Video and Sound periodic lag on Alienware M17x R3

Like when playing a good .wav, .wma, or .wmv file in Windows Media Player ? Is it easily duplicate-able?

If you are:

- Using the AC adapter and High-Performance power profile.

- Clean installing Win-7 properly (using chipset drivers first, then the latest Dell posted drivers for your model, and installing all Windows Updates)

... and you still have a problem ... it's likely a hardware problem.

Try pulling the SSD out, and install the spinning Seagate as C: ... clean install Win-7 as above. If it still does it (and the Seagate supplied HDD Confidence Test passes) ... well, hopefully you are under warranty or have some spare parts you can start swapping out.

Or, see this:

http://www.sevenforums.com/crashes-debugging/189304-bsod-0x000000f4-i-suspect-ssd-2.html

... or Google "ssd stutter". If you trace it to the SSD, maybe a firmware fix is available.

I too have that problem on my Area 51 ALX.  Originally both video and sound was fine, Now that stutter and sometimes no sound at all, for example no sound when windows starts.  After opening the Realteck HD Audio Manager, it works again, except for the brief stutter issue, just playing a song. Also when just applying power to my speaker set up, prior to starting the PC and while it is running I often hear a "clicking".

So I seem to have two problems, a) the perioded lack of sound requiring the opening of the Realteck HD Audio Manager and the clicking sound (if no clicking then there is no luck of sound (*) and b) the stutter issue.

(*) since this is even before starting Windows, it must be hardware related - integrated soundcard - connection - speaker  but software seem to fix it again.  Over my head!!

Tesla, you certainly are correct, it's related to the SSD, based on on frequent stutter when playing a song from my Data drive (which is on the SSD), but playing o.k. when playing from the Backup (spinning) drive or my shared spinning slow USB drive attached to my router.  The puzzle is why is this now but not the case in the first 3 to 4 months?  Would a defragmentation help? I understand SDD need/should not be defragmented and may not defrag anyway when trying  So I have not done so.  Also noted when setting up a defrag schedule in Windows, it doesn't even offer the two SSD partitions for scheduling although I can manually select those.

There was a notice about firmware updates (forgot where I found out about that) - I asked Samsung how I can find out the present firmware on my two SSD running in Raid 0 mode in order to find out whether or not I would need such (and how I would do an update, particularly since they run in Raid 0 mode (yes I know your thoughts about Raid, Tesla).  Anyway Samsung's answer was: "If your SSD originally came with your system then we recommend you to contact Dell for further assistance. Please understand that Samsung can't provide updates for OEM SSDs"  Well I didn't even go that suggested route based on past expirence.

Looked at your link and upon investigation, found out that MS no longer supports that method and never even develeped it for Win 7.  So I guess I just tell my sound softwares to use my data backup drive rather than my data drive. LOL.  But I noted also stutter in movies being played from my DVD drive.

For my specs see my profile.

@ SpamFighter,

Ya, I removed the ReadyState link (and posted a better example). I'm not sure the user who wrote that eHow article really knows. Personally, I don't see how ReadyState would help. However, Google is full of "ssd stuttering" results.

I don't have an SSD yet, and frankly, problem reports like this really put me off to ever getting one. Users who actually have an SSD would likely be more help than I, but ... I thought ...

With an SSD you disable Scheduled Defrag, but you should still Defrag Manually once a month or after installing a lot of programs. Disable Auto Indexing. Be sure TRIM support (in Win-7) is working on your SSD.

Just an idea, but you might try moving just the Windows Swap file (if you have one) to a fast spinning drive.

It's strange that SSDs are so much faster but apparently have some write latency issues (I guess that's where TRIM comes in handy).

No wonder I could not find the download anywhere. Kept leading me to a non founded page. I read that thread and thats exactly the SSD that I'm using. However, the said that the 332 Firmware update is designed for Windows 7, AHCI mode and must be run in the OS as "Administrator".

But I'm running this laptop on RAID. I can't even get it to run in AHCI for heaven knows why. Should I still try to apply the update?

Not sure why you are running a single drive in RAID mode, but ...

If you can't satisfy the installation requirements of the firmware updater, you might have to pop the drive into a desktop, perform the upgrade, and then move the drive back to the laptop.

@ Tesla

Thanks - you are a great help in this community.

I've heard about TRIM but a search in Win-7 under Help came up with nothing. I apperas at least newer Samsung SSD have Trim support but don't know if the ones installed by AW in Nov 2010 do. In fact they don't look at all like the flashy ones on the Samsung site.  Mine are extreemly plain don't even have any reference to Samsung, just a very little sticker reading

KR-OK256M 74230

OAE - 0033 A03         (the other has OAE 0010 AO3)

Made in Korea

DP/N OK256M.

No wonder Samsung is not providing any support when trying to find out what firmware I have and if there is in fact an update available for my drives.  (Perhaps adding Trim support if the don't have it.)  As to how to update firmware on an SSD runing in RAID the Samsung Firmware update Manual for the (most likely same version of my OEM version) states firmware cannot be detected and drives need to be removed from Raid in the BIOS then individually updated after which RAID can be set again in the BIOS.  Not sure what it does to the data, certainly would wish to have an Acronis Image of all partitions. LOL.  

May be a few years down the road when SSD are a lot better and perhaps even larger I buy replacement "Retail" versions.  The only Samsung SDD firmware for the Area 51 ALX on the Dell site refers to Samsung PM800 64GB THN SATA2 SSD so it looks at least on the Dell site there is no firmware update for my drives.  Tried to find on the Dell site some specifications for my SSD drive but nada.

As to my page file, AW set it on the O/S drive, i.e. the SSD at 12,278MB whereas Win7 still suggest 18,417 MB. (still stuck on the 1 1/2 tim physical memory on one hand but knowing about the defragmatation issue for SSD LOL.

All my searching indicates - don't defrag (I did it now manualy once for testing purposes. no change in the stuttering - perhaps a little less but then it was never at an even space.  In fact since the SSD Controler controls location of files, I am not sure if the Win 7 defragment job just goes through the motion and the SSD Controler overrides actual movement anyway and perhaps that is the reason why Win 7 doesn't even offer to defrag such a drive under a schedule. On the other hand, Samsung on it site states: "Unlike HDDs, SSDs' don't need defragmentation because they are optimized in aceessing the random surfaces. However, defragmentation will improve your system's performance by reducing OS overhead."

As to the stuttering problem, I have this too when viewing TV with my WinTV - HVR 2250 while running live.  In fact I wonder where this product stores it's temporary data, given one can go back in time to the spot where the WinTV programme was started. Probably also on the O/S drive when memory runs out if watching for a longer time.  And when I used the latter to go back before the last stuttering, I had no stuttering for that segment.   More mysteries.  So I have to do a lot longer testing on playing music from my (spinning) back-up drive to re-verify that there is no stuttering.  And again why do I have such when playing a movie from the DDV drive?

Perhaps this total issue is hardware related or the basic software (located on the SSD drive in my case) which uses such hardware rather than the location of "data"   I wonder if others who have reported this problem all have SSD drives.

As to pagefiles some say its o.k. some say move it.  Anyway with 12GB I don't think I need it and I have cancelled it altogether.  If, I run into some problems - apparently some software will not start without a page file - I will set up a small one on a plattern drive.   Then of course there is the big hibernation file with can't be moved from the O/S drive.

Thanks again for your feedback on this issue..

Brief update.  

Used Windows Media player to play a few songs from my (spinning) back-up drive.  First song no stutter, but 2nd song two stutters at the end.  Replaying that, in case there was a problem with song itself.  Longer stutter (i.e. silence) early in the song.  So it's not a drive issue (SSD or Spinning), it the sound system somewhere, assume hardware or connection to speakers (*). as stutter with other software as well, e.g. iTunes. Then there is the TV watching and the movies with different software from either of my DVD drives. And I din't have this problem for the first few months with my system.

(*) checked that connection again to insure nother loose.  Presently Internal Sound - Realtek High Def. Audio via Coaxial S/PDIF to 5.1 Cambridge Soundworks.  Will try the surround sound integrated audio out connectores with some other speakers (once I find them in my basement) over the next few days.

Brief update.     Used Windows Media player to play a few songs from my (spinning) back-up drive.  First song no stutter, but 2nd song two stutters at the end.  Replaying that, in case there was a problem with song itself.  Longer stutter (i.e. silence) early in the song.  So it's not a drive issue (SSD or Spinning), it the sound system somewhere, assume hardware or connection to speakers (*). as stutter with other software as well, e.g. iTunes. Then there is the TV watching and the movies with different software from either of my DVD drives. And I din't have this problem for the first few months with my system.   (*) checked that connection again to insure nother loose.  Presently Internal Sound - Realtek High Def. Audio via Coaxial S/PDIF to 5.1 Cambridge Soundworks.  Will try the surround sound integrated audio out connectores with some other speakers (once I find them in my basement) over the next few days.

Your logic is sound, but ...

To be absolutely sure it's not the SSD, remove it from the system and install the OS to a spinning drive. The idea here is the remove as many "variables" as possible. Continue working on (changing one thing at a time) that "stock config" until it's working. Then, you can put stuff back in place (again, one-at-a-time).

Not sure about laptops, but on the desktops ... we can use the latest Dell posted drivers, or, the audio drivers from Microsoft Update also seem to work (they are not as feature rich, but a little "lighter").

Be sure to try some normal analog headphones to make sure it's not the speaker system choking on the digital stream.

@Tesla

I hear you.

Such a test of course will take some time, although using a Acronis Image to install my O/S on my spinning Raid set (after establishing a temporary separte partition so not to disturb the present data on two partitions could speed things up.)  Then again if it is a problem with a Windows corruption or driver corruption using an image would not clean that up. In other words that will take a lot of work.

On some of the drivers listed on the Dell site I have problems to determine whether they apply to my system or not or whether they are the latest Dell uses.  For example under Audio it lists for my Tag number.

• Realtek ALC888 HD Audio
• Release Date: 10/22/2009
• Version: 6.0.1.5859    (A006.0.1.5859 r2.25)

I don't know the "Al C888" designation, i.e. whether that is what I have.  The Realtek High Definition Audio driver installed by AW on Nov 3/10 (well after the above release date) is version 6.0.1.6039 which seems to be a newer version than the one listed on Dell's site a whole year later, if that is the correct driver for my system. I had the same experience with the originally installed ATI 5970 driver, which was newer than the one presently listed on the Dell site and the one AW had installed on my Area 51 ALX is still not listed on Dell's site (I have since installed an even newer CCC direct from AMD). -  Such makes it more difficult to simply wipe ones drive and do a fresh installation using the latest "posted" drivers on the Dell site the reason I have not done so.  Anyway that is another subject altogether.

This threat should perhaps be moved to or re-named to "Video and Sound stuttering"  as it appears such lagging appears on various machines, desktops as well as laptops.

Very good Idea to use my headphones and will do that and report back.  A lot easier than testing it with other speakers via a different connection. Two minds are better than one!!!  

Noting via Google that many report stuttering with SSD, I am not ruling that out at all, but in my case perhaps is is my speaker system, Using my headphones should determine that.

Then there is the clicking sound I sometimes hear when putting power on my Cambridge Soundworks system prior to even starting the PC, i.e. before the BiOS (not sure if that is simple a Soundworks speaker problem or the MIO board being under power and creating this issue).  When I hear this clicking noise coming from the loudspeakers, starting the system my sound is not o.k. i.e. no sound when windows starts. But I can correct if by opening the Sound Manager. This problem is very inconsistent and for many days I do not have that, Then again it's there for a few days every time I start the system.. But just like the stuttering, the periodic clicking problem was not there for the first few months. May be it's time to update my somewhat older Speaker system, which I carried forward from a previous PC, changing only the connection to Coaxial S/PDIF which my previous Dell Precision 620 with a Soundblaster card didn't have.

Testing Feedback.

I listened to music located on my SSD’s for well over an hour via the Alienware Headphones. Perfect sound and NO stuttering at all. Thus that should rule out the SSD's and the circuitry on the motherboard. I also watched a movie via the C/D drive listening vial the Headphones. No problems at all. Same with watching TV via my Hauppauge card.

Thus the a) sometimes clicking sound and lack of sound as well as b) the stuttering has to be either the

1. connection from motherboard to the coaxial S/PDIF at the back of the Area 51 ALX
2. the coaxial S/PDif port itself
3. the (quite expensive) cable connection to the Cambridge Soundblaster box
4. that box
5. connections from that box to subwoofer and 5 speaker
6. speakers.

Not sure how I can isolate this as I have no other sound system operating via coaxial S/PDIF cable.

I would assume it's item 4 particularly considering the intermittent nature of the problem, sometimes quite often sometimes seldom.

I am ruling out the speakers, as when no sound/stuttering, every speaker is out. As well as, after switching the box on if then that clicking sound is there, it is heard from every speaker and is there to starting the PC and after starting results in lack of sound at the start of windows . Testing Speakers from the box works fine for all off them. Not sure if I can open that box and blow out any potential dust and perhaps look at some potential loose wires. However its probably easier to look into an entirely new speaker system which will fit with the on-board sound of the Area 51 AlX to fix my sound problem.

I anyone has any thoughts on this and/or suggestions for a good Speaker System for my unit, I would appreciate it.

Sorry

"and is there to starting the PC"  should have read "and is there PRIOR to starting the PC"

Connect the Speaker system (via coaxial SPDIF) to another computer or DVD player to test.

Connect the PC (via coaxial SPDIF) to your AVR or Amp.

... see where the problems follow.

Try another Coaxial SPDIF cable. An old RCA (yellow ends) composite video cable also works. Or, a RG-6 TV coax cable with RCA media adapters on the ends. It's just a wire ... the signal is digital.

Thanks again Tesla.

While a new up-to-date speaker system may fix it, just out of curiosity, I will try to find out where the exact problem is, making in the meantime use of those AW Headphones when needing sound, whenever my speaker system acts up again in a bad way, e.g. with that clicking sound. Without that clicking sound (which I cannot purposly initiate),  stuttering is not too bad and somethimes quite infrequent.. Some of the testing unfortunately requires heavy furniture movements, not so easy with my old and damaged body..

Update

After working reasonably well yesterday after the initial morning clicking problem with only periodic stuttering getting less the longer I listened to music, this morning the clicking problem was worse.and basically impossible to correct. Sound came finally when the 4th song was playing.  Also getting loud scatchy noice when using the volumne control at the box. Starting the box with the S/PDIF cable disconnected still exhibits the clicking noice, thus that is not created by the output port at the PC or the cable.  I had a look at the box.  No loose wires I can see and no dust to speak of.  Well if it walks like a duck and sounds like a duck it must be a duck. That box/sound system is quite a number of years old and needs to be replaced by some up-to-date system. Looks like I am flagging a dead horse.

Anyone any suggestions for a new good speaker system I can use with with on-board sound system of the Area 51 ALX?.

Further update

Leaving the power on on the Soundworks box eliminated the clicking noise and initial total luck of sound, but infrequent stuttering (sound cutting out) still happens so it is still defective as originally there was no need to keep it running nor stuttering.

So, receiving just an e-mail from Dell "A special gift for our loyal....." with a special 10% coupon.  I tried to buy the Logitech Z906 5.1.sound system to replace mine, only to be told that coupon is no good for purchases from Canada. Why send me such offers?  I am registered with a Canadian Address. Thus such e-mail is nothing but Spam in my case and I might as well shop elsewhere looking for a special deal.

Anyone using the Z906 with an Alienware Desktop?