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    Alienware 17: Random frame rate drops?

    Discussion in 'Alienware 17 and M17x' started by TheAntiFanboy, Sep 21, 2013.

  1. TheAntiFanboy

    TheAntiFanboy Notebook Enthusiast

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    Hey everyone! I just recently got an Alienware 17 to replace an M17x-R4 that got stolen. I've been loving it so far, with one caveat: whenever I'm playing a game, every minute or two it will drop to very low framerates (like, 5 FPS) for maybe 5-10 seconds. I've noticed it in many of the more modern games I've played. It's okay during singleplayer, since if I pause quickly I can just ride it out (which is still a pain, but better than nothing), but in multiplayer it completely ruins my performance.

    Here's what I've got:

    Windows 8 Pro 64-bit
    Core i7-4800MQ 2.7GHz
    Nvidia GeForce GTX 780m
    16GB RAM
    500 GB HDD + 500 GB HDD

    The games I've had problems with include the following:

    Sid Meier's Civilization V
    XCOM: Enemy Unknown
    GRID 2
    Need for Speed Most Wanted 2012
    ARMA III
    Battlefield 3
    BioShock Infinite
    Hitman Absolution
    Splinter Cell: Blacklist

    Is this a common problem? Does anyone know how to fix it? I never ran into it with my M17x-R4, which had mostly similar specs. (W8 Pro, 3740QM, 680m, 16GB)
     
    TheAntiFanboy, Sep 21, 2013
    #1
  2. tchig0zette

    tchig0zette Notebook Consultant

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    What you can do when it's happening, is goin directly to the desktop without exiting the game, and go to task manager, then have a look at processus to check if a process is consuming a high CPU or memory usage.

    If not, you could also have a look at performance tab to check the HDD activity, due to an antivirus full scan, or system defrag or similar.
     
    tchig0zette, Sep 21, 2013
    #2
  3. J.Dre

    J.Dre Notebook Nobel Laureate

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    You need to update the BIOS. It looks like you are experiencing issues that occurred when the AW 17 first came out. Keep your graphics drivers up to date and use NVIDIA inspector.

    Read through the Owner's Lounge thread and search for NVIDIA Inspector instructions. I posted some and it prevents this from occurring. Also, keep an eye on temperatures. The GPU should never be above 80C.
     
    J.Dre, Sep 21, 2013
    #3
  4. Alienware-L_Porras

    Alienware-L_Porras Company Representative

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    About that, Have you checked the temperatures?
     
    Alienware-L_Porras, Sep 23, 2013
    #4