The Official MSI GT60/70 970m/980m Upgrade Thread

Can you post an image of your device manager? I'm curious to see if you have any other device manager errors. Specifically with along the lines of PCI issues.

 

The gpu should not conflict with other devices being on the pci express bus.

 

So..... before I took the screen caps, it occurred to me that I may have tried installing the Windows10-only drivers (as per ziperri), which sure enough I did. I downloaded the proper ones and installed fine (just as many other drivers have). The problem is that when I go to the nvidia control panel I get the following listing:



This is where I'm currently stuck. I've installed the drivers from various sources (nvidia's website, the geforce experience program and the laptopvideo2go site with modified inif file). None of which seem to give me all the options that my card should have once a driver has successfully installed nor any which are allowing me to use the card for actual video display (everything still uses the CPU).

Talon, might you have the bios available that came with your Clevo 970 6GB card? I'm wondering if maybe my flashing the card to an MSI vbios (the ones linked in the OP posting) is causing the issue?



Other than that, since the .51x BIOS now has my machine thinking it is a GT60, could it be that I need to re-install all the drivers for a GT60 machine instead of what I originally had? (GT70 0ND-219US)

 

Your card has all the normal options for an optimus system. Check your intel igp settings for monitor options.

 

nothing showing up in there relating to using the video card or processor

 

There is a drop down box in the manage 3d settings.

 

If you are referring to this, then I've had it switched to the card with every driver I've attempted to use.

 

I have sent you a PM.

 

It worked
I have upgraded bios version from E16F4IMS.118 which is made for win7 64bit To E16F4IMS.51A which is made for win8.1 64bit.
With one problem.
When my NB booted it showed an error about something missing
I went to the bios and changed boot mode from UEFI to Legacy.

UPDATE 1: MSI technical support emailed me today and they said update it to E16F4IMS.11A.
The most important thing my NB is working.Thank god

 

Yeah. Dxdiag doesn't show My Nvidia card.

 

Why don't you buy these from where I bought them.
http://www.performance-pcs.com/fuji...-padding-quarter-sheet-150-x-100-x-0-5mm.html

But a variant of these Fujipoly pads (Fujipoly/Mod Right extreme) as used by @Talon are also good and you can get any of these from ebay searching their name.
FrozenCpu link of this variant is
http://www.frozencpu.com/products/1..._100_x_05_-_Thermal_Conductivity_110_WmK.html

 

I would but do they ship to Worldwide?

 

I think that happens for everyone who have 2 GPUs when one of them is intel graphic cards.

 

Thank you so much! It was the bios in the end Once the bios were flashed back to clevo, I did a complete uninstall of everything nvidia-related and did a clean install of the drivers and everything seems to be working!

The only thing I noticed is the temp seems to run up to around 80C. I think I may give the 11w/mk pads a try (just to get everything running/testing I used the default paste/pads that come with the heatsink).

What temps should I be looking for as a steady base-line/under pressure?

For those with a GT70 0ND-219US, here are the steps needed:
1. CrossFlash using the .51x bios Talon has posted up (AHCI)
2. Attempt to flash using the same bios as stated above for EC, if that doesn't work a modification will need to be done (message Svet for this)
3. Download the appropriate driver/inif file
4. Install/reboot

Basically everything seems like it went the same as other installations with the only catch being the CrossFlash for the bios and the EC flash needing to be modified by Svet.

Thanks again to all those who assisted me with getting this working. I will be sure to pass along any help that I can provide

 

The pads wont have an impact in temperature except for being a certain thickness that allows the heatsink to make best contact with the core. IE 0.5mm 5w/mk pads will give the same performance as 0.5mm 11w/mk pads in core temps.

I used those to achieve the highest clocks in a GT60 chassis.

 

Cool, I'll give it a shot

 

Why don't you ask them

 

One mistake that I made during pads application is that I used 1.0mm pads (from before and that comes with GTX 980m) on wrong places that made really push the heatsink down to the GPU for the screws to even make contact with the GPU. So, then I replaced all 1.0 mm with 0.5 mm. The temps were improved but for the third time I used Gelid GC extreme paste and Fujipoly 11mk/w 0.5mm pads and now temps are awesome always stays below 70C with turbo fan ON

 

It really does make a large difference

 

Do you have any suggestion on where I can find/buy some of those Fujipoly pads?
I've searched and can't find any. The only source I was familiar with before was FrozenCPU.com, but it looks like they are out of business.

My GPU idle with no turbo fan is around 46C and with turbo fan it idles around 41C.
I ran the free trial of 3dmark11 with turbo fan and my GPU was maxing close to 77C. I'm scared to test without the turbo fan on with how hot it got.
My CPU temps were similar with 42C idle and 74C stress testing.

MSI-GT780DXR
Nvidia GTX 970m

 

Hey guys!

Just checking on this. I have the MSI GT70 2OC-065US the 970m in the OP would work in mine yes?

Great success with this for anyone who has attempted it? Any tips that the OP missed that might smooth the install?

It's a big price, just looking to get all my ducks in a row before I pull the trigger.

Thanks!

 

My other question

I see the OP added updates, but I'd like some clarification from others who have done this.

No special vBIOS or drivers is needed after, yes? Will just act like normal?

My laptop BIOS is at E1763IMS.51B

 

http://www.performance-pcs.com/fuji...-padding-quarter-sheet-150-x-100-x-0-5mm.html

your temps looks good by the way but still if you wanna try these pads. What type of paste do you use?

 

Hello GUYS can some one explaint this ****,

In 3 weeks time I will be getting my GTX 970m card . I just want to recap a few bullet point with you so i am on the right track. I am 100% responsible for my actions.

I have an MSI with GTX 770M GT70 2OC/2OD I want to sell my 770m and buy and install a GTX 970M. Since you have carried out the procedure I was hoping you could point out a few things to me. My course of action is as follows.

1) modifiy my heat sink and use a good thenrmal compound. Any recomendations? how about thermal pad?

2) Update laptop BIOS http://www.msi.com/support/nb/GT70-2OD.html/#down-bios&Win8.1 64

My current bios is E17631MS.507 I just double checked today and a newer version is out E1763IMS.51B , a few month ago it was version .518V but today its .51B and .518V is no longer on there web site any more but i still have the file.
I know before I remove my 770m I need to update my bios to E1763IMS.50V first, the update it to the new verion .51B .

3) install the gtx 970m use nvflash and install the 970m rom

restart my laptop and it should work just fine..

Just to pint out, I have never tried to flash a BIOS or VBIOS rom or EC

I take it will not need to Update my EC?

PLEASE reply if you carried out this operation your self, ever advise would help.

 

I think you should be OK. I'm not the expert but no one replied so I will. You may need modified drivers, I'm not entirely sure. That's the only thing to be concerned about the card should work. And the fact that it's an MSI and not a barebones should make it less likely that you need a modified vBios, but again, ask Meaker or Talon. I did this on my GT60 up to a 980m, and man the card is an absolute monster, its so awesome!

 

Thanks Galm, I am in IT, so I don't think I'll have issue doing the swap or updating the vBIOS, I just don't want to deal with modified drivers. I'd like to be able to use the standard drivers from nVidia and always maintain the latest and greatest.

Per Talons updates there is no need for modified drivers, however it would be helpful if he could chime in and give his opinion on that. Thread is 178 pages, I don't really have time to read every page HAHA

I guess I just want to know if, after I put this in, it will act like it's supposed to be in there. I have the newest BIOS on my laptop, should I flash MSI 970m vBIOS (I am thinking so), and can I use the normal up to date drivers that nVidia releases.

Thanks all!

 

Is there a big difference between the GT60 and 70? So you think it's way worth the $500 ish dollars (less if the old card sells)?

 

They are pretty much the same internally just the gt70 is a bit bigger to house the screen.

 

Thanks Meaker.

I pulled the trigger and bought the 970m. I figured it was cheaper than buying a new laptop. The 770m has been a good card, but with games like Battlefront 2 coming out, it's not enough.

Everything else is good. i7, added RAM so I am at 16gb, two SSD drives in a raid. I didn't want to buy an entirely new laptop because the video card was dated.

Thanks to Talon for the guts to try it and then giving a write up.

 

Yeah, GT60 and 70 was always a case of bigger screen. There are minor differences in general, but it depends on what you prefer carrying/using around. I noticed that near the end of college, I favored bigger screens, and to this day, I want even bigger screens!

 

970m is a great improvement, and an awesome GPU. My older GT60 runs an overclocked 780m, and it matches in general the performance of the 970m. It can still play everything I throw at it. My wife is happy with it

 

I have never been a big fan of overclocking, not sure why. I know if done properly and not to excess it's safe, but it always makes me nervous for some reason.

I didn't tell my wife, having everything shipped to my work and I am going to do it here, since I have a workstation for repairs and such here (plus she never finds out) HAHA

 

I'm using Arctic MX-4. I have used AS5 all my life and have always had good results with it, but I have read a lot of good things about MX-4 and thought I'd give it a shot.

You really think those temps are fine? They kind of scare me. Just think if I did not have turbo fan on while stress testing... it feels like temps would break 100C?! and if that happens bye bye graphics card.

By the way, thanks for the link.

 

Hey - for temps below 70, you never overclocked, right?

 

Yes, for below 70C I didn't overclock but with 200 mhz core and 300 mhz memory overclocking, temps reached to 80C. But still it is way better than 87C under stress without overclocking

 

For me I've always used turbo fan during game because, in worst case scenario, I'll have to change the fan only after a year or two if the fan dies. Which after 1.25 years it isn't. Plus It's just few bucks and few screws . For noise I use my triton headsets and don't worry about fan noise because I don't hear it . In all this both cpu and gpu stays cool and healthy

 

that's a really good point, very smart, thanks for sharing

 

Will any one reply me please? Brodieman, I guess you are in the same process as me, I have a GT70 with a 770m you have a GT60 with 770m.
Once you are done installing and modifying your heat sink and you walk me through your installation on a bullet point please. so I dont make any errors
Cheers

 

Personally, I like 15.6" screen for portable use, because 17" is slightly bigger/heavier and does not fit into my briefcase.
It feels heavier at the end of day because I can be exhausted sometimes.

 

Have you read the original post?

 

If you aren't sure of the procedures with modification then it's best not to proceed unless someone can truly provide such detailed procedures.

 

Yeah, 17" is not portable at all for daily use

 

At the end of the day its not all that difficult to do or learn. I can remove my heat sink and modifiy it easy peasy, Yes i have read the original post. I just need to upgrade my mother board BIOs from my current one to 50v to the new one.. two updates. And it will be plug and play for the gtx 970m card..
ACTION REQUIRED:

1) mod my heat sink, use good thermal paste n pads
2) update my bios from E17631MS.507 to E1763IMS.50V and finally to E1763IMS.51B
Install the card when it arrives in 3 weeks time. and update the Nvidia drivers..

All in agreement?

 

Obviously there are intermediate steps in there like removing and replacing screws and making sure you reconnect the fan after the mod, but those steps you listed sound like the big things you need to make sure you do.

But as Kevin pointed out please make sure you feel comfortable and know what you're doing. If you've read the original post, the embedded list of steps I linked to what another user posted, in addition to this entire thread of support and great feedback; then yes you should be good.

Updating the system BIOS is very easy and straight forward as long as you follow MSIs PDF guide/procedures on their website.

 

I don't if anybody had replied or not but here is my response:
1: For thermal pads find Fujipoly 11mk/w thermal pads and I would recommend Gelid Extreme GC and don't use Arctic Silver 5 (it's old tech now)
2: Yes, you have to update to 50V before going to final 51B. Also update EC firmware because it will help Steel series and other dragon gaming center functions to keep functioning
3: Install GTX 970 and don't need to flash MSI vBios because it's not gonna make any difference. I used for sometime Clevo vBios with no problem at all. Now, I am using unlocked Prema vBios .

To flash BIOS, follow the exact process mentioned on your BIOS MSI page. For me it was through EFI and I guess for all windows 8 users, it is through EFI. Just follow everything to the final detail .

You are good to goo

 

with 51B BIOS, you will be able to install drivers from nVidia directly

 

There is no difference between GT60 and Gt70 except size

 

I am confident in removing my CPU/GPU. so thats not an issue. I will follow the MSI BIOS update proceedure.

NOTE : My current bios is E17631MS.507 will upgrade to E1763IMS.50V and finally to E1763IMS.51B

Last question where do I locate my EC version. When i run "msinfo32" I see Embedded Controller version as 255.255 but when i check msi firm wear web site for EC firm wear update its says.

"Before you update EC firmware…
Please refer to this document for details when your notebook needs an EC firmware update. MSI reminds you of the following:

• Please download EC firmware corresponds to the version in your notebook. For example, if your notebook is equipped with version 1763EMS1 ver3.00, then the firmware file you need is 1763EMS1.3XX. Please give your undivided attention to the bold red numerals in the example above. The downloaded firmware file must comprise numerals the same as the firmware in your notebook. Users should be aware that using incorrect firmware version can result in a bricked system.
• To avoid firmware update failures, please use the suggested update tool (if it is provided within the downloaded file) and update method for the specific model. DO NOT use neither tool from previous versions and models nor tools provided by others.
• Firmware files provided here are exclusive only for MSI-branded Notebook PCs and not compatible with any MSI Whitebook/Whitebrand barebones. MSI takes no responsibility for any damage caused by improper use or lack of technical expertise.
• How to update EC, please click here."

Here my MSI GT70 list of Firmwear update soft wear down load list.

http://www.msi.com/support/nb/GT70-2OC.html/#down-firmware&Win8.1 64
Once i have updated my BIOS to the lastest version .51B what EC firm wear should i update to?

 

Goto system BIOS and there you'll see both BIOS version and your EC Firmware version. In your firmware, either you'll see MS1 or MS2 and depending upon that number and the size of your laptop (15 or 17), you'll be able to decide the right EC firmware for you. I would suggest upgrading your EC firmware as well. But follow the instructions to heart

 

I have someone who needs help installing a 980M GTX on a ms-1762
Thankfully this thread exists.