Remember
Throttlegate, the epic saga of warmth-averse Dell laptops turning themselves into 100MHz clunkers whenever temperatures rose above freezing? The issue has been plaguing some users for months, but less than a day after we posted about it Dell had a BIOS update ready for its Latitude E6400 and E6500 series machines, timing that can only be explained as coincidence. Dell also released an update to quiet noisy Seagate drives in a number of its portables, seemingly the same issue that
plagued MacBook Pros over the summer -- great news for anyone who hates disks that sound terminal. However, there's still no solution for the Studio XPS 1645 complaints we also reported about, and now we're hearing that the
Alienware m15x may be similarly under-clocking itself. Oh how deep the throttlehole goes...
Update: It seems all still isn't well. Most are indicating an improvement with this BIOS update, but according to many in comments some machines are still not operating at full speed. At this point it looks like Dell is working openly with users to come up with a more final fix, so we're optimistic... for some reason.
[Thanks to everyone who sent this in]
posted December 3rd 2009 7:34AM
*chirp chirp chirp*
Now i'd just wish they would fix the damn issue with the track pads skitzing out on my vostro 1710 :|
@MercyFlush it probably gets statically charged
@MercyFlush: Well they did release a firmware update for my XPS M1530 a while back to fix that issue, so maybe there's one for yours as well somewhere. On mine it happened when you opened the lid. Dunno if yours is the same issue - just putting it out there.
@MercyFlush
Does it only do it when it's plugged in? My Vostro 1500 did that when I first got it, apparently there was an issue with the revision A00 power bricks. See if you can get a replacement that is A01 or higher. If you still have a warranty with Dell this shouldn't be hard as that's all they have now.
Well, I'm glad that there was a reasonably quick fix.
Obviously this was a serious BIOS fault, and those usually warrant a complete re-build.
Anyone have a link to the seagate firmware?
@aquatrax
Go to support.dell.com, select Drivers and Downloads for the appropriate system, and you'll see a list of hard drives that have firmware updates.
@John H
I did try that but could not locate the firmware. I tried multiple searches with no luck finding the correct firmware.
@aquatrax
New HD Firmware:
http://support.dell.com/support/downloads/download.aspx?c=us&cs=555&l=en&s=biz&releaseid=R250673&SystemID=LAT_E6400&servicetag=&os=WLH&osl=en&deviceid=22417&devlib=0&typecnt=0&vercnt=1&catid=-1&impid=-1&formatcnt=1&libid=41&typeid=-1&dateid=-1&formatid=-1&fileid=366464
New System BIOS:
http://support.dell.com/support/downloads/download.aspx?c=us&cs=555&l=en&s=biz&releaseid=R246462&SystemID=LAT_E6400&servicetag=&os=WLH&osl=en&deviceid=15569&devlib=0&typecnt=0&vercnt=10&catid=-1&impid=-1&formatcnt=1&libid=1&typeid=-1&dateid=-1&formatid=-1&fileid=358515
@Ralph23
Thanks Ralph, now I see why I couldn't find it. I have the 500GB hard drive.
Don't forget this was a major problem with the MacBook Air's too. In that situation there was never a fix, and Apple regard it as perfectly normal.
Anyway, I know mention Apple can be a kick in the teeth here, so please be kind.
http://forums.macrumors.com/showthread.php?t=459306
one of your best headlines ever engadget.
Oh no... I want to buy the m15x... please explain more on this underclocking issue!
Dell: Freedom from performance, as usual.
What a difference a little comma makes, eh?
@littlerobothead: This is actually how I read the slogan at first, and was puzzled about why Dell would be so self-critical. That one needed a bit more thinkin' throo.
@bionictulip
I feel as though both "performance" and "performance as usual" mean the same thing in this sentence. I'm just not seeing the pro-Dell side of this at all.
What laptop model is that in the picture???
@rebeccaf
The new Latitude, I think.
@rebeccaf looks like a E6500, the model i have.
The bios updates DO NOT fix the issue. Tinkerdude did more testing and found the updates slow the performance but since the problem wasnt with ACTUAL overheating, but the system THINKING that its overheating... so no update is going to fix it, just lower the performance, problems arent as noticeable, and it might shut up half the people that have the issue. Mine seems to be persistant, and i dont want to use 1/2 my laptop, nor can i. I cannot do my job if i cannot use my computer to the max of its capabilities. This isnt fair, and it hasnt been fixed for over a year. A YEAR!
BIOS A18 NO GOOD FOR MY E6500!
I had this issue since March this year. It’s not the first time, Dell promises a fix for the underclocking/thermal problem. Updating your system with the new BIOS is worth a try, but it didn’t fix the problem for me (did anybody run into the same issue?).
ps: the notebook in the picture looks like a latitude e6500
@Baenne im just like you. I got the E6500, none of their updates fixes my issue, and i am seriously going nuts. They always blamed me for this issue and im close to losing my job. And i want heads to roll because the mental anguish and abuse i have endured because of people thinking im always messing up my laptop and that im getting viruses or im browsing websites that the company does not condone. Its terrible.
Strange thing is on another Engadget post about these issues from i think yesterday... when you click on page 2 or 3 in comments it sends you back to HOMEPAGE.. but if i use an old link it works.. so even engadget is censoring this for DELL.. i posted how angry i was there and honestly i think they dont want people seeing that their updates are still not fixing anything.. and the things i do along with those updates show that nothing dell can tell me to do fixes it... their mathematics are faulty before theyt even made the MOTHERBOARD.. it cannot be fixed... only patched.. like fixing a hole in a boat with duck tape.. it aint gonna hold, not to mention it wont perform like it was advertised it would.
i feel like i purchased a Toyota off ebay and got a Toy Yoda in the mail, and their telling me that it is STILL A TOYOTA and that i can drive it... but might makes right.. and $$$ = might = dell.
The updates to the bios do not fix the problem. They try to patch it up.
Basically they put the bios into compatibility mode, and i dont think thats ethical. I baught these specs, nothing less. I am cheated out of 2,000$ and its not fair. If it was a big corporation that was geting cheated you would have already seen lawsuits and a recall. But not enough people have made a fuss big enough. Not to mention what would have been recalled before the recession, is no longer recalled due to huge loss of profits.
for all we know it was a do or die situation for dell when they released this model. maybe they knew about all the issues and that 95% of the laptops would have severe enough problems that a release would have been scrapped. The heads would have been fired and new ones braught in. So instead they patched it up jsut like their doing now. They kept it hush hush and said noone would notice until enough were sold that huge profits could be made... the future was not taken into account because when a problem is big enough all that matters is living to see the next day. And thats what they did. They allowed these E series to be released with RECALL worthy issues and now they are again pressed against a wall, cornered. And their trying to PATCH it up.. its just NOT GONNA FIX anything.
same or similar issues will arise and dell will say it is unrelated to the throttling and take aanother year to acknowledge that it is a severe issue. By then i would have been fired from my second job, because i am about to be fired from this one due to not being able to do my job because im always reloading the laptop, now i know better... its not me. Its dell telling me that its me!
@leok STFU, you can't blame Dell for you sucking at your job.
@MJGAMER 1991 XBL dude honestly i know its cool to be you but with gamer in your name im sure you really know what a job is, im sure you will get screwed one day when you are old enough for a job, and realise what being a grown up really is.
@leok this is the same case with me and Logitech right now. As for me, it's not an essential piece of my daily operations. In fact, it's just a web camera and the software they made for Windows 7. However, it's still annoying when the company keeps trying to shift the blame to the customers. What is the worst is when the "Customer Service Representatives" have no idea how to get into contact with the people who actually write the software and they don't bother to even try.
Hmm, I've installed the bios and it seems to make the CPU fan run permanently - even when on battery with my Windows power settings configured to run passively on battery.
I'll dig around in the bios to see if I can stop that, but if that is the 'fix'...bleugh
@simonsquiff remember the laptops arent ACTUALLY overheating. It only thinks it does. That is why there is no FIX ... only a patch. Like putting a bandaid on a bullet hole.
At this point its like.. even if they do manage to fix it completely and tinkerdude says HEY EVERYTHING IS GREAT NOW! im gonna be very skeptical and really doubt they fixed it. If they give tinkerdude a few hundred thousand dollars to shut up and say dell fixed it, they can legally prohibit him from telling us anymore truths abotut heir practices and this issue in particular. Its really scary, because with the $$$ that dell has.. comes the ability to make anything happen. Unfortunately the people that run companies are the heads for a reason, they have no problem with stepping over people and doing unethical things for profits, thats called capitalism.
i dont think i can ever use a E6500 or a similar looking dell laptop and be happy with it, im just so tainted by this, and the GX260/270 CAPACITOR/POWER SUPPLY issues, that i feel like i have handcuffs on when i use my E6500.
Im one of several guys that everyone in our company calls for help, and im the one whose computer is always down. They laugh at me, my boss almost fired me because he thinks i always get viruses and visit websites against company policy. Dude I GOT A DELL!
If you do run into this issue, the best you can do is calling the support.
We usually buy our notebooks with pro support, so we get a replacement at the next business day.
Just call the pro support. They will most likely tell you to switch the harddisk with a notebook which has the same specs and so on.
Just tell them, that you are fed up with all these bugs and insist that you want your notebook replaced.
Not all of the E6400/E6500 notebooks are affected by this bug. Just hope for a working replacement.
Release Date: 12/1/2009
Version: A18
Fixes/Enhancements
------------------
1. Updated thermal table.
2. Removed HDD Acoustic support.
3. Enhanced INT 19h support.
So, are they simply setting the HDD to Quiet Mode so it will run slower and therefore reduce heat????????
SCREW THAT!!!!!!!!
@refiner its not the HD, its not acoustics, its not overheating.. IT THINKS ITS OVERHEATING.. the problem cannot be fixed.. only patched and the system gets hindered. when engadget says REMEMBER THROTTLEGATE.. what does it mean? throttlegate is NOW.. it hasnt stopped.. and its not slowing down. dell is still denying that it is unfixable..
dell wont answer any of my posts anywhere. and even engadget is limiting the info on this. which probably will get me censored here. the other engadget post removed the ability to go to comment page 2 and 3.. the links just send you to the engadget home page.. nice guys! i guess dell has alot of pull in your industry.
dell is taking performance down to 50% to fool people into thinking its fixed.. and the majority thinks the problem IS fixed.. BUT IT IS NOT! and i am not sattisfied with anything less than the machine i baught.. i cannot do my job if the specs are limited to anything less than max. When i buy something i want to be able to overclock it, not had to underclock it.
this will go away silently and we wont hear much about any more issues soon, their gonna shut everyone up.,. if there is no resource on the issue then it must no be an issue = damage control
What about the Studio XPS 1645?
This model should be in higher priority than those latitude models, its barely new
TO refiner but want it to SHOW without having to click on a + to see this post.
its not the HardDrive, its not acoustics, its not overheating.. IT THINKS ITS OVERHEATING.. the problem cannot be fixed.. only patched and the system gets hindered. when engadget says REMEMBER THROTTLEGATE.. what does it mean? throttlegate is NOW.. it hasnt stopped.. and its not slowing down. dell is still denying that it is unfixable..
dell wont answer any of my posts anywhere. and even engadget is limiting the info on this. which probably will get me censored here. the other engadget post removed the ability to go to comment page 2 and 3.. the links just send you to the engadget home page.. nice guys! i guess dell has alot of pull in your industry.
dell is taking performance down to 50% to fool people into thinking its fixed.. and the majority thinks the problem IS fixed.. BUT IT IS NOT! and i am not sattisfied with anything less than the machine i baught.. i cannot do my job if the specs are limited to anything less than max. When i buy something i want to be able to overclock it, not had to underclock it.
this will go away silently and we wont hear much about any more issues soon, their gonna shut everyone up.,. if there is no resource on the issue then it must no be an issue = damage control
Whooooaaaaa.... Where is my post before 3:05PM post? Was I just censored for explaining how I helped keep my laptop cool??????
NOT COOL ENGADGET!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
its not underclocking due to the laptop's heat............. it underclocking because faulty hardware made it think it was overheating
So, I got a great Black Friday deal on an E6400. It's being built now. This throttlegate makes me question my purchase! I did get it at 40% off, so I hate to lose the deal I got. But I also want a high-performing laptop.
I get the sense that this is intermittent and not systemic. That's what's kept me so far from canceling the deal. Plus, there's no other track-point laptop that is as slick and "family-room worthy" in my opinion.
Thoughts?
Why are you guys talking about A18? I downloaded A19 last night.
@davenport because for E6500 there is no A19... only A18... and im still SPIKING DELL!!!
guys engadget is helping dell with this.. last night i emailed tim.stevens from engadget and he acknowledged there is an issue with the comments and it will be fixed because the links are missing a "/" so its taking everyone back to homepage. BUT ITS BEEN OVER 24 HOURS AND NO FIX!! and the thread is dead about the dell issue there because of it... THEIR DOING DAMAGE CONTROL BECAUSE THEY DIDNT HTINK THIS WOULD HIT SO BIG!!!
So, my E6400 is on A19 now and it just makes my fan go permanently.
This is very irritating as it is noisy. You can't change it in the bios. My CPU is at 29C so isn't hot at all. The fan air is cold. It even does this on battery - ignoring Windows settings to passively cool only - which will also suck up more juice.
So now we have aggressive fan use as well as aggressive throttling!
The list of BIOS updates released by Dell to address these issues is missing at least 3 models. Some may be EOLed, but they still suffer from the same problem. It should also noted that these laptops are NOT operating in extreme conditions as hinted at by Dell. The models are Latitude D510, Latitude D620, Precision M2300.
so yea a few days since installed the A18 (latest bios for E6500) and still having performance issues, SYSTEM in taskmanager (ctrl+shift+esc) is spiking and stays between 10 and 70 or higher... and spiky... this is a brand new reloaded machine right after i installed latest bios.. so its CLEAN.. cant be software.. CANT... i was told yesterday i would be contacted by dell.. still nothing.. this is so ridiculous
these machines have hardly any problems. yes, they clock down at too low a temperature, but dust in the system is almost always the cause, and a very VERY easy problem to fix. if you really want good information on any of the pros/cons of the system, go to http://forum.notebookreview.com/showthread.php?t=423241&page=22 and the first half of the forum at :: http://forum.notebookreview.com/showthread.php?t=293401
engadget should have looked more into the issue before these two articles.
what idiot came up with that slogan to begin with?