D630 Owners Thread

Maximum ram is 8GB (2x4GB). You can use DDR2 Sodimms either 667 MHZ (PC5300) or 800 MHZ (PC6400) are compatible. It will run at 667 MHZ though.

AHCI enables hot swapping of harddrives and NCQ (Native Command Queuing). You also need AHCI enabled if you want to use the TRIM command on an SSD. You should enable AHCI, but if you already installed the OS, it can be a pain to enable it after wards. Windows will usually fail to load if you change this after the OS install.

Not sure about your shut down issue. Try an app like coretemp and turn on logging. Most CPU's will throttle down when reaching 100C/105C, but I'm not sure about shutting down.

 

1. 8GB. 4GB modules are expensive though, so I would just recommend going to 4GB unless you run VMs or otherwise need more than 4GB.

3. Download Hardware Monitor and check your temperatures. Do you have the Nvidia grapics?

http://www.cpuid.com/softwares/hwmonitor.html

 

Yeah, I have the NVIDIA Quadro 135S or similar with the 1400x900 screen. I think the laptop is for the trash can, it keeps shutting down everytime the fan gets to maximum whoosh, I might bin it and harvest the spares from it.

I think I should have stuck with the Intel graphics that Quadro is not worth the bother or the risk for what it offers.

Thx for the help
Snaffos

 

Your laptop should still be in warranty though, I would get Dell out to replace the fan and heatsink to see if that helps. If it's really bad, it may be worth a shot to see if they can swap your motherboard out with one with the Intel graphics.

 

I bought the laptop 2nd user from eBay so I am not sure if the warranty is transferable. Knowing Dell they will probably try some miniscule clause from the small print to wriggle out of it. The pain is not worth the gain considering I picked it up cheap and have had over a years trouble free computing with it.

The downside, is that I like the laptop, its a well built machine with good display, but its noisy and runs hot, I can live with that but this latest spot of overheating and shutting down is probably its dying throes. I would certainly buy another one if I thought that I could get one without the issues.

I bought this one as I was given a D630 by my employer and liked it a lot. The employers D630 has none of the noisy fan and heating issues but its got the Intel graphics. That Quadra card on the motherboard has a lot to answer for.

Thx for the advice though, most appreciated

Rgds
Snaffos

 

You should be able to transfer ownership with the service tag and express service code. Once the system is registered to you, there should be no problem getting it serviced.

Dell - Ownership Transfers - Public Sector

 

Definitely try to get the intel graphics card. We have a bunch of D820/D830's that blue screen because they have the Nvidia graphics. My D630 (intel) is dead silent with normal business use (Programming) with the 45nm CPU (undervolted and slightly overclocked). I also bought one after being given one for work. They are a great value on the used market. I just wish my screen was brighter (LG WXGA+). The standard WXGA it came with was very nice.

 

Robin,

Thx for the link to the ownership transfer page. That certainly looks an option, perhaps things are not so bleak after all. The service tag indicates it has 5 years warranty so its still covered. There is one point, it was shipped with Vista Business and I installed Windows 7 Ultimate 32 bit on it myself using a Dell Windows 7 reinstall disk that I also bought from eBay, will the different O/S to the original invalidate the warranty ?

Here's hoping...........

Thx & Rgds
Snaffos

 

No, the OS won't affect the hardware warranty. You should be good to go.

 

I have a d620 and I need a new battery. What do you guys think would be the best one to get?

Dell Latitude D620 D630 Precision M2300 Battery NEW - eBay (item 160436277527 end time Jun-17-10 18:27:23 PDT)

EXTENDED Battery for Dell Latitude D620 D630 Precision - eBay (item 160439569176 end time Jun-27-10 19:56:37 PDT)