Three things that standout that would produce erratic and poor gaming performance
1) 8GB of RAM
2) Single channel RAM
3) Windows 10/11 on a HDD
It’s recommended that you have a minimum of 16GB for Windows 10 and Windows 11 uses a little more memory but 16GB is still recommended unless you like to play MS Flight Simulator in 4K then 32GB is better.
It’s recommended for gaming that you have a dual channel memory setup i.e. 16GB (2x8). Single channel setups will cause severe bottle necks which will cause stutters and pauses while gaming.
It’s also recommended that you have your Windows OS on an SSD.
and directly after boot I am unable to do as much as open a chrome tab for ~3-4 minutes.
games- while others that don’t demand as much run much worse.
1TB 7200RPM SATA 6Gb/s
(added 1TB Crucial Nvme M.2)
Well, with a (properly installed and working) Crucial NVMe SSD, it should boot to Windows login screen in about 5 seconds. It should fully load Windows-10 and all processes (and TaskTray icons) in 15-30 seconds. Google Chrome should load in 1-2 seconds.
Most likely, the NVMe-SSD was not install properly ... and your old spinning-platter 1tb HDD is either still booting the computer or maybe even your Windows is still running from it.
Worst case, your Windows is corrupt or new NVMe-SSD is broken (both of which are also easily fixable).
Finally, your comment about "lower spec" . Sure for an Aurora-R11 I suppose you could say that. However, the Intel i5 10400F is CRAZY-FAST. And a RTX-2060 is pretty-awesome as well.
I was aware of the need for more RAM, however with the other issues outside of gaming it hasn’t been the main issue in my mind. Windows has been moved to SSD already as well, comment below mentions other issues the SSD could be having.
I installed the SSD, and don’t believe I made any mistakes. Windows should be booting off the SSD, however there may be issues that I haven’t seen. I know the boot should be WAY faster than it currently is, and the entire system should be faster. I will check the SSD and boot order.
Will update later…
I appreciate the nice remarks in relation to my specs as well.
I installed the SSD, and don’t believe I made any mistakes. Windows should be booting off the SSD, however there may be issues that I haven’t seen. I know the boot should be WAY faster than it currently is, and the entire system should be faster. I will check the SSD and boot order.
Will update later…
I appreciate the nice remarks in relation to my specs as well.
Disconnect the HDD, and be sure the system still boots and runs Windows (from NVMe SSD).
If so, install Crystal Disk-Info and/or Passmark DiskCheckup ... and check the SMART-status of your SSD. Crucial might also have a test-utility available.
I also have had the same problem with the r-11 (and the alienware software.) All my 1st person xbox and steam games are basically unplayable. I can really only play my turn-based strategy games. I also bought the top of the line Dell monitor where I probably should have used the money towards more RAM and an SDD. I used to have an r-7 which screamed (16 GB RAM) but the motherboard blew with all the external devices/harddrives I had connected (and a power glitch with one specific USB connection.) My r-7 warranty expired just 2 months earlier. I bought the r-11 focusing on a water-cooled system and 1000 watt power supply. Sadly, I went with 8 GB RAM and an HDD to stay compatible with my r-7 HDD. I had hoped to use my r-7 3.5 HDD but I discovered the r-11 only has only 1 slot for the 3.5 HDD drive. Hence I had to abandon my old r-7 HDD drive. I also discovered the r-11 comes installed with all the alienware options which I think bog the system down. I think alienware even does its own backups/restores and a few other things that could be eliminated as these have to stay updated with newer Windows versions and could be replaced using some of the Windows options. I talked with alienware tech support but I didn't get very far. I installed and ran cc cleaner (free version) which definitely helped with the speed, especially analyzing and repairing the registry. The UW and myself used cc cleaner and it really does help. I'd stick with the free version unless you need the professional options which clone some of alienwares. Make sure you download it from the cccleaner website. Since I occasionally run SQL Server, .net framework, etc.. for development work, I must keep these updated and control their settings. Now that I'm retired, I'm a big-time game player. I don't tear computers apart any more so I'm going to find a shop to install more RAM and an SDD. I really wish I could fully uninstall all the alienware software but the alien-ware support I talked to said that wasn't advisable. It is nice to run cc cleaner when I need to give the computer a speed boost although I really wish I could play 1st person games again. I also open task manager and end the Defender task (which you can do for a temporary time period.) If you have a bunch of older external harddrives connected, this may help (I have about 5 external 1TB drives.) Since I turn off my computer every night, Defender sometimes chugs when I turn the computer on and start playing a game. I hope this helps.
problem with the Aurora R-11 (and the alienware software.) All my 1st person xbox and steam games are basically unplayable. I can really only play my turn-based strategy games.
You should probably start your own thread.
If you are developing software and playing recent games on it, 2x 8gb=16gb is a better config for Windows-11.
Your bootable C-Drive should be a nice/fast M.2-NVMe SSD (like 480gb or better). Install all your Windows, Apps, and Programs on it. Even a few of your favorite games will fit. Try to always leave some extra blank-space on it.
Since you are having trouble, I suggest you try a Nuke-and-Pave fresh/clean install of only Microsoft's Windows-11 (without any Dell programs or OEM Customizations). That is all that is required to run Windows and Windows-programs.
Tesla1856
8 Wizard
•
17.3K Posts
0
February 20th, 2022 21:00
So now you know. At least there is a good chance that all your hardware is fine.
Backup important files first.
With only the SSD connected, do it this way (read thru the linked long/detailed one also):
https://www.dell.com/community/XPS-Desktops/XPS-8940-new-out-of-the-box-intermittent-crashes/m-p/8142183#M68592
You will be up and running in no-time. It will be very-fast when you are done.
RodsterB
2 Intern
•
406 Posts
1
February 20th, 2022 19:00
Three things that standout that would produce erratic and poor gaming performance
1) 8GB of RAM
2) Single channel RAM
3) Windows 10/11 on a HDD
It’s recommended that you have a minimum of 16GB for Windows 10 and Windows 11 uses a little more memory but 16GB is still recommended unless you like to play MS Flight Simulator in 4K then 32GB is better.
It’s recommended for gaming that you have a dual channel memory setup i.e. 16GB (2x8). Single channel setups will cause severe bottle necks which will cause stutters and pauses while gaming.
It’s also recommended that you have your Windows OS on an SSD.
Tesla1856
8 Wizard
•
17.3K Posts
1
February 20th, 2022 19:00
Well, with a (properly installed and working) Crucial NVMe SSD, it should boot to Windows login screen in about 5 seconds. It should fully load Windows-10 and all processes (and TaskTray icons) in 15-30 seconds. Google Chrome should load in 1-2 seconds.
Most likely, the NVMe-SSD was not install properly ... and your old spinning-platter 1tb HDD is either still booting the computer or maybe even your Windows is still running from it.
Worst case, your Windows is corrupt or new NVMe-SSD is broken (both of which are also easily fixable).
Finally, your comment about "lower spec" . Sure for an Aurora-R11 I suppose you could say that. However, the Intel i5 10400F is CRAZY-FAST. And a RTX-2060 is pretty-awesome as well.
mccullahz
4 Posts
0
February 20th, 2022 21:00
It does not boot without the hard drive connected, so it isn’t booting from the SSD. It seems that this problem has been solved
mccullahz
4 Posts
0
February 20th, 2022 21:00
I was aware of the need for more RAM, however with the other issues outside of gaming it hasn’t been the main issue in my mind. Windows has been moved to SSD already as well, comment below mentions other issues the SSD could be having.
mccullahz
4 Posts
0
February 20th, 2022 21:00
I installed the SSD, and don’t believe I made any mistakes. Windows should be booting off the SSD, however there may be issues that I haven’t seen. I know the boot should be WAY faster than it currently is, and the entire system should be faster. I will check the SSD and boot order.
Will update later…
I appreciate the nice remarks in relation to my specs as well.
Tesla1856
8 Wizard
•
17.3K Posts
1
February 20th, 2022 21:00
Disconnect the HDD, and be sure the system still boots and runs Windows (from NVMe SSD).
If so, install Crystal Disk-Info and/or Passmark DiskCheckup ... and check the SMART-status of your SSD. Crucial might also have a test-utility available.
PKStormy
1 Message
0
July 16th, 2023 09:00
I also have had the same problem with the r-11 (and the alienware software.) All my 1st person xbox and steam games are basically unplayable. I can really only play my turn-based strategy games. I also bought the top of the line Dell monitor where I probably should have used the money towards more RAM and an SDD. I used to have an r-7 which screamed (16 GB RAM) but the motherboard blew with all the external devices/harddrives I had connected (and a power glitch with one specific USB connection.) My r-7 warranty expired just 2 months earlier. I bought the r-11 focusing on a water-cooled system and 1000 watt power supply. Sadly, I went with 8 GB RAM and an HDD to stay compatible with my r-7 HDD. I had hoped to use my r-7 3.5 HDD but I discovered the r-11 only has only 1 slot for the 3.5 HDD drive. Hence I had to abandon my old r-7 HDD drive. I also discovered the r-11 comes installed with all the alienware options which I think bog the system down. I think alienware even does its own backups/restores and a few other things that could be eliminated as these have to stay updated with newer Windows versions and could be replaced using some of the Windows options. I talked with alienware tech support but I didn't get very far. I installed and ran cc cleaner (free version) which definitely helped with the speed, especially analyzing and repairing the registry. The UW and myself used cc cleaner and it really does help. I'd stick with the free version unless you need the professional options which clone some of alienwares. Make sure you download it from the cccleaner website. Since I occasionally run SQL Server, .net framework, etc.. for development work, I must keep these updated and control their settings. Now that I'm retired, I'm a big-time game player. I don't tear computers apart any more so I'm going to find a shop to install more RAM and an SDD. I really wish I could fully uninstall all the alienware software but the alien-ware support I talked to said that wasn't advisable. It is nice to run cc cleaner when I need to give the computer a speed boost although I really wish I could play 1st person games again. I also open task manager and end the Defender task (which you can do for a temporary time period.) If you have a bunch of older external harddrives connected, this may help (I have about 5 external 1TB drives.) Since I turn off my computer every night, Defender sometimes chugs when I turn the computer on and start playing a game. I hope this helps.
Tesla1856
8 Wizard
•
17.3K Posts
0
July 17th, 2023 13:00
You should probably start your own thread.
If you are developing software and playing recent games on it, 2x 8gb=16gb is a better config for Windows-11.
Your bootable C-Drive should be a nice/fast M.2-NVMe SSD (like 480gb or better). Install all your Windows, Apps, and Programs on it. Even a few of your favorite games will fit. Try to always leave some extra blank-space on it.
Since you are having trouble, I suggest you try a Nuke-and-Pave fresh/clean install of only Microsoft's Windows-11 (without any Dell programs or OEM Customizations). That is all that is required to run Windows and Windows-programs.
https://www.dell.com/community/Windows-General-Wiki/Guide-to-migrate-to-a-New-Windows-11-computer/ta-p/8307872