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    Drivers for 8400M GS 64 bit Vista

    Discussion in 'Dell' started by hi2u, Jan 4, 2008.

  1. hi2u

    hi2u Notebook Enthusiast

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    Which drivers do you guys use for your 8400M GS?

    I have a Vostro 1400 with 64-bit Vista Ultimate. My video card should be clocked at 400/500 but when I check the bus speeds on NVIDIA Monitor it shows up as 168/100. It's like the driver is downclocking the video card. I've tried all the latest drivers on laptopvideo2go with no success.
     
    hi2u, Jan 4, 2008
    #1
  2. H3rmaN

    H3rmaN Notebook Evangelist

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    it might be throttling when not in use...

    try a GPU intensive program like 3DMark06, and see what the NVIDIA monitor say when its running.
     
    H3rmaN, Jan 4, 2008
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  3. kozzney

    kozzney Notebook Evangelist

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    There are 3 different power modes per say that the video card can be in to save power. There is a low power mode for 2D image processing, where the card is underclocked to those frequencies you saw. This is the normal frequencies that you should see when you are doing stuff that is not graphics intensive like surfing the web, writing word docs, etc. Then there is a 3D low power mode where the card is clocked to around 275/300 when you are doing not very intensive 3D applications. Then there is the higher power full 3D power mode where the frequencies are set to their highest, like when you are playing games. The driver automatically detects all these and clocks your video card appropriately.

    Hope this helps.
     
    kozzney, Jan 5, 2008
    #3
  4. hi2u

    hi2u Notebook Enthusiast

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    is there a way to leave it at 400/500 at all times?
     
    hi2u, Jan 5, 2008
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  5. nizzy1115

    nizzy1115 Notebook Prophet

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    you wouldnt want it to stay that way. First your laptop would run way to hot, it would eat through your battery, and it will fail sooner.
     
    nizzy1115, Jan 5, 2008
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