M17x R4, upgrade from gtx 675m to gtx 680m

Hi everyone,
I'm looking to upgrade my gtx 675m on my m17x r4 to the gtx 680m. I'm wondering if the current heatsink will fit on the gtx 680m or not. Has anyone tried upgrading from gtx675m to gtx 680m?
Where can I buy the gtx 680m from? Which seller is reliable and has good warranty policy? Anyone has any idea?
Thank you so much

 

Best place for the cards are: upgradeyourlaptop's profile. It's essentially Eurocom incognito. Your R4 heatsink should fit the 680m, but the x-bracket on the back of the 675m will most likely not fit the 680m. When you go looking for the 680m, make sure to get the x-bracket and screws for it.

 

But after installing the card, do I need to do any modification like other users do? My laptop model is the R4, I think it may compatible with the card. Does eurocom sell the GTX680M the same as from Dell?

 

The Eurocom version is 4GB as compared to Dell's 2GB version. I BELIEVE the VBIOS is also different. In looking at the upgrade threads others have started, I know the Eurocom 680m will work in the R4, as well as the Clevo version. The only issue seems to be that the 4GB 680m has RAM chips on the both sides of the card, where as the 2GB version only has RAM chips on the top side (the side with the heatsink). There is some...trepidation...that the 4GB cards in the R3/R4 might overheat because there is no way to cool the RAM chips on the bottom side of the card.

http://forum.notebookreview.com/ali...evo-eurocom-compatible-alienware-m17x-r4.html

EDIT: Eurocom cards also come with a modified driver that you should use.

 

So, I really hate heating problem. I think I will go for the 2gb model because 2gb is already too much for gaming. Do you know which seller that sell exactly the same as the Dell model, the 2 gb one

 

Been looking myself. So far only Dell at a hugely inflated price

 

In the R4 any 680m will just work. Many would argue the Clevo cards are better since they have more overclock potential. There are a few people who have sold their Dell cards to buy Clevo just for the OC.

 

I dont cards from Eurocom because I will be able to update to the latest driver, I have to stick with Eurocom drivers. You know, driver updates give you better performance. Buying Dell reference card will optimise my laptop

 

True. I've been meaning to ask why the Eurocom cards need a different driver? Do the VBIOS send out a different device ID that the Nvidia drivers do not recognize or what?

 

I think that it was simply that there was no WHQL driver from Nvidia until the latest one. Only beta releases. But I've not seen confirmed the latest NV one works so it could be a device ID issue.

 

Well that is the million dollar question isn't it? I would buy the clevo cards just so I could use the latest and greatest Nvidia drivers. That's half the reason to get an Nvidia card because they have such great driver support.

 

I contacted Dell recently and they informed me that the 680m would be 400-500 dollars, although I think he said they were out of stock at the time. Not sure, but I'm not planning to upgrade for a couple months anyway. You can send them an email at [email protected] with your tag and phone number and they will likely give you a call, though I had to email them twice before getting a response.

 

$400-500? I got quoted $768 back in July. That's messed up!

 

I got quoted $1140 last night throught live chat

 

Price probably went up again due to the limited stock of the card multiplied by the fact the new mxm cards will be released soon. Dell's gots ta make money off these ones while they still can.

 

I have just called Dell Australia sale department, the lady said the price will be above $600 when it comes available. She said the current graphic card that I'm using now is the GTX 675M which is priced at $700 already then the GTX 680M will me more than that, the card will not be available in 2 or 3 months. It was funny when she said the price of the hardware will be more expensive over time due to stock limit, discontinuing production and it is harder to order. Then the price of the card will be more than $1000. That sounds ridiculous. For hi-tech stuffs, price will always go down as time goes.
Anyone have any idea that I can get the card directly from DELL, not from Eurocom.

 

I got quoted from dell in the UK last month for £1114. They told me that I had to use their installation service on a video card or I'd void my warranty - have it in writing. Other dell reps have told me this is not correct though for an AW laptop

 

1114 pounds, haha, you can get a brand new system with GTX 680M )

 

Yeah, they have clearly identified their upgrade market as 'those with large disposable incomes'. The enthusiast will go wherever the price is right

 

I have a friend in the US, I will ask him to buy the card then send it to Australia for me. The US is the only market offer the lowest price.

 

Is clevo card different from Eurocom card? Eurocom card need to install the driver from the supplier, using reference drivers from Nvidia might not optimise the performance of the card.

Is the clevo card just work like a Dell card on R4 system? Just plug in and download the latest driver from nvidia and play, no need to worry about any modded driver?

 

Was that for 1 card or 2?

 

I was quoted $1143 for one 680m a few hours ago. That's here in the U.S., If they would have said $500 or $600 it would have been sold. That's outrageous how different the pricing is. Guess I'll wait a few months when the next big thing from nvidia comes out and buy the ageing 680m.

 

Was that through live chat or over the phone? I was quoted by a rep calling from Florida, after emailing their address for upgrades. Honestly, between 400 and 600$ ought to be the right price, especially when you compare it to the price of the desktop card.

 

Do you have their phone number or their emails address? I want to contact them.
Thanks

 

It was live chat. $400 would be magnificent. A phone number would be greatly appreciated

 

At that time, they will not be producing the card any more, you will have to look at second hand market.

 

You need to send an email to [email protected] with your service tag and phone number, and they should call you. I had to send two emails, though.

 

I'll be interested in your result. I read this email address is only for N American customers

 

I mentioned earlier that I was quoted 400-500$. I want to see if anyone else gets quoted a different price, though. From what I hear, Dell coming to their senses on the price sounds too good to be true. It would be unfortunate if the rep I contacted got the wrong information. I don't think I'd be willing to pay more than $600 for the upgrade, though, since that's the most the card could possibly be worth. Anything over that is simply highway robbery.

 

I'm interested on this. I currently have gtx675m on my r4, but I'm lusting for the gtx680m for performance reasons specifically for maxing out Guild Wars 2.
A quick ebay search yields me this result.

Anyone had success on this? Is it just plug > install drivers > play ?