M11x Gaming Discussion Thread

@ittekimase = If you've patched up to version 1.15.something, you can copy the Install.exe from the disc to the starcraft directory and rename it as Starcraft.mpq (from the original SC disc) or Broodwar.mpq (from broodwar disc obviously lol). Only thing is that I get wierd discolourations when playing lol.

 

Ok, got Metro 2033 working finally, and it's actually running pretty decent! I'd say atleast as well as Bad Company 2 runs.... at 1280x720 and low settings, the game runs anywhere from 28-70+fps, averaging ~30ish when a lot of lighting is going on or attacks.... walking through tunnels and rooms ~40's-50's. Game still looks great, even on low, lighting effects and smoke are really immersive.

This is stock DX10 Low settings at 1280x720, and a slight overclock on the GPU. Temps never pass low 60's C though. So with some game tweaks I bet it will only get better. But, as is, looks great and is enjoyable performance wise.

BUT, here is the trick: I had to install the Dox 195.62 drivers. That fixed both my crashing problem I was having with this game on both of my laptops, and also seemed to improve the performance quite a bit.

So far no issues with the Dox drivers other than as mentioned, must use taskbar icon to switch GPU's instead of Fn F6... no biggie really, and still switches same as before.

Also, the GPU clocks do downclock with these drivers just fine... that's a problem I'm having with my G51's 260m.... the clocks are stuck @3D settings with anything except 168.81's.... but, on the M11x, this does not appear to be a problem.

Sorry for the long update, but was excited to have the game running, and running decent.

Disclaimer: This is playing through the Prologue and Chapter 1, could go to hell at some point, who knows, but if the games plays as it is now, no problems.

EDIT: For what it's worth, Metro doesn't play dramatically better on my G51. Better framerate yes, but the same spots the M11x drops into the 20's, my G51 does as well. The M11x really is an impressive little machine.

 

Cheers guys for the heads up! another game I can sign up with the battlenet account lol.

 

be77 thanks for that input, I had gone back to stock drivers and the annoying thing is the dips into mid/low teens during the early fight scenes. So do the dox drivers help against this too?

 

Yep, I had the same annoying dip into teens with stock drivers, but with the Dox's, didn't have that problem. At mentioned settings, which were 1280x720, it did not drop below mid 20's on low. Was noticeably better.

Curious though, why did you return to stock drivers??

 

Oh only b/c I went to the 196.86 drivers for awhile and uninstalled those and the stock ones automatically reinstalled so I'm there now haha. Was too lazy to install the dox ones, though I should reinstall for this game now. Guessing it's in part to the newer drivers.

 

So I don't understand why a gaming machine like Alienware doesn't offer the latest and best possible graphic drivers that works with everything? Instead, it seems like everyone has to search for the best custom drivers to allow their system to actually play some of the more demanding games. If the graphics card is capable of better graphics, then why doesn't AW push out the drivers?

 

Because it's logical. Chances are, most people who have computers and or laptops don't even know how to install MS Word...like my neighbor(Easiest 20$ ever ). If that person is stuck, they will call up the company, take it to a place to fix it, or buy a new one. Either way, you pay money for your stupidity essentially.

Companies just want money.

(this isnt an angry post btw, just the truth )

 

@bluekorn = so darn true. I get to charge $50 for a simple reformat

 

I am getting my M11x this week and would like to know if Starcraft runs without freezing up?

I think it is a Windows 7 thing. I've run the CD version and digital dl from Blizzard on a few W7 boxes. The direct version does not have as many graphic weird recolors but still freezes on every computer with W7.

SC2 better run great. That's why I bought this box! I have high hopes and things look good with the beta reports so far.

 

No freezes here. Only weird colours.

 

Whats the final verdict on bad company 2? Is it playable at 720p and everything on low?

 

I say yes on BC2. Playable at 1280x720 on lows for sure. Might get occasional dips if you're in a building with a lot of explosions and ppl around like after the crate or something but overall very good.

 

Have to say, I haven't "gamed" on a PC in 10 years, or longer.
Not counting random Starcraft, and even a 1 month stint of WoW.

Playing real PC games feels good.
Going through Cryostasis now.

 

Can someone do an updated Crysis Video with multiple FPS stats with these tweaks below?
A) Crysis with CUDAATS Mod at level 3, 4, or 5
B) DX9 instead of DX10 (right clicking the Crysis Icon should give you the option)
C) Overclocking the CPU and GPU
CUDAATS stats would be nice between each level (3, 4, and 5).
I want to get an idea to see what the frames are and what has to get sacrificed to get the game looking good and running well. CUDAATS should be the only way to play Crysis imo, stock settings suck as CUDAATS pretty much optimizes the game for you since the devs didn't. I know the difference between each CUDAATS level so give it to me straight !
*Questions due to me being a possible FUTURE OWNER, just want some people to do some tests for me !*

 

A big yes for BC2. Hit me with a crowbar if it doesn't run.

 

@da1 does cudaats allow you to run at "lower" performance settings yet provide nicer graphics? I'm mostly on mediums now with decent performance, but if I can lower it to get higher FPS yet still looking like mediums, I'd be down to trying out cudaats mod.

 

Yep, I'll vouch for BC2... in fact, I'd keep it at 1366x768, DX10, and a mix of med/low settings. Runs just fine.

The game is only using about half the GPU's power at these settings, so no point in dropping back to 720p. In fact, to test this theory, I hooked up to my HDTV and set the game to 1920x1080, same settings of med/low, and it ran within a couple of frames per second here and there almost identically. But, it also started using 80-90% of the GPU.

Fun game.

 

I should be able to get true surround sound from my newer games via HDMI to my receiver correct?

 

Sounds correct, as long as your connected via HDMI you should be getting surround sound depending on your speaker set up.

 

Is this a bottleneck or bad optimization?

 

i know i said otherwise in the owners lounge, but GTA IV is suprisingly playable, even on the su4100. I'm not sure why or what, but after i re-launched it, it was fine and didn't stutter. oh yah, and HIGH graphics settings.

 

How many frames minimum is playable for you?

 

Freeride600:
Also, how long did it take for it to load for you. I started to load it but it was taking 20 minutes to load. Is this normal? Processor is su7300 and a 7200rpm drive.

 

@Cap'n
Did you have your discrete card activated? I noticed it takes 3 days to load bad company 2 when I forget to switch the 335m on lol.

Also, something about the patch today made bad company 2 run like butter .

 

Good news about the patch considering PC hardware is capable of more than it gets on the performance side usually

 

I have my game set to medium settings at 720p and I was getting around 28-45fps? I tried to take a fraps movie, but it didn't even show the fps and the clips came out short . Guess I'm a nub. You guys would cry if you watched my getting owned skills lol.

 

sorry, i'll try it again later w/ fraps. prob only like 20 or so. when i first installed it, it was high teens, but it lagged like crazy whenever you moved in a not-straight line.

@capt'n: imo, boot times were pretty fast. a minute maybe? If you want, i can put a stopwatch on it.

 

What's the difference between normal portal and portal:first slice?

 

Guys I just got Battlefield Bad Company 2 running on this thing and it looks great. The only problem I have is that the PS3 Controller is hooked up and it looks like it's also seeing the mouse as an input and is jacking up my mouse look. The game shows keyboard, mouse and joystick and I see the axis is set up for both mouse/joystick... I can't go forward at all while I have my controller plugged it because it just sends me spinning in circles... what's up with that? Is there a fix/patch for this? I don't want to play this w/ the mouse...

 

First slice is just a demo version.

You should have the full version installed.
I loaded up Steam when I first got it to associate Portal with my account, then went to http://www.steampowered.com/nvidia/ to get the other two free Half Life 2 "games".

Then I did a fresh install of Windows and redownloaded them later.

 

yeah portal is an awesome game. I wish I knew that once you sign into steam the portal game would be instantly tied. I would've just signed into my sister's account to give her portal since I already had it via orange box. Fail at just giving you portal again and you can't do anything about it, no giftin or anything. Oh welly. When I get my replacement system in I'll try to remember to do that.

 

The CUDAATS mod's levels are almost like this:
CUDAATS Level 3 = Medium Settings pretty much but optimizes game
CUDAATS Level 4 = High Settings pretty much but optimizes game
CUDAATS Level 5 = Very High w/Postprocessing effects and colorgrading but optimizes game
Best to choose Realistic shadows over Sharp shadows for better performance and only install ToD if you plan on starting the game over (ToD only works with a New Game).
Install the DX9 version of CUDATS, DX10 hogs alot of resources and speed. Be sure to right click Crysis icon to get to the DX9 setting.

We all know that Crysis is sorely not optimized for current computers but this mod pretty much was worked on by multiple people who wanted it so and was able to (check the changlog, it's huge! http://www.incrysis.com/forums/viewtopic.php?pid=382694#p382694) There is a huge following with CUDAATS, best mod you can have for Crysis and the must have mod as well.
Please an updated vid or at least some FPS stats !
P.S. With CPU overclock and GPU Overclock! Also You can swap CUDAATS levels at anytime as well, running the mod installer will erase the old level and replace it with the new one you select, so if you want to try level 3, 4, and 5 but preferred level 3 or 4, just run the mod installer again.

 

@dallow,

The site says you get peggle extreme with the download? I linked the games to my account but no peggle?

 

noone wants to answer my question lol

 

Hmm, you're right.
I'll look into it.

EDIT: Apparently the game is free for everyone now:
http://store.steampowered.com/app/3483/

 

@nsxrrmaniac = I didn't get peggle either but heck, I only play my shooters anyway. I barely touch HL DM lol

 

I guess I didn't really understand your question... you wanted to know how the game ran, I told ya.... my bad I guess

As for bottleneck or optimization? Well, as I mentioned, it's only using about half the GPU's power, where as many other games will use more, so guess you could say it's both could be better optimized to use the GPU more for better performance, but as it currently stands, the CPU is the limiting factor in this game as opposed to the GPU... But, many other games are the exact opposite, and run the GPU at 90+%

So, not really sure what you are looking for answer wise beyond that?

EDIT: As a comparison, BC2 doesn't push my 260mGTX GPU hardly at all with a T9300 overclocked to 2.9ghz much either, so game just seems really CPU bound in the first place.

 

Thanks for the reply lol. So its probably bad optimization then? Is the CPU running at 100% when you play BC2?

 

ok, i got a chance to do a little bit of ...testing... with GTA IV.

first, with the OC'ed su4100 and 5400rpm HDD, it takes 45 seconds to get to playing from the start screen.

As far as framerates, it averages at about 20. Keep in mind that i don't shut down stuff like MS word when i play.
the only major slowdown is when you take out a ton of people at once in a car. then it would drop to like 13, but bounce right back.

Hope this helps. if i can do any more "testing" with GTA IV, let me know and i'll see what I can do.

 

Oh sweet, I love peggle. So...I gotta recommend Just Cause 2 if you like sand box games. So much stuff to do and so much stuff to blow up or drop things on or attach to different objects, etc. It's great fun. Fps is pretty good on it too.

Oh, L4D2 is 25$ for 3 days .

 

L4D2 is tempting, but I have the first and don't have an urge to get the second. What I do plan on getting though is The Witcher.

 

I can vouch for L4D2 I found it more fun to play than the first one, it's always been one of those games where I'd invite a few friends over to plow through the story I plan to do the same when the expansion comes out, just something I really liked about co-op games with friends for a laugh and a drink. (even more awesome with the m11x when I get my mits on it, no need to strain the back carrying the stuff everywhere)

 

Chicken Chaser,
I may be in the extreme minority, but I was utterly disappointed by The Witcher. I fell prey to the hype, but after finishing it I just couldn't see what made others so crazy about it. I kept hearing it would get better, but it didn't! The dialogue is laughable and the plot is as interesting as a pre-teen fantasy novel.
There are fewer character models than in a Telltale game.
The gameplay consists of timed clicks... that's it. The weapons, signs (magic) & loot items are all pretty much worthless.
I did appreciate the gritty aesthetic of the environments. It was a welcome departure from the manicured utopia of Oblivion, but to be honest the layouts themselves were just a bunch of disguised corridors. Towns and exterior landscapes consist of dead end path after dead end path. I hope the sequel is more compelling. Oh and I'm not even going to go into the embarrassing debacle that is the "lady friend" card collecting mini game. This is one of those games I wish I could "un-play." Could of put my limited time towards something better. Oh well...

 

^After I found this out I decided to avoid the witcher. I did play Just Cause 2 for 6 hours straight today. Yes, I'm a junkie and my m11x dealt with it lol.

 

Thanks for the infos on GTA. For some reason the install didn't copy some files so reinstalled it. Now loads no problem. Freaking large installs are bound to have an issue I guess

 

Okay so I have sen vids of GTA4 working well on this laptop, what about Just Cause 2? Before I buy it, how well does it run? Is it worth getting?

I did get the Witcher up and running today and it was running well with the max resolution and everything. Still not sure if I will be able to make myself play through it all the way.

 

@Hengst2404 - from what Nsxrrmaniac just posted, I would think that it would run fairly well and it would be worth getting, thou hopefully someone that's played it on the m11x would vouch for this.

 

I also bought Just Cause 2, you need to tweak settings around a bit to get the best experience. Personally I found it the most playable setting Shadows on Medium and Textures on Low (which honestly still looks great, you'll only notice the textures during close up cutscenes), turning off AA, and dropping AF to 2x, for some reason you can't turn off AF. After that the rest of the base settings are good. Game runs fairly stable at 30-40 fps for the most part, it might drag a little bit during really heavy gunfights, but I never found it unplayable. This game is very well optimized.

Screenshots

http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y31/Krandor/JustCause22010-03-2322-00-37-02.jpg
http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y31/Krandor/JustCause22010-03-2321-20-13-55.jpg
http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y31/Krandor/JustCause22010-03-2317-09-09-56.jpg
http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y31/Krandor/JustCause22010-03-2120-48-47-40.jpg
http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y31/Krandor/JustCause22010-03-2120-10-58-55.jpg
http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y31/Krandor/JustCause22010-03-2120-44-52-41.jpg

 

thanks for the input krandor - I don't plan to get the game myself but I'm sure your info would be nice/helpful for others curious.