Studio XPS 435MT Freezing

CC-XPS,

Are you getting any error messages when the lockups occur?

I have, in past day,for 3 times  the same issue, for now i haven't run the diagnostic test but the problem is the same, also i've thinked a configuration issue but now... maybe is another cause (same problem, same freeze).

HI Chris,

Thanks for the reply. Ironically, I am getting absolutely no error messages when the computer locks up.  I thought it was a windows configuration issue so I reloaded the dell original image and it still freezes at random times. It doesn't happen all the time but enough to be a huge concern for me. I ran the full diagnostic test and even the extended test and it all passed. Subsequently, it booted into the system utilities diagnostic test and completely froze up half way with no error messages. I had to hold the power button in front of the case to turn it off. Could it be a power supply issue?

hmm... My system froze completely again today too. I don't think it is a software problem. I reloaded windows and I have the same issue. It seems to be a hardware problem. However, due to the fact that I ran the entire system diagnostic with no errors, I think it could the power supply that is faulty. The DELL oem PSU is pretty weak and my system came with the ATI 4850 card which requires one 6-pin pcei connection. What do you think? This issue is scarey for me because the system is not reliable at all and I can be working on something important and it will freeze. Since the system diagnostics is not spitting out any error messages or error codes, I'm afraid Dell won't really help me. I'm not happy at all.

I've got a similar issues, my 435mt freezes, reboots or blue screens randomly.  I've had a call open with Dell for over a month and to be frank I've been disgusted with them, they've made promises of phone calls, emails etc and not kept them.  I've spoken to 3 managers all of whom have proven to be completely useless.  Manager 1 organised for my computer to go back for a repair as they couldn't find a fault, well he was meant to organise a collection but on phoning the day before I discovered it hadn't been scheduled.  Manager 2 therefore reorganised for the next day and promised it would happen, got a call at 7pm the day before to say it wasn't happening for 'technical reasons', I suspect the technical reason was the manager forgot to press the 'enter' button to put the pickup through, I'd arranged a day off work which I couldn't cancel as it was too late so I asked to speak to another manager.  Manager 3 promised to push the probably though and said he'd sort out a replacement, he promised an email to detail what was going on, a phone call the next day to check the email had come through and I was happy, and a status update yesterday to let me know what was happening, I got none of them!  Over the whole period I've had to chase them, give them the same details over and over again, I've spent at least 8 hours on the phone with them.  I'm a developer so know computers but these support guys haven't got a clue, they don't seem to know what simple tools like the event view are, they really seem to be completely pants!  This is my first experience of using Dell support, I've got 3 High end Dell machines at home I've bought from them over the last couple of years but this will be my last.  The computer is great when it works but the random freezes etc make it very unreliable.  If any Dell person happens to read this    and like I said its been open for over a month.

I've had my 435MT for near three months and it's been on 24 hours a day.  It utilizes the i7 920, 6GB in Tri-Channel (Samsung 1GB DDR3 sticks @1066Mhz 7-7-7-20), 1.28TB via 2x640GB Samsung HD run RAID 0, 500GB external eSATA for backup. and the uber-hot ATI Radeon 4850.

I've had zero lockups, zero BSOD, and totally flawless operation in these three months (leaving out the 92mm Case Fan ramp-up quagmire, now solved with the 1.0.12 Bios, although the 70CFM fan is still louder than average, an acceptable compromise considering how much air it needs to move within this rather cramped case).

First, I would download the following four free programs, all very helpful in assessing system performance, including PSU, CPU, and core temps.  You'll get an idea on what is going on pretty quick.

• CPU-Z  (Total System Info Report)
• GPU-Z  (Graphics Card Total Report)
• Real Temp  (CPU Report and Core Temp Monitioring) 
• Core Temp (CPU Report and Core Temp Monitoring)

With the stock 92mm case fan, Im getting idle and base computing CPU core temps in the upper 40C to lower 50C as the room warms.  The 4850 temps are around mid 60s C  at normal load (not gaming).  MY PSU is actually hovering in the 150W range with this setup and has not really be taxed at  all.  You can watch your Mhz fluctuate as your power saving comes in.

You could have an overheating CPU which might result from the thermal compound having issues or your CPU heatsink not being aligned or installed correctly, possibly from being jogged in shipping.  Others have reported  issues here.  Proper CPU heatsink installation is critical here.  See what your core temps are doing.   

If could be a PSU issue but the worry of the 350w rating being way too low for your system as configured is really unfounded.  Granted, upgrading to an even more potent video card might call for an upgrade but this case is so cramped with rather tepid cooling capability, I might even opt for a different case if moving up.

Check your temps and system performance with the linked programs and see if you can find any correlation.  Last resort is the Dell tech team, but you might be able to ascertain some issues on your own.   Lastly, make sure your video drivers or correctly installed and you have all your Vista 64 SP1 updates completed.

- kh

Mines the same spec as your first on cc-xps, its 8gig though, I leave it on for hours unused and it can reboot or freeze 3 or 4 times, its currently sitting at OS level nothing else installed and it still happens.  Most of the time mine just reboots but I do get the odd blue screen, interestingly on every freeze just before theres a WMI error,

Event filter with query "SELECT * FROM __InstanceModificationEvent WITHIN 60 WHERE TargetInstance ISA "Win32_Processor" AND TargetInstance.LoadPercentage > 99" could not be reactivated in namespace "//./root/CIMV2" because of error 0x80041003. Events cannot be delivered through this filter until the problem is corrected.

Not saying its the cause but its consistantly there on every freeze etc.  The machine is well ventalated on a reboot it can actually run for another 12 or 13 hours before a reboot, if it was overheating I'd expect it to do it more.  I've had no technicians out because they suspect it to be either a memory, processor or motherboard issue they wanted to repair it at the factory but as explained they failed to make the pick up.  I've just been on the phone to them again manager no 4, he's basically told me the last manager lied to me, manager 3 promised an email update with all the call details which I haven't had, manager 4 say's they are not allowed to email any call details to customers, hmmm, good customer service here.  Have you tried to run any memory check software on yours?  Vista's freezes mine, as did Dells on the extensive test it also failed to run MemTest and if you try to use Crucials tool for telling you which memory you need on an upgrade it bluescreens every time.

I've got a log of everything that I've been told, who I've spoken to, promises made etc so I'll be writing a long letter of complaint, going to send it to as many people as possible including everyone I've spoken to.  We also use Dell at work and recommend our employees buy Dell, I work for a large city law firm so we have thousands of desktops/laptops, this kind of thing makes you wonder how Dell are with people who aren't very computer literate!  Just also spent about £30k on updating our development machines for high end ones, really wish I hadn't used Dell now!

SiPearson,

Oddly enough i've run the complete Dell Diagnostic test for memory and it passed with flying color. I haven't run memtest yet but I may try it. Your problem does sound like bad memory modules. I'm going to try to use Crucials tool to see what happens.

SiPearson,

I ran the Crucial Scan Tool on my Core I7 940 Machine which is the super stable one and I got a bluescreen as well. I think there is probably an issue with that scan tool and our Core I7 machine coupled with Vista 64.

But since your machine failed the other memory tests, It could be an issue with one or all of the memory modules. My Core I7 920 machine which randomly locks up passed the extensive Dell Memory Diagnostic Test... so in my case, I think it is the PSU.. but it could possibly be the motherboard as well.

CC-XPS,  yeah thats probably right in that case re the crucial tool, still get freezes or failures on the others though.

 NC Barrier Island thanks for the info, I've downloaded and am running each of the tools you suggested.  The core temps of my machine after its been on for over an hour in a pretty warm room is around 45C, have'nt seen it go about 50C yet.  My 4850 is at a contant 56C so the temps look good to me.  As for wattage for the PSU, where to you get that from?  The core temp app has a field called TDP and thats reporting 145.7Watts, is that the PSU?  Its actually fluctuating between 37.9Watts and 145Watts every few seconds, is that what you see?  I've also messed about with taking out memory modules and I get the same what ever I do so it seems like either a motherboard, processor or maybe a PSU issue I guess?

Spend another ton of time on the phone to support, what really is frustrating is I'm the one who has to constantly chase them, I keep being told I'll get a call in the next few hours about a replacement but then never get the call and I have to chase them.  I've even done the escalation thing on the website which apparantly guarantees a call in 1 business day, done it twice and had no calls.  Do Dell have a complaints department, or customer relations department I can call, tech support say they don't!

Thanks to you guys for your responses, very helpful!

I've had my Dell XPS 435MT for a little over a week now. Though it doesn't freeze up while in windows. I can't play any games without it freezing up. I'm guessing its a heat issue. I tried with my side panel open and still no luck. Call of duty 4 gets it frozen in a few minutes. While games like fallout 3 I can play for a little while longer.

Looking at the temperatures I don't see anything out of the ordinary. If I use the program Speedfan to check the temps, I see a temp not viewable in the other tools mentioned above simply labelled as Temp 1 that is usually around 60-65 C. When I reboot after a freeze up and check its around 85 C. Does anyone have any idea what that is? Is it the chipset temp? Could this be an issue with heatsink seating?

I've had my Dell XPS 435MT for a little over a week now. Though it doesn't freeze up while in windows. I can't play any games without it freezing up. I

Looking at the temperatures I don't see anything out of the ordinary. If I use the program Speedfan to check the temps, I see a temp not viewable in the other tools mentioned above simply labelled as Temp 1 that is usually around 60-65 C. When I reboot after a freeze up and check its around 85 C. Does anyone have any idea what that is? Is it the chipset temp? Could this be an issue with heatsink seating?

Having never even played any of those games I was wondering if you can set them so the system tray is still visible in order to monitor Real Temp?

- kh 

The core temps of my machine after its been on for over an hour in a pretty warm room is around 45C, have'nt seen it go about 50C yet.  My 4850 is at a contant 56C so the temps look good to me.  As for wattage for the PSU, where to you get that from?  The core temp app has a field called TDP and thats reporting 145.7Watts, is that the PSU?  Its actually fluctuating between 37.9Watts and 145Watts every few seconds, is that what you see?  I've also messed about with taking out memory modules and I get the same what ever I do so it seems like either a motherboard, processor or maybe a PSU issue I guess?

One thing you'll notice is when you move your Power Options to a custom performance setting, your temps might rise up to 5degrees depending.  In the balanced or power saver mode, you'll get lower temps as your PSU/CPU throttle back.   Many dont realize that your Power Settings actually do affect this quite abit.  Go experiment while watching your core temps, moving from power saver, to balanced, to a high performance (you can customize any to your preference).  Watch the watts and Mhz drop, too.

Yeah, the TPD is relating to cooling efficiency of your CPU not a clear explanation in the program.  Google Thermal Design Power.

- kh

I actually have the 4850 x2. Bought it separately and upgraded. I'm using catalyst 9.3 drivers right now. Maybe I should try the Sapphire drivers, the brand that makes my card. The GPU temps are around 55-60 idling. 65+ when playing. I believe that. in the normal range though. Not sure.

Speedfan core temps do seem to be off compared to others. But the one extra temperature that it shows, is whats bothering me.  Could any of you try SpeedFan and let me know what your temperature is like. I don't think there's an easy way to play the games in a window like you suggest, to be able to check temps.

Thanks.

Antonymjoy, it could be the power supply since it is freezing in games. What PSU are you using?