M15x GPU Thread: General Discussion on Upgrades, GPU Troubleshooting & Repairs

This makes sense. I am going to try it in the M17x R4 because there is only one card to remove and I can take it out without removing the heatsink. It will be a couple of days, but I will report back as soon as I know something.

Thanks guys!

 

It will work in the M17xR3 and R4 as well, same idea/method. I did it when I had single 7970M and was testing different vBIOS files.

 

Hey guys,

In need of some advice, I've been here before and I want to upgrade my old m15x. Already bought a 9cell battery that I wanted, and a 2 gig RAM extra. I wanted your suggestion on the Nvidia 680m or the AMD 7970M? Which is the best for the m15x? Btw, I am in the process of buying a 240 W charger. And a a 920 xm. Please help.

Cheers

 

I think the 680M is more durable. but I would grab whichever one that you find at a great price.

How much RAM do you have in the machine now? If you have to upgrade 16GB (2x8) is about $50. But you will need a quad core for the OS to see it.

 

The 680M is more durable like deadsmiley said, but the 7970M is cheaper, performance-wise they are equal stock for stock

 

Isn't the M290x a 7970M rebrand?

 

Yes it is 7970M rebrand with more VRAM. They are both based on Pitcarin, or the desktop 7870.

 

Don't suppose AMD ever made a more powerful MXM GPU other than the 7970M and M290x?

 

Yes they did. It is called the M295X

 

ah, % difference compared to m290x?

 

8970M is a 7970M rebrand with slight clock increase, the M290X is a 8970M rebadge, exactly the same card and same HWID, which causes it to be recognized as 8970M by the drivers and system.

The proper M295X is only for mac, and it has about 20-50% better perfomance than single M290X, depends on a game..

 

I found a 8970M on ebay for $150 shipped and have it in my M15x. Works very well and no futzing with INF files.

 

*double post*

 

what's the 8970M comparable to?

 

Slightly faster than 7970M but has 4GB RAM (at least mine does).

Firestrike 5701 (overclocked CPU/GPU)
http://www.3dmark.com/fs/8511123

 

so it's the same gpu as M290x, 7970M

7970M can be considered a 780M, the 8970M is the 880M because of double vram?

 

7970M is a lot closer to the 680M

880M beats the 8970M.

Look at the graphics scores:
880M 7104
http://www.3dmark.com/fs/2232367

8970M 6413
http://www.3dmark.com/fs/8511123

Kinda tough to do apples to apples on this since the Sager has a 4th gen i7 and the M15x has a 1st gen.

 

khenglish is going to fix my 980m... hope it works

 

I have been running the 8970M in my M15x. It seems to me that the GPU is starved unless I overclock my CPU. I did not notice this being much of a problem with the 970M.

Is this a thing or just my imagination?

 

I want to share this information :

i was facing problems like ,the headsets mutes , and i have to disable it and enable it or disconnect it to have the sound again , moreover when i play games , Fps drop down and the screen freezes .

i have these specs :
i7 740QM
M6000
8GB ram
150W Adapter
and i am using windows 7

SOLVED :

so after i searched and trying many things , i found that the problem related to lack of power , so i disabled the lights in my gaming mice , headset and keypad . which has solved the problem .

i have all these devices connecetd always to my m15x .
Razer Tartarus = 400mA
Razer Naga Molten = 150mA
Corsair Void Usb headset , I havent found how much it consume .

i want to know how much M15x is thirsty to power .
i think need to change the adapter next time .

Edit :
Not Solved
The headset problem still not solved , also freezing problem , i thought it has solved , but after day , it appeared again .

 

Use a 210 watt powersupply or a 240 watt it makes a huge difference in gaming

 

ok , but something appeared also , one of these devices randomly disconnect , do you think its related to the lack of power also ?
this happens when all devices connected .

 

sounds like you are connecting too many peripherals and the machine doesn't like it. hate to say it but i've seen this with my aw17 when i connect too many hardrives for cloning

 

i think its related to USB power management , I have to take the tick from this choice from Device manager .

but i don't why i should do this every time i restart my M15x.
the tick came again every time i do restart .

Edit :

found this to solve it : https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/kb/930312 .

 

For your Information:

Today I Upgraded from gtx260m to M6000 blue PCB.
Worked out of the box! Used the AMD autodetect tool for driver install.
It went from FurMark Score 304 / 5FPS on the GTX260M to Score 756/ 12FPS.
Here is the score:
http://www.ozone3d.net/gpudb/score.php?which=307223
http://www.ozone3d.net/gpudb/score.php?which=307305
Power usage is similar to GTX260M so no worries about that. Fan works too.

got it form ebay:
http://www.ebay.com/itm/NEW-Dell-AM...449621?hash=item33b1b03e55:g:q1sAAOSwqu9VAq-h
cost about 93$ or 83€

So, highly recommended!
Cheers

 

Just thought I'd chime in with the Clevo version of the 8970M. It does NOT have native fan support. It ramps up to full speed a few seconds after clearing POST.

 

Hi guys. A lot of good information here. I have both a m15x and a m17x R2. I plan on selling one of them. I started upgrading my m15x but it sounds like it would be wiser to stick with the m17x (unless I can sell it for a profit).

M15x Original parts 720qm, 5850m, 500gb 7200rpm, 4GB, 150w psu
M17x Original parts 740qm, 285m gtx, 320gb 7200rpm, 4GB, 240w psu

So far I have a 920xm, 7970m, 16gb ram
Soon I'll have 500gb SSD

All parts are compatible with m15x and m17x.

I already upgraded my m15x but was experiencing throttling. Sounds like removing the center pin of a right angle connector with a 240w adapter would fix this? Can anyone confirm?

Do you guys recommend I upgrade the m17x instead and sell my original m15x?

 

Personally i'd keep the M15x it can take newer cards better than the M17x but everyone is different.

 

M17x r2 limited to kepler cards and 7970M if you have rgbled wuxga display, unknown if it can ran maxwell with 2ccfl wuxga display. m15x can run maxwell, which is a huge improvement. both will throttle if you trip power limit. 240W power adapter fixes the throttling in m15x, no need to remove pin or use right angle adapter.

interested in m17x for sentimental reason, let me know if you plan to sell.

 

Thank you!! How can I check what kind of display I have on the M17X? I have a 240w power adapter brand new. I tested it on my m15x and I was surprised on the results. No throttling, gpu runs much better (less load?) and CPU is a beast (haha, maybe 4 years ago, but it's a beast compared to the 720qm).

I will sell either one or the other. I will definitely post here. Both are in great shape (no scratches of any kind) the shells are both well kept, no heavy internal mods or missing screws, etc.

 

To check the display, download HWinfo64 and go to the Monitor section.

 

you can type in your dell service tag, check original configuration, expand components tab. it will tell you if screen was rgbled samsung wuxga or 2ccfl samsung wuxga

 

Still trying to iron out all the random pwr throttle bugs even with 240W adapter...they happen for a couple seconds then disappear
Regardless, here is M15x bench w/ 920XM at 26-25-24-24 and 970M stock clocks (random pwr throttle), undervolted from 1.060V to 0.9620V

http://www.3dmark.com/3dm11/11894856

Note: Neither the Prema vBIOS nor the svl7 vBIOS was able to correct the throttling. Prema's vBIOS was not even able to hit full stock clocks ever for whatever reason. Not sure if it is a motherboard problem or what.

 

Did you remove center pin?

 

No need to pull center pin, using 240W adapter

 

Your experience might vary. Even though with the 240W PSU I was experiencing a much better performance than with the 150W PSU, I still had some throttling issues (very minor). I bought an L-shaped adapter and removed the center pin on the adapter to try it out and my performance is much better now, I have not experienced any throttle. I recommend a power cycle before running any benchmarks.

 

Hi guys,

I'm kinda new here and have a question. Purchased an M15X a while back and decided to do some upgrades. Been reading on this forum and ordered the budget M6000 card. Used the old X bracket from the ATI 5730, but after installing the thermal pads and trying to seat the cooler it seemed one of the chokes was a bit too "high" to be a good fit (the pipe from the cooler presses on the choke/card).

So I've removed the thermal pads from the chokes and gently bent the cooler heat pipe a little, which seems to do the trick. The card works fine and temp seems to be really nice but I'm still a bit troubled by this. Could chokes without any thermal padding become a problem or am I good?

On a side note: Would it be worth upgrading the i7-Q720QM to a i7 840QM and/or to 16GB ram (8GB installed)?

Cheers!

Edit; Image from the applied thermal padding:
http://imgur.com/Z2IOlan

 

Just q quick question...I can see that the GTX480M is a 100W card, does this mean that I will need a 240W PSU if I install this card instead of mt 460M? I currently have a 150W I think.
I know there are better cards out there, but I have an alienware 15R3 for gaming...I'm just try to show my oldest (and possibly favorite) AW laptop some love.
Thanks in advance

 

Hello all , I have the m15x i7-740 looking to upgrade GPU after the CPU, any recommendations for a card around $150? And could you point me in the right direction for installation and stuff.
Thank you

 

I am interested in doing a final GPU upgrade for my m15x. I have searched for 970M GPUs, but I keep finding 980Ms for cheaper prices for some reason. I know that the 980M wouldn't perform as it should in this laptop because of heat and power consumption, but is it possible to adjust the power and clocks to get it to perform at least as good as a 970M? If I could go that route, I might just get a 980M that's cheaper.

 

Downclocking is an option when needed, when searching myself I came to the same conclusion that the 980 is just better for the same money but with the thermal limitations one will have accept that some performance will be lost. You could get one of those fancy modded bios but the site that has them doesn't really share unless paid subscription or get lucky with 5 likes there or something along those lines.

Just be sure to get the thermal pads right as I've seen these 970/80s pop up on ebay with burned mosfets.

 

Thanks for the info. I'll have to keep that in mind. I read somewhere here that King of Interns was using a 980M, but he seemed unhappy with it.

 

If your going to do a final gpu upgrade, then go all-in and get a 980m.

The price gap between a 970m/980m is narrowing, and if your patient, you can snag a good deal. I bought a NEW, not used 980m, for $409 last month. I quickly sold my 970m for $350, so in the end the upgrade cost me $59 (ok it still cost me $409 ).

The problem getting a 970m is (a great gpu btw), you will always be wondering what you could have had getting a 980m

The 980m heat isn't the issue, it's the power consumption. You will need a dual psu, as a single 240w psu will trip constantly with any benching or any demanding game -that's been my experience anyway. That said, it's inexpensive and a very easy mod (esp. since a 240w psu only has 3 wires).

You want to make the most out of the M15x and gaming today.

 

I think it's pretty well established by other M15X owners that have tried the 980M that it runs way too hot in the M15X. Remember this laptop was designed for 75W cards, and the 980M has a TDP of around 120W. If you can get a modded vbios that undervolts it, then maybe you can tame it a bit, but otherwise I think the 970M is a better choice for the M15X.

 

Yes I read his (KOI) post some time ago, however I have noticed his current signature includes a 980m w/ dual psu.

I don't think you can go from one individuals experience with the card as the end answer. Plus I recall his was flashed with the Prema vbios, I used the one by svl7/johnksss.

My 980m temps are not much different than I had with a 970m installed. Idle it's 36-45, gaming it's anywhere from 60s to 70s max.

 

Does your 980m down clock itself? My 100w K5100m downclock to 80%, temp from 50 idle to 80 max load. It draw only 80w on max load.
And how to you cool the back side vram?

 

I haven't noticed any down clock. To cool the backside vram I just used 1mm Arctic Cooling pads, and the X bracket and screws that came with the card. There's not much space for much else as the depth of the gpu bay is very tight, some of the other X brackets with vram fins won't fit.

 

That's awesome! Thanks for the feedback. Looks like I'll be getting a 980 then!

 

I searched as much info as I could before buying the 980m. The only thread I have read where someone had a bad experience with it was KOI.

Yet I found owners on 3dMark who had success:

https://www.3dmark.com/3dm11/10019090

https://www.3dmark.com/fs/4925460

https://www.3dmark.com/fs/7596165

Here is my 970m vs 980m (my username is not on the 980m, as I recently got the non-Steam version of 3dMark Advanced)

Firestrike:

https://www.3dmark.com/fs/11868560

https://www.3dmark.com/fs/13799748

3dMark11:

https://www.3dmark.com/3dm11/12203257

https://www.3dmark.com/3dm11/12411291

Finally, before buying a 980m, I spoke to a seller on eBay who had a M15x with a 980m installed for sale and he claimed it never reached above the 70's on the GPU. I asked him how he installed it, and he said place 1 Copper Shim between the heat sink and gpu die (with TIM on both sides)....and voila!

I'm not sure how much a difference the copper shim makes for temps, but that's how I installed mine and I don't have heat issues.

I recall KOI's experience with idling temps were already ridiculously high, never mind benching or running intensive games. IMHO I think he got a bad card, or bad vbios.

 

No problem, don't forget the Copper Shim^^. I have some extras (I could only buy a pack of 20 on eBay) I can send you a couple if you need it, just send me a PM.