M17x R4 660m to 680m upgrade

I have an M17x R4 with a 660m in it currently. Will this support a Dell 680m with no modifications? Is the heatsink the same between the two models or is the 680m heatsink different?

 

Edit: They are the same.

 

I've had both as Dell was supposed to bring a 680 and instead brought a 660 (they corrected it later). To answer your questions though, you will need a new heat sink as they have different ones, and you won't need to make any modifications as it's just a straight swap (card & heatsink). Hope this helps a little, and enjoy the new card!

 

gonna be an expensive upgrade, but if you have the money laying around, it is well worth it.

 

Anyone have the proper part numbers for the 680m and the necessary heatsink (and backplate if that is needed)?

What if I were to upgrade to the 580m or 675m? Notebookcheck still shows it's a huge performance gain over the 660m (though not nearly as nice as the 680m), but if my budget allows for that, does the 580m or 675m require a different heatsink/backplate than the 660m?

Thanks for your help guys.

 

Yes I believe it requires a different heatsink as the 580m/675m is a 100watt card. The 660m is only a 75watt card if I remember correctly.

 

That makes a good deal of sense. Thanks for your help!

 

The 680m can use the same heatsink, it's standard for nvidia. This part number for the 680m is CPCXD. Great upgrade by the way!

 

Thanks for the correction Luis; I got confused as I was remembering my 7970 heatsink vs 680. They reused my 7970 on the 660 (hence it needed to be replaced when the 680 came in). In any case, sorry for the miscommunication fellas ...on a side note, would the thermal pads also be the same?

 

The 660M is a 43w card according the notebookcheck.net.

I was under the impression that Alienware just had a single heatsink for every GPU. That's how it was with the R3.

 

Basically the same card; more copper on the 680m card (as opposed to 7970), and thermal pads are in different places. I'm assuming thermal pads will be different on the 660 as well ...see post #9 under this thread for a picture between the 680 and 7970 heatsinks:
http://forum.notebookreview.com/alienware-m17x/690370-r4-replacing-7970m-680m.html#post8868835

 

Correct, the main difference is in the X shaped support plate. The 7970m's does not need thermal pads beneath the card, it's just an X shape. Thermal pads on the 660m and 680m should be in the same place, which means the heatsink should work just fine.

 

Could I get a couple of definitive answers please? Preferably from someone who has done the exact upgrade or 660 to 680 on an R4 model?

The heatsink is the same (as stated above from someone who represents Alienware?) - do I lose Optimus or not? And is the driver exactly the same? Can I just plug and go....so to speak?

In theory I should be able to swap cards, switch on my machine, let it pick up the hardware and then be on my way? Apologies to people who have tried to help in other threads, but as a newbie I'd love an answer from someone who has done this exact upgrade. There must be a few of you out there.....no? Cheers