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

Tried messing with Window's power management?

It has something under Processor Management that lets the fan be active/passive?

 

yes, under processor management. I think fan kicks in a lot less if cooling is set to passive.

 

ill give that a try. thanks

 

hey i wanted to ask one more question.. reguarding the sound quality.. does SXPS 1645 has a subwoofer?? i cudn find any subwoofer wen i had my machine.. and the sound from the two speakers from the grill is about average (even with the X-fi software enabled)

 

Yup it has.

http://supportapj.dell.com/support/edocs/systems/sxl1645/en/sm/subwoofe.htm#wp1000550

 

Two things:

I remember my old Inspiron laptop made this high-pitched whine constantly. I had no clue what it was. Then one day I decided to undervolt my CPU with RMclock or whatever it's called, and in one of the steps, you unchecked (or checked) a random checkbox and it made the whining stop. Something to do with the CPU power states? I don't know.

Anyway, is there a similar thing you can do for this laptop? I read somewhere that it wasn't possible to undervolt the CPU, but is there a way to get the high pitched noise to stop? It's not very noticeable, but it's one of those things that once you know it's there, you pay attention to it.

On a side note, I'm gonna see if there is a piece of packing plastic between the fan and the grill. I thought the black tape was a cheap warranty seal but I guess you can always just stick it back on. I'm gonna laugh if there's something stuck between there.

edit: nope, didn't find any plastic

 

I am also curious about this. I've recently started to notice a high pitched whine myself. It is quiet and seems to fade in and out, but it is definitely there.

 

Where does it come from? Any general location?

When does it happen?

 

Well Dell called me today and asked me if there was any other system I would want instead of the 1645.... They said go pick one out on the website and e-mail it to the rep im working with...

one option: (havn't sent it to them yet)

XPS13
2.66GHz 6MB Cache C2Duo P9600
4GB DDR3
nVidia n210m w/ 512mb (and SLI Boost with the onboard 9400m 256mb)
500gb HDD or 256gb SSD

and i would likely and moan an extended battery out of them.

I really really really really really wish there was an i3/i5 version so I'd at least have 4 threads I can't recall/dont think the P9600 is a dual-core/multi-thread... havn't bothered to check yet.... I might just take my money and run, but I think I could have Dell by the balls a bit here too and get more bang for my buck.... damn.

EDIT: Is this 2 threads total, or 2 threads per core? http://ark.intel.com/Product.aspx?id=37266

EDIT2: NM, I compared with the i7, its 2 threads total. I do a lot of encoding so that's a bummer

 

It is constant. There may be a few moments of peace here and there, but it's mostly just 'always on'. It emanates from the motherboard somewhere. It has to do with the CPU entering/exiting a sleep state or something. RMclock fixed it for me with my old laptop, but since it doesn't support the i7, I'm out of luck. I've looked for other solutions, but haven't found anything that works yet.

Next time you're in a quiet setting, put your head close to the keyboard and you should definitely hear it. If you can't, then your laptop doesn't have that problem. But I think most do.

I've noticed that it doesn't happen when the CPU is actually doing something, but when you're sitting there idle on a webpage for example, it's just a constant high-pitch whine in the background you have to learn to tune out.

 

Is this throttling issue similar to the HP Envy's fixed multiplier on battery?

 

The whine on mine has been there all along. I finally got used to it/tuned it out. It seems to come from the front/right (where the CPU badges and win7 badges are).

I noticed that it stops temporarily if theres any type of sound output but it doesn't seem to be the speakers.

 

Yep. That's it exactly.

I'm not sure I understand exactly what RMClock did to fix the problem on your previous laptop - something about the CPU power states? That's a little above my paygrade, but I'll start poking around now and see what I can find.

 

Here is some information on it. I didn't use this website when I fixed it earlier; I only just found it. http://forum.tabletpcreview.com/archive/index.php?t-3516.html

The only thing I did was either check or uncheck the "Run HLT command when OS is idle (restart required)" checkbox. The post I linked to does a lot of other stuff that results from simply enabling the checkbox, which is something I didn't know at the time. Still, that is the only thing required to get the noise to stop.

The problem is that the option is in the Management menu (I think that's what it's called), but since RMclock doesn't recognize the i7, that menu isn't available.

Oh and I should mention that my other laptop had a Core 2 Duo when they first came out

 

Hello

I've installed Windows XP on my XPS 1645 to get some programms working correctly.
Does anyone know where i can find XP- driver for the 1645?

I found chipset- driver but sound, wlan, lan(not sure) and bt doesn't work.

Thx in advance for any links.

 

Wouldn't it have been easier to use XP mode under Win 7, or is using Win 7 Professional not an option for you?

 

Does your CPU provides Virtualisation? What kind of cpu u have?

 

I'm a student so i've access to W7 Prof. The XP-Modus doesnt work with some of the CAD/CNC tools which i need.

I also have the W7 Prof. partition with the XP-Modus but i want to test a normal XP- installation.

EDIT:
i7 720QM
500gb hdd
4gb ram
ati 4670
Dell 1520 WLAN-Card
Dell 370 BT-Card
IDT- Soundchip

EDIT 2:
Dual-Boot with W7 Prof and XP is working fine

 

Well that has to be one of the worst things you could of done... Windows xp is not optimized for multiple core program so the hundreds you spent on and i7 was a total waste and if you bought anything over 4gb of ram it was a waste... You would of been better off getting a low end inspiron if you were going to put xp on it...

Windows 7 is a lot faster than vista, and a lot faster than xp also... 7 pro has xp mode which fixes any of the problems you have with older programs so there is really no reason to not get it...

Honestly if I were you and wanted to keep xp I'd return the xps And get something more suited for xp...

 

I have to agree, what a waste to run XP on the 1645. eep.

 

@whine

Do you guys care about battery life? You could try turning the CPU to 100% in Power Options and that should stop it from switching states, maybe?

It's odd that you would want to make sure HLT is enabled when the CPU is idle. HLT, from my research, just tells the CPU to enter low-power states. But, if I'm reading your issue right, the problem is that it is switching some states. Interesting...

My ears must suck because I don't ear any whine. Maybe I've already tuned it out.

@Zlog

P9600 is a true dual-core, but that's all it is. The i5/i3 should be coming soon....it's only logical.

@XP-haters

Wow...guys, calm down. He just wants some help, not spiritual advice on how to live his computing life. Fine, he wants to use XP.

@daseppel

Try Intel's site for the WLAN. They might have XP drivers there.

 

Someone had the issue on a Sony laptop. Could you try something for me and disable the microphone under sound options. You need to right click and disable.

Use this video as a guide

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UI2P8roNN1E

 

Just to make sure u understand me right..i just need XP for some special programs which i use sometimes. Normally the notebook will boot w7 prof for office-work /gaming! I use Windows 7 since the RC and really like it

@ikjadoon
the card is called "Dell Wireless 1520 (802.11n)".
Is this also an intel-chip?

 

If yours shipped with Windows 7 Professional, it comes with Windows XP emulation mode.

 

That was a good idea. It hadn't occurred to me to switch it to 100%, but the whine remains.

 

Like putting 13 inch rims on a ferrari.

 

"Cough"

I posted a possible solution above, it is about Sony but I have a feeling if it is microphone related it will help you.

 

Just a question to everyone, do you think its a good idea or would benefit my laptop if i done a clean install of Windows 7?

 

I did a clean installation, no changes in 3dmark 06 (around 7000)

 

Probably not, more likely Broadcom or maybe Atheros.
If you look at the bottom, or in the battery compartment, somewhere there should be a sticker with the name on it, something like 'Broadcom BCM94312MCG' . You can then google for more detail or just head to the manufacturers website for the drivers.
HTH

 

@DeSeppel

Yeah, the way Glaaki's outlined it is the best way.

 

I disabled the microphone but the sound is still there.

 

Whoops. Not sure how I missed that.

This is the strangest thing... disabling the microphone didn't work, BUT opening that tab up did.

In the sound panel, when you click the 'Recording' tab, the whine shuts off. I can click back and forth between 'Recording' and 'Playback' and the whine goes on and off. I guess the whine is microphone related? How odd.

This is a fix, albeit a temporary one since it requires the sound tab to be open I guess, but..thanks so much Risco! That whine was driving me crazy.

 

Well then the fix post here will solve it I reckon! I pointed her in the right direction ( microphone related, and I don't have a laptop yet so could not test myself ), but it was MaxieHQ who was able to solve it with her tinkering! This should work the same for you. Let me know!

http://forum.notebookreview.com/showthread.php?t=448894&page=55

 

You are my hero. Worked like a charm. Thank you so much!

 

Woop, another satisfied customer!

 

I can't open the Laptop atm, but the Dell-Software told me that it is a Broadcom BCM 4353 chip. I found no driver on the Broadcom homepage
Any other ideas?

Thx anyway

 

Which, is next to useless for high end apps like audio DAWs or 3D programs.

DAW's especially are fussy, you need a clean bloatware free XP install to run most of the plugins properly.

 

I thought Intel Virtualization Tech was supposed to resolve this? Of course this is assuming the XPS has the option to enable it?

 

Virtualized apps, IIRC, don't run as quickly or as error-free versus their regular counterparts.

Intel VT just allows the processor to do virtualization or does it have some optimization thing?

 

Thank you so much for that. It's crazy how some innocuous-looking option makes such a difference.

 

Just want to know how your fans sounds... mine is almost always a bit noize and sounds quite much even when just using internet explorer....
sorry for my english...

 

Just a quick question.... Anyone installed intel turbo boost gadget??? And did it show up on the desktop. Cuz i have installed it but am not able to enable it or view it in my gadgets list....

Looking forward to your replies.

 

Yeah, my gadget showed up. It might be a flash issue. Exit Sidebar, and then to go Program Files x86 and run sidebar. Then right-click desktop, gadgets, and try opening it.

Question:

Anyone gotten Stereo Mix or What U Hear working on these IDT cards? I tried using Rec. Playback, but it doesn't pick up anything (volume bar doesn't move when I play music).

Thanks

 

Hmm, a bit of Googling got me this: http://wikidrivers.com/wiki/Broadcom_BCM43xx_5.60.18.9
Not ideal, but worth a try perhaps?

 

For those of you who have ordered your 1640's...

What rez is the premium HD wled?

 

Thx, i ll try this version. I tried the newest version from this site but the package was broken.

EDIT: works fine, thanks

 

My system seems to be bit bulged of the side opposite to the fan(base). At first i didn't noticed this , but when i moved my hand across the base i noticed this.

Is it just my system ? or its normal

 

If I understand you correctly, about a bulge on the bottom, then (I hope) that is normal. Mine has that as well.

 

Anyone else having issues with the BDROM drive? Mine is the CA10N model drive. After I've used a disk in it and I eject it, the mechanism will continue to return and eject for a few cycles, even though there's no disk in it. Then it's fine. However, on the next reboot, during boot time the drive is constantly cycling again and it seems to continue doing this when Windows is up and running, until I put a disk in the drive again, then it settles down again. On the next reboot, the drives fine and doesn't cycle any more.
I've put a support email in to Dell, but not expecting a response any time soon.