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January 21st, 2023 15:00
17 R1, freezes when installing graphics driver
Alienware 17
The hard drive on my Alienware 17 died so I had it replaced with an SSD with Windows 10. Each time I try to download the driver for my graphics card - AMD Radeon R9 M290X w/ 4GB G DDR5 - the laptop freezes. This includes trying to install the driver from the Dell Support page. I then have to shut down by holding the power button.
Any thoughts why this happens and/or how to go about getting the driver installed so I can play games again?
A friend mentioned that there may be an issue with the graphics card or during the install my processor overheats causing the laptop to freeze. Just curious - with no driver installed, should I still be able to see the graphics card listed in Device Manager? Or it won't show until the driver is installed?
Thank you for any help!
BobbyB999
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February 4th, 2023 11:00
By the way, I removed my graphics card and cleared out a lot of dust from the fan and vent. I left the laptop on for awhile and no freezing.
mattyb3
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February 5th, 2023 12:00
Ebay is usually the best bet but try and find one locally instead of from China. You never know what you're going to get out of China but sometimes it's the only option.
BobbyB999
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March 18th, 2023 20:00
Finally got a chance to reapply thermal paste to the CPU and GPU. The CPU fan vents were clogged with dust so I cleaned that but when I started the laptop, it froze. Took the GPU out and all is fine.
I found a Nvidia GTX 780M on Amazon and an AMD R9 8970M on Amazon. The Nvidia card can be returned so I'm leaning towards that card. That card will work in my laptop? Install it and download the driver? No tweaking?
mattyb3
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March 19th, 2023 14:00
@BobbyB999 The 780M will be plug and play without any issue.