@gliew_87,

unfortunately, there's no way the RAM timing can be adjusted with our 1520 motherboard. everything is done automatically throught the phoenix BIOS embedded in the system. the clocking chip used in 1520 does not allow for manual timing adjustment, unlike some other motherboard with a different clocking chip. i think our system is running on a 10:6 DRAM:FSB ratio.

why would u want to make it 1:1 anyway? this would slow down the RAM right? the max RAM clock supported by 1520 santa rosa platform is 333MHz, with a 200MHz FSB. a 1:1 timing would mean running the RAM at 200MHz clock only, unless of course, what u r trying to say is a 2:1 ratio, which would mean running the RAM at 400MHz. sorry to disappoint you again, this is controlled by intel, coupled with a limited clocking chip used in 1520 motherboard, there is absolutely no way of doing it.

you dont have to get a proper 667/333 RAM for 1520, any new 400MHz module will fit in just fine. the system will automatically downclock the RAM to 333MHz.

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Added on November 7, 2009, 11:14 pmheat would be the last thing i would worry about in a 1520 system, provided u do a proper regular system clean up (like the one shown in the first thread), and use a good thermal paste. over here, most of the time, my system is running without the fan on, it's that cool! even if it revs up, it would only hover around 2300RPM for just a minute or two, and it stops again. dead silent. hard drive noise is way louder. only during intense gaming would the fan accelerate to rougly 3000RPM.

This post has been edited by alexnvidia: Nov 7 2009, 11:14 PM

my 8600M GT has been OC to 650MHz core, 550MHz memory ever since i got it, and it has been running at that "shocking" speed ever since. FYI, i did a BIOS mod for my 8600M GT, so it's not a software OC, it's hardware OC. no matter how many times i format, or whatever software i use, the GPU will always run at that speed at max.

MAX load at that speed, after hours or intense gaming or 3DMark, it's somewhere 62-65C. if it reaches 72C, then i know my HSF has been clogged up with dust, which signals me for a periodic cleanup. anyway, i only perform whole system cleanup once every 6 months (roughly), so no biggy. even under 72C, the GPU is still stable and rocking hard. driver does not downclock the gpu in anyway, meaning there's no overheat problem. i believe the GPU is safe as long as operating under 85C.

for some, 650MHz on core is considered a bit "conservative", but i find it a perfect balance between raw speed and reliability. 3DMark06 score does exceed 5K with this speed, and mind u, this score was achieved 1.5-2 years ago. if you follow the V1 thread, u would have seen it.

u r partially right about the "notorious" reputation of the 8M series GPU. they are prone to failure at high temp. but that really only applies to thin and light systems, like the xps M1330, M1530, etc.. the HSF for 1520 is too big to cause this problem, and temp is way to cool to reach meltdown.

This post has been edited by alexnvidia: Nov 9 2009, 02:28 AM

u spoke too highly of me. im not as experienced as u thought i am. just trying to help all 1520 proud owners here.

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Added on November 10, 2009, 7:39 amwelcome imwhoiam, 1520 is a little more than 2 years old now, but still, our machine has a long way to go. a quick OS upgrade, and some little upgrades here and there should prolong 1520's life a year or two

This post has been edited by alexnvidia: Nov 10 2009, 07:39 AM

i wouldnt worry too much if i were u. any temps below 85C is still considered acceptable. however, i would be cautios if the temp gets too close to 80C, just to be on the safe side. but with a clean system with good thermal paste on the gpu and adequate airflow, based on my experience, it can never ever reach 78C. heck, even 72C is hard to reach, and im talking max load.

i've tried gta4 before, didnt quite like it because 1520 clearly cant handle this game. 8600M GT with a dual core is just not powerful enough to run. now waiting for COD 6, or modern warfare 2. went on sale mignight last night in the UK!

just finished MW2, and i must say, HOLY CRAP IT'S ONE HECK OF A GAME!!!!! superb graphics and non stop heart pumping action! runs really well with 1520, and i can achieve on average, over 30fps 80% of the time throughout gaming session, which is considered smooth, apart from really complex scenes with lots of smokes etc then the fps will drop below 30fps. on 5% of the entire game, the lowest fps is around 12fps. im not sure about u guys, but im quite happy with those results. these are my settings.

Res - 1280x800
Sync - off
AA - off
Texture - Auto
For Everything else - ON

i noticed that MW2 scales very well with high GPU clock speed, and less with GPU memory speed. maybe it wasnt really that bandwidth hungry. running this game on my system, which is 650MHz GPU 550MHz DDR2 clocked, actually felt smoother compared to running this game on a M1530 clocked at 550MHz GPU, and a whopping 900MHz GDDR3.

Hope u guys enjoy this game as much as i do. happy shooting.

This post has been edited by alexnvidia: Nov 16 2009, 06:54 AM

u can use everest to get a reading on your battery wear/degradation level so u can have a rough idea on when to purchase a new battery. mine is on 14% right now, with regular charge/discharge. my batt is plugged in 24/7/365.

it is done using nvflash and nvbios editor. i first did an extensive software OC test on my GPU, get the perfect balance between speed and stability, only then i start tweaking the BIOS based on the data i gathered from the software OC test. as u might already have known, each hardware component is different from one another. 650MHz core 550MHz memory is stable for me and i can go higher if i wish but for stability sake, this is what im sticking to. i've even seen 1520 wont get pass 500MHz for GPU memory (and my previous 1520 GPU memory wont get pass 510MHz). so it's entirely system dependant. im sure u get the idea. just a quick side note, i have been running my system for almost 2 years now at these "extreme" speed, and have never encountered any problems before. so make sure u do ur homework right before taking the dive.

a word of caution...
i wouldnt recommend this method unless you are absolutely sure what you are doing and you are a very advanced user. altering and flashing BIOS can be very risky and would cause permenant damage to your hardware IF not done properly. so please proceed with extreme caution.

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Added on December 11, 2009, 8:31 pmglad ur system is still working in one piece. im sure cleaning the dust makes a lot of difference in cooling and OC performance.

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Added on December 11, 2009, 8:43 pmwith all the exploding laptop batteries incidents, im not sure using a 3rd party batt is advisable. u can also try HW Monitor, it will also tell u ur battery life status. call dell to get a quote for a new battery.

This post has been edited by alexnvidia: Dec 11 2009, 08:43 PM

im not too sure, but u can try disabling PXE LAN BOOT or something like that in BIOS under LAN

the TS here wishes every Inspiron 1520 owners and everybody else who frequent this thread, MERRY CHRISTMAS and a HAPPY NEW YEAR! looking forward to 2010 and hopefully 1520 will survive another tough IT year ahead! cheers!

This post has been edited by alexnvidia: Dec 24 2009, 07:14 PM

of course you and all other 1720 owners are welcome to join us. that's why i mentioned everybody else. Happy Holidays!