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XPS M1730 GPU Overheat
I'm running dual NVidia GeForce 8700M GT cards in my XPS. Intermittently I will hear a "boing" noise inside of the unit (sounds like a thermal switch of some kind tripping) and then note that none of my fans are active. Shortly after that it will overheat until it shuts itself down. A restart will rectify the issue. This only happens once, maybe twice per month. It never happened before a GPU BIOS update, and I suspect that this may be the cause. I did a clean install of Vista Ultimate, and used the Dell recommended video driver. The issue still occurred, and I am now using the latest NVidia driver for these cards.
Has anyone else experienced this issue? My warranty ends in May, but I really don't think that it's a hardware issue...and a Dell tech will never duplicate the problem to diagnose. My current GPU BIOS is 60.84.6A.00.0B and 60.84.6A.00.0C, respectively. Ideas?
TheRealFireblad
4.6K Posts
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January 26th, 2010 11:00
Welcome to the forums :emotion-21:
What OS/version are you using? Is it still the default OS pre-installed by Dell - i.e. Vista Home Premium 32bit?
Where did you get the Nvidia BIOS update from?
The latest drivers from Nvidia themselves, or the latest Nvidia drivers offered by Dell?
The latest drivers available from Nvidia themselves (in the UK at least) are v195.62 WHQL - released back on 4th December 2009 (we'll get newer drivers soon I hope)?
But as you say... it's unlikely to be a drivers issue, in which case you're probably best advised trying to find/reinstall the previous BIOS again?
strych9of FOCR
7 Posts
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January 26th, 2010 13:00
I am using the OEM Vista ULTIMATE 32bit OS that came with the unit. The GPU BIOS update came from Dell (it was a recommended update). As for retro-flashing the GPUs, I just found the OEM BIOS revision @ TechPowerUp. I am running NVidia's latest display driver, v195.62 WHQL. I agree, the simplest way to isolate the BIOS update as the cause would be to retro the software flash. I will get this done and report my findings. I do want to see if the issue recurs one more time before I do this. It might be awhile :emotion-2:
strych9of FOCR
7 Posts
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February 2nd, 2010 18:00
SOLVED: Dell sent me a new motherboard and video card. I reflashed the GPU BIOS with the recommended update after installation. The beast is back to normal. I'm guessing the GPU was defective, but Dell wanted the mobo installed as well...so I can't say for sure which component fixed it. Maybe Dell knows more than they're saying. Anyway, A+ customer support from Dell!
UPDATE 2/9/2010: Although the GPU has not yet overheated, I did notice that the fans were not operating properly. The behavior was odd: instead of both GPU fans coming on @ 74 deg C and cycling back off around 64 deg C, the inboard fan (center) came on at slow speed and stayed on until the rig was shut down. This mirrors the behavior that I experienced before both fans quit before the GPU/Mobo replacement.
Here's what I found. I had done a clean OS install using all of the Dell OEM drivers. The only thing that wasn't OEM was the Dell-recommended GPU update. The system worked ok for awhile, but then started the odd fan issues described above. Fortunately I anticipated this, so after I installed the hardware I made a backup of the OEM GPU BIOS. Using NVflash I reflashed the GPU BIOS back to OEM. *So far* the fans are working as expected. I will monitor this for a week or two and report back, but I had suspected the GPU BIOS all along. Therefore, I recommend AVOIDING INSTALLATION OF THE DELL GPU BIOS UPDATE!!! I plan to report my findings to Dell if this proves to be the cure.
Sjet
3 Posts
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February 23rd, 2010 10:00
Exactly what is happening to me right now. Unfortunately im not a technical guy, ive never flashed a bios before in my life. Temperature right now is in the high 80's and 90's, and thats idle. Where do i find the bios i need?
Im running the same cards on the M1730, BIOS versions are 60.84.6A.00.06 and 60.84.6A.00.07 .. which is odd because you say they are working for you.
strych9of FOCR
7 Posts
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February 23rd, 2010 20:00
Yes, you have the OEM GPU BIOS which is the point of my post. It was what I thought was causing my problems, but I have since found out that it made no difference. In fact, the motherboard and GPU have both been replaced AGAIN (second set), and not the cycle is beginning to repeat. In your case, I'm willing to bet that you have hardware failure. Dell has had me replace both the motherboard and the GPU together in both cases, but honestly I think the GPU itself is at fault. Anyway, one of the fans quit working until reboot yesterday, and Dell said if it happens again they will replace my system. Unfortunately it's a known issue...Dell won't say that but if you look around other forums a lot of people with our systems have gone through the same hassle. Fortunately, I still have warranty.
Sjet
3 Posts
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February 24th, 2010 05:00
the odd oart with my rig atm is, i turn it on from cold..... the fan speed never changes.
However, if i reboot when gpu temps are about 70-75 degree's, the startup fan speed changes... they are on, but not very fast.
If i reboot when gpu temps are above 90 degrees C, the startup fan speed is alot faster, (possibly 100%).
Ive tried to manually set fan speeds using the nvidia tools.... doesnt work.
I'll have to check my warrenty, but im pretty sure it ran out a month or so ago =( i'll just ring dell today =)
Cheers for reply.
strych9of FOCR
7 Posts
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February 27th, 2010 11:00
For whatever reason, these GPU's lose the ability to control their fans properly. Have you run Dell Diagnostics to see if it flags the fan(s)? Mine did when I ran it. I just notified Dell that this issue has returned...they are processing a unit exchange as we speak. Their service has been great, so we'll see how this comes out. The tech I spoke to stopped short of saying that the M8700 GT GPU's are problematic...but I can tell you that it's all over the web. They point the blame at nVidia. We shall see.
Sjet
3 Posts
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March 1st, 2010 16:00
Called Dell the other day, ran the diagnostic, and yes, got an error when testing gpu fans. The tech i was speaking to didnt even bother asking any more questions, just sent out replacement gpu, heat sink, and fan. So yes, good service on Dell's part.
strych9of FOCR
7 Posts
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March 1st, 2010 21:00
Interesting. They replaced the motherboard along with the GPU in both cases I had. Well...hope you have better luck than I had.
strych9of FOCR
7 Posts
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March 19th, 2010 20:00
Well, here's the latest excerpt from my XPS overheat issue. Dell finally threw in the towel and replaced my XPS with an Alienware M17x. I said it before and I'll say it again: Dell's customer service has been top-notch. The replacement unit they sent me is a far more powerful machine than my XPS was. The majority of components were upgrades, such as the CPU (T8100 upgraded to T9600), GPU's (dual GT 8700M's to dual GTX 280M's), and a solid state HD. Dell, thank you.
BNEUH
7 Posts
1
June 1st, 2011 03:00
The recommended DELL Bios Update for your card causes this:
forums.nvidia.com/index.php
-> Do not update your nvidia 8700m gt bios with this:
support.dell.com/.../download.aspx
dpkpandit
7 Posts
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February 21st, 2012 05:00
same hear i have same proble for XPS 17 3D relly not happy with XPS
BNEUH
7 Posts
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February 21st, 2012 05:00
You should only update the GPU when you also update your Mainboard-Bios.
The fan-control of the GPU is outsourced to the system bios. Thats why you don't find any fan-speeds in the g8x-firmwares.
but again - the g84/g86 chips are by default broken and will quit by overheating.
BNEUH
7 Posts
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February 21st, 2012 05:00
you can read that everywhere
xbitlabs
zdnet
BNEUH
7 Posts
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February 21st, 2012 05:00
The Problem is related to www.google.de/search defective GPU from nVidia.