I upgraded my M4400 Bios from A06 to A13 when it came out a week or so ago and was initially really happy about the much lessened fan usage.
But since then my computer gets so hot that its impossible to keep it on my lap even after 15 minutes of use.
That I could still handle but the keyboard and the palm rests get pretty hot and it feels very uncomfortable.
1. Updated Intel(R) Active Management Technology firmware.
2. Updated PXE OPROM
3. Updated TPM MA/MP driver.
4. Showed LOM MAC address in BIOS setup.
Got my swap today! ( swapped cause heat/fan issues ). The first thing i noticed when i booted up eas that it came with A16 Bios. Latest on th Dell site is A15. Anyone got some info on this???
View 7 Replies View RelatedFixes/Enhancements
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1. Updated thermal table.
2. Removed HDD Acoustic support.
3. Added password support for remote console.
4. Fixed issue where Local KB control is not released properly during or after IDER session.
5. Enhanced INT 19h support.
Which bios is the best for gaming to avoid gpu downclocking and overheating? It seems that both the A02 and A03 are both recommended here in this forum, but which is the better one for gaming?
View 6 Replies View RelatedThought i'd start a new one for this.
Experiences so far:
-Fan isn't on as much as with A09, not running on lower speed when cooling is unnecessary
-Still downclocking!! Though it seems weird because the GPU doesn't go over 81c even with OC @ 600/900/1590.
Besides that all is good actually.
I installed all other new updates etc. also HDD firmware for the seagate.....there is still a weird latency problem that's picked up by dcp latency checker but for me that doesn't give any audible problems (not even when producing music
I downloaded it but didn't see any noticeable changes in the temps and whatnot.
View 3 Replies View RelatedIs anyone having problems with random complete system lockups under bios A19. Everything on my computer instantly freezes (no bsod) and I have to hold the powerbutton down to reboot
View 9 Replies View RelatedFirst of all, I have no idea if this has already been covered on the "Precision M4400 Owner's Lounge" thread, I have not been following it for it getting longer and longer.
So, I opened a new thread to tell everyone that Dell has released BIOS A13 for the M4400. I installed it yesterday, and not only is my machine quieter under light load, its graphics performance is also higher - much higher, actually.
I used to think that my FX1700M was not affected by the downclocking, but now I stand corrected.
It WAS indeed downclocking heavily as it seems. When I was playing some UT3 a couple of hours ago, I suddenly actually had double(!) the frame rate compared to what I had with BIOS A12.
I maxed out some settings to see what would happen, and at settings that I was not able to make it run smooth some weeks ago I now got 30 to 40 frames per second
First take the battery out and remove the bottom part like so.
Then you have to take the fan off there are 3 screws to take out and unplug the fan connector.
After you take out the CPU heat sink "there is 4 screws".
Then the Video card heat sink 3 screws.
Once that is done I took the CPU out you don't have to take it out I just wanted to see it. You do have to take out all the extra thermal past from DELL from the CPU and GPU and the 2 heat sink like so.
I use a plastic card and paper towel to remove the extra paste and it workes grate.
Now for the AS5 put on each of the components you just clean as in the CPU and GPU and the 2 heat sink like so.
same go's for the CPU and GPU then jsut use a falt plastic card I just use a master card but any thing similer will do to even out the SA5 like don't try to get it all nice and flat just make sure it covers all the surface of contact of the CPU GPU and heatsink and you should be good, it soule look like that now.
Now just re insert the GPU heat sink and tight the 3 screws back.
After it's the CPU heatsink and it's 4 screws like so.
Now the fan 3 screws and one connoctor.
Close it all up and boot Hope it helps some of you.
Mine was 55 and idle and now 49/50.
Considering that this is a "heavy duty" notebook, how much would a 25W processor (e.g., P9600) increase battery life and decrease heat? In my experience, the difference has been very little for relatively similar notebooks.
View 7 Replies View RelatedI am considering buying a Precision M4400 but I've read about various audio problems, even with the audio outputs .....
View 6 Replies View RelatedI'm currently trying to decide between the M4400 and the HP 8530W. Please could any M4400 owners let me know their thoughts (happy or otherwise)?
The basic specs are as follows:
Dell: P8600 CPU, 4GB RAM, 160GB 7200rpm HDD, Quadro 770M, 1920x1200 display, 6-cell battery.
HP: T9400 CPU, 2GB RAM, 160GB 7200rpm HDD, Quadro 770M, 1680x1050, 8-cell battery.
They're about the same price where I live, and both have a similar lead time. I've had no major problems with Dell in the past, but the M4400 seems to have been slated here and elsewhere for its build quality and design issues. The HP is by no means immune, but it does seem to come off lighter .....
When I got my M4400 last week, it had Vista Business installed - wasn't bad and unlike most people, I've NEVER had issues with Vista Anyway being a Microsoft Gold customer, I got my hands on the Windows 7 Ultimate RTM version and installed this on the laptop.
It has transformed the laptop just like it did my PCMUCH quicker, the graphics seem a lot happier in W7 too.
I've installed all my other tools such as SQL2008, Office 07, Virtual PC with VMs, VS 2008 etc etc but it doesnt even flinch under pressure.
If you are happy with M4400 and Vista, you will be even happier with W7 - small mini review but I thought I should give you my quick thoughts on it.
what kind of battery life you're getting from your M4400, with specifics...
list down your spec, which battery you have, and what programs you were running..
I'm getting about 15-20MB/s (transfer speed) transfering files from my Lacie d2 Quadra(eSATA 3 Gbits port) to my M4400 with Vista 32Bit thought eSATA port.
eSATA port has 3 Gbit/s bandwidth, so I wouldn't get about 300-375 MB/s transfering data?
I'm looking to replace a 3-year old IBM X60s that recently failed.
I'm considering a refurbished M4400 from Dell Outlet, and I have a couple of questions:
1.) How is Dell Outlet service and what quality can I expect from them? I know from Lenovo Outlet, most of the refurbished items are actually in immaculate condition. Is that the case for Dell Outlet? Is customer service and shipping times good?
2.) When browsing through the available M4400s, I see listings for both 15.4" WXGA and 15.4" WXGA LED. Are there M4400s with CCFL backlit WXGA panels? When configuring a new one, the only option for WXGA is LED.
And any other comments, advice, warnings, etc,
Can I use a 95W Power Supply for my M4400 along with the 130W Supply I would leave at home?.
Its new and nice as #&$*#(### for guys like me who spend an hour to an hour and a half on the metro then a 2-6 block walk into the offfice?.
This is small @
Dimension 75 x 17 x 145 mm ; 2.9 x 0.7 x 5.7 inches....
I noticed that dell list two compatible models, YP311 and XX243. On Dells website they both have identical descriptions. I assume Dell is just switching between two different manufactures.
Does anyone have any advice if one functions better then the other?
I ordered my m4400 with the "Dell Wireless 370 Bluetooth 2.1 Minicard for Latitude E/Mobile Precision" option.
It has the little Bluetooth light above the keyboard... although I have no idea if that actually means it was shipped with the bluetooth I ordered.
For the life of me, I can't figure out how to enable bluetooth. I can't find the adapter in Device Manager, and I don't see any keyboard combos to enable it.
I need to know the specs of the RAM in my M4400 and was hoping someone here could help me out?
I know it has 4GB Ram, but how many actual Ram slots does it have and what speeds/specs Ram can be put in it? Basically,
i want to upgrade from 4GB to 8GB to give my VM's better performance without slowing down my base OS (Windows 7 Ultimate x64). I don't know which Ram to choose on newegg.
I'm about to purchase an M4400 as a mobile editing station but I've only got one reservation. Basically, I can buy one with a dell 3 year warranty or I can buy a better speced one for 20% less that doesn't have a warranty as it's from a liquidation of assets sale.
Now, I'm pretty handy with computers/laptop and in the past I've taken apart laptops to replace CPU's, motherboards, hard drives, etc. so I'm fairly comfortable with fixing things when they go wrong. But my question is whether I should expect things to go wrong. I'm especially concerned about the screen and the occurrence of dead pixels. Is this commonplace and how many dead pixels does it take for dell to accept a returns anyway?
At home I have a Dell 2407WFP-HC and I've never had any problems with it. I built my desktop computer myself and I'm not concerned with parts of it going wrong as it's easy to find replacement parts, but the same can't be said for laptops, and there is a significant cost differential!
So, is it worth paying a 25% premium to have the dell warranty? I'm a frugal man, and a penny saved is always a good thing in my book, but not at the expense of having to shell out in 6 months when something goes wrong .....
There is now an RGB LED option available for the M4400 for $299. I'd love to hear how this screen performs in real life.
View 10 Replies View RelatedI am considering of getting myself a laptop for personal CAD and design use.
I am looking to buy a resonably priced Quadro graphic laptop and hope it last for 2 years or so...
Could anyone kindly advise me on if the Dell Precision M4400 would be a good option? (below is the spec I am thinking of going for)
Processor: 2.8Ghz T9600 Intel Core 2 Duo
Memory: 4Gb (800Mhz, DDR2)
Graphics Card: NVIDIA Quadro FX1700M (512Mb)
Hard Disk: 320Gb (7200rpm)
I've checked Dell Outlet, and the cheapest one there was $900, and that's pretty good but I'm wondering if you guys know any other places I should check.
View 7 Replies View RelatedAnd another thread from me...
Bought a M4400 but want to retrofit a few things.
Just bought a backlit keyboard for it which should get to me tomorrow so that's
fine.
Also a new lid (there were very minute marks on my current one
To make this complete...do you guys know whether I can retrofit a Fingerprint reader and also the webcam to it?
I want to undervolt my Presicion M4400 as per this guide:
The "Undervolting" Guide
A few questions as I embark!
1) Does it matter how much power my M4400 draws when I do this? That is if I later attach USB drives, add a 2nd hardrive to optical bay, should I take these into account? I assume no but just checking.
2) After doing the first stress test I got max temps of 76C on CPU, after lowering the max 10.0 multiplier voltage and running it for 10 min I got max temps of 79C. Something must be wrong?
In RMClock's CPU info page (see pic. 1) the "current" 10.0x multiplier reads 1.1250V when Im doing the stress test although I've set the 10.0 multiplier to 1.1500V (default max is 1.2500V) on the profile page (see pic 2).
Shouldn't the read outs correspond with the set max voltage? Also on the RMClock CPU info page (see pic. 1) the "maximal" 10.0x readout is 1.2500V which is again different from the set 1.1500V.
Is this normal or have the setting not been saved or something?
3) On the advanced CPU settings page my thermal monitoring is not checked (see pic 3) this differs from the Undervolting guide screenshots and is not specified if these should be on?
I've got a Precision M4400 for which I did some DIY upgrading... Specifically, I put in a T9900 (3.06GHz, 35W TDP) processor and a 256Gb SSD. You can see the specs in my signature, actually.
The problem is that my temperatures seem to be going pretty high. Realtemp is saying that once I turn on the laptop, both CPU cores are at around 30-35 C. But after a very short while, this heats up to the mid-40's. And if I play Sims 3, let's say, the temperature can go up all the way to the high 70's. The GPU seems to stay at under 80 C, which I think should be fine .....
When my Precision M4400 goes to sleep after I close the lid, it sometimes turns itself back on without opening the lid back up (it gets rather hot and the fan is running by the time I go to use the computer again, however, I believe the screen stays off).
This has really started to bother me lately as the heat cannot be good for the computer and I always have to turn the computer off by holding the power button after it does this because the screen won't turn back on.
I love my new M4400, I put in my own fujitsu 320GB hard drive but it seems like the machine runs very warm around the hard drive area.
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