GPU upgrade with gtx675m or 7970m in MSI GT680 (few questions)

Hi all...
I own a MSI GT680 and I would like to upgrade the GPU.
My questions are:
Does the 7970m and GTX675m (2 or 4 GB) works with this notebook model?
Which graphic card is better in terms of performance and issues for this notebook model - 7970m or GTX675m?
Do I have to buy a new heat sink or does the stock one from GTX460m fit both of these cards (7970m or GTX675m)?
Do I have to upgrade the vbios in these cards in order to make them work on this notebook?
The original PSU is 150W. Do I have to buy a new PSU with 180W or 220W?

Thanks for your answer.

 

Afaik 16F2 doesn't support 7970m.

The 7970m is about twice as fast than the 675M. I recommend getting the 675MX from Riri-Fifi (I've heard it can OC to above stock 680M levels).
Yes, you need a new heatsink or modifying your existing one for either card (Check with majster_msi on the marketplace - he has heatsinks).

You may have to upgrade the vBios, but it should run stock.
You are very unlikely to need a bigger PSU unless you do mad OC. I can use my 150W PSU with my 7970m overclocked and my 920xm also overclocked massively.

 

16F2 works fine with the 7970M.

Its the optimus machines from MSI that don't.

 

Thx for the wisdom mate Soooo yea... go for 7970m.

 

Thank you for your suggestions. Except ebay, where can I get such a GPU 7970m?
In case of GTX675m who is Riri-Fifi?

 

Riri-Fifi is one of the forum members here. You can find one of his listings for a 675MX on the marketplace (under Computer Components).
Outside of ebay, there's various options depending on your location. You can contact MSI themselves and purchase it as a service part, along with the heatsink for it. This will be very expensive, and unless you have the serial number for one of the compatible machines or are friendly with a service tech, you may have problems with this.
You can try to buy a card off of one of the members here (they pop up in the marketplace every so often - i just purchased 2 of them yesterday).
You can look around the forums in your country, or contact one of the boutique sellers that has the parts (Eurocom, etc.).

I suggest looking over the marketplace on this forum over the next few days. I have a hunch about 4 cards will pop up for sale

 

AFAIK the 675MX does not work in the 16F2 like the 680M.

 

I have 7970m from my MSI 16F2 I had before, sold bare laptop and kept all the upgrade parts so message me if youre interested. awesome performer of a card and excelent temperatures and stable 200%. Suitable for all kind non-UEFI and UEFI equipped laptops so no chance to go wrong.

BR

 

675mx probably won't work in GT680.

Based on info and experienced i gathered when i upgraded to 7970m on a gt780:
- dell cards have low height capicators vs clevo cards
- gx60 heatsink should work without modding on a dell card, may need to shave some stuff down for a clevo card
- dell 015.022 vbios card may not boot (UEFI related), not exactly sure
- a clevo card w/ clevo p1X0em vbios will not display, need to blindflash to clevo p1X0hm vbios or dell 015.017 vbios
- could not install ati drivers with clevo vbios, but works wonderfully with dell 015.017 vbios
- to eliminate cpu throttling during gaming, use throttlestop and turn off BD-PROCHOT
- fan will not respond to gpu temp, because EC is only capable of reading nvidia gpu temp, you will have to use turbofan whenever the gpu gets hot

 

Hmmm... Now I have doubts. Some say that they have no problem some say that there are a lot of things which might go wrong. I believe that I have to risk and see what the odds are.
In case of heatsink I would go with the one from majster_msi if he has it available (for 675m or 7970m).
Any way I have to check my budget and decide what's the best option. I hope that in case of an unsuccessful result I find a buyer for the card.

 

I want to send you a pm but I can not do it. I think I have some restrictions. Could you pls give me your e-mail?

 

I think you need to have minimum 5 posts before you get Private Messaging feature enabled on your account, so 1 more post and you can PM me

There has never been anybody running GTX 680m on GT680/680R/683/683R/683DXR/*any MS16F2 platform whatsoever. Also Many has had problems running even GTX 580m aka GTX 675m. I'm not sure about GTX 675MX but it may be same story as 680m since the same architecture.

7970m cards of proper versions has always been the key to performance on all MSI's of Clarksfield and Sandybridge technology.

 

Eventually you will have to upgrade the stock CPU (i7-2630QM). For the time being it should be enough with 7970m in most of the games.

 

Right now I focus on the GPU because the 460m is the bottleneck of my notebook. Nevertheless on my HD Ready TV (1360x768) all of games looks amazing with the graphic options set to maximum even ultra (metro last light or crysis 3). On the native notebook's display (1920x1080) there's no way to achieve good performance in this game on maximum or ultra.

 

I have had i7-2670QM + 7970m combo in my MSI GT683R before, did benchmarks and various testing, and I have upgraded to i7-2860QM(max performance/money ratio for this machine) and improvements were so minor, it only benefits if you are desperate on CPU computing applications, otherwise gaming performance has not increased so much I could justify CPU worth upgrading from i7-2670QM to anything above unless you really need faster CPU for more demanding processing, but gaming performance may have only increased 1-2 FPS MAXXX for all that extra money. Better buy quicker SSD and Faster CL RAM

 

Well 5 posts and no option for private e-mailing :/

 

Weird, try log-out from the NBR website and log-in again

 

I have a 16F2 (GT680) with the GT460M and am suffering from low fps and GPU throttling.
I'm very interested in a 7970m upgrade.

I understand that I'll need to use alternate software to manage fans.
Where can I get a 7970m ?

 

If you use an ec from a 580m version you would be fine actually on the fan.

Ebay or the members market here for the heatsink and card.

 

I have one 7970m for sale

 

I need to know a bit more...
It seems that the Clevo 7970m is the one to get for a BIOS (not UEFI) laptop. I read that the Dell won't work.
The 7970m on eBay seems to cost a lot. Is it better just to sell the GT680 and buy a Clevo ?

If I do go ahead with the mod, I'll need a Dremel and some heat pads. I'm fine with that.
Are there some good threads showing exactly what needs Dremelling or is it pretty obvious ?
And what heat pads to get and where from ?

Re: the fans issue.... What's the guidance on that ?
I'm thinking I can't just flash a different EC or vBIOS can I ?
If I go the 7970m route, the MSI GT680 will never be able to read the temps from the video card and I'll always have to run the fans in turbo mode when gaming... Is this correct ?

I think I should just try the EC from the 580m version first to see how that goes.

Pretty annoyed that MSI can so badly tune a laptop that's supposed to be for gaming.

 

I'm reading about people bricking their whitebones MS-16F2s by flashing EC from MSI web site so I'm scared.
Where would I get EC firmware for a GT580M video card version that will work on my MSI branded GT680-055AU ?
Are downloads for the MSI GT683DX/GT683DXR what I need ?

Also the MSI web-site has only non-Windows 8 for download... I'm now running Windows 8 but the laptop is BIOS (not UEFI) so I suppose the non-Windows 8 is the right download.
Odd thing is that it's the same file I've previously downloaded so I think I'm already running this EC.
Is the EC from the GT680 page with the same file name different from the one on the GT683DX page ????
I doubt it because the file name is 16F2_424.zip.

Turbo fan mode seems to have reduced throttling but my FPS is still not good under World of Tanks.... (dropping to 11 fps at times).
It seems that the GT460m is just too under powered for 1080 gaming.

 

#1 You will get DELL card with older VBIOS and it will work 150% perfect - Like I said - I HAVE ONE LIKE THIS 7970m FOR SALE
#2 You Can still monitor laptop GPU temperatures just fine, and these cards dont run too hot anyway, there are very hard to impossible to find game that will use GPU only and NO CPU or not enough CPU to generate enough airflow to cool GPU - BS
#3 In example: I had MSI GT683R, originally came with NVidia GTX560m, I dont even know if my laptop had fan control over temperature monitoring from GPU, but I have never ever ran in to temperatures above 70c on heavy load without turbo fan so take this!
#4 in worst case scenario if youre sceptic about fan control or want to run extra cool - just enable Turbo FAN anytime you need I had no issues with this EVER, and I have never ever heard anybody with 7970m overheating most I think overheating 7970m in MSI is a myth
#5 You dont have to flash ANYTHING, just get proper card and plug-and-play!
#6 SIMPLE AS THAT
#7 ENJOY

 

I used a dell 7970m in my 16f2 too.

 

UltraGSM,

I've got the 150W Delta "ADP-150NB D".
Will I need to upgrade to the 180W ?

I'm currently on the latest 16F2 EC, No need to change that ?
No need to flash a different vBIOS either you say ?

Sounds good... I don't mind running turbo fan as I wear a head set.

The thing I need to know is will the existing heat sink work with just a bit of Dremeling and some thermal pads ?
Is there a good guide on going from a 460m to a 7970m in the MS-16F2 ?

How much do you want for the 7970m ?
(I cannot PM yet so you'll need to PM me).

 

You will want a 180W brick.

 

You will want 180W Power Supply 100% (only if you dont OC 7970m and if you use some 35W TDP CPU like i3-i5 maybe you would be ok with 150W PSU but still, YOU WILL NEED 180W PSU)

You dont need to change anything in your laptop BIOS

You dont need to change anything in your OEM DELL 7970m VBIOS / no need to flash to any other version, when you get OLD type 7970m it has everything ready from factory for plug and play to machine like yours.

You could use turbo fan just to stabilize any high temperatures that may occur but you may try run without TURBO FAN switch and you still may never need to worry about temperatures, just like I have had my good experience with MSI+7970m

About your heatsink - No, you will need to get proper MSI 7970m Heatsink - if you browse trough NBR For Sale thread there is person in name of majster_msi selling all type needed heatsinks with perfect fit and all thermal pads and thermal paste pre-applied for easy installation
Otherwise you can use some DIY - I did use my original Nvidia heatsink but I had to shave EVERYTHING OFF I have pictures somewhere I will locate little later this evening and will post here, and all I was left with was just one aluminium plate and copper block for GPU die. I had to do custom job on thermal pads and very accurate measuring on spacing between heatsink and card components, making thermal-pads-sandwiches all over the heatsink so it touches all appropriate chips and voltage regulators and etc, requires alot of patience, super-precision, and probably 10-15 times reinstallation of the GPU after every time re-checking if all thermal pads clearances are OK within the card and heatsink.

When you have appropriate amount of post rating - then you can PM me and we could discuss the matter further maybe. (you need to have 5 post rating on your account to have PM feature)

BR

 

Thanks for the further info Ultra,

I'll now look into all the other issues (heat sink, power supply) and get back to you soon.

 

The other option is to go all out and mod a high end brick ofc, but that's not for the feint of heart

 

In case if you couldn`t find topic about heatsink:
http://forum.notebookreview.com/com...570m-560m-580m-5870m-460m-670m-675m-680m.html

 

With a Dell 7970m on the 015.017 vBIOS, a proper HS from majster_msi and a 180 PSU brick is it expected that all will be well ?

Some are talking about laptop shutdowns due to excessive power draw ?
Is there a software or hardware mod to eliminate this (or is it not a problem) ?

i.e. do I need to do any of the below:

• undervolt the GPU
• underclock the GPU
• disable two cores in the CPU

 

^^^

Never in my life ever experienced single shutdown due to any power draw while with 940XM + 7970m & same with 2860QM + 7970m , both setups used 180W PSU

No need to do anything just enjoy

 

Does the same hold true for the 680m? For instance, if I were to buy this one ( Dell NVIDIA GeForce GTX 680M Alienware M18x M17x Laptop Video Card 680M 2GB | eBay), the heatsink from majster, the upgraded power supply, and some good thermal goo, I could just pop the lot into my laptop (gt683r) and be rolling? I have never flashed a vBIOS, but I'm ready to learn!

 

here was the images of my work on NVIDIA heatsink to work with 7970m
http://forum.notebookreview.com/msi/659226-7970m-heatsink-modification-7.html#post9269075


as for 680m - no matter what you do, you will not get it to work in GT683R or any MS16F2, save time and effort, buy 7970m

 

Bah. That's too bad. I would go with the ATI, but literally every time I've bought an ATI video card, something has gone wrong. Most recently, on my school laptop, the drivers sometimes freak out causing pretty little glitches everywhere....

Do you know if, say the 580m works? Do others in the 600 series work, such as the 675MX or the 670m?

Rats! I was all excited to do this upgrade... Maybe I'll just snatch up the 7970, sell the laptop, and buy a new one with the 680m (or, even better, wait for a 780m!)

 

Not sure about the 580m.. which is what the 675m was a re-brand of. The 675mx has been reported as a no go. The 670m is a re-branded 570m with slight voltage and clock bump. There are reports eslewhere that the 770m work in the 16f2, but nobody is showing proof so I don't buy it. As it stands it still looks like the 7970m is the fast 16f2'ers can get.

 

All kepler based 6XX series cards don't work. Thats 670mx, 675mx, 680m. A reputable guy over at techinferno msi forums is saying the 770m works. It makes no sense that would work, since the 770m is basically the 670mx with better gpu boost and faster clocks. I haven't seen any proof though. The 780m does not work. The 770m is somewhat close to 7970m performance levels, and will likely overclock alot better.

 

It might have a slightly different vbios which does not have the same issue, but I will believe it when I see it.

The 7970M is significantly faster in a non enduro setup anyway.

 

http://forum.notebookreview.com/com...play-r7970m-heatsink-7970m-msi-notebooks.html

 

Sorry to bring up an old thead..

Interested in upgrading my MSI GT683 gtx 560m to the 7970m. Found on eBay Dell Alienware M17x M18x HD 7970M HD7970M 2GB GDDR5 Video Card 09XVK3 9XVK3 | eBay

Would this work?

@majster msi do you still have that Heatsink + 7970 for sale?

Thanks

 

i use the GTX770M with Mod OC vBIOS in the MS-16F2. The Price for GPU and Heatsink was around 300Euro.

 

The 770m is the safe choice while the 7970M is slightly more involved but offers more performance.

 

Would this heatsink work with the GTX 770m? MSI Heat Sink NVIDIA GTX570 GTX580 GTX670 GTX675 E31 0405765 Y31 | eBay

and this 770m NVIDIA GeForce GTX 770M 3GB DDR5 MXM 3 0 Type B for MSI Alienware | eBay

Thanks for your replies

 

no, you need the heatsink for GTX670MX, GTX675MX, GTX680M, GTX770M, GTX780M, GTX870M, GTX880M.

Use this auktion from "mokkin": http://www.ebay.de/itm/Nvidia-GeFor...8?pt=DE_Computer_Sonstige&hash=item4185266d12 then comes the Card from UK.

This is the best Heatsink for the GTX770M: Original MSI Heat Sink Kühler nVidia GTX780 GTX770 E31-0406580-Y31 | eBay

And this is the "normal" version without CPU Bridge: New Original MSI Heat Sink nVidia GTX670MX GTX675MX GTX680M E31-0406162-Y31 | eBay which I also use in my device.

 

Is this heatsink with thermal bridge compatible with 16F2?

Thanks

 

of course. The MSI GT series devices are always identical to each other in terms of heatsink. You have different heatsinks for the different DIE's the GPU. The fit in the housing is always the same.

 

Are you sure you can use gk104 heatsinks with the gk106?

 

Hello 770m heatsink with CPU Bridget works well on the heatsink of 683 normal?

 

@Meaker Yes, I'm sure. MSI uses the heat pipe, in all the GT series devices permanently since the GTX770M.

@luisky Yes, it is mounted with the rear bolts.

 

MSI heatsinks use aluminium posts to match the vrm positions, heatsinks for the 580M don't fit the 680m for instance as the posts hit components on the pcb.

So unless you have physically checked it then it likely won't work.