[NW] Upgrade the C90S to a 9600M GT 512MB DDR3 [FIXED!]

If an AC adapter is plugged in, it would draw power from there, not from the battery. Atleast, that's how I've been lead to think!

 

It was a problem the C90s had with the 90w power supply when it had the DDR3 cards or in my case the 8600M DDR2 card. When you gamed and the card was working at full power (while plugged in) the battery would drain until it ran out and then the notebook would switch to power saver mode, the card to 2D clocks and crash the game (or just drop to really really low FPS).

 

.........

timmy112,

No the battery does not drain when the AC adapter is plugged in. The AC adapter just cannot handle the load of running this card, the cpu, gaming, and recharging the battery at the same time. So make sure the battery is charged to avoid possible crashes. Also worth mentioning, this might not be an issue with some less powerful CPUs.

 

As someone has mentioned before. Nightwalker, are you interested in making install kits so we can be lazy and give you some money?

 

Yes, I'm very seriously considering it at this point. I need to stock up on some more copper and various other things needed to do it. Most importantly though, I need the free time I might have a handful made in a few weeks. I'll let you guys know.

 

It'd be great if some of the e-tailers on NBR could find out about availability and pricing for the needed 9600 card. It'd be nice to have a non e-bay source.

I've got some copper sheet stock and a fabrication shop at my disposal so cutting, drilling and counter sinking, and tapping shouldn't be too time consuming. I'm gonna take a look at fab times and costs.

Did you get around to scanning up that template NightWalker?

But of course in all honestly, I'd want to see how my own came out first.

 

Need to order a cable for this 8 year old scanner

 

8 years old scanner? and it still works??? well who am i to talk, i have an old canon c555 all in one...

 

No prob. Perhaps when you've got the time you could measure out the template. No hurry though. Is it fairly symmetrical? It looks like a symmetrical rectangle with two symmetrical rectangles attached.

 

That heatsink just looks wicket!

 

HI,

This could help you about width and length : http://www.notebookcheck.net/Upgrade-Replace-a-Notebook-Video-Card.3236.0.html

@+

 

This is about the heatsink plate dimensions, not the card dimensions. And unfortunately heatsinks are often custom-sized for the particular notebook, which from reading the guide I believe is the case for the C90 as well.

 

Glad to see you finally got it up to full speed NightWalker! Thanks for all your hard work, not a C90S owner myself but know a few people that might find this very useful.

 

Thanks again for the compliments guys!

Sgt. Hollywood,

I'll be ordering that cable tonight so I can scan the template up hopefully soon.

I am currently trying to work on a way to have the fans be controlled by a thermistor that I plan on mounting on the GPU heatspreader. However, that's a post for a different day I suppose. I also have another small performance related surprise coming shortly

 

Nice. The furthest I went in "modding" a computer is exchanging internal parts and swapping them around. I guess I'm not enough of an engineer... :sigh:

 

ahah...reminds me of the time i electrified a rez vibration unit. my girlfriend was NOT pleased...i was actually just supposed to replace the motor that died. well, i did that too. rez is a ps2 game btw and not what you think. or was it?

back to topic: if i get the 9600m gt, will i be able to run crysis at full resolution and max settings? i have the 6600 2.4 Ghz core 2 duo.

it's basically all I'm interested in for now.

 

awesome! What's next, support for e8XXX CPUs? C90s - an upgradable laptop indeed.

 

by the way, shouldn't this thread be stickied? such a feat deserves at least that...
and I've heard rumors, but is it true that the whole c90 line of laptop is going to get scrapped by asus? that they're dropping support and whatnot?

 

Hi,

I've recently buy on ebay a 9600M GT card. This card is with qimonda memories, not the samsung ones.
I have installed the card with great precautions following the n°1 method but my C90S doesn't boot. I have the mobo logo, then some classic boot informations but when the vista logo appears, the screens goes black and the pc freezes.

When a try to boot a second time, the screen is black since the beginning. I have to wait around 15 min to boot again and have the mobo logo.

Please help me.

 

Hi,

I'm headed to work right now but I'll help you when I get back home. Start by using "nvflash" to rip the original bios file in DOS.

 

What do you mean by "rip the original BIOS" ? I don't know how use nvflash but I can't run anything when my 9600M GT is installed. Moreover I don't know how run MS-DOS mode on windows vista and I think that my screen goes black too on DOS.
I'm answering to you with my C90S using the ****ty 8600M GT....

 

make an ms dos bootable usb key and make the process automatic with autoexec.bat

like this you won't need to be able to see what's going on to do it still. i think you'll need some other command to be executed after it to make a sound or something to warn you when it's done...I'll look up how nvflash works and i'll try to automate it with a warning. man, ms-dos.brings back memories...

 

If the screen only goes black at the Vista graphical initialization, there's a good chance that DOS mode will work just fine. You will need the FreeDOS bootable CD (google for it), and the executable for nvflash. Use nvflash /? or nvflash --help or google to get info on how to use it.

I guess Nightwalker wants you to save the current BIOS of the card in a file, that's what he meant by "ripping". nvflash should have an option to do that.

We don't usually stick "minor" (notice the quotes) threads that only deal with a particular model, such as this one. Instead, we add them to the main Info Booth sticky. I will do that for this thread, today or tomorrow.

 

Thanks for your replies.

I will try these instructions and then post the results but I fear that the card is faulty.

See you soon.


PS : sorry for my awful english

EDIT : I have to travel for my work the next four days so I can't try your solutions during these. I will try as soon as I will be back

 

I don't see any problem with your English...

 

I highly doubt the card is faulty. Follow this guide posted by bigspin to create a bootable USB flash drive with the "nvflash" program on it... http://forum.notebookreview.com/showthread.php?t=160237

When you have finished preparing the flash drive reinstall the 9600M GT and go into the system bios by pressing "F2" over and over again while the computer boots. Change the boot device order to make your USB flash drive the first one to initialize.

Now reboot and you will be taken to a DOS prompt follow the instructions in that guide and save the bios from your version of the 9600M GT onto the flash drive. When you get done with this send me a PM and I will give you an e-mail address you can send the bios file to. I'll take a look at it and see if it's any different than mine.

More than likely it will work after I, or you for that matter, apply the necessary changes needed to make the VGA bios run 100%. Keep in mind this is why I suggested to only use the 9600M GT cards I have listed before, because they are definitely NOT locked to a specific model of laptop.

Let me know when you have done the above steps and have the bios file saved so I can help you out.

 

Small update:

I was tweaking some settings again and I currently am running the clocks at 650/1700/950 at 1V instead of the stock 1.05V. I also have the 2D "standard mode" clocks lowered to 125/275/90 and have noticed no adverse effects so far.

3DMark06 is still showing 6441 with these settings, and I have tested a few games for a couple hours without any artifacting/crashes.

PS: I'll be scanning the template as soon as my scanner cable arrives.

 

You definitely seem like the man to ask about this.

I saw on Newegg a N80Vn-X1 with a 9650 GT in it. I currently have a F8Va-B1 with a 3650 in it. To the best I can tell these are the same exact computers. Same case. Same motherboard. Some form factor. Same everything. Save for different styling’s and what-not. What are the odds I could do a one-for-one swap with the GPU’s?

 

Added to Info Booth. Thanks!

 

Hi guys,

I have bad news.

i have succefully made my USB stick DOS bootable with the hp utility.

Moreover I have made a backup of my 8600M GT bios as a test.

Then I have installed the 9600M GT and when I check the BIOS options of my

mobo, the screen is became black and the PC has freezed.

I have retry 15 min later. Here, I can access to DOS mode but a few seconds

later, screen goes black and so on...

15 min later mad: ) I acces to DOS and I type the nvflash's command line

and I have the following answer : "no nvidia graphical adapter found". Then

black screen.

It's not good, is it ? This card have a problem or I havn't made a good

installation or cleaning and i have "killed" the card.

 

Hmm.. This is strange. From what I understand you used the "easy" method of my guide and modified the stock 8600M's heatspreader correct? If this is correct I'd be willing to bet the card is overheating, which will cause it to "black screen" on you after a few minutes.

Also, which way are the memory chips on your 9600M GT facing? Are they placed vertically or horizontally? The stock 8600M GT and my 9600M GT both have the memory chips placed horizontally. If your 9600M GT's chips are placed vertically that means even LESS of the stock 8600M's heatspreader is being used to cool the memory chips.

More than likely this is a heat issue due to insufficient cooling. However, I do not like the error message nvflash gave you. It's possible you have a version of the 9600M GT that is either locked to a specific model of laptop or it's one of those cards that has the same exact form factor as MXM cards but lacks a V-Bios, meaning it ISN'T an MXM module.

Also, for clarification to anybody who doesn't know, you need three things for an MXM VGA upgrade to be successful...

1. A laptop that doesn't block other MXM modules from working in the system bios. The C90S is one of those laptops.

2. An MXM module of the same type as your laptop, such as MXM-I, MXM-II, MXM-III, or MXM-HE. Whatever the highest type of module your laptop uses is the highest type you can replace with. For example you can't use an MXM-III card in an MXM-II based laptop. HOWEVER, you should me able to use cards that are of a lower type in your laptop. So you should be able to use an MXM-II card in an MXM-III based laptop.

3. An MXM card that isn't locked to a specific brand/model laptop in it's V-Bios. The 9600M GT I linked to that uses the "Samsung" memory chips that are placed horizontally is one of the "unlocked" cards.

Without those two things, the chances of an upgrade are very very slim.

Now bouznak, before you give up hope, make sure your card is being properly cooled. Without a properly modified heatspreader, or a new copper one, this upgrade will never succeed.

 

Man, I'd jump all over this, but I don't want to buy some tools to accomplish this. I'm a lazy turd nightwolf, any word on you getting kits to the masses?

 

Lol who's nightwolf? I'm having a bit of trouble finding a source for 1/8" copper sheet stock at a decent price.

 

I have enough copper left over to make at least one more heatspreader so I'll probably make another one at some point tomorrow. After that, depending on if I can find another source for 1/8" copper sheet stock, I'll make more.

If I cant find 1/8" stock, I'll use the next thickest choice available, which seems to be 1/16" right now.

 

well...even if the price is higher on the copper sheets, i'm sure no one will complain if you buff up the price for the whole kit...

 

Copper sheets,

www.mcmaster.com

Part Number: 89675K14

Be warned, the catalog has been known to produce crack like effects in tinkerers and project freaks!

 

lol mcmaster sounds like a fan page for mc hammer but wow they have a lot of stuff. They made it really easy to navigate too. Must have taken forever to build that website.

 

Wow, great site! +rep for sharing that little gold mine.

 

This might be a bit old but what was this Preformance Suprise?

 

Hi Nightwalker,

I order you an 9600M GT's upgrade kit if you want.

Send me a PM if you're ok and give me your price (I pay the shiping cost).

Have a good day !

 

I am new here but have been an owner of the C90S for almost a year already. Very happy with it but also saddened by the lack of GPU upgrades. I have been watching this thread with much interest and have a question. Recently the new CPU and GPU all copper heatsinks have gone on sale, I found them for sale on w w w. a s u s p a r t s . e u will the 9600M GT you use fit with this new heatsink or would it also have to be modified?
Thanks and much rep for doing this upgrade successfully!

 

Sorry for double post, just realised was a bit vague
to find the relevant parts Iam referring too type in C90P in quick search on the page, the 2 parts are as follows:

13GNQ31AM020-1 C90P CPU THERMAL MODULE ASSY AURAS
13GNQ31AM030-1 C90P VGA THERMAL MODULE ASSY AURAS

about 40 euros per part.

C90P has same dimensions as S so should be perfect fit.

The website also has many other parts for both models too

Cheers

 

Cable arrived, I'll be scanning the template this weekend.

Also, I'm still in the middle of getting everything hooked up/running well on my new desktop so the conversion kits are on hold for a short while. I decided I will definitely be making some though.

 

any chance of this working on other notebooks with the same procedure?? i have a compal id like to put the 9600 in.. thanks great work btw

 

First off I want to add my respect points to NightWalker for the amazing mod.

I wasn't planning to try this until sometimes much later, but yesterday the 8600 card finally gave out on me. It's going to take some time for me to get the power tools, but I'll definitely give this mod a try.

Also, it's been over a month since the start of this thread and it's a surprised that it's not already a sticky.

EDIT: In the mean time I'm going to see if I can save my 8600 with a vga bios reflash. Not sure I can find a bios file anywhere, but it's worth the try since I have nothing else better to do for now.

 

We have just one big sticky where we index all the important threads: the Info Booth. This thread is linked from there.

Even though this thread is indeed very good work, it's still one particular mod (granted, a great mod though) of one particular ASUS model.

 

I haven't been checking this thread for a while, but I have two questions.

1. Will this work with 9600m cards with different memory modules as I can't find the samsung 9600m anywhere?
2. Is nightwalker selling these kits yet or ever will be for that matter?

 

MM, nice 8600, mine crapped itself a month ago, bought a small desktop to replace it while i sort out mah c90s

just wondering what were your symptoms, and why u think a reflash will resucitate your GT

Mine turns on, and whoa, artifax all over the place
But wants to run the OS

Let me know what yours does...

 

Reflash idea was a flop. I didn't have much going for it, but I wanted to at least try it first to see the results.

As for symptoms I got blank screen of death on boot. I could hear it trying to load my operating system and I checked to see that my screen was indeed still functioning. Not sure about anyone else, but on my c90s I sometimes run into an overclocking failure which is caused by too much stress on my card. With the machine still running it eventually hits that familiar overclocking failure problem. Ugh, this is what I get from trying to use the c90s on 64bit windows without proper drivers. Thanks a lot ASUS. After reading around and checking some stuff, I came to the conclusion that the video card has given me its last piece of defiance.

Recently I ordered a ASUS G71g-A2 laptop. So in the near future I'll be joining that owners thread. Still miss my c90s dearly and am still interesting in trying to reanimate it. Once I get the new card and the copper material I'll have a go at this VGA upgrade mod. There's a slim chance that this might do it, but I really am just going by intuition. I hope you the best with your c90s as well.