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

For all its foibles you will find that those who comment in this thread love the C90 series. Please don't bash it.

Have you carried out the upgrade? In my opinion 6700+ points from a 3 year old mid-range laptop is pretty darn amazing, and there is potential yet!

 

i'm not the one that made my heatsink. and i did only trust the vendor. i wont really know before the card gets here...

 

When you get the GT 130M could you post pics up of the card, especially the top of it. Would be ace

Also how many 9600M GT copper heatsinks do you have left?

 

Mightylobo built me the only heatsink i currently own for the 9600m gt...i don't know where you got the idea i had more than 1...i do have an uncut piece of copper that i never managed to get anyone to work on, but that's it.

as for the pictures, i don't have a very good camera, but i'll find a way to do it nonetheless.

 

Ah whoops my bad. Dunno why but must have mixed you up with mightlobo lol. Sorry about that. Yeah if you can take a piccy would be very useful! Borrow a friends camera if ya have to

 

I need help please!
I just bought my 9600gt for my c90s, but clocks where on 275 core / 300 ram, and I could not clock them up.
The card is ussed, could it be damaged? I'm ussing the original 8600gt heatspread, I just plugged for test it.
I'm ussing 120w. And downclock isn't for powermizzer, I already dissabled...
any ideas?

 

As per nightwalkers guide you must modify the orginal heatsink for it to fit the 9600MGT but he doesn' advise it. I assume you followed his guide to get the clocks up to speed. If your card is running too hot which is likely as you are using the aluminium heatsink the card won't run full speed anyways and you run the the risk of damaging it.

I advise you make the copper heatsink for the card. If you can't make it Mightylobo may have a heatsink he can sell to you. I am sure he will chip in. Let us know what temps you are running

 

+1

As King of Interns said, you must follow the guide from NightWalker.
He explains and shows you how to install a 9600 card, how to make a copper heatspreader, how to modify the bios.

I myself have a 9600M GT on my C90S, and it runs as well as NightWalker explained, just see my signature.

Don't use, or only for a very short time, the original aluminum heatspreader. It can't cool much the 9600.

Link you also may need, about "litlle screws" : http://forum.notebookreview.com/showpost.php?p=5313505&postcount=292

When you have finish, please let us know how your C90S perform a 3dmark06 test, thanks.

@+

 

Thank you for your help.
First thanks to NightWalker and his guide. You can be sure I studied the guide before purchasing the card.

I modded the aluminium heatsink, and just booted for test it...
The idle temp. raissed up 70º very quick and at that point clocks were 275 / 300 as said, and could not clock above, neither 1 MHz.
I tried to modify the BIOS, but I'm running Windows 7 x64 and could not. Using unsigned drivers hack, I would work on this deeper, but I should do with the copper heatsink.

I was thinking in work on a copper heatsink, but I would buy one if
NightWalker has it...
How do I contact him? there isn't PM system here!

Thank you again...

 

Yes, but NightWalker seems to bo no longer on NBR

To modify yhe bios, you need nibitor and nvflash

Nibitor to modify and nvflash to flash.
Nvflash is to use on a startup usb-key. No matter of what kind of windows is running on your C90S.
I think nibitor should work with vista or seven 64

You can search for a piece of copper on ebay. If you don't find, ask a copper seller, he may have a little piece of copper : that's how I got mine.

@+

 

Another NBR user called Mightylobo had a few left he was selling. You will need to post another couple of dozen times however to PM him. Have alook around the forum and see what you can add, soon enough you will have enough to post to PM

 

Finally I modded the bios, and it's pretty working, but I still need the copper heatsink...but for the moment this is what I did...
I replaced the chasis plate from my original 8600 card...
I mean this plate...

This plate sits under the card, and it gets raised a little...

It isn't the best way for install this card but isn't the worst...
The good new is that temp reads are more than aceptable. (64 - 68 IDLE, 92 - 98 working)
and while I'm getting the copper heatsink, this is my 3Dmark06 score...

The one on the left is without any kind of OC, processor and graphics at default clocks (E6600 2,4 GHz and 9600m GT 500 MHz / 800 MHz).
The right is OCed. (2,9 GHz and 600 MHz / 900 MHz).

Thank you all for help and special thanks to NightWalker for his guide!!

PS- now I need to upgrade the processor, I see 9800xpv installed C2D E7500 what abaut X6800??

 

Good job phoenon.
You get 6000+ , that's very nice.
All those 9600M seem to be very OC_able.
Do you use a notebook-cooler ?

About X6800 : http://processorfinder.intel.com/details.aspx?sSpec=SL9S5
I wonder if it is a good choice, as it could be difficult to cool ?

Thanks alot.
Enjoy the C90S

@+

 

I have a cooling pad, but that reads were without it, only with the backdoor removed. I'm deeping test with OC and the cooling pad working...
That 6K score is still far away of your 6763!!
I would finally discard that x6800, I was already worry abaut it's temps!

Thank you again man!

 

I'm sure you can get a similar score, when you have a copper heat-spreader.

I didn't try to find any limit of my 9600M-card, I only apply frequencies found by NightWalker.
So I imagine yours could get about the same.
ps : my E7500 was oc @ 3.2 GHz.
NightWalker had a E6700 @ 2.9 GHz.

@+

 

Hey Phoenon. I tried the X6800 in my C90S 6 months back and it sucked. It would not go more than 3ghz stable and chucked out way to much heat.
85C. The E7500 is the much better,faster, cooler choice.

 

well I discarded, I posted in the BIOS mod (1003) for the list of compatibility, are series Q compatible? I wouldn't extend the off topic...
Thank you

 

the only thing that worries me about the 7500 (i have one) is that the thing barely heats up, meaning the fans are almost always to their lowest settings and the video card takes the heat...that's why i wouldn't mind a cpu that needs more cooling, as the fans would do their job...

i really need a bios mod that allows for software control over the fans. at least the gpu fan...

 

The upcoming Q7600 ought to work.

 

wow king, i didn't notice but you got screwed over by asus?
doesnt the c90s cooling apparatus fit the c90p? you could slap another 9600 in it in that case, no?

 

@Atvaark

Hey! The E7500 it’s the best choice at the moment for C90S.

Videos heat problem. Three resolutions:

1) The fastest and easy way is to pull out speed control cable (yellow) and supply 12V directly to the fans. They run at full speed with allot of noise. If you want to lower the noise just replace 4 original fans with this one “Delta AFB0412LB-F00 40x15mm TAC Sensor 40x15mm Fan”. It run at 5000 RPM / CFM 6.5 / Noise 18.5 dB-A. ( http://www.aerocooler.com/shop.cart?action=ITEM&prod_id=FANDEAFB4)
2) As you said, to adjust / set new temperatures in BIOS related to the CPU. I’ll do that when I have time and I’ll post the new BIOS. It’s a time consuming process.
3) Make a better GPU cooling. I saw in the net a project for water cooling of GPU specifically for C90S. This is the right way.

 

Hi Angel Marinov,

That's good news if you can write a bios mod to adjust temperatures.
Really thanks alot in advance.

I myself wrote to SpeedFan to ask if they could update speedfan to work on C90S. But I had no answer .

Did you read this message from NightWalker ?
He wired the fans with constant 6V, that seemed to be efficient and not too noisy, like a just middle way.
http://forum.notebookreview.com/showpost.php?p=4114174&postcount=46

@+

 

Hi 9800xpv,

Our fans are model AFB0412VHB / 9200 RPM / CFM 13 / Noise 36.5 dB-A and theirs operational voltage range is between 7V~13.8V. The idea to use 6V is not good with these fans. We can control the fan speed only in two ways:
1) Hardware – with different resistances to adjust the voltage in range 7V~9V. I mean constant voltage 7V, 7.5V, 8V … 9V.
2) Software – BIOS table with temperatures to corresponding fan voltages.

 

Thanks,

Here is a mod to switch fans at full speed, from ziggo0 :

http://forum.notebookreview.com/showthread.php?p=2856137#post2856137

But as he himself says : fans are LOUD.

 

@9800xpv
Hi 9800xpv,

Thanks for the link to ziggo0. His decision is brutal but effective. The elegant decision is fans to be controlled depending on GPU and CPU temperatures via BIOS. Asus can do that very easy because C90S motherboard is developed by them and they have BIOS source code.

 

Or you could stick in the 11,000 rpm model fans . Extra noise + extra cooling !

Yeah atvaark they screwed me over pretty badly. The C90S cooling would fit but would be extra work to get hold of the aluminium heatsink.

 

it would be more than worth it for you i think. does the c90p have more power available to the pci express port? i know the c90s is limited to 25watts if i remember right...if it has 35 watts available, you could get that ati card, the 4650 i think? i don't remember exactly what it is, but it's on par with the gt 240m...

 

all this work just to get 8XAA instead of 4XAA....

nearly better to sell the Asus and buy a new laptop with 9600M gt

 

We enjoy of this work...
And there is no reason for change our laptop each time a new graphics card is released, you can improve your performance just by replacing the graphics and processor (you can even resell them) like you do in a desktop gear.
Don't you think?

 

i also change my GPU on my DELL inspiron 9400, but thats was just in & out....(very easy and fast).....

this is way way way more work to do. (the GPU dont even fit properly without a lot of modding, (making your own copper-plate and so on...he he)........

and last, maybe most important........its not even 100% sure it works..........(if you do one thing slightly wrong...then its (probably) bye bye with your mobo and GPU (and maybe some other things)


anyway....it always nice to see some modding.

 

It does work.
Just have a look to NightWalker's 3dmark06, and mine also.

 

@ phoenon,

+1

I enjoy this work.
I never bought a C90S if its components should be impossible to replace.

@+

 

You're right, but everytime you mod of flash something you take that risk, you must allways think if it's worth it...
In this case it seems to be much more work that is it.
The card fits right on the mobo, it's just the screws you need for the heatsink are smaller, the main problem is the heatsink...if you could find an original 9600m heatsink you wouldn't mod anything, and you only would to flash the card...obiously you have to love the risk

 

For me it was also the upgradeabilty that made me buy the C90s... otherwise i might have gotten a G1s or sth like that...

I'm currently waiting for Zepto to get back to me concerning the gt 130m...
Just a few days ago my original 8600 m gt gave up on me again. Baked it for the second time to make it work once more... But my laptop is in terrible need of a new card, i fear baking will not be a solution that works forever ^^

I have no problem with the risks... i prefer the chance to upgrade it to getting a whole new notebook...

 

The only risk I took was to buy a 9600M and a E7500.

I knew I will work because someone has already made, and explain how to do.

In case if the 9600 shouldn't have work, I had the old 8600.
Same for E7500 and E6600.

@+

 

Kaliki
You could get a 9600m GT for over 130 € on ebay
I'm going to sell my 8600m GT to.
I would to know if NVidia Quadro FX 770 work and it's temps.

100% agree

 

Be careful on ebay.
You have to look very close at seller's feedback.
Will you get the same card as NightWalker's ? With samsung chips.
Perhaps the picture / photo come from anywhere on www, not from the seller.

But I got mine on ebay, from HK. Everything was ok.

@+

 

hmm but pay attention with the quadro fx 770 - it has a higher energy consumption - 9600m gt has 23 watt and quadro fx needs 35....

i think a gt 240m would be an option perhaps... would also have 23 watt...
but id already be happy to make the gt 130 m work

 

I think asus looked at the NightWalker's heatsink for the c90p...



If the seller is a powerseller that's all. You could allways ask for the chips.

 

I believe the GT 130M and the 4650 are the last mxm 2 cards to fit the "older" mxm sockets that our C90's are equipped with. I think the 240M is a mxm 2.1 B or something like that.

@ Atvaark I am pretty sure apart from a slightly different all copper heatsink the mxm slot is identical to the one in the C90S. The Power Supply is 150W vs 120W but I am sure mxm 3 cards won't work. Also got good news on the 8600M GT, should be getting the DDR3 version sent to me soon enough

 

The C90P has no heatspreader.
Only the all copper heatsink.

@+

 

I wish Asus sell it on Estore...

 

As you are in Spain, you had better to order at ASUSparts Europe.

Here it is.

@+

 

Just ordered
Thanks man

 

That is where I got mine when I bought it for the C90S. Remember though you will need to trim the heatspreader by 50% as the C90S northbridge heatsink displaces the extra space needed for the entire copper heatspreader to fit. The copper fins are very fine so be very careful as they can become very ragged and sharp when cut.

 

I'll keep that in mind, thank you...
...one question abaut cpu, how it's supossed to keep a quad core cooled??

 

Well the Q7600 is listed as 95W tdp. That however is a little excessive and need not be true. One can easily reduce it to around 65W tdp by undervolting it. Considering it is a 45nm processor it should undervolt very well.

This is what I shall be doing to the Q9650 when I eventually get one for my C90P as it has identical cooling limitations.

 

hmm...on the other hand, a quad core would probably force the fans to move their butts into working at a decent rate...taking care of my gpu cooling issue...this might work!

 

Hi,
@phoenon,
Please, when you install the C90P heatsink ou your C90S, could you take some photos ? Especially if you make some mods.
I wonder to get it also.
Thanks.
@+

 

Count on it
cheers