X3100 lagging on vista aero effects and slow web page scrolling

Hi there:

I have an XPS1330 with an X3100, and i was told beforehand that vista aero effects would run flawlessly.

However, i installed the latest intel drivers, have 2gb ram, 2.0 core 2 duo, 200 gb 7200 rpm, and the aero effects "lag" and function kind of slow at times.

It is as if sometimes it runs great and sometimes bad. It really annoys me because i was looking forward on having a great 2D experience on this laptop.

Also, web page scrolling is slow on pages with too many graphics,

Any ideas?

 

During the investigation of a certain bug, I pretty much installed every available intel graphics driver as can be seen here:
http://softwarecommunity.intel.com/isn/Community/en-US/forums/permalink/30250940/30252614/ShowThread.aspx#30252614

I never had any lagging.

The most recent driver is v15.11 (7.15.10.1537) which offers DirectX 10 and OpenGL 2.0:
http://downloadcenter.intel.com/Detail_Desc.aspx?agr=Y&ProductID=2800&DwnldID=16778&strOSs=164&OSFullName=Windows%20Vista%2032

and I recommend you install this one according to this guide:
http://forum.notebookreview.com/showpost.php?p=3643858&postcount=30

Before that make sure you have at least BIOS A12 installed, which you can find on Dell's site.

If that still doesn't help you:
1. disable as many devices as possible in device manager (Bluetooth, W-Lan, Sound, card reader, finger print) and see whether it still lags. If no, turn on some devices and find the faulty (driver).
2. check CPU temps. If CPU hits thermal throtteling threshold it will reduce performance and switch back to full performance if temps are sufficiently low. This will cause lagging. However in general this should not occur and only shows up if the heatspreader is not attached properly.
3. run Dell diagnostics

 

I was about to suggest drivers as well but it seems that's already covered.

So about the lagging on webpages, it can be a result of the driver OR you have "Smooth Scrolling" enabled which can heavily screw with how well a webpage scrolls, but that's usually on older computers. But who knows, it might be a one time thing with yours. Just make sure "Smooth Scrolling" is off in your browser's settings.

 

According to the documentation:

http://support.mozilla.com/de/kb/Options+window?style_mode=inproduct&bl=n#Browsing

It only effects how Page Up/Down keypresses are handled. It shouldn't be related.

However maybe ahuneeu1 can describe more precisely what he means by "lagging". It's an expression used by games to describe a variety of effects.

 

since u said that, "sometimes it works great and sometimes bad." it might be a downclockin issue.

i would download a temp monitorin program and monitor yur hardware temps. are u usin yur notebook on a flat, hard surface? is yur notebook gettin enough airflow? proper air intake is needed to maintain optimal performance, especially for laptops.

 

well, first of all, i have the latest intel graphics installed directly from the intel.com webpage.

Also, heat is not an issue since i have even undervolted my machine for optimum heat dissipation. (i have normal temps, 40-60 degrees MAX)

By "lagging" I mean that the maximizing and minimizing aero effect sometimes works very fluidly and sometimes you can really see how it "stutters" while maximizing or minimizing a window.

I need help guys... urgently.

Any other suggestions??

 

have u tried a fresh install of vista or some vista tweaks? are u runnin alot of processes at once?

i don't see any problems with yur specs. try to run some HD and RAM tests.

 

yep, i am running on a fresh install of Vista, all latest drivers installed. Running 55 processes at the time (which seems absolutely normal for me)

I will have to further test HD and RAM i guess... cause all of you other guys out there with 1330's and X3100 you get perfect fluid vista aero performance at all times am i right??

 

Could the undervolting be causing the problem?

 

Nope, no undervolt applied still generates the problem.

 

I can iconify the windows and open again: No lagging. Never. On X3100. And even on 1920 x 1200 @ 32 Bit on an external 24".

I just continuosly opened and iconified. No lagging. I'm also undervolting.

I recommend disabling all devices in device manager and unplug all USB devices. Is it still present? Then it must be some driver running amok.

Is it also interrupting e.g. video playback?

 

MMM i really hate this... are you using any particular power plan??

i will PM you, i really need more info on this stuff...

 

The power plan doesn't matter. You can use any. There is never lagging (at least for me). But if you want to: "Dell recommend powerplan" which you can download at Dell is a very good one. It's superiour in some aspects to what MS ships.

 

mmm... ok. This also happens when on AC or battery, it really doesn't matter...

i will just have to try disabling all devices one by one and see if one of those is causing the issue

thx

 

The fastest way to find the source is different:
. disable ALL devices, which you can disable, and disconnect everything
. If that doesn't help run Dell diagnostics and call Dell.
. If it did help do a binary search from this state: Enable half of them again and test. You will most likely only require 4-5 Tests to find the source if it's a driver.

 

Oh i forgot to ask... are you using any Intel power saver feature on the graphics driver??

You can check these in the Display Settings tab for the Intel Media driver. There is a button called "Power Settings" where you can check on this stuff.

Looking forward to reading your answer.

 

I don't know exactly where to look for. Could you provide a screenshot? I have a german Vista version and names are a little bit different for me.

The only place I found energy settings:
igfxcfg / information, which reports the Power-Management capabilities for the display. These can be triggered by
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/VESA_Display_Power_Management_Signaling

 

you have to right click on an empty space in your desktop and select "Graphic Properties". An intel module should appear, where you have to go to the Display Settings tab. There you can find the Power Settings button.

 

Those energy settings are not available if you use an external display. And this is what I'm using most of the time:



If I use the notebook display, I have the energy option:



and these are my current settings (custom):



But these settings are not in effect on my external display and I have on neither one lagging.

Have you found out something when disabling other devices?

 

Ok now check this out... today arrived my replacement 1330 (because the original one had this weird BSOD error once in a while that was absolutely due to hardware), and after a clean install of vista and all the latest drivers i am STILL getting this stuttering when minimizing and maximizing windows in the aero interface. I am really frustrated, cuz i have no clue where to go next or what to do. If two separate 1330's have experienced exactly the same issue then i am starting to feel this is something all suffer and maybe its just me unwilling to accept that the X3100 is not the greatest at handling aero... any further ideas??

 

have u tried using more ram? i think 2gigs is a little low for vista with the aero effects turned on. the minimum i would use is 3gigs and more like 4. ram is like a hard disk...u never want to max it out or get close to it and if u have too much then that can never be bad.

 

If your old M1330 did have a BIOS version < A12, then it was not due to hardware. If your new M1330 does have a BIOS < A12 version, your new notebook will also have BSOD. I'm posting the link again, since I can't be sure whether you've seen it:
http://softwarecommunity.intel.com/isn/Community/en-US/forums/thread/30250940.aspx

Forgive my crappy cam, but this is how it looks on a 1920 x 1200 external display. I can't see any lagging (I just took the video):
http://de.youtube.com/watch?v=Jtiqx3GbtxA

Did Dell's installation lag as well before you wiped it?

 

Both of them had the A12 BIOS...

Your video looks great to me, no laggin whatsover and a very smooth flip 3d effect (better than mine at least). I really don't know what to do... this is starting to defeat me.

Also, my dad has a vostro 1400 with a X3100 and his aero effects also work FLAWLESSLY even while on battery power and a balanced power scheme. What the hell is going on here????

Oh and i can't compare with dell's installation because i ordered ubuntu as stock O.S. (it was much cheaper)

 

Try to test whether this lagging is also visible in other applications. I'd download RMClock and test whether Thermal Throtteling kicks in.

And as I said: Disable all devices in device manager just to make sure no driver is running amok.

Mine is the n-Series (Ubuntu) as well. What some people don't know: There is a difference in the BIOS between a Vista M1330 and an n-Series M1330. However that won't make a difference and it really doesn't as I have the n-Series as well.

 

Just wanted to let you know that I have the same configuration as you x3100 and m1330 and I am running vista ultimate x64. i feel that my browser is also laggy at times however I haven't really noticed aero being laggy. I switched to firefox and that helped but I hate firefox so i installed ie8 beta and that helped a bit too.

are you running a 64 bit operating system. I think that is probably your culprit like me.

 

I'm clueless as I said, but just in case here're the very latest beta intel drivers released in September:

Vista32 v15.11.2 beta ( Changelog)
Vista64 v15.11.2 beta ( Changelog)
XP32 14.36.3 beta ( Changelog)

However if you've got v15.11.1 installed that update shouldn't matter since it only fixes BSOD while playing Spore game.

I'm even often watching TV on an attached 1280 x 800 beamer while at the same time surfing with FF3 the net on a second 1920 x 1200 screen. Even in this case I have no lagging at all.

There's an interview (unfortunately only available in german at that time try using google translate) with a dell press representative:
http://www.notebookcheck.com/Newseintrag.54+M54254f211dd.0.html
During this interview specifically lagging issues are discussed that affect XPS M1330. Those lagging issues in general only affect real time applications such as bluetooth A2DP transmission, BluRay playback etc. It seems the vast amount of devices (fingerprint, w-lan, bluetooth, memorycard, ...) cause plenty of interrupts which require continuous serving and cause delays.

User ahuneeu1 has tried a fresh install with nothing more than the graphics driver. This doesn't seem to affect him. However I continue to repeat for all similar cases:
. deactive all devices in device manager you don't need
. for those devices that you do need get the very latest drivers
This strategy has worked in the past to cure many related lagging issues on many different notebooks.

 

OK, i made a huge discovery today...

Hooked up my XPS1330 to en external LCD so i could mess up with dual monitors and see if this lagging effect was still present....

I found this out:
- when selecting the external LCD ALONE, there is NO LAGGING whatsover. By this i mean using only the external lcd as primary monitor
- when using both (cloning image) on the laptop and external LCD i DO get the lagging

I have also found out that it seems my LED screen is functioning at 59 hz and not the proper 60hz as it should.... could this maybe be the issue??

It would make sense becasue when i use external LCD i use it at 60 or 75 hz and NO LAGGING, however, using the laptop + external does produce lag (probably due to the 59 hz being fixed)

any ideas??

 

7oby, BTW, do you have a LED or CCFL screen? I am starting to think the LED screen might be the issue here

 

lol that's nonsense, 2 gigs is plenty for running Vista with Aero. I'm running Aero on 2gb with x3100 graphics and works fine.

I doubt if it has to do with the refresh rate... but running two monitors does give the GPU more work to do, so I can certainly see that possibly making a difference.

 

Well the refresh rate thing is the only one that could explain why single external LCD works perfectly... now i am trying to find some software that could fix my 1280x800 frequency to 60hz and not 59hz

 

I have a Toshiba LED screen LCD2306. In the intel information tool it says 1280 x 800 @60Hz as well as in Vista display properties and resolution. No lagging.

If I attach my external display (HP 2408w) I can switch between 59 and 60Hz, but that's just Windows. In any case the external display says it receives 60Hz. I don't know where those 59Hz in Windows display properties come from. And I don't see a difference between those settings regarding lagging. I'd say - there is no.

Is the lagging that big? Would a video on youtube show it?

 

You can find this information by going to Start -> Programs -> Accesories -> System Tools -> System Information

There you have to go to Components -> Display

There on resolution my xps says "1280 x 800 @59hz"

Hope you can see this

 

It says "not available" there. The resolutions and refresh rates I posted were taken from the intel display tool and the vista extended properties in the window where you can change the resolution.

This is a very acurate tool to display the display properties:
http://www.entechtaiwan.com/util/moninfo.shtm

 

Oh ****... now it seems as i have reached the limit of this. Have tried absolutely everything and still getting this lagging effect....

any further ideas??

 

well today i was able to test my dad's vostro 1400... hes got a 1.4 ghz core 2 duo, 120 gb 5400 rpm, 2 gb ram and intel x3100 and vista aero works FLAWLESSLY just as i watch how on my 1330 with core 2 duo 2ghz, 2gb ram and 200gb 7200 rpm the effects lag....

i really dont know what else to do... will be trying a new install and installing exactly the same intel driver as my dad's, but i am almost sure this wont either work. it seems as if it was almost a hardware issue since ALL drivers have had exactly the same issue

 

There's no need to reinstall your machine. Just upgrade your dads video driver to yours and you are able to compare.

Disable all PCIe/USB devices in device manager to prevent interrupts from these devices being served by faulty drivers.

I've seen lagging due to a specific inference between power management of the harddrive and their controller:
http://www.notebookforums.com/showthread.php?t=121724
But this one was a VIA controller - not intel.

Try some games, video playback or some other 3d application. Do they lag as well?

Run Ubuntu live DVD. It should run compiz (3D desktop manager) out of the box and you can watch whether it lags as well.