Clevo D901C, 8700M GT SLI Problem

I bought my notebook from RJTech, with everything installed, except the HD's, and up until this last Thrusday, I was very happy with it, until I tried to game in FULL SCREEN mode, using SLI.

I've tried the official drivers from Clevo's webpage, from Sager's webpage, and the modded inf's @ laptopvideo2go's webpage.

Well, basically, I can run ANY game perfectly in FULL SCREEN, if I just use the single video card setup, but I paid for 2 video cards, and when I try to use SLI in FULL SCREEN, the colors look as if they're running in 256 color mode, then the frame rates drop to partial slideshow, then finally it just locks up the machine.

PCMark2006, when running ANY tests, it reports the video driver has stopped responding & needs to reboot, but it only does this under SLI.

One note, I can run SLI, if the game is not in FULL SCREEN mode.

I hope I provided enough info.

RJTech if you're out there, please help, trying to call your tech support is frustrating to say the least.

If anyone can help, provide any info, I would most appreciate it.

 

As for Vista...

I would like to add that I tried the "7.15.11.5666 (WHQL)" drivers from Sagers webpage & the Nvidia Forceware 169.01 from laptopvideo2go, I can't get SLI to work, but this time it's because of a "Code 12" Error (Not enough resources).

Does anyone know how to fix a "Code 12" error?

Also, has the 7950GTX SLI given anyone serious troubles, such as the ones I've listed?

Please, I need some help, before I pull out whats left of my hair...

RJTECH, are you listening?

 

Make sure you are plugged in, and go into Safe Mode to uninstall existing drivers.

Restart into Safe Mode again, and
use CCleaner and DriverCleaner
then use the up-to-date drivers from Sager

 

Yeah tried that, also re-installed WinXP, and only installed the driver available on Sager's webpage, didn't make any difference, FULL SCREEN just will not work.

I'm going to continue my efforts to contact RJTECH's Tech Support on Monday, I'm still under the 15 day replacement period until this Wednesday.

Thank you for answering, and please, anyone, throw me more suggestions, possible settings, games you've gotten to successfully run in SLI on WinXP &/or Vista, I frequently miss the simplest solutions.

 

I have similar problems. I'm using the 5675 beta from Sager website. I've sent an email to sager+xotic. They're taking a look at the problem.

It took me a while to install the 5675 beta. I had to boot into safe mode and uninstall the 5666 driver. Then reboot into normal mode and install the 5675. Then reboot after install and select SLI. Then reboot for SLI.

The device menu shows both cards using 5675 at this point. I have SLI enabled but the results from 3DMark06 and the GPU temperatures show only one card functioning.

Agreed that it's very frustrating. I hope it's fixed soon. I'm questioning my decision to buy 8700's -- especially with these rumors of 8800's coming out soon.

I'm not concerned yet... but if this drags on for a month or so then I will be!

 

The drivers you need can be downloaded from DV Nation without BS driver detective or any crap. These drivers work great! They are for the Clevo D900 and D901C with dual nVidia 8700M GT SLI graphics cards. This notebook is used by Sager, Alienware, Dell, Falcon Nortwest, Maingear, Smooth Creations, DV Nation (who uses screamin MTRON solid state disks in theirs, quad core, etc), and any other maker that uses a 17" notebook with 3 SATA drive slots. link:

http://www.dvnation.com/Clevo-D900C-D901C-nVidia-GeForce-Go-8700M-GT-SLI.html

 

You must be stoned... there's no way I'm downloading and trying a driver from that website.

FIRST: I've never heard of them and apparently your first post in these forums is to push their website.

SECOND: They say the "latest and greatest DX10 drivers" and then state they're for XP 32-bit.

THIRD: links on that page you referenced aren't valid so the website seems in question.

Sorry bud... not going to try them. Unless they come from Sager, they're not going on my Sager 9261.

 

Yeah thanks, but that sounds a bit fishy to me.

I'm just going to work with RJTECH, or hope that someone has a solution to my & possibly others SLI in WinXP dilemma, since I'm not really too enthusiastic about Vista just yet.

 

Before you install your card you should do the following Vista updates.

Updates for SLI.

http://www.nvidia.com/object/windows_vista_hotfixes.html
http://www.dslreports.com/forum/r18984764-Four-MustHave-Vista-Updates

Trance
PS: Sorry for the double post, but this concern the thread too.

 

Tried them and no luck. Two of the four updates installed. The last two came up as "not applicable" for my Vista 64 system. They might be installed already or superceded by another update.

Regardless, they did not resolve the problem. For the moment I have no SLI in Vista and occasional driver resets.

 

Problem is FIXED!

Thank you Richard Wu of RJTECH!

He sent me some files to re-flash my 2nd Video Card as a Parent Card & that fixed everything!

SLI works perfect now.

Richard told me it had something to do with the first batch of D901C's that were sent out, Clevo didn't catch the problem in time.

I suggest everyone who owns the Clevo D901C with 8700M GT SLI, contact their vendor for the fix, I don't know if it would be responsible of me to pass out the files I was given.

 

Sweet... way to go!

I thought this might be my problem too... but after rereading this entire thread I'm not sure. I never had lockups in full screen. My problem is that the driver resets occasionally and SLI doesn't seem to be doing anything.

 

Kozi

are u still havin problems with ur laptop? thats the setup i want but am holding off till u guys get the bugs fixed. or till 8800 comes out. can u post ur 3dmark results

 

Kozi have you tried these drivers?

http://www.gamershell.com/news/42871.html

Trance
They are the ones used by Jhonbeck it seams. There is x64 version of those.

 

I have only used the drivers on the Sager website.

I'm still stuck with no SLI. I sent an email to Sager over the weekend with no response. Xoticpc on the other hand is trying real hard to help fix the problem. Unfortunately they can only do so much before we're waiting on Sager again.

I don't think this is a driver issue. Instead I think it's either a hardware issue or something similar to rsaotome that requires a firmware update.

I didn't think we could use drivers directly from nVidia website. When I run the nVidia driver check tool it says I must get them from Clevo (I suspect this is just an inspection of some .inf file or something).

Hopefully tomorrow I'll have some good news.

 

For me, it was just a matter of flashing the 2nd card to a parent card. I'm going to tryout the latest drivers @ laptopvideo2go with the enhanced inf's to support the 8700M GT's.

From what Richard Wu @ RJTECH told me, the problem I was having, only affected the first batch of D901C's, but if you can wait for the 8800's, then wait. Personally, I LOVE this notebook, and the raw power that comes with Quad Core, it's a HUGE step up for me, since it's been 3+ years between notebooks.

I needed the notebook for my upcoming trip to Europe & that's in less than 2 weeks, so I couldn't wait for the 8800's, which hopefully will be a viable upgrade option once they're released & all the bugs are taken care of.

 

yes i need one before i go away too but im leaving in january so i have some time but it has to be running right before i jump on a plain. i want to get vista ult. 64 so i am waiting for kozi to get his fix hoping its not a vista64 bit issue. i might just get one 8700 for now and get the upgrade 2x 8800mgt in sli once its bug free i just dont know what to do i should have had my lappy already

 

I know the feeling... struggled with 7950's vs. 8700's for over a month. My decision process sort of went like this:

1. I want 4 GB of RAM ... but only works with 64 bit OS so....
2. Picked Vista 64 Business (primarily a work computer)... which has DX10 so...
3. Went with 8700's in SLI because why have Vista without DX10?

I needed to have this laptop for my new job which started at the end of September so there was not choice but to buy now. I would be lying if I said I wasn't disappointed about the 8800 rumor... I just bought this lappy and 8700's were offered in SLI only 3 weeks ago!!!!

Frost the cake with my SLI not working right and people getting low 3DMark scores in Vista 64 and I'm not in the best mood about the graphics situation.

I think the 10000+ mark someone got with Vista 32 and 8700's in SLI is VERY cool.

 

I've finally seen some life from SLI. I did the following:

1. Selecting “advanced” features in the nVidia control panel
2. Under “manage 3D settings” I did the following:
a. Set “Multi-Display/Mixed GPU Acceleration” to the value “Single Display Performance Mode”
b. Set “SLI Performance Mode” to the value “Force Alternate Frame Rendering 2”

Why this is required to get SLI to function does not make sense to me. After those steps I get a whopping 7441 in 3DMark06. Not so good.

 

!!!!!!! EVERYTHING WORKS NOW !!!!!!

The fix was to install 169.04 drivers using the modified .INF file from laptop2go or whatever that website is.

My new 3DMark06 Score with stock clocks on Vista 64 Business is:


(drum roll)

8776

Very nice!

 

I love when people get excited about these things. You get this strong urge to tell the entire world of the news and one post usually isn't enough I do it myself sometimes. I am really glad it worked out for you, Kozi.

 

Bravo!

I consider to:
1. replace my single 8700 with two 8800's, if it is a bit affordable, lets say about $ 800, or
2. get me another 8700 if I am convinced that the SLI works well for Vista Ultimate x64, with 4GB

Your experience is very helpfull!

 

kozi
congratz. on the fix and thx for all the info. one more question

Was the 7441 score with it in sli (2 cards) or just reading one card ?

i can live with 7441 as a score for one card till the 8800m come out, who knows when.

 

7441 is damn near impossible with just one card, even if you have a quad/extreme processor.

 

Glad to see they're finally working, and I use those EXACT settings, had to do a little research to find out the difference in SLI MODE's, since I just came off of only using ATI cards for several years.

Btw, you can enable 4GB RAM in Vista 32-bit, or at least according to this article you can, haven't tried it yet, but I plan to, as soon as SP1 comes out.

http://www.ocmodshop.com/ocmodshop.aspx?a=989

 

ok, this is the laoptop im going for. I change from a q6600 to a q6700 if i only get one 8700 i just wanna make sure that i can upgrade to the 8800M GTX's in sli when they come out.
SAGER NP9261 Ultimate Custom Laptop (Built on Clevo D901C)
- 17" WUXGA "Glare Type" Super Clear Ultra Bright Glossy Screen (1920x1200)
- ~Intel Core 2 QUAD Q6700 2.66GHz w/ 8MB L2 Cache - 1066MHz FSB
- 512MB PCI-Express nVidia GeForce 8700GT DX10 (User Upgradeable)
- ~ 4,096MB DDR2 800 (2 SODIMMS) Dual Channel Memory (w/ Vista 64-Bit Only)
- ~Combo 8x8x6x4x Dual Layer DVD +/-R/RW 5x DVD-RAM 24x CD-R/RW Drive w/Softwares
- ~160GB Seagate Momentus 3GB/S SATA 300 7200RPM Hard Drive (9260)
- ~160GB Seagate Momentus 3GB/S SATA 300 7200RPM Hard Drive (9260)
- Raid 0-Stripe (Combines primary and secondary hard drive)( (Requires 2 Identical Sized Hard Drives)
- Internal 7-in-1 Card Reader (MS/MS Pro/MS Duo/MS Pro Duo/SD/Mini-SD/MMC/RS)
- Built in 1.3Megapixel Camera
- Built-In Multi Region TV Tuner w/ FREE Express Card MCE Remote & Receiver (w/ Vista Home Premium & Ultimate)
- Sound Blaster Compatible 3D Audio - Included
- Integrated System Speakers - Included
- Internal Bluetooth 2.0+ EDR
- Built-in Intel® PRO/Wireless 4965 802.11 a/g/n
- Basic Black Business Case - Included
- Smart Li-ion Battery (12 Cell)
- 110/220V 120W Auto Switching AC Adapter - Included
- ~Windows Vista Ultimate 64-Bit Installed (64&32-Bit CD Included) w/ Drivers & Utilities CD's
- 3 Year Labor* 1 Year Parts Warranty Lifetime Toll Free Tech Support (Extra 2 Year Labor Warranty through Xotic PC)

if i go with 2x 8700 in sli now i will have to go to the q6600 (the money tree is pretty bare ) lol
what do u think the score will be with "one" 8700??????

 

should i just talk to justin lol?

 

Don't go by that article.. Its a load of crap..

I really don't see this as a viable solution...

PAE is a method to address memory larger than 4gb.. Not 4gb..
Also for you to access this extra memory.. The application has to know how to use PAE... Most likely none of the programs will know how to use it...

There are programs like Microsoft SQL server that can use PAE.. But you have to configure SQL to do it.

Also if it does work to address the extra memory, it will likely slow down your box because the nature of PAE is to build a virtual addressing scheme to access the extra memory will cause the slow down because it is done in virtual memory.

But even then your software will also most likely not access the extra memory.

Here's an article on PAE from Microsoft

http://www.microsoft.com/whdc/system/platform/server/PAE/PAEdrv.mspx

There should be no reason that you can't get the full 4gb..
Unless it is hardware limited.

Windows XP and Vista 32 bit should support 4gb natively.

Joe

 

Yeah, probably.

If your ultimate goal is the 8800's, then you may want to go with the better CPU, and later on go with the 8800.

But of course, there's no guarantee the 8800's will work in the D901C's.

What a dilemma.

 

i know i just talk to a justin @ X (not the justin that posts) and he said the same thing, it might not b for the D901c's But if i am willing to wait to see then go with only one 8700 for now i can always get a second one and thro it in
I should go with

SAGER NP9261 Ultimate Custom Laptop (Built on Clevo D901C)
- 17" WUXGA "Glare Type" Super Clear Ultra Bright Glossy Screen (1920x1200)
- Arctic Silver 5 Thermal Compound
- Standard Dead Pixel Policy
- ~Intel Core 2 QUAD Q6700 2.66GHz w/ 8MB L2 Cache - 1066MHz FSB
- 512MB PCI-Express nVidia GeForce 8700GT DX10 (User Upgradeable)
- ~ 4,096MB DDR2 800 (2 SODIMMS) Dual Channel Memory (w/ Vista 64-Bit Only)
- Standard Finish
- ~Combo 8x8x6x4x Dual Layer DVD +/-R/RW 5x DVD-RAM 24x CD-R/RW Drive w/Softwares
- ~160GB Seagate Momentus 3GB/S SATA 300 7200RPM Hard Drive (9260)
- ~160GB Seagate Momentus 3GB/S SATA 300 7200RPM Hard Drive (9260)
- ~160GB Seagate Momentus 3GB/S SATA 300 7200RPM Hard Drive (9260)
- Raid 5-Stripe
- Internal 7-in-1 Card Reader (MS/MS Pro/MS Duo/MS Pro Duo/SD/Mini-SD/MMC/RS)
- Built in 1.3Megapixel Camera
- Built-In Multi Region TV Tuner w/ FREE Express Card MCE Remote & Receiver (w/ Vista Home Premium & Ultimate)
- Sound Blaster Compatible 3D Audio - Included
- Integrated System Speakers - Included
- Internal Bluetooth 2.0+ EDR
- Built-in Intel® PRO/Wireless 4965 802.11 a/g/n
- Basic Black Business Case - Included
- Smart Li-ion Battery (12 Cell)
- 110/220V 120W Auto Switching AC Adapter - Included
- ~Windows Vista Ultimate 64-Bit Installed (64&32-Bit CD Included) w/ Drivers & Utilities CD's
- 3 Year Labor* 1 Year Parts Warranty Lifetime Toll Free Tech Support (Extra 2 Year Labor Warranty through Xotic PC)

so im gonna go for it before another rumor comes out and makes me wait 3 more weeks lol

 

I can tell you this, if the NP9261 woun't be upgradable to a 8800GTX this would make a lot of us really mad and disconcerned. But judging by the past I can see it no other way but that it is impossible not to be, at most a motherboard may be required.

Regarding the NVIDIA 9000 Series (future) then yes I would say most probably not (PCI Express 2.0), but then again if it can that alone would make Clevo my number one laptop company for quite awhile. Untill now Clevo its keeping all that it was expected from this system considering the hype.

Trance

 

yes he thinks it will be, but cant talk on just rumors. thats why i ordered mine with just one 8700 till the 8800mGT's comes out and hopefully compatible with the clevo. then SLI I GO !!!!! weeeeeeeee