finding a 5850

Hey all, I've scoured every site I can think of including this one for an ATI Mobility Radeon 5850 to go in my M15x, but no luck. If anyone can help me out I'd be very thankful.

 

Why don't you call Dell and ask them to hook you up? Or you could go with a 6970m from mxm-upgrade.com.

 

went through the same thing, until i gave up and bought a 5870 of ebay.

5850 is difficult to find these days. like widezu69 try calling dell.

 

I have one which I would sell, but I guess shipping to the states would cost a fortune...

 

I don't want to upgrade to the 6970 because of the fan issue, but I tried on Dell's website with no luck, I've also heard that Dell is weird about selling parts, specifically where it involves the alienware line.

Svl7, I just PM'd you

 

just ordered a 5850 from dell on saturday was 296 us delivered had to talk to two sales agents since first one was dumb said video cannot be upgraded built into the board when system was built second one very knowledgeable and sold me the board after i gave her my service tag

 

For $296? Hmm.... Maybe paying the $430 US for the 6970 isn't such a bad idea. Regardless, thanks for the info brian560sl

 

where did you find $430 USD for a 6970?

if its MXM-upgrade.com, i thought those prices where in EURO.

 

Here's a direct quote from their website

Type B ATI HD6970 - 2GB GDDR5 - In Stock - 475€ (EU) - 430€ (US)



So it looks like $430 US. But the € sign is what gets me. Is it 430€ for US customers vs. European buyers? Or do they simply not have the "$" button?

 

I suspect both prices are in Euros - 1 Euro = 1.4170, so 430 Euros = $609.31

Sorry to be the bearer of bad news.

Joe

 

No its euro for both. The reason that it is more the EU customers is that the tax and vat is different. So US customers 430 euro which is a bit over 600 usd.

 

They're definately tricky to find. Haven't had any luck myself, probably just going to go with the 5870 of which there seem to be a fair supply.

 

600 usd :/

As a a college kid that's quite a bit.

Laxxi, your idea seems the most practical,
Just curious here, why is the 5850 favored over the 5870?

 

Because the 5850 that Dell makes is a great overclocker. As the 5850 and the 5870 are essentially the same but with lower clocks and price on the former. The 5850 can be taken to levels way more than the 5870. Plus the 5850 is officially supported in the laptop.

 

I see. Well I'm going to have to get something because this 5730 isn't going to cut it. Guess I'll keep searching

 

They actually lowered the prices a bit... now it's €410 for US delivery, that's about $580... still expensive, I know, but keep in mind you get a lot of power for the money.

 

The one I bought and is stuck at damn customs cost me even more than that but its the price you pay to get a damn quick card.

 

untill the auto fan control (at bios level) is fixed there 6970 is not the most practical solution,

 

^^ Don't fret, you are right. And the 5870 will serve you well.

 

Hey, I've a Brand New GTX460M(DELL OEM) for sale for $220 if you are interested. When you actually think about it, it not that inferior to HD5850. And with newer nVidia drivers, the card actually outperforms HD5850 in nVidia optimised games(and there is a quite a lot of games). I know HD5850 is highly overclockable but so is 460M and it runs much cooler that ATI.

When it all comes down to between 460M and 5850M, it matters on brand preference rather that out and out gaming performance. I'm not being fanboyish here but stating a simple fact among M15x users.

If you want to put in a KILLER card there, then go for the 6970 and it is a BEAST. But between a 460 and a 5850, there is not quite a lot between the two.
Just my .02

 

Hey Sgt. I haven't forgotten your offer yet, I just prefer ATI is all,

but I'm going to do some more research on the two, from what I've seen here on the forums the general opinion is in favor of the 5850, at least from what I've read. But we'll see

 

^^^PM'd you...!!!

 

Well, people think that 460M is a super-sloppy card as compared to a 5850. I've owned both and sold my 5850 because I preferred 460M more. I use a lot of editing, photo-shopping and video creating and need cuda lot. 460M is really in 5850/5870 category because the latest drivers from nVidia for 460M are better than 5850Ms ATI support.

Well, I'm not saying that 5850 is weaker than a 460...NO...I'm am stressing on the fact that 460M is behind by a small margin...a margin that is very negligible on latest games and super driver support.

I've a 2-week old M17xR3 configured with a 460M...!!! You wanna know why I went with a 460M over 6970M...??? Because DELL BLODDY INDIA thinks that 460M is better than a 6970....WHAT THE H:;L concept is that??? You can get 6970 all over the world with a M17x but you can't get one in India. That is the sad reality of Indian Alienware Market.... But the good news is the M17xR3 was a replacement to my M15x and I took it with three hands...y'all know which is the third right?

But jokes aside, a 460M is only marginally behind 5850. Period.

 

I was going to say I haven't been able to find 5870 cards - but there was one listed on EBay by Razor's Edge by Eurocom. They also have the Nvidia 460m and 470m (I did see that a recent attempt to use a 470m in an m15x did not succeed).

So, I'm starting to think about an upgrade. I saw the discussion of 460m vs 5850 or 5870. I would ask the question differently - has anyone had difficulty with either of these upgrades?

Thanks,

Joe

 

Well, installing a GFX card in M15x is like walking in a park...it's really that simple in a M15x.

As for 460/5850, it is officially supported by DELL. As for the 5870 is NOT officially supported, you could argue that it is just a overclocked 5850.
If in case you upgrade your card in any route other than Dell, I suggest you keep the original card with yourself because that will void Dell's warranty clauses. If in case you have a problem, just put in that 260M and viola...you are under best warranty system in the Planet.

As for your choices go, you won't see a massive difference with any three cards... Just go in for the one that suits your needs or one that is cheaper.

Just my two cents here as well.

 

Any one want to buy my 260m. Its been sitting in the drawer for a while now.

 

got my 5850 today instaalling this weekend direct from dell $296 including shipping 3 day delivery

 

Congratulations, brian560sl. You gonna love it. Hope you get your SL too.

 

rev got my first 560sl (AMG) in 99 it was a 92

 

My wife has a little SLK_AMG which she calls her fair weather play car and still looks and feels brand new. Has spent most of its life in the garage, but it can fly when it's let out. Great cars.

 

SGT i wonder if you still selling your gtx 460m?

 

I may pick up an M15x with a 5870, and while its faster, I'd rather just hav the 5850 or 460M. Is there anyone that would be interested intrading a 460M or 5850 for a 5870? Since the 5870 is better, maybe they could just pay the shipping on my end, and be a done deal?

 

I saw guy on the ebay selling 5870m here:
Dell Alienware 17X R2 ATI 5870 1GB Video Card | eBay UK

Any1 know is it can run in m15x? Do I have to use specific bios or driver for it.
I just upgrade my cpu to 920xm and want to upgrade the GPU as well.

 

This should work, but you'll need at least the system BIOS A05 and the card must be flashed with the Dell vbios A00.

Other options are the 6970m or 470m.