Upgrading My Alienware M17x R4 Graphic's Card

Hello all,

I am currently looking to upgrade my graphics card to a Geforce GTX 980m if it is possible, This is my first gaming PC and my first time attempting to upgrade a piece of hardware, ive had it since Christmas of 2012, im not sure if that means its an early 2013 model pr not. I need a little guidance on what I should look for when shopping for a card, and what is the best way to have the card installed and any other helpful tips that you have to offer would be great.

I Currently run a geforce gtx 680m. My CPU is a Intel quad core i7 @ 2.70 GHz

Thanks for your time!

 

hello there
first of all i would like to know if you have the 60 hz model or the 120hz 3d model? this would decide your possible future upgrades
with the 680m, i am sure you have a 100watt heat sink and a 240 watt adaptor as standard

1. keep the 680m and overclock it
most value for money, 0$
can even surpass the 780m
do keep the temps in check

2. 780m
excellent card, good performance
slight sound card issue with the upgrade

3. 880m
just skip it, not worth the hassles

3. 980m
obviously the best card here, also the most expensive
has been problematic on the 3d R4
many people have succesfully done on non 3d R4

to upgrade, please follow the excellent guides given on our forums as the perfectly writen and have everything covered

do reply for any further queries

 

I checked my monitor and it is 60hz model. I checked in display under advanced settings and the refresh rate says 60hz. If you have a link to a guideline you personally recommend that would be great =). Thanks for the quick response.

 

Here are a few threads to give you a general idea:

http://forum.notebookreview.com/thr...m17x-r4-without-optimus-working-great.777145/


http://forum.notebookreview.com/threads/installed-980m-in-m17x-r4-120hz-3d.778177/
My R4 had the 680M & the 120Hz display ↑↑↑↑

 

Hello, thanks for the threads I've been reading through them.

The first link I read, all I can say is...seeing the issue so far..Im glad I have not upgraded to windows 10, I don't have patience to be a beta tester lol.

I still have windows 7, and I assumed I have optimius becuase when right clicking on the EXE of my games I can switch between the Intel 4000 and my Geforce GTX 680m when choosing the graphics processor(Sorry Im a total noob, but I assume that means my laptop uses optimius)

If I have windows 7 is that going to be an issue when Installing the card?

 

I think I read somewhere that in order to prevent throttling with Optimus you must use the 980M in dedicated mode.
By using an unlocked Bios you could change display modes.
If that's the case, then you have to use UEFI to boot. Which makes Win8 & 10 your only option.
I hope someone with the 980M & Optimus will chime in.