upgrade my R4 with 3D option and the GTX675M...options?

Hi guys!

I love to play with the 3D option of nvidia, but with the GTX675M the new games doesn´t work very well.
So im thinking of upgrade the graphic card...what´s are the options with the R4 and still supporting the 3D screen?

Thanks!

 

Depends on if you want to keep the 3D function. You can get a GTX 680m which will still support all 3D functionality. Or you could go even higher and go for a GTX 780m or GTX 880m, you will lose 3D functionality but still have the 120Hz.

 

I'm just waiting on a new heatsink for a 680m I picked up. I could reuse the 675 one without a problem but this way I can quickly swap between (warranty). I am expecting to retain the 3D and love it but you sometimes have to dial it down a little on the 675m . The 680m has so far stood the test of time and I can OC it later if needed.

 

Super fast service from Dell. Heatsink arrived today and I can confilm it comes with a new X-bracket.

Here is the pad layout as supplied from dell, probably going to give it a go later this evening...

 

680m would be the route to go if you want to keep 3D functionality.

 

Thanks guys!!!
Im going to buy the gtx680m finally...aand now, where can I find it? im from spain, europe.

 

eBay is probably the cheapest place... Otherwise if you want warranty, buy directly from Dell..

(BTW, i7-3720QM is Ivy Bridge and not Sandy Bridge lol)

 

Just to update, very easy nn straightforward. I didn't even uninstall the 675 before swapping out. Windows started up in low res, installed a driver and restarted. I looked to see what version and it was the beta I was using before so I went straight to testing . Just awesome improvement - around 30~40% hike across the titles I tested . 3D is way smoother. Temp is super low running the max overclock the Dell vbios allows, (+135). Never goes above 65c

I went to ebay as I see a lot of people here go.

You should find a few sellers so only thing to bear in mind is the memory and vbios OEM. From what I read any of them work and the Clevo vbios allows higher overclocks and temperature limits. Some sellers will offer you the vbios OEM of choice. Dell only sold/sell 2gb versions so any 4gb were intended for one of the other OEM's. I went for a used one from a private buyer auction, 2gb. Of course I was rolling the dice a little compared with the resellers but I didn't need to check out international charges.

You should also find cards sold to fit the R4 or a bunch of AW models and come with pad kits if you're looking to reuse your existing one.

More you pay, less risk and work.

Good Luck

 

Ey guys, this card will Work in my R4?
NVIDIA GTX 680m 2GB Brand New | eBay

Will i have to do anything before install it??

Thanks!!

 

That's an MSI one so I guess they used 2gb at one point? It will work from what I have seen but if I were going for a different brand then might as well get the 4gb version.

All I had to do was assemble the card to the new heatsink I purchased from dell. Shut down, replace card, it starts up in low res and I see windows installing a driver. I set the res to 1920 and restarted. The beta driver I was using before was being used so all worked fine from that point . I deliberately did not follow my own advice to see just what sort of mess it might get into .

I realise you are looking local but these should give you an idea and they will pre-load the Dell vbios .

ALIENWARE M17x M18x VGA Upgrade Kit; NVIDIA GTX 680M; 4GB DDR5; MXM 3.0b | eBay

You also get all the parts to be able to reuse your existing heatsink. If you were getting an original from dell (like I did) you'd be looking for a cheaper 'card only' option.

The price could be the decision maker (add in the cost of the heatsink from dell). I'm as sure as I can be that it will 'just work' but any on-line cheap purchase is a risk, simply because graphic cards do have a failure rate - it's how well a seller deals with that - I just got lucky and scored from an AW 18 user

 

Thanks Micky!!
I think i'm going to wait for a Dell Card! If I buy a card from other alienware can I use my heatsink and xbracket, right?
Edit: and this one?: http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Nvidia-Ge...5?pt=DE_Computer_Sonstige&hash=item257de4e5f1

 

You're very welcome buddy.

You can use your existing heatsink and bracket on any card but I always recommend getting the x-bracket designed for the card as the post heights could be different and affect contact pressure - although it's usually good enough. You will need to research the pads but again you may well get away with just reusing what you have.

If the x-bracket does not have a plate that contacts one set of ram chips on the underside then you'll need to pad both of these - on the original one row simply had a largish (~25mm square) pad contacting the underside of the card base.

Main reason I went with dell for the heatsink, the new x-bracket is there and all the pads are positioned ready to assemble - too easy

Card you linked looked just fine to me for either reusing or getting a new heatsink

Good luck

 

Thanks again Micky!! I really appreciate your time and opinion!!
One question more, how much did you pay for your heatsink and xbracket from dell??

 

NP

The heatsink was around £24.00, shipping £10.00 all plus UK tax. The AW guy even sent me a couple of tear-down videos

 

http://downloads.eurocom.com/support/drivers/zip/Alienware/6xxm/680M thermal pad placement.jpg


Alienware M17x R3 R4 complete teardown / how to take apart / disassemble - Hidevolution.com - YouTube

Alienware M17X R3/R4 GPU Swap - YouTube

 

Thanks you Micky!!!!
As you know I finally bought the gpu to Widezu!!! I'm so impatient to recieve the gpu and install it!, your pictures are perfect for me!!!
Thanks, thanks and thanks buddy!!

 

Only too happy to help when I can.

What is your favourite games, I'm thinking you're in for a very nice upgrade

 

I play a loot of games...mmorpg like final fantasy xiv, diablo, witcher, battlefield..and I want to try titanfall...but I want to play diablo with 3D option and my gtx680!!
what was your old gpu Micky? Now you can play with ultra graphics to all games?? ^^

 

I had a 675m which is a 580m rebadge same as you.

I found that gaming on mostly high settings was fine for me - even max payne3 in 3D was very good but now I just select the ultra preset, maybe lower a couple of settings that are GPU heavy with little or no difference I can see, and as long as I average above 30fps then the game is fine for me D. Barman AO runs above 60fps in 2D and around 45-55 in 3D which is plenty for smooth gameplay - and the 3D is awesome in this one!

It was BMAC that sold me on the 3D. They put in a few scenes designed for 3D effect - like the coin toss by Two Face where it moves to an overhead shot and the coin comes 'at you'.

3rd person open world is best for 3D IMO, first person, not always and a game like Portal(2) takes on a whole new life - 4 full replays now in 3D).

Watch out for titanfall, it might prompt you to update your video driver. The Nvidia latest notebook version should work on your machine just fine since it was sold with a 680m I use them but they are not without problems so make sure you know what GPU driver you are using before changing it. Also, when a game complains that a video driver is too old, I ignore and find everything worked fine

The tension builds ....

 

I always update drivers from www.nvidia.com...now with the gtx680m, will be the same, righ?
Or I have to look for modded drivers?

I Just bought the Batman Arkham City!! ^^
Waiting, waiting!!

 

Yes, you can just use them straight off the NV site - latest one (337.88) is working fine for me but seems to be causing chaos to desktop 7xx and Titan cards

Perfect game choice IMO! I always used to show off the 3D to people with that game . It was a relative that spends all his time on his console said 'How can you go back to normal gaming after seeing that!?'

Another favourite of mine is Metro LL. Because it also has AlienFX support the keyboard and other lighting is controlled by the environment, flashing lights, heat sources, and other subtle effects. Lights out in 3D and you are immersed - one of the few FPS that works great in 3D. If you're into multi-player games it's a no-no though, too much latency.

I've only benchmarked it but I found I could go up to 1920x1080 when I used to have it one notch lower (and I still cannot see a difference!) and over 30fps average, dialling back AA gives the best fps increase - above 40fps for me

Just remembered, with BMAC, select the max physics even though it will say they recommend a second card, you loose a lot of eye candy without it.

Since I'm coming from the same place I can check out your temps when you finish to make sure the pad/paste is working fine. Do you use msiafterburner or PrecisionX? Both use the same on-screen-display (RivaTuner) to show stats while you game and is great to identify if your machine is working fine while you stress it .

I didn't even uninstall or reinstall the driver - deliberately to see if it choked. No problem. I restarted from a low res startup after it had finished 'installing display driver' and when I checked, expecting to see some old windows driver, it was the latest one I had already installed - guess the windows device driver cache has some uses .

Any idea when to expect delivery?

 

About the delivery I sent the money the 28/05..and Widezu told me that he will send the card the next day (29). I hope to receive it on monday or tuesday!! aaah!! I can´t wait anymore!

Im going to install the msiafterburner...what do you thinks its a good temp for the gtxt680m?

(sorry for my english Micky!!..im trying not make mistakes, but it´s difficult for me)

Thanks again buddy!

 

You're doing great with the English, even got the composition and punctuation down .

My temps are pretty much the same as my 675m. Never goes above 65c and the fan drops it down to 61c when that temp is hit. This is running the max overclock that the Dell vbios allows - +135mhz. In fact it runs so cool I'm considering a small voltage boosted vbios - but probably wait until a game needs it .

Get some medical wipes (injection site) to clean the heatsink and new card, and take your time. Make of thermal paste is not important IMO unless you're really looking to push the machine hard. Having said that though my seller gave me some Arctic Silver compound so I used it.

Here's hoping for Monday for you