Dell 17r N7720 SE - user review

can someone explain why in hell gpu-z and furmark and msi kombustor show DIFFERENT GPU CLOCK (when i run them the same time) ?????

msi kombustor show 405mhz all time (during stress test).........and in the same time gpu-z shows 745mhz ???

i HATE THIS GPU STRESS TEST SOFTWARES.........which gpu stress test shows 100% correct ????

 

So where is this BIOS update located? I checked Dell's driver support page, but there's no new BIOS update listed.

 

My post on the page before this one has the link, it was provided to me by Dell support forums here: Dell 7720 BIOS Question - Laptop General Hardware Forum - Laptop - Dell Community

Direct link to BIOS: Drivers and Downloads | Dell [United States]

 

Thanks! Links are posted in the same font as text on this forum, so I always miss them.

 

quote notebookcheck.net =
" Turbo mode can automatically overclock the Nvidia card by a theoretical 15 percent if the laptop cooling system allows it. The implementation of this boost mode is done in the BIOS, but it is ultimately dependent upon the manufacturer of the laptop"

so im starting to have some feelings here...........DELL (oblivious) has not some gpu-turbo boost feature in this bios..........so is it just some fluke it run in 835mhz now & then ????

im starting to think DELLs 7720 has no turbo boost on the gpu....why ??? higher temps is one reason.....see what dell saying at last.

 

GPU-Z lists the card as 835mhz capable.

If you completely power off and start up the machine, it'll run at up to 835 MHz (at relatively good temperatures too) - until you disconnect power. Then it'll stop at 100 MHz lower, even if you plug the power back in.

I don't think it's fluke (or I hope it isn't! ) - looks like a minor bug in the bios or video bios...

 

One thing I've noticed about this SEC5044 display is that the far left side is a warmer color temp than the right side. Also. the space bar squeaks.

 

got mine today.

Things I noticed:

+Great aluminium cover with the black plastic honeycomb
+Great keyboard
+cod4, detail settings medium: stable 125 fps
+Nice and clear screen
+Good connectivity

-Clicking the left mouse button on the touchpad by pressing once on the pad itself is bad.
-Rather loud when on load.

 

What are the odds that I'd be able to swap displays from the Studio 1747 with a 17r SE? If that's possible, I'll get the non-3D version (since I could get it for about 400 less), and swap panels.

 

Well, I downloaded the new BIOS A08 and I did notice 1 thing right away, if you bought your laptop without the MSATA chip preinstalled by Dell, like me, and bought your own, you now have a choice to switch to IRST in BIOS, not just ATA and ACHI and you can get the accelerate tab in IRST.

 

@wahlburg..

its very easy ( and its a fact).......................DELL HAS NO GPU-TURBO FEATURE IN OUR BIOS !!!!! it will never be any gpu turbo boost in the bios.

only way is that Nvidia/DELL rewrite the VBIOS on the card.....

 

nVidia released today new WHQL version of gpu driver. I guess it's time to run some tests again.

 

which driver ?????????

306.02 or what ?????

 

More question marks please

 

New Nvidia driver doesn't do anything about the GPU Boost issue (didn't expect it to) but otherwise works nicely: tested on a few games, no issues.

 

im not talking about some ordinary driver update.....................im talking about the VIDEOCARD-BIOS......(to update a VBIOS you flash the card)

you can forget that DELL will have same gpu turbo mode inside BIOS (as ex, MSi laptops)..IT WILL NEVER HAPPENED !

 

The gpu turbo feature works nicely IF you disable the cpu turbo boost. One can easily do that in CPU setting from the active power plan.

 

......i always have cpu at 99% when gaming and sometimes the gpu runs in 835mhz and sometimes it run in 735mhz

im starting to think it actually would be like this

 

new drivers are out
Drivers | GeForce

 

i am still living off of my aged 17" inspiron 9400. for months and months and MONTHS i've gone back and forth about what to get as a desktop replacement that i use for business and pleasure.

i am settled on the 17R SE but in the small/med business category...there are two builds. i've researched this question and am confused and i'm frankly tired of paralysis by analysis...so i joined here after lurking and reading endlessly -

you can get:

blu-ray with better display but no caching SSD

or

no blu-ray with reg 1080 display and caching msata 32gb SSD

my question is i would rather have the better display...blu-ray i'm on the fence since i could just get it aftermarket, but ok, so i want blu-ray too...but i can't get that with the little msata SSD. i am reading about what seems to be a proprietary board that will allow the SSD to be added that you can't get if you don't order it that way.

do you need to have some sort of special board (so-called "daugher board") built into the unit motherboard if you want to connect msata later?

so it's all or nothing? or can i forgo the 32gb msata and just install a SSD in a secondary bay like a normal drive?

i have searched on this, i am just confused on the semantics.

thanks.

 

if you buy the highest conf here in Europe....you get all the best hardware (3D true life screen, 2 x 750GB 7200rpm (awesome hard drives). Msata3 32GB. Bluray)

 

I set my CPU to 99% and I have the GPU running successfully at 940mhz all the time while gaming...

 

yeah we don't have that here. we have one total in all of the sections that has the msata SSD and blu-ray in the small biz/home section that is 2TB HDD but i'd end up paying for stuff i don't need. the price difference is definitely there. plus i'd still would have to figure out how to get them to upgrade the build to windows 7 pro because that isn't an option in the small biz/home builds. apparently the sales people can do it but i have yet to confirm.

 

how in Jesus name can your 7720 gt650 run in 940Mhz ????

highest core speed on 7720 is 850/835Mhz (turbo mode). only way is to OC to get up to 940Mhz.

 

Is that a stable speed? Does the gpu stay within decent temps because I wouldnt want mine exploding or dieing lol. Also how much performance does it add for gaming. FPS wise?

 

Could someone help me with this:
I just installed windows 8 on this laptop, It does not seem to be charging. I installed the quickset and it says Desktop Mode battery charge on, Leaving it for a while does not seem to charge it... Has anyone else encountered this?

 

to update this...

i called and talked to a US-based human at Dell and they were able to get me set up with a 17R SE with blu-ray, the msata ssd, 1tb hdd, true life display and windows 7 pro...AND three year prosupport. many of those things were not able to be combined on the website.

 

I overclocked it by 105Mhz using MSI Afterburner. At first I couldn't get the OC to actually work, but that was resolved after I installed the 306.02 beta drivers instead of Dell's drivers. I also increased the memory speed to 2200 from 2000.

 

It's been perfectly stable. Temps seem to hover around mid 70s to 80 when gaming. That's about the same as it was without the OC.

As far as FPS goes, I haven't really measured it, but it did add around 300 points to my 3dMark 11 score. Each card is different, but the 650M is a very overclockable card.

 

My Gpu is OC to 970 Mhz Core and 2700 memory speed without the CPU boost it is stable and my highest temp. was 80. Some ppl even clock it over 1000 Mhz.

 

as long BF3 runs in ~40fps in 1080P with medium/high SETTINGS.......im more then pleased.
(ive been bios flashing + overclocking......ordinary overclocking many years.....i also got weird issues with some cards after some months gaming............not very fun.

..........think gt650 runs awesome (as a laptop card) as it does.

 

What is the real-world difference in performance between 1TB 5400rpm and 750GB 7200rpm drives in this particular laptop? What makes/models are fitted? Reasons to go one way or the other if the price is the same? Ultimately one of the HDDs will be supplemented by either mSATA or full size SSD in the other bay.

 

As for 5400 vs 7200 the trade off is faster seek times then a 5400 but you will have less battery life and higher temps. When you add a msata then the trade off between them is just not worth it as your most commonly used files will be on the msata using Intels rapid technology. An SSD is about the same as a 5400 in power drain and heat for the most part but far better read/write times and well as less chance for data loss due to drops/bumps.

 

Then again, the data on 1TB drive is more densely packed, which in theory should offer better performance. I'm asking because I swapped WD Scorpio Blue (5400rpm) with Black (7200rpm) and although the benchmark results were excellent, OS installed faster and initial impression was great, in day-to-day activities the improvements in speed were not as stellar as I thought. Interestingly, there was no difference in temperatures and Black is just a tiny bit noisier when idling and doesn't produce any noticeable 'clicks' when seeking.

After SSD upgrade, the secondary HDD will be used solely for storage and 250GB would be a bonus.

 

i would never change having windows on a 7200rpm HD + Msata3 function.......its way better then just a plain SSD.

so stick with your HD + Msata3.

 

Way better? Could you elaborate on that? At the moment mSATA drives are about twice as expensive as regular SSDs. I would have to see solid performance gains in order to justify getting mSATA.

 

Hi, I got a new Inspiron 17R SE a few weeks ago, and I've got a problem. I already searched on Dell forums, on Intel forums, on BIOS-modding forums, but I couldn't find a solution.

I can see banding/dithering on my screen, on dark colours. I thought the problem could come from Intel HD drivers, but there is no option in the BIOS to use the Nvidia graphics card to display the screen, so I can't be sure.
Has anyone in here ever gotten this problem and found a solution? This is the only problem I have with this laptop and I'm desperately searching how to solve it...

Thanks in advance for your answers

 

well. what i meant is this: IF you get a 7720 with msata3 cache working with the windows hard drive....dont replace that function.....its way WAY better then a plain SSD.


@remiscan....... do a clean windows formation, and install latest driver from DELL,support....also install latest whql Nvida driver (306.23).......if that doesnt work (and you still have this screen issues) i would call DELL.

 

I would disagree that mata+HDD is better than a real SSD. The msata drive is only 32gb, so everything can't run from the cache, and it's also not very fast - I benchmarked mine and it's 250mb/s read and only 90mb/s write ... the HDD has faster write speed than that. A new SSD will read and write 550mb/s+. I use a SSD for windows/apps and the hard drive just for data. I don't use the msata at all, considered using it for page file/hibernation until I saw how slow it was

 

Hi guys, what a discussion over the HDD or SSD subject...

To come back by few pages, I have seen that a new BIOS A08 and new nvidia drivers 306.23 are out few days ago.

Does one of you installed them and run some tests ?

Dell put the BIOS update as "recommended" but shall we follow this?

 

when it says recommended it means you should/can install that driver......bios a08 ???? you mean a03 !

 

I installed the driver yesterday but I had to rollback. My fps in cod4 used to be steady 125, but after the installation of the new driver, it jumped from 40 to 125..

 

No A08 has been out for a week now.

 

Did someone used cooling pad with this notebook? I was wondering if it gives any noticeable effect in case of this model. My keyboard is rather hot under a load and comfort of work is seriously reduced.

 

A08 ? What happend to a04-a07 ?


Genesis. My 7720 runs etremely cool. Just my upgraded 9400(gtx7900. T7600 cpu) who runs a bit cooler

 

Don't install it, I read something about getting the update and it heavily affected their frame rate. Well I think I know why, it locks the GPU at 450mhz and the RAM at 2ghz.

 

The A08 BIOS update has done nothing to my GPU it still runs at 735 and boosts to 850 under load when running on AC power. All that people can tell so far is it updated the BIOS to run at a higher resolution on the setup screen.

 

A08 also added the Intel Smart Cache option to SATA modes enabling use of a msata drive in cache mode.

 

i like a03...........it gave me +5-10 fps boost in bf3............i stay

 

I finally found your A08 BIOS link Drivers and Downloads | Dell [United States] will try it tonight