ATI 7970M issue?

Hello all,
I received an ATI 7970m and before i open it, i noticed it wasnt the part number listed for slv7's guide. Does anyone know if the 09xvk3 version will work in our alienwares? Anything need to be done to it to make it work if so? Thanks in advance!

 

You can at least try it and see if it posts. I have an 8970M that isn't designed to work on my M15x, but after a few kink fixes...works like a champ!. Worst case, you will get no video and caps/scroll lock keys flashing.

 

It boots and is recognized, but when i go to play any game the laptop just shuts off.... i got a dell 240 power supply with that $6 adaptor so it has more juice, so im not sure what the issue is now....any thoughts?

 

Figured it out. After 10-20 seconds in a game the thing shoots to 90c and shuts off. gonna repaste and see what else i can do.

 

It's not just about re-pasting. I had the same issue with my 8970M. You HAVE to make sure that the heatsink and GPU die is making proper contact. I would suggest using IC Diamond 24 or liquid metal ultra paste. Although If you use LMU, be VERY careful not to get any paste on anywhere besides the die as that stuff is conductive.

 

How did u get it to make proper contact? i have a jimmy rig of thermal pads on the copper which provides down pressure when the bottom cover is on. the heatsinks screws wont come out...the silver tube they screwed into just spins as i try to unscrew it.....any ideas?

 

I would not suggest using thermal pads for the GPU die. It would be necessary for the VRAM pieces though. (There is plenty of guides online on where to put thermal pads on the 7970M...Search is your friend.) As for the GPU Die, As I suggested in my previous post....Get IC Diamond 24 or equivalent. There are plenty of guides online on how to apply that stuff. It is one of the best out there. Are you using the GPU bracket that came with the GPU? It looks like the screws may be stripped. You will need to get new screws. Preferably one that fits your bracket.

You have to make sure it's a tight fit, but don't make it too tight or you will risk cracking your GPU die. (Not fun!) At this point, you have to VERY CAREFULLY try to get the screws off the bracket. If necessary you may have to take the GPU card out of the machine. If all else fails, you may have to cut the screws and bracket and use another bracket/screw set. If you choose to do this, again VERY CAREFULLY do it. Also be sure to ground yourself often or use an anti static strap.

 

If you even suggest the Liquid Metal compound you had better tell people it will destroy any aluminum it touches. There's a lot of aluminum in a notebook.

Don't get too caught up on the snake oil that is thermal paste. You can buy almost any kind and get good results. Just don't go for the white crap in the little packets. It dries up in a year or so.

 

I'm aware, that is why I said to be careful. The GPU die and the copper part of the heatsink will be fine. The LM kits come with the scrubber to clean the copper portion of the heatsinks on the M15x. I personally tried LM and while it's great at thermal transfer...I still went with IC Diamond. There are a lot of other pastes like you said, but a lot of them dry up and even Artic Silver dries up over time.

Some choose to have LM, others not. It is a preference, but I still like to give people the option because it is one of the best choices out there. Plus most stuff has cure time. IC Diamond has very little cure time if any and is great. My 8970M stays at around 70-72C with IC Diamond. Granted people make sure that there is proper contact with the GPU die and the heatsink.

 

How about heat springs? Did anyone use them?

 

I think I've seen ~5 year old Arctic Silver 5 applications. It thickens but it doesn't really lose effectiveness. Or I should say it doesn't start to become an insulator or anything like that. Not like the white stuff that turns into caked powder.

I just use Arctic Silver Ceramique. It's cheap and it performs well. It seems to last too.

 

Heat-Spring® thermal interface materials by Indium Corporation ?

It looks interesting. It's hard to determine its performance but their marketing material makes it look good.

 

That's the thing. If it starts to thicken, it loses optimal effectiveness. When it completely dries up, then you will notice it gets really hot. But even if it partially dries, instead of optimal performance you will see a couple of degree drops. Which depending on your environment can have impacting results to your hardware.

While some can choose to use cheaper quality stuff, in the long run it's not financially and physically efficient. you can spend $7 and have to reapply crappy paste every year or spend $12 and reapply great paste every 5+ years. Not to mention you don't have to keep opening your machine and going through the hassle of re-pasting all the time. Especially if you have someone do it for you.

 

No i did not use heat springs. I used artic mx4 paste for the gpu to heatsink contact. I put thermal pads on the vram. What im saying is after the card was in and heatsink on i then put thermal pads ontop of the copper pipes to make down pressure on the heatsink when the back cover is on. I used the bracket that came with the card but the only screws i had and used were from my 5850. It seems they just spin the silver tube that they screw into. So its an endless spinning and they will not come out. I'm aware once they are out i can then get longer screws but my issue now is how to get them out....looks like i might have to cut the screws and get a new bracket...ugh.. Anyone know if the 5850 bracket will work on it?

 

it may or may not work on it. Don't take the risk of it not fitting and waiting anyway for a new one or worse damaging your card. You should not have to put thermal pads to hold the heatsink in place. The screws should do the job.

 

Yeah i thought they would too, but they dont pull it down enough to make proper contact. So i used the thermal pads as a quick fix until i can figure out what else to do.