Need help with upgrading my 2012 Alienware M18xR2, is it worth it?

Hi All,

I have had my Alienware M18xR2 since December 2012 and it doesn't run the latest games anymore. I get crazy lag nowadays and the games are unplayable. I'd love to upgrade the components if it is at all possible and not too crazy expensive.

The current configuration is as follows:

Alienware BIOS A14

Intel(R) Core(TM) i7-3630QM CPU @ 2.40GHz

12GB RAM (POSSIBLE 16GB)

NVIDIA GeForce GTX 675M

What are my options in terms of upgrading the laptop to be able to play current games such as Fortnite, Blackout, etc?

I don't want it to be the best it can be, just good enough to play the games without crazy unplayable lag.
Would appreciate any ideas or thoughts? Maybe it would be best or more cost effective to build a budget PC instead?

Looking forward to hearing from you guys.

Thanks for taking the time to read my post.

Many Thanks

MUSTANG

 

780m SLI will double if not triple your performance.

980m SLI will quadruple your performance

You can also buy a fast single card such as GTX 1060 or GTX 1070 but these are more complicated.

780m SLI should be plug n play. The others will not be.

You will need @Raidriar unlocked A11 BIOS

You can also get 680m SLI which was a official supported option that should also double your performance and will be plug n play.

 

Hi,

Thanks so much for the advice. I think the 780m may be a good option for me as I don’t want to spend too much atm.

Do you know what my options are for the CPU? I’ve read that an i7-3920xm is the best cpu for my system, is that right?

Do you I should upgrade my ram to bigger MHz or does that not make much difference?

Really appreciate you taking the time to answer my question

MUSTANG


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3920/3940xm ist the best possible option in the r2, however you WILL need the 3-pipe CPU-heatsink to keep these ladies cool, also the 11 cfm CPU fan is recommended (don't exactly know what cfm the stock one in the r2 is).

As for the RAM, higher MHz gives slightly better performance, more recommend is to always use 2 or 4 sticks of the same model, due to "Dual-Channel". I'd say 16 GB is more than enough atm.

 

Hey, thanks for the reply. Is this the 3 pipe heat sink you are referring to??






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That's a GPU one, I meant the one for the CPU, for reference:

https://www.ebay.com/itm/Original-N...Heatsink-00MXJ5-0MXJ5-CN-00MXJ5-/263194634315


And the fan, model J77H4:

https://www.parts-people.com/index.php?action=item&id=17106

https://img.parts-people.com/products/J77H4a1.JPG

 

That’s great, thanks so much for your help. I was debating whether to build a budget pc for around £700 but I think I might as well just upgrade my M18.

It’s gonna be £160 for the CPU, around £180 for a gtx780 sli and around £60 for the fan and heatsink.

I just want to be able to play newer games without getting lag

MUSTANG


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Honestly a GTX 1060 would be better for your uses. SLI does scale poorly in many games and causes issues. A single 1060 would destroy 780M SLI.

 

If I got a gtx1060 would I be able to just install and go or is there any complicated processes involved?


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180 pounds for 2x 780m is a great deal.

I wouldn't say so at all, my 780m SLI is on par with my 1060, and in sm games even 5-10 FPS ahead.


1060 is not plug and play, needs unlocked BIOS cause it's only running on Optimus in the r2.


Driver modding is needed in both cases.

 

That heatsink is inadequate for the 780, 980M, and 1060. You need one that says NV100W meaning nvidia 100 watt TDP. Yours is only rated for 75W

 

That's absolutely not true, even in the best case scenario which is seynthethic benchmark the 1060 is superior to the 780M SLI's. I would like to see proof of that claim.

 

Hi, thanks. Where would be the best place to source one of those?


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Ebay, amazon or Aliexpress.

 

Thank you.


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True, synthetic benchmarks differ by graphics point value, but I had tested most of my games with the steam in-game FPS counter and saw the similarities (and aheadness of 780m SLI in sm. cases), I was wondering myself. Have no proof as it's been sm months ago and I didn't take any pictures.

 

I was just looking for a 1060 and they are around £600. I could build a budget gaming pc for that using all newer components. Bearing in mind on my alienware I have to upgrade my cpu, gpu, heatsink, fan, possibly ram?

I just don't know what to do, lol. Is it really worth spending all that money on this 2012 system?

 

Well then you have a bottlennecked 1060 it seems. Because the difference between a 780M SLI setup and 1060 is quite significant. Here are some examples:
Assassins Creed unity:
Ultra 20FPS

Assassins Creed unity:
Ultra with FXAA 65 FPS

As you can see even on low unity runs worse than ultra with FXAA on a GTX 1060.

Witcher 3
Maxed out: ~32FPS

Witcher 3
Maxed out: ~48FPS

Another example of SLI making problems

Far Cry Primal
Avg: 32FPS

Far Cry Primal
Maxed out ultra: 63FPS

As you can see the GTX 1060 absolutely stomps 780M SLI.

You're looking the wrong places. You can get the 1060 much cheaper.

I believe this will make you accept it much more:
https://www.ebay.com/itm/New-Nvidia...=item41f7b15fcf:g:Jv8AAOSwiT1cMLIF:rk:13:pf:0

And to answer your question, yes. a 1060 would actually make the system fast enough for the newest titles. Even with your current CPU. You would actually need to onnly upgrade graphicscard and heatsink.

You'll need modded drivers as well, which I can provide for you as well.

EDIT: nevermind if you go for the GTX 1060 route, you can stick with your current heatsink (might need some modding tho). The card is a 78W card. However it is recommended getting a little better heatsink since pascal does like to lower performance a little bit when getting hot.

 

Well, that does sound much, much more reasonable. So I could just run with the 1060 until I have the money to upgrade the cpu in future, cool.

Are the modded drivers easy to install and do you charge to provide them? I am pretty good with computers and fixing hardware in general, not an expert but so long as the explanation is clear I’m sure I can do it.





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I do not charge anything, You'll get them for free. And yes, it's quite easy, you basicially just run windows in signature enforcement off mode and install the driver as usual.

The card also seems to be in the UK, so yay for you there as well.

 

Won't say my 1060`s bottlenecked, rather mainstream, mild OC, core + ~150, RAM + ~200

https://www.3dmark.com/fs/15914940


But let's leave that, I'll be checking again myself when I have time in the next months, anyway.

 

Oh wow, that's great. Then I would be grateful for the drivers, thanks so much. Obviously I would love to install the biggest and best of everything but I do love the idea of getting a 1060 into my system. What do you think the lifespan of this laptop is in terms of futureproof upgrades. What will stop me upgrading further in future, the motherboard?

 

Then check this out:

http://forum.notebookreview.com/threads/success-alienware-18-gtx-1060.818239/

Lifespan is hard to say, imo.
These old quad cores still provide decent power when OCed.

Yes, limitation for upgrading the CPU is the mobo.

 

Thank you. Also, do you have know what the max RAM i can install on the M18xR2 is? I have seen two different reports, one said 16GB, 4 x 4GB cards. Another said 32GB. I know 16GB should be enough for what I need, I'm just curious.

 

It all depends on when the MXM port is completely dead.

 

Max RAM is 32GB, 4x 8 GB sticks, DDR3 or DDR3L.

 

OP has a 675M which is a rebranded 580M which comes with the 100W nVidia heatsink. It should work fine for single 680m, 780m, 980m. (1060/1070 by modding it).

As for which upgrades to do, on a limited budget if you don't want to do anything regarding modding the bios/drivers:

Get a 3920XM or 3940XM CPU (whichever you find cheaper)
32GB DDR3 1600mhz ram (1866/2133mhz won't help in anything but benches) [Only upgrade RAM if you actually need more than you have]
680M SLI (doesn't require any mods, just be sure you get the 4GB memory models)

if you don't mind modifying drivers:
780M SLI

if you don't mind flashing the BIOS:
980M SLI

if you don't mind moddifying your heatsink (using dremel to cut down the bottom middle portion):

1060

if you don't mind all that + have $560 USD:

1070

Keep in mind you can always get a single 680M, 780M or 980M as well. First two will still offer 2x performance of 675M. 980M being up to 4x faster than single 675M

 

If you add the money you need for upgrade and the value of your actual laptop, you can afford a more recent one with a 1070m GPU and a more powerfull CPU
So i would sale it on ebay

 

Single 980M is another option, and aside from Swicks A12 BIOS and needing to switch it from PEG to IGFX and back to PEG each time you reboot the machine (just don't reboot!) you don't need modified .inf drivers or anything, all of the newer drivers as of around a year or so ago work with 980M. 980M is nearly as fast as 1060, i.e. maybe 5-10% slower. 780M SLI is good for around 12k GPU Firestrike IIRC whereas my 980M with Prema's 1.0v undervolt vbios does 10.5k. And I would avoid SLI like the plague. You can also get a single 980M for less than 2x 780M's. Oh and 8GB of video frame buffer vs 4GB, that's a no brainer in 2019.

I am considering selling my entire M18xR2, i7 3920xm, 980M machine, it just needs a boot drive. Anyone interested PM me.

 

In all honesty, if you are going to dump money into this ($700.00-$1000.00, processor/graphics card), then no. The IOPS on the 3rd generation CPU alone warrant a PC/Laptop upgrade.

/just my 2 cents

 

I'd have to agree to an extent. The question is, can one upgrade to an Extreme Processor and 9 or 10 series MGPU for less than $700-$1k?

If one could acquire a 3920-3940xm and 980M / 1060 for ~$500 then there is a value argument.

Let's not forget that simply buying a new system outright is very expensive, good luck finding a 10 series + extreme processor equipped unit for less than $1500.

https://www.amazon.com/slp/gtx-1070-laptops/n7x6ydo7fmzj8ou

And then there a compromises to consider, such as many if not most of these units listed having a 15" display and inferior cooling ability. How much faster is a locked 7700HQ vs a 3920-3940xm @ 4.3 GHz?

https://www.3dmark.com/fs/14800386

Not faster, at all. In fact it's slower.

https://www.3dmark.com/fs/11643547

The difference between an 18" and 15.5" display is huge.

There is a value argument to staying with this chassis and upgrading the components, if it can be accomplished for less than $1k.

 

I agree completely. Consumers sometimes need to take a step back and ask themselves if they can afford a new system (can they hold out and wait to save enough money)?

In the end you need to do what you feel will benefit you the most.

 

Brand new 980M ($332.50) : https://www.ebay.com/itm/nVidia-GTX...f:g:nWoAAOSwu7hbSFzV:rk:3:pf:1&frcectupt=true

3920XM: ($170): https://www.ebay.com/itm/Intel-Core...28f3b7:g:GusAAOSwivlcYv~I:rk:10:pf:0&LH_BIN=1

Total upgrade cost: $502.50

OR get a 1070 which is 2x 980M damn near: ($543.10)

https://www.ebay.com/itm/New-Nvidia...f:g:VgYAAOSwNo9b0ulz:rk:1:pf:1&frcectupt=true

Total cost: $713.10

I'm sure you can bring that 3920XM price down to $150 at least. I've seen some sellers pop them up for $130 every now and then as well.

3920XM can keep up even today with most quad-core laptop CPUs:



1060 performance:

https://www.3dmark.com/fs/16862474

680M SLI performance:

https://www.3dmark.com/fs/17969094

I'd say 1070 is best bet. If you have 680m sli, go straight to 1070 or 980m sli otherwise ain't worth upgrading. Any lower GPU config will get a nice boost from 1060+

 

Nice work!

How is the fitment with 1070 in the R2 though? Is the 120W copper heat-sink sufficient?

I upgraded from 680M SLI to single 980M and it was an upgrade considering how non-existent SLI support has become and the jump from 3 to 8 GB of video frame buffer.

It's basically 680M SLI on one card with 8GB of VRAM, although it's not necessarily faster, given that SLI support is maybe some 65% of titles nowadays and that 3GB of VRAM is completely inadequate it is absolutely an upgrade.

I don't recommend 980M SLI.

If I had the money I would pay the difference up to a single 1070, assuming there are no fitment, driver and thermal issues with that.

 

The 1070 I posted is standard mxm 3.0b format. No mods needed. Only need the unlocked A11 bios, switch to iGPU>turn off system and replace with 1070>go to bios and set to SG mode. Modify nvidia driver inf and it'll work. It's limited to 115W TDP according to the seller so should run fine stock heatsink.

 

I see, what are the limitations of running in SG mode though?

 

mDP port is limited to 1.1 so no 4K 60hz, no 2560x1440 @ 144 I believe.

You are limited to iGPU control panel so no display overclocking without flashing EDID like I did.

~5% performance hit.

It’s fine if you plan on playing internal monitor or a resolution/refresh rate monitor thats supported with mDP 1.1.

Oh and no SLI support

 

Just wanted to say thank you to everyone for the advice on upgrading my machine. I think I’m going to go with either the 980m or the 1060. The 980m at £300 is enticing me the most


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Oh so mDP port is limited to 1.1 running laptop in SG mode vs. a higher rate without?

Checking your signature, youre getting away with 85 Hz on the M18xR2 display? That's very impressive, the last time I tried to increase the refresh rate through NVCP I managed 70 Hz, any higher wasn't stable and there was some degradation to the contrast where you could also start to see scan-lines.

And that 3920 needs to go in the unit with the 1060!

 

I'm selling 980M, PM me if youre interested, it has a version of Prema's vbios but undervolted at 1.0v (default is 1.1v, which is too hot for the 120w heatsink, i.e. temps in the mid 80's). I haven't used my R2 since 2016 and there are zero issues with the 980M. I'm located in California, I think if you purchase through the Marketplace here you can avoid VAT completely, unlike possibly ebay etc, although I could be mistaken.

I will look into trying to sell it in the marketplace here.

 

I had to flash the EDID to get 85hz working. Intel Optimus doesn’t work with display overclocking.

I have sold the 1060 so the 3920xm will stay with my 680m sli.

 

How did you flash the EDID and what refresh rate were you limited to before doing so? My display is only capable of around 70 Hz, will flashing the EDID resolve this? Thanks.

 

I used Linux...my friend actually helped me.

Flashing EDID won't help with anything you can't already achieve.

Only reason I flashed it was because with nVidia Optimus (1060 in SG mode) you are limited to the Intel Control Panel. nVidia Control Panel has almost no options for anything, so iGPU controls everything. Therefore no display overclocking. My EDID flashing it thinks its the native resolution.

Both of my M18x can do 80Hz. You should be able to do 75Hz at least. Try running the computer for 30 minutes to let the display warm up, then try 75hz in the nVidia control panel.

 

Actually I overclocked my display with Nvidia Control Panel under custom resolution:



Are you saying that because you were running 1060 in SG mode (what is SG mode anyway?) that you lost this ability?

 

SG mode = Optimus

 

All 10 series+ requires SG mode which is Optimus.

Optimus means BOTH iGPU & dGPU are active and the signal goes through the iGPU. This means iGPU control panel controls basically everything.

Also means mDP is limited to 1.1 mode since 1.2 only works with nVidia in PEG mode.

PEG is not supported after 980M series cards. PEG is dGPU mode only

 

is this method safe ?

 

Yes, much safer than what I did.

It's the proper way to do it. Just click test and wait 15 seconds if it doesn't work.

 

Hi everyone,

So I have now upgraded to the 3940xm CPU which is SO much better than the 3630qm I had.

I also have a single GTX980m on the way to replace my GTX675m.

My question is, am I able to just put the 980m in and it works out the box or do I need to modify any drivers or anything.

I also have a GPU right side heatsink coming, I have attached a picture of two I found, are these the same or different? If so which one would fit my computer?

Many Thanks





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If you're going single 980m then that heatsink is not for you, as it is for the slave card (secondary). You'd need one for the master card (primary), smthing like this:
https://www.ebay.de/itm/Genuine-Del...GIC-COOLING-HEATSINK-KC5GV-NVGTX/163800850292

https://www.ebay.de/itm/Dell-Alienware-18-4-M18x-R2-Genuine-GPU-Cooling-Heatsink-V4NXK-AT0MI0010F0/254112065759

Had done just a quick ebay search to show you which model of heatsink you need.