D630 Owners Thread

Link to Nvidia problems and bios info:

http://www.notebookreview.com/default.asp?newsID=4527

Just read the comments in the direct2dell blog. I think Dell really needs to address this issue ASAP.

 

Link to direct2dell blog (check out the comments):

http://direct2dell.com/one2one/archive/2008/07/25/nvidia-gpu-update-for-dell-laptop-owners.aspx

 

If the fans are running almost all the time it could also be because Dell has the new bios version installed which should make the fans go more frequently than the old one.

 

Has anyone experienced issues with their Nvidia gpu? D630 and D830 are on Dell's list. Some of the symptoms of early failure are:

* Multiple images
* Random characters on the screen
* Lines on the screen
* No video

Again, read the comments on the Direct2Dell blog (link above).

Think I'll check the temps of my system again.

 

The D830 is not (yet) on the Direct2Dell blog list. Is the Nvidia 140 chip in the D830 somehow unaffected by all of this?

If so, that may be enough reason for me to go for the D830 instead of the D630.

 

You're right, D830 is not on the list. I don't know if there are any issues involved with the 140.

 

I was disappointed by Clevo/Sager dropping support for the Mobility HD3870 in their newer models so I decided to take a dip back into the Dell Outlet world.

I decided to order a refurbished D630 late last week and it arrived yesterday. I wasn't too impressed by the packaging of the machine. The XPS M140 I ordered nearly three years ago from the Dell Outlet was packaged much better.

It does have some minor imperfections that I'm going to call and discuss with Dell. I'm not amused at the condition considering my M140 was pretty much perfect and without problem when received. I was hoping more or less the same.

The other issue I've ran across is I wanted to add bluetooth to the machine and one of the ordering options was to get a Dell Bluetooth 355 module for user install. I went ahead and ordered it and later found out it seems the D630 uses the 360. So I'm going to have to call and return it as well.

I haven't ran any 3D applications to check heat but I don't really care. It's a three-year warranty and surely at some point nVidia, along with the OEMs, will have to admit what cards are affected at which point I hope for a nice, long recall.

I do plan on adding 4GB of RAM and a 320GB 7200 hard drive to it soon. I may go ahead and swap out the T7100 with around a P8100.

The notebook will be going with me to Southwest Asia next year and figured that'll be a nice trial in the heat to see if the graphics card stands up. Other than that I really decided on not taking a $2k+ gaming notebook with me. I'd much rather take a $500 refurbished, perhaps defective, machine that can do what I need with a couple hundred bucks in upgrades, which I could use again down the road.

It's first test will be a business trip this business, which luckily is still within the 21-day return policy.

 

My idle GPU temps are 58-60C and I am not satisfied with that, especially after the Nvidia GPU problems surfaced. Has anyone applied the copper insert mod to the GPU heatsink in a D630 (w/ NVS 135M) here? I searched the thread before posting this question but apologize in advance if I have missed it.

 

I just turned on the GPU sensor on my D630, and its running at 46C...

 

I see there's a new Bios available, A13...

Fixes/Enhancements
------------------
1. Improved support for 4GB memory.
2. Improved PXE support.

The 4GB won't apply to me. What's PXE? I'm running Win XP Home.

Thanks.