XPS 730x General Hardware Discussion thread

My H2C (with latest BIOS) do not rev up the pump even when my core temp is at 60degC. It stays at 1208rpm +/- 10. Tired of talking to dell support. I figure DELL will replace everything when it fry, since it's under warranty.

+1, it only sems to ramp up when the actual load increases eg if i start running a benckmark, it dosent increase if it is not doing anything yet is stuck at 60C when it should really be cooling it donw. Dell need to sort this out!

dell pulled it from there site, I looked and sure enough its gone

It's still on the Canadian Dell site  .ca   -- Just as weird. 

I too have read previously that the XPS system was to be discontinued. 

Well I to have read on these forums that the XPS might disappear at some point but I honestly don't know if its more that a rumor.

I need to say that I am happy with it and will not worry excessively about what might happen.  There are certainly more things in life to be concerned about but it would be nice to understand where this is going and if there will be plans to fix or not fix some of the main issues.

If the XPS line or this version of it is going away I can deal with that, after all it is bound to happen with any system.  I guess I was surprised more than anything.  I know Chris may not be able to comment on many of these issues but it would be nice to know at some point what is happening.

Chris if there is any light you can shed on this issue it would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks

Mark

[quote user="lazy_xps"] My H2C (with latest BIOS) do not rev up the pump even when my core temp is at 60degC. It stays at 1208rpm +/- 10. Tired of talking to dell support. I figure DELL will replace everything when it fry, since it's under warranty.

+1, it only sems to ramp up when the actual load increases eg if i start running a benckmark, it dosent increase if it is not doing anything yet is stuck at 60C when it should really be cooling it donw. Dell need to sort this out!

[/quote]

First thing to do is uninstall the NVidia Software ( Not The Drivers ) Just the Utility like the performance and system software.  Go to guru3d.com and get the EVGA precision software and install it this is for your Video cards fan and overclocking controller.  Next install the Dell XPS Thermal Monitor and create a new profile on the Rear CPU Fan set it to 30% - PCI Cage Fan 20% and - HDD Fan 60%,  you can adjust the fan speeds to your liking but those setting work great for me.  For light control use the AlienFX I personally don't have the lights working it gets annoying after a while.  If you have a rear exhaust fan installed uninstall it.  I found that it traps the heat in and Dell XPS 730/730x case is designed so the front fans blow the air out.  My H2C ramps up at about 50C depending on what I am running.  But the problem is I hit 84C + before I see decrease in temp.  That is really bad for the CPU it like putting Nitrogen on metal and then put hot water and then you get shattered pieces of metal.  I know it sound opposite but the same concept.  The CPU life is going to be shorten really quick.  A CPU under good liquid shouldn't even exceed 60C under load.  Hope the find a solution soon.

I use EVGA for monitoring my GPU temps, nothing more.  I use the NVIDIA System Tools with ESA Support for controlling my system and GPU fans and it works MUCH better than the XPS Thermal Monitor, if you know how to set it up properly. 

At the present time, my default profile in the NVIDIA Tools is -

PCI Cage Fan - 15%

Rear CPU Fan - 50%

Hard Drive Fan - 50%

GeForce GTX 285 #1 - 50%

GeForce GTX 285 #2 - 50%

When I start a game, such as COD4 or COD5, this is what my settings automatically increase to -

Hard drive Fan - 50%

Rear CPU Fan - 100%

PCI Cage Fan - 25%

GeForce GTX 285 #1 - 100%

GeForce GTX 285 #2 - 100%

When I leave the game, everything reverts back to the default settings.  With the XPS Thermal Monitor, you have to do all of that MANUALLY.  My CPU temp never gets over 55C unless I'm running a benchmark.  If you are hitting 84C, what is the ambient room temperature?  Do you have your tower on the floor, or do you have it on the desktop?  I have mine sitting on my desktop because it stays cooler and doesn't inhale the dust from the carpet.  If your REAR exhaust fan is trapping the heat in, then it's because the fan is installed wrong.  When the rear fan is installed properly, it will greatly improve the ambient temperature inside the case because it pulls the air through the case, providing better airflow.

This is what I've noticed - increasing the Rear CPU Fan and PCI Cage Fan speed does not help to cool down the CPU temp at all. Easy to test, ramp up both Fan to 100% and observe if the CPU Core temp started to decrease. Let see what others has to say about this..I might have set it up wrongly.

The REAR CPU fan helps cool down the fins of the CPU heatsink by pulling the air through them.  If you don't think it works, turn the CPU fan to 0% and watch your CPU temp begin to climb.  It also assists in removing the hot air from the case by pushing it out the backside of your case.  As for the PCI cage fan, it's not supposed to cool down your CPU temp.  The SOLE purpose of the PCI cage fan is to blow cool air across your video cards and help lower the ambient case temperature.

I suppose that one way of getting out of having to fix the issues with the 730x is to just discontinue it.

Then, they don't need to update the BIOS to fix the niggly issues that exist (sleep resume, slow POST/Boot)!

Hey guys, I just found this post.

Dell sales told me the XPS 730x has been canceled and they wanted to transition people to alienware. Does anyone know why they would do this? I very much dislike the way alienware computers look, and I think their prices are usually too high. I have bought Dell computers for quite some time and if they are not going to have a high end gaming machine that along the lines of the 730x or better, im just not purchasing anything from them. I had a great system specced out at a good price and now that option is gone. Does anyone know if they are releasing a new model? This is so annoying as I was just about to purchase the thing! The rep recommended the Studio XPS 9000 as the next best thing aside from alienware but that didn't even let me configure it correctly, no gaming keyboard choice (G19 specifically) forces a 22" monitor on me where as I would have bought a new 2408WFP because the 22" is some kind of "3D" monitor, which I am in no way interested in. The video card options are not good, and there is no available SLI either.

You can see the post in its entirety here - DELL XPS 730 & 730x - DISCONTINUED

So how long do you think it will be before they shut down the XPS tech support lines and route us all into India?

Hi Mastin, The pic you showed does my problem proper justice.  Yes that is the issue, no matter what colors I change all zones to the front two intake areas are always red tinted, so that they never match the other 3 zones.  EXCEPT when I do all 5 zones on AlienFX as red - it's funny that we both did the same thing to solve the color issue.  I did reinstall the BIOS and AlienFX but it did not do the trick.  I was instructed by my XPS tech that I might need to reinstall my Vista 64 in order to make the AlienFX work again.  I'm not sure if we 730x i7 users can indeed use it or not, but I would believe so.  Either way, I'm in the middle of my reinstallation and I'll report back whether AlienFX is able to change the colors again after Vista reinstallation.  On another note, I think the Dell techs are sick of me calling, and the last message I received was that they were considering replacing my system.  However, after hearing that yours does it too, I'm not sure if I should since I might potentially receive a refurbished one.  Could other 730x i7 owners on here please chime in and confirm that it's like this with the LED's never matching as well?  If we get enough replies, I guess it's a manufacturing quirk and I'll just have to live with it. Regards, Wayne

My rig is also the 730x, and the problem is exactly as described. I even already installed Vista, and re-installed all the software and the problem remains the same... I'm curious though, do you guys have the ATI video cards? I here the Nvidia people aren't having this issue?

Please advise...

What number do you call for US support?  When I first bought my XPS 1/2008 and paid for the highest level of support, I exclusively called the phoenix or salt lake city call centers.  Most of those guys were gamers and answered qestions intuitively immediately with no hold times.   How refreshing!!  Then suddenly about one year ago I started getting routed to India exclusively, with less that satisfactory/acceptable service (I felt like I was training some of them).  If you have a US number that would be great.  Thanks

Alright, I pretty much just set up my system yesterday, and then I find this forum. I had no idea there were this many issues with the XPS systems...

So, I guess I have a few more questions, hoping the people with more experience with the system can help. Above I discussed the light led issue, which some other people have been having, but also I've noticed the temps seem to stay on the high side...pretty much all the time. What should I do to make sure my H2C system is working properly? should I just turn up all my fans? What is a healthy temperature for the system to stay at? Mine seems to be hovering at around 80c I think, which seems way too high for a water cooled system.

Also, I haven't oc'd the processor yet, and that's mainly because I can't find the software program to do it with (or figure out how to do it with the ATI software). I have the ATI cards, and in the ATI 'catalyst' menu, the OC'ing options are greyed out, not letting me OC the system? Any ideas? Am I just missing something obvious?

Last thing, did I buy a lemon basically? All this talk of dell discontinuing the system is worrying, not to mention the legions of people on here who seem to have constant issues. The Dell people here seem saavy enough, so I don't know what to think anymore...

...is there anyone that is actually happy with their XPS 730x? I would like this system to last for a while...

What is a healthy temperature for the system to stay at? Mine seems to be hovering at around 80c I think, which seems way too high for a water cooled system.

The H2C is filled with non-conductive oil and you are correct, your temperatures are much too high.  I don't see those temps even when I'm running Prime95, a stress testing utility.  Unfortunately, DELL doesn't give us the option of being able to control the H2C pump or the radiator fan, which cripples the cooling capabilities of the liquid setup.  If you have your tower on the floor, try moving it to your desktop and it will improve the airflow.  However, you should contact DELL tech support A.S.A.P. and report those temperatures because something definitely isn't right.  Either the unit is low on coolant or it's not working properly.  I have my 920 overclocked to 3.2GHz and my temp idles at 40c with an ambient room temperature of 74F.

Also, I haven't oc'd the processor yet, and that's mainly because I can't find the software program to do it with (or figure out how to do it with the ATI software).

You don't need software to overclock your CPU.  If you will post your system specs, such as what type of CPU you have, I can assist you with the overclocking.

I have the ATI cards, and in the ATI 'catalyst' menu, the OC'ing options are greyed out, not letting me OC the system? Any ideas? Am I just missing something obvious?

I could be mistaken but I believe the ATI Catalyst software only allows you to overclock your video cards.

Last thing, did I buy a lemon basically?

Let's hope not.  I purchased mine (refurbished) on eBay, with a 1-year next day tech support from DELL, and it has performed like a champ from day 1.  You're going to have bad apples in everything you buy, it's a fact of life.  When you take into consideration how many you see on HERE with issues, think of all those who have purchased one (such as myself) who hasn't had any major issues whatsoever.  You don't see them on this forum because they haven't needed to post anything.

...is there anyone that is actually happy with their XPS 730x? I would like this system to last for a while...

I LOVE my XPS 730x H2C.  It is, by far, the best PC I've ever owned.  Everyone who comes over and sees it is in awe and when I take it to a LAN party, everyone drools.  The XPS 730x H2C is in a class of its own, that's for sure.  It's disappointing to hear that DELL has discontinued it because it's truly a GREAT machine.  Personally, I think the Alienware is the UGLIEST case ever designed and it is BY FAR the most OVERPRICED computer I've ever seen. 

Not to worry though.  Whatever you do, DON'T allow your warranty to expire.  As long as you continue to renew your warranty, DELL will repair or replace anything that burns out.  In the event they get tired of messing with it, they have been known to send an entire NEW computer and 99% of the time, it's better than what you already own.