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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. maxheap

    maxheap caparison horus :)

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    yeah it is very available :) Revelator, is it crazy to ask dell rep the following

    "I borrowed a 6990m from a friend of mine with m17x-r3, but I don't have the heatsink, I wanna compare the two gpu, can you please send me a 6990m heatsink?"
     
    maxheap, Apr 28, 2012
    #101
  2. The Revelator

    The Revelator Notebook Prophet

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    Just tell them you had heat issues with the 580M and switched to a 6990M via a private sale, but the old (580M) heatsink doesn't fit properly, so you need a 6990M heatsink. It is my impression that Dell wants to avoid selling a part that won't work with your setup (as they understand it), as opposed to rationing cards. Help them understand that you need the part to use in your R3 (and not for resale). Sometimes you have to dance a little.
     
    The Revelator, Apr 28, 2012
    #102
  3. hanser

    hanser Notebook Consultant

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    Rumors are saying that the 690m (they are only rumors) that will have a 900MHz to 950MHz CORE... nice if that is the true :) what du u think?
     
    hanser, Apr 28, 2012
    #103
  4. Redeka

    Redeka Notebook Consultant

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    It's funny how portly the 675m performs compared to the 7970m yet it's almost $200 more!
     
    Redeka, Apr 28, 2012
    #104
  5. hanser

    hanser Notebook Consultant

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    yes it is .... and nvidia sometimes is a joke trying to sell us junk...
     
    hanser, Apr 28, 2012
    #105
  6. Meaker@Sager

    Meaker@Sager Company Representative

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    A shop in the UK thinks its going to be 6 months for the 660Ti to hit desktops, that's the same chip the notebook 680M would use, so yeah, it could be a LOOOONG wait.
     
    Meaker@Sager, Apr 28, 2012
    #106
  7. SlickDude80

    SlickDude80 Notebook Prophet

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    the 680m was delayed bigtime...at least that's what i was hearing from industry insiders. So this estimate might not be too far off. The 7970m just punched nvidia in the gut as far as mobile is concerned
     
    SlickDude80, Apr 28, 2012
    #107
  8. bigtonyman

    bigtonyman Desktop Powa!!!

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    guess the time to buy one of these then is sooner rather than later. ;)
     
    bigtonyman, Apr 28, 2012
    #108
  9. SlickDude80

    SlickDude80 Notebook Prophet

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    well...this is what i have been hearing. It appears that the original leaked benches of the mid 4k 680m 3dmark11 was real. and the poster just guessed at what the 7970m would do. We saw benches for the 680m, but not for the 7970m

    Then amd comes out with 6k 3dmark11's (which we have confirmed)...the 680m is back in the shop right now getting tweaked
     
    SlickDude80, Apr 28, 2012
    #109
  10. Meaker@Sager

    Meaker@Sager Company Representative

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    Did AMD just pull another 9700pro on Nvidia but now in notebooks? Lol.
     
    Meaker@Sager, Apr 28, 2012
    #110
  11. SlickDude80

    SlickDude80 Notebook Prophet

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    ^^^ lol...i remember that fiasco...the 9700 pro was the best thing going. I still have it somewhere in my video card graveyard in the basement

    I think ATI just went all in with 7970m. No messing around.

    Does anyone know if there's a built in benching utility for metro 2033?

    I just installed metro and the game is fluid at 1920x1080 VERY HIGH, AAA DX10

    I've played through the first 20 mins of the game and fraps is showing me anywhere from 40-80 fps. I've yet to experience a slowdown or jittering.

    THis is amazing in itself!
     
    SlickDude80, Apr 28, 2012
    #111
  12. maxheap

    maxheap caparison horus :)

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    I wanna play metro like that too :( damn it, please Table fix the card!! :(
     
    maxheap, Apr 28, 2012
    #112
  13. widezu69

    widezu69 Goodbye Alienware

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    There is a benching bit I seem to recall. But mate come on! We want to see DX11, Ultra with Bloom and Depth of Field on Highest! 16x AF and I don't really care about AA 2x should be enough :)
     
    widezu69, Apr 28, 2012
    #113
  14. hanser

    hanser Notebook Consultant

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    pay the game with the DX11? jaja an du will see that fraps around 25 jajaj xD!
     
    hanser, Apr 28, 2012
    #114
  15. King of Interns

    King of Interns Simply a laptop enthusiast

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    Odd how the 675m costs $150 dollars more even though it is a truly inferior card!
     
    King of Interns, Apr 29, 2012
    #115
  16. SlickDude80

    SlickDude80 Notebook Prophet

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    Lots of people are going to be fooled...most equate higher price with better performance lol
     
    SlickDude80, Apr 29, 2012
    #116
  17. King of Interns

    King of Interns Simply a laptop enthusiast

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    I hope they are fooled as this means it will be easier for the rest of us to get our hands on one :)
     
    King of Interns, Apr 29, 2012
    #117
  18. wtferrell

    wtferrell Notebook Evangelist

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    I'm refreshing like crazy... haha. Reading and re-reading this guide. May have a few questions as I go along, but hopefully all will go smoothly on the install. My fujipoly thermal pads should be here tomorrow too.
     
    wtferrell, Apr 29, 2012
    #118
  19. He1p

    He1p Notebook Evangelist

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    If only someone create a video tutorial since the heatpipes are so dead fragile

    I will donate 20$ for that video .
     
    He1p, Apr 29, 2012
    #119
  20. bigtonyman

    bigtonyman Desktop Powa!!!

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    They aren't that to fragile. Just take the installation slow and easy and take care with all the parts you should be fine. :)

    Sent from my Samsung Galaxy S2 using tapatalk 2
     
    bigtonyman, Apr 29, 2012
    #120
  21. SlickDude80

    SlickDude80 Notebook Prophet

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    ^^^ well, just pull on them or yank on the heatpipes and you will be fine. If you're trying to lift off the heatsink, DON'T pull on the heatpipes...instead, lift up from the heavier heatsink

    Added overclocking section to the guide :D
     
    SlickDude80, Apr 29, 2012
    #121
  22. johnnyman27

    johnnyman27 Notebook Lover

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    gj slick for this awesome guide and for this awesome benchmarks!!!! :D

    +rep for me too!!! :)
     
    johnnyman27, Apr 29, 2012
    #122
  23. maxheap

    maxheap caparison horus :)

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    wish I had my sleeping beauty here with me so I can follow your guide :D
     
    maxheap, Apr 29, 2012
    #123
  24. Heihachi88

    Heihachi88 Notebook Deity

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    graz'zt, u're addicted to ur 7970m :D
     
    Heihachi88, Apr 29, 2012
    #124
  25. maxheap

    maxheap caparison horus :)

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    still cannot believe I just had one 3dmark11 with it :(
     
    maxheap, Apr 29, 2012
    #125
  26. GeoCake

    GeoCake http://ted.ph

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    Okays, this is what I did with a Nvidia heatsink. You can pad the M17x R3 Nvidia GTX 580M heatsink and 7970M GPU up as displayed in the pics.




    Green - add 1mm of thermal pad.
    Red - remove padding/do not pad!
    Purple - add 1.5mm of squidgy thermal pad.
    Pink - add around 2mm of thermal pad so that these parts are level with the other resistors/components.

    DO NOT forget the 2mm pad that is put between the GPU and motherboard.

    The grey pad in the heatsink bit is 1mm, the beige pad is about 2mm. Pad the components that are INSIDE the squares, not the square itself.

    Credits to graz'zt, your sacrifice enabled me to come up with this. Good luck with the GPU!
     
    GeoCake, Apr 29, 2012
    #126
  27. Raidriar

    Raidriar ლ(ಠ益ಠლ)

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    What are temps looking like vs the 6990m?
     
    Raidriar, Apr 29, 2012
    #127
  28. lidowxx

    lidowxx Notebook Deity

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    Great guide! Gonna keep my 6970M for a little while longer to see how well this goes for everyone and then decide when to get a 7970M, for now, bookmarked!
     
    lidowxx, Apr 29, 2012
    #128
  29. SlickDude80

    SlickDude80 Notebook Prophet

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    The temps have been really good so far.

    based on furmark,

    @ stock 850/1200 = 68c
    @ 950/1325 = 78c


    thnx bro :)
     
    SlickDude80, Apr 29, 2012
    #129
  30. jaybee83

    jaybee83 Biotech-Doc

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    I read on notebookcheck that the 7970m has a built in throttling algorithm for furmark and CCTU,can u confirm that slick?

    Sent from my GT-I9001 using Tapatalk 2
     
    jaybee83, Apr 30, 2012
    #130
  31. Riddhy916

    Riddhy916 Notebook Deity

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    guys can i add 7970m to my g74sx using gtx 560m?
     
    Riddhy916, Apr 30, 2012
    #131
  32. long2905

    long2905 Notebook Virtuoso

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    No unless you find a way to remove your soldered-in GTX 560M. Sorry to say.
     
    long2905, Apr 30, 2012
    #132
  33. SlickDude80

    SlickDude80 Notebook Prophet

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    I can confirm that for furmark, it does throttle back slightly...but this was only while overclocked at 950/1325...however, you're still averaging over 60fps in furmark

    At stock, i saw no throttle
     
    SlickDude80, Apr 30, 2012
    #133
  34. maxheap

    maxheap caparison horus :)

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    oh, safe mechanism.. smart move, I am sure a ton of gpus die because of furmark :D
     
    maxheap, Apr 30, 2012
    #134
  35. Mr. Fox

    Mr. Fox BGA Filth-Hating Elitist®

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    Team - for those that are interested, see this new thread in the main Alienware forum...

     
    Mr. Fox, Apr 30, 2012
    #135
  36. Heihachi88

    Heihachi88 Notebook Deity

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    so he sells dell 7970m? o_O
     
    Heihachi88, Apr 30, 2012
    #136
  37. maxheap

    maxheap caparison horus :)

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    ^^ definitely, I also talked with a rep a few weeks ago and he said there will be new gpus to upgrade in the coming weeks..
     
    maxheap, Apr 30, 2012
    #137
  38. jaybee83

    jaybee83 Biotech-Doc

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    Ah great,thanks for the info! looks like ill have to swap from furmark to 3dmark11 or crysis/metro to do OC stability testing ^^

    Sent from my GT-I9001 using Tapatalk 2
     
    jaybee83, Apr 30, 2012
    #138
  39. SlickDude80

    SlickDude80 Notebook Prophet

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    Thanks for the link Mr Fox!!!
     
    SlickDude80, Apr 30, 2012
    #139
  40. maxheap

    maxheap caparison horus :)

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    Slick! I must hold myself not to buy another 7970m from Dell :D
     
    maxheap, Apr 30, 2012
    #140
  41. SlickDude80

    SlickDude80 Notebook Prophet

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    LOL...lets just see what comes of your card first. Then you have to look at your options. Take some of that intern cash and put it to good use lol
     
    SlickDude80, Apr 30, 2012
    #141
  42. reborn2003

    reborn2003 THE CHIEF!

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    HAHA! :D
    I wonder how much Dell are selling them for.

    If only we could do trade in's lol. Here you go dell my 6990Ms! :p ;)

    Cheers. :)
     
    reborn2003, Apr 30, 2012
    #142
  43. maxheap

    maxheap caparison horus :)

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    I hope I won't put it into crossfirex use :D

    I will ask that right now Chief!! :)
     
    maxheap, Apr 30, 2012
    #143
  44. Heihachi88

    Heihachi88 Notebook Deity

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    rofl, you want to buy R2 and put two 7970m's :D ?
     
    Heihachi88, Apr 30, 2012
    #144
  45. maxheap

    maxheap caparison horus :)

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    I hope I won't end up getting m18x-r2 this summer :D for some reason my blood's boiling with bench desire :D

    The card is not available yet folks (from Dell) I will get an update in 48 hours and will let everybody know what's the deal!
     
    maxheap, Apr 30, 2012
    #145
  46. Heihachi88

    Heihachi88 Notebook Deity

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    m18x R2 with 3960XM and dual 7970m's... this config would work for the next 5 years lol
     
    Heihachi88, Apr 30, 2012
    #146
  47. SlickDude80

    SlickDude80 Notebook Prophet

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    THanks Grazt! hopefully, the price isn't going to be too bad

    yes, until you see the nvidia 700's come out and the amd 8900's come out. Then the 7970's will go straight on ebay lol. So from that estimate, you've got 2 yrs, tops :D
     
    SlickDude80, Apr 30, 2012
    #147
  48. Heihachi88

    Heihachi88 Notebook Deity

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    Sadly kazakhstan is not allowed to sell stuff on ebay :( we can only buy.
     
    Heihachi88, Apr 30, 2012
    #148
  49. jaybee83

    jaybee83 Biotech-Doc

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    huh? how strange is that? ^^
     
    jaybee83, Apr 30, 2012
    #149
  50. Heihachi88

    Heihachi88 Notebook Deity

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    PayPal is not allowing to receive money for kazakhstan users :) hope it will be solved soon.
     
    Heihachi88, Apr 30, 2012
    #150
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