Unsolved
This post is more than 5 years old
6 Posts
0
1776
June 27th, 2017 11:00
Terrible graphics performance after a HD wipe at Dell depo
Hi guys,
So I have an Alienware 15, forgot which version but it's 2 years old.
Ever since I bought it, it had video issues where the pc would simply go black after the windows logo and the rare times when I was able to get in, there would be multi-colored horizontal lines on the screen. Had techs at the house several times and they've replaced the LCD and the cables. I always thought it was the video card, but anyway.
I finally sent it to depo 2 weeks ago. I hate dealing with depos, and I just wanted them to replace the mobo, but they insisted on sending it in. I did buy a warranty a few months back, anticipating this exact thing.
When it came back, they again replaced the LCD and that's all they put on the work order. Nevertheless, they also wiped the HD, even though I asked them not to. Either way, when it came back, the PC worked, however (it has Windows 7) it came in a virginal state without SP1 or any updates. Also, it seemed to not have NVDIA drivers installed and just had generics. It also did not have the NVDIA control panel. So basically, League of Legends was playing at 60 FPS instead of the regular 200 and even older games like Civ 5 was lagging terribly, I mean that game is not graphics intensive and more importantly, before the wipe, on the rare occasions when the PC started, the games all played flawlessly.
So, I went to the NVDIA site and installed the drivers. This caused League of Legends to error out, and also did not make a bit of difference for the older or any other games as they all lagged terribly. My son bought a couple of newer games on Steam and he could barely play them on low settings. Obviously, something wrong either with the Video card or the drivers. So I uninstalled the drivers and League started working again, but just as when I got back the pc, at low FPS and so did the others. I mean, I'm not talking about something that could be tweaked, I am talking about close to unplayable ever since I got the pc back.
So I decided to install the drivers from the Dell site, which I did. While I was on the site, I also decided to update the BIOS, which is standard practice at work anyway, so why not. To make a very long story short(er), the PC bluescreened in the middle of the BIOS update and is unrecoverable, BSOD at safe mode, Last known good, system repair, etc.
PC is again in the process of being sent back to depo. So my question, is..... if when it comes back, it has the same graphics issue with beyond unacceptable performance, what can it be? I did not have a chance to test out what the install of the Dell site graphics drivers did, so I do not know if that was the issue. Definitely seems to me that the NVDIA card was not working correctly. I mean some of the games that were almost unplayable are perfectly fine on a 6-7 year old system, and before the wipe, the games played flawlessly. Seems that the depo guys either neglected to install the drivers for it, or ... is there a setting where you could prevent the vid card from working while you could still see it in system info, aside from just not installing the drivers? I'm getting a bit paranoid, especially when my son told me that one of his friends worked at Staples and he said when there was an annoying issue, they'd just disconnect the component, like a loud fan.
I mean, no matter what, it smells like a vid card issue. I just dont know if it's just the drivers or settings (I know business machines better than gaming machines) or maybe something physical. If it were something physical, it would explain why the drivers were not installed when the pc came back, as they simply set the pc to work with the onboard Intel graphics, just so the PC can work, without caring about fixing the actual issue. I know I'm probably just being paranoid but I've worked in IT for many years and I hate depos. This experience has only reinforced my hatred..
BTW, all the tests are fine.
Sorry for the wall of text, but any ideas?
Alienware - Rodrigo
7 Technologist
•
4.4K Posts
1
June 28th, 2017 09:00
Hi,
It sounds like a possible video card failure, they will most likely be replacing the motherboard in the repair facility (the video cards are built-in to the motherboard on this model). You can send me your Dispatch number or Service Tag in a PM, so we can check on the status.
Tesla1856
8 Wizard
•
17K Posts
0
June 28th, 2017 10:00
.
1. Interesting ... you want specific answers, but can't even tell us what exact model/Release you have. IMHO, not a good start of post.
2. Actually, I like them better than having a technician dismantling a delicate laptop on my kitchen table (usually under time pressure). Desktops are less of a concern (easier to be field serviced).
3. With Warranty, they have the final say-so. They are in control because it's their responsibility.
4. Always (Macrium Reflect) Image system (with Verify Option) before sending in so this is a non-issue. Who knows, maybe the software load was bad anyway.
5. Common. I would have just reloaded my Image or clean installed a version of Windows I know that works (followed by known working drivers).
6. Never update your BIOS without good reason. Ok, maybe you had a good reason. Never update your BIOS inside Windows ... use DOS or UEFI provided feature (outside of Windows).
7. I would not worry without reason. Whatever Diagnostics points to.
8. I do agree here. Machine needs to be completely built-up so that games (or OCCT or something like Heaven) can run full-screen in Windows Direct-X. I think this is the only way to really test CPU, GPU, power-supply, etc. Not sure about FPS, but at least good performance and CPU/GPU temps within acceptable ranges (test for throttling ... especially on models like these).
Nuke and Pave - Windows-10 clean Install with Hardware Diagnostics and Stress-Testing: v1.4
9. Remind me to never get my computers fixed at Staples
They do have some nice refurb online deals though (from their partners).
10. What tests exactly?
MarkVV
6 Posts
0
June 28th, 2017 11:00
I posted from work, so I did not have a ST#. Now that I do however, all I see is Alienware 15 after I put it in. Either way, thanks for the input.
Tesla1856
8 Wizard
•
17K Posts
0
June 28th, 2017 11:00
No problem.
Alienware-15_R1 then.
I hope my post helps in some way (took a while to type up). It's no fun, but at least you were smart and got the extended warranty. I hope it all works out good for yall.
MarkVV
6 Posts
0
June 28th, 2017 13:00
Thanks!
MarkVV
6 Posts
0
June 28th, 2017 16:00
Hi and thanks for the reply. ST# is . I've only sent out the pc yesterday, so they've probably not gotten it yet. I have no doubt that they will be able to get the machine to work again, but I'm somewhat sceptical that they will switch out the mobo, or in general fix the graphics issue. Either way, thank you for your reply. I do appreciate it. I will let you know how it turns out, or if there is an update on the situation.
Mark
Sent from my Verizon, Samsung Galaxy smartphone