[NW] Upgrade the C90S to a 9600M GT 512MB DDR3 [FIXED!]

As long as you follow the guide and make the necessary changes to the performance tables in the cards bios you will be just fine. Do not flash your card with my modified bios file unless you are going to use a Zepto 9600M GT.

If you have any problems just let me know. I can make the changes to your cards bios if you don't know how and need a hand. Good luck.

 

thanks Nw! You told me everithing I need to know. If I have any truble you will be my rescue! ;-) Thanks!

 

King, I totaly agrea but my card lasted for obout two and a half years... So it's too much to ask from her... That doesn't mean that I will not upgrade with something mybe 45nm or so in the future eaven want to go with ati, becose c90 has huge potencial in my opinion! It's best laptop that I had (and i had a lot) from I won't give up! Shame on asus for not keaping his promise... All in all it's great comp and we all here are greatful for forums and threads like this! Thank you all for posting here specialy to NW!

 

The very best card our lil C90's can take is the ATI 4670 mxm 2 DDR3 card. Unfortunately it is VERY rare in that only a particular model of a msi laptop has it Seemingly the second best potential card a DDR3 4650 doesn't seem to exist in mxm 2 form. So GT130M will probs be the end of the road for most of us

 

I'd told you Here, to bring back your hope for great (for MXM-II GPU) performer Let the searching begin

 

discovered a new little problem i'd need help with. ever since i changed my video card to the gt 130m, whenever i start the computer on battery, i get 1 false start...meaning i get to windows and the machine completely shuts down instantly, like a loss of power. it works fine the second time i boot it, and every time i shut down the computer the proper way, it shuts down just like in the startup problem... this only happens on battery. it's working perfectly while powered up by ac. could this be because my battery can't supply the needed power?

 

oh my god what a find! This is what I am going to demand when I chat to asus this week haha! Even the chips and screw holes match the old asus 8600M GT meaning a perfect match for the C90 GPU heatsinks!!! This is very exiting indeed :0

 

It seams that none have new ideas, everyone are waithing something to come up by it self. One more rep to NW for keeping this tread alive! Has anyone tried to put the liquid cooling, read somewere but can't find it anymore, all that I remember is that wasn't soolid made and there for dangerus! I was thinking of doing it my self but main consirn is what pump to use. So if anyone has any ideas let's do it. !

 

Not completely true. If you click the link in my last post you will see that I am pushing for the GT240M to be tested in the C90S. I shall post in this thread when I get info on whether it is a success or not Other than that the GT130M is the only other decent viable upgrade route beyond the 9600M GT and we can't progress with the GT130M until a newer version of nibitor has been released. If all goes well however the GT240M will be a godsend for us.

 

you know, if the gt 240m works in the c90s...I'll be pretty pissed. having bought the gt 130m and all...

 

Lol someone has to be a pioneer I tried and failed to be one with the 9650M GT but I am sure you will be succesful with the GT130M. If the GT240M is a success I guess 50/50 chance at the moment then it won't be worlds better than the GT130M anyways. Yours will still be a very decent card!

 

from the specs of it, the 240 will trash my 130... but oh well...if worse comes to worse, i'll just sell my 130m too and get a 240...once it's working at 100% of course.

 

update on the GT240M, it probably won't work. Ken didn't have the c90s but did have a c90s 8600M GT mxm 2 card. Although the 2 cards looked identical and are both mxm 2.1 after installing the 8600M GT into the M60J he had black screen. That means there is no dedicated vbios on the GT240M card the M60J laptop has the GT240M vbios integrated into its own MB bios . Unless that can be extracted somehow, read into nibitor, saved and then flashed to a C90 the GT240M cannot and will not work it seems

 

Hi, I have a problem. I tryied to use your bios file but when start the nvflash, it append the following:

NVIDIA Firmware Update Utility (version 5.72)
Checking for matches between display adapter(s) and images(s)..
Adapter: GeForce 9600GT(10DE,0649,10DE,0567)H:--:NRMB:01,PCI,D:00,F:00
WARNING: Firmware image PCI Subsystem ID (10DE.1405)
does not match adapter PCI Subsystem ID(10DE.0567)
ERROR: PCI subsystem ID mismatch

Can you help me??? Sorry for my english...I'm Italian..

 

significa che la vostra carta non è la stessa da come quella questo BIOS sia stata estratta.

*what i answered him was:
"it means your card is not the same as the one this BIOS was extracted from."
...i think. my italian's really rusty.

 

Hi,

As I updated my video drivers to 195.50 from laptopvideo2go, I performed a 3dmark06 test.
But I got a poor 6530 , what happen ?
Another test gave almost the same.

So I downgraded to 186.81 from nvidia.
=> 6768 , almost exactly the same as 6763 in my signature.

I think to keep for a long time those 186.61.

@+

 

There is a diference between XPx32 and W7x64 of abaut 300 points with 195.55, XP average.
I'm downgrading to right now.
cheers

 

I also managed to install the gt 130m now in my C90s... without any problems.

The only thing that I'm wondering about is how to use the thermal pads between the processors and the copper plate.

I had to use 2 layers of them to fill out the gap... and i havent found thicker thermal pads yet. Now I'm of course concerned that the heat distribution suffers a lot from this. (currently get 66-70° playing wow - idle temp is about the same^^)

How did you do that Atvaark?

I'm just so glad to have a working notebook again... and of course still hoping for a new version of nibitor^^

 

the thermal pads i used were probably a lot thicker than what you've got...i only needed to use one for each memory chip, and they were pretty squeezed down by tightening the copper plate to the card. and my temps are almost the same at yours.don't forget there's no thermal sensors on the memory chips. they could be slow roasting for all we know.

 

hmm now I'm getting really worried... so far it shouldnt be too bad... but if it should come to overclocking and stuff then it would be crucial to have a closer look at optimizing the cooling of the memory chips....

Edit:
i just had a problem - a screw popped out... so i had to look at the thing again.
I put some of this cooling gel in between the heatsink and the plate the heatpipes are attached to... just by doing this (also where the memory chips are) i could lower the temperature by 5 °C...
was a good idea to get rid of this thermal pad in between there - there was too much air.
Now im at 64°C while gaming... before 70... not bad for now id say^^

 

you had put a thermal pad between the heatsink and the heat spreader? yeah, a good thermal paste will do a much better job...

 

Hey Atvaark any news on the GT130M? Has a new version of nibitor been released yet?

 

no updates as of yet...i am kind of getting irritated now. i really wish there was another way than using nibitor. I've even been donating every 3 days in hopes of a faster update. i got the 5.3 version from that, but it's not compatible still.

 

I doubt it will yield much help, but you can try asking the author of nibitor himself about a new version. I tried before, but I never received a response.

 

Hmm that sucks. Maybe you could sell the GT130M then get hold of the 9650M GT from zepto. I know that works with nibitor, although I had problems modifying it to work full speed. Now that nightwalker is back with us I am sure modding the vbios will no longer pose a problem. As far as performance is concerned should be pretty much identical and have same OC potential as the GT130M as it is also 55nm!

 

He could, but somehow I get the feeling a new version of Nibitor will come out right after he does. It's a waiting game at this point : /

 

i agree. knowing my luck, selling the card is exactly what's needed for an update to come in.

now about that gt 240m...

would it be possible to use gpuz on the machine where the vbios is in the computer's bios, extract the vbios, and do a blind vflash on the c90 with the gt 240m? the card itself must at least have a vbios chip on it, even if it is empty and only redirecting to the other machine's bios...

 

hmm...the card is still working at less than half it's potential. however, with the 195.55 drivers, i can push 1680X1050 4X multisampling in wow with above 30 fps...it's a good performance increase over what i had before. which now makes the gt 130m at half power superior to the 8600m gt at full power. my 3dmarks06 score also climbed to 4670. very impressive. i really can't wait for it's full power now.

oh and updating my drivers fixed my earlier "false start" problem.

 

The GT240M doesn't have a vbios chip on it to flash unfortunately. Seems your GT130M will be the best card we can have. Also I heard Zepto in liquidation if this is true then our time is/has running out to get an upgrade!

 

even if zepto is in liquidation, there will always be another way to get the card. be it ebay or another retailer. you just have to search for it.

 

On Mavke's site (Nibitor author) there is a donation box that says he's reached $82 towards a goal of $500. It says it ends on December 31st and the money is going towards Nibitor updates. I hope that doesn't mean he wont release an update till he gets $500.... Maybe it means that is what he would like to get but by December 31st he will release an update no matter what. Either way, $500 is really steep. I love his efforts but if he wants that much in donations he might as well just charge for the program that way people can spend $20 and keep getting frequent updates without waiting for really high "donations".

 

Probably half of that is from Atvaark bless him I think I will go on and give a little

 

i gave around 40 bucks by now, yeah...and donated another 15 just now.

 

That's nuts! You've paid this guy over $50 and he isn't even trying to help you!? He could VERY easily have given you a "special" version of Nibitor 5.2 with GT130M support in it. It probably would not have even taken him that long. I would definitely e-mail him and ask him to help you out!

 

I have to agree! I was musing when I said you had probably donated half of the $82 and you actually have. No offense to mavke I know he makes a great program but asking for $500 is a bit steep! I think it is time you bought to his attention you have donated $55 to his cause and let him know once more that you would like GT130M support asap as Nightwalker suggests.

 

I think ill also try to give him a little incentive... i dont like the idea of just blindly donating. But i could write him that i will make a major donation if the support for a Gt 130 m is included... of if he makes a special version for us

 

Now instaled 9600....
I'm bit confused....
The results are impressive but temps...
What are (was) your rezultes for temps in full load?

 

Talking about the GT130M I cannot get through to zepto at all! Either on the phone, email or via their live chat which is never online.

 

I installed a 9600M GT not long ago by following the guide on this thread and have a few pointers that may be of use. As far as the installation goes, it's perfect, well done. Though here are a few post installation hints that may be useful to know. My girlfriend and I both have these laptops, only difference is that she has an upgraded CPU to mine.

First off, temperature control. Your C90S bases it's fan speeds on the temperature of your CPU, nothing else. If you have one of the slower CPUs, like I do (2.4Ghz Dual Core) you'll find that keeping the temperature of your new card down is a challenge. When it comes down to it, the faster your CPU, the cooler your C90 will run. The C90 uses a tool called Q-Fan to moderate fan speeds based on CPU temperature so you don't have your fans roaring along at full speed all of the time, which is built in to the bios and can't be turned off. The C90's CPU is made to be overclocked, Asus even includes the tool to do so in the installation package. Overclock your CPU using Turbo Gear (or Clockgen or whatever other tool you're comfortable with) and you'll notice your fans speed up almost immediately.

Another thing to note, is that while your OS is sitting at the desktop or doing simple operations, the default power option underpowers the CPU and so the cooling fans don't turn on, which will cause your GPU to get very hot. Change your power options to High Performance or Asus Overclocking Mode if you're using Turbo Gear.

Another thing I did to keep my temperatures down is to drill holes in the bottom of my case over top of the graphics card like a grate to allow more air flow and use a laptop cooling stand. Out of the box, the air vents in the bottom of the case that the fans draw air in through are over top of everything but the Graphics card, which means that by the time the air is pulled over your GPU, it's already hot! This option is not necessarily suggested, but I felt comfortable doing it and it's dropped my temperatures significantly. There are companies that sell replacement pieces to your C90s case if you're concerned, order one of these first and drill the holes in it rather than run the risk of messing up your current one. They're pretty cheap, around $20US.

Another thing people have done to solve the heating issues is to hardwire the 12v power source directly to the cooling fans, making them run at full speed all of the time. It apparently works like a charm, but anyone that's heard their C90 fans go to max while you're in a quiet place knows they get pretty loud.

Overclocking your 9600M GT can be a bit scary unless you have your temperatures under control, but the card is capable of some pretty serious overclocking.

Also, you will NEED a 120Watt power supply. The 90w simply won't handle the new card; your computer will act like it's being unplugged and plugged back in and your battery will drain even when it's plugged in. In most cases, if you were sent the 90w power supply with your C90, the company you purchased it from will replace it with the proper 120w for you at no cost.



The long and the short of the cooling issues is that the faster the CPU runs, the cooler your graphics card (and in fact whole computer) will be. Purchasing a faster CPU will drop your temperatures noticeably. If you don't want to purchase a new CPU, overclock your current one to make it run hotter and the cooling fans will kick in to cool down your whole system. Like I mentioned above, my girlfriend and I both have the C90S and I put a 9600M GT in both of our laptops. She has the faster CPU and has no temperature issues while she has Turbo Gear in Gaming Mode.

If you guys find anything more on cooling the C90, let me know please

 

All my compliments dsemde,

I reached the same conclusions as you, and NightWalker also noted most of these points.

I think if we want a strong and working C90S right now, the 9600M GT is the solution.

In France we used to say "Un tiens vaut mieux que deux tu l'auras" , I think you say something like that "A bird in the hand is worth two in the bush" , because other newer cards may be possible, but it needs time because flashing the bios doesn't work or have issues.

@+

 

I think the main point for cooling an C90S with a 9600m GT is the copper heatsink, you wouldn't need to get the fans working all the time...
But I agree with drill the holes in the down cover, I also did it.
I never reached 85ºC with the 9600m GT at 650 / 950 clcoks...and with the E7500 running at 3,2 GHz
cheers

 

I agree with all of you but there are exceptions. The X6800 doesn't cause the fans to run at full speed even when it reaches 85C and also the Q9650 that I am running also won't make the fans run full speed. I can only keep the CPU below the 80C threshold at stock 3ghz in a stress test by undervolting to 1.0375V when using no laptop cooler. Ocing it and it needs a laptop cooler at all times!

I think the next step is for someone "programming savvy" to mod the Qfan controls in the C90 bios so we can have more control of the fans ourselfs. A simple control within the bios that allows us to choose a) bios fan control and b) full speed ; would be very helpful!

 

dsemde thank's for your time and sugestions. I have done some cooper "beast" of heatsink and all functioned very well with 8600 and never reached more than 78-80, but now reaches 102-103! I instaled everithing proper and haven't done any changes but gpu. The quastion is; Is it 9600 that hotter than 8600? The card works great and with no oc reaches 5540 in 3d mark. Is there any other solution to owerride this problem(6v fan mode will be done)? Could be done some other extreme mode with water cooling or with addapting some other parts from diferent laps or desktops.... Seams that I can't find any link's...
Thank's for help.

 

By all means try a watercooling idea Please share it on here when you have finished though

 

I was wondering of some liquid cooling system, but I finaly discarded. Think you would need a 12v pum, radiator, fan, pipes, and not less than 3l. of liquid...that is just a lot of weight and space...you can do a kind of gadget for use at home, but forget a portable thing...

Better work in a better heatsink, I've installed one from the asus c90p and temps ok...and perhaps there could be a mod of copper for the processor (I don't need it because E7500 works very cool...)

By my side and thinking in some internal fan mod...I just ordered a mini pci-e with an USB port...I think I can mod my down case, and do another with fiberglass a bit deeper...well that's only a project, I will think of that when I have more time...

cheers!!
PS - TIP: clean your fans, it would drop your temps a little...

 

Hi Evala,

I found I had the same problem as you with regard to the 8600 running at regular temperatures and the 9600 at 100 degrees and more. I also have the large copper heat sinc as described in Night Walker's original post but it isn't quite enough with the E6600 processor.

What I do to keep it cool (as i mentioned in my last post) is to drill holes in the bottom of my case as such (I should have put another row of roles at least more central over the GPU). I also run it at 10-15% overclocked at all times. The fans will run quietly, they don't speed up too much but just having them running all the time does the trick. You also will need to make sure your power options are set to High Performance so Windows doesn't under volt your CPU while you're just at your Desktop.

I'm running Windows 7 x64, the most recent version of Turbo Gear is supported by W7 x64. I've also used Clockgen to OC my CPU to make it run a little hotter and make the fans kick in. I've found that either will work just about as well as the other for the purposes of keeping your computer cool. You have more flexibility with Clockgen, but Turbo Gear is much more simple.

Clockgen can be a bit fickle depending on which OS you're running though. For my version of Windows I had to run v1.0.5.3. You will also require a PLL number to use Clockgen that is specific to your processor. The number for the E6600 is CY28551.

I've also got my laptop sitting on a really cheap $12 laptop cooler I bought off trademe, it doesn't do much, but it helps a bit, raises the laptop for better air flow if nothing else. With all this, my GPU idles at about 60 degrees and typically goes no hotter than 95 degrees when under full load.

For me, my next purchase for my C90 will be a new processor, something a little faster/hotter that will keep the fans running a tad faster.

 

I really recommend investing in a NZXT Cryo LX laptop cooler. 3 x 120mm fans and a very sturdy metal chassis. It comes equipped with a simple usb to dc 5V connector but you can simply get a cheap universal switchable 12V adaptor from a computer store and power it with 12V. With that at power my GPU never surpasses 75C and that is when it is OCed to 565/1490/543 (high clocks for the DDR2 card), 51C when idling at those clocks! Also there is sufficient airflow to push the quad to 3.35 ghz which is the fsb limit Definitely worth the investment, be prepared for lots of noise though

http://www.nzxt.com/products/cryo_lx/

Also I drilled holes through the entire raised area on the back panel and over where the CPU is as well. Make sure you have a spare back panel though so that you can RMA using that fitted rather than the modded one.

As for hotter CPU's you could look into the new Q7xxx series of CPU's. There are both the normal 95W and a couple of Q7xxxS versions that are only 65W. Could give you the heat boost you are looking for, as well as a couple of extra cores. I think the fastest 65W one runs at 2.8ghz! Other specs are all run on 800mhz fsb, 2mb lvl2 cache, not great but still should be faster than even the E7500 while providing quite a nice OC heatroom with such a low fsb.

 

I just got an answer from Mavke to the e-mail i sent him... asking about the support of the gt 130m in the next version, it says:
"if we don't get more than 2-3 BIOS's of the same series such as what you are having the GeForce GT 130M then we don't add the support as we don't trust just a single BIOS. So if you can provide us an original BIOS backup of yours with some more details on the amount of memory etc it will be most likely added in the next version."

Anyone an idea of how to provide him with one of those bios backups?^^
It sometimes hurts being such a noob... -.-

 

Atvaark could simply send each of us a copy of the vbios. Then we all send mavke a copy of it Obviously string it out over a few days too avoid to much suspicion. Sorted he would have more than 2-3 copies of it.

 

Alright. done and done.
now lets hope it's not too easy to find out that it's the same card passed around...

specs of the video card to send:
Nvidia Geforce GT 130M 512MB GDDR3
gpu clock: 600MHZ
Memory clock: 800MHZ
Shader: 1500MHZ


and by the way, Kaliki, to send a copy of your vbios, just start GPUZ, then click on that little icon next to the Bios Version string. choose save to file, and it's done. some websites prefer you put that file in a zip file. make sure not to compress it if you can.