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    Short question about a Clevo 780m.

    Discussion in 'Alienware 18 and M18x' started by SniperTNT, Apr 20, 2015.

  1. SniperTNT

    SniperTNT Notebook Consultant

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    SniperTNT, Apr 20, 2015
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  2. Meaker@Sager

    Meaker@Sager Company Representative

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    AFAIK it should work.
     
    Meaker@Sager, Apr 20, 2015
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  3. SniperTNT

    SniperTNT Notebook Consultant

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    So it should just be plug and play initially? If I put it in the main slot it will be detected by the bios, even though it's a clevo card, automatically and then I just install the drivers by modifying the inf and then it's all good to go?
     
    SniperTNT, Apr 20, 2015
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  4. TomJGX

    TomJGX I HATE BGA!

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    Yes 10 Char...
     
    TomJGX, Apr 21, 2015
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  5. Meaker@Sager

    Meaker@Sager Company Representative

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    Yes pretty much, just be careful you set the thermal pads correctly to cover the right chips.
     
    Meaker@Sager, Apr 21, 2015
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  6. Mr. Fox

    Mr. Fox BGA Filth-Hating Elitist®

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    It make no difference whatsoever with GTX 780M. I have two Alienware laptops running Clevo GPUs. With the GTX 780M they even use the same vBIOS. There is no difference I can discern between the Dell and Clevo 780M performance or functionality. They are essentially identical in practical application. Some Dell 780M cards have Hynix or Elpida vRAM and the PCB is a different color, but those with Hynix vRAM overclock exactly the same at the Clevos with Samsung vRAM. A driver INF mod is going to be required regardless of which one you use because the M18xR2 was never sold by Alienware with that GPU. The INF mod is required because the stock driver INF is missing the hardware ID for a non-standard hardware configuration. The hardware ID of a Clevo GPU installed in an Alienware is identical to the hardware ID of a Dell GPU. The hardware ID follows the brand of the machine, not the brand of the GPU. If you install a Dell 780M in a Clevo that has 780M, the Clevo 780M hardware ID would remain unchanged as well.

    You do want to be careful trying to use an MSI GPU in anything other than an MSI. That sometimes does not turn out well at all. Some MSI GPUs are incompatible with other machines and some also have no connector for SLI or CrossFire configuration. Your safest bet is to avoid any GPU that came out of an MSI or states it works in an MSI laptop. Many eBay sellers are ignorant and have no idea what they are selling. If you're tempted by a GPU that is from an MSI laptop or supposedly compatible with MSI, just make sure you can return it for a full refund without any kind of hassle or monetary penalty. If the vendor does not agree to a no-questions-asked return policy, look for another source.
     
    Mr. Fox, Apr 23, 2015
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  7. SniperTNT

    SniperTNT Notebook Consultant

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    No worries. I received it today, put it in my m18x r2, modified the inf, and it works just fine.

    Thanks for the input though guys.
     
    SniperTNT, Apr 23, 2015
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    TomJGX and Mr. Fox like this.