Three Fans? And some Questions :'3

Does the M17x have three fans? One on all the way on the left and one all the way on the right with a main one in the middle? Because mine, for the past year (go genius me) ever since I bought it only the main middle one has been actually working. I can hear it right now as the keys beneath my fingers are turning hot...

Anyways are there three fans? And if there are why aren't the other two working? How do I fix that?

On a side note my graphics card is a Dual NVIDIA® GeForce® GTX 260M, 2GB – SLI® Enabled. Yet I only get a 5.5 windows index rating for gaming graphics our of a possible 7.9? Is that normal or do I have a problem?

Is all of this correct and good?




Thank you for reading, anything you can do to help would be greatly appreciated. I want to try and get... (*dies a bit saying it*) My 3 grand gaming laptop to be able to play WoW without any graphic/screen lag in a few months.


EDIT: I am unable to get into Hybrid graphics mode, my screen turns black upon loading windows [windows 7] and the integrated graphics are enabled/greyed out. So i can only use them?

 

Yeah it has 3 fans. The outer 2 should kick in when you are gaming.

Wow will run great, except for places like downtown Org. I don't think a computer exists that can run Orgrimmar smoothly (5 ghz CPU maybe?). Even then you'll still get 30fps or higher for the most part. Everything else should be 50-60's, or much higher if you don't use vsync. (cept maybe raiding). It may stutter in some places, but that's not your computer, that's just the consequences of having a giant, continuous game world

 

wow, so u have been using it with integrated graphics for a few months......

ur solution = fn+f7, it allows u to switch from 9400m to sli 260m

 

haha, i just noticed that.

5.5 seems kinda high for a 9400 though.

 

What!? lol please explain... why isnt the 260m even listed with my display adapters? *worries*

 

You actually have 2 gfx cards (3 in your case, i will consider your SLI cards as 1 to make it easy).

You have the 260M in SLI for performance, very fast cards.
And you have the 9400 as a low performance card which i recon is built into the motherboard. If you're in a train and run on battery and are typing some word document, they you want to save power, and then you use the 9400 card which isn't really powerfull but you don't need it at that point.

It seems to me you have been using this card sinc eyou had the laptop. So you are in for a treat, i can tell you.

Press FN (the button left of the windows key) on your keyboard along with F7 (which has the word GFX under it).
I'm not sure, but i think you also have to give it a little reboot after this.

For your reference, the 9400 card compared to your real 260m SLI cards is like comparing a bicycle with a ferrari ^^

This is likely also the reason you don't hear the 2nd or 3rd fan in your system, as you are currently not using your video cards.

 

lol you know how to get someone excited! Only problem I just hit fn and f7 together, kept trying and there was no change. Do I have to be in some window to hit that? Or has my graphics card committed suicide?

 

No don't worry.

I think you can also disable all the video card switching from the bios, by disabling Hybrid graphics or something like that.
There's also something with the FN+F7 button only working if you are on battery (not on AC power), so you might want to fiddle with that.

As long as you do not see your 260M SLI in your Computer management, then they are NOT being used.

We'll get this thing sorted for you so you can enjoy your beast ^^

 

I also just read your other posts, where you get messages when starting games that your machine might not be powerfull enough to run it and if you want to use low settings.

This is definately the same issue, the 9400 is not very powerfull and that is what you are using ^^

I'm gonna keep refresshing this screen to see your reaction once you managed to enable them and played a game with them, so we can read how much you love us, want to marry us, will send us alot of women and stuff like that.

 

I had hybrid graphis disabled, i enabled it and now i cant log in it just goes to a black screen after i enter my password, so im stuck in safemode?

 

Try enabling it again, boot up on your battery, and see if FN+F7 works
I also think you can switch the mode with the nvidia icon you may have on the right lower corner of your screen somewhere next to the clock (switch from and to discrete graphics i think it's called).

Here's an interesting link with information about halfway of a guy with the same problem:
http://en.community.dell.com/owners-club/alienware/f/3746/p/19288703/19532674.aspx

It might have to do that you always turn on your laptop on battery when you boot it up (and after putting AC in).

 

This is getting pretty ridiculous. I'm only on my 11th attempt, but apparently enabling hybrid graphics will load to the welcome screen then play the stupid windows music, then black screen of love and joy.

So I guess i should break open my machine and smash the 260 card into pieces out of rage or something?

lol cause enabling hybrid graphics in the bios isn't really allowing to log on...

And their is no little nvidia icon in the lower right hand corner, hasnt been for 6 or 9 or 12 months.

I just read this:

Hybrid SLI Modes
* Hybrid SLI is only supported on the Windows Vista operating system
* Hybrid SLI is only supported with at least 256 MB dedicated memory for the mGPU
* All displays must be attached to the mGPU for seamless mode switching
* Hybrid SLI is only supported on OEM notebooks with specially developed software released for specific notebook configurations. Loading generic drivers on a Hybrid SLI notebook will cause hybrid features to disappear
* The two operating modes of a Hybrid SLI-enabled notebook are:
- Boost Performance Mode where the discrete GPU and system board GPU work collaboratively to provide higher performance
- Save Power Mode where th

So after i upgraded to Windows 7 say who knows how long ago you're telling me my graphics card doesnt and won't work any more.... ugh great>?

 

Well you not having used your graphic cards for months, it looks thats the case.
But you will get them working don't worry, the majority here uses Windows 7.

1> You can try downloading the drivers for your video card from alienware , instead of the nvidia site.
2> Run a benchmark and give your score (3dmark06 or vantage).
While your in one of these 2, look at the System Info section and give us a screenshot of what it says there, in specific the section about GPU's.
3> while you run the benchmark, look if maybe your 260's suddenly kick in. Or if you hear a fan suddenly blowing harder, or even switching on.

Basically once you need the power (and hybrid is turned ON), if everyhting is working well, your cards will kick in and get used. We will see this in your score and the system info information.

 

How do I do any of that if I can NOT log in when I enable hybrid graphics? Goes right to a black screen? *goes to try without it enabled*

 

It says my score is 6315




*goes to dell to download the driver for the gtx 260 thing*

 

That's 3Dmark03, you can't really benchmark modern systems with that.

Try 3DMark06 or Vantage.

 

Should i try and install the gtx 260 driver first? or Go do the 3dmark 06 first?

 

I'd like to know what your score *now* is.
So we can compare later after adjusting stuff.

Here is 3dmark06
Futuremark - Benchmarks - 3DMark06 - Download
or vantage
3DMark Vantage Trial

Also as i said, pay attention while it's benchmarking if you hear fan's turn on or getting alot louder

 

Alright =) I'm 25% in on the download of that I'll let you know what my score comes out to be etc. I just wish there was some magic way to allow me to log in when i enable hybrid graphics, why/who would allow for a computer to get a black screen every time the machine loads up. lol

 

Alright I'm going to start the test now, while I do that I thought this might mean something, the only stuff i could find in the nvidia control panel no mention of my other graphics card :/

 

That will likely be confirmed in your score, you are only using the 9400 and not your real cards.
Let's wait to see what you get

 

New thing to try (i am actually pretty confident this will do the trick) is:

you have to disable hybrid mode in the bios (as mentioned earlier)
BUT also the Integrated Video.

This will result in the 9400 not being used at all, forcing your machine to run on the real cards as you want.

 

The integrated Video one is greyed out so I can't click on it to disable it. If you know a way to un gray it out I could try that ^

My score was 2231 here's the link with everything - Result

 

That...is definately way to low.
You should have at least 5x that amount.

http://forum.notebookreview.com/ali...oblem-m17x-r1-hybrid-gfx-greyed-out-bios.html

same problem you have (integrated graphics greyed out). Though he could still change it from the nvidia icon.
I'm gonna let some other expert jump in, i am not sure what the next best step would be except opening the case.
I'd try drivers to start with, try to get the nvidia icon so you can switch from within windows.

 

Hmm! I wonder how i can get an nvidia icon?

 

try the alienware driver for your card:

Drivers & Downloads

it should be under Video

I think it also installs something like with ATI (Control Center) cards, where you can enable/disable SLI and stuff like that. I'm pretty sure that's where you should be able to switch.

It's probably just named Nivida Control Panel after you installed, now that i think of it ^^

 

I just tried the 260m one but after it installed it said it didn't install properly or what not so i dont think that's gunna work.

 

You have win7 32 bit or 64?
I think i linked 64bit so that might be a problem.

Otherwise i'm starting to think something else is going on, if you get an error when you install the alienware drivers maybe your card got a bit loose or something and isn't making connection with the motherboard.

Just to make sure you don't already have the control panel, if you right-mouse-click on your desktop, do you see something Nvidia there?

 

I just went into the bios and managed to disable both of them somehow! Now what? Neither are showing up in the device manager now =).

 

Aha, now we're getting somewhere.

You actually can boot into windows with it disabled? (which means something is making your LCD picture an image, and if it isn't your 9400, then we both know what is)

 

holy moley it randomly installed something in the backround, i restarted and now on the gtx 260m is in the device manager!!!!!

Does that means its fixed?! should i run a test thingie?

 

You have just witnessed your virgin M17X realising it has 2 SLI cards, and installing the drivers for it.

Run the benchmark, compare scores, and do a happy dance

Then go play some game, might as well use it now it works ^^

 

I was typing out a response, but I found this instead.

How to: Alienware M17x SLI graphics fix ? Video Games Reviews, Cheats | Geek.com

I had the same problem (sort of) and this pretty much handled it.

I went back and forth a couple of times to get it to work, but eventually it did, and I think currently I have integrated disabled and hybrid enabled.

Update your drivers and the control center will come with it, or you can probably just download it and save it to the default directory and it should repair whatever was wrong with it not coming up.

Once you get it to come back if you ever accidently turn off the SLI you can turn it back on through the control center (this requires a reboot).

Personally I find the wording with FN F7 very vague, something like "you are now switching between super graphics and mega graphics" without letting you know which is which or which is on now, so just set it to performance in the control center and reboot.

Hope this helps.

edit:
lol nevermind

 

11851 3DMarks !

Result

 

3dmark06 scores now!!

 

That's more like it
Now turn on SLI, since it ain't on

 

lol idk how! ^.^

 

in that nvidia control panel you should have something called SLI or Enable Sli or something

Your results report show 1 GPU and SLI turned off. You are only using 1 atm.

Don't expect your score to go rocket high though. For me with my crossfire cards it's a difference of about 2000 points or something in 3dmark06.

But then you fire up a game and get double framerates ^^

 

This is what the nvidia control panel shows me

 

Maybe under manage 3d settings?
I'm not to familiar with the nvidia control panel, i have ati cards but i'm sure it should be there somewhere.
It could require a reboot if it's just installed to recognise it should show an SLI option

 

Hehe if you find out let me know!