Problem with new laptop Acer Nitro AN515-41.

OttoBismarck
OttoBismarck Member Posts: 3 New User
edited November 2023 in 2018 Archives
Hi! I bought recently an Acer Nitro 5 AN515-41 with these specs : AMD FX9830P  with Radeon R7 Graphics and Radeon 500 series.
But the drivers the Acer provides for the graphics cards haven't been updated in more than a year and moreover prove to be slow and faulty. Faulty because after several fresh windows 10 64bit installs (no internet connection so no default drivers are installed by the Windows Update) the machine BSOD's with the following error scrapped from Event Logger : 

Component: AMD Northbridge
Error Source: Machine Check Exception
Error Type: HyperTransport Watchdog Timeout Error. 

The crashes are totally random and upsetting considering the fact that it is a new laptop. The question is: where can I get the latest graphics drivers for this machine ? Are there any at all ? Is there anything special that has to be installed along after a fresh install? Several forums pointed out the fact that faulty are either the drivers for integrated graphics card or the integrated card itself.

If I can't solve the problem, are there any chances for me to get it solved in a Acer service? Can it be solved ? If it was manufactured with a problem can I get a replacement or a refund?

Thank you.




Answers

  • Commodore_1995#
    Commodore_1995# ACE Posts: 97,695 Trailblazer
    edited August 2018
    As janelas estão atualizadas? Você pode atualizar os drivers de vídeo diretamente do site da Intel para atualizar o driver de vídeo onboard e amd para baixar o driver da placa de vídeo dedicada ou usar o driverbooster para localizar esses drivers e atualizá-los!
    https://www.intel.com/content/www/us/en/support/detect.html
    https://support.amd.com/en-us/download
    https://www.iobit.com/sv/driver-booster.php
    Oi! Eu não sou sou a cortana! Mas estou aqui para ajudar! Hi! I'm not the cortana! But I'm here to help!
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  • dclanz
    dclanz Member Posts: 112 Skilled Fixer WiFi Icon
    As janelas estão atualizadas? Você pode atualizar os drivers de vídeo diretamente do site da Intel para atualizar o driver de vídeo onboard e amd para baixar o driver da placa de vídeo dedicada ou usar o driverbooster para localizar esses drivers e atualizá-los!
    https://www.intel.com/content/www/us/en/support/detect.html
    https://support.amd.com/en-us/download
    https://www.iobit.com/sv/driver-booster.php
    What @egy@egydiocoelho meant was: Are the windows up to date? You can update the video drivers directly from the Intel website to update the onboard and amd video driver to download the dedicated video card driver or use the driverbooster to locate these drivers and update them!
    If a post helps or answers your question, be sure to hit the like button so the poster knows they were helpful.
    Try using the search function before posting, as your question may have been asked and resolved before.
    Be sure to check out my Acer An515-42 Clean Install Guide.
  • OttoBismarck
    OttoBismarck Member Posts: 3 New User
    Thanks for the reply, but I already tried doing that lots of times after fresh updated installs of windows 10.I tried automatic detection from amd, specific driver from amd and acer, custom driver found online, Iobit driver booster.I even tried installing them by removing the previuos driver with DDU. But all attemtps led me to a very slow graphics performance or even BSOD's out of nowhere.(especially BSOD's). 
    I fiiled a bug report and sent it to Acer but there was no feedback whatsoever.
    I also followed the guides found online like disabling fast startup and customizing the battery power options but no luck.
  • What I say say is if windows is up to date? Windows in Portuguese means janelas!
    Oi! Eu não sou sou a cortana! Mas estou aqui para ajudar! Hi! I'm not the cortana! But I'm here to help!
    Se você gostou da minha resposta, marque como solução clicando em sim! If you liked my answer, mark it as a solution by clicking on yes!
    Aceite somente a resposta que ajudou a solucionar o seu problema! Please accept only the response that helped to solve your problem!
    Detection tool click here to find the serial number or partnumber of your model!                                                          

               
      egydiocoelho Trailblazer
     
    ProductKey clique aqui para descobrir o serial do windows! click here to discover the windows serial!
    Para usuários da comunidade inglesa, espanhola, francesa e alemã, usarei o google tradutor! :)
    For users of the English, Spanish, French and German community, I will be using google translator! :) 
  • Commodore_1995#
    Commodore_1995# ACE Posts: 97,695 Trailblazer
    edited August 2018
    This whatchdog is a driver that when there is an error in windows it shows a blue screen! You can disable it in the device manager to see if the defect still occurs!
    Oi! Eu não sou sou a cortana! Mas estou aqui para ajudar! Hi! I'm not the cortana! But I'm here to help!
    Se você gostou da minha resposta, marque como solução clicando em sim! If you liked my answer, mark it as a solution by clicking on yes!
    Aceite somente a resposta que ajudou a solucionar o seu problema! Please accept only the response that helped to solve your problem!
    Detection tool click here to find the serial number or partnumber of your model!                                                          

               
      egydiocoelho Trailblazer
     
    ProductKey clique aqui para descobrir o serial do windows! click here to discover the windows serial!
    Para usuários da comunidade inglesa, espanhola, francesa e alemã, usarei o google tradutor! :)
    For users of the English, Spanish, French and German community, I will be using google translator! :) 
  • OttoBismarck
    OttoBismarck Member Posts: 3 New User
    edited August 2018
    I don't have that item listed at all. Anyway, wouldn't that just mean hiding the problem and not solving it? I came over this page https://community.amd.com/docs/DOC-1312 which states that if I have an AMD APU then I shouldn't install the drivers manually but rather let the Windows Update handle that process. If thats how it is supposed to work then should I install afterwards the driver for the discrete AMD graphics card or it will be also automatically installed by Windows Update? There is also this page https://community.amd.com/docs/DOC-1313 which states that if I have a discrete gcard then I must install the driver manually. But I hove both: APU and discrete. What should I do: let Windows Update install APU driver and then install the driver for the discrete (amd 500 series) card?
  • dclanz
    dclanz Member Posts: 112 Skilled Fixer WiFi Icon
    Hi @OttoBismarck, this is a long shot and I am going to assume that your specs are similar to those found here https://www.acer.com/ac/en/ID/content/model/NH.Q2USN.001. If yes, then I suggest the following:

    1. Download the AMD clean install utility here https://support.amd.com/en-us/kb-articles/Pages/AMD-Clean-Uninstall-Utility.aspx, run the program and after you click finish, it will prompt to restart.
    2. After restarting go to Windows Update and let it search and download any available drivers for your system. Once they are finished installing (reboot if necessary) move on to the next step.
    3. Head to the Microsoft Update Catalog (https://www.catalog.update.microsoft.com/Search.aspx?q=rx+550) and download the latest radeon rx 550 driver available there (sort by date to get the latest version 7/2/2018 and comes in at a size of 275.7mb at version 23.20.15034.2006). Extract the file using 7zip into a folder on the desktop. This folder should contain the following: one B330010 folder and a .cat and .inf file each with the name u0330752, u0330753 and u0330854.
    4. Next head into the device manager, right click the entry for the rx 550 under display adapters (it may be listed as an unknown device or something to that effect) and choose update driver. Click browse my computer for driver software, next click let me pick from a list of available drivers on my computer, then click have disk and finally browse and navigate to the folder where you extracted the files. You may be prompted to select a .inf file, do so and let the driver install.
    5.Once it is finished go back to the extracted files and go into the B3330010 folder and run ccc2_install file then reboot. This installation should bring the amd radeon settings for you.

    I hope this helps, do let us know if you have any success. All credit goes to suhaspr over at the AMD community forum for providing me with the idea based on his method with which to update the AN515-42 drivers via Microsoft Update Catalog: https://community.amd.com/thread/229728
    If a post helps or answers your question, be sure to hit the like button so the poster knows they were helpful.
    Try using the search function before posting, as your question may have been asked and resolved before.
    Be sure to check out my Acer An515-42 Clean Install Guide.
  • Commodore_1995#
    Commodore_1995# ACE Posts: 97,695 Trailblazer
    edited August 2018
    To display the Guard dog driver, quiet in Device Manager, display, Show hidden devices! will appear the driver Watchdog as in the photo!
    About discrete or dedicated graphics, are those desktop video cards, it is not the quality connected in a PCI Express slot, the user can trocar the video card whenever he wants! Future has a very higher processing power compared to there is an integrated GPU from a notebook! 
    The notebook has two GPUs: one integrated into the processor and another integrated into the motherboard! The integrated GPU on the motherboard (some consider as dedicated video card) has a higher processing capacity than a GPU to do processor and has its own core, but it is usually lower there is a discrete GPU from a desktop!
    On the first page, it does not mention the video card used by your notebook and on the second page, refers to ha a core used both by your notebook and on the desktop disenacting GPU! In my opinion you can either use the Windows Update driver (which is usually outdated) or download direct from the Fabricante website, which will be no problem at all!
    I would try before doing all of these as Windows updates using Windows Update and then download the latest drivers direct from Fabricante! Alarms users say the driver of Acer, is designed specifically for the computer, which is true, because, the fabricante makes some modifications no generic driver! However as computer manufacturers do not follow as updates of generic drivers provided by the manufacturers Intel, Nvidia or AMD! I would update yes to a generic driver!

    Oi! Eu não sou sou a cortana! Mas estou aqui para ajudar! Hi! I'm not the cortana! But I'm here to help!
    Se você gostou da minha resposta, marque como solução clicando em sim! If you liked my answer, mark it as a solution by clicking on yes!
    Aceite somente a resposta que ajudou a solucionar o seu problema! Please accept only the response that helped to solve your problem!
    Detection tool click here to find the serial number or partnumber of your model!                                                          

               
      egydiocoelho Trailblazer
     
    ProductKey clique aqui para descobrir o serial do windows! click here to discover the windows serial!
    Para usuários da comunidade inglesa, espanhola, francesa e alemã, usarei o google tradutor! :)
    For users of the English, Spanish, French and German community, I will be using google translator! :) 
  • Unfortunately these windows updates are bringing compatibility problems with various hardware and some of them are only really solved with the generic windows drivers, despite the effort of the video card manufacturers to update the drivers to every new version of windows released by Microsoft! If you have problems with the drivers downloaded from the AMD manufacturer, do as said the colleague @dclanz said and download the driver from the catalog!
    It is also possible that the problem watchdog driver exists in this catalog!
    I would like you to tap a photo of the device manager to see if this driver is the IDT or the DH895XCC
    Oi! Eu não sou sou a cortana! Mas estou aqui para ajudar! Hi! I'm not the cortana! But I'm here to help!
    Se você gostou da minha resposta, marque como solução clicando em sim! If you liked my answer, mark it as a solution by clicking on yes!
    Aceite somente a resposta que ajudou a solucionar o seu problema! Please accept only the response that helped to solve your problem!
    Detection tool click here to find the serial number or partnumber of your model!                                                          

               
      egydiocoelho Trailblazer
     
    ProductKey clique aqui para descobrir o serial do windows! click here to discover the windows serial!
    Para usuários da comunidade inglesa, espanhola, francesa e alemã, usarei o google tradutor! :)
    For users of the English, Spanish, French and German community, I will be using google translator! :)