Can M15x owners, please monitor 8800GTX's temperatures during gameplay?

Dear all,

As we all know, the 8800GTX downclocking problem has been solved and now it delivers amazing performance during gameplay. But... at what cost?

One thing people might not be aware of it's that now, without downclocking (with the new Bios), the temperature of the 8800GTX reaches higher values. For instance, in my case, while playing Crysis and Stalker, the GPU will hit 100C (the same wasn't true for Assassins Creed, for example).

My laptop is 3 weeks old, so in no way it's due to dust accumulation. I also suspect this is not an isolated problem, as I was having quite low temperatures before the bios update (compared to what other people were reporting).

So, here's the challenge:

People that have the 8800GTX and have the updated Bios x32RC1, can you please download Rivatuner and monitor your GPU's temperatures while playing demanding games (Stalker was the one that produced the more obvious effects, but Crysis will also do)? It's important that you play one of these two games (for consistency) and that you play in outside scenarios, for at least one hour (I didn't need that much with my laptop, but just to clear out any doubt).

Can you please post your results so that we can all come up with an idea of what's normal and what's not?

If it does turn out that the GPU is going to work at such high temperatures, we should all be aware of that as, I'm sure, that will drastically reduce our laptop's life span.

This will be very useful for the M15x community to be aware of a possible serious problem and help AW correct this problem. Also, I hope this comes across to potential buyers. I'm sure no one wants to buy a laptop that will break 6 months down the road.

EDIT: In order to make the "test" a bit more systematic, here are some points that people should take into consideration when performing it:

- Having Bios X32RC1 installed (latest Bios from AW)
- Run either Crysis or Stalker at high settings, without Vsync.
- Make sure environment temperature is around 25C (more or less 5C). If you can manage to have a reading of it, the better.
- Place the laptop on a flat surface, without anything blocking the fans (in or out). Do not use any coolers.
- Monitor temperature of the GPU with RivaTuner.
- Play for more than one hour in outdoor levels.
- Take a screenshot of your Rivatuner graphs and pinpoint reading on the graph at certain intervals to make it easier to read temps.

I'll start by posting my GPU's temps while playing Stalker:



Please help us so that we can clear out what's the truth behind the neon lights.

Take care,
M.

 

Ambient room temperature is going to be a statistically relevant variable that will probably change from user to user so that should be taken into consideration. Someone gaming at 67F vs someone gaming at 72F is going to make a difference.

 

Indeed... But let's say we are in temperate places with temps flutuating around 23C.
This is just a first "screen"... then if we come to any conclusion, we will think a bit more about that.

 

milcs thanks for posting this, I was really wondering if the "downclocking fix" really meant that temperatures were fixed as well

 

Come on M15x owners... Please post your temperatures. Do everyone a big favour... please!

 

I am not a 15X owner but a 100C temp. , although it may not affect performance will shorten the life of the gpu if indeed this is a sustained temperature and not just an occasional peak. If I were you, I would avoid playing these two games unti the temperature problem is resolved.

 

I think I read somewhere that the 8700M GT and the 8800M GTX is ok running sustained temps up to 104c. Let me see if I can dig up where I read it.

 

I'll test mine as soon as it arrives next week.

 

exactly if u don't provide us that info milcs this collection of info is pointless.

 

Pointless? If there is something that is pointless... is not this topic.
The purpose of this "test" is to have a general idea of the temperatures the GPU reaches. Let's not start losing ourselves in pointless debate. "Oh what if you turn on the AC?" "What if you are at a higher altitude and thus have less pressure?" "What if you expose it to direct sunlight?".
Come on... If you want to help and do something useful, please do... If not, please keep your pearls of wisdom to yourself.
Cheers,
M

 

i'll get right to it mate. only have assassin's creed as "best" game. will crank up the details etc. to stress the GPU a bit more.

 

whizzo, wouldn't you be playing on max with that laptop anyway?

 

milcs what do u have to hide about the environment people are experiencing overheating in? what is your environment?

my a ask what temp the room was when you got your results and if it was in the sun..

Its fair to say that playing a m15x on a bench outside in direct sunlight on top of a uneven surface is going to overheat or even kill the laptop..

its just common sense and its not even only applicable to high performance laptops that run hot.

 

Whizzo... thanks for that. Although, as I said, Assassins Creed didn't do it in mine (even if I had all the graphs maxed out). Just try a demo or something... Or borrow, or whatever...
I think FPS like Crysis and Stalker are the best bet to push the GPU to its limits.

To answer Heath... I live in the UK, London. Although it's June the temps here have not go past the 23-24C. More, I play my M15x on my bedroom, no heating on.

 

come on guys, calm down. me personally, i don't think the room temperature will result in HUGE differences in the GPU temperature. i think what we're trying to find out here is if the GPU will run very hot (like 100+ degrees celsius) or just hot (between 80 and 100 degrees celsius) under full load.

 

Exactly that... thanks for your words whizzo. Looking forward for those results (please try to get crysis).

 

Actually it will , even 5-10C worth.

 

Keep the conversation under control in here, thanks.

 

Let's just say that if you guys are in environments somewhere outside of the "normal" 68-73" range, please say so. I'm just trying to avoid people screaming bloody murder because they have temps 8 degrees higher than the next person and are convinced their card is faulty which leads them to 4 hours on the phone with CS and a video card replacement that never really needed to happen. I don't think it will be a huge difference but you never know.

 

Fair enough... My measurements were made at temperatures of around 20C (probably lower), on a flat surface (my desk), without anything blocking the vents underneath or in the back. At those conditions, the GPU reaches the temperature reported (100C) while playing Crysis or Stalker.
If someone could have a look at this, it would be extremely helpful.
Take care

 

just some anecdotal testing I've done, the Crysis GPU stress tests maxed out for me at maybe 96 degrees. Now, that was only by alt-tabbing to GPU-Z and I still haven't cleared the dust from my heatsink (which in my case, based off observations which only apply to me, is causing it to go 90+), so that's why I haven't done a full RivaTuner test, but for now take it for what it's worth.

in a couple days I'll be able to conduct a full, proper test

 

Great idea to measure this... I'll post some screens when I receive mine back.

 

Taken of the top of my head (so take this with a grain of salt). Previously when playing crysis with ambient room temp of about 20C I reached max 82C. Currently when playing NWN2 and ambient room temp 25C I max at 87C. Both games played with as high settings as the machine will allow. Everything measured with RivaTuner.

If we get 50 more people to post their temps then maybe this thread will be significant. If we don't then we can't make any statements about the average m15x and it might indicate that this is not an issue that is bothering people and as such it is probably not a large problem.

 

As Fr33m4n says, we need a significant number of people for this to make any sense. It doesn't take that long to do and will help us all (even if it's only for us to sleep better). Actually, no time at all... You just need to monitor your GPU temp with RivaTuner.

Freeman, if you could post pictures of Rivatuner during gameplay, that would be extremely helpful. Please do it while playing Crysis to have it more standardized.

More, do not forget that you need to have Bios X32RC1.

 

By popular demand:



Ambient room temp is 25C. As you can see the temp maxes at 89C.

 

It's funny how some max out temps at 85ish and others at 95ish-100C.
And this is with the latest BIOS that makes the fans run faster,right?

 

the only thing I would remind people is that many games max out their framerates, or some may have turned on vsync which locks your FPS to 60.

if you're gonna do these tests it would be best to make sure neither is the case, and that the card is just working as hard as possible to kick out frames.

 

Yep, Vsync will not only lower fps if over 60 or the GPU can't handle it, but it will lower temps A LOT...

 

well that's my point. since your graphics card is told to only render 60 fps (with vsync on) as opposed to working as fast as it can and generate 120 fps, then the heat it generates is less.

 

Why even run with frame rates over 60 since the maximum frame rate of the display is 60 FPS? No need to generate the extra heat for nothing. I use vsync on all my games. Prevents that annoying tearing too.

 

my only point is that if we're gonna compare temps then it is important to note that vsync can affect results

 

Yes, but not all games can be run at ~60 fps to be able to use Vsync,in some cases Vsync dropps frames radically.

Somehow dude, I don't think people are doing what you request them to,they all come up with different sollutions instead of benchmarks

 

Yes... people come and debit lots of opinions, but not many people seem to do much.
Anyway... To make it more "systematic", I've wrote a small list of things to ensure before making your tests (I have edited the OP accordingly).

Here it is:
- Having Bios X32RC1 installed (latest Bios from AW)
- Run either Crysis or Stalker at high settings, without Vsync.
- Make sure environment temperature is around 25C (more or less 5C). If you can manage to have a reading of it, the better.
- Place the laptop on a flat surface, without anything blocking the fans (in or out). Do not use any coolers.
- Monitor temperature of the GPU with RivaTuner.
- Play for more than one hour in outdoor levels.
- Take a screenshot of your Rivatuner graphs and pinpoint reading on the graph at certain intervals to make it easier to read temps.

 

Then my post is still valid because all those guidelines holds true for my run. Also, I didn't know that vsync affected temps so I did a run with that on and my max temps came out at 87C. Not a huge difference but there is one.

Personally I think it would make more sense if we used a benchmarking tool like furmark because the gamerequrements means that people will be playing different sections of the game which will stress the machine differently and furthermore it is not guaranteed that every owner has those games which bars people from participating.

One last thing. What are we trying to prove here? You talk about the cost of temperature over time which only means that if we some time in the future starts seeing mass failure of the system due to temp then all you get to do is say "I told you so". Or am I missing something here?

 

If there were an m15x-wide problem then the pressure would be on for AW to redesign the cooling system or something and replace everyone's current system.

 

No company would do such a thing based on the uncontrolled, independant "testing" of a small, disgruntled segment of its customer base. These tests will never constitute proof to them, and will never result in any action being taken by them. Anyone who thinks they have something wrong with their computer and wants AW to do something to rectify it won't accomplish anything outside the process of their regular waranty and repair program.

 

Ok... then I think we should all stay put, enjoy your amazing laptops and live happy ever after. Obvious if people don't see a point, all this effort is actually completely a waste of time.
Keep smilling...

 

well, the point may be to inform potential buyers of problems that will effect their decisions. Or to let current owners know of potential dangers, and spur discussion about possible solutions (like Taco's undervolting suggestions). I think this is great, milcs, and that you are correct that we shouldn't just pretend that problems don't exist if they actually do. I just don't think it's reasonable to assume that a big enough group is going to come up with objective enough data at a large enough scale to compel AW to give current owners all new chassis. But, that's my opinion.

When mine comes in (who knows when THAT will be), I do plan to run the testing that you suggest, according to the guidelines you propose, and detail the results here for comparison and discussion. I see value in that, and hope with you that others will do the same.

 

It's worked before. We convinced them there was a problem with the GPU downclocking.

 

yeah, true. Still... updating a BIOS is very different than investing the time and money that would be involved in replacing the cases of all existing customers.

 

Nonetheless, if you gather enough separate cases, they will be forced to look into it.

 

Just got my compressed air can, opened up my laptop, moved the GPU fan and gave the heat sink a nice run down. Results? Staggering.

Full-duration Crysis GPU test (maximum result measured with CPUID Hardware Manager)
Before: 97 degrees C
After: 89 degrees C

FurMark
Before: 102+ degrees C (4 minutes, didn't hit a maximum, it kept going and going)
After: 88 degrees C (30 minutes)

so, if you're having an overheating problem, I would strongly suggest cleaning your GPU heatsink (from the inside!). For me, at least, there is no m15x overheating problem.

 

So, basically someone that gets the M15x is expected to open the laptop every 3 months, remove the fan, heatsink, etc... in order to avoid the GPU to fry? I guess that they should only sell the M15x to people that have an IT hardware degree then.
In any case... I think that 90C after a clean up does not, by any means, suggests that there is no overheating problem. But that's just my opinion...
We need to hear from more people about their GPU's behaviour to have a close to real idea of what's happening.

 

Can't blame them for not predicting my environment. I use my laptop in a carpeted room right beside my bed; dust has always been a problem for my laptops. Your positive outlook is contagious milcs.

 

I'm happy for you GRB, of course.

But not happy myself regarding my M15x. Straight out of the factory I'm having temps of 100C. That's too much... Obviously I care about my laptop first, but I also want people to keep an eye on it to exclude the possibility of it being a more generalized problem (and this only started to really make me worry when I've read about the 2nd case of lids breaking).

Appart from that... obviously I think that having to open laptops that you paid a fortune for, to keep them clean is, to say the least, un-imaginable. But I don't know a lot...

Anyway, sorry if I sound bitter or upset...

 

yeah, I understand what you're saying, and I agree too that we need more results. As I stressed "For me, at least..." the problem is fixed. Results may vary for others.

 

Let's not use the word "fixed" here... not to make people think they actually did something about it. Your laptop does not overheat (although it reaches 90C). As you were one of the first to receive the laptop, the 90C you get now where the 90C you always had (at least in the first month, when there was no dust).

Nothing has been "fixed", nothing has been positively done by AW to tackle the large ammount of systematic problems people have reported.

I am happy that your laptop does not have this problem though. I hope mine will come back fixed like your... And more, I hope that the new laptops being shipped now won't even show a trace of any of the problems that have been tormenting the M15x.

 

Well, it wasn't on my machine (Which is still stuck in the Phase-4 ether somewhere). But I've been borrowing my sister's m15x as she is away on business. It's decked out as much as it can be decked out - xtreme cpu, 8800gtx, 4gb, 1920x1200, etc...

So, I spent the day playing Crysis on high, native resolution. Tons of fun, good framerates. CPU never got higher than 92C, and GPU topped out at 89C. That's my results on Crysis, after 5 hrs. straight gameplay. Room temp was about 75-77farenheit.

 

Thats very cool indeed. I hope mine will behave properly when I get my laptop back (I'm missing it quite a lot, actually). Maybe there's still hope!

Did you monitor it with Rivatuner? Because as soon as you stop (or alt+tab) crysis, the temps go down pretty fast. You need a program that will allow you to or check the temps over time or register the highest temperature the GPU reached.

The CPU temp was around 92C? That's quite hot for the CPU though... Is it downclocking? Normally it doesn't go past that temp because the CPU downclocks.

 

Just a question to everyone, as I'm a bit temperature naive... what is considered to be a "danger" temperature for a CPU and a GPU? (On notebooks, that is). I'm just wondering what these laptops SHOULD optimally run at... safely... in order to prolong life span.