Jump to content
NotebookTalk

Alienware 17 Rager GTX 970M upgrade 8 beeps


Johndill

Recommended Posts

Hi guys, I've purchased a GTX 970M to upgrade a customers Alienware 17 R1 with a 120hz panel & I get 8 beeps.

 

The ebay listing showed a blue PCB card but I have received a brown PCB card. I have no idea what manufacturer makes the brown PCB.

 

Would I need to flash a supported vbios for it to work in the Rager with 120hz panel?

 

I'll add some photos tomorrow for you.

I'll also try it with a 60hz panel.

 

Any help would be appreciated, last 970M Rager upgrade I did was a blue PCB card & it worked out of the box.

 

Thanks 🙂

Alienware M18x R2: i7-3740QM | RX 480 4GB
Alienware M17x R4: i7-3720QM | GTX 1060 6GB | 120Hz
Alienware Aurora R5: i7-6700K | GTX 1080 SLI | 64GB RAM
Alienware X51 R2: i7-4790 | ASUS GTX 1070 Turbo

Link to comment
Share on other sites

39 minutes ago, Johndill said:

Hi guys, I've purchased a GTX 970M to upgrade a customers Alienware 17 R1 with a 120hz panel & I get 8 beeps.

 

The ebay listing showed a blue PCB card but I have received a brown PCB card. I have no idea what manufacturer makes the brown PCB.

 

Would I need to flash a supported vbios for it to work in the Rager with 120hz panel?

 

I'll add some photos tomorrow for you.

I'll also try it with a 60hz panel.

 

Any help would be appreciated, last 970M Rager upgrade I did was a blue PCB card & it worked out of the box.

 

Thanks 🙂


 

It’s been many years since I dabbled with mxm card swaps but if I remember correctly. The Alienware/dell stuff would sometimes throw fits over the wrong vbios.

 

 I remember something about there being an issue with the 60hz vs 120hz panel.

 I’m pretty sure the 120hz panel bypassed Optimus and the vbios would address that.

on top of dell being picky about non dell vbioss.   From my experience most mxm cards can swap vbios just fine. As long as the mxm card matches the vbios.

 

 Example a Clevo 970m 4gb vbios would work on a dell 970m 4gb but would not work correctly on a 970m 8gb.

 

I know it’s a pain but looking in the notebookreview archive on here would help. I know it’s been talked about over there.
 

unless the card is just dead, I think your issues is the vbios.   Also try the normal thing, reset the cmos, clean the card connector and reset it into its slot.

 

 

Hopefully someone with more knowledge will chime in.  

 

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I've tested it in another AW 17 R1 with a 60hz panel & the GTX 970m is in working order.

 

I've tried setting the 120hz system to UEFI bios (with a GTX 770m installed) but still get 8 beeps with the 970m.

 

I tried backing up the vbios with GPUz but it says BIOS reading not supported on this device.

Tried to backup with nvflash also but get PROGRAMING ERROR: Source block is out of range.

 

Tried to flash another vbios but get:

 

Nothing Changed!

Error: The EEPROM on this device is too small to support this firmware update.

Edit:
I was able to get some sort of dump with red-say's SIV. Attached dump.

GeForce GTX 970M [GM204-A]-84.04.85.00.0b.rom

Alienware M18x R2: i7-3740QM | RX 480 4GB
Alienware M17x R4: i7-3720QM | GTX 1060 6GB | 120Hz
Alienware Aurora R5: i7-6700K | GTX 1080 SLI | 64GB RAM
Alienware X51 R2: i7-4790 | ASUS GTX 1070 Turbo

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Do you have a pic?

 

What is the device id in gpu-z?

Alienware m18             : Intel Core i9 13900HX                  | nVidia GeForce RTX 4090    | K1675 | 2x1TB SSDs 

Alienware Area-51M : Intel Core i9-9900K @ 5.3Ghz    | nVidia GeForce RTX 2080    | AX210 | Samsung 970 Evo+ 
Alienware M18x R2 :    Intel Core i7 3920XM @ 4.7Ghz | nVidia Quadro RTX 3000     | AX210 | Samsung 980 PRO   
Clevo X170SM-G:         Intel Core i7 10700K @ Stock     | nVidia GeForce RTX 2070S | AX210 | 256GB+2x512GB 

More Laps: M14x (555m) | M14xR2 (650m) | M15x (980m) | M17xR3 (880m) | M18xR1 (880m SLI) | 18 R1 (RTX 3000)

DT: Aurora R4 (i9 10980XE/RTX 4070) | Area-51 R2 (22-Core Xeon/2x Titan V) | SR-2 [2x6-Core/3x980Ti] | Mac Studio


CS Studios YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/c/CSStudiosYT 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Here's the screenshot when it was in my 60hz AW 17R1.

Capture.PNG

Alienware M18x R2: i7-3740QM | RX 480 4GB
Alienware M17x R4: i7-3720QM | GTX 1060 6GB | 120Hz
Alienware Aurora R5: i7-6700K | GTX 1080 SLI | 64GB RAM
Alienware X51 R2: i7-4790 | ASUS GTX 1070 Turbo

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Pic of the card? Looking at gpu-z this is a non g-sync card, so it should work with both 120hz and 60hz. 

 

Hardware programmer may allow flashing the vBIOS but other than that idk what's going on 

Alienware m18             : Intel Core i9 13900HX                  | nVidia GeForce RTX 4090    | K1675 | 2x1TB SSDs 

Alienware Area-51M : Intel Core i9-9900K @ 5.3Ghz    | nVidia GeForce RTX 2080    | AX210 | Samsung 970 Evo+ 
Alienware M18x R2 :    Intel Core i7 3920XM @ 4.7Ghz | nVidia Quadro RTX 3000     | AX210 | Samsung 980 PRO   
Clevo X170SM-G:         Intel Core i7 10700K @ Stock     | nVidia GeForce RTX 2070S | AX210 | 256GB+2x512GB 

More Laps: M14x (555m) | M14xR2 (650m) | M15x (980m) | M17xR3 (880m) | M18xR1 (880m SLI) | 18 R1 (RTX 3000)

DT: Aurora R4 (i9 10980XE/RTX 4070) | Area-51 R2 (22-Core Xeon/2x Titan V) | SR-2 [2x6-Core/3x980Ti] | Mac Studio


CS Studios YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/c/CSStudiosYT 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Here's some pics 🙂

20230402_163709.jpg

20230402_163659.jpg

20230402_164105.jpg

20230402_164115.jpg

Alienware M18x R2: i7-3740QM | RX 480 4GB
Alienware M17x R4: i7-3720QM | GTX 1060 6GB | 120Hz
Alienware Aurora R5: i7-6700K | GTX 1080 SLI | 64GB RAM
Alienware X51 R2: i7-4790 | ASUS GTX 1070 Turbo

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Just found this PDF from the sticker on the back. Aetina M3N970M-MN

m3n970mmn.pdf

Alienware M18x R2: i7-3740QM | RX 480 4GB
Alienware M17x R4: i7-3720QM | GTX 1060 6GB | 120Hz
Alienware Aurora R5: i7-6700K | GTX 1080 SLI | 64GB RAM
Alienware X51 R2: i7-4790 | ASUS GTX 1070 Turbo

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Aetina 970M's won't work in the 120hz machines. They will work in the 60hz though. 

 

It's possible that a vBIOS flash will get around it but I'm pretty sure others have tried and had no luck. 

  • Like 1

Alienware Aurora R15 - i9-13900KF - RTX 4090 - 32GB DDR5 

Alienware M18x R2 - i7-3920XM - GTX 970M - 16GB 1866Mhz DDR3L - Samsung 970 Evo with MXM to NVMe Adapter - Custom Delft Blue  

Alienware X51 - i7-3770 - NO GPU - 16GB 1600Mhz DDR3  Alienware M17x R3 - i7-2760QM - GTX 580M - 16GB 1600Mhz DDR3

Alienware Area 51 ALX - i7-975 Extreme - GTX 980 - 16GB 1600Mhz DDR3   Alienware Aurora R2 - i7-3770K - GTX 670FTW - 16GB 1600Mhz DDR3 

Alienware Aurora R4 ALX - i7-3930K - GTX 1060 - 16GB 1600Mhz DDR3        Alienware Aurora R4 ALX - i7-3930K - GTX 670FTW - 16GB 1600Mhz DDR3

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

5 hours ago, Maxware79 said:

Aetina 970M's won't work in the 120hz machines. They will work in the 60hz though. 

 

It's possible that a vBIOS flash will get around it but I'm pretty sure others have tried and had no luck. 

Yes this seems to be the issue:

 

1. Embedded DisplayPort (eDP) is supported on DP_D only.

 

If I remember correctly, AW eDP is DP_C not DP_D so yes it won't work, unless this is a vBIOS only issue. But if it's wired for DP_D as well then it requires hardware mod. 

  • Like 1

Alienware m18             : Intel Core i9 13900HX                  | nVidia GeForce RTX 4090    | K1675 | 2x1TB SSDs 

Alienware Area-51M : Intel Core i9-9900K @ 5.3Ghz    | nVidia GeForce RTX 2080    | AX210 | Samsung 970 Evo+ 
Alienware M18x R2 :    Intel Core i7 3920XM @ 4.7Ghz | nVidia Quadro RTX 3000     | AX210 | Samsung 980 PRO   
Clevo X170SM-G:         Intel Core i7 10700K @ Stock     | nVidia GeForce RTX 2070S | AX210 | 256GB+2x512GB 

More Laps: M14x (555m) | M14xR2 (650m) | M15x (980m) | M17xR3 (880m) | M18xR1 (880m SLI) | 18 R1 (RTX 3000)

DT: Aurora R4 (i9 10980XE/RTX 4070) | Area-51 R2 (22-Core Xeon/2x Titan V) | SR-2 [2x6-Core/3x980Ti] | Mac Studio


CS Studios YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/c/CSStudiosYT 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Thank you so very much for this info. 🙂

Well, now I have to decide whether I contact the seller & try to get it swapped or refunded.

Or just cop the unwanted $300 AUD spend & put it in an LVDS M18x R2 & buy another for the customer. 🤦‍♂️

Alienware M18x R2: i7-3740QM | RX 480 4GB
Alienware M17x R4: i7-3720QM | GTX 1060 6GB | 120Hz
Alienware Aurora R5: i7-6700K | GTX 1080 SLI | 64GB RAM
Alienware X51 R2: i7-4790 | ASUS GTX 1070 Turbo

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I bought an Aetina 970M a little while back and faced the same problem. I ended up putting in my M18x but soon discovered that there was no fan control. I had to find a vBIOS that would work with the card. I had to change the subsystem ID of the card which you can only do with certain versions of NVFlash and it can apparently be risky. 

If you get the same problem then I can let you know the vBIOS version I used. 

$300AUD is a lot for a 970M.  

  • Thumb Up 1

Alienware Aurora R15 - i9-13900KF - RTX 4090 - 32GB DDR5 

Alienware M18x R2 - i7-3920XM - GTX 970M - 16GB 1866Mhz DDR3L - Samsung 970 Evo with MXM to NVMe Adapter - Custom Delft Blue  

Alienware X51 - i7-3770 - NO GPU - 16GB 1600Mhz DDR3  Alienware M17x R3 - i7-2760QM - GTX 580M - 16GB 1600Mhz DDR3

Alienware Area 51 ALX - i7-975 Extreme - GTX 980 - 16GB 1600Mhz DDR3   Alienware Aurora R2 - i7-3770K - GTX 670FTW - 16GB 1600Mhz DDR3 

Alienware Aurora R4 ALX - i7-3930K - GTX 1060 - 16GB 1600Mhz DDR3        Alienware Aurora R4 ALX - i7-3930K - GTX 670FTW - 16GB 1600Mhz DDR3

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I decided to contact the seller & explained the situation & they are happy for a return & refund thankfully. 🙂

 

@Maxware79 Ah ok, $300AUD was the cheapest I could find on eBay.

If you have a few links I'd be very grateful. 🙂

Alienware M18x R2: i7-3740QM | RX 480 4GB
Alienware M17x R4: i7-3720QM | GTX 1060 6GB | 120Hz
Alienware Aurora R5: i7-6700K | GTX 1080 SLI | 64GB RAM
Alienware X51 R2: i7-4790 | ASUS GTX 1070 Turbo

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Good result then. I guess there aren't a lot of options here in Oz so we often pay too much for these cards. Some guys on our Discord occasionally have some MXM cards for cheap.

  • Thumb Up 1

Alienware Aurora R15 - i9-13900KF - RTX 4090 - 32GB DDR5 

Alienware M18x R2 - i7-3920XM - GTX 970M - 16GB 1866Mhz DDR3L - Samsung 970 Evo with MXM to NVMe Adapter - Custom Delft Blue  

Alienware X51 - i7-3770 - NO GPU - 16GB 1600Mhz DDR3  Alienware M17x R3 - i7-2760QM - GTX 580M - 16GB 1600Mhz DDR3

Alienware Area 51 ALX - i7-975 Extreme - GTX 980 - 16GB 1600Mhz DDR3   Alienware Aurora R2 - i7-3770K - GTX 670FTW - 16GB 1600Mhz DDR3 

Alienware Aurora R4 ALX - i7-3930K - GTX 1060 - 16GB 1600Mhz DDR3        Alienware Aurora R4 ALX - i7-3930K - GTX 670FTW - 16GB 1600Mhz DDR3

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 4 weeks later...

Final update, got a full refund & purchased from another seller double checking they were sending me the blue PCB card.

Recieved a Blue PCB GTX 970M & worked stright away. 🙂

Thank you very much guys for your diagnosis help. 🙂

  • Thumb Up 1

Alienware M18x R2: i7-3740QM | RX 480 4GB
Alienware M17x R4: i7-3720QM | GTX 1060 6GB | 120Hz
Alienware Aurora R5: i7-6700K | GTX 1080 SLI | 64GB RAM
Alienware X51 R2: i7-4790 | ASUS GTX 1070 Turbo

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now
×
×
  • Create New...

Important Information

We have placed cookies on your device to help make this website better. You can adjust your cookie settings, otherwise we'll assume you're okay to continue. Terms of Use