***M18x - AMD Crossfire (Driver Questions, Performance, Problems) Discussion Thread***

No you haven't misunderstood, for gpu1 it has worked but not for gpu0
both your edited vbios and the vbios I edited forced gpu1 on to 3d clocks (850/1200), but gpu0 refuses to clock pass 300mhz on the core and 150mhz on the memory (at any time its just stuck)

I hadn't noticed it for a while as I have been playing cod 4 and 5 and the unreal tournament series but as soon as I cranked skyrim up I knew straight way I had problems So I have checked via Hwinfo on a whole heap of games and sure enough I have never seen gpu0 at full 3d clocks

 

Hmm... if the vBIOS flashed correctly and it still stays stuck, I think you have a bad GPU Brother Kenny. I think you need to contact Alienware and get that bad GPU replaced.

 

I am look forward to new modded 118 vbios by Mr. Fox that only hope to me. Cheer up Mr. Fox.

 

The vBIOS Patcher does not work with the v118 vBIOS... at least not yet. It does not read the information correctly from the ROM.

 

Yeah, I was read that post from techinferno. Thank you for your trying.
What are AMD doing now? They seems just looking around this
Seriously, never I buy AMD stuff futher.
If I live in M18x R2 a legal lunching area, I will exchange 7970m cfx -> 680m sli but I live in South Korea. here isn't service area.
No more I don't care my money why I already cost about 6000$ for M18x R2.

However, I have a last concern about my gpu temp.

Here is information.
I test some games "Sleeping Dogs, Prototype2, Darksiders2"

Idle~Gaming
Gpu0 - 52C~66C (118 vbios - 1.05v)
Gpu1 - 56C~72C (017a vbios - 1.075v it seems 7970m bug why if I flash to gpu0, it has same result.)

So Dear Mr. Fox, my gpu1 temp is Ok? average 5C higher than gpu0

 

72C is a pretty good temp, I'd be happy with that
On my m17x r2 one gpu was always a few degrees hotter then the other, In my experience its nothing to get worried about

 

Is your powerplay enabled? I noticed when I turned it off on my r2 I had the same problem

 

Agree with Kenny27. I think you will be fine, aungoun.

 

No power play is unchecked in CCC

I'm starting to get weird blue flashing thingys in skyrim menus and skyrim also crashes due to driver failure message if I jump into any water

Pretty much convinced gpu0 is on the way out

EDIT: Sorry inali93 I miss read your post, I re-enabled powerplay and everything is sweet again!
I cant believe it! I had what looked like a gpu with serious problems and by checking a box which I always though was best left unchecked It's like a new computer, thanks mate!

 

Ha, wish I would have known that you had unchecked the box in CCC earlier. Unchecking the PowerPlay box with 7970M is a great big no-no. Doing so causes a number of issues. I don't think it is supposed to, but with the drivers AMD has been releasing from at least 12.5 to present you definitely don't want to do that. It may simply be due to the fact that none of the current drivers provide 100% support for the 7970M GPU chipset (per the email I received from AMD Tech Support).

PowerPlay problems are best avoided by changing the 2D clocks speeds and voltage to match 3D, as I did with the vBIOS.

 

Haha glad it helped! I was pretty worried myself when it happened to me! Just thinking about going through the stress of getting something replaced after having the laptop for just about two weeks!

 

Finally, breathe easily. Thank you Mr. Fox and Kenny27
I'm playing Sleeping Dogs extreme graphic option with new August 8 catalyst driver.

Very smooth and good performance. I'm so glad

 

Hi everyone. I am the owner of an m18x with crossfire 6970m. I am currently on AMD drivers (11.9). Just wondering what drivers to update to. I am looking for stability as well as performance increases (specifically in crossfire performance for guild wars 2). Currently my set up is very stable is it worth updating? Thanks!

 

If your setup is stable and works well at gaming, best to leave it be. AMD video drivers can be very persnickety and you may not be happy with the outcome.

If you decide to do it anyway, as most of us do, first make an image of your HDD so you can restore it to where it is now. Use the clean install method outlined near the beginning of the thread.

 

Yo Alienware forum dudes =)

I got a small problem with OC the 7970M CF.

When i aply a new clock in MSI afterburner 2.2.3 the screen starts to flicker
Anyone have a sollution to what that might be? :S
My drivers are 12.8 with CAP 2 (Is cap 3 installed with 12.8 driver or do i have to download that separate?)

Thanks a bunch guys =)

 

Being somewhat new to the Alienware camp...quick question. Which video driver should i dl for increased performance over the stock drivers my rig came with? I seem to have some slight flickering issues with crossfire enabled in quite a few games currently.

 

you need to disable ULPS by editing the registry.

To change ULPS:

1 Go to regedit (start>search programs and files>"regedit")
2 press crtl+f and type "eneableulps"
3 For ALL instances (keep pressing F3) change the "1" value to a "0".
4 Reboot.

after that you wont get the screen flicker

 

Worked like a charm thanks Xmadror =)

So what is a good stable clock for the 7970M CF with stock clock?
Ohh and what is max temp for it?

Once again thanks a bunch

 

Mr.FOX i have used your 017a.rom with 2d clocks matched to 3d and now my idle temps raised because of clocks it is normal? Are you using it? What's ur idle GPU temps?

 

Yes, of course it raises idle temps. I've posted that it does... that's expected and it's not a problem. My idle temps are around 50°C, give or take a couple of degrees. Load temps are the same as always because it is not overclocked. I have been using it all along. Out of curiosity, I tried going back to the v118 yesterday and my video cards are misbehaving like they used to. I had not experienced a BSOD in probably a month and I had two yesterday and one today. So, I will be going back to my modded vBIOS because it is the only way my system will run stable with these video cards.

 

Mr. Fox, try the updated v3 of the 9.00 12.8: [email protected]
It comes with the CCC of the 12.8 WHQL.

Also, why did you lock the driver thread?

 

Hello can anyone please help me i cant play any games in my 7970 with crossfire enabled since yellow line flickers when i start games. however when i disable crossfire the flicker is gone.
Any help would be great thanks in advance. im using stock dell drivers since when i used 12.7b hotfix my laptop would hang for no reason.

 

If you are talking about Skyrim, the 12.8 WHQL fixed it for me.

 

What games is it doing that in ? Did you install any programs or updates?
Did you do a clean driver install ?

 

i tried kingdoms of amalur, diablo3 , and assasins creed revelations. and they all have the same issue when i start the game yellow lines comes out then when i disable crossfire its gone. and yes i did a clean driver install. before i changed driver it was white lines but when i changed the drivers it became yellow lines.

 

I think you may have a hardware issue that drivers are not going to fix. Probably should call 1-800-ALIENWARE to get it taken care of under warranty.

 

Hello,

I can have a m17xr4 with 680m and 3D display or m18xr2 with 7970m in crossfire for the same price, what do you recommend ?

I'm afraid of ending up on a single card with AMD drivers

Thanks

 

As you should be. Is there no way you can afford the M18x with one 680M GPU for now? You can upgrade to SLI with parts later if it is impossible to swing the difference for it in the new machine. I don't like your choices very well. The M18x is a whole lot better system than the M17x R4, but the CrossFried setup in the M18x makes it less attractive. I suppose if push comes to shove, the M18x is going to be the winner. Just say your prayers and maybe you will not get a defective pair of reds. If you get good ones, they rock. AMD drivers haven't been very good for a long time.

Have a look at this info: http://forum.notebookreview.com/gam...o-4gb-680m-oc-vs-dell-amd-hd7970m-2gb-oc.html

 

I can but Dell sell 680m alone at 1250€ (~1570$ LOL) in my country, and upgrade with a upgrademonkey card (4go) is to go into trouble no ?

The drivers are no longer a problem as mentioned here ?
Review Alienware M18x R2 Notebook - Notebookcheck.net Reviews(50% of games work poorly in crossfire)

impressive overclocking capabilities

 

Nah, the AMD drivers are still pretty dog gone crappy. While some are better or worse than others, there is still not a "good driver" for the 7970M CrossFire yet. None of the new ones (v.900) being posted are any good for me.

Didn't work that good for me. I generally don't get good results with asder00's tweaked drivers. The thread being locked was accidental. Thanks for letting me know. It's unlocked now.

 

You think there will be stable drivers soon ?

 

I find the modded drivers are frequently unstable, but the AMD WHQL and beta drivers don't normally cause a great deal of instability. They aren't exactly unstable right now, they simply don't perform well... especially with CrossFried. Some of the 7970M display adapters in circulation have defects which do cause instability.

 

ok, I now have some new problems, I'm getting occasional black screens, freezes, some weird horizontal yellow lines flickering in the bottom of my screen (dell u2410 plugged in via hdmi) and crashes to a screen with yellow vertical stripes, and its all happening in low load situations such as itunes, picture viewer cod etc
Are these typical issues with the crummy drivers we are having to put up with (I assume then that setting 2d clocks the same as 3d clocks will help fix this, I just prefer not doing this mod if I can help it) or does it sound like hardware problems

 

Kenny, I don't think the vBIOS mod or drivers is going to cure those all of those issues... The vBIOS mod is to stop the clocks from getting stuck and the problems most folks have experienced have been in 3D mode, not 2D mode. I have never experienced a black screen freeze in 2D mode... I only experience that in 3D mode, and then usually only running under DX11. This seems like a hardware problem to me.

 

Ok thanks Mr Fox I knew some thing was wrong just needed a second opinion

 

Like it: The cards allow for Crossfire but the user is forced into a "CrossFried" situation...

How dare AMD / Dell / AW sell and provide such technology without having tried and tested over and over again that it runs smoothly?

Is not this a cause for legal action for missleading, fraud and damages?

Just asking...

 

Glad you like that. I thought it was clever when I typed it, LOL. But, it's not a Mr. Fox original. I don't remember where I saw it, or any of the details now, but that was a typo in a printed magazine advertisement for a gaming desktop system builder that I saw a few years ago. It was an off-brand like CyberPower or iBuyPower.

Brother SOS, I don't have anything against Dell/Alienware and would never dream of doing that over something like a video card. I already went around the block with the NVIDIA defect a couple of years ago and got shafted by HP and NVIDIA on that deal. (WOOT! As a Class Action member I got a $300, featureless pile of junk, Compaq CQ56-115DX--at the recommendation of HP--to replace a feature-rich Pavilion Entertainment notebook worth three times more.) Plus, I have no reason to believe the 7970M were not thoroughly tested by Dell/Alienware before production began. Not all of the GPUs have problems... probably a small percentage of the total that don't work properly. They are downright awesome when they are not having issues, and if those they had during tests worked well, they would never have run into a problem. And, there is no need for that with the awesome Dell/Alienware warranty to address any real issues.

 

Believeme brother Fox, As I told you before somewhere else, I have had many years of experiences with almost any known brand and I do prefer Dell's machines, but sometimes, some things make blood boil... (even I'm a pacific person).

It's not just some "casual differences between cards, it's also the drivers issues... I have seen the benefits of TQM doing an almost perfect work (always there is apotential for improving) when designing, manufacturing and providing equipments. several years ago I was involved in the designing, producing and providing of some delicate electronic equipment @ a start up enterprise in a famous technological university. At the begining there where a lot of failing products, then they start to implement the TQM and the improvement was amazing. From other universities they come to learn how that start up was doing so good...

I am a Dell consumer. Recommend their products when comparing to other for many reasons. But I can't and will not accept the dubitous queality of a product, even if it is a complex product.

How many times someone had to change because of processor failures? And we all know how complex the design and production of a processor unit is. If Intel can produce almost flawless processors, AMD also, if they propose it so, they also can produce flawless cards ...

But, @ the bottom line... It's not a matter if they care or not, if I have a good warranty (which I pay for) behind me or not... the matter is that they have the obligation and responsibility to provide a perfectly working part (as they advertize it) with a perfectly working driver...

Not all the GPU's has problems? I'm not the "guinea pig" to experiment which one is OK. They have the responsibility to check everyone of them before it's provided. If the part is not working OK and someone is put in a situation where he / she needs to use a warranty, loose it's time with endless issues and uncertainties, expecting for drivers that never seem to work as they are supposed to... there is a case for missadvertizing, missinforming, missleading to buy something that do not perform as it was explicity say by the manufacturer... and of course a case for fraud and damages.

As a consumer it's not my porblem to resolve if it's the responsibility of Dell or AMD... when someone buy a product she / he want it working as advertized right out of the box.

Still, as I say before, I prefer Dell among others.

 

I think with AMD products, "caveat emptor" principle definitely applies. The proverbial Forest Gump "box of chocolates" catch phrase.

 

Agree that that is the situation but, it is inconceivable and totally unacceptable that the acquisition of a product (especially a technological one) is a "Russian roulette" in which you might have luck and you may...

If a producer makes a propaganda ( to make profits ) that a particular product has such and such capabilities (to convince the potential buyers) and then it is found that it's not quite so... someone has to pay the consequences, and that "someone" is not and can be not the consumer.

We (as consumers) should not act as "sympathetics" of the situation or issues of a particular producer. As they claim their incomes and profits, we must reclaim and demand, in all situations, ours: a well checked (TQM) product that works has it was advertized. Maybe not more but certainly not less.

P.S.: We (consumers) must be united in telling the producers of goods, clearly, anywhere, and specially from this generous plataform provided by the NotebookReview forums, We are not sheep to be shorn, we do not accept to be missinformed and missleaded to acquire products as some "clossed box of chocolates"... We need, want and demand to be sure (at least at some qualified level of reliability and effectivity) that the product really do what it's suppossed to do.

 

ok i must admit that my laptop never actually crash in 3d! it always does it after a game while browsing web , or just watching youtube...

this would mean that this laptop as most probably something defective now i use that laptop for work HEAVILY i can't go without it ... im stuck .. wow

 

Sy5tem, have you tried "turning off hardware acceleration" in your browser ?

 

no i did not ... i will try that .. would that be a problem with ati drivers?

 

The AMD drivers are the problem, not Firefox. So, it will not hurt anything as far as the drivers are concerned.

 

^^ I've recently found that you should make a custom profile for firefox.exe that disable crossfire (in CCC) to avoid having problem with that browser (or disable hardware acceleration)

 

Thank you for posting that tip xmadror. Although I do not use Firefox, it may be very useful to those that do.

 

Help needed guys,

I got a alienware M18x R2 with 7970m crossfire. This morning I used the MSI afterburner found some problems with the second gpu (gpu2). It seems that the core clock was locked at 850 all the time. Do anyone know how does this come and how to solve this. I didn't even run any program and the usage of the gpu2 is absolutely 0. Please tell me what to do T=T. Also anyone could do me a favor telling me how to post a new thread? My post permission says I can't.
Also I would like to show you guys the MSI Afterburner picture but it didn't show upT=T.

 

Hello

I did a test with FurMark is the first GPU reached 98 degrees.

While the latter did not exceed 84 degrees.

It is some incompatibility with the program or have something wrong?



Uploaded with ImageShack.us

 

Help needed guys,

I got a alienware M18x R2 with 7970m crossfire. This morning I used the MSI afterburner found some problems with the second gpu (gpu2). It seems that the core clock was locked at 850 all the time. Do anyone know how does this come and how to solve this. I didn't even run any program and the usage of the gpu2 is absolutely 0.

BTW, the DELL tech support is the least helpful thing in this world, hiring somebody totally have no idea with the core clock and do things with DELL procedure. DELL is totally a joke.

Update:
I found out after running a game, I ran COD 4, and then closed it, the secondary GPU went perfectly normal.....Anyone? Help?

Here is the pictures I captured from the MSI Afterburner.
Click to see the pics.
View attachment 83994
View attachment 83995
View attachment 83996

 

Welcome to NBR, jbsd. I moved your new thread into one devoted to questions and problems with AMD video cards in the M18x.

That's just one of the many things AMD video cards are famous for. I've had the same issue with 6970M, 6990M and 7970M. You'll have to live with it because there is no fix for it. This will likely come and go at random. It's an annoyance more than it is a real problem. What is a bigger problem is when the clock speeds remain stuck in 2D mode, because your system performance will suffer dramatically if that occurs. (I have locked my GPUs intentionally at 3D mode to prevent that from happening.) Please read through this thread and you will see this and other AMD glitches discussed with tweaks to help circumvent them.

As you are a new member of the community, here are a couple of links you might find useful.

Help! I am new to the forum... what should I know?

Forum Rules - *PLEASE READ BEFORE POSTING*

...and there is a link to an index of useful links in my signature.

Glad you joined our community!