Need help upgrading M17xR3 - mafia3

Hey what's up guys, I recently purchased mafia3 and I'm unable to play the game due to its system requirements:

• OS: Windows 7 64-bit.
• Intel CPU: I5-2500K.
• AMD CPU: AMD FX-8120.
• RAM: 6GB.
• AMD GPU: Radeon HD7870.
• Nvidia GPU: GeForce GTX 660.
• Video Memory: 2GB.
• HD: 50GB (free space)

Here is a list of what my computer is running on at the moment:

msinfo32

OS Name Microsoft Windows 10 Home
Version 10.0.14393 Build 14393
Other OS Description Not Available
OS Manufacturer Microsoft Corporation
System Manufacturer Alienware
System Model M17xR3
System Type x64-based PC
System SKU xxx123x#ABA
Processor Intel(R) Core(TM) i7-2630QM CPU @ 2.00GHz, 2001 Mhz, 4 Core(s), 8 Logical Processor(s)
BIOS Version/Date Alienware A06, 7/8/2011
SMBIOS Version 2.7
Embedded Controller Version 1.01
BIOS Mode Legacy
BaseBoard Manufacturer Alienware
BaseBoard Model Not Available
BaseBoard Name Base Board
Platform Role Mobile
Secure Boot State Unsupported
PCR7 Configuration Binding Not Possible
Windows Directory C:\WINDOWS
System Directory C:\WINDOWS\system32
Boot Device \Device\HarddiskVolume2
Locale United States
Hardware Abstraction Layer Version = "10.0.14393.206"
Time Zone Eastern Standard Time
Installed Physical Memory (RAM) 4.00 GB
Total Physical Memory 3.95 GB
Available Physical Memory 2.86 GB
Total Virtual Memory 7.95 GB
Available Virtual Memory 6.20 GB
Page File Space 4.00 GB
Page File C:\pagefile.sys
Hyper-V - VM Monitor Mode Extensions Yes
Hyper-V - Second Level Address Translation Extensions Yes
Hyper-V - Virtualization Enabled in Firmware Yes
Hyper-V - Data Execution Protection Yes



dxdiag

------------------
System Information
------------------
Operating System: Windows 10 Home 64-bit (10.0, Build 14393) (14393.rs1_release_inmarket. 161102-0100)
Language: English (Regional Setting: English)
System Manufacturer: Alienware
System Model: M17xR3
BIOS: InsydeH2O Version 1.0 A06
Processor: Intel(R) Core(TM) i7-2630QM CPU @ 2.00GHz (8 CPUs), ~2.0GHz
Memory: 4096MB RAM
Available OS Memory: 4044MB RAM
Page File: 1771MB used, 6368MB available
Windows Dir: C:\WINDOWS
DirectX Version: DirectX 12
DX Setup Parameters: Not found
User DPI Setting: 96 DPI (100 percent)
System DPI Setting: 96 DPI (100 percent)
DWM DPI Scaling: Disabled
Miracast: Not Available
Microsoft Graphics Hybrid: Not Supported
DxDiag Version: 10.00.14393.0000 64bit Unicode


I found out that my computer can be upgraded to 16gb of RAM, as you can see I'm at 4gb right now and what's required is 6GB. Is that all I would have to do is upgrade the RAM to be able to play or would I have to upgrade the graphics card as well? Thanks for checking out my post and any help will be greatly appreciated!

 

When you run the game, do you get an error of some sort?

What graphics card are you using? I don't see it listed in the specs. If your laptop has switchable graphics, make sure the dedicated graphics card is running.

You may want to update your system BIOS as well as update your drivers. Go to Dell's support page and plug in your service tag to list the available updates. The latest BIOS for the R3 is A12 and Dell addressed some issues with switchable graphics in that release. The problem you may be having is that the integrated Intel graphics is running instead of the dedicated card.

http://forum.notebookreview.com/threads/m17x-r3-a12-bios.691187/

You probably should upgrade the RAM. 4GB is sort of outdated nowadays. 8GB is more or less the new minimum today.

 

No errors, I'm actually able to play the game. The graphics are like watching an outdated television as opposed to watching TV in HD. The major issue is that it's ridiculously laggy, it takes me about 5minutes to move the character from one side of the room to the other which makes me believe that it's the RAM.
I'm not sure which graphics card I have, pretty sure it's an invidia. I'm not home at the moment to check. But I'll definitely go and update my drivers and BIOS when I get home.
Do you know if upgrading my RAM is a simple task? Pretty much take the 4 out and replace them and it should work or do I need to do some other tinkering around to get them to work?

 

Increasing your RAM will not necessarily increase framerates in games (unless you are using integrated graphics which use system RAM). But I would upgrade your RAM once you get the other issue sorted out.

Your system has 4 DIMM slots and supports a total of 32GB of RAM since you have a quad core i7.

M17X R3 Mobile Manual. See page 74:

http://downloads.dell.com/manuals/all-products/esuprt_laptop/esuprt_alienware_laptops/alienware-m17x-r3_user's guide_en-us.pdf

Two of the slots are located under the bottom panel which are easy to access, and two are located under the keyboard which require a little more work to get to.

VIDEO GUIDE:



Chances are, the slots under your keyboard are occupied with two sticks of 2GB RAM for a total of 4GB and the other two slots are empty. To confirm this, just remove the bottom panel and see if those two DIMM slots are empty.

To upgrade, you can simply leave the current sticks where they are and just add another two sticks to increase your total RAM. This is probably the easiest and cheapest way to go about this. If you get another two 4GB sticks for example, your entire RAM will jump up to 12GB which should be more than enough for most people.

The fastest RAM compatible with your system is DDR3L-1600 MHz. To find out the speed of your current modules, download HWInfo64 and go to the memory section. If your current modules are slower, say 1333MHz, you can still add faster 1600MHz modules, but they will run at 1333MHz. You probably won't notice much of a difference between 1333 and 1600MHz.

Here is a link to Crucial.com for your laptop for compatible RAM:

http://www.crucial.com/usa/en/compatible-upgrade-for/Alienware/m17xr3

If you want you can of course remove the stock modules and install four 8GB DDR3L-1600 modules for a total of 32GB (overkill imo), or four 4GB modules for a total of 16GB.

Service Manual for your laptop:

http://downloads.dell.com/manuals/all-products/esuprt_laptop/esuprt_alienware_laptops/alienware-m17x-r3_service manual_en-us.pdf

 

Alright, looks like I'm on the right track here now. I went to the crucial website and did a scan of my computer and you are correct in that the 2 slots have blanks in them. So I have the crucial 8gb kit (2x4gb) DDR3L-1600 SODIUM on order.
When I receive them I should take out the 2 cards and replace them with the 4gb cards and basically you're saying that I have the option of putting the 2gb cards in the blank spots or not use them at all? Correct?

Also I checked to see what graphics card I have and it's a Intel (r) HD 3000 with 1632mb available. Like I said before the game plays but with lag so hopefully the new RAM will take care of my problem, but just incase I need to upgrade my graphics card, what would you recommend?

And I appreciate your help so much! Thanks for taking the time to help me.

 

Mafia III IMO is one of the worst games in terms of optimization/porting. The frames suck big time. I struggled to keep a steady ~50-55fps.
Depending on your current GPU, you could also upgrade it to a 680M/780M/880M.

 

I have a 680M that you could use to upgrade your M17x R3, should give you double the FPS of a 580M

 

That would be awesome! Yeah right now I have a Intel (r) HD 3000, which I believe is working ok from what I was able to see, but still looked kinda snowy or fuzzy when I tried to play the game. The lag is what's preventing me from playing so hopefully upgrading my RAM will solve this issue. I'm sure I'll need a gpu as well though. Is installing that 680M pretty easy?
Also yeah I've read on the forums that people are complaining about the fps, hopefully that problem will get fixed but I'm just dying to play this game. I got hooked on mafia2'a story line so I hope this game won't disappoint​

 

680M is easy to install, especially in the M17x series. Guides are plentiful.

 

alright guys, so I got my 2x 8gb RAM cards in, replaced the 2gb cards with the 8gb's and removed the keyboard then added the 2gb cards into those 2 empty slots. Which jumped my memory from 4096mb ram to 12288mb ram. So it looks like I've got a TON of space of my computer now but when I loaded mafia3, it looks like the graphics improved, went from snowy to clear but the character is still super laggy. So it looks like the graphics card is going to be my next purchase.

 

I think we've been telling you for a while, the graphics card is the single most important factor in gameplay. a 680M will double your FPS from the 580M, all while being more reliable, cooler, and lower power draw. The 580M was a terrible card.

 

Agreed, well process of elimination. You said that you have a 680m for sale?

 

I have mafia 3 as well and frankly upgrading will not give you a nice result. I am running a 4700mq with 8gb of ram and a gtx780m and it is just playable at low settings. I doubt a card below this one will give you a nice experience.
As someone stated before, this game is so badly optimized that you would need a 960M at least.

Envoyé de mon SM-N915FY en utilisant Tapatalk

 

You wouldn't know if a 960m is compatible for my computet?

 

M17x R3 is not compatible with maxwell cards. best you can do is either a 680M, 780M, or 880M. 880M is known to have several issues, 780M runs hotter than the 680M and not as much overclocking headroom.

 

Alright...so basically I can either upgrade to the 680m, which I'd be able to play the game but with ****ty graphics or sell my computer (because it seems to be outdated)and get something more suited for todays gaming. Any opinions on a good gaming computer?