Vostro 1500 + 8600M GT + OC = Powerhorse!

Hello everyone

I've been reading the forums for a while now, waiting for my registration email to arrive (took ages) so I can post and share some first impressions after receiving my new Vostro sporting a 8600M GT 256MB DDR2 GPU.

I do apologise in advance if something is missing or in the wrong format, as I said above this is my very first post .

I've read a lot about the overclocking potential in this GPU and the good results people have been getting. However, I'm still quite surprised by how much performance is sitting in 8600M GT in a DELL Vostro case.

This card is a real sleeping beauty and all you have to do is wake it up! Bear in mind Dell laptops are very inexpensive and if you're looking for the biggest bang for your buck, Vostro with 8600GT is the way to go.

Let's look at some figures:

SYSTEM SPEC:
V1500 CORE 2 DUO T7250 2.00GHz,800,2M
1 Vostro 1500 15.4 WXGA True Life
1 Vostro 1500 Black cover Camera
1 2048 MB 667 MHz Dual-Channel DDR2 SDRAM (2x 1024 MB) 370-12914
1 Hard Drive 160GB Serial ATA (5400RPM) 400-13608
1 Fixed Internal 8X DVD+/-RW Drive 429-12696
1 90W AC Adapter - 2 wire 450-11466
1 Primary 9-cell 85WHr Li-Ion Battery 451-10463
1 256 MB NVIDIA GeForce 8600M GT 490-10669
1 Intel® Pro Wireless 3945 802.11a/b/g Mini-PCI Card EUR 555-11086
1 English - Vista Business 619-11439

3DMARK06 SCORES (1280x1024)

Test 1 - Straight out of the box, stock OS (Vista Business), stock driver: 3147 3DMarks

Not very impressive, but a result I've been expecting (anywhere between 3000-3300 is acceptable in Vista on stock with this card, from what I've read so far)

Now, Test 2 - With Windows XP Pro SP2 Installed, 169.09 driver, no OC: 3726 3DMarks!

Much, much better, slowly nearing 4000 with no overclocking and a DDR2 memory.

Test 3 - Settings as in Test 2, overclocked using RivaTuner 06: 4756 3DMarks!

At this point I went - Wow this is a lot! Final settings Core 635, Memory 549. Temperature in Windows 45C (no change with overclocking or not). Temperature during testing 59C max, never passed 60C, that is less than most cards get with no overclocking at all. I was actually able to push the settings to 660/559 and the system/3dmark remained stable as did the temperature. Performance increase was however minimal (4859) and I decided to tone it down a little.

I have also tried various settings in between, with memory anywhere between 450-550 and core 555-655. Every time performance increase was significant and heat emission almost exactly the same.

Overall, I am very satisfied with my purchase and I never dreamed of nearing 5000 points in 3DMark06 with a DDR2 card. I'm aware that individual laptops may still differ and your card may not OC as much, but even with half the OC I've got it's very easy to go past 4000 points, which should be enough to play games like Bioshock on High details in stock rez (mine 1280x800) and Crysis on mid/high in an acceptable resolution.

Hopefully this helps, please feel free to ask any questions

Also if you're into RPGs try out the Witcher, if you're not into RPGs try it out anyway! The CGI at the start is just mind-blowing, long as hell and very very entertaining. It's been done by an Oscar nominated CGI artist and it's quality. Well worth watching, and the game is great too . Shame the book it's based on hasn't been translated to English yet...

 

Just one question: what are the temps after heavy load on with the overclocking? This has nothing to do with the test, but actually playing a game (Oblivion or any other demanding) for like 30 minutes. I have the same system as you and while the test (3DMark 06) never raised above 60C, after 30 minutes (measured by RivaTuner) indicated 69C.

Thanks beforehand.

 

Very informative first post. Thank you Spartan82.

I guess if anybody is looking for a cheap gaming notebook, then the Vostro 1500 with 8600M GT is a very good deal.

 

Yeah the Dell Vostro 1500 is a great choice if you are on a tight budget. Those are some pretty nice scores.
Tim

 

those scores are much better than my dell. I have a better processor and mostly the same other components and am getting 3200 with the 169.04 drivers. Shouldn't my scores be better than that?

 

If you bench at 1280x800 it's no wonder you'll get a high score. Bench at 1280x1024 so you can compare it to others!

 

Awesome i think i will switch back to XP when i have time and do something like this

 

Are your numbers done on a normal startup (all sorts of background programs running) or during a clean boot? My 3DMark 06 score goes from ~3000 to ~3500 just by measuring them during a clean boot.

Edit: Measured on 1280x800 resolution.

 

He did run 3DMark06 in 1280x1024, though he did mention something about playing Bioshock on High details at stock rez of 1280x800.

 

That's the farthest overclock I've seen yet - 660/559 (even 635/549 is far above what I usually see). I'd bear in mind that 600/500 is about the highest the Inspiron 1520/Vostro 1500 can consistently get.

And I'm not sure this was at 1280x1024 resoultion. The WXGA monitor has a maximum resolution of 1280x800, so unless this was done on an external monitor it's at 1280x800 resolution. Still very good scores, but not quite as high as it appears.

 

He gets higher score than my C90S, wich is almost impossible.

The test 1 score makes sense, the rest are definetely at 1280x800. Pics or it's 1280x800

 

Quick question,
the 8600m gt easily overclocks and is stable at those speeds right?
Its not much of a risk?

I've been debating on whether to get one or not

 

Well, I ran my bench's at 1280x800, and you can see them in my sig. So I'm not sure if running it at 12x10 would be soo close.

 

ya 3700 was about what I got at 1280x800... that has to be what he's running at.

 

Man, the latest run of 8600m GT's Dell got must have been from a higher quality lot of silicon because several people are reporting GPU's at about 650MHz and memory at about 550MHz. Hard to find that it would be stable over extended periods, however?

 

Hi guys, popping in quickly to answer a few questions (still at work



STABILITY

The system was very stable at ANY setting I used including the highest O/C setting of around 660/559. From my limited knowledge, there is no risk unless your GPU/CPU gets too hot, and gets fried . Mine never exceeds 60C be it benchmarking OR games, I think I'm in a clear.

RESOLUTION

I ran the first test on Vista in 1280x1024 but the picture was too big for my screen and the edges were cut off, so the next time I did the testing I set the resolution to 1280x800 which is my laptop's native. No problems then.

GAME PERFORMANCE

I've only got one game right now and that's The Witcher as you might have guessed . Should do well as a benchmark though, recommened specs seem much higher than Bioshock's (note the resolution):

3) The following video cards should be set to run at 1024x768 with High Detail settings:
ATI RADEON X1950 XTX, ATI RADEON HD 2900 XT, NVIDIA GeForce 7800 GTX, NVIDIA GeForce 7950 GX2, NVIDIA GeForce 8800 GTS, NVIDIA GeForce 8800 GTX

Now I'm running The Witcher (awesome game especially as I'm a fan of the books as well, but I've said that already at 1280x800. 6xAF 2xAA. Settings - Most on High, Shadows and Grass - Mid, Lighting - High, Textures - High, only Viewing Distance - Mid/Low.

Framerates: 24FPS Min with loads of people and shadows on screen. Sits at around 36-40 in outside areas, tends to go up to 70-80 in smaller closed spaces with few characters. Very playable I'd say.

As always, any questions please feel free to ask and I'll do my best to respond.

 

I'm playing the Witcher as well but my settings are everything maxed out for 1280x800 with depth of field off. I don't overclock though and so far the game feels generally smooth with slight stuttering.

Since you've overclocked why didn't you crank the settings up to maximum?

 

i'm really impressed by the temp of 8600M GT, i hear reports of it rarely exceeding 60C. My 7950GTX goes up to ~85C when under heavy load, still safe though.

 

My CPU is T7250 (2MB Cache) so I'm probably losing a tiny little bit there. Also I absolutely hate any sort of stuttering when gaming and the settings I've lowered don't seem to be impacting visual quality of the game, not that I can see anyway . Might crank it up just to see how it runs though!

You didn't mention AA/AF, what's your setting?

 

Literally maxed out including AA and AF, only thing I disabled was depth of field since that has stability issues.

 

Hmm I have to say I find that very surprising, according to the game's specs there is now way in the world it will run fluently on 8600M GT 1280x800 high settings and 16AF/8AA. My current max is 70-80 indoors but min is 24-5. I'll max everything out when I get back home 2day and post the result, but I'm anticipating a drop to 13-15 in minimum FPS!

 

Ok so I've ran some tests, without O/C it's 15-16fps max settings. With O/C it's 21-25fps max settings, still far from your performance.

Can you post some screenshots of what the game looks like and the fps meter? That would be helpful.

Also, which driver version are you using?

 

Spartan,
I've the same set up as yours except 3gb ram.
I haven't overclocked yet, still nervous about the actual how to rather than worried about frying it.
Installed RivaTuner but looks confusing to me. Where did you go to learn how to use it?

 

This is my score 4336 @1280/800
oc 600/1200/500 temp reads 55C
While playing games goes up to 85c
8600gt ddr2

 

I always learn stuff on my own so I just worked it out, looks confusing at the start yes but you really only use 1 option, it's on the main page, the little triangle next to where it says customise. Select the GPU settings and move sliders . Apply and it's done!

 

My AA and AF settings were the maximum allowed under my resolution i.e. 6x and 2x. Not sure how to get fps to show ingame. I base my comments on the opening cutscene, if the trees scroll up smoothly I consider the settings acceptable and keep them even with slight stuttering in crowded areas. Driver version 169.28.

 

download free version of FRAPS to get screenshots and show fps

 

That's a decent score, around the average. I can hit around 4350 at 600/1200/500. What drivers are you using? Also, your temps seem a bit high, my rarely go above 60 C

 

Driver 169.04 old i know but very stable.
Temp seem a bit high cause i am in south africa and its bloody hot here 32c average also i am using a laptop cooler to keep temps within reason.

 

Hmm strange, I've got the exact same system and resultion and the game easily accepts 16x AF / 4x AA, no problems at all? Also try testing in a more demanding environment, a cutscene won't cut it so to say ;-).

The fight with the Beast and its pals is a very good test, there's a fiery circle, houses on fire, the Beast itself is on fire etc. My normal 24-35fps drops to about 10-12fps in high settings there . Which tells me I should lower them a little even if in other areas I'm getting 40-60fps then.

 

AA refuses to go higher for my copy, it goes up to 2x and that's it. The game engine is ridiculously slow at rendering cutscenes which is why I based performance based on the opening cutscene.

I don't do benchmarking normally and I don't have a save for the Beast. I'll try some benchmarking with Chapter 2 Swamp and lots of vodyanoi and see how that fares.

 

Have you updated the game to 1.2.? I did it straight away so I don't know what settings are available prior to update. It also speeds up loading times and fixes a lot of bugs.

 

That's a nice score although you could try to push for around 4750 and a few extra fps .

It would be nice to see someone actually running Bioshock with an 8600M GT and a score of 4300-4800. Step forward and give us some numbers please!

 

Updated to 1.2. I'll get off the forum and start gaming. Will let you know either in a few hours or when the game crashes me back to desktop (whichever comes first).

 

I'll post my Witcher fps's and settings tonight.
My 8600M GT is OC'd aswell, and getting 4.5k in 3D06 (1200x800) is easy, most of the games I've played so far run pretty much maxed. (NFS : Pro Street, Oblivion, Test Drive Unlimited, Trackmania United etc).

So yeah, it's very stable.

 

Game crashed on me as I expected, unfortunately I can't seem to see the screenshots I took with Fraps active when playing.

Anyway most users here will find my settings unplayable, swamp in chapter 2 in a storm averaged 12-13fps while Temple Quarter did an average of 20fps. I made a mistake with earlier posts, my AF setting is actually 16x and not 6x, although maxing everything out will probably cost me in really stressful environments ingame.

 

Now that compares well to my current settings O/C'd to 4758 3DMarks in 1280x800.

Temple district sits at around 31-39fps which is about the lowest I find playable and that's with all medium except textures set on highest in-game and in nvidia panel and 8xAF / 2xAA. In the canals I averaged 50-60fps with an occasional 65fps on those settings .

Outside it's an average of 36-40 fps with grass effects OFF as I absolutely hate the way it looks (not only in the Witcher but other games as well) just seems too artificial.

My stress-test which is the Beast fight proved to be fairly smooth with TPP camera (around 21fps minium) and 25+fps with isometric. It's the most demanding setting I've had in the game so far btw.

Hope this helps.

 

Guys I have a question, in Act II I received a teleportation crystal from Kalkenstein (the alchemic guy). I haven't read the description properly but I know he's mentioned something about teleporting back to his place....but I can't figure out how to use the stone.

Any ideas??

 

You might want to continue your discussion on the game itself in one of the forum "Witcher" threads, this should stay on topic on the overclocking performance.

For your question, been to a place of power lately?

 

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Thats My rig No Overclocking With gears Of War 1280x800 Keep in mind Frames drop 7-14 frames while recording

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TimeShift 1280x800



Here is My settings For the Witcher for - PC I dunno why Mine has 512mb's Of ram and all of yours only has 256mb? Correct?

 

Vostro 1500 models only come with 256MB dedicated video RAM, I have no idea why yours shows up with 512 unless you count turbocache shared memory.

I've tweaked my settings and earned an extra 2-5fps in the swamp and other demanding areas. Now I have to reinstall the game to get rid of the annoying file corruption that's breaking one quest in Act 3.

 

Actually my Vostro 1500 shows 512mb aswell .. everywhere.
It's not a bug on sysreqlab I think.

RAM is still 2gb's, so no cut from there.

 

My point being that Vostros only come in the 256MB dedicated RAM version, I'd be very surprised if all 512 video memory was dedicated since that shouldn't exist.

 

Like you mentioned, I think is the turbocache memory. My Vostro 1500 has 256MB dedicated memory and 756MB (or so) of turbocache memory.

 

Mine reads 512 as well, and my X1600XT in my desktop which is also 256MB, reads 512MB in any application.

 

Please Refer to this Post From here on out on the 512mb 8600M's and FInally SOMEONE ELSE WITH ONE HELL YEH SUCKAS WE DO EXIST <--- (im enthusiastic what can i say) XD look at the new screenshots in my thread

 

Since you cross-posted this in the Dell forum, read my most recent post in your thread for how to find out exactly how much video memory you have.

For the record, mine goes as high as 1GB video memory when I look under DXDiag and other programs, it doesn't change the fact that the card itself only has 256MB hard dedicated video memory.

 

The 8600M GT on my 1520 is not far off from OP's. I scored 4412 with a 700/1400/550 OC, but anything higher resulted in artifacts. This is quite an improvement over my out of the box score which was almost 3k, something like 299X. I installed XP SP2 and score bumped up to ~3400. Installation of the 169.04 drivers made me jump to 3600 and from there score increased only through ocing.

Crysis runs mostly at 30-40fps at 1280x1024 with everything high except shadow/shader quality (both low). Very happy with such performance from a 8600M GT DDR2. I thought I would be held back by the 5450 but as of yet I've found nothing I can't run.

Proof:

Note: I ran the test on an external monitor to reach 1280x1024. The ~4300 score in the results area is my previous score OCed at 675/1300/550.

 

Nice vids!
I saw the Timeshift one about a week ago on Stage 6
small world

 

Hey all.

I am new to the OC field. I was reading this post a few days ago and was very interested. I just recently bought a Vostro 1500.

Specs :
C2D 1.4Ghz - slow but cheap.
120gb - sata 3.0 5400rpm hdd
2GB DDR2 667 G.Skill Ram 1x2GB
8600m gt 256ddr2
Vista Home Basic 32bit
dell wireless blah blah blah

Anyway. I am running the 169.09 drivers from laptopvideo2go.com with the modded driver and inf file. Now to my question, i downloaded rivatuner 2.06 and ran it. OC the settings to 550/425. Crysis ran great. It would barely run in 800X600 with the stock gpu settings. With the OC it ran on all medium at 1280X800. I am stumped though. I ran the OC settings for 30 mins. in Crysis and all was fine. I decided to restart the notebook to see if the settings would stick. They did not. Now everytime I go into Rivatuner my OC settings go back to the defaults. I apply new clock speeds then hit okay, but then I see them go back to default. Has anyone else encountered this problem? I dunno whats up with it. I reinstalled riva twice and have had no success. I dunno if the bios is regulating the OC or what. But it worked for 30 mins. before the restart.

Any help would be greatly appreciated!

Thanks.