Great undervolting there . Keep in mind different processors can have different limits so don't worry too much if you can't match the undervolt of others. Most important is to achieve the heat reduction while keeping the system stable.

I managed to get my P8600 down to 0.9125 volts for the max multiplier. I've set Orthos to run overnight and now trying to stress out the CPU with some games. So far seems stable.

Many factors can affect like the load of the GPU/hard drive (Yes, those heat up too! ), the temperature of the room at the time, time of day etc. Don't worry too much about max heat recorded as CPU temp can spike once in a while. As long as the stable running temperature of the CPU is under load is lowered, thats good enough.

Let me know how it goes with Tech support. My adapter buzzes under heavy load too so I'm interested in what Dell says.

Very nice, better processor too. A good consideration if you wanted more mobile laptop this because of the smaller form factor. Ati 4530 is not bad too, especially since it manages 40fps at crysis with low settings (at least according to notebookcheck - a bit iffy?). hmm.....

Just my opinion:

1. More RAM is always good and no harm getting if you have some extra $$ since it would allow you to run dual channel mode which might give a tiny performance boost. However, 3 gb RAM is enough for most of the programs you are going to be running unless you plan to do heavy multitasking or image editting. Also, it depends whether you want to go with 32-bit OS or 64-bit OS. If you're aiming for 32-bit then stick with 3 gb of ram since 32-bit OS only recognizes max around 3.5gb. RAM is pretty cheap nowadays so its not really a problem if you want to upgrade this later.

2. 6 cell if the laptop is mostly going to be on your desk. Some people claim that 9-cell increases the height of the back by about an inch so there's more airflow but frankly if you're going to be using it on the desk, you should take out the battery anyway. Spend on a cooler instead.

If you're going mobile, consider whether you want additional hr of battery life or the additional weight that the battery would add. You can't really do hardcore gaming on battery eitherway as your battery would drain down in around an hr. Besides, it would get hot on your lap.

3. Backlit keyboard - not really a must since it adds no performance values but everyone who has one loves it. Its great for using your laptop in the dark in the late nights, which gamers do quite often and looks cool. i would recommend getting one.

4. Not sure, somebody else may be able to advise.

5. Get a laptop cooler. If you have good technical knowledge of pc, try undervolting (only for expert pc users). I've left my laptop on for days before without a problem but i still recommend shutting down laptop when not using since it saves power and lowers chance of random overheat.

If you know how to undervolt properly, there are no cons at all. The idea is to set the lowest possible voltage that your laptop can run stable at. Of course, the process involves lowering the voltages level by level to find out which voltages are the limit which will cause some blue screens. There is no damage at all to hardware though. Undervolting is a great way to get lower temperatures.

Oct 22 is the launch date.

Nah, it detects my GPU even though I have CCC uninstalled also.

Yup. if you successfully registered on the Dell Win7 website, then you should have received a confirmation email from Dell. When Win7 launches in Oct, you will get an email to trigger you to log in and place your order.

CD/DVD burning software. Isnt it already installed on your laptop?

This post has been edited by Charcoal: Aug 19 2009, 11:07 PM

Unfortunately no. SRS premium is supposed to create a surround effect from using two speakers. If you are using 5.1 you already have surround, so the setting is disabled. You can try tweaking with the 5.1 settings to see if it helps.

Actually its listed as upgrade but its the full version. You can choose to either do an upgrade install or clean full install when you boot off the DVD.

And to answer someone's question, its an OEM install disk so it should only work on Dell specific computers.

This post has been edited by Charcoal: Nov 12 2009, 12:25 AM