Unsolved
This post is more than 5 years old
9 Posts
0
16580
Alienware M17R3 multiple issues - Please help, I am no expert....
Hello
I was wondering if any of the more seasoned alienware enthusiasts could help me out...
I bought Alienware M17R3 with GeForce 580M in Aug 2011. At first it was a very fine experience, then, after a year or so I started to have some problems. Due to some private reasons, I practically stopped using the laptop after that and did not really fix anything.
I came back to it about 3 months ago and problems still remained and even got worse = my laptop practically became unusable.
Here are the most annoying ones:
1. I get blue screen quite often, a DRIVER_POWER_STATE_FAILURE- no pattern to it, sometimes its ok for 2-3 days, sometimes i get 2 in a row in 20 min. I read this might be a motherboard issue or some graphic drvers
2. Whats more annoying, sometimes the laptop just freezes completely, I get no BSOD, just buzzing sound and I need to press power button. When I left it like that for 2 minutes or so, it got very hot.
3. I get fps decrease occasionally when playing some games, even on lowest graphic details, and it gets really hot. I tried to clean air vents from the outside, but did not help
4. Sometimes my charger stops charging - I get notification that my charger is "plugged but not charging" -- my laptop slows down then considerably
5. Last (happened only 2 days ago) I got a big black dot in the middle of the screen - it looks like a black pixel, only (when I looked at some web examples) its seems larger. This one is not an issue - but I mention it in case it might be connected to any (or all) of the above...
I am no computer expert, I tried to google for all those problems and found some answers, that sometimes were overlapping or even contradictory. Do you think all of the problems might be related to the same cause?
I still have a warranty on this laptop, do you think Dell can fix those issues? Or they would say that I should fix them myself (cause the reason is some software..).
Thanks a lot for your help. Any advice is much appreciated.
Kris
Demonk99
9 Posts
0
June 10th, 2014 05:00
anyone can offer any comment / recommendation?
I am really at a loss -- so many problems -- and I have no clue if they are all connected or separate.
Last night i got blue screens 2x within 15 minutes and then after another 15 minutes a total freeze and buzzing sound. I am a patient man but that got on my nerves :)
Fadingfool
31 Posts
0
June 10th, 2014 06:00
AndrewSi
901 Posts
0
June 10th, 2014 09:00
Sounds like your having more than one issue.
I would start with a complete HDD wipe and OS re-installation, making sure to install all drivers in correct order
http://www.dell.com/support/troubleshooting/us/en/19/KCS/KcsArticles/ArticleView?c=us&l=&s=dhs&docid=536193
Alienware-Naomi
1.8K Posts
2
June 12th, 2014 12:00
Hi Kris,
I recommend you try the troubleshooting steps on this article for low gaming performance.
Follow the instructions here to retrieve the BSOD error code.
Check if the AC adapter LED light is solid ON or if it flickers or fades out. Access the BIOS to make sure the AC adapter is being detected and check if the type says "unknown".
Demonk99
9 Posts
0
June 16th, 2014 13:00
Hello All (and Naomi)
I just got Motherboard, GPU, AC adapter replaced... I must say I was very impressed with the quality of service, all this took less than 1h and technician was very pleasant to talk to... Well done Dell :)
I had multiple problems before, cannot judge on some of them if they remain or not --- however, my FPS drop problem stays ---- performance drops dramatically as before, once GPU temp reaches 78C... Now, with new and repasted (I learnt what it means :) GPU + cleaned vents it takes longer than before, but still it does happen...
Can I turn off this throttling somehow? I heard that 90C is pretty normal for GPUs, why is it capped at 77C then?
Or is that the general problem of too old graphic card? When I bought this laptop maybe games were not so demanding, but now I tested this on Witcher 2, Age of Wonders III and Might and Magic X --- all new games that they seem to push my GPU too hard it seems..
thanks for your time
Alienware-Naomi
1.8K Posts
2
June 17th, 2014 17:00
Those temperatures should be ok. Did you try the other troubleshooting steps I posted on the first article above? What were the results?
Try a clean installation of the video driver as explained here and run an AlienAutopsy gaming test.
Demonk99
9 Posts
0
June 18th, 2014 05:00
Dear Naomi,
yes, i did all, my laptop has been cleaned by technician when he replaced all components.
i have the latest drivers (even tested few older drivers as some people suggested on various forums).
still, after some time, not 5-10min as before but perhaps 20min my GPU reaches 77C and throttling starts.
As I read on various forums (spent 3h yesterday on it) it is the problem with card design and there is nothing you can do about it. It was fixed in M18 models with some BIOS update, but no fix for M17
I just got offered another GPU replacement from Dell, i will go for that but now I am sure it will not be fixed.
lets see what we can do next
best,
Kris
Alienware-Naomi
1.8K Posts
2
June 18th, 2014 20:00
Alright, please keep the thread updated and if you need further assistance, let me know!