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    Switching gpu from left to right side,possible?

    Discussion in 'Alienware 17 and M17x' started by .breath, Jun 3, 2012.

  1. .breath

    .breath Notebook Consultant

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    I got a m17x r1 with 1 nvidia 260m, when playing games the keyboard gets hot on the left side, just under the qwerty zone, it's pretty annoying, can i switch the gpu from the left side to the right side? is the cooler/heatsink/fan the same for the right side? Thank you.
     
    .breath, Jun 3, 2012
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  2. Xenn0X

    Xenn0X Notebook Evangelist

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    No, not possible. :)
     
    Xenn0X, Jun 3, 2012
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  3. Tapakidney

    Tapakidney Notebook Evangelist

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    Xen, do you know stuf about the r1? It's a dual GPU machine. So the answer may be yes. I don't know though. Maybe someone here will.
     
    Tapakidney, Jun 3, 2012
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  4. dave-p

    dave-p Notebook Deity

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    the Dual GPU in the r1 are configured as a pair left and right side they ae not intechangeable if i recall, the SLI cable is located differentlly on the cards.

    I would remove clean the fans & heat pipes, and consider a fresh thermal compound application if you having heat issues.
     
    dave-p, Jun 3, 2012
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  5. Xenn0X

    Xenn0X Notebook Evangelist

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    must overlooked it, if it's a r1 then it's possible.
    but only if you have the heatsink and fan of that side, heatsinks are not interchangeable from side.
     
    Xenn0X, Jun 3, 2012
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  6. bluke424

    bluke424 Notebook Geek

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    The video cards are virtually the same, but keep in mind that each heatsink and fan is different, you can't just move the left fan to the right and viceversa, same with the heatsink.

    One more thing, the left MXM slot is the master one, so if you run a single GPU setup, the GPU must be in that slot, otherwise you can't use the dedicated GPU.

    The good thing is that you can swap the right card to the left (after replacing the heatsink and fan to match the left side, of course), so if you have a SLI setup and the left GPU dies, you can swap the right GPU to the left and use it.

    I second Dave on this, cleaning the fan/heatsink and replacing the thermal paste should keep the machine cooler.
     
    bluke424, Jun 3, 2012
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  7. katalin_2003

    katalin_2003 NBR Spectre Super Moderator

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    The cards are the same and they are interchangeable. nVIDIA cards never needed different vBIOSES to run in SLI either.

    Let's just agree on this first:
    left side GPU(primary) = GPU0
    right side GPU(secondary) = GPU1

    • Just grab a tube of your favourite thermal paste
    • Detach the heatsinks from the cards paying attention not to break the thermal pads
    • Clean the old thermal compound
    • Apply new thermal paste
    • Place the GPU0 heatsink on GPU1
    • Plug the SLi cable into GPU0 card and apply the GPU1 heatsink
    • Install both cards in the laptop and plug the SLi cable in the exGPU1

    Your high temperatures most definitely the result of clogged heatsinks. Opening your laptop and cleaning it up(heatsinks, fans etc.) should help.
     
    katalin_2003, Jun 3, 2012
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