"Gericom 1st supersonic pci e" upgrade from Geforce go6600 to Quadro FX 770M

Guide how to upgrade old laptop "Gericom 1st supersonic pci e"
From geforce go 6600 to Quadro FX 770M


For your knowledge: I don't take any responsibility for damages which can happen if you decide to use this quide.

So is it possible to make a little workstation from that old laptop which was one of the first laptops with pci-e socket and oryginally comes with Geforce Go 6600M?
Answer is YES, but there are some inconveniences:

- until you don't load nvidia drivers you can see nothing on internal LCD panel, only external VGA monitor works.

- every time when you turn on or restart laptop you must wait about 30s to start to loading system (After long time SOLVED- now is fixed from 30s to 1s)

- if you want flash your card you must always plug external monitor or do it blindly

- everytime when you want to install new drivers for your card or reinstall system (whatever windows,linux) must plug external monitor

- weak cpu for workstation pentium M max 2.26Ghz - just one core



What do we need?

1 Laptop "Gericom 1st supersonic pci e" (chipset intel915, pentium m, motherboard: Quanta KN1 -bios version Q3B91, geforce go 6600)
http://freenet-homepage.de/nuschii/KN1BIOS/
2 Quadro FX 770M card MXM type II
3 VGA monitor
4 Arctic silver 5 paste
5 Nibitor http://www.mvktech.net/ make a donation and get the newest version of this great tool to edit nvidia's bios (you need at least ver. 4.8)
6 Drill machine, little screw drivers, mounted stone set, pliers, knife with blades http://img220.imageshack.us/my.php?image=tools1sh4.jpg

Let start:

First turn laptop off and unplug power cable then take the battery and plastic cover out and you will see memory, fan and cpu, gpu radiators. Unscrew 3 screws which keep fan, unplug and take it out.

http://img502.imageshack.us/my.php?image=radiatormemorywl7.jpg

Next 4 screw from radiator

http://img528.imageshack.us/my.php?image=fanout1nx9.jpg

And screw which keeps the card

http://img528.imageshack.us/my.php?image=radiatorout1jx1.jpg

Now we can take the card out

http://img528.imageshack.us/my.php?image=cardistakingout1ah8.jpg

Hmmm 2 things on Quadro card are different than on the go6600.
First is that one chip is much highier and we must grind about 1,5mm from radiator.

http://img292.imageshack.us/my.php?image=quadrofx770mcard1xy1.jpg

For this purpose I used polishing stone which i puted on the drill machine. Cut a square piece of black plastic from radiator and now you can start grind. Be careful and do it away from laptop and other electronic parts, because there is a lot of metal filings. When you finish, cut that black plastic again about 2mm, clean radiator with brush and flowing water and dry it with hairdryer.
Before grinding http://img89.imageshack.us/my.php?image=radiator1vm4.jpg
After grinding http://img89.imageshack.us/my.php?image=radiatoraftergrindingoq2.jpg

Remove the black plastic out of a card, and cut a squere piece for the place on radiator where you grinded and stick it
http://img107.imageshack.us/my.php?image=quadrofx770mcardback1fn4.jpg
http://img107.imageshack.us/my.php?image=quadrofx770mcardbacknoppg5.jpg

Second difference is metal frame on the back of a Quadro card to which we mount four holders for radiator.It has a different shape than on the go6600. One more time we must use drill machine
http://img129.imageshack.us/my.php?image=frametomountscrwesforraeh8.jpg

And now we can put metal frame and holders to the card
http://img159.imageshack.us/my.php?image=quadrofx770mcardholdersrd4.jpg

Put the card into laptop in the back order than you took it out, and don't forget to put thermal paste on the chip
http://img159.imageshack.us/my.php?image=quadrofx770mcardinstallqq3.jpg

Uff manual part of this upgrade is done.
Plug external VGA monitor to the laptop, and turn them on. Like I said you must wait about 30 sec to see screen on external monitor (LCD panel is still black). After this time windows should start normally but screen is still only on the vga monitor. Download forceware drivers from nvidia site or here http://www.laptopvideo2go.com/ on this site you can download "Enhance NVIDIA INF files". This little file lets you use normal forceware driver with your mobile card, just unpack driver and copy it to this folder -overvrite old file. I use forceware 181.20 and attched file fits only to this version.
After installing drivers run nvidia control panel and in multimonitor settings find option "clone screen on both monitor" mark it and after apply you get screen on LCD panel.
Now you could unplug external monitor and use laptop as usually, but there is one more problem, card can't switch to the highiest clocks in 3d mode. It works only in throttle mode (core:275Mhz should be 500Mhz memory:600Mhz instead of 1600Mhz). We need flash card with modified bios. Before you flash your card don't forget to make a copy of your oryginal bios. You can do it with Nibitor, Gpu-z or nvflash. Make a bootable usb disc with this guide
http://forum.notebookreview.com/showthread.php?t=246530
download nvflash http://www.techpowerup.com/downloads/1239a/nvflash_572.zip and my attached modified bios.Unpack them on the usb stick, restart laptop and bios upgrade should start automatically.Nvflash will ask you two times if you really want to change the bios, just answer "y". After message "update successful" turn laptop off unplug vga monitor, usb drive and enjoy your new card
http://img397.imageshack.us/my.php?image=score3dmark0603jh3.jpg

Thanks for:
http://forum.notebookreview.com all people from forum who responded my questions
http://www.mvktech.net/ for Nibitor and Mavke's help
http://forum.notebookreview.com/showthread.php?t=316079 for NightWalker and his idea how to modify bios
http://forum.notebookreview.com/showthread.php?t=246530 for zfactor and his guide
http://www.laptopvideo2go.com/ for "enhanced inf file" for nvidia drivers

My previous posts about this card and how to force it to work:
http://forum.notebookreview.com/showthread.php?t=299494&page=13
http://www.mvktech.net/component/option,com_joomlaboard/Itemid,34/func,view/id,53168/catid,13/

 

Very nice and detailed guide!, but I don't expect very much people here wandering around with a notebook from this unknown austrian company. Secondly, is it really worth it to assemble a $600+ dollar graphics card in an old dustbin?

 

Some people just like the computer they've owned for a long time and want to keep it.

Besides, maybe someone will see this post with Google or something, and then try it. And who knows, they could become a member and start to help people, and maybe (crazier things have happened) a few years down the line that new member will post a guide on how to upgrade YOUR old dustbin!

Be kind, you never know what could happen.

 

My apologies, for that last post, after reading it again it sounded different then it was supposed to. I was sincerely impressed by the quality of this post. I guess my amazement took away from my social abilities. I will leave the efficiency of this upgrade for others to judge.

 

Did you ever solve the 30-sec wait issue though or does it still occure?

 

There is a draw to making old computer equipment perform even better than it could previously. It's the draw of tweaking, much like working on a car.

 

No I still have to wait 30s. If I fix it I will inform you immediately.

 

I uses same configuration than u:

i bought a 9600m GT DDR3 on ebay with
-Bios Version: 62.94.1F.00.08
-CardID: DEV_0649&SUBSYS_0729152D

I use nvidia driver (laptopvideo2go) with modded inf. Ver: 196.34

Notebook: Gericom 1st Supersonic PCI-E (Quanta KN1).

The Card Bios have 4 Clockrates (state 0 (2D), 1 (Thrtl), 2 (3D), 3 (Extra)). My Card works only in state 0 or 1, that means GPU Clock is 169MHZ in 2D and 275MHZ in 3D!! And not the correct 500MHZ Core Clockrate, because state 2 and 3 do not activate, only swap between 0 and 1!

So i mod the bios (see attachment). I only change state 1 (Thrtl) also in 500MHZ, too. Now if a 3D application started, the Thrtl (500MHZ) must be activate. Only this i change! Now i update the Bios with nvflash. After flash i see windows XP boot screen... and normal now must come the blue "welcome screen" but the screen is black!!

I started windows in safety mode, remove all nvidia drivers, and the laptop working! (without drivers! i cant started any 3D application)!

Now, what can i do? U see my GPU-Bios before mod and after. Did u have any other Bios?

Best Regards!

Schmidt

 

Sorry Schmidt123 for no response for long time but last time I visit this page rarely.
You did just one mistake when you edited bios in nibitor. you changed only one state (Thrtl) but you should change states (Thrtl), (3D) and (Extra) as well.
So in nibitor copy perf. table entry4 to perf table entry2 and entry3, save your bios and everything should be ok.
read this: http://forum.notebookreview.com/showthread.php?t=316079.

You bought 9600m GT I have Quadro770m (my bios is in one of the links above) and I'm curious if you have to wait 30s with black screen to start loading system after rebooting or turning on laptop.

Regards!

 

Hey!

Thanks for your reply! I changed in nibitor only perf. table entry 4 to entry2 and 3. After Flash, between winxp loading screen, and the "blue welcome screen" the display is black.
If i change perf table entry3 (3D) to entry4 (extra) and entry2 (thrtl), it works! But only with 3D-clockrates (no swapping between 2D and 3D).
The 3D clockrates are 400/800/300 (working) and with extra 500/1250/800 no working, so i increase Core or Shader or Memory clockrate +50MHZ and same problem than with 500/1250/800.



Regards!

 

I prepared bios for you. I used your standard bios and did exactly the same as I did with mine. If it doesn't work I have no idea what else can we do. Try to flash your card with this bios.
Do you use an external monitor or laptop screen to see and flash your card in dos mode?

 

Hi rado32,

Thanks to your nice thread, I bought a 9600M GT 512DDR2 for my old gericom supersonic PCIE.
The upgrade was almost plug and play with tour tutorial. Evrything is ok but the temperature.
- The laptop boot on internal screen with my original (and modified) vbios.
- I have to wait 30 second countdown but with a strange message (garbage character, no readeable words, only one line message ending with the countdown)
- Bios screen shows up on internal screen
- dos mode for flashing vbios displays on internal screen
- windows XP boot on internal screen (with simple vga drivers or nvidia one)
- windows 7 boots on internal screen but screen goes black with nvidia driver on logon screen
- going in sllep mode and waking up take a secon and give me internal screen

So evrything is good but I have serious overheat problem:
- fan control over gpu temperature only works on xp with driver you used (and only slow fan speed)
- so I made nhc acpi scrip to force fand always on on max speed
- when gaming the card overheat, even undervolted to 0.89V with stock performance clocks duplicated to 2nd perf table.
- It overheat up to 110° and slowdown itself
- if I keep the back of the laptop opened with an external fan oriented on the GPU cooling plate, I can play for hours with max 84°

So I would like to ask you rado, If you experiences any overheat issue with your upgrade or if you have any advice for me
Furthermore, If you are interested by my original bios, to see if it can fix your "external screen only on bios mode", I can upload it for you with pleasure.

Regard,
buttersss

 

Hi buttersss!!

I've never had problem with overheating my card, doesn't matter which driver I was using (currently ver.198.00), in stress max 90C.
Probably you used Arctic cooler paste (for both cpu, gpu)so everything should be good.
Strange thing is that your fan doesn't change the speed in stress and have no idea how to fix it.
You can check if outlets at the end of radiator are clean. My friend had problem with overheating because vents were completely blocked with dust - simple but it resolved problem.
Maybe your memory DDR2 (mine DDR3) is overclocked and gives to much heat around because there is not radiators on them and you have to open bottom cover to give some fresh air.
I would like to fix my problem with "external monitor" so upload your bios please, I'll try to compere it to mine or even flash my card with your bios.

Regards

 

thanks for your answer rado,
you can find my original bios here:
techPowerUp! :: VGA Bios Collection: Acer 9600M GT 512 MB
It will fix your boot screen problem. I try other bios and get same prablem than you.
Unfortunately I' not able to fix my heat problem...
I didn't use acrtic but som low cost thermal grease with gold. I don't think this is my problem because the cooling plate is very hot but heat just doesn't semms to go to the raditor in front of the fan. only cold air go out from the raditor but the plate is burning...

regards

 

Hello everyone!

I wanted to refresh this topic and aks if anyone got rid of the 30sec black screen problem? In my compal fl90 it takes about 60sec! to start.
Did anybody tried to overclock quadro fx 770m ?

regards!

 

Some of your image links need fixing, you have just copied your address bar and its trying to link to your account.

 

Could you please say it in other words because I didn't understand it at all. thx

 

Hi after long time!!
Finally I found this: ERROR: MXM Structure not found or invalid. Reflash MXM ROM or add MXM structure and associated callbacks to SBIOS! Final Solution to 30 Secs startup - LaptopVideo2Go Forums to resolve a 30s delay issue, now is reduced to 1 second. here is my fixed bios: