Question Predator Helios 300 G3-571 - Unusable GPU

[Moderig]

Greetings,

I received a Helios 300 laptop a few months ago to fix; I presumed its only problem was a broken screen. However, as soon as I factory reset the device and attempted to install the GTX 1060 drivers, I received a blue screen of death:

PAGE_FAULT_IN_NONPAGED_AREA from nvlddmkm.sys

I learned that nvlddmkm.sys has to do with the graphics drivers, which proved my suspicions that something was wrong with the GPU. I did everything in my power to fix the solution, some examples being:

• Factory resetting
• Downgrading/upgrading windows
• Installing old drivers
• Using the eGPU Code 43 script

After my first factory reset, GeForce Experience finally installed a set of drivers. However, the NVIDIA Control Panel was not accessible at all, even if I attempted to open it. No matter what, I received a Code 43 for my GPU in the device manager, which always disappeared after installing said drivers, but then reappeared after a restart. Every game I tried running at any point always used the integrated graphics.

I've heard that this issue likely spans from hardware problems. I've disassembled this device a few times to replace screens and disk drives, but I have no idea where the GPU is. I know it is soldered to the motherboard somewhere, but what exactly does it look like? I have watched several disassembly videos only to find no mention of the GPU anywhere. My hope is that whatever is physically wrong with the GPU, I can fix, like a loose cable.

Do you guys have any other suggestions? I've pretty much exercised all of my options in terms of software.

 

[DSzymborski]

Laptop GPUs aren't like desktop GPUs; there are no "loose cables" to worry about (or in this case, plug in to resolve a problem). Either the chip is directly integrated with the motherboard or it's in, less commonly these days, an MXM module.

An MXM GPU is relatively easy to find, so it's likely that this is on the motherboard. You can follow the heat pipes to the part that isn't the CPU, but it's unlikely that there would anything to resolve by finding it.

 

[Moderig]

Laptop GPUs aren't like desktop GPUs; there are no "loose cables" to worry about (or in this case, plug in to resolve a problem). Either the chip is directly integrated with the motherboard or it's in, less commonly these days, an MXM module.

An MXM GPU is relatively easy to find, so it's likely that this is on the motherboard. You can follow the heat pipes to the part that isn't the CPU, but it's unlikely that there would anything to resolve by finding it.

Thank you for the response,
Does that mean the current GPU is effectively unrepairable? I'm aware that with some tools, you can maybe replace the GPU on the motherboard, but I'm looking for any solutions that go around that.

 

[DSzymborski]

Thank you for the response,
Does that mean the current GPU is effectively unrepairable? I'm aware that with some tools, you can maybe replace the GPU on the motherboard, but I'm looking for any solutions that go around that.

If you've eliminated all software problems, it's probably not repairable, unless it's an MXM module.