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    [GUIDE] Installing and Overclocking the AMD Mobility 7970 in the M17x R3,an illustrated guide

    Discussion in 'Alienware 17 and M17x' started by SlickDude80, Apr 24, 2012.

  1. widezu69

    widezu69 Goodbye Alienware

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    All except for the 580m :)
     
    widezu69, Apr 26, 2012
    #51
  2. bigtonyman

    bigtonyman Desktop Powa!!!

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    Ah nvm then, sorry for my ignorance :p

    Sent from my Samsung Galaxy S2 using tapatalk 2
     
    bigtonyman, Apr 26, 2012
    #52
  3. long2905

    long2905 Notebook Virtuoso

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    Do you think it is safe to use the new revision heatsink of GTX 580M on 7970M? In other words, your heatsink :p
     
    long2905, Apr 26, 2012
    #53
  4. maxheap

    maxheap caparison horus :)

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    DON'T DON'T DON'T please long, don't do it, just get the heatsink, please for me don't do it bro!!!
     
    maxheap, Apr 26, 2012
    #54
  5. long2905

    long2905 Notebook Virtuoso

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    oh okay dont worry I won't I promise! :( i still keep my 6990M heatsink around so yeah. :(

    And please keep us posted on your card :(.
     
    long2905, Apr 26, 2012
    #55
  6. SlickDude80

    SlickDude80 Notebook Prophet

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    I've updated the guide to reflect the unfortunate situation.

    I warn now to NOT use the 580m heatsink. :( :(

    Also added the removal of blacktape from the 460m heatsink... thnx BigT for the pic
     
    SlickDude80, Apr 26, 2012
    #56
  7. Redeka

    Redeka Notebook Consultant

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    In the process of ordering my 7970 from upgradeyourlaptop. Where does a guy buy the AMD heatsink? I messaged the seller but I was hoping to find out from one of you guys right away where I can get one of heatsinks from...
     
    Redeka, Apr 26, 2012
    #57
  8. widezu69

    widezu69 Goodbye Alienware

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    What card do you have at the moment?
     
    widezu69, Apr 26, 2012
    #58
  9. OrganDonor

    OrganDonor Notebook Enthusiast

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    I just ordered one from upgradeyourlaptop and wanted to check that the stock 6970m heat sink = 6990m heat sink = 7970m heat sink?

    I'm coming from a stock 6970m and just want to make sure my parts will work with the new card. I know that the 6990m and 7970m heat sinks are the same, but I'm just not sure if the 6970m and 6990m heat sinks are equivalent.
     
    OrganDonor, Apr 26, 2012
    #59
  10. Redeka

    Redeka Notebook Consultant

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    ATM I have the 580m
     
    Redeka, Apr 26, 2012
    #60
  11. ObserverJLin

    ObserverJLin Notebook Evangelist

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    What fps you getting in crysis2 with 7979m @1920x1080?
    Thx in advance.
     
    ObserverJLin, Apr 26, 2012
    #61
  12. KCETech1

    KCETech1 Notebook Prophet

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    KCETech1, Apr 26, 2012
    #62
  13. hanser

    hanser Notebook Consultant

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    ok so the users with Nvidia card like me ... becaus ei have the 580m we can have isses with the 7970m pads...?
     
    hanser, Apr 26, 2012
    #63
  14. KCETech1

    KCETech1 Notebook Prophet

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    according to slick and graz-zt the 580 heatsink WONT work right, get a 6970/6990/7970 heatsink and pads
     
    KCETech1, Apr 26, 2012
    #64
  15. SlickDude80

    SlickDude80 Notebook Prophet

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    i think the 6970 and 6990 heatsinks are the same...someone please correct me if i'm wrong
     
    SlickDude80, Apr 26, 2012
    #65
  16. widezu69

    widezu69 Goodbye Alienware

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    All GPU heatsinks apart from the 580m one are the same. The only difference is the arrangement of pads. And even then, the 6990m and 6970m pad arrangement is identical.
     
    widezu69, Apr 26, 2012
    #66
  17. SlickDude80

    SlickDude80 Notebook Prophet

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    its good

    i did a test level yesterday...crysis 2, dx11 with high rez texture pack installed, 1080p ULTRA

    it never dropped below 40fps...normally mid 40's to low 50s. Apparently, that was really good for that level because it had smoke effects etc
     
    SlickDude80, Apr 26, 2012
    #67
  18. LaptopNut

    LaptopNut Notebook Virtuoso

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    I ordered the heatsink from 'upgradeyourlaptop' along with the thermal pads. He suggested this after I mentioned that my current GPU was a GTX 485M.
     
    LaptopNut, Apr 26, 2012
    #68
  19. maxheap

    maxheap caparison horus :)

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    we thought it would have been safe... I mean no one ever went from 485m/580m to amd before (I guess I was the first) as it doesn't make any sense buying that premium and putting it to the bookshelve for the same performance (6990m).. well, life :)
     
    maxheap, Apr 26, 2012
    #69
  20. Redeka

    Redeka Notebook Consultant

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    What was his price for the heatsink?
     
    Redeka, Apr 26, 2012
    #70
  21. bigtonyman

    bigtonyman Desktop Powa!!!

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    sorry you still can't get it working dude. I Guess somebody had to do it the hard way and figure it out. :(
     
    bigtonyman, Apr 26, 2012
    #71
  22. maxheap

    maxheap caparison horus :)

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    tell me bro, let's hope there is something table can figure out...
     
    maxheap, Apr 26, 2012
    #72
  23. SlickDude80

    SlickDude80 Notebook Prophet

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    i sure hope so...
     
    SlickDude80, Apr 26, 2012
    #73
  24. LaptopNut

    LaptopNut Notebook Virtuoso

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    It cost $75 (£46 for me). Maybe you will be able to find a cheap one on Ebay or from the sales area here though. I just couldn't be bothered to track one down.
     
    LaptopNut, Apr 26, 2012
    #74
  25. The Revelator

    The Revelator Notebook Prophet

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    Call Dell and ask for/select Alienware Parts. The P/N is YHP1P - MXM Thermal Module Blackcomb XT. I just purchased a HS assembly for the 580M from Dell; the price was $24.99 + S&H. The two heatsinks are very similar, so I expect the price would be the same or nearly so, but don't know.

    1-877-717-3355.
     
    The Revelator, Apr 27, 2012
    #75
  26. hanser

    hanser Notebook Consultant

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    So i muyst wait the 680m>????
     
    hanser, Apr 27, 2012
    #76
  27. bigtonyman

    bigtonyman Desktop Powa!!!

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    unless you go and buy a different heat sink. If not, your gonna have to wait for the next gen nvidia flagship. ;)
     
    bigtonyman, Apr 27, 2012
    #77
  28. maxheap

    maxheap caparison horus :)

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    seriously Revelator??? wow I almost bought from ebay for 100... do they ask why you are buying it (I mean for example I have 580m, can I ask the heatsink for 6990m?)
     
    maxheap, Apr 27, 2012
    #78
  29. The Revelator

    The Revelator Notebook Prophet

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    Yep, no hassle. I have the reverse situation in that my original configuration included the 6990M (which is reflected in Dell's computer under my Service Tag). I just told the nice lady that I had added a 580M, but it was running hot because I had the wrong heatsink and needed to replace it with the proper one. I may have told her that replacement was recommended by Dell-Bill_B, but I got no resistance. Three days later I had the new heatsink. Just tell them you have a 6990M and the heatsink was damaged and needs to be replaced.
     
    The Revelator, Apr 27, 2012
    #79
  30. maxheap

    maxheap caparison horus :)

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    after hearing this, wanna kill myself... :(
     
    maxheap, Apr 27, 2012
    #80
  31. hanser

    hanser Notebook Consultant

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    soo... no matter what car di get 680m or the 7970m it wil be the sam eproblem with the heatsink?
     
    hanser, Apr 27, 2012
    #81
  32. bigtonyman

    bigtonyman Desktop Powa!!!

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    No clue what the 68X is gonna bring to the table, but at the 7970m doesn't work with the 580m heatsink as per gratz's test........

    Sent from my Samsung Galaxy S2 using tapatalk 2
     
    bigtonyman, Apr 27, 2012
    #82
  33. maxheap

    maxheap caparison horus :)

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    a very expensive one ;)
     
    maxheap, Apr 27, 2012
    #83
  34. hanser

    hanser Notebook Consultant

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    sooo i need to buy one tanks god im going to start workin on monday jaja XDS!
     
    hanser, Apr 27, 2012
    #84
  35. weiRDwei

    weiRDwei Newbie

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    Can I xfire this on my m18x?
     
    weiRDwei, Apr 27, 2012
    #85
  36. SlickDude80

    SlickDude80 Notebook Prophet

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    yes you can. i know someone that had an ES m18x r2 and they were testing the 7970m xfire on them.

    I also have the driver they used for that testing

    HOWEVER, no one i know has actually done this on a production m18x r1 so i don't know any of the pitfalls or strategies
     
    SlickDude80, Apr 27, 2012
    #86
  37. maxheap

    maxheap caparison horus :)

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    what is your current config?
     
    maxheap, Apr 27, 2012
    #87
  38. ObserverJLin

    ObserverJLin Notebook Evangelist

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    I heard from someone that Nvidia is better bc it has CUDA cores and that works very well when rendering videos in Sony Vegas Pro/Adobe Premiere Pro and AMD's 7970M will render much slower.
    I am wondering will GTX680M be much more expensive than 7970M and will it be able to out perform 7970m?

    Oh and it would great if someone knew when GTX680M will be out so I can decide whether to go with AMD or Nvidia.
     
    ObserverJLin, Apr 27, 2012
    #88
  39. Redeka

    Redeka Notebook Consultant

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    I already worked something out with someone on this forum, but I was curious about how much dell was selling them for. When I called them up I told them which part number I needed, at which point he said they were in stock. Once he asked for my service tag he told me that that was the wrong part. I was honest with him and explained I was putting in a 7970m and I needed and AMD heatsink, at which point he quickly told me they were out of stock. Coincidence...I don't know lol
     
    Redeka, Apr 27, 2012
    #89
  40. SlickDude80

    SlickDude80 Notebook Prophet

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    LOL...you should have told them that the they had the wrong info in their computer.

    its $25 from dell
     
    SlickDude80, Apr 27, 2012
    #90
  41. bigtonyman

    bigtonyman Desktop Powa!!!

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    haha ill have to remember that one.... :p
     
    bigtonyman, Apr 27, 2012
    #91
  42. Meaker@Sager

    Meaker@Sager Company Representative

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    What thickness is the rear pad?
     
    Meaker@Sager, Apr 27, 2012
    #92
  43. SlickDude80

    SlickDude80 Notebook Prophet

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    which one are you referring to?
     
    SlickDude80, Apr 27, 2012
    #93
  44. Meaker@Sager

    Meaker@Sager Company Representative

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    Well then16f2 uses posts, not a bracket so the top one.
     
    Meaker@Sager, Apr 27, 2012
    #94
  45. SlickDude80

    SlickDude80 Notebook Prophet

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    its about 1 - 1.5mm
     
    SlickDude80, Apr 27, 2012
    #95
  46. King of Interns

    King of Interns Simply a laptop enthusiast

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    Great work! Does this baby run cooler than the 6990M at both idle and load? If so this may well be the next upgrade for my M15x :D

    Repped mate.
     
    King of Interns, Apr 27, 2012
    #96
  47. SlickDude80

    SlickDude80 Notebook Prophet

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    thnx

    They run about the same for me...maybe the 7970m runs a tad cooler, but we are only talking about +- a few degrees tops.

    There is a nice thread in the m15x forums about the 7970m. Member table21 has one in his m15x and is scoring 5300 3dmark11s. Another member with a m15x has his 7970m in the mail right now.

    Exciting times :)
     
    SlickDude80, Apr 27, 2012
    #97
  48. King of Interns

    King of Interns Simply a laptop enthusiast

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    Indeed. I read also that the tdp is in the same 100W tdp ballpark but the cores under and overclock automatically depending on the load. This is a great step forward if true!

    If I get it I may to get 3dmark11 for the first time, OC the 920xm to 3.33ghz and see what score I can get :D
     
    King of Interns, Apr 27, 2012
    #98
  49. hanser

    hanser Notebook Consultant

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    any information of when is going to be out this baby? or i wait to the 680m?
     
    hanser, Apr 27, 2012
    #99
  50. The Revelator

    The Revelator Notebook Prophet

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    Out now.

    [​IMG]
     
    The Revelator, Apr 28, 2012
    #100
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