Problem with alienware M17x r2

I was testing my new alienware r4 7970 vs the old r2 one, with 5870 crossfire.
I realised that the r2 has a big drop on performance, when i try to find out the cause, i discover that it says that the crossfire cable isnt present, but it recognized both 5870 cards. Anyone knows why it is due to? Any possible solution?

 

The ribbon cable may not be installed crooked or not pushed in all the way. The cable may also have been folded or creased which breaks the little copper wires inside. Try reseating the cable on both ends and see if that resolves it.

 

Is there any tutorial or something to open computer, never tryed so far. Also, in case the cable is damaged, is there any way to get a replacement?

 

Download the R2's service manual here. You need to remove the back compartment door, then the central command cover, and finally the keyboard to get to the crossfire ribbon cable. It should have a white sticker with a part number on it that you can search for on google or eBay for a replacement.

 

I,m running bad. Now i realised that touchpad inst working either. I thought that it Was diablead. But wasnt that. Anyone knows what is gong on?

 

Again. Ribbon cable. I had a tech come out at replcace the optical drive, he ended up creasing the touchpad's ribbon cable. He ordered a new cable, AND DID IT AGAIN TO THE NEW CABLE! It might also be the cable it facing the worng way in the slot, or its crooked or not pushed in all the way. Here's your Crossfire cable if you end up needing one.

 

Well, i opened the alienware r2, and the touchpad cable was broken on the very on ed of it, (plastic was damaged, and is impossible to plug it again). Is there any way to purchase a replacement cable for the touchpad? the one joining the motherboard and the pad.
For the crossfire cable, is a more weird one. The cable looks ok, no tangles or broken part, i unplugged and plugged both sides, but the computer remains saying that there is no cable plugged on both sides, but both cards are recognized well.
Do u have any advice on the crossfire problem? does it work paying the cable price, (which is a rip off imo), not knowing for sure that the problem is there?

 

An ohmeter and some very pointy test leads will tell you if there are any breaks in the copper filaments of the cable.

 

really hard to touch the connections with the ohmmeter tester, but i will try. For the touchpad cable is there any possible solution?

 

I know. I took an old pair of leads and sharpened the tips to a needle point. That, along with two magnifying glasses and about 2 hours of my time and I found 2 of the filaments had broken.

 

is that cable compatible with the alienware r2 touchpad? Alienware Area-51 D9T Touchpad Flex Ribbon Cable | eBay

 

Nah, that cable doesn't look right. Look for an m17x R2 touchpad and then ask the seller if they have the ribbon cable & are willing to sell it to you.

 

How many pins does the cable has? Can't recall from the back of my head.
I may be able to help you with that.

As for the crossfire problem, it could be a driver issue.
Try this before buying another cable: uninstall your current drivers and install the Dell ones. See if you can enable crossfire with them.

 

It should have like 12-13 pins...they're really small. Proto, didn't you say you uninstalled & reinstalled the drivers already? If you did, did you use the Dell drivers for the reinstall?

 

You're right, it's 12 and for the touch panel it's 16.

 

Yeah, i have done a fresh installation on windows 7, but installing 12.4 drivers directly.
Just isntalled the old dell drivers, and the problem persist. I think i will swap gpus, in order to check both are working properly, just in case the slave one is faulty.

 

Yeah, swap 'em around and check n' see. I've taken apart (& rebuilt) a few different AW notebook for friends (including my own) and I gotta tell ya, out of all the ribbon cables, the touchpad ones is the most flimsy. The one that connects the power switch to the MB in the R1/R2's ain't that great either, but at least that one sits flat without having to slide it carefully into its niche. The Crossfire cables (at least the R2 & R3's) seem pretty sturdy as long as you don't pull out the bends it them. That's why I say test it with an ohmeter before you go buying a new one.

 

Jebus christ - how do these people get employed as techs in the first place?

 

Well, i tested both 5870 cards alone, with 3d mark vantage test, and both give the same result, around 8900 gpu points.
So i afraid the problem is the cable. Also i tried to scratch the touchpad ribbon and trying to plug it there, but was unsuccessful.
Anyone knows a way to repair a ribbon? i have been looking for it all the morning, and wasn't able to find it. Also called dell.
Would be grateful to someone telling me a cheap place to buy both cables, because in spite of having the new machine, i would like to keep that functional.

Finally i solved the touchpad issue. Y cut again the cable, and then scratched it again, now with more care, and the touchpad is back to life.
In the other hand, i used the ohmmeter on the crossfire cable, and 2 or 3, not completely sure, because was very hard to aim, were broken, but the first one, was broken for sure, (the more likely to broke, and the easiest to test.
So i need to find out were i can get a cheap crossfire cable.

 

Uhh, your last post didn't make too much sense. I get that you got the touchpad issue resolved and need to find a cheap crossfire cable. Everything in the middle was kind of garbled.

Coffee, coffee, coffee, coffee, coffee, coffee...coffee!

You know the old saying, "Fool me once, shame on you, fool me twice, shame on me". I know the touchpad cable can be a pain, but after both times the guy just scratched his head and "well I don't know what's going on, it's a new cable...must be the touchpad is broken". Needless to say, I WILL NOT be renewing my warranty unless Dell uses someone other than Worldwide Tech Svcs to service my area.

 

Lol, im doomed, now i think that the ribbon wich connects mobo and touch panel got broken too, because the computer starts when pressed, but none light on the touch panel or in the alien logo.

 

Check if it's physically broken and let me know.

 

I will do. Let me an hour.

 

Nope! No, don't go crazy now. That's happened to me several times before. I found that unplugging, and replugging the touch panel ribbon cable fixed it. Its very finicky. It needs to be plugged in very straight and even. If it's just a little bit off, the lights don't work, or the power button doesn't work. I've always just reseated the cable and it works fine then. Make sure to unplug and realign the cable on both the touch panel and MB ends. Sometimes if you pull it a little bit when installing the touch panel, the MB end gets crooked. Unplug and realign it and try again.

 

I have tryed several times, but there is no way to make lights back, the cable is a bit bend at the end, so i think that the cable is deffective.

 

Check the cable with an ohmeter.

 

as i did with the touchpad cable, i managed to fix the touchpanel cable, the crossfire cable is the one i cant see a way to fix it, i think i will need to purchase one

 

check the link I posted on page 1. That's a crossfire cable but I'm not sure if its the correct length, etc. for the R2