[Guide] Installing AMD Radeon Mobility 6970 / 6990 in your M17x R2 (Single GPU and CrossfireX)

Definitely I'll detail everything out as best as I can.

 

Great! I am leaning towards the dual 240 watt adapters as the 330 watts are too expensive and too hard to come by imo..

 

Yeah exactly what aarpcard mentioned. So is there any point to doing this at all?

 

this is what i fried idk how my error most likely laptop doesnt mind it



crysis warhead is only game that blacks out my laptop and AC adapter i think this is because crysis has a built in adapter reading software (top right shows power status) idk thats my guess but ive played NFS and dead space 2 fine so far on max set.....the vantage bench was thing that blackout my laptop also yesterday havent tried it im most certain it will black it out idk why..

my specs are
win7 x64 8g ram
i7 920xm
sata 500g drive
Mata BD-RE UJ235A
custom crylo+removed vents shielding for better air flow on laptop+tape mod dont need clip mod with clevos screws..
xfire 6990m

 

Hi Stealth,

Thanks for the pictures...so is it the cable itself that got fried? If so that shouldn't be too expensive to replace (not sure how hard they are to find however).

 

yea it is....i just tried bench again and laptop blackd out i think laptop has a voltage sensor inside...if it passes its original voltage limit it will shut off im assuming that is seeing how it blacks out on crysis and benches..aarp needs to try em on his adapter.

 

How did the cable get fried and did the piece it plugs onto fry?

 

yes the middle of the piece melted....ok so i think i figured out the problem...my theory is that i need more power since i just tried the 240 just to see what happens and the same exact problem happens with black outs but while loading misson not 2 sec into game like on 330 so i think this 330 adapter doesn't give out 330 watts right away it gives abit more then 240 but then it waits for a signal from I.D cable for more and thats something i cant do if i reconnect I.D cable while its pluged to my laptop i lose the 330 capability on laptop..i can play some games now at max set. like NFS hot persuit/dead space 2/fable3 maybe they dont draw as much as crysis.....im stuck

aarp how much for your finished final version of your adapter? lol srsly >.>

 

Just get a diode bridge, 20A should do just fine

 

The only diodes I was able to get my hands on was a bridge rectifier rated at 240v and 35A hopefully the voltage drop isn't too much

 

It won't, nowadays they're better than what they used to be.

 

Eh, I figure it's worth a shot while I'm waiting with nothing to do. I got a bridge rectifier here rated at 1000v at 25amps. I think the VF is kinda high though, can't remember what it was the last time I measured it. I'll try it out and post results in a bit.

 

The bridge rectifier works. I did a run with 3D mark 11. Stock gpu clocks and slight cpu clock with a 150mv overvolt. Both power supplies shared the load equally (as far as I can tell).

The bridge rectifier got hot, so I mounted it on a heatsink with some AS5. Throughout the whole 3D mark run, it got to a max of 126F or 52C. Idle temps on the bridge rectifier are 115F or 46C. VF is 0.5 volts.

I do need this rectifier for the flyback transformer in my coilgun, so I can't use this as a permanent set up. When the new diodes come, hopefully I'll see similar or better results.

 

Hmm. Am i going to have issues running 6990s? Havent had time to read much here this weekend.

 

I'm inclined to say no. Just be extra careful/cautious when installing and monitoring them.

Update on the PSU: After about an hour of minecraft while simultaneously watching a documentary on by external monitor, temps on the rectifier are steady at 125F or 52C. Everythings stable, and judging by the equal warmth in the PSU's they're definitely sharing the load. The 480watt PSU is alive! hehe

Next gonna try Crysis.

 

Awesome work aarpcard!!

 

Awesome, not to keen about the heat sink but at least it works

 

Yeah, me either, but when it's all done, I'm gonna put it in a small manageable box with a cooling fan hopefully (might not need the fan). I tested it without the heatsink. Temps shot up dangerously high within a few seconds. I think the heatsink is required. Maybe the new diodes will be different.

 

Is the 240watt adaptor fine for an R2 with i7 720qm and 6970 crossfire running at stock speeds? I will upgrade later to the i7 920xm but for now it is the 6970's I want.

 

yes the 240w adapter is ok for the 6970m CFX and the 920XM provided they are at stock speeds
What kind of heat sink did you use? can you post a picture?

 

Yeah for now I plan to run the 6970s and 920xm off the 240W adapter. Although if aarpcard starts to re-produce his awesome adapter, I definitely want to be in line for that

 

Here's some pictures. It's kinda sloppy, because it's obviously not permanent. I need both the rectifier and the heatsink for my coil gun. The heatsink is from a Pentium 3 desktop computer.

 

Thanks for that

 

Kenny,

You expecting to receive your 6990s today?

 

Yeah hopefully.... I should be home in about 2hrs, I'll update then

 

I knew it, that's great. If you ever come by a stock AMD heatsink you'll find that it's almost a perfect fit

+1 your way.

 

Excellent

Are you also going to use two PSU's? Would be great to see your results!

Aarpcard, where did you get your female DC jack that fits the Alienware 240 watt adapter? They don't look like a standard sizing...

 

Pretty much as soon as I got home, I here a beep beep from the courier who had my cards, I was so stoked
Just uninstalling drivers now will update soon
yes I'm waiting for the second Psu in the mail

 

omg omg omg omg omg

 

Awesome, can't wait to hear how it's going!

 

Aarpcard, i am trying to find a bridge rectifier to use but I am unsure of which to choose.

A 35amp 400v should be more than enough but is there any that you recommend? I assume that there are some bridge rectifier's that have a lower VF than others but i cannot see anything like a Schottky Bridge Rectifier

EDIT:: Had a look at ones that you used (25A, 1000v and 35amp, 200v) and max forward VF is 1.1 which is quite large..but most appear to be around that

 

@Douse: a 25A & 250V should be enough.

 

I got the Female DC jack off of my fried motherboard lol. They sell some on ebay too. As for a bridge rectifier, the one you listed should be fine. Keep in mind VF tends to increase as the current increases through the rectifier. Mine has a forward VF max of 1.1, but I was only experiencing a VF of 0.5.

I think VF might be a big problem though. Everything ran fine, except Crysis on the 480 watt PSU. Crysis would run at 40-50fps for a second or so, and then drop to a steady 6-7fps. I unplugged the adapter board mid game and plugged in only 1 PSU minus the adapter. FPS shot back up to 40-50fps and stayed there. The only explanation I have is the lack of voltage - still gotta do more testing.

EDIT: The diodes I ordered have a max VF of 0.3 volts, so I don't think it's unreasonable to expect a VF of 0.1-0.2 volts in this situation. If low voltage really is the cause of the problem, then this might fix it.

 

Ouch, thats not good news.

I ended up going for a 35 amp, 200v rectifier.

Stole a heatsink from a PC which is major overkill, it has heatpipes lol

EDIT:: Hopefully that will help. Are you just sticking a single diode in each positive?

 

Do you guys think BF3 will be as much as a power raper as Crysis?

 

That is the question that I too have had in the back of my mind.

In my opinion....yes.

 

Ok finally some results

I found out a few things:
Dont use the clevo heat pad they are way to thick especially for chips other then the ram
If you want to put some thermal pads on the voltage regulators on the back of the card, make sure they dont fall into the fans!
I was able to bend the cross fire cable and connect it all up with out wrecking it will post a pic tomorrow

3Dmark06
Vantage
3Dmark11

Temps are about 45c on idle and 60-80w power consumption
Temps during bench marks were very good (ambient temp 15c) except for the shader on the second gpu does any one have any ideas for this (were is the shader is on the card?) highest power usage was 270w for a few seconds on 3dmark11, (looking forward to getting that second psu)

Tomorrow, I'll try 11.8 drives (running on 11.4) see how games go and sort that hot shader out

About the voltage, can you run on full performance on battery? as the battery is rated for 11.1 volts maybe 19.5 volts is really needed? just thinking aloud

 

No you can't run full performance on the battery. Not enough voltage.

Good news though. The new diodes came here really today! Really early. VF is about 0.1v. Crysis is not longer experiencing issues. Seems like all the problems are finally solved. Will post pics in a bit.

 

@Kenny, so you're running just the single 240w PSU with the 6990's crossfire enabled?

@aarpcard, after it's all done will you be putting it in a housing then taking orders for production?

 

Kenny! You are the man! And even with one power supply! Did you put thermal pads on the voltage regs at the back?
I dont think I will use pads at all, I am going to use paste as I have done with the 5870's

Let me know how a game goes to see if you get a slight stuttering due to over straining the psu.

Aarpcard, I am really REALLY glad to hear it. Did you just use Schottky diodes? and what rating? Gotta get mine ordered asap

 

Awesome Job Kenny, seems like it's running pretty well even on a single 240w adapter, so the second adapter will definitely give you some overhead

@aarpcard, after it's all done will you be putting it in a housing then taking orders for production? [/QUOTE]

Agree with this!

 

bench mark test and crysis warhead black out my laptop but i can play dead space 2/NFS at max set. with CC on max quality and O.C at 750/940 just fine...maybe it the 11.8 driver i have?

 

Hrm, that is strange.

Couldn't hurt I guess...would be great if you had a watt meter for troubleshooting.

Does the issue happen with everything at stock? If you think it is power related, reduce total power draw. Turn off Alien FX, turn brightness down or use an external monitor, disconnect all devices, take out second HDD if you can. The biggest power drop you will get is turning off the display and using an external monitor.

EDIT:: You mentioned that the PSU was actually tripping. Is this the case? do you have to disconnect all power for it to reset and turn back on?

 

I tried fx off with external monitor and even low settings.... crysis blacks out and benchmarks im convinced its 11.8 driver im going to try the 11.4 out

 

3Dmark 06 was only bench that worked without blacking me out that i forgot to try

this was on 11.8 driver...HW cant seem to monitor 2nd card idk why

 

Does any one know what the deal is with that hot shader I have on my second card?
yes I did use thermal pads on the back voltage regulators
I have the same issue with hw monitor just run gpuz first and then it will pick it up

 

i uninstalled 11.8 to try 11.4 but it wont recognize my GPU's nor does 11.7. 11.5b works im testing now

 

I tested Dirt3 it blacked out my laptop and adapter while starting to make a new profile in the PRE MENU ? This makes no sense i dont think its a power issue im having...

 

anyone know if pkhetan sells these cards with warranty?...i dont remember and his websiteis down..i might have faulty ones

 

6 months warranty

http://forum.notebookreview.com/computer-components/598812-fs-6990m-brand-new-free-heatsink.html