Brand new Centrino laptop studders

[sprtnbsblplya]

I just bought a brand new Inspiron 600m Centrino based laptop, specs 40 gig 5400 rpm hard drive, 512 mb ddr ram at like 333 or 400mhz, 1.6 ghz Pentium M with 2 MB cache, and 64 MB dedicated Radeon 9000.

I am playing Morrowind GOTY (very low system requirements) on it and about every 5 or 6 seconds, it stops for like half a second to a second, then resumes, and does it again in 5 or 6 more seconds.

Also, when scrolling through Windows XP pro start menu, if I hover over a pop up menu, sometimes it takes a few seconds to pop out with the subfolders.

Any ideas why this brand new machine is so slow on such simple tasks?

Could it be the Pentium M processor? Or is it something else?

 

[Hacp]

Is your laptop plugged in?Also Did you dl spyware etc? If you didn't and do a fresh reformatt and still have this problem, I would RMA it to dell.

Also, Did you use the 750 off 1500 coupon? I hope you did heh.

 

[sprtnbsblplya]

Yes, it was plugged in.
And yeah, I only paid like $840 after tax and shipping.

 

[reggie_da_man]

it sounds a bit like your video card drivers, try updating them.

 

[Luxar]

it's probably your video card holding you back at least somewhat. Morrowind is a huge system hog, to the point where computers typically run half life 2 much better than they run morrowind, simply because the engine is so poorly optimized(ie it renders EVERYTHING around you, even down to the water under the ground that you can't even see).

 

[sprtnbsblplya]

I know its not the drivers, I have the latest drivers installed.
Anyways, it cant just be the video card, the system does it not just in morrowind but also in normal windows apps that dont use the video card.

Wondering if installing a patch that keeps intels speedstep at bay it the answer...

 

[IBMan]

everything uses the video card, just some not to as much of an extent as others...but..eh....search google? or a gaming site for a patch? otherwise you could try a format and install of windows and if you get the same prob you could consider calling dell since you are under warranty and such.

 

[Nukem]

Have you looked to see what you have running in the back ground??? Just my opinion, but it sounds to me like there are a bunch of things running that would cause that.. My wife's laptop does the same thing sometimes when she has a lot of windows open, then zone alarm does an auto update or auto scan...

 

[sprtnbsblplya]

I have a brand new install of Windows XP pro on it without any of the preinstalled Dell software and only a minimal of my software on it.

In the past I ran Morrowind at full speed with no slowdown on a Gateway laptop with 1.7 ghz 1st edition Pentium M and a 32 MB Radeon 7500. Theres no reason why that older laptop should be running it faster than this brand new machine.

 

[Luxar]

yeah definitely call tech support, something's up then. like ibman said,you should still be under warranty.