M15x & 6970M / 6990M - What you need to know - upgrading, problems, solutions

Holy hell! IT WORKS! I played the Witcher 2 for about an hour with no shutdown using the 500/600 .9v

I then shut the game down and started it back up using the 680/900 1.0v setting and it shut down after 15 minutes!

So for me at least it looks like the 500/600 .9v setting is working perfectly.

THANKS PHOBOS!

 

@owvp702 Thanks for your words.

Well now I have a second 6970m card, this time is from Dell. Against the card from mxm-upgrade the Dell´s card, as was said on first thread, fans working well. But the display-port dont work. I think maybe the owners of a dell card are plugged the display through an HDMI adapter.

Comparing the two card, the problem with non-dell card, is definitively the heat. In my mxm-card the graphic memory temperatures are not really that sensor says. Is necesary installing thermal pads in memory and other card components.

The catalyst control center don´t work as well, so it´s better use Ati Tray Tools, and then configure it to run when windows start. In ATT select right click > 3D > Flip queue size as "0" to increase the performance.

With thermal pads (fujipoly from frozencpu.com, thanks to @Mexic00ls for advising me) my start temperatures are 36-40ºC, idle temps 45-52ºC and heavy load GPU playing SC2, Crysis 2, Crysis 1, and Battlefield is Max 83º with 715/950 on 1.05v.

So, if you not have an Dell´s card only need to know this:

Thermal paste work, the best as you can do, a very thinnest layer,with the best thermal paste that you can buy.

Use a good thermal pad to cover the graphic memory, card´s components and add a thermal pad on back side of the card.

Use Ati Tray Tools. Make a 3D profile for games and configure 3D clock on 500/900 0.9v to start the tests. If you do not have any shutdown you can increase the clocks from shader (the memory clock must be 900 for testing). Each voltage has a maximun frecuency, If you exceed the clock on a determinate voltaje you pc will be locked and you must restart. For example you can configure 550/950 0.9v but you can´t do it on 680/950 0.9, however you can do 715/950 1.05v.

I prooved 500/900 0.9v on mxm-card without thermal pads and none shutdown, maybe trying 650/900 1.0v with thermal pads can run well.

With all of this everyone must can do run his card.

It is not problem from power supply
It is not problem from bandwith

The problem is the overheating

 

all i know is setting the clock to 500/900 .9v worked for me. I'm not adjusting the clocks any more because it took long enough to get this thing stable. I still haven't tried the ultimate test though. That is throwing Alan Wake at it. Alan Wake would shut down EVERY SINGLE TIME 10 minutes into the game. I'm kind of worried to try it because i don't want it to burst my bubble. It's kind of like a cancer patient not wanting to go to the hospital to find out the results. I'm content with everything right now.

 

anyway you should put thermal pads to be completely safe

 

Fujipoly Premium System Builder Thermal Pad - 1/4 Sheet - 150 x 100 x 0.5 - Thermal Conductivity 6.0 W/mK - FrozenCPU.com

General concensus that these are the best? I purchased some a few minutes ago.

 

Yes that is I used

 

so i've got a problem.
i've been using an external screen to watch movies and i changed the settings through ccc, although when i wanted to revert back to the built in screen it didn't show as a selectable screen instead a crt monitor was shown and well i clicked that. everything went black, even when i restart it goes black as soon as windows is done loading and the only way i can use my computer is in safe mode.

so i'm wondering how can i revert those settings back. should i uninstall ccc through safe mode? or do something else?

 

have you tried FN+F6 after the windows loading screen

 

To those of you who have done this, did you use your stock heatsink? Or did you have to get the 6990M one? Just wondering if I'm going to have to buy a new heatsink. I'm upgrading from the 240M. I DO have a new set of thermal pads, and the x-bracket coming along with it.

 

there is only one gpu heatsink for the m15x, i have used the same one for the ati 5850m, 6990m and the nvidia 580m

 

Sweet. I didn't think there was anything I needed to worry about. + Rep coming!

 

Im about to intall a 6990m and after fallowing this thread since page 1 what are the best drivers currently out there for this card?

 

Take the most recent ones from AMD. That's 12.4.

 

Holy hell SVl7 you need to chill out I just posted my question and BAM you there. I guess there are people out there like me that stay on this website. Thanks man for the ummmm I don't even know what to call it. I guess precognitive answer. By the way are you in the US or Europe svl7?

 

Hey guys, anyone who have an dell 6970m can use external display through DP? I thought that, in theory, this card can enable DP-video, maybe only enable hdmi connectors and only works with DP-to-HDMI conversor, any idea?

 

My card works fine, with sound.

 

How is this possible? I have the same card, fans work fine, but DP-Video do not send signal to my monitor, what vbios do you using? can you upload it for me please?

A few days ago I tried to re-install my old 5850m, without need to unistall and reinstall drivers, and then DP-Video worked fine. After I returned to install the 6970m DP-V and still don´t work.

For everyone: after doing repaste and installing thermal pads I have no shutdowns anymore, now I can play, for example, battlefield 3 at 1920x1200p on ultra settings (SSAO) at 35-60 fps on Capsian Border (Card OC´d at 710/950 1.05v).

 

I'm using the stock Dell vbios, could be that your card is just a different revision. I get throttling with heavy CPU usage, doesn't look like you do.

 

@phobos - grats, I guess you find the right spot to be in. For now I'm still stuck in the mud.

Now I still undervolt my card (1v) with stock clocks for VGA and stock CPU settings (i7 920)

My battlefield settings are at ultra, no AA, HBAO, but drops my resolutions down to 720p for smooth fps. no shutdowns yet.

From the test, with or without overclocking eventhough will eventually get shutdowns for around 70 degrees temperature, the fps gained doesn't do justice. so for now I'm happy with everything stock with undervolted card.

 

I was just quoted $559.99 for a 6990m from dell. the guy said he could maybe take off $30. Is this price about what I would be looking at? Does anyone know of any way to get more of a discount? Would I be better off trying to get a 7970? Thanks.

 

You can get 6970s/6990s way cheaper than that on the marketplace on the forums here, pretty reliable. Depends if you want brand new or not i guess.

 

Definitely wait for a 7970m.

 

@Johnnyflash in your card DP-video works?

 

Seconded you get get them for nearly $200 dollars cheaper here on the forums. The 7970M costs that much new.

 

I found at least 3 differents vBIOS for dell´s 6970m.

1º XXX....039364
2º XXX....039462
3º XXX....039257

I have the two first but not the third. Installed the first. Do anyone say to me if is possible to enable DP-video with other vBIOS or it deppends of the card (phisically speaking)?

One more thing. In GPU-Z says: Bus interface: PCI-E 1.1x16@x16 1.1, is that right? It shouldn´t be PCI-E 2.0@x16 2.0?

 

gpu-z only shows the current stat of pci-e if you click on the question mark next to the bus interface and then start the render test it show 2.0. gpu-z only show the current pci-e state based on the card power saving features, and not the maximum

 

ok so if the 7970 is way cheaper, does anyone here know the product code to purchase it directly from dell?

 

Hey guys it's been a long time since I have posted, but this will likely be my last time. I bought a radeon 6990m from table21. I have had the card working successfully for almost 5 months now however I recently spent a large sum of money purchasing a 2560x1440p monitor. Unfortunately with the radeon 6990m installed my displayport seems... nonfunctional. But if I install my 5730m the displayport runs fine. I have flashed my vbios. This didnt change a thing. I believe I have asked this question 3-4 times now, but either nobody answers, or one person answers then people get off topic. I really need to know if there is a way to fix this problem.

Also if I cannot get the monitor working I will be selling it on ebay for ~$1500. Please help me guys.
Also please tell me what you think of the price.

 

DP doesn't work at all? No picture on the external monitor?

 

Nope no input whatsoever.

I am wondering if I could get my DP to work when using a 7970m, and if so how much do they cost, and how much can I get for my 6990m

 

So does anyone have any ideas... I really need help.

 

well your going to have to wait and see if someone tries it with a 7970m, my 6990m work with dp to hdmi but i have never tried a dp to dp. as for selling the 6990m here in the marketplace you might get $325 for it, maybe $400 on ebay, good luck

 

I think that is the solution. DP to HDMI.

 

My monitors input is dual link-dvi. So do you recommend I go DP-HDMI-DVI

 

I don´t know

 

I think that is what I will try. At this point I have come to the logical conclusion that either the card refuses to correctly communicate with the display port, or my adapter is faulty.

As you can see I have been watching too much star trek.

 

Just installed my new 6990m but for the life of me I cant run any games without the heat shooting through the roof and turning off! Ive repasted 4 times and everytime I start a game it shoots up dramaticaly!

 

Heat pipe mod?

 

i dont know of any heat pipe mod. but no its instantly it jumps up

 

Heatsink mod?

 

1 of 2 things if not both the heat pipes are making contact with the gpu coils or the 6990m backplate stands are to long and is preventing proper contact of gpu and heatsink

 

BINGO! It was the backplate I just put on my old one from my 460m and bam 20c cooler and doesnt heat up in 3 seconds any more!

 

Haha, excellent, congrats!

HOLY ! That is awesome! How much did that bad boy cost you?

 

SVL7 you should mention the backplate problems and solutions on this write up just like your write up on T/I.

 

I am going to try buying a DP to HDMI adapter, and then an HDMI to dual link dvi adapter, and see if my monitor works... anyone think this will?

 

Ok I got the 6990m running great but my only worry is my temps. after repasting a few times I've got the idle temps down to about 50c but when gaming the MemIO temps get up to 85c sometimes 90c. I should be ok shouldn't I?

 

Help, I just updated my driver to 12.4 but I can't play any of my games. They all just crashes to the desktop whenever I start the game.

 

try installing thermal pads

 

I already installed thermal pads on th emem and reused the thicker ones that were on the heat sink on the coils and other exposed parts.

 

which games are u running?? Ive noticed with my 6990m that the MemIO temps only get that high when playing The Witcher 2 but with other games like Battlefield 3 it stays below 80c