Alienware m17x R3, Fps drops (throttling)

Hey guys, first time poster here. I have been browsing the forums looking at issues with throttling on my laptop model, but have not been able to solve the issue. I am using Throttlestop 4.0 but whenever i experience the slowdown, the cpu mod from Throttlestop still reads 100, so it isn't the cpu throttling. I used to not have this issue with games when i first got my laptop but now almost every game will run like glass, then drop to a barely playable crawl (14-30fps id say). I am gonna be doing a dust cleaning of it later today to see if that will help, but i was seeing if any other owners have solved this problem or have any experience. I'm guessing it has to be the gpu throttling from dust build up (my house is super dusty, no central air.)

system specs.
intel i7, 2x500gb (raid0 1gb set-up), gtx 560m, 8gb ram, win764.

 

Ducky, check the temps on your vid card. I bet you are throttling due to high temps.

 

Try running ThrottleStop with Log File and More Data checked. When you are done gaming, stop ThrottleStop and upload the log file somewhere convenient or email it to the address in the About box of ThrottleStop. Also show me a screen shot of how you have ThrottleStop set up.

Remember to check the GPU box in the Options window if that works on your GPU. This will log the GPU temps which might show what's really going on.

 

Sorry for the late reply was a a bit busy yesterday. but i set up the log file and here ya go, it seems like it is happening right around 77-78 and i'm hoping by cleaning the gpu, i can fix this.

I am trying to upload the screenshot for you but it keeps telling me the picture file is invalid, even though it does match all requirements.

 

yup, you are hitting the dreaded 78c throttle on nvidia cards. There are tons of threads on this topic here. Most people that suffer with this are 580/675m owners. you shouldn't be hitting these temps in a 560m as the 560m runs must cooler

At a minimum, I would clean out all the vents and keep the back of your laptop elevated. Keeping the back of your laptop elevated will drop your temps 5-7c which might be enough to keep you from 78c. If you want to fix your problem, do a repaste of the vid card. You can use my how to install 7970m guide for instructions on how to lift off the heatsink and repaste.

To put things into perspective, I had a 460m overclocked to faster than 560m speeds and it loaded in the 50's c...you should not be hitting 78c

 

Hey guys, I am facing the same issue but the thing is my CPU is hitting its thermal safety for some reason and its throttling itself back down to a multiplier of 8 while I'm in game, completely killing the FPS. Is there something that I can do? I'll try cleaning out the vents and get back. Here's a throttlestop log. View attachment 2013-04-03.txt

 

Cleaning the vents may help alot if there's alot of dust stuck behind them. If not a repaste is recommended.
Remove the old paste with isopropyl alcohol with a lint free cloth or a carbon brush, use a plastic card to scrape if needed.
Apply the new paste by dropping a tiny pea size blob on the CPU/GPU die and press down the heatsink to spread it and fasten the screws.

 

I went through all this with my R3/580m. I found (and there were a few others) that the factory paste/pads were poorly applied. In fact there is a piece of, all I can describe as thermal putty, that should be across the VR's. Mine had been displaced when the heatsink was applied and was interfering with the contact of other components. Even with a good amount of dust in the system you still should not get to the 78C throttle.

Get some decent thermal paste, look in this thread ( http://forum.notebookreview.com/ali...x-580m-78c-throttling-see-post-191-later.html) for details and re-apply the heatsink. It's a megga read but it's all in there .

Or if you have the time/inclination, dell will sell you a new heatsink complete with new pads and paste pre-applied for a simple replacement job (not too expensive, I was quoted £24.00)

Good luck.