S-XPS 1645 Throttling Info. and Updates

This deserves a face palm.

The left and right adapter are not positioned identically. In the case of the left adapter, you're looking at the bottom surface, where Dell places all of the warnings/labels. Meanwhile, you're looking at the top surface of the right adapter which has no warnings.

The only discernible different other than the size appears to be the cable that plugs into the adapter.

 

I would simply say if there is nothing wrong with it and you are happy as to how it is right now, Why update

 

There are lots of games that even if you computer does throttle a little bit, the game will still be quite playable. There are other games where excessive throttling will cause an otherwise playable game to become a slide show.

I would suggest that any user testing for throttling should run ThrottleStop and not have check marks in any of the top 3 boxes. The Voltage ID box doesn't apply to Core i7 users. Now check on the Log File option and go and play a game. When you are finished playing, exit your game and then exit ThrottleStop so it can write a log file out into the ThrottleStop directory called ThrottleStopLog.txt

If you don't understand what it's telling you, send it my way and I will explain it to you. I might also post it into the forum here so other users can understand if this throttling that everyone is talking about is a problem for them or not.

Here's the latest version of ThrottleStop
http://forum.notebookreview.com/showpost.php?p=5722885&postcount=2537



In the log file if the CKMOD column is dropping below 100.0, that's a sign of clock modulation and your CPU running at less than its Intel rated specification. If the reported MULTI or multiplier is dropping below the default of 12.0 for a Core i7-720, that's also a sign that throttling is reducing the performance of your laptop. Your laptop is not running at its best and you are not getting the full performance that you paid for.

 

Unclewebb, I was under the impression that the Chipset Clock Mod option (2nd checkbox) was meant for Core2Duo and not i7 as well, or does it also apply to i7?

 

Asherek: Good question. Chipset clock modulation can apply to any Intel chipset that suports Core 2 or Core i7 CPUs. My old Pentium III laptop also has this feature available so it's been around for a while.

I added that option because Joker found out that the Alienware M15x with a Core i7 is using that second method of clock modulation. The M15x does not seem to use the first type of clock modulation.

It's possible for any laptop or desktop CPU to use either method or even to use both clock modulation methods combined. Set both of those to 12.5% and the slow down will be so severe that you'll be searching for a Commodore 64.

 

Unclewebb, my XPS 1645 is on it's way. I want to ask you. What clock speeds does the 720qm CPU run on the standard 90W adapter if you are not gaming or doing anything GPU/CPU intensive? For example, if the CPU performance settings are set to 100% in Windows 7 and you boot up the computer and open a few tabs in firefox. and maybe open a word document or two (i.e. light tasks), does the cpu run at it's advdertised 1.6Ghz speed or not? I understand that when it throttles, the cpu drops down to 933Mhz or so, but what about lighter loads, can the 90W power supply make the CPU run at it's max speeds, if the GPU is not doing much? I won't be gaming on my 1645, but want to know if it can perform at it's max CPU speeds. Thanks for your help.

 

I just got a call from the Dell corporate office. They emailed me a new BIOS update with a version number of X29 that has not been officially released yet. He did a remote desktop session into my computer to install it. I did some testing and I am still seeing all 7's in i7Turbo when running prime 95 with one thread while doing a furmark GPU test. Have any others installed this new update? I'm still using the 90 Watt power adapter but would be curious to see if the 130 watt fixes the issue without the use of throttlestop.

 

X29?? Huhhh? Can you post a link to the file plz?

 

Since when does Dell let consumers test their code?

 

OK, wait. I don't understand "prime 95 with one thread". Prime95 should be run with EIGHT threads on these CPUs.

~Ibrahim~

 

osmath: When not 3D gaming, the 90 watt adapter is adequate for a lot of tasks. Every laptop is unique depending on the screen used, CPU, GPU, etc.

When you get your laptop you will have to do your own testing to see if the throttling issue effects you or not.

Next time someone is talking to Dell maybe ask them why this Core i7 laptop for their business customers comes with a 210 watt adapter instead of the under powered 90 watt adapter that the XPS 1645 comes standard with.

http://configure.us.dell.com/dellst...11ad&c=us&l=en&s=bsd&cs=04&kc=precision-m6500

That adapter puts this problem in the proper perspective. Even Dell knows how much power a Core i7 laptop really needs to run at its full potential.

 

ok, thanks. So I can't just look at my laptop's specs and assume that it would throttle? I have XPS 1645 with 720qm, RGB LED, 6gb ram, 500GB HDD, bluetooth, blu-ray reader. I thought any XPS 16 system with i7 and RGB led would not have enough headroom to speed up on the 90W.

 

It will throttle, you just won't know if it will throttle while doing whatever it is you intend to do.

 

recieved my PA-4E slim adapter today.
was wondering i would have an average of 12x-15x on a game
but my C0% is always around 10-20%

is it supposed to be around there.

No psu overheating though

EDIT:with TS enabled by the way

 

@unclewebb

Well....the M6500 does support dual hard drives, has a slightly larger screen, but neither of those sound plausible enough for a 233% wattage increase.

But what's interesting is that the the high-end GPU available on the M6500 (3800M from nVidia) has a HUGE thermal rating of 100W. So for the CPU and GPU on the SXPS 1645: 80W/90W adapter. CPU and GPU on the M6500: 155W/210W.

~Ibrahim~

 

iamscottish: The C0% is just a measure of how hard your CPU is working. If a game is mostly single threaded, which many games are, then the C0% is going to be low because most of your cores / threads are twiddling their thumbs in sleep mode while you are gaming.

Post or send me a log file while gaming and I'll have a look at it. The same game with and without ThrottleStop enabled is always interesting.

Not all games need ThrottleStop. The ones that do need it can show a huge increase in performance and frame rates.

ikjadoon: I'm not sure what the actual power draw of an ATI 4670 is while running Furmark. Its rated power usage or TDP designed power usage might not be a good indication of how much power it can actually consume while running a load like Furmark.

osmath: In some situations your laptop will throttle but in many situations it will run at 100%. The multiplier and MHz will be able to go up to their designed maximum. We don't have a magic chart yet to show each application. When you get to the edge of the throttling point there will be situations where your computer will run at 100% one day but it might not be able to run the exact same load at 100% the next day. It's all trial and error to see if this will be a problem for you.

 

I hate to sound too pessimistic but if your not going to share please provide a screen shot showing this new bios... i must see.

 

If you have the installer on your computer can you post it up? so some brave soul (other than me) can have a look?

 

I was asking about the 130W adapter and here is what the XPS Tech Support department emailed me:

I do understand your concern and I do see that as you have mentioned , the adapter was replaced earlier.The issue with the adapter has been escalated to the technical expert team, as many of our customers were having a similar issue with the adapter .The 130 w adapter that was being shipped seems to affect the battery life and also the motherboard of the system hence the replacement will not fix the issue for us rather it may damage the system even more .The 130w adapters are on hold as of now till the issue is rectified . I would appreciate if you could give us some time to research on this issue and depending on that we can check what best can be done.

Thank you again for contacting Dell Technical Support.

 

I'm trying to find a place on the web to post these screen shots and the bios update. As soon as I find a host, I will post them.

 

log file of crysis warhead
All settings on gamer with shadow and shader down to minimum AA off. TS on + 130w

 

when doing a log with TS off do i just check chipset clock mod?

 

leave the top three boxes unchecked

 

You could use a place like SendSpace ( http://www.sendspace.com), or if you like I could put the files on my server for you. You could send me a PM to arrange this.

 

I have included a screen shot showing the new BIOS version running on a 90 watt adapter. My testing shows that throttling is still happening. Please see attachments.

 

crysis warhead.
same settings with TS OFF

 

BIOS A03 ?

EDIT: Where are you download the bios "x29" of 31/12/2009 for SXPS 1645 ?

 

Hmm would be interesting to see the X bios running on a 130W adapter w/out ThrottleStop enabled.

Anyone else notice the BIOS date is listed as New Years Eve? that's already two weeks old ... assuming they've been testing all this time?

Don't actually own a 1645 ... holding off on purchase till this is resolved and if not, most likely going for a Vaio F11.

 

And I would find it interesting to do a byte-by-byte compare of the X29 and the current A03.

 

Both of those would be interesting, I wonder if anyone else could get their hands on the x29 bios. Am I the only one who finds it strange that dell has leaked or sent out a test bios?

 

The corporate executive office from Dell called me today and emailed me the BIOS update. Then they installed it via their remote desktop support app. I have been putting a lot of pressure on Dell to fix this issue. I call them every couple days on this issue to get updates. I have also been sending emails to [email protected]. This in turn gets me a call back from the Dell corporate office.

I am now running with BIOS version X29 but I only have the standard 90 watt adapter. Is anyone willing to update their BIOS with this version using a 130 watt adapter? I don't want to get in any legal trouble with dell for releasing unreleased BIOS versions. Please send me a private message.

 

I tried sending you a Private message on the hosting of the screenshots, but wasn't allowed to do so. Do you have PM's enabled?

 

Let me see if I can find out where to enable that. Still a little new to this site.

 

lol I have a 130w psu
Not risking a block of TS though

 

Try to send me a private message now. I think I have it enabled now.

 

I believe that you need a certain # of posts before the PM will work for you.

 

I can't send a PM to you

 

I'm afraid it doesn't work yet

so this might actually be right.

You could send me an email at mderond at gmail dot com

 

Receiving this:

1.ViperMike has chosen not to receive private messages or may not be allowed to receive private messages. Therefore you may not send your message to him/her.

Using URL http://forum.notebookreview.com/private.php?do=insertpm&pmid=
to send msgs... don't think i've reached the threshold yet either though

 

I think the magic # is either 10 or 20 but I am not sure.

 

that is a bummer. Sorry all.

 

Mike can you try send out a PM to one of the users requesting the update with a link to the file?

You can try using this URL:
EDIT Link Corrected: http://forum.notebookreview.com/private.php?do=newpm

Or e-mail as well

 

You could send me the bios please for test with AC 130w and TS.

 

ViperMike: Your last screen shot shows me that not only is the multiplier throttled down to 7.0 but clock modulation is also being used and is set to 87.5% You can use ThrottleStop to monitor for this without it hurting anything. Just make sure the top left 3 boxes are not checked so it can monitor for clock modulation in the Monitoring panel.

Just upload the new bios to www.sendspace.com and then post a link. Just say you found this link on the web somewhere.

The bios with a 90 watt adapter is a dud but it might be useful with a 130 watt adapter.

 

I think maybe this is the link http://www.sendspace.com/file/apfa9y

 

Here are some release notes:


*Features update:
1. Update ME Ignition firmware from 1126 to 1185 as intel's recommendation.
2. Can not flash back to older or same BIOS for win-flash.
3. Implement ATI MADISON Sighting to disable PCIE completion timeout flag for frozen/BSOD issue.
4. Update Power log of VGA thermal_trip(ADM1032) will be PWRLOG_THERMTRIP(0x41)(EC).
5. Update clarkfield thermal table to v.03(EC).
6. Disabled Throttle T3,T4,T5,T6,T7 stage for IPCC event(EC).

*Issues fix:
1. Fix BSP CPU abnormal throttle issue.
2. The WinFlash did not ask the user whether to continue flashing or not and then it flashes automatically.
3. DF360127 PL2M:No error message prompt when flash unsupport BIOS utility under windows.
4. DF349184 RM5 E-standby test is failed.
5. DF360540 Manufacture mode displays wrong string after Post Screen.
6. DF360559 PL2A:UUT show black screen when set HDD PWD on MFG mode.
7. DF360570 PL2A isplay not respond msg and no version confirmation when flash BIOS in OS.

 

wow i been missing a lot. do you have any actuall games to test for the new bios? besides just furmark etc?

Ill be updating the mainpage tonight with the new throttlestop and all tis features. would like to add the preliminary results of the new bios for real world tests that is.

 

Anyone know what this means? This was in the release notes:

Notice:
1 . This BIOS is only for RM5(M96XT+Clarksfield), please don't flash it on RM5C system.
2. The X28(A04-can) BIOS is based on X27 with adds below change:

*Features update:
1. Modified thermal do throttling T3,T4,T5,T6,T7(EC).

*Issues fix:
N/A

 

iamscottish: Your log files are very interesting and clearly show the benefits of ThrottleStop.

When gaming without ThrottleStop, your multiplier is at 13.00 which looks OK but the clock modulation seems to be averaging about 25.0% with some dips down to 12.5%.

Here's our math for dummies section:

133.0 X 13.0 = 1729 MHz
1729 MHz X 25.0 % = 432 MHz
1729 MHz X 12.5% = 216 MHz

Did you spend $1500+ for a performance computer that is only running internally at 216 MHz? I didn't think so.

I took your second log file and with the help of Excel worked out the average multiplier from 21:13:00 to 21:20:00 while you were using Throttlestop.

The average multiplier was 14.5

133.0 X 14.5 = 1928 MHz

Any Dell rep that claims this throttling issue won't be a problem during normal usage needs to have a look at your log files and they need to do the math.

 

Has anyone successfullly flashed that BIOS - is it real? I'm afraid to in case it's a fake.