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

should look like this: ...MSIAfterburner.exe" -xcl

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yes the -xcl worked

I no longer have the shutters after applying an overclock.

My game still locked up after a few seconds but this is miles ahead of where I was.

My drivers and card are all working great I'm not gonna mess with anything else.

I want to thank everyone so much I could not have gotten my system working without you. I would still be re-installing windows lol.

 

I tried this yet voltage control is not available. What gives? Also what program do you recommend to test the GPU's for stability..

 

You won't be able to unlock voltage through MSI. Its locked I believe it is locked in the bios from what I have read.

I'm pretty sure they do that to prevent people from frying their GPU's... I dunno how to set voltage properly that's for sure.

 

yea if you don't know what you are doing I wouldn't mess with the voltage. I personally don't until I have seen a decent number of people test it out and there are no failures.

 

Now if I OC the 7970, will I get better performance if I upgrade my CPU from 3630QM to 3740QM?

How much is the gain will be? I mean in-game performance gain, on 24/7 operation.

Am building an m17x r4 now, so this can help me a lot.

Thanks in advance.

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@silence89: gaming-wise ull get way more of a performance boost by ocing ur gpu than upgrading ur cpu. although ull be able to partially overclock the 3740qm by 400 mhz as opposed to the 3630qm, which is completely locked in its multipliers.

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Am planning on buying and OCing the 7970M,
my question is: will I gain from OCing the 3740QM? Or its better for me to save this $150 difference and stick with the stock 3630QM?

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in some few games u will, in others u wont. but in both cases those differences would only be measureable (if at all), but not really noticeable, even with the 400 Mhz overclock. u could always go with the 3630qm and upgrade to an XM cpu down the line, once prices have gone down to reasonable spheres (thats what i did with my HM machine )

 

This is what I wanted to hear "measurable, not noticeable"
Thanks man. Very helpful it was.

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hi guys,sorry i have a noob question here... i want to confirm it

apparently i have gtx 580M in my M17x R3 and when i order, i didn't ask for 3D screen
yet, this config makes me wonder.. is this 3D screen or just a normal one. because a normal one should have 60Hz refresh rate only


another question, so i am coming from nvidia, which one should i choose, in terms of compatibility and number of issues?
thanks, and i'd be pleased to hear the comments from the seniors here

 

Hi guys,

first off all I am very thankful for all the information I got reading the forums.

After a long time I finally got myself a 7970m from MSI.

I followed the instructions from SlickDude80 to the word and got
- black screen, no post and the dreaded 8 beeps :cry:

Now what can I do? Any suggestions to check if the problem is the VBIOS of the card or if the card is DOA?
Would it help to :
- boot with IGP and flash the VBIOS
- connect a external Monitor see if it boots up
- ....

Boot without MXM-card perfect!
Boot with old 6990m perfect!

Anyone can give me a good advice?

thx
firstcw

 

hm, iirc msi cards should work on alienware machines, right? in that case it wouldnt make sense to flash a different vbios. do u have access to any other machine u could try this card in? also, do u have a doa warranty from ur seller? if so, id send the card right back and not waste time on troubleshooting

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That´s the problem noboby around has an Alienware or Clevo, so I have no backup to test the card.
The card is from upgrademonkey....
I worte the support but, got no answer jet. To make things more difficult I bought it on ebay from someone else.
The original purchase is datet from 31-March-2013........

So if anybody knows someone in germany near cologne be so kind and ask If I could do a backup-test.

More suggestions I could test?

 

sorry buddy, im in darmstadt (near frankfurt a.M.), so not exactly around the corner besides, im not sure if clevos actually support msi cards. to be sure, i would only try it in msi or alienware machines.

 

The exact same thing happened to me when I first boot up after installing my 7970m,but after a power drain & reseating of the card,everything became fine.
Perhaps you could try that? FYI,I got the card from Eurocom but it was an Dell OEM 7970m.

 

Hi,

finally a short update.

The card is on the way back to upgrademonkey. They gave me a RMA, as the card seams to be a card for an MSI-Notebook and not for an Alienware.

I think that I will have the right One in at leat tow weeks time, than I will report again! ;-)

 

Hey guys I have a quick question. I'm thinking about upgrading to a 7970m from my GTX 460M. I've read that I have to change my heat sink and flash my BIOS. Can anyone please explain what I would have to do apart from following this guide? And yes I'm a hardware n00b. :'(

 

what are your computer specs?

What is your current bios version?

and hardware noobs should not be attempting things that could break your laptop lol

 

Lol welcome back!

 

glad to be home

 

Sorry kinda lost, couldn't find anywhere if Enduro or even manual graphics switching is possible. Is it? Thanks

 

I have an Alienware m17xR4 with a 7970M GPU. I have installed the beta drivers for both MSI Afterburner and the 7970M as of 5/9/2013. I have done FN+F7 to make the 7970M used at all times and everything is set to High Performance both with A/C Power and Battery. I have changed the information in the MSI configuration file and I have gone through regedit to change all the enableulps to '0'. I have the current BIOS update which I believe is A11 or A10 not sure but it is straight from dell.com/drivers as of 5/9/2013 as well.

I still am unable to get the sliders to allow me to clock above stock. Is there something in the BIOS that needs to be enabled or disabled as I put everything back to default. Does overclocking not work with everything updated? I saw that you have a link for the modded BIOS but I can't load it as it says the file size is not valid. I was having an issue with OpenCL.dll which was not allowing GPU-Z to function correctly. I have fixed the issue so that GPU-Z is now showing temps and accurate clock information but their is still an issue with the OpenCL.dll everytime I start GPU-Z but I just hit no and it opens and works fine. I also only have one GPU availabel on GPU-Z which leads me to believe that the integrated GPU is not activated as it would normally appear on the drop down but has not since I did the FN+F7. CCleaner also shows Radeon HD 7970M when opened instead of the Intel HD 4000 which leads me to the same conclusion.

Hopefully someone can help!

I have probably given more information than needed but I don't know what to do from this point to get MSI Afterburner to allow me to overclock. I don't want to change it much but I would like to increase my FPS just a tad in BF3. I have found some safe settings for my exact model that doesn't require me to change the voltage.

 

Try using Sapphire Trixx.

 

So I'm still on the hunt on trying to get my R3 w/ 7970m to work with the graphics switching. I seem to be very close.

The steps I have done are below:

Step 1: Did a clean removal of all AMD and Intel graphic drivers.

Step 2: Reenabled the integrated graphics in the BIOS.

Step 3: Installed the latest Intel drivers from Dell. (used the one's for the R4, which are for the HD4000, but it will install HD3000 drivers).

Step 4: Installed the Dell 7970m drivers.

Step 5: Installed the latest 13.5 Beta3 drivers on top of the Dell drivers.

I restarted the computer everytime it said it needed to. After the last restart, I'll be on the 7970m without the screen dim issue with the option to switch graphics. When I right click on the desktop, instead of having the CCC up top, it'll have graphics properties (which opens up CCC) and switchable graphics properties (or something to that effect, at work right now so can't check). I'm able to set which graphics I want to have as default and which one for on battery. So far so good.

Now when I hit fn+F7, it'll switch over to the iGPU without issues. When I hit fn+F7 again to switch over to the 7970m, the screen will turn black and wont switch over, it'll just stay black. If I hit fn+F7 plus enter, it'll switch back over to the iGPU. So it seems that when it switches over, it may be thinking the 7970m is on a different screen. Not sure what else to check for this.

So right now, I don't have the screen dim issue. I'm able to have the iGPU active without any issues (besides the actual switching). As long as I don't switch the graphics, I'm good. I never plan to use the iGPU since I'm always plugged in and I use my R3 as a desktop. But I still would like to see if I can get this issue resolved. Any ideas what I can try next?

 

This is how me and my mates always do it, on both M18x's and M17x's

HOW TO: Enable UNOFFICIAL overclocking mode in MSI AfterBurner - Guru3D.com Forums

And incase you guys haven't seen yet but want to take your 7970m to the next level

http://forum.notebookreview.com/ali...ervolting-7970m-may-work-other-gpus-also.html

 

Apologies for bumping the thread, but all Google and NBR searches ultimately all lead back to here!

As a few people have already mentioned in this thread, there is an eBay seller called "upgrademonkey" who sells 7970m boards for the m17x, and his recent boards for sale have said the following in the item description:

I've emailed the seller, but in anticipation of just being referred to this thread like everybody else, I wondered if you guys could explain this a bit more?

Is it easy to flash the vBIOS, and where would I get an unmodded 7970m vBIOS from for an Alienware m17x r3? Presumably I have to flash it blind, or will the card initially work as a standard VGA device?

Any help appreciated.

Steve.

 

It's working fine now, Thanks

 

ah its probably the old ulps mode 2 fix

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Hallo guys. I have a m17x r2 , I am thinking of installing a 7970m in it. Will it work and what else is needed for it to work? Vbios flash?

 

hello I bought the card from the same place and by luck i got a dell card i guess.. Because when i run GPU-z it shows dell as sub vendor.. The card worked perfectly fine 1st launch i had the beep/blank screen problem , reseated the card and everything went perfect no problem at all running quite good so far. I hope this helps

 

Steve, you have to do a blind flash to flash the vbios. It is not always successful and its something that I would not want to attempt unless i was desperate.

If you have an alienware, you need a vid card with the dell vbios on it. The computer will not work as a vga device...instead on boot, you will get 8 beeps...and the only way out is a blind flash. This is not a situation you want to be in.

So Steve, save yourself a lot of headaches and make sure that whatever you buy, get the vid card with a dell vbios on it

 

oh a 7970m will work just fine in the m17x R2....many have done it for example, look here:

http://forum.notebookreview.com/alienware-m17x/677680-another-7970m-m17x-r2-installation-photos.html

 

Thanks for all the replies to my post. As of last week, I am now the proud owner of a 4GB GTX680M from Upgradeyourlaptop. Apologies for not updating my post sooner.

 

good to see you back bro!!!

 

BigT !! How are those polar bears treating you up there? lol

Its good to back bro

 

hey man.... i ve seen your amazing guide to the over clocking e 7970m.. but hows it going to be with a m18xr2? do i have to re-paste thermal? my idle temps are 43c and on crysis 3 78c , in metro last light 70 max ... so ?? do i have to do the same steps or something els??

thanks again bro

 

in a m18x r2, you'd do something similar...but if you have crossfire, you'd have to do it twice.

However, looking at your temps, I would just leave it alone for the time being. 70 max on Metro is very decent. So just leave it for now. Clean out your intake and back vents though as the dust buildup will cause a clog and your temps will eventually go up

 

Seem to be having a problem. I'm using an NP9150 w/7970m. I started the guide from Afterburner onwards, obviously . After I did everything I opened Afterburner and instead of the sliders being all the way to the end, it just says 0 for all the values and the sliders are the start. It wont allow me to change any of the clocks/voltages etc. In the Registry editor, all I had was 0000 and 0001.. 0001 was the only only with the EnableUlps option.
Anyone else have this problem?

EDIT: I was missing another .dll from Afterburner. Its all good now! Thank you very much Slick! Cannot wait to start OCing this beast!!!

 

hahaha...have fun with it bro!! just let your temps determine how far you can push it and you're all good to go

 

At 1000 / 1500 I was hitting 92 in Furmark. Haven't gone any higher. Going to wait for my U3 and Ram Heatsinks to arrive and then have some fun benching

 

ya, the heatsink isn't as robust on the Sagers so your temps will be higher, but you can still have fun with it lol

While you are waitin for the U3, just prop up the back of the laptop. You can use bottlecaps, one on either side. Your temps will drop 5-10c

 

Hi.

I just installed a 7970m instead of my bricked 580m.
I got the 8 beeps aswell. I thought OHHHH MY LORD.

But there is hope.

I did the following.
Revert back to old card.
And I missed 1 crusial part of the guide.
The disable the integrade card. The reason I missed it was because i had the A12 bios. Where I could select Peg on the graphics card.
But I could not disable the onboard like in the guide.

I powered up the machine again and revered the bios back to a08.
Then followed the guide step by step. The bios options to disable the integraed Graphic Display was now available.
I reinserted the 7970m again.

And succes....
Installed the listed driver and it works.


I have just 1 question.
What is the latest driver working? I am very careful by just upgrading after I bricked my 580m.

 

Hi i'm about to pull the trigger on a 7970m from upgrademonkey for my r3.

I use my laptop on battery a fair bit so I'd like to be able to use the intel graphics if possible.
My idea is to install a separate operating system on each hdd. One with amd drivers only for gaming. And on the other intel drivers only. I can then choose which drive to boot from depending what I will be using it for.

I know it will be a bit of a pain to go into the bios disable/enable Integrated graphics then select which drive to boot from but I am more interested in stability than anything. Plus when I do decide to game I'll be plugged and gamimg for a while so graphics switching is not really needed.

Are there any issues with my plan?

I'm guessing modded A08 bios and 13.1 non modded drivers are the way to go?

Which bios and drivers you guys using?

 

Hi this is the description from the card for sale from upgrademonkey.
Will this card work on the r3 without the need to flash the bios?

http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/Promotio...312?pt=PCC_Video_TV_Cards&hash=item20d2ab60f8
FOR Alienware M15x, M17x and M18x

NOT MOD CARD
Please make sure you know exactly what you are buying, we have to charge
15% restock fee, for non faulty return.

Hi it is NOT plug and play for some laptops , you may need to flash vBios

only plug and play on intel Gen 3 PM77 chipset laptops, eg m17x R4, m18x R2 etc

Please check on notebookreview techinforno forum for details.

We sell it as cutomised parts, NOT returnable, only guarantee sell in fully working condition.

 

Hi all, and specially thank to the tutorial creator.
I have a question for those who have done this upgrade:
I see that to use the 7970m it is not enough to chose PEG as a prymary graphics device, but you also have to disable the IGFX devide, wich is only possibly with the unlocked bios.
What can I do if i want to use the IGFX instead when i am not playing and i need to save battery?
it should be not enough to chose PEG as a primary device but i would also need to disable the PEG, wich is not possible...
Once installed our 7970m, if we want to use the IGFX instead of the PEG do we only have to choose as primary device IGFX? , or it would be also required to disable PEG but since there is not such an option in the bios to disable, we can not use the integrated card any more?
if some one knows or has tried, i will appreciate the info

 

Topic is dead? Someone can be summarized somehow managed to get a normal screen brightness on r3 + 7970 without magic? Or is the only way to work is HWinfo?

 

So, I have a P150EM from Malibal and I am having zero success getting afterburner to allow me to OC at all. It wont show anything past stock speeds. Is this custom BIOS compatible with this? Plus, they're being lame with 2.2.1 as I can't find a non-expired version to try and OC with. I did find beta 15 and changed my computer clock but that also had stock clocks at max. Sigh. My card runs cool enough with room to OC and I just wanna do this!!!

 

I WOULD REALLY APPRECIATE SOMEONE TELLING HOW TO GET THE BRIGHTNESS BACK!!

IN EXCHANGE I WILL TELL YOU HOW TO EASILY GET YOUR LAPTOP BACK IF YOU CHOSE AS PRIMARY GRAPHICS DEVICE PCI:

it cost me 50$ this repair!!! no blind flash works if you chose IGPX disabling PCI-E in case you want to use your integrated graphics card. Yes, choosing PCI crashes the laptopt and a blind flash is required to get to default settings, but if you chose IGPX, no blind flash works, no usb in e-sata port with a bios edited with phoenix tool works. HERE IS THE SOLUTION:
disconnect power supply, remove the battery, remove the 3v bios battery, get a wire and connect both sides of the battery poles in the motherboard where the 3v battery is placed at least for a whole. the short-circuit unloads the condensator that holds the bios sttings, and here you are, bios at default state.

 

Hi Guys im new of the forum but i need a really big help.
I have an alienware m17x r3 mobo is Sandy Bridge HM67 rev B3 and i had a Nvidia GTX 460M, i bought a HD 7970M i have updated the bios with the one posted in the link and i followed all the procedure when i power the pc its goes in protection mode starting to beep beep beep i bought the card on ebay may the card be broken ? for what i know the old card 460M is 72 Watt 7970 is 100 Watt culd be this be the problem how i can bypass? any of you got that same problem? any solution is welcome thanks in advance for any help