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

I don't see why not. I use it to control the fans for my 6990's

 

hello all, just curious as to how long the wait time for upgradeyourlaptop to ship is? also can anyone with an r2 w/6990/xfire confirm 3D capability or is it just not possible?

 

The R2's never supported 3D

For starters the R2 screens do not support a high enough refresh rate. And on top of that, I am pretty sure the R3's don't allow 3D on an external monitor. Only on the laptop screen so definitely no chance of outputting to external

Not sure about the wait time, sorry

 

The R2 can output 120Hz thru DisplayPort, not sure about AMD cards and their drivers though.

 

yup i didn't think the screen supported 3D either, and was wondering about outputting to external too thanks for the help!

yeah at this point i'm a little worried about my purchase; it's been a week and i'm not sure what the problem is, maybe i'm just overreacting? :/

edit: ah so there is hope for 3D... will look into it thank you katalin!

 

I got my cards from them in about 10 days from when I purchased them. Depending on your location..I'm in Arizona, but they shipped from NY...so it could be sooner then that.

 

True, but so far the DisplayPort does not work after the upgrade.

Unless someone can prove me wrong!!! Please prove me wrong!!!!

 

I'm sorry to hear that, Douse, wish i could help :/

 

Hello there, will test the Display Port when I return home in a week's time
Doesn't the below comment by Aristotelhs2060 mean it works?

http://forum.notebookreview.com/ali...r2-single-gpu-crossfirex-438.html#post8431005

HurrDurr

 

Looking forward to you giving this a shot!!!

It seems that not many people actually have DP monitors to test this out....

As per Aristotelhs2060's comment, unfortunately not

He is probably using a passive DisplayPort to HDMI adapter which is actually using one of the two video clock signals of the card. I can output VGA on my DP port just fine using a passive VGA adapter.

It is when we want to actually use the DP signal either by using an active adapter or literally a DP monitor, that we seem to have a problem. The reason that I would like to do this is for Eyefinity. Being that there is a limit of two clock signals on the card, you have to use a DP signal on the third screen.

Seems like AMD cut corners to me, but what can ya do!

 

Oh well in that case I'm afraid I can't help out.
That clock signal deal was new to me until now.
My 3D display only sports vga/HDMI/DVI ports so I can't attempt DP/DP direct connection.
I have a passive DP/HDMI which will yield the same result as Aristotelhs2060 no doubt.
Sorry

 

No problem mate! Hey, at least the passive adapter still works

BTW, I tried the 12.4 previews and so far so good. No BSOD's and clocks appear to be responding appropriately. Played about 3 hours of Mass Effect 3 without any issues, although that game is not very demanding.

I will try some BF3 later.

 

It will probably work if you use the Dell VBIOS, as did audio-over-hdmi when I ran my tests with the different vbioses. The perfect AMD VBIOS for the R2 would be a Clevo VBIOS with output signals from a Dell VBIOS.

edit: There's an 330w PSU on sale in the NBR marketplace/classified section if anyone is interested It's a bit pricey though :/

 

Hey ichime!

I had that idea as well but I am already running the Dell vBios as I have ES cards. So far no go

 

I am curious if anyone has tried one of these devices (or something similar - they also have DP->DVIx3)?

ACCELL Cables - Audio, Video, Speaker, Computer Cables and Interconnects

The same vendor also offers "active" DP adapters as well. No idea if they are any good or not. I am currently happy with my setup, but always interested in seeing additional options.

 

Only one review on the egg about it that says it only supports DP 1.1a .

 

Hmmmm Mass Effect 3 on this RGB screen... must be sexy.
Does it scale CrossfireX well?
(and is the game worth it?)

Cheers

Edit: I would like to invest in a multiple display setup - any suggestions?

 

As i said this DP to HDMI adapter (DP Male to HDMI Female Adapter Converter Connector) outputs both audio and video! Dont know about clocks and how to check that. I tried games on external screen (1920 x1080 maximum resolution of external screen) without single lag. I can also use eyefinity (show same desktop on both screens or seperate desktop on them) or even disable R2 screen using Fn+ F6. At the same time this also transfers sound from R2 speakers to External screen speakers and the opposite. Also my temps seems to be a few lower when using the external screen instead of internal. This seems reasonable. For your knowledge i bought this

Display Port Displayport DP Male to HDMI Female Adapter Converter Connector | eBay

and then of course i used my hdmi male to hdmi male cable to connect to hdmi input of external screen. one of my best purchases for R2 thinking that due to unknown reason my hdmi to hdmi cable could only output video with clevo 6970s and when used with pure hdmi connection. In other words the AMD HDMI audio output magically appears as enabled on playback devices only when using the adapter above.

I hope this solved any misunderstanding. If any questions let me know.

 

Anyone know if we also could insert two 7970m/7990m cards?

 

Hey Hackman,

Hasn't been tried yet...although if someone were interested in trying it when they become available, I'd be interested in the results.

 

Hey Mate!

Yeah Mass Effect 3 does look great! It is a little consoley but they pull it off.

It does scale well, but it is not a graphically demanding game so usage will generally sit at 30% on both cards with the occasional jump to 60%.

And the game is AMAZING! Haven't seen the ending yet, as I am aware there is a bit of controversy, but I would say this is one of the best games of the year!!!

With the 6970/6990 upgrade, as you know, it is not possible for more than 2 screens if you intend to game with them.

If you just want to have 3 or more screens for basic desktop use etc, you can use a USB to VGA adapter. The way this works is that the USB adapter is basically a very basic video card. So fine for desktop use, but it cannot handle anything demanding...

As for your screen options, I would always opt for a 16:10 screen ratio as you have more screen real-estate compared to a 16:9 setup. More screen = better This does kinda limit your options as the majority of screens are 16:9 these days... As for brands, I am always a fan of Samsung screens, especially LED ones. Honestly, there are plenty of high quality monitors out there so I would say price would probably be more the driving factor

EDIT:: We just ordered the Samsung S24A450BW for a staff member so we should be receiving it on Monday. I thought it was quite well priced for a 24" 16:10 screen, about £190.

 

Thanks Douse

I would only invest in a multiple screen setup for my desktop as the laptop - despite it's fantastic performance - isn't stable enough for me to use for that kind of setup.
I'll see if I can find that screen in a store somewhere around where I live.

I'll keep using the R2 for a long time though since there is no better gaming laptop out there in terms of screen/value/performance/size/options/ports/upgrade ability

I said it! ^^

Edit: Can't wait for the 680M... should be as epic as it is green

 

haha yeah, it is pretty awesome

I haven't actually seen this monitor in a gaming situation, so do your research before going out and buying it! I dont want to inadvertently give bad advice

 

What's the stock voltage of the 6970M? Is it the same 1.1v as the 6990M?

Also, what's the general voltage that most have been able to manage when undervolting the 6970Ms?

I ask because I will be keeping the GPUs at stock and overclocking the CPU a bit. Since the GPUs tend to use more power than the CPU does, I figured undervolting the GPUs would free up a bit more headroom for the CPU.

 

Hi everyone, I have had the 6990m in my m17x-r2 for a while now and been pretty much problem free, running it at 800 gpu and 1000 ram since I have got it. Problem is the temperature gets pretty high on the mem IO (94.5 C and Shader (91 C) while the rest of it is at 83 degrees which is a ten degree difference which sounds like allot. I remember reading that you might have to file down part of the heat-sink as it does not quite fit properly on the gpu and was wondering if this could be what is causing such a difference in temps? Also how I would go about sanding down the heat-sink? or is it fine at these temps.
Thanks in advance,
Warren

 

Hi imglidinhere,

I keep my 6970's undervolted at .96V and overclock a bit 715/950 and have had no problem with heat, stability, or throttling.

Everyone's card will perform differently however...some folks have been stable at .96, others at 1.0, etc, so just a matter of doing some experimentation to see what works best for you.

 

I've solved my flickering issues with BF 3 !!!!

Tips :

- Install the driver : AMD Catalyst 12.x (8.950.5 February 24) ( AMD Catalyst 12.x (8.950.5 February 24) AMD Official BETA - Guru3D.com Forums)
- Install 12.3 CAP1 profil
- Disable ULPS in the registry
- Re-flash the GPUs


Now, all work perfectly without flickering or lags , with ULTRA graphics

 

Nice gloops

I unpacked that monitor I mentioned earlier and although the screen quality is fine, the actual shell (bezel, stand etc) of the monitor seemed a little flimsy. Not up to the normal Samsung quality...perhaps they are cutting costs in their build? Not sure...

So if you are considering this monitor, perhaps check it out in a shop first to make sure you are happy with it.

 

Thx Douse

I've bought a 330W PSU , I try to connect it with my M17x R2 ^^

If I cut the ID cable of the 330W PSU, I will not have issue with PSU recognition ?

OR

If I Start the M17x with the battery and I connect the 330W PSU on Windows, it will work ?

 

Hey Gloops,

One of the main problems with having only the 330 watt adapter connected is that you need to either cut the ID cable or ground it (same outcome).

Unfortunately this means that you cannot have the battery in your laptop and the brightness controls will not work.

First though, try the PSU without cutting the ID cable as I think you may have the same outcome.... I know people have said that it did not work but I am don't know if they had the battery installed or not.... You have nothing to lose, then if it does not work, try disconnecting the ID cable.

I personally have tried booting the laptop in to windows without the battery, and then when I installed the battery, and it instantly switched off. I think it is to designed to protect the battery as it does not know what kind of adapter is plugged in so it does not allow the battery to charge or even be installed.

The way around this is to use the ID cable from your 240 watt adapter, so it recognises a valid adapter, thus allowing your battery to charge and brightness controls to work.

 

Thank you for your answer Douse

I will try that you told me and I get you inform

So, to use the 240W , I need to braze the 2 IDs cable or just touch it together when the computer start ???
And the 240W can be plugged in the wall ?

 

I think from memory it checks it continually, so you cant trick it during startup. Unfortunately

You will also have to disable the bios option which alerts you if the wrong adapter is plugged in. Otherwise it beeps everytime you turn on the laptop.

 

Thank you for the tips Douse

I will inform you asap , when I have tried the 330W PSU

 

Hey Guys. Lately my laptop has been crashing due to power draw at least once a night while playing BF3. I haven't changed any settings, flashed the vbios or overclocked since I initially got clocks stable at 1.02. This worked fine for a long time and then just last week started crashing my computer to the point where I had to unplug the AC adapter and plug it back in to get it to power on.

I've tried both of my 240w adapters and my rig crashes with either one plugged in. Both of them get really hot. Ironically this seemed to start happening once my mobile surge protector broke so I haven't been using one the last few weeks (I know this is not smart). Could the lack of a surge protector cause my crashes while playing BF3?

 

ATI MR 7970 if out officially, anybody planning to give it a try in R2 ?

 

Hey Ghost, strange. have you changed drivers recently? The only thing that I can think of it perhaps overdrive is overriding your voltage settings and they are running at normal voltages?

Although, you should be getting noticeable throttling before you get a PSU shutdown..

Or perhaps (a long shot) you may have noisy power and your surge protector was acting as a filter. I think the noisier your power signal is, the harder your adapter has to work to clean it up. LOL I may be wrong about that, but I think I remember reading that somewhere..

Other than that, not sure mate

EDIT:: Another idea, perhaps the latest BF3 patches are working your cards harder.....they may be drawing slightly more power??

 

i am back to 12.2 drivers. 12.3 and 12.4 preview are causing strange graphics behaviour not so much on games as on browser etc. Hope new drivers to be better

 

@Douse. Haven't updated drivers (still on 11.8), Overdrive is not enabled (I didn't think you could enable if you were undervolting) and haven't touched the clocks except to decrease them down to 1.01 which still caused a shutdown.

Noisy power sounds like an interesting theory. Seems these shutdowns coincide with my surge protector dying. I don't know enough about electricity to confirm or disprove it. But I'm hoping that is the problem. I'll get another surge protector.

BF3 patches seem to have happened around the same time to so that is a possibility. I'll check the wattage readings and see if there is a difference.

Thanks +1

It had crossed my mind. Power consumption reduction makes it very interesting. 65-70 watts draw would solve all of my current problems and a lot of others too I imagine. I'll be waiting to see the reviews and prices first.

 

7970M is 100W according to Dell.

 

I'm according to you, I have many issues since the last BF3 patche...

So you can use Radeon Pro to solve graphics issues

 

I have also found that BF3 seemed to run a little less fluid after the patches...but that may be the way it handles the lag as I play with around 150ms ping..

 

I've test my new 330W PSU...

- I connect the original 330W PSU : not recognize
- I cut the ID cable : not recognize
- I put the 240W ID cable on the 330W ID cable , it's recognize
with the logo :

BUT , it is as if he was not !!!

besause, BF 3 is unplayable !!!!

The GPU load to 715/900 and 5 seconds after down to 100/150 and reload to 715/900...



Someone as an idea ???


EDIT : I can't change the brightness

 

You have to plug the 240W PSU, the eeprom has to be powered.

Also, you have to interrupt the ID wire of the 330W PSU and connect the piece that goes to the plug (laptop) with the piece that comes from the 240W PSU.

 

Yes, I plug the 240W too.

I take the ID wire of the 240W and I put it on the ID wire of the 330W PSU , it recognize in the bottom bar, but don't work in game...

I must reinstall driver ???

I've reinstalled the driver : same issue

Moreover, during the game loading, after 15 seconds, the computer shutdown directly.... With the 330W and with the 240W too... Very strange...

( I just touch the ID wire at start up)

 

In order for it to work with the 240 psu you need to keep the ID cables connected with 330w for gaming.

 

This is what ive been using for awhile and current.....



Make sure PSU is UNPLUGGED from any power source before doing this.

1.sliced a opening on power cord just on black cover dont slice to deep so you dont damage cables inside.
2.cut green cable and trim about 3/4 of a inch from the end on green piece that is connected to power brick.... the other piece of cut ID cable i just let be.
3.You'll see 2 black cables pick one to make a inch slice on top black rubber cover then your going see the shinny strings of cable try not to cut into these.
4. pull the shinny strings from black covering that was not sliced on black cable (try not to rip cable strings)and forming like a needle hole (this is for putting the ID trimd cable thru).
5.take the trimd green cable and wrapped it around the back of shinny strings of the black cable. Then just seal everything off i used electrical tape.
6. Remove battery from laptop
7. Plug in PSU to power outlet and then laptop
8. turn on laptop
9. Restart laptop once booted into windows or at log in screen (before this make sure laptop is set to max performance for "while plugged in" on CCC and windows )
10.done
11. keep battery off while using 330w psu

Every-time you unplug your laptop from the psu you will need to restart after booting in or at log in screen.

remember with this method you be able to control brightness nor charge your battery.

 

THANK YOU FOR THIS ANSWER Stealth55 !!! =D

But, I don't understand this step :

3.You'll see 2 black cables pick one to make a inch slice on top black rubber cover then your going see the shinny strings of cable try not to cut into these.
4. pull the shinny strings from black covering that was not sliced on black cable (try not to rip cable strings)and forming like a needle hole (this is for putting the ID trimd cable thru).
5.take the trimd green cable and wrapped it around the back of shinny strings of the black cable. Then just seal everything off i used electrical tape.

Just keep the ID wire of the 240W PSU connected on the ID wire of 330W PSU , it is sufficient ? no ?

Or you do this ? :

 

Sry for the interruption, but someone seems to have gotten the 7970M to work in the M15x. This should bode well for our R2s. Oh yeah, it's really fast! If I or someone else gets it to work or post or something in the R2 in single or in CFX, let us know and I'll post an update in the OP.

Time to hop back on the red team

 

I keep the ID wire of the 240w connected to the ID wire of the 330w , but the computer shut down during BF3 loading...

With the 240w only, no shut down...

where do you put the ID wire on the black wire ??

 

Don't do whats on your picture.

Yes it should be sufficient just keeping the 240w id cable to 330w.


To make it look more OEM i suggest doing whats on this lower picture closer to power brick on cord. If you already cut open the cord at that end then no need to do another near power brick.

If you would like to only use the 330w psu alone you need to do this however you can.