***M18x - NVIDIA SLI (Driver Questions, Performance, Problems) Discussion Thread***

Ok if I do this alone, would void my warranty? I don't want to screw it up.

 

No your warranty will not be void.

 

You already got yours? I ordered on the 18th and it's still in production. Not expected to receive until the 7th. *sigh*

 

is it ok to install games while i wait for the tech to fix this?

 

Certainly. You can play games, too. You don't need to have CrossFire to do that.

 

As stated the cable may have become loose during transit and as Mr.Fox mentioned its not really a hard fix. Seems intimidating but its relatively simple as long as your careful. I have yet to take apart my m18x r1 but ive taken apart all my other laptops as well as seen the m18x teardown videos enough that i dont need it for reference if i want to disassemble it.

I would recommend you try to fix it yourself since one day you're going to open up your laptop for whatever reason anyway. Plus it wont void your warranty at the least bit. But if you insist on getting a tech to do it, go ahead.

 

Ohh im so sorry to hear that youve got system with some basic fault
As with just crossfire cable you can do it by ur self, as previously mates advice. Just play game as much as you can...lol but let me know hows Battlefield goes

 

hello everyone, getting an m18x r1 as a replacement and after reading most of the threads, a little confused due to the timeline and would like some help.
basically seeking advice on the fixing the 580sli issue, throttling, and DPC latency.

Unresolved issues: DPC latency, any workarounds, tried mr. fox method with the new 301 video drivers and no go, will revert back to 296

Bios - what is the recommended bios version? A05 ? read that its only good for the 6990?

throttling issue 580m - do i need to flash custom vbios, read that alienware fixed the throttling issue on the m18 but i am unable to find the thread or fix.

thanks for any comments

 

Never looked into DPC latency issues since I never had it. Sorry cant help you there.

My m18x r1 came preloaded with the A05 BIOS and I have 580m SLI. Im aware that the A05 was made to fix AMD 6990m Xfire fan issues so it seems to be unnecessary for a 580m SLI set up...but having one myself with the A05 BIOS, no issues whatsoever so its safe.

As for the 580m throttling issue: http://forum.notebookreview.com/ali...-overclocking-no-vbios-flashing-required.html
You can use Red Line's method and flash the vbios for a permanent fix, or you can use Mr.Fox's batch files w/ Nvidia Inspector. You can set the batch fix to run automatically on startup so technically i still consider it a permanent fix.

Personally I used it a few times to use Mr.Fox's mild overclock batch file, but that was it. I realized I had no throttle problems so I just use it to OC once in a while.

 

Need some help guys. I am running my rig in sig and have the 296.10 drivers installed because the new ones gimped Batman Arkham City for me. However, I notice that almost every intensive game I load have severe FPS drops at the beginning of a respawn or the start of a level. Is this common and I just didn't notice it before?

MSI Afterburner doesn't show any core or shader drops. I also seem to have VERY inconsistent FPS in the mid to later rounds in the first Crysis. Is this just poor optimization? Batman AC runs well maxed in DX11 but it can randomly go from 60 to 30 FPS depending on where I turn. It's not unplayable like that but I want to rule out some kind of throttling and confirm that it is just the issues with the games and drivers/video cards.

Thanks.

 

I think it's just the game, not your computer.

 

Hey all,

Okey so I dont want to search all 52 pages or all other forums,
so I am just gonna ask here :

What is the best results of OC for SLI 580m ?

I already VBiosed and I am ok with doing it again so Voltage can be changed as well.

I just wanna know what is the best "bang for our buck" ,

In our case what is the best Memory Clock/Shader Clock/Voltage for SLI 580m OCing that wouldn't damage the cards ?


I appreciate your response,

Thanks,

 

You'll find the information you are looking for in this thread, and it should be invaluable for your 580M overclocking adventures: http://forum.notebookreview.com/ali...-overclocking-no-vbios-flashing-required.html.

Also, look at the screen shots linked to the benchmark leaderboard scores for GTX 580M and you will see the settings being utilized.

And, here is a link to all of my record-setting benchmark scores and screen shots. You will need 0.92v to do any serious overclocking. Just run at stock core/shader/memory clocks when you are not benching and you should not need to worry about damage. No point in overclocking the GPUs for games at all, as they have plenty of mojo at stock clock speeds.

 

If I up the voltage to 0.92v and run the stock core/shader/memory when not needing GPU power and changing them when needed ( by nvidiainspection ),
Would it be safe ?

I mean have higher voltage all the time even with stock core/shader is not gonna damage the laptop right ?

and the reason I am OCing is I see some games just cant run at fullest graphics like metro or max payne 3 , this just bothers me !

Thanks

 

Yes, that's correct. I ran 0.92v all the time without any problems, but I also ran at stock clock speeds 24/7 except for the times there was some need to OC, like trying to set a new benchmark score. If you run them OC'd all the time (even on stock voltage) you may shorten the life span of the GPUs.

 

Ok , I see you spent lots of time on OCing SLI 580m,

So at 0.92v what you think is the most stable core/shader/memory with highest performance increase in your experience ?

 

850/1800 was the highest universally stable OC for me, but it can vary between systems. You might get a bit higher, or not quite that high. It also depends on the benchmark you are running. I could clock a little higher on 3DMark11, but with Vantage 850/1800 was the max before I would have system lockups or TDR errors.

A couple of gifts are attached for you. Use at your own risk. The vBIOS ROM files in the kit have P1 set equally with P0, and .87v and .92v versions are included. The backup ROM files are the stock Dell vBIOS. This should save you a lot of time.

 

I just did it and used the other vbios kit that I found in the forum with this file :
AW_GTX580M_06_620_750_092.ROM

Not sure what 06 means but is it good or it is better I do it with the one you just put here ==> Stock-P1-P0-092.ROM ?

 

I would recommend using the Stock-P1-P0-092.ROM file I provided. It has worked flawlessly for me. (They could be exactly the same one.) The 06 is latest vBIOS version from Dell, and that is what you want.

 

Okey so I upped the voltage to 0.92 and tried different clocks and tested them with 3DMARK 11 Basic Performance Benchmark,

The best results I got with out any distortion what so ever is 1600/1900 which gave me 7809 graphical score :
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 580M video card benchmark result - Intel Core i7-2960XM Processor,Alienware M18xR1 score: P7618 3DMarks

But in your link of benchmarking :
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 580M video card benchmark result - Intel Core i7-2920XM Processor,Alienware M18xR1 score: P8593 3DMarks

You did 8644 graphical score and when I tried your clocks I got 8100 score WITH Distortion.

What's going on here ?! We got almost identical laptops but with different performance !

Do you have any idea ?!

Thanks.

 

It's normal to have a variance. There is almost always a difference between systems. CPU and GPU overclock differently. In a perfect world you would need to have your CPU, RAM, HDD/SSD and everything else tuned up. I have spent many hours tweaking and tuning things, so that 8593 score is not just a matter of flipping a switch. I was also cooling my CPU down with AC, which further benefits the GPUs.

And, depending on the amount and type of distortion, that might be normal for overclocking. Minor jerks and screen tearing (black "cracks") are normal, but snow or flashing screen, or odd patterns on screen, are not normal and if you see that you should back off immediately.

 

Did you experience much of microstuttering in games?

Because I'm thinking of buying either 1 or 2 680m. So far I had 2x 6970m and these cards really sucked in Crossfire. The framerate was very high (80+), yet games like BF3 never felt smooth.

So would you go SLI again, or enjoy the smoothness of a single card?

 

Shuddering usually happens when framerates drop below 30 FPS, I have 580 SLI and I havent noticed it much at all as most of the games I play I can maintain well above 30 FPS. I do not overclock or bench, I use it out of the box to play games.

 

No, never have.

 

Yeah thats what I'm talking about. Of course they should stutter under 30 FPS, but with AMD's crappy drivers even above 80 fps the game microstutters all over the place.

I just wanted to know if Nvidia does a better job at its SLi drivers!

 

I have never owned and AMD card, Fox would be able to answer that much better than I can. From my experience the NVIDIA support for SLI is excelent they have a great wedsite for tweaks and setting for each game and drivers support for each.

What's New - GeForce

 

Two AMD cards (CrossFire) is a lot better than one. NVIDIA makes an overall better product because of better driver support and more features (PhysX and Cuda). I've enjoyed both products immensely over the years, but find less "drama" associated with NVIDIA cards.

 

Re: Help fix my Geforce 580m SLI Artifacting issue

d1zzle23 - this should be what you need... post # 476.

Spoiler

 

Hey all,

So following the OC I have done and benchmarking and also gaming tests, one of my 580m usually hit 81 degrees and the other one would have around 75 degrees and that's not necessarily when OCing ( without any OC it hits 80 )


Just wanted to know if that's normal or it's too high,
I know that below 85 or 90 degrees it is safe for chips but I want to know if the performance can be effected by 80 or above degrees ?

Any idea of the reason that one gets usually hotter ?

Could it be the paste they used ? how effective is that and is it really worth going through all the trouble of changing heat sink paste ?

Thank you,

 

One being warmer than the other is totally normal. One is primary and the secondary has a slightly larger heat sink.

Are you in a really warm climate? If so, those temps might be unavoidable unless you can always work in an air conditioned environment. They are not dangerous, but higher than I would like to see them. My 580M's never got that hot, even under heavy load.

The stock Dell paste has done a marvelous job for me. It's not worth the trouble unless you have to resort to it because of uncontrollable temps leaving you without another option.

 

Well I am from canada so not what you call warm , and the room temp ia usually between 25 - 30 ,
What was the hottest temp you reached with OCing ?

 

Given your location, I would say that's too warm for my comfort zone. I always ran less than 75°C running GTX 580M SLI at 850/1700/1800. (I just switched to 7970M CF a week ago.) In fact, the only way I ever hit 80°C was running Furmark, and it maxed out around 81°-82°C.

You should check the back plate on the GPUs. The one on the left side, under the TactX keys should have a back plate covering both banks of memory for heat management. The one on the right can have the back plate with only one bank of memory covered and that's OK because it has the larger heat sink and is directly over the right fan. If the left GPU does not have the correct back plate it will run hotter. You can swap sides with the GPUs if the back plates are reversed. You will need to repaste at that point since the heat sinks would need to be separated from the GPUs to swap them into the opposite PCI-e slot.

 

I was all gearing up to upgrade to 7970m crossfire from 6990m but now that the gtx680m is soon to be released it's looking to be the better card so I would like to upgrade to gtx 680m sli instead. I have an external 27" 2560 x 1440 ips monitor so every bit of higher performance I can get I need.

Does anyone know if these will work in the m18xr1?

 

Probably so, but until it is released and someone tries this, nobody can answer that question with 100% accuracy.

 

A 580m SLI set up to be specific.

Just booted me up some BF3 and I was getting 5 fps. I was just playing Max Payne 3 with no issues.

This is the second time it has happened in a few days. According to GPU-Z GPU0 is running fine, and GPU1 is stuck at 202.5mhz even after opening a game application.

What fixed it last time was a restart...but what I really want to know is what causes it. Does anybody know?

 

I am having the same issue in post :

http://forum.notebookreview.com/8387614-post476.html

I want to do this myself but I am afraid I would break any technicality in warranties. Is there no other way to contact Alienware but only by phone?

 

You can try Twitter @DellCares or Facebook. I tweeted about my problem and they dealt with it pretty fast.
You'll have to follow them, tweet about your issue and they'll DM (direct message you) with what you need to do. I don't know about Facebook as i don't have an account.

 

still no word on official drivers?

 

You must be asking something I don't understand, or you're asking in the wrong thread. There is no issue with NVIDIA drivers right now. AMD is having an issue with "official" drivers for 7970M support. The only thing that works for 7970M are 12.5 beta and one of the modded 12.6 drivers.

 

Thanks, I messaged a Dell/Alienware rep in the forums and got response in just under an hour.

Really glad as they try to reach out and support online communities.

 

Hey,

So I was OCing my 580m SLI for a week now and after trying many clocks and volts I found 1650 shader/ 1920 Memory clock at .92 Volts
gives me highest graphical score in 3DMark 11 ===> 8008
And thats without ANY artifacts and it beautifully runs Max Payn 3

The problem is: while in game it's ok but when benchmarking maybe every 3 benchmarking (3DMark 11) at this clock and volt I get one frozen screen.

Please let me know if you think I am pushing it too much or it's safe to play games at this clock ?

By the way I am cooling the laptop by AC and it won't get hotter than 65 degrees !

Thank you

 

Personally, I wouldnt game at those clocks as they are pushing the very limits of the cards - that's why you are getting lock-ups. I'd back it off a little and see how you go with that.

 

hsvadm - steviejones is correct. You are overclocking too far and that is why 3DMark11 is locking up. You're pushing it too far, and that might even hurt your performance instead of helping it. Look at my GTX 580M benchmark scores (which are some of the highest achieved) and you will see that I was not overclocking the cards as far.

You need to stay no higher than about 850 on core and no higher than 1800 on memory as the max or you'll continue to have instability.

 

Fox - I tried your clocks 1720/1800 and I cant even get one bench without locking-up, even with AC cooling,
How was it possible for you to run at that clock ?
Have you done any thing specific to the cards ?

 

Guys DOES anybody suffer with Micro Stuttering when using SLI?
http://www.notebookcheck.net/Micro-Stuttering-with-SLI-or-CrossFire.57232.0.html

 

Another issue concerning cooling in summer !

I am cooling the laptop by a AC that is put very close to the laptop and I used a box as channel to focus the wind underneath the cooling pad so this way something like 80% of wind goes through the cooling pad fans and then to the laptop.

The issue is:
I notices since the area I live in is kind of humid there is very small amount of water accumulating on the AC channels, I'm sure you have seen it in your car AC channels too,

I am wondering if this small amount of water can accumulate inside the laptop on the heat sinks and then maybe cause a short circuit.

Any ideas on this issue ?

Thank you for your respond

 

I was running .92v on the GPUs with stock core/shader/memory clocks. Other than that, nothing special. I used batch files with NVIDIA Inspector for overclocking.

You need to be extremely cautious about condensation and avoid it or you will have problems. I use AC cooling also, but only for competitive benchmark runs and I monitor it very closely. I live in a dry environment, so it has not been an issue for me. My portable AC unit has a dehumidifier mode and I leave it set on that to help further minimize the opportunity for condensation to occur. The air output is not quite as cold, but still cool enough to use for benching.

 

Edit : Received noctuas today
All six fans will be put together and that is the extent of 17'' 18'' laptops underneath
Fans HAS to be 8cm in height to deliver perfect air-blow ..
I just tested noctuas and must say best brand of fans are Arctic Cooling ! They has best airflow and + they are most quiet . AND cheapest wow

Yeah that's right
The short can actually cause when is steam and steam is changing to water.. and it makes more and more water and water drops on MB and cause short .. if u using AC it's even worse ! cold air from AC is kind of WET .. and creates moisture ..

 

Personally, this is the first laptop I have owned that came in SLi.
Question I have is, when you update your drivers on your GPU, do you need to install the driver on each GPU or just the one?

 

You just run the installation package and it updates both for you, as well as installing the rest of the NVIDIA package. Very simple, no-drama update with the modern NVIDIA cards.