GPU temp problem. Need help please

I have a Dell m17x with dual 260m's and while playing games the gpus are consistently hitting 95ºC+. I know the cause of the high temperatures is the fans are not kicking in. I know they work because they spin up when the laptop POSTs, but they do not spin up in game. Is this a driver issue or a bad bios flash as I just flashed to the A03 bios. I am using the 197.16 driver from Nvidia's website.

 

I would get your fans replaced. My 4870s got to 104 all the time, and then I got new fans and they never break 65 under load.

 

Was it like this before the bios flash?

 

Before the flash the fans worked like a charm temps never got above 67-68C. Now the cards can get as high as 110C until the game starts stuttering and crashes.

 

Then I'd guess a bad flash. Try flashing back to your previous bios and see if that fixes it. If it does, try flashing to A03 again.

 

Re-flash the BIOS again

 

Re-flashed the bios and the problem is still the same. the gpu fans are pushing a little air but no where near where they should be. Its like the fans are not being switched to 100% by whatever controls their speed on this laptop. The fans and such are devoid of dust. I really do not want the techs to come out and mess with my laptop again. A while back my MoBo crapped out on me and the tech that came to replace it ruined the laptop chassis and left screws out; not to mention the laptop still would not turn on. Finally got it sent to dell and they replaced the MoBo again and fixed all the damage the tech caused. This whole process took over two months so I would like to resolve this myself at all costs.

 

Sorry browser locked up and submitted the last post twice.

 

Have you tried the power drain?

 

Fixed. I flashed back to the original A00 bios and now they work fine again.

 

Now try downloading and burning a new BIOS A03 disc. Try flashing again to see if it is still messed up.

 

I tried downloading a new A03 bios and flashing back to the newer one but then the fans stop working again. This time the cpu fan also stopped working and I had to underclock the processor to get into windows to flash back to A00. Idk if this is a issue with dell's bios or my configuration. I did notice when flashing the A03 bios it skipped writing the second block onto the bios. It went from writing block 3 to writing block 1. All the other blocks were written to except that one but it still said it was a successful flash. I'm curious as to why this bios causes my fans to become inoperable.

 

Hmm, perhaps someone who has this new bios can help with the block
skipping problem. Something is definitely not right with that bios though imo.

 

Gahh.. Now the fans are messing up on both A00 and A03. The cpu fan is working properly but the gpu fans still won't kick in even when temps are hitting 95C+ on furmark. I'm afraid this is going to do permanent damage to my gpus with them operating at such a high temperature..

 

As much as I hate saying this, it's time to call Dell's technical support again. Sucks I know, but this isn't worth the headache.

 

I guess it is time to open the gates of hell again. I just love dealing with stupid questions, pointless instructions, and the general lack of competency of the Dell technical support people. It takes them hours to finally come to the conclusion that it needs to be sent back for repairs. Oh well guess I'm going to have to get by another two months without my baby again. I thank you for all your help trying to fix this. I wish Dell technical support was more like this forum.

 

How many times have you had the laptop fixed? I would just demand an all new replacement by escalating the problem. Tell them you can't part with the laptop again.

 

The motherboard has been replaced twice and the bottom chassis and palm rest have been replaced. I just uninstalled the display drivers and wiped the drivers for the GPUs completely. Then, I reinstalled the drivers and now the fans are working correctly even on the new bios. Temperatures max out at 77C before the fans go to full speed and then the temps. stabilize at 72C. I'm worried the cards are permanently damaged though as I had been gaming on the laptop for a while until I figured out the cards were overheating.

 

Nah the cards will cause the system to shut off I believe before any permanent damage can be done. Glad you got things to work, now away with the headaches and enjoy the system!

 

Hopefully I will have no more issues. I love this laptop it is so so fast and I hate parting with it haha.

 

Sorry to hear about your problems..I would look at getting replacement.. Seems like sensor/hardware failure if this happening...