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    Dell MXM-card in Clevo notebook?

    Discussion in 'Hardware Components and Aftermarket Upgrades' started by Faxmachinen, May 22, 2013.

  1. Faxmachinen

    Faxmachinen Newbie

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    Hi folks,

    I have a Sager NP8170/Clevo P170HM which no longer boots with the display adapter enabled in the device manager. I get strange colors at POST and green-striped columns in the OS, so I'm pretty sure the Radeon 6990M that came with the notebook is shot.
    I have tried replacing it with another 6990M, but this one came from a Dell Alienware notebook. It shows different types of artifacts at POST, every other pixel row is shifted, and the computer beeps in panic before shutting down. I have double-checked the thermal couplings and the card is not getting hot.

    Should a Dell card of the same model work in a Clevo notebook? Could it have something to do with the native resolution being different from the machine the Dell card came from?
     
    Faxmachinen, May 22, 2013
    #1
  2. qweryuiop

    qweryuiop Notebook Deity

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    VGA Bios Collection: CLEVO HD 6990M 2048 MB | techPowerUp

    you might need to flash a new vbios, if the vbios is locked you will need the following command: atiflash -unlockrom 0

    do this at your own risk since there is a chance of bricking the card, I will not be responsible for your actions
     
    qweryuiop, May 22, 2013
    #2
  3. Red Line

    Red Line Notebook Deity

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    dell cards don't work in clevo laptops.

    Sent from my Nexus 4 using Tapatalk 4 Beta
     
    Red Line, May 22, 2013
    #3
  4. Faxmachinen

    Faxmachinen Newbie

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    Thanks for the comments. I don't think the computer will stay on long enough to flash the VBIOS, and swapping the VBIOSes with a soldering iron is more than likely a one way ticket to brick-land.

    Are there any video card brands that are compatible with Clevo notebooks, or did Clevo pretty much invent its own MXM standard?
     
    Faxmachinen, May 22, 2013
    #4
  5. AlienWareGod

    AlienWareGod Notebook Enthusiast

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    clevos arent just for clevos as they will work in a dell laptop
     
    AlienWareGod, May 22, 2013
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  6. Marecki_clf

    Marecki_clf Homo laptopicus

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    That is true, however Dell cards will not work in Clevo laptops, unless flashed with Clevo VBIOS.

    Interestingly, I used to own an MSI GX740, in which I had 2 Clevo cards: 6970M and later 7970M. Both cards worked with Dell VBIOS and Clevo VBIOS in this laptop (no automatic fan control though, I had to use a small program to control the fan manually).
     
    Marecki_clf, May 22, 2013
    #6
    aarpcard likes this.
  7. aarpcard

    aarpcard Notebook Deity

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    Good to know - I heard something about Clevo cards having a specific pinout to interface with Clevo EC's (something which alienware laptops don't have) which was the reason why Dell cards didn't work in Clevo machines but the reverse worked fine.

    How do you know Dell cards work in Clevo machines even when flashed with Clevo vbios's? Have tried this? I hope it's true, but I haven't found anything conclusive.
     
    aarpcard, Jul 27, 2015
    #7