XPS 15 l502x freezes during gameplay

Oh and im running all the latest bios and graphics drivers.

Lol yes im sure im using the Nvidia graphics. It could be overheating but that would mean dell have produced a faulty product. You cant sell a computer with a powerful processor and graphics card if it cant even use them without killing itself. Hopefully its just drivers and they will fix it soon.

Are you sure the game is running of the Nvidia graphics and not the integrated graphics?

Also it maybe because it is overheating, though in my experience with older laptops, when the system overheats while gaming, it just shuts off automatically.

It happens. Not intentionally, but sometimes it is an issue with the fan or with the pasting job, which I have heard Dell doesn't do a very good job with.

It happend with my Dell XPS M1530 a couple of months ago. Once I propped the system up a bit it ran cooler and games ran fine.

Just call Dell Tech Support. If you are under warranty, they will come over and replace whatever is at fault.

You can also try looking at forum.notebookcheck.com for some answers or info about drivers.

I seemed to be having the same problem too. The game just freezes and I can alt-tab to switch out to a black screen with only the taskbar visible. The speaker will just give out a buzz sound. If I turn on the air conditioning ( I live in the tropics), it hangs more often.Maybe I should report this with Dell as well. sigh.

The performance is good but the heat created is making the keyboard really hot.

I am having this problem as well. happens on call of duty black ops but most of my other games seem fine hours on end of gaming. Black ops does it every 15 minutes in.  I will try the new bios to see if that fixes it.

Be sure U R using latest Nvidia GeForce driver - 270.61 for laptop.   Nvidia has fixed some issues and updated progam settings in Nvidia Control Panel.  Check the Nvidia release notes for specific issues with some games for the GPU you are using.  Install A05 BIOS just released.

Updated bios still a no go i will try the nvidia driver now.

So any solutions to it ?

Only thing I found out that could avoid my games from freezing, is to run them with DirectX 11. Anything that runs with Directx9 freezes up after some time.

And my computer isnt overheating and is fully updated.

You say your computer is fully updated.  Check the following just to be sure:

First, install the most recent Nvidia mobile drivers (500M series).  As of today (07212011) the Nvidia driver is 275.33.  Many gaming problems are resolved with the latest driver.  In Nvidia Control panel be sure your game is listed.  If not, add it.  Select the preferred processor to be High-performance Nvidia Processor.  Optimus will then use the proper processor.  The game program setting should determine which DirectX to use.   Normally the newer games will need to run DirectX-11.  If you try to run them in DirectX-9 mode, they will not run properly or freeze.   In Nvidia Control Panel, you can select automatic driver updates.  I highly recommend you do this to have the latest Nvidia driver at all times.   The Program Settings are always being updated as well.

Second, check your power settings to be sure the laptop is not set to go to sleep after 15 minutes or so durring gaming.  I think there is a gaming exception to the power setting as well.   Usually, the Dell power plan is OK for games.   The Nvidia Optimus will select the proper processor.  You can tell which processor is running by selecting all of the Desktop settings in Nvidia Control panel.  If you can run the game in a window, then the Nvidia Activity Icon in the Notification area will indicate the graphics processor in use durring game-play.

Thirdly, be sure all other drivers are the latest available from Dell or the manufacturer.  You should have Microsoft Windows update set to automatic so you get all Windows updates in a timely fashio.  Oh, if you purchased a game, do not let it install DirectX.   Your laptop has the current version(s).

My Nvidia drivers are the last ones, i even tried with the 275.50 beta ones.

High Performance Nvidia Processor is default for 3D use.

Power management mode within the Nvidia drivers is selected to "prefer maximum performance".

My laptop never goes to sleep and its power configuration is selected to high performance as well.

I manually reinstalled the lastest DirectX 9 and 11 updates. (some were missing on the laptop)

My windows update is set to automatic and anyway i still check on updates manually almost everyday (i'm some sort of up to date freak).

Evey single Driver is up to date as well.

As for the games i dont try to run the either with directx 9 or 11.

Starcraft 2 has only Directx 9 support => Crashes

Warcraft 3 has only Directx 9 support => Crashes

World Of Warcraft can be run either with Directx 9 or 11 : 9 => crashes | 11 => runs perfectly didnt have a single crash since finding out about it a month ago.

that's basically  the games i play from time to time. but i got reduced to only one since buying this laptop.

And in case you're wondering, I checked out my temperatures as well and nothing's overheating.

The GPU is somewhere between 70 and 75°C when the laptop freezes up. As for the CPU and Mother Board they barely make it to 80°C.

I am also getting the same problem with game freezing on my Dell XPS L502. I am playing Lord of the Rings Online and the game regularly crashes. I move my character about but then movement starts stuttering (almost like lag but this is NOT lag) and then suddenly the graphics freeze. Sometimes it recovers. Sometimes it freezes and I can use CTRL-ALT-DEL to start Task Manager and close the game. Sometimes I can do nothing except press the start button to close down the machine. When the graphics freeze I can still hear the sound from the game so it is not a connection problem.

When I run the game in windowed mode and it freezes and then recovers I get an error message as a balloon on the task bar saying that the NVidia driver stopped working and the kernel recovered (or something like that).

I have already been on to Technical Support who suggested that this is a software conflict and I should ensure all drivers and BIOS are up-to-date and I should try re-installing the game. Well my drivers and BIOS were already up-to-date but I reinstalled the software as suggested and this didn't make a difference. I can run LOTRO with DirectX 9, 10 and 11. It is certainly crashing with DirectX 9. I will try running it with DirectX 11 but I am sure that I have had crashes with DirectX 11 too.

And also this is NOT an overheating issue. The graphics freezing has happened both a few minutes into the game and also after playing for an hour or more.

Another thought for everyone.   I had a different situation and found reinstalling the Nvidia driver cleared it up.  However, I have had to do it a couple of times.  The Dell Tech telling yo it could be software conflicts brought it to mind.  OK, in the context menu when you right-click a program a choice "Run with graphics processor" that allows you to choose "High-performance NVIDIA processor" or "Integrated graphics".  This is a part of Optimus.  The entire choice group would dissapear.  Reinstalling the Nvidia driver fixed the issue.   Now, I used an older technique with Driver Sweeper to remove all the Nvidia Display and Nvidia PhysX components before installing the Nvidia driver.  (Driver Sweeper is at Phyxion.net).  Then do a Custom installation of the Nvidia driver and select the "clean" installation.   Once installed go to Nvidia Control panel and set the PhysX Configuration to be the GeForce GT 500M series you have. 

I don't know if this helps but it is possible removing remanents of the old driver and forcing the PhysX Configuration to Nvidia may help.   Optimus is a qurkey software part of the Nvidia mobile cards and it and/or other parts of Nvidia may be causing some conflict.  Also try to select all the options in Nvidia control panel to force the Nvidia processor to be used.

Additionally, be sure the Intel graphics processor is using the latest drivers.  I believe you said you have all current drivers.  You may want to check the Dell website because I think an update to the Intel graphics processor (HD Graphics 3000, 8.15.10.2342 A06) was issued 4/21/2011.

Bad info:

Dioxete just noted the Nvidia 275.33  "Are not compatible with hybrid technology, intel chipsets." 

I don't know where that information came from, but the 275.33 works just fine with the Intel i7 2630M.  And it will work with all second generation Intel i-series processors.  If you read the Nvidia information on the release, if specifically indicates updates are provided to Dell XPS 3d notebooks as well. 

I'd like to introduce something:

Nvidia graphics 275.33

Are not compatible with hybrid technology, intel chipsets.

So it's not compatible with this laptop right?

Notes:

1.Notebooks supporting Hybrid Power technology with Intel chipsets are not supported by this release.

2.The following Sony VAIO notebooks are supported: Sony VAIO F Series with NVIDIA GeForce 310M, NVIDIA GeForce GT 335M and NVIDIA GeForce GT 425M. Other Sony VAIO notebooks are not supported at this time (please contact Sony for driver support).

3.Fujitsu notebooks are not supported by this release (Fujitsu Siemens notebooks are supported).

I refer to the 1º note, isn't this laptop hybrid technology?