Upgrading to 5870 with a few questions...

I know there is a thread that is dedicated to this but it is 50 some pages long. And that's with my setting thing to 30 post per page. I have a couple questions, I did read a majority of that thread but I am still very confused. Do I need Bios A05 to run the 5870. Will my stock heat sink work. I have a 260m currently. Is it worth it getting the 5870 or should I go with the 460m since it seems it runs cooler than the 5870 does. I'm going to purchase from RJ-Tech but like I said I'm a bit overwhelmed with if I should take the plunge or not. Thanks for your help.

 

Well, A05 is a fairly old bios, if you'll see we're running rev A09 now, so you probably would want to flash up to that bios. As for your other question I'm not entirely sure, but I'd take a guess on saying the stock heatsink & clamp would work.

 

A05 was the first BIOS which was able to handle the 5870, but this version is now obsolete. I highly recommend going to rev A09.

The stock heatsink will work, the cards have all the same layout.


Whether 460m or 5870 is difficult to say, it's a matter of taste imo. They perform about similarly, the ATI may perform a bit better but I guess this varies from one game to another.

Getting the card from Dell might be worth a thought... as far as I remember there are sometimes some issues with the clevo cards. For example I think the audio through DisplayPort doesn't work with the 460m from Clevo if I'm not mistaken.

 

rj tech sells the clevo version, if your system still has warranty i suggest getting the dell 5850, essentially they are the same card, but the dell version seems to oc better and have better thermals. plus you will have power play and audio through hdmi/dp. plus the card will be warrantied with the system.

if your gonna get the clevo card, keep in mind that power play doesn't work. you will have to downclock the card manually when idle. not hard but is a hassle to do. also you will have to use the x-mounting plate from your existing card to use on the clevo card.

also when buying a new card i suggest ordering some high quality thermal pads ahead of time for your vram, those tend to get very hot on the clevo 5870, the dell 5850 is a bit better.

 

Let me join Inap in urging you to go the Dell 5850 route. PowerPlay is a big advantage in everyday use, plus it o/c's better than the Clevo 5870. I have both, and the 5850m is the clear winner.

 

Thanks for the advice guys, I am going to go with the 5850. So how does it work in terms of ordering and such. I just purchased my M15x, it's a refurb. but what I was wondering is if I ordered the 5850 from Dell would they have to install it so it would be warrantied or would they allow me to install it and still keep my warranty.

 

most of the time dell would have it installed for you, but you can ask to install it yourself, or call the technician they assign to you to just drop it off.

 

What would be the best number to call to order the part. Or should I just call the generic Dell number.