*OFFICIAL* Alienware M18xR1/R2/18 Benchmark Thread - Part 3

Cinebench R11.5.



There's probably quite a bit of room for more fine tuning, but I am somewhat lazy to remove the thermal pads off the mosfet on top of the CPU (by default there's no thermal for those mosfets). If I do that with the washers I put on the backplate the pressure on the CPU should even out. I have an odd core running at 5C higher than the rest of the cores, probably uneven thermal paste or uneven pressure. Room temp is about 80F here.

 

It's totally normal to have one or two cores that are 5-10°C different than the others. Don't burn too many calories chasing that issue. It's not just Haswell... Same thing with Sandy and Ivy.

I not familiar with the thermal pads you are referring to. I've had this apart multiple times and there are no thermal pads on my CPU or heat sink.

 

I out did my previous Cinebench scores. With AC I am sure I can probably chase 9 points. I saw on HWBot that John's highest record with the 3940XM is 9.54. I think I have somewhat figured out the overclocking on Haswell. At 4GHz full load, the Haswell is pushing close to 85W sustained, averaging around 80W. That's about as good I can go. I am setting a hard limit of 83W in BIOS now. Any higher and it will overheat and crash, under Cinebench.

Well after another repaste (I got no POST so I was like why not), and the removal of the thermal pad, I have a much more even temperature across the cores. The thermal pad wasn't there by default, but I added it since I was worried that the mosfet might overheat. If you take out the CPU heatsinks, you will see like 4 or 5 of them on top of the CPU socket.

Do you think this is an OK score? I don't really have reference for Cinebench 11.5, never really used it before.

 

I am able to push the 4930MX to 120W and higher with AC cooling, but it's still kind of flaky.

 

Yep, haswell sucks.

 

Anyone have any thoughts on this. GPU1 ok GPU2 nothing. I don't know if this is normal or not. I just noticed it when running MSI Kombustor. Sorry for the JPEG file I haven't got the screen shot thing down yet. Thanks.

 

That's normal for MSI Kombustor. You have to do some tweaking with the NVIDIA SLI profiles to get Kombustor to work properly.

Grab the tool here: GeForce 3D Profile Manager

Launch it and then export your SLI profiles to a text file. Open the exported file with Notepad. Look for an existing section for MSI Kombustor. If you find a section for it, remove it. Copy and paste the information below into the file, save and close. Then launch the tool again and select the option to import the updated profile (txt file).

Code:

Profile "MSI Kombustor"
    ShowOn GeForce
    ProfileType Application
    Executable "MSIKombustorDX9.exe"
    Executable "MSIKombustorDX10.exe"
    Executable "MSIKombustorDX11.exe"
    Setting ID_0x00a06946 = 0x084000f5
    Setting ID_0x1033cec1 = 0x00000003
    Setting ID_0x1033cec2 = 0x00000002
    Setting ID_0x1033dcd2 = 0x00000004
    Setting ID_0x1033dcd3 = 0x00000004
    Setting ID_0x1095def8 = 0x02c00005
    Setting ID_0x20441369 = 0x00000001
    Setting ID_0x209746c1 = 0x04280001
    Setting ID_0x20ebd7b8 = 0x00000020
EndProfile

After you fix it, you will see this...

Spoiler

 

MSI Kombustor Benchmarks

Wavy Plane Score: 22713 1080p OpenGL 2 benchmark	Fractal Flame Score: 8850 1080p OpenGL 3.3 benchmark	Tessy Spheres v2 Score: 11516 1080p OpenGL 4 benchmark	KMark Score: X3943 1080p OpenGL 4, PhysX benchmark

 

Thanks for the information Mr Fox. I am a bit behind the SLI curve. This is the first setup for me other than my desktop that I put together last year. I haven't had much experience with over clocking video cards in depth. I have done more with the processor and ram in the past, in fact the I 7 first gen was the last over clock that I have done. I got a sandy laptop a year ago and it looked a lot more complicated . I have got some catching up to do. They seem to be a lot more green power saving. I don't mind that in my car or house, but I don't want it in my computer. I like it to be full potential, but unfortunately it seems that where the industry is headed with Haswell and beyond. Thanks against for the info, I will give it a try.

 

No problem... glad to help. The reason why most of us enjoy this kind of forum is giving and receiving help from one another.

Another thing to be aware of in a multi-GPU system is that sometimes running in a Window (versus full screen) causes only one GPU to be utilized. This is more of an issue with CrossFire than it is with SLI, but in either case it can be a problem. I notice from your screen shot that Kombustor is running in a window.

 

Hey thanks Mr fox. The profile worked. I also verified SLI is working on the other benchmarks from MSI log file. Does any one now a good GPU meter for the desktop?

I have noticed that you are getting some good over clocks on your i7 3920xm. I have seen screen shots of your CPUZ. Wow! Question. Are you running those clocks without intel speed step on? On my Rampage extreme board my i7 is @ 4.5Ghz all the time 0 load or max load that's the way I have it. My processor in the 18 is overclocked to 4Ghz but that is just the turbo boost. I guess my question is. Is that what everyone is overclocking? The turbo boost.

I just got me 2 Samsung 840 Pros, we're going to go RAID 0. Thanks for your help.

 

Ivy Bridge vs. Haswell - Back-to-Back Comparison, 3 feet apart in the same room, same ambient temps.

CPU Clock Speed:	4.3GHz
GPU Clock Speeds:	975/1400 (+125/+300)
Display Driver:	GeForce 331.65 WHQL
Operating System:	Windows 7 Ultimate x64

3DMark11 Results Detailed Comparison: Results - Alienware 18 versus Alienware M18xR2

Alienware 18 - 4930MX | GTX 780M SLI -CPU Max Temp: 105°C	Alienware M18xR2 - 3920XM | GTX 780M SLI - CPU Max Temp: 94°C

 

Haswell is undoubtedly a step backwards in terms of performance. Alienware must do something!

 

Well, I 'liked' #364 by Fox - not for the right reasons though. Just goes to show that the latest ain't always the greatest, I guess. Big shame really....it's just more proof of the underwhelming performance of Haswell and 4930mx in an Alienware 18.

One thing can be said, Haswell certainly was the next 'hot thing' from Intel.....just not in the right way.

 

I am beginning to believe it is more Haswell in general rather than entirely the fault of the Alienware 18. Haswell just leaves a lot to be desired.

But hey, winter is almost upon us. You can just fire up the Haswell and use it for a space heater.

 

Haha, yeah....with energy providers putting up UK gas and electricity prices up (yet again, at winter time) by around 10% (robbing b'stards) it actually makes sense to buy a Haswell based computer just to keep warm! LOL

 

Maybe that's what Intel meant when they said it was energy efficient

 

which settings did you use to reach the score of 15000 ?
one u posted at the begining of this page

 

The letter "P" in front of the number is what tells you... Performance (P) preset. If it had been an "X" it would have been the Extreme (X) preset. Set the basic tab to look exactly like this example, then click the orange button and let it run. That's all there is to it.



If you want your results counted for the leader board, you must provide a link to the online results and a screen shot showing the required information. You don't need the ThrottleStop window showing like the image on the left, but you do need at least 3 x CPU-Z (CPU, Mainboard and Memory tabs) and 1 x GPU-Z (Graphics Card tab) and the benchmark results as shown in these examples. (If you are using a free version that only shows your score in a web browser, then capture the open browser window.)

3DMark11: NVIDIA GeForce GTX 780M SLI card benchmark result - Intel Core i7-3920XM Processor Extreme Edition,Alienware M18xR2 - P17029 3DMarks	Vantage: NVIDIA GeForce GTX 780M video card benchmark result - Intel Core i7-3920XM Processor Extreme Edition,Alienware M18xR2 - P48159 3Marks

 

As always , much help you are mate.
thanks !

and wow... amazing how u managed to reach that score with the 780m sli, higher than an OC gtx 780 ...
Wonder if that amount of overclocking is also usable for gaming or the game would just crash..

 

Just installed my 780m's. Just did a quick RE6 test and bench before I hit the hay. (4.30am ) This is only with 1 card and a mild overclock ( I need a SLI cable ). Beastly things these GPU's are

1 x 780m - 10250

vs

2 x 7970m - 13318

Goodnight brothers and thanks for all your help

 

I ran another 3dmark11 test with the latest nvidia drivers 331.65 compared to my stock 311.48 an it scored a P11480 (compared to P11861 previously). I also ran the test right after the upgrade and SLI was disabled by default and it scored a P7477. Does it look like I am getting CPU bound yet on the 4800 cpu? Compared to my first stock run, I've installed a lot more programs of course. Anyone see anything which may have caused it to drop?

 

antivirus, and whatever background process youve got there, every little bit counts

 

brother fox do some max oced gtx 780m sli firestrike bench please

 

Yes, your CPU score it killing you more than anything. It's low enough that it is going to drag down the GPU score with it to some extent. Your CPU score is a bit lower now than when you ran the higher benchmark. But, these scores are close enough to the same that you know that your new GeForce drivers are doing a good for you. How many runs did you make? Just one? Those are so close it could be just an anomaly. Run 4 or 5 with a short rest/cool-down between run and see if one of them beats your old score.

Here is a side-by-side of your two runs: 3DMark11 Side-by-Side Comparison

Notice the big difference is Test 1. That is the most challenging part of 3DMark11 and it has a huge effect on the overall score. Other than your CPU performance, having a stock vBIOS also is not helping your GPU score. Performance takes a big hit with the stock vBIOS. But, your benchmark results are normal for a stock vBIOS. You are comparing against many benchmarks with a modded vBIOS.

 

Cool, thanks for your insight and comparing them in an easy to view format...I'll run it a few more times and change my screensaver setting to refresh less Maybe having it switch during a run made it drop <laugh>.

 

What are your Bios settings to achieve 4.9Ghz on the CPU

 

Basically, set everything to the maximum for turbo settings, flex and pri plane and 49x4.

Here is a new MaxxMem2 benchmark - 2133 @ CL11 and 1T CR

 

Hi Steviejones 133 I hope that you don't mind me contacting you through this thread if at all possible could you contact me regarding your contact at Dell please as I am about to buy the new Alienware 18 with all bells enabled and I would be very interested to see if he could help me with a few pointers and also possible order ov said lappy. I look forward to a reply if you have the time that is , many thanks in advance Ohtar I will keep checking in over the coming days. if anyone else could possibly help with contacting Mr steviejones please feel free to ask if he could poss help me with this post, many many thanks in advance to you all keep posting those lovely stats I cant wait to join you all soon xd.

 

Hi Ohtar. Welcome to NBR forums and the Alienware Community.

You need at least 5 meaningful post before you will be able to receive information from Steve through the private message system. So, feel free to browse more threads and participate in discussions.

 

its funny how the top scores on this thread on page 1 shows R2 owners with newer hardware LOL

 

ok guys here goes do u happen to know if I would be better to max out on cpu or hold back get faster and larger ssd I think 16 gb ram is enough and twin sli 780 gtx gpus I was thinking ov going for i7 over i5 and maybe 2tb hd my laptop atm is a pc spec built for me about 3 years ago so dated now hence why I am looking for a new lappy the gpu now is so dated I have to reduce detail lvl just to play rift lol the gpu is 540m gt i7 2720 and 8 gig ram with vortex4 ssd with 500 gig hybrid segate thnx for any comments that u may feel to put back to me

 

Well, I'd say there are a couple of ways of looking at this - depending on what your intended usage is for the machine. If you plan on gaming exclusively, most games are not hugely reliant on CPU power, more so GPU power is the key factor. Obviously some titles will benefit from a faster processor, but most games should play just fine with a lower CPU.

Now, if you are looking at benching, a better CPU will be important, and as such, it would be advisable to get the best you could afford at the outset because they will certainly be costlier to replace at a later date. Right now, the 4930mx needs to benefit by a new bios to be fully worth the additional cost. This may happen or it may not - please take a moment to read this thread and vote: http://forum.notebookreview.com/ali...ienware-18-please-promote-ideastorm-asap.html

A lot will depend on your own personal budget, of course. 16 gb ram is plenty for gaming and normal use. Faster and cheaper SSD's can be purchased afterwards from the likes of Newegg etc - buying a Dell SSD will cost you more, but if you are going for a long extended warranty, it will be covered for that length of time under the machine warranty - this can prove pretty valuable in the future if relying on warranty for a replacement machine...if you buy a Dell SSD, Dell would have to replace your machine with an equal or better specification which would mean they have to include an equivalent SSD in any replacement configuration.

Generally speaking, I'd probably say to go for a 4800mq or 4900mq and look at a SSD later on if that stretches your pocket too far. Use the SSD that you have in your other machine if this is the case.

I don't think I could advise anyone to pony up for the 4930mx right now, with it being crippled at bios level until Dell address it and resolve the issues outlined above.

Hope that helps out a bit....

 

I would urge you to go ahead and buy the 4930MX because it is unlocked. Even if Alienware doesn't step up to the plate with a decent BIOS, you are able to adjust things (including TDP) that are locked down with the MQ processors. As it stands right now, you can make all the adjustments necessary for some pretty decent overclocking using nothing but XTU... with the MX CPU you'll run circles around all of the other Haswell processors. You'll be able to extract incredibly higher performance from the 4930MX than you can from any MQ. What is more critical at this time is fan tables being fixed. The messed up fan tables are putting a damper on everyone's experience with an Alienware 18 regardless of what CPU they have. But, as Steve said, if you're not into benching, a good gaming experience is possible even with a comparatively impotent MQ CPU.

 

Got my new 18, I tried Dell drivers vs NVidia drivers on dell vbios
Result

Dell drivers are producing a better graphics score, but I'm not sure why my 4930MX is preforming 1.8k less than the 4900mq :S and the stock says 2.1GHz. Can someone tell me how to get a stable 4GHz clock? I'm completely new to Extreme CPUs. Something that would get a physx score of atleast 9.5k will be appreciated Also I want to use the unlocked bios but I don't have a tech inferno account so could someone link me the 780m vbois please?

 

Read the posts in this thread: http://forum.notebookreview.com/ali...w-overclock-4930mx-4-3ghz-messed-up-bios.html and you should be able to get your CPU performance whipped into shape.

 

Check your PM, I sent you a step by step guide and all the files you need to flash the cards.

 

Thanks rafix! got it working, great improvement on stock clocks
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 780M video card benchmark result - Intel Core i7-4930MX,Alienware 01W2J2
But the physx score when further down :/

Mr.Fox is that config for 4.6GHz? I don't want to go above 4.3GHz so its more stable, if not then I should copy all the values on the first page?

Edit: just tried the settings and upon reboot it loaded windows then shut off and when it rebooted again the values all changed, it also doesn't show 4 bars at the bottom of the core tuning, just 3 active core multipliers

http://www.3dmark.com/3dm11/7414613?

it seems when its under load the speed stays at 3.09GHz and when its not it goes to 3.8GHz, what would be my next step from here?

 

+1 rep for a successful flashing, glad I could help

Concerning your CPU, read through the various posts in that thread mentioned above; Brother Fox has shared quite valuable information there (as he always does).

Before you start applying settings, consider that every chip is different. This means that some has better tolerance toward higher clocks and voltages, while others will behave erratically the moment you apply a minimum overclock. Haswell os a CPU that doesn't make life easier to enthusiasts like us. In addtion, the AW18 has a screwed up fan-table, and it doesn't allow keeping temps in check like with used to do with the M18x.

My advice is to apply all the settings you see in the thread, but starting with 4.1Ghz. Don't forget to adjust Processor Cache ratio in Intel XTU in relation to the clock you choose--start with 4.1, and then change it again accordingly. Do some benchmarks or run CPU stress test included in Intel XTU. Don't worry if you see temps around and above 88C. Now you are looking for a stability. Once you find out your current CPU limits (which are not actual limits, because we will reach those once and if BIOS and fantable are fixed), you can set different profiles in ThrottleStop. One with max overclock and others with intermediate clocks that you'll use for tasks different than benching and gaming. Also, some games aren't so CPU bound like others, so you can set lower clock, such as 3.8/9 or 4.0 and let your GPU overlclock do the muscle work.

 

If it is not overheating, dropping down to 3.0GHz (or even less) under load is due to using the wrong CPU power settings. As Brother rafix73 suggested, try other settings mentioned in that thread.

 

used to stay below 70C but now I got it to stay at 4GHz and its preforming a lot better, temps go upto 86 under load.

NVIDIA GeForce GTX 780M video card benchmark result - Intel Core i7-4930MX,Alienware 01W2J2

This is with stock GPU

 

Hehe here we have another smart customer not satisfied with the underpowered CPU. To fix it we will need a BIOS fix from Dell, so please vote for it here:

http://forum.notebookreview.com/ali...ienware-18-please-promote-ideastorm-asap.html
Idea Storm (the exact link to the Dell IdeaStorm site)

Perhaps you can try my settings, I am undervolting the CPU quite a bit to run it at 4GHz. It will need more than 1.1V to run at 4.1GHz so I am not bothering with it until Dell release a BIOS fix. If you are still not on the A03 BIOS, you should update to it. If you run into BSOD which shows WHEA uncorrectable error, you will need higher CPU voltage.



A bit more tweak and I got a slight boost in score. I call this turbo prop benchmark, since I have to prop the laptop up with a fan blowing into the vents. CPU @ 4GHz, GPU @ 1046/1500.

NVIDIA GeForce GTX 780M video card benchmark result - Intel Core i7-4930MX,Alienware unknown


The top 3 scores of 4930MX + 780M SLI still belong to Mr. Fox. Right behind him at P14974 is Mr. Luigi with his P370SM, trying hard to beat the top scores.

I look forward for more people to hit P15k in 3Dmark11.

 

So If I am not mistaken all you guys are saying that even with the fastest Cpu which u can buy at present is still holding back the Gpu is that correct and that I should actually simply buy the fastest that is available now and make do or should I hold ov on 1st qty and hope for faster Cpu I am about to spend a small fortune and would like the best that I can buy at 3000 pound plus any comments will be received with much app

 

Pardon my trolling, but let me congratulate you for winning the NBR Longest Sentence Award 2013. If your keyboard is defective I can lend you some commas and periods. I have a few I can spare.

 

I recon with rafix73

I'd do more research if I were you before buying anything that cost so much =/ research on stuff like, current hardware, future hardware, and issues they carry and real performance etc.

@Mr. Fox, what are your temps for 780M sLi under full load?

 

Substantially overclocked and overvolted, usually in the range of 70-75°C with the M18xR2. With the 18 in the 80-85°C range, sometimes higher, because of the fans rarely working.

 

with that temp in R2, your fan is on max? or you have it on system auto in hwinfo?

 

That depends on what I am doing and how much the CPU is overclocked. Benching, yes. Normal use and gaming, no. Most of the time on "System Auto" with 43x4 and 975/1400/1.0V and GPU temps hovering in the upper 60s/lower 70s when gaming. I don't run the fans on max except when benching. This video shows a good example of the temps on the R2 using "System Auto" for fans. This is using stock GPU thermal pads and Dell TIM on the GPU heat sinks. I am using 580M heat sinks on the 780M cards. I had a spare set of brand new 580M heat sinks that I used instead of installing used 680M heat sinks and IC Diamond.

<iframe width='720' height="480" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/P-PsENjqRVo?rel=0" frameborder='0' allowfullscreen=""></iframe>

 

Mr. Fox`s Intel Core i7-4930MX CPU at 4509.0MHz - 970 XTU Marks

 

Man that's a hardcore score Brother Fox! Well done.
It's good to see that chip has potential. How did you deal with the temps?