How to: Replace your broken (8600M GT) graphics card (in the [I]FL90)

Okay, it has come down to this - your 8600M GT finally gave up. Well, look on the bright side, you are quite lucky that it survived quite long!



Plus, you are lucky that your laptop has and scroll down to Installation step by step guide and follow these simple steps.



After that, your system should have the latest drivers.



5. Tools

The most essential thing for me was temperatures. Performace also, but only a second priority.



I do not only want to see my current temps, but also see the history, even better, be able to log it to a file.



I used RivaTuner with my 8600M GT, but didn't get it working with my new card.



The only tool I found that worked for me and was able to log temps, was the ATI Tray Tools.



I also tried EVGA Precision, which did not work at all, as well as GPUTool, AMD GPU Clock Tool, PCWizard and CPUID HWMonitor, as well HWiNFO32 which were in parts able to show temps, but not to log them (maybe I missed the option!).

6. Results

Performance-wise, the card is okay. I am not sure if it is really performing better than my 8600M GT - my only benchmark is my subjective experience while playing ArmA - no numbers no nothing! So I could just be wrong.



Temperatures range from low 50's while idling, mid 50's while writing this guide (for the last 3 hours), low 60's while playing videos, and a maximum of 88 C while playing, but also there mostly in the low to mid 80's though.



This is without undervolting, just thermal paste and heat sink modification. I can live with that, and my new card as well, I think.

7. vBIOS flashing

I need to do this myself first, to be able to report on it.

8. Problems

• external monitor not working

  • this problem remains until now
  • others have this problem too
  • a system BIOS upgrade vom 1.16 to 1.18 did not cure it
  • the best I got so far is to remote-desktop-connecting the FL90 from a netbook that is connected to my external monitor, doing so allows me to work fairly decent with the FL90

• external sound was not working

  • after disassembling it again, I un- and replugged the connector of the audio connectors, and it worked - I must have failed to connect it properly the first time - I kept this point in here as a remainder: always double-check your connectors

Did I break something?



Same for my original WinXP SP3, a newly installed WinXP SP3, as well as a newly installed Win7 system.



Any clues?



I would appreciate any help!

9. Something missing

You tell me

10. Special Thanks

To whom ever is running and moderating this forum, and a special thanks to anyone who took the time and helps/helped me resolving my problems, especially Daniel Hahn who pointed me several times in the right direction.

11. Updates

• up to now, I never got the ATI 3650 DDR3 256MB to give me a signal to my external monitor
• ATI 3650 DDR2 512 MB worked instantly, also with external monitor
• ATI 5470 works, too, also with external monitor
• baking both of my 8600M GT cards for 10 minutes at 180C got one card back to live

Thanks everyone!

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