XPS 630 General Hardware Discussion thread

By the way, doesn't anyone know where to check for those minidump errors?

You could try using the debugging tools for Windows

http://www.microsoft.com/whdc/devtools/debugging/default.mspx

Version 1.0.12 is available to download.

I noticed recently that the option to purchase an xps 630 system with vista 64bit and 8gb's of ram is longer possible. I waited several weeks until it was finally possible, but now I'm worried that Dell have removed this option because of possible problems.

I'm encountering installation, stability and crashing problems with some games I have tried to play on the system, I'm running threw many possible fix's but I'm not sure yet if this is the games at fault or if it is some sort of underlining problem with the xps 630 with the vista 64bit option, 8gb's of ram with the quad core processor and SLI and the sound card.

I recently purchased my xps 630 on the 20th of Jan and im within the 21 days return timeframe for the next few days, could someone explain why this option was briefly available but then removed again because it worries me.

Is anyone else running fine with a similar system, I was not expecting to be experiencing so many problems with my new system and I'm a little disappointed, I really want to keep the computer but I'm losing confidence in it being capable of providing acceptable stability and reliability for gaming which is the primary purpose for my purchase.

The 8G option is back available for the 630. Start the configuration on the first one ($1099). Comes standard with Windows 64 Bit.

OK thankyou fasterloads that is reassuring that Dell have not removed the option, I was just getting paranoid after checking and not seeing it anymore with my current problems.

My dell xps is very similar to yours but I have 8gigs of ram and the 9800 in SLI, and the seagate 500gb drives in raid 0.

Two examples of my problems are the games left4dead and call of duty 4.

But they both run exceptionally well on highest settings but both encounter random CTD, sound loop freezes or vista saying the application has encountered a problem and will close but no information about the crash.

I have increased fan speed to keep temperatures low, got the latest drivers for graphics and sound card, run windows update, got latest versions of direct9 and 10, run vistas and dells memory checks, tried re-installing and got the latest patches.

I have enabled,disabled sli and multi core processing, and tried lowering graphics and sound settings. Nothing seems to work and its very frustrating because the computer is performing flawlessly and the games look superb on the 24 inch HD screen, until the random CTD happens, might be after 15 mins might be after 2 hours.

Its possible the game files have been corrupted or not installed correctly but I'm not sure how to rectify this or troubleshoot the cause.

Only other small problem is the SB X-fi occasionally cracks, pops or sound goes and comes back or goes completely dead for games, i dont know if this is related or not.

I have esa.603 and the latest bios 1.0.12.

I've tried checking the dell website for drivers and updates but I'm not quite sure if any of it would be helpful.

If anyone has any suggestions I have not tried yet I would be most appreciative, and could proved dxdiag or any other information if required.

Hello Friends:

I bought XPS 630i desktop on Feb,01st,2009.
It has ATI Radeon HD 4800 Series Video Card (512 MB RAM). It provided two sockets for DVI adapters at the back. I need to connect three monitors to the system. How can I extend the PC to connect with 3 monitors ?

Also how can I know what is the brand and spec of the my video card ?

Also same questions about the motherboard, like what is total spec of it ?

Similarly I want to add more than 1 sound cards too.

How can I find this information ?

Appreciate your help,

Prasad Nutalapati

About the only way I know of connecting three monitors would be to add another graphics card. Unfortunately the 630 doesn't appear to work well in Crossfire configuration (if at all). I've seen numerous postings about being unable to get Crossfire to work with the 630 Mobo. As for SLI, the AGP slots are actually clamped to 8-bit and not 16 (Dell's received lots of flack on this issue). Might want to keep that in mind when running SLI or Crossfire.

The best way to know the brand is to open up the side panel on the case and check the manufacturer's stamp on the graphics card. For the specs, run system information and it should display the specs under Components > Display.

As for the Mobo, you may have to use a utility program to get the manufacturer's specs. You can download a scanner utility from websites such as Crucial's (click on 'scan my system' and go from there).

More than one sound card is something I've not dabbled with. I'd be curious as to why you'd need more than one. I would suspect resource conflicts would be your main concern.

I saw the following posted on XPS 630 FAQ recently:

HDD LED flashes all the time

* Contact support and tell them you have the flashing HDD LED issue. Have them setup a service to install part #KW400.

Since my HDD activity light (the LED I assume this post refers to) blinks all the time I assumed this applied to me. (BTW it blinks even when the computer is in standby.) I contacted Support. On the third attempt I was able to get them to agree to a service call.

A few days later a technician arrived in the evening and installed the part. I believe him to be very competent. (He agreed that the blinking light was NOT normal.) Unfortunately this did not solve the problem. I assume the part that was replaced was in fact the proper one.

Background

I bought this machine in May 08, feeling pressed to upgrade because at that time MS & Dell were saying they would not sell machines with XP installed after June. I noted at the time that there were a number of comments on the forum regarding the blinking light issue and one offered a partial solution to the problem. As I recall there was a downside to the procedure. .(disabling autostart, I think??) In any event I decided to leave things alone. For a couple of reasons I have now decided to cure the blinking light problem. As of now it is not cured.

More recently I visited the forum again (the forum is greatly changed - not quite as convenient as before but I have not ascended the learning curve very far) and noticed the posting cited above. I know the original thread is somewhere, but for now I can not find it, so I am posting here.

Questions

I alsmost did not post a reply to  your question since this new forum is such a pain to use compared to the ease of the old forum.  But to answer  you question there was many posts on this issue and a fix was promised.  From people that posted on the old forum that had the new part installed it was not a fix.  According to the posts from these people all it did was to make the flashing light less bright then the old part.  As far as I know Dell has done nothing to actually fix this problem.  Some people posted saying they turned off the auto load feature and that helped.  If there is a true fix I am not aware of it but I rarely vist this site anymore due to how much more difficult it is to use.  

I brought my Dell xps a few weeks ago and the hardrive light constantly blinks also, but its not something I would personally justify calling a technician to replace a part to fix.

For anyone else experiencing sound cracking, popping and or sound cutting out intermittently or completely with the xps 630 and the creative SB X-Fi.

I disabled sound blaster enhancements in control panel/hardware and sounds/sound/speakers properties/sound blaster then disable. And I set the card to gaming mode.

I also found that both of these things and lowering sound quality to medium settings in games helped to reduce CTD, and sound loop crashing with some games.

I would be interested to know if anyone else has experienced problems with this card or if it is perhaps faulty or has some other conflict or problem unique to my system.

I also found that when installing games not using the autoplay feature but right clicking on the installation executable and selecting run as administrator seemed to help prevent files being corrupted or not being installed properly with vista.

I also found that right clicking the games executable and selecting run as administrator also seems to help prevent or reduce CTD with some games with vista. I am new to vista and never had any problems like this with XP.

Why the SB-XFi card which I presumed was for gaming and high quality sound playback when I selected it as an upgrade for my dell appears to be incapable of working properly on my system with the latest drivers and on the default settings I don't know exactly.

Good Morning,

I run Vista 64 bit, 8 GB Dominator in my 630i, and I have not had the flashing HDD LED problem, but I would agree with RChris that the black electrical tape would be a quick easy solution.

I run Vista 64 bit, 8 GB Dominator on my 730 H2C, and the brightness of the HDD LED bugged me, as the box sits right beside of me on top of the desk, so I put some fingernail polish over the LED.  Several forum users were not happy with my solution/modification, but in reality it is just a computer.  I have seen lots of boxes covered with stickers of OS/CPU/GPU/keyboard upgrades plastered on the sides of units, so I do not see any big deal with either electrical tape or nail polish.

Best,

Darrell WV

Thanks for your reply. I'll suffer w/ the blinking light for now. I also pretty much agree with your comment on the forum's ease of use.

A very good day to all.

The black/red electrical tape does seem to be the most popular "fix" at the moment, I use it myself with a small pinhole cut so as to allow some light through. A couple of other workrounds have been suggested, first cutting one of the wires and soldering in a resister (sorry can't remember what type) which reduces the intensity but not the frequency, and as previously posted "painting" the LED. You could also try getting the section replaced (part KW400) but as far as I know it still does the same thing.

I've been seeing more and more people express their views on the new DCF and how awkward/difficult it is to navigate, I'm sure they will sort it out over time, just how much time is another matter. If you would like to use a "regular" question and answer forum please take the time to visit www.my630i.com dare I say an "old fashioned" forum :emotion-5:. Pleasant people, many subjects covered ranging from OC'ing to folding and gaming, there's even a resource collective for most if not all the problems/bugs/fix's for our beloved 630i. Some of the other XPS systems have also been given forum sections as demand dictates.

Hi again everyone...

Okay, so I'm 90% sure that my blue screen is being caused by the cord that connects my computer and my SP2208WFP monitor's built in USB ports and webcam (either that or the problem's actually the USB ports or webcam).  It hasn't blue screened since January 25th, three weeks ago, when I unplugged that cord. I'm going to replug in the cord tomorrow and wait it out to see if it blue screens again.

I was just wondering if anyone had any other suggestions before I try and contact Dell again, but also what would be the best way to contact them for the best results/help: email, chat, or by phone? I'm also curious if anyone's been having this problem, because from my searches on the web, it doesn't seem anyone's been having this problem. (Which makes me think it actually is just a problem with my mointor, and not a compatability problem with Vista.)

EDIT: It actually ended up being the power strip I was using.