M17x R3 with gtx 580 a mistake?

[SlickDude80]

There are only 2 choices right now...6990m or 580m. OP has already stated he doesn't want the 6990m, so the only choice is the 580m. No point asking if it was a mistake or not...there simply is no other choice if you want to get an Alienware and you dont' want to go with the 6990m (which overclocks like a beast and is pretty much turn-key)

BUT

because the throttling is an Alienware thing...it might make more sense for you to get an MSI or Sager with 580m option if you're so freaked out about potential throttling issues.

[hewhowhat]

I really despise ATI drivers and for that reason I only buy Nvidia and have been doing so for many years and Ive been very pleased. Also I have a 3d vision monitor and glasses that would be useless with ATI so its not an option. The 580m doesnt have this issue in other machines, this is a Dell issue. Im not returning it just to try to prove a point I just want to be happy with something that is costing me a lot of money and this just isnt possible here.

Aww too late then. I wouldn't advice against the 580m for the m17R3, having bought one months ago. I go the throttles but managed to overcome all of it by some fixes -even the 77 but I have to manage the temperature or get a bsod. Maybe repasting will help but that's when the warranty over.

Since you're returning, perhaps you could inform dell clearly the reason which plagued many 580 users. But I guess the act of returning is already a message itself. This thread is still useful to potential 580 buyers...

[bigtonyman]

Aww too late then. I wouldn't advice against the 580m for the m17R3, having bought one months ago. I go the throttles but managed to overcome all of it by some fixes -even the 77 but I have to manage the temperature or get a bsod. Maybe repasting will help but that's when the warranty over.

Since you're returning, perhaps you could inform dell clearly the reason which plagued many 580 users. But I guess the act of returning is already a message itself. This thread is still useful to potential 580 buyers...

Just wanted to say that repasting doesnt void your warranty.

[YodaGoneMad]

I guess I am a bit confused as to how it "just died". Did you hit the 77c throttle? Or did something else break? Did you do a vBios flash, did you try raising the back of the laptop a bit? Could you hear the fans running full out before it "died"?

As others have said it sounds like you made up your mind before you got it.

[Vtectrini]

I guess I am a bit confused as to how it "just died". Did you hit the 77c throttle? Or did something else break? Did you do a vBios flash, did you try raising the back of the laptop a bit? Could you hear the fans running full out before it "died"?

As others have said it sounds like you made up your mind before you got it.

Yes I hit the 77c throttle, when I said it died I meant the performance. After 3 hours on the phone with Dell they said that it was a gpu failure and that they would repair it. They even offered to give me $150 back for the inconvenience which was tempting but I didn't want to take the chance of getting it "fixed" and still dealing with the same crap again knowing full well it has that limitation and then not being able to get a refund. It's not that I made up my mind before I got it at all, I was just scared. When I got it I absolutely adored it for the first 45 min. Then when it throttled I knew I wasn't one of the lucky ones. It's fine for some but for me it's just too much money to have spent only to worry about it all the time. I hope others see this thread as a warning and they know what they are getting into.

[blink_c]

Yes I hit the 77c throttle, when I said it died I meant the performance. After 3 hours on the phone with Dell they said that it was a gpu failure and that they would repair it. They even offered to give me $150 back for the inconvenience which was tempting but I didn't want to take the chance of getting it "fixed" and still dealing with the same crap again knowing full well it has that limitation and then not being able to get a refund. It's not that I made up my mind before I got it at all, I was just scared. When I got it I absolutely adored it for the first 45 min. Then when it throttled I knew I wasn't one of the lucky ones. It's fine for some but for me it's just too much money to have spent only to worry about it all the time. I hope others see this thread as a warning and they know what they are getting into.

There are no "lucky ones." If it hits 77 degrees, then it will throttle. No if's, and's, or but's. Dell has stated they are working on this, as many have already said.

However, I don't see how people are getting their temperatures that high. You had it for 45 minutes and it hit 77 degrees? Did you start it up, put a blanket behind it, and run Furmark the entire time? I play HIGH end games, with a slight GPU overclock, and all I do is slightly prop the back up. No 77 degrees for me. The only way I've been able to get it to 77 degrees is by not raising it a bit, and running Furmark for like 10 minutes straight.

[Vtectrini]

There are no "lucky ones." If it hits 77 degrees, then it will throttle. No if's, and's, or but's. Dell has stated they are working on this, as many have already said.

However, I don't see how people are getting their temperatures that high. You had it for 45 minutes and it hit 77 degrees? Did you start it up, put a blanket behind it, and run Furmark the entire time? I play HIGH end games, with a slight GPU overclock, and all I do is slightly prop the back up. No 77 degrees for me. The only way I've been able to get it to 77 degrees is by not raising it a bit, and running Furmark for like 10 minutes straight.

All I did was play Crysis 2 without the high res patch or ultra patch, just on hardcore settings for 45 min. 21c ambient temps on a large table with nothing else on it. Nothing overclocked at all. Although when they were doing the diagnostics they did say that the gpu was failing after they ran benches.

[YodaGoneMad]

All I did was play Crysis 2 without the high res patch or ultra patch, just on hardcore settings for 45 min. 21c ambient temps on a large table with nothing else on it. Nothing overclocked at all. Although when they were doing the diagnostics they did say that the gpu was failing after they ran benches.

It sounds like you just got a failing GPU, if their tests show it is failing then it does actually have issues and is not representative of a working 580m. I would take the $150 and a new GPU. My first system had a defective 580m, and I got a new one and the difference is night and day. You might also try raising the back a bit, even like 1 inch can lower temps well over 10c, I have the Just Mobile Lazy Couch off Amazon, they are little rubber feet to raise the laptop and that has been all I needed with my new unit to avoid throttling (my new unit games at around 65c with 20% OC and stock paste, versus my old unit after repaste with no OC in the exact same conditions would be in the low 70's all the time because of a bad GPU).

You can do what you want, but a defective GPU is not representative of anything, just bad luck. With the in-home service you could probably have it fixed by the end of the week and be all set, your return period should be long enough to get the repair and the $150 and still have time to test before you can't return it anymore.

And again, the Dell rep has confirmed the issue is going to be fixed. He just checked in earlier today and said that it is in the process of being investigated and fixed. The M18x had the EXACT SAME issue and it got fixed through a bios update with the help of this same rep, so there is no reason to think it won't be fixed. Either way, at those ambient temps with a non-defective card I don't see you hitting it anyway. The real issue is people who live in hot climates, with ambient temps upwards of 30c or higher, who always throttle.

[bigtonyman]

All I did was play Crysis 2 without the high res patch or ultra patch, just on hardcore settings for 45 min. 21c ambient temps on a large table with nothing else on it. Nothing overclocked at all. Although when they were doing the diagnostics they did say that the gpu was failing after they ran benches.

easiest way I have seen to drop temps easily is to just prop up the back of the machine a bit. It helps with airflow quite a bit. You might wanna give it a try. Here is my setup atm.

[Vtectrini]

It sounds like you just got a failing GPU, if their tests show it is failing then it does actually have issues and is not representative of a working 580m. I would take the $150 and a new GPU. My first system had a defective 580m, and I got a new one and the difference is night and day. You might also try raising the back a bit, even like 1 inch can lower temps well over 10c, I have the Just Mobile Lazy Couch off Amazon, they are little rubber feet to raise the laptop and that has been all I needed with my new unit to avoid throttling (my new unit games at around 65c with 20% OC and stock paste, versus my old unit after repaste with no OC in the exact same conditions would be in the low 70's all the time because of a bad GPU).

You can do what you want, but a defective GPU is not representative of anything, just bad luck. With the in-home service you could probably have it fixed by the end of the week and be all set, your return period should be long enough to get the repair and the $150 and still have time to test before you can't return it anymore.

And again, the Dell rep has confirmed the issue is going to be fixed. He just checked in earlier today and said that it is in the process of being investigated and fixed. The M18x had the EXACT SAME issue and it got fixed through a bios update with the help of this same rep, so there is no reason to think it won't be fixed. Either way, at those ambient temps with a non-defective card I don't see you hitting it anyway. The real issue is people who live in hot climates, with ambient temps upwards of 30c or higher, who always throttle.

You are absolutely right. I think I was just acting out of anger and haste, but after reading this I called Dell back and I got the $150 and decided to give it another shot. I dont really plan on overclocking or anything and as long as I can get it so that I can just play my games as intended without having to prop it up or repaste or anything then I will be satisfied. The tech should come through by Monday or so for the latest at which point I will have about a week left to test it out and then decide if its gonna work how I want it to. If it doesnt work out then at least I know I tried, because it was already a sweet deal (providing it works) and the $150 made it sweeter.Thanks for all the help guys I really appreciate it. I will let everyone know what happens.