Help with installing 5850

I ordered an m15x last monday, only to realize how crappy the 5730 is. So I just called up Dell to order a 5850.

Now I know how to remove the old gpu thanks to tutorials. But I just wanted to know if there was anything to be aware of before installing the new one.

Ex. Due I have to apply thermal paste to a brand new card? etc.

Thanks

 

Replacing your GPU takes lots of care so always make sure you aren't statically charged or anything. Before you touch anything ground yourself by touching something that is metal and touches the ground. You will need to get the x-plate off your old card and stick it on your new card. You will need thermal paste. Here is a downloadable guide complete with pictures:
Download M15x GPU.rar from Sendspace.com - send big files the easy way
Good Luck!

 

i've got a anti static strap. So static isn't a problem.

And about the paste. Is arctic silver 5 good?

 

Yep any paste on the market should be better than the chewing gum Dell put on our beloved machines. I use MX-4 which I recommend but you can't go wrong with good ol' AS5

 

You probably don't need to exchange the x-plate as Dell cards usually come with the plate already installed.
But widezu is absolutely right about the ESD (electro static discharge)... better safe than sorry I'd say. I always use a wristband and a ESD-mat when working at my system.

You definitely need to apply thermal paste, it's essential, otherwise the GPU will overheat, probably within minutes. You also need to clean the old paste from the heatsink, e.g. with isopropyl alcohol or similar.

Another thing that gets easily forgotten is to do a power drain before opening the system.


You said you ordered the card from Dell, don't they send a technician to exchange the card? Where I live I can't just order a card from Dell without paying for the technician... the warranty would be void otherwise

 

Is there any on the new card that i will need to remove? Sorry bout all the questions. But it's not coming in for a few days. So i want to be prepared

 

There might be a film on the die, I remove that because the thermal paste just seeps in and it's nasty.

 

Alright one last question. What affects will this have on my warranty?

 

Actually none... in case you need something replaced, Dell sends a technician, but they usually don't care about what's exactly in your system... and you can still keep the old card, just to be safe and put it back if necessary. If you get the card from Dell I believe you even have warranty on the card itself for a while.

Edit: However, one thing is sure, if it gets installed by a Dell technician everything will definitely still be covered by the warranty.

 

See. Thats the thing. They aren't sending a technician. Just the card

 

Cool, I'd prefer that. But they didn't tell you that the warranty is void in case you buy upgrade yourself? Dang, I want Dell to handle this the same way here... technician cost way too much.

I guess you'll be fine, but I can't say it for sure as it seems to be different from region to region...

 

Alrighty. Thanks for the help. Now the only thing im worried about is having something to attach the grounding wire to.

And after i switch the card. What drivers should i download for the best performance?

 

Please answer

 

About your wristband... I'm not really sure, I always use it combined with a grounded ESD-mat, I don't where you could properly attach your wristband at the M15x... and without the mat you can probably just do it without the wristband, same effect imo.

I'd recommend trying the 11.4 preview, to be found here: AMD Catalyst 11.4 Early Preview 7 Vista x32 x64 download from Guru3D.com

 

About the thermal pads. Do i just take them off the 5730 and put them in the same spots on the 5850?

 

If anyone could answer. that would be great

 

yeah you could but new pads would prolly be better since the 5850 tend to run hot on the memory.

 

can you give me a link to where i can buy these pads?

 

Fujipoly Premium System Builder Thermal Pad - 1/4 Sheet - 150 x 100 x 0.5 - Thermal Conductivity 6.0 W/mK - FrozenCPU.com

this is what i've been using. pretty good stuff.

 

alright. Ill buy that over time. But until i get my funds back on track,will the existing pads be good enough?

 

i really can't say, you just got to keep an eye out on temps.

 

im just going by what your tutorial says, it says "use new or existing thermal pads"

 

the existing pads were ok, but the newer pads lowered my overall temps by alot.

 

Ok well thanks man. rep for you

 

@IIAMRFJII

Yes the old thermals are fine, like I said bro I upgraded my 260 to the 5850 myself and I used the same thermal pads on my 260 and just transfer them to my 5850. I even over clocked my 5850 so it's basically a 5870 now but first thing is first, get the card first make sure it works well, then you can start to overclock.

 

Inap do you stack those 0.5mm pads up to fill the gap or what? The space between the memory and the heatsink on my 260M is waaay more than 0.5mm. Probably more like 5 or 6mm. Or does the memory on the 5850 protrude further?

 

This can't be, I have the 260m and 5850 lying next to me and their height profile of the vram modules are identical... check again. The heatsink should fit perfectly, 0.5mm pads should just be fine I guess, 1mm will work as well.

From left to right: 5850m, 6970m, 260m ...

 

When I repasted my 260M I dropped one of the pads and managed to cover it in SO MUCH CRAP (cat and dog hair, mud, dust, the works) so I had a goooood look at it try to decide if it could be saved (my current location is a technological deadzone, no hope of replacement). It was definitely ~5mm in depth. I'm not trying to argue this, I have 100% confidence in you guys and your knowledge. I don't doubt you're right but at the same time I'm certain of the thickness of those pads. I'd open it up again and take some pics but it took me over one week of searching, about 500 miles travelling and several very uncomfortable encounters to find one shots worth of paste.



Actually come to think of it... The pad that came of wasn't on the memory... There were two of them at the corners of that fan-side of the card. Just a spacer maybe? I took some pics of the card when I removed it. I'll try and pinpoint the location of these pads, maybe that will help clear things up. Like I said, I'm not doubting you folks, it's definately my problem here...

Ok, my pics were too focussed on the paste itself so the memory wasn't even in shot. But looking at your pic of the 260M it was from those 4 smaller black sqaures (dunno what they are if they're not memory? ) on the top right corner. And it was definately a lot thicker than the single strip that covered the memory.

 

Yeah, you're right, there are some small, thick pads on some parts (not on the memory), but they're not really important, don't worry! When I first saw them I wondered why they even bothered placing them there.

 

Ahhhhhhh, this clears my confusion and eases my troubled mind. Been waiting for something to pack up since it fell out. Rep for that mate!!

 

@IAMRFJII: How much did you pay for the 5850 if i may ask and was it from dell?

 

From Dell. And with shipping and everything it was about $300 and change. But i talked them down to $280

 

Yeah, 280.00 is what I ordered mine for last night too.

 

@doc0075579

Are you gonna reuse your thermal pads from your old card?

 

I think I am going to attempt to have the Dell tech replace the pads with the ones I am going to buy along with some new thermal paste. If he knows what he is doing.

Have you received your 5850 from dell? I received an email that mine is delayed untilt he 29th.

 

Got mine last night

 

I received and installed mine today, what a difference between this card and the GTX260m. I decided to do the install myself with the help inap's replace and paste guides, they are a HUGE help. I will replace my pads as soon as they arrive, until then I will use the old ones from the 260.

On a side note, I cannot believe Dell/Alienware would dare charge more for the 260 than the 5850 knowing that the 260 was a pos. I bought mine about a month or two before they started selling them with the 5850 and dell would not let me exchange it when I was having the trottling problems. I waited a year and finally broke down when I was making a few other upgrades. Hope you enjoy yours as much as I am!

 

Now, you need one more thing to fully enjoy your new 5850m -- the Trixx overclocking utility. Download v4.0. Sapphire Technology - TriXX Tweak Utility. Then you will fall in love.