Alienware M17X R3 Not Running Right

Hey guys, just posting up here because I recently got my Alienware M17X R3 with the 3D screen and I've got Crysis for it but I noticed it does not really run as smooth as I expected it would. I spent so much money on this laptop because I figured with the hardware in it, it would be able to handle any of these games without much issue. I'll post up a list of my hardware and hopefully you guys can help me out from there. I'd really like to get this sorted out.

Intel Core i7-2760QM CPU 2.40 GHz, 16GB Ram, 2x 500GB Solid State Drives, 120 Hz 3D Screen, NVIDIA GeForce GTX 580M

 

Latest drivers installed?

 

I think so but I'm not sure about this, how can I find that out?

 

Have you personally updated them from the NVIDIA site and also I see you have a 580m did you check the throttling thread?

http://forum.notebookreview.com/ali...throtting-fix-no-need-modify-system-bios.html

latest driver:
http://www.nvidia.com/object/notebook-win7-winvista-64bit-280.26-whql-driver.html

 

can you play other games? crysis is poorly optimized you may need certain patches/drivers to get best performance. use fraps or something to report fps and use gpu-z to make log file of gameplay to see if its throttling.

 

I haven't tried any other games but I have tried 3D Mark and it gives me a message saying my score is low compared to similar systems.

 

I've also flashed it with the latest VBios but everytime I try to install those drivers, the installer gives me an error saying This Graphics driver could not find compatible graphics hardware.

 

It says that but that doesnt mean its low...That just means some people might have run the benchmark with an OC. Im assuming you havent overclocked anything.

Whats your score?

As for your issues with the game...

Are you running it with 3D enabled?
Are you sure youre using the dedicated graphics card and not the integrated one?
Is your system on high performance mode (Alienware command center)?

 

Yeah I'm running it with 3d, I don't believe there is an integrated one because I went into Setup and it was showing the 580M, and I dont know how to put it in high performance mode.

Edit: Just checked and yes it is in high performance mode, my score on 3D mark is P3461 3DMarks

 

There is an integrated one...Its integrated in your processor so that you may switch to it when you don't need your graphics card (like when you're not gaming) and save power(battery)/keep your card temps down. You can switch to it by right clicking your desktop and select Configure switchable graphics...youre using a nvidia card so i dont know if its the same as I use Radeon, however im 99% sure you have that option. Just double check and make sure that the system is using the 580.

As for high preformance mode...you should have a program called alienware command center on your desktop. Open that up. Click Alien Fusion. Make sure it on High preformance mode.

Lastly...from what I've heard, running games on 3D drastically lowers your framerate. Even with the 580. If you want to run high end games with 3D enabled you may want to consider overclocking your card. I dont know how to overclock the 580 though im sure you can find something in the forums about it.

Also download HWiNFO32 to monitor your temps and stuff. It'll also show if you're using your 580 or not.

 

Which 3DMark? If it is 3DMark11, then your system is performing up to speed and your performance is fine. The 580m usually scores around 3300 points in 3DMark 11.

Perhaps your expectations for Crysis were too high. Try something like Arkham Asylum. Then the performance will truly blow you away.

 

Ok, its in high performance, using the 580M, and I downloaded the program you suggested, I can definitely see this coming in handy. Thanks. I don't really like the idea of overclocking the card though, its a shame that it can't be run the way it is. Should my setup at least be able to handle the game with all the settings on Very High without the 3D?

 

Well most single graphics card computers struggle with Crysis anyways. Anyways I never liked the games that much. Remember a laptop 580m is not the same as a desktop 580. The 580m is somewhere near a 560 Ti.

If you have the 3D one the your GPU is always on so performance shouldn't be an issue.

 

Yeah you should be getting great performance without 3D enabled. And your score seems fine for stock. Your system is fineeee man.

 

Ok, I'll definitely give it a try and yes that score was from 3DMark11.

 

Alright thanks a lot guys Just wanted to make sure because the game was running a little choppy in 3D. +rep

 

Also I wouldnt OC unless I really had to. Which would probably be way down the line when more demanding games get released.

 

If that score was from 3DMark 11 then you have nothing to worry about. Everything is running fine Try another game. Bad Company 2 runs exceptionally well.

 

smokez, when you run in 3d, the frame has to be rendered twice so it effectively cuts your fps in half. in non-3d...it should be much better

Also, is this crysis 2? or crysis 1?

 

Crysis 1 has 3D?

 

You can't switch to the IGP on a 3D system - it's disabled.

 

FYI, you can expect 3D to reduce your frame rate to about 1/3 of what it was previously. It has to render twice as many frames, plus the processing overhead that goes with that.

If I enabled 3D on Crysis at max settings, I would expect my laptop to explode.

 

I have had no problems playing crysis 2 with out the 3D with the 460m stock,
with the 580M (wich I hope yo beable to up grade to) it should run even better than my 460M. I went with the recomended setting for crysis except i did up the screen res. every thing was set to high by default.

 

This is Crysis 1 that I was playing and yes it has 3d. I'm just playing with the 3d disabled now, there are other games that can run it amazingly well.