Dell Studio 1557 - i7 - overheating issues

Maybe. How tolerance it can be to high temperature, it depends to GPU itself & how it implemented by manufacturer. From my experience, all of the graphic cards that I has use, all of them have problem with high temperature but none of them has ever fried. And I has played games a lot. I think good airflow is the main factor to keep GPU 'alive'.

My laptop still in warranty, so I'm not worried.

kizwan

 

Ok man. Good luck with that.

 

The real key is that I'm not interested in voiding my warrantly, but I want better performance from this (which is my replacement Studio 1557 - the first one died after 3 months). So if Dell, which manufactured the laptop, ultimately decides that it can handle 120+W, then I'll be happy for them to ship me an upgraded power adapter for free. I'm not willing to shell out money for something that will invalidate my warranty.

 

Highly doubt that overheating issues are caused by a non strong enough power adapter. Maybe I missed something in which case sorry for barging into the conversation like that .
There is a third party power supply maker but I can't remember it's name right now. Plus you say you expect Dell to provide one so that's irrelevant.

 

You did miss something My old laptop was overheating, so I returned it for a new one. At this point, I'm inquiring regarding the sufficiency of the power adapter, since it came up in other threads. Perhaps I should have started a new thread.

 

There is a real chance that this system does throttle during a heavy load but I very seriously doubt Dell will send us new power adapters.They will just try to fix it with 5 or 6 bios updates.
The first factor they need to address is the heat issues IMO.
How they plan on fixing this is the real question.... 5 or 6 bios updates maybe?

 

the same issue is going on with the new alienware M17x-R2 laptop.
Video flickering etc, due to a wrong power management in BIOS.
Dell is releasing a patch now. so you guys are not alone!

 

I have a feeling that the heat problems are due to Dell's particular choice of thermal architecture in this model. Like someone else in this thread said, pumping more power through the system will only exacerbate the heating troubles. Given the choice between having a handicapped system at low power but tolerable heat, or a system with full power that is too hot to touch... I'd want a refund. (Maybe a BIOS update will fix it though .)

 

Hi newbie here.

I picked up the comments and have noticed Dell has changed the specification of the 1557 now is as follows:

They have upted the RAM to 6GB DDR 1333MHz

They have also ditched the 4570 and now fit a HD5470 with 1GB DDR which has slightly better clock speeds at 750 core and 900 memory as well as slightly better fill rate. Band width is up to 25.6 though which is way up on the 4570.

Also the top end screen has changed to a 1920x1080, but I dont see how you can see the benefit on a 15".

They still ship with the 90w power supply though and have no idea about the cooler design so probably not much help..

 

New here also
Well I purchased a 1557 with 6GB of Ram & 1GB ATI HD5470 graphics card last night. (before reading this forum thread). Dell will be installing Adobe Premier Elements (video editing software). This will be the most demanding software I will use. I'm not a gamer.

So I'm interested to know what application / diagnostic software to run to test this machine to the limit to find out is there a problem. Promise to let people know the results.

Have also brought on the basis Dell warrant Premier Elements will run without crashing and Premier Elements being fully compatable with all installled drivers , windows 7 64bit and the i7-720QM processor. I note Dell will install the Premier Elements and supply disks & manuals. I also note Dell will take back the machine should it fail to function with Abobe Premier Elements.

Interesting to see if I can return if problems

 

Hi another newbie here.

I purchased a 1557 too i7-720QM with 8GB of ram & 1GB ATI HD5470 2 nites ago. I've just checked the Dell site 5 minutes ago and the 1557 model is available anymore!!! only i5 processors available. I wonder why???

 

I still see it on the US site but its still with the 4570 gpu


I will be curious to see some temperature results from you guys with the 5470 gpu's.

Is there a online manual for these 1557s yet (with the 5470)

 

here you go the conversation I had 2 minutes ago with one guy from Dell

18:04:40 peter sawyer Initial Question/Comment: cant find studio 15 i7
18:04:50 System You are now being connected to an agent. Thank you for using Dell Chat
18:04:50 System Connected with Bhanu_Koduru
18:04:55 Bhanu_Koduru Thank you for contacting Dell Sales Chat. This is Bhanu, your Sales Advisor. Please give me a moment while I review your query. In order to Help you better can you provide me with your email address and Telephone number in case we get Disconnected I can call
18:05:06 Bhanu_Koduru Hi Peter
18:05:24 peter sawyer hi bhanu
18:05:29 Bhanu_Koduru Yes, at the moment it is not available online
18:06:02 peter sawyer do you know why the studio 15 with i7 processor is not available anymore?
18:06:17 peter sawyer but it was 2 days ago
18:07:00 peter sawyer any reason?
18:07:37 Bhanu_Koduru there is an Technical issue and out Technical Team is working on it and very soon it will be rectified
18:08:06 peter sawyer do you know what he technical issue is?
18:08:27 Bhanu_Koduru I am not sure about it

 

still online on epp site : http://configure.us.dell.com/dellst..._orig_cs=6099&oc=ENCWBA2&link_number=17967581

 

not in uk bro

 

Perhaps it just a problem with the uk dell website. I don't see why you need to worry about it.

 

so would you guys recommend picking the i7 version right now, or should i stay away ?

 

I recommend i7. Your signature stated that you already ordered alienware with i7. Have you received it? I've read on another thread about this laptop, it didn't support virtualization. Bios locked it.

kizwan

 

No, i did not receive it yet.
Dell is seriously delaying those orders.
About virtualization - true, but AW promised a bios upgrade to support it.
The only thing i will not be able to do is host 64bit OSes in vmware/virtualbox etc. So i will wait for a bios upgrade and until then i will use guest OSes.

you recommend it but what about the overheating issues of the studio 15 with i7?

 

I haven't experiencing overheating problem with i7. The CPU temperature is acceptable. Around 45-60C when working with vmware (~2 guest OS powered ON). Even C2D temp much higher than i7. If I push it more during daytime, it hardly reached 70C. Most of the time below that.

As the GPU, Ati Mobility Radeon HD 4570 does "over-heat". With Dell driver, GPU temp can reached up to 95C when playing 3D games. With 10.2 driver downloaded from ATI website, GPU temp much lower, 85C. I read 10.3 driver, which (officially) support mobility graphic card can lower more. 10.3 driver will be available soon.

Why i7 so special? For example Intel® Core™ i7-720QM (1.6GHz, 4 Cores/8 Threads, 6MB Cache), it can turbo up to 2.8GHz. But I don't think laptop with i7 can turbo up to 2.8GHz, at least for dell studio 15. I've read even Intel can't guarantee it. To turbo up to maximum GHz, it require enough power supplied to CPU (~130W) and good cooling system which I doubt laptop have this characteristic. For me, if I want most of the i7 performance, I will go with desktop pc. So far my dell studio 1557 performed brilliantly and fast.

kizwan

 

actually 10.3 beta are available for download if you are interested : http://forums.guru3d.com/forumdisplay.php?f=46

can't test them, but the guys with m17x with ati cards that did all say they are awesome drivers.

 

I decided to return my DELL studio 1747 (17 inch, core i7).
In my case the 90 watt adaptor got very hot, above 70C (160F)on the surface, enough for cooking an egg.
Also I began experiencing system freezes two weeks ago after upgrading to BIOS A07, and needed to do hard reboots and therefore losing all my work.... and time.

I submitted complaints about the hot adaptor to the certifying UL agency, and told them the problem that DELL is using this low powered adaptor with a machine that sucks the juice out of it, and that they should use a 130 Watts instead.
I wrote to the DELL customer care here in Canada and telling the problems in this thread (throttling, system freeze, hot adaptor) and the problems aknnowledged by the Dell engineers on the DELL community forum thread.
They gave me right away a return number through UPS, and I am a waiting the full refund next week.
I am so glad to be free from this whole nightmare. Who needs to pay for a 2000$ computer and experience such amounts of problems ( esp. the system freeze, and the underpowered system which we got that was advertised to us as a powerful multimedia house).

Anyway, the agency wrote me back and wants a clear photo picture of the adaptor. Since I do not have anymore this laptop (!),could someone write to the agency below. As ma ny people complain, the faster action we will get through this official way.

You may forward your complaints to the certifier of the A/C adaptor below, since they are investigating the problem.


They answered me:


" Your report has been forwarded to me for handling. To assist us in investigating the reported issue, please provide me with photos of the marking labels on both the AC adaptor and the laptop, showing the UL Marks and the product designations for the AC adaptor and the laptop.

Thank you for bringing this matter to our attention and assisting us in maintaining the UL Public Safety Mission.

Shawn Fan (Ext. 62493)" .

Market Surveillance Department
Underwriters Laboratories Taiwan Co., Ltd.
1/F 260 Da-Yeh RD
Peitou, Taipei City, Taiwan 112
Tel: +886-2-2890-7493
Fax: +886-2-2890-7435
E-mail: [email protected]
http://www.UL.com.tw

[email protected]

 

After updating the BIOS to A04 it was time to stress.

Furmark @ Stability Burn 1366x768

Everest CPU burn

Prime95 stressing all 8 threads

Temps



CPU looks good until you look at the throttlestop log file

Damn thing is everywhere.Seems they made the CPU throttle even more to keep the heatpipe cooler for the GPU...if that makes sense.


ThrottleStop log file

 

With ThrottleStop on


Its back to the same.GPU heats up to limit and drops.over & over

On the TS log file start at 03/06/10 14:09:36

 

The 1747 owners appear happy as dell are now apparently supplying them with 130w power supplies and a bios update to overcome their throttling issues.

http://en.community.dell.com/forums/p/19310587/19673171.aspx?PageIndex=100

Will they do the same for us 1557 owners.

 

Something tells me no they wont

 

OneCool: Your log file shows some severe clock modulation going on. That really kills performance and in the middle of a game when this happens, you will see the frame rates start to get very sluggish.

The deceiving part of this is that when these new CPUs start using clock modulation, it reduces the internal CPU load and power consumption which tells the CPU it should be using more turbo boost. When this happens the reported multiplier can increase but overall CPU performance is still taking a big hit due to internal clock modulation.

Dell is making some slow progress. Keep complaining and maybe they will get around to fixing this model too.

 

Is this also an issue on the 1558 model(s)?

 

If you dont mind me asking what size shim did you use and where did you purchase it from (eBay?)?

Thanks

 

here you go http://forum.notebookreview.com/showthread.php?t=451422

 

Overheating story until yesterday:
My system runs extremely hot. Temperature of CPU 85 deg and GPU 65 deg on normal (10% CPU) usage. While playing HD movies CPU runs at 95 deg, GPU reached 85 and system powers off abruptly. CPU usage remain 15-20%. It shows BSOD if booted immediately. So, I had to keep an eye on temp while watching movies, which was not very interesting.

Story of today:
Dell engineer replaced Heatsink. Now temperature of CPU is 63 deg and GPU 65 deg on normal (10% CPU) usage. I ran Everest stress test, CPU temp MAXed out upto 92 deg and settled at 85. GPU settled at max 86 deg.

Questions:
Does new temperatures are cool enough or should I replace motherboard also? Dell engineer wanted to replace motherboard. But I denied because it was a refurbished one. Is that normal to offer a ref. product?

PS: My max room temp is around 35 degree Celsius.

 

those temps are pretty high, i'd try that mobo replacement, all dell's replacement parts are refurbished, it does not necessarily mean it's been used, it might've been pulled out of a cancelled order laptop or a returned one that wasn't used at all..

 

Yeah, I agree with mfractal. Refurbished replacement part doesn't mean it is low quality. I believe it has been tested. It has been proven over & over again but people seems to unable to accept it, new parts also can broken or faulty. So, there is no differences between new & refurbished parts.

kizwan

 

Dammn. 95 sure is high :/. Defo get it replaced while you have some sort of warranty.

 

At least let them compare revision numbers.The motherboard they have may be a later version.Making upgrading the motherboard worth it.

I think mine is a Rev.A3-D

 

I do have the refurbished one with me. It has a sticker, which says
Date: 02/27/2010,
Assembly REV: A01
BIOS REV: A03

The BIOS in my system has been upgraded to A04 by myself. But what is this 'Assembly Rev' thing? I guess this is the one you are talking about. How can I find this out for my current system mobo?

I have attached mobo details file generated by Everest.

PS: It says
South Bridge Intel Ibex Peak-M PM55
Revision / Stepping A5 / B2

I don't know if this is something important.

 

look at the sticker on your mobo and compare it to the refurbished one, it might be lower revision or not...

 

Sorry for asking, do I have to unscrew/open the cover to find this sticker? Because I do not see it outside.

 

yep.. aren't you going to replace the mobo yourself ? how it is that you still have it ? i assumed the tech left it with you in case you decide to replace.
so you are going to need to open it in order to see the sticker..

 

Things are flexible in my country
I have two options:
1. I have to give a call(if I made up my mind after testing the system) to Tech guy today and he will come and replace the mobo.
2. I do nothing. Since tech guys do not carry hardware, Dell has authorized a courier company, which collect/deliver the hardware.

So, I was trying to get the information from somewhere else without opening the system by myself.

 

if i were you i'd try the mobo replacement and see if temps are getting better.
Also, i think it would be wise to apply good thermal paste (MX-3,AS5) on both the cpu and gpu, that would take your temps down a notch too.

 

btw, use the service manual to disassemble it, it's here

 

The update is, mobo has been replaced. But there is no improvement in temperatures.

Both mobo has same REV A01. Original one manufactured in Dec,2009 and refurbished one in Jan,2010. Moreover, refurbished one had some plastic on the threads where bluetooth chip is screwed. A bluetooth chip was never used on this mobo. Perhaps this mobo was never used before.

Here are the readings:
At 35 degree room temp,
10% or less CPU load, core temp is 60 deg
100% CPU load, core temp is 85 deg

At 20 degree room temp,
10% or less CPU load, core temp is 50 deg
100% CPU load, core temp is 77 deg

PS: The thermal paste used is made by 'Henkel Technologies, CA, USA'.

 

Guys, btw what CPU and GPU temperatures you have on idle and load conditions?

 

sorry i don't have it so i can't tell you the temps

 

My room temperature around 33-34C. On normal usage (typing, browsing & running one Windows Vista guest OS), temperature for the CPU stable below 60C (55C-58C). As for GPU, on normal usage, stable below 60C (56C-57C). When playing games, GPU is the only device recorded high temperature. Around 75-80C. This is with cooling pad.

Without cooling pad (when I'm not at home), CPU temperature on normal usage is stable below 65C (depending where I'm. If in server room, the temperature much better). GPU is the same except playing games. I have never tried playing games while on battery & working!

I noticed that my CPU never reached 100%. Can you explain what are you running on the computer at that time?

kizwan

 

Here are the temperatures along with the testing softwares:


At 35 degree room temp,
10% or less CPU load, core temp is 60 deg, GPU 65 deg
100% CPU load by Everest Stress test, core temp is 85 deg, GPU 72 deg
100% CPU load by IntelliBurn Test, core temp is 92 deg, GPU 80 deg

At 20 degree room temp,
10% or less CPU load, core temp is 50 deg, GPU 55 deg
100% CPU load by Everest Stress test, core temp is 77 deg, GPU 62 deg
100% CPU load by IntelliBurn Test, core temp is 87 deg, GPU 72 deg

I have still to test GPU while playing games.

 

This tests perform without cooling pad & with one Windows Vista 32bit guest OS (VMware) running (to give some stress to the CPU).

My room temperature around 33C-34C. Running Everest stress test, I got the same CPU temperature but my GPU temperature always below 66C. Running around 10 min without any BSOD. So it is stable.

Aside of the Everest stress test result, when playing games, e.g. NFS Shift, around 1-3 hour, CPU temperature always below 70C (65C-67C). GPU temperature reached up to 92C. GPU-Z logs the GPU temperature always alternate between 91C & 92C all the way. Looks stable & no sudden decrease in games performances or BSOD.

When CPU load 10% or less, CPU temperature between 53C-56C & GPU temperature stable between 56C-57C. So, if your highest CPU temperature is 60C in this condition, I think it is acceptable.

While playing HD 720p video, CPU temperature always below 60C. GPU temperature slightly increase between 63C-65C (stable at 64C).

My conclusion, your GPU temperatures looks very high. My GPU high when playing games only. Do you still get BSOD or high temperature when watching HD video? If not after replacing the motherboard, I think your laptop is stable.

kizwan

 

that's is a very high room temperature, how do you survive in 34C ??

 

With fan running 24/7.