Very Low score on 3D Mark 11 for AMD 7970m after new drivers 13.12

I installed the new AMD drivers (13.12) and the installation went fine. Got it to run 3DMark 11 to find a very low score of only 4k. Kind of surprised that is is so bad all of a sudden. Also the temps on my GPU are really high. Have opened up the laptop and cleaned the vents. Still the GPU runs up to 104-105 degrees during games. It has shut down quite frequently (because of over heating I believe). I am unable to figure out what exactly is wrong here. The temp problem has been ther for quite some time. I use a fan right to the side of the GPU to cool the intake. But that should not be necessary as I have not overclocked the GPU. So these temps are seriously not acceptable.

Also now with the horrible 3D Mark score it makes me wonder if something is terribly wrong. Any help would be greatly appreciated. I have attached the link for my 3D Mark score and a screen shot of my HD4000 and AMD 7970m driver from the device manager along. Thank You

AMD Radeon HD 7970M video card benchmark result - Intel Core i7-3610QM Processor,CLEVO P170EM

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edit: I am playing AC IV currently and only get around 25-30 fps on 1920x1080 with all the settings on low/OFF. I am absolutely certain there is something wrong. Just not able to point out what. I believe it might be a heating issue which is not allowing my GPU to perform to the fullest. But still would like to confirm with others.

 

Your temperatures are way too high; they should only be around 90C under the most extreme punishment. Make sure to clean thoroughly with compressed air, and if that fails, repaste the GPU.
For comparison, here is my score with the same driver : AMD Radeon HD 7970M video card benchmark result - Intel Core i7-3720QM Processor,CLEVO P150EM
Your CPU seems to be working at least

 

Driver is not a problem.

AMD Radeon HD 7970M video card benchmark result - Intel Core i7-3630QM Processor,CLEVO P150EM

AMD Radeon HD 7970M video card benchmark result - Intel Core i7-3630QM Processor,CLEVO P15xEMx

 

Check the thermal paste. I'm not sure when you purchased the machine, but if you kept the stock compound, it probably needs wiped off and new compound needs to be applied. The basic compound from Clevo does not last as long as some of the aftermarket compounds.

 

Thank You for all your responses. I did open up the case and clean up the entire fan and heat sink section and now the driver is performing up to mark. The temps have also reduced. But still they do max at 93C at times. I have not touches the GPU paste. The CPU remains perfectly cool. The GPU on the other hand does reach the 90's though unlike before I dont feel the heat on the body. Would repasting actually make a difference or is it acceptable to have it max out at the early 90's? Also would the foil method suggested to cover the heat sink and the fan edges make any considerable difference? Thank You.

 

With better paste your gpu wil probably lose a few degrees, also if your laptop is on the table without lifting the back, the vents don't get enough air, if you raise the back with a book or something (or purchase a cheap laptop desk like the notepal u3) temps will also drop further

 

I use bottle caps to raise the laptop though yes I have yet to repaste them. Its been around 1 and a half years since I bought them. How long do the paste's last though?

 

That depends on the paste. Some of the higher grade pastes, such as the IC Diamond, tend to last many years (if you ever would even need to repaste when using it, that is). Other pastes may only last a couple years, but then that's also subjective to the paste job. Too little/thin of an application could wear out rather quickly.

You may not need a reapplication, but if the heat sink is using a basic paste, a higher quality compound could definitely help.

 

I tried furmark and the temp on 1920x1080 15 min benchmark reaches above 100C very slowly. This is strange. I have a feeling that the heat sink vents may not be aligned to the fan out and hence the hot air is not fully flushed out from the back vents. I might have to use the foil method to see if there are any improvements. Unlike before the case remains cool. Though the slow temp rise bothers me. Thank You.

 

Id try a repaste if it's still bothering you, although a benchmark will probably be punishing the card more than a game would. I've heard good things about Gelid GC extreme paste, but have never used it myself. I'm currently using Arctic MX4, but I'm not convinced that it holds up that well. A lot of people swear by arctic silver 5, but it's electrically conductive. In short, there are many kinds of pastes and everyone has their favorite. The most important thing to do is make sure it's applied correctly - use the dot method, don't manually spread it - and don't use too much.

 

I hate to say it but this is entirely not true and I say this from experience with the stuff. My entire laptop was pasted with ICD7 from Mythlogic and when I went to repaste with a lesser quality paste technically - I saw a drop in temps because I had lost a good chunk of the original thermal performance. While I do not argue it is great paste, it still needs to be replaced every so often like any other paste. Granted, I did put my laptop through a good period of punishment mining some Litecoins (which turned out to be very profitable for me!) last year but in the end its all going to have to be replaced.