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M18x R2 Video memory discrepancy
The computer is an Alienware M18x R2 with Dual (primary & secondary) GDDR5 AMD Radeon HD 7970 Crossfire X video cards.
Service Tag:
Service Code:
I have this error from the BIOS Diagnostics:
Video Card: Error Code: 2000-0332, Validation Code: 71809
Msg: Video Memory - Video Memory integrity test discrepancy
Dell's support site says that for this code combination I should re-seat the onboard memory modules. I don't know what the system memory modules would have to do with the video card memory discrepancy, but, I removed and re-seated all four modules.
This did not solve the error.
It seems to me that one of the 7970 cards is at fault. The BIOS shows that both cards are available.
Is there a way to tell whether the problem is with the Primary or the Secondary card?
Can the computer run with only one (Primary) card installed?
If so, can I then remove the Secondary heatsink and fan hardware as it wouldn't be needed?
The procedure to remove the video cards is very involved and I would need to remove the Secondary card first and then rebuild the computer to see if that one was the problem. If not, I would need to remove the Primary and replace it with the working Secondary card.
Lot's of work on the computer with the possibility of screw-ups. There must be some way to tell which card has failed before I dive into this thing.
Thanks.
mattyb3
5 Practitioner
5 Practitioner
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1.5K Posts
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May 20th, 2020 14:00
Hello, you can remove the secondary card, fan and heatsink without any issue to test the primary card. It will leave a space under the keyboard though so you may feel a little more give on this side when typing. There is a 'dummy' card you can buy that fills this spot but they are expensive for a piece of plastic. Some people make their own.
You cannot however remove the Primary card and run off the secondary card so to test the second card you'll have to transfer it over to the primary spot, as you mentioned.
Sometimes you can see if one of the cards is failing because SLI/Crossfire won't enable, but it depends on what is wrong with the card.
Unfortunately it's harder to get to the GPU's and CPU on the M18x but once you do it a few times it gets pretty easy. There's no need to put all the screws back in when testing. Be VERY careful with the ribbon cables especially the HDD connector as they are incredibly expensive and hard to find. Don't try to straighten it, just disconnect it from the motherboard (tweezers help) and lift the HDD caddy straight up.
I've put a GTX 1070 in my M18x so if you want to get a few more years out of the old girl then you could do the same, or even a 980M or 1060.