Lenovo ideapad Y400 - GT 650M poor performance?

TheOnlyShad0w · Jul 3, 2013

So I just got a Lenovo ideapad Y400 with an Nvidia GeForce GT 650M. I installed a tried a few games (Minecraft, TF2, Borderlands 2, and Skyrim) and I'm getting pretty poor performance. Too be specific, I'm only getting around 40 fps in Minecraft (all settings maxed), less than 15 in Borderlands 2, and around 20 in Skyrim.

Now, to me, this seems like integrated graphics performance and I was expecting to be able to play games like Skyrim and Borderlands 2 on the Medium and High settings, based on benchmarks I saw. Is there a reason why the gpu wouldn't be kicking in? I'm not too experienced with laptop gaming, to be honest. I reinstalled the latest Nvidia drivers just to be safe, and still nothing.

If you've got any info/ideas, please shoot them my way.

Here are the full system specs:

Processor
Intel® Core™ i7-3630QM Processor (6M Cache, up to 3.40 GHz)

Operating system
Windows 8 Standard 64 - English

Graphics
NVIDIA GeForce® GT 650M Graphics
Memory
8 GB (2 x 4GB) PC3-12800 DDR3 SDRAM 1600MHz SODIMM Memory

Display
14.0" WXGA (1366 X 768) TFT color, VibrantView, LED Backlight w/720p HD

Hard Drive
1 TB Hard Disk Drive, 5400rpm and 16 GB Micro Solid State Drive
I actually replaced the HDD with a Seagate Momentus XT 750 GB 7200RPM Solid State Hybrid Drive

PyjamasCat · Jul 3, 2013

Have you got any power saving features in Windows on? Even on desktops, Windows can hammer down CPU performance if min CPU usage in advance power settings is low (less than 75% can cause lower performance).

Another thing to check is the GPU it is using. Sometimes people find that that their laptop is using the integrated chip instead of the dedicated GPU.

k1114 · Jul 3, 2013

The y400/500 cannot use the igpu, it lacks the chip to switch, which also means no optimus. Check your temps too.

TheOnlyShad0w · Jul 3, 2013

For testing I used the high performance power setting.

Just from feeling the temps seem fine. The laptop never get very hot at all to the touch and the fans didn't get very loud, which made me wonder if the GPU was even working.

k1114 · Jul 4, 2013

The fan is pretty quiet even on high and it will still get hot. Use hwmonitor.

TheOnlyShad0w · Jul 4, 2013

I don't see how it could be overheating immediately after starting a game, but I'll try it.

TheOnlyShad0w · Jul 4, 2013

Alright, I actually downloaded MSI Afterburner and ran Borderlands 2 on the lowest possible settings. GPU was running at 98% usage with temps at 45 degrees C. That does sound a bit high to me. What do you think?

TheOnlyShad0w · Jul 4, 2013

Also, I thought this laptop was supposed to come with a GT 650M but it's saying it has a 750M. Any idea why that would be?

k1114 · Jul 4, 2013

If you just got it, then you should have the newer version with the 750m. They updated it back in like april. 45C is low, you don't have to worry til hitting over 90C. Was it clocking up to full speeds? Otherwise it must be driver related. You need to use the lenovo driver.

TheOnlyShad0w · Jul 4, 2013

It's at factory clock, I assume, and what Lenovo driver? A Lenovo display driver?

k1114 · Jul 4, 2013

You need to check to make sure it's running at full clocks. You can't rule anything out if you never even looked at it. And yes the display driver.

TheOnlyShad0w · Jul 4, 2013

I assumed graphics cards basically had to be at factory speed out of the box. How can I find out what clocks it should be running at and what it's running at currently? MSI Afterburner?

Also, where can I get that display driver? I assumed the Nvidia driver was all I needed.

k1114 · Jul 4, 2013

Msi afterburner will say clocks. Both cpus and gpus will downclock when idling. This is why you need to check if it is going to full speed. Often times power settings will make it so it won't.

Laptops will have modified drivers. Always use the drivers off the manufacturers site if you are having issues. Video category not the display category. http://support.lenovo.com/en_US/downloads/detail.page?DocID=DS033346

TheOnlyShad0w · Jul 5, 2013

I'm downloading those drivers now. Oddly enough, I fired up Borderlands 2 on the lowest possible settings and was getting around 15 fps then I fired it up again with the highest possible settings (native resolution and PhysX on Low) and was getting around 13 fps. I just don't understand why I would be getting the same fps out of low and ultra settings.

Both times I was running MSI Afterburner and the GPU was running at 100% the whole time.

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