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    Random slowdown in all games?

    Discussion in 'Alienware 14 and M14x' started by T8TRG8TR, May 17, 2013.

  1. T8TRG8TR

    T8TRG8TR Notebook Guru

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    I've noticed every game I play the game will randomly slow down then speed up every 10 or 20 seconds. It doesn't matter what settings I have the game on. My temps are fine and my drivers are updated. Any recommendations to fix this? I have an r2 and had my GPU replaced a few months ago when the old one died. I only have like 10 gigs left on my HDD, although I can't imagine that would effect performance.
     
    T8TRG8TR, May 17, 2013
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  2. Kluchy

    Kluchy Notebook Geek

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    Does this happen when you are on battery and AC adapter?
    Make sure you are on the latest BIOS which is A12.
     
    Kluchy, May 17, 2013
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  3. T8TRG8TR

    T8TRG8TR Notebook Guru

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    I'm plugged in, but my bios is A09. Should I update it?
     
    T8TRG8TR, May 17, 2013
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  4. Kluchy

    Kluchy Notebook Geek

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    Kluchy, May 17, 2013
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  5. J.Dre

    J.Dre Notebook Nobel Laureate

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    I've seen viruses cause issues similar to this.

    And when your first GPU died, did you ever find out if there was a cause for its failure, or did it just die itself? If something caused your old GPU to die, it could be killing your replacement GPU.

    Also, what CPU do you have?
     
    J.Dre, May 17, 2013
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  6. T8TRG8TR

    T8TRG8TR Notebook Guru

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    Using AVG to scan my computer right now. I never figured out a cause for my GPU dying, but Dell replaced it. I have an i7 3610QM
     
    T8TRG8TR, May 18, 2013
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  7. T8TRG8TR

    T8TRG8TR Notebook Guru

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    I've noticed that while I'm playing BF3 only takes up about 1 gig of physical memory and 30% CPU usage. Is this low?
     
    T8TRG8TR, May 18, 2013
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  8. Kluchy

    Kluchy Notebook Geek

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    Make sure you update to A12, That BIOS was released with the sole intention of fixing the problem you described.
     
    Kluchy, May 18, 2013
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  9. T8TRG8TR

    T8TRG8TR Notebook Guru

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    I updated the bios but it's still doing it
     
    T8TRG8TR, May 19, 2013
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  10. Kluchy

    Kluchy Notebook Geek

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    What are your specs?
     
    Kluchy, May 19, 2013
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  11. T8TRG8TR

    T8TRG8TR Notebook Guru

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    i7 3610QM
    6GB RAM
    GT650M 1GB
    500GB 7200RPM HDD

    I don't have the cpu usage issue in a lot of other games. I was playing battlefront 2 and cpu usage got up to like 90% at some points
     
    T8TRG8TR, May 19, 2013
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  12. Kluchy

    Kluchy Notebook Geek

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    I'm guessing it might be a problem with your CPU not getting enough power so it shuts down. Try contacting Alienware, I hope you are still under warranty.
     
    Kluchy, May 20, 2013
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  13. faiz23

    faiz23 Macbook FTW

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    Make sure you open your laptop up every 4-6 months and clean out all the dust from the inside. The fan and heat sink will hold a bunch of dust and need to be cleaned out to ensure no throttling is occurring. While working on laptops for friends and family along with desktop I always notice too much dust and go out of my way to clean it inside and out. Help to keep the fans at a lower volume and prolong gaming session. A cooler master notebook cooler will help with keeping dust out of your laptop and keep temps down.
     
    faiz23, May 20, 2013
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  14. T8TRG8TR

    T8TRG8TR Notebook Guru

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    What would you recommend for cleaning? Is there a good guide out there? I'm thinking this may be the problem.

    However, I've also found my GPU throttles around 68 C, which seems low.
     
    T8TRG8TR, May 26, 2013
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  15. Alienware-Luis_Pardo

    Alienware-Luis_Pardo Guest

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    Alienware-Luis_Pardo, May 31, 2013
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