Nvidia GTX 10XX and Nvidia Volta Upgrades on Clevo P750DM-G

Hey guys,

So I bought a Clevo P750DM-G a few months ago. Here are the specs:

• Clevo P-750DM-G
• Intel 6700K 4.0GHz CPU
• GTX 980m GPU
• 2* 8GB DDR4 2133MHz RAM
• 500G Samsung 850 EVO OS Drive
• 1TB 7200 RPM SATA III (storage)
• Windows 10
• Bigfoot Killer Network Card

Now, I am one of the unfortunate souls to have bought the system right before the Nvidia 10 series cards came out. Now, I am aware that there are other threads about the incompatibility of the 10 series with my system due to MXM formatting changes.

So, my dilemma is as follows. I am thinking about selling off my Clevo P750 (even though it runs perfectly) and buying the same approximate system with a GTX 1070. I mean, I dig this computer and love the power it beholds... but I also plan on playing Star Citizen. And man, that game is taxing. However, I thought I would hold off because the Nvidia Volta cards may be coming out soon. My question is whether I will be able to replace my 980m with a Volta when they become available. Any word on this? Any word on their format?

Also any chance anything has changed with regards to replacing a GTX 980m in a Clevo P750DM-G with a 10XX series?

Thanks for the help!

 

Sell what you have...

But only when you have the computer with the spec's you want in hand, tested and happy with the real world performance it actually gives.

Forget about being able to 'upgrade' a notebook beyond maxing out the RAM and putting a bigger/badder SSD inside... we know where that got you.

Only believe what you have in front of you. Can't go too wrong then (keep your eyes open and be truthful to yourself of any gains/losses of the 'new' compared to the 'old' platforms you're comparing/testing when it comes time to upgrade).

 

You think it's worth the jump to a GTX 1070 from my GPU considering the hassle of selling my laptop and purchasing a new one? Especially taking into account all the hurdles I had to go through to get this laptop right. I mean I had to send it back because of several issues (back light bleed, crashing etc.). That wasn't fun... Now, I got it right. It works well... I'm happy with it except for the GPU. Which makes me wonder... Do I really want to sell? (I don't because it takes effort and time to change this thing out and it's doing well... but if it must be done, it must be done)

I mean the specs on the new systems look sick. You could even get an i7 7700k (unnecessarily I might add) for like the same price I got my 6700k. I know the GTX 1070 performance leap is pretty awesome. But I ask my self if the 980m won't just suffice for now. Obviously, this is largely up to me. But, insight is always a welcome addition.

What do you reckon I can sell this system for? I got it for $2400 something. I hope I could get a decent amount for it. Let me know your angle .

 

Like I already indicated; buy a new/current system (even with that 'unnecessary' i7 7700K...) and compare it directly to what you have now. You'll know in less than five minutes if the upgrade is worth it for you. And whatever you sell the old system for is what is was worth - to you...

Don't worry too much about what the old system cost (that is a sunken cost... - don't ever try to justify it now or in the future...). Worry about what a new platform will offer (today) and whether or not you'll get yourself into debt getting it (please; don't go into debt...).

With up to 2x the graphics performance of something you can actually buy today (GTX 1070) - the 980M will be quickly outdated at any price (even free...). Especially when you have to go through the hassle of removing the old card, installing the new one, verifying that everything works as it should (at this point; I'd be doing a complete clean install, btw...) and then selling/donating the old GPU you removed.

The $$$ are the least important part of a new purchase - once the platform we want is within our budget - but the time to validate the new platform for our uses balanced against the increased performance we expect from it over the expected lifecycle is what we hope to gain, overall.

Either stay with your old/current platform until it doesn't do what you want it to. Or; don't change components and expect an upgrade (side-grade is the best you can hope for...), rather; change the platform as a whole to get to the next real level of performance.

If your budget allows for a new platform - especially if it allows you to test the new and the old side by side... that is the most sensible option if you'll keep the new system for at least 18 months or longer. If you think you'll be upgrading the system in a few short months again... then just upgrade components as you can.

In the end, I think you will have spent the same $$$$ for the performance you will have over that time period - but, a new platform will have given you higher performance overall (over that same time span).

So, how deep are your pockets? And how much do you really want (and need) the most performance possible?

For myself; if I have an extra few bucks in my wallet - they're definitely doing me no good there... A new platform would have been shipping to me already.

 

@Phoenix I would be grateful if you could find the time to chip in as I know you are a knowledgeable contributor in this forum and understand much concerning these custom Clevo builds. @tilleroftheearth I really appreciate you going through all the due considerations. I'm not going into debt anytime soon. That matter aside, the latest and greatest is awesome. Especially the 10xx series cards. However, technology is constantly evolving at ever increasing rates. If I get a new system... even that will be outdated soon. I will weigh my options some more and see where I land.

 

you can't upgrade to the 10xx series, let alone Volta

sell your laptop now while it has some value and get a cheap PC to help you pass the time until Volta comes. Also note that Kaby Lake CPUs are out now and more laptops would have them

otherwise just enjoy the laptop until it can't serve you anymore, better than buying one now only to find out that in a few months Volta is out

 

You're welcome and, glad to hear you're financially set!

The process I outlined for you in my previous post takes care of the 'technology is constantly evolving' aspect.

1. Fully use and become comfortable with what you have now.
2. Compare any new system/platform (as a whole and with a nod to 'balanced' vs. just excelling in a single area or two...) on the same workloads/workflows that you actually use.
3. Keep the other aspects as consistent as possible (same O/S level, updated device drivers as needed per platform, extended use models - don't rely on tests/BM's/'scores' that take seconds or mere minutes to run, etc...).
4. When comparing the old to the new; be truthful (to yourself) about the advantages a new platform actually delivers to your workflows/workloads. Mere 'scores', 'bragging rights' and other primitive methods of determining the value of a new platform/component/software program will not do a lot for you when the time comes to actually put your system through the paces you need it for. Unless, of course, the workload/workflow is 'scores' and 'bragging rights' only.

This method has worked for me for the last few decades. Where no other method (previous or since) has.

Good luck on your quest for the best balance between $$$$, performance and longevity. But be forewarned; it is not a goal with an end point in time. It is a continuing process that repeats as long as we still need more and more computing power for whatever our individual needs, wants and desires are - at any given point in time.

Take care.

- 'tiller

 

It's looking like Volta wont be here until 2018 at the earliest, and it might be even longer for laptop parts to launch, so buying Pascal now isn't that bad.

 

Will this 1060 work? The size is right, and works with eDP? I don't see any reason why this wouldn't work on a hardware level. Is there a modded BIOS that will allow this to work?

 

I can now answer my own question with certainty. This and other standard form factor GTX 1060 cards will work in this machine with only a minor modification to the driver. I personally used the Gecube 1060 and it's about 15% faster than the 980m. I haven't tried to get the G-sync working yet, though I've been told it's possible. Since I'm not really a gamer and since the faster speed negates the necessity of the G-sync anyway, it's not worth it for me to mess with it at this time. As far as whether or not it's worth the price. If you already have the 980m, the 1060 is not a big upgrade, since the 980m overclocks so well. My advice is to wait until price come down a little on the 1070 and go with that. Both the Aetina and Gecube 1070 come in a standard mxm form factor that will fit without hardware modding and they can be made to work with some tricky thermal padding placement on the necessary components to keep it from getting too hot. It took me about 40 minutes to get the thermal padding just right. I used a mix of Fujipoly and Gelid GP-Extreme thermal padding and it worked very well.

I hope this info is helpful for those searching for it.