Alienware M17x - Skyrim discussion thread

[bradF430]

This sounds like either the CPU or gpu is overheating and throttling to bring the temps down

Have you monitored your temps whilst playing?

I'll try this, the R1's had throttling issues before but I could swear they were ironed out by a BIOS update.

What software do you recommend to monitor the temps?

Thanks

[Mickbt26]

hwinfo64, or you could try hwmonitor

Just run them in the background whilst playing and when the fps start dropping simply alt tab out and see what the max temps are.

[darkdomino]

Hey guys, new M17x R3 owner here. Took the laptop out of the box and fired up Skyrim on ultra settings. Stock everything.

I got about 30 - 45 fps outdoors, solid 60 indoors. Framerate dropped to 27 twice, but it wasn't noticeable at all. Is this normal? I was impressed but I feel like the M17x can do better.

[KenFitz]

I got about 30 - 45 fps outdoors, solid 60 indoors. Framerate dropped to 27 twice, but it wasn't noticeable at all. Is this normal? I was impressed but I feel like the M17x can do better.

If you have not installed HWInfo64, find it and install it. Also whilst your at it down load and install furmark

HwInfo64 -> HWiNFO64 Download
FurMark -> FurMark 1.9.2 Released (GPU Stress Test Utility, OpenGL Benchmark) - 3D Tech News and Pixel Hacking - Geeks3D.com

You can DL from other locations, the are just the first I found.

Once installed, Run furmark and you will probably see that your temps hit 67c ish and your GPU clock rate will drop (from 620 down to a lot lower IIRC). This is a power throttle and its removal is described in these very forums and it is easy but nerve racking to do. The other throttle mark is way up at 78c ish and that one is pretty much a wall but my guess is your hitting the power throttle.

If your not using a laptop cooler, get a very cheap one.. When I'm working away from home and dont want to hump the Coolmaster around, I use 2 rubber door stops - yes I said 2 round rubber door stops, place these under the back corners of your laptop and it will get plenty of air. It cools as well as my coolmaster (almost) and costs less than a dollar (70p).

[Morgor]

Hey guys, new M17x R3 owner here. Took the laptop out of the box and fired up Skyrim on ultra settings. Stock everything.

I got about 30 - 45 fps outdoors, solid 60 indoors. Framerate dropped to 27 twice, but it wasn't noticeable at all. Is this normal? I was impressed but I feel like the M17x can do better.

Go and check the site skyrimnexus.com their are lots of mods that can make the game even beautifull and prevent from throtling issues (you should flash the vbios ; since I've done this no more throtling)

[darkdomino]

Do you really think it's throttling? My framerate is very stable on ultra, and the few times it dips to 27 I don't even notice. I know the fans kick on a lot....

I dunno, maybe it is throttling and I don't know it. Doesn't seem to impact my gameplay though.

[YodaGoneMad]

Hey guys, new M17x R3 owner here. Took the laptop out of the box and fired up Skyrim on ultra settings. Stock everything.

I got about 30 - 45 fps outdoors, solid 60 indoors. Framerate dropped to 27 twice, but it wasn't noticeable at all. Is this normal? I was impressed but I feel like the M17x can do better.

That sounds pretty close to what I would expect all stock. I will be getting mine today so we can compare.

Do you have the newest version of the game? Did you update to the newest Verde drives? Both of those will give some significant improvements.

[zoolian982]

To darkdomino
Throttling, you would notice. Your fps would drop to like 1-2 playing skyrim on ultra. But seeing as it's only 25-30, it seems fine, and that's normal.
But for now, those fps seems fine for Skyrim.

[ryan_calif]

I'm getting stable gameplay and performance using the following settings on my 460m:

1680x1050
AA off
AF 16x
Medium Quality (no FXAA)

Framerates outside the cities are 60+ utilizing only 80-95% of the GPU.
Inside cities like Riften, framerate range is 30-45 with 60-70% GPU utilization (CPU bottleneck...).

Overall, good quality and performance with decent headroom available.

[Godot]

Hey guys, I have been playing skyrim on high (the default one) and sometimes my FPS dips noticably (stuttering) for a split second. It also dips when I'm in first person. I'm running it on the 6870m with updated drivers. Could anyone help me out with a fix? Maybe a .ini tweak that might work for me? Otherwise the game looks pretty good, even on high. Just started the Hi-Res textures download too...