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    Lag Spikes

    Discussion in 'Alienware M15x' started by dhruv300, Apr 2, 2011.

  1. dhruv300

    dhruv300 Notebook Consultant

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    Whenever I play Call of Duty: Black Ops, it runs completely smooth. But sometimes, I would spike for about 2-3 seconds, completely freezing me up and dropping my FPS to single digits. This issue has been going on for a while.

    If this has something to do with temperatures, according to CPUID HWMonitor, the temperature under something labelled ST950042 0AS is (with an MMO on full graphics on) is 114.8F. My graphics card is at 147.2F (highest temperature since the MMO was on). My core's are at a 145F average. I have the slightest feeling these temperatures aren't normal. But I may be mistaken.

    How do I fix my random lag spikes, and if it related to my hardware temperatures, how do I fix it?

    Thanks in advance.
     
    dhruv300, Apr 2, 2011
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  2. The Revelator

    The Revelator Notebook Prophet

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    Temps would not appear to be the problem, assuming those temps are taken under load. i.e., during game play. If at idle, then they are high. The ST950042 OAS reading(s) is for your disk drive and translates to 45C. The GPU and CPU at about 65C are perfectly acceptable.
     
    The Revelator, Apr 2, 2011
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  3. widezu69

    widezu69 Goodbye Alienware

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    No its not your hardware. It's Black Ops. I get it all the time it is annoying. If you search around its quite common actually. Try a different game, there shouldn't be the same problems. Also make sure you have upgraded to the newest bios.
     
    widezu69, Apr 2, 2011
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  4. dhruv300

    dhruv300 Notebook Consultant

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    Hey,

    Well the problem still persists and my BIOS is updated (A09) and the same thing happens on every server. Thanks for the help though.
     
    dhruv300, Apr 2, 2011
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  5. dhruv300

    dhruv300 Notebook Consultant

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    Ignore this post, I posted the same thing twice by accident and it's not letting me delete this post.
     
    dhruv300, Apr 2, 2011
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  6. dhruv300

    dhruv300 Notebook Consultant

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    Thanks Revelator. I wanted to know, what should the temperature be when idle?
     
    dhruv300, Apr 2, 2011
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  7. The Revelator

    The Revelator Notebook Prophet

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    The CPU should ideally be 40-45C at idle, but anything below 50C is fine. I have never had a 260m, but generally you want GPU idle temps to be below 55C and preferably below 50C. The issue is not really the idle temps per se except as they serve as a predictor of temps under load. Heat is heat, so the components don't care what state the CPU and GPU are in. Use something like HWiNFO32 which shows current, minimum and maximum temps for both CPU (by core) and GPU (by subsystem) to get better info on temps during an extended session. A well-pasted CPU can easily increase temps by 30-35C under extreme load, even more if overclocked and/or suffering from tired or inadequate thermal paste. Same for GPU's. So a lower base at idle provides some comfort. With a 740QM/260m setup, you should really never see temps much above 70-72C, except for VRAM and Shaders on the 260m, which may run 10-12C higher.

    HWiNFO32 Download (Scroll down a little.)
     
    The Revelator, Apr 2, 2011
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