Now Working! - AMD Software: Adrenalin Edition

 October of last year (2021), I posted about issues with AMD's video card and gaming software management console.

I tried various tutorials to get it to work and went as far as uninstalling all video drivers from the system using several different driver removal software packages.  None of it worked.

I've been manually checking for driver updates since I couldn't get the console software to work on my system.  I'd check maybe every two months.  I refused to follow most recommendations of reinstalling the OS just to get this to work and I cursed AMD every time I had to do this manually.  It's not difficult to do, but this is 2022...I shouldn't have to be doing this manually.  I'd also check to see if I could get that console software to run after every update...it never worked (it wouldn't give an error but would flatout not work).

So, today, I checked and saw that there was a recent driver.  I downloaded it manually and installed it.  I checked to see if the console software would work - and it did!  I didn't change a thing with this system, so it wasn't something that I'd forgotten or didn't know how to do.

This tells me that it's a driver-, console- or installer-related issue.

I have noticed that my Nvidia GTX 1060 6 GB video card was still stronger than this AMD RX 6600 and between that and this console issue, was very close to getting rid of the RX 6600 and going back to the 1060 (it's in my storage closet).

Now I get to look at the console and see how well it compares to Nvidia's.

Alienware M17x R3 - Dedicated Video Card Dead!

So, I've been experiencing blue screens since April, at maybe twice a month in frequency, up until August.  From August until now, I was getting BSODs 3-5 times a month.  I couldn't figure out why because the error messages were obscure.  I've been trying different video card driver version as well, with no good results.

I finally downloaded WinDbg, a debugging tool, and used it to read the minidump files that the system compiles after a BSOD, and saw this:

Problem signature:

  Problem Event Name:        BlueScreen

  OS Version:        6.1.7601.2.1.0.768.3

  Locale ID:        1033

Additional information about the problem:

  BCCode:        116

  BCP1:        FFFFFA800CCFE4E0

  BCP2:        FFFFF88002C1501C

  BCP3:        FFFFFFFFC000009A

  BCP4:        0000000000000004

  OS Version:        6_1_7601

  Service Pack:        1_0

  Product:        768_1

Files that help describe the problem:

  C:\Windows\Minidump\091815-12682-01.dmp

  C:\Users\ron\AppData\Local\Temp\WER-30763-0.sysdata.xml

This error could be generated by a multitude of issues, such as motherboard problems, software problems, operating system problems, or hardware issues.

I opened up my system and cleaned it of dust (there wasn't all that much, considering I've not opened it to clean it -- ever).  I also removed the heat sinks from the CPU and graphics card, cleaned off old thermal paste (Dell just dumped a ton of it on each part without care).  I then re-applied new thermal paste and also added 4GB of RAM since I had it open.

I tried gaming again, after removing all the Nvidia drivers and reinstalling them, but was still getting BSODs.  What's funny is that the drivers disappear and I have to reapply them every time I get a BSOD, but still have to use a driver uninstaller to do it.

In looking at my logs for the month of October, I've experienced 8 BSODs so far and it's only halfway through the month.  Also, the logs say "Video hardware error", specifically:

A problem with your video hardware caused Windows to stop working correctly.

So, I guess my Nvidia GeForce 580M finally died.  Apparently, people have been having problems with them since 2012.  I guess I got lucky...I'm only now experiencing issues, 3 years after people began to notice they fail.  I shouldn't complain, I guess.

Now I need to determine which would be a good replacement card.  I've seen people using 680Ms in their M17x R3s without issue.  Some people have even used 780Ms and 880Ms, but those are pricey...I'm not ready to spend $800 on a video card.  I can either get another 580M and hope it gives me another 3 years or I can get a 680M (can find them new for $320-$360 on eBay, with warranties).  I can't find them as cheaply on Amazon.

For now, I've configured War Thunder (that's the game I'm currently playing) so that I can use the integrated graphics card (an Intel HD 3000).  It works but my frame rate dove down to 30-40fps.  :(  I suppose I can either try to do War Thunder on my iMac or use the desktop system I was using before I bought the Alienware.  I also have a Dell Latitude E5530 that has an Intel HD 4000 that might get better frame rates.  I do have options.

I'll update this blog entry as I decide what to do next.