Alienware m17x r4 frames drop drastically on my games

So i mainly play an mmo, and thats gw2, i play in max graphics all the time, in gw2 some days i play really good, not a single drop, everything is smooth as butter, then other days, it drops instantly, out of nowhere, i will usually get around 60-40fps, in wvw and areas, and then just randomly it drops and i can barely move, feels like the matrix

I have been recently playing the new Final fantasy a realm reborn, and the same thing happens in there as well, i will get about 60-50fps in that game, and then it will just drop, i dont even have it set at the ultra graphics just on the regular high graphics, which they choose for me by the way, i just dont get it, can someone tell me what the problem is

Specs:
3rd Generation Intel Core i7-3630QM (6MB Cache, up to 3.4GHz w/ Turbo Boost 2.0)
8GB Dual Channel DDR3 at 1600MHz
2GB GDDR5 Nvidia GeForce GTX 660M

 

what are your temps? when's the last time you cleaned out the vents? blocked vents + high temps = throttling

 

I hit the same thing a couple weeks ago, at first i thought the GW2 patch had stuffed something up but it turned out that the GFX fan wasn't kicking properly. It's been flawless for the last year and there was no reason for the failure, but it was stuck on the idle speed, hitting 90+ degrees and throttling.

Very odd. Couple reboots and it went away, and it's been fine since.

 

thanks for the reply, and im not sure what the temp is, do you know what i can use for it? also i never cleaned out the vents, i got this computer last year in november, and about 2 or 3 months in, that started happen, it wasnt as bad at first but now its just getting worse

 

There are various temp monitoring programs out there. HWiNFO is a good one that monitors cpu and gpu and gives lots of information. GPUz will monitor just your gpu's, RealTemp will monitor just your cpu. If you wanted to before hand, I'd say to take the bottom panel off, visually inspect the fans and heatsink radiators for dust and clean up where needed - I imagine there is a fair bit of build up if you have never cleaned them, and that might well be the bulk of the problem.

 

thanks for the answer, so i cleaned the fan first, and it really didnt look dirty, but i just cleaned it out anyways, and today i have been playing final fantasy for about 4 hours, and it was not one single lag, yes the frames did drop, but it wasnt drastically it was normal drop, like 60-50, thanks for your help, the fan thing did the trick apparently

 

Also i dont know if anyone can help me with this, im looking into upgrading my graphics card, does anyone know where i can find a list of compatible graphics card for my laptop?

 

I think the R4 accepts any dell card you throw at it, with the latest 7 series you will likely loose audio over HDMI though.

 

True, but if it is not one of the 'approved' cards sold with the R4 then you have to get modified drivers. The 680m was the top-of-line NV card for the R4 and the only one in between is the 675m, which is a rebadged 580m. I find it a good card for gaming and I guess a lot depends on the prices around ATM.

 

Compatible, any new DELL card ( up to 700 Series). Officially approved, up to the 680m

 

thanks guys so much for all your help, and heres an update with my computer, so after i had cleaned the fan, it was working fine that day, the next day i played not so good, i did check the temps using HWiNFO, and it said it was good, i dont get it, so yesterday i played again, and it was working fine, smooth as butter again, do you guys think there is something in the background that could be causing this? also yesterday i was playing in max graphics again

sometimes what does the trick for me about 80 percent of the time is by using gamebooster and thats the only way i can be able to play my mmos some days, and those days when it does that i put it on medium graphics, and still the fps will be like the matrix