Aw m18x R2 Dual 980m SLI upgrade!!

Are you testing with or without Windows updates?

 

Mostly with.

 

Try system restore to when you first installed windows. Then only install the gpu drivers and what ever dotnet version needed to run.(if any)
If this does not work....

Do a fresh install. No drivers or updates.
make your first windows restore point here. Name it.
Image drive to ssd using esata port. This way it's faster.
I use esaeus for mine but you can use what you feel comfortable with.
Then install anything having to with the gpu only. And test it.
Set a windows restore point here. Name this restore point so you know what it's for.
You can also do a differential backup which takes all of 2 minutes i think. (as an added backup plan)
Load a benchmark and one game.
Then have at for a while.

Then we can go from there.

 

Thanks for the advice.
I am thinking of mobo problem now.
A fresh installation with only nvidia driver makes the problem. I should go back to 780m sli and test more to check if any similar issue happens.
I think I have done too many dissambly this month

 

The only thing that changed was you getting 980m's installed.

 

yeah thats right. But I've put in and take out GPUs very frequently to test things this month. Maybe 100 timed? And Peter is doing good on same machine.
Let's see how my m18x r2 do with her old 780m sli.

If 780m sli works good, then it might be my 980m or compatibility which Peter fortunately is not experiencing.

 

Well, not so long ago peter was the one having problems and you weren't, remember.

 

Wow, that's weird! As John said, I remember Peter having sli not being recognised either, he solved it by getting a new sli cable apparently. Although, it does seem like almost too much of a coincidence for both of you to have sli problems after installing the 980M's, makes me think there's some kind of weird incompatibility issues somewhere with 980M in your systems. Will be interesting to see how you get on with 780M sli to see if you can prove it's a problem just isolated to the 980M's.

 

So, is there someone who tried 980m sli with aw18 ? I currently have 780m and not able to run uefi on windows 7 without legacy support. If there is a way to get 980ms in the aw 18, I would appreciate link to the steps or something. Thanks

 

Hey as i said by PM on TI, after replacing SLI cable, SLI working fine without any issue so far. I tried to disable & enable SLI two times after knowin issue with your system, fortunately now it's working fine. I know you swapped 980m cards many time, so i can rule out that cards are not properly installed. It may be SLI cable not properly installed or damaged. Have you tried windows 10 for testing purpose? Also as Johnksss suggested, open GPUz check bus interface on both cards @x8.

 

I dont think any one has tried 980m SLI in Aw18. Win7 wont boot in UEFI without legacy ROM enabled. You will need Win8.1 or windows 10. Check my first post for instructions.

 

@godfafa_kr.. can you pm me or let me know the korean clevo card sellers contact please?

I have a friend in Korea so she might get a 980m or 780m on my behalf

 

Oh, well that sucks.
There could still be hope though. Using the vbios from a Dell GTX 980M might just boot without problems with Legacy. But god knows when they release the new cards..

 

Hey Guys. First i want to say that i am really impressed what you have done here yet.

I got a Alienware m18x R2 with 680m SLI -> I want a new Alienware m18x with SLI 980m. So i would do these steps to establish that:

1. i would buy an Alienware from alienware-site with SLI 860m
2. buy 2 980m cards from Eurocom VGA EUROCOM
3. replace the SLI 860m from the new alienware with SLI 980m
4. replace the SLI 680m from the old alienware with SLI 860m

Is that possible or do i need extra steps (material) to do that?

I also wanted to know if this issue limit(qualify) the power of the laptop? Could it be possible to solve that issue anytime?


Thanks in Advance and i am very excited what you guys have done.

 

Just upgrade the r2 and maybe look at fox's dual psu mod if you are an enthusiast.

 

@1Schumsta1 Welcome to NBR,

I just got one question, do you want to keep two Alienware m18x & 18? New Alienware 18 with Dual 980m SLI is not tested yet, it may work.
You can just buy Two 980ms and install it into your current r2, and sell 2x 680m as is*. All instructions about how to make it work explained at #1 post.
you will need extra Thermal pads.

Known issue is still under testing, it can be easily solved by using manual fan profile. Reason is still unknown, im sure that is not system power related.

 

I want to sell the old model and keep the new one.

Eurocoms 980m include Thermal Pads or do i need special (other) Pads?

So everything will work without OS-Shutdown or anything else?

Thanks again for your fast answers.

 

Why dont you just buy two 980m to replace with 2x680m, and sell two 680m As is. Eurocoms usually supply thermal pads with X-bracket.
yes everythin is working fine, i noticed throttle issue only with benchmark software, with game (COD AW) auto fan profile is working fine. your welcome

 

@1schumsta:
Remember that the AW18 you plan to buy come with 75W GPU heatsinks. Ideally you should have 100W heatsinks because 980M is 100W.
It may work with the 860N heatsinks, but keep a close eye on temps the first week if you are going this route.

You may also buy 100W heatsinks from this guy. Maybe go with the tripple CPU heatsink as well for better temps there too.
http://forum.notebookreview.com/computer-components/763075-fs-alienware-18-complete-part-out-4940mx-880m-32gb-ram.html

Or ask Dell when you are buying the computer if they can sell them, or check ebay

 

You'll end up selling the sole Alienware hardware that compatible with the 980M(M18X-R2) and buying the new(18) incompatible one; It seems both unlocked bios and UEFI are needed for the install and the new dont have a unlocked bios yet. Just upgrade the R2, is the best you can do for now.

Edit: And believe me this, the old R2 is a much better machine than the new 18, I tested the two model with the same cards(780M SLI) and compared the benchmarks and in game frame rates: A 18 with a 4930MX cpu vs a R2 with a 3820XM and in all tests R2 won with better framerates. What's worse, I can't get to overclock the 18 without any crashes, but the R2 overclocks just fine.
M18X-R2 its the best machine Alieware ever produced.

 

As a modded and upgrade the r2 does make more sense as above

 

for drivers, is the inf file going to be different between the m18x r2 and the aw18?

 

So the new m18x is incompatible for a 980m SLI Upgrade? I just want to get the new m18x and there is the question, if it would be possible, to put the 980m SLI in it?

So it must be okay if i get the Left, Right and CPU-heatsink? Is there a problem cause of possible design-Changes in the new m18x?

Another question is if it would be better, to buy a Sager NP9377 with Dual 980m and use that 980ms.? The problem is, that i will need new thermal Pads and the x-brackets or not?

Thanks guys.

EDIT: Found a Upgrade-Kit on HIDevolution: HIDevolution NVIDIA GTX 980M 8GB Upgrade Kit for Alienware 17 and M17x R4. Would be another possible way to get the right 980ms for my m18x?

 

No, check first post for modded inf file.

Dual 980ms are not tested yet with Aw18.

New Aw18 heatsinks are different compare to Aw R1, R2. basically, You wann buy whole system just for 2x980m cards, to put your old 2x680m in and sell it, isnt it. Apmk, Dell cards are not 100% capable with Clevo system, but reversal is true.

 

A lot of people are asking the same question. If I decide to upgrade my M18xR2 to 980M SLI I will test it in the Alienware 18 first to answer that question. There's no reason to suspect it would not work with exactly the same type of manual graphics switching setup.

 

Okay so i just forget to get the new Alienware 18 and keep my baby. :thumbsup:

I will get the 2 x 980m cards from HIDevolution for my m18x R2. I hope that should work. Any experiences made with HIDevolutions's 980m Upgrade kit? EDIT: Do i still need new X-brackets, new Heatsink or something else?

Thanks for your fast answers.

 

haha yes Mr. time to upgrade, dont be confused with Clevo

HID selling at higher price @ 1 year warranty, if your in US get it from Rj Tech (90 days warranty) about $130 cheaper.

 

Problem is that i am from austria, and it is atm the lowest price i found for 980ms. Costs from RJTech: $1565 ~ 1250€ and HIDevo: 1430€ . (both with Shipping Costs)

From RJTech: This is for Clevo models only, and it is not returnable. I also need to choose a Laptop Model.

Do i need extra material (x-bracket or sth)?

So i could use that 980ms from RJTech?

 

Aww Europe, Our custom got too much love for import Well you got to pay import duty, doesnt matter which seller you buy from US. Before buyin from them ask them about import duty, i heard that they will soft it out.

P377SM-A Dual card 980m + screw sets. I think X-bracket included, but ask them before purchase.

 

What did you pay for your gtx980m? Is it high import and other taxes on such products as you purchasing outside the eu?

 

So, just wondering, with 780m sli in my current aw 18, if i upgrade to 980m sli ( if proven possible by other modders), then can i reuse the 780m 100w heatsinks on the 980m? do the memory chips and everything line up?

 

Yesterday, before i wrote my first post here, i asked a technical support from HIDevolution about the 980ms and put it into a new AW18. Got a answer:

 

But HIDevolution currently has a listing of 980m sli with AW18 for $9,999. so why would they have that listed if they say the bios does not recognize them?

 

They know that no one buys one AW18 for $ 9,999

 

but i mean it has to be possible for them to list, like it would be sad for the company to reject the sale.

 

They want as many as possible should be aware about their existence. When they get this graphics card to work, they hope that more people will return to their website and order parts and maybe a laptop. They think that all advertisements is good advertising. :laugh:

 

I purchased my card from HIDevolution since i know they honor their warranties and they allow returns with "full upgrade kit to include drivers". As for RJtech it states "not returnable" but offers a 90 day warranty.... what does that mean? Does it mean if it is faulty they will replace it for free, but you cant return it....

 

Best off asking RJtech (and then you could always post back letting us know the difference).

 

Most likely they havent tested out the method godfafa and Peter have used. They may even have a test machine with Win7.

Yup, I think you got it. They wont help you unless the card is dead within 90 days. If you buy a working card but it doesnt work in your particular machine, they wont take returns.
No biggie, you can always resell the card

 

I asked if they use Win 8 + Bios Settings. Anyway i got that message.

 

OK, it looks like if you jack up the CPU voltage higher than necessary you can maybe get a little bit better physics performance from Windows 8. Still falls a bit short of Windows 7, but much closer. This was with Flex VID set at 110 and a mild GPU overclock with one AC adapter. This makes me wonder what kind of asinine shenanigans Windows 8 is doing behind the scenes to try to reduce power consumption.

NVIDIA GeForce GTX 780M video card benchmark result - Intel Core i7-3920XM Processor Extreme Edition,Alienware M18xR2

 

Have tested a few things and gotta tell you guys my tests.

Okay I had some trouble SLIing 980m.
Random crash and random dischagred from SLI.

I have changed SLI cable but didn't work well.
So I concluded that my MOBO is bad becuase I had tested each 980m.

Yesterday I've came back to 780m sli and damn it works perfect.
I let my friend play WoW for 4 hours and run 3dmark11 for more than 10 times.

Today before I click the purchase button, I tested each of 980m again and for more hours.
Damn. The one I got from the begining, the one that I've used for the tests. (100 times in out, tested in more than 5-6 alienware.....)
That one randomly gives me crashed screen.

So good news is that my 980m sli that is problematic is not a general alienware problem but mine.

 

That sucks godfata. Good news for us rest but changing motherboard cant be cheap?
Or maybe its just one of your 980M cards that is broken?

 

Yeah the one that I've got from the Korean clevo reseller is broken.
MOBO is fine.
I am sure they will get me a fresh nice good one. I've done alot of tests with it.

 

@godfafa finally you sort it out good. For that reason i was worried about mine 980ms, like we take out card most frequently & install just to try out new trick.

 

Yeah buddy.
We've done too many tests that it is kinda not strange that it is broken.
I really feel good that my mobo is okay because it is very hard to get a m18x R2 mobo which was not even sold in Korea.
And as you might know, if I am unlucky I can end up getting a mobo that has a sound problem.

 

Yes Alienware part price are crazy outside US. yes i had to replace my MB to get rid of that stupid sound issue.

 

You are probably not going to like this answer, but the only way that would damage the card is if there was still power in the board. And if you heard a faint pop or click, when inserting the card into it's slot...This could in fact damage the card. That's only if you did try swapping cards with the psu still plugged in or the battery in or not power draining each time you take the card out. Along with making sure they both boot up as x8. Or there is something on or in the insertion part or something is on the gold contacts of the cards.

Things to check for...

 

@godfafa please let me know the korean price for gtx 980m i have a friend there who might get it for me

 

Yeahh finally my baby can run Crysis 3 at Maximum settings, around 59 - 84 fps. Test video