Slow performance, other issues.. Intel Core 2 Duo T6500

Hi all

I have a Dell Studio 15 which gives me nothing but headaches.

A few months ago I noticed that my processor seemed to be having issues with clocking. Its a Core 2 Duo T6500 @ 2.1 ghz, but it never clocked properly and refused to "run" @ full speed.

For instance, I tried loading WoW and expected the frequency to step up to 2.1 ghz, but it stayed at a mind boggling 1.1 ghz... My friend has a similar computer and his CPU would downclock when idle but go back to 2.1 ghz when he ran multiple programs or a video game.

I called Dell where I was told that processors don't break. Ever. I suggested to the tech guy that maybe disabling speed step might help, because I had turned it off earlier and I was getting 100% cpu frequency at all times but it would cause my internal temps to shoot up! Duh!

Anyway after about 4 hours on the phone with Dell, I was back to square one. I was hung up on twice and one guy put me on hold for 25 min only to tell me "its a software issue. You don't have software coverage in your warranty." With that he told me to have a good day and hung up. !

So anyway, here I am with this processor that gets 3.9 WEI for cpu rating. I know its a basic level cpu but when I get 3-5 second hang ups when I switch between 2 excel sheets.... it leads to more down time and more frustration. I don't even want to bother with calling Dell anymore because that always ends poorly (wasted 8 hrs of my life, went thru maybe 6 "technicians" and didn't get anywhere).

Is there anything I can do to fix this laptop? I did not buy this laptop for gaming (it was for school) so the test with wow was just to see whether the cpu can clock correctly (ofc it doesn't). I don't want/expect gaming performance out of this.. I just want to be able to do my work without problems while having 2-3 excel spreadsheets (with 4-5 tabs each), firefox, and Visual Studio open at the same time. If my dad's 4-5 yr old business laptop with XP can handle those things... mine should be able to as well...

Worst $1000 spent ever. On a crappy plastic covered computer.

 

enable speed step

 

Does your laptop overheat? If the CPU temp goes too high, it will start throttling to decrease heat output, thus lowering the temp. I suggest you check the temp of your CPU/GPU with Hwmonitor and see if there is any anything abnormal.

Also check your power control, power options or whatever is called in your control panel and make sure your computer is set on "maximum performance", not on something like "power saving" etc.

 

If I enable speedstep I get 1.1 ghz....

the dell guy told me to go ahead and turn on speed step... but that doesn't solve the issue because the cpu is bugged if speed step doesn't work properly in the first place...'

my cpu was overheating with speed step enabled =/ so turning it off made it even hotter. i have a cooling pad so im in the 70s during idle

 

So it's clear that your CPU is overheating, 70s on idle is definitely no good, you could be in the 90 C range under load, then throttling kicks in and your CPU clock gets halved.

When was your last time you cleaned the internal of your laptop? If you haven't recently, I suggest you get a can of compressed air and take off the backplate of your laptop, blow out dust accumulated in your laptop, that could be very likely the culprit to the whole issue.

 

I cleaned my laptop last week when I reinstalled win7 (fresh format)

prior to that I'd aired it out 2 months ago. if i take away the cooling pad the laptop shuts off cuz it hits like 100C with just firefox running lol.

 

you need to really dust it off and reapply the thermal paste

the problem with cleaning the laptops is that you need to get the heatsink out, unless you dont dust it off properly

 

Time to take off the heatsink and reapply thermal paste, those temps are ridiculously high, it seems to me that the heatsink and the CPU core are not making proper contact, it would help a lot if you could take a pic of your heatsink and possibly with CPU in it too.

Get some quality thermal paste like ICD-7(that's what i use and it works extremely well) and repaste the CPU, you don't much choice. If you are not familiar with the whole repasting stuff, check the youtube videos on how to correctly apply thermal paste.

 

Which Studio 15 do you have? There are models that have easy access to the CPU and another with bad access (aka flipping over the motherboard).

70C idle is pretty bad, I would look at repasting + cleaning out your notebook. What is your ambient room temperature?

 

My suggestion would be to bring the laptop to a DELL service, and tell them that it overheats. It would then be their problem on how and why it overheats and they should fix it for you. I guess this could also fix your speed issue and if it doesn't, you can always open the notebook when it's done and show them that it doesn't clock properly and they need to fix that too.

 

If it is out of warranty, Dell won't do anything for you but charge OOW rates.

 

True, but from what I read in the thread that guy still has his notebook under warranty.

 

What exactly should I say to Dell so they can understand the issue?

Multiple times now I've been told that I am wrong (that there is nothing wrong with my cpu) because the Dell tech runs this hilarious program (some Dell diagnostic..) that tells him that everything is working properly without issues while I'm the one here having to deal with a laptop that's a steam brick. I'm pretty sure shoddy work on their end has caused the processor to slow down because I take excellent care of all my belongings. People commend me on how nicely I've kept my books and how clean and organized my custom desktop's inside is.

The worst thing is that they keep telling me its a software issue. How in the HELL can a cpu that works slowly after reformatting hard drive be a software issue?! It might be a motherboard issue or something sure.. but to tell me its a software issue (AND THAT I DONT HAVE COVERAGE FOR IT... !) is lame and unprofessional at best.

I seriously doubt Dell gives a crap about my situation and will ever even give it a look.

 

LOL I honestly don't want to try opening the case because when I was told to open the case nobody mentioned that the touchpad connectors were attached to the main panel, so I am now without a touchpad. They guide they sent me to fix it led to me losing 2 screws (thank god I had extras) and not being able to open the case @ all. However, I don't really care about that as much... I JUST WANT MY CPU TO WORK!!!

 

warranty:

Complete Care expires8/17/2012

Next Business Day, Includes Nights/Weekends expires 8/17/2012

Limited Technical Support expires 8/17/2012

 

I mean for one, don't get flustered and curse at them. That will not help anyone.

You can try to call them up and say my laptop is overheating and give them the temperature. Or try going to Dell Chat and trying your luck with an RMA.

Or if it's an M1530, consider just opening it up and cleaning it up. It has pretty easy access to the CPU.

 

Ya ofc, I keep my cool even under stress. I have never once sworn @ them or gotten mad.

When I told the Dell rep about my temps, he asked me how I got those values and I told him that it was through HWmonitor. I think he did not believe me so he ran the Dell Support Diagnostic which either passes or fails a hardware component.... and ofc everything is WORKING (just not properly) so it passed. This, he said, was evidence that nothing is wrong with my system. Essentially, he told me to deal with it.

I have a studio 1555. Again, I don't mind opening it and messing with it, but I am just afraid I might not be able to assemble it back. Besides, I have warranty that says I can have a repair man come to my house and fix it.

HOWEVER... getting Dell to acknowledge the problem (or even give a 5 second crap and take a look @ the issue) has made me seriously doubt their integrity as a company. I know experiences vary, but how is it that I spent 8 hours dealing with buffoons?

My friends (CS/IT or IS majors like me... who have dealt with computers since childhood) looked @ my computer and we determined that it CANNOT be a software issue if even after a fresh reformat I get bad performance. It has to be either a motherboard or cpu (most likely) problem. I would rather get my money's worth (my warranty) than try and fix something on my own only to have Dell's customer support rep tell me I voided my warranty.

 

Here's the chat record that I got in gmail after my Dell experience was over yesterday... my name and the rep's name has been removed... this is the second question i asked after he helped me with the first issue (touchpad.. I still have no idea how to fix it even with the guide... idk why they don't just send people here to fix it if i have the warranty..)

05/30/2011 10:35:36AM Me: "the second one seems like it will help. i have one more question"
05/30/2011 10:35:39AM Me: "about my laptop"
05/30/2011 10:36:04AM Agent: "Sure"
05/30/2011 10:36:37AM Me: "i cleaned out all the dust and everything out of my system and even did a full clean install of win 7 but my cpu still seems to be having issues"
05/30/2011 10:36:47AM Me: "it doesn't clock its speed properly"
05/30/2011 10:37:02AM Me: "99% of the time it stays downclocked @ 1ghz"
05/30/2011 10:37:11AM Me: "1-1.2ghz"
05/30/2011 10:37:51AM Me: "my friend has a similar laptop with the same processor (intel core 2 duo t6500) and i know windows experience index isn't really the best tool for judging components, but his CPU score is a 5.1 whereas mine is 3.9"
05/30/2011 10:38:06AM Agent: "Kedar, May I know where did you receive this message?"
05/30/2011 10:38:18AM Me: "which message?"
05/30/2011 10:38:33AM Agent: "The CPU usage one?"
05/30/2011 10:38:48AM Me: "i used CPU-z and the windows resource manager to see CPU usage"
05/30/2011 10:40:24AM Agent: "Kedar, we can give you a test to run for CPU and if in case the test passes, then I am afraid there is not any issue with the system's CPU."

DERP. Ofc all the components are working... its going to pass the component... my computer passed all the tests to see if there's a problem with components... but yet here I am stuck with a 1.2 ghz processor. 57% max frequency ALL THE TIME YAY!!!!

 

Oh okay my bad Studio 1555. Looking at the Service Manual, this is one of the more difficult Studios to take apart and repaste (involves flipping over the system board).

Does it ever shutdown from the heat? That maybe your only ticket to get an RMA. I would back up your data if you haven't already.

 

yeah but only if i don't use the cooling pad. trust me I have spent like 8 hours on the phone and maybe 2 hours on the online chat with them and gotten NOWHERE. If I tell them I have heating issues they essentially tell me that I should just deal with it and move on. I was hung up on twice and I feel like I'm being trolled each time I call there. lol

i bought a 1.5tb external that i take back up on. too bad I only have like 20gb of data labor day deals ftw tho eh?

i am prolly done with dell if i can't get them to have this fixed by this weekend. pretty excited for a sager :S i think i deserve one after hell I've been through with dell's shoddy parts/service

I'm sorry if I sound like I'm being rude (I'm not rude @ all to the reps, but I'm the one who's been through hell here... and its my $1000 which I feel is being thrown down the drain).

 

You can just call them again and tell them the laptop shut down itself under load because of overheating, DO NOT even mention you got a cooler running or anything, seriously NO LAPTOP needs a cooler to make it operational. Just tell them it shut down automatically after running a program or a game for a few min.

 

All right I'll give it one last shot this Friday.

It doesn't shut off when I'm just idling unless its on for like an hour or more.

If I take it to class, it shuts off when I'm running MS Word to take notes

I'll give up an update after Friday. If I get the same crap I'm done with Dell forever.

 

I would simply make everything I can to make they see the overheating issues. When the dell rep use the diagnostic tools I would remove it from the cooler and let it overheat

 

As everyone else said, it'S throttling due to heat. Even on hot days (read 24C-26C) my i7-920xm idles at around 50C. Use canned air if you haven't already. If you have, time to disassemble repaste and take the opportunity to clean the heatsink.

If you're out of warranty, you can do it yourself. Otherwise RMA it and complain about the too high temperatures.

That too .

The issue might not be Dell but simply a dusty laptop.

 

Okay. I'll do that I guess. I don't have another computer with me so if it shuts off I can just call them back with the number they give me in case the session expires, etc.

My room is currently 70F. I have a fan running behind me (like one of those giant round ones lol). With the cooling pad right now just on this forum I have 63C. I have a cooling pad with 2 giant fans so it really helps a lot. Its not as bad as the guy I saw at a League of Legends tourney on campus who brought a box fan, put it horizontal on the floor and put his laptop on top of it.... lol it was an old asus with busted fans and he had some heavy duty cooling for it

 

Sorry to hear your story, but it seems you could organize your reasons better than telling them the temp of your CPU etc, those so called "technicians" probably don't even know there is a way to monitor the CPU temp, nor would they trust anyone who reports it.

Sometimes it's best to keep your reasons simple, just tell them it shut down itself while using a certain program or idling over a short period of time, and trust me that sounds a LOT more convincing. Don't think they could ignore the obvious fault. Good luck.

 

Man they are screwing you over... If you have a warranty, then it is their responsibility to fix the laptop if it isn't working properly. Like the guy above said, if it overheats when using it and it shuts down, then you have a problem. You don't have to use a heating pad, and even if you do, just straight out lie!!! Tell Dell the laptop is overheating, its shutting down within a few minutes of web browsing, and if they tell you to get a heating pad, tell them you are already using one.

If they still refuse, let them know you're not going to just sit back and take it. Tell them what you're going to do about it, like reporting them to the BBB, writing terrible reviews all over forums and posting their ty response emails. Don't take no for an answer, call back if they hang up, try and talk to a supervisor, and tell them the whole story again, and explain what is happening to the laptop again, and how you are not happy with how Dell has treated you. My guess is that you'll eventually get through to someone, and they will help you out and allow you to send the laptop back or they will send you a tech or something.

Goodluck!

 

if you idle at 70 , you have no thermal paste, broken fan or uncliped fan in my opinion. You should clearly send it to repair.My previous laptop was a dell with the same processor, i do not remember temperatures but fans were not kicking really much often.

 

all right I'll do that instead. i have tried talking to supervisor but again I did not really get anywhere.

to poster above me, i think my fan might be weak then as well. i hear the fan turn on but i can't really feel any heat coming out of the back. when i opened it though i mean it was spinning lol but idk why there's nothing coming out the back exhaust.

 

That sounds like dust blocking the exhaust, probably stuck between the fan and heatsink fins.

 

there is hardly any dust in the ducts

 

Most of the time, the dust isn't visible unless you separate the fan and heatink.

Here's an example of what i mean: http://forum.notebookreview.com/7526692-post14.html. This is extreme and i don't expect you to see this ever. If you already checked that, then my bad I misunderstood and the problem lies elsewhere.

 

i have not done that :S sorry

i have 1 more year of warranty which should cover this, so no way am i going to do something like that myself

i have no idea how to do it and if i mess up then i'm in a bigger puddle

 

using canned air from the outside of a laptop will only push and jam the dirt deeper into the machine.

disassembly is the only way to be sure.

 

Battle Dell support, it's still under warranty and shouldn't turn off after 1 hour of idle. They'll eventually fix it for you. Canned air can help, but at some point, as newsposter said, a disassembly will be required since it does push some of dust further in. It removes some too though.

 

You should get all flustered and curse at them and then tell them that you are acting VERY cool under stress compared to your t6500 CPU!!

 

lol maybe if i'm a little mean they'll do something about i

 

haha. No but seriously, heres what you should lie about, and I think the moderators will agree

Just tell them your problem is too much for you to actually use your computer.

Try to get them to tell you to do a test, tell them your computer has been OFF for 4 days, and tell them it shuts down before windows starts.

As long as it really does shut down because of overheating. The degree of the problem really doesn't matter, I think that is what dell support is missing. Because they probably have realized its a hardware problem, honestly, and now they are trying to cut the cost of a hardware repair by saying that its software.

 

Hmm well...

I was tweaking around in BIOS and that somehow managed to get the proper score for the CPU in WEI (5.6 cpu) and my other scores also went up (GPU from 5.1 to 6.2 lol).

However, it still has the heating issue so yeah.... and performance is still sluggish.