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    MXM type for Alienware Area 51 M15X?

    Discussion in 'Alienware Area-51/Aurora and Legacy Systems' started by shealy06, Dec 20, 2011.

  1. shealy06

    shealy06 Newbie

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    Hello forums!

    I was wondering if anyone could shed a little light on a situation that i am running into on my old Area-51 M15x..

    I have a new M15X and i gave my old Area-51 M15X to my brother. Regardless, the 9800M GTX card failed today and wont work. I was going to replace it for him, but im not sure if the laptop can handle an MXM 3.0b style card? Moreover, can it handle an ATI card instead of the Nvidia?

    I am going to see if i can put the 260M GTX in my newer M15X into his and go from there, but in the event that wont work (and im guessing it wont) what other upgrades or replacements would you all reccomend? I really dont feel like paying the $300 on ebay for a new 9800M card if i dont have to...

    (Especially when im going to upgrade my 260M to something better anyway!!)

    That brings up the second question, will any MXM 3.0B GFX card run in my newer alienware?

    Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated!!!
     
    shealy06, Dec 20, 2011
    #1
  2. whizzo

    whizzo Notebook Prophet

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    been tried before, the cooling system can't handle it and the card automatically underclocks.
     
    whizzo, Dec 20, 2011
    #2
  3. katalin_2003

    katalin_2003 NBR Spectre Super Moderator

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    Hello, shealy and welcome to NBR.
    First of all I'll point you to some useful links for you:
    forum rules
    http://forum.notebookreview.com/ali...ion-how-search-forum-read-before-posting.html

    Using that you can find very useful info about your new laptop in this subforum:
    Alienware M15x

    Now let's clarify a few things, the Area-51 m15x uses MXM 2.1 while the M15x uses MXM 3.0 type B, therefore your cards won't phisically fit in the Area-51 m15x.

    Another thing you might want to consider since your card is "dead" is this:
    http://forum.notebookreview.com/ali...r-your-dead-graphics-card-your-alienware.html
    read it and try at your own risk.

    I can point you towards other informational threads such as:
    http://forum.notebookreview.com/ali...re-area-51-m15x-video-card-compatibility.html

    http://forum.notebookreview.com/ali...gen-alienware-area-51-m15x-ati-hd-5770-a.html

    http://forum.notebookreview.com/ali.../612235-area-51-m15x-ati-mobility-4870-a.html

    Hopefully my reply will help you in making your decisions easier.
     
    katalin_2003, Dec 20, 2011
    #3