60Hz to 120Hz Black Screen with 7 Beeps

Not sure if I should create a new topic or post it in the 3D sticky topic, if so please just delete this post. Any and all help is much appreciated!

I am having a bit of trouble and really hoping someone can help me out.

I have two Alienware 17 Rangers. One is my wifes (gtx 770m) and one is my own(gtx 880m)w. Hers has the 3D display, mine has the 2d 60hz display. Well after much consideration and talking with her I decided to swap the displays out.

She didn't use the 3D at all and I thought it would be cool to have along with the 120hz. Thinking that they were pretty much the same thing minus the cable, display, and ir emitter, I went through with the swap.

Hers worked fine after the swap with the 60hz display. Mine did not...

I am getting all of the lights, but a blank screen followed with 7 beeps. Well after researching, that appeared to be cpu and or motherboard. I had the tech come today and replace the mobo and it did not resolve the issue, so he is supposed to be back with a cpu.

Could there be another underlying issue causing the 7 beeps, or could my cpu really have possibly gone bad?

Also, I have put back the 60Hz lcd to see if that changes anything and I am still getting the 7 beeps followed by black/blank screen.

Thanks in advance!

 

Did you follow the instructions and remember to use the opposite LCD connector on yours and not the one you unplugged from?

I guess it's possible you shorted something and killed the CPU but seems unlikely.

 

Hi,

That seems a strange problem to arise.
Assuming that you know about the different ports on the MB and that the cable always stays with the panel maybe you did 'zap' the CPU when taking it apart?

I have seen another user brick his machine when he got a faulty (new) 120hz panel and was swapping cables and sockets in an attempt to get it working.

I'm wondering if you have the MB sockets swapped around? The 60hz panel may well work on the iGPU pass through port, the only symptom (assuming it runs) would be that the iGPU (Intel) would be missing from the device manager.

With the 60hz panel the machine should start on just the iGPU so you could remove the NV card.

Since you have already has the MB replaced re-seating of everything has already happened.

I am curious though, Dell only sold the 3D models with the highest GPU available at the time of sale so a 7xxm machine should have a 780m and an 8xx machine the 880m?

Both machines the same AW17 R1?

Good luck.

Edit: Haha @MogRules, same idea!!

And another edit: Are both PSU's the same? The 770m could have come with a 180w. Not that that would cause a beep code but just checking.

 

It's really sad you have to ask questions like those lol but I totally get it.

Yes the cables went with the displays. Not sure it would work on either machine had I left the cables in tact.

My wife's is working fine with the 60hz lcd.

I was careful to stay static free and wore my wrist strap.

Hers did ship with the 770m even has it stamped on the plate. So not sure about the other 3d models.

Any other ideas?

Thanks

Edit: will check PSU's when I get home from work about 30 minutes or so.

 

Yeah sorry, I kinda guessed you knew what you were doing but like you say, gotta ask.

I'm out of ideas now but I'll sleep on it, something may come to mind,,,,,

 

Yea I work in IT at a hospital so I totally get it haha!!

Do you think it's really worth the time to put the 60hz monitor back in and pull the gpu and see what happens. I was thinking I'll wait until he comes with the cpu tomorrow and see what happens.

Someone said I was supposed to set the bios to use discreet graphics before removing the 60hz and installing the 120hz.

Is that true?

Could the 120hz monitor be somehow frying the mobo?

It has all the proper inputs for the 120hz monitor. Exact same ones from the other laptop.

Both are Alienware 17 R1's btw.

Edit: both PSUs are 240

 

Swapping the monitors again and removing the NV GPU is just grabbing at straws at this point so maybe wait out the CPU.

No need for the bios change with a 120hz monitor. Using the 'other' socket on the MB bypasses it and the bios no longer sees the intel GPU. You need to do that on 60hz models when using a non-standard GPU as optimus messes up when the card is not listed in the bios.

You need the iGPU to be bypassed for the 120hz display as it's a native not multi-sync. During POST the bios will attempt to use the iGPU which can only output at 60hz when driverless so the machine fails POST and beeps (8 times I believe).

I have seen one 120hz display fry a machine but as I said that guy was swapping cables and MB connectors, that's why I asked about the two MB sockets since both are identical pin layouts. Connecting a 120hz display with the correct cable to the wrong port was what I was thinking has happened.

 

That makes perfect sense, ok so sounds like everything was followed to the T. And you are correct, I have had the 8 beeps in the past and had the display and graphics swapped out. Well I will report back tomorrow after the CPU swap. Thanks for the info Micky, I appreciate it!

 

Well turns out it was something with the mother board because I put all my parts into my wife's laptop and it works just fine. So not sure what the deal is, but it was definitely the motherboard. This was a part that Dell had just sent out as well. So I am wondering if there has to be something done to the motherboard before using a 3d screen or something. Or if maybe just my luck that I got a bad board.

 

Rofl DELL always sends the motherboard as that's their solution for the problems they can't diagnose properly "which are a lot". Anyway it never hurts to refresh tour motherboard , just make sure the technician is proficient enough to do this without damaging the chassis in anyway.

 

Dell often use 'refurbished parts' as they describe them. Since so many MB's get replaced they test the returns and if they pass they get re-issued. What passes tests may still have the original problem. Upshot, you can get a bad one .

No changes to the MB for the 120hz, just different parts of it utilised.

 

Not the motherboard, per se, but supposedly the bios has to validate a specific gpu as licensed to output 3D (yes ... ). If the 880M was not a stock option provided by Dell, then it is highly unlikely they've been kind enough to update their bios to clear an 880M+3D.

If that's the situation here, then swapping the 770M ought to have 3D working ... or flash a modded vbios; only need to change the 880M's id to 770M in order to trick the bios.

 

Well now I have a new issue that came up. In 3D mode the color looks almost like the old school 3D, it has the red/blue look to it. Any ideas what that could be?

Non 3D colors look normal.

 

Check the display selection under stereoscopic in the driver. It sometimes defaults to 'discover' mode (two color!)

 

Mickey you are Awesome, haha that was it!!!

Didn't even think about that. What could cause some of the graphic settings to change by themselves?

 

Haha, great, that one caught me out following a driver update a long time ago, Not gonna embarrass myself with the things I tried to fix it!

Have you checked out AC or Batman games in 3D? Totally awesome IMO .

 

Nope but now I gotta try lol. I pre-ordered Arkham Knight, hope it will work with the 3d.I have Arkham city will that one work with the 3d?

 

It does and the slo-mo kills when you rack up the points are jaw dropping. It was clearly made with 3D in mind. When Two Face tosses the coin the cut-scene is classic old-school 3D movie.

I've also pre-ordered but it's going to be a bit of a dissapointment on my X8 as 3D is blocked on any machine that is not sold with 3D