9800M GTX upgrade... help!

hello all,

would really appreciate any help offered..

my machine was as in my sig, received new motherboard (v6.2) from RJTech (does this now make my system a NP9262?)

have also received two 9800M GTX's for SLI.

have swapped out my motherboard successfully, being extermely careful (ESD etc.) and only installed 1 9800m for starters.

system seems to POST/boot, but display is completely lifeless, no backlight. power LEDs, wireless, HDD activity, caps lock etc. all work. fans kick in, cd-rom loads up, and HDDs run.

so i tested other 9800m also and same result, tried both conneted SLI, same result.

reurned to my old 7950GTX, and display works, computer activity as normal, POST/boot and load to Windows.

my power supply is the 220W version, could it be possible the system is not getting enough power? how might I go about testing this?

doesn't seem to be an issue with motherboard, and incredibly unlikely that both new 9800s are DOA.


any suggestions at all? would really like to resolve this as soon as possible!

thanks in advance

 

Hmm, try a BIOS Update.

 

right, currently reading up about this, never done a flash before,
would save me time if you could point me towards the correct BIOS to use
thanks

 

Just grab the latest BIOS for the D900C from this thread:
http://forum.notebookreview.com/showthread.php?t=416916

1. Make a USB Bootable disk
2. Unpack and copy the files on the USB
3. VERY IMPORTANT: First run the update.bat from the D90C_H813N folder.
4. wait for it to finish and restart
5. run update.bat from the other folder.
6. wait for it to finish and restart

Done.

 

Its very doubtful about not getting enough power, It would just run at lower clocks most likely if there wasnt enough power being supplied. try the bios update and then post an update to let us know. Good luck and becareful with the bios update.

 

ok, firmware/BIOS flash went well.

put in 9800, no display...

system is booting and windows loads - the startup chime plays throught the speakers..

 

Can you connect it to a external screen?

 

Maybe it is the power limitation, Very odd, try the above post about an external display.

 

Are you sure the voltage etcc on the screen is the same on your new mobo as was provided by the old mobo?
What was your previous setup GPU wise?

 

well, i pulled a trusty CRT out of the basement, plugged her in and sure enough it works!

BIOS detects 9800m, i have installed nVidia driver 195.55 and rebooted.

hoped the Fn+F7 toggle would bring some life to my LCD, but still nothing...
i know the panel isn't dead as it works with the old 7950gtx

@Mutant Tractor, hey! i'm in Dublin.
re: voltage - sounds somewhat logical, are there jumpers on the mobo for this?

 

Hey man
Id rep ya but i gave too much in the last 24hours

No jumpers on lappy mobos AFAIK,

Try Fn+F2 thats what it is on mine

 

haha, ye i didn't see any on there

Fn+F2 doesn't give any results either, normally that toggle just throws a black overlay on the screen (or puts it in a low power state), doesn't even turn it off, and brings the screen back when pressing any key or touching the touchpad..
Fn+F7 is the hardware toggle for external displays (on D901C anyway)

thanks nonetheless

 

i know this may seem like a stupid question... is the monitor definatly plugged into the right place on the GPU man?

 

i often ask myself stupid questions, they usually provide the answers!

to the GPU?

GPU is properly seated on the mobo, and the display connects to the mobo, not the GPU,
and as before the display works with my old GPU - although that one cooked and is now glitched with no VRAM, it still provides basic functionality with pretty green squares plastered all over

 

Hmm, just my old m1730 the screen connected through a hole in the mobo onto the GPU itself but that could have been dell being awkward...

Can you try re-inserting the old GPU just to see if the screen even powers on?
If it does then make doubly sure everything plugged into the GPU is as it was on the old GPU.

hope you get this going man, id like to see some benches

 

maybe it wasn't clear earlier,
yes, new mobo + old GPU = LCD panel working
new mobo + new GPU = LCD panel not working (external monitor works)

i have exchanged and reseated the cards in various configurations at least 8 times now, which isn't entirely good for the hardware either. the likelihood i've missed something every time?
only thing i haven't tried is old mobo + new GPU - but as far as i'm aware they are incompatible and was the reasoning behind installing the new mobo

 

Have you any means of testing with another panel in the same port?
If the DVI-Out works then the cards okay, and all connections with the mobo are fine as a result, and the old GPU lets the LCD work with the new mobo...
So by the sounds of it theres nothing wrong with any of the components?

I hate IT

Try booting to the OS, goto NV Ctrl Panel, "Set up multiple displays" and you should see two screens there, if not, try the Fn+F7 and the exit and restart NV Ctrl Panel, then is it still doesnt work theres definatly a hardware fault,
If it is there, just check the LCD's name and uncheck the CRT and apply

 

I don't think it's a power issue, the GPU won't just max out at start-up for no reason.

I can make my 280M (75W) and my QX9300 (45W) exceed my power supply (120W), but I have to be using both at 100% for several minutes.

 

nVidia control panel doesn't detect my LCD, only the CRT.

windows display settings detect LCD, I attach it and set it as primary, but when I click apply CRT blacks for a second then comes back, dialog box about keeping the new settings, i click yes, and it has reverted back to CRT as primary with LCD un-attached...

 

hmmmm... have you tried booting into linux?
Try booting into ubuntu, or when you turn your computer on can you not even see the BIOS POST?

 

well, the LCD is completely lifeless, even at POST, opened up the back again, pulled out the card checked everything and installed the second card and sli cable for the heck of it.

drivers loaded, sli is enabled, now running stability test in nTune, GPU1 sitting at 36C and GPU2 at 42C (fans on full),
this is all on the CRT by-the-way

i'm really stuck for ideas now, completely baffled.
could something display-wise be shorting out? surely i'd get some sort of alert if this was happening...

and the fact that it works with the old card just makes it more baffling

gonna go make my 6th cup of tea and bang my head on the fridge!

 

if it was shorting youd definatly get some kind of bell going off, what about supported resolutions?

 

on the CRT i'm getting a range of 800x600 to 1280x1024

 

Man this is over me, do any mods have an idea whats happening here? its completely illogical

 

This all points to a simple incompatibility. Maybe they sent the wrong motherboard. Does it say "6.2" under the RAM slot?

 

But it surely cant be incompatible if the DVI out works?

 

I was assuming they were using VGA for the CRT. I've had VGA-out work even after failed video BIOS flashes.

I'd say it's either the BIOS (the D901C's BIOS or the 9800M GTX's BIOS) or the motherboard. Another good question would be whether these are Clevo 9800M GTX's or not.

 

You could try using NVFlash to flash your GPU BIOS to a newer version...

 

ye CRT's on the VGA,

mobo's deffo 6.2,
and here's registry values for my BIOS's

 

somewhat unrelated, but if anyone can answer...

the SLi cable is labelled "J_SLI1" at one end and "J_SLI2" at the other, I assume this means that the cable must go a certain way round, so I plugged "J_SLI1" into the card at Slot A. I assume this would be correct?

Also, why is card Slot A identified as the daughter in the BIOS and Slot B as the parent?

 

The SLi cable positioning is something that baffled me as well. I only got my head around it after a solid sleep and a healthy breakfast+lunch.

Do you have the service manual for the D901C handy? You can find it in theriko's sig. It's extremely handy. Study the Dual VGA card installation part, and make sure to read every word (especially the parts in green bubbles). Don't skip any bit of information. Read over it dozens of times.

My LCD was fine even after botching the SLi cable's position multiple times (it wouldn't stick, etc). I don't see how that could be affecting your LCD, but hey who knows.

 

aha! thanks for pointing that out! ,

seems I had an older service manual and those pics definitely weren't in it

ye, i don't believe the LCD issue is in any way related, but was just curious

 

You could try to boot up with just one card and see what happens.

 

ye, was trying that at the start, then I plugged in the other and ran SLi just for the fun of it, fired up FarCry 2 for 30 mins.
now i'm back to one card and will leave the other out till i solve this

 

Your LCD refuses to function when both cards are installed? Is that what's happening?

 

yep, no function with just one card (tried each card separately in Slot A) and no function with both cards.

functions with old 7950GTX

 

That beats me then. I think only Gophn will be able to shed some light on this.

Gophn, where art thou?

 

Did you try them separately in Slot B?

 

Yeah, can you post pictures of what your card(s) look like when you install them?

 

Have you tried new mobo old card as well?

 

If I remember corretcly, I think I did try one in Slot B, can't remember what the result was, it probably didn't even detect it.

I had initally planned to document the whole motherboard swap process, but this got quite tedious early on. I really should be doing other things at the moment so when I get some time i'll organise pictures etc.

for now you'll have to take my word that it was done correctly!
i consider myself to be more than capable of doing this kind of thing, it's the software side that confuses me! and i'm always very cautious

at the moment i'm waiting for some correspondence with RJTech

 

any luck with this man?

 

I would like to suggest to switch the lcd-inverter or whatver its called.

 

check out this link on lcd inverter

another link

one of the suggestions says to get a flashlight and aim on to the screen to see if you have an image.

 

happy new year all!

damn, no luck with this yet.

@ mrblur - thanks for the links, already came across them before, but i definitely know that nothing in the LCD panel is dead. there's no ghost image when shining a light into it, it is completely powerless with 9800M.

If anything this has given me a reason to get myself a 22" 1080p monitor, analogue only tho so using VGA out, will get a converter soonest so i can check if the DVI out works.

but i'm still bummed out about this and still hunting for an answer!

 

oh yeah, the guys over at RJTech were most helpful with this also, but after all their suggestions, checking dipswitches, checking part model numbers, consulting with Clevo etc. they are also stumped...

their only remaining suggestion was to test a new LCD cable and inverter. i'd have to internet order these, and i'm not really planning on doing so soon as i'm highly doubtful of either of these being the problem.

so basically they're not going to offer any more help until I report back to them having tested a new cable and inverter...

 

I believe there is a separate plug into the mobo for both the power and signal, both go into the area on under the panel that houses the power button and capslock/numlock lights.

I'm sure since you took this thing apart you probably knew this... but just reseat the two to make sure. (yes, even though it does work with the old gpu)

and yes, I have a feeling its prolly the old inverter cable not able to handle the signal or sumtin since external monitor seems to work fine as you stated. meaning the mobo and GPU work fine together. ANd its not the LCD since it work with the card... the only thing it COULD be is the connection while the new card is in...

 

ye that seems to be the only logical explanation left... some incompatibility with power requirements between the new GPU and LCD panel.

i'll have to spend some time researching this as I don't want to rush into buying any generic cable/inverter that isn't compatible.

hehe and yeah, by now I know this rig inside out!

if anyone thinks it would be useful, the next time I pull it apart i might consider writing up a dis/assembly guide - time permitting of course! not promising anything right now though

 

hey blood bro, i was actually thinking about upgrading my mobo as well, having a 9260 as well, and stuck with the E6700 and 7950...

before i got any further, i must ask, was the price and work time (which really isnt a problem) worth stripping it to buy a new mobo, cpu, and gpu...

i thought about it, but only received responses thats I might as well buy just a new rig like the d900f... for about 2 grand i can get something way more powerful than this thing, and for new mobo/gpu/cpu thats how much it'll cost anyway...

 

Hey Doodles,

ye it's a good question, I really had to justify to myself that this was worth it.

pricewise, yes a new barebones D900F wouldn't be much more expensive than a complete upgrade, and much greater performance with Core i7, GTX 280M, DDR3 RAM @ 1066, E-SATA, HDMI and Windows 7.

then again for a little more money there's the NP9850 with SLi GTX 280Ms - the cycle never ends!

once you start ticking check-boxes on the order sheet the price will rise significantly

I was half thinking about this myself, but when upgrade CPU and RAM, my system will pretty much be new anyway, not the newest but still in the top 10. at slightly less cost than a new beast.

If I remember corretly the D900F mobo will not work in this chassis so that option means literally a second notebook. what to do with the old one? - sell it, part it out or keep it as a secondary or home-server. or pull it apart and give it a new paint job just for the fun of it!

I would advise you to take the line of thinking not "should I upgrade?" but "why shouldn't I buy new?".

If you're confident and willing to do the work upgrading it is quite a rewarding experience, and you'll know your own system like the back of your hand. although this is more applicable to desktops than notebooks.
at the moment i'm dreaming up a future project to make use of my old mobo.

I haven't answered anything for you, this is a choice you'll have to make, it seems you're doing your research and I can only stress how important that is.

Of course the second you buy a new laptop, it's already 'obsolete', there will be the next best thing just around the corner.
within a few months of buying a new one, you'll be asking questions about upgrading that - which again will probably require a new motherboard. this is what's pissing people off about 'upgradable' notebooks. the economy and powers-that-be will simply not yet allow this to be a reality.

And with a new one comes a WARRANTY!

hope this helps and don't make he have second-thoughts about my choices!! hehe