Just got my 880M twins!

@PC GAMER 89 average with ultra and hair. See this post for my GPU-Z graphs and FRAPS benchmark.

http://forum.notebookreview.com/threads/the-witcher-3-discussion-thread.736409/page-82#post-10016305

 

It's weird cause every videos I saw, they pulled 70fps on average with hairworks disabled and 50fps with hairworks on. I personally get 30fps with hairworks on and way more at around 50-60fps on average. I guess your CPU is what contributes to the huge fps increase. An oc'ed i7-4940mx would easily provide 10-15fps more although the temps would be scary which is one of the reasons I stocked with the i7-4710mq, runs much cooler and less expensive. I might eventually get the 4940mx or a newer CPU down the line although I doubt about the 5th generation especially that they are only soldered (HQand not MQ). I'll might have to make do with the 4940mx by the looks of it.

 

My 4940MX is not currently overclocked. This game doesn't make heavy use of the CPU so its not that. Vsync has a stupid huge performance hit on this game. It also doesn't run in full screen by default. The 353.06 drivers gave a nice boost to the game so any benchmarks run before that need to be run again.

 

Man I can't wait to get my second Titan X and experience this game in ultra at 140 fps 1440p

 

@Ethrem, I have to run the witcher 3 again especially with the 353.06 driver. I thought the witcher 3, GTA 5 and over open world game made use of the CPU a lot. @Splintah, enjoy your 2 titan x lucky you but I don't really want to get the new alienware lineup as their build quality drastically decreased. No more metal on the top, back and side also all the parts are soldered but the graphics amplifier is a real advantage though I didn't know they supported SLI configurations

 

Thanks man I'll be running it on my desktop the alien can only fit one desktop card inside of it before it says no more. Heheheh

 

Hey @Mr. Fox, does your new driver mod supports sli for the witcher 3 as I really want to test it out given that all of nvidia's drivers have been **** till now except for the latest one. Offered a huge performance boost in far cry 4, the witcher 3 and project cars although I don't have the game.

 

Ohhh you have the alienware area 51 then. It's a beast especially that it supports quad sli. The graphics amplifier is no slouch either as one titan x should be enough. According to game debate, the titan x is 25% faster than the 880m sli

 

Nah my desktop is my own build, just upgrading pieces of it and swapping out parts over the years, sorry for getting the thread off topic though

 

Probably so, since it is the latest driver, but I don't know because I don't play Witcher 3. You'll have to try it and see what happens. Let us know how it does.

 

that's okay. Was it hard to build your own rig? Am thinking of building my own rig in the future.

 

Hey @Ethrem, can you tell me how you managed to pull 89fps on average for the witcher 3 (with hairworks on on top of that)?





All the above videos were 980m sli running the witcher at 1080p with hairworks on (everything else was maxed out). They averaged 65-70fps :0 Even a 980 doesn't get that much fps with hairworks on. Last video I saw, the 980 got 50fps on average with everything maxed out including hairworks). I difference in fps between a gtx 880m sli and the 980m sli is around 15-20fps. I get on average 45-50fps so just how did you manage to pull this 89fps? My mind has officially been blown off.

 

I have no idea. I put the game on and ran the FRAPS benchmark. Maybe their recording has an overhead or they've got cut scenes in there (cut scenes drop the recorded frame rate to like 27-29). If I feel like playing it tomorrow, I'll run it again. The problem is that there is no standard benchmark for it.

 

Yeah, that's true. Given that the difference between the gtx 880m sli and 980m sli is 15-20fps, your score should be around 65-70fps. Regardless of that, your fps is fantastic. A built in benchmark would be fantastic though. Maybe you could run the witcher 3 again weever you have some free time, that would clarify a lot

 

There might be the whole thing of "drivers" and "maybe Ethrem's 980Ms with Prema's vBIOS work better" and hell, even Ethrem's slightly faster CPU speed (that guy has a 4810MQ and no telling if he set it up right)

 

Yeah, I think it's just a collection of good drivers, new VBIOS and good CPU yielding an average of 89fps. I can see a pair of overclocked 980m having 25-30 more fps than a stock pair of. 880m given that I clock speed the difference between both is 15-20fps. But damn that fps is nice and even more so as it is with hairworks on

 

I don't use Prema's vbios. In fact I'm totally stock right now from both system and video. Flashing the mod would more than likely net me a few more FPS due to PCIe 2.0 being enabled by the mod, I just was having issues with the latest EC and the mod. He hasn't updated it since the v1 release so it has an old system BIOS as a base. I guess it wouldn't hurt to go back to the mod and just leave the older EC although its nice going into BIOS and seeing my 980M recognized instead of unknown

 

Who said anything about overclocked O_O

Could you not use the vBIOS mod with the current Clevo BIOS/EC? Maybe prema'll update the BIOS/EC later. MAYBE with Gsync =O. I really want him to make Gsync a thing XD

 

@Ethrem, can you run the witcher 3 again Also, do you think I'll enable PCIe 2.0 as well if I flash a custom VBIOS?

 

I can use the vbios mod but I end up with 90C temperatures and that's just not okay with me. My comfort zone ends at 87C but even still, 81C is much better.

I will run it in a bit. PCIe 2.0 gets enabled on Clevo machines by Prema's system BIOS mod, it has nothing to do with the vbios.

 

Yeah, actually you are more lenient than me. 80 degrees is just a big no no for me. Do you know what type of PCIe I have?

 

My cards started off at 77C with auto fans (basically barely on) but for some reason they hit 87C which is the throttle point if I use auto fans now so I have to use max fans.

I don't know about Alienware, I'm pretty sure you have PCIe 2.0 though.

 

Y

Yeah, my 880ms do get quite hot when running the witcher 3, around 80 degrees with the auto fans running at max. It is actually quite scary for me, I think I may just have to set a temp limit via EVGA to somewhere around 75 degrees. Don't think it will affect the performance that much. I freaking love my AW man, you just can't imagine how much I would imagine you love yours just as much. It is my first gaming pc so just got introduced to the pc gaming master race. What I find weird though is most people make do with a normal gaming pc and trash laptop gaming. Our 88oms, 980ms and even the 780ms can annihilate most of the cards out there. Only the 980 ti and titan x are above outr level or other sli configurations but that requires more cash to spend than a gaming laptop. I am just so confused as to why the pc master race is so divided :/

 

My first gaming laptop was a Toshiba Satellite X205 which I replaced with an M17xR1. I honestly would have gotten the Alienware 18 last year if it had the drive options and the 120hz screen.

980M SLI beats Titan X just like 880M SLI beats 780 Ti.

As for heat, the 880Ms run hot. Auto fans kept my stock 880Ms around 81-82C but when I had the vbios mod, that shot up to 95C and throttled. If you set your temperature limit to 75C, you're going to throttle very bad.

I have both a desktop and a laptop and I value them both... My laptop is quite loud compared to my water cooled desktop but it has 980Ms while the desktop has a 780 Ti but the desktop has a 4.7GHz 4790K that never throttles while my laptop has a 4GHz 4940MX that throttles down to 3.4GHz under load and when "fixed" runs 4GHz under load at 92C... Basically the laptop is for gaming and I keep it at 3.5-3.6GHz and do anything CPU intensive on the desktop.

 

Well, there is no consistency between products due to inconsistencies and variation in the level of incompetence among the OEMs. Same components doesn't always equal same performance. As an example, the older P570WM before Prema's latest system BIOS could JUST BARELY keep up with an M18xR2 with 3920XM even when equipped with a hexacore K or X CPU because the machine was severely crippled by Clevo. After Prema's BIOS magic, that beast got a radical life-changing transformation. The 18-inch dual GPU Alienwares (Sandy, Ivy and Haswell) have amazing cooling systems and a BIOS that allows unprecedented CPU and GPU overclocking in a laptop. In many case they outperform enthusiast-grade desktops with all but the most expensive and elaborate CPU, GPU and cooling configurations. Now, mysteriously, new things are happening with NVIDIA drivers that cripple the Alienware machines and impair their overclocking ability and performance. With unethical system behavior and performance manipulation taking place through NVIDIA drivers, presumably to create an artificial divide, is it any wonder that the PC Master Race is the spastic roller coaster ride we see today?

 

Yeah you are right @Mr. Fox. You would think that Nvidia would be satisfied with all the kepler "gimp" debacle going on and the trash drivers they are releasing but lo and behold they were still craving for some actions and now "gimping" the Alienware lineup. Alienware is receiving enough hatred as it is now, don't need to add more, damn. I love my Alienware 18 so damn much I can't even think of opening it up by fear of scratching it . There cooling is amazing as you said. Three beefy fans just cooling the system. I guess the PC master race is after all just a bunch of idiotic retards raging and hating on pretty much everything. The console community is just as retarded so SMH @Ethrem, the 980m sli is somewhere around 10-15% faster than a titan X. The 880ms annihilate both the gtx 780 ti and the titan series which is why the 980m sli annihilates the 980 and titan x now It just amazes me how technology moves at an incredible speed BTW you should upgrade to the 980 Ti, apparently it's a beast

 

I'm waiting to see what AMD brings to the table. But if I get a new desktop card I might sell my laptop. I'm on disability so money isn't something I have a lot of. Only got the machine I did because I got 3 years worth of back pay last year for all the time they fought me on getting my benefits.

 

I am sorry to hear that @Ethrem. You know it's the ups and owns of life. Good luck with it I am a student after all, I damn well know the feels when you are short of cash If you do get a new desktop, your laptop will be useless so selling it would be a great idea. According to speculations, the new AMD would have double what the 980 has at the moment like CUDA cores, memory, clock speed and VRAM but I highly doubt it will be the @Nvidia killer@ not even close. BTW, I looked up some titan x benchmarks and in general it seems that a titan x is 20-25% more powerful than my 880ms. That's really amazing how my 880ms can hold up. But in all honesty, I don't see the point of having a titan x anymore given that the 980Ti wrecks the Titan x with only 1 fps difference in pretty much everything and is also $600 cheaper. Facepalm :/

 

Dell ruined the graphics performance with several crippled bios... The performance of AW17 and 18 got better just before Christmas 2013 with an improved bios. This took 7 months . Aw17 got bios A07 which fixed the problem with graphics performance(graphics tdp). There are OEMs that destroys the pleasure of having a high end laptops. Just see the new AW models

 

Titan X is 1k, 980 Ti cheapest card is 660. That's a 340 dollar difference, not 600 but yes it's a big difference.

 

The M18xR2 and AW18 are PCIe 3.0.

 

PCIe link speed does it have any drastic effect, like I've heard that x8 and x16 doesn't put much of a difference...and the SLI operates on PCIe 3.0 x8 or is it only Mr. Fox's machine that runs with 3.0 x16 ??

Though on my AW its 3.0 x16 & Clevo modded with Prema BIOS then the PCIe bumps to 2.0, does that mean the P377SM-A comes with PCIe 1.0 ??

Edit : Oops missed that 3.0 x8 link speed in the screenshot

 

It doesn't make a huge difference, and in most cases none at all. I only answered the question that it is PCIe 3.0 with the correct information. PCIe 2.0 usually offers more than adequate bandwidth.

It is x8 because of SLI, x16 with one GPU, but that also doesn't hinder anything... still ample bandwidth for these GPUs.

 

yea no reason to really get one now, but I bought it when it first came out

Very easy, the first time can be intimidating though

 

345.20 Drivers FTW - No Throttle! Take that, Alienware... er, NVIDIA... whoever you throttle-inducing scoundrels are.

http://www.3dmark.com/3dm11/9901465

 

Wow that's impressive. To be honest, I really want to flash one of your modded drivers @Mr. Fox , but I just don't know if the witcher 3 SLI profile works or not. I just so damn love this game I definitely will try your latest driver once I am done with the witcher 3

 

Really things with Alienware are messed up very badly !! first the GPU incompatibilty , UEFI requirement, now the driver throttling on SLI machines very bad (the old problems still not yet fixed - nvram bios, EC fan control). I think we might need to abandon these machines in favor of new Clevos, Alienware doesn't give a F at all. This 180 turn, these guys should rot in hell for the issues they are causing and the whole disabanding of SLIs . Atleast they can issue a BIOS patch to let us take control of our property ffs for the old machines damnit !!

I must've posted this a dozen of times, all in vain...RIP Alienware.

 

I can sell you my alienware 18 with dual 880m 8gb version and 960gb ssd

 

It's awesome but impossible travel with it, very sad

 

Alienware will and always be a classy brand. Alienware definitely "was" the best system to have till now with sager and clevo following. Sadly Alienware went full retard with their newest iterations. Soldered gpu and CPU plus **** build quality, seriously Alienware, WTF. I love Alienware so much and I take proud of my 18 so damn much. Alienware has so many haters which already says a lot about their brand power. They were definitely aiming for higher tier consumers hence the sheer amount of haters. I feel so damn proud and pitiful at the same time when people hate on Alienware because I know they can't afford to have a beautiful high end sexy as **** machine. Now Alienware is just a normal brand with nothing to make it stand out. MSI took its place in the 18 gaming laptop with the Titan. I just can't fathom how they went south like this. RIP Alienware, you will always be the best in my heart

 

Nope! (Unfortunately!)

 

Only reason why they ceased to be a classy brand is their choice of soldering the components. That is a seriously stupid move and are now just greedy. They force people to buy a new machine every 1-2 years rather than upgrading them regardless of whether you have the amplifier or not. Plus the BGA garbage processors are in there too so @Papusan. I am extremely sad but at least, I am not the only one feeling this way

Hey btw, is anyone experiencing some weird bugs with the witcher 3. I am getting so constant stuttering, freezes, crash to the desktop (it minimises itself to the desktop so I have to press the icon again to go back in the game) and fps drops. Sometimes my fps drops to like 20-25 which is really annoying. I love this game so much but it's still full of bugs. I have the latest patch 1.05, playing on ultra quality. Any recommendations would be appreciated, thanks

 

Remember to edit your last post if there are no more posts after yours. This thread becomes unnecessarily long and bewildering. Also not forget multi-quote .

 

yea that whole thing where it minimizes or the game will close instantly with no error

 

Bah... I travel with my P170SM-A every day. Last week I added a Dell M4500 to the same bag. Now that wasn't a lot of fun, but doable.

 

Hey @Ethrem, I think I may have found a benchmarking tool for the witcher 3: http://www.pcgameshardware.de/The-Witcher-3-PC-237266/Specials/Grafikkarten-Benchmarks-1159196/
I am gonna try it too and report back on the performance. BTW has anyone of you tried ark survival evolved, I heard you need a Titan x to play it on epic. Downloading the game now. Gonna report on the performance. Hey @deadsmiley , I think your sager is customisable right, maybe you could try to SLi your machine as games now are becoming harder to run, one single 880m is pretty much incapable of running games at ultra. The same will happen to the 980m in a couple of months at least. SLi is the way to go eventhough it's really expensive. I had to make a lot of concession to get my AW18 but it was so worth it

The difference between a single one 880m to a single 980m is around 20fps. The difference when in SLi is, from what I saw, 15fps.

 

@PC GAMER YOUR SIGNATURE TAKES UP THE WHOLE PAGE. DUDE. COME ON.

 

Woppps my bad

 

@PC GAMER only one MXM slot on this machine. No SLI for me.

Sent from my SPH-L720 using Tapatalk

 

Ohhhh well one 880m will do just fine for this year. You can still upgrade to the 980m once you are done with the 880m.