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piratelubby
5 Posts
0
2490
September 29th, 2016 19:00
Alienware X51 R2 keeps shutting down every few months, now it's repeating weekly.
Hello there. I've been having this problem with my Alienware X51 R2 since June 2015 and I just can't seem to find a permanent solution. I'm just frustrated with how this problem manages to keep coming back every few months, but now recently it's coming weekly. Please note that before we begin, I'm no professional when it comes to computers, I only really search tutorials on how to solve it and make sure I don't mess up my computer totally.
Alienware X51 R2 Problem
Basically, whenever I decide to use my computer (watching videos, playing music, or typing up a document), my computer decides to randomly freeze. While my screen is frozen, I can hear through my headphones that there is a continuous beeping sound, and no, there are no intervals in between. This usually continues until the computer decides to shut down or I manually force it. The problem sometimes occurs whenever I use my computer, but most of the time it's when I'm playing games. Some example of those games are osu! and CS:GO.
Some solutions I have tried...
In response to these frustrating shutdowns and such, I have tried dust blowing my computer, making sure that I get all the fans and that no wires are preventing the fan from running. Problem still exists. The second solution I've tried was replacing my graphics card since maybe the games I play are getting more "advanced," so I switched my card to an Nvidia GeForce GTX 960. It did help the problem but random shutdown freezes were still a thing for me, apparently. The last solution I thought would finally solve this problem were reseating all the cards inside my computer, specifically the RAM. Yes, the cards were not in the slots completely so I fixed that. The problem did not occur for a solid 2 months but now it appears. For now, I just clean my computer per 2 weeks. I also tried updating my drivers and computers but it doesn't seem to help the problem.
Computer Specs? Not sure if the list is complete, please comment if you need something else.
System Model: Alienware X51 R2
Operating System: Windows 8.1 64-bit (6.3, Build 9600)
BIOS: A07
Processor: Intel(R) Core(TM) i7-4790 CPU @ 3.60 GHz (8 CPUs), ~3.6GH
Memory: 8192MB RAM
DirectX Version: DirectX 11
Graphics Card: NVIDIA GeForce GTX 960
Please help me with this problem, I can't stand all the shutdowns and random freezes taking place weekly. Thanks in advance!
Resurrectionist
119 Posts
1428
0
Posted September 30th, 2016 01:00
Update to the latest BIOS.
Use Afterburner to control performance & cooling of the GPU.
Windows 8.1 ???
Run Dell SupportAssist Online Diagnostics
Post Results if problems continue.
Hi,
Try running a video card stress test. Follow the steps below to do this.
- Open Support Assist
- Click on the Checkup option
- Click Run Custom Scan
- Click on the Nvidia/AMD card
- Select the Stress Test option
If you do not have Support Assist installed, click here for the download link. Let me know how high the GPU temperature goes in the stress test.
piratelubby
5 Posts
1428
0
Posted October 1st, 2016 03:00
Alright so I followed your steps exactly. I ran the video stress test and only at "Transformation and Lighting Stress Test: 5%" did my computer end up being unresponsive. The frozen GPU temperature is at 66 C. I do hear my computer fan whizzing off in my computer though.
piratelubby
5 Posts
1428
0
Posted October 1st, 2016 03:00
Err newbie question, but how do I test the memory?
piratelubby
5 Posts
1428
0
Posted October 1st, 2016 04:00
Hello @Resurrectionist. I have downloaded the latest BIOS but now whenever I turn on my computer, I can't get past the "Reboot and Select Proper Boot Device".
piratelubby
5 Posts
1428
0
Posted October 1st, 2016 05:00
Please ignore the three previous posts I made, they were posts that I could've googled simply if I had the patience and were also caused by myself panicking. Anyway, let's get on with the after-solutions.
eaglenv - Test your memory, it could possibly be a bad stick
I have ran the memory diagnostic tool from the Administrative Tools folder. The results yield no problem and so my memory sticks are clearly fine.
Resurrectionist - Update BIOS, Tweak using Afterburner, Run Diagnostics (2)
I have to say it did take me a while to find out where to download the BIOS but eventually I downloaded it. Also, I repeatedly get the error of "Reboot and Select Proper Device" but I searched a couple tutorials and sorted that out. As for Afterburner, I tweaked my video card fans to force update to detected temperatures, and increased the fan speed for each temperature level. Running the two diagnostics you gave me, my computer seemed to have no problems there.
Alienware-Eimy - Video Card Stress Test, Report Temperature
Now, I did your solution before doing Resurrectionist's response, and just by doing the first test, my computer froze at 5% but the temperature was only at 75.
Afterwards, the three tests were possible because my computer's BIOS were updated. The temperatures of each test were stable from 75-82. However, with each passing test, my FPS was slowly lowering. One thing I should note though is that after updating my BIOS, my screen seemed a little more clear than before.
Using the computer after completing these solutions
My computer has not decided to shutdown at the moment. I tried playing a game, CS:GO, and turns out I can play for longer now. Perhaps the problem was solved, but if I encounter shutdowns again, I'll be sure to contact through this post. Thank you for all your contributed answers! :)
eaglenv
2 Intern
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47 Posts
1428
0
Posted September 29th, 2016 22:00
Have you tried testing your memory? You may have a bad stick.