*OFFICIAL* "All Powerful" M17x-R2 Edition Owner's Lounge - Part 2

hello to all owners of M17x-R2!
I recently upgraded my M17x-R2 from i7-620m to 920XM (ES) from ebay and the problems started

First of all please take a look at the screenshot I took from sisoft sandra
the results are from stock clocks, not overclocked and I think that they are not normal !!!
also when I overclock through bios to 5% , I try to benchmark with 3dmark06 and I have FPS Spikes, for example it shows 120fps and suddenly drops down to 15fps and it comes again to 120fps after 1-2sec. The result from 3d mark is around 11.000 marks
much lower than my previous i7-620m scores (15.000) .

what do you think guys? Faulty CPU??

 

more likely throttling due to temps

is your cpu getting very hot?

 

when I overclocked through bios at 5% on full load I see around 96-97C in Core Temp. Is it too much??
I tried the throttlestop but doesnt seem to do anything, I get the same scores.

 

Ya that is too hot and will lead to throttling

 

but why it runs so hot? the 5% overclocking through bios I thought was guaranteed by alienware to run stable.
I also think that I have correctly placed the cpu in my M17x, with a lot of thermal paste!

 

sazistas

That's probably your problem sounds like a bad paste job especially when you said you used a lot of Thermal paste.It should be used sparingly i.e a very thin film of the stuff.

 

man... today after playing MW2 for maybe .. 3-4 hours straight i think my lappy might have started to overheat.

it smelled sort of like burning plastic, but very faint. then the match ended and it went away. a few games later it came back again. so i turned down ost of the settings so it wouldn't work so hard and its been fine since then...

maybe i shouldn't play games for that long lol

cpu highest temps were:

89
86
93
85

and the gpu highest temps were

83
79

 

Hmmm temps seem fine for a new notebook without having done any cooling mods.

You should be able to game for as long as you like chiefs.



If I were you I would change the thermal paste and pads for the CPU and GPUs.

If your not game for that then get a notebook cooler and it will drop you temps overall around 10 degrees C.

Cheers.

 

okay. cool.

it just smelled funny... but i assumed it was okay. the fans were going full blast for about 5 mins straight at one point. normally they don't do that even when gaming. they cycle half and full back and forth.

 

I picked up a u3 cooler for mine before I even start to game...I know these laptops can play games without em, but I'd rather have the laptop last a bit longer without heating up everytime I game.

 

I opened the laptop again and re-applied the thermal paste. I tried to do my best with a very thin film as you said.
Put them all back in place and done some benchmarks. Now in stock clocks the cpu works like normal in sisoft sandra, I got normal results on test, but when I try to overclock at 5% it run like a celeron in benchmark
Also the temps in stock clocks are now about 7C lower but still too much, it hits 90 C easily in full load.
What can I do? I think I made a mistake to buy an i7 920XM ES (engineering sample) , but I didnt had more money for the OEM final version , it was too much for my pocket.

 

sazistas,

I have a 920XM ES along with many others from the forum & have no issues with a ES.I have bought many over the years for Laptops & have never had a issue using a ES.What seller did you buy the 920 from?.What is the revision & stepping of the 920?

 

If its not the CPU problematic I cannot think of anything else. My previous CPU was working excellent without any heat problems. The seller's username I bought the cpu from ebay is: laptopmonkey

I attach also a screenshot from the cpu-z

 

Well stepping & revision is what it should be no problem there.Laptopmonkey is a great seller & i have not seen anyone that has bought from him on forum or Ebay feedback having any issues.One thing that springs to mind is Bios A08 if your on that bios you need to flash to A09.

 

I have already flashed the A09 bios before I upgrade the CPU. Now I bought from ebay the Arctic Cooling MX-3 paste which someone told me its the best thermal paste but I dont think I will see any huge difference. I still think that my cpu is bad...

 

sazistas,

If i was you i would contact Lee from Laptopmonkey & let him know of your situation & i am sure he will help you out.

Contact us - laptopmonkey UK and worldwide

 

those CPUs do run hot, and 90 degrees under load seems logical.
You won't get much better results without modding the cooling system.
If you still think you made a mistake i am willing to take the cpu off your hands for the right price

 

I already sent him a message and here is his reply:
---------------------------------------------------------------

hi there, the CPU is a very unique product, it is either fully working or dead.as long as it can pass all test. it is fully working. it seems like your 920 speed is limited. could be problem with cooling ( check temp, it is an extreme cpu , not all laptop can cool it properly). and check the muntiplier and frequency when performing test. Regards Lee

---------------------------------------------------------------

So, the point is what else I can do to lower the temperature?. Is out there any aftermarket cooler or heatsink to replace the original from alienware?

 

Try using a laptop cooler, or try a different paste. My 920xm also hits 90+ under full load. I don't really get any throttling issues when playing on a desk though. It does sound like your problem is throttling due to heat. An example is if I play games on my bed and I don't position the laptop properly, my blanket blocks the air intakes and CPU gets throttled due to temperature and framerate drops like a sack of crap.

I haven't tried doing the 5% OC.

 

sazistas,

What you do is run unklewebb's Throttlestop and tick the log file box then run Prime95 on 8 threads for a bit then post your log file here so others can diagnose the situation for you.It really could still be a dodgy paste job.There is plenty good laptop cooler's out there NZXT Cryo lx,Coolermaster Notepal U3,Antec Notebook cooler 200 are all good choices for your M17x.

 

Firstly, Sazistas... there's nothing wrong with your cpu. Its just throttling down due to high temps, so don't sweat it bro.

Second,...laptop coolers aren't that effective and i would recommend not getting one unless you use your laptop in bed. On a desk, the difference they make is not nearly noticeable or worth the price.

Also, Sazistas was it you who installed the cpu?

I'm pretty sure all it takes to solve this issue, is to do a proper paste job. Put a rice size amount in the middle of the die, then cover your finger with a rubber glove, or ziplock bag tightened around it, and gently spread it, pushing it towards the edges untill the whole die is covered evenly. Then carefully position the heatsink on it, and begin tightening the screws evenly following the numbers.

Your temps should be lower than what your getting. IF you're still not satisfied, then do the cooling mod. And if you're still not satisfied, follow Joker's open casket way of tightening the screws. Apparently he said that to find optimal temps, he left his laptop open while tightening the screws, monitoring the temps as he would tighten each screw. Apparently one screw too tight or one screw too loose, he would see a temp difference of ~20*C in some cases.

If you're desperate, you might want to give this a try. But you should start with a simple repasting.

And if allll those things don't work, and you're convinced it's your cpu, PM me

 

Yup thats very true about the screw tightening chiefs.

I experienced the same thing last time. I usually screw down the heat sinks pretty tightly however this one time I decided just to try something different and not screw it down too tightly. Just enough force to lock it in place.

My temps rose about 10 - 15 degs. Obviously the contact between heatsink and die was not sufficient enough now. So I had to get it just right with the screwing tightness. Too tight will also squeeze out all the paste onto the sides and make the fans have to work harder to lower temps. Therefore giving you erratic fan noise even when your not working the CPU under much or any load.

It can be quite a juggling act with thermal paste and the application of it. + then the tightening of screws. Its all very worth it though once you get it to the way you like. Great temps and fan noise!

Cheers.

 

BTW, do you play on the 21st SS frontlines server? It's the only one that has one shot sniper kills. It's unfortunate this game doesn't have wider recognition, I think it's a lot more fun than bad company 2.

 

I take it you saw that sweet pic on my sig?

Actually bro, since I just got the week about a week ago I haven't really memorized the server names yet. I just play on the top 3 most populated ones. Don't you get a one shot kill anyway if you hit them in the head?

I agree, the game is fantastic. I don't have BC2 yet, but then again, I don't have a lot of games. It takes an effort to get me into one. But this one is king. It's very fun and not many hackers around. At least I haven't seen any. I haven't touched the single player game yet.

 

Yeah I think head shots are one shot kills but in other instances it takes 2 shots to down them. On the 21st SS server, you can be a mile away and a single shot to anywhere on their body will kill them. Personally I think that's more realistic given how powerful those guns are. Look for that server, I play on it now and then. BTW, do you get stuttering/fps drops in FFOW during explosions? It happens to me often and is quite frustrating.

P.S. check out this video I made on the 21st SS server FRAPs was lagging it a bit so my aim wasn't so hot

 

Lol. Nice.

My first thought on the FPS drops would be no, but I'll make sure and get back to you on it. I'll look for that server next time also.

 

REMINDER to all -

Learn to accept that others may have different opinions. The forum rules exist for a reason, further violations will result in a temp/perm vacation.

Go enjoy the weekend instead of bickering. Do not reply to this post, questions can be sent via PM.

Thanks.

 

So, I tried the 1-shot kill with the sniper rifle a little while ago on that server you mentioned. What do you think?

 

lol figured that was you but wasn't sure. Man I can't play the game lately, on that level I was getting 18-30 fps the entire time.

 

guys anyone tried cod black ops? i dont get 5.1 sound on my z5500 speakers. no matter what sound device i select on sound settings i can hear sound only from the center and right front speaker.

any help?

 

I assume you have the speakers set to direct input 96-24? Also set windows to output 5.1. And then confirm that the game is set to output 5.1

 

Driver question, so I guess we really cant expect many if any updated drivers from dell for this beast any more, was wondering, what you all do to keep drivers up to date ?

Also, threw a 500G Momentus® XT Solid State Hybrid Drive in as the second drive, apps do seem to load quite a bit faster.

 

We use the AMD releases for now.

 

what is this direct 96-24?

windows sound playback device (speakers/ headphones) is set to 5.1 through the sound taskbar icon . In IDT its also set to 5.1 as soon as i connect the three cables of Z5500.

probably but i get 5.1 sound on many other games so i am thinking it maybe a sound card driver issue. Even on previous COD (COD MW2) i get 5.1 sound on single player but not on Multiplayer (again i can hear sound only from center and right front speaker) even though its set to 5.1

 

hi all, im going through a problem here with my m17x-r2 lappy with ati 5870 cf. I am currently using the ati 10.10 driver update. I started playing Dirt 2 yesterday and found that it was running only at 18-20 fps, which is mind-boggling.

Next, i just ran 3d Mark Vantage and got only 3194 3d mark score, 3074 GPU score and 3617 cpu score. Something is really wrong somewhere! I hope i find some solutions or diagnostics from you guys.

This is a 2 weeks old lappy with no overclocking whatsoever. Thanks guys for hearing me!

 

i want to edit my previous post. With 6 Ch direct setting on Z5500 i can hear sound only from the three front speakers but not from surround speakers (this can happen on other games as well but not on all games). I must be a driver issue and i wonder how this hasnt been posted from anyone before.

try a fresh format. your crossfire cable may be faulty if not fixed. the alienware cd has some diagnostics. not sure if you will find something there. also be sure crossfire is enabled in CCC

 

Are you in stealth mode? Try switching modes and run vantage again. Most of us have run into that issue when we first got ours.

 

hey guys

Question: I currently have the M17x-R2 with a 820QM processor

I'm thinking about getting my son a M15X for Christmas (which he'll also use in college next year).

My question is: if I order the M15x with a i3-350M processor, can i replace this with my i7-820QM - then i'll upgrade my M17x to a 920XM

Any issues in bus speeds or anything? different sockets etc?

 

Hey there chiefs,

Lucky son you have there eheheheh.

No problems at all chiefs. Your good to go.

Cheers.

 

You can make that switch Neutron.

Crucifix check stealth mode as mentioned.

Aristotlehs, direct 96-024 is the encoding that the Z5500 applies to the line in (the 3 wires) input I believe. Are you sure that the game you are trying to use supports surround sound? Not all of them do.

 

hi dajohu and scook9, when i actually checked the aliensense at the alienware command centre, it says active plan-high performance but it has a picture of the lappy with reading 'running on stealth mode'. So is it on high performance mode or stealth mode? if stealth mode is on, how do i switch it of? thanks!

ps: Thanks Aristotelhs2060 for your reply too, i shall check out the hardware later on. I am hoping that there is some minor error that i need to redo on software first(drivers or like what dejahu said), then if nothing i can do on the surface, shall check the hardware. Thanks again! =)

 

The speedometer on the right above the numpad.

 

thanks scook9, also, i notice recently that my battery is not charging anymore after plugging in my cable but the current flow through.the other day, i was using my lappy till its 3%, plug in the adapter, it was not charging at all. Any work around to get my battery charged to 100%?

ps: my new 3D mark Vantage is 12991, Gpu score is 13976 and Cpu score is 10723. Is this result above average considering it is using ati 10.10 driver? Anyway, i can improve my results?

 

Have you made sure that the battery is "enabled"

Think it is fn+f2, one of the f keys does it. Also, could be a defective motherboard, I had that problem in my R1 last year and had to get a new motherboard to remedy it. I know at least one other user has seen that behavior too.

 

yes, the battery is enable. Also,thanks mate, will sure to check the problem out! hopefully, its not a defective motherboard! lols =)

And i cant believe i had my stealth mode enabled! The earlier score freaked the hell out of me. Do you think my 3D mark vantage is above average with ati 10.10? Any improvement i can make? What do you think,chief?

 

Crucifix, just to make sure:

Fn+F2 toggles the battery enabled and disabled. However there are 3 images for each Fn+F2 press. Try to disable it first (set it to the disabled battery icon), let it fade the icon, and wait a few seconds. Then press Fn+F2 until you see the blue battery icon (not the green one), and let it fade. Wait a few seconds and check via the taskbar battery icon if it charges.

 

^^ easier one: while charger is plugged, lift the computer- unplug and plug the battery back and watch it start chargng

 

Hey there chiefs,

Your Vantage score is bang on the money
Sorry I forgot what your specs were chiefs. However they look right. High 13k to 14k for the GPU score is what we expect for the 5870s Crossfire.

Cheers.

 

I approve.

 

Thanks chief! Cheers! =)

Mfractal and WaR, will try it and get back to you! Thanks again! You guys have been great help again! =)
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M17x-R2 :: i7 720QM|1920x1200 RGB|Dual Xfire 5870s|2 X 500GB 7200RPM Raid 0|8GB DDR3 1333MHz| Thanks to Chief-running new WHQL VBIOS and AMDs 10.10 8.782 =)