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    Integrated vs 980m?

    Discussion in '2015+ Alienware 13 / 15 / 17' started by wtferrell, Jun 1, 2015.

  1. wtferrell

    wtferrell Notebook Evangelist

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    Hey guys, I'm not sure, but I don't think that my Alienware 15 is using the 980m. How would I go about checking this? I'm on bios a04, 180w psu. Thanks
     
    wtferrell, Jun 1, 2015
    #1
  2. thunderbirds

    thunderbirds Notebook Consultant

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    check in nvidia control panel ensure select nvidia as GPU for the game to be sure
     
    thunderbirds, Jun 1, 2015
    #2
  3. Chris_Wayne

    Chris_Wayne Notebook Consultant

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    Really easy to notice, just try to game on ultra, integrated graphics are weak as f...
     
    Chris_Wayne, Jun 2, 2015
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  4. Flaick

    Flaick Notebook Evangelist

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    If you have a 180w PSU maybe your 980m can't reach it's maximum performance. Try a 240W psu.
     
    Flaick, Jun 2, 2015
    #4
  5. Alienware-L_Porras

    Alienware-L_Porras Company Representative

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    Did you check the temperatures of the machine? It could be throttling.
     
    Alienware-L_Porras, Jun 2, 2015
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  6. iPhantomhives

    iPhantomhives Click the image to change your avatar.

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    gpu.jpg
    power.jpg

    Try these, I'm also with 180w PSU, had no issue, running most games vsync 60fps. Bios A00
     
    iPhantomhives, Jun 2, 2015
    #6
  7. J.Dre

    J.Dre Notebook Nobel Laureate

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    It's throttling because of power limitations. You need a 240W PSU.
     
    J.Dre, Jun 2, 2015
    #7
  8. Meaker@Sager

    Meaker@Sager Company Representative

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    [​IMG]

    There is the official way to do it.
     
    Meaker@Sager, Jun 3, 2015
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  9. wtferrell

    wtferrell Notebook Evangelist

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    Thanks for that Meaker. Man, my NVidia Control Panel is so basic in comparison. Mine has jsut the top 3 categories.
     
    wtferrell, Jun 3, 2015
    #9
  10. Sid3ways

    Sid3ways Notebook Enthusiast

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    I am in the same boat. My desktop GPU has all of the normal options in the control panel but no matter what I do, I can't seem to get this Alienware to display the entire category list (I have the 980m). I only have the 3D settings which really limits the control panel's worth. Any ideas on how to get the rest of the options to display? I've run out of ideas.
     
    Sid3ways, Jun 4, 2015
    #10
  11. Game7a1

    Game7a1 ?

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    Nope. Since the laptop strictly uses Optimus, the Nvidia GPU is a render-only GPU. The iGPU is the display GPU, so most of the options you see on Meaker's screenshot are accessible through the Intel Graphics Control Panel.
     
    Game7a1, Jun 4, 2015
    #11
  12. Meaker@Sager

    Meaker@Sager Company Representative

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    If you had a display hooked up via the graphics amp you would see the same settings (I have a very similar setup).
     
    Meaker@Sager, Jun 4, 2015
    #12