8560w GPU upgrade - use empty DVD slot to fit MXM 3.0b (higher spec) video cards

Hi all - I'm creating a new thread to consolidate the discussion that has been going on in the 8760w and 8560w owner's lounge threads.

Basically, we're looking at removing the DVD drive and using this extra space to install a higher-spec MXM 3.0 type b card. Originally, only type A cards were meant to fit in this notebook, but, perhaps with some tweaks, the higher spec cards could be used.

The comments from the other threads are reposted here for background as we continue this discussion.

Please post any suggestions or success stories from your efforts to revitalize the graphics capabilities of these capable little (and usually less expensive) workstations.

-^ Original post in 8760w owner's lounge -^

Replies to 8760w and 8560w owner's threads:

OK I see what you and baii are saying. The 17 heatsink has a bigger area to cover those VRMs.


I wonder if you could combine just the aluminum section only of the 17" heat sink to the 8560w one. Even better if you could get by with just passive heatsinks.


Hm. .at least there's a lot of room to utilize without a DVD drive..

 

The mini heat-sinks could do the trick for the VRM, but you need some airflow over them in order to be effective. As for the core, you'd still need extra cooling power - adding new pipes, fan and radiator is obligatory. Otherwise it would thermal throttle and in the end you might get worse performance than MXM-A GPU.

 

Trying another route - what about simply updating with a Firepro m5100? It is the smaller type 'a' form factor card, and it's TDP is only 50 watts. I wonder if hp bios would accept a newer firepro card like this?

 

Needles to say that you'll lose points of awesomeness A quick search, doesn't exactly makes things clear if there's a vBIOS chip or not, but on most pictures there is. It's best if you take a picture of your own GPU and post it here. If we assume that there's a vBIOS chip, it is safe to say that you have great chances running an M5100. I can only find a DELL M5100, which has vBIOS chip, so yeah, it should work. Of course there is always the chance of incompatibility (of some sort, they vary greatly form not running at all to small glitches), but same goes for MXM-B as well, so I think you'll take your chances Don't forget to check how the heat-sink sits on the new GPU. Good luck!

 

This is the current GPU in it now NVIDIA quadro 1000M:




And here's pictures of the M5100 i'm thinking about installing




Regarding the larger cards, I started running out of time on my break so I have to procrastinate upgrading to the larger type b card for now
But I took things apart last night and it looks like there's enough room in there for the larger card: There's one part of the magnesium frame that would have to be filed down as well as desoldering that DVD port. My plan would be to repurpose an existing heatpipe, radiator and possibly small fan assembly and set those up in the empty DVD bay. I would attach the heat pipe to the aluminum heat sink using arctic silver two-part adhesive or jb weld and rig up some way to get things to attach securely.

I think something like this would remove those extra 40 watts or so that the larger cards are putting out. The question is how long will it be until I get impatient for more gpu power / satisfy that tinkering itch to go through with this type b card upgrade

 

A couple of additional notes on this topic and replies to nickelaus' pm's. I upgraded an 8760w to a Nvidia GeForce GTX 680M graphics card.

I believe there is a HP defined white list that restricts which GPU hardware manufacture's can be installed in the 8760w. I believe it to be true for the 8560w but have not confirmed it.

I believe for these models, there are ONLY two GPU hardware manufacturer's that have been white listed. The vendor ID's for AMD and Nvidia. I doubt ATI would be supported (PCI vendor ID 1002) but not sure. If the vendor ID in the driver's INF file for the AMD FirePro M5950, matches the vendor ID in the ATI card driver INF, then it should work. I just don't believe they will be the same.

NOTE: There is NO way to "edit" the BIOS hardware white list. It is encrypted with RC4 and signed. I dumped the ROM for the white list. It is code signed. Even if you edited the white list, you would need to re-encrypt it or it would be rejected by the BIOS/UEFI encrypted Boot Loader. HP even signed the Boot Loader with public key so you can't swap the boot loader either. It is like you buying a car and the manufacturer restricting what aftermarket wheels you are allowed to put on the car you just bought.

I believe the 8560w will NOT support the MXM 3.0b standard, because it never shipped with any MXM 3.0b GPU cards. I may be wrong about this but easy to verify. It shipped with MXM 3.0 "A" cards. This matters for two reasons:
MXM 3.0a is 82mm x 70mm and the heat sink cooling capacity is ONLY designed for Max Power (heat dissipation) of 55W
MXM 3.0b is 82mm x 105mm and the heat sink cooling capacity is designed for Max Power (heat dissipation) of 100W

AMD FirePro M5950 is MXM 3.0a and 35W
NVIDIA Quadro 2000M MXM 3.0a

8560w owners will likely need a custom cooling and heat sink solution if they want run a MXM 3.0b GPU card.

If you attempt this, be sure to test your thermal capacity solution (ie fans/heat sink) by running a graphics benchmarking tool that forces the GPU to 100% while it monitors GPU temps. You should also verify that the BIOS is properly turning on fans when the internal temps exceed defined set points or configure the laptop so the fans run continuously.

 

This reminds me of the time when I replaced a Quadro FX Go 1400 with a Geforce Go 7800 GTX in a Precision M70.

It booted and worked, but the card drew too much power unless it was signifcantly underclocked in its high performance state. It was still pretty awesome though because the sheer amount of memory bandwidth increase and extra shaders made quite a few titles playable that were not before. It was unique too, as at the time Clevo (or all other manufacturers for that matter) were only putting high end cards into 17 inch notebooks.

In that case both card form factors were exactly the same, just the heatsink needed modification. I think a Firepro M5100 would be far more likely to work than a higher end 3.0b card. It is unfortunate we don't have many options for 3.0a cards anymore. The only current ones I can see are the professional cards used in updated Zbook's and Precision's.

 

Actually, I think ATI and AMD are one and the same companies at this point - it should all say AMD now. They merged a while ago. I may have mistakenly written ATI instead. (the firepro m5950 and m5100 's are both by AMD)
Thanks for the input, jobriennbr - from what you've said, regarding the supported vendors, I think it may work. I've got a m5100 card ordered from ebay. We'll see how it goes when it gets here.

 

Add a second pipe on the other side of the main pipe, push them as much towards you (HDD bay) as possible, even overlap them (one on top of the other) between the heat-sink and the radiator and fit the biggest fan you can find... shake well for two minutes and enjoy the end result I don't really know how efficient the end result would be, but you might even shoot for 29x0XM in there

The M5100 should work and since you have order it, it's only a matter of time. Again don't forget to check how the heat-sink and the M5100 match. They seem fairly different on the right-hand side. Good luck!

 

Recieved the M5100 card, but after install, the screen is blank.
Don't know if it's because the firepro m5100 came out of a dell, or that the card I replaced was an nvidia and this firepro isn't whitelisted.
I am at a loss of what more to try - I've considered flashing the Vbios to change from dell to hp, but I can't find any of the needed files . I can remote in from another machine, but last time I did so, I tried to uninstall nvidia drivers and restart, but it would then only restart into safe mode and I could no longer remote in...
So I put the nvidia card back in and reinstalled windows and am considering my options. I need an amd card for some of its stereoscopic 3d features, which nvidia does not have. And I need to drive multiple high-res monitors, so I need a higher-end card.
I did not realize that the dell version of this firepro card would possibly be uncompatible. I searched, but could not find the hp variant of this card (zbook 15 g2 - maybe because its too new).
Any ideas or wisdom ? ? If I have to, I may have sell this all and upgrade machines, but as a last resort .

 

So, I reflashed the m5100 card with a VBIOS file taken from an HP machine (this one was originally from dell)
That did not change anything- still got a black screen from boot but now the backlight doesn't turn on at least. I've read somewhere that the 8560w uses rom-less graphics cards and instead the machine stores the card info on the SBIOS. I think this means I can't upgrade and that I'm stuck using only the stock Quadro 1000m or the Firepro M5950 options.
It is too bad HP whitelist their hardware like this. Why not allow at least a backdoor for upgrades in the future?

It appears the 8760W has a broader whitelist because jobriennbr was able to upgrade the gpu in his 8760W .

I did naively try to reflash my 8560W bios with an 8760W bios in hopes of inheriting this more open list. But it failed pretty quickly complaining that the BIOS was a different family.
Thanks for all the input so far -I've learned a lot, at least. Anyone have any other ideas on how to allow this card to be used?

 

It's the fourth post in this thread (the second from me). I'll ask again - could you take picture of your Quadro, both sides preferably?

 

Here are both sides of the Quadro.


I also ran GPU-Z to save the BIOS while it was installed and put the results here as well.​

 

There's a BIOS chip, so we'll look elsewhere for the problem. Do you have external? Can you attach it and try both BIOSes? My guess is that with the HP vBIOS it should work at least on external. Also do you know what display you have on your 8560w?

 

I'll give it a try when I get home. It seems I've tried before when the Dell vbios was on the card and an external monitor and I got nothing, but I didn' t think to check it with the HP vbios on the card. It has a display port out for which I have a cable, but I think I'll also pick up an old vga cable to try as well for the VGA port.

Does anyone know the keyboard sequence to enter Insyde bios and switch to usb boot mode? Before, while troubleshooting, I could use window's remote desktop to get into this machine and try to trouble shoot and make reflashes to the video card (atiwinflash), but I went experimenting and flashed a bogus vbios onto the card - and now it won't go into windows.

I know how to reflash the card back to original using an autorun.bat script, but I don't have the systems bios settings set up to read from USB and I have no monitor to see what I'm doing. If I have to, I'll put in my old card which does provide graphics (a pain to do - wastes thermal compound) and change the settings. If anyone has the key sequence to get to the boot options setting for Insyde BIOS (ie press esc, hit F9, hit down 2 times etc.) that would help a ton -thanks.

 

I was thinking about VGA, but wont hurt to try both. Most likely it would work through VGA only. When there's issue with the compatibility, Digital ports are cut-out, only Analog works - VGA.

Sorry, I guess only someone with the same machine could help you, as the menus vary from one to another.

There's another way though, remove the HDD and the ODD, and it should boot off the USB if the Ethernet boot is not prior the USB.

 

So, I think this card might have been defective before I received it. It was a used card from a seller on ebay ( I offered a lower price and we completed the transaction outside of ebay - maybe not the wisest move on my part). Anyway, the card has never been able to display anything for me during the boot process or therafter - no bios, splash page or Windows. When I had the proper VBIOS on the card, I could blindly log into Windows and then use remote desktop from another computer to do things like backup and reflash the card's VBIOS and try to load drivers for the card (this was unsuccessful as well). I'm not sure what ithe issue is with the card, though.

Does anyone have any thoughts on if this card is simply defective, or if is it an HP white-list issue, or something else ??

After loading the HP version of the VBIOS on the card with no changes, I experimented and put some random modded M5950 VBIOS on the card, and since then, the computer has not been able to post. I did try the trick to jumper pins 1 and 8 on the VBIOS and then attempt to run atiflash from DOS on a USB stick, but this went nowhere - I only got blinking cap lock and num lock LED's... It did not post or make it to DOS.
To get back to where I was originally, I think I would probably need to solder on another VBIOS with the original rom programmed on the chip. But even then, I would be back to only having a blank screen and the ability to remote in to windows from another computer.

I am nearly to the point of trying to return the card to the seller for an exchange or refund, but I could not really do this in good conscience since I messed up the VBIOS . If the card was defective in the first place, then it doesn't really matter if the VBIOS was bricked or not.

There's one last area to check, perhaps. Is there a tool available that could get a dump of HP's Insyde bios roms so I could check to see if the system is white-listing only the 3 approved gpu's (M5950, Nvidia 1000m etc.) that came with this machine? I called HP today and they said there should be no blocking happening with the 8560W. The first-level support person said, after talking to her lead, that they only listed those 3 approved gpu's because those were the ones which were tested with all variations of the 8560W model lineup. They basically gaurantee those 3 cards would work 100% of the time in all configurations. Any other GPU, they said, could possibly work, but those configurations could not supported by HP because they were not officially vetted by HP.

 

Question: Is the K2100m the best MXM type A card that is possible to work with the 8560w?
Do you still think your m6100 is defective or whitelist issue?

Edit: I ended up buying a pretty nice Lenovo Z580. I'm probably going to do a eGPU setup.

 

quadro K2100m and K2200M have been proved working in 8560W, I hope M2000M will work too, since M2000M is the 4G ram version of K2200M.
There is no whitelist issue for gpus. For K2100m , the real problem is the signal type ( lvds or edp). DC2 signal is edp and non DC is lvds. So the DC2 screen 8560W can use the hp or dell k2100m vbios which default out put signal is edp, and non-dc screen 8560w should use msi k2100m vbios which is lvds.

I haven't tried the K2200M, but it was tested by some people and was a little bit harder to flash the vbios.

According to the test, K2200M was equal to K5000m, which is good enough for this machine.

Also, I think the power supply for the MXM 3.0B is the important thing, even you can install it with a proper heatsink, but it may still not work.

So, I will try the K2200M if ｗｅｒｅ　ｙｏｕ．

 

Hi , I'm very interesting to upgrade my 8570w (non DC screen) with the best possible mxm 3.0a card.
So , could you help me?
I've tried a k2100m but it doesn't work.
Do I have to flash the vBios?
Wich .rom I've to search?
Can I re-flash the vBios directly with 8570w , external monitor on VGA output and Windows 10 ?
Could you someone help me?

Sorry for my English....

 

The following link will help you.
http://forum.hpfocus.com/viewtopic.php?f=2&t=3599&hilit=8570w+k2100m

 

OK many thanks for the link , I'm going to try to understanding what I can to do.
But I've also some questions :
-if had I missed to flash the vBios with a bios for DC panel or a vBios not compatible for my PC (without DC) , can I re-flash the wrong flashed card?
-now I've buyed a k2000m card , but if I want to upgrade a little more , what's your advice? M2000M but which bios I have to search and were? or I have to buy a k21000m to have more succes to upgrade vBios?
-It seems my PC doesn't work via external VGA with Fn+F4 , is it possible or I wrong something?

Many thanks at all and at this fantastic forum!!!

 

Yes, you can re-flash the vbios, but you may need to flash it blindly since your external VGA doesn't work
I haven't tried K2000m, but it should be similar
It was tested that the non-DC screen machine should work via external VGA wtih K2100M, you need to confirm that again.
The best way I think is you can tell the ebay seller what the situation you are, they should flash the right vbios for you before sending to you. (then I would suggest you to get the K2200M)

 

Hi , I've found a k2200m at near 260eu new sealed ... is it good price?
A simply question : I've bought my 8560w used (trasformed now in 8570w ...eheheheh) but I'm not sure I have a non-DreamColor panel , how ca I verify that before re-flaskh the vBios?
Do you have the right *.rom file?
How can I contact you via PM in this forum?

 

The price is a little bit higher than in taobao or ebay.
Did you mean you changed the motherboard of the 8560W to 8570W or you just bought the 8570W?
For checking the DC panel, if there is some dreamcolor sticker on the screen frame (not for all the machines), then it should be DC2 screen. The hp display assistant software may also tell if it's DC2. You also can check the screen model by using some software, then check that model online to see if it's DC2, which is the most reliable way I can figured out.
I don't have the rom files now, we need find a suitable rom file for your machine.

 

No , I've changed my original 8560w mobo with a 8570w mobo to upgrade processor ( i7-2820qm to i7-3940xm)
But only 1x USB works (with the 8560w module) , the other ones doesn't work.
I have also buy the 8570w USB module to change when I'll change the graphic card.
I don't have a dreamcolor stickers (removed or really non DC panel?)
What about software to check wich is my panel? You mean.... "hp display assistant" ??? I'm going to search it.

I have 3 .rom files :
dell
msi
hp

But I've also read that it need to change the .inf file during installation of k2200m drivers and after force this driver without digital firm because it has modified?
It's correct?

 

O.K. Sounds good.
You can use any hardware detecting software to get the panel's model, and check if that is DC2.
The driver's inf file is easy to be modified, don't worry about that.
The following messages I could not verified, but you may need to know before you start:
I guess you might have known that you need to open the GPU-Z software during flashing the VBIOS of K2200M. So you may add it to the windows startup software list if you want to flash it without screen on.
Also I saw somebody claimed that the Hp version of K2200M VBIOS was not be able to be flashed, so you may need to buy the dell version.

 

Viewing angles are one tell. TN panel turns into negative image when viewed off-center enough.
If the original 8560w was a factory model, it's model number would most probably tell us the panel type.

 

Ok many thanks at all!!!
So my next step is :
-modify .inf file of the latest nvidia quadro drivers with k2200m on my 8570w
-then disassemble my old k1000m and put the new card in laptop
-starting PC and force the un-signed modified drivers.
-if the card doesn't work I'll reflash the vBios with Dell vBios of k2200m via VGA port (Fn+F4)

Is it correct?


p.s. I've also buyed 1.5g of expensive Kryonaut thermal grease... eheheh...

 

Do you (anybody?) know which vBIOS is the one to flash to K2100m in order to make it work with 8560w with Dreamcolor?
Is it 80.06.61.00.08 (DELL) or 80.06.68.00.03 (HP)?

I want to avoid K2200m due to higher TDP (65W vs 55W of K2100m).

 

Hi I've succesfully rewrite vBios of my k2200m with Dell vBios.
My actual pc works with i7-3940xm (55w) and k2200m (65w).

3dMark 2011: around 5550point

 

Congrats!

Which display version do you have? Dreamcolor or normal? How about brightness regulation? Works normally? And temperatures under load?

 

I have a normal panel.
I'changed the 8560 mobo with a 8570 mobo to increase my cpu from 2820qm to 3940xm.
Under load cpu is around 80/85 °C .
I' ve used the beest thermal paste : Grizzly Kryonaut.
In idle temp is 36°C .
I've also tried in idle with Prolimateck PK3 thermal paste and the sensor tell me 39°C.

 

I've also installed a Samsung 256Gb SSD Pro and 2x 2x8GB Corsair Vengeance CL9. Total 32GB.

 

I have 8570W mobo on the way to me, but if there is a possibility to make K2100m work with 8560W and Dreamcolor, I will postpone the upgrade to 8570W. How about the brightness regulation (FN+F9/F10) on your laptop? Works?

 

I use hp 80.06.69.00.06.
I think DC2 can be compatible with any hp vbios

 

It works.

 

Wow interesting thread, good to see it is alive right now because I was thinking of swapping the GPU on my 8560w...
The only reason I really want to do this, is to increase battery runtime during idle.
Currently using a FirePro M5950 which uses lots of power during idle.
Want to use a Quadro card but it needs to be as cheap as possible.
The lower the TDP the better. Gaming is not a priority at all.
The original Quadro 1000M is very cheap and is known to work guaranteed. But maybe a small kepler like K610M could work as well?

 

Does anyone know what are the all the steps to get a K2200M to work on my HP Elitebook 8560w ? i have one with HP vbios from a zbook the problem is that it doesn't work when i put it in i get CPU error won't start up i got a refund and bought another one but i think i messed up can anyone give me a guide or help ?

 

Hello all,

I own a 8570w with Dreamcolor panel and plan to upgrade my K1000M with K2100M (taken from a HP ZBook 15). Please advise me on the following issues:
1) Do I need to flash a vBIOS since this card is also a HP one and my panel is DC? (as far as I've understood re-flashing is needed only for non-DC panels due to different video signals)
2) If I need to flash it, I have a MSI and HP K2100M vBIOS from techpowerup database, cand I use them?
3. Since I will disassemble it I plan to change the CPU and GPU thermal paste. Do I need to change the Thermal pads from the GPU memory modules? Do you know what height they have? (0.5,1,1.5mm)

Thanks a lot for your advices.

 

^ i need to know all these things as well plus a guide LOL do i flash before i switch GPUs i am wondering alot of things

 

There is a youtube upgrade guide here:

Check it out.

I try to prepare before disassembly, and replace all thermal pads if needed, but before that I need to buy similar ones. I plan do it in just one day, so I do not want to check them and later order. Please advise what thermal pads are installed on the 8570W. Thanks in advance.

Regarding GPU upgrade, I expect that HP ones will work without any flashing, because all you do is to switch between BIOSes for DC or non-DC panels. Still, an advice will be needed to be sure I am not broking my Elitebook.

PS. Anyone found a solution for WWAN whitelist? I try to use Ericsson FW5521gw but the BIOS disables it with Error 703. I cannot understand why HP still keeps whitelists after 3 years since they launched this model and block us for using spare parts we have from other laptops. I took this one from a T420 where I had a modded BIOS. Good that they removed at least the WLAN ones...so I have AC.

 

i have watches these videos before

i have installed the HP K2200M on my HP elitebook 8560w and i get POST error with blinking lights meaning my CPU won't start so i'm wondering if its just the GPU that is eithe broken or im doing something wrong i have yet to flash anything and i replaced it succesfully and put my computer back once i take out the K2200M it works fine so its not a CPU issue or MOBO issue maybe it's because i didn't set it to DC or non-DC mode ? i'm wondering what can i do i ordered one with Dell Vbios so i would only have to put it in like soundoflenses videos / blog says

 

Check this and the comments of the video:


You need also a NVIDIA driver .inf modification. I think this is your problem.

In my case, the ebay seller which was supposed to send me the K2100M cancelled the order after 1 week, so it seems I have to search and order another one.
And I just realised I do not have a T8 screwdriver.

 

haha nice
yea i've seen then issue is i get a POST issue its not that it boots and it doesn't work on screen or VGA it just does not boot to begin with i get 1 blink CPU error which is just GPU not working correctly and im wondering if its cuz of vbios or cuz card is broken i already got my refund for it but ebay told me to keep my card cuz seller did not respond for 2 weeks

 

Good to see there are more people trying to accomplish the same goal...

So in my original comment I said I wanted to add an NVidia card just for lower power consumption.... well I ended up getting a Dell K2100M card.
I had high hopes for this, as previously I already got a FirePro M6000 card (a larger MXM 3.0b card) and that worked despite not being able to mount it properly. In Windows loading the driver results in a black screen however.
I went through the usual procedure, followed the videos made by soundoflenses, I only skipped the MXM bracket part, meaning I left the original K2100M bracket on the card. This bracket is a bit thicker, which might put physical strain on the card. On the first attempt the laptop booted. No display, VGA port also not.
I boot to my pre prepared USB key. I try every command known to man. Always the same result: two short beeps. This means that the card is not detected. Weird, because the GPU does heat up, quite toasty in fact. Funnily enough, if I try NVflash with an ATi card, it reacts exactly the same, two beeps and of course it says: "no nvidia card installed".

So I take the cooler off and try a couple of things, first I take the bracket off, and also I reset the CMOS by leaving the battery disconnected for a while. In the course of doing this, something must have changed, because now the whole system refuses to POST with the K2100M inside it. I have tried everything I could think of and this doesn't change.
Original M5950 and the M6000 card work every single time. Can I conclude that the K2100M was DOA? The unfortunate thing is I got the card not from a business seller but just from an individual, and from his feedback he definitely seems trustworthy. I feel bad falsely accusing someone, but it does kind of seem that this card was somewhat screwed right from the start? I have loads and loads of experience with hardware, and my experience so far is that it is a lot less delicate than often is assumed. However maybe these cards are more delicate than other parts I don't know.

Here is a video of my 8560w with K2100M installed:


If I can help you guys with your cards just let me know or send a direct message, I will try to check often if I don't forget.

 

Do you have any specific question/ have you tried anything yet?

 

HP cards are not so good according to soundoflenses, because in general they are ROMless meaning if the System BIOS is not compatible with the card the it will not work.

Thermal pads, tbh don't worry about it, gddr5 is so cool that it doesn't need it, maybe the MOSFETS could use it.

WWAN I don't know, but regarding WLAN whitelist, are you saying latest official HP bios removes the whitelist?

 

The latest BIOS available (F.61) does not have anymore a whitelist for WLAN. I was able to install an Intel 7260AC and use the full potential of it (I had pre-installed the Centrino N-Ultimate 6300).
This Intel WLAN card was not present on the "approved" list in the Service manual, so I assume that the last version of BIOS allows it. I know that in the beginning they had Whitelist on WLAN, WWAN and not sure if on GPU. The BIOS has a RSA protection and there are no mods available which remove the whitelists.
My problem now is that I cannot use my Ericsson F5521gw WWAN card because it is disabled by BIOS (error 703, not supported). This is frustrating since the "original" HP parts are expensive and provide the same or older specs. My card was taken from my Thinkpad T420 (so Lenovo is the vendor). More than this, to complete the frustration, HP uses Ericsson WWAN modules, even this particular one, on their Elitebooks but most probably they have specific serial numbers (hell knows at what is the BIOS looking at).

Some photos, here you can see the WLAN and WWAN modules installed (Intel 7260AC and Ericsson F5521gw):



Here some details regarding the BIOS version and Device Manager:



I strongly recommend to every Elitebook 85x0w user to upgrade to this WiFi card. I have in the room with the Router (TP-Link Archer C7) 867mbps and in the next room 260mpbs.
The module is very cheap also and easy to install.

Hopefully one day I will be able to use also the WWAN card because I do not see a real reason to buy a HP rebranded one at triple price.

Now coming to the GPU problem, I have doubts that I will manage easily to make the upgrade, so it might be that I will wait 1-2 months.
What questions I have are:

1) if I buy a K2100M from HP (taken from Zbook 15) do I need to flash the BIOS (I have DC screen) since it is a HP card on a HP machine...
2) what ROM to use? I have a MSI and a HP one from techpowerup DB
3) for flashing can I use Displayport to connect my monitor? (I do not have VGA at home, I have an ASUS Gaming 144Hz with DVI/HDMI/DP)

From what I understand the flashing only changes the signals to be used with DC or nonDC panel. Because the card works, the screen is blank only because DC uses different signal protocol than non-DC. In conclusion, if I am right, if HP ZBook 15 had DC display and I take the card, it will work directly. If not, or it comes from a non-DC laptop I have to flash it to make it work.

Please advise and correct me. I am very glad that I am not the last one on Earth still using Elitebooks. Personally I love very much my laptop and I do not see a reason to change it.

Just for info, my current configuration with 2 SSD (Intel 535 240GB instead of original HDD as boot drive + mSATA Samsung 850 EVO 500GB which works at SATA 2 speed for storage):



Here you can see a test of the mSATA SSD to see some speeds for SATA2 port, honestly very decent for storage, I do not care it is not SATA3:



That's all, this machine is still a beast, only HP is too greedy.

PS. I know I was a little bit off topic but I hope this info is useful for other users.

 

Another question would be related to temps. I tried to play a DOTA2 using K1000M (60FPS on medium settings, 1080p) and the CPU got quite hot (over 80C). The GPU has not exceeded 70C (even if it was used 100%). In idle I have somewhere at 39C (23C room temperature). I would like to know if I need to re-paste the CPU or these are the normal ones on this model.