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.

    ِNeed Help Upgrading My Alienware M15X

    Discussion in 'Hardware Components and Aftermarket Upgrades' started by Duke Nukem Rayne, Dec 29, 2020.

  1. Duke Nukem Rayne

    Duke Nukem Rayne Newbie

    Reputations:
    0
    Messages:
    8
    Likes Received:
    3
    Trophy Points:
    6
    Hello Everyone I'm Kind of of Noob here in upgrading Laptops GPU And CPU

    i Found MXM GTX 980M 8GB And i want to install it into my laptop
    i heard that i might need a new charger + some tweaks in NVidia drivers !!!
    but do I also need a bios update since my laptop bios is old A08 ?

    my laptop specs are I5 540m dual core + gtx 460m + 8gb Ram + 256 SSD
    PS: i have both a 150W and a 240w Charger Bricks

    any help would be appreciated !!!
     
    Duke Nukem Rayne, Dec 29, 2020
    #1
    aconix likes this.
  2. aconix

    aconix Notebook Guru

    Reputations:
    5
    Messages:
    65
    Likes Received:
    23
    Trophy Points:
    16
    It is nice to see that you want to upgrade the beast instead of changing to a newer laptop.
    To run the 980m in this machine you will need obviously to upgrade your CPU to at least i7-920xm.
    However, as others have noted, heat and power are the principal issues for the 980m with 920/940xm processors near the limit.
    The best option would be the 970m but you will always need a CPU to avoid a huge battleneck, on aliexpress the i7-920xm for 30€.
    Also I would upgrade the PSU to 240w.
    We all wish you well - perhaps you will find a solution that has been missed, maybe a better heatsink for example?! One user tried once but failed.
    The last step is to modify the drivers but you have a lot of threads that explain the process and it not a complicated thing tho.
    The GPU 970m and 980m are with good price at the moment may be @EepoSaurus can help you since he had a 970m available some days ago.
    Keep us informed.

    Enviado do meu SM-N960F através do Tapatalk
     
    Last edited: Jan 4, 2021
    aconix, Jan 4, 2021
    #2
  3. Duke Nukem Rayne

    Duke Nukem Rayne Newbie

    Reputations:
    0
    Messages:
    8
    Likes Received:
    3
    Trophy Points:
    6
    Thanks for your Feedback , I bought A 240w Charger as a first step for 50$ , i ordered a i7 920xm processor from AliExpress 3 days ago , but because of the pandemic that we are living, it says it may be delayed for up to 3 months , :(
    I cant wait for the CPU to Arrive , also i ordered the gtx 980m last week from a local store here in my country , it should arrive very soon , i hade it for 220$ + shipping , :) ,i think its a good deal !!
     
    Duke Nukem Rayne, Jan 6, 2021
    #3
    aconix likes this.
  4. aconix

    aconix Notebook Guru

    Reputations:
    5
    Messages:
    65
    Likes Received:
    23
    Trophy Points:
    16
    Awesome!! After tell us how it goes

    Enviado do meu SM-N960F através do Tapatalk
     
    aconix, Jan 6, 2021
    #4
    Duke Nukem Rayne likes this.
  5. CLASSIF1ED

    CLASSIF1ED Notebook Consultant

    Reputations:
    18
    Messages:
    150
    Likes Received:
    46
    Trophy Points:
    41
    bro you just got scammed, most if not all 9xxXM CPUs on aliexpress/from China are fakes.
     
    CLASSIF1ED, Jan 6, 2021
    #5
  6. aconix

    aconix Notebook Guru

    Reputations:
    5
    Messages:
    65
    Likes Received:
    23
    Trophy Points:
    16
    Hey he bought through a local store not from aliexpress. Only the CPU was from aliexpress.

    Enviado do meu SM-N960F através do Tapatalk
     
    aconix, Jan 6, 2021
    #6
    Duke Nukem Rayne likes this.
  7. saturnotaku

    saturnotaku Notebook Nobel Laureate

    Reputations:
    4,879
    Messages:
    8,926
    Likes Received:
    4,701
    Trophy Points:
    431
    He was talking about the CPU. o_O
     
    saturnotaku, Jan 6, 2021
    #7
    aconix likes this.
  8. aconix

    aconix Notebook Guru

    Reputations:
    5
    Messages:
    65
    Likes Received:
    23
    Trophy Points:
    16
    Ahaha you're right! I just saw 9xxm didn't think of the i7-920xm
    Regarding aliexpress I already bought a lot of cpu's without any issue

    Enviado do meu SM-N960F através do Tapatalk
     
    aconix, Jan 6, 2021
    #8
    Duke Nukem Rayne likes this.
  9. Duke Nukem Rayne

    Duke Nukem Rayne Newbie

    Reputations:
    0
    Messages:
    8
    Likes Received:
    3
    Trophy Points:
    6
    Good to hear that cause i will be waiting 3 months for it !!! the company that i ordered from looks legit with high numbers of good reviews and feedbacks
    so fingers crossed !!!
     
    Duke Nukem Rayne, Jan 11, 2021
    #9
    aconix likes this.
  10. aconix

    aconix Notebook Guru

    Reputations:
    5
    Messages:
    65
    Likes Received:
    23
    Trophy Points:
    16
    No problem, if you have any issue just open a ticket and they will refund the money ASAP

    Enviado do meu SM-N960F através do Tapatalk
     
    aconix, Jan 11, 2021
    #10
    Duke Nukem Rayne likes this.