Performance lagging compared to older systems
Performance lagging compared to older systems
I own an old Alienware laptop that I used for playing R6, CSGO, and Rust a while back. It was quite slow back then. After cleaning it up, it still ran extremely sluggish, so I upgraded the RAM, swapped in a 1TB Samsung Evo SSD, and applied fresh thermal paste. Even after those changes, it kept lagging, especially during CSGO. I reinstalled Windows and Alienware’s drivers, even downgrading to Windows 7, which helped a bit but not much. It still struggles with 5 frames per second in CSGO. Sometimes restarting makes it run a lot better than the next one. I checked the power settings and everything was set to maximum. Do you have any suggestions on what might be wrong? Is this device just becoming obsolete? I’m not expecting a dramatic improvement, but its performance is frustrating right now—especially since I used it with older components, making web browsing quite difficult.
Dellianware or Chumpbook? Options available. Your setup includes an integrated graphics card, and Microsoft removed their GPU documentation since 2014. If you play games on this system, turn off the integrated graphics in BIOS. (Intel HD)
Intel i5-4200m paired with NVIDIA GT750M GDDR5 showed decent performance back then. I just applied paste and it ran fine. Ran CSGO tests multiple times; the game took a while to launch even on SSD, averaging around 14fps. Max CPU temps hit 63°C, GPU at 60°C, and fans stayed off most of the time. The CPU clock reached 804MHz, which is lower than expected since it should support turbo up to 2.5GHz. The BIOS was stripped by Dell, limiting available settings.
Alienware appears enhanced with RGB options and supports 250fps, while Dell’s version offers 280fps. The design by Dell includes a powerful combination of components. The BIOS could be removed without issue, but it’s not possible to turn it off there. Everything is configured to favor the GPU. I attempted to disable integrated graphics via the control panel, but that caused all video output to disappear. During testing, the monitor indicated the GPU was performing well.
Consider testing ThrottleStop and clearing the BD PROCHOT box on the main display. Check the provided link for guidance. If issues persist, share images of ThrottleStop with the main window and TPL and FIVR windows. This issue often affects many Dell systems. When a sensor malfunctions, it alerts the CPU to operate at minimal speed. Your temperatures appear normal, so the CPU shouldn’t be throttling excessively. Turning off BD PROCHOT prevents external signals from affecting performance, but the CPU can still protect itself via thermal throttling. No further action needed—Optimus functions properly and the Nvidia GPU is operating at full capacity in the screenshot. The bottleneck lies with the CPU running at 798 MHz.
It's actually not worth worrying about the IGPG. My 2017 Lenovo model runs both the IGPG and NV graphics together, and in most games it works smoothly. You can simply switch to using only the NV GPU via the control panel—likely Microsoft removed this option because it’s better managed by the GPU drivers themselves, probably the NVIDIA driver. As for your Alienware, I don’t have enough info, but any unusual behavior or overheating might point to a CPU problem.
I see intel HD doing 2x the work of the nvidia. Must find a way to get in and disable it. But I digress you will not run turbo speeds at idle. This is not the old IBM 286 turbo button. What is the stock idle speed of the CPU as per specs ?