Dell XPS 15 SB - better 525m OC w/notebook cooler?

Just bought a Dell XPS 15 with the 2630qm & 525m graphics (after canceling my HP DV6 order ). I thought about upgrading the XPS 15 graphics to the 540m, but after realizing that the 525m and 540m are both the same chip just running at different speeds I decided to skip the pricy upgrade and overclock.



Does anyone have a suggestion for a notebook cooler they think will keep an oc'd 525m cool and stable while gaming?



Thanks!

Reply 1 : Dell XPS 15 SB - better 525m OC w/notebook cooler?

Notepal U3 is a good cooler. Cooled both my Studio XPS 1640 and my Dell XPS 15. What are your temperatures so far?

Reply 2 : Dell XPS 15 SB - better 525m OC w/notebook cooler?

Hope you got the 1080p display! Because the standard 720p is terrible quality (not just the resolution, but the color gamut and viewing angles as well). If you got the 720p you'll probably want to cancel your order again because on the XPS 15 the B+RGLED 1920x1080 display is the most important option.



You'll regret the 720p, but the 1080p is one of the best displays currently available.



Hurry and cancel your order fast if you got the 720p because Dell Home&Office customer support is a real hassle when it comes to cancelling orders if you do it too late.

Reply 3 : Dell XPS 15 SB - better 525m OC w/notebook cooler?

Quote:

Originally Posted by ClearIzzy Notepal U3 is a good cooler. Cooled both my Studio XPS 1640 and my Dell XPS 15. What are your temperatures so far?

My XPS 15 hasn't shipped yet - want to have the cooler ready for it when it arrives.

Quote:

Originally Posted by edit1754 Hope you got the 1080p display! Because the standard 720p is terrible quality (not just the resolution, but the color gamut and viewing angles as well). If you got the 720p you'll probably want to cancel your order again because on the XPS 15 the B+RGLED 1920x1080 display is the most important option. You'll regret the 720p, but the 1080p is one of the best displays currently available. Hurry and cancel your order fast if you got the 720p because Dell Home&Office customer support is a real hassle when it comes to cancelling orders if you do it too late.

Of course I bought the 1080p display

Reply 4 : Dell XPS 15 SB - better 525m OC w/notebook cooler?

Cooling pad might or might not allow you to OC to a higher clock, depends what your temps are.



From my personal experience with my 425 the temp difference between OC and stock clock running furmark under the same conditions is only ~6C. Might be a big deal if your temp is somewhere 90+, but nothing much if it's under 80.



540 should still be better than 525 by nature, thus could OC to a higher clock(correct me if I'm wrong)

Reply 5 : Dell XPS 15 SB - better 525m OC w/notebook cooler?

Quote:

Originally Posted by Neubeehunhun 540 should still be better than 525 by nature, thus could OC to a higher clock(correct me if I'm wrong)

Maybe. If the 525 and 540 chips were exactly identical, this would not be true. But it is possible that they binned some chips into the lower-clocked 525 because it was too unstable/hot at 540 speeds.

Reply 6 : Dell XPS 15 SB - better 525m OC w/notebook cooler?

People seem to have really good luck overclocking the 420m / 425m. The 420m, 425m, 435m, 525m, 540m, and 550m are all based on the same chip just running at different speeds and with slightly different memory (400 series has 800 mhz, 500 series has 900mhz). As such I can't imagine that the 525m doesn't have some serious headroom . If I can get my 525m up to or past the 740 / 1480 speeds of the 550m I'll be a happy camper.



Bet I can push that memory speed up from 900mhz to 1000mhz too .

Reply 7 : Dell XPS 15 SB - better 525m OC w/notebook cooler?

Quote:

Originally Posted by grenadier People seem to have really good luck overclocking the 420m / 425m. The 420m, 425m, 435m, 525m, 540m, and 550m are all based on the same chip just running at different speeds and with slightly different memory (400 series has 800 mhz, 500 series has 900mhz). As such I can't imagine that the 525m doesn't have some serious headroom . If I can get my 525m up to or past the 740 / 1480 speeds of the 550m I'll be a happy camper. Bet I can push that memory speed up from 900mhz to 1000mhz too .

I've only tested 3dmark06 so far, but mine runs without a hitch at 900/980/1800. Gave me over 2K points too. My L501x with the GT 420M ran great with games at 740/960.

Reply 8 : Dell XPS 15 SB - better 525m OC w/notebook cooler?

Quote:

Originally Posted by NoSlow5oh I've only tested 3dmark06 so far, but mine runs without a hitch at 900/980/1800. Gave me over 2K points too. My L501x with the GT 420M ran great with games at 740/960.

Are you using any additional cooling (laptop cooler, etc.) to get those speeds? What are you temps like?

Reply 9 : Dell XPS 15 SB - better 525m OC w/notebook cooler?

Quote:

Originally Posted by grenadier Are you using any additional cooling (laptop cooler, etc.) to get those speeds? What are you temps like?

I have a Belkin laptop cooler I bought from dell when I purchased my L501x. It's not that great and I really don't see a difference between temps when using 3dmark06. It's too short of a test.



Remember, the settings I used are only for benchmarking on 3dmark06, and I can practically guarantee you that you won't be able to play games at those speeds.