SXPS16 - Undervolt or Not?

I received my Studio XPS1640 with the T9600 in Sept. I'm using a Zalman cooler and so far have not had any issues with heat. I have decided to install a couple of games (Tombraider Underworld and Hitman Blood Money) and am wondering if I should undervolt to keep the temps down. How many of you made the decision to undervolt?

 

well if you undervolt correctly there should be no bad reprecussion, no loss in performance or whatever so, why not? Less heat, same performance, go for it!

 

did it.. it helps with temps by about 9C for me.

 

I did it, too, though: .3V difference and about 2-4C difference on load.

 

It's only really worth undervolting when you are doing things which tax the processor, the default voltages on the lowest multipliers are as low as they will go to start off with anyway. They benefeit is when you have it running on higher multipliers whre the voltage can be lowered as it reduces heat. So unless you plan on gaming on your battery there isn't really much point doing it to save battery as the most you will save in normal web browsing and word processing on the balenced profile is a few minutes seeing as it will be running on the lowest multiplier most of the time except the short bursts where it uses more.

I only bother undervolting when gaming or doing other intensive stuff, I don't bother when I'm just browsing around. When I do happen to have RMclock open and I'm just surfing, it almost always says I'm on the 0.8Ghz multiplier

 

I undervolted my T9900 went from 87'c to 63'c under load which is a great improvement still have the amazing performance i want without the fires from hell burning my legs... now if only i can get the GPU to run cooler id be in heaven.... also You cant really undervolt improperly you will bsod and the last stable VID will go back as default so its pretty safe i achieved a total of .175 volts decrease and a 24'c decrease in CPU tem on load and I idle around 32 compared to about 46 before undervolt

 

when post.. can you write the actual vcore settings for all step??
what tool do you use to decrease the vcore settings??

i use rmclock and tried cpugenie, that allow more moltiplier, but sims to have some bug for me..

now i'm not on my sxps.. but i'll check the vcore as soon possible..

thanks guys!!

please post!!!

 

With regards to heat, I have an interesting observation. I've been using a SXPS 16 with the ATI 3670 for months. It was always running fairly warm, even when not doing much--the palmrests were always warmer than I would like.

I just got another SXPS 1640, but with the ATI 4670. In swapping my T9550 CPU over to the newer SXPS 1640, I noticed the heatsink/heatpipe was different that the one for the 3670.

I've also noticed that the 4670-based 1640 feels much cooler than the 3670-based one after being on for a hour or more. Now, with some undervolting I have done, the temperature of the exterior of the 1640 is GREAT!

Some may say that undervolting only slightly decreases temps, but it also INCREASES battery life, and since it costs NOTHING to undervolt (plus it give you more control of your speeds, etc. using RMCLOCK), it seems like a win-win scenario.

Is the newer, bigger heatpipe in the 4670 helping to cool things down a bit more than in the 3670 models?

I can't wait to hear from the 1645 crowd, as the i7 chips run much cooler than the C2D chips. But for now, I'm pleased as punch, as they say!

 

My VCore was 1.100V before undervolt on 11x multiplier now after undervolt is .975v

 

so undervolting wont affect processors performancs at all?

if lets say it used to run 1.1V and you lower voltage to 1.0V performance will be 100% the same?

 

Yes, check out the Undervolt guide, they explain as of why it's the same performance. Though, I have my doubts with i7 processors.

 

I am technically a newbie and I read the undervolt guide but I am scared. lol If i get the BSOD will it be fine when I restart I don't want to ruin my obsidian. yes i named my laptop lol

 

UCed my old Acer but not my SXPS 16. I'm OK with it.

 

(if you PC gets that's hot, you need to clean (compressed Air) your heatsink and fan or whatever)

 

Even if it doesn't get hot, undervolting can only bring positive benefits. It's easy to do (follow the guide), gives you less power consumption which leads to better battery life and less heat, and no loss in performance.

 

windows (or DELL) power-management-software adjust the CPU PERFECT........no need to add extra programs for that.

 

I see dell fanboy....

 

You know NOT of what you speak. Standard power management software adjusts the CPU speed. Sure, run your PC in "balanced" or "power-saver" mode, and then get only 1/2 of what you paid for in performance of your CPU.

The point to underclocking is to allow your CPU to run at normal speed, yet use less power than the default settings. So, it's the best of both worlds.

 

Thanks everyone for the replies. I decided to go ahead and undervolt my SXPS16. The process was simple and it reduced the temp by 10 degrees under load. Thanks again.

 

and what about i7 undervolting? how does that work, because it has different system, while shutting its cores down when they are not used. would the undervolting process be the same for i7?