Dell ATI 4870/5870 Driver Discussion

5870 - 8.692.2-100203a1-095371C-Dell (release date: 5/3/2010)
Drivers and Downloads

4870 - 8.68.2-091125a1-092358C-Dell.2 (release date: 1/19/2010)
Drivers and Downloads

Problems, questions, discussion on the dell drivers goes here...

General q's related to crossfire issues and performance using non-Dell drivers can be posted here:
http://forum.notebookreview.com/ali...crossfire-m17x-general-discussion-thread.html

 

I am in the Final Fantasy XIV beta. If I use dell drivers it crashes instantly as I open the game. If I use 10.6 or 10.7 drivers it works. But I am having a lot of issues with 10.6/10.7 drivers (such as blue screens mainly). So I am forced to revert back to Dell drivers.

This also works with the FFXIV benchmark.

Running 2 x 5870's CF. Rest of specs are in my sig.

 

Hey every1.

I recently got a m17x. Stock drivers.

i720
xf5870s.

I use it to play alot of sc2. Sc2 will probably be my main game for a while.

My issue is... with XF enabled, I need to 16x for the game to show up properly. With it set at anything else other then 16x, the minerals plus other things will be missing. This has been a large issue with XF and sc2.

Anyways, by doing tests, with aa at application default and XF off, I get the same FPS as 16x with crossfire :S

So im just thinking, why do I need crossfire? Should I return and get single card? btw what does AA do? It makes no difference to me really.

Also... With crossfire enabled and 16x set to default... I only get about 90-100 fps? ? only about 15 fps more? Shouldn't i get atleast 60-80% more?

 

For those of you who are running with Dell stock drivers (see below), is anyone still experiencing flickering, distortion, artifacts, can't enable crossfire or other video driver related issues? If so, please send me detailed information on your configuration and the exact problem along with steps to duplicate. Our engineering staff is having a really hard time duplicating issues with the Dell drivers and believes that many of the problems are likely the result of people trying to hack the 10.7 ATI drivers and running into problems. Having a mix of video drivers could also be a big problem. Please include details about your hardware, BIOS level, EC version, video driver version, game, steps to reproduce, etc. The more information you can provide, the more information I can give to engineering to try to reproduce. The vast majority of the video cards and systems I capture for video related problems ends up being no fault found when we F/A it, so something weird is going on here.

Here are the Dell driver versions:
• M17x M98XT (4870): 8.635-090804a-087472C-Dell
• M17xR2 M98XT (4870): 8.68.2-091125a1-092358C-Dell.2
• M17xR2 Broadway XT (5870): 8.692.2-100203a1-095371C-Dell
• M15x Broadway Pro (5850): 8.683.2
• M15x Madison XT (5730): 8.71

 

I was running stock everything on the m17xR2 w/CF 5870s. and the flickering was really bad on GTA IV, noticeable on TF2, and during loading screens of Left 4 Dead 2. Disabling CF helped.

Starcraft 2 is unplayable, because the units running around on the map disappear...

What do you mean when you F/A?

 

Can you post a screencap of your CCC Information tab? You sure you are on 8.692.2-100203a1-095371C-Dell? Have you ever installed the 10.7 using the workaround method Joker outlined?

Additional info might help Brian.

BTW, thanks for updating the thread Brian and all the work you are doing to assist customers. The updates you and caes2004 post do help. Thanks again!

 

Unless you have everything maxed out in CCC for Stacraft 2 units and minerals either don't show up or they disappear. I have not tried to install any other drivers or hack the 10.7's on my machine. I am running these drivers: M17xR2 Broadway XT (5870): 8.692.2-100203a1-095371C-Dell.

 

Doesn't 10.7 allow AA where the old Dell 8.6's do not for StarCraft 2?

 

I have sent a PM to Erawneila to explain my expérience with Ati driver and Dell driver, i hope it will help

 

Dunno if I am in the minority here, but I am so frustrated. My machine goes from an animal to a lamb and I can't tell what is happening. I get 70fps in furmark multi GPU. Then at random times, I get massive slowdown. Running furmark again shows it at 13 fps. Only a reboot can restore it. This just happened during SCII, ruined the 1/2 hour long battle. I am still on the Dell stock drivers, 10.5, as well as a05 bios. bah.

*edit* ok, what happened was that the machine went on battery. For no reason, the brick went down. The power strip it was on had everything else live on it, but it would not go on. I had to drop power to it many times. A little shaky.

 

I have experienced "wavy horizontal lines in every game i have tried (metro 2033, crysis, portal) since getting my "stock" system on 21st June. Only way to get rid is to disable crossfire or use vsync. Yes, i have installed the crysis patches. The lines are acute but still very noticeable to me.


My system is as it was out the box, havent done a thing to it apart from Dell recommended updates. (bios etc)
I havent changed a thing and I have the latest Dell video drivers from the website (same as posted by brian for the latest) which are bang up to date for crossfire Ati 5870 cards.

Havent tinkered with ANY ati stuff...was expecting i wouldnt have to.

Updated to Bios A06 and didnt make any difference

My config is as below in my signature.

Joker said that 10.7 cures the wavy line issue but i am not messing with a "stock" system at the moment....so where does that leave me? - with a system that has lines all over the place with every game.

When you say "something weird is going on here", could that be down to the cards themselves as lots of people report no problems leading me to beleive that manufacturing could be an issue?

Want any more info? You could always return a PM to me huh?

Hope this helps , from a very disappointed customer.

 

Is there an ETA on the beta driver release?

 

While playing SC2 some units would dissapear when walking through a specific part of the map only to reappear once they crossed that spot and that would happen consistently without change on that mission. Sometimes minerals would not be rendered. All settings are in ultra (through ingame options pannel) vertical sync is on. Interesting enough this does not happen in every single campaign mission. Once I was able to restart a mission which seemed to fix the problem only to start again on the next. I haven't had time to try different settings to see if that fixes the problem.

System:
Alienware M17x R2 |Intel Core i7 820QM|4GB 1333MHz|1920 x 1200 RGB LED|Dual 1GB ATI Radeon Mobility HD 5870 in CrossfireX|250GB SSD|(BR-ROM, DVD+-RW, CD-RW

Bios: A06
video Driver: M17xR2 Broadway XT (5870): 8.692.2-100203a1-095371C
The Only thing I have updated since I got the laptop (8/1/10) is the intel rapid storage technology driver that was released this week.

 

Nice post bob - details help. What I find interesting reading over the posts is that on page 1, cajun says he has maxed his settings in SC2 and can see minerals while you mention with maxed settings you cannot. Perhaps I misunderstood cajun?

What happens when you set to High instead of Ultra? Now, forgive the noob question, but can the 5870 mobile handle ultra settings in SC2? Is it realistic?

Again, no flaming. I am just asking since I cannot actually see it from your perspective (dont have SC2 nor the 17xR2)

Just trying to help

 

This is a question for Brian and the AW engineers: How is it that they can claim to be playing SC2 without issue on the old stock Dell drivers when AMD was forced to release 10.7a specifically for that game to address the lack of working AA?

I'd be more than happy to provide a video of the wavy line issue if nobody else does. In fact, I'll also show in the video that the stock dell drivers are broken for bad company 2 since there is texture flickering in the game along with some wavy lines as well as extremely long load times. This does not happen at all with the Catalyst 10.7.


Edit: Here's a quick sampling of Singularity with the wavy distortions visible. This also occurs in Bad Company 2, Alienswarm (it's so bad in this game that it moves very fast as to create a pulsating effect that induces headaches) and Mass Effect 2. I've noted that any game with that gets >60 fps with the stock Dell driver has some wavy distortion in it like the video although some games are worse than others. As I said before, this problem doesn't appear to be visible any longer in the latest 10.7 Catalyst release: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_DeZ_-H0p_Q


My driver information:

Code:

Driver Packaging Version	8.692.2-100203a1-095371C-Dell	
Provider	ATI Technologies Inc.	

2D Driver Version	8.01.01.994	

2D Driver File Path	/REGISTRY/MACHINE/SYSTEM/ControlSet002/Control/CLASS/{4D36E968-E325-11CE-BFC1-08002BE10318}/0001	

Direct3D Version	8.14.10.0723	

OpenGL Version	6.14.10.9263	

Catalyst™ Control Center Version	2010.0203.2211.39787

Bios version: A06
System configuration: See signature.
Steps to reproduce: Install Dell drivers, turn on a game with vsync OFF and enjoy the nauseating wavy lines.
Steps to eliminate the wavy lines: Install Catalyst 10.7 or turn on vsync (which cuts the fps in half unless a 3rd party program is used to force triple buffering).

 

+1 Joker

I am wondering this as well...they have got to be kidding about problems replicating the SC2 missing units.

 

I get the disappearing Starcraft units thing every game. I also get flickering in BFBC2 especially on maps with water.

 

Nice job on the details and including the video Joker!

Just as a reminder for those posting they are having issues - please note, Brian from AW asked the following:

If you are going to post, please do include as much detail as you can. Simply saying "I have a problem" doesn't really contribute to the info.

Now I know some of you are going to be of the opinion that they (AW) dont need any more info, etc. That's fine as well - in the interest of working with AW, lets stick to providing them as much detail as possible.

Thanks to those who posted info.

 

Nice video on the wavy lines Joker!!!!! - that is EXACTLY what I get on every game so far....sometimes they are more rapid in waves and closer together but your video shows perfectly the kind of distortions I am experiencing.

Well done for posting that, now I hope Brian takes a look because its not a freak incident or a one off....2 people (yourself and I), different countries, different manufacturing dates but both machines exhibit the same issue.

My driver config is exactly the same as Joker's and my system spec is as my signature below.

Plus rep for the post!

 

If I install the catalyst 10.7 drivers, and I don't unplug my computer while its on or allow it to go into sleep mode, will I have 0 problems? Also, can you make sure that your 10.7 post on the first page has all of the fully updated information on the proper way to install the drivers, as well as fully uninstalling the dell stock drivers?

 

Thanks Joker for the vid.. I get the same effect in most games some worse than other. My system is all stock the bios a05 I received my system on the 28th of june. worst game I have seen seems to be gta4 when I first come out of the safe house but its dead on what’s in the video after I get outside and move away from the safe house.
List off games I got on my system….
Call of duty mmw2, dirt 1& 2, crysis, dead space, bad company 2, graw2, shift, re5, red fraction, devil may cry 4, fallout 3, conviction, gta4, justcause 2, metro2033, bioshock, assassins creed, sniper ghost, farcry 2, and hl2-eps2 and portal…

 

Thanks batboy, The answer is definitely found in the details
To me it's acceptable, FPS are 30-45. This thread has more info on SC2 and the M17xR2 if you want to find out more about it! I am unable to play from my current location to try those settings because of a firewall : /
http://forum.notebookreview.com/alienware-m17x/505767-starcraft-2-performance-tip-native-resolution-high-aa.html

 

Thats all well and good BUT it isnt just about ONE game.......for crying out loud, there are problems here that need to be rectified FULL STOP....not just so one game can be played

 

It's the only game I've played on my M17x, so I can only give my experience on that particular game. Others have posted here issues with games besides SC2. The more the merrier.

 

http://karratha.net/Untitled-1.jpg

Video Card - Dual 1Gb ATI Mobility Radeon HD 5870 Crossfire
Video Drivers - M17xR2 Broadway XT (5870): 8.692.2-100203a1-095371C-Dell



Im getting the error above at least once every day. The screen would freeze then would turn off and then the error message pops out. I have sent dell an email using their web based email form but got not reply. I called tech support and the guy was kind enough to remote in to my machine but he uninstalled the video drivers and was not able to reinstall them so i had to format my machine.

 

Another game I know does have problems is NWN2.

And this game was out before the original 10.5 drivers. NWN2 is practically unplayable on the dell drivers. When it DOES get decent FPS (which is hilarious due to the age of the game!) it gets wavy lines just like joker posted, but faster and more pronounced.

We just need new drivers or new bios (vbios + system bios). This isnt something the engineers can say "you have no problems, shut up" to.
Its basic level of service for something that certainly was not basic level of price.

The engineers should not even be looking at the 10.5 drivers. Its a waste of time.

They should be doing their job and supplying us with up to date drivers and/or bioses.

-Ash

 

Couldn't agree more. I don't even understand the point behind trying to diagnose an old broken set of drivers. Get us those betas ASAP and work on WHQL in the mean time. I can't even play any of my favorite games right now because of driver issues so essentially I've got a $3700 paper weight with flashy lights until Dell gives us some updated drivers. They did promise the beta's so I'm holding them to it and hoping to see them sooner rather than later.

Note for Brian and the AW Engineers: The stock dell drivers also hang on reboot once in awhile. As I said before and I'll reiterate, bad company 2 has flickering textures AND wavey lines like I illustrated in the video. Mass Effect 2 has wavey lines, Alienswarm feels like a strobe light thanks to the wavey lines and it also has flickering textures (I'll post an additional video of all this soon enough). I hope with all the compounding proof, the engineers will come to the realization that these problems simply can't be fixed, they're inherent to the driver code being out of date.

 

Are these problems only happening to those that have upgraded from 4870's to 5870's or all R2's in general because I should be experiencing these problems as well but I am not? 5150Joker you stated that in alienswarm you experience strobe lighting effects due to the flickering problem, I just installed alienswarm to see if I notice any of the flickering issues that most are experiencing and I have to say that the game plays fine as with any other game I have played and I truly do not notice any flickering with any apps or games? I have not attempted to overclock anything in my system and I am running on stock drivers. Could this be a reason why I am not experiencing any of the issues that you and majority of others are experiencing? I'm not trying to brag or anything just trying to see if this problem is subjected to specific system configurations or systems that have been put through extensive overclocking tests?

 

If you've got vsync enabled either in the CCC or your games, turn it off and then check. The distortions are so rapid in Alien Swarm that it looks like rapid pulsations, it would probably cause someone with epilepsy seizures. In Alien Swarm, go into the video menu and make sure vsync (double or triple buffering) is not activated. If you get no distortions at that point, alt-tab out and then tab back into the game. I just did a clean format of my system with Dell's drivers and the distortions are there. I've got to say my dissatisfaction has been growing each passing day. Hopefully someone takes this system off my hands so I can be done with Dell.

 

Well I havent OC'd mine and it is all stock from the factory and i STILL get the wavy line thing going on......dont think its got anything to do withh if you OC or not...

 

I have done what you suggested and I barely see the flickering but only at the title screen, during gameplay it dissapears?
I am at a loss as to why it is increasing with majority of individuals and without any explanation?
That sux Joker, I don't blame you for your dissatisfaction at this point since you have had your system and shared you flickering issues since. What will you do?

Thanks for clarifying Stevie. We need to find out what is the cause of this issue so that we may present the problem to Dell/Alienware with unquestionable proof, and demand a fix!!

 

I had the exact same thing.
And when i just reformatted, i had it again.
The issue is (and i sent a PM to erawneila with the details) that the videocard is clocked too low by default. (99 / 150).
you say it happens every day, but cant tell exactly when?
try after a fresh reboot (so no 3d has been started or what) to play a youtube movie, flash movie or mp4. that will probably give you the lockup.

i once tried to disable Powerplay in the CCC. but someone here said that was a bad thing. it did help though. and i still dont know why it is a bad idea

other thing i have on now, is to run AMD GPU Clock Tool on startup and let it set the clocks to 200 / 400. no issues whatsoever.

please let me/us know if this helps

 

Stop saying the driver Dell are the 10.5, they are from february so these are the 10.2....

 

That's right they are 10.2s. I think the confusion initially stemmed from people misinterpreting the ATi GPU-z readout. I'm even guilty of that.

Edit: D3D driver goes as far back as 10.1. Very outdated drivers.

 

re: Brian's comment about the 'misconception' that the newsest drivers are always the greatest, fair point I suppose. However, my assumption is that new drivers are released for an actual reason - like fixing bugs in Starcraft 2 ala 10.7a or for performance tweaks - not just because someone at ATI feels like incrementing digits.

Most of us here paid a premium ( Discounts/EPP are not applicable at all for Australia by the way) for an Alienware system and that comes with a not unrealistic expectation that while it might not be 'perfect,' Dell will invest resources in regularly updating drivers and addressing issues as they arise.

The woeful performance of the m17x touchpad is still yet to be resolved and there has been thread on that for a considerable amount of time. Not to sound ungrateful for Brian's interest & assistance, but someone needs to really plant a boot in Alienware/Dell's backside and get issues appropriately acknowledged and resolved a timely manner.

In my opinion, if there are newer drivers available, Dell should be determining if they are viable and release them to us - not remain solely focused on superseded drivers. Better yet, can we get an explanation on why we cannot use reference drivers and get that fixed?

I have included details on issues below as requested:

Issue(s):

In most games, the wavy lines are easily noticeable and are quite distracting/annoying. I've listed those games where I have noticed it.

I have experienced the disappearing units problem with Starcraft 2 regardless of in-game quality settings, however as others have mentioned, forcing 16xAA via CCC alleviates this issue (however it causes severe distortion in Champions Online so I have to change it back to application controlled when I play that).

When I first got my m17x I installed Prince of Persia on it and every time Elika uses magic or saves you from death with her magic, the 'white' shadow of the magic almost permanently remains on the screen. It rendered the game unplayable for me and I had uninstalled it. It's the only title I've seen this issue occur and I can reinstall and attempt to take video if required. Changing in-game settings yielded no improvement.​

Games:

Starcraft 2: Wings of Liberty (Disappearing units)
Batman Arkham Asylum (wavy lines)
Dragon Age Origins (wavy lines, alleviated with V-Sync on in-game)
Mass Effect 1 & 2 (Wavy lines)
Champions Online
Star Wars: Force Unleashed
Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion (Wavy lines)
Prince of Persia (white/light effects remained permanently on-screen)​

System specs:

Alienware M17x R2
Intel Core i7 820QM
4GB 1333MHz
1920 x 1200 RGB LED
Dual 1GB ATI Radeon Mobility HD 5870 in CrossfireX
80GB Intel SSD + 500GB 7200RPM
DVD+-RW, CD-RW​

Drivers:

Bios: A05
Video Driver: M17xR2 Broadway XT (5870): 8.692.2-100203a1-095371C

I have formatted/reinstalled since receiving my m17x as I swapped out one of the 500GB drives for an 80GB boot SSD but I have only used what is available on the Dell website to reinstall (nothing from the recovery disc).​

 

I'm telling you, I have no problems playing NWN2 with Dell drivers, nor with the 10.7a. I'm not sure what's causing your probs, but I played through the main game and the Storm of Zehir on my new M17X.

 

I can most assuredly tell you that I have a relationship with NWN2 you could not comprehend

Its also probably due to me running at 2560x1440 resolution - the cards probably cant handle all the settings on max with the original drivers, but runs perfectly fine at that resolution with 10.7.

-Ash

 

wow! the game must look awesome at that rez!! I stick with only 1920x1200, but didn't have any display issues.

OT but I kinda wish they would make a NWN3, using the SOZ overland system.

 

I doing the AMD GPU Clock Tool fix. I hope this works. Thanks!!! +1

 

hope it helped

 

Anyone know how Brian from Alienware is getting on with those 10.7 beta's??? - i have been checking the support page regularly and still only the Dell version of 10.2 available.

This is getting quite annoying now.

 

I've gone back to using the stock Dell drivers + radeonpro with triple buffering to manage the wavy lines. Guess we'll be waiting awhile for those beta drivers.

 

If Brian is still checking:
1- The system configuration is the M17X R2 in my sig. The drivers are stock Dell that shipped out July 21st, no updated drivers on the Dell site for this build. (If I really need to post exact, I will, just thought since so many had posted the stock build / driver numbers I could be a little lazy)
2 - I have only installed Crysis at this time. During cut scenes I get one very strange transparent horizontal split in the center of the screen. If I can catch it (not consistent) I will video and send a youtube link. Sort of a line of distortion that lasts for less than a full second splitting the screen in two.
As far as gameplay goes I have the lines that resemble out of sync video such as that video Joker posted. Immediately it reminded me of trying to film a TV screen or monitor with a video cam just smaller lines.
FPS is good between 40-60 in Crysis on very high settings. Had a few issues where stealth mode was running unexpectedly and once the power brick went down while still plugged in. That reminded me of the heat issue on power bricks where if they get too hot they trip and stay that way until cooled down. Hasn't happened again. Out of curiosity does anyone know if a huge power draw on a brick cause it to heat up? Logically I would think so but I really don't know.
I will wait for drivers to be updated to install more games. Can't handle the disappointment of further games being unplayable
FYI - if anyone on here owned the 9800GT cards with SLI config, there was a similar problem with driver issues. Artifacting and green screen so bad that most games weren't playable. They finally got a driver fix out about 4weeks into it.
I have high hopes Dell will release a working driver and maybe just maybe Dell will give us a way to run these cards as they should with a vbios change. It could happen. Love the quote... Tasty turds...

 

Are we going to have this driver ? February to now and no driver update from dell....... Alienware isn't a gamer choice ...... So make it real...

 

It would be nice if Brian from Alieware kept us up to date with things....havent seen a post from him about this and I thought he was handling it???

 

Hi Infernia,

Seems like you are having the same problem with your new lappy as most of us here...you know of my story...this was one of the reasons for my replacement....the wavy line issue. Dell were adamant that their drivers were fine so indicating a hardware problem? - well, dont know about that so much anymore but I have hheard of some people not having issues but the majority say its driver related.

Silly question for you but have you installed the crysis patches?

Mind you, saying that, I have and it doesnt stop the wavy lines....im just hoping for one of two things.

i) Dell to rectify drivers - the easiest solution for everyone
ii) My new system to work without this issue.

Im sure you are aware of various workarounds to driver issues but even Joker is running stock Dell drivers so they must be the pick of the crop at the moment - not saying dont try the others as they work for some, which in itself is odd.

Wishing you luck!

 

Well... Last post from him was on friday if i recall, asking for any specific OTHER issues that are video related.
Seems like they are trying to make up for all the open issues so far.
So cut him some slack, we're probably not the only ones breathing in his neck.

I assume he will give us an update as soon as he has something to update.

 

My post came across as impatient i admit, didnt mean to....its good to have AW here but I would like more input/feedback as to whats goin on...really just from a customer perspective. Thats all....kinda like if your cars in the garage, you wanna know when its gonna be ready for pickup.

 

Kinda a good thing he hasn't posted to much recently, maybe it means hes to busy working on the driver to post any replies.

 

Jeez... You guys need to cut me some slack. I'm here to help you out - this is not a job requirement for my role at Alienware, but it is definitely very helpful and allows me to help engineering to fix the key issues... I may choose to do some work on weekends, but this also isn't a requirement of my job, so when it takes me a couple days to respond to something, especially over the weekend, I'd appreciate it if you could take it easy on me... I've picked up additional (required) workload in the past couple weeks, so I don't have nearly as much time to spend on the NB Forums as I used to. I will get to the threads, but it will take longer most likely. The best way to help me help you is to provide super thorough information on each issue, as has been requested...

Thx.