Thinkpad SATA 1.5GB/s limitation (with SSD)
Anybody tried this before?
looks and i would much rather prefer this to upgrade to SSD, rather than buying a new laptop
I'm anxious to see how the new models compared to their predecessors. I've always liked the Vostro models and recommend them quite often in lieu of budget "retail" models.
They have decent build quality, look nice and they often go on-sale for dirt cheap!
The new models look promising. I hope that they are at least as good as the 1310/1510/2510/1710 that they're replacing. I'd also love to see the 1320 with a 13.3" LED-backlit display like the one on the Lenovo ThinkPad SL300!
My problem is that when I type quickly, sometimes cursor jumps to different position in text so it spoils what I wrote already before.
It's really annoying and I can't find out why is this happening.
I thought that maybe it's related somehow to this laptop.
im guessing no one has got one in their hands yet, seeing as how there are no reviews?
im real interested in buying a new dell, but the store by me still has the old stuff
I've downgraded my Inspiron 1420 recently to XP SP3 with all the device drivers properly installed. Everything seems works fine except that I found fan1 & fan2 always on at max. high speed (very noisy) and CPU always max. at 1.5GHz (seems lost SpeedStep control, checked enabled in BIOS, with SpeedStep control cpu speed should drop to lower rate while the notebook is idle), the fans and cpu speed status are checked via the utility program I8KFANGUI.
If I enabled automatically temperature control in I8KFANGUI then fan1 can turn off as cpu cool down to below 55c and only turn on at Low speed at 60c (still very quiet, noise no noticeable) but still fan2 is always high at 4XX RPM constant rate, I8KFANGUI in fact reported fan2 is not controllable even for just turn on and off .....
Recently, I ordered Dell Inspiron 1520 with the following main specifications:
Intel Core 2 Dou T7500 2.2-GHz CPU
2x1 GB 667-MHz RAM
nVidia 8600GT 256-MB GDDR2 GPU
Fujitsu 160-MB SATA 5400-RPM HDD
Microsoft Windows Vista Home Premuim OS
Anyway, at the beginning I was really disappointed with the performance; the system was too slow specially during booting, loading, and playing games. Furthermore, when the notebook is on battery, the performance was terrible; I even can't watch movies smoothly or explore the hard drive normally.
So, I entered the BIOS, load the defaults, no improvements!
Then, after too many calls/chats with Dell technical support, someone asked me to update the BIOS, then I update it, but again there were no improvements.
Finally, I got the right man from Dell support, and he suggested to change a BIOS setting, which is the "SATA Operation" and set it to "ATA" rather than "ACHI". Then, I entered the BIOS (which is the new version "A03"), and went to the "SATA Operation" option then I saw the default factory is set to "ATA" where I am sure that it was "ACHI" as a default factory with the previous BIOS version. Anyway, I set it to "ATA" and I had to disable also the "Flash Cache Module" to do so. Then finally, the system performance improved and everything seems to be normal.
Now, my questions are:
Did I lost the "SATA" feature/performance of my hard drive (because I set it to "ATA")?
If I do lost the "SATA" feature/performance, is there any workaround solution to make the "SATA Operation" as "ACHI" and system remails OK (e.g.: installing new storage/interface drivers to the OS)?
Why in the new BIOS, the "SATA Operation" default factory is set to "ATA" not as like the previous version were the default is "ACHI"?
Is there anybody faced the same problem as mine? If so, how did he solve it?
Is this one of Dell disadvantages/faults?
How do I tell what type of hard drive I have in my Inspiron 1520? I am pretty sure it's IDE/ATA, but I am seeing info in my web research that says SATA. Not sure which to buy. Maybe this is a dumb question.
View 6 Replies View RelatedI purchased SATA 7200 RPM hard drive from newegg.com
[url]
My notebook is the brand-new Inspiron 1720 which only supports SATA.
The problem is that the hard drive didn't come with a "connector" (or "gender changer" or whatever... I don't what's this thing called).
So, I am unable to connect the hard drive to my notebook. I contacted newegg.com and they said it doesn't come with the connector.
Anyone know where I can get this connector?
I tried googling like "SATA connector 2.5-inch drive", but I cannot find any information.... Also, what's this thing called exactly?
I have spent the past 10 minutes trying to search this forum for the answer and came up empty-handed. Simple question: does the M4400 support 3 Gbits/second or is it limited to 1.5 Gbits/second? I know the entire ThinkPad line
(T400/T500/W500/W700) models are limited to 1.5 Gbits/second, which limits the usefulness of a higher-end Solid State Disk like the Intel X25-M. Thanks for the info!
I really want to know if the SATA/eSATA/Modular Bay on E6400 are Sata 3.0Gbps. Has anyone tried them out with a SSD drive or something?
View 3 Replies View RelatedI just got my new 1720 Inspiron, and I had a problem when trying to create an image of the C and D drive using the Ultimate Boot CD (BART), it would never see my hard disk partitions. I changed the BIOS setting for the On Board Devices from AHCI (default) to ATA for SATA operation. I also had to change the Flash Cache Module to be disabled, it was enabled in the Factory Default. The result of these changes was good, I was able to see my C and D drive when booting from my Ultimate Boot CD. What these changes do? Should I leave my BIOS at the new setting, or will I lose performance from my hard disk?
View 5 Replies View Relatedi really want to get rid of this stupid annoying speed-step technology. there is an option in bios that will allow me to turn it off, but it will put the processor at 1.2 Ghz, i want it at its fullest at 2.00 Ghz,
View 10 Replies View RelatedI have a 1520, 2Ghz Duo, 2.5 Gb Ram, running XP.....I also have a Line6 Guitarport USB audio interface. When I use this the audio often drops out a lot, especially when acessing the hard drive - what can I do about this? -
it's a 5400RPM drive - will upgrading to a 7200RPM improve things? It seems something is effecting the USB data stream.
The hard drive I have is a WDC WD1200BEVS-75UST 120GB
Also, is the drive running in SATA mode - when using HD tune it says:
Standard: ATA/ATAPI-8 - SATA I
Supported: UDMA Mode 6 / ATA/133
Active: UDMA MODE 5 ATA/100
I've found that these buttons don't work anymore. Previously they worked properly but last week I've found that any of them does not work.Â
When I press each of them there is no any action: no action, no dialog window, no backlighting, nothing. I don't know what is it.OS: Windows 7 x64 SP1 with the latest updates.Other info: during my using of this laptop I have not had any damage or falling.
The Quick Launch Manager keeps popping up on the screen of my Vostro 3450
View 1 Replies View RelatedI have a Dell Inspiron 9300, about 4 years old. I bought it with 1 gb RAM, and I'd like to extend the life of it by a few months, and make it a little faster.
This is the RAM that dell recommends for my laptop to upgrade:
http://accessories.us.dell.com/sna/P...x?sku=A0758238
Unfortunately, looking at my order when I first got the laptop, it says this .....
My wife has a 3-year old Vostro 1500 running Xp Pro, Sp3, and it was somewhat messed up (wouldn't accept Windows updates, the Firewall stopped working, and couldn't be turned on even with administrative tools, stopped being accessible on the network, etc.).
So, I backed up everything 3 times, including a drive image, and wanted to reinstall XP using the Dell XP SP2 disk.
I removed the Dell Mediacenter partition, but left the first (small) partition. I reformatted the remaining partition as NTFS, and installed XP. Despite the fact that the Dell disk contained the SATA drivers, when I looked in Device Manager, I found that the HD was seen as an IDE drive, and not a SATA drive .......
I was configuring a Vostro 1720 and the only version of Windows 7 Professional available is 32bit. If I were to order more than 3GB of ram .....
View 3 Replies View RelatedIs there a program out there aside from NHC that will allow you to undervolt a processor? It wont detect my P8600 and allow me to undervolt.
On that same note is there a program that will work on the 1720 that will allow me to set the fan speed and monitor temps of my gpu and processor? i8kfangui only half works, and id love to find a better alternative.
Also, is there a way to fix windows xp always setting the external mic (that doesnt exist) as the default microphone device?
I set it to use the internal (webcam) mic but it ALWAYS switches back to the external mic after launching a program or rebooting ect.
does anyone know if the nvidia (9600GS) chip and the cpu are on the same heatsink on the vostro 1720?
View 3 Replies View RelatedI'm buying my girlfriend a refurbished 1420, and it comes with a dual core pentium (Blehc!). What C2D chips am I able to swap into this thing?
View 9 Replies View RelatedSo I am contemplating between these two models but can't really decide. I like the real estate of the Vostro 1520 but the weight may be a problem. The 1320 is an option cause of it's battery life and weight. But at this point I am at a standstill...
So mainly, what are your opinions about these two macines..
Build Quality and Finish
My first impression as I unpacked the laptop was how light it felt for a 17” notebook. By comparison, my older Dell 9400 (E1705) seems much heavier. I don’t hear any creaking/groaning of plastics when I hold the laptop from one corner and, overall, the chassis appears rigid and well constructed. Aesthetically, this machine will not be a compliment generator. It’s industrial design is simple (read: bland), straightforward (read: uninspired), and utilitarian. A business laptop through and through.
The display hinges (one of the first things I check on new laptops) are excellent. There is absolutely no screen wobble when opening the display and hinges have a nice strong feeling. Of course, hinges often start to wear many months into ownership but my initial impression is very positive.
The display bezel has some rather unsightly hooks for the screen latch but I still appreciate the ability to lock the panel down before transport. The media key console above the keyboard is, in a word, ugly. The buttons are simple squares with boring symbols printed inside. The blue LED indicator lights are nice and, in a rare example of engineering forethought, are not blindingly bright.
The palm rest flexes when pressure is applied and has a slightly hollow sound when tapped. One small feature that I really appreciate is Dell softened and curved the forward edge of the palm rest to ensure your hands don’t sit on a sharp edge.
When closed, the display does not sit perfectly flush with the palm rest and has a 2-3 millimetre gap (however the right and left gaps are equal - so the rubber bumpers may be just a little too short). For a budget laptop, I consider this acceptable.
Fan(s) are very quiet when idle but do ramp up under high CPU/GPU loads (gaming) but have a low pitch and are not distracting. The exhaust is located on the left side of the computer.
***UPDATE: After further use, I have found that the fan(s) can become quite loud and distracting when gaming for 20-30 minutes. Under load (Crysis, Fallout 3, etc.), the 9600 GS video card does heat up considerably over time. Examining the bottom of the laptop, a very small air intake is provided for the video card and appears insufficiently sized for good airflow. If you value a quiet gaming experience, this could be a deal-breaker***
Display
I opted for the 1440x900 LED-backlight matte panel. Brightness uniformity is good but colours are somewhat muted compared to Dell’s TrueLife panels. Contrast is also significantly lower than the glossy displays. If you’ve ever used one of Dell’s business-class matte monitors you can expect an almost identical image quality with this panel. At it’s highest setting, panel brightness is more than adequate and, in a darker work environment, I would knock the brightness down 3-4 steps (of 7 total brightness levels). Despite the trade-offs (muted colours and lower contrast), the absence of annoying reflections that plague glossy displays is a nice benefit. I would rate the viewing angles (both horizontal and vertical) as average......
I am looking for a laptop with a matte display (at least 15.4'') and low power consumption, and so far I've selected these ones:
- Latitude E5500 (WXGA anti-glare)
- Latitude E6500 (Led backlit)
- Vostro 1720 (WXGA anti-glare)
(always with P8600)
I really like the Vostro 1720 features, but I am a bit worried about its power consumption (having a 17'' display, a NVIDIA video card, ...). There are very complete reviews for both Latitude models here:
http://www.notebookcheck.net/Review-...k.11958.0.html
How many hard drives does a vostro 1720 have?
I thought it was 2, but i saw a pic that made me doubt it, just want to make sure.
I've reinstalled my XP SP3 and I still can get bluetooth to work !
View 5 Replies View Related-What is the maximum CPU available?
A: These laptops support Penryn which means that the Core 2 Duo T9300 and even the Core 2 Extreme will fit in this machine, although the latter is not available from Dell as an option when purchasing these laptops.
-What is the maximum amount of RAM supported?
A: 4GB, but Vista 32bit only recognizes 3.581GB. To take advantage of the full 4GB, you need to upgrade to a 64bit OS.
-What is the best video card available?
A: The 8600MGT is the best one available from Dell so far.
-Can I upgrade the video card?
A: As of right now the 8600MGT is the best video card available for these machines, although if you have the 8400MGS you can upgrade to the 8600MGT. If you have the Intel graphics unfortulately you cannot upgrade them.
-Do these laptops have a DVI port?
A: Unfortunately they do not have DVI ports.
-Can these laptops be ordered with Windows XP?
A: The Vostro 1700 can be ordered with XP but unfortunately the 1720 cannot. Dell will stop selling Genuine Windows XP on June 18th.
-What is the best hard drive available?
A: 320GB is the biggest you can go atleast if you order it from dell.com I'm sure that websites such as NewEgg have better deals on bigger drives.
-Is Blu-Ray available on these laptops?
A: No, at least not from Dell.
-How do these laptops do when it comes to gaming?
A: I can play Crysis on near-max settings in DX9 mode. DX10 mode is playable but the settings have to be pretty low. Games like Gears of War and Bioshock can play perfectly on DX10 Mode and X-Plane 9 can play fantastic with everything topped out.
-What is the best screen available for these laptops?
A: WUXGA with TrueLife
-What is the best warranty available for these laptops?
A: 3 Year ProSupport for End Users and 3 year NBD On-site service
-Would I recommend purchasing one of these laptops?
A: Definitely because I think you get a lot of computer for the money.
I have deleted the camera on my Dell Vostro 1720 I cant Skype with image.They can see me.when i try look for drivers on web it takes me all over-as.
View 1 Replies View RelatedI thinking about getting Vostro 1520 Notebook but i need the resolution to be around 19xx X 12xx but i spoke with dell tech support and they have told me that vostro doesn't get more then 14xx X 9xx ..
i spoke to someone online who has Vostro 1520 he said he get's 19xx X 12xx resolution with WXGA+ Truelife & 4500MDH intel video ..........
This might sound like a really stupid question, but could someone break down the differences and perhaps list the benefits and disadvantages (if any) between the two?
I know they're built on the same chassis. I know the Vostro comes in all black with a silver keyboard and the option of Windows XP whereas the Inspiron has 7 fantastic colours and three versions of Vista. But the reviews say different things, like how the Vostro gets hot but the Inspiron doesn't. Do either come with different versions of the 8600M? GS vs GT, DDR2 vs GDDR3?