XPS M1730 Display problems

Question

Dell XPS M1730,
Mobile Intel 2.8GHz EX
4gb RAM
NVIDIA SLI Dual GeForce 8700MGT
Windows XP

I experienced screen flicker in games (SLI-mode) and noticed that all video content appears distorted and washed out (regardless of SLI enabled or disabled) on my XPS display.

Curiously, neither problem was apparent when viewing the same content on an external monitor.

During troubleshooting with Dell tech support, I stumbled across a more obvious symptom which may be related to the flicker and distortion.

I found a jpeg color wheel online, which when viewed on my lcd screen is badly misrepresented, but which appears normal on all external displays. (note: the problem is also noticeable on other color wheels, but it is especially obvious in the one linked below)

This seemed to suggest that the problem was related to a problem with my primary videcard (the one driving my laptop display), but I just had both cards replaced and all of the problems persist, suggesting that it is driver or software related.

If it is in fact driver related, then other users should be experiencing the same problems.

I'm curious to see if the problem is widespread, so if you have an XPS m1730, please view the image at the link below, and post whether it displays correctly on your laptop screen. The image has 12 color sections around the edge. Looking at the top 3 swabs of color, you should see a yellow-orange, yellow, and yellow-green swab. But if your notebook is like mine, all 3 of the top swabs will appear as the same shade of yellow--a serious rendring error--I couldn't believe it when I first saw it.

http://articles.scrapbooking.com/images/colorwheel.gif

zekezeke · Answer

Some more details on the symptom- I copied that image into photoshop, and used the eyedropper to grab the yellow which replaced the 3 swabs, and then opened the color pallete. By moving the slider, I can see that an entire range of red and green mixtures which is misrepresented on my laptop display. Setting the red channel to 170 and the green to 255, the color swatch appears yellow, but this mixture should obviously appear green.

Zaromo · Answer

I hope it's not common since I am saving up for that exact XPS with very similar specs too! Edit: 'exact' specs. Message Edited by Zaromo on 01-10-2008 10:45 AM

dentaku81 · Answer

I have the almost the same system set up and I am getting the flickering problem. The top 3 section of the color wheel are the same color for me too. I hope some driver update come out, aparently the 160.xx series of nividia drivers fixed the flickering. That being said, i dont think my girlfriend's XPS M1720 ever had a driver update.

zekezeke · Answer

what os are you running?

dentaku81 · Answer

XP SP2

napoleon_online · Answer

My XPS M1730 shows the graphic as it should...no problem here anyway.

zekezeke · Answer

sorry to be so naggy, but I'm trying to pin the problem down

napoleon_online · Answer

sorry....I should have mentioned this earlier. I'm running Vista Ultimate 32bit and the latest DELL drivers. Graphics are set to SLI. I did read somewhere that the LCD's used here in Australia differ from those in the US....if true this may explain the differing results Hope this helps.

zekezeke · Answer

and what os are you running? if xp, are you using the drivers provided by dell?

zekezeke · Answer

You're also running vista whereas me and dentaku81 are both running xp. So it may be an xp-only problem.

khq0660 · Answer

I got a message in update manager thing that there was an NVIDIA update available for download, so I did the download.  I got a failed installation message in which it was suggested it might have failed because I already had that update installed.  After this failed download, I was getting terrible screen flicker whenever I was using Internet Explorer on the internet.  I resolved the problem by rolling back to an earlier driver for the video cards and then reinstalling the more recent driver.  I don't know if any of this will hint at a solution for you.

zekezeke · Answer

hmmm...dont think that that is my problem. I have the most up to date divers from dell, and only get flicker in games on my built-in lcd Did you look at the color wheel image? did it display correctly on your computer?

Jakola · Answer

I have the exact same problem. I'm right trying to figure out stuff. will update later.   My Config:   M1730 - Windows XP SP2 (Also tried on Vista same problem)

khq0660 · Answer

I have Vista, so my vote might not be interesting.  When I viewed the color wheel, it appeared as it should.  I viewed it after I corrected my flickering, though, and not while I was having the flickering problem.

zekezeke · Answer

What sort of flicker problem? Was it just in-game flicker, or did it show up everywhere? How did you fix it?

Locked Topics – Laptops General

XPS M1730 Display problems

Was this post helpful?