bump, anyone?

I too got the same problem similar to yours....however at the same time i get a static noise on my speakers when i play games like Team Fortress 2 and Alien Swarm....its wierd when it lags on Bejeweled Twist, cause that game doesn't even need alot of memory or high graphics and it still lags anyways...

dell support unistall and reinstall the graphic card which u and i have.....but still the problem occurs...

im sure it could be one of those heatsink problems....and needs another replacement....but thats my opinion....who else is having this problem?

Yep. I too have the same problem. I got my laptop August 2009 and I play quite some games but mainly, MW2, CoD4, and L4D2. It seemed to work pretty well for a while and I have impressed with the performances. For MW2 and CoD4 it runs at about 3rd best resolution so around med-high resolution. For L4D2, only has two resolution types, either medium or high (it does say how many pixel by pixel but to round it off). I chose medium to get better frame rate. I was able to play these games for about 4-5 hours non stop and after that I had to shut if off because of the same problem we are facing. I believe it has nothing to do with hardware or software. Its the heating issue. When the laptop gets beyond hot, the fps drops dramatically and the static noise tags along. It is not lag, lag is something to do with internet connection. I'm pretty sure its the overheating issue. So now about a year later since the day I turned stuido xps on, mine heats up pretty quick then the first few months I received the laptop and it gets warm by just web browsing. I opened up the bottom cover of the laptop and cleaned with vacuum but the heat still persists. So it eventually comes down to hardware. As for the fps jumping, the laptop is just refreshing your fps, I get that sometimes and not that big of a deal. Dell definitely needs to redesign the model to have bigger vent and not 1 but 2 fans. MacPro's laptop is completely sealed except one long vent beneath the screen with 2 fans with no frame rate dropping. I know because my brother got one. and its pretty impressive for the laptop thinner and lighter than studio xps 16. If Dell was to improve the design the sale will definitely go up.

and needs another replacement...

what replacement do you mean? can you please elaborate? does your laptop have to be within warranty time?

I Meant The Heatsink needs to be replaced

they did and it works perfectly....i also notice that the bottom of the laptop, theres another vent to either release the heat or take in fresh air to cool off the laptop (i am not sure):emotion-42:.....just to inform you guys....theres always dust around there.....try cleaning it up. in the meantime, my laptop works good for now :emotion-7:

I did opened up the cover and cleaned general area. but I didnt notice much of a difference. Do you have to unscrew more to clean up?

and do you just call Dell and ask them to replace heatsink and they do it for you or send somebody to replace? does your laptop has to be under warranty?

i unscrew it to clean the inside as well

and a dell technician came to replace the heatsink, they may replace the motherboard as well....and it is under warranty

hey thanks alot for your answers. just two more questions:

1. I only have default 1year regular warranty. can this cover replacing heatsink?

2. which part do I need to unscrew to clean the dust?

the regular warranty will cover it

and you got to remove the entire bottom plate of the laptop

but i prefer a dell technician should open it, because its quite hard to remove it. even for me...i can barely clean the inside...

So I called Dell today and ultimately I decided to send it to the depot center to get dust off the heatsink or maybe replace if it is damaged. First, the support guy told me to update the BIOS and to check the heat differences then and after the BIOS update I played CoD4 for about 10 min but couldnt tell the difference because it was already warm from before and not long enought time. So I asked if a tech guy could come over and clean off the dust around the heatsink since my warranty ends in  like 10days but the support guy said they dont just send a guy (cant remember what he said because of his indian accent). So he said I need to send my laptop to get the dust off/maybe replace heatsink. So I sent it to the depot center in Newmarket and I will get it back in max 2 weeks. I just hope I get it before I go back to school.

But my thanks to you alexpre888. I got worried because this thread was an old one. Thanks for answering.

hey good news!! I just got my laptop back!!! I thought it was going to be a long wait but very surprised. It only took 3days!!! The funny thing was that the guy who delivered my  laptop was the very same person who brought it back lol. He said like hundreds of computers that needs repairs  goes in everyday and something else. But anyways very impressed with Dell's service!!