M17X-R2 5870M xFire - Is this normal?

Hi, can somebody check if this is normal?
I used AMD GPU Tool and GPU-Z but something is weird with the clocks.

Specs:
M17X-R2
I7 740QM
5870M Crossfire usking 11.3 + CAP
6GB RAM

Image 1 of 4: (1st card)
AMD GPU Tool - 700/1000
GPU-Z 700/1000



Image 2 of 4: (2nd card)
AMD GPU Tool - 99/150
GPU-Z 700/1000



Image 3 of 4: (1st card)
GPU-Z 100/150



Image 4 of 4: (2nd card)
GPU-Z 100/150



Why are the clocks different? Something wrong here?

:confused2:

 

what wrong bro? its powerplay function by AMD/ATI, when you are not using some 3D app, it just sets your clock down for saving your power

 

Mine's set to Maximize Performance (AC Adapter and Battery) though.
So even with that, it still downclocks?

Also, I'm getting 6-15 FPS on the opening of Vantage.
I already checked that Stealth is off (using stealthmodeindicator)

Here's a screenshot of my CCC and Furmark results.

 

yeah even when u set high performance,when ur system idle, your gpus clock automatic sets down, but no worry for that, it would run on 3D clock whenever you need. for sure, just run vantage bench and see how many scores you will have and compare to other result, i'd got P14355 with liltle OC with specs in my sign

Edit : You can turn powerplay function off through ATI Catalyst and see what happens!

 

I have had this problem before too. Noticed it while opening BFBC2. It does not adjust when the second card gets used. Consistent fps below 15. The only thing I've found that fixes it is rebooting. Once rebooted, the clocks show 300/400 which is normal. Normal fps for BFBC2 shows 60+. Not sure what the cause of this is. I assume the driver doesn't get properly loaded during boot.

 

OK managed to get FurMark to run properly (installed ATI CF Xtension v1.2)
I see the Crossfire Icon on the top right.
Score improved but I don't know if this is right for my specs.

 

Thanks.
But I did a lot of reboots already and same effect.
I also reinstalled 11.3 twice (using alexnvidia and steviejones instructions involving DriverSweeper and CCleaner)

 

its my gpus at idle clock, everything just fine whenever I need it to work, it will show the clock at max 808/1200 with mine (OC)

And I haven't any problem with that, I'm not sure what kind of problem do u have, its strange

 

you mind running FurMark too (with same settings as mine: Benchmark Preset 720) ?
Trying to know if my R2 is sick or something...

 

eleven - this is normal behavior. You need to add a check mark to the box under the area labeled Options to use the same clock settings for all devices. Once you do that, the drop-down menu will show just one card and the checkbox will be grayed out. See attached thumbnails.

Also, using the AMD GPU Clock Tool, 700/1000 is the most you can manually set the clocks to on the second card. If you set it higher than that, the second card will stay at a maximum of 700/1000.

 

yeah I've just run it and the result is too far different from you, dont know why

 

Mr. Fox - Thanks, I did that and it's now showing just 1 card.

djhuydx - Thanks for running FurMark, you're lucky with your system.

One important note during then test is my screen brightness is like being turned up and down.
Then when the FurMark test ends, I see OSD displaying "AC Adapter" and "Battery" for a couple of times until it settles to AC Adapter.

I'll test my pluggin out the battery, I'll be back in a bit.

 

You are welcome bro,
So I guess ur prolem related to power, not really gpus clock?

 

Battery unplugged. Same result.

Here's a screenshot of FurMark during the test.
See the clocks?



Is this a defective card?

 

It does seem defective. Something is definitely not right.

 

i agree. 100/150 is the normal idle clock speed for our gpu. nothing to worry bout here. gpuz is just showing u the max gpu clock on the main tab. the important one is real time clock speed, which is under sensor tab. nothing to worry about.

i did notice sometimes, 5870m CF will go a bit off. all u need to do is disable then enable crossfire, or restart ur laptop. should work fine after that.

 

But the performance in FurMark is definitely off.
Any ideas on that?

 

Your FurMark score and FPS is way off. Something is definitely not working correctly with your system. You should be getting much higher performance than you are. Try another benchmark tool, as there may be something about FurMark that is not playing nice with your system. Try 3DMark06 and see what you find. You should be scoring somewhere between 12,500 and 14,000 in 3DMark06 using default settings.

I'm not sure how djhuydx is hitting a 5239 score or such high FPS with his R2. I cannot clock my 5870 to 808/1200 without freezing and getting a black screen with vertical white lines. My CPU and video hardware appears to be identical to djhuydx's system.

 

eleven, have you fixed your problem yet?


@Mr.Fox : i got that clock very easily, just set it and it run like normal clock and no problem at all, even I didn't touch the voltage, it's original voltage and I set that clock for everyday using through bios try yours again i guess?

 

I tried setting the clocks at 800/1200 using the AMD GPU Clock Tool after I saw your post today, and I had previously tried slightly lower settings (around 750 and 1175) before and it does not work for me for some reason. If I go any higher than roughly 725 and 1150 I get the freeze and black screen with vertical white lines.

What are you referring to as far as setting this in the BIOS? If I boot my system into the BIOS before loading Windows, I do not see any settings relating to the video card clock speeds. What are you using to access the vBIOS settings? What temps are you seeing with your GPUs under load?

Please share more so I can look into it for myself. I really don't need to increase my system's performance, as I haven't found any games that don't perform smoothly on high settings, but I am always interested in more horsepower. There's no such thing as "too much" power.

 

got 5609 on 3dmark06 default settings.
I guess my video cards are lemons...

Result

 

Wow that is a horrible 3Dmark06 score. Mine at stock is high 13000s. Call Dell and have them replaced. You've already done all the necessary driver work and they still don't get up to normal clock speeds.

Don't mean to hijack, but what version of the AMD GPU Tool are you using? I tried to find the latest and installed 0.9.8. It doesn't seem to work on my computer. When I open (have to run as administrator) it says Failed no devices found. Think maybe I have wrong version for 5870 cards.

 

Ghost - here is the link: Download AMD GPU Clock Tool v0.9.26.0 For HD 5870 | techPowerUp

The version you are using is the incorrect version.

 

Ghost_AWP - Yeah, pretty unbelievable for a unit at this price.

djhuydx / Mr Fox - Nope, problem not resolved yet.

I ran it on battery for 30-45 minutes and this is what I found out.
During normal use, when the battery is not 100%
- battery and ac power will cycle over and over and this somehow messes up my system.

I tested this with battery enabled and disabled (Fn+F2), same effect.
Oh and bios is already A10

Here's a video of it
In the backgroud, I'm uploading the first version of the video.

Anyway, any ideas? faulty adapter or power supply?

I guess I have to call DELL to request a replacement adapter?
I hope it's free of charge.

 

If you are under warranty, it should be. They may also replace the battery at the same time.

I watched your video. That's just too strange. It seems like it probably is a defective AC adapter.

 

Could be Mobo as well. I would start with a replacement AC as it will be less invasive. Then try the Mobo after that. You don't want a tech monkeying with your system if it isn't necessary.

Some advice...buy a second AC adaptor as a backup. 1. You don't want to be caught in a situation where your primary dies. 2. It gives you a spare to test issues like this. They are not that expensive and it has saved me on more than one occasion.

 

Thanks guys.
Calling them now for a replacement AC.
I'll let you know once I get it.

Oh and if any NBR members are on the same boat, just post here please.
Thanks.

 

Thanks! I'll try it out. +1. When I searched AMD GPU Clock Tool and 5870 0.9.8 came up so I tried that. Should have looked deeper. Good find.

 

Definitely same problem as urs before . Now , it only occurs only when I play games . Strange .....

Anyway hope it work with replacement .


Alienware m17x R2 Nebula Red | i7 - Q820 | 8 GB RAM | Ati Mobility Radeon 5870 xFire

 

Hopefully you can reply the result as soon as possible now my laptop keep on running on battery mode . I still want to make sure is it ac adapter problem or motherboard problem or battery problem before ask for dell's service . Please , it would been great help to me . Thank you .

Alienware m17x R2 Nebula Red | i7 - Q820 | 8 GB RAM | Ati Mobility Radeon 5870 xFire

 

Please clarify what you are wanting a reply for.

 

Not sure if you clarified but what adapter do you have? Did you get this from the outlet? You may have been running the tests on Battery mode which would be indicative of your scores.

Unless I am mistaken, bad GPU's would not give a score like that. Most likely you would not complete tests, BSOD, and or have severe screen distortion as that is indicating a dying videocard. Videocards don't really just shoot "low scores." I think your adapter is not registering properly with your system and that is negatively impacting your results. My guess is a new AC and battery (they usually do both at the same time) will resolve this issue. It is possible a bad motherboard; but I think this is an AC issue.

 

Solved the battery and ac adapter changing problem by replacing the ac adapter . Crossfire finally turned normal !!!!

Alienware m17x R2 Nebula Red | i7 - Q820 | 8 GB RAM | Ati Mobility Radeon 5870 xFire

 

Yup, replacing the ac adapter solved the issue.

But that was after the tech forced a refurbished motherboard and 2 refurbished graphic cards on my poor R2.
Reported performance problems, Dell sends tech, rinse and repeat.

Now I get offered with an M17x-R3 just because they don't have M18X in Singapore.
I have no energy left to fight for an M18X so I give up.
EDD May30.

Just to give closure to this thread. Cheers.

 

I'm having the exact same problem as Eleven, a power issue that appears to be manifesting as poor graphics performance.

I noticed about a month ago that in the middle of any strenuous 3D performance the screen and lights would dim, things would chug to a halt, and then brighten again and speed up.

That became more frequent and more sensitive, and now I get the on-screen indicators as it flicks between 'battery mode'- 'AC mode', usually as stuff is going on.

The dimming is related to the control centre thinking it is in battery mode - i tested by setting the % manually - and I'm pretty sure the slowdown is the integrated graphics card kicking in under battery mode.

I think this could be related to the 'plugged in not charging problem'. It's had that problem for a while, but as I haven't been using the battery very often or playing 3D intensive games I didn't really pay attention.

The flicking between battery and AC became more frequent - almost as if the AC was just dropping out. I tried loading up a game and the performance was negligible. A 3D screensaver crashed seconds after loading, and I got 50-200 on furmark for a test that would previously have seen 5000+.

This suggested to me that the integated graphics card was running, or the cards were being throttled in battery mode. Games that used to chew through at 60fps were limping at 5-10 on same settings.

I checked that the ridiculous stealth mode was not running - it was for some reason - and disabled it, and confirmed this with stealthindicator. But this made no difference even after reboots.

Furmark performance on stealth mode (integrated graphics) and off was near identical, even after multiple resets. It seems to jump to the integrated card whenever it gets into battery mode, and not come back.

I tried updating the graphics drivers. Oddly, Dell's site and the resource CD kept telling me the cards were 4870s and not 5870s as on the order form - I accidentally installed the 4870 drivers as prompted but the problem persisted.

Uninstalling them and reinstalling the 5870s caused driver crashes so I tried a clean reinstall of windows and carefully built the drivers up from scratch (using 5870s).

The vbios is up to date and I can't seem to isolate the problem as a driver issue.

Even with a clean system the performance problems are still there, and the flickering between AC and battery modes seems worse. I've turned all the assorted performance settings on, disabled powerplay etc.

I've tried all permutations of the power drain suggested on the forum - unplugging both AC and battery, holding pwr button for 2 min, plug in AC, turn on, sign into windows and plug in the battery.

The battery will periodically try charging, then the indicator will flash battery mode and back to AC and stop it charging.

It creeps upwards by a % but very very slowly. I tried fully draining the battery and turning it back on with the AC, and it occasionally flashes 'low power plug in AC adapter'' even though the AC is connected.

The battery seems to charge fine when the computer is turned off, and there are no bios warnings about unsupported AC adapters. I made sure that notification was enabled in the bios.

Games previously used to function fine under AC even when it showed 'plugged in not charging'.

My readings (clock speed etc) are identical to Eleven (see images of first page of the post), and the problem seems almost identical.

I'm leaning towards it being a dodgy or broken AC adapter. There's been a few occasions when someone has bumped the plug and the socket has sparked a little, as the connections here are very loose. It seems unable to provide consistent power.

Any ideas before I get hold of Dell? Unfortunately I live in a very inaccessible corner of the planet and rely on my M17x for work purposes, so an on-site service/part swap at my address back in civilisation is to be a last resort given the logistical difficulties involved.

 

Decided to revisit my old posts and I see this. Heh.

I suggest you get hold of a new AC adapter either from Dell or someone with a similar unit.

My greatest regret is I allowed the on-site tech to immediately replace my mobo and graphic cards; I should have demanded for the AC adapter first.