Curse

zamial · Jun 19, 2008, 03:57 PM // 15:57

Quote:

Originally Posted by cebalrai

The only thing that fixes this is turning off SLI or unplugging the power cord.

That right there leads me to beleive this is not a graphics card issue. Now for a test. In power options, there will be a check box that will display the battery life in the task bar, uncheck that and reboot. we had a similar issue with a laptop at work. downside if this does work is no battery icon in task tray. this issue is a conflict between M$ and nvidia, it is like: 2 little kids(companies),! broken lamp(your laptop) and 1 pissed of parent(you) can you see the finger pointing now?

moriz · Jun 19, 2008, 03:57 PM // 15:57

laptop graphic cards are tricky, since nvidia does not release drivers for mobile versions of their cards. you'll either have to go with drivers released by the manufacturer, or to with 3rd party drivers.

one possible fix (and i don't know if you've done this already) is to go with the latest driver release from the manufacturer. in this case, it would be dell. you'll almost undoubtedly lose performance on some later games, but it might fix the problem.

cebalrai · Jun 19, 2008, 04:43 PM // 16:43

Quote:

Originally Posted by moriz

laptop graphic cards are tricky, since nvidia does not release drivers for mobile versions of their cards. you'll either have to go with drivers released by the manufacturer, or to with 3rd party drivers.

one possible fix (and i don't know if you've done this already) is to go with the latest driver release from the manufacturer. in this case, it would be dell. you'll almost undoubtedly lose performance on some later games, but it might fix the problem.

Actually you can use any "desktop" driver on a laptop. All you have to do it modify the .inf file. Drivers are written to only install on certain types of GPUs, however it's only the installer that's the obstacle. Modify the installer and you're good to go. Dell, etc, lies to us.

Incidentally I am using a Dell driver at the moment that is meant for my specific laptop. So that's not the problem.

cebalrai · Jun 19, 2008, 04:47 PM // 16:47

Quote:

Originally Posted by zamial

That right there leads me to beleive this is not a graphics card issue. Now for a test. In power options, there will be a check box that will display the battery life in the task bar, uncheck that and reboot. we had a similar issue with a laptop at work. downside if this does work is no battery icon in task tray. this issue is a conflict between M$ and nvidia, it is like: 2 little kids(companies),! broken lamp(your laptop) and 1 pissed of parent(you) can you see the finger pointing now?

I'm drawing a blank... I can't locate any check box in power options......

zamial · Jun 19, 2008, 05:09 PM // 17:09

Im on xp here. bang the rocks together hardert guys! If you dont find it by the time I get Home<hours from now...I can dig on my vista machine. You may be able to right click the icon in the tray to disable it. It may be under tray options,or battery options. its there somewhere!

cebalrai · Jun 19, 2008, 09:03 PM // 21:03

Quote:

Originally Posted by zamial

Im on xp here. bang the rocks together hardert guys! If you dont find it by the time I get Home<hours from now...I can dig on my vista machine. You may be able to right click the icon in the tray to disable it. It may be under tray options,or battery options. its there somewhere!

I found it and disabled it. Nothing changed though...

In the screenshot below it says 64 degrees - however this is low since I just turned SLI on... It heats up to about 70 just idling which stinks....

Lord Sojar · Jun 20, 2008, 12:16 AM // 00:16

Throw it out the window and order an Alienware. lol? I kid. Ummm, so let's see. Flying monkeys solutions are failing, my solutions are failing. This is indeed a strange case...

Did you try Riva Tuner for custom profiles? You can also use the nVidia control panel to set 2D, low power 3D, and high power 3D profiles. You could give that a whirl. Let me screenshot it for you.

Create a rule that states when X game ends, GPUs return to X core and memory speeds, and fan speed goes down to X%. It is a bit of a lengthy process, but it is the best you are going to get until I figure out something else, and it WILL WORK. Sorry I can't think of anything else.

NOTE: If you don't have the performance tools, you can download them from www.nvidia.com under downloads.

Snograt · Jun 20, 2008, 12:28 AM // 00:28

This stuff? (New release 6-17-08) http://www.nvidia.com/object/nvidia_...ools_6.02.html

cebalrai · Jun 20, 2008, 12:51 AM // 00:51

Quote:

Originally Posted by Rahja the Thief

Throw it out the window and order an Alienware. lol? I kid. Ummm, so let's see. Flying monkeys solutions are failing, my solutions are failing. This is indeed a strange case...

Did you try Riva Tuner for custom profiles? You can also use the nVidia control panel to set 2D, low power 3D, and high power 3D profiles. You could give that a whirl. Let me screenshot it for you.

Create a rule that states when X game ends, GPUs return to X core and memory speeds, and fan speed goes down to X%. It is a bit of a lengthy process, but it is the best you are going to get until I figure out something else, and it WILL WORK. Sorry I can't think of anything else.

NOTE: If you don't have the performance tools, you can download them from www.nvidia.com under downloads.

The GPUs run at full power right at boot. So the rule to throttle down would mean I'd have to start/stop a game to get it to work, right?

I'll try it after dinner.

Lord Sojar · Jun 20, 2008, 01:49 AM // 01:49

Quote:

Originally Posted by cebalrai

The GPUs run at full power right at boot. So the rule to throttle down would mean I'd have to start/stop a game to get it to work, right?

I'll try it after dinner.

You can also have it load a profile at Windows bootup. The rules are totally custom. You can have the GPUs do exactly what you want them to do. It actually is an elegant fix without figuring out what exactly caused the issue (although, I think Vista power management is screwing up honestly, and would require a format and reinstall which is never fun)

cebalrai · Jun 20, 2008, 04:33 AM // 04:33

Should I try a profile in Riva or Nvidia control settings?

Lord Sojar · Jun 20, 2008, 06:15 AM // 06:15

Quote:

Originally Posted by cebalrai

Should I try a profile in Riva or Nvidia control settings?

Use the nVidia rule creation system. If you take a little while to look at it, you will figure out exactly how to use it. It allows for full customization under any circumstance and uses no additional resources.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Snograt

This stuff? (New release 6-17-08) http://www.nvidia.com/object/nvidia_...ools_6.02.html

Yep yep. That is the stuff.

Dark Kal · Jun 20, 2008, 10:06 AM // 10:06

You can try using recovery discs (I don't know if you have these with Dell) to restore default settings or try installing the original drivers that came with your laptop. Most likely you somehow changed some sort of settings (power settings?) or a new driver changed something. It could be that this is normal, all hardware works optimal when it's new but over time all hardware collects dust, etc. and will work less efficiently.

cebalrai · Jun 20, 2008, 06:26 PM // 18:26

Quote:

Originally Posted by Dark Kal

You can try using recovery discs (I don't know if you have these with Dell) to restore default settings or try installing the original drivers that came with your laptop. Most likely you somehow changed some sort of settings (power settings?) or a new driver changed something. It could be that this is normal, all hardware works optimal when it's new but over time all hardware collects dust, etc. and will work less efficiently.

I have the disks...

I'm not going back to the original driver because it's awful, especially in newer games. Stupid lamer Dell driver support....

This machine is about 6 weeks old so I doubt dust is the issue.

Snograt · Jun 20, 2008, 08:09 PM // 20:09

It's a scripted response on many customer support lines:

Q: "Why is my laptop so screwed up?"

A: "It's a Dell..."

zamial · Jun 20, 2008, 09:05 PM // 21:05

Quote:

Originally Posted by Snograt

It's a scripted response on many customer support lines:

Q: "Why is my laptop so screwed up?"

A: Because people are trying to turn a laptop into a desktop?

Q: What can I do?

A: Buy a desktop.

J/k

I seriously hope this issue gets worked out but I am fresh out of ideas.
I can not brain today, I have the dumb.

cebalrai · Jun 22, 2008, 01:16 AM // 01:16

Meh, I think I'll reset to factory defaults next week. Irritating little problem here...

Admael · Jun 22, 2008, 02:55 AM // 02:55

Sometimes I reset to factory defaults for no reason. It's an addictive habit because electronics have their way of screwing up for no reason.

Dark Kal · Jun 23, 2008, 11:56 AM // 11:56

Quote:

Originally Posted by cebalrai

I have the disks...

I'm not going back to the original driver because it's awful, especially in newer games. Stupid lamer Dell driver support....

This machine is about 6 weeks old so I doubt dust is the issue.

You can install the old driver(s) and see if it the problem is still there. If not you can upgrade your driver(s) untill the problem comes back that way you know which driver(s) is (are) causing the issue. If the problem doesn't go away you know it's not the driver(s) and you can just reinstall whatever driver(s) you have now/want. Restoring factory defaults is the most likely to solve the issue if it doesn't you'll know it's a hardware issue.

Lord Sojar · Jun 23, 2008, 11:34 PM // 23:34

It is an odd issue, because some software is causing the cards to accelerate. Set it back to factory defaults. Dells have a lot of proprietary technology, so it is very hard to tell at times.