M17x DPC Latency

So is everyone else still having this problem? I am and I'm tempted to hit someone over the head with my big heavy laptop.

 

M17X R1 +nvidia gpus+vista= mostly no stuttering and mostly no fps drops
M17X R1 + nvidia gpus+ win7= stuttering + fps drops
M17X R1 +ATIs+ win7 = no stuttering and no fps drops (if everything works fine) but still red spikes to 6000μs (so not for professional use)

 

not for professional use? What would come into that category?

Edit/Addition: Because if I did get the ATIs I'd like to know what you still have difficulties doing

 

Professional housewives? Nagging and fussing about the insignificant. Kiddin'. . . you're all okay.

 

professional use category includes music production and stuff that may be affected by red spikes. there may be minimum delays but they really matter at this level.

normal users - gamers wont have problem though.

 

So, I've had the swap to ATI's last Friday and I'm experiencing much less stutter, DPC latency and such. But, now I've had 2 hard lock ups where I could only see the screen, the mouse wouldn't move and the hard drive had no activity. This happened once in Crysis and the other time was in 3Dmark06. Should I be worried about a possible motherboard problem?

 

did you reinstall your os??? you dont have to. what i recommend is to remove your chipset driver and use driver sweep and check everything named nvidia and see what happens......

 

If I remove the chipset driver, does that produce unresolvable bangs in the device manager?

 

What ATI driver are you using? It is looking like the 9.12 drivers, at least for me, cause these hard lockups.

 

4th time lucky?

I just spoke to another nice rep who said he'll take care of this. Optimism is based on the fact he gave me his contact info.

Does anyone else have a rattling right fan?

 

i think my xfire is working okay.. i did 3dmark06 again and i got about 15k but stutters are still there. i think the low score is due to the stutter cos there are sudden frame drops.

 

Seems high to me for a rev 1.

 

I remember there were 5-7 people with the same issue (including me) 5 month ago. Got mine replaced, it's still rattles a bit but who cares, since there is no effect on the temps compared to the other GPU.

 

I find the noise annoying. The cards are being sent out to me so I'll have a look in there myself to figure out what the sound may be.

The cards don't come with new fans do they?

 

No, they don't. When replacing them you'll find 3 screws holding each fan + a tricky connector, don't use a screwdriver to unplug it as it can be easily damaged (the wires too). Use pincers instead, if you really need to take out and check the fans. Also, check if the crews are tight, - one of the reasons for rattling .
And the most important!!!!!!
When popping up the touch panel, open the lid as far as you can and pop the hinges covers instead of thrusting sharp/thin objects under the panel near the END key, as the later can result in a broken panel and scratched keys.

 

Good advice, I am pretty sure this is the reason for all the people talking about having to mash their touch buttons for them to work - malfunctioning due to abuse when being removed

 

is it safe to install nvidia drivers for the 9400 if i disable the atis? will it clash?

i use my laptop on battery quite often

 

Interesting observation... I was working on the m17xR1 and got tired. Decided to play a little Solitaire. I was on the dual 260m's and I noticed that when I would drag a card or when the deck would shuffle, there was video stuttering there. I couldn't believe it! Solitaire! Gave me about 4 minutes of 60k+ spikes and the game sounds would crackle every now and again. I can almost accept that with a game like Crysis, but Solitaire?! Fans stayed on low the entire time, nothing got hot... Guess I will be on the phone with support tomorrow. This is ludicrous! (oh, and on the 260's, my touchpad won't scroll, whereas if I enable the 9400, scroll works just fine)

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c_KR4I4nE9M

mw2 stutters..

2nd video uploading.

 

not for all M17X R1. if you have overclocked QX9300 its low actually. i got 17128 with qx9300 at 3.125 ghz and no gpu overclock.

http://i50.tinypic.com/sngug3.jpg

i believe for ruby frame drops-stutter during benchmark may influence rating.. ruby whats your rest configuration?

 

cpu at 2.93 gpu no oc 9.12 cataylst with hotfix. no background programs except gpuz and hwmonitor

my hardware is a qx9300 4gb 1066 ram and 2x500gb hdd.


i believe my score is due to the stuttering. there are places where i had like 80 frames and then 9 fps the next for the next few seconds.


edit: and dell has no response after i emailed them my test conclusions with screenshots and videos included.

i have asked them to escalate and have a senior rep talk to me but so far no email response or call yet.

theyre lucky i dont have time to get on the phone and wait for hours..

 

in my opinion your score is very low. regarding your configuration it should be at least 15.5 K. did you install the dell driver first and then the 9.12 modded and then the 9.12 hotfix? if not uninstall all ati drivers using driver sweeper and follow this order.

do all your fans speed up in games. its even the gpus or the motherboard or both of them.

 

yes i put the dell first. with dell drivers i got 14k.

i just tried again and i got 16k this time there were fewer single digit frames which means less stuttering. but they are still there.

my fans seem to come on less often compared to the nvidias. the nvidias come on the moment i start playing. with these atis the fans come on about 5-10 mins after i start playing

 

16K means that your machine works ok man. you had done something wrong before. how is dpc latency now?

ATIs seem to heat less than nvidias so fans may speed up less often.

 

Horrible, just horrible....totally unacceptable

 

maybe he fixed it now. its the first time he got 16K on 3dmark 06. he said soemthing about less stuttering after he posted this video.

 

no the mw2 was after the 16k run.. less visible stuttering while running 3dmark06 but still same in games.. dint use the dpc checker though..


2nd vid

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sRQT0sTumhs&feature=player_embedded




ps:the dell tech handling my case said they used mw2 to test their systems

 

did you try throttlestop?
I use 195.62 v1.1 dox drivers with powermizer off, all green in dpc checker, but still without throttle stop I had some minor stuttering in gta 4, now with throttlestop active I don't have this problem

 

no i dint. i want the problem solved properly and not using 3rd party stuff to stop the cards/cpu from downclocking.

i know it would help but its hardly a proper fix and an unacceptable solution for long term usage

 

It was at that point I decided to return mine.

Laggy solitare is unacceptable.

 

Yes, I know that this is only temporary fix and we have to wait untill Dell find the solution, but thanx to throttlestop I can fully enjoy my m17x

 

when you have installed dox driver, you have choose hybrid sli or hybrid graphics? I have a M17x with GTX 280 M in Sli

 

Wow, that is bloody ridiculous. I don't ever get stuttering that approaches anything like that with my single 260.

 

Well, after another 3hrs on phone with their support, can confirm that nobody even knows when the fix is coming. Was told by 2 different agents today that the fix is a matter of a few days but each time pointed them at John_B and his wish to know the info on those who gives these promises and both guys said " well, yeah nobody really knows, but it shouldn't take too long..."

So I got the issue escalated. They should call me tomorrow with some more answers. Will wait and see.

 

It should be fine. AFAIK the system works flawlessly when on battery with the 9400 enabled. (Don't forget to disable the GPUs in BIOS).

 

my dpc latency shows rare huge spikes of 999000. if this is not hardware then what is it? its likes its going to explode when this occurs. there is nothing i can do to avoid it. even i left it in idle for three hours with dpc latency open and i noticed that this huge spike happened among the green ones.

DO YOU HEAR THAT DELL?

I REPEAT THE POWER SUPPLY OF THE CHIPSET IS MULFUCTIONING. EVEN THE MACHINE SHOWS OFTEN SMALLER SPIKES OR ONE HUGE SPIKE REVEALING THAT CHIPSET OVERGHARGES AND BURSTS TO DISCHARGE.

 

They know it very well m8, they just don't say it loud to create more panic.
I wish IBM would still be in the notebook game... My 8 years old ThinkPad still works fine with 0 replacements.

 

they know that and what are they doing? just waiting for our lawyers to come forward?

they knew that changing to ATIs just makes the problem more acceptable while they know the real faulty part is the motherboard. THey even refuse to change to ATIs to make us believe more they will solve the problem. Its not even any loss of money for them as the production of ATIs may cost less than nvidia and they just sell it more because they are faster. Thus they take back nvidia gpus.

and what are they doing for nvidia users? they are just promising a gpu driver. You will be here and i will be here. They wont fix it

THE FAULTY MOTHERBOARD WILL REMAIN. NO DRIVER CAN FIX POWER SUPPLY...

if someone wants to post that the real problem is the motherboard in the dell forum. i tried but my posts never show up there.

This will sound very funny to Dell -alienware people but i have to say that. Replace our systems to R2 or refund us. Otherwise our lawyers will come. 3000 euros or dollars is a big deal for paying a lawyer dont you think? Even if we lose our battle you will lose your fame. Forums are everywhere and google makes the job for anyone who doesnt know what you are.

i can also see in the dell forum that Dell started deleting posts. Maybe those related to R2 and its issues with i920 as they put their money there now on. Do they want to save space from their web server? dont think so....

We are not all 15 years old and even more we dont all want it for gaming but also for professional use. selling a faulty notebook just to sell it as fast as you can to take advantage of the current market models is a crime, or sell it 600 dollars (the price you get it actually).

 

I have over two discs worth of my own music and other collaborative efforts, far above underground-garage calibre in quality. The 'stutter' on the M17x and the latency in the M1730 were -never- an issue. I used the M17x and other laptops for post production, by the way. All D.I.Y. musicians who actually know what they're doing, record the actual tracks in a more raw and direct setup, which will either be an independant studio unit, or a proper desktop with the recording sound card to boot.

A laptop like the M17x can only serve its use as a medium for mixing and mastering tracks, and it does a dandy job at that level. Stuttering and latency do not create problems.

 

well they are for me. what about the huge spikes of 999000 that corrupts the system? can you produce music with that? Yes desktop is the solution for everyone who is clever enough, has space, and wants to have always the best in a standard system. I can remember that even the previous m17x was advertised from a dj in America for music production o r playing music at clubs. imagine if you play them and at those huge speakers you hear stuuuuter.lool. what a shame..

and you are wrong they always use computers to produce music except if its metal. lool. They use audio devices connected to computers for recording on different channels using programs like adobe audition or fruity loops which i know very well. they are made for computers and i know what they are used for. M17X could really deal with them without red spikes at all. even its sound card may be not powerful enough but its 5.1

 

Aristotelhs2060,

I have not checked over the Dell blog today - did they post an update confirming it was a driver update which was needed or was it posted here by Nagshead or another Dell rep? From what I gathered, they still have not confirmed what would be required. Thanks for clarifying the source of this.

Also, I know you are in the UK so I understand the difficulties and problems you folks have with Customer and Tech Support - I think Kade Storm will be the first to say its in the tank over there... but, have you tried escalating your case via the Unresolved Issues process? Perhaps you might be able to obtain a full refund since this is obviously disrupting your work. If I was sitting with a laptop which I had purchased for work related issues and it was not functioning properly I would be all over it.

 

Yes, you can easily use the same programmes such as FLoops, and many synthesiser machine programmes for background samples. You can produce, mix down, and master your copies, provided that you have already recorded your tracks in the correct medium such as a good studio unit or a computer with a really good recording sound card.

A DJ can use this to mix and master, but actually recording your sound--yes from that instrument or sound source of choice to your system--requires a good sound card. You just won't get that with the M17x. I know my friend bough the Line 6 toneport POD studio, but it is still a learning curve problem.

Oh, lovely. Now we're down to the 'you're wrong and I am right' drama.

Fine. Let's dance.

No, actually I am not wrong. Otherwise half of your Camden favorites like Dor Eterna and then Alama Morta would not be seeking out the help of professional studios or independant experts to help polish up their sound. I remember one band actually complaining about wanting to capture a sound that didn't make the band sound like they were playing inside of a tin can. I asked them, "Hey, why not use computers?" And their response, "This was after computers. . . too much of a *expletive* pain in the *expletive* *expletive* *expletive*. . ."

I actually knew the recent guy who had been making one hell of an impact, Voodoo Shyne, and his buddies in Rocksville. You don't want to know HIS opinion about 'computers'.

These are musicians who are interested in a smooth and decent recording process since the bulk of their resources get used up dealing with the actual 'performance' on each track. They are sick of computers. Either a simple solution has be to be available to allow their genius to thrive, or a computer guru has to manage the work on a proper computer.

You ever hear of MetalWorx? Because Metal or not, the guy had some of the best instrumental hits on Audiostreet.net during the 2004-2007 time, and he was amongst the -FEW- that actually had a proper desktop, designed to recrod crisp-clear distorted guitar tracks and heavy precussions by way of bass and drums. This guy had patience, and a friend of mine tried to duplicate his rig but failed horrible; sold his facsimile desktop because he did not have the patience to cope with machine. Now he's using a MAC to get his way, and ironically, -I- am the collaborating party in his venture and also the one handling the production.

Yes. . . Metal. Loool. Of course. Because we're archaic by nature and so are limited to actually playing our instruments. How backward and barbaric. We should be sampling now! SHIZZO TO THE DIZZOooo. . . eesh.

Hey, if he has his argument straight, I am certain his case will be in the hands of escalations in no time. But only if he bought this machine directly from Dell. You know what I mean by that, BatBoy. He could have a refund--if they're against giving him an R2--within a month's time if everything goes smoothly.

 

Its my personal assumption and common logic that power supply is not controlled by drivers. I dont think Dell ever spoke about hardware change but for a driver only. I can read John-B last update post (18/1). i am not so old to be blind. I accept that US people have much much better support but who really got his issues totally resolved with the M17X R1? I am thinking of a refund really. Just doing my last tests if i can make it. The problem is that i dont live in UK any more and only US Dell really would help me on a refund.. you know that dont you? And i want everybody here to know the situation as it is and as noone really say it is.

what kind of argument is that? if i hadnt bought the machine directly from Dell (Dell UK actually) they wouldnt be able to find my service tag and swap my gpus. I still left the time i needed to get the machine from Dell on my signature. Yes Dell will refund me at no time. Whatever..


PS. My bios keeps loading with fans at full speed when it wants.

 

What kind of argument? I am not arguing. I am reasoning.

My machine is authentic Dell, and I own rights to all the tags. Both of my machines are my property, and I always get service for the system when there's a problem. However, I am officially the second owner of the laptops. In Dell's financial department protocol, second owners don't get the refund, first owners receive the cash. We can get replacements, upgrades, new parts, but actual invoice refunds go back in the name and account of the original customer who paid for the system. This is why I was confirming and presenting the full-scenario, in case you happened to be someone who bought the system from a reseller, which is perfectly normal, but a bit complicated when it comes to getting refunds.

I was only covering ground for you, dude.

 

I am the first and always the first owner.. still dont understand. directly from Dell factory to my hands. lool. whatever. I even changed my account-adress details to Dell reps. same name but different account as i closed the one i bought it from.

i know you cover my ground. just didnt get your point. if i was the second owner then i would have more problems than persuading Dell that this machine is malfuctioning for an advanced user.

 

I'm really getting sick of this now....

After playing ME2 for a couple hours, my machine began stuttering (huge spikes of nearly a million as it usually does after a couple hours without restart) so I decided to save and restart in case this would lead to a crash. Of course, as I'm saving, I get a huge spike and the game crashes and corrupts my save... over an hour of playtime since my last.....

I wasn't as angry until now because I could usually get a couple good hours in at a time, but this just pissed me off big time. They had better come up with something quick.

 

hybrid sli

 

.

So? Did I know this before? No. You asked, "What kind of argument is that?" To which I explained that I was covering ground incase you weren't the first owner, which I know now that you are, which is great. What you don't understand here is beyond my understanding, and so, a self-created paradox. Let's move on. . . eh?

Being the first owner, you can easily get your money refunded--FULLY--if you make a compelling argument. How many service calls have you had to remedy the DPC problem? Because if it is above 4, then you are already in for a major change. Secondly, since you moved to ATi, under UK marketting, you can even argue that you accepted cheaper cards (ATi - £360; Nvidia £580) to fix the problem, but the problem still wasn't fixed despite your compromise. You are now at the end of your rope.

This will have escalations on your case. Of course, they will try to offer you another replacement (because they say they love their customers and don't want to lose you. . . blah blah blah), and they might consider some kind of compensation with this replacement by way of an upgrade. I am not sure what this will be, as it could range from an even beefier R1 to a potential R2. However, if you're not satisfied with the offer, you will leave them no choice BUT to offer you a full refund. As a UK customer, you are entitled to something of equal or better value that you accept, or your full money back.

 

Yes i just didnt know you are a second owner and may had thought i am not a first owner. I always buy everything whatever it is from official companies just to be covered from quarantees. But even in this case, i just never thought a such an expensive machine would have problems. Dont know if you are thinking of a refund too and just saying your problems.

yes the crappy configuration that Dell-nvidia-Alienware presented as revolutionary., so much that they sold a notebook for consumers-testers and then left it out on their revised model. Nvidia is the first responsible for its chipset-gpus and then Dell -Alienware that didnt test this machine properly maybe hoping we would never find any issues. Everything for dollars

 

If you're really bored and feel like taking some action - You can always go make use of the Sales of Goods act (EU countries only as far as I know).

Little bit of further info on it in this article: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/magazine/8253915.stm