XPS 15 9560 owners thread.

I don't think intel DPTF driver does anything other than fixing unknown devices in device manager because DPTF drivers are missing. If you get cTDP setting in Power Options then you have full DPTF functions and changing from 45W to higher might do the trick. You can undervolt and use a cooling pad/stand to get the temps down by 10-15C.

 

Could there be any performance gains from forcing the nVidia dGPU to be active instead of the iGPU even for normal office work etc where the dGPU really should not be needed?

 

Not really unless doing intensive stuff like visiting a HTML5 website with many 3D elements. The iGPU isn't nearly as weak as many people seem to think, it is easily capable of decoding 4K60FPS video content and even capable of some light gaming. In day to day usage, the Intel card more than suffices and I have never felt that it slowed me down. Only in situations where a dedicated GPU actually servers a true purpose because more calculations can be made, does it help. With this, I mean programs like Illustrator and Photoshop do (in specific cases) like to have more graphics processing power.

 

My thoughts wasn't really about the iGPU performance but rather if other factors could affect, like CPU throttling due to iGPU head, PCIE pipes, system interupts, DPC etc. Also there seem to be quite a few problems related to nVidia Optimus

Things like https://github.com/jobeid/TrayPwrD3

https://answers.microsoft.com/en-us...-problem/93e7004a-62b1-4211-8e37-4c136608865e

Kudos to @Vasudev BTW

 

I've updated to BIOS 1.7.1 and noticing that the fan curves changed drastically and my XPS 9560 is a lot more quiet.

While using the balanced fan profile the fans now kick in at 2500rpm when the CPU temp is over 62°C. With BIOS version 1.6.0 a CPU temp over 42°C always triggered the fans on my laptop.
When the fans kick in, they stay turned on until the CPU temp lowers at 32°C (a trick to shut them off immediately if the temp is below 62°C is to switch fan profile to something else, than back to balanced).
About this observation, please consider that the PCH and VRM Mosfets on my XPS15 are padded with 3 layers of Artic 6,0Wm/K Thermal Pad, their temps are about 30° on idle (now it's winter here), I guess that contributes too.

I'm seeing this behavior on Linux, which is my primary OS, then I'm sure this change is not coming from a driver, it's the 1.7.1 BIOS.

Hurrah, anyone?!?

EDIT: after further observation this seems to be true only when the PCH temp is below 32°C ....

 

what program will allow me to control the internal fans?

 

For Windows:
Google "Dell Command | Power Manager"

For Debian based Linux:
apt install smbios-utils
smbios-thermal-ctl --set-thermal-mode balanced

(smbios supported thermal modes: balanced, cool-bottom, quiet, performance)

 

I'm looking to upgrade my ram from 8gb to 32gb. From what I read I need to get 2400ghz. Is there any other specifications that I need to be on the lookout when purchasing the ram? Does CL16 work?

I'm thinking about getting this:

https://www.newegg.ca/Product/Produ...gb_2400_Ripjaws_laptop-_-20-232-156-_-Product


Thoughts? I'm not too familiar with hardward specs.

 

Will work fine, CL16 is what it tends to come with but any CL will work, 2400, 2666 as it will fallback to 2400, even 2133 works fine as I had some for a while and it was really close to 2400 speeds due to tighter CL, probably some info on page 1 still?

buy whatever costs less as the speed difference in the real works is 0%

 

Hi everyone,

I got a black screen in my 9550(FHD) when I executed the "Firmware update utility for DBC Disabled & Enabled". There was a executable call it "QHDFW_DBC.exe" so I think I've installed the firmware for the QHD screen, after install the firmware I reboot and I got black screen. The laptop works with an external monitor so I had a look to the folder again and there was another folder with the 9550 FHD firmware. I tried to install it but I always got a write error message.

Does anyone know how can I fix it?? I'm desperate!!!!

I already post this in the 9550 forum but maybe someone in this forum had the same problem with the 9560 and there is a similar solution.

Cheers.

 

Boot into Windows and use Brightness hotkey to max and see if it works. I think monitor firmware might be corrupted, if there's any.
Maybe @t456 can help you.

 

Hi to all.
Who use our dell with Cinema 4D?

 

Could you upload that tool and the firmware versions?

Asus did something similar; release a firmware flasher without any built-in checks, so clicking the wrong binary would instantly brick the screen. It wouldn't be a problem if it merely flashed the edid part (since a good backup copy can be found elsewhere), but it also flashed the 'true' firmware, so you'd need a working, second screen to fix the first.

 

I think this is the file but not 100% sure so will need confirmation from @panabuntu

http://www.dell.com/support/home/us/en/19/drivers/driversdetails?driverId=MTKPJ

 

That would be the correct one, yes. It's the same scary tool as used by Asus, so it flashed non-edid firmware as well. It can even adjust the VCON value, which is normally only set at the factory and left alone since there's really not a good reason to change it.

@panabuntu , do you remember which one you selected to flash?

And check the root of your C drive for a file called ' rd_data.bin' (it may be hidden). Firmware is always provided and flashed by tools in hexadecimal format, but curiously enough they've copy/pasted those hex values to a regular text file, saved that and then used those text values as the input fw for the tool . Also, there's some padding going on inside that hex part (position 10 to the end of the line), so can't just re-create the binary; a complete edid should be inside, but it's in a slightly corrupted format. The ' rd_data.bin' would be a complete, correct backup.

If it isn't there then the trick could be to unplug the screen, boot with the external monitor and hot-plug the screen while the OS is running. With a bit of luck the tool gave an error the second time because the firmware was too corrupt for the system to activate it during boot time. After booting that is no longer a problem, so the flash tool might work this time.

Mind that hot-plugging a screen has to be done with extreme care; the connector on the lcd-side has 30 or 40 pins, each 0.4-0.5mm apart. If you insert it at ever so slight an angle then it'll instantly short, killing the screen and sometimes the motherboard as well (when powered down this is of course not an issue, but that will not help us). The safe alternative is to hot-plug it using the lcd connector at the end of the motherboard connector, but then you'd need a bit more disassembly in order to reach it.

 

"safe" hahaha

On the 9550, the LCD motherboard connector is near the battery under a rectangular, silver-colored, metal shield, with one black "phillips" screw. You can easily see the shield by following the black LCD cable to it. Easy access.

Be VERY careful of the black screw. It is a JIS type that will strip if you use a "normal" phillips screwdriver. I made that mistake and it took hours to figure out a way to remove the screw. I have a few posts about that nightmare lol

Also, note the LCD connector has a bunch of very small pins and is very delicate. Do NOT touch any of the pins or contacts to prevent bending or contamination (both really matter here). Do NOT force that connector in.

 

Guys is it normal that the fans are that noisy when watching movies? I am afraid the laptop is getting too hot.

 

my unit doesnt really get loud when watching movies. gaming and photoshop yes, but never movies. you might want to do a repaste.

 

on another note, how do i clean the oil of the trackpad and laptop surface?

 

try some cloth+vinager

 

I just use a microfibre cloth.

No vinegar smell.

 

I use this product, it's completely safe for plastic surfaces:

https://www.amazon.com/Zeiss-Cleane...4218&sr=8-3&keywords=zeiss+lens+cleaner+spray

 

How come that with Intel SpeedStep disabled and the Intel TurboBoost enabled in BIOS the TurboBoost does not seem to work? I notice my 7700HQ does not run higher than 2.8 GHz even under load and there is not thermal throttling.

 

Many laptop makers disable turbo speeds if SpeedStep/CStates disabled. Presumably this is to prevent overheating.

 

The laptop is barely used. It happens when I connect the laptop to the 4K TV via HDMI and I watch movies.

 

Apparently so but that is strange as there is thermal protection built in. SpeedStep seems to introduce other problems, thats why I have it disabled. Since the Turbo Boost is quite high (in GHz), what are the best settings, Turbo Boost with SpeedStep/C-states enabled or Turbo Boost disabled by disabling C-States/SpeedStep? Not doing any video editing or such, ie task runnig for long time.

 

Dell added several layers of additional thermal protection to the XPS, including the famous VRM ceiling at ~76*C. In that light, not really a suprise about the turbo protection scheme. Other laptop manufacturers use this turbo scheme also.

Depends on your usage scenario. Pro music production that requires zero glictches often disables turbo speeds on laptops for this reason, and just suffers with lower speeds. Trial and error.​

 

Turboboost doesn't work without speedstep enabled. It's an extension of speedstep. Just keep it on, no need to turn it off. If you are experiencing heat during idle time, make sure there is nothing running in the background. And make sure you use the 'balanced' powerplan in Windows, as opposed to the High performance mode.

 

The main reason I have for turning it off is that SpeedStep in itself seems to introduce lag and similar, even for normal usage. There are several threads about this and I have also experienced/messured it before on other laptops. Visual Studio is slow enough as it is so any extra performance I can get is worth it

What about C-states then?

 

Disabling C-states (and / or turboboost) will also disable your single core turbo though (I believe). So you'd be dropping from 3.8ghz to 2.8ghz max, which is a pretty substantial drop.

Did you try enabling SpeedShift in Throttlestop? SpeedSshift is a more advanced Speedstep that is supposedly a lot quicker and more snappy. I personally don't notice the difference in day-to-day tasks, but many have said it makes a huge difference for them in terms of lag and snappyness.

With SpeedShift enabled you manually set how fast you want the CPU to react to increased workloads. Lower values (towards 0) increase snappyness (at the expense of high idle temps and power consumption), while higher values (towards 255) force the CPU to stay at lower clockrates for longer durations of time. Essentially 0 is a constant max turbo speed, while 255 is a constant 0.8ghz. Combined with Throttlestops profiles, you can have a high performance mode for you needs, while also having a battery specific profile so you don't drain your battery when only doing light tasks.

Might be worth checking out before you start disabling all kinds of handy CPU features that keep your CPU fast, cool and snappy.

 

http://forum.notebookreview.com/threads/dell-xps-speed-shift.796891/

 

I just ordered an XPS15 to replace my like-new XPS13 (8 GB ram, 512 GB SSD) -- my "getting older" eyes need more screen.

So if you're looking to buy....

 

Foar K screen? Moar pixelsz. I feel like my vision gets worse at work because my screens are such terrible resolution and not that they're too small... what like 1440x900 on a 23" screen? ick...

 

95% of the time I am connected to external LCD's on my 9650. Stupid question...am I using the built in NVIDA chip or Intel when i use external screens with the XPS ?

Thanks

Jay

 

I believe it depends on how you connect, normally the NVidia one but with the TB16 dock it seems to be the Intel one.

 

I am connected using HDMI and also Display port (TB -> Plugabel )

 

In all cases, you are always using the Intel GPU to display. The Nvidia GPU only does calculations (if it is enabled for an intensive workload), which it then passes on to the intel GPU for displaying. As far as I know, this is also the case when using a dock, as features like G-Sync do not work.

 

Dell is having a pretty good deal right now. I can get a 9560 20% off (1700 dollars instead of approximately 2150 - note that I live in Sweden with 25% VAT so the conversion to american prices aren't entirely accurate).

Not sure what do here... It's not critical, but I kinda need a new laptop. Would you go for the 9560 or wait for 9570?

 

110% wait

 

A follow up, I tried enabling SpeedStep (not Shift) in BIOS as well as C states and immediately started noting increased lag and loss of performance. Not just talking about some real time stuff but even browsing folders on my Samsung 960 Pro now had a noticable lag to it. This is similar to my previous experience and the reason for having it disabled before. Will try to look into SpeedShift and the guide from Pressing and other well know fokes around here.

 

So, should SpeedStep be disabled to use SpeedShift? And the million dollar question, is it worth it to enable speed shift all togheter for a laptop that is mostly docked but sometimes needs to be used on battery? Don't really need ultra perfomance as such, but Visual Studio is a drag and SpeedStep seems to introduce lag all over the place (probably with the help of crappy BIOS by Dell).

 

If speed step lags for you then don't use it, Dell's bios has nothing to do with how SpeedStep performs. You can enable Speed Shift with SpeedStep still enabled as it should over-ride it.

 

so speedshift and c state are better left disabled in bios? am i reading this right?

 

Speedshift is not in the 9560 bios as an option.
I would leave everything on if you're using your laptop as a laptop even part of the time. Then again I leave c-states on my desktop because who needs to waste 10x the energy...

 

oh i meant speed step

 

I agree with @custom90gt .

But extreme users might want to do some testing for their usage scenarios.

If you disable c-states on the XPS (and many other laptops), then the BIOS disables Turbo speeds principally for heat purposes. So you will get much lower (but consistent CPU speeds) and much higher power consumption. Consistent CPU speeds may be requred by niche pros like audio engineers as it may decrease pops and crackles type sounds from CPU .

I use the XPS for live music, which requires a fast CPU and glitch-free operation. For my software, the best scenario is:

- enable SpeedShift (see the XPS SpeedShift thread here as there is no SpeedShift option in the XPS 9560)
- enable c-states (BIOS)

SpeedShift seems to run independently of SpeedStep (the former is managed by the CPU and the latter is managed by software). I think SpeedShift just superscedes SpeedStep. So if SpeedShift is enabled, it seems that the setting of SpeedStep does not matter,

 

If Dell had bothered to implement a BIOS that could handle Speed Shift we wouldn't have these problems. Also, the BIOS does not seem to know that TurboBoost does not work without SpeedStep and C-states but happily lets you enable it even though it will never work then.

 

Speed shift doesn't do anything with speed step. Speed step functions as it should. And turbo boost without c-states is how intel designed the CPU. I do agree that it would be nice if dell included speed shift in the bios, but installing throttle stop and spending .5 seconds to enable it is fine by me. There is nothing wrong with the bios however.

 

Well, hard to compare but when I had a Lenovo ThinkPad P51 for a few monhts, I could not notice any simliar problems with lag beeing introduced by enabling SpeedStep. Now, that should be more considered and observation rather than proof of anything, but seem to be inline with other posts on the net. Also, factoring in experience from a few Dellienware BIOS updates, Dell still has some work to do to impresse me with their BIOSes.

(It should be mentioned that the P51 is a bulkier laptop compared to the XPS15 with much better cooling, although the problems I notice on the XPS really has nothing to do with long running CPU heavy operations. It is also much more expensive, manily due to Quadro GPU though.)

 

The 9560 is not flawless. A clean install of Windows 10 can help (exclude the Dell bloatware). Windows Defender uses a lot of resources.

One approach to improve performance is via free ThrottleStop. The main screen has an item labeled c0%; in idle with no programs running that should be ~1%, else you have some "rogue" background processes.

You also can run a free program like LatencyMon to identify processes that may be causing latency issues.