Upgrading from 6990M CF to 8970M CF on M18x R1

Little offtop:

So you didn't got that cable at all?

 

Nope. I fella from AUS offered me a cable....for 150$ shipped. Couldn't stomach that cost, even if I do hate nVidia, it's too much for a cable...

 

Wow I paid about 10$ for used SLI cable in Europe. Wish u luck in offers.

 

Crossfire will be a challenge I see... I'll see through it! Will this particular cable work? http://m.ebay.com/itm/Dell-AlienWar...C001M00-0RYVMN-RYVMN-/271622945870?nav=SEARCH

 

That's old Crossfire cable that is cheap. I had it when I was using two HD6990M. R9 M290X are using new that is very rare and costly.

 

Wow it's super rare!!! I'm trying to find sellers but I can't find part number either. If I had a hold of this cable I would take it to take it to school and have my friends analyze it and make a 3D schamtic out of it (Reverse Engineer). Then make copies/replicas in other words. Not sure about the golden coated materials.

 

I doubt it'll be that easy to replicate it. Why do you care? Don't 8970M have normal connector?

 

No. My crossfire cable had arrived and it didn't fit in the port. It's less wider than the old cable. I manage to make it fit but in the process I broke the cable. I had the advice from Raidriar! Cable was inexpensive.

 

I had to ship mine back to Eurocom. They were not able to get the Dell CF cable at all for me. I still have both of my R9-m290x collecting dust. lol

 

Eurocom is very Expensive but I would rely on them for MXM cards. I bought mine through ebay for a bargain. I suppose they're cheap, maybe because a few have only been successfully able to obtain that cable. I suspect that DELL did't make enough business selling the m290x and crossfire cables weren't mass produced. I hope someone is generous enough to get the cable replicated (Clones). I wouldn't mind if it were a Chinese replica crossfire cable.

 

i second that. lol

 

I got this score recently! VBIOS was holding me back!!! http://www.3dmark.com/3dm11/11703999 <--- OLD LINK NO LONGER EXISTS

 

I got a hold of a CROSSFIRE CABLE!!!!!! http://www.ebay.com/itm/For-DELL-Al...802648?hash=item3f6cb5f0d8:g:bycAAOSw-itXqVTI I'll keep posting updates! SORRY for the LATE reply and LATE UPDATE! NOT TOOO SHABY!!!

BIOS has UEFI Enabled (A05 MODDED BIOS for M18X-R1) UEFI is also enabled in VBIOS. NOW IF i'm not mistaken I can in THEORY install a GTX980m WITH UEFI enabled in BIOS and VBIOS. M18X-R1 should be able to use the card. I know that the M18X-R2 can definitely be equipped with a GTX980m. I'll be posting a separate post for the GTX980m in the M18X-R1 ONLY in the future once i get a hold of that card. WISH ME LUCK GUYS! I'll be Posting pictures of before and after! Also I have the modded VBIOS for the R9 M290X/8970m 4GB GDDR5 BUT It BOOTS FUNKY at first but once you get to the login screen its no joke. YOU'LL GET RAW PERFORMANCE I MEAN RAW!!!

 

Couple things here:

1. M18x R1 flash size is physically smaller than the M18x R2 by almost a full megabyte. You will not be flashing the R2 bios on the R1 unless you would like a perma brick.

2. I tested a Dell 980M single config in the M18x R1. On PEG mode, 8 beeps no post. On SG mode, it will not clear the BIOS splash screen.

 

M18xR1 does not have UEFI modules. It is based on UEFI but with Legacy option forced.

 

OHHHH SNAPPLESSSS!!! CHECK THIS OUT!!!!! After doing some extensive research how to modify my own VBIOS! I USED MY STOCK VBIOS and did a few MINOR TWEAKS! CHECK THIS OUT!!! http://www.3dmark.com/3dm11/11706650 <--- OLD LINK NO LONGER EXISTS I remember my old score was around the mid 6,000's now I finally reached 7,000!!! USING A SINGLE R9 M290X/8970m!!! I can't wait until my R9 M290X crossfire cable arrives! I'm SUPER DUPER! HAPPY! MY VBIOS is EXPERIMENTAL STAGE until I have it stable enough I'll share my VBIOS for the Alienware M18X-R1 A05 Modded BIOS with EVERYONE! Raidriar I think you're right its almost a full megabyte was worth having a fun theory! GodlikeRU I checked my BIOS and you're right Legacy is on. I hope you guys are proud of me! I got this far! from a 3,000 old score to a 7,000 new! a big jump! thank you guys for having faith in me!

 

what voltage are you running on the R9 M290X? I can clock 1015/1400 @ 1.025V

 

I use HWinfo64 for voltage reads. Not sure if I'm doing this right.
Minimum voltage is 0.825v
Max is 1.075
Previous TDP (W) before VBIOS MOD was 100
NEW TDP (W) after VBIOS MOD is 81
Does (W) stands for watts right?

I can send you my VBIOS so you can take a look at it.

 

OUF, 1.075 is high...I would not run an 8970M at that high of a voltage. Max I would do is 1.050

 

1.050v is do able and I changed the TDP back to 100 but i'm 1 scoring in the mids 2,000's.
1.050v at TDP 81 no success. TDP at 90 no success either. System crashes and very unstable.

1.075 at TDP 81 is very stable at my end. Temps are 10 Celsius higher than usual but promising performance. Highest old temp with stock VBIOS is 65 Celsius. Modded VBIOS new temp 75 Celsius.

R9 M290X/8970m 4GB GDDR5
NEW VBIOS SETTINGS (OVERDRIVE ENABLED)
MAX 1.075 at TDP (W) 81
CPU CLOCK: 1025
MEMORY CLOCK: 1400
MM TEMP: 39 Celsius
AVERAGE TEMP: 49 Celsius
MAX TEMP: 64 Celsius
MAX FAN SPEED: 3000RPM
Using HWinfo64 to obtain all this info.
If I had A better CPU I probably perform better and score higher.

Old Score: P7471
New Score: P7497 http://www.3dmark.com/3dm11/11709131

 

You can only read temperature from the core and it can be stable but by increasing voltage you can fry voltage controller or other components too as you won't know their's temperature.

 

Like I said, over-volting is never a good idea for long term performance. As the saying goes....half as long, twice as bright.

 

Offtop:
@Raidriar Infamous 2 ?

 

BINGO

 

I know you guys are completely right about over-volting. I will buy thermal equipment to record temps as accurate as possible. Anyone has a VBIOS for the R9 M290X that i can use? I have my stock VBIOS but its not the best performer. I have my Modded ones but like you guys said its not work the over-volting. I rather have a VBIOS you guys have that hasn't be tampered with.

 

I have the two cards installed and made sure that my crossfire cable is properly installed and yet crimson centre keeps telling me 2nd GPU is disabled.

 

Probably using a non-crossfire vBIOS.

 

You may be right. I will not give up just yet. i would lend someone my second GPU and Cable not my primary one. I need it LOL. 2nd GPU works and cable too. If it doesn't work I'll sell My Secondary GPU and Crossfire cable for cheap. Probably for $200 with Cable,heatsink,and Fan. (Laptop Not Included)
Also I might be Purchasing a M18X R2 just because a GTX980M SLI would be nice!

 

Today I'll be updating the VBIOS with a refined version I been tinkering for the past months.

R9 M290X/8970m 4GB GDDR5
NEW VBIOS SETTINGS (OVERDRIVE ENABLED)
MAX 1.050 at TDP (W) 100
GPU CLOCK: Stock 950 (Overclocked 985)
MEMORY CLOCK: Stock 1250 (Overclocked 1395)
MM TEMP: 39 Celsius
AVERAGE TEMP: 49 Celsius
MAX TEMP: 69 Celsius
MAX FAN SPEED: 3100RPM

Old Score: P7 888
New Score: P7 956 http://www.3dmark.com/3dm11/12248210
I could score higher if i had a better i7.

My specs should be included in my results VBIOS will be uploaded soon ONLY for the 4GB Graphics Cards Variant not for the 2GB Graphics Cards Variant.

 

I agree with concensus that 1.075 is a bit much for M290X. Really recommend trying 1.025V at stock and then with tiny increments to increase the core clock speed until you reach stable maximum. Then do same with vram clocks. Final result should be your 24/7 gaming clocks. Cool, stable and most important reliable.

1.05 V should only be used for benching if possible. M290X is binned much better than 7970M. This card is looking quite attractive these days as AMD drivers get better and better even for old tech while Nvidia driver impede performance on older chips.

 

DISCLAIMER!
I will not be held responsible what happens to your system. File/Files shared and uploaded are not and will not to be held accountable against the uploader.
Using the content/contents at your own risk you're acknowledging that you have proper equipment which states the following: Proper cooling, proper setup, controlled environment, etc.
You have yourself and nobody else to blame for any damage caused. Upon downloading you're agreeing that you accept the risks of using the content/contents and or file/files being provided free of charge.
https://drive.google.com/open?id=0Bwdc1q4oT01rYlEwODlOMXlTbUk

USE ONLY WITH R9 M290X 4GB GDDR5 DELL card Variant.

PLEASE BACKUP your current VBIOS and flash with new VBIOS.

Stock Clock: 950 (OVERDRIVE/OVERCLOCK ENABLED)
Stock Mem: 1250 (OVERDRIVE/OVERCLOCK ENABLED)
1.050v TDP 100W
Temperatures WILL VARY depending your setup.

HAPPY GAMING!

I have an i7 2630QM only at 2.9GHz. Your mileage may vary so use a better CPU than mine and you'll gain a lot performance too!

P8050 http://www.3dmark.com/3dm11/12312999

 

I have the MSI GX70 laptop that had 8GB RAM, 750GB HDD, and HD8970M 2GB. I'm trying to upgrade to a Dell/Alienware R9 M290X 4GB, but I'm getting a error in the Device Manger window saying "Windows has stopped this device because it has reported problems. (Code 43)"

In GPU-Z looks like a 4GB version of the HD8970M. I updated the BIOS to three different ones, yours included and I still get the same issue. GPU-Z wont even see all the device stats.

Any tips? or should I revert back?

 

R9 M290X is a 8970M. It's the same card, just renamed so GPU-Z shows correct data.

 

That can be done in the .ini in the driver's install. I tried one R9 M290X 4GB but it said it had the same hardware information as the HD 8970M 4GB. The manufacturer date on the R9 M290X is 2014, to where as the HD 8970's are 2013.

 

All R9 M290X have same hardware information. Newer drivers have assign different names based on production date but it's almost cheating.