Core i chips. When fully loaded if it can't report 100% then that is usually a sign of clock modulation throttling going on. That's why you can't just depend on the task manager or on CPU-Z. They don't always tell the whole story if a CPU is throttling internally.
     
  14. SlyNine

    SlyNine Notebook Consultant

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    Turn the brightness to max, or put some load on the video card, I'll let others refer you to a video taxing app lol. They'll know why.
     
  15. atlstang

    atlstang Notebook Evangelist

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    was it on minimum? did i miss it i guess.. When i ran prime95 it wouldnt throttle on min brightness.. but on max brightness it would throttle down to 9x or so..

    fred not that i didnt believe you, but like unclewebb was saying C0 state is a concrete number thats useful to look at, as i wasnt familiar with that app, it tells a lot. just being thorough thanks.
     
  16. Midnight_Voice

    Midnight_Voice Notebook Consultant

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    Check out the Sony Vaio F11. Similar specs to a price-comparable 1645, but more RAM, 120w adaptor, BluRay available, read-only or burner. Only downside I can see over the 1645 is the Vaio only has a 6-cell 54Ah battery whereas the 'Austin Strangler' has the 9-cell 85'er....
     
  17. SlyNine

    SlyNine Notebook Consultant

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    I'm not sure honestly,If he said he was on max brightness I must have missed it. But I observed the same thing as you. No throttling on CPU only apps (prime, cinebench) on min brightness, about 40% it starts to throttle, and more the brighter I get.
     
  18. SlyNine

    SlyNine Notebook Consultant

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    That doesn't look bad at all, I'm not to worried about huge battery life. But the Geforce 330
    (depending on whether it used DDR 2-GDDR3.) is in between a 4670 and a 4650.

    However the reason I got the 1645 with the lesser GPU was for the RGB LCD. If I was going to change I think I might would want something more powerful then the 4670.

    The 5830 on the Envy sounds pretty nice, its to bad Sony doesn't have something a little more powerful. It does however have a backlite keyboard, and after using this one. I'm kinda getting attached to it.

    Thanks for the suggestion.
     
  19. ViperMike

    ViperMike Notebook Enthusiast

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    I have not done a fresh install of windows yet. My thought was that it was related to the BIOS issue. Is there anyone in this thread that was/is having random lock ups? If so, can you tell me how you solved it? I spent a lot of of time disabling and uninstalling the "bloat" ware that the system came installed with and have it running well (with tons of vmware images and what not). I'd hate to reinstall windows unless someone can tell me for certain that they know this solves the issue. Reinstalling would take a lot of backing up with all that I have on this system now.

    The groups feedback on this random lockup issue would be appreciated. My system is configured with the Samsung PM800 SSD option for the record.
     
  20. Siphen

    Siphen Notebook Consultant

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    This is why you are not having problems. The XPS16 doesn’t throttle when the screen brightness is at the lowest setting (at least not as bad anyway) there is a 9W difference between min and max brightness on the RGBLED.

    Try the test again with your brightness at 100%, or better yet, play Crysis with your brightness at 100% and throttlestop running a log file. You will have problems then.
     
  21. fluffyuk

    fluffyuk Notebook Deity

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  22. daraj

    daraj Notebook Deity

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    That price is great. Too bad for a lower resolution screen!
     
  23. fluffyuk

    fluffyuk Notebook Deity

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    I know ! exactly what changed my mind ! :D If it was better I would have snapped it up.

    Can you shed any light on the screen throtteling issue ? lower res screen less throtteling by any chance ?
     
  24. atlstang

    atlstang Notebook Evangelist

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    I dont know if there is less throttling exactly. But performance is very much improved as its less taxing on the video card. Like i said multiplier throttling is usually goes hand in hand with reduced FPS.. when ya change say 900p 50% of 100 fps is still 50, where as 1080p could be like 50% of 50 fps it normally runs at. It made things a lot more playable at the 900p level with throttling, really without unclewebbs utility it was a loss at how much performance there really was in this thing, with throttlestop enabled had the same fps if not better at 1080p vs 900p with throttling.
     
  25. fluffyuk

    fluffyuk Notebook Deity

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    Cool thanks for the info, im starting to understand a little better know. If I use throttle stop and buy a 130W adapter I should see an improvement should I ? maybe even more so than the 1080p ?
     
  26. jakertberry

    jakertberry Notebook Consultant

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    I am still having issues with random lockups. I have already done a reinstall of the OS previously. My BIOS version is A05.

    It's irritating, because it's one of those things that you can't just call up Dell and tell them that the laptop randomly locks up. Do that, and you're in for the standard helpdesk script :(
     
  27. atlstang

    atlstang Notebook Evangelist

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    I dont know what games you play, but if throttlestop reports its throttling around 8-10x multiplier there could be a significant gain. on the order or 30-80%, if your modulating etc way more. It made TF2 playable at 1080p smooth for me where before i was stuck at 900p, although tf2 will use an extra core to help boost fps so a reduction in multiplier affects it more.
     
  28. fluffyuk

    fluffyuk Notebook Deity

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    Im thinking about FPS ie Crysis Warhead low settings no idea what TF2 is although I probably will when you tell me. Modern wafare and such. If I can get a significant gain by throttle stop and the extra adapter I might spen the bucks.
     
  29. yejun

    yejun Notebook Deity

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    Team Fortress 2. I am the first time heard of that game too.
     
  30. fluffyuk

    fluffyuk Notebook Deity

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    Ahh It makes sence know :D ty !

    Anyone know best place to buy 130W adapter which will reuce throttleing im guessing DELL will charge a premium?
     
  31. Lucho87

    Lucho87 Notebook Enthusiast

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    Where are you from? Here in Argentina, dell`s brick (130w) is something around 130 dollars...
     
  32. fluffyuk

    fluffyuk Notebook Deity

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    UK originally, in the US for a year to capitalise on the exchange rate ;) Im sure you can find it cheaper than DELL.
     
  33. ikjadoon

    ikjadoon Notebook Deity

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    No updates from Dell guys on confirming whether the adapter story is true..business day one, no response.
     
  34. fluffyuk

    fluffyuk Notebook Deity

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    Thanks for the reply ikjadoon nice to see someones on top of it. Did they specify a date were you would recieve an answer ?
     
  35. renzska

    renzska Notebook Enthusiast

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    I just posted some of my experiences on the Dell forum:

    Studio XPS 1645 RGBLED Light Bleeding (Leakage), Red Tint, Extremely Hot AC Adapter and Throttling Issues:

    http://en.community.dell.com/forums/p/19318036/19641216.aspx#19641216

    I have a 130W adapter on the way to test throttlestop with (already donated). I'm hoping it allows me to be more patient while Dell fixes the throttling issue. The RGBLED issues are just the icing on the poisoned cake.

    Sigh, a great machine if only it didn't have these issues. All the other options out there are missing the key items; backlit keyboard, rgbled, 1080p, SSD. Some laptops have some of the those but not one has them all except for the Studio XPS 1645.
     
  36. fluffyuk

    fluffyuk Notebook Deity

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    were did you get your adapter from? If it was dell did they give you discount due to the problems encountered ?
     
  37. atlstang

    atlstang Notebook Evangelist

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    Look under the verify you have a problem section of the main page, i did a windowed test of the fps difference with throttlestop before and after.. The origonal crysis showed about a 48% increase in fps, by just looking at the same spot.

    tf2 or teamfortress 2 is a popular valve game, like left 4 dead 2. Its actually a bit demanding for its looks, as its a fast paced FPS.

    Throttlestop definitly makes the laptop more useable. If you want to see the performance increase, generally you can max out powerplay in CC to max settings on battery. And play your game on battery and it shouldnt throttle.

    For more benchmarks of other games others have posted. See the main page, above the FAQ section. There are use submitted results of different games and the corresponding throttlestop advantages.
     
  38. fluffyuk

    fluffyuk Notebook Deity

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    Ye I noticed the benchmarks :) ty for that. Yes maybe I should verify Ih ave a problem first.
     
  39. Perdire

    Perdire Notebook Consultant

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    Well, I was hoping. Heh. Could be a while longer yet. =/ (Isn't surprised, of course.)
     
  40. SlyNine

    SlyNine Notebook Consultant

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    If they don't respond by the time I get my replacement, It's going back for a refund.

    I realize some people here have been waiting a lot longer then me, but I won't play Dells game for to long.

    Been browsing threw NewEgg and other sites. I have my sights on a few replacements, tho I'd rather have this XPS 16 working, Dell has to realize there are other options.
     
  41. gstboy

    gstboy Notebook Evangelist

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    If you are going to keep this laptop you might as well spend the extra 30-50 bucks on the 130w adapter. It stays half as hot as the 90w. Just wish they would release a BIOS that would give some kind of option to utilize the power from it better. In the meantime TS will do fine.
     
  42. fluffyuk

    fluffyuk Notebook Deity

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    I have asked this question a couple of times but not really getting a solid answer, I have seen the 130W adapter models that work on the opening page anyone know the best place to purchase?
     
  43. GDOG1986

    GDOG1986 Notebook Enthusiast

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    Hi all,

    Im using a 150W power brick (the one of my very very old Inspiron 9100) Family: PA-15 (rated at 19.5V 7700mA)
    no difference here. using the A03 BIOS.
    in game CoD MW2 when i hit the 5 tap brightness level. (5 times up from lowest setting) it starts to glitch and stutter

    I hope the new BIOS can do the trick, because it's a very gaming capable machine if it runs at full power.

    my specs are:
    Core i7 720qm
    4GB of RAM (1333Mhz)
    ATI 4670 1GB
    RGBLED screen 1920x1080
    128GB Kingston V+ SSD
    intel 5300 wireless N
    bluetooth.

    regards
     
  44. ikjadoon

    ikjadoon Notebook Deity

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    Haha, OK, well I actually did get a response. :)

    "No official comment as of this time. They are looking at this from all angles."

    Make of that what you will. But that second sentence surely sounds appetizing!

    ~Ibrahim~
     
  45. unclewebb

    unclewebb ThrottleStop Author

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    GDOG1986: Are you using ThrottleStop with your 150 watt adapter? Without ThrottleStop the A03 bios will limit you to only being able to draw 90 watts no matter what adapter you plug in.
     
  46. fluffyuk

    fluffyuk Notebook Deity

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    WOO nice to hear! Sound a while off but at least theres light at the end of the tunnel. Glad I didnt cancel my order after all.
     
  47. gstboy

    gstboy Notebook Evangelist

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    not sure if this is the cheapest place but it is a genuine dell adapter and not a knockoff.

    http://www.getpartsonline.com/pa-4e.html
     
  48. fluffyuk

    fluffyuk Notebook Deity

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    Your a star thanks mate !
     
  49. jakertberry

    jakertberry Notebook Consultant

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    http://web.ics.purdue.edu/~ssanty/cgi-bin/eightball.cgi
     
  50. ikjadoon

    ikjadoon Notebook Deity

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