XPS 730x General Hardware Discussion thread

I also have mine on the table next to the monitor.

This is a great idea, I'll give it a go. Anything to at least reduce the amount of dust that builds up. Thanks!

Someone needs to make a direct link to page 53 or 54......  It is ridiculous to press next at least 25 times to get this far.  Btw,

Or you could just type the page number in address bar at the top of browser.

http://en.community.dell.com/forums/t/19242760.aspx?PageIndex=2

Change the 2 to 53 or 54 or 55 or whatever your heart desires

I recently recieved a 730x HC2 and I to have a problem with sleep mode. Once  I wake my computer back up it BSOD every time within 10-15 minutes of waking. In or out of games then reboots. Running Bios 1.0.3, very annoying and makes sleep mode useless. If i dont want to crash I have reboot after I wake it up and sit there for 1 minute waiting for it slow reboot process. 

Thanks for letting me know.  I didnt know how to do that.  

I figured the problem out regarding the cosmetic damage done on the face plates.  Isopropyl Alcohol was expired on 12/2008.  That definitely affected its drying capabilities.  Thanks for the help once again.

How do you resolve yours?

The temp of your CPU will depend somewhat on the temperature of the room your PC is in.  I keep my room temp around 70F.

 I, too, have the 920 H2C and I was hoping the H2C would keep my temp around 30c but the lowest I've seen it was 38c.  Right now, I have my CPU overclocked to 3.2ghz and my idle temp is 38-41c with the load temps up to around 48c.  I've had my CPU up to 3.8ghz with idle temps being 43c and load being 55c.  I ran Prime95 and at 100% load, my temps were 68-72c which is still under the 100c threshold.

If you would like to check, remove your H2C unit and clean the thermal paste from the CPU and the water block and then apply a thin layer of Arctic Silver 5 to the CPU.  Best of luck and let me know how it goes for you.

Hi,

I was wondering if Bios 1.0.3 fixed more then Dell is admitting.  I have been running (i7 965) OC with C-State Tech enabled for several days. (Knock on Wood)  Before, the computer would reboot after several hours. The Idle temp runs about 4 deg C cooler. (38deg C)

I have been running (i7 965) OC with C-State Tech enabled for several days.

What do you have your CPU overlocked to?  I just updated to the 1.0.3 BIOS and I can't really tell that it's made any difference.

Hi,

OC to factory 3.74.  I ran several days at 3.2 with out any reboots. So, i tried the OC setting. It has been 47 hours (again, knock on wood) OC without a reboot.  I am not saying it is fixed, but it has lasted 10X longer then before and the idle temp is defintly cooler. (c-state tech enabled). Running real temp's sensor's test the CPU's reaches 72C. (100% load with prime 95). I live in Round Rock and the ambient temp in the room has been 80F

I had mine ratcheted up to 3.74ghz as well and my temp(s) peaked at 72c a couple of times while running Prime95 but mainly stayed around 68c @ 100% load.  My idle temp was 42c but I lowered my clock to 3.2ghz, only because I had no need to run it @ 3.74ghz.

I agree, I also do not need to run at 3.74.  (But I did pay for it)  They (Dell) recommends that C-state be disabled to solve the random reboot problem.  I was just wondering if Bios 1.0.3 fixed the issue.  To early to tell. On, the Intel site the i7 claim to fame is it's power management. Doesn’t disabling c-state defeat this?

If you would like to check, remove your H2C unit and clean the thermal paste from the CPU and the water block and then apply a thin layer of Arctic Silver 5 to the CPU.  Best of luck and let me know how it goes for you.

Thanks for the advise. Took it apart, apply some thermal paste, the CoolerMaster ThermalFusion 400 (could not find the Artic Silver 5), managed to to knock-off 3-4degC. OC to 3.6Ghz, idling at 47degC now. Will try to run Prime95 soon.

Doesn’t disabling c-state defeat this?

C-State Tech, Turbo boost, and speed step are all power saving functions so to answer your question, yes , it would defeat the purpose.  Thus, the reason you've noticed the drop in temps after enabling it.

Just a quick note. Per my previous posts I contacted Dell and they stated that my temps are ok (Idle between 36c-43c).  Phenom was helpful in suggesting that I could reapply the paste.  I guess I am too chicken to do it.  The system runs fine in all games and doesn't get too hot in Age of Conan.  It is located in the basement and depending on if the air conditioning is on or not the temps will fluctuate.  I run it with the default overclock so it will go up to 3.74.  For my day to day purposes I think I will be happy with things for now.  Perhaps as my computer gets older I will play with the paste.  Just don't want a large paperweight on my hands.

Using the Prime95 test the temps will get into the mid 70's.  Under normal "gaming" load with (with 2-3 MMO accounts running and perhaps the TV) I get high 50's, maybe low 60's depending on room temp.

I will perhaps try enabling c-state if that will help.  Are there any risks involved in enabling it other that the possibility of reboots?  I could always turn it off I suppose.

Thanks

Mark

Um, Dell may tell you that your temperatures are fine regardless of what they actually are. When I received my unit (I7-940 liquid cooled) these were my temps under load:
Temperature sensor 0    98°C (208°F) [0x2] (Core #0)
Temperature sensor 1    87°C (188°F) [0xD] (Core #1)
Temperature sensor 2    100°C (212°F) [0x0] (Core #2)
Temperature sensor 3    79°C (174°F) [0x15] (Core #3)
Dell said this was just fine.

I posted my CPU temps to five different computer enthusiast forum groups:
http://www.ocforums.com/showthread.php?p=5955337&posted=1#post5955337
http://www.overclock.net/intel-cpus/448625-i7-940-not-oced-runs-99c-3.html#post5406459
http://forums.pureoverclock.com/showthread.php?p=25192&posted=1#post25192
http://forums.anandtech.com/messageview.aspx?catid=28&threadid=2270285&enterthread=y
http://forums.whirlpool.net.au/forum-replies.cfm?t=1107663&p=-1#bottom

Folks were amazed and flabbergasted at the temperatures I was reporting.
Many of these folks seem to be familiar with how the i7 should be functioning under stock and over clocked conditions.
The consensus seemed to be that the heat sink for the cooling system was misinstalled.

Turns out they were correct. After many hours of problem solving with Dell I finally followed the lead I got from the enthusiast forum groups and checked the waterblock and found it loosely attached.

You'll want to rely on a source other than Dell for ideal or expected operating temperatures. Now I can say that when I first received my computer the i7 was fresh on the market. But, it only took me a few minutes of searching on the internet to realize what Dell never admitted and that was that my CPU was running at near failure temperatures. As long as I was not getting blue screens there was no problem as far as Dell was concerned. You can search this forum for details of my story.

My system has been running well with virtually zero problems since (other than the LED lighting has never worked correctly).

Take care.