Are the 5870m cards swappable between left and right slot in the M17x R2?

A quick question.

The Dell 5870m cards, they are technically interchangeable between the left and right slot as long as we swap the heatsinks on them, correct? Even though they have two different Dell parts number (C8245 and RV546)?

I'm planning to get a pair of 5870m from ebay without the heatsinks and would prefer to get two cards from the same seller and just bolt on the 4870 heatsinks on them.

I know the 4870 were interchangeable as I swapped mine from left to right slots and vice versa and both configuration worked with crossfire enabled.

 

Yes they are. Even the bios version of both cards is the same (no slave/master bios)

edit: just out of curiosity, how much are they asking for the 5870's? you may want to have a look at 6970's or 6990's if the price difference is not that big

 

Ah... good.

I've got a deal on ebay for $320 with shipping to my place here in Malaysia for a pair of 5870m. What's the price now for a pair of 6970/6990? I think it could be double the 5870. Plus I've read the discussion on getting the 6970 working on the R2. Kinda daunting with the auto fan not working.


edit:
Eeep...did a check on eBay and MXM Upgrade. A pair of 6970 is going for about $700+. More than double the pair of 5870.

I think I'll stick to the 5870 first

 

Why not buy a single mobility 6970 now and add a second later on.
Also, if you get a Clevo 6970, you will have automatic fan control.

 

That is an interesting prospect. But for the life of me I cannot find the Clevo 6970 cards anywhere!

 

It is for many reasons:

• less heat and power consumption
• better driver integration
• no more running into crossfire related issues
• and most of all, later you just have to add a second one for better performance instead of selling two already old cards

etc etc.

Eurocom sells Clevo cards, here:
AMD Radeon Mobility HD6970M (BlackcombXT); 2GB DDR5; MXM 3.0b; VGA Module | eBay

You should contact them and ask to include the X-bracket (back plate or whatever you want to call it) and four screws for it.

 

Clevo cards works as an OEM replacement minus the audio over hdmi.

Edit: sorry Katalin, i've quoted you instead of the OP....

 

So those are Clevo cards sold by Eurocom? I'm confused as Eurocom also sells their own brand of 6970 right? The one with the limited 1600x1200 res?

edit:
I'm tempted to go to the 6970 route. I'm waiting reply from the seller to confirm it is the Clevo cards.

Also, can I use the 4870 X-bracket on the 6970 or are they different in size? Also will the crossfire cable I have now will work on the 6970 when I decide to crossfire later?

 

Yeah, you're right, sorry about the confusion.
Try to send them a message and see if they have any Clevo in stock.

 

They emailed back and said those are Eurocom cards not Clevo.

So should I still get that or stick to my original plan of crossfire 5870?

What's the best VBIOS to use on the Eurocom 6970 at the moment? I know there is a 6970 on R2 guide but it's like 400+ pages long.

What are remaining problems left for the Eurocom after flashing to the best VBIOS?

 

The crossfire 5870 will be the easiest to get running, that is the truth. If you go for a 6970, 6990, or 7970, you will have to play with finding the right screws and cross brackets, finding the right Video BIOS, and settle for HDMI not working or the fans needing manual control programs. Dont get me wrong, it can be done, but is allot more work and certain compromises have to be expected.

 

I'm so confused right now.

On one hand I want to get the single 6970m for the newer tech and future expansion to 6970m crossfire. But the hassle I've read members gone through to get the cards running properly kinda putting me off a bit.

On the other hand, the dual 5870m would be the easiest to install. Performance wise they are about the same right?

There's one silver lining to it, I may have found a Clevo 6970m card. See below:





This would make installing the 6970m into my R2 easier right? It should be practically plug and play and with only no audio via HDMI (don't use it anyway).

I just need the seller to confirm it is indeed a Clevo card.

 

If it's a Clevo, then it should be plug and play. I see you know about the HDMI issue and good thing you don't use it.
Also, keep in mind that the mobility 5870's have their issues too (when recovering from sleep etc.)

And as far as issues go for the 6970 option, they concern dual cards setup, there shouldn't be issues running just one (except for fan control on non Clevo cards and resolution apparently on the Eurocom version).