R4 Black Screen of Death and strange overheating problem

So I was playing Fallout 3 about 2 weeks ago and then boom: my screen went black and I could hear my laptop start to power down. Once it started back up it had all the signs of a BSOD except I never actually saw a BLUE screen, the screen just shut itself off. Ever since then, I get this happening at complete random, it could happen once a day or 3 times in a row in a span of 10 minutes. What seems to guarantee it though is whenever I start some Triple A game up but again, its hard to tell if its at complete random. All hardware tests say that everything is fine. Alien Autopsy says that a certain "Nvidia Geforce GTX 675M driver nvlddmkm.sys appears to have caused a system crash" After reinstalling and updating the driver I had no luck. I completely uninstalled it and even used previous versions from months back and nothing. I did a clean install of windows as well, still nothing. However, I was planning to upgrade my GPU anyways so now I hope I can kill two birds with one stone on this. Also, my warranty expired. What would be the best card to upgrade to?

Specs: Geforce GTX 675M
Intel Core i7-3820QM CPU @ 2.70GHZ
16GB physical memory 32GB max supported
1TB Seagate

And one more important problem: When I put my laptop to sleep or close the lid or even when it shuts down, the lights come back on randomly 15 minutes later or so (except for the alien head behind the screen) and the fans start going max speed and if you heard it it would sound like its trying to run Star Citizen on max settings. When I open it the screen is turned off and theres nothing I can do to get the screen on so I have to turn it off to use it again and stop it from melting. This is concerning since it can happen when I'm at school or something and its like that for hours. So when I come back it has the heat of a supernova. Easily over 65C. Its like my overpriced laptop is TRYING to kill itself.

 

Have you monitored the temperatures?

 

Sorry to say it man but the 675m (and the 580m which is the same card) is a pile of stinking p** ! You're the third I have seen this week! And in recent months at least a dozen of them have died, I have seen. All with similar problems including 'random' BSOD's and blank screens.

Anything can push them over the edge or simply 'time served' and they are dying. If you have warranty then dell know about the problems with this card so replace it without making you do a full reinstall of windows. Last failure was about a month ago and it was a 10 minute call before they sent me a new card (and engineer) next day !

This is where an NV driver gave the card a small overvolt ( http://forum.notebookreview.com/alienware/721878-nvidia-320-18-driver-warning.html) - killing a whole bunch of them. All drivers from this one up to the last two releases did this

Good luck

 

Ah, I noticed. I don't have warranty but I was planning to get a new card anyways. So what would be the best card to upgrade to right now? I wish there was a way to know when certain drivers can just zap your GPU like that

 

Yeah, I posted that warning but NV would not admit the overvolt. In fact, I first saw it at 301 but it was only with the 320.18 that cards started failing.

What was happening is that the boost feature on later cards was kicking in on older ones. I guess NV simply thought such a small voltage hike would not cause problems. I even got flamed for saying a driver can cause hardware failure over in the NV driver forum. Any driver that has access to voltages clearly can burn a card. The NV forum for that driver had dozens of card failures but the fanbois blamed everything (usually user error) but NV,

Anyhoo you do have a great upgrade path, the 680m is fully supported in the R4 and IS a next-gen card that supports auto clock boosting. As long as you do not have a 120hz (3D) display you can also get the AMD... 7970 I think, you'll need to research that, but it is cheaper than the 680m and has similar performance - although I hear of the drivers being a bitc* to install?

Best of luck

 

Generally the temperatures are 55C to 63C when regularly gaming. I never got the chance to measure them when the black screen overheating issue happens since its completely random.

 

Hey Link,

If your pulling those temps normally then I wouldn't be worried about overheating being the problem. As Micky has said it sounds like hardware failure unfortunately

You didn't mention the fan ramp up problem on Reddit , that would almost make me suspect something even beyond the GPU but without replacing the GPU there is really no way I can think of to test it

I think if your worried about upgrade cost and you don't have the 120hz screen your best bet might be a 7970m as those can be found for a little over $300 and will keep up with a 680m , it is also a substantial performance increase over the 675m, like double the performance. It would result in some much improved FPS.

 

Alright thanks. I do indeed have a 120hz screen. So, hypothetically... if price was not too much of a worry what would be one of the best options?

 

See my earlier post! 680m

 

680M should work however the 780M would probably be a better deal overall as you'll be able to OC it more... Its newer also...

 

Newer and better OC sure but price wise it is a lot higher as well. If your fine with the extra price then all the power to you but the 680m will undoubtedly be cheaper and will offer a pretty close level of performance while retaining your 3D capabilities.

 

So if I were to go with the 780M I'd get better FPS and such but no 3D capabilities? If its quite the performance boost then I wouldn't mind giving up 3D even though I liked it. How does it compare to the 7970? Also does a new bracket and heatsink still matter when going for the 780M?

 

the 780m would allow you to retain your 3D as well, the 7970m would lose the 3D capabilities. the 780m does have a little bit better performance the 680m but notuntil you OC it does it really pull away. The 7970m is about equal to the 680m until the 680m is OCed and then the 680m pulls away from the 7970m. You will be looking a new bracket and heatsink no matter which way you go as the heatsink is only a 2 pipe I belive with the 675m whereas the 680/780 are 3 pipe. The 7970m is the cheapest alternative but you lose your 3D and I am not sure if the screen will even work as it is probably a different video cable as well. The easiest option at this point would be the Nvidia GPU route.

 

Actually you will loose 3D with any NV card above the 580m on an R3. Dell have 'fixed' the machine to only work in 3D with the cards sold with the model. I would not reccomend the 580m as is a very poor card and the failure rate is very bad, I've had 4 go on me and as soon as the warranty expires I will get a 680m since on the R4 it is fully supported.

Fitting an amd to a 120hz display model will cause a boot POST failure as only NV cards have the microcode to boot with a native 120hz display.

I recently discovered that you can get 3D back with a higher NV card but only with an external 120 hz (or greater) and use an external emitter from the NV 3D Vision2 kit.

As to the heatsink I have seen a lot of people use the two pipe without any issue, about 3-5C higher

Edit: You MUST get the x-bracket for the card, this sets the heatsink pressure and if the chip is thinner (and they get thinner with each new revision) you will get poor contact and overheating

 

X-bracket for which card? I think I might go with the 780M since I stumbled on a bit more cash recently. Where would I get a heatsink and brackets?

 

I also cannot find 680m or 780m on amazon or local retailers so I was wondering if anybody knows a good place to get them online, I'm in Alberta Canada for reference.

 

I would check the marketplace here in the forums or ebay.

Sent from my SM-N900P using Tapatalk

 

Use the original heatsink but the x bracket from the new card.

Get a pad layout and x-bracket for the new card and you should have the perfect GPU sandwich, no need for a new heatsink

As for where? Sorry no idea, I'd just search around for the x bracket coming with the new card. You want a matched pair for perfect heatsink pressure anyway

 

Ebay is your best bet however someone here on NBR is selling a 780M...

http://forum.notebookreview.com/com...s-uk-gtx-780m-4gb-dell-version-green-pcb.html

 

He has an R4 though so he should be good with the 3D and a 780m no?

 

Did Dell remove the whitelist for the 3d on the R4? If not any card other than the 680M is going to remove any 3d capability.

 

Nah, the R4 only supported up to the 680m for the 120 htz display. The hardware for 3D is coded into the BIOS, - 3D certification. I have no idea what is behind all this certification? I can only think it's something to do with the NV licensing as you get the 3D TV software built into the driver active when the emitter, or possibly something else is detected. This may mean Dell have paid NV for the use with specific hardware? The stereoscopic part of the driver does not show up (so I am told). I do know that the game output to 3D-TV (over HDMI) is a purchasable add-on and it may well be nothing to do with that, but I followed a thread where some guys had installed 120hz displays then used an external emitter kit with glasses sold for desktop builders. It worked great from what I could see.

Using anything higher than a 680m on an R4 and no 3D , but 120hz works, and of course 120hz models do not have the iGPU wired in meaning no BIOS meddling when doing this

 

After running around the city, nobody has parts for a laptop. Any specific heatsink and brackets that I can search for?

 

OK I had a little time. Only one located in Canada and has questions for me. This is US and exactly what you need. NVIDIA GeForce GTX 680M; 4GB; MXM 3.0b; X-bracket; Screws; Thermal Pads, ICD7 | eBay

Even better, same supplier since it says AW but you're paying a premium for exactly the same part (IMO), you still tell them your model to get the correct vBIOS on it . ALIENWARE M17x M18x VGA Upgrade Kit; NVIDIA GTX 680M; 4GB DDR5; MXM 3.0b | eBay

You won't need a modified driver since the R4 is on nvidia's Verde (notebook) program .

Just reuse your heatsink and you're good to go .

 

Oh Hamburgers! I already got a 780M, thanks for searching though. A new heatsink would be nice even if it only helped by 5C. This damn thing can substitute a furnace.

 

Oh well, once you get used to getting the modified inf driver file it's not too much of a drag. But 3D is gone for now

The 680m heatsink is the best you will find for an R4 and you should be able to order the 680m one with all the pads in-place and paste for a reasonable cost from Dell, around $25 USD/£25.00 GBP.

Good Luck

 

What do you mean by getting the modified inf driver file? Is there no 780m heatsink or is the 680m heatsink better in price or something?

 

When you come to update the NV driver a 780 will not be recognised so you have to get a modified driver inf file to allow the install to continue.

I get them from laptopvideo2go and you have to match inf file and driver version. You pick the one you want to try and follow through to the inf. You won't need the driver files as they will already have been expanded under c:\nvidia\... and you just have to track down the inf and replace it with the new one

I was only suggesting a 'best fit' that might improve things. i just put a 680m in mine and I got the heatsink complete with all the pads and x-bracket from Dell. No brain work required - screw it together, put it in.

I didn't even have to re-install the driver

Huge game improvements and temp never goes above 65C.

 

I see, thanks for the info. I would have to get a modified inf file everytime I update the driver? Seems weird, is that a common problem or is it just the way it is?

 

Afraid you will need a new one each time

I've found when I needed the inf (before dell submitted it for inclusion in the Verde (notebook) driver program). Basically, because NV have no control over heat or fans or voltages in laptops they wait until an OEM says 'yes it's good to go'. That way it is only user supported via the OEM (old version).

In the NV releases your machine ID/GPU ID are not there so the install fails. Another thing that would not be needed with a 680m which dell did sell on the R4 sry.

It's so common the website I mentioned even gets some interim releases and is quick; LaptopVideo2Go: Drivers.

Just remember, if dell did not sell a combo you put together you're on your own getting it to work

Dell just sold me a new heatsink and he told me clearly the restrictions, it was listed as an available part but no warranty and I had to return it to original config for support. What does support usually do with graphic issues? - install that old driver that may not be performing at it's best but they know it.

I did also get two video links, assembling the card and heatsink, and removing the card/fan/heatsink so he was very helpful

 

I see, Dell does not have a 680m heatsink apparently, so I'll settle with a 780m heatsink. Theres no catch to this heatsink is there? lol

 

Actually there is! The heatsink is designed for the specific case so R3/R4 are the same. R1/R2, and AW17 will not fit (although a dremel could be your best friend!).

What country are you in? I just got the 680m heatsink off dell next-day here in the UK

 

Canada. So if it doesn't fit with the R1 and R2 then my R4 is fine?

 

Sorry, badly constructed answer there . The only 17 that has a heatsink designed for a 780 is the latest AW. The case has changed so the heatsink will not fit your R4. The 680m heatsink was designed for the R4 although it fits an R3, same case

Hope that helps.

 

hm, I talked with dell and they said that the 780m heatsink SHOULD fit well. I guess we'll see

 

I know that would make a lot of people happy - me included . If you get it could you post pics please?

 

Will do, parts will be in in about a week

 

Great! They told me 10 days and it arrived after 2 .

What was the cost if you don't mind me asking .

 

Around $50 total, as expected. Oooh Caanadaaa

 

Ok its done, forgot pictures though sorry. The problem looked like the moisture on the graphics card. I'm guessing I need new fans, where would I get ones compatible with my laptop? And when I tried updating the video drivers it seemed to work using what you mentioned but Geforve experience and Alien Autopsy list the graphics card as GTX 870M instead, is this alright?

 

Good news. So the AW17 heatsink fits into the R4?

Weird about the reporting of the GPU. What does it say in Device Manager?

Do you hear the fan ramp up when running a benchmark? What game temps are you seeing

 

Yep, it ramped up immediately during Alien Autopsy's stress test and got over 75C, so where could I get better fans?

 

Fans are not going to be the problem. You will see quite a few tips on getting that extra C or so but if it jumps that quick something more basic is going on. Poor fans generally account for a gradual overheat.

1. The heatsink may not be suitable - what was the dell part number?

2. The default pad layout may not be correct - unlikely

3. They have supplied you with the wrong GPU and this has some bearing - although I can't think of one right now!

I'd say take it apart and have a look at the heatsink contact and the pressure points in the pads. A couple of pics would help in figuring it out - oh, did you see what device manager reported as the dGPU?

 

Yup, Device manager listed it as a 870M. I'm having trouble uploading pictures. Not sure what the dell part number is

 

So, we have to assume that that is what they have supplied, but it should still work OK (Dyslexic parts picker?). An opportunity to return it and get either the one you asked for or maybe a 680m? - which is giving similar performance to the 780m and is a much easier replacement in an R4

The heatsink part number will be on the box it arrived in and the dell invoice they sent

You have to upload the pic before selecting it for inclusion - all part of the same process

Good luck.

 

Before I go through the longer process of shipping and waiting for another, I kinda want to make sure this is in fact a different GPU. I kinda had to go out of my way for the name 870M to appear in the first place. When I installed it and booted it up for the first time I tried to get drivers from dell and Nvidia to no avail as mentioned. It seemed like my computer was not recognizing it at all and only after running stuff from that website did it seem to work under the name 870M. So I'm not entirely convinced a wrong GPU is the case. Is there any way to know for sure what GPU I have? If I did somehow get a hold of a 870m would a different heatsink or something help with the major heat problem? I'll try to link some pics soon, maybe I'm an idiot and installed it wrong or something.

 

All I can think of is use DDU ( Display Driver Uninstaller 12.9.4.0) to strip out all current settings, then delete the device in device manager, selecting to delete the files as well. On a restart it should either recognise whatever the hardware actually is or it will show as a generic VGA adaptor. Install the driver using the modified inf (you will need a new one for every version) or better still if the seller has a driver link use that one. If it still says 870m then unless you have messed with a vbios flash that is what you have...

As for why it gets too hot I can't see any reason that the card you have would be any different to the correct one but if I can see pics of it when opened up I might be able to see if there is a problem. I've not seen anyone using an 870m so can't be sure but logically it should be very similar.

You can upload pics directly to posts under the advanced button

I'm still curious about the heatsink you got. Dell supplied it? Where all the pads in-place? Check the invoice for the part description and P/N

 

Before
some humidity got in there
as a result, some got on the 680M
After, I took out the heatsink and lay it to the side of the 780M
The seller said they did not have driver

 

Looking at the last pic a couple of things do not look right. The deep dents in two components but none on the others showing inconsistent contact? The black tape(?) around the core area looks like it is 90 degrees out causing the core to be 'held-off' at the corners. You can just take that tape off, it's only to show the contact area and is not functional - this will account for overheating.

I'll try one more time . Where did the heatsink come from? Who did the padding? It does not look anything like dell padded heatsinks I have seen . I'm trying to confirm that an AW17 heatsink fits into an R3/4 - thanks.

 

My uncle put everything together since he works with computers. I can confirm the heatsink does fit, it's practically identical to the previous factory installed one. I got the heatsink from dell and the GPU off of ebay. I'll remove that black tape and such and see how things run, there should really be a "peel" or something on it if it can damage the gpu if not off...