Final Prep Before 6990m CF Upgrade!

My first question is: are Eurocom cards from ATI Mobility Radeon? HD 6990m GPU MXM 3.0 Type B | eBay just as good as the Clevo version?

2. Do these cards need to be vbios flashed? If so, where can I find the appropriate files and the DOS commands for post installation?

3. I watched the M17x Teardown video and have read over ichime's guide multiple times. Would I be correct in saying that you perform the entire installation from the keyboard side of the computer?

4. Arctic Silver 5 (High-Density Silver Thermal Compound) - 3.5 Grams (AS5-3.5G) - FrozenCPU.com

Is this enough compound for a CF setup?

5. Fujipoly Premium System Builder Thermal Pad - 1/4 Sheet - 150 x 100 x 0.5 - Thermal Conductivity 6.0 W/mK - FrozenCPU.com

Will this item provide enough pads for the upgrade?

6. ArctiClean 1 & 2 (Thermal Material Remover and Surface Purifier) - 60ml Kit - FrozenCPU.com

Is this enough cleaning product for the upgrade?

7. Where are the heatsinks on the GPUs located exactly and by what means do I remove them from the old GPUs before installing the new ones?

Thank you for any advice anyone can give me. I figured I'd try to condense all my nooby questions to one thread rather than inundating the forums with them

 

1. That's a Clevo card, I bought one from him, it is beast

 

weinstein, just a few thoughts...

AS5 is a very old paste. It was great 6 yrs ago, but there are much better now. For example Prolimatech PK-1 or AC MX-4. I'd definitely go with something different. Plus AS5 is slightly electrically capacitive which although won't fry your card, can lead to system instability if it bridges two electrical paths

Articclean 1+2 is a waste of money. Go to the drugstore and get yourself some 99% isopropyl alcohol. i bought a big bottle at the local drug store for $3. The good thing about isopropyl is that it evaporates clean and residue free

There have been mixed results with the 0.5 pads. The stock pads that came with my 6990m are 1mm. Some say 0.5mm is too thin. You may want to get a sheet of 0.5 and 1mm just incase

 

How much compound is enough for this upgrade? I guess I'll just go with Tuniq TX-4 in accordance with the guide. Is this quantity of the material for the pads enough (the one I had listed). Does anyone else suggest the 1.00mm VS the .500mm? I was pretty much just following the guide verbatim.

 

While I'm at it, I might as well add to the myriad of questions, is Newegg.com - Kingston HyperX 8GB (2 x 4GB) 204-Pin DDR3 SO-DIMM DDR3 1600 HyperX Plug n Play Laptop Memory Model KHX1600C9S3P1K2/8G compatible with the r2? Is the original RAM that came with the r2 @1333mhz? I have stock 2x4GB DDR3 at the moment.

 

Save your cash...those 1600 sticks will work but will run at 1333 in the R2

 

Hey weinstien, first of all, there is no point in getting 1600Mhz ram, it will be down clocked to 1333Mhz as the R2 has no XMP. With a 5% OC it may run at 1400-1500 but then again, so can your stock ram.

Also before you buy anything, there's a seller in the market place:
http://forum.notebookreview.com/computer-components/628147-fs-clevo-6970m.html
He's selling a pair of Clevo cards fully compatible for your machine

 

Okay back to my other issues... Is one 4g tube of AC MX-4 enough? How much and what type of thermal pads are optimal (.5mm or 1mm)?

Besides those things, I guess I still am wondering about questions 2. 3. and 7. on the top of the thread.

 

I can't help you with 2,3 and 7 but one 4g tube will be plenty, You'll repaste 2 vid cards with lots to spare.

My preference is the 1mm pads because the stock pads are 1mm... but another opinion from someone who has used the 0.5mm pads would be good

 

Thank you for your help sir +rep.

 

I used. 5mm and they worked great. Got my pads from frozencpu.com and they were ek system pads

As for heatsinks. Just unsure the big copper/aluminum piece off your 5870s and screw them to the 6990s. look at a teardown Vid. You'll see what they are.

 

you're welcome!

just do me a favor and run some 3dmark11's and Vantage benches. You'll have a sick laptop once its all setup!

 

So that narrows it down to questions 2. 3. and 7. from my original post and whether or not this item Fujipoly Premium System Builder Thermal Pad - 1/4 Sheet - 150 x 100 x 0.5 - Thermal Conductivity 6.0 W/mK - FrozenCPU.com is enough for this upgrade. Definitely giving rep to anyone that can help me. Dealing with my noobishness of my questions is probably taxing in itself ^_^

 

Yea run some on your current setup so you have something to compare to after.

I got an ek systems half sheet and it lasted a long time re padding 5870s a few times. 6970s and my 6990s

 

This is your GPU Heatsink. It has to be unscrewed, and carefully pulled off the 5870s and put on to the 6990. Do your self a favor. Wherever you buy the 6990, ask for 8 heatsink mounting screws. The 5870s screws don't fit. Plus in order to remove the 5870s screws, you'll need to take the u-clip off them. Pretty simple and self explanatory

.

 

Hello, weinstein!

This depends on the cards you'll get, Clevos are PnP. The rest of the info is described in the OP of ichime's thread.

Pretty much, but to get there you'll have to get some parts "out of the way" first. The videos are all you need

The heatsinks cover the GPU die, some memory chips and other parts(voltage regulators etc.). They are held by four screws onto the video card.
If the heatsink won't come off easily just heat the pipes a little.
What i always do before removing mobile heatsinks is use the system to warm it up a little, because basically it's the thermal paste that holds them together.
DON'T pry the heatsinks with a screwdriver or other metal tool!

Good luck.

 

Thank you and +rep to everyone who helped me out Everything is ordered and on its way. I'll get those benches out for my 5870s as soon as I get my new hard drive (old one is dead - using a different computer). Thanks again!

 

What are your plans for your 5870s? I've got 4870s in my R2 and might be interested in buying your 5870s if your going to sell them after the upgrade.

 

@DR650SE

I bought the cards from Upgradeyourlaptop on eBay. A user posted previously in this thread that these were Clevo cards, but to my knowledge they were Eurocom cards. If they are in fact Eurocom cards that need to be flashed do you by chance know where I could find the vbios for them?

 

Sure I do

Just PM me when you need them.

Or you can find them here

Just PM me for instructions on how when you go through with it, if you need to and I'll post directions here, or in the PM and I'll link you to all the tools required.

 

One thing I wanted to address besides the vbios thing -


You make 2 pads correct? Two to stretch across the two sets of 4 black squares. You apply these to the GPU. After you apply the pea size bead of thermal compound and the pads, you attach the heatsink. Do this for both cards and that's the jest of attaching the cards to the heatsinks, correct?

 

Correct. Two strips long enough and wide enough to fit the GPU memory chips. As for themal compount, I like to spread it so I know it covers the entire die. If you use a pea method, often times it will not get on the corners.

 

That's what i do for the GPU. just put a slightly larger than a grain of rice size amount in the middle of the GPu die.

 

I've also seen the 'pea' method fail to cover the entire die a few times on my own equipment. Put a bit of paste on the die, and then gently spread a thin layer all over it with your finger inside of a plastic sandwich bag. This guarantees full coverage.

I use .5mm FujiPoly thermal pads from FrozenCPU.com on my VRAM, and then some 1mm on the other components near the top row of VRAM. Yes, they do need to be cooled also. For evidence of this, take a look at a Clevo heatsink made for the 6xxx series cards. There are several extra indentations in the Clevo sink that are specifically made for those extra components.

Some folks like DR650 didn't have any issues with their 5870 heatsinks fitting the 6990. I did though. The heatsink did not fit flat on my card, and I had to file certain parts of the heatsink down. Hopefully you have a problem-free install, because it is a pain in the butt.

 

DR650SE, did you use 1mm pads on the components near the top of the card? I just want to get a second opinion. If so I have to order some >.< I was going to use my .5mm pads. Also, you apply another .5mm pad to the heatsink where it will meet up with the gpu die, in addition to the thermal grease on the die itself, correct?

 

I didn't pad that stuff. I saw that the Clevo heatsinks came with the pads, but didnt do it and havn't had any temp issues. But if you get the .5 you can just double it up rather than ordering 1mm. A half sheet will be more than enough for all that. 1 sheet will be plenty

 

So do NOT put a pad AND grease on the gpu die where it makes contact with the heatsink. Put ONLY the grease, right?

 

Correct, placing a pad and paste will result in high temps. Paste only on the die, pads only on the memory.

 

Okay that's what I thought lol