Precision M4400 Owner's Lounge *Part 2*

I just wanted to add, and someone please correct me if I'm wrong...

As I was concerned myself not too long ago, on what these later terms actually meant, in Ram packaging labels today....

Originally.,
When Dual Channel technology was on the scene, the term,"Matched" was how you referenced identical frequency performance between two or more ram sticks but usually purchased in a pair.
For instance, If you bought a Matched set of,(meaning two or more) DDR2 (2x2GB) 4GB Ram 800 Mhz Pc-6400, or whatever "Set" you've chosen...

In you case.,
The 800 Mhz +/- numbers being the example here.
What determines any two stick's sold as a "Matched" pair, begins at the selection process.
All this is done, after the manufacture has accumulated log data from each stick that passed functionality tests.
Of those passed, get specific information collected from each stick and inventoried carrying their QC findings and performance attributes.
These findings are used to compare between other sticks of the same product description.
Not subject to being from the same "run" off. from the production line.

From records generated via QC testing data. A selection process is made
comparing the info with all identical DDR2 Ram, in the manufacturers inventory.

When "Matches" are found, their mated to each other as a "Matched set", both having the exact identical frequency as the other, in that set. These specific frequency values are the effort of the manufacturer doing the sorting to find pair-able Ram sticks.
Doing so dictates a higher value as in cost for those who prefer a matched pair.

Matched Ram that has higher CL speeds, also factors in with performance specs and pricing. These matches are not isolated to their production dates either.

Identifiers to look for on a properly labeled "matched set" of Ram:
(or at least, how it was labeled back in the late 2005-9 years.)

Product description:... yada yada.
Stick 1. 800 Mhz tested - spec freq. 807.753.74 Mhz
Stick 2. 800 Mhz tested - spec freq. 801.445.78 Mhz
Stick 3. 800 Mhz tested - spec freq. 800.244.67 Mhz
Stick 4. 800 Mhz tested - spec freq. 803.655.76 Mhz
Stick 5. 800 Mhz tested - spec freq. 804.978.55 Mhz
Stick 6. 800 Mhz tested - spec freq. 801.854.07 Mhz
Stick 7. 800 Mhz tested - spec freq. 801.445.78 Mhz

When a match is found like, Stick 2. and Stick 8.... They are a "Match...
Then they're retested together, confirming that match., Then, labeled and packaged
accordingly.

That is the primary feature you should be shopping for when getting a matched Ram set.
And now, their just labeled as a "set."
If a "Set" is labeled with the exact freqs. on each stick... They're matched..
You got what you paid for.

Check for verifiable info.
Without those labels or appropriate testing methods to find for sure, you have no way to confirming what you have.
Where the term, "Paired" comes in, is not transparent...Aka, not clear when sold.

Crucial told me that a "Set" means "matched." And not to worry with that term under their labeling.

It would be no surprise to find that "Paired" is questionable. A marketing angle, potentially misleading the buyer in the "Paired," instead of "Two Each"" description.

I HOPE THIS HELPS.

 

Hey Ragnad, Good morning...
Yes, I can see there's some variables at hand with the M4400.

In terms of Heat....
It sounds like your a lucky one. I had crashes at random times under the T9400.
There were some hot days that played a part with the ambient temps. It still was vulnerable in the cooler evening temps.
Needless to say, I clean out a slightly dirty fan and lubed the ball bearings, applied denatured alcohol to an already immaculately clean internals, doing all cooper components involved in cooling short of removing the cooling pipe connected to the fan.

Very little, if any, improvement on the task which had me remember a cooling fan pad buried somewhere... plugged it in and...Major improvement.

The thing was, all I was doing at the time was reading or typing on this site. Not even a CD or background file in the process. Not to mention it's a documented trait for the M4400 to have these issues. I thought the site was bugging out.

Maybe it's a variance in configurations from machine to machine. Within the M4400's optional versions which your aware of.

For myself, getting some founded heat removal solutions for my M4400's configuration will always get my attention as "key" to it's remaining longevity.
It's just me with overkill, perhaps...Cooling stability is first priority..
Without address the issue, why have it ?

As it may be important having the M4400 around if my desktop gets any air play again with needs support for any reason. You know.., Reformatting, different drives, answers on-line to long forgotten quirks and protocol.
However.
When it comes to heat removal...
Especially for the noted most vulnerable, dedicated FX770 GPU.., one that doesn't have the headroom a M1700 can support has to factor in.
I have various sized cooper shims I ordered in the event they serve a need.
Based on what I've picked up here and there...
The survival of the FX770M is all the best heat transfer with the existing cooper sink/Fan and forced are extraction via a Fan Vac on the heat vent.. Why no one's mentioned them before is either do to them just coming out on the market, or this site lost too many M4400 posters.
Nevertheless...
These little fan vacs make a difference. It's how long they last is the real hurdle.
................................
Paste link in your browser box.

http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_ss_i_1_16?url=search-alias=aps&field-keywords=computer+fan+vacuum&sprefix=computer+Fan+vac,aps,246

http://www.amazon.com/Taidea-Notebo...441937865&sr=8-7&keywords=computer+fan+vacuum

.........................
In addition, scrolling back to page 1 thru 5, on this thread, there's a comment somewhere that made some good sense about using cooper shims. I'm not completely sold on the removal of thermal pads, to be replaced with cooper shims, or shims in between CPUs and GPUs but it does illustrate the need to address systems deficiencies .

These shims in "snail-mail mode," taking their sweet time, getting to my address.
Might be late October, according to amazon.


By the time those shims arrive, I'll be even more informed from everyone's input, I hope.
I don't want to F'it up over unneeded risks... just an approach that won't harm the system with a new T9900 going in, replacing the T9400.

Ragnad... If ya got any insights about these maters along with the rest of the site members ... Please bring it..

And... many thanks to all that do.

........................................................................

Another reflection on "why keep the Precision M4400

I plan to run some games from late 2008 days.., Before "Steam" or "Valve" was in the net game services.

Which was back in the day when you could still buy a game with the disk, load it, reg it, and play it, OFF LINE.
That was important to some of us., A lot of us..., All of us?
I still have many of the better game choices of that time period to toy with.
And more suited (fortunately) for my generation of Precision.

I do have to admit though...
I've been browsing at the Quad compatibles out here. Scribbling and bibbling..... Bibbling and scribbling...

And as I contemplate my future.with the M4400... One thing for sure.
It's going to come down to "a deal or no deal," leading me in the buyer's remorse department.

On the positive side.
The M4400 slipped by under the radar, able to hang on Win 7, 8, 8.1 and come to find.. Win 10.
... I suspect and will be around for a good while... Prospectively.

Seeing I would have liked to of started with an M4400's system board featuring the M1700 GPU..
It's got me thinking, used, surplus, Quad and 8GB of Ram.still $$$

Meanwhile...
A different Precision ver. with DDR3, goes without purchase., And having twice over what I have now.
The $$$ already provided for the M4400's use is a factor.
But I can also justify those costs in terms of the experience of learning the machine dirt cheap and the need to get back on horse, with an older solution for a modern imposition. Encroaching net demands.

My gaming desktop I built in 2008.. A sever tower, double wrapped in plastic is in storage.
It was the S#$t, back in the day. "And all this talk" has me ready to pull it out for a rebirth.

But the process has begun in re-configuring my M4400 with the FX770.

This ain't over M4400 Die-Hards.

Feed back please.

 

Take it to a electroncs tech and and pay the minimal fee. If your nice, they might handle it for free.

 

Try electrical tape. Or heat shrink tubing, if you have access to it.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

Hey, Alexhawker.
As you can see.. I've been responding to 5 year old posts...lol., and now.., So are you.

Now...
I do know some people are more inclined at this type of thing than others... And then again., Some just "need a bit of a push in that direction."
So thanks goes to Tapatalk[, and alexhawker, For inspiring this followup post for all to consider.

In this instance, A little familiarity to basic soldering practices goes a long way.

So.. If your still out here, pterodactilo., 5 years later.. lol
A tech wouldn't use electrical tape unless it's was some sort of a last resort.
And we've all been there, to some degree.
If you hate hand tools or have major difficulty with them...

I won't expect your attention beyond this point.

If fixing this power supply jack., Along with other simple electrical repair tasks that come up, potentially saving you $$$'s over the years isn't worth it... because the cost in getting these supplies here I'm going to have you round up is not gonna happen...

I won't expect your attention beyond this point.

Otherwise... Get hold of a soldering gun, a small supply of silver-solder, impregnated with flux, and one of those cheap ohm meters and a little clamping support base... With the adjustable arms with alligator-clips and a magnifying glass, found at a Harbor Freight. stores...

If I still have your attention beyond this point...
You're curious on how to handle this basic fix.

Consider trying your hand at some soldering test runs first, before the repair job.
It takes the pressure off of things until you've gained confidence about proceeding.

the concern for an accident is always a factor to be aware of.
Take special care in safety. You can burn yourself and the house down being careless...
Oh... Did I mention...?
If you are careless... reconsider getting a replacement. Safety is a factor.

At this stage. Wire to wire, wire pole soldering, wire to post, is good start on "getting the
feel of the solder, and gun. The way solder flows when heated, etc. If you know some one that's done any competent soldering , It won't hurt to ask for oversight.

It's easier than one might think.
From what I can see, your already in good fortune having a repairable power tip.



Remember... Think first.., Act second.. Be safe.

******** Don't do any task without fully understanding your limitations.*********

Getting an overview on current flow for AC and DC principles along with the terms used to define is Paramount., Beyond repairs like theses.

I suggest that you see and save them to, HDD, disc, flash drive, for good reference.

The links below are in the order of relevance to you repair, starting from the top, down.

Look for as many tutorials on the basics an the intermediate solder applications is
key, to a new found skill set.

Good luck in the quest...

 

5 years latter....

Check on line for Sandisk formatting tools - for USB which likely includes all other features you may need and follow their instructions for a download app..

 

Hey, M44 double O's... and readers,
Some stupid Q's here.
I remember reading here somewhere about an "unlock," or something to that effect, allowing
for the M4400's GPU, in this case the FX770m, to be changed to a 1700m level of performance.
Meaning., Beyond a simple overclocking tweak, to be more specific.

Adding to this confusion., A friend is a possible source for a, 100% functional, working M4400 System Board
w/ a dedicated Nnvidia Quadro 1700M GPU... w/ the same 512MBs... Not 1GB?
I would of bet other wise. Yet it does make sense if the mod is a doable thing.

Where I get the 1GB of GDDR3 for the 1700m is my quest, asap. That is... If I find no responses here.

With the M4400... I may be, a tad "burnt" from fatigue., Or "My cup run'th over."
I've read just about all there is to be informed of, in a short amount of time...

I think it was, Member, Command Wolf, in a discussion...
Nevertheless...
It might save me the time to get it here. I can use some experience regarding the mod if it's truly a valid option.

Oh Ya... The questions... lol.
In terms related to the M44000 Precision...

1. Can the FX770m dedicated GPU be modded, unlocked, different Bios app., jumper setting, solder bridged,
firmware flashed, "Hand of God" to perform as a 1700m? If it is GOD... stringbuzzzzzz has left the building...

But seriously, If there's a way... Question 2. would be description to that task and very appreciated...

3. Is the 1700m GPU a 1GB GDDR3 GPU...(which for whatever reason, sounds right to my recollection) or still
under a 512MB dedicated, just as the earlier FX770m GDDR3 512 MB version?

There ya have it... Thanks for reading and any help offered.
It's zzzz zzzz zzzz zzzz zzzz time.

 

The 1700m was a 512MB GPU. I recall reading GPU benchmarks that showed basically no difference in performance. Perhaps there was a difference when looking at CAD specific benchmarks but in general I don't think the performance difference was really there. I did ever really check but I'm not sure I've ever read that you could convert one to the other. I do recall that it was possible to convert a Latitude D610 into the Precision M20 based only on the BIOS (assuming the D610 had the ATI vs Intel GPU). With the newer GPU I would expect it to be a jumper or resistor change.

 

Hi, Regnad...
I've tried to post twice on this comment... I will sort out the problem... check back later today if you like..

 

I'm back. and Hello.
Thanks for your feedback Regnad... It helped some.

Trying to get this machine to conform to running older PC games of the 2008 Ara might be a challenge. Only because Win 7 32bit is where they'd do best as an alternative to XP's 32bit's absence.
It may be one of those little gains over a lot of effort. If seen the YouTube vids showing some gaming examples and their okay but it's better to have overhead in these matters, based on my previous gaming experience.

From what I remember, now that I received the rest I needed.. is the discussion that starts around page 53 - 58.
I scanned the pages briefly and didn't find what I wanted over the conversion mod I mentioned but there was something about the 1700m from wolf's comments.

I'm thinking about going into this direction at this point...


Options like these may be the cure...
I just have to find confirmed compatibility for the M4400.

This little guy started the wave.



More on the same.



and other PCIE GPU external adapters etc.
One thing to remember.
You can use this adapter on any PCIe card card . Like a powerful Audio card for example.


............................................................................................................



Off subject but similar in options...

Tower internal overview


The build.


Tower specs and analysis.


As you may notice, there's more links out there on the tower' hardware prep.

..

..........................................................................................................................................


HERE'S SOME COMMENTS I FOUND THAT SHARE
LITTLE TO SOME RELEVANCE
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Windows 10 and Dell Wireless 370 Bluetooth card.

They said it was not possible, but it is:

http://david.gardiner.net.au/2014/07/dell-xps-1645-windows-81-and-bluetooth.html

..................................................

Hi to all!
I have searched a way to install driver for bluetooth mini card 370 on dell latitude e6500 in WINDOWS 10 t.p. Unfortunately I didn't find but I found some ideas which led me out to the solution

So this is it:

1. You need your driver in C:\dell\drivers\.... directory in my case: C:\dell\drivers \R226750\R226750\Win64
2. Go to: Control Panel\All Control Panel Items\Troubleshooting
3. Choose under "PROGRAMS" 'Run programs made for previous versions of Windows'
4. Select: Advanced
5. Click on: Run as administrator
6. Hit on: Next
7. Choose: Not Listed
8. Hit again on: Next
9. Select your executable file. In my case it is: C:\dell\drivers\R226750\R226750\Win64\Inst.exe
10. Hit again on: Next
11. Use: Try recommended settings
12. Click on: Test the program...

And installation of bluetooth driver goes on.
To recap:

I did this on my Dell M4400 with Windows 10 Pro and it worked 100% - fully tested with BT devices.

You have to use R226750.exe package (v6.2.0.9600), or it will not work. I tried some versions higher and lower and it failed.

One observation: Once I installed the driver, the system did a firmware update (probably from Broadcom) to the Dell 370 card.

All my other devices on the M4400 are working in Windows 10, with the exception of the fingerprint reader, which is active, but I found no way of getting it to work with the new Windows Hello login interface. I'll report in if I find something useful.

Hope this helps someone

Last edited: Aug 11, 2015
UncleSpam, Aug 6, 2015

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You can't get a M4400 motherboard with just the X4500 (unless you want to get an E6500 motherboard, in which case you can't use a quad)... all M4400 are dGPU. There is the 770m and 1700m as you have mentioned, but neither are optimus enabled.

2x4GB RAM should work, don't know about eGPU.

The dual CCFL screen will work with any E6500 or M4400 provided you have the right lid, bezel, display cable, etc.

No wifi cards are whitelisted.

Backlit keyboard works with all motherboards.

n o n s e n s e - w a r s . c o m</a>

Intel NUC DC53427HYE Akasa Newton V/i5-3427U/8GB/HD 4000/830 128GB/7 Pro
ThinkPad Yoga i5-4300U/4GB/HD 4400/FHD/Digitizer/Pro 1500 180GB/8.1 Pro

D830 Review/CPU Compatibility/GPU Reflow
Commander Wolf, Aug 23, 2014

.................................................


clemenzina said: ↑
M4400 || T9800 || Quadro FX 770M || Windows 7 Professional 64-bit || BIOS A14

Received this (used, obviously) notebook a few days ago, I'm not very techie and would be very grateful for advice re some problems.

No user manual, I downloaded "Setup and Quick Reference Guide" but it's not been helpful for these problems.

Quadro FX 770M - "Generic" Windows drivers are installed, I don't have nVidia settings when I right-click on desktop, can only adjust resolution. The screen is very dim, I adjust that via keyboard but have to do it every time it's booted up.

I have found this page of downloads for the Quadro driver, but Googling has also found problems with BSODs when the nVidia driver is installed. If it is recommended that I use the Dell/nVidia driver, could anyone tell me the precise one? And how to go about it?

I have attached a screeshot with the possible drivers highlighted.


Sound recording - In ControlPanel/Sound, I have the following (disabled and disconnected devices shown):

Playback

Speakers - High Definition Audio Device - Default Device
Speakers - High Definition Audio Device - Not plugged in
Digital Audio (S/PDIF) - High Definition Audio Device - Ready

Recording
Microphone - High Definition Audio Device - Default Device
Microphone - High Definition Audio Device - Not plugged in
Microphone - High Definition Audio Device - Not plugged in

I record webcams with Debut Video Capture, obviously it cannot record the sound because only the microphone is available for recording. I've no idea how to "insert" the speakers

I can just about live with the non-Quadro graphics, but if recording from speakers is not possible I shall have to send the notebook back for a refund, so I do hope someone can help.
Click to expand...

First, I would definitely install the latest Nvidia drivers from dell.com (specifically for the M4400). I find them to be absolutely rock solid stable, and they seem to keep the system running cooler, and are specifically certified for the M4400. Though the most recent Nvidia.com drivers may perform better in some situations, the dell.com drivers are really better (and I have never had a single BSOD with them in a few years).

Second, you should definitely install the audio drivers, what you have is Microsoft-defaults. The most recent drivers can be found on the M4400 page, and you can also install the sound drivers from the M4500 or M4600 (at least, I have).

In fact, aside from the video drivers, I've installed the security suite/drivers/etc from the M4600.

As to your recording problem, I do not think that's driver related at all. In fact, I've never seen "speakers" listed in the recording devices. Pretty much what the software you're using does is NOT use the speakers as a recording device as far as drivers and Windows is concerned. I recommend you 1. install the right drivers, and 2. try again, making sure you've configured the capture software correctly, as they are not related.

Michael


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JPEG of driver chart for 770m, etc,
http://forum.notebookreview.com/attachments/dell-drivers-quadro-fx-770m-jpg.92937/

.................................................

Dear M4400 Owners,

For the newest (Dell) drivers for the FX770m, get the ISV Certified A01 Driver for the Dell Precision M4500 (normally for the FX880m).
Ive been using it since it came out, its working fine, its got proper OpenGL acceleration (unlike the nVidia drivers for the FX770m from
the nVidia site(which work the same as Geforce drivers - even though they say Quadro)) and its got the newer features..

Thought i'd share this with you!

Peace
mrtoshko88, Feb 27, 2011

................................................

I believe the latest nVidia driver package that I can use without fault is 285.62. I tried buttloads of drivers and tweaks, even modded ones. I have an M2400 also and this driver works great there too. Using this driver and replacing the foam insulation inappropriatly called 'a thermal transfer pad' with a viable heat transfer solution; copper shim and thermal compound, put my Precision's operating like they are on linux, NO BSOD's. Amazing, even w/ windows outrageously retarded document-management "Best-Effort" bloatware these two computers sing. and Yes, I use Win7 64 ULT on both, the 4400 has 8G RAM and the 2400 has 4G.

Xcythe, Oct 23, 2012


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Share your thoughts...? I'll post more if I discover something about the mod
or if I decide just go another direction.

Peace to you, Regnad


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