Is an Alienware M17x R4 + a GTX 1060/1070 possible?

Hi .

I read, that the M18-users are upgrading their systems to GTX 1060 or even 1070 graphics card. Does anybody know yet, if the same is possible for the Alienware M17x R4?

Tia,

Seraiel

 

I googled, seems an upgrade to a 1060 GTX is possible with a modded heatsink, see http://alienware-forum.de/index.php...uf-Nvidia-Geforce-GTX-980M-970M-und-GTX-1060/

For the non-german users:

The person that upgraded said he got 8 beeps with a 60Hz display so it seems, a 120Hz pannel is needed.

Anyone want to test this?

[EDIT]

Aww. Seems like this has been known for a long time already, here a post on TI from DEC 2016: https://www.techinferno.com/index.php?/forums/topic/10982-m17x-r4-gtx-1060-upgrade/

Why are there no infos in this forum?

Sera

 

List of successful upgrades

http://forum.notebookreview.com/threads/successful-mxm-gpu-upgraded-laptops.805136/

 

http://forum.notebookreview.com/thr...other-socket-victory-against-bga-crap.803637/

 

Hi guys, have myself a bog standard m17xr4 love it, need power! It has 12gb ram, i73720qm, gtx675m and a measly 64gb SSD (spare slot available) what would be a good upgrade for... im going to go with all of these components? I just wamt to be able to run modern games ( doesnt have to be ultra! But meh it could be right?!?!)

 

I have a 1060 in my M17X R5 and I can run every game I have on ultra settings. I freaking love my Alien! All games run at over 60 FPS, and I can run a big chunk of em at 120 FPS, which looks extremely fluid if you have the 120hz panel (required to run pascal based cards on the R5, not required for the R4 though. Pascal cards will run on the R4s in optimus mode because of Intel FDI translating the output from eDP fromat to LVDS format). As for upgrades, I'd recommend putting a 1TB msata SSD into your Alien, and filling your 2.5 inch HDD slots with 2TB hybrid drives. How many you need depends on the amount of media you want to store on your Alien. Then, upgrae your RAM to 16GB. This will be more than enough for any game currently, and you can upgrade up to 32GB on your machine if need be. Also, get a used MSI 1060 mxm module. Those are much easier to find than standard form factor MXM 1070s, and they're also much cheaper. I got mine for $350, which is only a $100 premium over the PCIe desktop variant. Keep everything else the same, you only need to upgrade RAM andthe graphics card for today's games, although I'd also recommend installing at least one 2TB SSHD in your Alien to store media on.

 

So no need to chamge out cpu, psu or heatsink?

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For either the 1060 or 1070, you will need the 240 watt PSU because the TDP of both cards goes over the BIOS allocated power for the graphics card based off a 180 watt PSU. If you do not get one, you will have power throttling issues like I did when I first acquired my 1060. As for your CPU and heatsinks, those will be fine. You only need to change the heatsink if you get the 1070, but not for a 1060. The heatsink that came with your system should fit, albeit a bit tightly. Make sure you apply enough thermal paste to cover the entire graphics core as the core on the pascal cards are big compared to previous generations.

 

So i will be better getting this? Gtx1060, 120hz screen (should be plug and play right?) Some ram say 16gb? And thats it?

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And the 240w psu? Should i go with 330w if there is only a marginal price difference?

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I'd say yes since it is possible we may be able to upgrade our Aliens for more generations after pascal, especially if you plan on upgrading to a super overkill card a generation or two down the road. A 330 watt PSU is required for 1080's which a fellow forum member is trying to get working in his R5/R1: http://forum.notebookreview.com/threads/alienware-17r1-gtx-1080.805151/

Make sure you buy a good quality PSU made by Delta Electronics or Flextronics, which are manufacturers for Dell power supplies, instead of a cheap knockoff that will crap out in 3 months.

Correct. You will need to mod the Nvidia drivers in order to force them to install, but other than that it's plug and play. If you need assistance with the driver modding, message me and I'll help you.

 

I will require alot of info and help this will have been my personal first go at anything like this i will start looking around for parts. Only 1 way to learn

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It is insanely hard to find a gtx 1060m or any m variants for that matter im in aus by the way

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Seriously where can i get a gpu mxm from?

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Tell me about it. I live in the U.S. and it was hard to find them here as well for a while, but then the market became flooded with MSI mxm modules a while ago. A lot of them have been bought up, but there are still a significant amount remaining. I'd recommend looking on ebay, since you have the best chance of getting a reasonably priced module on there. You could also try taobao for even cheaper modules, but I'd say stay away from there unless you understand Chinese or know someone who does.

On ebay there are some upgrade kits for the 1060 running for $775 CAD($782.86 AUD): http://www.ebay.com/itm/Nvidia-GTX-1060-VGA-Upgrade-Kit-6GB-GDDR5-1280-CUDA-N17E-G1-MSI-Card/112452817781_trksid=p2047675.c100011.m1850&_trkparms=aid=222007&algo=SIC.MBE&ao=1&asc=44757&meid=9104cd054950437c90c2e632a761740a&pid=100011&rk=2&rkt=12&sd=302103511588.
The kit contains thermal paste, thermal pads, and a new 1060 MXM module.

Alternatively you could upgrade to a 1070 for $555.55 USD($711.33 AUD): http://www.ebay.com/itm/NVidia-GTX-1070-8GB-N17E-G2-A1-Video-Graphics-Card-GPU106/182588894256?_trksid=p2047675.c100009.m1982&_trkparms=aid=888007&algo=DISC.MBE&ao=1&asc=44757&meid=bbcf16e313014321a48258747a9d8ff4&pid=100009&rk=2&rkt=2&sd=182332055744
Keep in mind that this requires you to get a higher grade heatsink and requires you to dremel part of your Alien's chassis away to make it fit. See this: http://forum.notebookreview.com/thr...other-socket-victory-against-bga-crap.803637/

Don't do this upgrade to the 1070 unless you're really comfortable with hacking away at your precious Alien's chassis. If you REALLY want the 1070 in your Alien without having to dremel the chassis, buy a Zotac Zbox Magnus EN1070, which has a standard form factor GTX 1070 MXM module in it. Unfortunately, you can't buy the card by itself, and the Zbox costs about $1050 USD USED! Now that's just insane pricing. If you're comfortable with dremeling your Alien's chassis though, go for the MSI 1070 I posted that costs less than a new 1060. The 1070 I link you to is used, but only lightly.

Also, after looking at pictures for the R4's heatsink, It looks pretty much like the 100 watt heatsink for the R5, so it should fit. Both heatsinks have a ridge that protrudes out a little, but it protrudes out more on the R4's heatsink. If it doesn't fit, you may have to mill that ridge down a little or remove the thermal pad placed on the ridge, and have the ridge come in direct contact with the VRAM chips above the gaphics core after applying some thermal paste to those VRAM chips.

I was lucky to get my 1060 for $350 USD. I bought it used off ebay after seeing the listing posted one day. I'd say check ebay every day to see if another such offer pops up before buying from the abovementioned links. Used 1060's do pop up for around $350-$400 USD occasionally.

Lastly, get the 120hz panel for your Alien. GTX 1060 works in optimus mode with the R4, but I doubt this wil be the case with later generations of cards, plus everything just looks better on the 120hz panel anyway. The 120hz panel is required for R5s running pascal cards.

 

The 1070 is a 51% improvement in processing power over the 1060, but the 1060 is still a BEAST card. It can run any of my games (A lot of which are AAA games such as the new DOOM and Mass Effect Andromeda) at over 60 FPS and quite a significant percentage of them at 120 FPS on the highest graphical settings. So all my games are maxed out, and there's still performance headroom left.

Another side note: any of the pascal cards will extend your battery life if you're already running in dedicated only graphics mode. The 1060 comsumes about 4 watts while idle.

 

MXM GPU Resellers in the world
http://forum.notebookreview.com/threads/mxm-gpu-resellers-in-the-world.804197/

 

On another note.. my gpu fan isnt working.. i have swapped the cpu and the gpu fans around to test to see if its the fan. They both physically work but when i need the gpu fan to turn on i get nothing just the unusual high pitch beeps

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They both physically work? Do they both spin up when you start your alien? How many beeps do you get at startup?
Some dell beep codes:
2 beeps = no RAM
3 beeps = motherboard failure
4 beeps = defective RAM
5 beeps = CMOS battery failure
6 beeps = defective GPU VBIOS or GPU failure
7 beeps = CPU failure
8 beeps = defective screen

 

No beeps at startup the high pitch noise is coming from the gpu fan

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Ok, so the noise is coming from the fan. Is the fan spinning at startup? You can try an ePSA diagnostic test on your Alien to get more details on what's wrong. Just startup your Alien, keep rapidly pressing F12 to load the boot option menu, and select the ePSA diagnostic entry.

From the sound of it, it looks like the noise is being caused by the GPU fan running at max throttle. When GPU fans run at max throttle, they produce a loud, high pitched sound. I noticed you said the fan is making beeping noises though, so please correct me if I'm wrong. I've never in my life heard fans making beeping noises. Hard drives though, I have, and it's because the read/write head would periodically click back into its off state while at the same time the platters would stop rotating.

 

Have run a diog.. and have ordered a new fan through a 3rd party... will update on arrival of fan

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Ok guys.. im guessing i have the 120htz display ( i can turn refresh rate up to 120) i have 240w power plug box thing, i have order a new gpu fan (old one **** itself) now im about to order the gtx 1060 mxm... plug and play form there right?

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Will definately need your help in about a month or so with whatever i need to do with the 1060.. best contacr method?

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Either email me at [email protected] or start a private conversation with me.

The 1060 is pretty much plug and play if it's an MSI branded one. Make sure though that before you stick it in that your BIOS is set to UEFI only mode, or it will not boot. Other than that, only a driver INF mod is required to force the Nvidia drivers to install. There also may be a GPU throttling issue. I didn't have it myelf, but the guys with the 1070s in their R4s did. To fix this if you get it (although it probably won't happen with a 1060), just disable power adapter warnings in the BIOS.

 

@woodzstack Woodzy is an expert on the subject.

 

Im new to all this forum stuff mate, loving the quick responses and useful info

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do you know this poll?
How do you want your next laptop to be built?
http://forum.notebookreview.com/threads/how-do-you-want-your-next-laptop-to-be-built.808062/

 

So im trying to put a grx1060 in my 17xr4... i have the 8 beeps. I have installed drivers from woodzstack and have the 240w psu 120hz screen.. what am i doing wrong.. also this happens when i try to disable load legacy option rom...

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What graphics card did the system come with? It may not have a UEFI compliant driver. If the legacy option rom is not disabled before you install the 1060, you will get that 8 beep error code.

If you had a 6XXm series card in your Alien originally, take a look at this: https://www.techinferno.com/index.p...uefi-fast-boot-secure-boot-gpu-issues-solved/

 

I had the same issue, unable to change disable legacy rom
My thread
http://forum.notebookreview.com/threads/m17xr4-upgrade-680m-to-1060.808327/
Just change ‘primary display’ option to auto and then disable the legacy option.

 

We have our / Eurocom GTX 1070 standard MXM3 82x105mm card working in AW 17. Here are initial benchmarks:

https://www.3dmark.com/3dm11/12487762

 

How do i change primary display option?

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in bios

 

Nothing in bios to change it currently running standard a12 bios

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Hmm, try asking OP if he used mod bios or maybe you missed an option somewhere.

 

It appears a modded bios is required to change display

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This is the M17X-R4 thread....

Anyways. Anyone here have an unlocked v12 bios ?

 

ahh yes, my bad
i am currently running the unlocked a11 bios from techinferno
not sure if there is an unlocked a12
need unlocked bios to get those options

 

Hi, everybody. I have an m17x r4 and it's definitely time for an upgrade. I only have an nvidia 660. I have a 250Gb SSD and a 1Tb HDD with an i7-3630QM and 32Gb RAM. I'm looking to put a gtx 1060 or 1070 in it, preferably the 1070 (I'd try for a 1080 if I could honestly afford one). My display is only 1600x900 and it's honestly my biggest dislike about the system. I want to upgrade the display and I'd figure I have to in order to put a 1070 in it. I will also be buying a 240W or 330W PSU. (Probably a 330W just in case I want to upgrade to a next gen card in the future or decide to hunt down a 1080)
My questions are as follows:
1 - Will I require a 120hz panel if I want a 1070? How about for a 1060 and do the manufactures make a difference?
2 - Since I'm upgrading the display, is there a 4k screen available which is compatible with my m17x r4?
3 - I use the HDMI input. If I upgrade to a 1060 or a 1070, will I loose this functionality (i.e., if a 120hz display is required, will the integrated intel gpu be able to drive it with HDMI in?)
4 - Where can I find unlocked bios before I attempt these upgrades.

Sorry for bringing this post back from the dead, but it seemed the relevant place to ask these questions. I appreciate the effort and time one may take to help me and look forward to your replies.

Edit: Also, if I eventually want to upgrade to an i7-3940xm, what heatsink or heatsink mod will I need? Would this CPU upgrade be definitely recommended as to not bottleneck the 1070 as much?

 

Yes, you can upgrade your AW M17R4 to GTX 1060 or 1070. Just submit Suport Request and our Team will assist you with your upgrade inquiry https://web.eurocom.com/ec/supportr()ec

 

I recieved an initial reply to my support request, but I had a follow up question which they are not answering.

My next question was as follows

Can anyone verify this for certain?

 

Hello and good da guys! I'm interested in upgrading my Alienware M17x R4 laptop with a GTX1060 or GTX1070

specs:
Alienware M17x R4
Intel i7 3820QM
GTX 680M 2GB
3D 120hz FHD screen

Options:
GTX 1060
GTX1070 MSI
GTX 1070 EUROCOM 115W

Questions:

1) if I have the gtx680m 100w card can I use its heat sink for the gtx1060 and thats it no modds?

2) other than the cutting of the chasis for the gtx1070 does it end up working fine or always throttles and heats up because of the 150w?

3) the Eurocom gtx1070 115w does it work with the Alienware m17x r4 with the 3d display? That would be the perfect card because it fits and has a lower tdp.

Thanks alot for the advice in advance!

 

Yes, the heatsink for 680m can be uses for the 1060. But do keep your 680m as you will need to change some bios settings prior to installing 1060, otherwise it will not boot.

 

Will do, thanks for the response . I ended up buying a ZOTAC gtx1070 mxm card for my m17x R4. Ill make a detailed install as I cant find detailed info on this project. Do you guys know if this is a direct fit and inf no msi vbios mod is required to run through the EDP 120hz display? I have my fingers crossed and hoping it works plug n play so we may see more m17x brought back from the past. =D

 

hendale where did you buy the zotac 1070 from?

 

Ebay seller, got it from the EN1070.