S-XPS 1645 AC Power Throttle Issue Investigation

[max420]

hey guy, sorry for this huge post, but it will save people a trip browsing through the OwnLounge.

Originally Posted by max420

i'm on hold right now with a support supervisor. he says he has heard of this issue. i have:

Studio 16 XPS
i820qm
WLED 1600x900
4gb DDR3 1333mhz
256GB SSD

i also get slowdowns in crysis, and the sound crackles as well while in game. I've been running the brightness low to compensate. I'm trying to get teh 130W cord from them, to see if that works.

edit: they are sending me 130W adapter after using Dell Connect to view this thread. ^-^

i showed them them page 56 post 559 of this thread, with the 3d mark score diff, told them about the crackling, and how it works on low brightness, and also that the cpu and gpu can take most of the power. they agreed.

Thanks ikjadoon, you got me a new cord!! and nobody specified if i have to send the old cord back.

re: if it is only i7, or RGBLED

Originally Posted by max420

wrong, in my case anyways. i noticed the same stuttering on my 1640 core 2 duo p8600 @ 2.4ghz w/4670. i didn't know it was power related then, so i just suffered through it.

also incorrect it seems, i have had the WLED 1600x900 in the c2d and i7 machines that stuttered for me.

Originally Posted by max420

anyways, they sent the cord, said 2-3 days, which i believe, i just had purolator come a few min ago, to drop off a cd for x-fimb, and one screw they forgot to install to my motherboard, lol. and i just ordered that last friday. so when i get the cord, ill do before and after. they asked me what cord i wanted, and i said the 130W for latitude e6400 series. if it helps, i called 1.800.999.3355, browsed to tech support, entered my express code, and spoke with XPS support.

i also gently told them i understood that this laptop has new hardware in it, and i can see how they may be shipping with incorrect adapters at this time.

Originally Posted by max420

i agree that yes, it cpu won't always be at max power....but im not always having issues either. I'm only having in some sections, of many games.

if nothing else, the 130w should charge my battery faster. ^^

Originally Posted by max420

this is what i'm going to do. ive been basing my problems from the gaming issue, and i tend to think it will be solved with the adapter, since the battery gives great performance, the adapter doesn't.

so, i am going to run 3d mark, with ATI power play on max performance, and my power plan on max performance. then, when i receive the adapter, i will run 3dmark with everything the same, and compare. if this doesnt solve my gaming problem, and 3d mark diff, then i will investigate other options.

if the 130w adapter solves my issues, id say case closed for me, and others should try.

btw, countless times today in CoD MW2 at the level where you are in suburban america, the crackling/slowdown started, and when i turned the brightness down, or switched to battery, it played silky smooth.

EDIT: also, to account for any possible diff regarding temperature ( one factor that controls the turbo mode ) , i will be running my tests outside, where it is currently 10 degress C

some of these are in response to other members statements, but this post is huge already so....

[max420]

i received the cord about ~5min ago via Purolator. It does fit the laptop physically, that being said, I have to go to the jobsite im running to drop off some materials, I'll be back home in about 3 hours to do the tests with the new cord.





and i guess i do have to send the old cord back



edit: the cord they sent me is PA-13 Family
Model No: PA-1131-02D2
DP/N :X9366
INPUT: 100-240v~ 2.5a 50-60hZ
output: 19.5v 6.7a 130w

lol, FAIL. seems I'll be waiting until next week to test the cord.

[PsYcNeT]

Hey guys, long time lurker, first time poster.

I'm one of the 'lucky' few who ordered in late sept, only to have it cancelled without being notified, and didn't receive it till yesterday.

My general impression is a consensus with the power consumption idea.

Running multi-core enabled games such as Crysis, TF2, L4D and L4D2 with time-demos I use to bench my desktop, I see a 25-50(!)% reduction in fps on fullbright battery vs plug. Lowering the brightness to its lowest setting makes it run more or less the same, around 5-10% less with plug. External monitors (VGA and HDMI to DVI) run the same as battery.

Also, interestingly, when running on fullbright with plug, the thing barely charges at all.

Also, I noticed general lag installing software and loading maps when the plug is in. A quick counting of a (second load for both) map load in TF2 showed that the map took about 12-13 seconds longer to load with the plug in.

I'm not entirely sure if this means the cpu is underpowered (electronically), or if its software throttling, and I eagerly await the results of the 130w test.

[Zinu]

Good to see you received it! Can't wait to see the results.

[khaledseif]

This cord is available at Radioshack

[Zinu]

LOL would you look at that. It seems there is a real difference between cords. Didn't the Dell rep know that plug is different than the XPS's??

[Zlog]

the cord that was on your 90watt should fit that just fine.

[Zinu]

Yeah but don't you think only two of the three plugs connected can't supply 130W?

[ikjadoon]

@Zlog

RBGLED and brightness: STILL an issue. I don't know if it happens with the WLED, but any RBGLED user can confirm this, I would say:

1. Download Prime95 (choose Windows 64-bit)
2. Download Real Temp and open the program called i7 Turbo
3. Run In-Place large FFTs
4. Adjust the brightness

Make sure that your performance options are all set to 100% CPU in the power options.

Results:

Full brightness + Adapter = Oscillation from 8x to 11x
Full brightness + Battery = 12x constant
Lowest Brightness + Adapter = 12x constant
Lowest brightness + Battery = 12x constant

You can also see the difference if you set the computer to full brightness and run the test with the adapter in. Remove the adapter and it will jump to 12x. Plug in the adapter and it will fall down to 8x-11x.

~Ibrahim~

[khaledseif]

Originally Posted by Zinu

Yeah but don't you think only two of the three plugs connected can't supply 130W?

I think it will as the third pin is ground.