Upgrading my Asus Z71V?s Graphics card to Gforce Go7800

Hi all,

I am a computer game design student that needs rendering power on the go. I am thinking about shoving a Nvida Gforce Go7800 into my existing Asus Z71V to give me that extra edge. Is the raw power I am going to get worth the heat issues that I am sure to encounter?

I plan to go ahead and put in some aftermarket heat sinks, are there any recommendations?



Thanks, Kov

 

Well, I dont think it would be possible unless someone makes a 7800Go specifically for the Z71V. Most mobile GPU's are either specific for a laptop or are soldered onto the MB.
So, I dont think it would be possible to upgrade the graphics card and it is the same for heatsinks as well.

 

It should be possible, since there has been reports the 6600 in the z71v is actually MXM, but until either ASUS makes a 7800Go for it or you personally buy one from Dell and configure it to fit inside, it'll be hard!

Best of Luck!

 

i could be wrong, but i thot rendering was mainly the job of the cpu, not the vid card.

 

Mostly, until you get into visualy editing the dang thing.

Since it seems that I am not going to get this to work easy, do you know of any other > $2,000 > 1,5" thick notebooks that sport more powerful graphics than the 6600 that are actualy worth getting?

I was realy happy about doing this to my Z71V, but I dont want to mess up on an expensive piece of hardware.


Cheers

 

I'm not sure how to post up pictures, but I'll give you a link of a page with a picture of a geforce 7800 GTX go. If it can plug into the pci express slot, then i guess it should work? I'm expecting my Z71 to be mailed in the next few days, and I will want to upgrade the video card eventually. So I hope our comps will be compatible with a go 7800!

http://www.bit-tech.net/hardware/2005/09/28/evesham_nvidia_7800/2.html

 

Actually, here is an even better pic...

It's a MXM Module.

 

It might fit, do you have an actual 7800Go on you? I am not sure I want to take the $300+ plunge without knowing if it will work or not.

 

Unfortunately, I do not have the 7800 Go. From what I can tell in the pictures, it looks a lot bigger than the 6600 Go. I also read around the forums, particularly in the Asus Notebook section, and from what I read the graphics card apparently cannot be upgraded. What I was thinking of doing was 1.) check dimensions on the 6600 once I get it and compare with 7800 MXM dimensions 2.) check to see if the heatsink is similar to the one here http://www.hothardware.com/viewarticle.cfm?articleid=733

(that vid card is proprietary, can't use it I bet).

3.) e-mail hothardware and ask what they think. Duno who else to ask.

Also, do you know where the 7800 Go could be purchased? I have no idea where.

 

Interesting to note, according to hexus.net

"MXM is NVIDIA's mobile form factor, used to create a standard physical package and cooling unit for mobile devices that use it. "

Standard physical package

If this is true, then all MXM video cards should be the same size. However, this link is from a 6600 launch and maybe the MXM standards have changed with the release of the 7800 Go.

Standard cooling unit

If this is held true, then the heatsink problem could be less of an issue, except for 1.) fan quality 2.) heatsink material


PS duno what to think of the pics i linked earlier, they are not 7800 Go...are 6800 Go...obviously just with different text on the GPU

 

Uh-oh

http://forums.legitreviews.com/about2767.html

Scroll down to picture of 6600 Go and 7800 Go...Both MXM, but clearly both are different in size.

 

Yes, there are different MXM modules. MXM III is for DTR's (Go6800), MXM II is for thin-and-lights (Go6600), and MXM I is for ultraportables (Go6200).

 

Crap... well after digging around in my Z71V it looks like you might be able to fit it with some loveing innovations (you would have to move some hardware around, and I dont think that the custom job is worth it). I can post pictures if you want.

*Sigh*

Looks like I am stuck with a Z81SP...

 

Trade it in