Alienware M17X R.3 problem

Hey guys, Im experiencing random fps drops during gaming .. black ops, l4d2, tf2, from 60 fps it will drop until 20+ and after awhile goes back up to 60.. My system specs are : Intel core i7 2820QM @ 2.30Ghz, NVIDIA gtx 460M 1.5gb,8gb,60hz 1920x1000. Btw my laptop temperature is 50-65 max on GPU-Z is it overheating?.. The gpu load doesnt load 100% too.

 

i had issues like this but when i looked closer i saw that the reason was because the proc was getting maxxed out randomly....i later returned my system with the 460 and got one with a 6970 and have never seen this issue...overall my 460 system was a nightmare and my 6970 has been a champ but it could be luck.

 

its really frusterating playing like that lol , any ideas what should i do ?

 

Your gpu is not overheating. That is a very normal temp for a 460m.

The fps drops can be a driver problem. Update your nvidia drivers and vbios to the latest versions.

 

where to update the vbios ? sry newbie here and my nvidia drivers are the latest from dell website

 

dell.com -> drivers and downloads -> identify product -> Alienware m17x r3-> find downloads -> nvidia bios . Sorry for not being able to provide a direct link (I am writing from my phone atm).

 

is it the bios version A04? i updated that already still having random fps drop

 

no it is not A04.

I checked out the driver download page on dell.com. It seems like there is no vbios that can be downloaded for the 460m. Sorry for that, I am using ati cards which have downloadable vbios so I took for granted that the 460m had that aswell.

You had the latest nvidia software already from dell.com, so the next step is to open the nvidia control panel and reset the settings to default.

 

done, I clicked restore settings.. btw my graphic card version is 267.64. I tried to reset the settings to default before but still lags

 

I am not sure if this will work, but it seems like it is the last resort.
http://www.nvidia.com/object/notebook-win7-winvista-64bit-275.33-whql-driver.html has the latest 275.33 driver. It could be worth giving it a try.

 

Tried . After updating I can't log in into windows . Blue screen errors happened .

 

Can you boot the computer in safe mode?
The driver should not cause blue screen as it is made for the nvidia 400-500 serie, but if you can boot in safe mode you can reinstall the old drivers.

I am really sorry for causing the issue.

 

Nono I tried it before you ask me to lol few days ago now my laptop is ok but experience fps drop in games

 

You cannot install the 275.xx drivers on the 460m with the 60hz screen.

Some file is missing. If you pull the missing file from the dell nvidia drivers you can boot into windows, but the nvidia control panel is inaccessible. Control panel thinks there is no display connected to the GPU and refuses to launch.

 

ah, what a relief

I googled and found this GUIDE: Black OPS Lag Fix - Overclock.net - Overclocking.net this is only for one game though. If it still lags, I would guess it is a hardware issue with the gpu.

 

I updated the 275.33 and cant start windows lol.. Don't know what is causing the fps to drop

 

how can i fix the hardware issue ?

 

If it is a hardware issue, you will need to call Dell and get them to replace the gpu.

 

what is the difference of a04 and a03 (bios)?

 

Which Wifi card comes in that model? On the ASUS G72/G73 many folks had latency issues related to the WLAN card while gaming. These was a program to check this. Most folks swapped to Intel 6200/6300 and the problems went away. I understand this is not as easy to do on the AW M17xR3.

Cheers,

 

I am not really sure.

 

Take a look at this link.

http://forum.notebookreview.com/asu.../519723-atheros-wifi-sucks-4.html#post6728417

Perhaps the latency checker will point you in the right direction.

Cheers,

 

Btw , the problem just happen recently. I had this laptop for 6 months. All along was ok until recently fps drop in games and the fan sound is really loud during the fps drop .

 

Did you install anything recently? Did anything change? Sounds like it might be overheating but your reported temps are fine. Fans cranking to full and down-clocking sure sounds like thermal issues.

Sounds like a real mystery. Let us know if the latency checker shows anything out of the ordinary.

Cheers,

 

I think its an overheat problem ? Not really sure. Dont know what to do now

 

Help, anyone ?

 

Monitor your CPU/GPU activities over a period of time under gaming and see what you get. Maybe you are getting spikes here and there that is affecting your gaming. You can also disable whatever programs that aren't essential and see if that helps.

Your gpu temps are fine, they are not overheating.

 

I noticed when the fps drops my CPU usage is very high the game usage is very high too in task manager. The Memory of the game is 500,000+

 

I think it's a CPU spike problem, I downloaded the DPC latency checker.. when the audio of my laptop spikes red lines appear.. anyone know how to fix cpu spike problem ?

 

anyone know how to fix ? i need help ! asap