Upgrading

Hi,

Okay, so I'm new to this forum. I've been browsing around trying to find out which graphics card to upgrade to and what additional tools I need to do it.

I have an M15x with a Nvidia GeForce 240m.

My options appear to be:

260m

ATI 5870
ATI 5850

Of those three, the Ati cards are obviously better. Now my question is firstly, which one of those would run better in the laptop, and secondly, whether I would need a new heatsink if I were to upgrade to one of those, and, if this is the case, what heatsink I should get?

I've checked on the Dell website and it doesn't appear to stock either of these cards, so that rules out being able to buy the card with a heatsink included.

Thank you very much for reading this, and I am incredibly sorry if all I am doing is rehashing what has already been said on the forum. I just can't seem to find the exact answer, and I don't want to invest the money and risk something (that I can control) going wrong.

 

Another option is the Nvidia 460m or (inofficially) the AMD 6970m (check out the thread in my signature for more information about this) which is the most powerful card known to work in the M15x.

You don't need a different heatsink, there's only one version and it fits all the cards mentioned here.
You can't get a card from Dells website, you'd need to call them and order it by phone. The other option is ebay or the marketplace in this forum.
Also I have a 5850m laying around which I don't need anymore and are going to sell it.

Edit: The Dell 5870m only works with VBIOS version A00 and with the Clevo 5870m Powerplay won't work, as well as audio through DP/HDMI.

 

Well.. From the 3 you list the 5850 would be the way to go, since it easily overclocks to perform as a 5870. You could also consider the nvidia 460.

Lately a lot of people have had success with the radeon HD 6970m, which is by far the best card available (that has been tried with success).

Amd recently released the 6990m, which is the second best card on the market (just under the 580m). As far as I know it hasnt been tried in the m15x, but it comes as a crossfire option in the m18x, and therefore might just work in this one.

Check out the 6970m thread.

Edit: As always svl7 gets to be FIRST!

 

Highly recommend 6970m
All for gaming.

 

I was looking into GPU upgrades not so long ago. If you want a rough estimate of how much Dell is asking for the GTX 460 and the 5850m you can find them in this thread: http://forum.notebookreview.com/alienware-m15x/578047-gpu-upgrade-nvidia-460m-vs-amd-5850-a.html

Hope this helps

 

Okay, so from these responses, the picture I've gotten is that the graphics cards (discounting the 5870) are powerful in this order:

4. 260m
3. ATI 5850
2. Nvidia 460m
1. AMD 6970m

And, from that, discounting then the 260m, the order still holds as to difficulty of install and maintenance?

Also, I'm not experienced at overclocking and the idea slightly scares me. If that's taken into account, does it alter which one would be most recommended?

Thanks for the replies. Seriously. I was starting to feel a bit lost with all the names and numbers flying around. This is the first time I've seriously researched upgrading my graphics card, but I really feel like it's time as mine is feeling pretty shoddy now...

 

Unless you're running stock clocks, the 5850m runs faster than the 460m overclocked.
If you plan to take advantage of CUDA and Phsyx, I recommend going the 460m route. Else, go with the 5850.

 

yeah stock for stock that looks just about right.

in terms of physical installation and maint, they're all the same
the only difference is the "unofficial cards from other vendors such as clevo either have some features disabled (sound over hdmi) and/or fan issue in which extra software needs to be installed and running in order to have automatic fan control

oh and there was the issue with 6970m's from eurocom where they soldered mounting screws to the board which need to be removed (i drilled mine and i believe mrvalle desoldered his, there also have been other members i believe who managed to obtain the correct screws for the heatsink)

i think the general rule here is dell official parts are generally less trouble in installation

yes, i believe more people had success with 5850 overclocking relatively easily to 5870 speeds thus outpacing the 460m. if you're not willing to do that, the 460m is better at stock

good luck, take a look at the guides on here, get yourself the m15x service manual. when it comes to the upgrade make sure you have the proper tools and good lighting. ensure you have the time and take it slow and easy.

 

I think I'm going to go with the 460m at this point. I've only ever had NVIDIA cards and I do take advantage of Physx whenever possible. Thanks for the help!

 

they're all great performing cards, i'm sure u'll be happy with the upgrade.