Dell XPS-13-7390

[windows_guru]

I ended up with a near new Dell XPS 13 7390 with a 4K screen that makes Apple crap just that.

The gripe is that with less than 300 hours the thermal material on the CPU was reduced to powered. Wow. So cleaning that up and installing new thermal material now the CPU no longer is thermal throttling.

The CPU is the Intel Core i7 10710U which seems to be 6 cores and 12 threads.

So I test the CPU with Cinebench and note that some cores seem to get behind. I am wondering of the CPU can handle such workloads given this rig comes with 16GB of RAM.

Given the  i7 10710U is the top CPU one would expect good performance even with a 15W part. I am not looking to outmuscle a desktop CPU as my processor is an ultra mobile unit.

[FrancisP_Intel]

Hello windows_guru,

Thank you for posting in Intel Communities. We understand that it is somewhat worrisome to see that some of the CPU cores are underperforming. We will see what we can find to assist you with this. However, we'd like to set your expectations that the processor in question is imbedded into an OEM device. Dell may have altered the specifications and features of the system including the processor to best suit their design, and their assistance on this matter may be needed. 

1. To begin with, we'd like to ask if you can show us a screenshot of the CPU cores running on Cinebench.
2. Have you tried using other software to test the CPU?
3. Was this occurring even before the CPU had issues with thermal throttling? 
4. Have you performed any troubleshooting steps?
5. Can you run the System Support Utility Tool and run a scan on your system? You may share the results in a form of a txt file.

We greatly appreciate your assistance on this matter. 

Best regards,

Francis Ryan P.

Intel Customer Support Technician

[windows_guru]

I have some parallel programing experience using OpenMP which can gobble up all cores on a machine. My goldback CPU tester was developed to prove thermal material back in 2017 when Visual Studio 2017 and the standard template library supported a true random number generator etc.

With Cinebench R23, some cores were way behind and monitoring the CPU and SSD I notice the system temperature was close to Tj max and I powered the machine down.

Dissecting the machine showed the CPU cooler assembly as installed fine but the thermal interface material was garbage. Using a better quality material I reassembled the machine and power cycled the machine over a week to allow thermal pumping to fill sub-micron defects. 

A week on, the SSD now runs somewhat cooler and the CPU now runs dramatically cooler. So running Cinebench R23 I see the cores are still lagging but not as bad as it was and the CPU temperature is now reasonable as the factory thermal management works right.

So I am wondering about the CPU and the core clock speeds vs thermal loading, I guess this CPU is not really good for OpenMP vs windows tasks galore. Cinebench is threaded while I use OpenMP which can melt a bad CPU into its socket.

[windows_guru]

The supplied Micron 2300 SSD seems to be a power pig so I was looking at a more recent SSD and looking at power consumption I saw some models with 0.14W which is well below a fry pan so such a model is close to keeping my Dell from melting down with excessive heat.

[RamyerM_Intel]

Hello windows_guru, 

I understand that experiencing overheating issues is an inconvenience as it is disruptive to your use of Open MP and other windows task. I also noticed that you mention the CPU was underperforming as well. In order for us to further look in to this for you, we kindly ask if you can share with us the following details in the previous post: 

1. Can show us a screenshot of the CPU cores running on Cinebench.
2. Have you tried using other software to test the CPU?
3. Was this occurring even before the CPU had issues with thermal throttling? 
4. Have you performed any troubleshooting steps?
5. Can you run the System Support Utility Tool and run a scan on your system? You may share the results in a form of a txt file.
6. Additionally, what is the specific temperature that you encountered?

I do want to set your expectation that since this is an OEM (Branded Laptop) original equipment manufacturer device, please take into consideration that our support may be limited since we are not familiar with the technology, settings, customizations, custom drivers, and features that the OEM has designed and installed your system, nevertheless, I will do my best to assist you with your concern.

I will be waiting for your reply. 

Ramyer M.

Intel Customer Support Technician

[windows_guru]

Cinebench R23 has some threads fall far behind, maybe 3-4 of them, sometimes that are so far behind that other cores are 2 or 3 tiles ahead.

CPU lag

I have an Excel worksheet that draws 4 line art graphs that can take 30 seconds to render which seems rather sluggish. The data i 4 columns of CPI data from Canada, US, EU and China. I am considering India as its economy grows

[FrancisP_Intel]

Hello windows_guru,

Thank you for providing us with additional details. Please share with us the answers to the following questions. This would help us better understand the root cause of the issue you're experiencing. The information you provide will be duly noted and will be included in our data in root causing the issue.

1. Have you tried using other software to test the CPU?
2. Was this occurring even before the CPU had issues with thermal throttling? 
3. Have you performed any troubleshooting steps?
4. Can you run the System Support Utility Tool and run a scan on your system? You may share the results in a form of a txt file.
5. Additionally, what is the specific temperature that you encountered?

We will be waiting for your response for the listed questions. Thank you for your patience and understanding.

[windows_guru]

I use Excel extensive;y with demanding worksheets, some of which take  while to open even with i7 class processors

Cinebench is simply one of many tools that show that the CPU as some problems that seem to be endemic with U class processors

[FrancisP_Intel]

Hello windows_guru,

It sounds like you've had quite the journey with your Dell XPS 13 7390. The Intel Core i7 10710U is indeed a powerful mobile processor, and it's great to hear that replacing the thermal material resolved the thermal throttling issue. It's not uncommon for high-performance CPUs to run hot, especially in slim form factors like the XPS 13.

The lagging cores during Cinebench tests could be due to a variety of factors, including power limits, thermal constraints, or even the nature of the workload being tested. 

As for Excel, performance can vary depending on the complexity of the worksheets and the operations being performed. The i7 10710U should handle most tasks with ease, but extremely demanding workloads might benefit from a processor with a higher thermal design power (TDP) that can sustain higher clock speeds for longer periods.

In summary, while the i7 10710U is a top-tier mobile CPU, its performance in sustained heavy workloads can be limited by its design as an ultra-mobile, power-efficient processor. For tasks that require intensive parallel processing, a desktop CPU with a higher TDP might be more suitable. However, for everyday tasks and even for the most demanding applications, the i7 10710U paired with 16GB of RAM should provide a smooth and responsive experience. It's always a balance between power, performance, and portability. To enhance our understanding and accurately pinpoint the issue, we require additional information. Your assistance in providing these details would be greatly appreciated.

• Have you attempted to use alternative software to test the CPU?
• Was this issue present prior to the CPU experiencing thermal throttling problems?
• Have you taken any troubleshooting measures?
• Could you please run the System Support Utility Tool and conduct a system scan? Feel free to share the results in a text file format.
• Furthermore, could you specify the exact temperature you observed?

We appreciate your patience and cooperation in addressing these inquiries. Thank you.

Best regards,

Francis Ryan P.

Intel Customer Support Technician

[FrancisP_Intel]

Hello windows_guru,

We have not heard back from you in the last few days. Feel free to share with us your thoughts and the answers to our requests so we can check this concern further. Thank you for your time and understanding.

Best regards,

Francis Ryan P.

Intel Customer Support Technician

[windows_guru]

windows is having problems so I am now using my Lenovo T14 which has a different model CPU.

This machine is somewhat more stable and while 14" it is still very mobile but not as good as XPS 13

It seems that the XPS CPU is problematic for reasons I cannot figure out outside some bin problems that were used for laptops 

[FrancisP_Intel]

Hello windows_guru,

We appreciate that you're taking the time to respond and we apologize for not meeting your expectations in assisting with the issue. However, since we have not acquired the details we have requested, this inquiry will no longer be monitored. You may submit another inquiry in case you need assistance with Intel Customer Support. 

Best regards,

Francis Ryan P.

Intel Customer Support Technician