Random Freezes with the 8130 and 8150

Can someone try something like overriding the idle clocks and make the GPU run at a constant normal clock and see if it still freezes? Temps will be higher but it will show us if idle clocks are the problem.

 

I'll try it Pico but someone would have to walk me through it. Also, what video card does everyone have that is getting these freezes? I have the GTX 470m.

 

i believe it would only be the 460-485's right? since we cant do Optimus, these cards downclock at idle

 

Well the 8130/8150/8170 only come with the 460-485. I was curious what card of the 3 everyone has that is getting these freezes.

 

scrolling through the pages, i only saw it for the 460 and 470.. just looked at sigs though

 

I have the 460

 

I downloaded the dpc latency checker and ran it while playing youtube videos, and there wasn't anything noticeably bad. The latency was low most of the time with very infrequent spiking.

However, this got me to thinking that there must be a reason that random looping noises are played during the freeze. Maybe the sound driver is stuck in an infinite loop and won't give control back to the OS? So I disabled both the Realtek HD audio and the Nvidia HDMI audio devices, and haven't had a freeze since. I've left my computer on overnight looping youtube videos, and also left it completely idle for several hours. In both cases no freezes occurred. However, since the freezing was so spurious before, I'm not fully confident that this "solves" the problem (I say "solves" with the quotes since running a gaming computer without sound is obviously not an acceptable final solution) It also seems highly unlikely that the same driver problem would exist in both windows and linux.

Can others that are having this issue try disabling their audio for a while and see if this prevents freezing? If it really eliminates the problem, the next step I guess is to re-enable the audio devices and see if the freezing comes back.

BTW, to answer Marvin's question, I have a 460.

 

This just seems so weird to me. If this were the case, wouldn't people see freezes during gaming too? I don't think I've read anyone experiencing freezing issues while gaming though.

 

I experience freezing pretty regularly while playing Fallout 3. However it hasn't happened to me during Starcraft 2, Left 4 Dead 2, or CS Source.

 

How many of you did a clean install or just left the default Sager install? I did a clean install and so far no issues.

 

Mine was a clean install as I had the laptop shipped without an OS as I had my own. Despite several reformats, I'm stumped by what's causing the freezes.

 

Maybe downloading the latest realtek driver off there website might help out.
the latest is R2.57 dated 2011/1/28
here's the link Realtek

 

Mine was a clean install with Win 7 Ultimate, I installed the drivers off the CD that came with the computer just going right down the list. I also made sure to restart every time it asked for it before I installed more drivers.

 

I did a clean install of mine, win 7 pro. I first installed drivers off the included disk then all the ones on the site.

Mark121, I've had crashes with the latest drivers also.

 

So even with SP1, this issue still isn't fixed?

 

No, unfortunately SP1 did nothing for the freezing issue. This might not be something software can fix. The general buzz on the Nvidia forums (for the desktop version of the 460 which has issues also) is that it is an incompatibility issue between the GPU and certain mobos. It's such a random and freaky issue no one knows though.

Personally I would like to know the difference between our laptops and the ones the resellers are using to test. Since they can't reproduce it there might be a clue there.

 

Considering the low number of users that received their laptops, and those that post here at NBR, there seems to be quite a few that experience it. This sucks. So far I'm clean, but it could just be an inevitable thing, I sure hope not.

I hope they figure it out.

 

Just to be clear, it appears no 485m's are having this issue?

Another guess...has anyone simultaneously installed the Nvidia HD Audio drivers that come with the Forceware over the pre-existing audio drivers?

 

Im on the 485m and had installed the full package suite of the drivers including the HD audio drivers. No benefit was seen :\.

 

I'll start a poll and have people fill it out to hopefully get an idea of what components are affected.

 

do you have the freezes?

 

I would try installing Nvidia Forceware w/o the HD Audio Drivers. There might be a conflict with that and the Realtek/THX. If this is in fact all Nvidia cards and the issue is isolated down to that, I sure hope AMD makes a big announcement at Cebit regading 6970m coming sooner rather than later.

htwingnut, the poll sounds like an excellent idea.

BTW to everyone else (putting it politely as possible), these "slip-in/slip-out" posts with very sparse information and absence of any system details do not help us much.

 

So what components do you think we should include, CPU, GPU, RAM? Anything else?

And I agree, if people could at least leave their system specs, when the issue occurs, if it's repeatable and anything they tried to circumvent the issue, it would help.

 

This would be my questions, but probably way too much for a poll.

Maybe people could just fill out the form, lol...

Obviously, please feel free to edit/add/subtract data points or extrapolate for the poll.

Model #:
P151HM1/NP8130
P150HM/NP8150
P170HM/NP8170

GPU:
485m
470m
460m

CPU:
2630qm
2720qm
2820qm
2920xm

RAM:
2x2 GB DDR-1333
2x2 GB DDR-1066
2x4 GB DDR-1333
2x4 GB DDR-1066
3x4 GB DDR-1333
3x4 GB DDR-1066
2x2 GB DDR-1600

HDD/SSD:
HDD 5400 RPM
HDD 7200 RPM
SSD SATA 3GB/s
SSD SATA 6GB/s
SSD Marvell controller
SSD Sandforce controller
RAID?
AHCI?
IDE?

Software/Drivers:
SP1 installed?
Intel RST intalled?
All drivers updated?
THX intalled?
Nvidia HD Audio Drivers installed?
Windows 7?
Linux?
Codecs updated?
Flash updated?

Periodicity:
Multiple time an hour
Multiple times a day
Multiple times a week
No recognizable pattern

Activity:
Gaming
Surfing Web
Streaming Flash Video
Playing Blu-ray
Word Processing
Simultaneous processes
At idle

 

System specs:

Model #:
P150HMx
NP8130

GPU:
460m

CPU:
2630qm

RAM:
2x4 GB DDR-1333

HDD/SSD:
Seagate Momentus® XT SSD Hybrid 500gb 7200 RPM SATA 3GB/s

AHCI
(Got BSOD when changed to IDE)

Software/Drivers:
SP1 installed
Intel RST intalled
All drivers updated
THX intalled
Nvidia HD Audio Drivers installed
Windows 7
Codecs updated
Not sure if Flash is updated

Periodicity:
Multiple times a day
No recognizable pattern

Activity:
Gaming - Never
Surfing Web - Rarely
Streaming Flash Video - Yes
Playing Blu-ray - 99% of the time
Word Processing - N/A
Simultaneous processes - Yes
At idle - Yes

I have monitored GPU temps (highest was 61c while gaming,) swapped ram chips, re-seated hard drive, turned off all power saving options or set timers to 9999 minutes, uninstalled and re-installed GPU drivers, installed all other available drivers, updated to SP1, changed from AHCI to IDE in BIOS (got BSOD on reboot,) disabled auto-hide taskbar...thats all i can think of. Oh, and I run Minecraft in the background if I really want to avoid freezing up which has actually worked for me. (Another reason I am leaning toward the GPU idle speed theory.)

 

Good idea. A form would help keep things consistent. I was struggling with a poll. Maybe you can do it since you've got all the good data there, unless you want me to.

Maybe they drop the voltage of the GPU on idle too much. Any way of tuning the voltage of the GPU? I don't know haven't toyed with that stuff in a while since my 8600m GT.

 

Random Guy;

In order to run the IDE mode you would need to change a value in the Windows Registry. This is directly from microsoft.

Actually change the value to a 1 to use IDE mode, 0 is for AHCI on number 6 below

1. Exit all Windows-based programs.
2. Click Start, type regedit in the Start Search box, and then press ENTER.
3. If you receive the User Account Control dialog box, click Continue.
4. Locate and then click one of the following registry subkeys:
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\System\CurrentControlSet\Services\Msahci
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\System\CurrentControlSet\Services\IastorV
5. In the right pane, right-click Start in the Name column, and then click Modify.
6. In the Value data box, type 0, and then click OK.
7. On the File menu, click Exit to close Registry Editor.

Then you would reboot, go into BIOS change from ACHI to IDE. If your comfortable editing the registry and trying that to see if it could be an ACHI driver issue this is how its done. Of course you would reverse the above process to go back to ACHI mode.

 

Man, this thread is making me a sad panda...

 

I wouldn't want to post if I tuned the voltage because I'm not sure if that voids the warranty. And at this point I may very well be using that warranty unless a fix comes soon. All these hard shut-downs cant be good for my poor hard drive so I don't want to endure this too much longer.

 

Thanks othonda! I (obviously) dont know a lot about AHCI but I have read tons of posts in the past about problems is causes. I will try that next!

 

Model #:
P150HM/NP8150

GPU:
485m

CPU:
2720qm

RAM:
3x4 GB DDR-1333

HDD/SSD:
HDD 7200 RPM

Software/Drivers:
SP1 installed - yes
Intel RST intalled? - yes
All drivers updated? - yes
THX intalled? - no
Nvidia HD Audio Drivers installed? - yes
Windows 7? - yes
Linux? - no
Codecs updated? - yes
Flash updated? - yes

Periodicity:
Multiple times a day

Activity (Crashes):
Gaming - never
Surfing Web - yes
Streaming Flash Video - yes
Playing Blu-ray - no
Word Processing - no
Simultaneous processes - yes
At idle - yes

 

interesting bit of info..while i was in the bios changing to IDE mode (which resulted in a BSOD again even after changing the registry values btw) I noticed that it listed my mobo as "P150HMx" when I have a 8130 which is supposed to have a P151HM1 mobo. Not sure if it is significant but if everyone that has a P150HM mobo is experiencing freezing issues then maybe that's progress.

 

They both use the same motherboard. So thats why if there is an issue it will probably affect them both.

 

Model #:
P170HM/NP8170

GPU:
470m

CPU:
2720qm

RAM:
2x4, 2x2 GB DDR-1333

HDD 7200 RPM 320g

Software/Drivers:
SP1 installed - yes
Intel RST intalled? - yes
All drivers updated? - yes
THX intalled? - yes
Nvidia HD Audio Drivers installed? - yes
Windows 7? - yes
Linux? - no
Codecs updated? - yes
Flash updated? - yes

Periodicity:
Multiple times a day

Activity (Crashes):
Gaming - Once
Surfing Web - yes
Streaming Flash Video - yes
Playing DVD's- Haven't done that yet
Word Processing - no
Simultaneous processes - yes
At idle - yes

 

I'm trying to keep up with this thread, and I've seen people suggest installing drivers one at a time, but has anyone suggested disabling everything non-essential in the device manager?

 

Of course one at a time to see which offending device could be causing the problem.

Edit:Random guy,
That is strange, still getting the BSOD. Not sure what to think about that. I will have to mull that over for a while.

 

Figured, but it's better to suggest then assume.

 

Yeah but on XoticPC the 8130 is listed as using a P151HM mobo and the 8150 is listed as using a P150HM. My bios showed my 8130 as having the mobo listed for the 8150.

As I said this may or may not be significant at all and I'm sure they are both variations of the same basic hardware, I just found it curious.

othonda: Thanks, I'm at a loss at this point

 

Model #:
P150HM/NP8150

GPU:
460m

CPU:
2820qm

RAM:
4x4GB DDR3 1333

HDD/SSD:
SSD SATA 6GB/s
SSD Marvell controller ( Crucial C300 )
AHCI

Software/Drivers:
SP1 installed
Intel RST intalled
All drivers updated
Nvidia HD Audio Drivers installed
Windows 7
Codecs updated
Flash updated

Periodicity:
None after SP1..

Tweaks I did to my system:
Disable Superfetch
Turn off some windows features ( tablet PC components, games, etc. )
Disable Indexing
Page files off on SSD ( allotted all to RAM )
Turn off Defrag

 

Yea the P151HM / P150HM are clevo model names for the chassis. At the component level they are the same, they also share the same BIOS.

 

Ah ok, I was thinking there may be some minor differences in the mobos, thanks for clearing that up

 

This is very concerning. Sager needs to experience this first hand !

 

I'm trying to figure out what is making Meraki1990's rig to be the odd one out that it went so long without a freeze, and now after SP1 isn't freezing anymore. Is he the only person here using SATA 6 GB/s for his hard drive?

Other than that, the hardware/software differences don't seem to really poke out at me. We need some more data on people who haven't received the freezes, or haven't since tweaking or updating something.

Meraki1990, not sure if you would mind giving us an executive summary of what you've done since your last clean install with all of the major details that seem pertinent to see if everyone else can try some of it and see if it makes a difference.

Additionally, selectively disabling hardware or uninstalling/reinstalling drivers sounds like a good idea too. I almost wish I had my own laptop with the symptoms so that I could help dissect the problem first hand. Obviously I would be upset as you guys are, but I mostly use my computer for gaming.

Everyone should definitely try running a low-resource program that runs the GPU in the background at the least to see if that slows down the freezes. Maybe an older game or something?

 

I have yet to encounter a freeze even before installing those drivers and SP1. So its not only Meraki. I ordered mine without an OS, and a friend of mine did all the driver installations and whatnot from the CD that came with the laptop before shipping it out to me. Its running Windows 7 professional 64 bit.

 

Mine only froze once, and hasn't froze since updating the drivers, sp1, etc. I only use my laptop for at most 3 hours a day, so I'm probably not a very good subject to draw any conclusions from. I mostly use it for streaming netflix videos and watching blu rays. The one time it froze it was while watching a blu ray. For what it's worth, I also ordered mine without the OS and installed everything myself. Windows 7 ultimate 64bit...

 

I've heard it suggested that mass-imaging done by builders could be a problem, especially for SSD's/Momentus XT. I wonder if all of these freezing rigs are factory installed copies of the OS.

 

Model #:
P151HM1/NP8130

GPU:
460m

CPU:
2630qm

RAM:
2x4 GB DDR-1333

HDD/SSD:
HDD 7200 RPM
RAID? no
AHCI? yes
IDE? no

Software/Drivers:
SP1 installed? yes
Intel RST intalled? yes
All drivers updated? yes
THX intalled? no
Nvidia HD Audio Drivers installed? yes
Windows 7? pro 64-bit, installed myself
Linux? Ubuntu Maverick, installed myself
Codecs updated? not sure what you mean. video? I just installed vlc
Flash updated? yes

Periodicity:
Multiple times a day
No recognizable pattern

Activity:
Gaming - yes, but only fallout 3, not SC2, CS Source, L4D2
Surfing Web - yes
Streaming Flash Video - yes
Playing Blu-ray - n/a
Word Processing - if you mean usage other than the above, yes
Simultaneous processes - yes, but when would you only have a single process running?
At idle - yes

Other random info:

I've tried running a variety of stress tests - memtest86+, various HD tests with Seagate's seatools, all the tests in Passmark BurnInTest standard, but none of them resulted in freezes.

Concerning disabling devices: I reported that I didn't experience freezing after disabling both audio devices, but again this might just be because I haven't ran it long enough with this config. I tried enabling the realtek and disabling the Nvidia last night and got a freeze just a few hours later.

 

Hello. Has anyone found a fix for this freezing problem? I want to buy the NP8150 and I would hate to spend all the money for a problematic machine. Is there anything Sager/Clevo is doing to address this issue?

 

There's an idea. Maybe clean install from one of the direct download ISO's in the windows sub-forum.

 

Realtek seems to be the odd one out in your case. Is there an alternative driver for this device?

If anyone else wants to try disabling Realtek in order to test that would be helpful.

I was hoping that the mass imaging could lead us somewhere but you might have disproved that.