ASUS G750JH or Alienware 17? Worried about the throttling...

Hi guys!

I've been reading a lot in the Alienware 17 lounge about the throttling, but there's to many pages to be able to read them all.

What i'm still to read is if the throttling issue on the Alienware 17 is solved? And by solved i dont mean any manual fixes with modded BIOS etc.

Thing is, i first ordered a G750JH, but when i received it, it had wrong language on the keyboard buttons so i returned it and when i did that i wanted compensation for the problems, so i asked for an Alienware 17, which they also accepted.

But after i accepted the offer for a Alienware 17 i read about the problems... and i still have time to just keep the ASUS instead.

I want the Alienware 17 more than the G750JH, but only if the throttling problem is fixed!

 

Good news! The throttling issue is solvable. Get the AW 17 and do the happy dance.

 

Awesome!!! How'd they fix it?

 

The system BIOS update to A04 raises the temperature limit of the GPU. Before it was like 63C, and now it's 92C. I also used NVIDIA Inspector to raise the limit and it allowed full utilization of the GPU.

If you're comfortable with flashing the vBIOS of the 780M, you can do so and you should see 3DMark 11 scores exceeding 10k, when overclocked.

 

ASUS:

Better heat and noise (partially because of its soldered CPU and proprietary GPU PCB, which should run cooler)
Probably a stabler platform
QC (?)
Less of a stigma
No alien head logo

AW:

Sturdier and probably more durable
Better warranty and support, good luck trying to get ASUS to send you components and post service manuals online
Haggling (don't know whether to count this as a pro or a con)
CPU/GPU/almost everything upgradeability
Probably better resale value

 

Alienware ftw!!!

 

Get the Alienware, Dell's bios update is just an .exe file, just install, restart comp, and you're done.

Being able to upgrade your laptop down the line hands down beats the ASUS alone. Say a few years down the line you need a little performance boost, just swap out the GPU/CPU, etc and that's it, no need to buy a whole new laptop =)

*****EDIT*****

Resell value also holds up really well, I see 2 year old ASUS Republic of Gamers laptops go for $300-$400....

 

Definitely Alienware! Upgradeability of GPU!

 

The issue is fixeable as stated above, there is no need to worry about that.

 

So... i'm sitting here with my brand new Alienware 17, updated to bios A05, started furmark and throttling begins! What did i do wrong?

 

well furmark isn't the program I would use for testing your graphics card as it stresses the card beyond what any game ever will. You also run the risk of frying your card if you aren't careful. Load up some of you favorite games and see how it performs.

 

Oh ok. Which program do you i should use instead? I just want to make sure that the gtx 780 dont throttle!

 

This badboy is the ultimate test right here : http://forum.notebookreview.com/gaming-software-graphics-cards/735738-does-anybody-else-wind-up-playing-through-crysis-evertime-you-get-new-pc.html#post9426215

Try the Tomb Raider benchmark at highest settings if you own the game, that pushes limits aswell

Best ***free*** benchmark EVER: Catzilla Benchmark Download 1.0 Final

 

Just tried Crysis 3, and it starts throttling... :/ GPU clock goes down to around 667 MHz from around 870 MHz. My FPS goes from 40 to 22-25 when this happens.

 

whats your temps man? I don't know much about the 17, but its probably either a temp or power throttle. hopefully someone can comment on how to bypass it.

 

I have found the solution with a quick search. If you are using the stock NVidia drivers that came with the laptop, upgrade them to the newest beta version: http://forum.notebookreview.com/alienware-17-m17x/727867-alienware-17-very-low-3dmark-scores-780m.html#post9322225

Also, you will probably need to flash the VBios of the card. It is extremely easy to do an really only takes a second, I flashed my 5870M for the first time a few days ago and performance significantly increased

Full tutorial and download of flashing the 780M VBios here: http://forum.notebookreview.com/gaming-software-graphics-cards/729969-gtx-780m-oc-modified-vbios-flashing-tools-download.html

 

Did you use NVIDIA Inspector to increase the temperature limit of the GPU? I think I mentioned that on the first page...

Steer clear of the Beta drivers. The latest WHQL driver works flawlessly.

 

Thank you everyone for your replies!

Yes, i tried using NVIDIA Inspector, and it's set to 92 degrees celcius were i tried with both checking and unchecking "priorize temperature"

 

And you're still experiencing throttling? I swear that resolved the issue with my AW 17.

Try installing the latest graphics driver from NVIDIA. Also, what are your temps like?