P750DM-G GTX 1070 Upgrade Help

Looking for some guidance- I purchased a GTX 1070 off eBay a few weeks ago, installed it in my P750DM-G and did not get a screen at all to even get into the MB Bios. I have the 4K, 60Hz screen. Sent it back and ordered a new one off Amazon figuring the return process would be easier, and yet again I have no screen. So, now I'm thinking it's something I'm not prepping on the laptop. It's on the latest stock Clevo MB Bios, and I haven't seen this raised as an issue in any other threads from people that have done this upgrade, just info about modifying the INF files. Would appreciate any suggestions before I send back and get a 3rd card, which at this point I'm assuming won't work either.

 

Upgrade from what exactly?

You need a Clevo bios that has the 1070 added.
You need a Clevo vBios depending on G-Sync or Non G-Sync.
You may also need the 1070 heat sink if you dont already have it.
And sending back for a 3rd will net the exact same results....

 

I currently have a 980M. When I put that in and replaced my stock 970M, I was able to flash the vBios from within windows (so it did boot with the wrong vBios), and my laptop does have an upgraded heatsync and the larger power supply. It looks like the key issue is the MB Bios. Right now the Prema Bios is not available, but I have seen this thread: http://forum.notebookreview.com/thr...clevo-laptops-rtx-cards-now-supported.825558/
However, it’s not clear to me if I should only use that bios if I’m also updating my processor and willing to do hardware mods (which I’m trying to avoid). As well, I don’t have a UEFI version of Windows 10 installed so I’m not doing UEFI boot, if that matters. I guess I need to start with some direction on where to look for a MB bios or if the one I linked above is a good route to take. I’ve searched for a modded bios in the past, but only found one I was comfortable trying and the flash utility just crashed, so if I can find the name of that one I’ll post it just to rule one out.

 

What system did the 1070 originally come out of? Got a photo of the card ?

 

They said it is new, don’t recall on the first card. Here is the item: New 8GB Graphics Video Card GTX1070 Replacement, for Clevo P150EM P150SM P170EM P370EM P570WM P750 MSI GT60 GT70 GT72 GT80 Gaming Laptop Computer, nVidia Geforce GTX 1070 GDDR5 GPU Upgrade https://www.amazon.com/dp/B088PXPVXQ/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_n0seFbVD9AZBN

I’ve attached photos I took myself.

 

Hummm, I have never tried any of those bios files before so I can not speak on the validity of them.
The Prema bios has been profected as in the whole bios works. And when it crashes he knows how to fix it from scratch...
As long as you still have the other card, you are fine. Swap cards and try flashing the bios.(But i would do quite a lot of reading first! And also understand the mechanics and having a backup plan to recover) Then swap cards and see if it shows up. You are going to need it if you plan on running anything higher than a 6700K

 

Is there any way to even buy Prema’s bios right now? The page on his website doesn’t have a purchase or download option and I understand all the download links have been scrubbed. The link I posted refers to needing a larger bios chip than stock, so I don’t think I’d try to go that route.

 

Ok that looks like an asrock 1070:
http://forum.notebookreview.com/threads/successful-mxm-gpu-upgraded-laptops.805136/page-51

I would start researching for examples of use in other laptops for that same GPU, maybe it needs a different vbios to work with your machine.

 

Good catch, thank you. I've actually searched for and pinned several threads talking about this specific upgrade. Every one mentions needing to do a INF File Mod, some mention vBios, none mention needing a modded MB Bios, which is why I figured the first card was just broken. I think it should still boot without the correct vBios, as my 980M definitely came with a non-Clevo Bios and booted fine. I'm not going to be able to flash it without getting a screen first anyway.

 

Hey Brad how's it going ... I'll do your .inf mod if you need help . This card will work in your system and very well in fact. Do you have TeamViewer?

 

Before you try flashing anything .inf mod is your 1st step .

 

Thank you for the offer. It's actually the one area I'm good, Prema's site has great step by step instructions and INF files to substitute. So, my NVidia folder is all ready to go once I can get this thing to boot.

 

I'm so lazy did you get into bios ? And have you got a HDMI and a TV or monitor?

 

I haven't got into my bios yet, no, currently I've just swapped back to my 980M. I hadn't tried an external monitor either, figured I'd try to flash my MB Bios first with one that is confirmed to work with my hardware configuration before taking any more steps

 

Is your screen EDP or LVDS and or Gsync ? Communication between the GPU motherboard and screen needs to be ready . One thing I will say is what you want to do can be done just a matter of going through the questions and getting that system ready. Your motherboard bios should be fine with a regular MXM 1070 ( the one you have ) my P775DM1G worked great with the MSM 1070 MXM no BIOS mod needed using a QHD 40pin screen

 

It looks like all P750s have EDP screens, I have the 4K one with gSync. I have reached out to the seller to see what vBios it comes with as well but haven’t heard back yet.

 

Keep us updated with his response ...

 

Well, they replied and said that I need to have dual graphics card mode enabled on in MB Bios and also have UEFI mode enabled. They did not clarify what vBios is on the card. That might explain why other users did not post about modded MB bios, I’m guessing they were in UEFI in the first place. The good news is, I can do an in place conversion of my OS without a full reinstall, which is a pleasant surprise, I’ll be trying this next: https://www.windowscentral.com/how-convert-mbr-disk-gpt-move-bios-uefi-windows-10

 

I'd still try put the GPU in the system and try the HDMI to a TV or monitor. Then inside the bios you can check the vbios on the GPU ..or go into windows in gpuz ..I'd try this

 

I would, but keep in mind every time I do the GPU swap is smearing thermal paste, pads falling out, even wear on the screws so I'm trying to keep it to a minimum. Putting in the card and quickly powering up with the laptop on its side to see if my screen comes on is the step I'd like to have happen first. Plus I have 2 puppies running around and running that HDMI cable across the floor for a while is a little tough right now; I'm a bit limited in my setup options at the moment. Once I switch to UEFI I definitely will try HDMI before the card swap, I want to make sure it's setup for it even before putting in the 1070.

 

Well, I wound up switching the MB to UEFI mode and put in the 1070. No output over HDMI, and this is what my screen looks like after 2 different boots. Not the best progress so far. Switching back in the 980M, messaged the seller and unfortunately dealing with fixing my Windows 10 install. Let me know if these screen patterns look familiar to anyone.

 

What is the vBios version on the card?

 

I still haven’t heard back on that from the seller, without a monitor internal or external, I don’t have a way of viewing it on my own.

 

If you have a programmer, you can dumped the vBios and then be able to read the version. (along with flash the correct version from someone around here)
And since your card is unable to be seen using legacy mode usually means you have the wrong vBios.... usually

 

This pattern ... Can anyone say anything more about this but my answer is return that card !

 

I don’t have a programmer, and in trying to do a search for one online, I came up empty as well.

Yes, the screen pattern is NOT reassuring. I’m also in the unfortunate situation of having to reinstall Windows 10 now due to the UEFI conversation not working for some unknown reason, piling on the bad luck.

 

Reinstalling windows should be the easy part . Hopefully nothing to important was lost . This might be a good path you are on I have seen a fresh install fix some strange problems in the passed . If the card is ok this can get solved I'm sure !

 

Sky Pro 1-2-3
Sky Pro 2/3 are the better ones as they don't need a computer to flash. And they can store the files on a flash card. They also cost more.
http://www.coright.com/index.php?lang=en

1.8V adapter
https://www.amazon.com/Adapter-Prog...&keywords=1.8V+adapter&qid=1595048996&sr=8-20

These will work as well.
https://www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_fr...leDesc=0&_osacat=0&_odkw=sky+pro+2+programmer

And very good array of sop8 clips.
https://www.amazon.com/TOOL-012A-SO...d=1&keywords=sop8+clip&qid=1595049241&sr=8-22
Cheaper ones in this list.
https://www.amazon.com/s?k=sop8+clip&page=2&qid=1595049241&ref=sr_pg_2

You can use the links to start your research or you can send the card to someone and have them flash it for you....

 

Nice! I was searching for MXM programmer, figured it would be some kind of connector like the SATA drive USB cable. I reinstalled WIN10 with UEFI compatibility so I’m booting again and will try the 1070 again in the morning. I’m going to wait on what the seller has to say about the screenshots and vBios version before I attempt anything else on my own.

 

So, some progress. Swapped back in the 1070 after the windows reinstall and I can not only get it to boot (with some minor pixellation), but also figured out that even though I can't see the Bios/UEFI options, I can still get into UEFI and moving the arrow keys, moving to a new tab gets it to show. Because of the pixellation, I tried a vBios from a Clevo 1070 with the same clock frequencies, but that did not change anything so I swapped back to stock to try drivers.

Modded drivers just aren't working. I got -43 errors and a black screen on 430.39 that I swapped in Prema's INF files on my own, and then tried Prema's 436.15 pre-setup files with the same results. The 1070 shows as disabled due to the 43 error in device manager and the main options just show my adapter as 'Microsoft Basic Display Adapter'. I just wind up teamviewing in from my wife's laptop to uninstall the adapter and drivers to get my screen back. So at this point I'm not sure what I should be doing with my INF files, what vBios to try, and if it's worth trying one before the other. Here is the site with his mods for reference:

https://premamod.wordpress.com/2017/08/15/j95-nvidia-inf/

 

Almost forgot, vBios is 86.04.42.00.03; the version I tried without improvement was 86.04.56.00.1E, and full Device ID is 10DE 1BA1 1558 7502

 

How did you go about flashing the card?

And your current vbios is for a MSI.
https://www.techpowerup.com/vgabios/190114/190114

Whole list of vbios files...
https://www.techpowerup.com/vgabios...ion=&interface=PCI-E&memType=&memSize=&since=

Clevo list.
https://www.techpowerup.com/vgabios...ion=&interface=PCI-E&memType=&memSize=&since=

 

I flashed within windows using NVFlash, also used Techpowerup to find the Clevo Bios I used as well, so we’re on the same page.

 

Also, checking through that list, I didn't find a single vBios that supports UEFI, which is odd since the manufacturer told me to enable it, I saw in other threads that it needs to be enabled, that's what got my computer to have a screen, and yet I also can't see the UEFI boot logo and the menus are invisible first logging in.

 

I think you should read though over here, because you need a programmer to flash 10 and 20 series cards unless i'm missing something?
http://forum.notebookreview.com/threads/mobile-pascal-tdp-tweaker-update-and-feedback-thread.806161/

Unless you are using a modified nvflasher and factory vbios with the right commands, i guess that would work. I forget as I never use nvflash as it does not dump the whole vbios nor can you flash a modified vbios with it.

 

I’m responding from my phone and the image is on my PC, but I checked the card with GPU-Z and the vBios did flash correctly with NVFlash. I did have to use a modified version of NVFlash to get it to work because the sub model of my card had literally zero associated vBioses online, but it did reprogram without issue.

 

Well, I went back and forth with the seller online and it was pretty useless. Despite not having a screen during UEFI boot, they suggested I just needed new drivers, and recommended trying both driver genius and a piece of spyware on my computer. I humored them by putting on driver genius, which didn't work because my computer is still reading this as a Microsoft VGA GPU. I knew it wouldn't solve my issues, but didn't want pushback from the seller. So, at this point they're saying to have me return the card. Once I get the refund to Paypal from the first card I sent back, I'm planning to get another 1070, but this time through eBay from someone who will put on the correct vBios in the first place to at least eliminate one hurdle. Questions I have before doing this:

Anything I should look for/avoid on a new 1070 card?
I have searched like crazy for a MB Bios that would help, and all of them seem like a 'maybe', which isn't really good enough to try. I have sent a message to @Prema as well to see if there is a way to get their Bios. Any other suggestions for MB bios?

 

I think the card will work, but without the right vBios and bios, your just throwing things at the problem and hoping for the best. That is very time consuming....

Prema wont help as your product would have had to be bought through a Prema partner.

I'm guessing you really need to flash the bios, then flash the correct Clevo vBios for G-Sync Or Non G-Sync for your card.

You should be able to see the bios with or without legacy mode enabled.

 

So, I spent several hours today searching through these forums and several others on the Internet about a good vbios and mb bios to use on my computer. It seemed clear that the one that was best guaranteed to have compatibility came from the thread I linked at the very beginning of this thread and I went forward with dsanke’s Bioses. I flashed the 1070 without issue, then I flashed my motherboard without issue. Rebooted the computer, and nothing. The power light comes on for about four seconds, then it reboots, then nothing. No screen, no external screen, it seemed that it is pretty well bricked. I am besides myself with frustration, thank you guys for all your help, But at this point I am probably just going to sell off the laptop with the bricked bios and buy something used locally.

 

Surely it will still boot with the 980M currently?

 

No, same results either way, power light comes on for about 20 seconds, turns off, then comes back on again, not a flicker on the screen or even a power up ‘glow’ with either card.

 

After the flash you unplugged the power to the laptop and plugged it back in?
Also you can try removing the cmos and main battery for 30 seconds, then try to repower on.

 

I believe the p771dm was modded to have the msi 1070 and 4k screen so it should work with the right card...

 

He has a P750DM-G.

 

The same mod I believe works in my p750zm

Will know probably in a weeks time.

 

The GPU is dead on arrival.
Sorry,
I have seen this happens with others chineese 1070's crap.
The most common problem is that GPU is not making good contacts to the PCB board as being slightly slanted. Reballing is only temporal solution and in few months will be back to the same state as yours.
Your only option is to take it back to the seller and to get MSI 1070.
Those black PCB chineese 1070s are the biggest garbage I have ever seen.

 

At this point of frustration I think I’m just going to sell off this laptop and look for a pascal architecture laptop. However, I need to get this laptop working again. I didn’t get any notifications for this thread, so over the last couple days I called around and if needed, I do have a local shop that will solder in a new Bios chip if I provide one.
Johnksss- yes, after flash (which definitely said ‘successful’), I powered off and pulled the power cord, battery was out. I have not pulled the CMOS, so I will try that.
A replacement programmed bios chip is on its way; they are so cheap, I won’t complain if I don’t wind up needing it in the end.
I will look up the ‘2 key press’ BIOS reset procedure from USB in the SATA/USB combo port if pulling the CMOS battery doesn’t work. I have the stock bios backed up and also as a fresh download on my hard drive.
Just curious, if I need it, can anyone confirm if this is the BIOS chip in the picture that needs to be replaced if it comes down to that?

 

Possible Bios Chip?

 

That does appear to be the right chip.

However rather than solder a replacement chip in place, I would suggest following these instructions:
https://www.win-raid.com/t4287f16-G...H-A-SPI-Programmer-Flasher-With-Pictures.html


Buy a SOP8 clip, read the contents of the current chip to have a backup and to confirm that it is the bios chip (can open the file with amibcp 5.x or mmtool).

Then flash whatever bios you want. The beauty of this method is that if the bios you chose is not compatible, you just continue trying another one until it works. Soldering is annoying.

 

He will more than likely have to have power to the board or else he wont be able to read the bios chip....