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    6970M on battery issue

    Discussion in 'Alienware M15x' started by migualo, Aug 25, 2011.

  1. migualo

    migualo Notebook Consultant

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    My M15x comes with the 55w small battery.

    Since I upgraded to the 6970m I have to be very careful when running only on battery because I get shutdowns. If for example I am watching a video on youtube, my 6970M clocks work at 300Mhz. At that speed if I unplug the adapter and I run only on battery I get a shutdown right away...

    Anybody experiencing the same on the 55w battery? Are your 6970m running at 300Mhz when playing media or watching videos on the internet?
     
    migualo, Aug 25, 2011
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  2. noelho

    noelho Notebook Consultant

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    0.o ... didnt realize something like that would happen!
     
    noelho, Aug 26, 2011
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  3. Villosa

    Villosa Notebook Deity

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    Someone with the 6970M should give this a try. It'd be interesting to see the results.
     
    Villosa, Aug 26, 2011
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  4. migualo

    migualo Notebook Consultant

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    Yeah, it sucks. I'm thinking of buying the larger battery... :(
     
    migualo, Aug 26, 2011
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  5. migualo

    migualo Notebook Consultant

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    I have changed my windows energy settings so when I run only in battery it consumes the least power it can. Will see if it makes any improvement and I don't get shutdowns.

    Also the fact of disabling hardware acceleration on the flash player makes my graphic card run at 100/150 Mhz when watching videos on youtube, etc instead of 300/900 Mhz.

    Thanks to the rev for informing of this trick :)
     
    migualo, Aug 29, 2011
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  6. The Revelator

    The Revelator Notebook Prophet

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    I have the 9-Cell battery with a 920xm/6970M combo. If I unplug the adapter while watching a video (YouTube), it continues normally except that the screen dims slightly. It doesn't matter whether the clocks are at 300/900 or 100/150.
     
    The Revelator, Aug 29, 2011
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  7. migualo

    migualo Notebook Consultant

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    Thanks for sharing the rev, anybody with a 6970m and a 6-Cell battery?
     
    migualo, Aug 29, 2011
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  8. migualo

    migualo Notebook Consultant

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    More details about the issue.

    1. When the shutdown happens I have either to remove the battery and put it back or plug the AC cable in order to start the computer back. If I don't do that I can press the start botton as many times as I want and it doesn't do anything. What does this mean?

    2. I have all my power settings set to minimum on the power options from Windows, even the Alien fx off and the brightness set to minimum when running on battery. Also I have powerplay enabled and set to maximize battery life. Still I get the shutdowns if I'm doing something demanding for the graphic card, for example playing a game. I use furmark for the tests although it also happens with games!

    :confused:
     
    migualo, Aug 31, 2011
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  9. JohnnyFlash

    JohnnyFlash Notebook Virtuoso

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    You're just pulling too much power from the battery when the GPU kicks up. Things like screen brightness won't much much of a difference compared to the power a 6970m uses.

    Might be time to start messing with your vBIOS. What voltage does 300/900 run at?
     
    JohnnyFlash, Aug 31, 2011
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