anyone got a spare GPU (m17xr3)

Dell wants way too much cash for these (400!)

anyone upgraded to a 580/6970 or something and have their old GPU to sell?

 

Try here

NBR Marketplace

 

looked around there but for the 460m and 6870m which is really what i need (due to cost, and im not sure if it will even fix the machine), most of the posts are from 2011 :/

 

What's wrong with your machine?

 

i don't know , but i assume the gpu, it does the 8 code beeps, lcd comes on but blackscreen, tried disconnecting lcd, using alternate monitor, reset cmos, blind flashed bios, still 8 code beeps. I'm not sure if a new gpu will even fix it since it never overheated , wasnt jostled , it just didnt turn on after sitting on my desk all day.

I guess im really looking for a 460m, since its the cheapest i can use to diagnose the machine.

 

at the very least you should pull the GPU and just boot on integrated graphics. That way you know for sure its the GPU. I do happen to have a 460m in a box somewhere though.

 

When my first 680m arrived DOA i had 6 beeps not 8. According to this link My Alienware Computer is not showing image and is beeping (No POST Beep Codes Table) | Dell US 8 beeps is an LCD failure. I would try what bigtonyman said and remove the gpu and see if it will boot on the integrated graphics first.

 

i tried that already, someone told me here that it wouldn't boot on the integrated gxf since the bios is set to default to the dgpu (it was the same 8 short beeps without the gpu). It had a 6870m in it and CCC enduro never worked( the drivers just wouldnt install it ), its an old r3 from late 2010 or so, i figure the only way i can know for sure it isnt the gpu is trying another one? i figured booting without the gpu in it, and with the lcd unplugged (with vga plugged into a monitor) kind of makes me think its fubar, which bothers me immensely since i took great care to keep it dust free, never bumped it, doesnt have a scratch on it

 

Try a bios reset. Unplug the wall charger and pull the main battery and CMOS battery. Then hold the power button for 30 seconds and see if it will boot. If it doesn't, leave it with the CMOS and everything else out for a couple hours and see if that helps.

 

I did that :/ then when that didn't work i blind flashed the bios with a usb ><, stays the same

 

Then it might be the LCD. You should be able to boot off the igpu if you successfully reset the bios.

 

just did reset cmos again and it was 5 beeps which is normal for cmos reset, but now it is 2 beeps, memory? , tried alternating each stick of hyperx, no luck. tried og stock ram and 2 beeps still. This is actually how it first started (2 beeps), but then it transitioned to 8 beeps

 

have you tried different slots? Could be a bad ram slot. Weird how you're getting all these errors.

 

yea, totally out of the blue one day, computer hadnt even moved in days or been stressed in a week (games etc). when it started it was 2 beeps so i took the ram out and put it back in, then it was 8 beeps so then i did all the rest of the stuff, now its back to 2 after all this crap.

theres a steel plate that over the 3rd and 4th ram slots that i don't seem to be able to get off, the screws are tight beyond reason.

 

they probably have locktite on them if you haven't removed that plate before, Make sure you don't strip the screws out.

 

yea thats why i'm holding off, i need to find a better fitting driver with a wider handle for leverage, before i start to rage out (because I'm going to assume it still wont work lol). i would saw it off but then metal flakes would go in, maybe sheet metal cutting snippers? for now im going to have a smoke and just rest assured that my Sager will be here next week, and keep diddling on my work Airbook. thanks for the advice though, I'm sure ill be back to you to let you know how it goes. (i havnt touched the m17xr3 after the first day of troubleshooting it last week, then i put it in a box where i couldnt see it after removing its drives for my docs)

even looking at its huge power brick on my floor offends me at this point

So I got into those 3rd /4th ram slots, with a power drill (wasnt too bad on it), still doesnt recognize the ram (2 beeps) so... i try to flash the bios again, and then just sell the parts on Ebay at this point? think i can get a few bucks for the gpu and heatsink at any rate.

Wish i knew what the hell happened, phantom motherboard failure?

 

sounds like the mobo went out. Sorry to hear man, but thats all I can really think of at this point.

 

well thanks for stopping me wasting more time on ebay trying to get a gpu, im pretty sure you are right since it started with 2 beeps at first and only went onto 8 beeps after i did a breakdown/ reassembled, i was hopeful that the mem beep was just a fluke but pretty sure thats not the case now.

I'll keep my fingers crossed for your m17xr3. My good friends m15x mobo went out right after his warranty was up too, and probably took his gpu with it. I was hoping I could get this running so I could let him have it, so his starcraft 2 skills don't decline too much since he will pretty much never be able to afford another one (he was close to GM).

 

Ironically I've already had my r3 mobo and a bunch of other stuff replaced under warrenty over the years that i've had it. My warrenty expired in Apirl however, and so far so good. Just hope it lasts till I get another gaming laptop or desktop built.

 

I have a nvidia gtx675m with heatsink and thermal pads for sale it came out of my Alienware M17x r4 its only 4 months old. Only light use for 3 month then boxed by dell technician when he upgraded 675 to HD7970m inbox me if your intrested I'm selling for a reasonable price

 

Do you still have the 675?

 

Yes I still have it,message me if you are interested