NP9262 Graphics Failing, Need an Upgrade

Hey everyone,

It has been a while. My Sager NP9262 with SLI 8800M GTX has one (possibly both) of the cards starting to fail.

I am looking to upgrade the cards to something newer (hopefully something that also generates less heat), but unfortunately it is very very hard to find somewhere to purchase these mobile graphics cards.

So I naturally have a few questions if someone wouldn't mind helping me out.


1.) Which graphics card should I be looking for?
I don't play as many games as I used to and the current power of my 2x 8800M GTX is on par with what I need. However, they generate a little too much heat and I'm hoping the newer ones use better technology to counter that.

2.) Will the new graphics card be compatible with my older D900C Motherboard?
I'm hoping they didn't change slots or anything to prevent me from getting a newer card without changing out the entire mobo or laptop alltogether.

3.) Where can I purchase these?
I have contacted Sager to try and work something out with them, but if they don't wish to provide me with a newer card (I think my warranty is up), then I'll need another alternative.



Thanks a lot in advance. I really appreciate it.

 

I'm also thinking about doing a reflow on the cards with my brother's heatgun. Is this a good idea?

 

You could try baking them!

 

HEY RAMBO! Long time no see!

I could bake them if I knew how. I'm not computer illiterate or anything, but as far as hardware modification or soldering and stuff goes, I'm very basic.

I know baking is essentially putting the cards in the oven, but is there any special prep needed? Maybe some precise details like how long and temp.

Thanks for the reply.

 

There are guides for it on this forum. Try searching.

 

Ordering two new cards will cost almost as much as buying a new laptop or not far from it.

However, this thread should be able to help you locate one Where to buy

 

Whats the problem with your graphic cards?Are you sure they are dying and not some BIOS/temperature issue?

 

You can try baking them if in fact they are failing....

your only option is going to the 9800m gtx rjtech still has them and eurocom. but like someone said you might be better off buying a new laptop and seel yours for parts.

 

Thanks for the replies. RAMBO, one of the cards (the one in the primary slot) occasionally will not run. It will turn on enough for GPU-Z to see that it is there, but get almost no readings from it.

It isn't to the point of oh crap I can't use my computer, but it is something that will most likely get progressively worse until it fails completely.



Sager called me back. He said my warranty was in fact finished. He also told me that they would be able to sell the cards to me but that they would cost about $700 each. He also said my motherboard is only compatible with the 8800 and 9600 cards.


I will try baking the card. If that doesn't work. I guess I have to just hope that it is the one card and not both so I can at least run it solo.



Thanks for the info everyone.

 

you can always buy my laptop lol.

 

If you want to lower heat output, I'd opt for 1x Nvidia GTX 280m MXM III V2.1 GPU. It's got 32 more SPs and will beat 1x 8800m GTX hands down. It also has 1GB of video RAM which is a big benefit these days (particularly going the PhysX route).

 

If I were to upgrade the card due to both failing, I would indeed go with a new better one instead of the same model. However, the Sager representative that called me said only the 8800 and 9600 cards were compatible with my motherboard (although I haven't confirmed the accuracy of this.)

 

You should easily be able to take 9800M GT's or 9800M GTX's.... depending on MXM models.... GTX280M might not work...

 

My np9262 shipped with a 9800gt so you can replace your 8800gtx with either a 9800gt(if you can find one) or a 9800gtx. Don't know about the 280m.

 

Sager is just lying, much like they lied to me about the .20 BIOS being "perfectly fine" for the Q9650, but I'd get some weird freezing on POST after a warm boot with it. Anyway that's a different story.

What's your motherboard revision? There should be a sticker on it somewhere when you open it up. If it's version 6.2, you're set (I think -- Gophn clarify?). Did your machine ship with the Q9450 and dual 8800m GTX cards in it?

Edit: Also, what's your BIOS and EC version?

 

When they talk about what is compatible, they are usually referring to what is officially compatible and / or covered under a warranty. Just like they say the 2.5 Ghz QX9300 or the GTX280M was not compatible with the NP8662 laptop .

 

Some link I found on the forum a few weeks ago.

http://www.mxm-upgrade.com/D901c.html

 

Great link, thanks a lot. It will be what I use if I feel like upgrading just to reduce heat and improve performance..


I appreciate all the help everyone.

 

Been a while, thought I should revive this thread due to recent success.

I put off the baking of the card as it had been working fine for a while. Then recently it crapped out entirely and I was unable to use anything with directX.

Long story short, baked the card at 385F for 8 minutes did the trick wonderfully.

Appreciate the info everyone.