P170HM - GTX 485M Issue

[Cless 0]

Hello! I need some help with my 5 year old P170HM here!
 

Yesterday I turn it on like always and I realize the screen doesn't work. At first I thought my screen was dead, so I tried to conect it to my other screen through the DVI and HDMI connectors on the back, still nothing.
I noticed the PC was still booting up normally, so I used the "Remote desktop" on my desktop PC to try and control it. It worked so I opened the Device Manager, and then I saw that it doesn't detect the GPU anymore (even if its clearly installed in the slot).

I think my gtx485m might be dead. Do you guys know if that's for sure or if I can try to do something to fix it yet?

In case you need to know... the PC has this specs:
 

Clevo P170HM

Windows 10 Pro -64bit
Intel i7 2820QM

8GB DDR3

Nvidia GTX 485M

 

Thanks for your time!

[Khenglish 1154]

Going from fully working to completely dead is pretty rare. Were you having problems with the card before this happened?

 

Have you tried reseating the card?

[Cless 0]

Quote

Going from fully working to completely dead is pretty rare. Were you having problems with the card before this happened?

Well, I had some randoms BSOD, but I changed the thermic paste and it solved most of it.

Quote

Have you tried reseating the card?

I'm trying now, I'm having trouble because I striped one of the screws because it was way to hard to remove.
 

 

[Cless 0]

Ok, card reseated and nothing changed. So it seems I'm not that lucky, it keeps doing the same.

 

Any other idea?
Or should I be looking for a replacement for it already?

 

Edited February 22, 2016 by Cless

[Khenglish 1154]

I assume you checked that the slot was clean. Is it possible to borrow someone else's card? Does the card warm up at all, or does it stay cold?

[Cless 0]

Yes, the slot was perfectly clean, and no, I can't borrow someone else's card until summer or so... :/
I checked after one hour if the card warmed up, and yeah, it does slightly (the thing is that before, even resting like now, it heated up way more).

(Btw, thanks for the help! :D)

[Khenglish 1154]

OK so since the card is getting hotter than room temp then that means it is powering on. Do you have a multimeter?

[Cless 0]

I see! And no, sorry Khenglish, I don't. I'm just a random 3D artist with basic knowledge about computers and barely no tools...

 

(I've been preparing for the worse, and looked up for a replacement... Do you know if this would work? http://www.ebay.es/itm/NVIDIA-GTX-485M-2GB-2048-MB-N12E-GTX-A1-Laptop-Notebook-Graphics-Card-MXM-III-3-/331645386779?hash=item4d379b001b:g:hVkAAOSwgQ9V06nK )

[Khenglish 1154]

Yes, any 485m will work. It can be Dell (Alienware), Clevo, or MSI.

 

Also since the card is dead anyway we can try baking it to restore solder joints. 220C for around 10 minutes in an oven or toaster oven. Heat the oven up while the card is in it. Its possible this could damage and short the core, which could damage the motherboard if powered on. A multimeter is necessary to check if this happened.

Edited February 23, 2016 by Khenglish

[Cless 0]

Good, then I'll go ahead and pick that one out!
Thanks a lot for your help Khenglish! You saved my day ^^

 

PS. Just out of curiosity... Since I'm already changing it... can I upgrade the card on the p170hm? XD

Edited February 23, 2016 by Cless

[Khenglish 1154]

Yes you can. You can put in up to a 680m or 7970m, which are both roughly twice as fast as the 485m. These cards are cooler as well. This is a tricky upgrade though.

 

If you want the 680m any Clevo or MSI card would work, but you need a specific older vBIOS flashed onto the card. If it does not have the right vBIOS you will get an image, but the laptop will freeze on startup, and you will not have an opportunity to flash it. I do not know if Dell 680m cards can work or not.

 

If you want a 7970m it must be the v1.2 revision from Clevo. It must have a specific older vBIOS flashed onto it as well. Without this vBIOS there is no image, but the laptop will boot despite being dark and you can blind flash to the proper vBIOS.

 

Cards like the 580m work with no worries, but they're not much faster than the 485m.

Edited February 23, 2016 by Khenglish

[Cless 0]

I see, since the 680m is around 60-80€ more expensive, I think its reasonable to try and get one!
I'm reading on the old forum topics but can't seem to find the vBIOS I need.
Do you remember by any chance what is the vBIOS I should ask for when buying a 680m?

If not I'll just pick the 580m and be done with it hahah

[Khenglish 1154]

You want the 80.04.29.00.01 vbios for the 680m. There is a link for an overclocking unlocked one below. You need to be promoted first to download though.

 

Remember that this vbios must be flashed onto the card before you get the card.

 

 

 

[Cless 0]

No problem Khenglish, thanks one more time for helping, and the awesome link!
I'll stay around the forum and participate, that way I will also get the promotion

[Cless 0]

UPDATE!

I was looking for a GTX680 (this one: http://www.aliexpress.com/item/NVIDIA-GeForece-GTX-680M-2GB-DDR5-1344sp-MXM-3-0-SLI-Laptop-Graphics-Card-for-M17/32269576149.html  ) in aliexpress and asked the guy who is selling it about the vBIOS. He answered me with this:
 

Quote

vbios is Dell.But it can work on your laptop,i can help you to modify its' inf from the driver .it is easy.So sir,i think you can try the GTX780M,It is the same price like GTX680M,(gtx680m is same GK104 GPU with GTX780M'S).And i have Clevo GTX780M

And then proceded to add me this link:


What do you guys think about it? Its even possible to put a GTX780M on a Clevo P170HM?
 

http://www.aliexpress.com/store/product/NVIDIA-GeForece-GTX-870M-GDDR5-4GB-2500MHz-1536SP-MXM3-0-Laptop-Graphics-Card-for-M17-M18/1522480_32261821337.html

 

I really don't know if he know something I don't, or if he is just trying to sell it to me at any cost...!

Edited February 24, 2016 by Cless

[Khenglish 1154]

780m will not work. It is not possible to make it work. Logic says it should work, but it doesn't.

 

Also that listing is for a Dell 680m. I do not know if Dell cards can work.

 

[Cless 0]

I see, I won't risk it then!

Btw... I tried to power up the pc without the GPU, and it refused to do so. The screen just stayed black and the PC started beeping (but when I insert the GPU back in, it loads windows like if nothing had happend (except for the complete black screen of course)). Is that supposed to be so? I guessed that I could run with the integrated Intel HD3000, in fact, I could even run Pillars of Eternity through remote control and it worked (at 5fps, but it loaded everything up like if I had the integrated graphics working). 

Could this mean something more is busted?

EDIT:(I found the reason why did that, so no worries at all! :P)

Edited February 24, 2016 by Cless

[smpdv 0]

Hello! I have the same problem, as topicstarter.

My old  GTX485m (6-71-W860L-D21 GP, chip - N12E-GTX-A1) is dead, and I found, to replace it, a new video card - GTX675m (6-71-P15EL-D21, chip N13E-GSR-A2). But notebook does not start with it!

After power on I see a splash screen and hear tree beeps at 37 second, then at 63 second, then at 98 second. And after that I see only a black screen with a flashing cursor at upper left corner of screen and nothing happens.

Please, help me solve this problem!

[smpdv 0]

Sorry, forgot to add a full description of my configuration:

MB: P150HM (6-71-X5100-D03 GP),

Video: old - GTX485m (6-71-W860L-D21 GP, chip - N12E-GTX-A1), new -  GTX675m (6-71-P15EL-D21, chip N13E-GSR-A2)

CPU: i7-2820QM,

RAM: 4x8GB Team DDR3 1333Mhz,

SSD: Samsung 840Pro 512GB,

HDD: WD Red 1TB.

WiFi: Intel Cemtrino Advanced-N 6230

 

[Cless 0]

Well, that doesn't sound like the GPU or CPU, so maybe its the hardrive. Have you tried to wipe it clean and install from 0 the OS?

[smpdv 0]

No. This is exactly a video card. First, it (old one - GTX485M) distorted the image, displayed artifacts. Then, suddenly did not turn on at all. And only when I bought a new video card (GTX675MX), I see the image of the splash screen in the first seconds after the start of the laptop, but then it happens as I described above. That is, as I understand, I need to modify the BIOS of the video card to work with my laptop. But who will tell you how? And where can I get it? By the link above I can not download - the status does not allow, apparently.

[Cless 0]

I see, that sounds pretty bad... Don't take my word for it, but if I recall properly, there was only a very small quantity and specific graphic cards with the proper vBIOS that worked on this laptop. I don't remember if it was possible to change it or downgrade it once it was patched without breaking it. If they don't have the proper vBIOS or if someone update it them at some point, it just won't work (like Khenglish explained up there).

I ended up discarding the option of replacing the card because the ones that had the proper vBIOS were always around $500-800, and in all seriousness... Nowadays you can get a PC that performs better for that kind of money. That's why I decided to send it to get be fixed by a technician for about $100 (not that it mattered much in the end because I changed to a P775dm3 recently).

[smpdv 0]

Thank you for your participation!

To date, I can buy exactly the same video card for $ 230. But I already have a video card and it is slightly better than the old one. And I see no reason to refuse to solve the problem, instead of bypassing it. I really hope for the help of one man, who for now, at least a little, reassured me.

I did not understand what you mean when you say:

11 hours ago, Cless said:

I don't remember if it was possible to change it or downgrade it once it was patched without breaking it. If they don't have the proper vBIOS or if someone update it them at some point, it just won't work (like Khenglish explained up there).

 

Edited March 21, 2017 by smpdv