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    [GUIDE] Installing and Overclocking the AMD Mobility 7970 in the M17x R3,an illustrated guide

    Discussion in 'Alienware 17 and M17x' started by SlickDude80, Apr 24, 2012.

  1. SkylineLvr

    SkylineLvr Notebook Deity

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    Just got a hold of a second 7970M (don't ask :D). Not sure if I want to just try and sell it, or if I want to install it in my R3 and see if it's a better card then the one already in. If I do, and it turns out to be worse, I'm stuck without any paste to repaste the good one. Anyone know a good place in the UK that sells thermal paste?
     
  2. Tanyrhiew

    Tanyrhiew Notebook Guru

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    watercooling.co.uk failing that maplins if you have one local but choice is limited and they are overpriced
     
  3. core²

    core² Notebook Consultant

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    well.. didn't work for me :( still on 0/0
    but no need to be hasty, still playing everything on max so far with stock-clocks
     
  4. james_het

    james_het Notebook Geek

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  5. core²

    core² Notebook Consultant

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    what drivers are you on?
    did you reset all the afterburner and registry settings first and configured them again?
     
  6. james_het

    james_het Notebook Geek

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    Im using the default drivers provided with the clevo DVD 8.951.6.0. All i had to do is the following: launch FutureMark benchmark, the launch MSI Afterburner, and i was able to see the correct clocks 850/1200, and change the values.

    Of course u have to do everything is written here to OC using MSI AB, but i didn t have to re-do that again.

    Have u tried this? is it working for u? It must work, we have same notebook, so reinstall DVD drivers, and do the procedure again. Let me know.
     
  7. core²

    core² Notebook Consultant

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    hm, what futuremark are you using? i have 3Dmark11 but i can'T find a real "FutureMark" benchmark ;-)
     
  8. james_het

    james_het Notebook Geek

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    Yeah sorry launch 3dmark 2011, then MSI afterburner and u should be' able to oc.....Let me know
     
  9. core²

    core² Notebook Consultant

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    hm, not working atm but i have to swith back to the clevo drivers first. i'm on 12.6 right now (although i've heard people OCed with 12.6)
     
  10. redkulaid

    redkulaid Notebook Enthusiast

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    is there a place I can download the drivers? (still looking) also where is the guru3d package?(also looking, links would be great) If it worked for you, Id like to give it a try. Also using the 170EM btw.

    Edit- Im getting to the point where I can OC it but it wont stick, MSI goes back to zero, and the clocks register at below stock clocks. Im using the 12.5 modded right now, no other issues, I just want more from the card at this point. Thanks.
     
  11. jaybee83

    jaybee83 Biotech-Doc

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    @redkulaid: have u tried running benchmarks after uve altered the clocks? it could just be that once the gpu isnt stressed anymore it goes back to idle clocks and ur system switches to the IGP. but that doesnt mean that ur OC clocks arent implemented during load :) id just try and see if ur benchmark results have improved at all, thats the best indicator for ur OC efforts working or not.
     
  12. redkulaid

    redkulaid Notebook Enthusiast

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    Well, with some work, I got it to work, sorta.

    My System- 170EM with 3820 i7, 7970m, 16gb 1600mhz, 120gb intel 520

    Few tests, 3D Mark11

    #1 P5998 Stock Clocks
    #2 P6604 860/1400
    #3 P6574 975/1450 This was with BF3 up in the background

    Now, my question is, and I notice this via hwinfo64, that my clocks with a game on screen are 950/1400, but when I run the test(close the game) it reads 860/1400. Does having a game open affect the score by chance? (can it) Also, why would it clock down to 860/1400 under load from the benchmark test, but in game read 950/1400 while im in game?(any way to fix it, or just let it go, its at what i want it to be at for games)

    Edit- Ive also noticed before I overclocked the 7970, that when in hwinfo64, that I either can not read the amd card, or when I do, with nothing open, the clocks were really low(thats not my concern). Now, it reads 860/1400 no matter what, and 950/1400 while in a game(tabbed out goes back down). Just throwing that out there for any info that would help the clock stick for the benchmark without having a game open in the background
     
  13. jaybee83

    jaybee83 Biotech-Doc

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    well first of all, when u run benchmarks never leave any other application or programs running, especially not 3D demanding games :p

    that said, the detection issue is most probably connected to enduro: when there is no load on ur dGPU the clocks are not detected, when there is some load but in idle it will show u the clocks but only the powersaving/idle ones. with an OC, the idle clocks probably got OCed as well, thus putting a load onto the 7970M which in turn lets it be discoverable in the monitors at any time. putting a load on it like with 3DMark lets it jump up to the regular OC clocks again.

    just my 2c
     
  14. redkulaid

    redkulaid Notebook Enthusiast

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    I understand in game out game and Enduro, but even Oc to 950/1400, the bench showed it at 860/1400. I just thought it odd that it did that.

    Went to 12.7 drivers to test that out, and 3d mark11 wont finish, keeps having errors, so back to 12.5 modded it is.
     
  15. StZu

    StZu Notebook Evangelist

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    are 12.7 official for the 7970m?
     
  16. james_het

    james_het Notebook Geek

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    is there any difference between 12.5 Cleco and 12.5 modded? Since no other drivers seems to work for me, i didn tread uch about new UNofficial drivers.......


    when there will be a new set of official drivers for our little beast?

    PS im so happy that without overvolting this card can OC so good :)
     
  17. redkulaid

    redkulaid Notebook Enthusiast

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    I dont know off hand. Its the drivers Slick has in his first post, they have been good to me. 12.7 Seemed fine at first, but I got BSOD a few times, and went back to what worked.

    I might try 12.7 again, and run 3dmark11 again. Im still getting 860/1400 with the 12.5, even though its set to 950/1400(shows in games etc)
     
  18. SlickDude80

    SlickDude80 Notebook Prophet

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    ^ it only shows as 860...you're actually at 950.

    It is a glitch in afterburner. how you test it (for your own sanity) is you set the clock at 860...run a bench. Then set it to 950. Run a bench again. Your marks will be significantly higher
     
  19. redkulaid

    redkulaid Notebook Enthusiast

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    3dmark11 shows it at 860 in the test, Msi/hwinfo64 shows it at 950. Im getting ~6600 in 3dmark, so not to bad I guess. Figures it was glitch, here ive been trying for hours to figure out what, why, and all that for nothing. Performance wise seems to be fine, I kinda want to go more, but I think ill settle with this for now. Thanks for the help
     
  20. SlickDude80

    SlickDude80 Notebook Prophet

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    6600? you are definitely at 950. You can definitely do more...i bet you can go to 980+

    Congrats on the nice OC :D
     
  21. StZu

    StZu Notebook Evangelist

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    when will trixx support overclocking the 7970m I cant stand afterburner... cant control the fans even!
     
  22. SlickDude80

    SlickDude80 Notebook Prophet

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    you can control the fans via HWINFO64. But as far as trixx goes, who knows?
     
  23. SkylineLvr

    SkylineLvr Notebook Deity

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    Silly rabbit, Trixx are for kids....

    Sorry, couldn't resist it :p
     
  24. StZu

    StZu Notebook Evangelist

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    :D lol

    Thanks slick, once again. Just found it. As far as the max setting (RPM) I can do for the fans? what is it? I kind of got spooked by the warning message about knowing what you are doing :D

    I dont mind the sound and want the fans to be at 100% after 65c - any risks associated with this? can I set it too high and something will brake?

    Unlike trix this uses RPM as oppesed to % so what should I consider maximum fan speed?
     
  25. The Revelator

    The Revelator Notebook Prophet

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    Top speed for the R3 fans is 4300 RPM. Most people use 4500 as max setting in the profile.

     
  26. DirtyTrickster

    DirtyTrickster Notebook Evangelist

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    Everytime I boot up my laptop, I get an error saying "kdbsync.exe has stopped working." Anyone else get this error?

    Edit: Reinstalled drivers. Seemed to fix the problem
     
  27. StZu

    StZu Notebook Evangelist

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    Perfect thanks!.
    Will i run into any issues if i set it at 4500rpm at 60c? Could the fans fail?
     
  28. The Revelator

    The Revelator Notebook Prophet

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    No issues. You almost never hear of fan failure in the R3, but even if it increases the risk to some degree, fans are cheap and GPU's and CPU's are not, so it seems like a reasonable bet.
     
  29. SkylineLvr

    SkylineLvr Notebook Deity

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    Been running custom fans since March and haven't had any issues. When I game, I have max fans going at 65C and I rarely go above that. Only when I play FFXIV does it go to 70C. But that was on my 580M. Haven't had much time to play it with my new baby.
     
  30. james_het

    james_het Notebook Geek

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    dude have u been able to OC then? if it can help, don t ask me why, but in order to be able to OC u have to start first 3dmark11, then launch MSI afterburner, otherwise u won t be able to OC....


    let us know if u can make it dude
     
  31. james_het

    james_het Notebook Geek

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    sorry mate, what is this app that lets you control fans speed? i would like to try it if possible, ty.
     
  32. SkylineLvr

    SkylineLvr Notebook Deity

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    HWiNFO

    10char
     
  33. james_het

    james_het Notebook Geek

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    sorry, i installed HWINFO, but didn t find anyway to change Fans speed, where should i look at?
     
  34. The Revelator

    The Revelator Notebook Prophet

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    At the bottom of the Sensors page, there is a small fan icon in between the Reset button and the Logging Start button. Click on that and it will open up the fan configuration screen. If you click on Custom Auto, it will bring up the fan profile configuration window.
     
  35. james_het

    james_het Notebook Geek

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  36. The Revelator

    The Revelator Notebook Prophet

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    I don't know. It has always just been there for me. Maybe try reinstalling it.

     
  37. james_het

    james_het Notebook Geek

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    could it be that i have a Clevo and not an Alienware?
     
  38. The Revelator

    The Revelator Notebook Prophet

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    Well, HWINFO64 is not Alienware specific; it works on lots of other laptops, but not sure about Clevo. The fan facility had not been added at the time I last had a Clevo/Sager 8760? You might check in the Clevo forum or wait until one of our Clevo users chimes in. Sorry I can't help.
     
  39. james_het

    james_het Notebook Geek

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    According to HWINFO forms, it s not possible to control fan speed with Clevo :(
     
  40. Redeka

    Redeka Notebook Consultant

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    What setting are people using for the 7970m coming from eurocom?
     
  41. ADegtyarev

    ADegtyarev Notebook Guru

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    Hey, this guide was written before Dell released drivers for the 7970m, but now that drivers have been released, how does that change the steps in the original guide? Also while installing shouldn't we apply a thermal paste (diamond) on the video card before restarting the system? Thanks any help would be appreciated.
     
  42. SlickDude80

    SlickDude80 Notebook Prophet

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    i will be updating the guide once the official whql drivers are released

    and yes, i do mention putting on thermal paste..look at the pic ;)

    Sent from my SGH-T989D using Tapatalk 2
     
  43. lctalley0109

    lctalley0109 Notebook Evangelist

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    SlickDude80,

    I just wanted to say thanks for the guide. I repasted my new M17x R4 with PK-1 and oveclocked the card to 900/1400 with no problems. Been playing Diablo 3 and SWTOR with around 65 C max and was around 70 C running FurMark. I may bump it up and run it a little more but everything seems to be running extremely smooth.
     
  44. ADegtyarev

    ADegtyarev Notebook Guru

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    oh yes you do mention it srry my mistake, anyways thanks for the detailed guide!
     
  45. SlickDude80

    SlickDude80 Notebook Prophet

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    Hey Guys, glad that the guide is of use :)

    forr d3 and swtor, you don't really need to overclock more than that. At stock, I'm already getting 100fps on D3 @ 1080p maxxed and swtor is probably running at about 70-80fps maxxed

    So no need for more of an overclock.
     
  46. SkylineLvr

    SkylineLvr Notebook Deity

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    Not sure if this has been discussed, but has anyone gotten a random black screen with white and red lines? It tends to happen randomly after I do an overclock then reset it back to stock clocks. It's only happened a few times. I'm hoping it's a driver issue.

    Also, anyone playing FFXIV with this card? I haven't noticed any real difference in performance between this card and my old 580M. Perhaps FFXIV is more CPU bound than I originally thought.
     
  47. ADegtyarev

    ADegtyarev Notebook Guru

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    Does having the unlocked bios or downloading the beta drivers for 7900m series void the warranty with dell? Do we also need to "Disable Driver Signature Enforcement" in the boot screen.(if it does I guess now we could just use the dell drivers for 7970m as they have been released).
     
  48. daveatx

    daveatx Notebook Geek

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    Wow wow wow, I'm using the 7900mod drivers. I installed the gpu today using a 6870m heatsink/bracket with some thermal pads I order off of Frozencpu. I used Shin Etsu Microsi x23-7783d, 50-53c with three monitors. I ran BF3 on Ultra Preset 35-50fps outside 40-70fps inside stock, and I kept an amazing 60c during load. I'm so happy. Everything is so buttery.

    During the first few mins of the install my temps were anywhere between 49c-61c with a single monitor. With 3 monitors, I've generally been 49c-50c with a few slow gains to 53c. Can anybody explain that?

    a08 mod bios - m17x r3 - 7970m mod drivers - stock clocks -dell oem card

    During a 900/1400 overclock, my bf3 was running well at 50fps and then it dropped to 19-22fps until I restored stock settings. HWInfo and Msi Afterburner were only reporting that I was at 63C up from my usual 60C. Should I be worried?
     
  49. juliant

    juliant Notebook Deity

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    One quick question if you do not mind SlickDude80, do we still have to install the mod bios and disable the integrated GPU from the system in order to have the 7970m enabled or the new driver from AMD solved the issue with the 'Enduro'.

    Unfortunately I cannot try it as I have not yet received my 7970m.

    Thank you...
     
  50. SlickDude80

    SlickDude80 Notebook Prophet

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    SkyLineLvr, how much of an overclock are you doing and does this happen everytime you do an overclock? or does it happen only if you push it too high?

    I've never had to "Disable Driver Signature Enforcement" with any drivers (and i've tried every beta available up to this point).

    Usually with dell, if something comes up, they will want you to reset your system back to stock configuration before they will help you, but in the case of drivers and unlocked bios, i don't think they will care. Its not our fault that dell rarely updates the video card drivers. You can't be expected to have ancient drivers on your machine...so i don't think it will matter much to them

    Sounds like you ran into a power problem...try throttlestop 5.0. Congratz on the new card

    With the way that Enduro is working right now, i'd definitely keep the integrated disabled. One quick look at the Clevo forums or Software and Gaming and vid card forum will show the majority of complaints on 7970m have been from Clevo owners who do not have the ability to kill enduro

    With 7970m, i got almost 3 hrs on the weekend on my deck surfing the net and doing light tasks...with Integrated, i normally get 4hrs. Its not that big a deal to me
     
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