Gaming laptop processor massively underperforming

Hi,

I have a Alienware M15x laptop with system specs I have until now considered to be quite good. I recently had to reinstall Windows, a bad Torrent download corrupted my computer and I didn't have a Windows Recovery Disc. Many people tell me not to care about the Windows Experience Index, but here's the rating: It used to be 6.0, 6.6, 5.5, 5.9 and 5,9. Now it's 4.1, 6.4, 5.1, 5.5 and 5.9. The one that has lowered the most is the Processor component. Now, if my computer's performance hadn't been affected, I wouldn't have bothered. However, it did. I used to be capable of running GTA 4 at maximum settings at 1980x1080 without lag, Crysis 1 and 2 at medium-high settings at that same resolution, as well as many games such as Batman: Arkham Asylum, Bioshock, Borderlands, F.E.A.R. 1 and 2 and Left 4 Dead 2 at varying quality settings. Now, even at the lowest settings I can't run any of these games without a very noticeable stutter, often making it impossible for me to play these games.

I have a Page File set for my two disk drives (I have only one Hard Drive, partitioned to separate my games from the rest of the system).

I have Avast! as my antivirus, and I regularly scan my computer with Avast!, Malwarebyte's Anti-Malware and Windows Defender, but I never find anything. I also use CCleaner often to clean up the registry.

What made my laptop cease to be as powerful as it was before? Was it my reinstalling of Windows? It's really getting on my nerves, seeing that I could play Crysis 2 and it was silk-smooth, but now even games like The Ball, which isn't especially resource-consuming, often stutters and lags when something's happening on-screen.
Is there something I can do? Did this happen to anyone else?
Also, if you're wondering, no, I didn't let my computer overheat by using a graphics-expensive application for many hours at a time.

Thank you,
Nazsha

Nazsha said:

Hi,

I have a Alienware M15x laptop with system specs I have until now considered to be quite good. I recently had to reinstall Windows, a bad Torrent download corrupted my computer and I didn't have a Windows Recovery Disc. Many people tell me not to care about the Windows Experience Index, but here's the rating: It used to be 6.0, 6.6, 5.5, 5.9 and 5,9. Now it's 4.1, 6.4, 5.1, 5.5 and 5.9. The one that has lowered the most is the Processor component. Now, if my computer's performance hadn't been affected, I wouldn't have bothered. However, it did. I used to be capable of running GTA 4 at maximum settings at 1980x1080 without lag, Crysis 1 and 2 at medium-high settings at that same resolution, as well as many games such as Batman: Arkham Asylum, Bioshock, Borderlands, F.E.A.R. 1 and 2 and Left 4 Dead 2 at varying quality settings. Now, even at the lowest settings I can't run any of these games without a very noticeable stutter, often making it impossible for me to play these games.

I have a Page File set for my two disk drives (I have only one Hard Drive, partitioned to separate my games from the rest of the system).

I have Avast! as my antivirus, and I regularly scan my computer with Avast!, Malwarebyte's Anti-Malware and Windows Defender, but I never find anything. I also use CCleaner often to clean up the registry.

What made my laptop cease to be as powerful as it was before? Was it my reinstalling of Windows? It's really getting on my nerves, seeing that I could play Crysis 2 and it was silk-smooth, but now even games like The Ball, which isn't especially resource-consuming, often stutters and lags when something's happening on-screen.
Is there something I can do? Did this happen to anyone else?
Also, if you're wondering, no, I didn't let my computer overheat by using a graphics-expensive application for many hours at a time.

Thank you,
Nazsha

All of the symptoms may point to a driver (video?). Performance, latency, lag.

I would check with this free latency checker. DPC Latency Checker

And I would re-install all the key drivers from the mfr, dont let win 7 install, or use a driver installer app.

Hi,
Thanks for the fast replies!
The DPC Latency Checker oscillates between the high greens and the low yellows, but I don't know what that means concretely. I'm currently downloading a video card driver from Drivers & Downloads. I'll report back when I'm done installing, but just to say, I didn't find the original drivers on the Alienware website.

Nazsha

The video card driver didn't change anything...

Did you remember to load the latest Intel chipset drivers first?

Uh.
Let's say that I'm not very well-versed in computer stuff.
I have to install the chipset drivers first? I installed them in random order from the Dell website, sould I re-download them and install them in a certain order?

I'd get the latest from Intel's website and install them. It may not be important anymore, but there was a time of a few years that the chipset drivers were supposed to be installed first. I always do them first from a logical standpoint, since they deal with motherboard level peripherals, instead of parts connected to the motherboard.

Well, in the Intel Driver Update Utility, it tells me that the Intel Chipset Software is up to date, and I can't seem to re-download it, or just re-install it. It did however tell me that my Wired and Wireless Networking drivers were out of date, I'm currently installing the newest ones.

Oh well, nothing I have done has changed anything regarding the performance. I had hopes that disabling the Intel SpeedStep thing in the BIOS would change something, but apparently not.