17 R1, GPU GTX 970m replacement help required

This is @La Blanc's image of the GTX 970m 6gb card that was going to be included in Opening Post. 

FYI: Images containing private information have been deleted. Private System Service Tag and Express Service Code are not to be published in these public forums. 

Support for Alienware 17 (R1) Documentation includes Owner's Manual. 

Does your Alienware 17 (R1) GPU have three pipe heatsink?

Alienware 17 (R1) GPU GTX980m Upgrade - YouTube

Thank you for the response @mattyb3 and @crimsom . Sorry for the late reply.
First i will answer @crimsom 's query:

Yep, it seems to have the three pipe sink. Same as the picture you sent. I think the process of replacing the GPU shouldn't be too difficult.

Now, @mattyb3 my response to your question:
I think we have a problem :/. This screen is 3D screen so im guessing its 120 Hz. Basically, when you turn on the screen, it displays nothing.

Is there no remedy to this? Can i not use a different monitor and make the alienware display the info there? Ok so I have a new GTX 970m GPU with me. (i sent a picture of it in my previous post). Should i replace the old GPU with new GPU, do you think the display will work? Or will it still be blank? If there is no way to solve this predicament, then ill have to refund the 970m ig. Sigh. Also regarding the Aetina card, i don't think its the aetina version but i am not sure how i can verify it. Do aetina cards have "aetina" written on them? Because i don't see anything like that on this card.

Hi @La Blanc thank you for sharing additional information complete with images. 

Please click on Product Support and insert your private Service Tag to look at the original build standard and to see which screen was installed at the factory. The Service Tag label should be attached to the rear cover. 

Your GTX970m 6gb card generates more heat and your three pipe heat sink is required. I did not find my previous attached link to  Alienware 17 (R1) GPU GTX980m Upgrade - YouTube  good enough for the whole installation process, because it seems reliant on the screen working to change BIOS UEFI settings before starting to install the new card. 

It is curious that 17 R1 has no screen display when it's Intel Core i7-4770 CPU has Integrated GPU video output, in addition to the original GTX880m Discrete GPU video output. When 17 R1 on ac adapter power, is there no POST (Power On Self Test) diagnostic beeps? Understanding Beep Codes on a Dell Notebook PC | Dell US 

Hi @La Blanc unfortunately the 3D 120Hz display runs directly off the dedicated Nvidia card so you have to have a working GPU installed or you will get an 8 beep error code. You can't just plug in an external monitor because the Intel graphics are permanently disabled on these models. If the old card is dead then it's worth trying the 970M to see if you can get it to display.

It's strange that you are just getting a black screen and no beep code. There is the possibility that the display cable has become slightly detached from the back of the display panel. If one corner is slightly out then you will get a black screen without an LCD or GPU beep code.

See what happens when you plug in the 970M and we'll go from there.

We'll do our best to get it going again.

Along with the Alienware 18, these were the last of the truly upgradeable Alienware laptops (not including the Area-51M with it's proprietary Dell GPU) so they also have a special place in my heart. My dying wish would be to see Alienware going back to MXM format laptops but unfortunately that will never happen. 

Thank you for the fast response @crimsom and @mattyb3 .

@crimsomi went to the Product Support site and entered my service tag. I checked the system configuration. This is the information regarding the display: 17.3 inch (439.42 mm) 120Hz WL ED FHD (1920 x 1080) TrueLife w/3D Bundle . I think that confirms the display refresh rate. To answer your question regarding the beep, i have never noticed a beep. ill try recording it the next time i turn the laptop on, lets see what happens.

@mattyb3   yea my laptop not getting the beep code is strange. Perhaps the 880m isn't bust? Idk. I spoke with my brother, and he told me the problems started to arise when he downloaded a nvidia patch. When he sent the laptop to the Dell service center, they told him that the graphics card doesn't work. Furthermore, they told my brother that they checked the graphics card with other "similar" laptops and it still didn't work. Nevertheless, my brother told me that he wasn't satisfied with their answer. Shrug

Anyways, ill replace the 880m with the 970m. Let us see what happens. Fingers crossed it actually works.

Thank you again for helping me out lol. If it wasn't for you guys, i would have lost hope with fixing this laptop. This is a beautiful laptop, i don't want it to go to waste.

@crimsom The 120Hz 3D display does not allow integrated graphics. It is permanently disabled in the BIOS because this display must run directly off a dedicated Nvidia card. 

Also, the i7-4770 is a desktop CPU. 

Hi @La Blanc thank you for sharing additional information. 

Agree with your brother's diagnostic intuition, Dell testing the GTX880m card on other systems requires the correct BIOS UEFI settings and 3D screen cable. Perhaps the Dell testing of this 3D GPU card was not adequate. Now that you know the screen specification, and there are no POST diagnostic beeps, it seems that the special 17 R1 3D Display 17.3" LCD Ribbon Cable (DP/N N392W) is not fully connected. It uses the eDP connector on the board which does not connect to the Integrated GPU, only the Discrete 3D GPU Nvidia card. There are many reports that with use, movement of the laptop lid can disrupt electrical connection of the screen cable. 

One more thing @mattyb3 and @crimsom , i spoke with the online store that sold me the 970m GPU. They told me its the aetina version

https://www.dropbox.com/s/13movyqqoxkhy5r/signal-2022-07-08-190416_001.jpeg?dl=0 (i can't upload more images it seems, reached the image quota) . This is where i bought the card from: https://a.aliexpress.com/_msidFzg

I'll probably refund this card. You guys know what i should do next?

Hello @crimsom and @mattyb3 . Hope you guys had a lovely day.

First off, last time, we discussed how it was odd my laptop did not beep right? So i took a 2 minute recording of my laptop with 880m and it did NOT beep. If you guys really want to see the video, let me know.
So today i replaced my laptop's GPU. Here is what i did:
I used this video as guide to replace GPU from an Alienware: https://youtu.be/fh8ockwbDiE .I removed the parts in this order: laptop's bottom panel, then fan and then the heatsink. This is how it looked like

Afterwards, i removed the 880m GPU. This is the close-up picture of the GPU.

This is the 970m GPU close-up.

Just to let you guys know, i did not remove the sticker from the card nor did i use thermal paste - this is to make the refund process much easier if i have to refund it. After the replacing the GPU, i had some troubles. I was able to screw down the 970m GPU however i was not able to screw the heatsink on top of it. I tried *everything*. Basically my screws goes inside the old 880m GPU but not inside the new GPU. The hole is too small. I have a video of it, if you guys want to check it out let me know. So, in the end i wasn't able to screw down the heat sink. Also the heat sink had some thermal residue on it. I did not clean that. Just letting you guys know.

Not screwing it down wasn't a big issue because it did fit somewhat tightly. It didn't look like it was falling. So this is the final result after replacing and screwing back the parts:

You see the red circles? Those are the parts that i could not screw. In any case, i fixed the bottom panel and everything was in place.

When i turned on the laptop, the screen was still blank but it started beeping! So something did happen. This is the video of the beep https://www.dropbox.com/s/oqhxlqm6zhl5514/Video%2008-07-2022%2C%206%2047%2030%20PM.mov?dl=0

I saw a GigaBite GTX 1060 new somewhere ,still old, but new ^^ at my company,but..a GTX 1080 will do for around 300 euro for start

Hi @La Blanc thank you for providing additional information, images and beep video.

Your voice on the beep video was good, but the beep noise not available. Did the beep code match anything on  Understanding Beep Codes on a Dell Notebook PC | Dell US  

Please see if HDMI connection to external monitor or TV gives screen output. If external screen image is available, this would indicate laptop's screen cable is not connected. 

@crimsomhey there. Im surprised you couldn't hear the beep. I thought it was clear enough. So there is 8 beeps and a pause. The loop continues indefinitely. Judging from the "understanding Beep codes" website, there is an LCD malfunction. That doesn't make sense. Why wasn't there a beep when i used the 880m graphics? LCD failure shouldn't be related to GPUs right..?
I will check the HDMI connection and get back to you.