I hope we do as it was mentioned in detail four days ago, several posts above. heh... See dedicated post above with detailed discussion & links. And if you read that thread you linked, you might also notice a familiar avatar.

Of course, the administration here does not make it any easier, always combining posts no matter how important or separate they should be, which is the case for that BIOS 1.0.12 UPDATE post of mine, surely deserving its own entry (I even asked them not to combine, to no avail). Since I had two posts in a row, they decide it must be one, no matter the subject. I've never seen this done and I manage two forums and own one. Oh well.... I've always thought moderation should be only used in extreme cases, not the case here.

And wow...I've hit 45 posts and can finally use the Private Message function (another policy winner, tongue firmly planted in cheek).

- kh

Hi abstrait,

Sorry, I suspected that might be the case, but I didn't have time to go trawling through all of the posts again.

I've applied it to my system and it doesn't seem to make any difference, but then again, mine wasn't particularly noisy anyway.

There are two problems with the 92mm case fan in the 435MT.

First, it's a rather loud fan compared to some of the quieter samples. In a room with low background noise, you can hear the drone plainly. This has bothered some. Unfortunately, this case is so small and packed, with subpar airflow, that a VERY strong, high CFM fan is needed. The stock fan is rated at 70CFM, a VERY powerful rating. In addition, it's a bit noisy at lower RPM. Moves to quieter fans have brought some raising of CPU core temps.

The second problem, a problem I feel is even WORSE, is that many machines were randomly ramping up of this same fan to full 70CFM power, sounding like a leaf blower or vacuum on 11. This leaf blower mode would kick in at random, but usually more prevalent when the core temps got 50C or a bit above.

The 1.0.12 BIOS UPDATE totally FIXES this ramp-up of the rear case fan. It does not make said fan quieter, but there is no longer any hell noise from the random leaf blower mode.

It's a HIGHLY RECOMMENDED UPDATE.

Lastly, please note that if you have the 920/940 CPU, that a 1333Mhz RAM upgrade will NOT operate at 1333Mhz. Only a move to the uber $$$ 965 CPU will bring this ram up to this spec. That, or bios control allowing users to bump the clocking of the 920/940 to 3.4Mhz ,which is doubtful.

EDIT

I've now heard from two different sources that there is a good chance that Dell will make next month's BIOS update able to run 1333Mhz RAM at full speed via the 920 and 940 CPU.

Can you guys confirm whether or not Dell will be discontinuing the Studio XPS 435MT now that the Studio XPS 435T has been launched ?

I know that the 435MT is not without its faults, but I actually prefer it to the much bulkier, sloping 435T case.

I hope the don't discontinue the Studio XPS 435MT now that I've bought one.

It's interesting to read that the 435T is still suffering from cooling / loud fan issues (see link below).

http://reviews.dell.com/2341/1882/reviews.htm

Ummm... As this stage, they are still selling both, though they have dropped the name "435" from the Studio XPS version we have. For the record, the MT stands for Mini-Tower and the "T stands for Tower. I don't think anyone is totally clear on the fate of the i7 in the smaller Studio Mini-Tower. In some ways, a larger case with more cooling is a boon for this system. That said, I'm actually quite amazed at how well the original 435MT does with only the slightly louder, more powerful 92mm case fan the sticking point for many. The 1.0.12 Bios update completely removes the ramp-up quagmire many experienced with the 435MT. Since Best Buy and Costco STILL carry the original Studio XPS 435MT, I see it remaining for at least the time being.

Please don't make the same mistake these reviewers are making, which is confusing the 435MT with the 435T. EVERY single review that complains of the terrible noise issues is reviewing their 435MT in the wrong place. There are almost no complaints on the new 435T's noise levels.

- kh

The picture at the top of that page clearly shows the Studio 435T, so surely the folks that are posting these comments can see this.

Nope, they apparently don't, sadly enough. Of course, it's an easy mistake if not using your eyes as the new 435T is now the "Studio XPS 435", the exact same name our option was for a long while.

Basically, most people aren't exactly critical readers, noticing details. And I have to say the average forum member/reviewer within the Dell domain is really guilty of this, although this is a disease far and wide, extending past forums and the net.

Not too many people even own the new 435T yet and those that I've talked to say noise is not an issue. Then again, even the 435MT brigade is overplaying this a bit, especially after the leaf blower issue was addressed via the 1.0.12 update.

Reading the reviews, the positive ones are definately refering to the 435T since they mention 24GB of ram, expansion slots etc.

The few negative ones are complaining about the fans which is a 435MT problem, and lack of expansion, again a 435MT problem.

There is even a guy who doesnt own it yet just saying that he had a 410 and that was good, therefore get off Dell's back.

I would pay very little attention to this reviews right now. On a side note my scyth fan has yet to arrive as it is waiting stock.

I wouldnt worry about whether Dell are going to continue making the 435MT - for my money I am happy with the horsepower I have for the money I paid. You already have one. Why worry?

I saw that....amazing; I had to laugh. As H.L Mencken once said, "No one ever went broke underestimating the intelligence of the American public." It's a classic quote and one could probably remove the word "American" with it still holding true.

Anyway, I agree on the deal aspect of the original, lowly 435MT, little case and all. It's just amazingly fast for the ducats. I do believe we have the exact same setup, give or take a few minor details. I'm running mine into a 24" HP panel at 1920x1200 and it's been such a welcome upgrade, and a major one at that, from my last system.

- kh

Yeah, you're probably right yukka, but I just hope that Dell continue to stock all of the spare parts for the duration of my 3 years warranty.

yep mine is running a 22inch LG Panel at 1680*1050. Very happy with this machine - the level of detail is brilliant. the panel is a W2252 - one of the few panels I could find that can shrink the screen to 4:3 so I can play all my older games at the proper aspect ratio as well

I expect that you do not have to worry. In the unlikely scenario that no parts are in stock (probably take a massive failure of all the motherboards due to some unforseen issue) you might even get an entire new current XPS as replacement. Hopefully that doesnt happen and I cant see them running out of hard drives, fans, graphics cards or memory sticks any time soon.

btw, after talking to several about the move from 6GB to 12, actually slowing down system bootup/shutdown and really not ever being used, I wondered if you ever tried your system with just 6GB? I've heard of a few that HAD 12 in their DIY systems actually moving back to 6GB (heh, just noticed you had copied that 1067Mhz from Dell's ad....)

I cant remember if I posted it here, but one guy that got the 12GB from Dell actually built a whole other system and was able to easily run his second 6GB of Dell "Samsung" ram up to 1333Mhz no problem. He actually made a big point in saying how great he thought that ole Dell stock ram was. Interesting. It does have good timings at 7-7-7-20.

- kh

Have you guys seen this thread http://en.community.dell.com/forums/t/19265117.aspx ?

Looks like some folks are experiencing problems with their Studio XPS 435MT P.C.s freezing. Wonder if it is a cooling issue.

If owning this system, the first thing I would do from the onset is download CPU-Z, GPU-Z, and Real Temp/Core Temp. Between these three/four programs, you can really get an idea what your system is doing, especially regarding cooling which is extremely important with the i7 and 4850 card, a very hot card.

He could easily check his CPU core temps to see if he's having issues. Some have reported improperly set CPU heatsinks, which can become a problem in shipping if not mounted exactly right with the proper thermal compound application.

Some are guessing PSU though not sure on that one. He could also have video driver issues, not hard to achieve with a faulty upgrade, a sometimes finicky process, depending.

I've not had a single blip of an issue with my 435MT, running 24 hours a day. Besides the case fan debates, it's been amazingly problem-free, though it's the hottest running stock system I've ever owned. At the least, everyone that owns one should download those monitoring programs, a great aid in diagnosing and maintaining system health/performance. That's the first I've seen of lockup issues in a system that I've really found to be without performance issues considering.

EDIT: Seems they are assuming it's memory, MB, or cpu.

- kh

can you guys please answer my question...i seen one of the 435mt at bestbuy...and i looked and have read this thread...the dell site says it is a dual channel in 4g version....

4GB5 Dual Channel DDR3 SDRAM at 1066MHz - 4 DIMMs


bestbuy our local has a great deal on this....can i purchase extra matching ram and make this a tri channel...or chould i just order form del and get the 6g set up????

really dont want to wait 6 weeks....when i can purchase now...

what do you guys think...

If the rest of the setup with the vid card, hard drive(s), and build is good, by all means, get the machine at Best Buy as there is a huge wait on these beasts via Dell online. Yes, you can do a number of things. You can buy two more matching 1GB sticks of DDR3 ram to fill the six dimms, making for 6GB in Tri Channel. Or better yet, hit Newegg for one of the great deals they have on matching 6GB DDR3 1333Mhz kits, for as low as $76 with rebate for the entire kit. I'd be surprised if that beast is still there from the sound of the deal. Another option, visit the Dell Outlet site where more great deals come in, sometimes with fully loaded builds for hundreds less than you might have via the Dell shopping cart avenue.

If you get the Best Buy machine, you will need to update all the drivers and the bios, a very easy task and one that will make a tremendous difference in performance and usability.

Lastly, there are now a number of other companies coming out with comparable i7 solutions. Dont shut them out as a few have more expandability if that's important.

- kh

The most recent customer reviews of this machine are very favourable.

http://www1.euro.dell.com/content/pr...bsd&cs=ukbsdt1

The fan in my Studio XPS 435MT is not particularly noisey, but it does drone a little, so do you think it would be worth my while fitting the rubber gromits shown within the following page ?

http://www.acoustiproducts.com/en/ul...fan_mounts.asp

You'll get some relief, the amount depending on how much of your offending drone is coming from fan/case vibration vs actual fan drone.

In my case, you get a bit of relief from some of the noise, though some of the drone does still exist. One way to test your application before ordering the new soft mounts is to install some felt or rubber washers you have around the house between the fan and the case. This will not be as effective as the the linked soft mounts because the SCREW will still be interacting with the fan body. But if you hear any relief, you can bet the soft mounts will add just a bit more.

On another point, if you do any fan subs, be sure to download Real Temp to track your core temps to make sure you're not getting a rise in temps. Also, some owners have tried SPEEDFAN, which does allow you to control your fan RPMs while watching your temps, making this another useful download. Of course, CPU-Z is almost a must to see what your 435MT and 435T are doing.

- kh

heres the link to puter i am asking bout...just dotn want to purchase this and find out i can upgrade the ram....


Processor Brand
Intel®
#
Processor
Intel® Core™ i7
#
Processor Speed
2.66GHz
#
Cache Memory
8MB on die Level 2
#
System Memory (RAM)
4GB
#
System Memory (RAM) Expandable To
12GB
#
Type of Memory (RAM)
DDR3 SDRAM
#
Hard Drive Type
SATA (7200 rpm)
#
Hard Drive Size
640GB
#
Graphics
ATI RADEON HD 4850
#
Video Memory
512MB
#
Personal Video Recorder (PVR)
No
#
TV Tuner
No
#
MPEG
Yes
#
Audio
7.1-channel support
#
Built-in Webcam
No
#
Modem
None
#
Network Card
Built-in 10/100/1000 Ethernet LAN (RJ-45 connector)
#
Wireless Networking
None
#
Recordable DVD Drive
Yes, DVD±RW/CD-RW
#
Recordable DVD Drive Speeds
16x8x16 DVD+RW; 16x6x16 DVD-RW; 48x4x48 CD-RW
#
Direct-Disc Labeling
No
#
Digital Media Reader or Slots
Yes, digital media card reader
#
Diskette Drive
No
#
Total Expansion Bays
4
#
Available Expansion Bays
3
#
Total Expansion Slots
3 PCI-E x1, 1 PCI-E x16
#
USB 2.0 Ports
8 USB 2.0 (4 front, 4 rear)
#
IEEE 1394 Ports
2 (1 front, 1 rear)
#
S-Video Outputs
None
#
Serial Ports
None
#
Parallel Ports
None
#
Game Ports
None
#
Keyboard Description
USB multimedia
#
Other Control Devices (mouse, etc.)
Premium optical USB mouse
#
Operating System
Windows Vista Home Premium 64-bit
#
Software Included
Adobe Reader 9; Roxio Creator 10 Dell Edition; Microsoft Works 9.0; Trend Micro AntiVirus (15 months)


it says it is expandleble all the wway to 12gb.......i do know i am gonna want the tri channel ability.....

the vid card is awesome...ATI 4850...



getting ready to jump in the car now...just want to make sure......i love dells...all i have.....

Good lord.... You didnt need to post all that, but ok.

Not sure what you are asking at this stage as it's pretty clear you can purchase RAM that will work fine in Tri-Channel mode, this for a deal probably far better than Dell can supply. The one caveat is the 1333Mhz ram will only operate at 1066Mhz in the Dell 435MT with the current BIOS as of 3/28/09. It WILL work, but not at the advertised spec until Dell provides an upgrade in the bios that will allow it.

The following two 6GB DDR3 1333Mhz ram kits from OCZ have been reported as working fine within the 435MT. They are a great deal right now via newegg. The 1.5v option is the one I would go for as it's got great timings and the Foxconn Dell MB is running the ram at 1.5v.

On the 435MT, I would not think that deal a great one unless you get it below $950usd without a monitor. I'd actually want it even cheaper, to be honest. Deals via the outlet have been amazing at times.

OCZ 6GB (3x2GB) DDR3 1333 (PC3 10666)
Model#: OCZ3X1333LV6GK | 1.5v ~ 7-7-7-20





OCZ Gold 6GB (3x2GB) DDR3 1333 (PC3 10666)
Model#: OCZ3G1333LV6GK | 1.65v ~ 9-9-9-20


- kh