m18x r2 7970m Graphic Card Issues

Wondering what to do with my graphics card? If it is dead or if it is incorrect drivers? When I try to boot into Windows 7, which I'm using, it goes blank after the logo. But I can get into Windows through safemode, and so I did, and I disabled the 7970m card, which enabled me to get back into Windows out of safemode. But with it disabled it still looks just like safemode with low quality graphics.

Just wondering if my card needs to be replaced? Also, I have another 7970m that won't boot up at all, but just gives 8 beeps. Is that card dead?

Hope someone can help! Thanks

 

yup, that is windows failing to initialize hardware accelerated graphics with the 7970M, meaning your card is dead. grab another or upgrade to a 970M or 980M.

 

Yup. Better upgrade to nvidia cards. They last much longer.

 

So, the second card that isn't booting is most probably dead to me? It does the 8 beep code error and won't turn on at all?

Also, if I were to upgrade to a 970 or 980 would it work with this laptop running Windows 10?

 

Hi. The 8 beeping code indicate that there is a problem related to the system's LCD, check the connection just to make sure there is no hardware issue.
And in regards the 970 and 980, yes it should although you might need to check for drivers from Nvidia's website since Dell's site has no support for the AW18X R2 on Windows 10.

 

8 beeping is LCD/GPU hardware failure and if LCD works on the second GPU it's clear that issue is dead GPU.

 

@Alienware-K_Castro , I'm 99.9% you are WRONG. M18x LCD failure is extremely, extremely rare, and I haven't heard a case of one yet. 8 beeps come from dead LCD but also from dead VGA card, which is probably the case here seeing how the 7970M was a troubled card. The only LCD failures I've had on the M18x came from EDID overwritten with garbage data courtesy of Dell neglecting to write-protect the LCD EDID EEPROM. Luckily, some of our users have figured out how to solve that too.

OP, your secondary card likely works, it's your primary card that is dead. You can remove both and use intel hd 4000 only until you have funds for a replacement 7970M or upgrade to the GTX 980M. If you go with 970M/980M you need to use the updated BIOS released by swick and I