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    black screen after 7970m installations

    Discussion in 'Alienware M15x' started by nubnub11, Mar 15, 2014.

  1. nubnub11

    nubnub11 Newbie

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    Hi guys, my m15x is displaying a black screen after the installation of my new 7970m

    After booting, I can see the bios page with the alienware logo and the windows start up icon after. The screen then turns blank and I can hear the start up music.

    Does anyone have a solution to this problem? Ive tried reinserting the GPU and doing powerdrain, but that the problem still persists.

    Thanks!
     
    nubnub11, Mar 15, 2014
    #1
  2. fatboyslimerr

    fatboyslimerr Alienware M15x Fanatic

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    Sounds strange. If card was fried then it wouldn't pass POST. Perhaps uninstall all remnants of previous display drivers using old graphics card.
    Also check old graphics card still works to see if you have damaged MXM slot.
     
    fatboyslimerr, Mar 15, 2014
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  3. nubnub11

    nubnub11 Newbie

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    Which driver am I supposed to install for the 7970m? Just the latest version?

    I guess I should clarify that the computer freezes right as the start up music plays after driver installation. However, I am able to enter safe mode without any problem.

    Also, are you supposed to apply thermal pads onto the GPU? Or is would the thermal pads attached to the heat sink suffice? (My old 5850m does not have thermal pads on them)

    thank!
     
    nubnub11, Mar 15, 2014
    #3
  4. fatboyslimerr

    fatboyslimerr Alienware M15x Fanatic

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    Do you have the correct x-bracket for the 7970m? The one from the 5850m does not fit! If you are using the wrong x-bracket it could be shorting a couple of transistors on the back.

    You need thermal paste on the chip and thermal pads on the vram modules. 1mm thermal pads work well for me.

    Latest drivers should be fine.

    Sent from my One S running Kitkat
     
    fatboyslimerr, Mar 15, 2014
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  5. nubnub11

    nubnub11 Newbie

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    Yes, the gpu came with the xbracket on it.

    The mxm slot is fine as the laptop booted up without any problems after I installed my 5850m.

    I thought it might be the driver' problem. The computer freezes right at the window start up music. However, I am able to access the desktop if I reboot after uninstalling the driver.
     
    nubnub11, Mar 16, 2014
    #5
  6. fatboyslimerr

    fatboyslimerr Alienware M15x Fanatic

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    Is the card a dell or at least clevo with dell BIOS? One thing to try is leave 7970M in non-static bag overnight then try to install again. This fixed a black screen and fan issue for me. Are you getting latest mobility drivers from AMD website?

    Sent from my Touchpad using Tapatalk
     
    fatboyslimerr, Mar 16, 2014
    #6
  7. Alienware-Natalia_J

    Alienware-Natalia_J Company Representative

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    This upgrade is not officially supported by Dell, with that being said, it has worked for a lot of people out there, for example, here.
     
    Alienware-Natalia_J, Mar 20, 2014
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  8. Ovenmitt

    Ovenmitt Notebook Guru

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    when you did the upgrade did you have to get a different bracket? I'm upgrading from the 5800 series and wondered if its just a swap, paste, pad and go? Also what part number was on your card, and do you know the difference with 9XVK3 and the 747M2, thanks for the help!!
    Nvidia Quadro / ATI AMD video Card Spreader X Bracket for 675M 680M 7970M 8970M, would that be the bracket I am looking for?
     
    Ovenmitt, Apr 1, 2014
    #8
  9. Alienware-L_Porras

    Alienware-L_Porras Company Representative

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    It seems like the driver is not correctly installed. Have you tried reinstalling it?
     
    Alienware-L_Porras, Apr 2, 2014
    #9