SXPS 1645 BIOS A11 available now

Anyone know what that first issue that it claims to fix is?

1. Fix burn-in/ATidiag issue in factory.
2. Key in password using Keypad related bug.
3. Fix bug : Unplugged SATA device may temporarily appear to be available.
4. Flash BIOS will hang up when Click Power Smart to"Personal Mode"button with Fast Access

 

Not touching this with a 10 foot pole until someone brave tests the throttling issues. Im happy with throttle free a09

 

Tested. GPU BIOS date is 2010/05/17, which I believe is the same as A10. GPU Throttling just like A10. Not worth installing.

 

+1 Agree! Hopefully this fixes the throttling issues.

 

TBH i didn't think there would be a new bios.
Anyway, any bios with GPU throttling is a no-go for me. I doubt any new bios will remove the GPU temp limit again.

A09 is not throttle-free. Just GPU throttle-free.

 

well i don't experience any throttling nor do my temps pass 77c for cpu 79c for gpu so i will say Throttle free

 

Does this remove the GPU temp limit for the 5730? A09 did not fix the GPU throttling issues for my 5730 (in fact, for the 5730, the limit is 78)

 

A11 doesn't fix CPU throttling issues due to lack of power either. Tested with Prime+Furmark set to maximum brightness. Same throttling as A08/A09/A10.

I only have the 4670. For me, the temperatures where the GPU throttles are:
A08: 84C
A09: 100C (I've only reached with temp with Prime/Furmark, but now that I removed the vent covers I've maxed out around 94C)
A10 & A11: ~83C (listed as ~83 because 1 thing says 83, another says 85, but either way it seems a drop more 'throttley' than A08)

 

Its not 78c if it was mine would be throttling my gpu never passes 79c and i never throttle

 

Then, not much benefit of upgrading to it. A09 is still the best.

 

Do current BIOSes have any protection against upgrade failure and bricking the motherboard?

 

This right here, except I wont be switching my bios until something significant comes up.

 

I think one of the steps WinPhlash says it does is a back-up of old BIOS before the 'Phlashing' step.

My laptop crashed when I tried to sleep it about 4 times since I got it in March. Supposedly A10 (and A11 I presume) fixes this, but with GPU Throttling it's not worth it.

 

Agreed and since Im not having that issue Ill stick with a09.

 

At present I have A10, I have never got throttling issues as I don't use that much harsh applications.

Do u people suggest me upgrading to A11 ?

I have never felt any difference in A08, A09 or A10 so far.

 

I like upgrades and it ensures that if you ever try to use features that can fixed/tweaked that you don't run into as many issues.

 

Go for it, you can always go back to an older version if you must (like I did).

 

How did you do this?

 

http://forum.notebookreview.com/dell-xps-studio-xps/450888-up-downgrading-your-1645-bios.html

I've done this twice now (once for A10 and once for A11) going back to A09 since it's the best for me. Follow the steps listed there to go to A08 first (since A09 isn't part of the package), and then install A09 normally.

 

Thanx for the replies friends

 

Actually that method sucks
Just do this:
http://forum.notebookreview.com/del...updates-studio-xps-1645-a-17.html#post6396301

 

Could you give us the details and which application you used during test and logging. I want to run the same tests.

 

Does that work for you? I remember trying that back then but couldn't find any WPH file. The directory etc is there, just not the file.

 

Yes it does. The file was in there for me

 

I know what you did, when you opened the BIOS file and you got the BIOS Flash screen, you closed it. What it will do is, it will delete the files after the application is terminated. Open the BIOS file then go to that location, you will find the file. Copy the folder on some other location like Desktop then terminate the program.

 

Testing for GPU Throttling:
Furmark, GPU-Z, and HWMONITOR (optional).

1. Open up GPU-Z and tell it to make a log file and run in background.
2. Open up HWMONITOR (optional since Furmark has its own temperature reading)
3. Open up Furmark. Choose 'stability test,' 'Post FX,' and run Furmark. Run for ~20 minutes, or as long as needed to see that there is throttling. In my case, 5 minutes was more than enough.

The best way to see the GPU Throttling is to look at the GPU-Z log. If the GPU speeds in the log go less than maximum (675/800 for the ATI 4670 card, but it's OK if it says 5-ish MHz less), you have throttling. Take a look at my log on the first page of this topic. You will also see that the temperature of the GPU doesn't go above a certain point, because the temperature is the reason for the throttling. Also, during the throttling cycle, the Furmark framerate will be reduced.

 

Gpig, the XPS 1645 will not have GPU throttling on bios A09.
My GPU hits 100c and will still be at 675/800.

However the 1645 WILL throttle due to lack of power, even on A09 + 130W.
Fire up furmark and prime95. Throttling will start within 10seconds.

 

ufukk wanted to know how to check for GPU Throttling, just listed the steps so he could see for himself. Yes, you're right, A09 is the best BIOS by far, since it fixes the GPU Throttling problem.

 

Upgraded to A11, no change noticed as yet.

It is still rocking and working fine as it used to do earlier

 

Just curious, do you play any 'demanding' videogames on your laptop? By demanding I mean like anything made in the past 3 years that is installed from a CD or DVD.

 

My laptop: 1645, 720qm, 5730, 6GB ram, 900p WLED, A11, 130W power brick

Modifications: AS5, removed dust filter over fan input vent

Environment: 73.5F, laptop flat on table, no external cooling pads

Test: Prime95 running 8 threads in 'blend' mode; simultaneously running FurMark, 1440x900 res, extreme burning mode

Results: after running for 30 min, CPU temps never exceeded 82C, GPU never exceeded 78C. No GPU throttling. CPU throttling after about 15 min. Power brick: warm to the touch, but not hot.

Note: CPU doesn't throttle when running just Prime95, without FurMark running as well.

Assessment: A11 works just fine. It should run any game or program without throttling. This only applies to the 5730 GPU, 1645's with the 4670 may experience different results.

Yes, the CPU did throttle, but you'll never, ever, see this kind of load in real-life usage.

 

Additional comments: Tests were ran on the 'high performance' power mode, with screen at 100% brightness. Laptop screen was open 90 degrees, mostly blocking the exhaust vent.

FurMark FPS 12-13 in extreme burning mode, 26 avg (max 40) in normal stress mode. Both measurements were with Prime95 running as well.

Also: I bet a 150W brick would actually solve the throttling problem completely. With the CPU and GPU consuming just over 70W by themselves, that doesn't leave much left over for the RAM, VRAM, screen, chipset, HDD, USB, WLAN, etc on a 130W brick. Those with the 90W must be having some serious heartache. The 82C temp of the CPU shouldn't cause throttling by itself, the i7s are rated to 100C. They shouldn't start to throttle until 85+ purely based on temp. Must be the power brick running out of juice. I wish I had a watt meter to test this theory.

However, I stand with my previous assessment that the laptop wouldn't throttle with the A11 BIOS under normal usage scenarios, even if running a demanding game. I've been playing Bioshock at max settings for a few hours without problems. The only thing that I'm worried about is the idiotic design of the exhaust fan. I hope there's no long term effects of having all that hot exhaust air blow directly onto the lower left corner of the screen.

I don't have the detailed results from stress testing with the A09 BIOS that mine came with, but subjectively the results were very similar.

 

I "proved" a while back that my particular laptop can have CPU throttling due to power OR heat. From what you describe, it sounds like you don't have the power problem at all (probably since you have the 5730).

Even though your CPU is only at 82C, it seems like Dell is throttling it. If you ever want to test this, use a powerful cooler, AC vent, or just put the laptop in a much colder room and run the same tests. I'd bet you could run Prime+Furmark indefinitely without CPU throttling if you can keep CPU temp below 80C... even I was able to with my 4670:

http://forum.notebookreview.com/del...-heating-throttling-issue-53.html#post6524527

 

That is something that I will have to try out. I'll see if I can set up something this week. I have a powered fan cooling pad laying around, and can position my laptop right on top of an AC vent. I'll let y'all know what I find.

Oh, BTW gpig, I did notice that my CPU power consumption would jump up to 55W in HardwareMonitor, above the 45W TDP, but it'd only be for less than half a second, before it jumped back down to 45W. It'd do that every few minutes, not too often, and it'd never stay at 55W for more than a split second, just long enough to see it happen.

 

my cpu throttles during real life usage. 1 core always hits 84 degree's and thats when it happens. usually playing l4d2.

 

Since I did the extremely easy heat vent trick (remove the dust covers) I have not experienced throttling in games. Give it a try. I had the same problem as you, but it was with l4d1.

 

Yes, those dust filters are extremely restrictive to airflow. After removing them, you can easily tell buy the sound, and the amount of air flowing out of the exhaust vent, that airflow increases significantly. I'd say it probably makes a bigger difference than upgrading the thermal paste, though you should do both for optimum temps.

Also, I only removed the dust filter that covers the fan intake, I left the others on.

 

what dust cover are we talking about here? can you guys send me a link?

 

I play NFS Shift, DiRT 2, Grid, Fifa 10, Ashes 2009, blur, test drive unlimited on my lappy

Are these games demanding ?

 

http://forum.notebookreview.com/6527738-post527.html

Nice.

 

I have the studio XPS 1645 updated to A11 and yesterday played starcraft II at high settings and it ran like a champ for the 3hours i was playing it i am also using the 130Watt adapter that dell included when i ordered it.

 

So, it would seem from this thread that A11 is recomended for owners with a 5730?

 

I would say yes.

 

I would also recommend A11... I have yet to experience throttling in games like NBA 2K10 that I normally would have with A9..

 

Are you talking about CPU or GPU throttling? And that's with the 5730?

 

Battlefield: Bad Company 2
1600x900 full screen
medium settings all around

One hour, thirty minutes no throttle. Highest temp on CPU, 79c, GPU 76c. 32 player rush online. EDIT: I should say that I do not have a cooler and did not put a fan next to the computer like I usually do, have not replaced the thermal paste yet, am running the factory installed software, and the only change I made to the computer is removing the dust filter on the fan.

It's a brand new (literally) out of the box XPS 1645, only change was uninstalling the virus protection and installing Malwarebytes and AVG, and using A11 bios (and removing the dust cover)

 

I have noticed that the lappy is comparatively cooler since I updated to A11 Bios.

Strongly recommend it to all.

 

Yes, it's cooler when under load due to the extreme GPU throttling, making the laptop's GPU as effective as a netbook's integrated graphics.

 

Even when playing old games like Dawn of War for about 1 hour, the initial 30 minutes are just fine. But after that, i start to feel the throttling of the GPU in-game as the FPS drops.... How is it you are not experiencing any of these issues????? How about you play Battlefield 2: Bad Company for 3 hours straight in medium settings and then tell me whether we should upgrade to A11 or not cuz as far as i know we can play in A09 for about three hours with the proper accessories.....

 

is your statement based on your tests? are you using a 4670 or 5730?