What replacement for overheated Core i7 Studio 1557

Hi Guys,
I have a Studio 1557 with core i7 720QM and ATI Raedon 4570 512mb graphics card. Details are in my signature below.

My machine is getting heated up a lot. Mostly I watch 1080p HD movies and occasionally gaming or photoshop.

Dell is going to offer me a replacement. Before they make their offer, I want to be very clear in my mind what I really need.

Which machine should I prefer??
i5 dual core with some graphics card
i7 620M dual core with some graphics card
i7 720QM, which I already have.

Which series....Studio 1558/1557 or Studio-XPS?

My current machine plays Full HD flawlessly, the only issue is heating and this is a very big issue for me.

 

They are likely to send you a 1558 to replace your 1557. Go for the same 720qm or 620m. The 620m runs a little cooler and should have no problem running FHD vids.

 

I am a bit scared about having core i7 720QM again.

After getting multiple replacements, I could say that only heatsink replacement took my machine's temperature down(only for few weeks), not the motherboard or the processor replacement.

I am afraid core i7 720QM would make new machine heat as well.

 

I have a 1558 w/i7, temp are usually 60 at high performance, 70 under load. 50 if i'm running on balanced with graphics on power conservation

 

Sounds good, what is the usual temperature of your room?

 

Varies by the outdoor temp since I tend not to use the A/C, but at present it's around 80-85F, at nights 65-75F depending. The temps quoted in my prior reply were in Celsius. I'm also subject to NYC area heat and humidity.

 

Hi woofer00,
You maximum temp room temperature is 30C and minimum is 13C.

For me maximum room temperature is 40C and minimum is 25C. My Idle CPU core temperature is 60C. At load my CPU core reaches 95C and GPU 102C. This is too much..

 

each newly replaced heatsink makes Idle/normal temp to go down upto 60C, which again rises upto 80C in a month....again Dell sends a new heatsink....and so on...

I am now afraid of core i7 720QM. I think it is not good in my case as my ambient temperature reaches upto 40C.

I go crazy when I feel a lot of heat while using machine on my lap.

 

Here's half the problem. Running a laptop with a discrete GPU on your laptop is a recipe for discomfort.

 

Guy, does Dell's replacement policy is country specific?

Dell is offering me a NEW SYSTEM, but with the same i7 configuration. I asked them to either downgrade me to Studio 1558 with an i5 processor or give me a refund. Dell guy on phone has checked this with his supervisor and his supervisor comfirmed with his boss as well.

The their final word is that the system configuration cannot be modified(may be because they are still making studio 1557) and refund cannot be offered for a 6 months old system. I can fight more for a refund, but I was more interested in getting studio 1558.

Please advice me....

 

You'll get the same model back unless that model is no longer produced or there's a design issue with the new laptop. You can't trade up for free just because you're unhappy with the old laptop and haven't exhausted your options. That's just bad business.

 

What I understand from your reply that I should accept the replacement which is the same configuration what I currently have (1557 with core i7).

I believe that the cause of heating is core i7 processor. What are the chances that there will be no further heating issues with new system??? This question keeps bugging me....

 

Hi wecaz,

I'm not sure what is possible but if Dell offer you 1558, just take it. If it is possible, to be safe take i7-620M instead. If it were me, I'm going to stick with current configuration, i7-720QM. 1558 is almost similar with our 1557 except the chipset (HM55) & the range of Intel Core CPU. The graphic card in 1558 also not that superior than our 4570 512MB GDDR3. I believe the HM55 chipset in 1558 also contribute to better temperature. PM55 chipset in our 1557 is very basic chipset. Well, I'm personally think you deserve notebook replacement. History teach us that any GPU that easily reached 1XX celcius is going to breakdown one day (sooner than later) because of the heat. This is not just simply unhappy because things not goes like you want, you're unhappy because of the figure (temp) & it is reasonable.

To summarize; after two times (or more?) replacing the motherboard, I think you deserve notebook replacement. I vote 1558 with i7 CPU.

 

But they are offering 5470 1GB GDDR3, isn't it?

Dell has given me only one option, the same configuration which I already have. No downgrade to i5, No refund!!
Now what??

 

Yes. 5470 (lower middle class DirectX 11) is not that good but still OK because of the 1GB GDDR3. Maybe you get ATI Mobility Radeon HD 545v (DirectX 10.1) (found on several Dell Studio configuration) instead which also not that good. Both have Memory Bus Width only 64bit. Make sure you get 5470 because it slightly better than 4570. I heard it much cooler too (read it in 1558 owner thread).

No choice then. I don't want to suggest you but if I were you, I will accept the offer. At least I will get "new" 1557 notebook. I hope it is not consist of refurbished parts. I think 1557 heatsink is too small. I'm going to mod it after my warranty expired.

 

Expecting a downgrade, which is essentially an entirely different laptop, or a refund, when you're outside the refund window, is unreasonable. Their first obligation is to replace what you've got with the exact same thing or at least restore you to what you first purchased. You can't get a 4-cylinder Camry if you think your V6 isn't running so well. The company will keep trying to replace it or fix it until it's a lemon, which is usually around 4 attempts and failures.

From my perspective, I suspect that there's some external factor that's causing the laptop to heat up. The replacements did bring the heat down, but it went back up later. Are you in a particularly warm climate or dusty environment? Do you use a notebook cooler? Are you running on high performance all the time?

 

Your comments are quite correct. I appreciate that. My first overheat complaint was within first month of laptop usage. Does that count? How long is the refund window, anyways?

My room temperature lies between 25-35C. Dust is minimal inside the room where laptop is used and kept.

No, I don't like them.

High performance for 2-3 hours everyday. CPU usage mostly less than 10% which includes always running bittorent client. Heatsink and Fan replacement only brings CPU, GPU idle temperature down to 60C, but on load CPU,GPU temperature reaches upto 95C(with or without replacement). GPU also reaches upto 102C while gaming.

 

Hey, I had the same overheating problems with my Studio 1557, eventually when they offered a replacement I asked for the Core i7 620M instead of the 720QM, they had no problem with that. They told me it was a downgrade, but they let me do it.
The 620 operates way cooler and I have had no overheating, shut down, BSOD issues with it since I got it.

You should force the issue with them as your laptop was never fit for the purpose intended. You should not have to purchase a laptop cooler to be able to use your laptop normally on a daily basis. I did, but eventually I was getting overheating issues on my 1557 even with the laptop cooler.

Here's what I found when I got my 1558:

The Core i7-720QM sits around 50-60 degC and draws 15W at idle
The Core i7-620M sits around 45-50 degC and draws 6W at idle

The Core i7-720QM maxed out at 88 degC and up to 55W under full load
The Core i7-620M maxed out at 80 degC and up to 28W under full load

All figures from CPUID Hardware Monitor.

I find the Core i7-620M much cooler and a lot more stable than the 720QM, I had a lot of overheating problems with my Studio 1557 720QM.

Also, they only offer the 5470 with the 720QM now as it draws less power than the 4750, so at least you should get that in your system if they will not allow you to downgrade the processor. I would fight them on it, a downgrade would make you a happier customer and would be cheaper for them in the long run.

 

@kgh00007,
It was your good luck. In my case I spend a lot of time on two different days. Dell guy clearly ruled out any option of downgrading. He said I will get exactly the same hardware unless Dell has stopped making it. Even in this scenario, Dell can only upgrade, never downgrades the system. I had no option but to agree.

I will get a NEW system. It will take 45 days due the paperwork involved.

 

If you push really hard and have a long history of overheating issues and hardware replacements due to the overheating issues, they might bend the rules, depending on the CSR you get. However, you'd need more than just two replacements (more like 4-5) and documented and consistent complaints. IIRC, you've replaced the HS twice so far, so it might be short of that.

 

Hey man, I was just trying to help, keep at them, ask to speak to somebody higher up, it is totally unreasonable for them to expect you to wait 45 days for a replacement.

I was on the phone for a lot longer than two days, I was in contact with them constantly over a period of 5 months due to the constant overheating issues with my 1557. Just keep at them if you are concerned about the replacement offered. Keep requesting somebody higher up until you get what you consider to be a satisfactory resolution. Let them know what it would take for them to retain you as a customer, and see if they can deliver.

Good Luck.

 

Hi wecaz, any update on this matter? Did you get a replacement?

 

Sorry for replying so late. I was on work related travel. I received an email that my laptop will be picked-up by Dell soon. And they will order a new one as soon as they receive the old one.

The bad thing is, there will be 1-2 difficult weeks I guess, when I will have no laptop.