Clevo x7200 and 7970m Crossfire

A thread created for the users that have a x7200 and want to upgrade 7970m Crossfire.
Post here bios need modification, Places to order the GPUs alone, Cooler fit for x7200 etc, and related stuff.

Im sure there are other members who wish to put a crossfire 7970m in the x7200. I for one am one.

1)Question one: Do we need a bios update ?
2)Where can one order the GPUS from ? I dont have much trust in Eurocom to order from. Speaking of withc, i think it will take a few weeks before it becomes available.
3)Does it come with coolers fit for the x7200 or do we need to buy that also ?

 

1)"might" need, who knows? i have tried very early bios/ec of x7200(285m/480m only, months before 470m/485m launch), runs good with 580m......but remember 7970m based on brand new 28nm architecture
ofcourse a bios update will be the best, but clevo wont update bios for 7970m support since x7200 already eol


2)heard clevo laptop with 7970m will ship 5/1, 680m 6/30, or require spare part from dell
we know eurocom may have es card available, remember es sample have two extreme:
1.buggy/hot/bad power consumption......(most of es)
2.performs good/cool/little power consumption/more shaders to unlock......(but very small amount, the chip is too rare or cost too much so manufacture not going to mass product it)
.......if they have 2........


3)there wont be a 7970m heatsink dedicated design for x7200, so we need to see if 7970m's inductor layout fit existing x7200 heatsink or not

 

Are you saying that there is no support from clevo to upgrade to 7970 in the x7200 ?
THis is suppose to be an upgradeble platform, for god#s sake.
Besides, when the amd showed off the 7970ms there was a x7200 running avp 2 with 7970 crossfire.

I am one of the people who wants to upgrade the gpus in the x7200 with 7970m crossfire.

Seems it is more complicated than i have thought.

One thought would be to speak with mysn.de when they will have 7970 on offer for various laptops and ask them if they can upgrade mine with 7970m CF, or if they can sell the GPUs as they are, or if the coolers fit.

Untill then we are fre to speak to each other here.
I was very happy when i saw the x7200 at amd booth with 7970m CF. I thought the x7200 will get official support for the 7970x CF both from clevo and AMD.

Here is a review of 7870 CF. Compared to it, the 7970m is just 150mh short on core so results should be similar perhaps a 3dmark 2011 performance score between 11500 and 12000.

That is a tremendous increase from my aproximatly 3300 score. An upgrade worth while. And unheard of in a laptop.

What is also nice by this new generation is the idle power.
http://www.tweaktown.com/articles/4...eference_video_cards_in_crossfire/index3.html

 

More on this Anandtech Article about the new series GPU.
The 7970m looks to be a real new generation graphic chip.
Idle power and enduro technology might remove the need for an IGP, because on idle the CF configuration could use the same power as an IGP chip.
The second GPU in a CF configuration , they say, could be completly turned off. Now thats something;
The only candidates for CF configuration are 4 laptops
1)X7200
2)X7200 succesor - P270 i think its named.
3)M18x
4)M18x R2
AnandTech - AMD Launches Radeon 7700M, 7800M, and 7900M Mobile GPUs

 

You forgot about the other Clevo 17" that has a mobile processor.

 

Are we forgetting the P180hm laptop too? It should also support 7970m in xfire......

 

Yah, tha o and its new revision. I think there were 3 version so far of this 18" laptop.

I wonder how long will it take untill i will have inside my laptop a fully workiing 7970m CF Solution ?

Also, any news on how much may a single unit cost. Alone, i mean, not as an option inside a certain laptop.

LALso, does any oone know where and if one can buy a standalone GPU ?
Because with dektop video cards its easy, but i never ever saw anywhere in a legit store new mobile gpus that people can buy.

 

You could try talking with Mythlogic or XoticPC if they sell Cards standane, I'd Say Mytholigic will sell if you bought a laptop from them, or ask they might have.

 

Most resellers can sell you the cards once they have them in stock.. People who saying they've got the cards already (Alienware forums) are pointing to I think Eurocom's eBay store. I believe they paid $450-500 a card.

 

The problem would then be the following:
The card needs to have a cooler that fits in the x7200 chasis. Otherwise its useless. Allthough i think the card comes with some sort of cooler that is more or less standard, or am i wrong ?

 

The people @ Alienware said that the 7970M card is the same size as the old-gen.

 

Why cant i see the screenshots ?
Anyway a sent mysn.de an email regarding the 7970ms, the reseller i bought my PC from.
I waiting for an answer.

 

No upgrade to new laptop = no money to Clevo and resellers There is no motivation for Sager, Clevo or resellers (although some of the good vendors will surely help us out) to support new cards -- in fact, the motivation is for them NOT to support new cards. Same seems to be the case with my p180hm, unfortunately.

Good thing for us modders

 

Who said we wouldn't do 7970m in X7200's?

I don't recall saying that

 

Mythologic that is good to hear.
Starting June i will be actively engaging in looking for places/vendors to buy 2 pieces. Will be waiting untill then to see if anyone else did it, if there is a bios support from someone, if there are fans that fit, so on so forth...
Perhaps prices will drop a bit, allthough 450 dollars a piece is a good deal.

 

Why can't it be in the x7200 chassis as in the desktop PC regarding new video cards ?

I never had to do any bios updates in a desktop PC when i bought a new video card. Just plug and play.

Is there a chance that the 7970m could work in the x7200 without any bios updates ?

Because here is what mysn answered me:

Dear Mr. Bica,

Thank you for your message. It isn’t sure that the AMD HD7970M will work in the X7200. Maybe a BIOS update is needed, but the X7200 is on its end of lifetime, so there will be probably no more bios support.

The AMD HD7970M will available at the end of May, we can give further informations at this point.

End Quote;

The point of all this is that it wont matter if the x7200 is EOL as long as a 7970m just works by plugging in with no bios updates needed.

 

I am very interested in this upgrade for my x7200. I have 480M in SLI and am looking for a performance boost. The laptop is still plenty fast with the 980x processor so no need for a new one, just new video cards.

 

Its gonna be a difference between the 2 Power wise. We know the 480m was a miss by nvidia.

 

I'm actually thinking of jumping ship to the aliens, if the 28nm isn't a PnP on the X7200. Clevo makes money from selling the shells, that's just how it works.

 

hey guys, just wanted to let u know that a source has mentioned the X7200 to be compatible and functioning well with the 7970M cards

cheers

 

i was watching on youtube the eurocom's panther 2.0 (aka x7200) installation of the 7970m AMD Radeon HD 7970M CrossFireX Installation in EUROCOM Panther 2.0 - YouTube also because i dont have one of my own YET why in the video does it look like one of the vent holes on the left is closed forgive me if this is a old topic

 

It is possible that the 7970m is just a plug and play situation.

If i buy the card, do i get the fans and heatsinks with it too ?
What i want is a reliable source that sells the cards.
I know there were various problems in the past with eurocom, perhaps there wont be any problem if i order from them.

One of the problem with eurocom is that they overpice stuff. I dont want to pay much more than i have to on the cards.
Even so, 2 pieces is a considerable upgrade, money wise.
Will check the video when i get home.

PS: I don't even want to think what kind of numbers benchmark wise will 2x7970m's pump )
Yah, the third vent is also in my chasis closed.

If i could i would swap the x7200 for a sandy bridge platform chasis.
But selling my x7200 is a bit on the hard side.

Comparing to x7200, the other chasis offers 8 core CPU support, 32gb ram possibility and lighted keyboard.
One thing worth mention is the fact that future laptop may have high than 1080p screens.
Who knows perhaps the m18x R2 will be one of those laptops.

But a x7200 regardless what cpu has inside, with 2x7970m's will live without problems for years to come.

 

I saw now in eurocom's site.
2 pieces cost 788 euros.
I thought one was 450 dollars or so.
For europe is 19% more tax, and thats a lot of money

 

thats correct, 450 USD just for the card. heatsink, x bracket and shipping would be extra. and if u convert that one to one ull get approx. 346 €, which sounds about right when u consider the 788 € Xfire config. im aware that normally u cant just convert € to $ prices one to one, but since eurocom is a canadian reseller they just do exactly that!
also, one would probably have to consider paying extra VAT of the respective country when importing from the US/Can to EU.

cheers

 

How strong is cf 7979m compared to 580m gtx sli?

 

I believe the expression is: Another one bites the dust !

 

lol um

Lithography isn't just going to affect compatibility like that...

Hell you could go manufacture a Pentium M in 28nm and the laptop wouldn't know the difference... That is a fact.

 

if single card perf is any indication and both systems scale similarly then it would be in the range of 40-60% faster than 580m sli,depending on the application.

Sent from my GT-I9001 using Tapatalk 2

 

Do I have to upgrade my CPU as well for video game performance or just the card will do?

 

Do I need to upgrade my CPU in order to upgrade my x7200 to cf 7970m?

 

The CPU of the x7200 is usually not a bottleneck. What processor do you have?

 

I think I have the i950 3.0 quad core.i don't need to upgrade that for gaming,right?just the video card?

 

In general I wouldn't think so. What GPUs do you currently have?

From what I've read about them, moving to the 7970s when they come out should be more than enough.

 

http://forum.notebookreview.com/gam...now-who-upgrades-video-cards-clevo-x7200.html

Here's his other thread where he has gotten his gpu question answered a few times.

@GTO_PAO11: as jclausius has stated, the CPU is not the bottleneck of a system when gaming......

 

My Gpu is sli 480m gtx. I want to get cf 7970. It's been 2 years and I want to upgrade my Gpu.

My understanding of English is bad. What do you mean CPU is not bottleneck of gaming?

 

The 480ms are not bad, and should be adequate for anything out today. Regardless, perhaps you have other needs.

In regards to CPU bottlenecks, see if you can run these articles through a translator - http://www.twcenter.net/forums/showthread.php?t=428946

and

http://www.overclock.net/t/332428/exactly-how-does-a-cpu-bottleneck-a-gpu

 

Ok I know this is on another topic but I spoke to a retailer and they are not sure if the 7970m will be compatible on the x7200. Now they say it will fit on the machine(cf or not) but not sure if compatible. I don't want to sound negative but if it is not compatible, I will feel sad.

Maybe the better alternative is 6990m cf? How much is it?

 

Hmm yeah, that's been busted, the peps got them from Dell reps not Euroco n

 

So after a few weeks it seems like the rumoured 7970 really is as good as hyped. Just that it's not compatible with many Clevo notebooks due to a lack of bios support....

As I had nothing but problems with Crossfire, I'd give AMD a last go with a single GPU. And as I got assured the x7200 is one lucky notebook supporting the 7970m!

My question is, where can I buy one in Europe, Austria to be precise, and is the installation difficult? I read a few pages earlier that it comes without heatsinks and stuff, what else do I need to buy?

One more thing, when I'm encoding videos (with my CPU, as I'm on the red side) the CPU naturally is running on 100% load over a couple of minutes. After ~10mins it exceeds 100° C (!) and the clock speed (3,3ghz) is halfed automaticly to 1599mhz in order to not damage the CPU. I already cleaned the dust of the fans, but it helped only little
Do I need to apply thermal paste or what should I do? Its an i7 980

Thanks in advance

 

If have here another question:
If i buy a pair of 7970m GPUs, will they come with the coolers also ?
Im asking that because the coolers from my 460ms seems to working hardder and harder, presumably becasue of the dust.

As a questionIs there anywere one can buy replacements coolers for the 460m s that i currently own ?

 

After a while, has anyone done a 7970m in the x7200 ?

After pondering 680m SLI, which there is a slight chance they wont work in the x7200, im thinking back to the 7970m CF.

But seeing all the people complaining about driver issues has scared me off.

Allthought things might be simpler on the x7200 where there is no integrated gpu in the CPU.

As a price update, here there is 7970m on sale in europe, germany that is, 450 euro a piece.

Graphics Cards / Kits Konponenten, Notebookbarebone.de Notebooks selber bauen!

2 pieces would be 900 euros. Still pretty steep compared to desktop gpus, as a 900 euros would get one a gtx 690.
Performance wise one would get the equivalent of a geforce 590 or better, and the cheapest 590 i could find costs 650 euro, they go for more actually.

So 300 euro for portability i think its worth it. If the drivers work that is.

 

Its curios to say the leats that no one has ever did a 7970CF setup so far in the x7200.

Computer barebone.de list a 7970m card for 450 euro. That is only the card with nothing else inlcuded.

After talking with a representative from eurocome regarding 7970m CF upgrade of the x7200 here is what he told me.

QUOTE:

Hi Mihai,



1) 7970Ms will work in your X7200, though they will not detect as 7970Ms in BIOS. This is because the cards are newer than the latest BIOS, so there is no matching ID string. Make sure your BIOS is at the latest revision prior to beginning the upgrade.

2) You will need to purchase heatsinks for the 7970Ms, as they need to be specially modified to fit the 7970M.

3) If you purchase two cards, a CrossFire cable is included.

We can arrange two 7970Ms with the crossfire cable, heatsinks, X-brackets, thermal pads and thermal paste for $1,500USD shipped to your location via UPS. Are you confident with installation and ESD procedures?

The 680M is not compatible with the X7200 at this time.

END QUOTE

I still mailed a couple more questions, will come back with the answer, than we can discuss.

I think 1200 euros aprox is fair price if it has gpus, sinks, fans, thermal pads, paste, and transport with eur VAT included.
Wheter the VAT is included in the price, that is one of the other questions i asked. Waiting answer for the second batch of questions. WIll post them here for furthr info.

 

I wouldn't go CF again. Much rather buy 2 680M's, but as the guy said up to now we don't know if it works flawlessly. And if you spend that amount of money on something it MUST work flawlessly.

 

The problem is, that we are talking about 7970m CF on a sistem that doesnt have GPU in the CPU.

That hasn#t been done yet, and perhaps it does works with fewer problems than on the other systems.

I#ve read somewhere that because in the alienware systems the IGP can be turned off alltogther (in the clevo system, the crosffire goes through igp and then to monitor, and thats why igp cannot be completly set off) there are fewer problems and even funktions good.

Taking that in consideration and perhaps a new driver iteration, maybe the x7200 is a platform where the 7970m CF will work with lesser problems.

I initially wanted to change from nvidia to amd because of the nvlddmkm.sys error that i sometimes had, then someday my laptop went dead on me, and sent it to warranty, and quess what, they replaced both gpus. and since then works perfectly, and that why i changed my thought from initially wanting the 7970m CF to 680m SLI. Then i learned the 680m SLI is a no go on the x7200, and im back at the x7200 again.

Speaking of which, is there a software button that turnes enduro off in the drivers ? I never had ati drivers, and never a 7xxx card with enduro to know wheter or not that can be turned off or not.

Speaking of which, what can you say about the price.
With that price one could get a good desktop.

But i like to upgrade the x7200 that i have, specialy since i could fit a 2tb 15mm hdd togther with the samsung series 470 128gb ssd, that a 7mm in the drive bay.

I still have the slot under the battery free for another tb hdd.

 

Bytales, I did not even think about the Enduro issues. But by choosing CF you are going to have lots of driver issues like under-utilization, 100% Load while idle, texture flickering like in my Skyrim video (which got kind of fixed 10 months after Skyrims release) Skyrim Crossfire Flickering - YouTube

Those new heat/Enduro issues are only on top of that.

 

Sh.it!
Is crossfire on desktop cards also so problematic?, i never heard any issue on the desktop side of things !

As i read this 7970 desktop crossfire review i see no such problems mentioned what so ever. It seems to me as a perfectly working solution.

What gives?

 

Sirana is right... had 6970m X-Fire before and it really was "no fun"...
Black screens, crashes, not downclocking correctly...
Some games worked great, many not. Sometimes I could fix it with some work-around, but it was no fun to look for fixes again and again.
Just take a look at some posts over in the Alienware-forum where they discuss problems with M18x and X-fire...
http://forum.notebookreview.com/ali...oblems-discussion-thread-105.html#post8782100

So when I read that, I know why I will not go to AMD X-fire anymore. I have a single AMD video card in my desktop right now and it works great (so I am not an "AMD-basher" )- but mobile x-fire... no way...
Especially when I think of my GTX 485m SLI solution, which runs nearly perfect since one year, overclocked to GTX 580m stock clocks.

 

Yah, i know, i preffer also something from nvidia, but there is nothing instead of 680m to choose from. A 675m SLI, would that work in the x7200 ?
Still, a 7970m CF may be cheeper and if it works way more powerfull.

I still have my hopes up that the 7970m CF will get a proper driver.
If it is based on the 7870/7850 chip, and the desktop 7850 CF work well, why wouldnt a 7970m CF work the same ? I am talking about a desktop card with a little tweeks (the 7970m is essentialy a 7870 with lower clocks) on a desktop platform (desktop core i7 950)

Why wouldn#t it work as the desktop card ? That is why im thinking.

It goes without saying that i would prefferto have an nvidia solution, as nvidia seems to have a bigger budget for the driver team, but spending the same amount of money (lets say maybe 100 euros less) to get the performance the 675m SLI has to offer, which is notably less, i don#t know about it.

That is, if there is the possibility to have 675m SLI in the x7200.

 

Of course it would be interesting to see if crossfire will work at X7200 - if it would turn out that it works better than 6970m crossfire, then fine... I doubt it, but of course I can be wrong.
I really don´t know why the mobile crossfire solutions don´t work in many ways, but M18x owners seem to have same kind of problems like 6970m crossfire back then.

The GTX 675m will not work (I think read here in the forums), maybe with a work around/ modded inf, but since it is the same as the GTX 580m which IS supported, you can flash the cards with GTX 580m vBios or just get original GTX 580m instead.

 

Is it me or these problems are only on platforms with mobile CPUs ?