Question Which D630 Latitude BIOS update changed the thermal ramp for the Nvidia GVS-135m.....A17 or A19?

mikey100tv

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Jan 18, 2014
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Morning, all. Haven't posted here for several years, but I think you guys might be able to help with this.

I recently treated myself to a refurbished Dell Latitude D630, to replace a very elderly Inspiron 1100 that finally popped its clogs.

I'm not a Windows user; haven't run it for almost a decade. I'm a Linux geek instead! Obviously, this being the case, it's a question of running the update from within a bootable DOS environment instead. I don't have any probs with that.

My question is this:-

This machine is one of those that Dell kitted-out with the infamous GVS-135m Nvidia mobile chip; the one that ran very hot, and gave all the trouble with the cracking lead-free solder the industry had just switched to around that time.

Now; Dell, it seems, DID release a BIOS update with a modified thermal ramp that made the (admittedly quiet) fan run more frequently to keep the heating/cooling cycles to a minimum. Currently, I have the A17 BIOS installed.

Out of the A17 & A19 BIOS releases, does anybody happen to know which one applied this thermal ramp modification? Do I already have it, or do I need to upgrade to the A19 variant?

TIA.


Mike. ;)
 
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Lutfij

Titan
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Ideally you're advised to make sure you're on the latest BIOS version to alleviate any minor bugs or issues. In your case, I'm certain you can downgrade the BIOS if you notice that the latter is with the modified fan curve/profile. On a side note, you might want to see if replacing the thermal pads and paste for a higher quality one(s) helps alleviate the temp issue you speak of. Clogged vents or even dust/lint build up in the cooling solution can and will bring the temps up faster.
 

mikey100tv

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Jan 18, 2014
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18,530
Ideally you're advised to make sure you're on the latest BIOS version to alleviate any minor bugs or issues. In your case, I'm certain you can downgrade the BIOS if you notice that the latter is with the modified fan curve/profile. On a side note, you might want to see if replacing the thermal pads and paste for a higher quality one(s) helps alleviate the temp issue you speak of. Clogged vents or even dust/lint build up in the cooling solution can and will bring the temps up faster.

Hallo, Lutfij.

Taking the D630 apart and going through the usual cleaning routine is definitely on the agenda. I've only had it a few weeks, and haven't had that much time to play with it, but the interior does need to be checked at some point.

As for the original question? I've kinda answered my own query; booting up last night, the initial Dell splash screen tells me I'm already on A19 anyway.

Checking the state of the the TPM is something I want to do in any case. I'm dead curious to see how Dell implemented their "cooling solution" on this thing, especially with a hot-running card like this Nvidia mobile chip. The Intel Extreme graphics on my ancient Inspiron 1100 never had a cooler of any sort, but then it never seemed to need one. (The Inspiron's P4, though.....that was a different kettle of fish! No mobile chip there; it was a full desktop socketed Pentium.....and the output vents gave a fair impression of a hot-air paint stripper. Ouch!)

Thanks for the reply, though. Confirms what I want to do when I get the time.....

Cheers.(y)


Mike. ;)