Gateway P-6860FX - I did 260M GTX swap instead of 8800M GTS

Hello!

8800GTS died again last week. I was tired of baking mine gateway's motherboard to fix the GPU and... I bought new g92-751-b1 gpu for original - g92-700-a2 replacement. I decided to solder g92b core onto board. I did it today and currently I'm writing from gateway with 260M GTX. It was succesful. Firstly I was a bit scared because, screen didn't show up, I thought that I wasted my money. Then I moved 2Gb ram into second bank, and screen showed up. It started with original Gateway's P-6860FX bios (R01-A1P)

I also was wondering about the differences between 8800GTS and 260m GTX - outputs, clocks and most important 512GB vs 1024GB.
Before soldering new gpu I made two bootable cds with two bioses for possible blind flashing: one with original one and second modded with changing 8800gts bios into 260m GTX( that I took up from Gateway P-79xxFX with help of phoenix bios editor) - I lowered the clocks of gddr3 to the 8800GTS ones, but it started without changing original bios. This what shows everest and gpuz after cores replacement:



I'm wondering how is the 260m GTX workis as a 8800GTS or 260m GTX, it shows that it has 112 shader, but are they all working? Or only 64 are working? Clocks are slower than original but I don't mind it.

260M GTX
Core Speed * 550 MHz
Shader Speed * 1375 MHz
Memory Speed * 950 MHz

8800GTS
Core Speed * 500 MHz
Shader Speed * 1250 MHz
Memory Speed * 800 MHz

Should I try to upload the 260m GTX bios into 8800GTS one that the 260m GTX currently working on (voltages in both are the same)? I think that is too risky because of differences with ram (512mb vs 1GB)? Am I right?

Edit:
Just few minutes ago I saw screen blinking on windows 7 down bar (memory problems?), and I started furmark temperature and I think that temperature was going up too fast when it showed 79*C screen turned black and I manually restarted laptop maybe it is the reason is that the I have just put today thermal paste (thermalright chill factor II) and it has just to overheat more. I have also put paste on memories maybe they're overheating cause of the gpu? I will post updates.

Edit2:
I have installed Nvidia 290.36 drivers and blinking has gone, but still screen sometimes turns black (when temperature increases)

Edit3:
I used advice from this topic:
http://forum.notebookreview.com/gat...te-solution-nvlddmkm-video-crash-p-7805u.html

And I lowered clocks:

Extra:
GPU: 500
Mem: 750
Shader: 1200
voltage firstly 0.97 then 0.9 still the same problem with black screen

3D:
GPU: 350
Mem: 275
Shader: 700
voltage: 0.85V

Thrtl:
GPU: 200
Mem: 100
Shader: 400
voltage: 0.85V

2D:
GPU: 200
Mem: 100
Shader: 400
voltage: 0.85V

Result:
Few minutes after starting 3DMark06 screen turns into black (turns off)
Sometime using mozilla firefox shows the same results as above

Edit4:
I flashed 260M GTX bios from Gateway's P-79xx FX
Result:
Laptop starts, with two beeping, screen didn't show. I did blind flashing and I flashed bios from Edit3

Edit 5:
I disabled powermizer @ moded settings on ac and battery
No blinking and black screens on working battery - but it works on:
2D:
GPU: 200
Mem: 100
Shader: 400
voltage: 0.85V

And I think It's a bit too slow for normal working on laptop.

Extra mode:
3Dmark and furmark show black screen after some time after start reason is too high temperature I suppose.

Currently working on
modded R01-A1L bios, as I remember temps on newer bios were lower, so today I will flash my laptop again with AR01-A1P and I also want disassembly Gateway again and put thermal paste and clean radiators, because last I was doing that all too fast just too check If laptop will normally work. I want clean the memory of the paste too, maybe they're overheating cause of the rising g92b core temperature.

Result of bios changing:
G92 core idle temperature lower 2*C

Edit6:
This is how g92b looks soldered on Gateway's P-6860FX Motherboard:



I cleaned all laptop put new paste again with X method I saw that this has shown lower temps but... not in my laptop I will give few days to stabilize the paste on gpu and cpu. I took of termal paste from memories.

260M GTX core


Fan in my Gateway:


Edit7:
Black screens are thermal issues. I have put laptop near the open window, I started furmark and after 4 minutes without black screens and temperature below 56*C I started 3dmark 06 result of the test with:
GPU: 500Mhz
Mem: 750Mhz
Shader: 1200Mhz
Voltage: 0.9V

Score: 9960



So I have to improve the cooling system.

Laptop/gpu finally died in November 2014, so this is the end of Gateway P-6860FX story, RIP.

 

Congrats on the courage to say the least...................

 

man these gateways are weird. We must try and find ways to hack bios so that we will get more mods and be able to do more crazy things.

Great job.

EDIT: I believe that all these problems are BIOS related. All can be fixed if we can find ways to unlock BIOS features and mod them.

 

I thinking over changing cooling system in my Gateway or just fan. Are the differences between cooling in Gateway P-6860FX and P-79xx so big or it's just a fan?
I saw on ebay vga heatsink is it really from P-79xx?
GATEWAY P-7908U VIDEO HEATSINK/FAN 60.4VFE04.001 | eBay

 

I reused mine from the P7805 to the P79xx I have now. That one looks to be the same as I remember.................

 

I uploaded some bioses, maybe they will help someone.

1. 260m GTX bios from Gateway P-79xx: (g92b-751-b1 core won't boot on Gateway P-6860FX motherboard)
260m GTX

2. 8800m GTS bios from Gateway P-6860FX (swapped g92b-751-b1 core worked on it)
8800m GTS

3. 8800m GTS bios with moded clocks and voltages as in screen, took up from Gateway P-6860FX.
8800m GTS with moded clocks and voltages


4. Last official Gateway's R01-A1L bios for P-6860FX, it is also on Gateway's website.
Last official Gateway's R01-A1L

5. Unofficial bios R01-A1R for P-68xxFX with VT Enabled, XD enabled, and OC'ing of Extreme CPU - I modded clocks and voltages as in third point.
(Currently my gateway with swapped 260M GTX is working on)
R01-A1R modded





FLASHING AND EDITING OF BIOSES

1. First make bootable usb stick, now I think It's better than using cd (last time I couldn't flash in blind bios flashing with cd, but I did it usb stick just writing autorun.bat).
(but if you prefer that method use advice from http://forum.notebookreview.com/gat...s-flashing-cd-rom-gateway-6000-fx-series.html)
http://forum.notebookreview.com/sager-clevo/246530-how-flash-your-bios-dos-using-usb-stick.html

2. Now If you have your bootable usb stick copy gateway's bios and phflash16.exe
or vga bios, nvflash.exe and CWSDPMI.EXE if you want to flash just video card.

3. a)
To flash gateway's bios
In dos use command:
phlash16 /s /x /mode=3 yourbiosname.wph
Remember that phlash16 flashes only .wph files!!!

When flashing is finished you should hear beep from speakers, now you can restart computer.

b)
To flash video card:
In dos use command:
nvflash -5 -6 yourbiosname.rom
or nvflash.exe yourbiosname.rom

What I observed:
When you can't flash try download older version
Especially with modded vga bioses when it says "supported EEPROM not found" just change the vgabios in gateway's bios with phoenix editor and flash main bios, because I didn't find good solution for this problem, searched a lot of topics and forums noone really knows how to fix it.


Second option is more automatical because I made two autoruns.
Download files copy into your bootable usb stick:
flashing files

And you have just to add your gateway's bios named as bios.wph and in dos write autorun.bat and wait until it finishes
OR add your nvidia card named as vgabios.wph bios and dos write flashnvidia.bat wait until it finishes.

Editing:
For editing nvidia bioses I use nbitor.
For editing gateway's bios I use phoenix bios editor.
I allows you to edit .wph and .rom bioses, but second ones will not flash with phlash16.

How add modded nvidia bios into gateway's bios?



You have to rename your modded with nbitor nvidia bios to oprom02.rom Then open gateway's bios in phoenix bios editor.
1. Click on OPROM02.ROM (arrow 1) then click remove.
2. Click on Option Rom, then click on add, import - select your's oprom02.rom, next ok. If you modded too many things in vga bios will not recognise the bios as "OPROM02.ROM - NVIDIA VGA, 58K"
3. Click files, then build bios and now you'll create gateway's bios file with nvidia vga modded bios.

Sometimes phoenix editor doesn't allow to edit .wph files saying "invalid ROM lenght" So try to edit .rom bios. Now you have to change .rom bios into .wph file If you compare .wph and .rom bioses first one has extra content.
So open both files with hex editor, you will see that the content from offset 00000000 to 000FFFF0 is the same at both files. At .WPH file, there is extra content starting from offset 00100000.
Open the original .WPH file using hex editor, copy the contents starting from offset 00100000.
Open the modified .ROM file using hex editor & paste the contents that you copied above at the end of the file. Save it as .WPH file.

If I'll remind something more I will add it here.

 

Here is My bios. I have to change the GPU fan speeds. It wont spin untill the gpu temp goes to 80 then it will worn until its down to 40 and going down from 50 to 40 it 10 mins and that annoying.

There are PB iPower bios. and i have extracted the GPU bios with phoenixtool 1.90
I cant read now from nibitor "cannot connect to service manager".

i will go to bed now as its 5 AM here.

OO yes for the fan and stuf I also used the old one but my gpu temps when i play are 75-85 depending on the game. iddle it depends on fan, from 40-80.

 

I downloaded bios from packard bell site for IP GX M because only that had 260M GTX on board (BIOS PackardBell BIOS for GTX260M graphics only PB10E1.P11 4.6 MB 2010/08/25) and extracted the 260M GTX bios> I tried it in nbitor and you can edit it.
260m GTX packard bell bios

 

the upload did now work for some reasons last night as i uploaded all. Is the bios you have uploaded with new fan speeds because i set them and when i open then i don't see then no matter what i do run it as admin save it in and other things and with driver signature disabled. changing the voltage it work but im now sure if i will go for .95 or .9 and for the second voltage to drop it to from .85 to drop it at .8.

im dont really like this to mod the bios on this laptop because i dont have a power button so i turn the laptop on with the button that is like an arrow on the right of the power button. The motherboard that i bought was without the connector.

 

My power botton is also a bit broken. Now I can turn on and turn off, but there is no light and I can't start bios blind flashing, so when I uploaded bios with 260M GTX and my laptop was dead I did blind bios flashing with usb stick. With first voltage stay with .95 and for second one you can drop it to .8 Fans are set at 100%. Try to edit Fanspeed IC in nbitor but this beyond me and I don't know Id the phoenix editor will allow you to upload it into main bios.

 

faFanspeed IC does not save the speeds but i will give a shot tonight. im afraid that i will leave my laptop bricked if i don't fix the power button or shtm stupid can happen. if i can help something just write it or pm me .

as for other bioses they wont work. the PB and gateway have the same layout and i belive they are the same i cant flash it with gateway bios. i Guess that is the best way to fix this stupid fan problem.

 

How much did it cost for the 260m gtx, and was it difficult to solder to the motherboard?

Is there a reason you didn't just re-solder the nvidia gpu?

I'm considering doing this myself, just curious about the process.

 

260m GTX cost 95USD, but now you can buy it for 78 USD. Someone did soldering for me with bga rework station with PB balls. I didn't resolder the nvidia gpu, because not only motherboard - gpu connections are bad but also core - gpu plate that will be broken in 8800gts again after some time.

 

Can someone re upload these bioses?

 

Someone else did this, and I don't think they had any issues with the BIOS.

Maybe the reball didn't really work...

 

can someone reupload this?

If it has been reuploaded please point me in the right direction thank you .

 

I have reuploaded bioses.

 

I have Gateway P-6860FX notebook and i accidently remove an SMD resistor from motherboard (please do not ask how). I can not find it and now i do not know value of that resistor.
Gateway support didnt want to tell me the value.
I need somebody to help me, somebody who have 6860FX to measure value of that resistor so i can put a new one.
Its easy, you do not have to disassemble whole laptop, just unscrew back (CPU, memory) panel and you can reach that place. Its right next to cpu fan, beneath cpu heat pipe.
There are 3 resistors next to each other, R9, R10, R11. I need value of R11 resistor.



Pleeeeeeease, it will realy mean a lot.
Thanx

 

Hello, my favourite laptop is still alive and I'm looking for the new better and more efficient gpu fan for 6860FX with swapped 260M GTX, any ideas, suggest for the replacement?

 

Laptop/gpu finally died in November 2014, so this is the end of Gateway P-6860FX story, RIP.

 

You got quite a bit of time out of it for a modded system.