D901C - Strange problem - major slow down/hung

Hi people,

Wondering if anyone else has had or knows the reason for the problem I'm having.

My Laptop is a D901C - 4gb, sli 8800gtx, q6700 - 200Gb hdd

I have had this problem happen a few times now and now at a loss as to what could be causing it.

I'm running Win 7 x64 - and once in while my laptop will just start to run very very slow - simple things from opening explorer can take an age and you can also see it being drawn on the screen its so slow. This some times also makes windows hang requiring a hard reset. Rebooting the laptop cures the problem 90% of the time but sometimes I also have to remove the battery else the laptop remains slow and take over 30 mins to boot.

When I check task manager - my CPU usage shows 100% with system idle around 80% - 99%.

Checking event viewer I see "The speed of processor 0 is being limited by system firmware. The processor has been in this reduced performance state for 79 seconds"

Now this can happen one day but then will not happen again for weeks.

I have checked my CPU temps and are there all idle @ 35 - 38c.

This has happened when idle or under load -

I have set the power settings to never throttle in the control panel.

This also happens on a fresh install of windows - both vista & win 7 x64

To be honest, I dont think it ever happened using 32bit but unsure.

It doesnt seem to be heat issue, well not on the CPU or GPU anyway.

Any one have any ideas ? for most of the time the laptop runs perfect.

My bios is 1.00.20

** actually I dont think it has ever done this under load, as far as I can tell, it has only happened when it has been left idle.

Regards
Bracken

 

There are so many persons with this problem, but you’re the first I read with a D901C . This problem is related with the power settings:
Enhanced Intel SpeedStep® Technology How To Document
Try to upgrade your Bios to version 1.00.22.

 

Thanks dhs, I will have a look for 1.00.22 bios.. fingers crossed.

 

If you can't solve your problem try running ThrottleStop in monitoring mode. That's what it will be in when you download and first start it.

Select the log file option so it can log your CPUs performance while you go about using your computer. The next time you experience a slow down you will have a log of what your CPU was up to when it happened.

ThrottleStop is very efficient when minimized to your system tray. Many laptops have issues these days so it's always a good idea to do some testing to make sure your laptop's CPU is being allowed to run at full speed and if it is not, to collect some data to find out why.

ThrottleStop 2.00 Beta 25

Clock modulation is being used on many laptops (Dell) which can significantly slow down a CPU internally with very little warning to the user.

 

Thanks, I will give this ago also - I have updated the bios but it could be a few month before I can say this has cured the problem since it only happens random.

On another note - Would I see any benefit upgrading the Q6700 to a qx9650 ? I can get one for £150. I know it would run cooler but would it make any difference to gaming that would warrent the £150 ?

Regards
Bracken

 

Do you mean the Q9650, because i am not sure if the QX is supported?

The Q9650 runs faster and cooler than the Q6700 but I am not sure if your games will benefit from it.

Maybe you will find some answers here: http://www.techwarelabs.com/reviews/processors/Intel_Q9650_Quad_Core_Processor/index.shtml


If you want to go, then make sure your:
- Motherboard version (sticker near your memory sticks) is 5.2 or above
- your BIOS is version 20 or higher

 

Yeah motherboard is 5.2 its the QX9650 - same chip but the multipliers unlocked, I found it cheaper than a standard Q9650 - very tempted, if only just to lower the temps.

Thanks to everyone for the advice.

Bracken

 

Sorry Bracken, I was editing my message. Are you sure our systems can handle the power requirements of the QX?

 

In the D90xC the multipliers are locked in the bios anyway, so QX9650=Q9650

 

There is user on forum who has one installed - using software to change the multiplier he managed 3.2 stable - will see if I can find the post.

To be honest, I will be happy with stock - only reason im getting the QX9650 is I found it cheaper than a Q9650.

Bracken

 

I thought nobody was able to reproduce the result. The x3380 processor runs between 3 GHz and 3.2 GHz so i guess the 3.2 has a good chance to be stable, but I thought nobody was able to change the multipliers.

PL

 

Ok, Been trying to find the thread but no idea where I seen it - could have easly been another thread. I have just learned the QX650 is 130W - so might just stick to a 95w Q9650.

Ok can't find the original thread but found the user. here is one of his quotes regarding the D901C with a Qx9650

VeEuZuKY

"QX9650 running at 3.2GHz without any problems, workable at 3.4GHz but never fully stable to complete extensive benchmarks and reaching 3.6GHz but without any stability."

Not sure what to think - also just been told the QX9650 will only ever do 130w when overclocked at max multipier and @ 3ghz only be 95w - So may still purchase.