Upgrading specs ? M17x (R1)

hi , so i have this old m17x R1 which i hve had for 3 years and its still working pretty good . i decided to get a whole new system but unfortunately the buying thing went wrong now im thinking bout upgrading my specs but i dont know what to get . im only putting 500$-600$ on this so i should prob. get a good upgrade cuz im just gonna upgrade the cpu and the gpu . (maybe the RAM)

i'd appreciate your help

 

Your in luck, a few guys just managed to put 5870m crossfire into their R1's and believe the 6970m should work too which costs around $400-500

 

I'd recommend buying from somebody on the forums or eBay as dell do charge a lot for these type of things

 

so do they really work ? what about the cpu ? cuz with 5870m crossfire ( 2 gpu ) the cpu would be so weak

yeah exactly , but also i could never find a r2/r3 with good specs and for 500/600 bucks

 

Yeah it works I'll post a link to the forum when I get to my laptop, you could buy a barebones R2 and stick a 680m/7970 m and a quad cord processor and I meant the graphics card/cpu from the forums

 

You shoudl try and see if the 680Ms or 7970Ms could work for your R1. As good as the 5870Ms are, they are starting to show their age. So if you are wanting a better gaming experience, a new GPU might be worth it.

 

the guys who got the 5870m crossfire working in their R1's believe the 7970m should work however they haven't tested this yet

 

The 6970M is not currently workin in the R1, as it seems to have many issues, follow this thread if you want to keep up with the progress of this brave soul.

6970m and original M17x (a.k.a. R1)

 

thanks for all the replies , so apparently the 6970Ms do not function properly on R1s and the 680Ms are too expensive , so i'm going with the 5870m but i have some questions cuz i'm not really that familiar with hardware
so i get a 5870m with the heatsink and just install it ? should i change the fans or anything else?
if i get dual 5870Ms in crossfire , should i only get 2 gpus with extra fans and thats it ?

 

Check out this thread, as it should answer all those questions.

http://forum.notebookreview.com/alienware-m17x/610357-m17x-r1-5870-crossfire-running.html

 

thanks, i was able to get some answers but i still don't know whether i should change the fans or not, and if i get 2 5870Ms separately should i also buy the crossfire cable?

 

I'm 99 percent sure the stocks fans (i have R1 as well) will be fine. And if the instructions don't list fans then i am guessing that person did not place new fans in his laptop and it works fine. You will need to purchase the cable for those cards if you decide to go crossfire.

 

you have to buy the crossfire cable, otherwise having 2 cards in your system is a waste. However there is also the option of having a single 6970m/6990m. this will eliminate any problems you may encounter with a crossfire system, draws less power and in the 6990m's case is just as good/better

 

Option for the 6970/6990m, i dont think so. Where is the thread or evidence showing this in an R1 configuration?

 

dealing with 6970m/6990Ms is kinda risky for me cuz they are both expensive and might not function properly , and i think nobody has really tested these cards on R1s so it would be a waste of money if i get cards which do not work properly .

but something else , should repaste the new cards when i get them or just install them the way they are ? and what should i get for the CPU considering my 500/600$ budget

 

You have to paste them to put them in your system in the first place

 

Redman do not waste money on the 6970/6990M as they will not work with the R1 (view link below as proof, i will always supply a link to a thread that is considered endoursed). 6970m and original M17x (a.k.a. R1)

Always repaste cards when you recieve them M17X R3 6970M Re-Pasting Video Guide follow these instruction for the cleaning and repasting only. Also i have the QX9300 in my R1, as i purchased from Ebay back around May2011, its OEM and paid $265 for this CPU which came out of a new laptop.

 

thank you guys , im gonna go with 5870Ms in crossfire and QX9300 , plus reps for u guys

 

Make sure your PSU can handle it good luck upgrading

 

http://forum.techinferno.com/alienware-m17x-aw-17/2016-6970m-original-m17x-k-r1.html

Apparently the 6970m used in the above post was DOA thats why it didnt post .

for further details :

http://www.imsolidstate.com/archives/1113/comment-page-1#comment-326898