8800M GTX dead. What are my options? Which MXM interface does this card have?

Laptop's a D901C (Sager 9262) bought July 2008.

Specs are:

Q9450
4GB Kingston DDR2
8800M GTX SLI
2 x 160GB Hitachi in Raid 0


To make a long story short, one of my cards is either dead or dying. At least I hope it's only one and not both of them.
(Click this link if you want to read the details, see photos and screenshots).

Unfortunately my warranty just expired July 2010, so I guess there's nothing I can do (even though I see it weird for such expensive hardware to quit just after 2 years of moderate and careful usage but well tough luck)...


Anyway, which options would you suggest?

If I know which MXM interface these cards use.... perhaps a more modern card like the GTX 260M might fit and I buy a single one and get better performance...

I'd really appreciate any help whatsoever on this. It's hard to throw away a €3500 laptop which can still play all recent games

 

Here is some info for you....looks like you can go as high as a GTX280 with a Bios upgrade...

Clevo D901c

You may be able to find someplace else to buy the card from but this at least helps point you in the right direction.

 

If your motherboard does not accept the latest bios revision, you can change the bios on the video cards you get.

For a gtx 260m, Its no different from 9800m gtx except for a die shrink. So a 9800m gtx bios should work flawlessly on it. It will also probably have a higher voltage which you can either lower to the the 1.0v of gtx 260m or use for overclocking.

Whats unfortunate is that there are very few MXM 2.1 gtx 260m with SLI connector.

 

The Sager NP9262 is a beauty of a laptop. If I were you go for 2 x 9800M GTX SLI cards if you can't find GTX260M cards. The 9800M GTX's in SLI still destroy any single laptop card out there including I think the 480M GTX. You could also upgrade your processor to the Q9650 or the QX9650 and use throttlestop to bring the multi up on the extreme chip, I know of someone on here who hit 3.5ghz easy with the QX9650 in the same machine. Many options for you there on that great laptop!

 

I would suggest checking your laptop ram first, particularly the top ram module. Also you should not need a new motherboard to support the gtx 280m, just the latest bios.

 

Has anyone ever flashed a 280m to an 8800m gtx or something?

It would be more useful to get the OPs one good card working with SLI because of the missing connector on the newer cards and everything.

A single 260m doesnt have much on sli 8800m

 

First thing I did when this problem surfaced was to run memtest, and it found no errors.

So I guess the RAM isn't my problem here.

So a 2 80 has the same mxm interface? All I'd need to do is update the bios of the mobo?

 

Yup. I believe MXM-upgrade are selling the GTX280m in mxm 2.1 form!

 

Hi
I got similiar issue twice. I have Gateway with 8800m gts on mainboard, I think this problem is similiar to RROD or YLOD. I think its caused by the method of surface-mount of graphic chip. When solder get liquid it can get cold connection. I just repaired my laptop today, when i was repairing first time it helped for about one and half a year. Repairing method is similiar to RROD. You must take out cooling, start laptop and push chip to the board when you get good temperture, or you can use hotair kit or station to do it, on the and you must change themal paste. After all of these you can enjoy your healthy working laptop
PS:There is a fix method by cooking in oven just watch this
YouTube - 2 of 6 PS3 YLOD Fix after Oven Cook
PS2:Ow and my laptop got broken playing new vegas

 

be careful. Not ALL gtx 280m and 260m are MXM 2.1, many of them are 3.0

 

Well, I opened up the laptop, took out both cards.
I put the card which was in slot 2 in slot 1, and didn't insert the mother card at all.

At least the laptop's working now, no artifacting at all. But now I've got only one 8800M GTX and no SLI.
I never imagined such expensive graphics card will quit on me after only 2 years of careful usage

 

go to an ATI 3870

 

Sorry to resurrect this thread. Was just surfing online and wanted to let you know that I ran into a very similar problem.

Bought a Sager (Clevo) with 8800m GTX in June 2008 and it died days ago. Weird timing...

Thanks for the info about the 260m/280m.

 

Actually, now that I think about it. It was a Sager 5793 (M571RU-U). Would this support a 260m or 280m?

Thanks.

 

280m and 260m might work for you, just like this:
Clevo 571tu Upgrade Guide

If I was the OP, I would have tried to get a 280m and left one of the old cards for physx.

 

^ thats for the TU.
The RU does NOT have BIOS support for 200 series cards. (I'm fairly sure on this)

You can refer to what I was saying earlier about flashing to a supported VBIOS on the card.

GTX 280m will probably work as 3700m which is BIOS supported.
At that point however, I don't see why you wouldn't just get a 3700m for less than half the price...

 

As another hint. If you did find a 2.1 GTX260 or GTX280(your reseller should be able to get you this part from the manufacture) it will stop your DVI port from working anymore. Only the 8800 and 9800 will allow your external DVI port to work. So keep that in mind when you purchase. We have customers do this all the time since the GTX260/280 are less expensive than the 8800/9800, but the downside is there.

 

Thanks, thats good information. But are you talking about the TU or RU?

Any comment on 260m/280m with the RU and the methods I've suggested to get them working?

It would be hilarious if someone flashed a GTX 280m to quadro fx 3700m to use it on the RU and somehow the DVI worked.