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    M17X 280M Chug-chug-chugging noise and freezes!

    Discussion in 'Alienware' started by Aikimox, Oct 12, 2009.

  1. Aikimox

    Aikimox Weihenstephaner!

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    Hi guys, now this is scary. After a month of heavy gaming with no issues (besides a fan replacement) in the last couple of days all of a sudden, when loading/starting games I hear strange chugging noise from the left gpu (the fan noise is perfectly normal) and feel some strong vibration (on the left side it's a bit stronger than on the right) on palm rests.
    At the same time games either hang up totally or have a lot of minor freezes. One time the system just stopped responding at all. Restart fixes the problem, I also cleaned the fans (they were ok) and checked/reseated/cleaned both gpus and the SLI cable connectors. Everything was ok, as well as temps. Another strange thing is that temps never even rise above 60c on those occasions (normally when gaming they peak at 70-74c).
    I can't easily reproduce the problem, and as I'm thinking about it,...hmmm, it started happening after switching to battery mode and back... Could it be the hybrid switching problem? (I'm on stock drivers and enabled hybrid all the time).
     
    Aikimox, Oct 12, 2009
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  2. Mandrake

    Mandrake Notebook Nobel Laureate NBR Reviewer

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    Disable the integrated gpu in the bios and see of it gets better or worse.

    Chugging noises and vibrations is not a common issue around here. You don't live by a train do you? ;)
     
    Mandrake, Oct 13, 2009
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  3. Kevin

    Kevin Egregious

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    Hmm GPUs themselves don't make noise.
     
    Kevin, Oct 13, 2009
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  4. Mandrake

    Mandrake Notebook Nobel Laureate NBR Reviewer

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    actually they do but it's more of a squeal than a chug.
     
    Mandrake, Oct 13, 2009
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  5. Aikimox

    Aikimox Weihenstephaner!

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    Well actually I do live by a train :eek: but the noise is different.
    Disabling 9400 fixes the problem, but I'm curious what's the reason for this issue (is it hardware or software related)?
     
    Aikimox, Oct 13, 2009
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  6. kcuk

    kcuk Notebook Evangelist

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    hi bud i havent the m17x i got the old one but id check your hard drive/s

    as their the only thing in a laptop that has mvoing parts other than the fans and cd drive i think( before you start making a list of things that move. :) )
     
    kcuk, Oct 13, 2009
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  7. Mandrake

    Mandrake Notebook Nobel Laureate NBR Reviewer

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    Interesting. Would have guessed the other way around. Turn it back on and monitor the heat of the MCP.
     
    Mandrake, Oct 13, 2009
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  8. Aikimox

    Aikimox Weihenstephaner!

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    I'll keep an eye on my HDD Kcuk , thanks for the advice, but I seriously suspect the graphics switching bug. The temps are perfect, Mandrake, 9400 never rise above 68c (in games) and 60c when idle. Interesting, when I boot the machine on battery and then plug the power during the boot, sli is auto turned on(it's supposed to be back after restart and switching back in bios), and THAT'S when it happens! The cards are on but for some reason not working full gas, as if something is throttling them down. Maybe I'm just going nutz :(
     
    Aikimox, Oct 13, 2009
    #8