SPI Programmer for 5870m from G73jh

Hey NBR!
I just became one of the many here who bricked their G73jh due to GSOD and vbios. And as many, tried to do research and try to get it back up and running. Going from jmhdj post (I would PM him, but NBR isnt letting me), he flash a chip called Pm25LV010 and got it working again. So my question is how do I perform this task?

This is my story on how I bricked mine: I updated the vbios and ran ccc 10.8 and everything ran great. Then recently, I been getting random freeze within 5 to 10 mins of a game (CoD4). Each time, I always have to reset it by holding down the power button. It went on for 3 weeks. It only happened when I started a game, but never when I do anything else on the notebook. I dont game alot so it didnt really bother me (hint: on how it went on for 3 weeks). Of course, it happened again, but this time my G73 wont display anything. Fan, keyboard, num & cap key, blue bar light all works, but nothing on screen.

I already tried the blind flash, reset button on bottom, checked all cable seated right, reseated ram, run with out gpu, reseated cpu, reseated cmos battery...you name it. I even thought about getting a different 5870m, but $300 is a bit much.

Help would be greatly appreciated. If not, then its ok. Ill be using my old G72gx for the mean time.

 

Does the system start up, does the HDD light blink like it's starting windows?

To use a SPI eeprom programmer you need to remove the BIOS chip from the GPU card and put it into the socket on the programmer. Then you use its bundled software to reflash the VBIOS onto it.

 

If it starts freezing in game like that for me, that's because my OC is too high. Mine is stable at 800/1100 for whatever game I try. But some games it's not stable at 825/1125 and it will freeze, which I can get out of by quickly opening up task manager, ctrl alt del. Reducing it down to 800/1100 will prevent it from freezing again.

Are you OC'ing your GFx? This isn't related to heat, it's just unstable. At least on my machine it is.

 

I have quite some of these chips laying around here, I can program one with the VBIOS and ship it you (for a little fee), then you'd only need to do the soldering. Or you can send me your card and I reflash it and I ship the card back.

 

If anyone can do it it's you hehe. After all, you you raised a 6970m from the dead.

Hmm, now that i think about it, you now have a zombie m15x .

 

What happened when you run without gpu inside? If you didnt see or hear that Windows loads then problem is not Your gpu.

 

Thanks for the reply guys!

It was never overclock, but it was flashed with a different vbios to obtain ccc 10.8. It was a successful flash. Each time it freeze, it was never really all that hot...just warm.

I kinda understand how SPI works, but just not sure how to flash the vbios once I connect the chip to the programmer.

It just keep running and nothing more. Both fans kick on full blast after 2 minutes of being on. HDD light is active. I have an SSD in it so cant hear it running.

jmhdj- I tried it with out the gpu and its the same. If your saying its not the gpu, then what is it? I made sure all (I do mean all) cable are connected correctly.

Right now it is in pieces til I figure out what to do with it...

I made take your svl7 offer and send it to you.

 

Maybe it really was a bad flash then. If your laptop was freezing like that so you have to force shut it down, that means it's unstable. A bad vBios can do that, and it may not seem so, until you stress the GPU like gaming.

I know this, because I've had successful vBIOS flash, while I was experimenting with the vBios a lot last year and had it where it booted up, OD was, things seemed ok but it was unstable when I stressed it.

 

If that was the case, then why was it running just fine for 2 months?

 

If I were to take a guess, this is the string of events that happened:
You flashed, things were great, for a few months.
Thermal paste starts to degrade (the stock paste is known to do this).
Now you're experiencing issues with the laptop displaying anything.
It may be a bad flash, but it could be a straight-up damaged card.

That also being said, have you disassembled the thing and looked to see if everything is seated correctly? I mean, completely pulled it apart. You say you did, but double check. I'm not buying in to this being a bad flash.

 

I am bit confused With Your answer. But this is how was With me when I bad flashed my vbios: even that atiflash said that it flashed succesfully Laptop was dead from NeXT boot, With gpu asembled in Laptop it wouldnt post, without gpu it would work like normally but nothing is show on display of course, only one more thing that was different without gpu inside was that fans blow constant at around max speed.

 

Yes, I took this thing apart many time and triple check every cable. For the thermal paste, I re-did mine when I first got it. I brought it second hand. While I was in there, I also clean out the fan heat sink (it was quite dirty). Thanks for your input Toxicaru. If only I can have another g73 too test each part with...sign

jmhdj - I will try to run it again without the gpu later tonight. Ill be running it with out anything connect to it but the display, blue bar, webcam, both fan, one stick of ram. Ill post result soon.

Ok, the result: First the layout I have it in. I have the motherboard without the case. I connected the lcd, both fans, keyboard, speakers, hard drive, and one stick of ram in the white slot. This is running without the gpu. On press of the power button, both fan kick on at full blast. Hard drive is running and can hear accessing from it for a short time. Nothing on display of course. Nothing comes on from speakers either. I let it run for about 5 minutes. On press of the power button to turn it off did not work. Instead, I turn it off with the reset button on the bottom.

Another test I did: Same layout with gpu connected. Just the cpu fan came on for a second when I pressed the power button, then turns on like normal after 3 second. Pressed the power button again, and it turns off like normal. Nothing was on display of course. Gpu fan never turns on. I pressed the f1 key to continue just in case it asking me that.

Im still pointing finger at gpu. Any idea anyone?

 

Its proofed now that its gpu. Only remaining question is, if vbios somehow got corrupt after so many days from flashing it. But it has same simptoms of mine bad vbios flash.
Good Luck

 

Thank you for your input. I will go contact svl7 for the chip now. I hope this work...Otherwise, Ill just sell it for parts. And if it does work, Ill sell the laptop so I dont have to deal with this again. My alienware m11x been working great so I may just get another alienware. m14x or m15x? Or maybe m17x. m18x is too big.

 

Wish you Luck in any way .....

 

Yeah, I hate to say it, but I'm not buying into this being a bad flash. Once a vBIOS is written to the chip and boots, I don't see how the vBIOS chip will ever lose that information. Bricking a card due to a vBIOS flash usually occurs on the first boot after the flash.

Once a card has been running with a vBIOS for any period of time, if it stops working to me that says the card itself is damaged. You can get a new vBIOS chip, but I'd probably look to get another ATI 5870 card to replace the one that's in there. Chastity's OD2 vBIOS is the one that pretty much everyone here is running, and it appears to be the least problematic.

 

I would be inclined to agree. A vBIOS flash is kinda all or nothing, if it works, it works, if it doesn't, it doesn't. It'll never work for a few months then fail.

 

Update to my situation: I asked svl7 for helped, but decided to take matter to my own hands and try out the spi eeprom programmer. I decided this so that I can learn for future use. I got the programmer (Williem pcb50) yesterday and now I need an adapter for SOIC8 chip. I ordered that today and its coming from China...another 2-3 weeks wait...

Anyway, luck was on my side today when I found another g73jh. Got it for $580 on craigslist. I took that thing apart so fast when I got it home!! To test what was the problem to my old g73jh, I did a swop with working/non working parts and it turns out to be indeed the video card!! The motherboard is fine.

Now to wait for the adapter to reflash the vbios. For not im gonna resell the working g73jh.

 

hey I was searching for this thread , what spi programmer did you buy??
and what soic8 adapter did you buy please hel me , I have the same problem but just today I saw this thread and Im having the same symtoms as yours.