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    Company of Heroes m11x R2 - Problem solved

    Discussion in 'Alienware M11x' started by mcham, Aug 12, 2010.

  1. mcham

    mcham Notebook Guru

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    I have the m11x (R2) with i7 CPU and noticed that Company of Heroes was very slow. I was getting average of 20 fps (7 to 40 fps range) with lowest detail at 1280x720 (low resolution).

    I used the YouTube instructions on how to add games to the 335M GPU whitelist, and confirmed that the games were in fact on the whitelist, but the games were still slow.

    The next thing I tried was force ALL applications to use only 335M. This resulted in a massive increase in framerate. Company of heroes now scores 65 fps on lowest detail and 45 fps on maximum detail.

    Lessons learned:

    1. Optimus does not work as it should in the m11x.
    2. The entire computer sometimes needs to be forced to use 335m GPU in order to play a game.
    3. This explains why so many m11x R2 owners are reporting only 20 fps on company of heroes - they are actually just using their intel GMA graphics!
     
    mcham, Aug 12, 2010
    #1
  2. mcham

    mcham Notebook Guru

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    Also, I am using all the standard downloadable drivers from the dell alienware website. The computer had a clean install into a 7200rpm mechanical hard drive using the standard Alienware Win7 64-bit Home Premium DVD.
     
    mcham, Aug 12, 2010
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  3. UnivHQ

    UnivHQ Notebook Guru

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    Have you tried it with the 258.89 Nvidia driver? I heard that it solves the optimus issue with a lot of games.
     
    UnivHQ, Aug 12, 2010
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  4. mcham

    mcham Notebook Guru

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    I'll try that now. It might solve the headache of needing to activate/deactivate the 335m GPU manually before/after gaming.

    Actually, I will try the newer more popular one which is 258.96 modded version.
     
    mcham, Aug 12, 2010
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  5. mcham

    mcham Notebook Guru

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    Ok, I tried the modified 258.96 drivers and they worked correctly for Company of Heroes, the way Optimus is supposed to work. I'll try it on Starcraft 2 now.

    Update: Starcraft 2 also worked correctly, utilizing the 335m GPU. Now I can play with details on Medium to High settings and maximum resolution (1360 x 768) with smooth framerates. With the integrated intel GMA HD video, the framerate was slow (about 15 to 20 fps) on lowest detail settings and at low resolution (1280x720).

    I am using the modded 258.96 drivers seen here:
    http://forum.notebookreview.com/ali...er-258-96-beta-discussion-relating-11xr2.html
     
    mcham, Aug 12, 2010
    #5
  6. thomaskc.dk

    thomaskc.dk Notebook Deity

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    What video? can you drop a link?
     
    thomaskc.dk, Aug 13, 2010
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  7. mcham

    mcham Notebook Guru

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    What do you mean video? I don't understand your question.
     
    mcham, Aug 15, 2010
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  8. Schoony

    Schoony Notebook Enthusiast

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    Optimus is a new technology. When i first got my m11xr2 I was really wishing it didnt have it. This being said, I feel for the users without knowledge in this matter. You need to read and research how to best utilize this new Optimus software. Now with it running perfectly. It is really nice knowing my computer does makes all the performance based decisions. It rocks
     
    Schoony, Aug 16, 2010
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  9. Themeatpacka

    Themeatpacka Newbie

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    How do you check what driver your card is using?
    Also how do you update?
     
    Themeatpacka, Jan 17, 2011
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  10. roxxor

    roxxor Notebook Evangelist

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    NVIDIA control panel > help > system information > display tab (look for "driver version")

    NVIDIA Verde Notebook Drivers
     
    roxxor, Jan 17, 2011
    #10