Horrible xps 1530 performance

I purchased a 1530 (t8300, m8600gt, 3 gigs ram) at the end of the summer. The performance on games always felt lower than it should be, but i never worried about it. Lately though I've been trying to sort out the problem, and after updating my drivers and using Les' vista optimization guide I decided to get the 3d mark 06 scores. After seeing scores around 4500-5000 for my system I was pretty surprised to see my score of 1100, though it makes sense with the performance i've been getting in games (mostly company of heroes). Anybody have any ideas on what could be bogging down my system so much? Does is sound like its something driver or software related, or could faulty hardware be to blame?

 

1) Video drivers (laptopvideo2go.com)

2) SmartClose 1.1 (google it)

3) Performance Battery Mode

4) Virus Scan (AVG free)

5) Complete Re-install


That's a nice simple course of action. You should follow it. If one step doesn't improve the situation move to the next.

 

There have been GIGANTIC threads of TONS of problems with the XPS 1530 lol I am surprised its still selling like hotcakes! (credit the 20-30% off coupon codes!)

 

Wow that really helps the OP. Well done ;-P

 

yes but for all those complaining, there are many more whose XPS 1530's have ran fine and just havent spoken about it too much, like mine.

 

lol - you already covered everything

 

Start by telling us what driver your running.
Push the "windows key" and "r" at the same time then type in "dxdiag" and click ok, on the second tab it should show you your driver version; post that here.
Also download gpu-z and check your clocks with it,
and as 72hundred suggested make sure you have your power plan set to performance.

 

Hmm, so my driver version is 7.15.0011.7914 from laptopvideo2go. I ran gpu-z and in the first tab it shows the gpu clock, memory and shader all running at the default speed, but in the sensor tab it shows the core clock at 275 and the memory at 301, not to mention the card is idling at 84 degrees C! I'm assuming there's major dust buildup or something bogging it down; is there a way to safely open up the laptop and clean it out?

oh, and its set to performance power plan

 

Ok. Well your gpu is pretty hot, as you know, it's probably downclocking.

If you can get your hands on one, a can of compresed air should clean any built up dust from the vents. A hoover apparantly works for some people too.
When gaming your laptop should be placed on a flat hard surface with the back elevated or, even better, on a notebook cooler.

Here's a link to disable powermizer to stop your gpu from downclocking:
http://forum.notebookreview.com/showthread.php?t=261929

It'd be a good idea to get those temps under control first though.

 

Call dell for a replacement.
If you're downclocking from overheating then
not even your fans or a laptop cooler can save you.

 

my first thought was "did u install a driver?" lol. check to see if your video card is downclocking. do so from riva tuner. also this may sound stupid, but is your power settings set to high performance?

 

update your bios so your fan can run all the time

 

Well I cleaned out all the vents and did that trick to prevent the downclocking so the gpu temp hovers around 90C. Since its totally clean and its running that hot there must be some manufacturing defect with the heatsink or something. I think i'll call Dell tomorrow and try and get a replacement since it is running way too hot. With the basic warranty are they likely to give me a replacement?

 

Cleaning out the vents would really require taking the chassis apart. Is this what you did?

Also you could consider applying Arctic Silver paste. Its a more advanced doable if you're slow and meticulous) where you apply an adhesive paste between the GPU and the heatsink. However, this is an advanced technique, and if done incorrectly could completely fry the laptop (unrepairable).

 

That is why he is calling dell. Besides, you dont take the chassis apart, you just open the bottom part where the gpu,cpu and heatsink are available and just blow air on to those vents...


Yes, the basic warranty cover that.
Tell them you're overheating and you're using CPUID Hardware monitor to check the temps, Dell Reps freak out when you know about 3rd party programs...

 

if you bought it at the end of the summer they BETTER replaace it lol. thats really really weird though 1100 3dmark? is your a DDR3 as well?

 

It is a 256 DDR3 card. I just sent off the email to dell so hopefully I can get quick service. I use this laptop for school (and games at home of course!) so hopefully I can get a quick turnaround or I can keep my HD or something.

I did take out the covers when I cleaned out the dust and there was pretty much none there anyways so it has to be a manufacturing problem.

I'm so excited to finally pay company of heroes without dealing with ****ty slowdown and quality.

 

yeh, your GPU is downclocking because of temperature. I advise updating your system BIOS to the latest version, get the dell recommended GPU driver and do the cleaning out vent thing.

If this problem still persists, your best bet is to contact tech support and try for a replacement. That or you can try a notebook cooler first to see how well that works.

 

If you're applying thermal paste in a laptop, use TX-2 or MX-2 since it's not conductive and doesn't have the potential to fry parts. It's reviewed as being cooler than AS5 anyway.

 

We've had quite a few of them through our IT department... they are quite decent machines.

They are not idiot-proof and thus the wrong user or the right combination of bad conditions can make any laptop malfunction.

To be quite blunt, I think the OP has a defective unit.
Here's hoping Dell recognizes it right away and replaces it.

 

Just wanted to report that after dell replaced my mainboard, heatsink, and fan my heating problems are now over, and i hit a much more normal 3dmark 06 score of 4600+. Thanks to all you guys who helped me troubleshoot!

 

Great to hear you're back in action!