HELP! I think the NVIDIA driver 332.21 just killed the 680m in my M17x R2

Hi everyone! I think the 332.21 WHQL just killed the 680m in my M17x R2.
After installing the driver and finishing a Heaven benchmark, I closed the program then my screen just went black. I could still dim and brighten the "black" by using Fn commands.
I tried restarting the laptop and it seems to be running post BUT BLANK SCREEN, I know it loads windows normally because webcam loads alienface-log-on and lights up to recognize face..
Fn brightness still works... though its just all black. (dimmer / brighter black screen)

I tried reinserting my dying 5870m and it worked,
I then proceeded to do a system restore while 5870m was connected and did a DDU driver sweep.
Restart was good, windows 7 still loaded normally so I tried reinserting my 680m.
I did the BIOS battery unplug, hold power button 20secs then reconnect thing here.
Turned laptop on, same thing happens. Blank/black screen that I can dim or brighten with Fn keys.
External monitors are not working for the 680m as well.
The highest temp I got on the Heaven benchmark before screen went black was 70c.
Fans were set custom auto in hwinfo 40c below = 2500rpm, 50c = 3000rpm, 60c = 3500rpm and so on w 500 increments.
No overclocking done and running on regular A10 BIOS.

The card is just about 2 weeks old running and was stable on eurocom's modded driver located here -> http://downloads.eurocom.com/support/drivers/zip/Alienware/6xxm/M17R2/
Installed modded 332.21 from here just around 6 hours ago. http://forum.notebookreview.com/ali...-m17x-r2-680m-driver-assistance-needed-9.html


All FX lights are on, no blinking or beeps whatsoever.

could a reflash help?
Any suggestion would be greatly appreciated x_x

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M17x R2 820QM 6gbRAM 4GB 680m 120GBvertex3SSD 500GBHDD

 

RMA the card http://forum.notebookreview.com/ali...ng-m17x-r2-5870cf-gtx-680m-5.html#post9533022 the driver has nothing to with it...
Edit: clean the connectors and re-seat the card as Killiandros suggested.

 

Sorry to hear about your experience - I'd be inclined to agree with j95.

I would have suggested re-seating your card but it appears you've already done that. I had the same symptoms you are describing when I first installed / booted with the new card but after I had removed / re-seated the card it was all good and I've not had any issues since.

I regularly update to the very latest driver when it's available. The 332.21 series has been pretty smooth and I've not hit more than ~66C with them from memory - noted max temps after gaming for a few hours - so I'm not sure it's a driver issue that you're having.

 

Thanks for the replies guys,
@killiandros - That happened to me at my first installation of the card as well. blank screen so reseated then worked.
This time though, cleaning and reseating isn't helping anymore T_T
RMA doesn't seem to be a possibility atm.

Have I done anything wrong?
are you using unlocked A10?

UPDATE: I'm sending my card over to kingkong8 tmrw for him to look at it and try flashing it. I'm praying the card works again. Depression really kicking in now x_x

 

I initially thought I had to flash the modded/unlocked system bios to actually use the card but after a bit more research it didn't seem to be necessary - so I just left it with the most recent official bios release from the Dell Drivers/Support site.

I'm not sure if you've done anything wrong - there are some precautions / things to be aware of like being aware of electrostatic discharge, over tightening the screws etc. in both cases you run the risk of damaging the card but unfortunately I can't comment other than to speculate. Others here are far more experienced than me and may be able to offer support - as kingkong8 has.

I'd suggest that if that doesn't work, to get in touch with the seller and simply advise them that it worked temporarily on the supplied drivers - then it didn't - and as the card should still be covered under a warranty you'd like to send it back for them to check / replace. Just be courteous and be clear about how the card temporarily worked after installation - outline the black screen issue as soon as you installed it etc. Am pretty sure that all new purchases had a 3 or 6 month warranty period.

Am hoping you get some good luck soon - I'll be watching this thread with my fingers crossed for you.

 

Hopefully he'll be able to help with the card. Sorry to hear about that experience

 

ok here's an update guys, mixed good and bad news:

The unit has been with sir kingkong8 for about 2 weeks now and here are his findings:
- his programmer unit is unable to detect the 680m so he is currently unable to reflash vbios.
- same problem occurs when he tries to use the 680m on his M17x; blank/black POST but goes through and opens windows (he hears windows entrance themesong)
- He tried to use the card on his M18x *same thing happens but what's peculiar is when he tried to use it as a slave on the M18x IT WORKS. So it's confirmed still working but only as slave.
- We are currently waiting for his brother to send him their newer programmer because he thinks that his old one isn't working due to my 680m's newer edition chips.

so there, He says he'll update me once he gets his newer programmer.
I'm glad that the unit is working as slave though, and all my gratitude to kingkong8 for going through all of the possible ways to make the unit work again SO MUCH THANKS T-T
;praying the new programmer detects the card.

 

I'm relieved for you - that sounds promising - good luck and continue to keep us posted!

 

Sorry to hear about this. I was thinking of upgrading my GPU to the GTX 680M in my Alienware M17X R2 but now after reading this I'm a little bit weary. I'm coming from a single ATI Mobility 5870M card. Any update on this?

The guy from ebay told me that the reason people are getting blank, white screens and beeps is because they aren't using the Dell branded GTX 680M. Any truth to this?

I'd like to upgrade but a little scared now.

 

I upgraded and haven't had any issues - other than:

Requiring HWInfo to override fan control (the m17x R2 doesn't manage temperatures automatically with the 680m)

One of my temperature readings on the EC (Temp1) is stuck at a constant 63C which I've not found any solution for but it seems to be an error / incompatibility and not an actual temperature reading


There are risks inherent in installing unsupported hardware but if you're looking to get more life out of the still solid (in my opinion) M17x R2 without purchasing a brand new Alienware 17 and are comfortable in accepting the risks, then I'd recommend it.

Edit: My experience: http://forum.notebookreview.com/ali...stions-upgrading-m17x-r2-5870cf-gtx-680m.html

 

@ Killandros I plan to buy the GTX 680M for $450.00. Is that a good price. It has no X-bracket. Just the card. Is it possible to use my 5870 mobility bracket and heatsink on the GTX 680M? Please let me know. I do have the 17X R2 with i7 940XM and I do have HWINFO so I can control the fans. Would I be able to create a custom fan profile using HWINFO on the GTX 680M or can I only use the slider? I do want to buy the card but just want to know if I can use the the heatsink and bracket from my old ATI 5870 mobility card and if it will be hard to do so.

 

By the way are you running an unlocked bios for the M17X R2? I'm running the A10 unlocked bios from the Whiz.

 

I'm using the most recent official Dell BIOS for the R2 as I didn't really see the need to flash an unlocked bios.

I'd say that's an exceptionally good price (perhaps a little too good to be true?)- especially considering Upgradeyourlaptop / Eurocomm is still selling the complete upgrade kit (paste, screws, bracket & card) for ~$725.

Is this brand new? Reputable seller / store or is it from a forum member?
(Make sure you do your research as to where you are buying from!)

You can create your own profile in HWInfo with different fan speeds at different temperature thresholds (that's what I've done - it's 'Custom Auto').

Yes, you will need the X-bracket on the card and the appropriate screws (but the bit attached to the actual heatsink is fine) - to understand what I'm talking about, see here: http://forum.notebookreview.com/ali...ng-m17x-r2-5870cf-gtx-680m-3.html#post9383129

and here: Alienware M17X M18X VGA Upgrade KIT Nvidia GTX 680M 4GB DDR5 MXM 3 0B | eBay

 

@killandros the guy is the reputable seller. I'm just getting the 2GB version. Here is the link to the card. Judging by the second pic, it already had the heatsink installed correct? So all I would have to do then was put thermal paste and attach the old heatsink to the GTX 680M correct and of course put the thermal pads on? Could you explain to me the driver installation method you did after you installed the GTX 680M? I'm kinda confused about this. Do I need to get a modified INF. file for the driver update? Thanks for your help. I appreciate it.

Dell Alienware M17x R4 NVIDIA GeForce GTX680M 2GB GDDR5 Video Card 20HTK | eBay

 

Hey everyone, sorry for the late update, so busy recently, but here goes...

Sir kingkong8 did everything he could, reflashed the card and all but same problem. DOES NOT WORK ON M17x R2 ANYMORE. same black screen POST but goes to open windows 7 without beeps.
It's still working as slave card on his M18x r2 though...
I got the card back from him around 2 weeks ago and I do not know what to do with it.
Still many thanks to his support and help. He did all he could.

So now, I'm currently contemplating doing a blind nvidia driver install since the system can still open windows.
I have no idea if it could help though.

Any ideas guys? I do not want to try that oven trick yet.


@senzazn12 - This message shouldn't scare you man, by all means try to upgrade dude. Just my 2 cents, stick with proven working and reliable drivers.

@killiandros - bro what's the latest nvidia driver that you have installed on your m17x r2 680m setup?

 

Judging from the photo you should be fine.
(The heatsink is the metal part that attaches to the card/fan (used to transfer heat away from the GPU - you can use what's already in the m17x).

Essentially yes, thermal paste (don't forget the pads though - you may be able to use what was already on the 5870 but I'd recommend buying new ones - check out the eBay listing for the upgrade pack that I posted - you should be able to buy the pads relatively cheap and look at the pad layout on that listing for where to put them (over the memory - http://downloads.eurocom.com/support/drivers/zip/Alienware/6xxm/680M thermal pad placement.jpg).

For the actual driver installation - I used the following tool to completely remove all the graphics driver files and chose the option that specifies installation of a new GFX card. (This will remove all files and power down your laptop).

Display Driver Uninstaller Download version 12.6.2

Once you've done that, complete the actual installation - here are the teardown vids if you need help:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gyFAdmozp04
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j20wn96uac0

Boot the laptop, and install the drivers (modded) - you can use pretty much anything from this thread: http://forum.notebookreview.com/ali...m17x-r2-680m-driver-assistance-needed-10.html


I think we've hijacked this thread enough so if you still need assistance feel free to post in this thread and I'll answer as best as I can: http://forum.notebookreview.com/ali...stions-upgrading-m17x-r2-5870cf-gtx-680m.html

 

Great to hear from you but sorry your news isn't better!

Unfortunately I don't have anything I can add to help in your predicament - is there no way to return/exchange the card?

I wouldn't bake it in the oven personally as it still seems to be working as a slave as you advised so I'd be inclined to think it's a vbios or driver issue. You want to try and use the Display Driver Uninstaller I linked above? Maybe a clean windows install again?

I'm using the 337.50 drivers from here: http://forum.notebookreview.com/ali...-driver-assistance-needed-10.html#post9618199 with no issues.

 

Thanks for the reply killiandros,
I'm trying to find a way to rma the card though things aren't looking good...
Another option is selling the card as slave specific.

I'm going to try DDU again and fresh win7 install once I finish all this backlogged photo editing I'm doing.

BTW, just another piece of info, the first driver install I did when I bought the card was the driver from this link -> Index of /support/drivers/upgradeyourlaptop which came from here -> MSI GT60 VGA Upgrade Kit NVIDIA GTX 680M 4GB DDR5 MXM 3 0B | eBay

Is this a good driver to do a blind install? or should I go straight to 337.50?
P.S. I have no idea what to press once I get to double click the 337.50 driver installer icon. (in case of blind install) T-T