*OFFICIAL* M15x Owners Lounge - Part 5 (see post #1 for links)

The graphics card I have is : nVida Gforce GXT 260M
the resolution I am currently using is : 1600 x 900

would you still suggest upgrading the graphics card? Also, how hard is it to install the quad core i7-920XM?

 

The GTX 260M should be fine unless you don't max out all the settings at that resolution. If your budget permits, you can upgrade your GPU to something more faster and you wouldn't have to worry about most current games lag at all with max or ultra settings. You can get something like the 7970/8970M froim AMD which are cheaper than the nVidia counterparts. A lot of people have success with those cards here. If you are interested in the nVidia brand, you can go with a 675M/680M/770M/780M, but those cards require driver mods and disabling onboard sound if I'm not mistaken. Plus those cards are more expensive.

At this point, your CPU would be also okay for Sims 3, because that game is designed to even run on much older machines. But if you decide to upgrade your GPU, then the i7-620 would be a cripple. The 920XM/7970M combo seems to be a fan favorite here and would pretty much seal most high end games on high/ultra settings. Both the processor and graphics card are pretty easy to set up. Just make sure you have thermal paste like IC Diamond 24 for the CPU/GPU die and some thermal pads for the mofsets/vram chips. There are guides on the net on where to put the pads.

If you do decide to upgrade the CPU/GPU, and plan on keeping it at stock/regular speeds, the 150W PSU should be fine. However, it would be in your best interest to get a very cheap l-shaped adapter (Can be found on amazon/ebay for less than $10) which allows for the PSU to supply as much power as it can. Your 150W PSU may supply 200W~ with this. If there is not enough power, the system will slow down the GPU/CPU (Throttle it). The 7970M is a 100W card and with the 920XM overclocked (It would be a waste to not OC it) power usage can hit 220-260W+.! If you get a new GPU, you would kinda need to OC your 920XM.

So if you plan on overclocking both the GPU and CPU, (Which if you do decide to....it would be smart to do so.) I would suggest at least getting a 210W+ PSU with an L-Shaped adapter. Also, if you upgrade to a 920XM, you can also add faster 1333Mhz Ram. Which would provide even faster results. I understand that all this stuff may be costly, so work whatever you can fit on your budget,

You can also buy as you can go. The fact is, these configurations, like mine below for example even rival some of the newer AW models today. There is still plenty of horsepower on these machines. Even though you may only play the Sims 3, Sims 4 is around the corner and if you have a more powerful laptop...you may be inclined to use it for more than you thought! This not only boosts the game, but overall performance of the laptop. Hope this helps.

 

help. I recently got an M15x and it freezes up completely when i try and play any games. what would cause this? I just changed the thermal compound to arctic silver mx2 and kept it nice and thin like one should but the system seems to die when i run any program it just locks up and does nothing.

 

Have you checked temperatures? Try HWInfo64 or MSI Afterburner to monitor temperatures. Which graphics card have you got?

 

Hi guys,

Today my GTX260M stopped working after 3 years of use , i am planning on buying a new notebook and want to hold on to M15x as secondary . Need a suggestion on the GPU , read a lot of threads here on upgrades and i am more confused i am not a pro gamers i rarely play games , but i use lot of Adobe creative software's , i don't mind getting back 260M again, but i feel like i can upgrade to bit more powerful. I never replaced a GPU before so looking for a hassle free GPU that doesn't need any custom mods etc.. just plug and play which one will it be better .

 

Wow... I just saw a tumbleweed roll through here.

Anyway, what's the poop on BIOS upgrades. I have two M15x laptops. One is on A03 the other is on A05. I know that A09 is the latest.

1) Which version is the "best" BIOS?
2) Can I go straight to A0x, skipping all the rest?

EDIT: I found my answer here.
HELP required! Upgrading Bios from A01 to A09 on M15x

 

You should go to A09 on your m15x as thats the absolute latest and final BIOS build for the machine.
But, if it aint broke dont fix it?
Personally i am on A09.

 

Hei guys, I own a alienware m15x with a i7-720qm and gtx 260m. I also have 8gb ddr3 ram @1333ghz.
The question is: Can i upgrade the GPU with a amd firepro m6100?


Ps: Sry for may bad englisch )

 

Im not to sure on that that is a good question.

 

Doesn anyone know if say i were to drop an radeon r9 m290x in my M15x it would work?

 

Hi, can someone help me to figure out where to put thermal pads on K4000M and what thickness of pads should be? For now i have only stock 0.5mm pads on VRAM and 1mm pads on VRAM on another side of the card.

 

not sure about the thickness of thermal pads thinking the .5s would go on the silver parts and the 1s on the vram

 

found this on ebay. it has 9-cell battery It's too late for me to see it and it only ship to U.S

 

The stock green pads are actually around .75mm in size. I think .5mm pads are too thin to make proper contact. 1mm pads should work for the VRAM and VRMs but every card is a bit different so you may want to get both 1mm and 1.5mm sizes. Get some decent pads like Arctic Cooling brand. Try to stay away from cheap generic pads. I find they don't compress at all and are not sticky enough to adhere properly to components. If the pad compresses well, 1.5mm can be used because the pressure from the heatsink will shape them around the components. Pads that don't compress well and are too thick will obstruct the heatsink's heat spreader from making contact with the GPU die.

I uploaded your pic and outlined where pads are supposed to go. Basing it on my results with the M15X and the AMD 7970M and Nvidia 460M GTX, the red section should be using 1mm to 1.5mm pads, and the blue section should be using 5-6mm pads . The blue section consists of transistors which are supposed to be cooled as well, but most people don't bother cooling them. Not sure how hot they actually get on these cards, but I'd rather play it safe and put some pads on them too.

How did you put pads on the underside of the card? I wanted to do this on my 460m GTX but the MXM slot has some big openings so pads would not make contact where the underside VRAMs are.

 

ssd installation (850 evo, or 950) on 2nd mpcie slot possible?

2nd mpcie slot http://forum.notebookreview.com/threads/added-3g-wwan-connection-to-m15x.551820/


Might also be possible to do eGPU like this on the mpcie wifi/2nd mpcie? http://forum.notebookreview.com/threads/lenovo-y580-egpu-test-success.786954/

 

You can't add an msata ssd to the M15X mini pci-e slots. They are mini pci-e slots, but they are not msata slots and are not wired to the Sata bus. Not sure how the egpu would work though. I think most of those systems require integrated Intel graphics to work, which the M15X doesn't have.

 

but the eGPU can output to an external monitor?

 

I think it can. I was looking into these a while back and I think they required Intel graphics to display to the native display, but I think to an external monitor it should work. There are also egpu systems that work with the expresscard slot. Something like this:

http://www.dx.com/p/exp-expresscard...pci-e-16x-interface-black-412508#.VuecTOaLmM8

 

But the expresscard would be considerably slower, no?

 

Should be the same as pci-e 1x which is about 2.5Gbps.

http://www.expresscards.org/expresscard_info_faq_for_expresscard_slots_and_devices.html

 

Not sure if anyone else posted about this before, but just wanted to share a quick and easy way to cover minor chips and scratches on the painted panels. Just use a Sharpie permanent marker. It works wonders especially if you have the black finish, but the silver Sharpies also work great on the silver panels. Can't comment on red though.

 

Awesome, the M15X that I just acquired is covered in paint chips near the keyboard area. I'll try this out. I'll be replacing the LCD lid with a new one since this is scratched beyond repair.

Compared to the newer Alienwares, I love how this still has a full metal build, and may I add a THICK metal build at that . My only gripe would be that it is a glossy finish, not the matte finish that I prefer on the M17X.

 

Actually the panels originally had a semi-glossy finish, more matte than gloss. It could be that the previous owner used some kind of rubbing or polishing compound on the panels to achieve a glossy surface.

If the panels are covered in a lot of chips, you can always remove, sand, and spray with a spray paint can or take them to an auto-body shop and ask them to paint them for you with auto enamel.

 

Double - Post

 

I have amd firepro m6100 & it's using amd radeon hd 8950 graphic drivers on my Alienware m15x & works well with Windows 7 Ultimate 64-bit. Doesn't play pc games properly on windows 10? I have installed amd firepro control center manually as it doesn't work properly on crimson. Cdrive, amd or ati, packages, apps, ccc2, core-static-net4, install it manually. Now play battlefield 4 & 1 & Hardline @ medium to ultra.

 

Yes

I've Alienware m15x Intel i7-720QM at 8GB Ram using Red AMD FirePro M6100 at 2GB GDDR5 on Windows 7 Ultimate.

I'm only using FireGL V drivers but also have newer Radeon AMD HD 8950 drivers for newer PC games.

I'm only using 150w adaptor with centre pin removed but it throttles a lot. So am buying a 330w adaptor soon.

I can play Battlefield Hardline on Medium/High/Ultra but FPS is below 30. I got mine for £100 on eBay uk website. It was a good deal.

I'm also using ~ unlocked A09 Bios but when m15x amd firepro m6100 boots up, in bios doesn't show GPU. Just says ~ shadowed.

To play newer PC games, you'll need Radeon drivers & amd crimson only gives AMD HD 8950 drivers.

This really struggles on Battlefield Hard-line & you can't change graphics option? (Radeon drivers)

But using (firepro GL V drivers) will allow graphics change!

Titanfall works on both drivers at High settings. This PC multiplayer works really well with FPS above 40! & it's really smooth.

Loadout at Steam multiplayer PC games also shows 60 FPS. Well optimised!

But for some reason GTA V does play well on both drivers but on Radeon drivers it doesn't show some roads & sometimes they don't appear properly? Not sure why?

I only play Battlefield type of PC games, so not sure what DOTA 2, League of Legends or some of these other first person shooters would play like.

To be honest, am disappointed with ~ AMD FirePro M6100 ~ 3DMARK score at 3000? Never goes higher!

I would not recommend buying this graphics card!

Imagine at GPU clock 1075MHz it can't even go Ultra on Battlefield 4?

I think it's the 150w adaptor that creates this problem! But am not sure.

Alienware M15x
Intel i7-720QM @ 1.6GHz Quad
Windows 7 Ultimate 64-bit
AMD FirePro M6100 @ 2GB
GPU clock @ 1075MHz
Memory clock @ 1375MHz
Shaders @ 768 Unified
GPU ~ Saturn
October 2013
Dell (Red) mxm 3.0
GPU temp 47°C/Gaming never goes higher then 60°C
500GB HDD
8GB Ram

Hope this information helps!

Am actually going to buy a nVidia GTX970M or GTX 780M because AMD don't support their graphics cards much & think nVidia does a better job at upgrading their GPU's.

I don't like the fact that FirePro M6100 has to change to AMD HD 8950 to play modern PC games & fails @ changing graphics settings & GTA V isn't supported? So what's the point in using Radeon drivers? If I can't play the PC games I like!

Am going back to nVidia but first I'll buy a 330w adaptor & check to see if that helps with throttling?

I still use my Red AMD FirePro M6100 @ 2GB GDDR5.

I've 2 drivers:

(1) AMD FirePro M6100
(2) AMD Radeon HD 8950

I prefer using FirePro drivers but Battlefield 1 doesn't recognise it, so 2nd driver (Radeon) required when playing this!

 

Yes it works!

Alienware M15x
AMD FirePro M6100 @ 2GB
Windows 7 Ultimate
8GB Ram
500GB HDD
Unlocked A09 Bios

Drivers installed:

(1) AMD FirePro M6100
(2) AMD Radeon HD 8950

Would recommend Radeon driver for Battlefield 1 & FirePro driver for Battlefield Hardline @ Medium settings @ 20+FPS. Plays really well!

Titanfall multiplayer @ High settings @ 40FPS & Loadout (Steam PC game) @ High settings @ 60FPS.

 

Edit: Three first links in first post doesnt work - and the videos in the bottom neither.

 

Hey,

I have the m15x, acquired second hand for probably more than I should have paid.

List of upgrades:
940XM CPU
16G RAM
960G SSD
HD5870M.

Just wanted to drop by and say thanks - I was able to upgrade the stock 260M to the 5870M with help from these forums. (Anyone who's done the A01 VBIOS to A00 VBIOS will understand)

 

Latest bios is A09. M15x doesn't have a system vbios hence its unrivaled GPU upgrade-ability and compatibility.

 

If you mean the corrupt colors from using the wrong vbios for that particular card as it was never offered with the M15x. I definitely remember that. Still have my files from back then. How is the 5870M kicking nowadays?

 

I get the same scores as a Ranger 17 with an 880M GTX. *shrugs*

 

Hi Guys!

I'm new to the forum but I've been reading lots of threads about the M15x since I was planning on getting myself one even though it's 2018 now.. (Happy New Year everyone, btw)

I see this thread is kinda dead but maybe someone will reply


So, I bought a used M15x off eBay and it arrived today!

The laptop itself came with these specs and I plan to upgrade it as following;

• CPU 720QM -> 920XM or 940XM
• GPU Unknown -> HD7970/HD8970 or 860M/870M/965M/970M or FirePro M6100 ( Seller said he swapped the GPU and that the laptop stopped working. Need to swap this to see if the GPU is even the reason it's not booting. I read that if the GPU is dead it could cause the laptop to not boot anymore so I should be able to fix it with swapping the GPU. Also, I have a spare brand new M15x motherboard lying around may it be a more complicated problem I can't fix. )
• RAM 2x2GB Samsung DDR3 -> 2x8GB Corsair Vengeance 1600MHz (CMSX16GX3M2B1600C9, will be downclocked to 1333MHz, I know)
• 1TB HDD -> 250GB or 500GB Samsung 850 EVO SSD
• Original Slot-Load Optical Drive -> Slot-Load Blu-Ray Optical Drive or Icy Box IB-AC647 + Samsung 960 EVO
• 6 Cell battery -> 9 Cell battery

It looks to be in overall good shape and I plan on upgrading the parts somewhere next month. Right now I can't tell much else about it since it won't boot at all.

 

I have an m15x and pretty much did the same things:
CPU -> 940XM, GPU -> HD5870M, RAM -> 16G, HDD -> 1TB SSD
i can play most games OK, the CPU is an inferno however and the GPU runs hot as well.

 

the 9-cell battery in your link is for the older machine, not the m15x though and IMO getting a caddy bay is much more useful than the bluray optical drive (unless you want to watch bluray videos and installing games using bluray discs)

 

Newest bench performed by me, undervolted to 0.95V:
https://www.3dmark.com/3dm11/12738563

 

Hi. finnaly switched from Ati 5850m to (Dell) Nvidia GTX970M card!

any here custom vbios for this card?

http://forum.notebookreview.com/threads/best-vbios-config-for-gtx-970m.798169/

seems if for clevo cards



is ok if accept the ID change?

greetings