***M18x - AMD Crossfire (Driver Questions, Performance, Problems) Discussion Thread***

Put a check mark in the settings to synchronize the GPUs in Afterburner settings. Don't adjust the cards independently. Check to make sure you did not accidentally miss changing one of the EnableULPS DWORD values to zero in the registry. It's easy to miss one. You have to redo this every time you run the Catalyst setup program or update drivers because doing that changes them all back to defaults.

 

Hey guys,

So i recently did I bios upgrade. Everything has been fine until I switched to Crossfire mode in CCC. Once I did this, I got a black screen and continue to once in windows.
I've tried re-installing the drivers but no go and currently have them disabled.
Do you think its a bios problem? Should I switch back to the previous BIOS? or is there another fix?

UPDATE: changing Bios again hasn't changed anything

 

You have upgraded motherboard bios version to A03?

 

Sure have. Please tell me you know a fix :/

 

I also upgraded my mobo bios to A03 but didn't had such issues. Try to uninstall current drivers with ATI express uninstall utility then completely remove drivers using driver sweeper in safe mode, then install 8.973 drivers from dell (in M17x R4 section).

 

I'll try those drivers now - they are dling... I have a bad feel the 7970's have crapped themselves

 

Ok. Problem fixed. For some reason it was outputting to my tv through the hdmi.
Talk about scary. I was 99% sure the 7970's were toast.

Mods Appologies - This thread can be closed

 

Nah, that's very highly unlikely. Especially since it began after a SBIOS update. Heihachi88's suggestion, or some form of it, will probably fix your issues. Sometimes weird stuff like this happens.

EDIT: Nevermind, I just saw your last post. Glad you got it fixed.

 

Hi, I seem to have fixed the problem, it is working now. Thanks a lot!

 

I'll be doing a Windows 7 clean install.My first time using xfire.What drivers skould i install, the ones on the Dell website or the latest ones? I heard the 12.5 beta 8.970 were pretty good.

 

Would dell modify upcoming 12.9 beta driver?

 

12.7b, 12.7b hotfix and 12.8 are the best drivers for the 7970M CrossFire setup in my experience. The 12.5 drivers have issues with anomalies in games, even with the CAP files installed. Batman AC and AA, Skyrim and other games perform like crap with lots of screen tearing, twitching, flickering, studdering and artifacts. The 12.7 variants and 12.8 with the latest CAP don't have those problems, but they still have some issues. Adobe CS apps and Firefox crash using all of them.

None of the modded Catalyst from third party web sites work any better than the drivers from AMD and most of them perform noticeably worse for me than the official Catalyst packages from AMD.

 

after using my laptop for several days I found it very stable using 12.8 from AMD website. I play GW2, Dota 2 and Sleeping dogs. I haven't seen any crash or BSOD yet.

 

can verify that AMD 12.8 are the most stable when it comes to gaming. benching and FPS is a different matter.
firefox still crashes but since disabling hardware acceleration it has stopped.

 

Hi guys!

Need your expertise ^^

I was overclocking my 7970m cards and everything is going fine, but when i sheck GPU shark (Thats the name right?)

Is says that the first card has 0.975V in performance mode while the second have 0.950V, I have noticed that my screen start flickering sometimes when i apply my overclock, but when i reset and aply OC again it stops :S
Maby i should flash my 7970m with the 1.00V Vbios?

Any advice would be great =)

Regards: Marcus O

<------- Pic of afterburner, Gpu shark

P.s Any tips where i can find the Vbios with 1.00V and how to do the flash would be great!

 

I was just curious if any of you guys overvolt your 7970m.Personally I wouldn't do it but I know there are a lot of guys who do.

 

Hi Harlon21. I moved your post into the thread intended for discussing most things related to AMD, like your question about over-volting. Done in moderation it causes no harm. It's not necessary for playing games at stock clock speeds. There is no reason to over-volt except for chasing overclocked benchmark numbers. You cannot overclock very much on stock voltage or the system will freeze. Most video cards have a reference voltage that is below what they are capable of safely operating at.

Tazadar - it seems to be a fairly common thing with the incorrect voltage readings on 7970M video cards. A number of people have observed the same problem, but not all of them have that problem. I received a replacement pair of 7970M that had numerous issues, and that was one of them. Changing the voltage might fix your flickering while overclocking. It might correct the out-of-spec voltage you are seeing. You will need to test it and see. Using 1.0v is totally safe and reasonable. In fact, 1.0v is BELOW spec. To run within reference specs, your GPUs should be at 1.05v in 3D mode, so there is a good chance that raising it to stock voltage may fix your flickering problem. If increasing the voltage to what it should be does not help or makes it worse, you may need to have your video cards replaced. If they work correctly at stock speeds, it's unlikely that replacing them will be possible under warranty because there is no guarantee of usability where overclocking is concerned. There is quite a variance in stability among mobile AMD graphics cards. The product quality has been very inconsistent since the 6900M series. Some overclock like crazy and others not even a little bit, but most fall somewhere in a range of none to a lot.

The only basis for replacing your video cards would be the voltage being out-of-spec or not functioning properly at reference core, memory and voltage values. You do not need to find another vBIOS to change the voltage. You only need to use svl7's vBIOS Patcher to mod your own. Be sure to save a backup of the original before you start.

 

Thanks for the good info Mr. Fox

 

Is this normal?? memory and voltage of gpu 2 at idle.

update: After playing and exiting everything went back to normal
PS: I dont have any problem.

 

Thanks alot for the info Mr Fox

Were can i find this Vbios mod? =)

Must i register on svl7 site or can someone send it to me?

regards! Marcus

 

i just passed 2 week with tech support ... i must say its very hard for a computer tech to play with dell support ... saying this like use your system like this and call us back if problem persist .... last person toad me to use system in safe mode. .. that is IT.

anybody can help me with those 7970m freezing while watching youtube? , i have hardware acceleration off , and i tried all drivers. now im using the dell one with amd cap. this is aggravating me.. if i was rich enouf i would trow this laptop trough DELL HQ windows.

 

Hello,

So my M18x R2 finally arrived and I'm happy with it for the most part however there have been a couple of times now.. was in the Sound Blaster control panel with only winamp and firefox open when I get a windows alert that my AMD display driver has stopped responding and recovered.

Any help would be appreciated. Thanks

On a side note, everything is stock for drivers...

**Update**
Since nobody really seems to be offering up anything I suppose I'll try ripping out the Dell 7970m drivers and go with fresh AMD 7970m drivers and see what happens.

 

Have you done a clean install when upgrading your drivers?- Going into Safe mode and using Driver Sweeper to remove the remains, then CCCleaner to fix your Registry files. Try the 12.8 driver too. Also turning off 'hardware acceleration' as you've done should definitely be a win.
Those Dell drivers are garbage and my AW would freeze using Firefox alot with them.
I hope things work out for you

 

i did clean install on new SSD , i append to have a couple around and every time i clean install i would just do it on a new ssd and try it until it freeze. it only freeze watching youtube and on website with flash/java stuff... never in game. still its annoying as hell at work

 

Hi sy5tem,

It sounds like it could be related to this.

 

If I am installing a Cpu and H.S. when dissassembling I don't need to remove the XFire cable right?

 

That is incorrect. You must remove the CrossFire or SLI bridge cable to remove the palm rest, which must also be removed to access the CPU. The bridge cable is on top of the palm rest and spans the distance between the GPUs. The CPU is situated between the GPU's, underneath the palm rest. To replace the CPU, follow the instructions in the service manual. (On the M18x R2, the Owner's Manual and Service Manual are the same document.)

In addition to a number of teardown videos that you can watch, a link to the documentation is in the opening post of the M18x Owner's Lounge. In summary, to access the CPU, the following parts are removed or disconnected...

• Battery
• Bottom cover
• HDD caddy
• WIFI antenna
• Keyboard bezel/control panel
• Keyboard/TactX keys
• LCD assembly
• CF/SLI bridge cable
• Palm rest assembly

 

Thanks for the heads up. You feel like taking a ride tomorrow Mr.Fox. I'll even serve lunch

 

LOL, feel free to send me a PM if you need some help... I never turn down a free lunch. But, depending on where you are, the gas money might be a deal breaker.

 

You might need a couple days and a few tanks of gas cause I live a couple thousand miles from N.M.. I'm sure I'll be alright with all the resources you gave me.Thanks

 

12.9 cap 1 is out

 

Have you tried it?

 

I installed it and played some WoW-MoP but havent noticed any changes ...
Performance can vary a lot for not apparent reason with everything maxed and 4x SSAA I get from ~35 to 60 fps in the new zone but most of the time I'm over 50 and often at 60 (w/ vsync).

I'm running the 32 bit client since for some reason I get better performance then with the 64 bit one. (I have not tried 64 bit since 12.9 cap 1 yet, I'll give it a try tomorow)

 

12.9 offical beta is out on AMD website

 

Installed 12.9 official beta and they seem to run great, didnt loose performance like I had with latest unofficial beta(had ~-10% in 3dmark11).

 

I find it fairly uncommon to get good results from the modded unofficial drivers for AMD. They almost always perform poorly or introduce problems. The official drivers from AMD do not always perform well, but they normally do not cause new problems for me like the unofficial mods frequently seem to.

 

Gents I tried to search but I must be wording it wrong as I can not find the answer. How do I mod the 12.9 beta driver to install on our M18x. Im getting the inf failure error.

 

Ok, so now Ive got the new 12.9 driver installed but the catylst program isnt working. ideas?

 

Re-install the drivers, but just install the CCP this go round.

 

After numerous time performing a driver sweep and ccleaner in safe mode I got 12.9 to install. In the end I had to perform a system restore to the point before I attempted to install 12.9. I don't mind, chalk it up to learning AMD cards. BF3 still maintains ridiculous high frame rates around 120 fps. Crysis 2 is around 80 with directx 11 and the high resolution textures installed. I'm really loving this beast! I need a new game though, something to challenge the new rig.

 

hello,

i don't have mcafee netguard. i also ad the problem when i did not have any AV installed.

now im using norton internet security.

thank you anyways ..

 

is their a reason people only overclock to 950 core? cant it go higher?

 

Most cannot. A few can, but some cannot even OC to 950MHz on core. Most can handle 925-935Mhz, but become unstable beyond that point.

Not sure why this question is posted as a brand new thread. Will move it to the "AMD Crossfire (Driver Questions, Performance, Problems) Discussion" thread in case further discussion is desired.

 

personal experience chip to chip is different, so I have had first 7970m wouldn't OC anywhere close 900mhz and also on stock clocks would be unstable even in in idle environment, and later got another 7970m I could OC that one to 1GHz and pass all benchmarks no problem, but that card is long gone with the laptop to new owner so I just remember of my past good experience with 7970m I had. Some are lucky chips and some are not. You should know it must run flawless on stock clocks coz that's what its built for, for whatever extra you make its an optional benefit of luck

 

I've read that the 850 clock is lower than what the card was designed for, what are then real stock clocks?

 

havent heard anything like that

 

Interesting discovery, with the 12.9 driver and window updates the catylyst control center refused to open. I tried running it as administrator and viola, works every time!

 

I'm not too fond of the 12.9 drivers. They causes me some bsod's and grey pinstripe freezes. 12.8 is the shot for me. I haven't found a need to overclock yet except I'm a little curious.

 

I have not heard that it was designed to run at speeds higher than the reference values. Many of them are unstable with a mild overclock. Most seem to work fairly well without overclocking.

FYI - 850/1200 @ 1.05v is stock 7970M spec.

 

Maybe I dreamed it! I'm not a big fan of 12.9 either. 12.8/cap 3 is the best for me.