The Notebook Review forums were hosted by TechTarget, who shut down them down on January 31, 2022. This static read-only archive was pulled by NBR forum users between January 20 and January 31, 2022, in an effort to make sure that the valuable technical information that had been posted on the forums is preserved. For current discussions, many NBR forum users moved over to NotebookTalk.net after the shutdown.
Problems? See this thread at archive.org.
← Previous page

    Clevo P375SM / Sager NP9390 GPU Upgrade

    Discussion in 'Gaming (Software and Graphics Cards)' started by OH CANADIA!, Oct 28, 2020.

  1. Reciever

    Reciever D! For Dragon!

    Reputations:
    1,530
    Messages:
    5,350
    Likes Received:
    4,377
    Trophy Points:
    431
  2. OH CANADIA!

    OH CANADIA! Notebook Enthusiast

    Reputations:
    5
    Messages:
    39
    Likes Received:
    6
    Trophy Points:
    16
  3. Reciever

    Reciever D! For Dragon!

    Reputations:
    1,530
    Messages:
    5,350
    Likes Received:
    4,377
    Trophy Points:
    431
    If your laptop has an Optimus like mode then you can still use it that way. If the dGPU is wired to the video outputs then you will still have fairly consistent performance with it, internal panel will suffer a little bit. I am not certain if your motherboard has both connection types (as many in his era did) as I am not as well read in the clevo systems.

    980m works on both LVDS and eDP to my recollection, at least it does on the Dell variant within the 17 R1 Ranger platform
     
  4. OH CANADIA!

    OH CANADIA! Notebook Enthusiast

    Reputations:
    5
    Messages:
    39
    Likes Received:
    6
    Trophy Points:
    16
    Hey thanks for the response. I really appreciate all the feedback.

    I don't know what my laptop has or if it switched between integrated Graphics and GPU or if it just uses the GPU only. How would I test that, and if necessary how would I change that?

    So the 980m is still a possibility for me to upgrade to?
     
  5. MahmoudDewy

    MahmoudDewy Gaming Laptops Master Race!

    Reputations:
    474
    Messages:
    1,654
    Likes Received:
    744
    Trophy Points:
    131
    Your Clevo supports no switchable graphics/optimus.

    Everything is routed by default through the discrete GPU(s).
     
  6. OH CANADIA!

    OH CANADIA! Notebook Enthusiast

    Reputations:
    5
    Messages:
    39
    Likes Received:
    6
    Trophy Points:
    16

    So what you're saying is that my 8970m is always processing all my visuals for the PC and it's never from the integrated CPU graphics?
     
  7. Reciever

    Reciever D! For Dragon!

    Reputations:
    1,530
    Messages:
    5,350
    Likes Received:
    4,377
    Trophy Points:
    431
    That would be accurate if his information is accurate. I personally don't know these machines to say either way but I would be inclined to accept that information.

    There should be an owners lounge as well which likely will have that information as well to confirm. Nbr peeps are pretty good about that sort of thing in the owners lounges
     
  8. yrekabakery

    yrekabakery Notebook Virtuoso

    Reputations:
    1,470
    Messages:
    3,438
    Likes Received:
    3,688
    Trophy Points:
    331
    Correct, the P37xxM series does not support graphics switching. Only the dGPU is ever used.

    980M SLI is the limit of what you can upgrade to.
     
    MahmoudDewy and JRE84 like this.
  9. MahmoudDewy

    MahmoudDewy Gaming Laptops Master Race!

    Reputations:
    474
    Messages:
    1,654
    Likes Received:
    744
    Trophy Points:
    131
    That is the case yes on this platform.

    1) I personally own that machine for years and know everything it can/cannot do
    2) I never answer posts or give information unless I am pretty sure of it

    OP if you are still in doubt, you can always contact Sager rep on the forum or even on their website and they should provide you with the most reliable information.
     
  10. Reciever

    Reciever D! For Dragon!

    Reputations:
    1,530
    Messages:
    5,350
    Likes Received:
    4,377
    Trophy Points:
    431
    Was on my phone at the time, couldnt see sig's
     
  11. OH CANADIA!

    OH CANADIA! Notebook Enthusiast

    Reputations:
    5
    Messages:
    39
    Likes Received:
    6
    Trophy Points:
    16
    Thanks for the response.

    Yeah I was beginning to come to that conclusion as well that the 980m would be the max I could upgrade with the P375SM.

    Doesn't make sense going SLI though as newer games no longer support SLI or Crossfire.
     
  12. OH CANADIA!

    OH CANADIA! Notebook Enthusiast

    Reputations:
    5
    Messages:
    39
    Likes Received:
    6
    Trophy Points:
    16
    Removed for double posting.
     
  13. OH CANADIA!

    OH CANADIA! Notebook Enthusiast

    Reputations:
    5
    Messages:
    39
    Likes Received:
    6
    Trophy Points:
    16
    Hey, thanks for responding to my question especially considering that you don't normally answer posts, I really appreciate it.

    I didn't know there was a SAGER rep on this forum, that's awesome!

    For quick reference though, would I be able to use this 980M to upgrade my P375SM;
    https://www.ebay.ca/itm/GTX-980M-Gr...942566?hash=item33e302c8a6:g:wkAAAOSw4FRcrx4p

    Also would I need to change the heatsink (I currently have 2x 8970m installed) if I switch to the 980M?
     
  14. OH CANADIA!

    OH CANADIA! Notebook Enthusiast

    Reputations:
    5
    Messages:
    39
    Likes Received:
    6
    Trophy Points:
    16
    No worries.
    I appreciate all the feedback you have given me so far, it's been quite an interesting learning experience.
     
  15. MahmoudDewy

    MahmoudDewy Gaming Laptops Master Race!

    Reputations:
    474
    Messages:
    1,654
    Likes Received:
    744
    Trophy Points:
    131
    This card should work just fine and of course you would need the respective heatsink but these are pretty cheap to come by and readily available.

    Ask the seller if he/she can flash a Clevo vBios before shipping in order for it to be plug & play for you.

    If you run into heat issues we can deal with them later but from my experience, the original heatsink handles the 980 just fine with a bit of an undervolt.
     
  16. OH CANADIA!

    OH CANADIA! Notebook Enthusiast

    Reputations:
    5
    Messages:
    39
    Likes Received:
    6
    Trophy Points:
    16
    Hey thanks for the information.

    Worst case scenario i'll just have to follow a guide on how to flash the vBios from Windows 8.1.

    What has me worried is if the heatsink that I currently have for my 8970M, would that work for the 980M in terms of positioning (would the heatsink be positioned correctly right over the chip)
     
  17. MahmoudDewy

    MahmoudDewy Gaming Laptops Master Race!

    Reputations:
    474
    Messages:
    1,654
    Likes Received:
    744
    Trophy Points:
    131
    Hmm ... Good question. I personally think it should fit but you will need to tear the black tape on the heatsink die contact plate because the die orientation is completely different between AMD and Nvidia.

    Power consumption wise you would have to be careful because my undervolted 980m hits 120 watts some times. That being said, the 8970M has itself a 100 watts TDP so it should be ok as long as you don't push it too hard.

    The cooling of other components on the card is a whole different story though. I would personally recommend that you look for the correct heatsink or make sure that everything that needs cooling on the card could be cooled with the AMD heatsink.
     
  18. OH CANADIA!

    OH CANADIA! Notebook Enthusiast

    Reputations:
    5
    Messages:
    39
    Likes Received:
    6
    Trophy Points:
    16
    So what sort of heatsink would I need to look for to replace the one I currently have, assuming it does not fit.
     
  19. OH CANADIA!

    OH CANADIA! Notebook Enthusiast

    Reputations:
    5
    Messages:
    39
    Likes Received:
    6
    Trophy Points:
    16
    UPDATE:

    Okay so I've gone ahead with the purchase of a GTX980M and the supplier has said they will do the vBios flash for Clevo.
    All I need to do now is to update the BIOS and make sure I have the correct heatsink.
    I already got the new BIOS from the guys over at XOTICPC and I have to flash it (incredibly scared I brick my pc here).
    All I'm stuck on right now is the heatsink for the 980m. I have checked with R&J Tech in the U.S.A and they have a heatsink compatible with the 880m but have told me the 980m is not compatible with the P375SM. Anyone have any ideas?
     
  20. MahmoudDewy

    MahmoudDewy Gaming Laptops Master Race!

    Reputations:
    474
    Messages:
    1,654
    Likes Received:
    744
    Trophy Points:
    131
    That is the kind of misinformation that I hate the internet for. The 980m is not only compatible, but natively supported on that platform. In other words, you don't even need to mod Nvidia drivers when trying to install them & there are no tricks involved in getting a 980m working in this machine, it is P&P.

    The 880m heatsink will work perfectly with the 980m.
     
  21. OH CANADIA!

    OH CANADIA! Notebook Enthusiast

    Reputations:
    5
    Messages:
    39
    Likes Received:
    6
    Trophy Points:
    16
    This information came directly from Sager.

    If it's P&P would I still need to update my BIOS?
     
  22. OH CANADIA!

    OH CANADIA! Notebook Enthusiast

    Reputations:
    5
    Messages:
    39
    Likes Received:
    6
    Trophy Points:
    16
    UPDATE:

    So the heatsinks for the nVidia and AMD are definitely different.
    I ordered the new heatsink from EuroCom as well as the 980m (from eBay) and got them today :D
    Unfortunately, I have no thermal paste..... So now I have to wait for thermal paste to come.
    In other news I have been trying to upgrade my BIOS and have been in contact with XOTICPC getting the new BIOS. The Zip File they sent me was password protected.... Ended up waiting for a few more days only to find out that the password for the ZIP file was "password" -___-
    So as it turns out, a USB 3.0 Flashdrive will not work for booting and I need a USB 2.0 Drive. So now I have to wait for the USB 2.0 Drive and the Thermal Paste to arrive before I can begin upgrading....
     
  23. OH CANADIA!

    OH CANADIA! Notebook Enthusiast

    Reputations:
    5
    Messages:
    39
    Likes Received:
    6
    Trophy Points:
    16
    UPDATE:

    Tried installing the new BIOS but I got the error message that the BIOS failed to flash. So I am waiting on XOTICPC to help me with this (Sent an email on Thursday and still waiting on a response a week later).

    Okay, so I've installed the new GTX 980M with the new heatsink and have now installed the Graphics Card Drivers for it.
    Everything seems to be fine so far. I can control my brightness on the computer with my hotkeys and the Device Manager labels it properly as the GTX 980M.
    Unfortunately, my motherboard and CPU seem to both be running hotter at 89C - 95C.
    Also whenever I try to load up a game, it crashes.
    Not sure what I should do next.
     
← Previous page