M11x - Issues with gaming lockups and crashes - Discussion thread

Ooh crashing on youtube?
That is one that i am not sure if i can fix but try downloading EVGA precision and moving your core clock to 390 (the shader clock should follow it) and the move your memory clock up to 850.

Might help

 

I got that part but i would rather have as few processes starting up as possible, there should be a way to modify the registry or something.


3 more hours of everquest 1 this afternoon, no freezes EVGA Precision 427, shader 1024, memory 790, looking good since this is by far the most unstable game with the 335m gpu that I have seen.

 

Hmm well i dont know how to change it in the registry or w/e, but evga shouldnt use that much memory for it to be a burden

 

EVGA settings 420/1010/862
Played today 1 hour and another 5.5 hours, still no freezes on WoW.
Hardly if any performance drop I might add.

 

Good good, i think we truly might have found an alternate solution if dell or anyone else doesn't fix it

 

We need someone to leave either the gpu clock or the shader clock at default to see if the freezing issues return, Im guessing leaving the shaders at default and dropping the GPU core clock will still fix the freezing problem but I could be wrong.

 

Yep I was wrong, EVGA precision 427 Gpu, 1080 shader(default) 790 memory(default).

EQ locked up after 19 minutes, cntrl-alt-del would not shutdown process-had to manually force shutdown the computer. First lock up Ive had since using EVGA. Odd though since rebooting after forced shutdown all evga setting were reset to default, guess I should have triple checked EVGA setting before manual shutdown, though im 95 percent positive 427, 1080 and 790 were set and applied. I will retest (.

 

The test from above is invalid, the sync button in EVGA precision kept enabling on reboots until I clicked appy at windows startup, which means all speeds from above test were at default. I confirmed now after multiple reboots that the the sync button is now disabled and have ressumed testing at 427 GPU, 1080 shader, 790 memory. So far I got in 35 minutes of everquest 1 at these setting with no freezes until the worlds crappiest and most unreliable and expensive ISP road runner(time warner) crapped out on me yet again..

 

I'm happy to hear you guys found a fix to playing WoW Might have to reconsider getting an R2 now.

 

Everquest 1 Update - 427 Gpu clock, 1080 Shader Clock, 790 Mem.

Over 2 hours of no freezes or lock ups-at default clock speeds it takes a miracle to make it over 30 mins without a lock up in EQ.

 

I played for another 2.5 hours. Still no freezes. Will continue this evening.

We practically handed them the solution: slightly change the default clock speeds for new m11x's. Or is that the answer a tech nab like me would give?

I'm just glad we found something that is easy to use and doesnt really effect hard- or software.

 

Hmm, could this perhaps be the reason that my M11X hasn't crashed since my motherboard was replaced?

It's been close to 2 weeks now and I've been playing games such as Dead Space and its sequel, which are known to crash on these machines (and on mine before my motherboard was replaced), for hours on end without a problem.

Maybe the 335 on my replacement motherboard has slower than average clock speeds, allowing me to play without the crashes? I've also noticed my machine has been running a lot cooler since. It used to heat up like my modem - actually hot to touch - now it just gets moderately warm.

 

Open up GPU-Z and check the clocks - post em back and someone can confirm. Since you have been free of issues for 2 weeks now, I have to ask since I'm curious, which Intel Display and NV driver are you using? Again, just curious.

 

Still getting lock-ups with Medieval II: Total War without any overclocking.

EDIT: Actually, just remembered I still have the CPU overclocked through the BIOS but with ThrottleStop off. I'll turn it off next time I boot it up and post results.

 

Don't overclock but actually try downloading a program (EVGA precision) to UNDERclock it like where the default is (in evga precision) 450, 1080, 790, try going to
400
900
850- overclock memory
has been working for me

 

I use MSI Afterburner but I'll try these settings if turning off CPU overclocking doesn't stop the freezing.

 

EVGA precision 427 Clock, 1080 shader, 790 memory.

3+ hours everquest 1 - no freezes, hard to believe 23 off GPU clock would make such an improvement.

 

I have not had a single lockup since making the change. Going almost a week.

 

Oh, looks like it's still running at default clocks according to GPU-Z:
450
790
1080
Running at 48C temps on idle.

Intel Driver 8.15.10.2182 (from Dell I believe)
Nvidia Driver 260.99 (Nvidia website)

I believe I'm also running the A03 (factory) BIOS.

No idea why it's been running so well, but I'm greatly satisfied (still haven't got my hopes up that it's fixed completely though). I'll keep everyone updated

 

Had a lockup yesterday, turned out it was somehow reset to default clock settings (i blame windows sleep/hibernate mode).

Lowered the clock settings slightly, clicked apply at windows start and played for the entire evening without freezes. On WoW that is. I think we have a solution.

 

What did you reduce your clock settings to, and how has the reduction effected your gaming experience, ie has your fps dropped?

 

Ok so I'm still new to the forums, just got my m11x R2 with the i7 and 4gb ram. I wasnt experiencing any lockups right when I got the system, but after I upgraded to the latest nvidia drivers was when it began.

I then went through the windows driver menu and rolled back the drivers. This caused issues all around, so I did a clean install of the 260.99 drivers (saw on a blue post from wow that 260.99 is the recommended driver). Still, the crashes were happening.

I called alienware support and explained the issue, and the support rep (who was extremely polite) explained how the standard drivers that come with the computer are made specifically for the mx11r2, not meant to be upgraded. This is what I thought all along, so I did a driverclean and installed the factory nvidia drivers from the mx11r2 page.

Just now I was playing wow with the drivers (v. 257.30) and sure enough, another crash. Now I'm resorting to the UNDERclocking process that so many of you have said works

Could anyone be so kind to tell me what settings they are running for WoW, with no hangups and totally fluid gameplay? I'd appreciate it and will get back to you guys will my results on the underclocked gameplay.

 

ching, did you follow this driver process for install?

1. Uninstall existing NV display Driver
2. reboot into Safe Mode and run CCleaner to remove any leftover NV registry entries (this needs to be done as there will be leftover entries from the uninstall)
3. Boot into windows and re-install the Intel display driver
4. Reboot
5. Run the installer for the NV driver - once complete, reboot.

The important part to this (for the R2) is to install the Intel Display Driver first, then follow with the NV Display Driver.

Never roll back the NV driver. As you noted, issues can be introduced.

The support rep was somewhat correct. The AW NV Driver has tweaks specifically for the 11x. Can you use the NV reference driver? of course. will there be issues? Possibly. We've seen numerous issues resulting from the NV Reference Drivers lately. An example of this, the 17x.

I agree with you on the WoW settings. My personal take on this is what we need for you WoW players, 2 configs. 1 for folks who are using throttlestop and tweaking clocks - what in-game settings work for them and 1 for folks who do not use throttlestop and do not overclock. Having both configs gives other WoW players a base reference to start with.

 

That polite AW rep is 100% wrong. The M11xR2 is meant to be upgradable. AW spent the money to have it added to the Verde driver program. They would not have done that if they'd intended their own driver to be the only one meant for users to have access to.

Having said that, the potential for nvidia driver releases to have a problem with any given supported laptop, including the M11xR2, is always a real possibility.

 

To be honest, I used the Alienware Contact thing where the customer service guy remotely connected to my laptop and did all of it for me. He removed the driver using driver sweeper, then booted into safe mode and I dont think he used CC cleaner but he installed the driver through safe mode, and I know for sure he didnt touch the intel display driver.

It's only been about an hour, but I haven't crashed once since i underclocked the gpu.

So if I follow batboy's directions on reinstalling an nvidia driver, which driver would you reccomend I go for. Because in all honesty using a driver, no matter how reccomended by alienware it is, I want to be using the latest and greatest

 

This has fixed the freezing problems I've been having with Medieval II: Total War. Thank you.

 

Hi all,

I'm French, and excuse-me for my bad English

So I bought a Alienware M11xR2 in December 2010 with :

- Core i3 [email protected]
- 4Gb DDR3
- GeForce GT335M
- HDD 250Gb.

And so, I writing in your post message for the same problem with freeze in World Of Warcraft.

I have like you trying almost drivers for NVIDIA, and Intel so it doesn't fix the problem, is very randomly and I can't kill the process into task manager, the only way is to hard reboot the laptop.

I have try the same operation to undercloking the GPU, Memory and Shaders like you have try and there is no freeze this evening.
I have play to WoW 3hours and no lockup have been detected.

I have disconnecting the game for change my player and I have a lockup, but after restart the computer I have played 1hour without lockup.

So I can approve the undercloking mode can work for the moment.

I continue to testing this solution, but before your solution my uptime max has 1hour ^^

So thanks and excuse-me for my english

 

I *think* the general consensus is that 260.99 performs a little better than 266.58. I've run both and for me there wasn't really any appreciable difference for the games I've been playing. Try both. Use the method for uninstalling and cleaning and try each out for a week or so. I'm currently running the latter.

EDIT: and latest does not automatically mean greatest. Certain games could perform better with older drivers, whereas others see improvements with newer and even then you're typically not talking about huge differences in FPS. To me it's more about stability.

 

You guys are awesome for finding a solution.

I applaud everyone who tested endlessly and found the results.

Bookmarked ..incase I find an R2 in the outlet at a reasonable price.

 

Glad to see it's working for you too! Also, your English is fine! I ask you one thing, how many fps are you getting with the underclocked gpu, at all recommended settings in wow?

 

I played with 420/1010/862 settings. After hours and hours of playing I had one freeze yesterday. When I restarted it showed these settings but that might be because i ticked apply at startup. I lowered the first too very slightly again and no problems since. I´ll play today as well, but so far underclocking is working like a charm.

As to your performance question: i didn´t really keep tabs on fps, but I didnt notice any real drop in gameplay. My settings are generally just under ultra (everything on high) with the exception of shadows (low, i hate shadows in wow) and liquid detail (fair, any higher and you get the famous wow cata water bug).

With these settings I have fluid gameplay. Only at the horde boss in Isle of Conquest with 40 alliance hacking at him and a many more spells flying around did it get choppier. The best thing is to just slightly underclock the first two settings, up the memory a tad and start playing. You can try ultra first and see how that goes. If that isnt fluid enough, switch to high which is still very good.

I´ll record my evga settings, wow video settings and fps in a quiet and busy area for you this evening. That should give you a better picture.

 

Seems we have a viable Workaround now, great!

How do we move on to find the reason for some R2s to require a downclock to work!?

Did we verify that new hardware did not matter for some? So this is not a type degraded state, hardware fault due to heating etc?

Further, is there a way for us to see if it is the software driver that crashes or if the actual card crashes on a lower level? Is there some testing tool we could run that stresses the card on a basic calculating level? Like a memtest but for the gpumem or something?

More ideas!

 

Hi,

For information my settings are 420/1010/760 and I don't have so any loose of FPS.

With my Warlock on Orgrimmar, it's the best place to testing the FPS, I'm on 26 to 33 ips with settings to "good quality"

I have no lockup yet since the evga precision undercloking method.

 

Thanks for the feedback guys. It seems like performance may not take much of a hit.

@Biif

I believe if you go back a few pages the poster that first suggested underclocking (sorry don't have time right now to link the post), noticed that dell overclocked the gpu. Apparently, in so doing, they rendered the system mildly unstable. This might explain why wow lock ups are more common with the m11x then other systems that employ the 335.

 

Think we established that the M11XR2 is not overclocked compared to other systems that use 335.

 

That's correct. Dell has not OC'd the 335 in any way. It's running at the same settings that all 335s do.

 

hey guys i am having issues with gta IV... it runs perfectly well when i am using 283 mb of gpu memory however when i go to high settings like making the texture settings high. and high view distance.... it lags a lot and makes it unplayable =(. does it happen with you guys?

specs processor - i7 640 um.. hdd - 160gb @ 5200 rpm. model - m11x R2. ram - 8gb ddr3...

 

If u dont have a lockup or crash this is not the right thread for your question.

 

For the WoW players amongst us:

With 416/1000/862 EVGA settings

And everything in video settings on high, except liquid detail (=fair) and shadows (=low)

I get around 33 to 17 fps in busy areas (stormwind, the little square in front of the dwarven AH) and 60 fps in quiet areas without any other player around.

 

I decided to try EVGA, so at least I would be able to play.

Used settings 420 1010 862, which someone reported to work for about 12 hours I think.

I get the crash in 20 MINUTES

I will try lower settings but

NVIDIA FIX THIS CRAP NOW. This has been going on for months, it shouldnt be legal to sell laptops with 335m

 

There's no one here from Dell, much less nvidia.

 

Actually, I posted on another forum but didn't get reply, so I'll take the chance to ask here:

Who exaclty is batboy? "Alienware/Dell Moderator"
Is that an official tittle?

If so, he should be getting in contact with people that will get in contact with nvidia to look at this issue

 

He's an NBR moderator for the Dell and AW forums here. No association with Dell.

 

I suggest we post at nvidia forums then

Why is nvidia ignoring the M11x R2 optimus freezing problem? - NVIDIA Forums

 

Optimus shader driver issue (game freezes), analysis, workaround - NVIDIA Forums - Page 2

here too

 

hey guys are any of u experiencing gta4 lags with high settings? i mean my m11x r2 has 1gb memory of graphics yet the game is almost uplayable if i exceed 300mb of graphics.. everything is set on low............... wasnt really expecting this from an alienware ...

my specs are m11x R2.. processor - i7 640 um @1.2 ghz over clockable
ram - 8gb ddr3
hdd - 160 gb hitachi hard drive @5400 rpm
bios - A03

any help will be greatly appreciated

 

Do you have the nvidia drivers set to maximum performance? Also make sure your power options are set to GPU power state max performance, your gpu will throttle back if they are not set correctly, make sure to select high performance plan in the power options as well. Don't forget to use throttlestop. Gta 4 is a very poorly coded game though, probably one of the worst xbox conversions, I know people with high end video cards that get crappy fps and lag.

 

I have heard that this is a Game problem and can only be run smoothly by the most intense CPUs, the m11x has a good cpu for its size but this game is just bad on most computers

 

There's lots of posts about GTA4's poor performance on the M11x here, but it's outside the scope of this thread.

 

First, wouldnt 420/1010/ 862 be overclocking the memory?

I run default on all values cept core where i downclock slightly.

Further, i think we have established that other laptops using 335m does not have this issue.

EDIT: i was kinda out-of-sync, saw u already got a lot of replys didnt mean to hammer.