Inspiron 9300 - ATI Graphical Skips in Windowed Mode for Games (Mobility X300)

StrikerForce · Jun 2, 2009, 11:23 PM

Hi guys, first time post so i think this is the right spot (i hope). Havin' some graphical problems on my Dell so i figured i'd step it up a notch and try and suck some info from the vast pool out there.

First off, my laptop:
Dell Inspiron 9300
-Windows XP SP3 (32-bit)
-Intel Pentium M (1.73GHz)
-2Gb of RAM
-ATI Moblility Radeon X300 (128mb GPU) w/ Driver Version 8.591.0.0 (ATI package 9.3 modded with DriverHeaven Mod program to utilize on laptop)

Problem
I play WoW quite frequently on my Desktop, and was trying to get it running on my laptop again. Since my 4 year old behemoth of a laptop is a 17" monitor, it's native rexs is 1920x1200. That lil graphics card can't handle running much of anything at that resolution is full-screen mode, so i generally tone down to 1440x900 or the next lower 1.6:1 res. In full screen mode however, this makes things really fuzzy so i try and run windowed mode so it crisps up (i have no problem not having full-screen, not that big a deal if things run smoother/cleaner)

Well, once i go to windowed mode i start getting odd FPS skips. In game, logon screen, anywhere. The FPS isn't actually dropping/peaking/changing, it's phsyically skipping a couple frames every 1-2 seconds i would estimate. This does not happen in full-screen mode at all.

I originally thought it was a WoW only problem, but upon installing Titan's Quest recently and attempting to run that windowed mode i get the same graphical problem, leading me to believe it was a problem on my end, not a problem with any specific program.

What I've Done
I was originally utilizing the Dell provided drivers and decided i would see if updating drivers would work. After a few hours of screaming at my laptop for ATI being stupid and not supporting laptop drivers properly, i found the MOD TOOL and utilized it to install the latest CCC & ATI Driver Package (9.3) for on my laptop. Problem still persists.

I even flashed the GPU BIOS using the Dell provided BIOS utility to see if it would "freshen" anything up.

I've done a full driver clear w/ reinstall. I've rolled back to old drivers, and even utilized Beta (i think? my bro found em, i tested em. Listed as 9.5 package)

I'm at a loss as to whats next. I plan on buying a new laptop in the next few months, but it's still irittating in the mean time.

I would be very much appreciative to any thoughts and will provide more info if needed as well to help diagnose

Thank You,
~Striker

Jun 2, 2009, 11:23 PM	#1
StrikerForce DriverHeaven Newbie Join Date: Jun 2009 Location: California Posts: 1 Rep Power: 0 System Specs	Help! Inspiron 9300 - ATI Graphical Skips in Windowed Mode for Games (Mobility X300) Hi guys, first time post so i think this is the right spot (i hope). Havin' some graphical problems on my Dell so i figured i'd step it up a notch and try and suck some info from the vast pool out there. First off, my laptop: Dell Inspiron 9300 -Windows XP SP3 (32-bit) -Intel Pentium M (1.73GHz) -2Gb of RAM -ATI Moblility Radeon X300 (128mb GPU) w/ Driver Version 8.591.0.0 (ATI package 9.3 modded with DriverHeaven Mod program to utilize on laptop) Problem I play WoW quite frequently on my Desktop, and was trying to get it running on my laptop again. Since my 4 year old behemoth of a laptop is a 17" monitor, it's native rexs is 1920x1200. That lil graphics card can't handle running much of anything at that resolution is full-screen mode, so i generally tone down to 1440x900 or the next lower 1.6:1 res. In full screen mode however, this makes things really fuzzy so i try and run windowed mode so it crisps up (i have no problem not having full-screen, not that big a deal if things run smoother/cleaner) Well, once i go to windowed mode i start getting odd FPS skips. In game, logon screen, anywhere. The FPS isn't actually dropping/peaking/changing, it's phsyically skipping a couple frames every 1-2 seconds i would estimate. This does not happen in full-screen mode at all. I originally thought it was a WoW only problem, but upon installing Titan's Quest recently and attempting to run that windowed mode i get the same graphical problem, leading me to believe it was a problem on my end, not a problem with any specific program. What I've Done I was originally utilizing the Dell provided drivers and decided i would see if updating drivers would work. After a few hours of screaming at my laptop for ATI being stupid and not supporting laptop drivers properly, i found the MOD TOOL and utilized it to install the latest CCC & ATI Driver Package (9.3) for on my laptop. Problem still persists. I even flashed the GPU BIOS using the Dell provided BIOS utility to see if it would "freshen" anything up. I've done a full driver clear w/ reinstall. I've rolled back to old drivers, and even utilized Beta (i think? my bro found em, i tested em. Listed as 9.5 package) I'm at a loss as to whats next. I plan on buying a new laptop in the next few months, but it's still irittating in the mean time. I would be very much appreciative to any thoughts and will provide more info if needed as well to help diagnose Thank You, ~Striker Last edited by StrikerForce; Jun 3, 2009 at 12:33 AM.