My laptop won't detect the GPU (PH315-52)

My game crashed yesterday, so I tried updating the GPU driver when restarting the PC wouldn't work. Geforce Experience looked weird, so I downloaded the driver from Nvidia's website, which would not install due to "windows not being compatible". My GPU showed up in Device Manager after clicking Show hidden items, but gave me a Code 45. After using DDU to uninstall my drivers my GPU wouldn't show up in Device Manager at all, and I was still unable to install GPU drivers. I finally did a windows restore and it still doesn't work. At this point I don't know if it's a software issue or a Hardware issue, and my warranty is expired and I have no access to a repair shop atm. Any ideas?

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JackE

If it's still running Win10, try downloading, unzipping and installing this driver.

https://global-download.acer.com/GDFiles/Driver/VGA/VGA_NVIDIA_25.21.14.1788_W10x64_A.zip?acerid=636929872380743652&Step1=NOTEBOOK&Step2=PREDATOR&Step3=PREDATOR PH315-52&OS=ALL&LC=en&BC=ACER&SC=PA_6

Chaks243

JackE said:

If it's still running Win10, try downloading, unzipping and installing this driver.

https://global-download.acer.com/GDFiles/Driver/VGA/VGA_NVIDIA_25.21.14.1788_W10x64_A.zip?acerid=636929872380743652&Step1=NOTEBOOK&Step2=PREDATOR&Step3=PREDATOR PH315-52&OS=ALL&LC=en&BC=ACER&SC=PA_6

It didn't work.

Image: https://us.v-cdn.net/6029997/uploads/editor/0v/x8sss1k4hlwn.png

StevenGen

Chaks243 said:

My game crashed yesterday, so I tried updating the GPU driver when restarting the PC wouldn't work. Geforce Experience looked weird, so I downloaded the driver from Nvidia's website, which would not install due to "windows not being compatible". My GPU showed up in Device Manager after clicking Show hidden items, but gave me a Code 45. After using DDU to uninstall my drivers my GPU wouldn't show up in Device Manager at all, and I was still unable to install GPU drivers. I finally did a windows restore and it still doesn't work. At this point I don't know if it's a software issue or a Hardware issue, and my warranty is expired and I have no access to a repair shop atm. Any ideas?

Have you tried to take the RTC bios battery out? As you could have a frozen super IO chip that controls all these functions and a bios rest also resets the super IO. Take the main battery out first and then the bios battery second, leave them unplugged for 5 min and reconnect them and see if the laptops gpu is automatically installed and windows installs a default driver?

Just remember that Code 45 is: an "Error Code" that is a common device manager problem that users encounter on any Windows 2000 and later operating system versions. The error occurs when your Windows system fails to acknowledge the connected device by either stating that the device is not present or that it was previously attached to a computer.

If the bios reset does not work? Then you have internal issues with the super IO chip which is a major component in all PC's that control functions to your laptop including the bios, if its not that then unfortunately its a gpu issue (a power or faulty gpu) that a power issue can be fixed but if its the actual gpu then you will need to replace the motherboard. All this can only be diagnosed and fixed by an experienced technician as a consumer cant do a super IO chip replacement as you don't have the tools to do these microscopic fixes, also you have done all that a consumer can do so your next step is either replace the board or take it to a tech!

These are all the PH315-52 motherboards fitted by Acer to their PH315-52 laptops, check your boards ID and replace it exactly to match its ID, if they are available on the web or from Acer?

Image: https://us.v-cdn.net/6029997/uploads/editor/wh/8g4hdhalg6q6.jpg

RTC Battery and Super IO Chip locations

JackE

>>>It didn't work. >>>

As stated, this was a Win10 driver. Did you install Windows 11? Your PH315-52 model is not yet fully compatible with Windows 11 until the ACER driver download site is updated with the Windows 11 drivers. Meanwhile, you can try iobit's Driver Booster freeware to see if it can pick up any temporary drivers on line that may work.

https://www.acer.com/ac/en/US/content/support-product/7983?b=1

Image: https://us.v-cdn.net/6029997/uploads/editor/d5/n14onfxd88cx.jpg

Chaks243

JackE said:

>>>It didn't work. >>>

As stated, this was a Win10 driver. Did you install Windows 11? Your PH315-52 model is not yet fully compatible with Windows 11 until the ACER driver download site is updated with the Windows 11 drivers. Meanwhile, you can try iobit's Driver Booster freeware to see if it can pick up any temporary drivers on line that may work.

https://www.acer.com/ac/en/US/content/support-product/7983?b=1

No, I'm still on Windows 10. I've already tried Driver Easy to install the GPU drivers but it won't even recommend any Nvidia drivers

Chaks243

StevenGen said:

Chaks243 said:

My game crashed yesterday, so I tried updating the GPU driver when restarting the PC wouldn't work. Geforce Experience looked weird, so I downloaded the driver from Nvidia's website, which would not install due to "windows not being compatible". My GPU showed up in Device Manager after clicking Show hidden items, but gave me a Code 45. After using DDU to uninstall my drivers my GPU wouldn't show up in Device Manager at all, and I was still unable to install GPU drivers. I finally did a windows restore and it still doesn't work. At this point I don't know if it's a software issue or a Hardware issue, and my warranty is expired and I have no access to a repair shop atm. Any ideas?

Have you tried to take the RTC bios battery out? As you could have a frozen super IO chip that controls all these functions and a bios rest also resets the super IO. Take the main battery out first and then the bios battery second, leave them unplugged for 5 min and reconnect them and see if the laptops gpu is automatically installed and windows installs a default driver?

Just remember that Code 45 is: an "Error Code" that is a common device manager problem that users encounter on any Windows 2000 and later operating system versions. The error occurs when your Windows system fails to acknowledge the connected device by either stating that the device is not present or that it was previously attached to a computer.

If the bios reset does not work? Then you have internal issues with the super IO chip which is a major component in all PC's that control functions to your laptop including the bios, if its not that then unfortunately its a gpu issue (a power or faulty gpu) that a power issue can be fixed but if its the actual gpu then you will need to replace the motherboard. All this can only be diagnosed and fixed by an experienced technician as a consumer cant do a super IO chip replacement as you don't have the tools to do these microscopic fixes, also you have done all that a consumer can do so your next step is either replace the board or take it to a tech!

These are all the PH315-52 motherboards fitted by Acer to their PH315-52 laptops, check your boards ID and replace it exactly to match its ID, if they are available on the web or from Acer?
RTC Battery and Super IO Chip locations

Problem is I'm not even getting the Code 45 thing after reinstalling Windows. Control Panel shows the original GPU drivers installed, but Device Manager won't detect the GPU at all. There ARE 2 Unknown Devices on Device Manager, though. Maybe one of them is the GPU? Here are their Hardware IDs

Image: https://us.v-cdn.net/6029997/uploads/editor/ig/t4lj1styt534.png

Image: https://us.v-cdn.net/6029997/uploads/editor/li/jo5x2fytplx0.png

JackE

Now try this other Win10 driver.

https://global-download.acer.com/GDFiles/Driver/VGA/VGA_NVIDIA_3.16.0.140_W10x64_A.zip?acerid=636929877394078824&Step1=NOTEBOOK&Step2=PREDATOR&Step3=PREDATOR PH315-52&OS=ALL&LC=en&BC=ACER&SC=PA_6

Commodore_1995#

I would try to use the driverbooster program to catch the problem drivers. If the graphics card is still not showing up, I would try to reset the battery.

Chaks243

JackE said:

Now try this other Win10 driver.

https://global-download.acer.com/GDFiles/Driver/VGA/VGA_NVIDIA_3.16.0.140_W10x64_A.zip?acerid=636929877394078824&Step1=NOTEBOOK&Step2=PREDATOR&Step3=PREDATOR PH315-52&OS=ALL&LC=en&BC=ACER&SC=PA_6

It managed to install a sound device called "NVIDIA Virtual Audio Device (Wave Extensible) (WDM)", but it's status says "A driver (service) for this device has been disabled. An alternate driver may be providing this functionality. (Code 32)" and the GPU is still not showing up on Display Adapters.

GeForce Experience won't launch either

JackE

OK. Now try re-installing this other driver again.

https://global-download.acer.com/GDFiles/Driver/VGA/VGA_NVIDIA_25.21.14.1788_W10x64_A.zip?acerid=636929872380743652&Step1=NOTEBOOK&Step2=PREDATOR&Step3=PREDATOR PH315-52&OS=ALL&LC=en&BC=ACER&SC=PA_6

Chaks243

egydiocoelho said:

I would try to use the driverbooster program to catch the problem drivers. If the graphics card is still not showing up, I would try to reset the battery.

Using it to update the drivers didn't work, and it says it found 3 issues, but I need a license to fix them and it won't tell me what the issues are

Chaks243

JackE said:

OK. Now try re-installing this other driver again.
https://global-download.acer.com/GDFiles/Driver/VGA/VGA_NVIDIA_25.21.14.1788_W10x64_A.zip?acerid=636929872380743652&Step1=NOTEBOOK&Step2=PREDATOR&Step3=PREDATOR PH315-52&OS=ALL&LC=en&BC=ACER&SC=PA_6

Idk what happened but my laptop ran out of battery, when I turned it on again it managed to install the drivers. Once it charges up a bit I'll try to run a benchmark and see if it doesn't crash. But we're looking good, guys! Still cant update the drivers on GeForce Experience, though. They show up and download like normal, but it gives me an error when installing them. I'll try a manual install, unless anyone has another suggestion to try?

Chaks243

Update: Heaven Benchmark been running without issue for 20 minutes. I think it's working fine now, though I haven't tried updating the drivers manually from Nvidia's website, since Geforce Experience won't let me installing from there

Chaks243

Update 2: Manually installing the new Nvidia drivers from the website worked! Looks like it's working fine now. Thanks everyone!

JackE

Congratulations. Thanks for reporting back.

Chaks243

JackE said:

OK. Now try re-installing this other driver again.
https://global-download.acer.com/GDFiles/Driver/VGA/VGA_NVIDIA_25.21.14.1788_W10x64_A.zip?acerid=636929872380743652&Step1=NOTEBOOK&Step2=PREDATOR&Step3=PREDATOR PH315-52&OS=ALL&LC=en&BC=ACER&SC=PA_6