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    Help please. 8 beep POST code. Tried to install MXM GPU upgrade and...

    Discussion in 'Alienware 18 and M18x' started by Zeck, Sep 9, 2020.

  1. Zeck

    Zeck Notebook Enthusiast

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    I have an AW 18 R3 , (BIOS shows no onboard intel graphics detected, with two 860m cards in it. I got a 1060m off Ebay with intentions of installing it as a single GPU. I did everything right, installed the single card, and upon boot, I got the 8-beep POST code for graphics error with a black screen.

    I am now starting to learn that a card might have to have its VBIOS flashed in order to work on an Alienware system?

    Is this my problem or is there something else?

    Can anyone help me with what I might need to do? If I do need to flash my VBIOS on the new card, how do I flash it since I can't get past the 8 beep POST code and I can't run it as GPU2 along side one of my 860m cards since they both need to be the same version of card.
     
    Last edited: Sep 9, 2020
  2. Maxware79

    Maxware79 Alienware died in 2014

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    If it's anything like my M18x you'll need to flash an unlocked BIOS because you'll need to set the video mode to SG (Switchable Graphics)

    The 18 and M18x work in either PEG or iGFX mode by default so you need the unlocked BIOS to get SG.

    The 1060 and 1070 will not work in PEG with the 60hz display.
     
  3. Maxware79

    Maxware79 Alienware died in 2014

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    Papusan likes this.