M14x Stutter

My system specs..

m14X | i7 2630QM | 6GB DDR3 at 1600MHz | 1.5GB DDR3 NVIDIA® GeForce® GT 555M | 500GB 7200RPM SATA 3Gb/s | 14.0" High Def+ (900p/1600x900) with WLED backlight | Stealth Black | A03 Bios

memory test

This pretty much entirely happens while I'm playing some sort of game, It's not normal lag because most of them run pretty fluid. It's just a quick hiccup that locks up the system for a second. I've noticed it in primarily in World of Warcraft, I get zero lag/hiccups in Red Faction - Armageddon & L4D2. I don't understand it and It's driving me nuts.

I have the same problem with my new alienware m14x bought 3 weeks ago.. Have you found a solution since your latest post. This problem happens when i play league of legends, its like a 0,5 second lag and after everything run smoothly for 3 to 5 mins. It is not a big deal but enough to make me rage when i miss a kill or die..

Sorry that i Can't come back and say i did resolve it but I traded my system off because of this. I have talked with service reps many times to only be talked to like it was my fault. The system is flawed, If I were you i would send it back in and get my money back and wait for an m14x revision to come out like the other alienware laptops.

My m14x has been having the same system lag stuttering problem since last week (had it for a few months now). When I'm on Skype, YouTube, or World of Warcraft (or any combination thereof), i get simultaneous video/audio/mouse stuttering for 0.5-10 seconds. Dell representatives have tried updating my BIOS, reinstalling video and audio drivers, and more; but I'm still experiencing the system lag. This problem is basically making WoW unplayable for me. It's also annoying to have to ask people to repeat themselves on Skype because I could not hear them (and vice versa) if they/I happen to say something important during a stutter moment.

Probably a hardware issue, keep bugging Dell you have to still be under warranty the system hasn't been out that long.  

Hey... I was having simliar problems on my Alienware M14x. And the sound stuttering used to happen a lot, sometimes upto 5 seconds. I just did some experimentation and I think it happens only when you're in Power Saver mode cause it cant handle it. Does this happen to you on all modes or just the Power Saver mode? I am now checking it on Balanced and High Performance mode. No problem so far. If it does happen in these modes will let you know. Change your mode for a couple of days and see if it happens.

Hope this helped.

I had mine on high performance since the day i received it in the mail but it's gone so I don't worry about it. Need to unsub from these.

After numerous attempt to do driver replacements and setting modifications with no real improvement, I uninstalled Norton anti-virus and I'm using System Mechanic Professional instead. No stuttering problems anymore. Dell/Alienware was able to refund what I paid for the Norton when I purchased System Mechanic from them because I thought it was bad practice for them to sell software that makes their m14x unplayable. They should offer System Mechanic instead of Norton during the laptop customization process.

Nice to hear your stutter went away, I tried so many things and they went away but inevitably it came back. I called and chatted online multiple times with reps/techs and no one could solve anything so I traded it off for an equal desktop. Hopefully a new revision might fix these problems.

I was running ESET for an AV.

In regards to the Audio stuttering when even doing the simplest things like opening "google" or opening an application, I had that problem too. I came across a forum where it said it was McAfee that is causing it.

So I decided to give it a try.

I uninstalled McAfee and changed it with System Mechanic Professional... Now, I dont experience annoying audio stutters anymore. If you are not willing to pay for the Pro version, you can try Avast or AVG.

For me, McAfee was definitely the culprit.

Hope this helps.

Hi, any update on this problem? I also bought my m14x just last December 2012. I had been experiencing the same lag/distortion issues. I already contacted Alienware support and they replaced the motherboard (they told me it is a known issue from them and replaced the board). But still the problem is still there and keeps on bugging me when playing games, online videos, and even saved videos.

Hoping to receive some suggestions solving this.

Thanks!

Have you tried uninstalling McAfee? 

As mentioned above, I found that the problem was with McAfee and after removing it from my computer everything worked fine.

I hope this helps.

Yup, I think the McAfee is the culprit... After removing the AV, the lagging suddenly disappeared. Stil under monitoring, but for now, I'm a happy gamer...

Thanks!