I challenge anyone to figure out this FPS problem with my gtx580m

Afternoon,

recently i bought an alienware m17x r3 and i have been feeling like its not giving me its best. This is a lot of machine for such poor performance. So i used 3dmark06 and i came out with a score close to 14000 which is low for this current setup. Atleast thats what 3dmark06 said and i believe because i was told by the alienware support guys that it should be around 19000 and that its just a "software issue" with just 3dmark06. Sooooo they are selling expensive gaming computers that dont run gaming benchmarks well??
Ok here is the problem and this happens with all games. This problem occurs when in games and even happens in the game menu. Even when im not in the server but in the main menu of bfbc2, bf3beta or lfd2 etc, my fps will be at 199 and then will drop to 30 then back up to 199. This happens like it has a cadence/pulse/beat to it. Up and then down up and then down. This in game is even worse. will be 60 fps then down to 27 then back up. Even when im not looking at a high detailed enviroment. IE ill look at the ground and my fps is 100 then it will drop to 48 then will go back up. I have spoken to support about it MANY times and nothing has worked. They suggest things i have already tried. I have the nvidia settings set to performance and make sure games are running off the 580m cause optimus sucks. I have All the lastest drivers, bios etc. Power settings set to performace. They are sending me a new AC adapter that has a lil more power, its the m18x ac. IDK if it will work. OH here is that catch! When i disconnect my AC adapter while in the main menu my fps goes from 199 to 110 BUT it stays at 110, does not go up or down. Then i hook my ac adapter back in and then it goes from 199 to 30 then 199 over and over again. IDK guys. Any suggestion please help.
Who can figure this one out?
Specs:
m17x r3
i7 2720QM
8gb ram
gtx580m 2gb
1.5tb Raid0
240W ac adapter

 

Baka suggest to try just turning on VSync ingame and see if it stays at 60 always or still dips randomly ._. You don't need 100+ fps anyway

 

Download ThrottleStop from tech inferno, extract it, launch it and turn it on.
See if that helps.
Then update your drivers to latest 285.38 beta an set power management to prefer maximum performance in nvidia control panel.
Also be sure that you're on maximum performance power under windows power management.
Be sure you're not in stealth mode.

 

One more think in addition to what Kingpinzero said.
Have you removed all of the Dell bloatware that came preinstalled with the machine?
In some cases, this can cause performance issues (though it may not be related to what you are experiencing at the moment)

 

If the power management suggestion doesn't work, maybe check if you have dpc latency issues. I mention that because you said the fps keep jumping up and down.

Dell doesn't put much, if any, bloatware on Alienware laptops. My M11x didn't have any, and my M17x only had PowerDVD, if that is even considered bloatware.

 

Great suggestions!
Baka: Thanks for the info but i have tried this as well. The result was a capped 60fps and it was have that drop down to 27 or 21 fps from there over and over.

King: I do have the 285.38 beta drivers for the bf3 beta and i had also se tthe power options at performance. The m17x R3 does have a stealth mode so you just the old fashion way. However i have not tried Throttlestop this is new to me. Thanks for the input all try this as well and let u know.

Deks and I has: Not much bloatware on this machine but i have removed some and the DPC tool is totally new to me and i do not even know what it is. HOWEVER, i have downloaded it and have seen some results just trying to figure out where to go from there. Most of the time it is running around 160 to 190 us but there there is a spike and RED bars that go up to 4000+ us... ERR.. It suggests going into device manager and turning off different devices one by one to find the problem... uhhh.. Yay.. Idk this could be a long day. Please keep the suggestions coming in Guys. This is the only progress i have had in days so now the brick wall can take a break!

 

Try a clean install of a different driver version; worth a shot.

 

Yup, tried. Same results. I should have just returned this pos within the 30 day mark. idk what to do now

 

is your hdd working when the slowdowns happen?

 

Is stealth mode on?