Problems with my new laptop... please help!

I just purchased the M570U-A laptop from RJTech with the 7800 GTX and T7200 C2D. I am happy with it thus far with one glaring exception:

In a graphic intensive area of Oblivion, and even once in World of Warcraft, gameplay slows to a crawl suddenly.

This IS after the laptop has been on for about 7-8 hours, but most of that time was just downloading patch stuff for WoW.

Is this due to the laptop overheating? Is this a normal problem, and am I wrong for leaving my laptop on for so long?

Is this normal for a powerful laptop? (This is the first I've owned). What can I do to fix/avoid this problem? Any help at all would be greatly appreciated!

 

Your GPU is getting too hot; when that happens, it automatically downclocks so it doesn't get any hotter.

Clevo notebooks have a Maximum Fans feature, use that when gaming. Press Fn + F2 to activate/deactivate. It should fix your problem. You also might think about getting a cooling pad for that notebook. It is not entirely necessary, but would reduce the heat even more.

Congratulations on your notebook, that's a fantastic machine.

 

Thanks for that info about the fan, Chaz. I didn't know about that.

It helped a little bit, but still slowed down in certain areas. I found when I enabled the Max fan and propped my notebook up, the problem went away.

It's a shame this notebook does not have retractable legs in the back so I could prop it up on those...

Oh well, I might just look into those cooling pads so I can have the peace of mind of knowing the slow downs won't happen. Thanks again!

 

Congrats on the new notebook.

You definitely need a notebook cooler, it helps.

I have a Clevo with 7800 GTX, it will get heated if you dont use the Fn+F2 command to toggle fans' speed to max or auto.

You should really look into my guide for monitoring GPU temps.
http://forum.notebookreview.com/showthread.php?t=81690

And here are the recommended notebook coolers.
http://forum.notebookreview.com/showpost.php?p=1707091&postcount=6

And remember to optimize your dual core system:
http://forum.notebookreview.com/showpost.php?p=1710353&postcount=9
http://forum.notebookreview.com/showthread.php?t=60416

As for Oblivion, i set it to High rather than Ultra High to get better performance.

-Gophn

 

Hmm, I just monitored my temps in Oblivion with Rivatuner...

I forced my laptop into doing the slowdown, it did, then I checked the temps. The highest the temp got was 80C before it underclocked itself.

I was reading in another thread that 80C is pretty safe, and GPUs are not in danger of damage until 100C or so...

Is there a way to change the maximum temp before the computer downclocks?

 

yup in the advanced settings area,always remember to keep you laptop on a hard surface, never set it on a pillow on your lap etc

 

It seems fine, remember to game when your power is plugged in, it give you the best performance.

 

What advanced settings area is that? Sorry, still new to this laptop thing...

I am gaming with the power plugged in... I would just love to change that maximum temp setting so I don't have to worry about the computer downclocking itself constantly.

 

Check your Nvidia Control Panel, and the Powermizer.

You should set your powermizer settings to Maximum Performance

 

That is done.

I am wondering if I can run my GPU temps above 80C without the laptop downclocking the GPU. In another thread I read that you game up to 94C, which I assume you do without the GPU running at crawling speed.

I cannot find the option to change this max temp before downclock anywhere.

 

My 7800 GTX never needed to do modification to downclock. I got my notebook back in March, the videocard did overheat (my fault for OC'ing and not monitoring temps ), but it was replaced and works perfect now.

I play everything on it, it has yet to give me any problems as long as I do the Fn+F2 command and use a notebook cooler.

My temps peak at 95 C degrees (room temp with no air conditioning) in BF2142 and Ghost Recon. It is 5-10 C degrees less in most games. I dont notice it every downclocking, maybe you might be experiencing dropped frames from heavy 3D enviroments... such as being outdoors in Oblivion with Ultra High settings. Try High Settings, it should help.

 

Hmm... interesting.

It is definitely not dropped frames, because when it happens I can lift my laptop off the table, turn off the max fan then turn it back on, and the game goes back to normal... each time I've done this I've checked the temp charts in Rivatuner and it has been right around 80C that this happens.

If your temps peak at 95C for some games, I am worried that this will be a continual problem for me if my computer continues to downclock itself when the GPU temp rises above 80C. If anyone knows how I may change a setting to keep this from happening, I would really love to know. Thanks!

 

Are you monitoring temps in-game?? or are you closing/minimizing the game to check the temp on the chart?

I monitor all temps during gameplay, it shows up as an OSD (on-screen display) on the top left of my fullscreen-ed game window.

 

I am checking the chart after gameplay, but the chart shows the temps from about 7 minutes before until realtime. I am stressing the card to the point the slowdown occurs then checking the chart after closing the game, to see the highest temp during the 7 minute period.

 

thats works too. But i would recommend to turn on the OSD so that you can keep track of the temps while its increasing during gameplay.

I remember random slow-downs before, but that was due to the videocard being damaged from 3 months worth of overheating.
Here is my thread on what i experienced:
http://forum.notebookreview.com/showthread.php?t=81257

 

You know what, it might be drivers.

I am using the 84.26 Drivers from Clevo/Sager for my 7800 GTX, its very stable and I havent had any problems so far.

I am not going to update as long as its stable and performs well.