Alienware Area-51m GPU throttling issue after long periods of use
Summary: This article provides information about a graphics throttling issue when the Alienware Area-51m runs the GPU hard for extended periods.
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Symptoms
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Description | The following article deals with a graphics throttling issue when the Alienware Area-51m runs the GPU hard for extended periods. |
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Affected Systems:
| Alienware Area-51m | |||||||
Graphics performance issues when running games for extended periods
Alienware Area-51m owners have reported performance issues while running certain games that run for a long time. (e.g. Metro Exodus) The Graphics Processing Unit (GPU) frequency may drop to 300-600 MHz along with a Frames Per Second (FPS) drop.
The same issue has been observed when using the system with the NVIDIA GTX2080 option.
Resolution
Solution
Updating the latest BIOS version on the computer will resolve this issue. To download and install the latest BIOS:
Warning: Dell recommends disconnecting any external devices like external hard disk drives, printers, scanners before updating the BIOS.
Warning: Dell laptops must have the battery installed and charged to at least 10% before you begin the BIOS update. Dell recommends connecting the laptop to AC power before proceeding with the update process.
Note: To learn more about updating the BIOS on a Dell computer, see the Dell knowledgebase article Dell BIOS Updates.
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Browse to the Dell Drivers and Downloads page:
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Select the Operating System.
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Under Category, select BIOS.
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Locate the latest Alienware Area-51m System BIOS.
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Click Download and save the file to your computer.
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Open File Explorer and browse to the location where the downloaded file is saved.
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Double-click the BIOS setup file and follow the on-screen instructions to complete the installation process.
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The system will restart as part of the installation process.