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    M14x Gaming Discussion Thread

    Discussion in 'Alienware 14 and M14x' started by TheSpaceHamster, May 1, 2011.

  1. TheSpaceHamster

    TheSpaceHamster Notebook Consultant

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    As many of us are familiar with... M11x R1/R2 Gaming Discussion Thread I figured we should start something familiar for the M14x.

    What should be discussed here?

    m14x Game Testing discussion was previously started a couple days ago, but has been somewhat quiet.

    Running Games on Highest Settings

    What games are you installing?

    Crysis 2 High Settings GT 555m

    Adding Games to Optimus Whitelist

    Lousy Gaming Performance

    Variety of M14x Gameplay Videos - YouTube

    Let's use this thread (or any thread!) to post gaming videos of the M14x, specific gaming questions/comments regarding how you got your game to perform at certain settings...I'd like to avoid comments like this:

    "Game works fine on my system, you're doing it wrong."

    ...or...

    "Game plays well on high settings." [what does high settings mean? All settings high? Just resolution?]

    This community works well together to offer creative solutions to common gaming problems across multiple platforms, so I'm hoping we can continue that trend for our newest system. [mine hasn't arrived...yet. rest assured I'll will continue making videos of how games perform when the "X-Wing" gets here]

    An attempt should be made to describe how your system runs with whatever game is the flavor of the moment.

    Dragon Age 2
    2630 Processor
    4GB Ram
    1.5gb GT 555m
    1600x900
    All Graphic Details set to Max/DirectX 11
    999.xxx nVidia drivers

    Pictures of specific graphics settings are tasty! This is from my M11x R2...but you get the idea.

    Obviously that isn't inclusive of ALL the necessary details, but at a bare minimum we should share those types of figures - it gives other forum members an idea of what you're playing on your system, limited configuration details, and the game settings.

    Videos are fun to post!

    M11x R2 Homefront Video

    That's a video I made showing Homefront gameplay on my M11x R2 - videos are great for everyone to get a glimpse at overall system capability, graphics, and entertainment.
     
    TheSpaceHamster, May 1, 2011
    #1
  2. Mudig

    Mudig Notebook Consultant

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    Turns out, M14x has a issue playing games unplugged. I just tried it. The framerate drops significantly. I wonder if they can fix this.

    EDIT: Nvm, I fixed the problem. I'm good to go with this lappy.
     
    Mudig, May 1, 2011
    #2
  3. Hengst2404

    Hengst2404 Notebook Geek

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    this was mentioned in a previous thread, but you drop from 60 to 40 hz when ou unplug. just go back into nvida properties and set it back to 60.
     
    Hengst2404, May 1, 2011
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  4. drumn_bass

    drumn_bass Notebook Guru

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    Here you go guys, shot this today:

    YouTube - Alienware M14x COD Black Ops Perfomance

    M14x - Core i7 2630QM, 4GB RAM 1600MHz (1333MHz Actual), NVidia GT555m, 500GB 7200RPM HD, 1600X900, High perfomance power setting, no overclock on anything.

    Game - 1600X900 Full Screen, Anti-Aliasing OFF, Texture Quality HIGH, Shadows YES, Bullet Impacts YES, Number of Corpses LARGE.
     
    drumn_bass, May 1, 2011
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  5. drumn_bass

    drumn_bass Notebook Guru

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    YouTube - Alienware M14x COD Black Ops Perfomance

    M14x - Core i7 2630QM, 4GB RAM 1600MHz (1333MHz Actual), NVidia GT555m, 500GB 7200RPM HD, 1600X900, High perfomance power setting, no overclock on anything.

    Game - 1600X900 Full Screen, Anti-Aliasing OFF, Texture Quality HIGH, Shadows YES, Bullet Impacts YES, Number of Corpses LARGE.

    Ok, I feel dumb, How do I OC CPU? There is no option in BIOS.
     
    drumn_bass, May 1, 2011
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  6. Paddon

    Paddon Notebook Evangelist

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    M11x or M14x ? :p
     
    Paddon, May 1, 2011
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  7. DJ3xclusive

    DJ3xclusive Notebook Enthusiast

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    Sorry to ask but what field we change from 40 to 60 when unplugged?
     
    DJ3xclusive, May 1, 2011
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  8. Nand@

    Nand@ Notebook Consultant

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    actually there's an option in the bios, i read something about it, i cant remember where thread was but apparently works

    EDIT: ok if im not wrong the thread was from stevenxowens792 he OC'd his M14
     
    Nand@, May 1, 2011
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  9. Serephucus

    Serephucus Notebook Deity

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    NVIDIA Control Panel -> Change Resolution -> Refresh Rate.
     
    Serephucus, May 1, 2011
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  10. Drkknightfan

    Drkknightfan Notebook Guru

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    How do you guys make videos with Fraps? Every time I try my frame rates cut in half. One more thing anyone that gets GTA IV to work please let me know what you did.

    So far I have had great success with SC2 all settings on ultra with native 1600x900 averaging around 45-80 FPS.
     
    Drkknightfan, May 1, 2011
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  11. azizhp

    azizhp Notebook Geek

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    i know it's not exactly Crysis, but anyone running WoW? DX11?
     
    azizhp, May 1, 2011
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  12. fyro11

    fyro11 Notebook Consultant

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    I can play that on medium on my 11x.
     
    fyro11, May 1, 2011
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  13. TheSpaceHamster

    TheSpaceHamster Notebook Consultant

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    I also have trouble with FRAPS now and then, and will suffer from the occasional system slow-down. I mentioned in a previous thread, CPU intensive games (some RTS type games) really limit FRAPS + game play...Sins of a Solar Empire despite being years old, really taxes my system when trying to play and record.

    A reduction of 50% in frames would make recording not even possible, so I'll dig around my own computer and see if I can experience anything similar to that.
     
    TheSpaceHamster, May 1, 2011
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  14. Nand@

    Nand@ Notebook Consultant

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    I found this looking in youtube:

    Crysis 2 on AW m14x About 35 fps on medium at 1600x900 (driver 267.21)
    YouTube - Alienware M14x - Crysis 2 Gameplay

    Bad Company 2 on AW m14x About 25 fps on max settings at 1600x900 (no AA)
    YouTube - Alienware M14x - Bad Company 2 SinglePlayer Gameplay

    Metro 2033 on AW m14x About 25 fps on medium settings at 1600x900 (no AA)
    YouTube - Alienware M14x - Metro2033 Gameplay

    Call of Duty Black Ops on AW m14x About 30 fps on max settings at 1600x900 (AA 16x and vsync ON)
    YouTube - Alienware M14x - CoD Black Ops SinglePlayer Gameplay
     
    Nand@, May 1, 2011
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  15. Nivaku

    Nivaku Notebook Evangelist

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    @Nand@

    If you were to turn off AA in general your FPS should be like +50 in general in gaming?

    Like in Black Ops?
     
    Nivaku, May 2, 2011
    #15
  16. Voodooi

    Voodooi AFK for a while...

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    With the M14X handling BF:BC2 on ultra @ 25FPS, it'll have 0 problems handling BF3 on a mix of medium/high settings from the looks of it :D
     
    Voodooi, May 2, 2011
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  17. Nand@

    Nand@ Notebook Consultant

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    i thing so but that depends...AA just suck to mouch FPS!
     
    Nand@, May 2, 2011
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  18. Charismaztex

    Charismaztex Notebook Consultant

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    Crysis 2 on medium doesn't look too bad.
     
    Charismaztex, May 2, 2011
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  19. Charismaztex

    Charismaztex Notebook Consultant

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    Eagerly anticipating BF3!!!!!!
     
    Charismaztex, May 2, 2011
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  20. Arklight

    Arklight Notebook Evangelist

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    @Nan@

    That's with FRAPS running too.. so it could be higher by 3-5 frames, just speculating here.
     
    Arklight, May 2, 2011
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  21. Hengst2404

    Hengst2404 Notebook Geek

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    I cannot speak for anybody else, but I am pulling down 30-35 fps playing Crysis 2 on high. Not sure what setup that guy was using. I always wondered if Fraps slowed things down.
     
    Hengst2404, May 2, 2011
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  22. sparklesmcgraw

    sparklesmcgraw Notebook Consultant

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    With the 3GB card and 2720 CPU? Interesting. maybe that combination DOES give an advantage with gaming.
     
    sparklesmcgraw, May 2, 2011
    #22
  23. Beej1986

    Beej1986 Notebook Enthusiast

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    Yea I'm running wow DX11 all ultra, 60fps, it screams on wow. However I can't seem to get it to play gothic 4 in high, I have to put it on medium to get good fps, it lags too much on high, anyone know something that could be done to play it on high, something I'm missing?
     
    Beej1986, May 2, 2011
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  24. drumn_bass

    drumn_bass Notebook Guru

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    I uploaded a new Starcraft 2 video and Left 4 Dead 2 video below.
     
    drumn_bass, May 2, 2011
    #24
  25. Speedy Gonzalez

    Speedy Gonzalez Xtreme Notebook Speeder!

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    Any body with GTA4 game performance 1600x900 ? :)
     
    Speedy Gonzalez, May 2, 2011
    #25
  26. Beej1986

    Beej1986 Notebook Enthusiast

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    To quote myself, lol. If anyone is curious i found the problem. My game was running on integrated graphics, which at medium settings thats pretty epic. But for some games you have to make them run on the high end card. Now it screams on gothic 4 too :).
     
    Beej1986, May 2, 2011
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  27. Adroc88

    Adroc88 Notebook Enthusiast

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    Mass effect 1 and 2 run smooth maxed out.
     
    Adroc88, May 2, 2011
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  28. Mudig

    Mudig Notebook Consultant

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    On high? Do you mean either Advanced setting or Hardcore? Also, are you running on 1440x900? I tried it on max and I was probably getting less than 20 fps.
     
    Mudig, May 2, 2011
    #28
  29. drumn_bass

    drumn_bass Notebook Guru

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    drumn_bass, May 3, 2011
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  30. Paddon

    Paddon Notebook Evangelist

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    Drumn_bass, good video but you should have enabled multi-core on l4d2 and you had the frame rates capped at 40 fps :)

    great video though, thanks
     
    Paddon, May 3, 2011
    #30
  31. drumn_bass

    drumn_bass Notebook Guru

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    I don't think I know how...
     
    drumn_bass, May 3, 2011
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  32. Paddon

    Paddon Notebook Evangelist

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    it was one of the options in settings that you had disabled
     
    Paddon, May 3, 2011
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  33. revdiesel

    revdiesel Notebook Evangelist

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    revdiesel, May 3, 2011
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  34. DJ3xclusive

    DJ3xclusive Notebook Enthusiast

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    Okay, Im not sure if I did this right since I am kinda new at this but at the same time, I'm above average with pc tech knowledge...

    3.0GB DDR3 NVIDIA® GeForce® GT 555M using NVIDIA Optimus

    I whitelisted furmark to run using the GT 555M

    It was 99% GPU Load / 51C / Set it to 60hz / Average FPS = 4 / Memory Usuage = 2% / 1280x720 Rez / Ran 30 Minutes Non-Stop

    I saw no crashes and my Alienware M14x did not shut down on battery while using Furmark.

    Is that a good thing? or any additional things I need to do in Furmark?

    What game should I try and play to see it shuts down on battery with max settings? I have quite a few games on Steam. Name several games that are graphic intensive (see which game I have) and I will see if it shuts down while gaming on battery. TIA :)
     
    DJ3xclusive, May 4, 2011
    #34
  35. ninja2000

    ninja2000 Mash IT

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    I dont think the 555 was enabled, 4fps is incredibly low. seems more likely it was running on the intel gfx.
     
    ninja2000, May 4, 2011
    #35
  36. DJ3xclusive

    DJ3xclusive Notebook Enthusiast

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    Yea the GT 555M was being used. Furmarked showed the name of the GPU in the upper left-hand side while the test is running.

    4 FPS w/ 99% Load on GPU

    Can anyone shed some light if this reading appears to be correct? Thanks!
     
    DJ3xclusive, May 4, 2011
    #36
  37. sk3tch

    sk3tch Notebook Deity

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    It could be correct...but all I know is my 1.5GB 555M was getting around ~15 FPS when plugged in.
     
    sk3tch, May 4, 2011
    #37
  38. ninja2000

    ninja2000 Mash IT

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    have you monitored the gpu clock speed with gpuz? something is wrong! Your ave fps should be about 40fps depending on res/OC/furmark settings etc
     
    ninja2000, May 4, 2011
    #38
  39. DJ3xclusive

    DJ3xclusive Notebook Enthusiast

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    This test was done on 60hz refresh rate and battery power only. I was trying to duplicate the shut down issue that some are experiencing when gaming on battery. Mines ran for 25 mins with no crashes.

    Can you run the test on battery with 60hz and 1280x720 rez to see what your average FPS is? TIA!
     
    DJ3xclusive, May 4, 2011
    #39
  40. DJ3xclusive

    DJ3xclusive Notebook Enthusiast

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    First time using funmark. Can you please guide me on what settings to use?

    I had it set to 60hz refresh rate (nvidia panel) / 1280x720 Rez and I whitelisted Furmark where it was showing using the 555M GPU while running the tests.

    Btw...I do have the 3.0GB version of the 555M
     
    DJ3xclusive, May 4, 2011
    #40
  41. Paddon

    Paddon Notebook Evangelist

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    is it OC ?
     
    Paddon, May 4, 2011
    #41
  42. Hengst2404

    Hengst2404 Notebook Geek

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    this guy has some mad amounts of time on his hands, but great vids. DrGon age 2 direct x 11 on high at 40 plus fps? I am so installing this one!
     
    Hengst2404, May 4, 2011
    #42
  43. Nand@

    Nand@ Notebook Consultant

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    in the YouTube - [HD] Gameplay - Black Ops - High Settings 16X AA - Alienware M14X the camera is on toilet paper? LMAO
     
    Nand@, May 4, 2011
    #43
  44. TheSpaceHamster

    TheSpaceHamster Notebook Consultant

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    You guys are all awesome - thanks for contributing to the community!

    I love you all. Except Nand@, he rejected my awkward advances.
     
    TheSpaceHamster, May 4, 2011
    #44
  45. Nand@

    Nand@ Notebook Consultant

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    who? :eek: me? :confused: what? :confused:
     
    Nand@, May 4, 2011
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  46. revdiesel

    revdiesel Notebook Evangelist

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    Just ran Crysis Warhead with a mild OC @ 1600x900 resolution. All settings at Extra High except I put shaders at High. I got a max of 60FPS and a low of 29FPS. It sat around 50 FPS without gunfire and was 35-40FPS with action.

    I was pretty impressed. I didn't expect this system to run this game like this. This game destroyed my 2GB GTX 285 with a i7 920.
     
    revdiesel, May 4, 2011
    #46
  47. TheSpaceHamster

    TheSpaceHamster Notebook Consultant

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    I can't wait to give Sins of a Solar Empire a try...I know it is a few year older, but that game is a resource HOG. Same with Hearts of Iron 3.
     
    TheSpaceHamster, May 4, 2011
    #47
  48. Beej1986

    Beej1986 Notebook Enthusiast

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    I dont see how he is playing dragon age 2 on high, with such good FPS, I have to put my m14x on medium to get that FPS. Is he OC? If not, i want to know how =/
     
    Beej1986, May 4, 2011
    #48
  49. anhkhoa_vn

    anhkhoa_vn Newbie

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    Does anyone know if the M14x could run league of legends on max setting at 1080p ? Thanks.
     
    anhkhoa_vn, May 4, 2011
    #49
  50. DJ3xclusive

    DJ3xclusive Notebook Enthusiast

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    I know this might be a silly question but how do you read the FPS while playing to know?
     
    DJ3xclusive, May 4, 2011
    #50
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