i got a dell XPS M1710 Its been overheating lately (gpu kissing 90) and shutting down i blew out the air vents and got tons of dust out but its still running hot. I figure its got a lot of dust up on the heat sinks and the like. That seems to be the main problem i noticed cruising the threads here. Its under warranty still so i called dell to come out and dust it, ect. They said they'd do that and replace the fans/heatsink, ect. I guess that's fine, but when i asked if they use AS5, or if they would if i provided them with some, the guy said they dont because it can cause shorts in laptops or something ... is this true?
I asked what they use and he said thermal pads and some kinda paste combo.. thermal pads generally suck, if theyre replacing all this wouldn't AS5 be the best bet? or can it really cause problems. If its being taken apart and switched up id really prefer the guy slapping some AS5 on there even if i gotta buy it.
someone else sugested offering to use AS Ceramique since that should be non conductive, but ive never used that before. My main concern is that if theyre taking it all apart i dont want pads and their junk back on there, because i always thought pads suck.
can the silver really cause a short?
Also i was thinking that maybe i dont want them replacing the fans. Im pretty sure they use refurbished junk with the parts, wouldn't it be better to leave the old fans that worked fine in there, instead of risking some broken piece of junk being slapped in?
i called them over a week ago before going on vacation and they said i couldn't set up an apointment more than a week out so i had to wait till i got back. I just got home today and am waiting for some sugestions before i call them and set this up
Is there a guide available anywhere showing how I am supposed to renew the thermal paste on these laptops (I have 1645 in particular). I heard it can have a great deal of effect on temperatures.
For those who replaced stock paste with AS5, without making any other alterations how significant was your temperature decline (average CPU and GPU decline).
I recently replaced the thermal compound on my CPU and GPU (8600M GT) with some Arctic Cooling MX-3 and to my disappointment I noticed that my GPU temps seem to be ~3C higher than before (with stock thermal compound).
Since I've read other posts in which other M1530 owners had positive results when changing the thermal paste I was expecting to see at least a 1-2C drop on my gpu temps. I've done this many times on my previous desktop computers and this never happened before.
I tried various methods of applying it but so far I had no luck in bringing my temps back. Before applying MX-3 my GPU used to idle at 58-62 and now it reaches 65 when the fan kicks in and drops it to about 52. Likewise, GPU load temps go beyond 70-71 which did not happen before.
Dell replaced my motherboard and heatsink for a second time due to heat issues. In the last couple of days, I've noticed it's climbed yet again.
I'm now going to try Artic Silver 5 to see if that'll be up to the job, in a last ditch before I have to get Dell out here again (I'm not impressed with this at all).....................................
i did some tests before and after applying artic silver to both my cpu and my gpu, here are the results:
Stock cooling temps :
GPU max: 81C CPU0 max: 75C CPU1 max: 76C
( the photo was actually incorrect, as i found it was from when i was testing overclocking setups )
then i opened up my lappy and applied some AS5: CIMG0676.JPG CIMG0677.JPG CIMG0679.JPG
and finally my temps are with the new AS5: temps artic cooling.jpg
( wut? them CPUs are the only ones feelin it :P )
now the air that goes out of the vent is really hot, this did not happen with the stock dell cooling paste.
i just applied it, so should take 200 hours to take full effect
*Update*
After about 190 or 200 hours of use, my temps are really the same... i dont know if it could be winter, because in winter my house gets a bit warmer.. i will, however, try to get to the same room temperatures i had back then and do the stress test
*Update (again )*
After removing and re-applying the AS5, i found out what i was doing wrong:
1- i did not put enough AS5, it needed a bit more for the heat assembly to have perfect contact
2- i did not put enough pressure on the GPUs screws because i was afraid of breaking it
After doing this i find that on the first stress test i get 3 or 4 C lower temps ( from 82 to 79 C ) il do some more stress tests and update the temps.
The silver trim that runs around the border of the case is starting to wear away and pit around where my palms rest. Is this something covered by warranty? And if not is it reasonably affordable / simple to fix?
The main reason I wanted this computer was for it's looks, so the fact that it's already starting to form visual defects is really, really annoying.
Well the black keyboard that comes on the 9400/E1705 is a tad bit too loud for my taste. I was thinking of swapping it out for the M1710 keyboard, if its any quieter. At least mine here on the 9400 you can hear a mile away if you're typing away, and the "Enter" key is especially noisy.
I was giving my 1645 a nice cleaning when I noticed a depression on the left hand side palm corner. The black of the palm rest actually sinks below the the silver trimming. Is this normal? is it supposed to be flush? Does it mean I need yet ANOTHER part replaced on this damn laptop?
Is there any way to preserve finish of the Sony Vaio FW, particularly on the mouse buttons and where the palm-rest is, I hear the silver stippled paint finish wears away leaving bare white plastic underneath.
Is there a skin or plastic screen cover that you guys use or recommend to prevent this or hide defects?
I recently picked up this bad boy for just $744 (after 12.3% bing cashback (Google it if you don't know what it is)).
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Has anyone heard any other issues with this laptop?
It has the 1600x900 screen which I've heard some criticism of (I heard something about it having a one-lamp "eco" screen) but I don't know if that applies to the model I bought or how good the eco screen is.
If I can get a skin that is precut for that laptop's dimensions in particular (nothing fancy, just black would be good), that would be awesome.
I'm considering this skin, but it's not precut, and I don't know how good it is...
Just performed a successful XP downgrade on my Vaio Z520, but have noticed that on this copy of the Vaio Silver Desktop Theme/Appearance doesn't exist.
I had it on my SZ and loved it over the XP Blue. Is there a way to get it back? I still have the restore discs from the SZ.
I'm so disgusted with Dell. I bought one of the Vostro 15" laptops when they first came out. Less than 2 years later the motherboard goes out. Last Christmas (2008), I bought my daughter a 13" XPS. It cost me about $1,000. 16 months later the mother board goes out on it and Dell wants $400 to fix it. Either I have the worst luck in the world when it comes to laptops or there is a problem with Dell's QC. My brother bought a cheap Toshiba 5 years ago and it still works fine. I'm not sure what to do about my daughter's laptop. Is it worth $400 to fix it?
Does anyone know of any plans for Dell to release an 18 inch laptop PC like many others have done so already such as Sony, HP, Toshiba, etc. If so, when will they be released....
Has anyone else had duplicate laptops for one order sent?
Now, this is the story. My old Inspirion died so I decided to buy a new one, 1525. I ordered it on the 12 February and was told it would be delivered by the 28 February.
On the 17th I am sent an email saying parts to my laptop aren't available - minor parts, the colour I wanted and the free bag colour. I check the online status and it has gone from Shipped from Factory to cancelled on the 19th.
I call Dell to ask why they cancelled my order without telling me, they tell me someone will call me back. No one does.
I get an email on 23rd February saying that my laptop has been upgraded due to parts not being available, 250GB hard drive from 160, Windows Office (never ordered it!), red instead of brown and it will be manufactored asap. A new order number is generated and everything.
On the 24th, my original laptop order is delivered to my work. With both the laptop colour and bag I ordered that apparenetly wasn't available.
On the 28th, I get an email saying the 2nd laptop is shipped. I am away so can't call them so I email them requesting they do not send it. However this second laptop was delivered on 2 March. I call Dell, they don't believe me and according to them the 1st laptop does not exist. They say they will call me back. They don't. However on 4 March, courier calls me to organise a date for the pickup.
I receive an email that day when I get home with a third order, I look at the order status, its the same as the second laptop. I get an email today, the 6th, saying its shipped from the factory.
Everyone I've talked to at Dell do not think my first laptop exists and I can't understand why they are sending me this third one. I don't know what to do, no one at customer service listens to me. There has been only one charge on my credit card.
What if you sent it back because it was defective? Will they strip the working parts and use it in their next new laptop build, or will it go into their spare parts collection?
I'm curious to hear what experiences you all have had with laptops from Dell Outlet (looking at Latitude D630). Was it a scratch-and-dent, refurbished, previously ordered new, etc.?
I would upgrade to 3-year Pro Support and Warranty and buy additional accessories (docking station, router, etc.).
Is it worth the risk? Will they take it back no questions asked or do I have to pay 15% restocking fee? (Dell was ambiguous about this).
Why is it when I play Freedom fighters on my M1710 that it seems to play it at 3x the speed? Its like a video in fast forward. I remember Splinter Cell used to do this on my old 8600, why the hell do games do this and what can I do to fix it?
notice that many people on dell forums are complaing about a very large delay in shipping certain computers.
I know the XPS laptops are being delayed right now. So Make sure that you know if your model will be affected by the delay.
Mothers computer had been ordered around the 8th of december. orriginally the ship date was before christmas. later that had been extended to the 18th of january and now its nearly into febuary.
This certified refurbished Studio 1745 in dell outlet seems not bad with Core 2 Duo P8700 (2.53GHz)/ 500GB HD (7200 RPM) /4GB SDRAM/ 512MB ATI MHD 4570.
Which is $919, and the final price is $ 781 with the 15% off coupon.
