M17X R3 not upgradable

Hi guys, here is the situation in short

Get an M17X R3 with 580m that started to be unplayable because i get black screen freeze and sound glitch/loop EVERYTIME i try to play something now.. only when starting a game that it goes black and need hard reset

1) i heard people disable PCIE Gen 2 in bios.. there is no such option inside my M17xR3 bios (probably guestimate: i got a 3D display on my alien.. which i dont really care ad almost never use)

2) i dont mind upgrading to a 680m (exemple.. since my 580m as always been super hot not-overclocked whatsoever) but i also see that there are compatibility issues with the 680m and 3D m17xR3 owner.. i would like to be sure i can upgrade my video card before buying a new one.

3) can't even seem to be able to flash to a modded bios that unlock everything in my A12 .. it failed miserably.

i can't play anything.. that means IT NEEDS to be fixed right now.. yesterday even.. Should i consider buying a new laptop .. kinda pricy but if i have no other choice..

Suggestion for my situation ?
Any input are welcome! Thank you guys

Addicted Gamer in need
DocBurN

 

Hi, And another 580m bites the dust, it has to be at least 5 in the last week! What driver version are you using - I'm looking for some commonality other than it's just a very bad card.

No need for BIOS changes with the 3D model, the intel is already disabled via a different port to the panel on the MB.

The 680m has been used many times in an R3 and there are loads of threads here in NBR on it. All you will need is a modified driver file to allow the installer to see the card. You can get them from laptopvideo2go. You will loose the 3D (but you're not concerned about that) but 120hz works just fine.

Do not try to flash your BIOS, on the 3D this can easily brick your machine so it will not start at all. You got lucky .

Check out my recent posts for details re your next questions about the heatsink .

680m is a great card and eats up all my games without a problem - way better than that dog of a card the 580m!

 

i was using the latest driver.. updated 4 days ago.. but in trying stuff, i rolled back to 337.88 and thought it made a difference.. but the crashes came back quick. Also, i know i got lucky.. i saw the flashing instantly froze and i was screaming.. and fully expecting to not boot up as usual but it did.

I need to find a reliable most probably canadian source that sells 680m .. i dont suppose all mobile nvidia cards physically fit inside my R3..

while i am about to upgrade, do you recommand something "better" than a 680m ?

 

I'm now believing that the latest driver is doing something that is killing these 580m's. I can't do any tests as I no longer have my 675m (exactly the same card as a 580m).

Physically no issues but you have to stick with NV on a 120hz display. I don't see anything better right now. The 780m runs too hot for my liking (and expensive) and the 680m can easily be overclocked to match that card. The 880m is a disaster of a card - avoid!

 

ok, i just checked crapbay and i see something around 500-570$ for a 680m
no way in hell i am going to gamble with used hardware..

i smell a new Alienware order pretty soon..

What are the great nvidia video card in all their recent series... something that dont bring back night terror like the 580m did.. 3 years of throttleing that i hope to never live again

The one that come with the current alienware .ca laptop are:

ALIEN 14
Default= NVIDIA GeForce GT 750M with 2GB GDDR5
Upgraded=NVIDIA® GeForce® GTX 765M with 2GB GDDR5

ALIEN 17
default= NVIDIA® GeForce® GTX 860M graphics with 2GB total GDDR5
upgraded=NVIDIA® GeForce® GTX 880M graphics with 8GB total GDDR5

 

Don't buy a new PC now unless you absolutely need it. If you can wait another 1-2 months, new hardware will be available.

 

Agreed... As for a card, you can also get a 7970M/8970M which will be $300 ish + $50 for the heatsink.. Or hold on a bit longer...

 

Yeah, I watched for a few weeks before finding one and got lucky with getting one from an AW owner and rolling the dice at £270.

The older 780m seems to be fairly reliable although it runs a little hotter than most cards, the 880m is not for you. It's having similar throttling problems and it's looking more like a fix is never going to come along (al-la-580m ). As J.Dre says, new hardware is imminent but there are some very good deals available right now. The 860m has not shown up as a problematic card and I don't follow the AW14 so can't comment there.

I put up with the 580m for around a year before hitting up dell for a replacement - got the machine in my sig. Not a lot better since the 675m they gave me was exactly the same card as the 580m! I have had two of them but 3D/120hz was a big part of my requirements. The R4 fully supports the 680m so it was an easy decision.

maybe try a shout out to 860m users in the owners lounge?

Personally I'd wait out the 9xx series, it is mooted to be very close.

Good luck

 

AMD is not an option for the 120hz display, the machine will not pass post. That 7970m does get good feedback though, especially for the price .

 

At this point, I would wait. Being a 3d display makes things very difficult. You have the following choices:
1. Replace with another 580M and Keep 3d
2. Replace with a 680M and lose 3d
3. Change display to non-3d and change to a 6990M or 7970M
4. Wait for newer hardware and get a new laptop altogether.

 

1) I dont want to touch a 580m ever again so its not an option

2) Already stated that i dont care about 3D.. never use it. I would gladly change the card for a 680m .. but from what i understand, ebay is one of the few source ? i checked and it start at 450-500$ for a "chance" that it will work. I was planing to call DELL today.. are they selling parts like the 680m or just complete laptop.. and if they do.. how much would they charge compared to ebay. At least i would buy NEW with some kind of warrenty on the card. If DELL dont sell em individually.. and around 400-500 on ebay.. im buying a new laptop.

3) I really want to stick to nvidia.. unless i could find a 7970M cheaper and brand new somewhere.. and that its not a big pain to install.. I could give it a try.

4) About the new hardware.. i was happy with the performance that i had.. beside the stupid throttling.. so the alien right now could be in SALES because of the new hardware are coming.. (i can't wait weeks for my new gaming rig, i need it for yesterday). My point is, right now could be a good time to buy too.

 

That's a shame This is the full kit so probably too expensive but it does give a new lease of life to your machine and they have the card only for cheaper - these things are just expensive! ALIENWARE M17x M18x VGA Upgrade Kit; NVIDIA GTX 680M; 4GB DDR5; MXM 3.0b | eBay The current top-of-the-line is usually around $1000.00 but the 880m has got such a bad rep it's way cheaper: Nvidia GeForce GTX 880M 8GB DDR5 for MSI clevo alienware upgrademonkey | eBay

 

A shame indeed.. im sure it would give a new life to my current M17XR3 paperweight.. but you have to agree that 750$ for a 680m upgrade kit is close enough to brand new alien with a 750 inside. new gear, new warrenty, more performance.

i can't realize that my m17x will be tossed in a box like that.. thats the wor$t part that can fail

 

This person has a 780M for $450...

http://forum.notebookreview.com/alienware-18-m18x/758596-possible-group-buy-780m-3.html

 

Yeah, around 50% of a new machine . Did you check out the marketplace on NBR? It's a shame the 880m is such a failure, there would be many more 680m's on the market...

 

I appreciate your help btw.. thank you all for your replies!

Can you tell me if the GTX 860M have as bad of a reputation as the 880M

i see a deal on a Alienware 17 with a 860M in it.. but you guys scared me away from the 880M..

 

It's fine.. The 860M is a bit old though and there's also the question if the locked BIOS of the new AW17 will support maxwell cards.. You are in a tough spot.. I would get the AMD R9 290MX as it will have performance greater than 870M and you don't need 3D so it will be perfect...

 

Well.. my 580 was old.. 860M would still be a jump ahead..

apart from being older .. is the 860m throtteling .. heat more than normal/other cards.. coming from 2-3 years of 580m.. do you think i would be happy with a 860m

im trying my hardest to not go on the ATI side for a stupid reason (when i was "younger" i had all kind of problem on my ati all in wonder 8mo tv tuner.. and catalyst.. lol, i know the game have changed.. lets say its because nvidia release more drivers more often)

 

Haha, same reasons as me. Switched to the green team around '03 and never looked back. Sad thing is that I always could say 'go NV, their drivers are a lot more stable'. Well the last year has trashed that rep!

I can only say that I have not seen a single post re the 870m and it will be a performance hike for sure. If you really must spend that money now it looks a reasonably safe bet .

 

i am done with the questioning.. and i just saw the Alienware 13 .. damn.. you were all right.. just wait for new hardware to come out soon..

i'll ghetto build a gaming desktop to help me wait!

once again, thank you all for helping me making up mind.. not a small task.. I overthink things too much all the time.

cheers

 

I was green team for a long time until nVidia decided to be super greedy and remove professional processing power from their GTX cards and move them to quadro only (circa 2011). Ever since then, its been team red all the way. 880M is JUNK, worse than your 580M overheats, throttles, potentially bad silicon. 860M is not bad nor is the 870M.

The Alienware 13 sounds promising. I would wait for that and make do with what you have. Worst comes to worst, you can get some liquid flux and douse the 580M in it, and throw it in the oven for a little while to see if it helps.

 

@technos: Can't argue with you on that! NVidia clearly target a different market now, dropping the enthusiast in favour of more main-stream, gaming customers (who often only know - or think, that it's simply a bigger number = better performance.). Personally I think they have overstretched themselves with the Shield, that investment must be huge!

What captured me was Sli. I built three rigs up to my best that had quad Sli (water cooled) plus dedicated Physx. And it all just worked every time . I now try to point out ALL options when asked for upgrade advice.

If the Maxwell's are not perfect out-of-the-box then they hit my three strikes rule and time to try the competition again- who also annoyingly play the rebadge game just to give a new number each year. But at least they are considerably cheaper .