Windows 7 Gaming Performance

[Jeffo489]

I have a Dell M6400 Laptop. The spec is quite hefty at Q9300 Quad Code 2.53 Ghz, 8GB Ram, 1GB Nvidia FX 3700M Video.

I am running Windows 7, and have recently bought 2 new games, DragonAge, and Modern Warfare 2.

When on Battery Power I can run both games in full 1920x1200. The run flawlessly with full detail enabled.

However, strangely when on Main Power, both games stutter, with the CPU at 100% usages on all 4 cores.

At first I suspected a Driver fault so I updated all drivers; particularly Video and Sound Drivers. Someone has suggested the Video card, and that Windows automatically puts it in a low power mode when on battery. This would make sense except that when on battery, 1920x1200 runs perfectly. When on Mains even 800x600 stutters.

Does anyone have any idea how I can monitor exactly what changes windows is making when I switch between mains and battery power?

THanks.

 

[cybercore]

I don't know about this:

This would make sense except that when on battery, 1920x1200 runs perfectly. When on Mains even 800x600 stutters.

but as for the 100 % CPU load on all cores, it is quite normal if they are loading that way only while you are playing. Modern video cards make use of all cores available.

 

[Timelog]

Have you tried lokking into to power management tool in the control panel? Maybe the settings are wrong in there, maybe it's set on energy saving mode on main power? I have seen several people with that.

 

[Jeffo489]

When on BATTERY power the CPU does not get loaded to 100% while playing (about 60-70%). It is only about 90-120 seconds AFTER plugging into the mains (while playing) that the CPU hits 100% and thats when the gameplay gets difficult.

 

[Jeffo489]

Have you tried lokking into to power management tool in the control panel? Maybe the settings are wrong in there, maybe it's set on energy saving mode on main power? I have seen several people with that.

Yes I did try that, but there is nothing about shutting off devices on battery, or shutting down services in there. I know I can go into device manager to see the setting to power down a device, but I need to find a log or a way of monitoring what gets powered on/off when swapping between mains/battery.

 

[Timelog]

I will look at it on my home pc where I also have windows 7, but in vista you can go to advanced energy settings and that shows what the devices do on main power and on battery power, and you can change the settings there to. problem is, I don't know the exact names of the energy management settings in english, I use the dutch windows. But if you go to the control panel and then to Energy management, you can choose 3 settings; Balanced; Energy saving; and High performance. You chould choose high performance for main power. and underneath these settings there are links, if you click that link you get standard settings for the monitor, underneath these settings there is another set of links, onde of them is something like advanced energy settings, in there you can change the proccesor settings ect. Did you check there also?

I don't know if there are services that get shut down due to what kind of power source you use, but I don't think that there are.