Upgrading from GTX 460M to 580M heatsink question.

Hey guys, hope you can give some professional advice.
I'm upgrading my Alienware m17x R3 with GTX 460 to GTX 580M. Do you have any idea if i will need of another heatsink since the original one of 460M seems to be more square and the core/crystal of the GTX 580M is more rectangular ........ However when i cleaned absolutely at all the core/crystal heat sink cover/plate it covers exactly the chip and some of the metal rectangle around the core but it doesn't reach the wide end of the metal rectangle so i was wondering if this gonna be an issue or if the chip is covered than i'm OK?

I cannot show you real pictures now since i'm still waiting for the GTX 580M to arive but i upload 460m and 580m to get the picture about the main chip physical difference.

Any advice will be much appreciated - Thanks guys.

 

The black chip is what needs to be covered; you're OK as long as that's the case. Absolutely make sure the heatsink sits flat on the chip.

I'd strongly recommend checking with our members in the Alienware 17 and M17x Forum to make sure the heatsink from the GTX 460M is beefy enough to handle the GTX 580M. Copper is one of the most expensive components in a notebook; computer manufacturers typically include a heatsink with just enough capacity to handle the component it's paired with.

 

Thank you Charles, I'll have it in mind and will try to reach for some more information.