poor perfomance with 7970m (sager np9170) on Modern Warfare 3

According to notebookcheck, i expected performance of a 91 FPS running modern warfare 3.

However, i got only 41 fps with my 7970m, a very poor perfomance.
Video options are default: 1920x1080, all high, 2x AA.

According to MSI afterburner, 7970m is with the standard clocks (1200, 850 mhz) during gameplay. Temps are normal too.

I'm using clevo's DVD driver. Switchable graphics option is set to "high perfomance" on MW3. Windows power option is set to high perfomance too.

It's the first game that i'm testing and i'm worried about the perfomance.
I heard about some issues with some 7970m and enduro technology...

Is there any way I can increase the performance on gameplay?

 

Well according to the Alienware review,
Enduro Disabled = 91FPS
Enduro Enabled = 70.2FPS

So we can rule Enduro problem out since its not so extreme it lower the frames down to 41FPS.
Alienware M17x R4 Notebook Review - Notebookcheck.net Reviews

 

Have you checked GPU usage on MSI afterburner? The only time I have noticed a performance drop like that is when the system is running on battery mode. I get a higher FPS with Crysis 2 maxed out on M17x 7970m which is a much more demanding game.

 

Wow! That's strange! During MW3 gameplay, the GPU usage is only 40-50%, with ~40 fps. Sometimes i get only 20% of GPU usage

I tried to play dirt 3 on ultra settings (1920x1080, 4x AA, ultra) and i got 58 average fps, with 95% GPU usage!

So, why only 45% of GPU usage on Modern Warfare 3? How i can ge 100% of GPU usage?

 

Isn't low GPU usage related to either frame per second cap, or CPU bottleneck? I remember I had a similar issue with my HD5870m with skyrim when I had my old 740qm CPU.

 

what are your computer specs? What driver version are you using?

The difference is so far off that i suspect a bad driver install. I would uninstall the driver, run driver sweeper (select "AMD display" only), reboot then reinstall the new drivers

The Alienwares with 7970m are indeed scoring much higher than that based on official benches

 

Dirt 3 at ultra with a 7970m...58 fps?
Im not sure youre using your 7970m at all, it should boost fps well above 60fps, much like desktop gtx 570.

 

Yeah this sounds like a really bad driver or bad memory. If the GPU usage is low, it could be that the memory is bad and is maxing out. Try using MSI Afterburner to increase the mem clocks ONLY. See if that improves performance. If it does not AND your CPU is the base 3610qm available off of Xotic, then you most probably have a bad driver.

 

I´m using using 3610qm. I´ve checked the perfomance of processor at super pi, and worked well.

I tried to uninstall the amd drivers (using drive sweeper) and install sager´s website drivers, but I saw no difference.

I´ll try to overclock mem clocks...

Is there any modded drivers? Or is there a anyway to use the drivers from alienware on sager´s 7970m?

 

look in my 7970m guide for the 12.5 modded drivers link. i don't know if they will install on your computer because of Enduro. On alienwares, you can type FN+F7 to run on dedicated GPU, and then the drivers install just fine...but i don't know about the sagers

you can try them. Worse case, back to the Sager drivers

 

I´ll try this driver...
Using default clevo/sager drivers i got 5854 score at 3dmark11 (5642 GPU score). These values ​​appear normal compared to the Notebookcheck, right?

But for some reason, i'm with low FPS on gaming...

 

Updating: while using sager/clevo driver, i checked 7970m temps: Or I'm with sensor problems, or is overheating!
I got 90°C during a short dirt 3 gameplay... Now i'm worried

 

What is your ambient?

 

Ambient temperature around 20-25 °C...
The notebook stays on a clean table on my room, with the air vents free...

Once a week my room needs to be cleaned because of dust, but I'm with the notebook just two weeks ago, I don't think that has already accumulated so much dust inside

 

It could be a bad paste job, improperly seated heatsink or a fault.

 

I haven't seen the 7970m in M17x hit 70oC even when overclocked and working at 100%. Normally mid 60's

 

I've contacted my sager reseller and he said this is normal temperature of 90C. It does not seem normal. I'll open a topic in the section of sager's users.

The drop in performance is certainly linked to high temperature.

Thanks guys

 

No it is not normal. You should make sure you are not fooled into keeping a bad laptop/paste job/ something else.

 

Maverick is right, 90c is not normal for a 7970m. I'd definitely repaste it first and reseat the heatsink. Sometimes, the heatsink doesn't go on flat so there is bad contact leading to really high temps. Plus factory thermal paste is very mediocre. My toothpaste probably does a better job (no joke)

if you're still at 90c after a repaste with a quality thermal paste, then there's an issue. I've seen bad heatpipes on the heatsinks make your temps go sky high so it could be a heatsink issue, or warped heatsink

7970m's are gaming in the 60's and under the most extreme conditions, my OC'ed 7970m @ 1ghz/1.5ghz hits 78c on furmark

 

Running furkmark i reach 94c in 5 minutes. Could you please describe/show me how warped heatpipe or heatsink looks like?

 

a bad heatpipe you can't really see...but if there is a blockage in the pipe, the heat doesn't dissipate well.

A warped heatsink is exactly that...warped, meaning not flat. If it isn't flat, part of the heatsink isn't making good contact with your CPU/GPU. So there is bad heat transfer. Sometimes, if you tighten the heatsink on too tight on one side (for example) you can see it not flat. The trick to screwing in the heatsink is to not overtighten and to put the screws in with an X pattern...this is similar to how you would put a rim on a car on. I don't have any pics of warped heatsinks

My advice is: Send it back, or repaste and reseat the heatsink. Work with your vendor on this so you don't get screwed. 94c in furmark tells me that your 7970m is running WAY TOO HOT!!! From the sampling of 7970m cards that I've seen so far, stock 7970m's are running ice cold

 

Thanks. Already contacted, i´ll send it back to check up what´s going wrong

 

I'm having this same issue on my MSI 16F2.. I can't figure out what the issue is