Alienware 18 and GTX 980m Help!!

[Leomm 0]

Hi guys.

 

I've bought a GTX 980m to upgrade from my GTX 765m SLI configuration. 

I had some problems with the upgrade, since it not supported natively my system, beacuse it my bios was locked.

I've flashed the A12 unlocked bios, that gave me the possibility to change from Peg to SG and Igfx. I've selected SG and can boot in windows 10 and I am in UEFI with legacy disabled.

Widows 10 have installed a driver, but when I reboot my laptop, it freezes in windows start...

I`ve tried some drivers but the same thing happens...

 

In Gpuz, my Device ID is 10DE 13D7 - 102805AB, Suvendor Dell. Previous Bios was 84.04.22.00.12 and now I'm on 84.04.85.00.0A, trying to flash Dell vbios that found on other forum,  but it didn't worked..

 

What I'm missing... Do I have to change to a modified vbios and modified nvidia drivers?

 

Thx in avance..

 

 

Edited January 2, 2021 by Leomm
picture

[Klem 793]

25 minutes ago, Leomm said:

What I'm missing... Do I have to change to a modified vbios and modified nvidia drivers?

Hi!

You can try to use already modified Nvidia drivers with .inf files from this link:  https://premamod.wordpress.com/2017/08/15/j95-nvidia-inf/

Also, you could learn how to mod your own driver, use this guide:  https://null-src.com/posts/nvidia-notebook-driver-inf-mod/post.php

[Leomm 0]

1 hour ago, Klem said:

Hi!

You can try to use already modified Nvidia drivers with .inf files from this link:  https://premamod.wordpress.com/2017/08/15/j95-nvidia-inf/

Also, you could learn how to mod your own driver, use this guide:  https://null-src.com/posts/nvidia-notebook-driver-inf-mod/post.php

Thx for the reply.

 

I'll give it a try..

 

 

[Leomm 0]

I've made a search in there .. found a little confusing.. 

But I've tried to modify the drivers, like in the tutorial.

But following the tutorial, when I open the nvdmi.inf (dell and alienware), I've found that my machine id is there...

 

I've managed two days ago, to make it work trying a lot of drivers, but it gpu and memory clocks didn't go up. Stucked in 405mhz, the gpu clock I think.  Then I tried other bios and now, cant make it work with any drivers.

 Just flashed new bios with the same machine id as mine..

 

Totally lost here.

 

What more can I do to make it work?

[Leomm 0]

I've  searched the web and found a topic in other forum about this problem that the clocks stay stucked at 405mhz.

In Optimus mode (SG mode graphics in bios) the clocks of both gpu and memory stay ate low rate (405mhz).

When I enter bios, switch to PGE mode (discrete graphics only), and boot into windos 10, I load GPUz and star the Pci render test. Then I can see the gpu and memory clocks go up. 

But one problem. Monitoring the frequencies during the render test, when board power and gpu power go above 70% (75% to 77%) the temperature of the card is at 74ºC, the laptop freezes... 

 

Why is that?? Faulty gpu, maybe? I don't believe its drivers, beacuse I've tested abot 5 differente drivers, newst one, modded ones, old ones, and he results are the same....

 

Anybody have some knowledge on this?

 

Thx in advace..

[bagster 10]

Hello @Leomm try to use ''NV Clean Install'' -  you will find it if you google it. That is a helpful program that  mods the drivers and it installs them for you, no hussel with inf modding. Please use that and tell me what happened.

Normally, due to your GPU vbios, as I can see - according to the subsystem id - the drivers should work Plug&Play. What bios is your system running?

Hope it helps.

 

And for the throttling problem -- go to bios -- activate the IGPU-- save -- login to windows -- restart-- deactivate igpu and set to peg -- and also always peg on -- if your are running the (A11 unlocked bios)  save and reboot. 

If all of that will not work then the vbios might be corrupted, i will give you a different one if you want maybe that will work. 

 

Best Regards.

[Leomm 0]

Hello. I'll try that. Thanks for the reply.

I'm running Bios A12 unlocked on my Aw18.

I was on A15, but downgraded to A12 from Dell, and then the A12 unlocked.

I'll try Nvclean.

But things got worse now..

[bagster 10]

What do you mean by worse?

[Leomm 0]

The fan wasn't spinning, but in diagnostics, it spins. Change the Vbios and the fan works now. But I can't load windows 10 with correct drivers for the gtx 980m..

Used NvClean install, and it downloaded the up tp date drivers for the gtx 980m, the 461.09 from dec/2020, but when loading windows, screen freezes with pink stripes...

Wich Vbios do you have for the gtx 980m??

I don't have anymore ideas...

[bagster 10]

I am using a custom unlocked vbios that i've had unlocked back on my msi gt70 and it seems to work. I would strongly suggest trying to install the unlocked bios on your m18xr2  and try with that. Also try to boot with hdmi connected. If the lines still appear it is either a vbios/driver/ monitor chain issue. Worst case scenario it could be a bad GPU. Hope for the best. Pm me your email so that i may send you stuff.

[Leomm 0]

23 hours ago, bagster said:

Hello @Leomm try to use ''NV Clean Install'' -  you will find it if you google it. That is a helpful program that  mods the drivers and it installs them for you, no hussel with inf modding. Please use that and tell me what happened.

Normally, due to your GPU vbios, as I can see - according to the subsystem id - the drivers should work Plug&Play. What bios is your system running?

Hope it helps.

 

And for the throttling problem -- go to bios -- activate the IGPU-- save -- login to windows -- restart-- deactivate igpu and set to peg -- and also always peg on -- if your are running the (A11 unlocked bios)  save and reboot. 

If all of that will not work then the vbios might be corrupted, i will give you a different one if you want maybe that will work. 

 

Best Regards.

 

Thanks. Pm sended .!

[Leomm 0]

Hello guys.

I forgot to tell if I could resolve my issue.with the Gtx 980m graphics card...

After a "war" with the seller, the store refound me in 50% of card value.

I had to make a video showing them.the problem,  with footage of me inserting the video card in the laptop, asseembling all back and demonstrating the problem.

 

After that, I found a guy in my City that could repair the video card.  It turned out it was some of the memory chips on it. Luckily, he had some memory chips that could match the ones of my video card.

 

Since then, It works with no problems, since April of 2021.

 

One question that I have.

If I use the laptop using only the Gtx 980m, it works with no problem.

If I set to use with Switchable Graphics (my laptop came with Sli of 765m cards) the laptop works, bt the gtx 980m does not work with maximum power. The frequencies stay very low, like only 20% of the full power.

 

With the 980m, this does not bother me, beacuse I go to bios and chose discrete video card,  and it works.

 

I'm thinking in upgrade woth a Gtx 1070 mxm, but the 1070m only works in Optimus mode (beacuse of the lcd signal) that leads to the problem that I mentioned.

 

I don't know if it will work.. 

 

Any thoughts?

 

Thx in advance..