Upgrade a G73-jh to 6970?

Emergency shutdown is regulated by the card itself afaik.

 

The card's VBIOS should take care of that itself theoretically, but anything can happen.

 

Well, from the OP's and svl7's posts, it's possible the heatsink wasn't making direct contact with all o the GPU die which could have caused problems. This is only a hypothesis at this point though. The fact that the laptop went through POST the first time is actually encouraging though. From other posts, it seems there is some anti-static film between the area around the die and the heatsink in the G73 and other laptops. I think the film is actually on the heatsink on MSI laptops, but i could be mistaken. Anyways, there might be a reason Asus included those on both the CPU and GPU or there might not be. Looks like a polyimide film.

 

the shutdown is hardware controlled

 

@tijo: The plastic foil you're talking about doesn't do anything. I removed it from my CPU, the GPU came without.
The only thing it does it preventing that TIM spreads all over the little resistors... but this doesn't matter anyway, and you woud have to use a lot of paste to smear it all over the place.

 

Agreed, you'd have to go nuts with the amount of paste hehe. I was simply wondering if it did something or not since it does really look like polyimide film which is useful for high temp electrical insulation and someone suggested that it might be the reason it was there.

 

Nothing compared to the 6000rpm fan noise of a Macbook Pro playing an intense game in Windows 7.

Durn that Apple, using all those mobile 6970 GPUs in their new iMac!!

Cheers,

 

I hate coming into this thread.

It feels like a 6970M graveyard, I think ALLURGROCERIES should turn it into a memorial thread.

Here is a picture of the fried graphics card.

 

The only way I could see the card being dead would be related to power. 10 minutes just doesn't feel like enough time for the card to overheat to a point where it would a) hit a thermal shutdown and b) be damaged by the heat. Best we could hope for at this point has been mentioned already: testing in a machine where you KNOW the card would actually work, such as AW or Clevo.

 

Yes these cards are made to take the strain but if a section had minimal or no contact with the heatsink and it was drawing a high performance load for 10 minutes it could have burnt out something. Sadly. Lets hope not

 

I think that it wasn't caused by just one problem. Assume that it was caused by combination of problems (heat, drilling, power supply). And all of these are deadly combination with compatibility issues like FAN speed and thermal sensors problems.
Still I think the G73jh can handle 6970. I'll buy it in few weeks.
And yes, Dallers is right. This card was designed to withstand high temperatures but with low thermal peak and good fitted cooler takes care of it.

 

I think the memory modules weren't covered adequately, and one of them burnt.

 

Look, what MSI sometimes think about proper cooling. Lol
http://forum.notebookreview.com/msi/578659-unusual-msi-gx740-gpu-heatsink-lol.html

 

Lol, this is hilarious, but in a bad way.

I'm with Chastity's hypothesis or the heatsink wasn't making complete contact with the die and the area that wasn't covered didn't have a sensor close enough to measure the temperature increase accurately for that section of the die.

EDIT: For those of you wondering about the extra power draw here's a quick run of 920xm goodness (at 70-75W TDP) + furmark



Uploaded with ImageShack.us

Once i get back home, i'll try to max out the power draw with the targus 180W adapter to see how much the motherboard can dish out.

UPDATE: I managed to reach 85W TDP on the 920xm prime95 + furmark. I didn't leave it running for too long, ambient is at 24 and the CPU was approaching 90C but i haven't experience any power related problems. I didn't have speakers running and only one USB port in use. Still, it seems that as long as the mxm connector is able to deliver the power for the 6970m it will work. Too bad it's no longer winter, i could have one the tests at -20C outside .

 

Im still stalling on my purchase until I see some of your 06/vaantage/11 benchmarks with that beast at full pelt. Get to work Tijo!

 

Lol, i'll do it when i get back home too, before doing the power draw tests. I'll start at 2.7GHz check the max temp and work my way up from there if the ambient is not too hot. I'll run vantage, maybe 11 but i've stopped using 06 since it's getting more and more irrelevant.

 

I'm inclined to think this is the case, sadly. My mistake for not being careful enough on the install, it really is a difference of under a millimeter to see one of the DC-DC converters on the edge holding it up. All 4 backplate screws went down fine, which is what i took to indicated a good connection.

 

In other words, the 6970m DOES work on the g73jh. May the next brave soul please step up and be the world's first owner of a g73jh w/ a 6970m...

 

I have just been approved for a £16k credit card.

DONT TEMPT ME

 

Shall we take bets on who blows a fuse first between Dallers and me and goes for that 6970m .

 

Mate I officially relinquish all the glory and +900 reputation to your capable hands I think I would be shaking so much when I went to push the power button after fitting it that I would fall off my perch!

 

Don't consider me out of the running yet
I just need to scrape together some more cash into my 'stupidity' budget XD

 

Our plan is working.

Bit of competition to get the blood flowing again! mwahahahaha!

Your a brave man if you buy a second I may be able to lift a bus in RL but I cannot push the buy button on Ebay for a 6970M which is what really matters.

 

Oh just out of curiosity, i asked and the seller tudordewolf used can supply the necessary retention clip and screws if you ask them.

 

As cool as this upgrade is, I don't see it being financially viable. You can sell your G73JH for $800 easy, I did ($850 but 800 after costs), . I just bought a new M17xR3 w/i7-2630 and 6970 for $1472 through the military. Now most people can't get that deal, but you can get even better ones through Dell Outlet if you use a coupon when available, and lots of people have beat my price, I almost feel like I overpaid compared to some people.

So after selling your G73 for $800, you need $700 more, considering what a 920xm costs and 6970m by itself, the $700 for the upgraded Alienware seems reasonable. For those of you with G73JH-A1s, I would think you could get closer to $900-1000 for your laptops, so it would only be a $500 upgrade.

Just my thoughts. Now from the tech coolness side, whoever pulls off the 6970 upgrade will be impressive individual indeed. I already rep'd Tudor for trying.

 

YouTube - ‪Monty Python - Office Sketch‬‏

Who's next.

 

It breaks my heart to see you return to this forum to blaspheme your G73.

The massive respect I once had for you and you desert us to the Alienware forum. FOR SHAME!

But you do speak the truth I have considered the AW with 6970M and the 6970M crossfire just makes me chuckle like the japanese guy on team america when he is taking over the world! Good to see ya mate.

 

Yeah, I meant to get out of gaming entirely, but I couldn't it. Been playing since I was 8 years old on the original legend of zelda, why stop now?

 

If you're in the US it is financially viable to get a m17x through Dell outlet. Dell financial services direct, the Canadian equivalent is just terrible. The choice is not only very limited but also way too expensive. Not to mention that you have to call Dell to get a 6970m in your m17x-R3 since the option isn't even available on the website. Dell has been giving us Canadian the shaft for some time now.

[Sarcasm] As we all know, Canada is so far away from the US and we have ridiculous customs fees for anything that comes from the US. Oh and there's also the huge difference between the value of the Canadian and US dollars right now[/sarcasm]

Sager resellers are also a kind of a rarity in Canada. Fortunately, there's one not half an hour form where i live . If i ever decide to get a new gaming laptop Dell won't be getting any money from me.

 

I am no amateur my friend I was running circles around the shopkeeper with the bomb above my head also. Ahhhh the original Zelda.

 

Yeah, I can see it being viable for folks outside the USA. New computers are prohibitively expensive for you all. Look at the bright side though. Few gangs and thugs with guns where you are

 

I'm with you on this, every country has it's pros and cons. What galls me is that the price of tech is consistent in US & CA except for a few things like said AW laptops.

Well, the R3s are priced a bit more competitively, but the outlet store is just outrageous. $1550 for an R2 720qm/5870m with a 1440x900 screen is simply insulting. I don't get the 1440x900 screen in the description though, i though all R2s were widescreen but that might be a mistake on my part. You can get an R3 with a 460m for almost the same price.

 

Its not too bad here in the UK. But we do have the welsh. :laugh:

 

Yes it is like accidental warranty from asus for Canada and US only. We paid almost one and half of price of our G73 but with no extended warranty. Sometimes it's little annoying but I'm happy where I'm .

 

1440x900 is a 16:10 wide res display; the step up from 1280x800. I'm pretty sure the M17X-R2 has a 16:10 panel; the R3 has the 16x9.

Still, that's a better price than what's being offered on my local Craigslist... a guy wants to sell his M17X-R2 with a single 5870M and 740QM for the very low, low price of $2500... with the 1440x900 display. In comparison, I picked up my BB G73JH for $850 with the same specs and a 1600x900 panel. I prolly have $1250 in this system total, with upgrades. Just ridiculous. I'll keep my JH and see how it goes with you brave pioneers, hehe.

 

That's a disturbingly good point.... And if i DO go for another 6970, that'll have been nearly $900, well over the difference of getting a second-gen i7 and all those goodies...

My wallet is all that keeps my loyal to Asus.

There's a JH on a craigslist near me for $750 O_O

I got mine for ~$900, but maybe $400 of fresh tech in it. (not counting the bricked 6970m. (its sitting on an anti-static mat, I can see it now, very sad.) )

 

In any case, for me the upgrade would be financially viable even if you exclude the crap prices we get on the Dell outlet. University paid 1K of the total price of my G73 so my A2 ended up costing me far less than what it should have. Of course, i could sell it and make some cash towards a new laptop, but there's the whole fun of playing with tech and i like the aesthetics of said G73. That said, i'll look into replacing the palm rest assembly by one of the G74 when it comes out for the full size kb.

 

C'mon tijo, show us a working 6970m

 

Lol, geez guy no pressure, no pressure .

You guys might want to check this out too: Notice regarding AMD 6970M Graphics Cards

 

Good spot, that is a disaster such a great card and it could be faulty.

Well 920xm is my only option then.

 

Probably due to this problem has Clevo resseler decided not to sell these cards. I assume AMD will soon release a new version of these cards do not have this problem.

 

There's a long thread in the sager section that might be worth reading if you are interested: http://forum.notebookreview.com/sager-clevo/587434-whats-going-6970m.html

A lot of you have probably already seen it but I just thought I'd link it anyway.

 

Well, i tried it with a Clevo card and i basically have two problems.

1. Two monitors are detected, one through VGA, VGA displays nothing i should add by the way.

2. The clock stays at 400/900 instead of 680/900 no matter what i do. For now, i'll go back to the 5870 and see if the issues are there or not after the swap.

Oh and Overclocking through CCC or Trixx does nothing for the clocks either.

Otherwise, everything is working perfectly.

 

what type of PSU are you using? And fans work too?

 

Sorry please confirm are you talking about a Clevo 6970M in a G73JH??

If so that is fantastic news.

 

Ok, yes i am talking about the Clevo 6970m. It works, fans work too which is a surprise if you ask me. I just reverted back to the 5870m. Now windows only detects one monitor as it should. Was it a fluke or a deeper problem, i don't know yet. For now, i'll let the 5870 in it. I might well make another attempt tomorrow.

In the mean time, i'll wait for @tilla, svl7 and other's opinions on the monitor problem. Dang if it was only the 2 monitors, i'd let it go. Unfortunately, the core clock stays at 400MHz and won't budge. The 5870m clocks as it should too. I haven't tried to bios mod it yet either.

I should mention the card has a CF port as well.

EDIT2: The card was running a bit hot, but that was due to not enough paste. Found that out when i took it apart to slap back the 5870 in it.

 

Wow, congrats.
Safety first for your next steps.

ATM, I'm a bit curious about the 6970m news.
And a seller of a Dell card canceled a deal. Was about to get it.

The 2 monitor thing shouldn't be problem IMHO.

The low clock:
Overdrive disabled? Pressed default settings?
Clean driver install of 11.5? 11.6 seems to have problems with 6970.
Power play enabled at performance mode or disabled?

Next steps would be testing other vBios.
Svl7 should have them all. And more experience too.
Btw.: sry for your "sleeping" card.

 

TIJO! No sleep for you! Go get yourself a 4 pack of Red Bull and get to work I am waiting here with my credit card!

 

I would also uninstall the current catalyst, and get the card on generic MS drivers, then swap, and then update the card drivers.

 

Hehe, thanks.

I get the two monitor problem with and without the driver. I checked that first, it is detected as a generic non PnP monitor. I was able to tell windows to not use the second monitor so no problem from a resolution/screen point of view. VGA out wasn't working as i said before. I didn't try HDMI. Could the Asus bios somehow detect the CF port as a video out or something?

I was on Cat 11.6. Good thing i have other installers for tomorrow if i get to it. Powerplay both enabled and disabled gave me the same problems. GPU clock tool didn't like the 6970m so i couldn't try forcing the clocks with it. Overdrive was enabled which i think is nice but it won't do squat if i can't get the GPU to clock at 680MHz core.

I'm on a targus 180W adapter but i don't think that was the problem. The Clevo vBios has more clock infos than the Asus one and has different voltages. Since you tried a 5870 from MSI, the voltage Hardwiring is done through the mobo or on the card itself?

That's what i did when i swapped the 6970m. Uninstalled CAT 11.6, shut down. Disassemble, swap the cards which involved epic retention clip modding. I'll get on the details if some of you are interested. All i can say is that the screws for the clevo retention clip are so small their head almost goes through the holes heatsink of the G73. I can say that my 5870m backplate has been tortured until it could "fit" the 6970m. It is now thinner but works on both cards without having to drill through the 6970m. I have pics of the whole swapping process too. It took me like 1 hour to do the swap and test and 4 hours to mod the heatsink and retention clip. I tried modding the clevo clip (one for a W860CU which is more a retention tray) but due to the screw size that was a no go.

I started at 10 in the morning and finished the swap at around 4. I haven't eaten anything since this morning yet .

Just in case, VGa is working on the 5870.

Oh and i have a saved copy of the Clevo vBios too. The card is intended for Eurocom laptops by the way, it was the cheapest and it took one day between the order and arrival at home.

I'll try the swap tomorrow after cleaning the condo and doing the groceries. I'll take screenshots this time. I have a boatload of pics of the disassembly and swap but no screens of the G73 with the card in it. On the bright side, i can now disassemble a G73 in my sleep. In any case, i think i'll do a full disassembly guide for the G73 including taking out the motherboard, fans etc. Those connectors are so delicate.

OT: Chastity, when you get that G74, could you do a comparison of the location of the connectors for the kb, touchpad etc. on the motherboard and palm rest assembly. I want to know if i can slap one in my G73 for the awesomeness of a full keyboard. As long as everything can plug in, i don't mind modding the thing a bit.