**The Official Studio XPS 1645 Intel Core i7 "Owners Lounge" - Part 2

thanks kezkuk12

now the only dilema is wheather to buy now or wait for the 5730 graphics card to come to uk....

 

I saw that Kez gave you an answer, but having the 620 means you're looking at buying a 1647, not a 1645. You may get more responses if you ask in the 1647 thread. If you decide to get a 720 or 820, then you're welcome back here, .

 

I was playing from start of world cup..It dropped suddenly..I have uninstalled Adobe after effects too..but no use..

 

.. I posted an answer to this at the top of page 125?

 

Sorry Laj01, I had either somehow mis youpost or got cross messege. but thanks for the replay. I will check on this tonight.

 

To confirm, what is your power plan setting in Windows? Hopefully High Performance. Also in the ATi CCC, there is the Power Play setting, that should be set to Max Performance.

 

If that doesn't work, I've found another possible solution:

http://www.ultimate-filez.com/files/ATIGPUScalingFix-Win7.zip

Taken from: AMD Game Forums - ATI GPU Scaling Fix for Windows 7

Also see: GPU-68: Unable to set GPU Scaling option in ATI Catalyst? Control Center

 

Thanks to a recent repair by a dell technician, my new (ordered it on june 24, delivered on july 1)1645 laptop is now with dead speakers, harddrive faults(sector faults), buggy touchpad, superhot temperatures and possibly damaged motherboard. Dell is actually replacing my Laptop with a new one (same config). My question to the members is "How many days should i test this model of XPS(1645) before i decide this particular model is plagued ?".

 

Something I was thinking about the other day: my current system is with the 500GB 7200rpm HDD, and Blu-Ray Drive. I don't want to give up my Blu-Ray drive to make space for a SSD, but I thought of a comprimise.

Do you think it would be feasible to buy an SSD (say, 64GB) to replace my current HDD, and then mount the HDD in an external eSata enclosure? So the SSD would be used for OS/programs, and the external eSata would be used for storage?

I've read the Icy Dock 2.5" eSata enclosures are almost as quick as internal eSata, and this would minimise the money spent on a bigger SSD, whilst allowing me to retain my Blu-Ray.

Thoughts?

 

The eSata should be the same speed as the internal Sata, so go for it. It would work just fine, you'd just have to deal with a cable and another box.

 

I did exactly this. Bought a G.Skill Phoenix Pro 120GB SSD and put the 500GB 7200RPM drive my 1645 shipped with in a CoolerMaster enclosure (only USB, not eSATA, but I wasn't fussed about speed).

 

Yeah, as far as I can see that might be the only problem. Whether it's worth it or not..?? There's always more things to buy

I do quite a lot of.. ahem. *file sharing*. So getting an eSata enclosure might be worth it, though there's also the problem of eSata 2.5" enclosures needing USB and the eSata connection.

 

There's a special cable you can get that only works with the USB/eSATA combo port that we have. It's basically a combo cable that carries eSATA and USB over a single cable. You'd just have to get an enclosure with the same port on it.

 

Ah, that's nice to know! Now there's the problem of finding a "eSata + USB cable" .. That's very hard to find exactly what you want on eBay.. lol.

 

.... the combo port means that you can either plug an eSATA or a USB cable in... there's no "combo" cable.

 

esata does not support power, but USB does so you can use the combo port to both transfer data and power up your drive at the same time.

This is the cable you are looking for:

Power Over eSATA Cable - eBay (item 290400109976 end time Sep-05-10 07:52:46 PDT)

 

Oh thats actually nice if I ever use more than 500GB

 

Does anyone know of a link to a compatible Power-over-eSata external enclosure? I'm reading of the "DeLock" one, or a generic one, the "HE-2521B", though I can't seem to find anywhere to buy either of them..

 

Any esata enclosure would do. It's the port that matters.
I've heard some good things about the DeLock. Why don't you try it?

 

Now new or potential owners, here are some temperatures I got from playing an hour on MW2 (look a the max values). I have a 1645 with a i7-720 and HD 5730. Also, I want to know how my system compares to those who changed their thermal paste since mine still has the stock one. I'm considering it if I can get temps around 5 degrees C cooler. Does anyone know if it would void the warranty by doing so?

Enjoy!

 

your temps are well below anything you should be worried about. start to worry if they are over like 88 degrees C. i wouldnt bother with thermal paste until you see temps like those. About voiding the warranty, i changed the thermal paste on my old m1530, did a bad job, and had them come and replace my heatsink mobo and the dell tech didnt say a word lol. So your probably fine as the dell in-home techs either dont seem to care, or dont really know if anythings out of the ordinary.

 

Took the plunge on 8/22. Amazingly, estimated delivery is 8/31. My last two Dells were quick, but definitely not this quick. Have a M1330, which I love dearly (after a replacement motherboard and copper mod, been running cool and stable for over a year), but Visual Studio / Blend don't work too well on a 1280x800 screen.

Intel Core i7 720QM, 6GB RAM, 1080p WLED, Black w/ Leather, HD 5730, Blu-Ray, Bluetooth, 9-cell battery, and 3 year advanced service plan. With EPP, total after tax was $1847. They started a sale today that could've saved me a couple bucks, but whatever.

The original XPS M1330 came with a great, stiff slipcase that is custom fit for that laptop, even with the 9-cell battery. Does anyone know of a similar case for the XPS 16? I don't really care for the zippered, soft ones.

 

Hi guys,

I've sorta converted my XPS 1645 into an HTPC for now, and I'm wondering what you guys think about long term use with the lid closed? It's only going at about 15% CPU usage, floating around 65*C temps for the CPU. I wonder if prolonged use (~10hrs/day) could cause any screen problems or even melt anything...

Would appreciate any comments, thanks!

 

From what I can see on mine, the screen turns off when you close the lid anyway, so I don't see any problems with that..

 

As laj01 said, the screen does turn off when you close the lid so you won't get any problems with that.
You should try and keep it cool however, and the CPU is designed to work at much higher temps, but you should make sure you keep the vents clear!

 

The XPS 16 comes with a microfiber slipcase.

 

Thanks. In the videos it looked really thin. Ideally I'd like to get one out of the same material as the M1330 case. If I could find that kind of material, maybe I could use the slip case as a pattern and DIY it.

Also, the tracking number just got added and it looks like it's getting here today Never had a machine get built and delivered in 5 days. Maybe they had some pre-built for their sale or something.

 

You should be fine. If you notice, in the back of the laptop there's a vent that blows the hot air at the left part of the screen. It's very warm compared to the right. If it can stand those temps for a long time, it should be fine with the lid down. It should even reduce air turbulence and resistance leading to cooler temps than with the lid up. Maybe do some comparisons?

 

don't know how far you like to take DIY to, but i made a slip-case for my current notebook with neoprene and cardboard.

i made a 2 thin sleeves of neoprene, slipped some thin cardboard within each sleeve, closed each one off. then i took a long thin strip of neoprene and sewed together the 2 sleeves, finishing off the notebook sleeve. works quite well and does decently against bumps. probably cost me no more than $10 (i got the neoprene from my local dive shop though, it might be more expensive elsewhere)

 

For a second I thought that was the packaging material.

 

It is quite thin, but it will keep it from getting scratched up in a backpack or something like that. Oh, and congrats on your ship time, took them about 3 weeks for me...

 

It's more than 1 inch thick and thicker if you got the 9 cell, but still fits in any of my bags easily.

 

Didn't mean thin as in overall size, but thinness of the fabric itself.

 

I was thinking of making a soft sleeve out of headliner. It's a thin foam sheet that has a smooth fabric as a face, used for lining car ceilings. I can get it with lots of pattern choices and bright colors (some people like those inside their cars I guess)... and I'm not a bad hand at sowing. So.

Unless neoprene is the way to go for sure?

 

Opps. My bad. I didn't read the whole message.

 

That's a good idea. The M1330 case has something like that on the inside, with a material like you would find on a backpack on the outside. Inbetween both is cardboard or plasic with a magnetic latch, which makes the whole thing feel very solid. I think the outer material would be something like this: Sport Nylon-MANY COLORS : utility fabrics : home decor fabric : fabric : Shop | Joann.com

 

i think headliner material is better suited, as it "breathes" better than neoprene and is probably much thinner and lighter. i am using 7mm neoprene, from a batch of the material originally destined for repairing damaged wetsuits. that's all i could get my hands on for a discounted $10 (8ft x 4ft batch).

i only mentioned neoprene as a good material as it is very durable and quite protective from bumps (when it's thick enough). but depending on the material you buy, it adds great bulkiness to the overall notebook. my notebook in my DIY sleeve is about 3 inches thick:
7mm + 3mm + 7mm + notebook + 7mm + 3mm + 7mm

so i guess it's up to you. really, all you need is the rubbery material from the headliner, a needle and some thread. i only used the cardboard to keep the sleeve stiff. it's not even necessary, and leaving out the cardboard "frame" would certainly keep the overall thickness down.

 

I can get the headliner pretty cheap at 2 dollars a yard. All they have at the moment is a rather nice (but not really sleeve-worthy) tan color and an unappealing gray.

I donno. I might just get some leather-textured vinyl and some of the thinner headliner and face the case with the vinyl. It'd add a certain level of waterproofing too.

 

hah, one factor i never even really considered is that the neoprene i'm using is relatively water resistant. spill a coffee or coke on the case and it "beads" (kind of like rain on an umbrella) and rolls right off. the liquid needs to very slowly seep into the neoprene before it can get through to the notebook inside.

it would be a good idea to use the vinyl, IMO. adds the water resistant layer, and also helps cover the colour of the headliner if you don't like it (at least tan is better than avocado green!)

 

My fans are driving me insane! They are always on, no matter what software I use or don't use. It used to be totally quiet unless I used heavy software of played games. My avg idle temperature is approx. 55-59c and I'm using bios A09.

What can I do about this?

 

hi all,

my 1645 is set to arrive on tuesday the 31st. i'm going to immediately do a clean install of win7 ultimate 64-bit soon as i power it up (old habits die hard?), so i'm not worried about drivers. i just want to know if i should update the BIOS to A11 before i install windows or after? or does it even make any difference?

as well, i've read time and time again - but for the life of me cannot remember where i read it from - that there is a particular order to get the ATi drivers to output audio via the HDMI port. do i only need to install Dell's ATi driver for the latest (10.7 i think)? or must I install Dell's first and then install AMD/ATi's own driver afterwards (thereby updating the driver, and retaining the HDMI audio)?

thanks a lot guys

 

I installed the newest Dell driver first, then the updated ATI generic driver. Everything works great for me, games run without throttling, I use HDMI to play games/movies on my HDTV / surround receiver, and it works fine, with uncompressed 7.1 audio and everything.

 

Hi Everyone,

Do the new xps with 5730 still have throttling issues? What about the ones with i5's? Are they now shipped with 120W supply?

Thanks in advance.

 

If you are lucky enough to get it shipped with a RGBLED then an i5 and 5730 might throttle if you max it. With the 130W adapter you should have no problems, however Dell isn't shipping them as standard yet, you'll have to go out of your way a little and complain first. More than most people are successful with less than any problems.

 

I haven't noticed any throttling for my i5 5730 system, except when under heat. However I have noticed that the max power usage for my system has reached 87 W before.

 

when you updated the generic ATI driver, did you download only the
70MB "Catalyst Control Center" from ATI's website?

There are 2 options: the "complete package" download, which is a ridiculous 1.1MB (which is probably just an auto-run installer), and the CCC installer at the full 70MB. It would make sense to only bother with the 70MB CCC installer, and not bother with HydraVision and the extra Avivo apps

 

To slimdusty: Your idle temps seem to be just a little higher than mine with mine. My fans are always on except for when I first start it after letting it sit for a while. They're not loud and I've gotten used to them and the constant warmness of the machine. I would check for dust and, but I think you're in an okay position.

 

I download the complete package. You're right, the 1.1MB program is just a download manager that will then download the real drivers. You could probably get away with just the CCC, but I've never tried it. Besides, Avivo is important, it's what allows your GPU to decode h264 videos. Hydravision is mostly useless on a laptop though.

 

boy that's good to know! otherwise I would have just gone with the CCC installer and skipped the Hydravision and Avivo packages.

the Avivo content on my current notebook (HP NC6400 with the ATi X1300) is about as useful as the colour saturation slider in the Windows 7 Control Panel. it doesn't really do anything and I (mistakenly) assumed that it has about the same usefulness several driver generations later.

 

I'm browsing the internet at 49/47/53/49c on each respective core. No external cooling, and the fan is off (or on, but really low). His, and yours, are running too hot.