Alienware M15x Having Performance Issues?

Alienware M15x Having Performance Issues?

One of our forum members has discovered a possible problem with the Core i7-powered Alienware M15x. Under full load, the notebook apparently throttles the graphics card which reduces overall performance. Lowering the screen brightness to minimum while under full load eliminates the issue, indicating it may be a problem of the power adapter not supplying enough power.

Forum Link

 

Dell seems to be having a lot of issues with CPU and GPU throttling across their line of high end computers. Which is unfortunate because I'm really considering a Studio XPS16 because it's one of the few laptops that combines a nice blend of horsepower and high-resolution screens. I've read accounts on the Studio XPS subforum of annoying GPU throttling during gaming cropping up with ATI 4670 equipped with both Core2Duo and i7 processors. Undervolting the C2D, applying quality thermal paste to the heatsinks, and using more powerful power supplies are issues that people should not have to be putting up with in regards to a brand new computer.

 

Some of us Acer users have been dealing with throttling issues since May 2008, but do we get any press? Nooo....
We also haven't gotten any fixes yet.

 

Acers aren't selling for over $3000 USD and being billed as top of the line performance machines.

 

lol... the Precision M6500 can have a 100(!!!) watt videocard, core i7 55 watt processor, and three harddrives. I wonder what will happen to it.

 

Melt
(not enough words)

 

Wrong thread?

 

Hope that's a fluke, as I thought the new m15x was supposed to be well built/cooled.

As far as I'm concerned EVERY computer should be able to run its components at full blast 24/7 with no issues if desired. The idea that computers are sold with hardware with certain supposed specs that can't actually be used is ludicrous to me, yet I've seen people defend it (note I'm not at all singling out this systems, which AFAIK is much BETTER than average-just notebooks in general.)

It's like if a notebook can't actually run (for example) a Geforce 260 and Core i7 820 at full blast, then ship it with lower end parts it CAN run. It's dishonest and weird at best IMO.

My Asus n80nv gets pushed HARD and has been for almost 10 months-running both the CPU and GPU at 100% for roughly 18 hours a day, and it doesn't care...which is as it should be.

 

I think it's pretty bad that these computers performance jumps around so wildly while gaming, from super-fluent to slide show as the CPU and GPU clocks jump all over the place.

My old Asus G1s didn't have this problem, it just ran full tilt until the GPU melted off the motherboard.

 

At least the Sager doesn't have this problem.

 

Wow......I see a great big PR bomb looming for Dell (which will get even bigger if my lappy starts becoming affected )......

 

From what I have seen in the owner lounges, the only problems so far are related with the assembly of the notebook... for example, the sticker under the CPU vent thing and not enough thermal paste for the GPU. I would blame Sager for it though, not Clevo or any of the Sager resellers. Plus, they can be very easily fixed by the user, all without voiding the warranty.

 

This is just one report though, right? Unless everyone's having it...

It's like generally Asus seems really solid (like I said, I push my n80 HARD), but that one specific model, the G51j or something like that I think it is (1.6Ghz Core i7 + Geforce 260m) has apparently universal crash issues, which this Dell doesn't.

 

This is due to the adapter not being powerful enough AFAIK.

The NotebookCheck review on the 1557 with i7 noted that on max load the laptop would consume 90.2W, which is the limit of the adapter, perhaps it can go even higher at full load but the adapter is holding it back?

 

It comes with a 150 watt PSU according to Dell.

 

CPU is 55, GPU is 65 no? There are 120 already...

 

GTX 260M is 75W but the M15x has some kind of 65W limit on the MXM slot.

 

That's TDP, which is power consumed by the _cooling system_ at maximum. Actual power draw for the components will be different.

GTX 260M is listed as 65 watts TDP. The GTX 280M is 75 watts TDP.

 

Yeah, I know it is TDP, but that is the wattage being used to cool down the system when stressed. The adapter must be able to give that wattage when stressed, if not it will have to cut down performance, much like the SXPS 1645 problems

 

As much as I enjoy the Clevo/AW rivalry, this is a bunch of crap by AW/Dell, and I feel really badly for you guys dealing with this.

I really don't think there's anything they can do from a software perspective, so I hope whatever it is they need to change HW wise they at least offer a swap-out method that's quick and painless.

Good luck guys.

Oh, and thanks, CPJ, for getting this out there. Hopefully it'll save some people from ordering who might otherwise not have been aware of this issue.

 

Are you not surprised by the amount of pounding Dell is getting lately?

 

Has any M15x owners tried a larger power adapter and is there even one out there that will work say from the M17x model? I am sure Dell did not do this on purpose--they are one of the few companies out there that actually has enthusiasts not bean counters in top management. Who knows how this could have happened, someone was probably concerened about possible complaints from a monster 230w power brick and it got scaled back too far?

I don't mind toting around a brick sized and weighted power brick because I know that a high performance machine needs to be thick to handle the heat and the power adapter needs to be big to power the high performance components.

 

Joker in the original thread used a 210W PSU (I think 210; could be higher). Problem remains.

 

Not necessarily. TDP wattage is the wattage of heat that needs to be dissipated, which is not necessarily related to the wattage of power (electricity) you need for the cooling system. After all, fanless notebooks have TDP too, it's just that their passive cooling systems have enough capacity or radiative surface to cover the TDP of their components without the need for active powered cooling. Part of the confusion here, I think, is the fact that rate of heat dissipation is also measured in watts, but there isn't necessarily a 1 for 1 conversion ratio in needing 1 watt of electrical power to dissipate 1 watt of heat.

Still, if the larger power supply is not solving the problem, then it sounds like it must be either a design flaw or manufacturing issue upstream of the power supply, in the motherboard or BIOS controlling the throttling.

 

Or Intel simply put out wrong TDP numbers.

 

Possibly, although the problem so far seems confined to Dell notebooks... which means either everyone else overbuilt, or something else is wrong. It's also the graphics card that seems to be throttling, not the CPU, so it would be an Nvidia misrepresentation, not an Intel misrepresentation...

 

Interesting find, lets hope dell get notified and decide to take the challange of repairing this problem on (just like they are looking into the m17x issues atm.)

 

Wait, NVIDIA causing Dell problems? I think I have hear that before...

 

Oh, mea culpa.