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    Looking to replace my gfx card. Iso suggestions.

    Discussion in 'Alienware 17 and M17x' started by LoKi.-FtX-., Aug 23, 2014.

  1. LoKi.-FtX-.

    LoKi.-FtX-. Newbie

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    Hi i have a 17xr3 and was looking for a new gfx card. last ones were 6990m and the 580. I was screwed over a year or two ago by alienware and i have gotten over it now and i am looking to get a replacement with similar or better specs as those two cards.
    Intel(R) Core(TM) i7-2720QM CPU @ 2.20GHz
    16 gig ram
    Not sure what other information is needed to see what is compatible... What do you guys think would be a decent choice? Would rather stay away from the two that i had as they caused me nothing but problems.
    Any info would be very helpful :) Thanks.
     
    LoKi.-FtX-., Aug 23, 2014
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  2. Screenio

    Screenio Notebook Consultant

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    Do you want the best of the best?

    The GTX 780m/880m is currently the best card available atm for the r3. If you want less performance and a much cheaper price, you could go for the 8970m/7970m. They are about 25% less powerful than the two I listed above, but they are still very, very powerful.

    You are going to need to perform a simple BIOS modification in order for them to work however. All it is is flashing the BIOS with a custom one made by community members. It require no hardmodding at all as it is just a downloadable .exe file that you have to run. Several Alienware users here have some pre-made which you just need to install, and you're off. Check the Alienware subforum right here for more info. They will help you.
     
    Screenio, Aug 24, 2014
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  3. TomJGX

    TomJGX I HATE BGA!

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    I would look at the 780M... The 880M is broken and probably not a good idea.. The 780M is your best bet and much cheaper then the 880... It can also easily reach the 880M's performance when Oced and even run cooler when doing so..
     
    TomJGX, Aug 24, 2014
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  4. Alienware-L_Porras

    Alienware-L_Porras Company Representative

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    Those 2 you had are the gighest oficially supported cards. If you want to look into something else, I would recommend you to take TomJGX's suggestion.
     
    Alienware-L_Porras, Aug 27, 2014
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  5. MickyD1234

    MickyD1234 Notebook Prophet

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    I'd say that the 680m is a safe bet with the R3. been done dozens of times. And it runs so cool that with some overclocking it can match a 780m at stock. As said, the 880m is getting a LOT of bad press so avoid. I also see that some R3 owners have sound problems (780m) that need some messing with to get working?

    Check this thread out - huge but it's all in there: http://forum.notebookreview.com/alienware-17-m17x/672230-m17x-r3-680m-compatability.html

    Good luck.
     
    MickyD1234, Aug 28, 2014
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