The Notebook Review forums were hosted by TechTarget, who shut down them down on January 31, 2022. This static read-only archive was pulled by NBR forum users between January 20 and January 31, 2022, in an effort to make sure that the valuable technical information that had been posted on the forums is preserved. For current discussions, many NBR forum users moved over to NotebookTalk.net after the shutdown.
Problems? See this thread at archive.org.

    [Need Help] M17x R3 with GTX 485M (borrow from Sager)

    Discussion in 'Alienware 17 and M17x' started by hxmanh, Sep 6, 2015.

  1. hxmanh

    hxmanh Newbie

    Reputations:
    0
    Messages:
    5
    Likes Received:
    1
    Trophy Points:
    5
    Hi all,

    my old M17x R3 's HD7970 died a week ago. As I'm using an AW 18 now so I don't have plan to buy a new powerful GPU for it. Luckily, one of my friend told me that he will give me a GTX 485M from his old Sager N7280.

    Can I use Sager's GPU on my M17x R3?
    Could anyone please help me with the steps to install it on my M17x R3?

    Thanks in advance. ^ ^!
     
    hxmanh, Sep 6, 2015
    #1
  2. Robbo99999

    Robbo99999 Notebook Prophet

    Reputations:
    4,346
    Messages:
    6,824
    Likes Received:
    6,112
    Trophy Points:
    681
    Was the 485M offered as a standard option from the factory - if it was then the installation would be a straight forward process - no modified inf required to install NVidia Drivers & would work with optimus. If the 485M wasn't a standard install option from the factory, then you'll need to follow the same process for installing your 7970M in an M17xR3, except you'll use an NVidia driver with a modified inf, and you'll use an N-Vidia X-bracket, and you'll rearrange the pads on the heatsink so they contact all the necessary chips on the card. (Even if 485M was a standard option from the factory, then you'll still need the NVidia X-bracket and still need to rearrange the pads on the heatsink, you'll also need to make sure you've got the right sized screws to fit the posts of the X-bracket - I'm not certain that AMD screws would fit a NVidia X-bracket.)
     
    Robbo99999, Sep 6, 2015
    #2
  3. hxmanh

    hxmanh Newbie

    Reputations:
    0
    Messages:
    5
    Likes Received:
    1
    Trophy Points:
    5
    My M17x R3 came with GTX 580M at first. After the 580M died, I changed to HD 7970M. So I think I need a modified inf file but still don't know where to get it :(
     
    hxmanh, Sep 6, 2015
    #3
  4. Robbo99999

    Robbo99999 Notebook Prophet

    Reputations:
    4,346
    Messages:
    6,824
    Likes Received:
    6,112
    Trophy Points:
    681
    You can get a modified inf from this website, I used to mod my own inf files but I use this website now:
    http://www.laptopvideo2go.com/drivers
    You click on the driver you want, then go to the modified inf file for that driver, then click Save Page As in the menu option of your browser (you have to use Firefox - other browsers don't save the page in the right file format). You then drag the file into the Display Driver folder of the unzipped NVidia driver - you can then run the setup.exe to install the driver. You don't have to download the actual driver from laptopvideo2go (just the inf), you can download the actual driver from the nvidia website if you wish.
     
    Robbo99999, Sep 6, 2015
    #4
  5. hxmanh

    hxmanh Newbie

    Reputations:
    0
    Messages:
    5
    Likes Received:
    1
    Trophy Points:
    5
    Thank you very much :)
     
    hxmanh, Sep 6, 2015
    #5
    Robbo99999 likes this.
  6. DARCODER

    DARCODER Notebook Deity

    Reputations:
    252
    Messages:
    779
    Likes Received:
    232
    Trophy Points:
    56
    a old video of mine if needed :) it was upgrade to 485m.
     
    DARCODER, Sep 6, 2015
    #6