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    Unhappy with GeForce GTX 660M, any recommendations?

    Discussion in 'Alienware 17 and M17x' started by Kold5763, May 25, 2013.

  1. Kold5763

    Kold5763 Newbie

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    I bought an M17X R4 Laptop a few months ago. I went with the 2GB GDDR5 NVIDIA GeForce GTX 660M and am very unhappy with theperformance I am getting. I have to overclock it just to make many of my games playable. It seems that the frame rate bottleneck is coming from the GPU so I want to upgrade it. Do any of you have a recommendation on a good mobile card that will replace it? I want to play games like BF3, Planetside 2, BF4, Guildwars, etc. on high settings and above 55+ fps. With the card overclocked I get about 40fps on medium settings in BF3 and PS2. I am looking for a card in the price range of $300-$600. Here is the rest of my system specs. Thanks!

    M17X R4
    3rd Generation Intel Core i7-3630QM (6MB Cache, up to 3.4GHz w/ Turbo Boost 2.0)
    8GB Dual Channel DDR3 at 1600MHz
    17.3-inch WideFHD1920 x 1080 60Hz WLED
    2GB GDDR5 NVIDIA GeForce GTX 660M
    500GB 7200RPM SATA 3Gb/s
     
    Kold5763, May 25, 2013
    #1
  2. Meaker@Sager

    Meaker@Sager Company Representative

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    HD7970M or GTX680M just now or if you wait the 780M or 8970M.
     
    Meaker@Sager, May 25, 2013
    #2
  3. Kold5763

    Kold5763 Newbie

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    When do the new cards come out?
     
    Kold5763, May 25, 2013
    #3
  4. Hybrys

    Hybrys That Damn Cactuar!

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    Next month some time. June 2 to 24, depending on rumour.

    For that price, I'd just pick up a 7970m now and OC it. The difference between 8970 and 7970 is small, and the 780 will be $800+.
     
    Hybrys, May 25, 2013
    #4
  5. Kold5763

    Kold5763 Newbie

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    Ya but dont you think the price of the 7970 will drop some when the new cards come out?
     
    Kold5763, May 25, 2013
    #5
  6. lif3t4k3r

    lif3t4k3r Notebook Consultant

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    They are already cheap, cheap enough I don't think they will get any cheaper... you can get them for $400AUS if you know where to look, and as in my sig, with some tweaking they can OC like a boss, I had a 660m and I did the same upgrade.
     
    lif3t4k3r, May 25, 2013
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  7. Kold5763

    Kold5763 Newbie

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    Gotcha. Any tips on where to buy the cards from?
     
    Kold5763, May 25, 2013
    #7
  8. lif3t4k3r

    lif3t4k3r Notebook Consultant

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    where do you live?
     
    lif3t4k3r, May 25, 2013
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  9. Kold5763

    Kold5763 Newbie

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    United States. I want to order it online.
     
    Kold5763, May 26, 2013
    #9
  10. bigtonyman

    bigtonyman Desktop Powa!!!

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    Eurocom is probably your best bet then. ;)
     
    bigtonyman, May 26, 2013
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  11. xZorbZx

    xZorbZx Notebook Consultant

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    xZorbZx, May 26, 2013
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  12. lif3t4k3r

    lif3t4k3r Notebook Consultant

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    lif3t4k3r, May 26, 2013
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  13. xZorbZx

    xZorbZx Notebook Consultant

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    I will have to disagree, I upgraded from a 660m to the 680m and never touched the heatsink. Literally plug-n-play. I have never seen a temp over 67C and that's while benching. Nothing over 64C while gaming.
     
    xZorbZx, May 26, 2013
    #13
  14. lif3t4k3r

    lif3t4k3r Notebook Consultant

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    Depends on if you want to take the risk, I know I like to use parts that are designed for that use.
     
    lif3t4k3r, May 26, 2013
    #14
  15. Meaker@Sager

    Meaker@Sager Company Representative

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    The parts are similar but with different heatpad arrangements I believe.
     
    Meaker@Sager, May 26, 2013
    #15