M17xR3 GPU problems, GTX580M & Integrated

Hi all,

First off, I have a M17xR3, nvidia GTX 580M, so the throttling problems are pretty well documented. I just wanted to see if anyone can help me figure out what is wrong with my unit, I've been searching these forums for a couple weeks and tried several solutions, but none have worked out. Here's a list of symptoms and attempted solutions:

When playing games with the AC plugged in, the screen will go blank, and most of the time it tries to restart itself. Sometimes it hangs on a black screen and I have to manually power down. When I run on battery, the voltage runs low at .8V and does not experience any problems.

Cleaned vents & fans, updated drivers (BIOS, GPU, vBIOS)
no improvement
Alienware M17x R3 - NVIDIA 580m GTX low performance, low frame per second, throttle on games or 3D applications | Dell
Installed HWinfo and cranked up the fan speed
no improvement
http://forum.notebookreview.com/ali...e-fixing-m17x-r3-580m-thermal-throttling.html
Flashed a modified BIOS
worked for a day, then it seemed like shut downs occurred even more frequently (before the GPU temp even approached any relevant thresholds)
http://forum.notebookreview.com/ali...throtting-fix-no-need-modify-system-bios.html

I then noticed that my computer is not recognizing an integrated graphics card, so when it is attempting to throttle down the 580, it is switching to an integrated GPU that isn't there

I removed the GPU to "force" the system to recognize the integrated card, but it failed. I got 8 beeps.
http://forum.notebookreview.com/alienware-m17x/692916-m17xr3-gtx560m-poor-performance-2.html
seems like the 8 beeps thing is supposed to be an LCD failure, but others with similar experiences and my obviously working screen say otherwise
M17x R3 no pre boot. 8 beeps over and over - Alienware Forum - Alienware Club - Dell Community
Alienware M17x R3 BLack Screen With 8 Beeps - Alienware Forum - Alienware Club - Dell Community

At this point I am stuck. I think that this is either a firmware problem, or the integrated graphics is dead. The abundance of similar posts and symptoms tells me that this is not entirely uncommon, so if anyone is able to offer any more solutions I would appreciate it. Also, this unit is not under warranty because it was a replacement of another unit that took 4 months of phone calls and boxes to/from the depot before they pronounced it a lemon. How much does Dell / AW support charge to fix this? It sucks that they replaced my unit with an obviously defective configuration, but I'd be willing to pay at this point just to have a working laptop

 

Hi Gotsakana,

I have been having similar problems with my M17xR3 GTX580m. When your screen turns black do the lights stay on and the sound hang/loop or buzz? If so, please take a look at my topic:

http://forum.notebookreview.com/alienware-m17x/696204-m17xr3-freezing-while-gaming-no-bsod.html

This has some of the troubleshooting that I have done and people have suggested. Since your problem seems similar to mine it might be worth a shot to try some. One thing you could try is to reset the BIOS to default settings? I saw you flashed a modded BIOS so that might now be possible. I have no experience with using modded BIOS's so please get someone else with experience idea on this before trying it.

For my problem which sounds similar to yours, Dell determined that the best option was to replace the GPU. I'm getting it worked on tomorrow and will let you know if the change fixes the crashes.

Now one question I have is how is it not under warranty? If they give you a replacement for a defective unit doesn't it come with any warranty?? And the replacement is defective then they should answer for that. Not fair in my book.

Hope this helps! Let us know what happens!

-Matt

 

Gotta ask the same question: Have dell refused you warranty because it is a replacement for a fully warrantied machine?

This is just wrong. When I had my R3 replaced 6 months in I pointed out that I had not been able to use it fully for 4 months in total, they said that normally the outstanding period would be transferred to the replacement (I got a new one) but they gave me a full copy of my warranty options to start from the delivery date of the replacement. I know they went the extra mile but at a minimum you should still be able to get hardware support.

I say this because you have tried a lot of the things I have read about. Did you default your bios before taking out the 580? Also, just checking, you don't have the 120hz model?

Sounding like a seriously expensive problem to track down and you need dell to start replacing parts...

 

There are two things that I did that permanently cured my graphics problems. One, disabled the integrated intel graphics (a couple of games weren't switching to the 580 automatically) and then I rolled back to the old drivers, 296.10 or whatever it was. the new 3XX drivers would cause random no-BSOD crashes while gaming.

Not sure if it's relevant for you but hope it helps

 

Thanks for the replies, although I probably just need to get in touch with Dell and work out a solution involving hardware replacement at this point (even if I have to pay)

MJD, I saw your thread and I have tried flashing old & new BIOS versions with no noticeable results.

Micky, I don't know what to say about the whole warranty thing. It sucks but there's not much I can do besides call and complain

Amroth, I can't disable the integrated GPU because it is not even being recognized by the computer for some reason.


I'll call Dell and see if they can work something out with paying to extend the warranty or whatever

 

Good luck man, what country are you in, and have you checked that they didn't give you a 120hz display because the iGPU is not commented on those models?

 

it's been a while but I have had some health issues that I've had to deal with first, and I saw there are still other posts regarding problems with the 580m. At this point the computer won't even start, just gives me the 8 beeps. Would Dell perform troubleshooting and replacement service even if it is not under warranty? I'd be willing to pay... assuming it's not going to cost as much as a new computer