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    Should I upgrade to a 580m or 6990m???

    Discussion in 'Alienware 17 and M17x' started by QuadX, Aug 19, 2011.

  1. QuadX

    QuadX Notebook Consultant

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    I currently have a 6970m in my R3. I want to upgrade bc I like having the latest and greatest. I'm leaning towards a 580m for the sole reason that I have an external 3D monitor with the Nvidia vision kit. I cannot use it with ATI so I'm thinking of upgrading to the nvidia route.

    Here are a few questions I have:

    1. Does Optimus affect battery life when not gaming? I currently get 4hrs when not gaming...can I expect the same with the 580m?

    2. What is the performance difference between the 580m and the 6990m?

    3. Will I be able to use the 6970m heatsink on the 580m, or would I need to order a heatsink with the 580m?
     
    QuadX, Aug 19, 2011
    #1
  2. TostitoBandito

    TostitoBandito Notebook Evangelist

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    1. Yes, Optimus will extend battery life while not gaming, provided you don't get the 120 Hz 3D screen.

    2. At stock speeds they are basically the same. The 580M may have more overclocking headroom, mainly because you can overvolt it, but it also currently has issues with Thermal throttling under the current Dell BIOS and vBIOS. If money is no issue and you are patient enough to wait for throttling issues to be resolved, go for the 580M. Otherwise, the 6990M is a much better value.

    3. I have no idea. I would guess no.
     
    TostitoBandito, Aug 19, 2011
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  3. QuadX

    QuadX Notebook Consultant

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    So I should be able to achieve 4hrs battery life when not gaming on the 580m?
     
    QuadX, Aug 19, 2011
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  4. TostitoBandito

    TostitoBandito Notebook Evangelist

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    Correct. Though some things like watching movies may shorten that substantially. For just surfing the net or word processing or whatever though, 4 hours should be do-able.
     
    TostitoBandito, Aug 19, 2011
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  5. almostinsane

    almostinsane Notebook Consultant

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    Depends. If you use IE9 then hardware rendering will kick in and use the 580m.
     
    almostinsane, Aug 19, 2011
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  6. QuadX

    QuadX Notebook Consultant

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    I mainly use Chrome
     
    QuadX, Aug 19, 2011
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  7. Harryboiyeye

    Harryboiyeye Notebook Deity

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    ATi can use 3D as well with HD3D
     
    Harryboiyeye, Aug 19, 2011
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  8. ewitte12

    ewitte12 Notebook Evangelist

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    4-5h is really a stretch. It involves shutting off the graphics card, battery saving mode, low brightness, turning off the lights ...
     
    ewitte12, Aug 19, 2011
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  9. katalin_2003

    katalin_2003 NBR Spectre Super Moderator

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    3. Yes, same heatsink for all GPUs in the M17x R3.
     
    katalin_2003, Aug 19, 2011
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  10. Le0-

    Le0- Notebook Evangelist

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    I might be wrong and all but do you mean 4 hours of battery when using 580m GPU or when switching to intel one?
     
    Le0-, Aug 20, 2011
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  11. katalin_2003

    katalin_2003 NBR Spectre Super Moderator

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    When on the iGP lol, you'll need a mini power plant as a battery for that :D
     
    katalin_2003, Aug 20, 2011
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  12. ewitte12

    ewitte12 Notebook Evangelist

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    About 300 WH ;)
     
    ewitte12, Aug 20, 2011
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  13. QuadX

    QuadX Notebook Consultant

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    So, should I wait and get a 580m from dell when they start selling them individually, or just get one now from someone else?
     
    QuadX, Aug 21, 2011
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  14. CleaningService

    CleaningService Notebook Consultant

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    I want to know this question to. Dell only wants to sell me the 6970m
     
    CleaningService, Aug 21, 2011
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  15. TostitoBandito

    TostitoBandito Notebook Evangelist

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    You're likely gonna have to wait a month or more if you want to get one from Dell. The supply of 580M's and 6990M's they have is being used for new laptop builds, not for individual sale. It normally takes them a bit after a new card is released to offer it for sale individually.

    If you have to have one now, maybe look into a Clevo card. Or, buy a new R3 and swap out the GPU with yours and then resell it. :)
     
    TostitoBandito, Aug 21, 2011
    #15