Do I have serious problem with new laptop?

[mgo]

I know the hard drive in the old laptop is 40GB, i, 9.5MM, 5.4K, HIT-EUCL

I looked up the original configuration for the new laptop on Dell.com ServiceTag: 8S*LS11 and it says the hard drive was/possibly is 40 GB 1, 2.5" FORM FACTOR, 9.5 MM !BM-CASCADE, V2.

Of course, I have no idea if the new laptop's current configuartion = its original configuration.

No, emptying the prefetch file hasn't seemed to help that much.

Going back to the CPUz comparison, what about the new laptop's 1196.5 MHz comparied to the old laptop's 2193 HMz: Why are those 2 figures so different, and can it be corrected on the new laptop?

 

[sieistganzfett]

if you were to run something cpu intensive, the clock speed will shoot up again to 2000 from the 1200, you can run something like prime95 or superpi and have cpuz open before and during the actual running of the program once you start calculations. the speed should increase.. have you tried looking in the bios to turn off any power saving features, i dont know what the name of the cpu clock throttling is called with intel cpus, maybe speedstep? how much of a difference is it when you first open a program, 2 seconds vs 8 seconds between the two laptops? you can also use the System Information tool to find out what model the hard drive on both laptops, open the program and click on "storage devices" on the left side, then let us know which is which according to the program, and we can look it up, or you can look up that models on google and see both are the same speed according to specification info.

that System Information tool is awesome btw slikkster, can it tell what the hardware is if no drivers are installed, like for example, the modem when no modem driver is installed yet?

 

[DetroitSportsFan]

Originally posted by: Slikkster
You should download and run that tool yourself, Detroit (SIW, linked above). You can then use it to guide her further if something sticks out at you. There is a veritable plethora of info in this tool.

It won't tell you per se if the drives are 5400 or 4200, etc., but it will give you all the other info about the drive, including make/model, DMA/PIO capabilites, and a laundry list of other info.

So, take a look at it on your own system, Detroit. Then, if you think of anything else for her to check, use the tool and ask her what her system says.

The drives are detailed in the Hardware/Storage Devices section. The right column will just give the drive names until you click on the drive name individually. Once you do that, the universe of drive info opens up.

Edit: For one of my two drives, it shows rotational speed. I'm assuming SIW just queries the controller for info, and whatever is there is there.

Everyone's got their favorites. I have mine. However out of fairness to you and your tool, I will look at it. However, nothing that we've turned up looking at hardware seems to point to hardware being her problem.

Thats why I wanted to see her HijackThis log. Then I can rule out malware too.

EDIT:

Thats the throttling that has the laptop running just under 1200 mhz. Like was stated above, a CPU intensive application should bring it back up. If it doesn't, then we know why its so much slower. I'd still like to see that HJT log. I've seen malware cause odd throttling behavior on laptops.

 

[Slikkster]

Originally posted by: DetroitSportsFan
Everyone's got their favorites. I have mine. However out of fairness to you and your tool, I will look at it. However, nothing that we've turned up looking at hardware seems to point to hardware being her problem.

Lol, it's not a competition, man. I just thought you might be interested in it, whether it be for this issue or just to have. I've used various system info tools (Aida32/Everest, Belarc, etc.) and find that this one is pretty comprehensive. I just recently heard of the thing, so I was just passing it along to a fellow techie. NP if you're not interested.


Now, she can also try the "SpeedSwitch XP" program that can force full throttle cpu speeds. In other words, it will tell the cpu to always run at full speed just to see if it makes a difference:

http://www.diefer.de/speedswitchxp/

 

[orion23]

I have a C640 2.0ghz and the CPU will usually run at 1.2 as well. This is done to save battery power. If you go into the power options, you can choose a different profile (always on AC or something) and your CPU will run @ 2.0 all the time.

The HD could be a 4200RPM which makes a huge difference. I replaced mine with a 5400RPM and it made a difference.

 

[DetroitSportsFan]

I know the hard drive in the old laptop is 40GB, i, 9.5MM, 5.4K, HIT-EUCL

Well, here it is ... See the 5.4K? That means 5400 .... the laptop you're about to turn in off the lease has a 5400 drive.

Changing the profile like was suggested should push the system out of throttling ...

 

[mgo]

First of all, thank you. I have learned a great deal. I went into the bios and changed power management settings to Maximum Performance, I installed Speedswitchxp, I have educated myself. learning that the standard hard drive on the C640 was a 4200; it would have been like me to get an upgraded hard drive because I like speed, as if you couldn't tell.
Ran another CPUz check and my new readings are 1996 MHz with x20 multiplier. Success. If I want further improvement, I need to get a faster hard drive. But, ultimately, there is nothing wrong with my new laptop.

Thanks agaiin, and please let me know if I'm off track here.

 

[Slikkster]

Good for you, MGO. Every day I'm in the forums I learn something new. No one's born with this knowledge.

You might want to try setting the bios back to where it was and letting SpeedSwitch take care of the speed when you need it. Remember, running full tilt on battery power is going to mean less usable time until a recharge is needed. But since you're in the dock most of the time, that shouldn't be an issue.

Letting Speedswitch handle your speed demands let's you decide when to throttle it up or down, rather than having to boot into the bios and change settings there. That's my understanding of it.

By the way, XP will easily override the bios settings when its running. Here's a Intel SpeedStep FAQ you might want to read:

http://www.bay-wolf.com/speedstep.htm

 

[mgo]

Will do.