2 7970m cards killed in short period

Hello

Since yesterday I have weird issues and I don't know what is going on, maybe someone here can give me a extra insight.

Yesterday my first 7970M died, i was sitting in the Dota2 menu's, It crashed.
I got grey tearing and the schreen is complete grey also.
Restarted my computer, went in windows, all artifacts, icons missing, 10sec later crash.
I could restart my laptop like 2 times more and then, nothing, just a start without screen en without the laptop really turning on, it turns on but it will never load something, no spinning also.

I fast went out to get a new 7970M, find one and it worked, did some gaming in the evening, some diablo3 etc.
No problems, was very happy it was working.

This morning i start my computer and in like 5 min a crash, just like that.
After some testing and crying I found that on the power (so powercord connected) it would crash.
Without it was stable, no problems i found.
But when i plug in it will crash some moment, and if I start a game on cord instant crash, on battery alone i can play.....
So it looks like it doesnt like his high clocks from one day to the other day??

Tried all kind of thing, reseating it, new paste, but i still have this.....

No I am think, is this becuaseof my laptop or do I have just bad luck??


Now I ordered a 680M on ebay, with a heatsink, only need to figure out what kind of thermal pads.. (thickness).
Hope it's not a issue of my motherboard or else i will fry this card also or something?
I heard a 7970M that getsto less power will just throttle down?
I think my charger is ok becuase my friend is using it right now.....


Maybe someone here knows whats happening, jus needed to type m story .

Senshin

 

could you have psu limit issues?
240W?
OC?
Does he have same computer specs as you?
Have you tried his PSU?
Of course depending on your settings but its quite normal that power saving modes hit once disconnecting the PSU,

 

This looks like a 95% GPU fail to me.

So the thing with 7970M cards as well as with any other AMD card is that they are a piece of $&!t comparing to nVidia cards when it is about reliability.

They will die all of a sudden even when they are nicely cooled and undervolted, how many times i have heard of faulty 7970m card....too many times comparing to nVidia garage.

And yes, you have a bad luck, firstly your 7970m died, and then somebody sold you almost a DOA card....

You should be fine with 680M

 

He has a m17x r5 model, with a 770M.
But it happens also when i start the game, my gpu throttles up but i dont really use max power of it, i doesnt even have change to do that.

My previous 7970m was overclocked, but the new one, no.
Also tried some other vbioses to play around, but they all go to this death end, a lock up.

I dont disconnect when its using all it juice.
Let's say, i pull to cord out, start the benchmark and then lock up.

But also, when i start wiith cord in, it also have a possible change on lock up when starting up, but without cord it will Always start up :/.
Tomorrow i go check my PSU with some tools, but I think that ain't the problem.

bah

 

@flingin, lets not judge AMD, because nvidia isnt any better, just read some threads here, example: http://forum.notebookreview.com/alienware-17-m17x/738554-nvidia-still-trying-fix-their-331-93-a.html

senshin, try modifying your vBios with 2d voltage and slowly increase the clocks to what 3d speeds are, to check if it is indeed the card not capable of voltage/clocks or something else...

 

When I get home this evening I AM gonna try that.

Thank you guys
Just sometimes it works with the power connected, but it is unstable as hell.
What I mean is, it looks like it's working, but when go on the internet, browsing a little bit it's waiting for the crash, butlet's say 5min is max.

My computer is working perfect without the 7970M, does this say something?

EDIT: something i also don't understand.
Some of you guys are familiar with the program memtestcl, to test the memort of your videocard.

Without the powerbrick connected i can run this 20 times no problem.
Put powercable, open the program, start memtest, and the moment i click, crash, so I don't see any benchmark, i do it, i get vertical grey screen tearing and i need manually to restart.

Does this maybe means the communication between ram and core is killed?
It doesnt have the change to get hot also, I think you need atleast a few seconds, to get it fried right or to get unstable, it doesnt get unstable,, it crashes in a millisecond.

I am just trying to figure this out.



Senshin

 

Just goes to show how the quality on some of the AMD GPUs really are. You are not the first one with dead 7970Ms.

Stick with Nvidia. They seem to work just fine

 

Did you uninstall video drivers to check if laptop work on AC if no drivers are installed?

 

Check drivers, you said this happened twice in a row with the same problem?

 

If it wouldbe the case, the card would not work a second in any mode.

We can't tell what is wrong, we do not have proper equipment to tell that. All we can do is wonder what can be wrong, i'd say we will be always wrong, just because Video Card is a very complex Device, likewise other Laptop components, it can be 1 transistor out of 500Milions that does this - how you can tell ?

A Bad card to me. Nothing more, nothing less.

 

hi! i am from ukraine and in my country i can not find any 7970m/ if somebody fried up his gpu and replace to new one-send me please your old 7970m and i am look into this awsome card / thnks

 

Now that i ordered the 680m and i hope My moba doesnt kilo this card.....
What kind of thermal pads?
For now i ordered 1,5mm thickness on ebay that are quite squizie.
Is that any good for that 680m?
I can't really find the answer to this question, and they are kind off hard needed lol.

Today tried the 7970M some more, not really had the time to downclock and reduce voltages, but the problem looks worse.
Faster lock-up's
instant lock-up when connecting power., so i just think, who am i fooling, it's just broke whatever i will do with it i think.

just for the note: without videocard my laptop works perfect, but so slow gfx lol.
The videodrivers arent the problem, i reinstalled complete windows for this...

And guys, thnk you for the responses!



Senshin

 

I remember you quite good, your the nvidia lover xD, but maybe I will become also one now...
haha


Senshin