Undervolting Dell Studio XPS 1647

[dellfan45]

I've had a Dell Studio XPS 1647 (i5 processor) for the last 2 years or so. Good laptop, but it overheats pretty bad, and as a result, often shuts down on it's own.

I tried cleaning it with an air compressor, I've been using a cooler (which helps a bit), but the laptop still gets quite hot.

I read a bit about "undervolting", and this seems like it could be a good option. Can my Dell Studio XPS 1647 be undervolted? If so, what sort of settings should I use, and how do I change the settings?

 

[dingo07]

Why don't you take the cooling element and fan out and replace the TIM on the processor and video card, and see how that does?

 

[fb39ca4]

RMClock does not support undervolting on anything after Core 2, but you can buy CPUgenie to do the same thing. The basic process is similar to overclocking, you lower the voltage in small increments (as opposed to raising the clock speed) and test for system stability until you find the limit.

 

[dellfan45]

Why don't you take the cooling element and fan out and replace the TIM on the processor and video card, and see how that does?

i will try that if all else fails. thanks

RMClock does not support undervolting on anything after Core 2, but you can buy CPUgenie to do the same thing. The basic process is similar to overclocking, you lower the voltage in small increments (as opposed to raising the clock speed) and test for system stability until you find the limit.

thanks. just bought CPUgenie. Going to do that now. What increment would be a good amount to lower the voltage by?

 

[dellfan45]

so i ran the CPUgenie voltage optimization wizard, selected the "ultra-safe" option, yet my laptop got the BSOD within 15 seconds. Based on the profile in CPUgenie, my laptops voltage is 0.712

 

[dellfan45]

bump

 

[hpfreak]

I agree with Dingo, even though you used compressed air on the laptop...
Dust does build up, and when you blow the dust your are blowing them into the fan in hopes they'll blow out. but there is a build up on the inside that can really only be cleaned by opening up the chassis and cleaning it out good. Replacing the thermal compound wouldn't hurt either considering that the system is 2 years old.

If you're paranoid enough about the temps like I am.. I'd recommend that you invest in a decent laptop cooler- which can really help lower temps.

 

[dellfan45]

I agree with Dingo, even though you used compressed air on the laptop...
Dust does build up, and when you blow the dust your are blowing them into the fan in hopes they'll blow out. but there is a build up on the inside that can really only be cleaned by opening up the chassis and cleaning it out good. Replacing the thermal compound wouldn't hurt either considering that the system is 2 years old.

If you're paranoid enough about the temps like I am.. I'd recommend that you invest in a decent laptop cooler- which can really help lower temps.

i will certainly look into cleaning it out again and changing the thermal compound. already have a laptop cooler

based on what i read, undervolting can drop the temperature up to 20 degrees..wouldn't my best option just be undervolting then?

 

[dingo07]

Having read your original post agin, using an air compressor is the worst thing you can use to blow it out- its filled with moisture and could cause a short somewhere.

At what point did it start overheating? Is it because you're trying to play a certain game? Finding out What is causing it to overheat is the solution, not trying to bandaid it.

 

[dellfan45]

Having read your original post agin, using an air compressor is the worst thing you can use to blow it out- its filled with moisture and could cause a short somewhere.

At what point did it start overheating? Is it because you're trying to play a certain game? Finding out What is causing it to overheat is the solution, not trying to bandaid it.

I actually don't use this laptop for gaming or anything. Just simple browsing most of the time. I downloaded speed fan and a lot of the time, the temperatures are as such:

GPU: 65 - 80
Core 0: 70 - 82
Core 1: 70 - 82

 

[Pinhedd]

If the laptop is only 2 years old it may still be under warranty. If it is overheating and under warranty then Dell will repair it for you on their dime.

 

[dingo07]

I wouldn't use SpeedFan for temps... use Speccy
http/www.piriform.com/speccy/download

 

[k1114]

The xps 16 is known for heat issues. All you have to do is google it and pretty much everything you read about it says it gets quite hot. Just one of those things you can't help and should've researched before buying. Although 70-80 is normal temps for most higher end laptops and it is nothing to worry about hardware damage wise. 20C less is a big undervolt, probably even a downclock is required for that much. You can make your laptop "stick" in speedstep (lower clocks and voltage) if you go to advanced power options and change the cpu state max lower. But this would of course lower performance. Dust sticks and you will find that air will not get it out. Luckily your laptop has a bottom panel to access the fan to clean it. Btw I would also suggest not to use speedfan, although I use hw monitor.

 

[dellfan45]

Isn't that the same as undervolting? I did that through CPUGenie and it caused my computer to get the BSOD

 

[k1114]

CPUGenie is for core 2 so I don't why that was ever brought up, unless I'm looking at the wrong thing. http/www.clockmod.com/index.php?/products/view/cpugenie_1.0/

Anything to deal with temps is going to involve voltage or clocks but you can't really say it's the same. Undervolting would be non default settings. Speedstep is on by default and is an intel technology that has been around since pentium 3 to lower temps/power while idling. This will be stable or else will not have it built in. You can see your cpu speed change as a result of speedstep(and c1e) if you use a program like cpuz.