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December 27th, 2024 05:03
m16 R1, ongoing performance issues, fix STAPM limit
Hello,
I’m reaching out to share a frustrating issue I’ve been experiencing with my Alienware m16 R1 AMD laptop. Despite being advertised as a high-performance gaming machine, it struggles to maintain acceptable gaming performance, and I believe the root cause is the STAPM limit being enabled.
Symptoms of the Issue:
1. Severe Wattage Drops:
• During gaming or demanding tasks, I’ve noticed that the wattage on the CPU drops to as low as 35W, which drastically reduces performance.
2. CPU Clock Throttling:
• After about 10 minutes of gameplay, when the STAPM limit reaches 100%, the CPU clock speeds drop significantly (to around 800 MHz) and never recover to full boost, even when the processor temperature is at a reasonable 80°C.
3. Underwhelming Gaming Experience:
• Games that should run smoothly on this laptop experience frame rate drops, stuttering, and an overall degraded experience, even on reduced settings.
4. BIOS Concerns:
• My laptop currently has BIOS version 1.15 installed. However, I’ve noticed that Dell has removed BIOS versions 1.13, 1.14, and 1.15 from their website without any clear explanation. This has left me confused and concerned about whether there is a significant problem with version 1.15, as I installed it shortly after it was released.
5. No Effective Fix:
• I’ve tried updating the BIOS, drivers, and firmware, but none of these have resolved the issue. It seems that the problem is tied to the design or configuration of the laptop, particularly with the STAPM limit enabled.
DELL-Nat M
Community Manager
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3.2K Posts
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March 10th, 2025 15:20
Hi everyone,
A new BIOS update is available. Please install the latest version and let us know if it resolves the issue for you.
Note: If the latest BIOS update didn't fix the issue for you, please reach out to our tech support team by clicking the "Get Help Now" icon located at the bottom right corner of this page. Our agents will validate the issue and escalate accordingly.
Dell is seeking a capture to further investigate the issue. If you are out of warranty and would like to assist, please reach out to our tech support team by clicking the "Get Help Now" icon located at the bottom right corner of this page, and inform me here so I can escalate this internally.
(edited)
ricardotrut
1 Rookie
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15 Posts
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December 27th, 2024 05:16
Alienware M16 R1 AMD where the APU STAMP triggers power throttling, and the system never recovers. The CPU wattage drops to 35 watts or lower, and the clock speed decreases to 800mhz-1 GHz, making it impossible to play any game or run intensive applications properly.
Details of the Issue:
Troubleshooting Steps I've Tried:
Steps to Replicate the Issue:
Let me know if additional details are needed. I can provide screenshots or videos to help with troubleshooting.
Thank you!
end_lesslove2012
1 Rookie
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7 Posts
3
January 13th, 2025 05:35
I am having the same problem. Seriously Dell, please fix it. There is a bug in the latest BIOS or something like that
CPU temp was around 80C but the STAPM limit maxed out for at least 10 minutes. I couldn't do anything during that time
(edited)
Cihan Can
1 Rookie
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32 Posts
1
January 15th, 2025 11:03
I have the same problem with my device. I have 1.15 bios right now and the thread about 1.14 which we opened it when 1.14 released is deleted. I wasnt expecting this from a company like dell. For sure something shady is going on.
Steven An
1 Rookie
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13 Posts
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January 15th, 2025 14:56
I just bought the same machine and I've been having the same issue when doing heavy gaming where it would dip to as low as 500MHz which would produce stuttering in-game. Turns out that it was the processors way of reducing heat so if you reduce the heat to begin with, it doesn't dip so low. Set TCC offset to 15 and then in your power plan, bring the maximum processor power state down to 99% or lower as I have mine set to 90%. When you do this, the processor rarely exceeds 4GHz and will sit at around 2.7GHz through 3.7GHz. When it tries to cool down while gaming, it will only dip to the lowest 1.5GHz at the most and for barely even a few seconds. I tested this last night while gaming for a few hours and zero stuttering.
FYI that this is a workaround and not an actual fix. Dell needs to work with AMD on getting new STAPM limit. Since this was a step-up processor, it looks like it may be forgotten about as they removed BIOS 1.15.0 and haven't released anything since. At least give the mobile lineup the ability to throttle down or release an unlocked BIOS so that we can get back some of the features that were removed from the BIOS.
(edited)
ricardotrut
1 Rookie
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15 Posts
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January 15th, 2025 15:23
@Steven An Thanks for your reply. At least I know there are people out there with the same issue. Let's hope this post reaches someone at Dell who can do something about it.
ricardotrut
1 Rookie
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15 Posts
1
January 15th, 2025 15:23
@end_lesslove2012 Thanks for your reply. At least I know there are people out there with the same issue. Let's hope this post reaches someone at Dell who can do something about it.
ricardotrut
1 Rookie
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15 Posts
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January 15th, 2025 15:23
@Cihan Can Thanks for your reply. At least I know there are people out there with the same issue. Let's hope this post reaches someone at Dell who can do something about it.
Steven An
1 Rookie
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13 Posts
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January 15th, 2025 17:04
@Steven An forgot to mention that you also need to turn AWCC to fan control only. This let's Windows manage it and use the power plan you specify in the options.
Cihan Can
1 Rookie
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32 Posts
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January 16th, 2025 15:34
Something i think when i face stapm problem is as if dell didnt do anything to set it up and left stapm and system temperature tracking configuration default which ruins this model.
Steven An
1 Rookie
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13 Posts
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January 16th, 2025 15:57
So the same issue occurred last night while CPU was at 76c albeit briefly. Lowering the clock actually lowers the usage as well but again it's not a real fix. The real fix needs to come from Dell.
Last I heard from Dell is that they removed 1.13.0 to 1.15.0 BIOS from their website as it's faulty but then my computer updated to 1.15.0 through Windows anyway... They said to be patient for a new BIOS update but that was over a month ago and there's still nothing new.
Steven An
1 Rookie
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13 Posts
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January 17th, 2025 23:22
It appears this same issue was fixed by AMD last year on the 8000g series. However we need a new AGESA firmware update to be released from Dell so we can pray that their new partnership will produce a new BIOS update and fix here. This issue is prevalent in all AMD M16 and even their support tech know about it but can't really do anything about it without their engineers pushing a new BIOS update.. Here's to hoping that comes soon.
Cihan Can
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32 Posts
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January 20th, 2025 18:35
Today i realized something that if i put my handmade diy cooler underneath the m16 r1 amd model that i have stapm problem disappears to some extent. While cpu power isnt dropping to 32 watts when long game sessions there are some small stuttery moments where cpu drops to 32 watts for like 3-4 seconds and return back to 60-70 watts range. Maybe my device is problematic idk. You may take a look at buying a cooler. Even a cheap one should help.
end_lesslove2012
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7 Posts
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January 20th, 2025 20:12
A cooler should help, but the CPU should not behave this way. My CPU is AMD 7945HX, a high-end model, and if I open something heavy, the STAPM limit maxes out even after I close everything. My CPU remains at 500 Hz for at least a few minutes.
For a CPU with 16 cores and 32 threads, there is definitely something wrong with the BIOS
Right now, there are 2 options that can mitigate this issue:
+ Change TCC to 15
+ Or disable Turbo boost
Dell destroyed this model if they don't this issue honestly
Cihan Can
1 Rookie
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32 Posts
2
January 21st, 2025 17:44
BTW Stapm was disabled on my system. Because my mainboard is going to be replaced i decided to do a cmos reset on bios 1.15 and test if system is usable when STAPM is enabled. No not possible constant stutters throttles cpu frequency dropping 500mhz. Things like that constantly when STAPM is default mode. Good thing is when STAPM is disabled all of the problems goes away, system runs like clockwork. If youre having unavoidable problems get your motherboard replaced by one with <1.15. And disable STAPM. I dont think dell would do anything to fix that. Only thing they care is preventing their customers from using their hardware freely. You dont buy a hardware from dell, you just rent it.