M11xR3 GT 540M LOW GPU USAGE

Guys, I need your help.

My M11x was doing fine until a couple of weeks ago, when suddenly I've started having terrible slow-downs during gaming.

I've installed the EVGA Precision Tool to check the temps and GPU usage and I was hitting 85C and 99% Usage.

Then for no reason GPU drop usage goes to 25%, and clocks goes to mid 3D.

Then when I alt-tab, GPU usage increases and the game goes back to normal, until it does it again.

I was running the Intel GFX version .2696 and nVIDIA version 296.10.

I tried going back to previous driver versions and nothing has fixed this problem.

Do you guys think that my M11x is overheating?

I tried everything possible and still no luck.

If you guys have any idea how to fix it please do share it.

Thanks!!!!

 

Made sure you're in the high performance power profile & the GPU settings in there are set to max performance?

 

Sounds like what mine was doing when it overheated. Temp seems alright BUT it still sounds like its an overheat. Hit it with a can of air.

 

Even on high profile it still drops. I made sure I was running on High Performance as well.

I'm really thinking about taking it disassembling it and apply some good quality thermal paste.

Still I'm intrigued why alt-tabbing seems to fix it temporally.

 

Most likely as you alt-tab to the desktop the GPU down clocks to 2D speeds, therefore thermal drop, once you alt-tab back into game the temp drop allows the GPU to run as normal until thermal throttle kicks in again.

Regards.

C.

 

I thought of this as well, but the thing is any driver after 290.53 causes my 540M to go full 3D even on desktop. It never goes to Mid 3D or Low 3D.

Now even going back to 290.53 does not fix the problem.

I still think it may be software related, though I'm not discarding a hardware issue.

nVIDIA has released a new set of drivers (304.48) which I'm going to give it a try, and even if its the case, give it a try to Windows 8 RP, which I already have installed in another partition.

If nothing solves the problem, then I'll have to give the DELL guys a call, since my M11x is still under warranty.

 

Hi you can try this out, to get rid of the Overheating, I would say that the overheating is causing the downclocking. You can try re-pasting as well. If after that you need a service dispatch you can send us an e-mail to [email protected] including your service tag and phone number and we will get back to you as soon as possible.

 

Thank you for the reply.

I use a cooling pad from Cooler Master (NotePal X-Lite) which helps keeping the fan noises down a bit but even with it, still the same problem.

Mind you that I've been using the cooling pad since day one.

Can you recommend me a good quality thermal paste?

I hope I can fix it.

 

We only have one type of thermal paste, I actually recommend ours but there are some good aftermarket ones like Arctic Silver.

 

Definitely there is something really weird going on.

After reading the page that @Alienware-L_Porras gave to me, I decided to try the Heaven Benchmark to really stress the GPU.

To my surprise, after 4 runs.. The GPU usage was at 97% all the time!!! Not a single drop, and the temperature reached 92c, which was expected.

When I went to try a game (Mafia II, Sonic Generations and Rage) the GPU usage drop happened again.

During gameplay my GPU reached 78c when the GPU usage drop happened.

I have no idea what's going on.

I don't overclock my system, all drivers except, Intel Gfx and nVIDIA Gfx are from DELL's website.

I tried installing those from DELL's as well and no luck.

This is the second time I do a full install of my laptop.

I've got no idea of what to do.

 

That's pretty weird, actually it seems to be related to the games only, the Benchmark made it work hard so the video card is fine. Have you read this information? Check it out and let us know how it did.

 

Thanks for the reply.

I'm aware of how nVIDIA Optimus work and to tell you the truth never had a problem with it before.

When a game does not work the way it should, I always check if it is using the right GPU.

It seems the card does not respond well to games only, because I've also run the 3DMark11 Benchmark and not a single problem.

I really have no idea of what is going on..

Maybe I should do a re-install? Just to make sure?

I'm really trying all I can, because the last time I called DELL support to have my motherboard replaced because of a faulty HDMI connector, it took them 45 days to have it done.

 

In this case it would be taken by the Alienware Gaming Services, our gaming experts so it would follow a different track, sorry about that inconvenience in the past . Have you checked specific game forums? Do you have all your games whitelisted then in the nVidia control panel?

 

Luis,

I have checked all the forums related to those games and made sure they were "white-listed" on the control panel.

What I've noticed is that there are other people having the same issues that I am, but oddly they are running other brand of laptop.

Some of them, suggested using a software called Throttlestop, which I don't think it is the case, because my CPU usage stays normal, only the GPU usage that drops.

Just for the sake of it, I gave it a try and still a no go.

I'm thinking about doing a "Recovery" using the Image that came with my M11x HDD rather than using the DVD, just to make sure I tried everything possible.

If this fix the problem, then I know it is software related, so I can do a driver by driver install to check which one is the responsible...

If this does not fix the problem, then I will have to call them.

Before I forget, I bought my M11x when I was in Paris, but I now living in Brazil, maybe that's the reason why it took them so long to have my MB replaced.

 

Guys,

It seems I might have to give DELL a call.

After a full restore using the DELL Image that came with the M11x, the problem still happens.

There is definitely something wrong with the laptop.

I just hope they can get it fixed faster than last time.

Anyway, thank you guys for your tips.

@ Luis, I'm going to mention that I've also spoken to a DELL representant to see if I can get someone more tech savvy this time.

Wish me luck!

 

You might want to send us an e-mail to [email protected], we can assign the case to someone who is technical saavy. If you already called in just keep us posted

 

Guys, just a quick update...

I called a DELL rep and explained the problem with my laptop. To my surprise, everything was solved real quick.

I'm going to get a new motherboard by friday the latest. I'm really impressed.

Fingers crossed!!!

Any other news I'll let you guys know.

 

Good! I hope everything goes fine. Let us know what happened when you received the tech.

 

Guys,

My M11x is FIXED!!!

The DELL technician just got my M11x a brand new motherboard and also gave me a spare cooling system, just in case if this happens again.

I've been playing Sonic Generations for the last couple of hours and so far so good.

This game really stress the GPU.

My GPU temp reached 78C @ 99% GPU Usage.

So, thank you guys for all the tips and a special thanks to @Kevin/ThrottleStop and @Luis Porras/DELL.

Have a nice weekend everyone!!!

 

Awesome! I'm glad it worked!! Enjoy your computer!

 

dang, so it was a hardware problem? my R3 is doing the same thing...Game will start off fine, then GPU usage dips and framerates slide with it. not stoked.

 

It was a hardware problem. If yours is doing the same, i'm afraid you will have to call DELL and have your cooler replaced.

In my case, they replaced the entire motherboard, even though I thought that a simple cooler replacement would suffice.

Is yours still under warranty?

In the meantime, you can use ThrottleStop to lower your processor speed, thus preventing it from overheating.

 

Repasted my i7 R3, and getting lower temps by about 10C across the board. Load and idle. Still though, after 3-4 minutes of gaming, gpu usage goes down, and I get poor fps. It doesn't look like the cpu is getting worked too hard, either. Any other suggestions? I wish there were a way to "trick" the turbo into not disengaging the way it does. I really don't think it's a thermal issue, but not sure what else it could be? Any ideas?