M15x and 7970M

Just wonder if someone can help me out and clear up some questions, ive been looking for a 7970M (cant believe how hard to find they are in the UK) the ones ive found say they are for Gen 3 PM77 chipset but ive got PM55 is it just a case of flashing gpu bios? and if i get one where can I find the correct bios ive spent hours searching through the different threads but cant find anything also would i need another X brace or does my 5850m one fit?
thanks in advance

 

I'd say you should get another xbrace if the card you get doesn't come with one. To avoid any issue just buy a 7970m that's for a dell. It'll work just fine in your m15x.

 

not sure about the difference between these two
Alienware AMD HD DELL 7970M 2GB GDDR5 M15x, M17x ,M18x Dell P/N # 747M2 | eBay
or
Alienware AMD HD DELL 7970M 2GB GDDR5 -for M15x, M17x , M18x ,upgrade monkey | eBay

 

I'd avoid cards from china. I haven't heard good things.

 

Also check the nbr marketplace. Any 7970m will work. Vbios doesn't need to be flashed. However if you want the best plug and play experience find a dell card.


On the go from my iPod touch

 

Thanks, I'll keep looking (patience is not my strong point lol) Does anyone know why Dell have different part numbers for the same card Dell 747M2 and DELL 09XVK3 ???

 

If you can find a made for dell 8970M too, that would be a great option depending on price. I have a made for dell 8970M 4GB and it's running like a champ on my machine.

 

ordered a 7970 just need to find an X brace now ;-)

 

x-bracket from 6990m works perfectly. Thats what I'm using, with longer screws I picked up from a hardware store

 

If the card does not come with an X-bracket, see if you can use your old bracket. BUT be sure there is insulation between the metal and the card. You don't want to short the card before you get a chance to use it. Also, don't go cheap with the thermal paste. Use IC Diamond 24 or liquid metal ultra compound. I use liquid metal and it runs like a champ on my 8970M.

 

Going to use/mod my old X bracket to fit prices getting one shipped to UK are ridiculous. Got some IC diamond and Junpus thermal pad . Hopefully plan on brazing some more heatpipes on while im at it ;-) Ive not modded a PC in years and looking forward to starting this little project now lol. Id actually written off doing anything with my M15x when they stopped making them!

 

I just bought a 09XVK3 HD7970m which wont boot. Dont know if that indicates that you had better go with the 747M2 ?

 

Oh crap that doesnt sound good thats the one i ordered

 

Just found this

H0YWF AMD Radeon HD7970m Wimbledon XT 2GB Windows 8 only (Video Card 9XVK3 + Support Plate 3PVGK)

8DG8P AMD Radeon HD7970m Wimbledon XT 2GB (Video Card 747M2 + Support Plate 3PVGK)

0MMPT AMD Radeon HD7970m Wimbledon XT Heatsink & Fan

 

Ahhh.... Could point in the direction, that 9XVK3 or H0YWF is meant for UEFI bios's only, which our M15x's are not...

Thats VERY VALUABLE INFORMATION!!

 

That's ruined my day lol

 

Could you please share the dell number on your 8970m? The one that would be the same as 747M2 ?

 

Agreed... If thats right, you should return the card immediatly and get another. What a shame...

 

Dunno the part number but this was the ebay item I purchased. Be aware you will need the right brackets and screws. Also, the card will run at 1.075v. This is high so youwill have to get a modded vbios to run at 0.975v. If you can find this card and fix these kinks its a beast of a card!

 

Mine just arrived, had to take the gamble and try it! It works

 

Congrats!! :thumbsup:

Why the f... does mine not work then??? I guess its going back...

 

Windows 7 ????

 

Congrats simon! Hope the card works out for you in terms of temps and performance!

 

Temps should be good by the time I'm finished going to add another set of heatpipes and radiators, it's no fun waiting for the postman to bring thermal pads and all the other bits :-(

 

Congorats! let us know how it turns out!

 

Not surprised m15x has cooling issues just been stripping a spare GPU heatsink, heatpipes have minimal contact with the plate! Literally a couple of dots of solder

 

Add more solder? What kind of solder would it be that would withstand high temps?

 

I'm using Alusol wich means I can also solder to the main plate easily

 

So you're suggesting that adding more solder to the exterior heatplate surface where they connect to heatpipes should improve cooling capacity? Have you tried this?

 

Probably not with the micro sized radiator we have but I don't think it's very good. I've been buying copper heatsinks from eBay and just picked up one from a Lenovo netbook and it's the same size as the m15x's

 

That is because it wasn't designed to cool 100W TDP cards.
The laptop originally shipped with 260M GTX and 5870M as max configuration. These cards were around 75W max.

 

Mine overheats with a 5850m!

 

I get 70C max in ambient 25C. This with no additional cooling fans blowing of the GPU or extra sinks. I was playing co-op farcry 3 for over 2 hours so the card was definitely being worked.

Maybe your heatsink is just not up to standard. Perhaps get a replacement.

 

I'm having a cooling nightmare, recently moved to Spain where ambient is around 35 degrees with no AC! CPU idles at 60 and GPU idles at 44 with cooling mod fans running. I'm scared to game at all!

Sent from my One S using Tapatalk

 

I'll stick some pictures up of my modded heatsink when it's finished and results, still waiting for thermal pad and some more heatsinks to be delivered (bloody eBay!) I've always had issues as my little computer corner at home gets seriously hot

 

First couple on think it will need a good clean up when I'm done lol

 

Amazing stuff! How do you intend to get airflow through it? Really hope this improves cooling performance.

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What did you use to solder them? It looks a bit rough to be tin. If you manage to get some airflow through and an exhaust for the hot air it'll be awesome!
Also, what height are the heatsinks?

 

Used Alusol and a large blow torch, turned out a bit more tricky than I expected my small dremel soldering torch can't get the heatpipes hot enough to solder to but then get them hot enough then the whole thing falls apart. This lot arrived this morning the heatsinks are between 10 and 15mm

 

That is quite a risky procedure. You really risk damaging the heatpipes if you use a blowtorch on them!

Also how do you plan to get airflow through them? Once you achieve this and show us your heatpipes ain't toast then I am VERY interested!

 

It is risky lol (don't try this at home) You wouldn't believe the carry on I've had trying to get it right! Everything has had to be clamped together, everything not being soldered is wrapped in a wet towel and only short bursts of heat to prevent the pipes popping, I've got 4 80mm fan grills to be cut into the bottom and I've got a T5 laptop chiller for it to sit on

 

I'm really curious as to how and what that will look like after you finish. As well as how you will plan on cooling or attaching a fan to that extra heatpipe...