**M980NU (X1/Commanche SLI/NP9850) Owners Thread**

Like I said elsewhere, hope that fixes it for good

Nice to see how many issues with this machine Nvidia is involved with hahaha

 

Hello everyone, i have discovered a real problem with M980NU, about the DTS-HD and Dolby True HD that fails on my HTPC (Clevo M980NU)
I have a single video card Nvidia 280m GTX and audio Realtek ALC888.

Connect the HDMI to the receiver's decoding HD audio: Onkyo TX-SR580
I tried with different audio files downloaded from www.demo world.eu in M2TS format (the blue-ray format) with a variety of HD audio files with DTS-HD and Dolby TrueHD.

Using both PowerDVD (and platinum TotalMedia Theatre 3) + ReClock with the following settings:
- Reclocking WASAPI with active and I always get a bitstream DTS and DD 5.1 (depending on the file) not hd (do not activate the small light on the amp HD)
- Reclocking with WASAPI without bitstream I get PCM 2 channel, other channels if required (6 or 8) tells me your hw does not support displaying the frequency (48000Hz) and bit 24-bit PCM.

the sound card supports 7.1-channel PCM via HDMI (in settings i don't see Realtek HDMI output, i see digital output. I think that HDMI passthrough only SPDIF audio that support DTS and Dolby Digital 5.1 standard!
instead if i set up the PC speakers (which are built-in 5.1) powerdvd sends 8-channel LPCM !

This notebook is OLD and OBSOLETE ! 2500 euros and not streaming audio hd !
it has HDMI version 1.3 (support HD audio) or 1.2 (doesn't support HD audio) ?

There is a way to send signal hd via HDMI in bitstream with ffdshow
like this http://img202.imageshack.us/img202/5114/resulti.png

 

Try reinstalling the audio driver

Realtek Audio 2.55(Vista/7): http://www.mediafire.com/file/ct0s79b3fzwdbbg/Vista_Win7_R255.exe

Realtek Audio 2.55(XP): http://www.mediafire.com/file/cgskraz845jzbnq/WDM_R255.exe

 

I updated the driver but nothing changes! I can only get 7.1 sound LPCM from the built-in speakers. Through the HDMI port only 2 audio channels. In your M980NU do you see Realtek HDMI output when connect to TV or home theather amplifier ? I have Onkyo TX-SR508 and through HDMI i hear DTS or AC3 or LPCM 2ch !

 

You will NOT be able to bitstream HD audio with your M980NU.

It doesn't matter how expensive it is, the GPU tech is not new enough. The ONLY cards actually on the market which can stream HD Audio codecs directly via HDMI are the 5/6 series from ATI and some of Nvidia's new 4/5 series. This is a hardware limitation of Nvidia's GTX280m, which is based around the technology from Nvidia's 9 series (G92).

It also doesn't matter two jots whether FFDShow can read the HD Audio codecs, again, you will only get LPCM or core codecs via HDMI. Your HDMI output chipset needs to support the standard; in ATI's case they updated the chipset from Realtek used to do so between the 4 and 5 series cards to enable this functionality.
The picture you linked above will have been taken on a machine with newer hardware.

The M980NU is a gaming machine, and was designed as such. The lack of HDMI HD Audio bitstream is not a fault with the machine, but simply a sign of the age of some of the core technology used in it's graphics cards.
Simply put, if you want HD Passthrough, you need newer GPUs, something along the lines of the 5870m (presuming you game as well).


I do feel a little sorry for you, but the information is freely out there on what is required to bitstream HD audio from a computer, and this situation is the sole reason that cards like the HD Audio PCI card from Asus had a market for a few years.
The lack of a chipset supporting the feature is also why a PS3 original model cannot bitstream high definition audio to an amp, and has to decoder to LPCM, and was updated when the machine was shrunk to the slim.

 

So, Christmas day the grandparents want to use the webcam to see my daughter and nothing. It is not an option anywhere. It is not in the device manager to uninstall or reinstall, and it's not listed under some generic name. I have used it 5 or more times with no issues. I don't even move the machine off my nightstand for anything to disconnect. I don't understand how its just gone. I've tried the newest drivers, but nothing is that new anyway. Anyone had this happen?

Win7 64-bit
Intel Q9300 Quad
8Gb Corsair DDR3
Intel 120Gb SSD
2x500Gb Samsung HDD
Blu-Ray Combo
2x280M GTX SLi

 

Fn+F10....

 

Seriously? Who would post this problem if they never even knew how to turn it on???

 

I'm sorry, but it fits your description perfectly and gets asked alot. If that isn't the problem, then it sounds like the wire may have been physically disconnected or damaged in the hinge.

 

That's what I thought too, but I hardly ever even use it. I don't suppose you know where the connection is? Under the keyboard side or bottom side?

 

should show in the service manual in my sig

Edit: not exactly shown in SM, but in parts list (Number 21 pp.50), it shows the cable coming down the right side of the screen, I believe it is one of the connectors above the number 7 on page 22

 

Well, I gave it a quick look inside. Everything seems to be connected and in place. It's rather hard to figure which one it is though. Really only the touch pad and audio are labeled. The rest just say M980NU cable. I'm going to explore more tomorrow with a look at the manual, because nothing really is near the #7 except the wireless.

 

Is it not one of the connectors circled in red here:
http://i279.photobucket.com/albums/kk148/Phnx_Z/General/M980NU-1.jpg

 

Thank you for the picture. I did find those, but like I said they aren't labeled and they are both secured. I just popped them off and and plugged them back in, but still no go. This is only the third laptop I have built so I am not used to hardware just disappearing.

 

Does sound strange, might be that the wire is damaged in the hinge. If you take the front off the display bezel you should be able to see which wire it is and you might be able to troubleshoot further.

 

I've been reading a bunch of Google searches that say a Windows update has similar issues after it completed. I don't have a restore point set, so I can't use the system restore. I wonder if a bios update would help...? I haven't seen any new software in a long time.

 

its possible put other video card, for example gtx 460m?, thanks

 

Well I have tried to remove the bezel, but I can not do it. I have located 6 screws and taken them all out. The thing is just solid. It will not even budge at any point, including screw sites. I am screwed.

 

Have you looked at the service manual (in my sig)?

 

good question. same about gtx 470m in m980nu
it should fit, all of them 3.0 type b, 75 watt, but the bios can have limitation...

Clarify, please!

Thanks

 

Yes, I have downloaded the manual. It's not like it tells you how to remove the lcd. I only could use the parts list to see how it was being held together. Once I took out all the screws I tried multiple spots around the bezel, but it didn't move a milameter. I ended up putting it back together before I forced something.

 

Hi, can i update M980NU with ATI 5870 mobile for hd audio bitstreaming ?
There are BIOS limitations ?

Thanks in advance!

 

So a long while ago, I updated my graphics drivers to nVidia's versions and got rid of the sound stutter problem. However, this introduced a bluescreen / crash. I kept waiting and trying new nVidia drivers (the crash is rare enough to where I can put up with it), but none seemed to have worked in fixing this crash.

Has anyone else had any similar problems and know how to fix them? In the meantime, I just rolled back to the sager drivers to confirm if the bluescreen is due to the updated drivers or if it was some freak coincidence that it happened at teh same time I updated.

 

Can anyone advise me on how to remove the glass panel on my LCD screen? Somehow I have a piece of paper or a sticker between the glass and the LCD screen and it has finally driven me crazy. It sticks up about an inch from the lower right corner of the screen just above the mute button. I have no idea how it got in there; it wasn't there when I received to laptop from Sager, but appeared shortly thereafter. I just lived with it all this time, but finally.....

 

If you look around you can find the screws covered with little bits of tape. They are pretty obvious, but from there I found no way of it actually separating.

 

If you look at the service manual in my sig you can see where the 6 screws are (in parts list) and after removing these then you just need to carefully pry the 2 halves of the shell apart to release the plastic clips.

 

Yep. Worked perfectly. I just used my fingernail ti get it started long one side and carefully worked my way around. Once screen was open, I was able to gently slide a butter knife down to the bottom of the screen and extract the sticker. Must have worked loose after delivery as it is labeled:
ROUSING 09/10/17
6-39-M9801-014

Anyway, thanks for the advice...looks awesome again!

 

I'm having another issue. When I go to the Realtek HD manager and test teh speakers, it sounds like the subwoofer should be switched with the back right speaker (e.g. the back right speaker sounds way deeper than the back left, while the subwoofer sounds like the back left speaker).

Could this be some switched connections, and if so, how easy would it be for me to get to them?

 

Are you using Clevo's drivers or Realtek's generics. I remember the Realtek generics handling the speaker associations differently (incorrectly).

Sorry not had my M980NU for quite some time so I can't really suggest more!

 

Sorry for the late reply. I tried to do a clean install of the audio drivers to go back to the ones I downloaded from my distributor (pro-star) and it seems the issue is still not resolved after doing that. The version I currently have installed is 2.34. Is it worth trying another version or is it possibly crossed wires that I should manually go in and fix?

 

Was able to fix the sound problem by formatting and then installing the drivers on the CD. Apparently downgrading the drivers (even using Driver Sweeper or whatever it's called) after an upgrade didn't fix the assignment problem, but formatting windows seems to have fixed it.

 

Anyone have issues with the Optairc AD-7560S reading discs rather slowly?

 

I'm having a little bit of trouble with my video cards. I've been in contact with tech support and I think I narrowed down the problem to hardware. Occasionally, the screen would freeze, flicker back on, and a note would say that a problem was detected so the driver restarted itself. Also, I would get a flashing white screen. But these problems are rare. Like maybe once a month. Tech Support wanted me to ship it in, replace the video cards (280m's) for like $350, and $80 labor. I thought that was too steep. It is out of warranty, btw. Could I potentially fix the problem by upgrading the video cards myself to the 485m's (or whatever the really high number is now)?

 

I fix the problem of white screen, flicker, etc, formatting and install again the windows 7,

 

i know this is probly way too late to comment, but i see this question you posted to see if it is possible to replace the M980NU with the HD 5870. and i would just like to let you and others know that i have managed to install the ATI HD 5870 graphics card form an ASUS G73 into the M980NU, with only slight modification to the heatsinc. The 5870 had a few chips in the upper corner that was causing the heatsinc to not sit properly, so i cut the heatsinc down. after the modification i applied thermal paste.
the fan that is seated ontop of the heatsinc only has one screw hole to hold it in place but i found this to be secure enough and pluged it in.
Ok now i thought, power on. to my pleasure it booted up into windows and i had to instal the ati drivers. i check temps with gpuz and it was running idle @ 46' degrees. then played some games, no problem what so ever maxing out with temp of 70-80 but the fan kicks in full speed and keeps it avrg 69-75. I have also upgraded this laptop with the QX9200 2.4Ghz quad. if anyone see's this and would like more info on how i done it, contact me.

Pease note i dont know if any other 5870 cards will work but i dont see why not.

my BIOS version is the latest
qx9200 2.4Quad
8GB DDR3
ATI 5870 HD
Blu-Ray

loving this machine

 

I have this problem, I install the second video card on my system, other gtx 280m, now, I activated the sli mode in Nvidia software, the system reboot and play some games, now after one hour the fps drop about 70% my system shutdown and star flicking the led of charge, the AC adapter smell burn, now the windows can't boot when I plug the AC Adapter, what about the problem? my AC Adapter its Burn?, I check the voltage and its about 18.4v, the computer can run if will dissable the sli mode in Nvidia software...

 

Just installed a third HDD on my system, a WD 1TB 5400RPM. I'm trying to format the drive, but it won't show up on Disk Management. Is there anything else I have to do other than plugging it in?

 

You shouldn't have to. Does it show up in the Bios when you boot the machine?

 

No, the only two that show up are the main 250GB, the 500GB I put in last year, the Blu-Ray drive and the Nvidia boot thing. Wait, that's the BIOS setup. I can't tell if it shows up on Bios when I boot it up, don't know which one it is and it goes too fast for me to notice.

Can't remember what I did with the 500GB one last year, but it also didn't show up at first when I put it in HDD bay 3. When I put it in bay 2, it worked. Made me think that I had to put drives in order from Bay 1 - 3.

I don't have to put it on RAID before it'll detect bay 3 do I?

 

See this link, you have to fit a link to the outside pins on the hdd.
http://forum.notebookreview.com/sag...sli-np9850-owners-thread-152.html#post5872900

 

Thanks for response!
Can you send me in PM many information how you have done?
I'll buy it on ebay.

 

I'm very late to the party here and hopefully not a silly question - but which BIOS did you use to get 8GB on this machine?

I nabbed a 4GB / T9900 model from the sadly-defunct kobalt back in '09, and recently tried to chuck in a 1600 2x4GB kit. However, it wouldn't POST with both 4GB sticks in, no matter what I tried to do.

I managed to get it working with the original 1333 2GB in the second slot, and the 1600 4GB in the first (before you call me mental, they are still operating in dual mode just fine, and it permits my comfy 291 FSB for [email protected] on the T9900 (stable for a day of prime). Although no higher, and I'd prefer to use the whole kit and have the memory bus be comfortable up to 800MHZ rather than the rather coltish 727 it's inflicting on the second stick.

Anyway, all that aside, how'd you get 8GB to POST? Is there an update I need? I thought I had the latest BIOS. Can I edit it?

Cheers for any answers.

 

I'm wondering if anyone is still reading this thread/forum, but I'll try anways Its about high time to upgrade our 980, I have the Eurocom version, and I wish we had gotten the 2nd nVidia GTX 280m for SLI purposes at the time, but thought then we'll get it when we need it. Its so hard to find. I thought that this will also take MXM 3.0b video cards, so could I upgrade to any Clevo MXM 3.0b compat video card?

I'm also thinking of springing for a QX9300, but I'm having a hard time tracking down a vendor with these parts really too. Anyone have any recommendations?

Thanks

 

Yesterday I got a M980nu
it has a p 8700 and 2 gtx 280m
i also have an M17x r1 with 2 5870....
I think ill try to put the 5870 in the XMG
and also ill try to put 8 gig ram in the XMG

then ill post my experience

greetings from germany

 

What is the current best card for our system before we see a bottleneck? I currently have a 470m ready to install, but I believe it needs a BIOS mod, as I got the unknown videocard detected in the current BIOS. In the meantime, I was wondering if it is worth it to get a more recent card or the 470M is already close to the performance threshold? I have seen posts suggesting newer cards(670M, 660m) but that was upgrading from a 280m sli etc.

 

I had another question about dual graphics cards in this system.

Since I am upgrading the current setup, can I use one of the lesser cards(260M) in the second slot as a card for physx? I read that you can do that for desktops, but wasn't sure if there were some hardware limitations with the laptop.

Also, if it is possible, does it matter which slot the cards are in? I think I just got to go into the nvidia control panel and decide which card does which function, but I could be wrong

 

Hello Everybody,

This is my first post on this site, so please bear with me.

Don't know if anybody reads this Thread any more? but I keep finding it when i search out questions on the web.

Can anybody please help me? What is the latest Nvida GPU that this Laptop/Bios can read? I tried to install an GTX 485m but Bios can't read it. Don't know anything about Bios Mods and don't want to go down that road.
What about GTX 470m? I seem to think that the last guy to post on this Thread had success with that card? All I want is to install a GPU that is good to go!!!
If the GTX 470m card is good, does anybody have dual sli in their system, with this card?

I love this machine and bought it from the launch back early 2009, please if anybody can post what success they have had with upgrading the GPU on this machine as its driving me crazy trying to work this out.

 

Prema has helped get cards working with this machine before, talk to him.

A bios/vbios flash is going to be your only option when working with such differences in generations on a notebook but is pretty easy to do once you have the right file.

 

Hi,

Great to know that people are still following this Thread:thumbsup:

Thanks for that, I did come across Prema when doing my research on upgrade GPU options.
Still not too sure about tiring to do an Bios Mod for the GTX 485m that I have? I don't really have the Tec know how skills I'm afraid!!

What about simple plug and play upgrade options?
Surely an GTX 285m would work?
Has anybody gone further? Maybe even as high as an GTX 460M? Please let me know as I don't want to stress with all the Bios Mods at this time

Many Thanks to Everybody,

 

It's a simple procedure and the 485m is so much faster it's worth the hour (at most, I take about 2 minutes to flash a bios but the first time you take care of course) to set it up.