Upgrading M17xR2

I know this is posted a lot, but I have some rather specific questions I'd like to ask.

Anyway, recently I cleaned out my computer. I've had it since around 2010 or 2011, and it was whirring a lot and I was having some problems with the graphics/monitor. So when I cleaned out the GPU and its fan, it actually started working like brand new, and it hasn't made a peep. For this, I'm pretty happy.

But I realize now, I should probably invest into upgrading its parts. I also need to fix the shell, as its worn down a bit and I'd like to replace the red outer coat with a black one so I can play with the LEDs a bit. (Blue doesn't mix with the red at all!)

So, my plan is to invest in a new GPU, some RAM, and a new shell for the computer. All of this should be pretty basic. I know where all of these are located. Although removing the nebula red shell may be a problem. I have no idea where to even start on that.

Anyway, my main question is, where can I buy a new shell for my Alienware, and how do I tell if the RAM/GPU I've picked is compatible?

Here's the GPU I have picked out:

PNY VCGGTX650XPB GeForce GTX 650 2GB 128-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 3.0 x16 Video Card - Newegg.com

As for the RAM, I'm assuming any would work, right?

Also, any suggestions on the shell?

Here's a picture of my current specs:

 

Unfortunately the GPU you linked on new egg is for a desktop system and not a laptop so it won't work. Your options for the R2 are varied, you can go with an AMD 5870M, 6970M, 6990M or a 7970M (will probably need to look at ebay in order to find the card...specifically upgradeyourlaptop and I believe laptop monkey is also selling video cards now as well) there are also nvidia equivilent cards...the key is finding a mobile card that specifically states that it is MXM 3.0 (I believe) compatible and even more specifically states that it's compatible with your alienware. You might also check on the forum to see if any folks are selling GPUs.

As far as ram, I tend to go to crucial.com as they can tell you specifically what memory is compatible with your system...there are clearly other brands you can choose as well.

Good luck, there are quite a few threads about upgrading GPU's in your laptop, so might be good to review those as well. Officially the R2 supports the 4870M and 5870M (AMD), but several folks are running 6970M, 6990M and 7970M. Unfortunately not familiar with the Nvidia cards that are supported but I know several folks around here are.

 

Thank you for the reply!

What exactly does MXM 3.0 mean?

Also, are these GPUs you suggested outdated? I'd like to buy a fairly new and high end GPU to replace my old one with.

I also noticed when I took it apart, there's a slot for an extra GPU. How would I go about placing my new one in to have to add to the power of the old one? (If possible, I'm new to this.)

 

Glad to help.

MXM describes the slot/architecture of the GPU used. As far as what the latest supported in your R2 would be, you can go with a single AMD 7970M or Nvidia 680...there are links in the forum on how to go about adding them to your system as well as the best places to purchase them. For an AMD 7970M I know upgradeyourlaptop on e-bay sells them specifically for the R2..but definitely check out the links on the forums for the gotcha's associated with each type of card.

Note that neither of these will work (or work easily) as a dual card setup.

If you are looking for a dual card configuration, then the highest (and easiest) upgrade you can make is the AMD 6970 or some folks have had luck with the 6990's. Although a single 7970 would still likely outperform the dual card setups and would be less of a headache.

http://forum.notebookreview.com/alienware-m17x/677680-another-7970m-m17x-r2-installation-photos.html

For the 7970 setup and configuration tips

There's a link somewhere for the 680M setup as well just haven't found it yet.

 

i believe 7970m and 680m has some issues when paired with a 920xm or 940xm. u could try getting a 780m and see if that works

 

The 780M would be heavily bottlenecked by the 920XM, unless the CPU is overclocked. The 7970M is the best bet for the R2 owners out there. It's pretty much a plug-and-play deal there. Also, since the new stuff is out, the 7970Ms can be had for dirt cheap.

 

how much of a bottleneck is there? i havent seen anyone post a screenshot of a game with botht the cpu and gpu load.

 

Woah, just looked up those 7970s.

Why are they so expensive? It's not even that strong, and it seems to be outdated. It's about half the price of what I'd be spending on building a full sized desktop that's around 2 times stronger than this laptop.

Is it because they're primarily used in Alienwares? I know this laptop was absurdly priced because of its name when I first bought it, essentially.

 

You cannot compare laptop and desktop tech. The price comes with making the tech portable. Last gen laptop cards were the closest we came to good desktop related performance, for example the 7970M is actually a desktop 7870 underclocked. Desktops are easier to design for as space and cooling is easily catered for.

MXM 3.0b card prices are more or less the same across all brands including Clevo and MSI.

 

You will find (unfortunately) that after market upgrades for laptops will indeed be several times more expensive then the equivilent desktop prices. This is mainly due to the fact that the parts tend to be in low demand (most folks don't upgrade laptops, and most laptops are not designed to be upgradeable aside from memory and HDD). So it's not unusual to spend 300+ for a CPU upgrade and 300-500 for a GPU upgrade.

If you are looking for raw performance at a budget price, you will definitely get more bang for your buck building a desktop system them upgrading your laptop. For some of us we upgrade the laptops because we use them as a desktop replacement (is what I do), or want the portability. But you will definitely be paying a premium for the parts you put in it.

There are also very limited vendors of such parts (typically only one or two) and mainly only are found on e-bay (or their equivilent online shops), and the parts are extremely hard to find.

Note that any of these upgrades while tested by the community and in some rare cases the vendors, are not supported by Alienware/Dell and will most likely void any warranty you may have on your system...so something to be aware of. Also, you are pretty much on your own if something happens or doesn't work correctly (so for example if the motherboard is fried during the installation, or you don't put the proper amount of paste on your GPU and it overheats and fries), so can require the purchase of replacement parts should anything go wrong.

Not trying to scare you away from performing it, just wanting you (and anyone thinking of upgrading) to be aware of the risks. In the early days of the 6970/6990 mods there were issues with crossfire cables, system boards getting fried, etc...so definitely not something to take on for the feint of heart.

Other then that, there are plenty of folks on the board who have done these upgrades and are willing to help out the best we can. As stated earlier the 7970 single GPU is probably one of the easier upgrade paths, but be sure to read the thread for any gotchas. My 6970's have been going strong for a year and a half now, but I had quite a bit of drama getting them to work in the beginning. So it requires a lot of patience, and in some cases some extra cash to throw down in case something doesn't go quite as planned.