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

THERE YOU GO... a bit of cropping resizing etc did the trick.. I HOPE THIS HELPS.. right now i cant give you the normal values as i was gaming heavily since 2-3 hrs and ran Fritz chess analysis (full 8 threads flat out for around 40 minutes) for getting the results of stress test.. i'll upload the idle core temps and normal ambient temps tomorrow after tonights rest..

 

here are few snapshots of the intel turbo boost gadget.. its working fine for me

 

Just an update on my BDROM drive problem. Dell have asked me to return the laptop today, as they believe the drive is faulty. Well I think the drive proved them right today, because while it was ejecting a disk it started making some very nasty noises and then died. My drive no longer works at all, totally dead. Now I've got to figure out how to back up my hard drive before it goes back, as my backup software normally boots from a CD
I'm REALLY thinking buying this thing was a mistake. I'm just glad I was taking my sweet time about setting this thing up to replace my trusty HP nc8430, because I'd be screwed now, I wouldn't be able to do any work.
Hopefully this is going to be a quick resolution, otherwise it's refund time.

 

I live in Tamil Nadu (South India) where ambient daytime temperatures range from about 25-30 C (in January!). And yet the max I've seen my CPU temps go is about 80 C. Never gets too hot to the touch (hope i dont jinx it now !!), but yes, while gaming the 90W AC adapter becomes crazy hot. I suppose the 9cell battery kinda helps the temps. I dont have very many throttling issues unless I really push the comp (GTA IV, for example), and got a score of 7492 on 3dmark with the adapter plugged in.

I'm guessing if your temps are going in the 85C + territory, you've got a bad system and should probably try to get it changed.

 

South India huh???? Do you know that the temp reaches 100F during the summer and and that time you can save a lot of gas. How? Boil rice on the laptop and make the side dish on the adapter. Money savings time. I guess the 3 year warranty was the way to go. Now i can cook and if my laptop gets fried then i can probably get it replaced.

@ kaushik: That is why i asked about the Notebook Coolers. Atleast with the cooler air can be blown into the laptop to reduce the heat!!!!!

Please suggest the better one of the two.

Cooler Master Infinite (or) Cooler Master U2

 

my ssd came with firmware VBM24D1Q so it looks like i'm all set with TRIM support.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/ileff/4293758790/

 

I do not know what the problem is but Dell wants mine back for a repair.
I did not accept this, because of some other problems i want a replaicement.

 

@people who need a cooler

i guess u r referring to a chill mat...
personally i hav the targus one wich works seamlessly or u can also go for the logitech one..both r good and available at all major electronics shops across india...cost around 1.5-2k...(~45$)

 

Is it possible to undervolt the i7? Has anyone successfully done it?

 

When I plug in my headphones to each output they both sound a little different from each other. One sounds more "airy" or "tinnier" Anyone else notice this on theirs or is there some way to configure both to sound the same?

 

Just a point of interest Dell Uk offered to configure a laptop with a Blu-Ray even though it is not on their site. I also queried about DX11 GPU, there was no denial it was coming. However he could not give me a date.

 

Thanks a lot mate!!! Appreciate the help. Anyways.... Can anyone can give me the actual site for downloading the INTEL TURBO BOOST MONITOR..... Will appreciate the help guys!!!! might give some rep also.... lol

 

Here you go!

http://downloadcenter.intel.com/Detail_Desc.aspx?agr=Y&DwnldID=18353

 

Well, if you do manage to get Blu-Ray, I hope it isn't a dodgy drive like mine!
Strangely, on the Irish Dell site, the Blu-Ray drives are still listed (for home and business sectors).
I hope they don't think they can send mine back with a DVDRW in it and get away with it! I've lost count of how many Dell products I've bought over the years, some really low budget, and they never gave any trouble. This one has come as a bit of a shock, not impressed with the assembly quality at all.
At least I managed to image my hard drive with a USB key, don't fancy going through that reinstall again. Hopefully will hear soon when they plan to collect it.

 

Use ubuntu live on a usb key

 

I don't know how many people actually use it, but... has anyone else been able to use Windows Media Encoder x64 Edition without crashing? Whenever I try to convert a video, after about 20 seconds of encoding my screen flashes off, and when it comes back on it's all just a random garbled mess. Sometimes it'll flash on and off a couple more times and show the Windows UI, but all the colors are distorted. The only way I've been able to get my computer to snap out of it has been to shut it off manually by holding the power button. WM Encoder is an old-ish program, so I'm wondering if it has some issue with Win7 x64... I'm going to try installing the 32-bit version in a bit and see if it works properly

 

hello...!!! i just ordered 1 in india and came 2 dis thread.....
i wil mainly b using dis for my 3d rendering........
wil dis laptop b able 2 work to ist full potential on an external moniter....?????and i guess it also works fine on battery...?plzzz conform dis guys...!!
specs:
i7 720qm/4gb ddr3 1333/wled full hd screen/ati 4670/win 7 pro 64bit

 

Wow.... what?

I mean, assuming I was able to understand.... that.... then the answer is no.

If you read ANY bit of this thread, you would understand that ALL CONFIGURATIONS have the problem with throttling.

 

He obviously didn't. As the thread length got to about 80 there have been lazy butts posting in here saying "I don't want to read any of this thread myself, please just answer it for me!" Some of them ask it in abominable English, to boot.

 

hey i have read all d thread related to dis issue......from that i hav concluded that the laptop does not throttle when laptop display is off and connected to an external moniter.......right?

 

That only helps with the problem. It will still throttle just maybe not as bad.

 

Wrong. It doesn't throttle as badly. But it still throttles.

 

Is there anyone from india who sucessfully got 130w power adapter from dell..............if no how is dell india reacting to this issue???

 

hey i got a new problem today,..strtup and booting up was fine ... then i logged into my account only to find that it took way too long to log in.. and then lo! windows shows an error message that it cant access my accpunt and has logged me into a temperory account..

any solutions for this??

i have to log out manually and log in again to correct this.. sometimes the log out doesnt help and i have to restart.. wat to do??

 

Regarding my dead BDROM, should have an engineer coming to site on Monday to change out the drive. I was initially using email support to resolve this and they wanted to collect it for repair. As I hadn't heard anything at mid day today, I decided to phone the XPS Premium Support. Very helpful lady picked up the case number and told me I could have an engineer call to me instead of returning it (much better). I'm a bit concerned about this CA10N LG BDROM model, as there are some similar issues on Dells own forum. I'd prefer the Sony drive, but I think it'll be a like for like exchange. There seem to be a lot of the CA10N drives on eBay, from China sellers, wonder why that is?

 

mines workin fine with 90w ac adapter...no issues at all..

 

My 90W supply was faulty , got replacemetn for it few days back. Tried a lot to get a 130 w supply as an replacement for my 90w. But they so totally refused while quoting about some stupid BIOS update to solve the throttling problem.

and there are no signs of this update yet. There were these Beta BIOS A05 and X something, but they not officially launched for downloads yet .

The only thing we could do is wait for dell to come up with a solution.

 

I found this really neat trick today not sure if it's been posted here or not but I figured I'd share it.

Code:

GodMode.{ED7BA470-8E54-465E-825C-99712043E01C}

All you do is make a new folder paste that into the folder name and it creates a "God Mode" folder with all the options for controlling your computer in one place. This only works on windows 7 and I think it causes an issue for Vista.

 

Real neat trick indeed. Have this "godmode" icon on my desktop for a while now, it really helps.

 

Did you try system restore?

 

Hey Fenikkusu,
If you want to have a custom name like "All System Tools" or what ever do this for a "SHORTCUT" instead of a folder,
1.Right click the desktop and click New > Shortcut.

2.For the location put "explorer.exe shell:::{ED7BA470-8E54-465E-825C-99712043E01C}" (Without Quotes)

...and click on the Next button. Proceed to name your shortcut and click Finish. you can also give it a custom icon.

 

Sweet. Thanks for the tip Tenax.

 

You can just name it xxx.{ED7BA470-8E54-465E-825C-99712043E01C}

 

Dont you see the numbers by naming it that way with a "folder"?
I tried with a shortcut and it didnt work.

 

Thanks a lot dude.... appreciate the help guys!!

 

Hello all,
Not sure if this thread has touched on it or not (I only checked the first 100 pages), but I was wondering if the Hard Drives in these machines are SATA 3.0 or not (3Gb/s)? I'm looking to get an eSATA case for the 320G HDD in the laptop now and replace it with an SSD. Any recommendations for a good and fair priced SSD would be much appreciated as well. Doesn't have to have too big a capacity as the plan is pretty much just to boot the OS from it with minimal extra storage.

Thanks for your help,

Tristan

 

You wanna know what DELL INDIA said when asked for the 130W adapter? Here it is....

Agent:Sir, is this regarding the throttling issue? (i was amazed)

Me: Yes.

Agent: Sir, our technical team is coming out with a BIOS fix very soon and once it is out, it is said to address the BIOS issue!

Me: So.... ah.... Does it completely fix the throttling issue or do we have to get the 130W adapter.

Agent: No. It is enough if you just update your BIOS then. Once updated there will be no throttling.

Me: So even after i update my BBIOS i still face the throttling issue, will you provide me the 130W adapter?

Agent: Sure. It is not an issue. But we confirm that the BIOS we take care of the throttling issue.

Keeping my fingers crossed for the BIOS!! Tick Tock Dell.

 

Have you touched the adapter? it is like damn hot! even when i use my laptop for basic use also. So, no... it is not fine for anyone.

 

I have a rather unrelated to the conversation question: when customizing a core i5 xps 16 on the dell home site (U.S) it's actually more expensive if you pick any core i5 (except the base one) model compared to the standard i7 model with the 720QM. Even though the i7 model has a two year warranty as standard. What gives? I know about ALL of the problems mentioned here in the thread, since i've been here since day one, but are they really that bad for them to make it cheaper to get one? Also, another quick question, what is the new GPU that the xps 16 should get? It says on the dell home site that the xps 16 now has updated graphics, but it's still the same 4670-- for now anyway. Thanx.

 

Yeah, the interface and the drives are SATA3 (3.0Gb/s).

A cheap and good SSD....hmm, wonder over to this thread. I think people like the second gen OCZs?

http://forum.notebookreview.com/showthread.php?p=5771578

@7even

I don't know if even God understands Dell's prices.

The new GPU should be the 5730.

 

Well I bit the bullet and purchased a unit on the 12th of January. My original ship date was Feb 2nd but has been pushed back to the 8th of Feb! I'm hoping it may be to do updates but who knows.

I was feeling very very nervous and that I made a wrong decision after researching this laptop for over a year (bought my father a XPS 1640 back in July) only to find out the throttle issue AFTER I already purchased...

So happy to see the updates are coming soon, we will see how this all works out. I am not a heavy gamer (use PS3 for that) other than heroes of might and magic, sims, WOW, and similar games. Primary use is video and photo editing with web design, and for law school.

I got my system (details in Sig) at what I thought was an amazing price $1600 due with coupon and certificate but am nervous of the throttling issue. Anyways just saying I'll be joining the family and hope these issues get solved! I'm switching from a Toshiba Satellite I've had for 3 years and have already gone through 2 hard drives, mother board, new LCD screen, and now starting to have more problems and malfunctions...really a shame...

I was just getting tired of only being able to use Dreamweaver, photoshop, or the internet one at a time without it bugging to bits!

 

That's what I was hoping. Thanks for your help.

 

no not yet.. kinda thought of but fear of losing data on my hdd.. does system restore delete all data on my HDD??

 

Nope, it don't.
And its totally reversible. so if you don't like the change you can go back.

 

i think my systems going down the drain... got new problems regarding graphics card today... i hardly get above 20-23 fps even for small games like assassins creed.. and my 3d mark vantage score has dropped like hell...

test:3dmarkvantage "performance"; 1280x1024;
3dmark vantage total score: 3147
3dmark vantage cpu score:9288
3dmark vantage gpu score: 2073

anybody else can put up their 3dmarkvantage scores for comparison???


i think its the only issue with graphics card becoz cpu's working fine.. (ran chess benchmark which only takes into account cpu) chess analysis and benchmarks are the same.. no changes..
i think i have to really ask dell for another replacement...

 

ok.. i'll try.. btw, does the system restore reverse the installed games and programs???

 

not as long as you choose a restore point AFTER you installed them.
go back to just before you started having problems. maybe a day or so.
you can choose a date on the "date and time" list.

 

While we're on the subject of eSATA, I noticed that the port on the 1645 should be capable of Power Over eSATA, getting the power from the combined USB port (apologies if this has been discussed before, I didn't find anything). This is nice, needing only one cable for an external drive, as the 1645 isn't exactly blessed with many USB ports. I know manufacturers such as Lindy make cables which can plug into this port then split out the eSATA and USB at the external drive end, but I don't know about enclosures that are suitable for this yet. I use VMware a lot and keep all my VMs on external USB drive at the moment. Using eSATA would give me a good performance boost and allow me to run multiple VMs at once (currently more than 2 gets a bit slow over USB).
Has anyone managed to do this? If so, what hardware are you using?

 

Hey guys,

Does anyone have an RGB screen that does not flicker?

I've got a new system coming after having the lcd replaced twice and a replacement motherboard, neither fixed the problem!
When I spoke to the Dell rep he suggested they send me a new system with an upgrade of my choice. I told him i think the problem was with design of the screen so I would rather my replacement came with the standard 1080p screen. He said ok but told me I would not get a refund for the RGB screen I had paid for. At the time I said ok because I chose the 256gb SSD as the free upgrade so let it go until I thought about it. He was offering me the free upgrade to apologise for the hassle i have had with the laptop before I mentioned downgrading the screen.

When he phoned to confirm I told him i'll stick with the RGB Screen as long as they can guarantee me it is working before I get it. He said ok but he would not include the upgrade he offered me before I mentioned the standard screen! Tried to say he was only offering me an upgrade because I was getting the cheaper screen which was a complete lie so I told him i was sending the laptop back for a refund and all of a sudden he agrees that he offered me the upgrade. Said he read his notes wrong!!!

Anyway, with a new laptop on the way I was wondering if i've got any hope of getting a screen that does not flicker or does it just seem to be a design fault?

Is anyone else sending it back because of the flicker or are you just accepting it?

 

My RGBLED screen does not flicker, regardless of brightness level.