Repeated Nvidia Problems

Riddle339

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Jul 17, 2014
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Ok, so this is a recurring problem.I have an Alienware X51 desktop computer. I had repeated instances of simply playing a game and the sound jarring, followed by the entire computer crashing. Many times, whenever the computer was rebooted, it would act as if there was no Nvidia card in the computer(didn't show up under device manager, lagged on all games, etc.) and I would have to leave it off overnight, oftentimes it would work the next day.

This seemed completely random, sometimes I could play a game for hours without a problem, other times I could only play the same game for a few minutes before the computer crashed.

Today, I tried to find a solution. After finding nothing that worked, I decided to attempt to revert my computer to factory settings. Now, when i try to install the Nvidia drivers, i get this error:
This graphics driver could not find compatible graphics hardware.
Yet again, the driver does not show up in the device manager. I have tried reverting my computer, the only other thing I can think to do is to buy a new computer. If anyone can help, it would be greatly appreciated.
 
Solution
If you're skittish about removing the side panel of the case, I guess the best suggestion would be to RMA the entire unit, or take it to a repair shop. Almost anything you might do to diagnose the issue would require getting inside the case and if you're not comfortable with that, it's probably better to find somebody who's not.
Why would you buy a new computer to fix a bad GPU, if it's even faulty? More likely than not, since it's an Alienware prebuilt unit and they come with crappy as hell power supplies, it could be related to the power supply. What is the brand and model number of your power supply?
 

Riddle339

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Jul 17, 2014
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4,530


How can I go about finding this?
 
PSU model number should be on the power supply. There should be a tag or label on it . You might need to remove the four screws that hold it to the case in order to turn it over where the label is visible. Knowing Alienware it's either a really good unit, or a REALLY bad one, depending on what Tier of pre-built you went with.
 

Riddle339

Reputable
Jul 17, 2014
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4,530


I'm not too eager about taking apart the case, as I'm not too familiar with stuff like this; what exactly do I need the number for? Is it necessary to find it?

Sorry for my ignorance.
 
If you're skittish about removing the side panel of the case, I guess the best suggestion would be to RMA the entire unit, or take it to a repair shop. Almost anything you might do to diagnose the issue would require getting inside the case and if you're not comfortable with that, it's probably better to find somebody who's not.
 
Solution