*OFFICIAL* Alienware 17 R2/R3 Benchmark Thread

Maybe try running NVidia Inspector as an administrator - so right click on the NVidia Inspector icon and choose "Run As Administrator" - perhaps it will apply your clocks then. You can also use GPUz to monitor the clocks in the Sensors tab. Also there is one driver that won't OC on Maxwell cards, can't remember which one, but I think it was the driver before last (from the NVidia website).

 

I think you may be on to something with the driver found another user here with the same issue im having
http://forum.notebookreview.com/thr...r-and-nvidia-inspector-wont-overclock.767676/

Different laptop (MSI) but exact same symptoms seems to be driver related. has anyone else here tried to overclock ther 17r2 gpu ?

seems like may need a driver release/to wait for dell to send hardware ID's to Nvidia tried to use modded drivers from laptopvideo2go they will start the install but install fails on driver install same when I try to mod my own.

Guess thats the price you pay for being an early adopter but still it sort of pisses me off the dell shipped these laptops off with a driver branch that is known to have isuues with several popular games and with any sort of hardware tweaking think ill call their tech support every day untill they get me better drivers just to try to drive the point home.

also on a side note dell really dropped the physical build quality on these new 2015 laptops alot compared to my AW18 I cannot bellieve how much metal and rubber has been replaced with cheap plastic I mean I guess I could deal with it if the internals were perfect (no driver issues no locked down bios no power/thermal throttling) but the combination of the two is really irksome.

 

All of the latest drivers for 970M/980M block overclocking. I started a thread at GeForce Community for this nonsense. A Clevo owner posted in that thread that he was having similar issues.

 

Holy crap Mr. Fox I was not aware of these driver issues (just finished reading threads over at Geforce)... Has Nvidia issued any sort of statement as to whether or not this was intended because it really seems like a big middle finger to the enthusiast community. don't get me wrong my laptops performance at stock is good but half the fun of new hardware is seeing how far you can tweak it. on a side note I have tried everything I can to mod drivers to make them work with the new 17 but either it's not possible or I just lack the skills/know how (likely the latter) so if anyone here makes any headway with that I would appreciate any help I can get.

Also ty for all the great poster in this thread for all the help/info so far.

 

If you want to overclock use an older driver & use a modded inf. The laptopvideo2go drivers should work, not sure why they didn't work for you, but following are some threads that might help you mod your own:
http://forum.techinferno.com/nvidia/5249-[guide]-modding-nvidia-oem-inf-files.html
http://forum.techinferno.com/nvidia...arket-upgrades-driver-support-modded-inf.html

 

How is it possible to get a physics score of almost 10,900 with 4.1ghz in 3DMark 11 ?

 

@Mr. Fox I ran a similiar test (and didn't have the same results that you did hot swapping). I did shut the lid as I moved the system so that may have had something to do with it as well. I want to ask, did you lock your cpu at the 41 multiplier, and your gpu boost core and memory were higher than what i have listed as 1126 core, and 1252 memory.

 

Not sure what was up with my system but after a os reload I was able to get older drivers to install using the modded inf/drivers from latopvideo2go. however after installing 344.48 I still cannot get the gpu to OC in afterburner when I apply clocks the slide instantly shoots over to max for both memory and clock but otherwise does nothing trying to OC in nvidia inspector also does not work in the OC pannel all clock adjustments are greyed out for max P state, additionally trying to force a lower pstate with the desired clocks via a batch file also yields no results.

Starting to think maybe gpu clock adjustments are somehow locked at a bios level with these machines.

 

Other people have overclocked the A17 R2 with no problem. Try some older drivers. Try using NVidia Inspector, and like I mentioned before "Run as Administrator". Can't think of anything else if that doesn't work, bar using DDU to clear your NVidia drivers & reinstalling them.

 

Tried running as admin no change



Thats what I get in inspector unlock max an min are greyed out sliders won't move I can adjust the voltage and memory clocks just fine but not anything else

do you know where I could find any threads/videos of people overclocking the 17r2 because I have looked all over and can;t find anything
Thank you again for all your help it really is appreciated.

 

Try an older driver (I did mention this before). EDIT: just realised you are using an older driver. Here's Mr Fox using 344.75 and an overclock on the GPU:
http://www.3dmark.com/3dm11/9349774

That was posted in this thread, see post #197. So you can overclock these, try 344.75 driver. He was using Precision X to overclock.

 

Ok so I'm starting to wonder about this 4710hq processor. Now granted the system is currently connected to the 180watt psu and I have been running prime95 to evaluate the "core speed" In single core testing I've not once hit the 3.5ghz. It mainly stays around 2.9 3.0 range in single core testing. Temps on that core are 64. When i was running 8 threads testing, the cpu was running at 2.3ghz and not even the 2.5 advertised speed. Max temp on any core was 75 and that was likely when the fan hadn't kicked on.

 

Well I used DDU to completely remove all nvidia drivers and installed 344.75. Tried Oc'ing in after burner version 4.1 clock go to max no actual oc version 3.0 clocks reset to 0 when applied. Tried to oc using Preceision x Current vervion crashes version Mr. Fox was using in screenshot will open but sometimes crashes and will not allow any of the sliders to be moved can drag the windo around do a couple other things but can not change clocks. Nvidia inspector (run as admin as were all other programs) everything locked down per previous screenshot. just for kick even tried Ntune just trying to acces the system tab causes my sytem to BSOD. I am starting to thin somthing was done at a bios level to lock down the 970m in the 17r2.

Has anyone here with the 17r2 and the 970m been able to oc it ?

 

I can tell you something I would try .
Turn OFF turbo in the BIOS and then bench it. You also need to turn off any power savings in windows and set the min and max CPU usage to 100%
The theory is (from my days in DT building) that it interferes with overclocking and you're manually setting the base clock (multipliers) higher than the turbo would give anyway. I don't know if this is still valid on the current CPU's though.
It might be it wants some sort of boost trigger (that is not working) before full speed is achieved?

It's certainly running far too cool (IMO) to be being streched

 

Ok, one thing that I hadn't done yet after restoring the image onto the ssd was to change the power profile in windows. So thanks for that. It seems to be fluctuating now between 3.3 3.4 in just using windows normally. I'm still dissapointed in the physics score in 3dmark11 vs mr.fox hah

 

That is always a tricky one to track down. I'd still like to know if it goes to the full published clock with turbo off? You won't want this ATM but it might help if you can get to the multipliers?

My machine currently has an atrocious physics performance, crawls to a few FPS. Weird thing (or maybe not) is that the machine games and game-benches great. Overclock on GPU is rock stable.

I think it's because in the real-world the NV PhysX chip is used. They should re-title 'Physics' with 'GPU Physics' and give NV owners a test that is one actually useful.

There is some weird bottlneck on my machine but only 3D mark sees it... Can't be bothered to do a clean reinstall just to get a number .

 

MickyD, does your CPU get an OK score with Wprime1024? (You can compare against notebookcheck.net: http://www.notebookcheck.net/Mobile-Processors-Benchmarklist.2436.0.html) That's another way to test to see what's going on. And it's not getting too hot right? (You're a knowledgeable guy on here, so I'm sure you've checked already, but just putting it out there.)

 

Thanks for the input man. I haven't tried prime 95 and I might give that a go tomorrow but I think it's a symptom of an old, non functioning, root-kit.

Few clues, cannot system restore - locked reg entries. File copies take progressively longer with large files, but win and everything else is as fast as I expect.
I need to clean it down but I'm waiting on my new R2 and I'll get settled in on that before trashing this install.

I used a tool from a clean boot USB to identify the locked reg entries and it was under my bluetooth in Hardware, hmm. I leave it disabled now.

 

@Robbo99999 I gave w prine 2.0 a go at 1024 and although I get poorer results than the two that have posted, 342 sec, against 248 not sure if that is a result of the problem. If so then I have 2 benchmarks saying my machine is poor, but NO issues when in-use or gaming!

 

Yes, it does depend which version you run. wprime1024 v 1.55 I can do in 300sec, v 2.1 I can do 337sec. So, my 2630QM is effectively running at the same performance as your 3820QM for whatever reason, that's why you're probably OK in games - my CPU doesn't restrict my gaming.

 

Exactly what I thought. If I was doing CAD or video editing then I might not be as able to use them as well as it should. For a gaming rig? Never going to be a problem, until CPU bound games become the norm .

 

Ok I can definitely confirm for sure that dell has done something with the 970 on the 17R2 to Prevent all overclocking.



If you look in the screenshot you can see that I am using 344.75 which is a known OC capable driver version drivers were installed after a full removal of any previous drivers with DDU.
OCing is completely locked out for the core memory can be OC'ed as much as I want.

The only reasonable conclusion I can come to is that clock adjustments for the 970m are locked at a hardware/bios level on the 2015 Alienware 17 R2. much thanks to dell for sticking it to enthusiasts looking for bang for the buck performance.

I can say for sure this will be my last dell machine unless this issues is fixed. Though given the driver locks on nvidias part in recent drivers that seems unlikely seems like the time of the notebook enthusiast is swiftly coming to a close.

(P.S. if someone with a 17r2 with a 970 can prove me wrong and OC it Please Please do but I'm Pretty confident that I'm right on this and OCin'g is locked at the bios/hardware level for the 970m on the 17r2)

 

first run out of box.
http://www.3dmark.com/3dm/5784081?

 

isn't that a good result?

 

Honestly I'm new to benchmarking, but it is lower than mickyD1234 score. I honestly expected to be in top 95% but I've been told I always have high expectations.

 

Didn't even remember I did those, wow, OCD alarm whoop whoop!

Edit: I'm not seeing any that's better yours, where did you see mine?

 

In not OCD, I'm CDO I even have to put the letters in the correct order.

 

If that's the case, then that's really sad news, because the 970M is really good overclocker, and as you say overclocking should not be restricted, and certainly not in an enthusiast brand. Have you tried contacting Dell to see if they know whether overclocking is possible? I find it strange that 980M is OC'able on the A17 R2 and the 970M appears not. I do wonder if there's something up with your specific laptop. How easy would it be for you to do a reinstall of the OS, I'm just thinking that to rule out some weird software issues? (grasping at straws for that last point). Let's hear from some other A17 R2 970M users please please!

 

Wow, that Skydiver Combined Score really does suck - I get 15000 on my lowly laptop on that test - that's the 180W adapter for you then! Other scores seem OK from a quick cursory look.

 

Dell just released the latest NV driver (347.25). Although it's supposed to fix problems G/A users are having, it's got to be worth a go on those 970m's?

https://www.dropbox.com/s/4w6zu529w3anejk/Video_Driver_4VD2P_WN32_9.18.13.4725_A02.zip?dl=1

You never know what else they 'fixed' .

Source: http://na.alienwarearena.com/forums...-alienware-laptop-nvidia-graphics-card-driver

 

So... is it worth to buy the 17 R2? over the GT72?

If I can get the 240W PSU then it's fine?

 

Going by Mr fox findings it's some thing more than the psu. Personally I'm sending mine back and ordering a xidax xm10

 

Was chatting with dell rep, he said that all new Alienwares are shipping with the 240W PSU, when questioned he said "If you have any doubt i can process the order with 240W mentioned in order confirmation".

 

Very interesting, and promising that this silly situation may be going away .

Thanks for the info.

 

I wonder if that includes pending orders... If its even correct. My latest order was just re-entered last night and still shows a 180PSU. Also, I just noticed Dell is offering a free tablet with a $499 or up purchase now. I wonder if its possible to take advantage of that offer with our existing order?

 

Same thing I am wondering. My rep is away until Friday (convenient eh?) so I'll hit him up for that tablet. Thanks for that info.

 

Is that sales rep or tech support rep?

 

Sales. Have you seen Frank's announcement?

 

What announcement?

 

Breaking news: http://forum.notebookreview.com/thr...r-anything-on-awa.770195/page-12#post-9918220

 

Interesting. What I'd be curious to see in this bios is if we will see the same sort of performance result that Mr.Fox demonstrated when using the 330 watt adapter.

 

What I thought as well. I believe it will be rubbish with overclocking as well, the battery is going to take a hammering.

The £50.00 that a 330w PSU cost me is easily absorbed in the total cost so AW can deal with users saying they have to buy one if they want to make their machine faster.

More wiggling to avoid just supplying the PSU up front and give a soft fix instead, just like I predicted last week. The machine is still supplied as certified, with a 180w PSU. If the customer requests one later then that is their prerogative.

 

Now how to score one of those tablets... Gave our daughter one from walmart black friday and it already failed

 

Yeah, I'm going to try that. We need someone to leave heaven running at max settings for 12 hours and see how it drains the battery?

 

Let me know if you have any luck on the tablet. I may try calling in as well if it doesn't involve canceling the existing order (again). Lol!

 

Has anyone tested the Alienware 17R2 Beta Bios for Hybrid Power Technology ?
http://eu.alienwarearena.com/forums...re-17r2-beta-bios-for-hybrid-power-technology

Overclocking of processor in the new Alienware will be available in the BIOS but only once the Amplifier HAS BEEN Connected and the computer has rebooted. ..What is this feature for strange ..

 

Where is this overclocking info coming from? I can't see it anywhere! It's interesting though...

 

Hi guys, I'll give you my take on it. Firstly all the experts expressed concerns from day one of seeing the stats that a 980m could be run with a 180w supply. There was quite a bit of discussion, many like me just thought it was a typo. The top models previously all has 240w PSU.

Well, I was prepared to wait and see, voila, as soon as they hit the streets, the PSU was not enough. Frank, in his wordy response to the issue has agreed (although implied and not directly) that the design was poor and it is not capable of running at full speed on a 180w, so he comes up with a 'fix' to boost the PSU with the battery.

Anyone that follows me will have seen I said that this would be Dell's preferred solution way back when the problem first showed. It's what he does not say that is more important. I am pleased he still will supply the PSU to those that ask, anyone on a 180w PSU can forget about overclocking their GPU. The battery (a technology I am informed failed for MSI) will be continually being drained (albeit probably very slowly).

Why not just say, 'we messed up. it needs 240w, we will supply all machines one from the factory.'? There is something he does not want to reveal. I believe it is one of two things.

These machines, like all global electrical items have to go through a raft of reviews and tests to obtain certification. Just look at how many logo's your PSU has. If all the specs and test machines were made with 180w then by supplying a 240w PSU at source will compromise certification. This will mean re-submission. Even the more esoteric tests like 'skin temps' will be invalid. It's fine if the customer requests one after the fact, that is their choice not Dell.

Another possibility is that there is impending legislation regarding power draw on household goods and this machine was designed to comply ahead of the game? We in the EU have already seen a raft of goods banned for not being power efficient. If this is the case then so be it - but in the absence of any answer to my question regarding the complince it is a possibility I cannot exclude.

If I wanted a hybrid machine I would have purchased one that advertises itself as such. I would also drive a Prius and not a WRX! Alienware as a brand for 'uncompromising' gamers is clearly dead, whatever the cause.

Those of you asking about CPU overclocking with the G/A, again two possible answers. When an external GPU is connected, the internal GPU is disabled leaving enough power to overclock? I think they have supplied a +5v line from the G/A PSU to top up the power. My intention was to test this and the reason I purchased a G/A.

Conclusion: The design using a 180w PSU was flawed. We have been screwed over to accept a second rate solution, that still has to stand the test of time. My advice to ALL 980m purchasers is to get the 240W PSU and not even apply this bios update, until impartial test have been carried out. It might have undesirable effects on overclocking?

Since mine hasn't even hit the factory floor yet it will no doubt arrive with this BIOS. That is unacceptable to me. Sorry guys, I've cancelled. Shove it where the sun does not shine Frank! You have sold the Alienware brand down the river, are you one of these rabid tree-huggers?

I was prepared to believe that BGA would provide enough power saving that 180w would be sufficient. Clearly not. Maybe in another year when all the industry catches up, another specialist brand will emerge to step into the marketplace and take our money?

I'll stay around to help users on the older machines but the new AW is dead to me

 

It's somewhere in the advertising blurb. It says something like 'your alienware will automatically overclock when connected to the G/A'.

 

Where is this overclocking info coming from? I can not see it anywhere! It's interesting though ...
I'll tell you; The information comes from Dell (Alienware) itself ..
Read and judge for yourself .. http://eu.alienwarearena.com/forums/thread/86473/hardware-software/cpu-overclocking-1