Dell Studio 1557

well i called the dell support and they told me tht i should use my cd drive once in a while so tht the mechanical parts of it works properly...(iam getting a replacement by the way....)
even i think 90w power adapter might be ok for the system...(by the way i dont know how to detect the power consumption and how the system gets throttled and all...)
my system is also a fast powerful one while 3d modelling and rendering(astonishingly fast- almost twice as a core 2 duo 2.4ghz xps system)
for application performance i would give 9/10 mrks
i had compared it with a 1558 also which one of my friend has , is a lil cooler than 1557 model(may be due to 5470gfx card) but the funny thing was that it was getting lower scores 3dmark06 and cinebench10 and all( i know its not a real world test ) but the latest driver updates(10.5,10.6) by ati made it a slightly better position.
1557 may not be a good gaming laptop, i think only problem i faced was while playing gta4 where both cpu and gpu was stressed (because of gta's coding i guess).but i played assassin's screed 2 with full settings without any problem.

only major problem which now iam facing is the freezing up of the system.. (iam happy tht it didnt happen for last 3 days may be kizwan's way of resetting the EC helped me - fingers crossed )

 

Download HWiNFO32 3.55.815 Free - An application designed to give you information about your hardware - Softpedia
this tool shows how much current in watts is consumed by cpu at various tasks.. check out

 

Hi, is anyone using an external eSATA hard dirve on their 1557? If so can you recommend which drives work with WIN7 64 bit please?
There seems to be much confusion in the press adn on manufacturers sites(Iomega in particular) as to whether drives will work or not.

Thanks in advance, John

 

hello all
i think my system gets freezed up while iam downloading files with utorrent and idm (atleast 3 files at the same time... usually some videos on youtube__ but i ll close the browser after i gave the idm the files to download) together.. both will be downloading quite fast.
sometimes it gets freezed up..
iam using a wired internet connection getting band width of around 3.4 mbps
using idm 5.19
any idea wats causing.. ???
note: i only saw this happpen while iam downloading some files... thts y ..

 

Hi johncuk,
I am using Lacie d2 quadra external 2TB edition flawlessly. Try your luck

 

Thanks Wecaz. As this is the only recommendation I've had on here and other forums plus it is on my shortlist, I'll go with this. John

 

System is preforming great here

Been doing alot of file conversions lately... blazin fast!

My bother got mad cuz my laptop can convert a AVI to DVD format twice as fast as his "kick a55" desktop



LMAO!!

 

Have you performed a clean install of the OS? This eliminated my OS freeze up eventually. I think it only froze twice since the clean install and that was months ago. It's perfect now...

 

Hi again guys,

I've had my mobo replaced twice on 2 seperate issues (failed bios, overheating) and now *2* new issues are there. I haven't contacted dell yet, because I don't want to go through their stupid "just replace the whole mobo and see what happens" approach. Here are my issues:

1) I run windows 7 ultimate (and have been much longer since this issue started) and when ever I try to wake the laptop up from sleep, the display does not turn on. I have no clue what causes this. The backlit keyboard turns on but the display does not turn on at all without a force restart.

2) My HDMI out is not working on my TV. It's worked previously on my tv fine, and the cable still works with my ps3. My 40-inch Samsung ln-t4065f lcd tv says "not supported mode" on the screen. I see the display and have it enabled on my computer but it still doesn't work.

FYI: I have the latest BIOS (A06) and the newest graphics card drivers (the ones that the dell support page claims are the newest)

I'm open to try almost anything to fix these issues.

Thanks!

 

Hi,
Probably a little late in asking but any comments regarding CCC Ver. 10.6 as I have not seen it mentioned in this thread yet. OneCool are you happy with this release and does it install without any probs. I have heard that others have had problems when trying to install this version. Is it worth the upgrade as I am still using CCC Ver. 10.3.

 

I'm using CCC ver. 10.6 & it works fine. Installing it also very easy. HDMI GPU Scaling also works great with my external LCD. 10.7 is coming at the end of this month.

 

Kizwan, thanks for the info.
I will probably wait and go straight to 10.7 in a week or so, updates appear to be a lot more frequent lately.
Regarding the install did you uninstall the previous version first or just install over the previous version.

 

I just install it on top of the previous version. The installer detect the new driver is not installed yet & automatically select it for installation. In game experience, tested with CNC4, it slightly improved the graphic (or maybe I just want to feels that way...LOL). I don't know if I missed the HDMI GPU scaling feature in the previous version but with 10.6, it works great with my Samsung SB2330H monitor.

 

@techifan Unless your having some issue with a game or something then just wait until the 10.7 drivers.

I think they are going to release them on the 26-27th of this month.


I will say that the 10.3 release was the best IMO

 

anyone experiencing any performance improvements with the new catalyst 10.7 drivers??

 

I havnt had time to really test them but I see no real difference in them and the 10.6s

I think maybe the people that have the 5xxx series will see some difference...I guess.


P.S. Has anyone flashed to the new A07 BIOS yet?Just seen them on dells site.

 

i ve umy pdated to a07 .. havent noticed any diff so far.. and listed fixes wer not so relevant..

 

Hi Everyone,
I'm gonna attempt to read through the whole topic(wish me luck!)

Before I do..

I got my 1557 (i7 720,6gb ram,1080p,w7 64bit) right at the start, ever since then I have been using it non-stop

Couple of problems I have had since getting it

-power supply is really really hot and on the wire coming out of the PSU the plastic covering the wires has snapped off exposing the wires.
-firewire socket doesn't work with HDV camcorders (i had to buy a firewire ExpressCard)
-sd card reader can't read any sd-hc cards I try (different brands), bought a card reader instead
-subwoofer has never worked (I think), although i mostly use headphones

Before I read through the whole topic can anyone advise me if there was been any major updates (bios, hardware, etc) since the 1557 first came out that I should have got or any tips/tricks for making my 1557 better.

I should add I have the full dell 3yr support package but have yet to use it

Thanks!!

 

hello guys
its been a while.. any way i came across this..
AMD releases ATI Stream SDK v2.2 with OpenCL 1.1 support
does this have much effect on our ati mobility platform ...

 

I've tried to install the ATI Catalyst Driver 10.7 and got to following msg

Could not load file or assembly 'CLI.Implementation, Version=2.0.3748.36820, Culture=neutral, PublicKeyToken=90ba70f846762e' or one of its dependencies. The located assembly's manifest definition does not match the assembly reference. (Exception from HRESULT: 0x80131040)

I have no idea what it means or how to fix it......

I'd really appreciate if someone could help me on it!!!

thx

 

Where did you see this message? Did it pop-up during installation or just in Event Viewer? Can you open the Catalyst Control Center?

Try uninstalling all Microsoft .Net Framework & re-install just Microsoft .Net Framework 4 Client Profile. Then reinstall 10.7. Or you can try this solution.

 

Anyone have tried Mafia II Demo? Very interesting game with hidden bonus (playmates pictures). Anyway, this is my 3DMark06 score with ATI Catalyst 10.7, GPU (OC) Core Clock 740MHz & Memory Clock 860MHz.

I dare all 1557 owner to post their scores.

 

Here ya go

ORB - Compare

Core = 730
Gpu mem = 950


Not bad but with the 10.3's I can break 5000

 

I will try this settings & see if I can get the same scores.

 

@OneCool, I can't set memory clock to 900 or more. ATI driver will crashed. Did you increase the voltage? What tool did you use? I'm using RivaTuner at the moment.

 

I see the biggest difference is my res while running the bench.

Im not a PRO user so 3dmark chooses the res for me.


Try setting your res in the benchmark to 1280x768 and run it.


Im using this to overclock http://event.msi.com/vga/afterburner/images/MSIAfterburnerSetup160Beta4.rar

 

I see. I just run 3DMark06 with default setting. I didn't know that the resolution can be different on mine. My Studio connected to external monitor though. The fact that you can set memory clock to 950 made me want to kill...my cat. Fortunately, I don't have a cat. The most stable OC I can set are GPU Clock 800 & Memory Clock 880. Highest 3DMark06 I got so far is 4282. Funny, it managed to score 4304 with Catalyst 10.2 without OC if I'm not mistaken. I'll try again with your tools & maybe reinstalled old Catalyst driver.

I wonder, was just you & me played games & OC on our great Studio 1557?

 

I changed the resolution to 1280x768 with Core set to 800 & Memory set to 880. This is the result I got.

 

Yeah that looks closer to mine.

I knew I wasnt that far from you


When I was using rivaturner I couldnt OC my memory past 890mhz but with MSI Afterburner 161 I can hit 950 easy.

Just remember after you install Afterburner dont open it until you modify the CFG file in programs (where you installed it).

 

whats the difference between
High Definition Audio 2.2 & Soundblaster X-Fi Hi Def Audio

 

both are basically audio drivers.the HDA 2.2 is the driver by realtek for their audio chips which is kinda standard on intel boards and x-fi hi def audio is the same by creative for the x-fi compatible boards.x-fi stands for extreme fidelity.
btw if u r asking this coz u want to know whether u should buy that creative x-fi MB audio software from dell,my answer would be NO.i bought it and now i think the idt driver is good enough and gives realistic sound. i think i wrote the same in the mssg.

 

for more info on the creative x-fi audio cards and software,u can visit :
Sound Blaster X-Fi - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

and about that realtek HDA 2.2,they must have upgraded the audio chip with a better one from realteks lineup.

 

AC'97 - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia thats for ur high definition audio 2.2

 

I still can't past 880 on memory clock. The ATI driver just crashed when I run 3DMark06 test. I think this is because at my place right now it is too hot (37C). Even the air is hot. When you set the memory clock set to 950, did artifacts appeared on your screen? Since with Catalyst 10.2 (desktop version) I can scored higher, I think I will reinstalled it later. I don't want the GPU to be throttled too much. Let it burn in hell.

 

hey i came across this..
AMD releases ATI Stream SDK v2.2 with OpenCL 1.1 support
AMD releases ATI Stream SDK v2.2 with OpenCL 1.1 support
does this have much effect on our ati mobility platform ...

 

I don't know. It is a development kit. Until someone develop something useful from it, I don't think it will effect our mobility performance. This kinda like CUDA for NVIDIA when they first announced about it...I think. So, if I'm right, this feature is for future product. AFAIK, OpenCL is not widely use in major OS. Even on Mac OS X, you need to enable it first (hidden feature).

 

any real examples where the present cuda helps in performance gain...

 

All stock with the new 10.8 drivers

ORB - Compare

 

It improved the visual performances. I didn't owned any NVIDIA right now, so it difficult for me to explain it to you. But you can visit these websites:-
CUDA Toolkit
CUDA ZONE
CUDA WIKI
As you can see, it started with development kit, just like OpenCL right now. Since our 4570 is based on old GPU, I don't think we can benefit anything from OpenCL. I bet 5000 series will benefit from this. Just my theory.

EDIT: I already query about this on hardwareheaven forum. Maybe the OP know more about this.

 

Wow! It reduced the scores significantly. I'm going to update to 10.8 today & will post the result soon. I think you can improved the scores if you run 3DMark06 at night where ambient temperature is much cooler.

EDIT: I see. All stock. No OC.

 

Catalyst 10.8. No overclock.

 

Another new BIOS

A08

I havnt had any problems with this?

 

I got fed up with the bsod happening every few hours, sometimes even when msn was the only thing running, just sent my laptop back to the depot. Hopefully they fix the issue.

 

My 1557 has been a trustworthy notebook to date, I reluctantly gave it to my daughter having replaced it with an Alienware m15x. Thanks for all the info in this thread.

 

Well I got my laptop back from the depot today, along with a paper that says my cpu fan, heat sink, and system board, and palm rest were replaced. Ive been using my computer for a couple hours with everything on and havent experienced any crashes so far. Also my fan isnt constantly going crazy.
And best of all my subwoofer is actually working now, the speakers sound so much better now, its not all highs the sub rounds the sound out so nicely. Its actually powerful enough to vibrate the palm rest a little bit.

 

I have an urgent question about the replacement of studio 1557 core i7. Dell is offering me the same configuration as a replacement for overheated system. I need some good advice.....

Here is my thread.

 

Hi guys, I found a tweaked driver for ATI Mobility GPU called Xtreme-G. Currently only ver 10.5 available. I haven't tested it yet but I'm going to later. We'll see if I can increase the 3DMark06 Score.

(Not related to tweaked driver I mention above)
I played a couple of games & collected several data:-

Code:

 SC2 1280x720 Medium
 Campaign - 26 - 39 FPS
 Temp - CPU 51 - 78 Celcius
        GPU 60 - 102 Celcius

 Bad Company 2 1024x768 Medium
 Single Player - 23 -28 FPS
 Temp - CPU 51 - 70 Celcius
        GPU 57 - 93 Celcius

The 102 Celcius is actually a spike. The actual range are 80 - 90 Celcius when playing above games. Thanks to the fan which contained the temperature in the range. I think we can lower the temperature a little bit by undervolting the GPU using AMD GPU Clock Tool. However I don't know whether this tool support our 4570 or not since I haven't tested it yet. LOL.

 

I have this laptop (specs in my sig) and for the most part I really like it, it's fast and responsive.

But I've had a serious problem with it overheating and the power cutting out, particularly when it's on my bed (but even on a flat surface sometimes).

I've already had my fan and heatsink replaced before. Should I have them replaced again? Are there any software fixes?

Please advise as it's kinda ruining my experience with this laptop, and I like it otherwise. Thanks.

 

Whether you like it or not, put your notebook at top of cooling pad when you use it on bed. Bed surface can suffocate your notebook. You don't have to plugged in the cooling pad (to USB port) at all if you don't like it. At least it provide better air flow underneath the notebook. This notebook have serious flaw on the casing design. The bottom of this notebook too low to allow good air flow. And the high power consumption by ATI 4570 doesn't help at all. Yes, I like this notebook too.

 

My old laptop (Inspiron 6400, 2ghz core 2 duo, 2 gig ddr2 ram, x1400 ati radeon mobility 256 GB) could be used on a bed all day and night without issue, and besides, like I said, the Studio 1557 will occasionally bug out even on a table surface...

I'm getting a sense of the Xbox 360 'RROD' about this laptop, like the innards and heat management are not properly designed at all.

So what's the fix, that there's no fix? Do you think if I raised a stink with Dell that they'd send me out a brand new, updated Dell Studio, with the problem fixed? It's a great laptop really, other than this one issue - bit like the 360 then, ha!