Who's going first...? 980M upgrade on AW17

I'd be front and center, but I am just waiting to hear officially they have 'fixed' the issue with the 120Hz screens.

'Fixed' = no Optimus and no 3D

HIDevolution NVIDIA GTX 980M 8GB Upgrade Kit for Alienware 17 and M17x R4

 

Yea they don't tell you it don't work without optimus. These guys have been misleading people since the 980m was released. Fist they had a alienware 18 with 980m sli on there website and said it was ready to ship in stock. They lied. And the 17 they say works great Wich in fact in only works with optimus and we don't even know it works proper.
So good luck with that.

 

I don't recommend upgrading, yet. Still too much trouble and risk involved.

As mentioned above, everyone selling the 980M is misleading consumers by implying it's a simple upgrade.

 

The 980M works with win8/8.1 and with pure UEFI mode on Win7 iirc from T|I forum, the guys did a lot of progress on this 900M series to get them working in Alienware M18x R2 and AW17 but as j.dre says there's this risk factor here. Better wait for a few days maybe the dell will soon release the 900M systems or a custom vBIOS mod will be up soon and then the job will be much easier :thumbsup: .

 

So, it'll be me...

I have relegated my AW17 to desktop duty connected to a 27" external monitor. I literally never use it with the lid open.

I am sending mine in to have the 120Hz screen replaced with a 60Hz screen and the 980m installed. They are giving me 'core credit' for the screen and 780.

I'll report when I have it back.

 

I'm curious to what their excuse will be when you call them back after you get your laptop back and tell them when you try to switch to dedicated graphics mode your screen just goes black.

 

'dedicated graphics'? You mean the iGPU or the dGPU?

 

i'll hold out till there's some firm and need i say fool proof information about the upgrade process.

 

Dgpu.
The 980m only works with optimus mode in the 17 with windows 7 for now. So if you switch to Dgpu with the 980m installed in your 17 it will reboot to change graphics and you only get black screen . It will only work with your with your system in optimus mode. Meaning Igpu mode Wich means your laptop uses the Igpu until you start a game or benchmark and it switches to dgpu for you. For some this might not be a big deal .for me personally I don't like it and some times it wouldn't work and sometimes it would

 

i can live with the iGPU disabled.

 

If it gets figured out proper here pretty soon then you would be giving up your 120hz screen for no reason. Like others said wait it out just a little bit longer to see what happens

 

My thought exactly. Those of us with the 120Hz screen have been living without the iGPU since purchase.

 

It will not work with Igpu dissabled.

 

That's why they tell you you have to change your screen front 120hz to 60hz because your computer will no longer work in dgpu mode anymore. That's what I've been trying to explain to you.

 

The alienware 17 with 120hz only has dgpu and 980m won't work. Alienware 17 with 60hz screen will work with 980m because it has Igpu mode Wich is the only mode the 980m will currently work in.

 

I have a 60hz display anyway.

 

If you install 980m in your system it will work but you won't be able to use dedicated graphics mode anymore.
If you use your laptop in optimus mode right now then it won't make any difference for you.

 

Player2, please stop posting in this thread. It's obvious you have no idea what you are talking about.

iGPU = Intel 4600 GPU (Intel 4900MQ)
dGPU = NVidia GPU

AW17's with the 120Hz screen have NEVER supported Optimus. It has ALWAYS used the dGPU.

I know the 780m to 980m upgrade currently will not work with the 120Hz screen.

That's why I am swapping it for a standard 60Hz screen.

The 980m will work with a 60Hz LCD.

I don't use the built-in LCD. I only use my AW17 with an external 27" connected via MiniDP.

 

though the only thing i would need to do is set my BIOS to UEFI and reinstall the OS?

 

Yes.

And sorry to original post for messing up your thread.

 

For current state of progress with 980M, this post cover it:
Going to test clevo 980m in alienware m17x R4, m18x R2, AW17 - Page 59

 

Guys, I ordered from HIDevolution those guys are very responsive and will be frank with you when questioned are asked. I ordered a 980M from them, and they test every card before they are sent out to ensure they will work with the system they are selling it for.

For those who are novice users when it comes to DIY, i would ensure that you have read up on the current state of the card for recent systems before attempting to purchase. If you feel uncomfortable using .inf drivers, or manually tuning your system, then stay away.

Player2, stop you are way off on a lot of what you are saying. If you are truly interested in knowing what works and what does not work click on Cloudfires link.

 

Do you know why Maxwell is causing these issues? Is it BIOS/vBIOS incompatibility issues?

 

Oh it's certainly an issue between the vbios and bios.

 

i'd do it once i can figure out how to get a tight screw undone...and have the money to buy it!

 

Urgh! it is this screw is all that stands in my way of...

1) getting the 780m repasted
2) possibly getting the 980m installed now that i am using UEFI

URGH!

 

Same thing on my M17x r2 , just use a dremel to make a cut , and then a flat screwdriver will do the job.

 

know what dremel accessory will cut a nice slot?

Looking at this site http://rjtech.com/shop/index.php?dispatch=products.view&product_id=30303 is there a specific card that one should be looking out for?

 

I have used an 0.75 mm disc if i remeber right , you can use the brown one if you want , just be gentle they brake easily.

 

the disc you mean cos i do want to break the screw....by making a slot

 

This one
Dremel SC409 Speedclic 0 75mm Extra Thin Cutting Wheel Disc Hobby Rotary S409 | eBay

 

To be clear, he is not recommending that you grind off the screw. He is recommending that you grind a slot to use a flat tip screwdriver (at least as wide as the screw) so you get maximum leverage. I suggest you go carefully so that you don't cause the head to twist off. I've used easyout's on automotive projects for years and they do make something similar for precision work.

https://www.ifixit.com/Store/Tools/Precision-Screw-Extractor-Set/IF145-118

If you read the description, their screw extracting pliers also look interesting. FWIW, I have purchased from ifixit before but have no affiliation with them.

 

I knew what they meant.

 

I had this happen to my R4 with the wireless card...I was trying to change it out and the screw was so over tight that it just massacred the head trying to get it out. I ended up drilling the head off so the card slipped over top and then once the card was removed grabbed it with a pair of pliers and turned it until it came out, but I didn't have a dremel to try and cut a new slotted head onto it. The screws are not very hard, they tend to turn to mush quite easily with enough force.

My new 17 came from the factory with a stripped screw on the GPU, there were only three screws holding the heatsink down as the other one was so badly stripped that it couldn't be tightened....( so much for quality control ). I talked to support and they just sent me out a new heatsink with the screws and all.

 

I had to do this with my sager as well, screw just totally threaded on me, no ill effects after replacing the screw though

 

i am thinking about getting a pack of these...

Socket-head Cap Screws M1.6 X 4mm Socket-head Cap Screws - HeliPal

just cos to me at least hex capped screws won't turn to mush like phillips head screws. i just need to confirm a cheap and easy method.

 

Just be careful of how much force you can get behind those screws that you don't turn the mounts to much instead

 

Oh, IT'S A MIRACLE!

I managed to get that mischievous screw loosened enough with a pair of needle nose pliers....before i was using them vertically which didn't work cos the grips were the wrong orientation i then tried it near horizontal and now the screw is loose enough to unscrew fully without the need to spend $100+ on a dremel +cutting disc.

finally, is it safer to get the M1.6 x 4mm or M1.6 x 3mm screws since the screws used is M1.6 x 3.5mm (and they don't exist at retail)?

 

You really need to get the same otherwise it could jam or just not work at all.

 

that's the thing! where can one get M1.6 x 3.5mm screws from?

 

Thanks to Mr. Fox for confirming the screw size for the stock Alienware x bracket (which apparently is different to the clevo) - M2 x 3mm is the screw used....so same as the one that holds down the MSATA and the wifi module.

 

Any luck with the 980m in your AW 17?


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk HD

 

don't have it!

 

After repasting what are the temps? What thermal paste?

 

so what's the deal with modded drivers? i don't mind running the card at stock speeds until svl7 releases their modded vbios.

 

No information if it's working well on an alienware 17 running ws 8.1 with 60hz screen? Mine gtx980m is on his way to my home. I wanted to know if i can run games in it and if i can just plug&play.

 

so long as you installed windows under UEFI only then it's pnp!

 

Have a look at this -> @TI thread from pg.65, you will get most information regarding the 980M upgrade, throttling & here are - > Drivers. Mikecacho has done an upgrade to 980M in his M17x R4 you can pm him aswell & for the last try out these two posts -> Mr. Fox's driver Mod & Nvidia Beta driver 347.09 :thumbsup:

You can pnp without UEFI on Win7 or Win8 too till you are having a 60Hz, Optimus enabled. For 3D panel one must Install Win8 or later with pure UEFI mode atm, iirc some machines only are able to run win7 in pure UEFI (some user ssj.. his M18x R2 is on Win7 pure UEFI.). Just a few more days a vBIOS will be up and this UEFI crap will be ironed out I guess along with that stupid maxwell power limiting / battery saver filth, causing the throttle with the XM CPUs with past 4GHz OC.

 

Thanks for your answers. Yes i got a 60Hz panel for my aw 17. Can't wait to receive the gpu

 

One thing to note.. Stay away from the 347.09 driver.. Has massive throttling problems.. All these issues most people have with R4 etc is due to trying to get it to work in dedicated mode. If your'e going to be in Optimus mode like me, it's really straightforward.. Doesn't seem to be throttling too..... Will be testing the 970M so do follow my thread too..

http://forum.notebookreview.com/alienware-17-m17x/767872-alienware-17x-r4-970m-upgrade.html