Best GPU for Alienware M15x in 2014? ($200-$250USD Budget) Plus any other upgrades?

Hi everyone. Exactly as the title says, I am looking for an upgrade on my Alienware M15x. I already ordered an Intel Core i7-920XM to upgrade the stock i7-720QM. Upgraded to 8GB ram, Added a Samsung 470 Series 128GB SSD and a USB 3.0 Expresscard adapter. I will replace the stock Dell 1520 Wifi card with an Intel Centrino Ultimate-N 6300 (Already ordered...) Anyway, I was wondering if there was anything else I can upgrade. Any suggestions? I am also looking for advice on a new GPU. What would be a good GPU for my M15x? I currently have the stock AMD Radeon 5370M 1GB DDR III version. I want to keep the budget in the $200-250 range. I live in the US and if possible, keep costs low. I already spent a lot on these upgrades. Thank you in advance, and I am looking forward to any suggestions.

 

The best GPU is a 780M/880M.. However most people have upgraded to a AMD 7970M (around $300) or NVIDIA GTX680M ($400)... the GPU upgrades are never cheap..

 

I understand that. The thing is, I don't want to exceed $250. I can take a lower version of a card unless there is a $10-20 difference and a major speed boost. Thanks in advance.

 

200-250 you are talking about a 6970/6990M tops used. You aren't going to find anything new for that price range that is better than the 5730M (which is a 5650M basically).

 

Okay, I understand. I don't care if it's used or new. At this point, based on how old the machine is....can't expect much more. Another question, How does the 6970/6990 stack to a GTX765M or GTX670M? I see on ebay a used 7970m for $323. How does the 7970m differ from the 6970/6990m? The 6970m I see it for $230 on ebay. The 6990m is about $280. Just trying to figure out what I can get for my money. Thanks in advance.

 

7970m is much better than the 6970m. Easily +50% better stock for stock. Even the latest the m290x is the same gpu as the 7970m albeit with slightly higher clockspeed.

You might find 770m gtx priced similarly to the 7970m but it isn't as good. Nvidia parts are always more expensive.

Otherwise good spec. Very similar to my own! The 470 runs excellently with the machine. Had my 256gb 470 for over 2 years now.

I also recommend buying an express card 2x USB 3.0. This is nice to have if you have any modern external storage. Cheap too.


Sent from my iPod touch using Tapatalk

 

Ok, I found a new 8970m on ebay for $300. AMD HD 8970M 4GB GDDR5 for Alienware 17 18 M17XR4 M18XR2 New Kit | eBay I bit the bullet and purchased it. It was a bit more than I was looking to spend but the performance boost will hopefully be worth it. I also ordered the USB 3.0 ExpressCard adapter. I have a new question. I have the stock 150W PSU for the M15x. Would that cause issues when the 920XM is paired with the 8970m? Would I need a higher wattage PSU? Would I need to mod the GPU or the bracket to get it to fit properly in my M15x? Thanks in advance!

 

You really ought to go to the M15x subforum to ask all these questions. Anyways here goes.

1.) The 150W is sufficient but you will need this to stop throttling issues on the GPU.
Amazon.com: Pwr+® Right Angle 90-degree Power Adapter Connector Converter for Dell Latitude ; Inspiron ; XPS ; Studio ; Vostro / Hp Pavilion ; Probook ; Elitebook ; Envy ; Hp Compaq ; Compaq Presario Laptop Notebook Ac Adapter Battery Charger Power S
To explain briefly in order to stop throttling you have to pull the data pin out of the end of the power tip (part that goes into laptop) unfortunately this is permanent and means you won't be able to charge battery anymore. Buying this small adaptor fixes this as you simply pull the pin from the adaptor and NOT the plug of the actual adaptor. That way when you game you use the adaptor and when you want to charge and do other tasks use the PSU without adaptor.
If you plan to OC the 920xm 24/7 (likely) and worse still overvolt it like me (unlikely) then you definitely ought to invest in a bigger adaptor. Either Dell,210.240 or 330W adaptors are fine. I would recommend 240W adaptor mainly as it can charge like the 150W the 210W does not charge while the 330W is electronically limited to 240W if it isn't plugged into the M18x. This takes heavy modding to fix. The 150W adaptor WILL cut out somewhere between 200-210W depending on your adaptor so it is pushed very hard by 920xm overclocked plus 8970M combo. 240W unlocked should be good for up to 300W.

2.) The X bracket should fit fine as your current card is AMD. Have a look here though and compare with your current xbracket. Buy if they are NOT identical. http://www.ebay.com/itm/GPU-Spreade...053?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item2ed18a4795

3.) The 8970M is 5x faster than your current GPU. Yes there will be a huge difference!

Anyways if you have other M15x questions please head to the Alienware M15x part of the forum. You will also find the answers to all your questions already written there. Hope this helps.

 

Something like the amd m8900 perhaps.

 

Thank you so much for your help! I will make a new thread in the M15x forum. I have a few followup questions for you. It's crazy to see how identical our machines are.