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Something wrong with hardware?
Heya,
I bought my Alienware computer in 2012. It was a pretty great computer, and I was able to play pretty much every game, even the high-end ones. I'm not sure which video card I had previously, though I am sure it is the one I have now - the GT 545. Now, however, I am completely unable to play any game. Even low-end games tend to crash, and the screen would black out. This only happens when I start up a game.
I checked for a simulation on The Bottlenecker to see if a bottleneck might be at play, and as it turns out, my processor doesn't bode very well with my GPU. (I have an i3-2120 @ 3.30 GHz). Which is, of course, odd, because it should be working fine.
Also, a bit after I started having problems, I contacted a Dell representative to check the system's hardware and see if there is anything wrong with it. Nothing really came back, but he did uninstall a few applications and installed a new security app, which all in all did absolutely nothing for me.
Advice?
Try running an ePSA/Diagnostic test on the system, click here to view a Dell article that explains how to run this test. Let me know if you receive any errors.
Is very important to update the video drivers, please check if you have the latest version installed.
Also, what type of video cable are you using? If its an HDMI, do you have it connected to the Discrete graphics card? (this model has an Integrated card too). So, the cable should be connected to the bottom half of the system.
Download HWMonitor so you can check temperatures while playing a game, this software will show you the GPU temps. Overheating can be another cause for your issue, please check this Dell article for when the Alienware System Overheats or Shuts Down, and try the troubleshooting by platform steps.
Eimy_B
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Posted May 19th, 2016 10:00
Hi,
To better assist you, please confirm your Alienware model name/revision.