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XPS M1330 - Playing any game consumes 100% CPU - heats up and triggers maximum airflow
Dear friends,
Please help me with this which I think is pretty serious and I couldn't find a solution on Dell Forums or somewhere else:
Laptop: Dell XPS M1330 (2200MHz Core2Duo)
Video: Nvidia 8400M GS
DirectX: 9.0c
OS: Windows XP, SP2
When trying to play any game (no matter if demanding or a 10-years old one) such as:
- Colin McRae Dirt Reloaded
- NFS Pro Street
- Keepsake
- Disciples II
- Elastomania
- Virtual Pool 3
The CPU goes to 50% (1 core full) from the begginning - even in the menus. After a short while fans fun at a full throttle - very hot and noisy.
Windows applicatios (other than games) run fine.
I tried:
- using both with latest NVidia drivers and latest Dell drivers (reccomended, bit older) for my video card.
- make sure having the latest update for DirectX 9.0c.
- disabling DirectX (some games don't work, but the ones wich start still heat up)
- disabling HW acceleration in games (still heats up)
- tuning the NVidia driver for less stressing optioins; choosing lowest graphics settings in games
- switching through differernt flat panel scaling mode
- turning on or off NVidia PowerMizer in the driver's settings
What would you think it might be? Is there a driver issue? or a directx one? how can I isolate this and find the problem?
I was really keen about being able to playing games on my laptop and the video card is impressive for a laptop; but this heating horrifies my gaming experience and makes me think twice about starting any game.
Best wishes,
RumburaK
mfinnan101
1.2K Posts
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April 24th, 2008 17:00
Trying running a full system diagnostic just to rule out a hardware fault
EDIT - Another thing to remember is:
Most of the rendering on older games, and older versions of directX use mostly CPU power, and unless you put a framerate limiter on the game, it will continue to eat up your CPU until there's nothing left . Newer games do far more of the rendering on the GPU, including physics in some, but still need a very powerful CPU. Single core mode SHOULD be eaten 100% when in ANY game, no matter how old the game.
rumburake
6 Posts
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April 24th, 2008 17:00
Yes, sure, I have tha latest update.
The CPU hogs are, as I said, the games themselves.
mfinnan101
1.2K Posts
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April 24th, 2008 17:00
Have you updated Windows through Windows update? Most XP setup disks are lacking a lot of updates.
Could you try opening up the task manager while leaving Windows idle and see if there are any CPU hogs?
rumburake
6 Posts
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April 24th, 2008 19:00
mfinnan101, could you reccomend such a tool? also, can you reccomend such a frame limiter that would support all games which obviously do not have a frame limit in the settings?
do you believe that 100% cpu is a standard behaviour for games and every laptop shoud get hot by playing any game?
mfinnan101
1.2K Posts
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April 24th, 2008 20:00
For diagnostics press F12 @ boot, or boot from your diagnostics CD.
As regards the frame rate limiter I have never used one, and I can't seem to find any application that'll let you limit the frame rate. One thing you could try is turning down the settings, not sure how much that'll help though....
The CPU usage really depends on how graphically intense the game is - An old game will primarly put stress on the CPU, whereas a more graphically intense one will put more hurt on the GPU. With an old game the CPU becomes the main bottleneck in the system - the GPU isn't being taxed at all and thus the CPU can't supply it with data fast enough. So 100% CPU usage shouldn't be uncommon, by 100% you mean one core is fully loaded right? Something such as a graphically intense RTS such as Supreme Commander will put hurt on both the CPU and GPU.
My XPS M1530 gets quite hot no matter which game I play even Homeworld 2 which is quite old now. While gaming you're looking at putting stress on either the CPU or GPU so unfortunately any laptop will get hot and loud...
TheRealFireblad
4.6K Posts
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April 25th, 2008 11:00
It's the nature of the beast unfortunately rumburake.
We just have to accept that our gaming laptops/desktop replacements, run much hotter than a similarly specced desktop system - due to the confines of the chassis.
And yes... it's quite normal for CPU usage to go to 100% when gaming.
I'd be rather annoyed in fact, knowing I had CPU and graphics power in abundance, and it wasn't being used during gaming sessions :smileytongue:
rumburake
6 Posts
0
April 25th, 2008 22:00
Dear guys,
There is nothing wrong with the system... and even if, that F12 diagnostig probably would't have a clue.
Regarding the way games are suppose to use 100% of a core in my sistem, you can't be serious about that - did you see the list of games I mentioned? - they are pretty classycs. E.g.:
- Virtual Pool 3:
static game, most of the time only thing that cpu should do is: redraw the table as reacting to mouse movements; simple 3d graphics are surely standard hw functions of direct3d
- Disciples 2:
heroes-like turn based strategy. while me thinking what to build in the city and looking at a static picture of a building, what is the computer computing?? i am sure it is directx because it doesn't work without it. so what can be so stressful for the cpu in displaying an image in directx? - the AI works seprately at the end of the turn.
- Menus for Colin McRae:
video effects on menus - some shades and glowings; GPU probably handles everything - again what is the cpu working on? SETI?
What I wanted to outline is that your thaughts are welcome, but they are just some general thaughts and although they may appear in the forum as a clarifying solution - they are not and they just bury the problem.
There is clearly something wrong and a chance is that the good old XP, designed before real laptops came into highstreet, doesn't know much about real power management (other that increase and decrease frequency).
Maybe I'll give Vista a second chance - just to know I tried.
Also another thing I might try is runing those games in Wine on Linux ;-).
RumburaK
mfinnan101
1.2K Posts
0
April 25th, 2008 23:00
I'm afraid you'll have to write you own drivers or reprogram the games if you really want to solve the problem.
There's still a good bit wrong with XP primarly the kernel doesn't really benefit from multiple cores. :smileysurprised:
rumburake
6 Posts
0
May 5th, 2008 12:00
Well I'm on Vista now and it's ok.
Solved.
Thanks mfinnan101 for his amasing in-depth knowledge about windows kernel, drivers and game programming.
mfinnan101
1.2K Posts
0
May 5th, 2008 13:00
Oh, the sarcasm.....