Dell 17r N7720 SE - user review

That seems to be dead pixels. Contact Dell and have your screen replaced.

 

I had that happening last night. It wasn't happening before that. I read to go into Device Manager to the Network Adapter, and then go to Advanced Tab>>Roaming Strength and set to maximum. Seemed to work but I will see again tonight if it wasn't just a coincidence.

P.S. UEFI is the biggest pain in the *** ever. Took me forever to get Windows onto my new SSD. It already seems to boot fast enough, so is there really any reason to want to use UEFI over legacy?

Also, is there any way to get the MSATA to cache the HDD in bay two. It is only giving me the choice to cache the SSD in bay one which is pointless. Thanks.

 

Dead pixels are BLACK.

 

Yup. However, stuck pixels can be white/red/blue/green... I'd still try DELL support, but be warned that officially anything under 6 dead/stuck pixels is considered "acceptable" for consumer grade DELL displays according to their warranty policy.

 

Has anyone got their 7720 hooked up to an external monitor? I just bought one the other day and hooked it up through HDMI. Works great except in some games (ArmA3 being one), where it seems it needs to 'reconnect' when switching to the GT650M (Screen goes black for a couple of seconds and 'HDMI' appears in the topright corner) and it will switch to 1080i (so 30Hz) instead of staying on 1080p, causing a really annoying vibrating image (screen tear basically). Tabbing out of the game will again make the screen go black for a couple of seconds to switch back to 1080p. Using fullscreen windowed instead of true fullscreen fixes the issue but I'd rather have a better solution. Also not all games have this problem.

 

Sadly in the end my laptop failed to start at all, and I had to reinstall the entire system, luckily all the data files were on the 2nd disk. Still it's a pain to loose all your cookies & favorites, plus have to re-install ALL your applications. I also had to hunt around for the Dell apps prev. installed on my PC as the Recover Partition didn't work. Luckily I had requested a W8 Recovery DVD from Dell. Now thatr the machine is back to about 95% of where it was I have made my own backup on external disk using RecImg, so hope all will be well from now. Someone suggested that the hanging on restart can be caused when you have an external drive which is switched off or removed on restart. W8 tries to boot from a "network drive" and waits for the missing external HD. I think I will remove this option from the BIOS boot list.

Also had some improvemnt on my Centrino WiFi driver problem, as my ISP tells me that the WiFi Router was broadcasting 2 SSIDs, which didn't help. The internet seems more stable now, so I think I will go back to the most recent Dell WiFi driver before retrying the Intel version. Moral of story: always troubleshoot from first principles (i.e., cause not symptom), in this case Router, then Wifi then drivers, etc.

 

I used to have a problem watching 3D Movies on an external projector via HDMI, I was advised not to use modes like duplicate display or extended desktop when doing these intensive operations, so maybe try working ONLY on the TV, see if it helps? I assume you've already checked all the monitor settings in the Nvidia Control Panel, etc.

 

Good tip about the Roaming Strength, I will check that later. See also my recent post on checking your router to make sure the firmware is up-to-date. I factory reset mine & things improved. Will slowly update the Centrino drivers until all is OK. RE: UEFI yes the new BIOS settings for W8 are a pain, hence my reinstalling W8 when my system failed (see other recent post), but this time I swopped out the 750GB HDD & put in a Samsung 128GB SSD - using pretty much default BIOS settings - too much trouble trying to adjust it for W7. It was a bit of a pain getting the partitions correct on the SSD (which had been used for W7), but I just deleted everythings (all 3) & let the W8 installation process use the whole disk for the system paritions. Note that I left the Intel RST BIOS setting on, as changing to AHCI can be dangerous to your OS. The Samsung Magician S/W complains about this, but W8 & the Intel RST app handle all the SSD settings, and the machine boots/reboots real fast now. Once I had the OS installed on the SSD I used the Intel RST app to set caching on the 2nd (750GB) HDD in bay 2, it says it is working & the data transfer speeds are as fast as before, up to 100MB/s. So I am happy for now, just need to make sure I have a good backup & copies of the Drivers, etc., just in case anything goes wrong again, or have a moment of madness & try W8.1?

 

You an download a dead-pixel test tool from the net which will help to check this problem.

 

That sounds like backlight bleed. Can you post a photo? As somebody mentioned before you could try dead pixel tester just to be sure

 

I cannot install the new driver for my GT650M. The last version I succesfuly instaled is 314.22
Anyone else has the same problem?

 

Yeah I'm using 'Projector only'. There aren't any monitor settings in the Nvidia Control Panel because the Intel driver takes care of all of that because of optimus, Intel settings are set correctly.

Nope I could install the latest one just fine, does it give an error or what?

 

use 307.07.............far better, far more stable......compared them all in BF3 & Bioshock infinite.


ps.......Bioshock infinite..........WOW..........WOW....

2013 best first person shooter ! (without a doubt)

 

I had issues with the 320.18 drivers, so I'm still on 314.22... haven't tried the new 320.49 WHQL yet.

When I tried the 320.18 install, it would start the installer, get to the point where you agree to the licence, then after clicking next it should have displayed the component versions to be installed, but instead the installer window just disappeared. It was still running as a process, but obviously I couldn't do anything to proceed.. Tried re-downloading, rebooting, etc, but couldn't get it to work... strange, up until now, I've never had issues with nVidia drivers...

 

I downloaded 320.49 from Nvidia's website and installed it after a clean Windows 8 installation. No problems what I know of..

 

Just a little tip to all vintage gamers out there with 17R SE and 3Dvision.

I still play Return to Castle Wolfenstein once in a while, and found that it is possible to play it with 3Dvision enabled. I have heard that you can do a similar hack also with other older games. Just download the Opengl32.dll file from titaniumgl.tk and put the file in the same folder as the game executive (in this case WolfSP.exe). I found it was not possible to use the original Opengl32.dll as it resulted in an error.

 

so all you did was change max cpu to 99% and now you can safely overclock? ive read tons of people not having positive results using this trick, my 7720 is the 2013 edition with the 3630QM processor

 

I intend installing a 128GB M-sata SSD but I'm unsure of the best settings for the BIOS. At present using EFI boot, not legacy.
Any help appreciated.

 

I installed the Nvidia Experience component last time, now it checks for updates & installs them more cleanly.

 

I would switch off Secure Boot if on, but UEFI is correct (for W8, not even sure that Legacy mode is bad, as allows you to boot from DVD or USB when reinstalling the OS.

When I had to reinstall W8 & decided to swop to a 128GB Samsung SSD with a clean install, I think I made sure my BIOS was up-to-date, then reset to the defaults, removed the Secure boot (if on), but did NOT go to AHCI mode, I left it as Intel RST. The only issue you get is recognizing the SSD partitions (my old disk came from W7). I used mini parition wizard first to remove everything on the old SSD, then let W8 recreate all 3 required paritions during installation.

NB: If going with W7 the BIOS changes will be tougher, as you may not want UEFI, and will want to use AHCI as well. Note that you MUST do these BIOS changes BEFORE OS installation. I just stuck with W8 as it was simpler in the long run (V8.1 will come soon & I use Start8) - if you have a Dell W8 reinstall DVD. No problem with Drivers (SATA was a worry), then I redownloaded the I-RST app from Intel.com & setup the mSata 32GB caching on the spare 750GB HDD in bay 2. Everything works well, system v. quick, even if Samsung Magician complains about AHCI.

It is a pain to reinstall all the Drivers from MS, Intel, Nvidia, Dell, then the apps, updates, etc., but I used RecImage to make a full backup & update this on a monthly basis just in case.
Best of luck...

 

After my full W8 clean install I was looking round for the Cyberlink essentials 3DBD S/W that came with the machine (to watch 3D Movies on it). Eventually found it on the "My Downloads" section of the Dell website, along with a few key Drivers (although the auto-search for updates from Service Tag no longer works).

However, I wanted to use 3D Blu-rays on an external projector with W8 & burn external data disks, etc., so decided to take the plunge & upgrade to Cyberlink Media Suite 11 from the July4th S/O to get PowerDVD13, etc. This works great, but the version of Power2Go 8 installed with this will NOT burn BD-Rs, whereas the old (free) one did! Over $100 and I get less functionality than I had before. :-( Cyberlink are being very unhelpful & have now released Power2Go V9, so I hope I can get an upgrade to a fully functional V8 for free. Anyone else burn BDR data disks or use other S/W?

 

Anyone has trouble using the Wifi Direct feature of the included intel wifi 2230 via their software Intel Wifi Dashboard? I have the exact problem here WiFi Direct with My WiFi Dashboard not working on Windows 8 that people have had for awhile. Uninstall, update, reinstall software/drivers, nothing would make this work. Intel released some updates but the solution is nowhere to be found. I just want to use wifi direct with my Galaxy S4 but can't imagine it turns out to be such a hassle.

Also, I notice that if I update the Bluetooth driver to Intel's current version, the Bluetooth ON/OFF switch in Windows Mobility Center no longer works. Instead of "Turn On/Off" now it's just "Launch" with Bluetooth on all the time. The switch ONLY works if I use the driver Windows found by itself. Maybe Dell's Quickset is outdated to be coped with the newer Bluetooth driver, idk.

By the way, Win 8 Bluetooth sucks big time! Can't even manually reconnect a device after disconnecting. I have to remove device and pair up over and over again. Sigh...

This laptop is a beast with SSD & clean windows. But those little things are such pain in the butt.

TIA for any input from you guys.

 

you have to update your Cyberlink......i did it direct and it works flawless....it actually a very VERY good player for 3D & Bluray, (also this version is pretty expensive for a player

you find the updater left upper corner somewhere

 

Yes, I have no issue with the player, other than it is exp. as you say, but works great for 3D, in normal OU or SBS mode, although need to re-try it with the external projector.
No, my issue is with the Power2Go BD-R burning S/W, which fails a LOT of the time. I recently switched to the freeware ImgBurn (despite all the crap that gets installed with it), and it works MUCH better. So now I use PowerDVD & ImgBurn.

UPDATE: Cyberlink allowed me to download a new more W8 friendly version which now seems to work, but I will stick with ImgBurn for now.

 

Can't speak for the B/T bit, don't use it, but Wifi is still an issue for me under W8. After I reset my Router, I went back to the latest Dell Driver 15.6 I think, all seemed OK, so I updated to Intel 15.8 & things started to go wrong again. I now use the network cable for important downloads, and dropped back to using the last Dell Wifi Driver, which is better than Intels! I think it is a problem within W8 & hope it may be fixed in V8.1 which comes out in a month or so. Anyone tried the Preview version yet?

 

My wifi seems fine on its own, very reliable connection with either windows' or latest Dell's driver. I just want to explore the additional features like wifi direct and wifi hotspot sharing and stuff. But seems like Intel is having trouble with its own software even though the wifi chip Intel 2230 is capable.

Btw about the Bluetooth, I've found a way to reconnect and disconnect an audio device at will without removing/repairing again. Just go to Playback devices in the Sound setting (right click on the speaker icon), right click to " Show disconnected devices", then you'll see all your previously connect Bluetooth devices to choose from. Right click on one and you'll have the option to connect or disconnect. Finally a breath of relief.

 

BIOS ver. A15 available for Inspiron 17R SE 7720.

Enhancements:
- Added support for new ePSA tool.
- Enhanced System Sku support in Windows 8

LINK

 

I tried it at once couple of weeks ago and I was a little bit excited, it looked better and it´s more costumizable, but there was a pain in the issue - the wifi signal was falling like every half an hour - no internet, limited access. So I gave up, reseted laptop to factory settings.
BTW, do you guys also have this awful sound coming out of your subwoofer? It´s driving me crazy. I would understand that it does with full volume, but with 30 percent volume and sounds are awfully distorted and almost vibrated... I don´t know. Do you think that replacement would help? Thanx very much

 

How is A15 ?

 

i know this.............after i replaced my motherboard and got BIOS A10 my 7720 run flawless. (A03 was also good, but A10 is even more stable)

3dmark scores & overall performance is very nice with A10..............
i gets about same 3dmark scores as a GTX660 after i replaced the motherboard (and GPU).......

link 3dmark11.......(scores is about 2375-2390 every single time, with stock settings).....driver 307.07

NVIDIA GeForce GT 650M video card benchmark result - Intel Core i7-3610QM Processor,Dell Inc. 0MPT5M

 

Has anyone noticed an issue with the GPU and sleep mode. When I wake my laptop, the fan spins fast and the GPU is at 71C. After about a minute, the GPU temp is back to normal.

 

i see you using your msata card caching up your secondary harddrive (is that right)

the Intel rapid technology driver works together with your sleep mode partition (in normal use (as i have) i have it on C:

go inside disc manager and tell me how your msata partitions looks like.........

ps...clearly (sometimes) your laptop doesn't goes down in hibernate/sleep mode as it should....
.....thats why your fan spinning directly when you open the lid .......and why your temps are high.

................instead of being OFF when you close the lid.......it stays ON

 

It actually wasn't working right when I tried to cache the HDD. Does that only work for boot drives? It would only let me cache the SSD, but that would be pointless. I've recently switched to hibernating, and that works fine. When I was sleeping it, it was definitely going to sleep when I first closed the lid, but it must have been awakened by something overnight.

 

you must go inside DISKPART and write the codes properly.........which is:

CMD - DISKPART - LIST DISK - SELECT DISK X - CREATE PARTITION PRIMARY SIZE=8192 ID=84

after doing this right.....your laptop will stay in sleep mode until you start it (or open the lid)

 

I still can't get over how pathetically worthless the Alps touchpad software is on this laptop. The Synaptics touchpad software on my Studio 1747 is 100 time better. The speaker location is idiotic. This thing's going on eBay soon.

 

I got a 7720 last week and have been running tests on it.

I'm getting P1175 on 3d mark 11...

Any ideas anyone on why that might be?

 

why do you use the ALP driver ??? just remove the driver and the touchpad works cleaner & better (who needs 2-finger scrolls and all that BS anyway)

i never use the ALP driver...i just want be able to click & move objects and pages with the touchpad....thats it

 

@ GoodKIngAlf...............1175 points in 3dmark11 is extrmely low (even if you have the i5 rig with 90W)

i would absolute first do a clean install of windows.....are you using win 7 or (mediocre) win 8 ??

after clean install.........install all drivers.........try stock DELL Nvidia driver 307.07 and you will at least hit + 2100 in 3dmark11......otherwise send me a PM and im sure we work it out

 

Hello I have some major fps problems while gaming,
When I am playing certain game (world of warcraft /world of tanks) some FPS drops will appear. This is how it looks - when i am in some /afk iddle game state means no gpu heavy scene i got around 120+fps and gpu load is 90-99% , cpu load is joke 20% like always (but still 3100MHz ofc) But when i do some massive pvp or raiding fps drops down but imho too much to +-30fps, BUT gpu load fals down too to 40-50% WHY ??? Why the hell is gpu load so low when i need it most. There should be no bottleneck. I didnt have this problem 4months ago. Tried different drivers, game settings all is set to max performance in envidia/win7 power settings.Oh and it shouldnt be overheating 82C max is still ok imho.
Any ideas ?

 

If you don't want to use tapping for clicking, you will need the ALP driver. I don't think it's possible to disable tapping in the Windows default mouse setup.

 

*please delete this post*

 

I make full use of multi-gesture functions, which is something Alps is completely useless for. I prefer natural (reverse) scrolling too, another thing Alps doesn't offer. The most annoying part is if you press Ctrl while inertial scrolling it'll start zooming.

 

well.........i use a great a mouse instead of a suzzy touchpad....

(only Macbook Pro touchpad i really like....the other brands are light years behind in feeling & craftsmanship)

...........................
@ stevedensmore.............ive tried 7720 multi gesture functions

........(i nearly killed myself of sadness because i knew how great/fun/easy/delicate..... a fully working Multi gesture touchpad can be on ex Macbook)

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

@tomas87.......................it can be difference things, but often its similar answers regarding this issues.

either change gpu driver (i know w.o.w. is pretty sensitive with some gpu drivers)

otherwise you might have a lot dust in your heatsink & fan which give you higher temps (and automatic down throttler the core clock)
.....(which in many cases lets the gpu goes down i "state 2" instead of running in full state 3D

one time i had this issues on a other laptop...after cleaning heatsink and everything the PC went back to normal performance

 

I have a nice mouse as well, but it's more convenient to use a touchpad if I'm lying in bed, or traveling. Synaptics multi-touch gesture software is robust, and functional; Alps on the other hand is a complete joke. I just can't figure out why Dell would downgrade to such a lousy touchpad.

 

Tried it again today and I'm now getting a 2152... is that more like it?

I'm on the latest drivers (a clean install), should I try rolling back to the Dell ones?

I can't do a clean windows install unfortunately as I haven't got the disks, I didn't get any with it!

I'm on an i7 with 16GB of RAM too.

On 3dMark (not 3dmark 11) I get about 800 on fire strike. Is that about right too? It's really bloody hard to figure out if it's performing to it's max.

 

2152 is nearly double .....which is more normal for a gt650 gddr5.........

i have use stock dell driver 307.07 nearly all time on 7720........(i never get better fps during games or 3dmark scores with another driver)

as you see on my 3dmark11 scores
... you can get up to nearly 2400 in 3dmark11 with original setup & driver......(which is the same as a GTX660).......it depends from gpu to gpu (after i replaced the gpu/motherboard the PC performance a bit better luckily)

http://www.3dmark.com/3dm11/6899441

 

Hey guys I consider buying coolingpad, so far this one looks good (Coolermaster notepal u3 ): Cooler Master NotePal U3 unboxing and setup. - YouTube
What do you think? Is there anything better ?

 

That's the one I've been looking at too. It's got really solid reviews on amazon.

Mine hasn't been getting overly hot though. After about 5 hours use one Saturday it was just a bit warm to the touch.

 

you dont need any cooling pad for 7720..........its one of the more cooler laptops if you compare it with other in this price range.....even now during summer it handle high temps well.

(the older laptops such as; m170, m1710, 9400 WOW....they where cool.....but this DELL laptop where also extremely well build...2 fans, extreme good craftsmanship, awesome airflow....and so on

now days, they dont build this kind of rigs for £1000

 

well you live in sweden just googled temp for stockholm its now 24C + you got replaced stock paste

I got 31C in room here in Slovakia and running on stockpaste = heavy gaming 85C+ cpu/gpu and I noticed random fps drops, that wasnt problem back in winter when I purchased this dell.
I would rather replace the paste but i just cant cuz i dont have any knowledge and dont want to risk any dmg even when there would be any youtube vids how to do it.