Official MSI GX640 Owner's Thread

guys, what's up!

I've been enjoying my GX640 a lot lately, with all the steam sales going on now. But I've run into some trouble lately, namely the following:

#1) I recently bought an expresscard usb 3.0 adapter. I bought this one specifically because of it's slim profile. Random generic brand, but couldn't find a good one with the slim profile I wanted. As I put it in, I noticed the card was sticking out a little bit. Either
A) the slot is too short

or

B) the card is too long

If it's A, then what a shame, and if it's B, then I get what I pay for.

Here's some pics:

Supposedly an expresscard slot should be 75mm long, the expresscard usb thing is that long, while the msi one is 70mm long. Perhaps there's a secret thing I have to move?

Also, would you guys recommend this ram?

Newegg.com - Kingston HyperX 8GB (2 x 4GB) 204-Pin DDR3 SO-DIMM DDR3 1600 HyperX Plug n Play Laptop Memory Model KHX1600C9S3P1K2/8G

to be fair, I'm uncertain if it's compatible.

Finally:

anyone having issues installing the latest CCC?

When I installed 11.5, ccc didn't run, and now when i install 11.6, I get BSOD. If I remove all drivers, windows installs a generic driver, and does not detect the ATI drivers, so I get stuck with ty resolution and performance.

is this because of the new ccc, or my computer's got some issues?

Thanks!

 

hi all,

i have buyed some copper shims. ill get it in 2 weeks in my mail diliverd. does it better tranfer the heat than mx 4 thermal compound alone ? i have searched some forums and they told just need to but some copper shims 2 x 2 cm and depht of 0,6 mm and rub it up with p1000 sandpaper. place it between the gpu and the heatpipe cooling with some thermal compound. can someone says iff this is the good way.

thanks,
robert

 

darksan, try doing recovery then install 11.6

 

Hey guys,

My GPU has been running really hot (I hear this is a common problem with the GX640) and has been unexpectedly been shutting off while I play Heroes of Newerth. To try to combat this I'm going to by a cooling pad for it and was wondering if anyone could recommend a good one for the GX640. Anyone use one that they really like?

Right now I'm looking at the Cooler Master X2. I'm trying to keep it under $30.

Thank you.

 

I've done some slight research, and apparently the latest ati drivers have been bringing the BSOD. I'll wait for 11.7 to see if it's fixed. But thanks!

As for the expresscard thing, this MSI slot is too short, well, 5mm short. Oh well.

 

though i dont experience any bsod in any of the 11.x drivers. u sure u download the correct ones?

 

anyone got an idea why i cant change my vddc (voltage) value on my hd5850? i can switch clock rates, but my voltage seems to be locked at 1.0v..

 

Uh, you have to flash the vBIOS, panta!

 

Hi,
what core temps are normal for 640? Idle, load?

 

which vBIOS-version should it be? thanks in advance

 

Check out my GPU heat sink mod...well not really a mod, but it works. lol
GPU maxed at 74C after 20 minutes of furmark maxed out at 825/1100 clocks at 1.06V

http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/34/img20110711003850.jpg

 

Use the latest vbios and edit with Radeon Bios Editor (RBE) tool. It can be found here. Only states 00, 03, 05, 06 seem to be working with the laptop screen. The other states only work when plugged to external monitors.

 

that rocks!
i just repasted my thermal paste
used the copper heatsink mod same as yours, but im using the copper one not aluminium..
750/1000 clocked at 1.0v running furmark max at 86c
i took out all the thermal pads and using copper shim in between the heatsink and gpu (centre part only)
is aluminium blocks better than coppers?
any other mods in your system mate?

by the way +rep!
where did you buy those aluminium ram? + copper plate?
and how to stick the copper plate on your heatsink?
i'm shocked ! seriously great cooling on your system !
sell me your heatsink mate!! haha

 

what about the other parts, where the thermal pads were before? did you just leave them empty? which paste did you use? you mean this copper plate mod? how thick should the copper shim be?

so many questions

 

Nice temps jonathan!
GDDR shims and all the heatsinks working nicely I suspect

 

nice work man! where did you get those aluminium (?) heatsinks and the copper plates from? don't the copper heatsinks fit on the right part of the stock cooler?

 

hey panta i don't use any single thermal pads around my gpu..
just leave it blank
but you need to add a copper shim yea thats the guide that you opened the url website.
pretty easy to install and you will have like 10~20c cooler

 

Hey len888,

Did you put copper shims on the GPU memory chips and on the GPU core self ?

Greets,
Robert

 

thanks again. how thick was the copper shim you used?

 

i used 1 copper shim pasted with thermal paste in between the gpu core and the heatsink(centre part) its about 2cm x 2cm and 0.6~0.8mm thickness

 

thanks, I've just ordered one with 0.8mm thickness. another question: I'm wondering if 1,5g of thermal paste will be enough to cover all the parts which need to be pasted. that would be CPU + 2xGPU (since the copper pad needs paste on both sides), right?

 

haha thanks man. The only thing that i changed under the heat sink is that I'm using mx-3.

I used this thermal adhesive double sided tape to put the shims on the right side of the heatsink: SEKISUI 5760 Thermal Adhesive Tape 8"x1" 12 Strips 8ft - eBay (item 260767611926 end time Aug-09-11 10:00:47 PDT)

These are the shims that i used: http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=190534805108&ssPageName=STRK:MEWNX:IT

These are the copper heat sinks that i used: 8pcs Copper Heat Sink Fin For DDR DDR2 DDR3 RAM Memory | eBay

These are the aluminum heat sinks that i used: Aluminum DDR Ram Cooler Heat Sink heatsink For Ram VGA | eBay

 

Thanks for the detailed info.

Cheers,
Robert

 

Will this copper shim be good for placing between the GPU core and the heatpipe?

</title><meta name="description" content="Vind HP dv2000 dv6000 dv9000 tx1000 V6000 Copper Pad Shim 10 in de Computers Networking ; Computer Components ; Other ; ; ; categorie op eBay.nl"><meta name="keywords" content="HP dv2000 dv6000 dv9000 tx1000

Its 0,66mm thick

Cheers,
Robert

 

Thanks!!!

Cheers,
Robert

 

Guys i want to share my MSI gx640 Notebook Upgrade:

Self did i have upgraded my cpu from i5 430m to a i7 720qm.
And i have put 8 gb ram @ 1066 in the notebook
I have nothing changed on the case of my notebook.

Iff you dont mod your cooling is it is not advisable.
The normal temps where about 70~degrees but when i used furmark at stock settings for ten minutes the GPU where about 109 degrees damm hot.
I have changed the thermal pads for this one:

Thermalpad Ultra 5W/mk 100x100x1mm (1 Stuk)

And i have changed the thermal compound for mx-4 from artic cooling.
The temps are now around the 98 degrees when i run furmark for 10 mins.
when i run 3dmark 06 the temps are around the 90 degrees.
My 3d mark score on gaming mode is: 12328 3d marks
CPU score is 3347

In the future i am gone play with copper shims. they will be send in a few weeks.

I play COD black ops allot, and i capture it with fraps at half of the resolution.
I know it cause a frame drop, but i play it above the 60 frames at high settings.

have a look at my vids:
YouTube - ‪Call of Duty gameplay week1 S&R first gameplay movie‬&rlm;
YouTube - ‪Call of Duty gameplay week1 S&R second gameplay movie HD‬&rlm;
YouTube - ‪Call of Duty gameplay week2 S&R gameplay movie one HD‬&rlm;
YouTube - ‪Call of Duty gameplay week2 S&R gameplay movie two HD‬&rlm;
YouTube - ‪Call of Duty gameplay week2 S&R gameplay movie three HD‬&rlm;
YouTube - ‪Call of Duty gameplay week2 S&R gameplay movie four HD‬&rlm;
YouTube - ‪Call of Duty gameplay week2 S&R gameplay movie five HD‬&rlm;
YouTube - ‪Call of Duty gameplay week2 S&R gameplay movie six HD‬&rlm;
YouTube - ‪Call of Duty gameplay week2 S&R gameplay movie seven HD‬&rlm;

Mind to follow me on youtube.com iff you like.

Cheers,
Robert

 

Thanks Jonathan
1.2mm shim!?? thats kinda thick yea..
did you place the shim in between the gpu core and the heatsink?
or just the gddr?
I have like 15 over peices of those copper ram (not the aluminium one) all around my heatsink
but still doesn't work that much though..

 

great gameplay robert!
anyone playing battlefield bad company 2?

 

thanks for sharing your results! has anyone experienced a difference between the stock thermal pads and "high quality" ones? when I look at the temperature change caused by a better thermal paste, there might also be some difference.

 

do you think that 0,6 mm shim in between the gpu core and the heatsink is good ?

 

yessir I'm not that satisfied with my online-performance though. seems like the i5-430m is too weak for a smooth bfbc2-experience..

 

yes the stock thermalpads gave my with my new cpu a temp about 103 degrees and the new ones the "high quality" gave me a temp of 95 degrees

 

yes i play battlefield bad company 2

 

well thats some difference! I think I'll update to higher quality pads when repasting, too.

 

i dont have any problems with running bf bad company 2. i can play it a max settings. only with exploding the walls and towers i have frame drop but its not unplayable then like the frames drop to 50 fps

 

Thats why i upgraded my cpu to i7 740 qm. The first because i need to with vmware for skool. The second one for the games. the hd 5850m needed to be unleased. the cpu bottlenecked them for getting all out of it. I think everyone agreed with it.

Its the same with a dual core on a desktop and a hd 5870.

 

can you (or anyone else) say how much improvement the new cpu (i5->i7) caused bfbc2-wise?

 

im running bff2 bad company 2 all on high settings pretty smooth 40-60fps~
never drop bellow 30 though..
by the way i removed the thermal pads all around the gpu..
these are my mods that i've done so far..
drill holes for better cooling system, copper shim in between gpu & heatsink, TONS of copper ram lol, and artic silver 5 thermal paste ( tried tuniq tx-4 and artic mx-4 doesn't help so much), and last but not least my own carbon look mod haha


Uploaded with ImageShack.us


Uploaded with ImageShack.us


Uploaded with ImageShack.us


Uploaded with ImageShack.us


hope these pics will help you modding this system

 

I can't say it , but i know that bf bc 2 is cpu based. Like all the towers/houses that can brake down will be rendered by the cpu.

see this system requirements list:
Minimum System Requirements
OS: Windows XP
Processor: Core 2 DUO @ 2 GHz
Memory: 2 GB
Hard Drive: 15 GB for Digital Version, 10 GB for Disc Version
Video Memory: 256 MB (NVIDIA GeForce 7800GT/ATI X1900)
Sound Card: DirectX Compatible
DirectX: 9.0c
Keyboard and Mouse
DVD Rom Drive

Recommended System Requirements
OS: Windows Vista/7
Processor: Any Quadcore Processor
Memory: 2 GB
Hard Drive: 15 GB for Digital Version, 10 GB for Disc Version
Video Memory: 512 MB (NVIDIA GeForce GTX 260)
Sound Card: DirectX Compatible
DirectX: 10
Keyboard and Mouse
DVD Rom Drive

See recommended it says Any Quadcore Processor. that will explane why a dual core will came short at high or medium settings.
a frend from be had a E CPU dual core with a good graphics card but his settings can he only set a low els it were not playable. but when hee buyed a i5 quad core. hee can play at high settings.

I hope this wil help you

 

Verry nice mods!!!

 

dude, that mod might get your gx640 over the 3kg-mark

 

I'm trying to undervolt my 5850 by using ATIwinflash atm. is it in general possible that one of the forumites uploads his modded vbios and other users flash it without any issues? that would be quite a good way to check if a system is overclockable in a 'normal' way, wouldnt it? like, 'if it works on his system it should work on mine'?

 

It is possible given that you trust a forum member enought to provide you with a suitable BIOS and you are willing to flash your GPU with it.
Still, I wouldn't recommend it.

Overclocking or underclocking capabilities vary widely with each GPU die.
So, a bios that will brick your card might work fine on others.

Its quite tedious but trial and error is the only safe way.

 

i don't put the shims under the heat sink. i put it on the heat sink on the right side so i can close the back cover without it touching the heat sink.

The extra copper makes the cooling a little better. You can see the shims on the picture i posted a few pages back.

Your copper mod looks like it should work. Are you applying the thermal paste correctly? And what is the temperature of the room that you use your laptop in? And do you keep your back cover off when you play so that the hardware is exposed? Also you should get a good laptop cooler like the notepal u2.

 

I've replaced the aluminum heat sinks that were on the right side of the gpu heat sink with copper ones and it reduced my max temp in furmark by 2C. So now my gpu temp maxed at 72C after 20 minutes in furmark on max settings and my gpu clocks at 825/1100 at 1.06v. Also i did a small cpu heat sink mod with 5 1.2mm thick copper shims and 3 copper ram heat sinks, and it managed to bring down my cpu temps significantly.

My idle temps are also pretty good. My gpu idles at around 34C and my i7 840qm idles at around 42C-46C now. I am really enjoying this mod

Here are some new pics:

http://imageshack.us/f/683/img20110712023314.jpg/

http://imageshack.us/f/97/img20110712023336.jpg/

 

oh you removed the cover off when running furmark?
im using notepal w2 for my cooling fan..
room temp is about 22-25c

are you using thermal pads all around the gpu area?
or you just pasted mx-3 on gpu core without any shim?

 

I always have the back cover off unless I'm at school.

And i just left the stock thermal pads on underneath the gpu heat sink and just replaced the thermal paste that goes on the gpu die with arctic cooling's mx-3 with no copper shim mod because my heat sink already has a raised area under the heat sink to compensate for the gap between the heat sink and the gpu die.

 

i see..
maybe you should try to remove the thermal pads underneath the gpu sink..
it works great on my system though, cools down about 3-5c..

 

I have looked at your notebook specs.
And i see 8 Gb G.Skill 1333 Mhz RAM
From so far i know can the notebook only handle ddr 3 1066 speeds right?
Does the notebook just clock the Ram down?

 

One question iff you remove the thermal pads you have a gap about 0,8mm how do you fill up the space between the ram and the gpu sink?