*OFFICIAL* "All Powerful" M15x Benchmark Thread Part 2

I mentioned this in passing before, but you can probably get more stability and performance out of that card if you undervolt it.

 

That's impressive!! Hmm, I should put my 5850 back just for benching it a little bit with the new drivers

 

I suspect it would be pretty slow and dull going after the 6970M.

 

Surprise!

...no it's not the 6970m. It's a 6970m-6500m, but from Nvidia



Clocks at stock, everything on standard settings in the Nvidia control panel.

 

LOL. Where did you get a 470M? How did you get it to work in the M15x when all prior efforts were unsuccessful? The new drivers? Looks like it falls about halfway between the 5850M/5870M and the 6970M, but is no threat to the 6970M. So, tell us the story. Congratulations. +Rep, when allowed.

 

Double post. Please delete.

 

You got it to work?! How?! Please tell!

 

Yeah, I got it to work, thanks. Still have some issues with overclocking it though.

I tried to upgrade the Asus G73JW of a colleague. There hasn't been anyone in the Asus forum who tried to somehow upgrade the GPU of the JW.
So I first tried the 6970m. This failed, but soon afterwards I got my hands on a Nvidia 470m... which didn't work in the G73 either which was pretty frustrating as it involves a lot of time taking apart the G73 and reassambling it again, it's a nightmare compared to a M15x, lol

Well, then the card was simply laying around, so I put it in my M15x. Had the same 2d clock issue as Inap and widezu, so I decided to modify the vbios.
I changed the 2d clocks and voltage to 3d speeds, with the result that the card idled at 3d values, but still downclocked everything under load (even the voltage got down).
Since I'm more or less a noob with Nvidia cards it took me a while to realize that my system apparently completely ignored the 3d clocks (P15) for whatever reason, I have no idea. Has probably to do with some deeper stuff in the vbios.
Only the 2d clocks and the "lower 3d clocks" (P7) had an effect on the clock speeds. Changing the P7 values to 3d did the trick. The card idles now at 2d and goes up to 3d.
Biggest problem so far is that can't overclock the core so far...

Some more details about this and a guide are in this thread.
Hope I figure out how to overclock the core as well.

 

Can you not modify the core in nibitor and flash it?

 

Well, as I said on T|I, I tried to do this yesterday, flashe the card at least 10 times in order to overclock the core. The only applied changes were shader and memory. I'm not very familiar with nibitor and don't know what yet exactly what each number in the "Fermi Clocks" tool stands for, but at least with changing the usual ones I wasn't successful.

 

Oh well. You could always ask the kind guys over at mvktech. Anyways +rep when allowed.

 

great job svl7, that's why you wanted the 460m vbios

 

Some odds and ends from recent explorations.

** Superceded **

 

holy crap. great score rev. that gpu score is friggin amazing. makes me miss my M15x.

 

Getting closer, Inap.

3dMark Vantage -- P11,947 (5850M/920XM)



3dMark Vantage GPU -- 10,568 (5850M)



3dMark Vantage CPU -- 21,224 (920XM)

 

dam bro, so close to the 12k mark. YOU CAN DO IT!!!!
that was something i really wanted to do, but couldn't at the time.
congrats man, gonna be crowning a new M15x king real soon.

shoulda bought the 2820, everyone kicking my butt on benching now. hahhaha

 

The 2920xm (ES) chips are still way too high. I assume you'll have one in due course and then you'll blow them all away, as usual. I might get you though in the 5850m Vantage overall score, but sorta afraid I've shot my Vantage wad. We'll see.

 

i prolly won't pull the trigger on an xm chip till ivy comes out, prolly just gonna grab a cheap es 2820xm for now.

i'm hoping you do beat me, been dying to see someone crack the 12k. with those gpu scores, you'll prolly beat it real soon. your cpu score is real nice too.
wish you luck bro!!!!

 

Absolutely fantastic work Rev!!! You almost got Inap!! Fascinating GPU score, now if you get 21k on the CPU during such a run you should at least have the top score. Keep pushing for the 12k!

Btw, how did you solve your issues with 3dMark Vantage? I see you're using the latest version, which isn't working properly for me.

I might put the 5850 back for some benching before I go back to the 6970m... just to see the difference between the latest drivers myself

 

Finally broke P12,000 in Vantage with a 5850M. That was fun. Sorry, Inap.

3dMark Vantage - P12,025 (5850M/920XM)

Result

 

Boom nice one!

 

dude thats is awesome, congrats bro. i knew you can do it.

 

We have a new king!! Congratulations!!!!!

Too bad Inap doesn't have his M15x anymore, would be a great benching fight here

 

Thank you, thank you, thank you, guys. It's a good thing Inap doesn't have Old Yeller (his killer M15x) any longer; he'd de-throne me in a heartbeat. Probably looking at the same end if svl7 revisits his 5850m. Ultimately though, a 940xm has to hold the high score, so it's a matter of time. Still, that was great fun; I didn't really think I could get there with this setup.

 

amazing vantage score did u use any auxiliary cooling?

 

Yep, finally tried using an a/c vent to help with cooling. Big difference.

 

Yes, cooling down the components helps. I was able to get 20MHz more than usually on the core speed of the 6970m when I cooled it.

 

AC runs are comming tonight!

 

That's about what I see - at best, depending on the app. What it really does for me is (mostly) eliminate power throttling often associated with high clocks, which translates into higher scores. Particularly in Vantage. Don't see much (or any) benefit with 3dMark11.

 

Jump on in. We need some new players.

 

Yes, cooler components draw less power. Generally spoken, the cooler the better. That's what I used for my best 6970m runs. I don't have an AC... (would be more comfortable, even though less cool) :



3dMark11 draws less power at the same clocks, but I can't get higher clocks on 3dM11 than on vantage, I guess it has something to do with the complexity of the workload process.

 

New Catalyst 8.86 beta drivers (probably 11.6 beta) provide a little boost in 3dMark11. Allowed me to o/c 5850m memory to 1200, whereas prior drivers would never accept more than 1150 (rarely) and mostly 1125 max. No difference on core clocks. Give 'em a try.

3dMark11 -- P3260 (5850m @ 920/1200 with 920xm)

Result



NOTICE: The Great Dane (member DaneGRClose) is working on updating the M15x Benchmarks Thread Scores (Post #2) this weekend. He reviews the recent posts since the last update in an effort to identify the top scores, but it is a laborious process, and it is easy to occasionally overlook a qualifying score. If you have a score that might be eligible for the rankings, please PM Dane with the score and citation to the applicable post to assure that it is included. Remember that he will only consider scores supported by documentation as described in Posts #1 and #2 (or equivalent).

 

And BAM, The Rev strikes back, again! Great work!!!

 

Svl7, DICE? You are a serious overclocking man, as if the 6970m transplant left any room for doubt. How much do you use at a time (weight) and how long does it last? How cool do your components get, looks like 20C at least based on limited screenshots, but I know DICE will often take CPU/GPU's down to ~0C idle. Any side effects? Very cool (LOL). +Rep when allowed.

 

Hehe, I only put some dry ice directly on the heatsink and used some duct tape to make sure it doesn't fall down directly on the PCB.

If you take a look at the temps here (wprime run), you see that the CPU temps were about -2°C before I started the run.
My lowest GPU temp was about -7°C , hahaha During the tests the chips get warmer of course, still about 60°C, depending on how good you cool the heatsink.

Was a lot of fun, but you have to be careful, as the heatsink gets really cold, water damp (from the air) begins to condensate on it. So make sure the electronic parts don't get wet accidentally, make sure you don't have little pieces of dry ice on the PCB.

I could only buy dry ice in pellets, not in blocks, but it worked fine. The pellets were up to 7cm long and about 1.5-2cm in diameter. You don't need much for benching, 1-2 kg will more than suffice. I bought about 5kg, cost ca. 4 bucks per kg and afterwards I still had some kilograms left, so I put it in the pool of the neighbours, you should've seen their faces when they saw that there was smoke coming out of the water, hahahahaha, simply awesome!

It's also great for making drinks

Edit: I forgot... it lasts for at least a day when stored properly in a styrofoam box, even a bit more, but it will loose weight all the time of course. Just make sure you store the box in a room which is ventilated well and also always keep some windows open when using it.

 

That's a hoot. I'm going to have to try DICE at some point. Those temps (and scores) in the referenced posts are amazing. P15510 in Vantage in a M15x is astounding. May get a 6970m myself, but would prefer the Dell card. Maybe I can talk Inap into being my agent to get around Dell's refusal to sell them unless you have an R3 or M18x.

 

Well after a lot of testing the max (stable) clocks, im going to have nothing over 800, anything over 800 the whole driver locks up, forcing me to restart and somewhat freak out for fear I have melted my gpu. lol
dirt 3 is amazing in dx11, just wish i could squeeze a little more out of the card!

 

What are you using to overclock your 5850m, ettehbrute?

 

Saphire TRIXX

 

Then I assume you have already experimented with increased voltage in an effort to support higher clock settings. If that avenue has been exhausted, then you're probably stuck. Unlucky, but it happens.

 

svl, your nuts bro. Hahah wanted to try that too ever since I saw Dr650 do it. Really wished these 6970 had the voltage unlocked, then we could start having real fun with it.

Rev just hit me up bro. I'll do what I can to help.
Edit: I did notice someone doing a price check on a dell 6970 a few days ago. So you may want to check that out.

I should be getting an 460m pretty soon, so gonna be benching that. So all you 460m owners come out to bench hehehe.

 

truly WOW, i diddnt mess with the gpu voltage, but now its at 1100 and dirt 3 is max settings @65 fps


let me say that is a bad idea, 101 degrees later yeah normal clocks!

 

@Inap: Yes, the voltage lock is really a shame. Would be awesome to push it a bit harder, but I guess the increased power draw would kill my PSU

Hey, what happened to your epic "Blow me" avatar?


@ettehbrute: Keep care with the voltage, 1.05 or 1.10 should be enough, don't use 1.15V for gaming, gets too hot.

 

While increased voltage will result in increased temps, it's an incremental effect with generally modest overall impact. Temps above 85C indicate a need for thorough cleaning of vents and fans and new thermal paste (and usually pads). It's all part of the care and feeding of a high performance laptop. Check out these sources:

YouTube - ‪Cleaning the Alienware M15x‬‏

Inap's Thermal Paste Guide: Download THERMAL PASTE GUIDE.rar from Sendspace.com - send big files the easy way

Inap's GPU Replacement Guide: Download M15x GPU.rar from Sendspace.com - send big files the easy way

YouTube - ‪Alienware M15x Teardown 1 of 3 **READ SAFETY PRECAUTIONS PRIOR TO REPLACING PARTS** (Official Video)‬‏

 

It is rumored that agents of the Taliban have infiltrated NBR and are once again arbitrarily removing avatars the mullahs deem "inappropriate." Others suggest that Chinese government hackers are practicing cyber-war tactics by spoofing moderator actions to foment dissent and unrest among the lost souls of the decadent West that find their way to NBR.

 

All wrong, the government have a tactic to drive this person to post a real picture of himself. They've hacked into nbr and removed his avatar in hopes that the real picture of the alien, who escaped Area-51 and left the blue prints of their new weapon with Dell which spawned the the "All Powerful", would reveal himself.

 

Hmm, they really should improve their security then... not that all of a sudden your inappropriatly high 5850m benches get removed

 

What a strange world we inhabit. That beaver avatar is next widezu69.

 

I know it looks pretty nervous... I want to do a bit more benching but I'm in Bangkok at the moment and things get real toasty even with the AC on. I have the back off with my old cooler under it and I still struggle to get things down below 50 on idle with the fans on auto.

 

Better lay low until the attack subsides. Besides, it's been said that Bangkok offers diversions far more enticing than benchmarking.