GTX 480M 2GB GDDR5 DX11 PhysX 100W GPU?

So if it works in any of the older machines how many here will pay upwards of $750.00 to upgrade ? ... I believe that is the price Hemi quoted for the upgrade kit and i doubt the price will drop anytime soon if ever...

If the card ends up to be around 30% faster then the 5870 and you can sell your old card the price may not be to bad in the long haul... Might cost you $475.00 if you sold your old card for say $275.00..


Hopefully the card will work in existing machines...

 

$750 is a bit much, but it really all depends on the performance numbers. If this thing indeed does perform as well as a desktop 5850, I 'd buy it at that price assuming I can get something for the 5870m first.

 

This is a good pic of the 480M....

 

The GDDR is rated at 1250 Mhz.

 

Lets hope they would have a 75W GTX 460M...

 

Which will - in the most optimistic forecast - have the same performance as the Mobility Radeon HD 5870, but still consume more energy and be more expensive. Nvidia might be stupid bringing out this over-priced monster card, but performance over ATI is all they have, if ATI offers a cheaper card with same or even more performance nobody is going to buy it and therefore Nivida is not going to produce it, otherwise it would be a big mistake.

As to the picture. I think now it should be clear that the GTX 480M will run in every MXM 3.0b slot provided the PSU is strong enough and the bios poses no problem. I see no extra power connector or anything in that picture.

 

My exact question was: How much would it cost to upgrade my D900F from my GTX 280M to the new GTX 480M you are now offering?

Their answer:
diese Optionen bestehen nicht, das es sich hier um Komponenten handelt, die direkt am Mainboard verlötet sind.
Der Slot kann der Grafikkarte die erforderlichen 100 Watt liefern.
Die bisherigen Slots können dies nicht.
Weiterhin ist für diese Grafikkarte ein neues Netzteil und eine neue interne Stromversorgung notwendig.
Die Chassis unterscheiden sich auch.
Translated:
These options are not available since the components in question are soldered directly on the motherboard.
The slot of the graphics card can deliver the required 100 watts.
The previous slots can not.
Furthermore, for this graphics card you require a new power supply and a new internal power supply.
The chassis is also different.

@Italian.madness
mySN is also selling new, updated systems, but do not offer upgrades, since as it seams it is not possible.

 

I have had the opportunity to use both the GTX 285M and the ATI 5870 on my laptop and I found the GTX 285M to perform better in quite a few games, not so much in terms of fps but smoothness. I put that down to Nvidia's optimisation.

 

How many fps were they different on the average?

 

After looking on the Clevo website i noticed that the W87xCU got a succesor to fit in the GTX 480M - the w880cu, so the w870cu and w860cu will definetely not be able to upgrade..
But under detailed specifications of the D900F they added the GTX 480M so unless im wrong mySN gave me some false info?
And the X8100 really only has an option for either a sli GTX 285M or a single GTX 480M. Cant wait to see the benchies of the X7200 though - i7-980X + Sli GTX 480M.. should be competitive with a high end single gpu desktop setup..

 

It won't be avaliable for the W860CU but it might work unofficially.

I look forward to your new ''GTX 480M 2GB GDDR5 GPU's for sale'' thread

Look at the size differences and you will see their is not much difference between the W870CU chassis and the W880CU. It is certain that the GTX 480M will not officially be supported in a standard W860CU / W870CU but that is most lilkely to drive sales of the newer notebooks as opposed to the GPU not physically fitting. A trusted reseller says it could fit into a W860CU in theory but just not officially.

Have you forgotten the users who installed GTX280M's and QX9300 Core2Quads into their NP8662 which only officially supported the GTX 260M and the Q9000?

Hopefully in this case, it will be similar.

 

I guess so. Just like the 920XM not being listed compatible in the user manual but every reseller has it as an option for the W860CU.

 

Sounds like somebody just needs to test this... I volunteer, who's sponsoring me? ;-)
I just don't think the power demand is that much of an issue provided the PSU delivers it and the bios poses no problem. For example: The Quadro FX 3800 has a 100W TDP as well and works in a standard MXM 3.0b slot, so that should not be a problem. Also why would there be the need of a new "internal power supply" if the "new slot" can deliver 100W. And what would be the point of MXM 3.0b if they need to produce a new slot just for the GTX 480M and why is that slot still called MXM 3.0b and not MXM 3.0b or 3.0b+ or something... too many questions...

 

American resellers are offering the 480M upgrade for the current D900F, so mySN has some inaccurate information.

 

Whell thats the info i got.. id love to see it proven wrong

 

Well i would think regardless if it fits or not there is always the bios issue to deal with and whether they will release a bios to support it on older machines....

Getting people to hack a BIOS is not an easy task and usually leads to nothing.....

Edit : Just looked at MySN website and they do indeed offer the 480m in the 8760 like Daniel Hahn said but i wonder if its using the same motherboard etc...

 

As I pointed out a couple of times already, mySN is offering the GTX 480M for their current 17"+ Clevo models on their website as well. We will know for sure when we'll see a bios update for the W870CU adding support for the GTX 480M.

 

Im starting to sound like a broken record but again, they claim that if you choose that option on their website, you get a newer model and thats why you cannot just upgrade.. thats what they told me at least, i cant say whether its true or not.

 

This is very true. Of course it will physically fit as it is a MXM 3.0b. Besides the D900F series I don't think they will update any.

 

I believe babyhemi is correct...it is highly unlikely that any of the earlier models will be upgradable.

It has nothing to do with sales, it has to due with:
1. Power Supply is not strong enough
2. Thermal solution is not strong enough
3. Motherboard issues
4. BIOS issues

You simply cannot take a laptop designed for a 75W GPU and toss a 100W GPU in there...at least not safely anyway.

 

Real question is who pay that much for a 480M?

 

A friend of me has writen to his seller, and got the answer that it will work to upgrad, but she can't do him the upgrade because they don't sell the GTX 480M.

If it worke in my D900F I will buy it.

 

You'd be surprised how many will. It's not that you "need" it, many will "want" it. If for nothing else but the bragging rights...

 

I did not notice an fps difference, I just noticed smoother performance and less stuttering which could be Driver related I guess. I remember certain Nvidia Drivers giving me similar stuttering issues.

I also got smoother performance in Red Faction Guerilla.


I did have to lower my settings in GTA IV to get the same sort of performance that I got with the GTX 285M and even then, it was not as smooth. However, I probably wouldn't have noticed this if I hadn't been using the GTX 285M for so long.

 

It's hard to take your word for it without data to back it up. If you had measured minimum framerates as well as average or graphed over time, you'd have evidence to back up the stuttering.

Nonetheless, ATI's pricing remains significantly better, even if the GTX 285M performs better.

 

So are you saying the D900F will get a bios update and thats all it needs?

 

Theoretically the D900F will not need anything to be upgradable, although until it is tested Sager will not commit to an upgrade program.

It is the Sager NP8760 and Sager NP8690 that will not be upgradable.

 

Why wouldn't the 8760 be upgradeable? Are you just guessing it won't be upgradeable? Well, until I see some 480m game benchmarks, I'm not really too concerned if it's upgradeable or not. The 480m will have to perform as well as 5870m CF for me to consider an upgrade at this point.

 

I won't be getting an upgrade until I need an upgrade even if it's upgradeable, currently, even using 5870MR, I could already run everything, some console ported games in fact run so fast I have to limit the framerate.

Though if the 480M is cheap, I would upgrade just for the sake of having the most powerful GPU. Though I doubt it will be cheap so it's moot point.

Hopefully, the next 6000 series or Nvidia mobile GPU based on 104 will be upgradeable at a cheap price.

 

Well, I can`t wait till there is more information on if D900F is fully upgradeable to 480M GPU.

 

To me, the whole advantage of the w870cu was being able to upgrade the vid card. Makes me hesitant on buying clevo gaming laptops in the future if they decide to limit owners from upgrading.

 

Exactly, although nobody gave us a guarantee that we will be able to upgrade the GPU you somehow expect it with Clevo laptops.

And what's it with all those resellers giving ambiguous information? Now the D900F needs no modification but the W870CU/W860CU would need some? How is that? They use the same MXM 3.0b slot? You will need a stronger PSU and probably a bios update, but everybody is aware of this. Hope someone can clear this up anytime soon.

However the good thing is, that the MXM 3.0b still has a lot of potential, if it could host the GTX 480M at 100W without modification, it could also still be used for the 6000 series.

 

I guess 480M is an exception because of the abnormal power requirement. For future nvidia cards based on the 104, the power requirement would definitely be cutdown and able to be upgraded to current Clevos, ATI 6000 series as well. 860/870 is most likely EoL once sandy bridge is out, and it's a standard for Clevo notebooks to be able to upgrade one generation after their EoL. So we will still get 6000 series and the next nvidia card.

 

Anyone who "expects" the video card in a laptop that already uses the top end card when released to be upgradable does not know much about history.

Can you find me any brand of laptop that historically has been able to upgrade from the top level video card to a next generation top level video card without motherboard, BIOS, AC Adapter or thermal solution upgrade? See if you can even find 5 out of the thousands of brands and models. The D900F may be one of those very few exceptions, however until the production version of the 480M is actually delivered to Clevo so that it can be tested ambiguous information is all that is available. Unfortunately my crystal ball is at the cleaners right now.

In almost all cases top end video cards have never been upgradable to the next generation of top end cards. The few exceptions have required significant upgrades beyond just the video card itself.

Therefore anyone who just "expects" that they can do so has either been misinformed or is just manufacturing the expectation based on their desire for it as opposed to any historical fact.

I apologize for being direct, but all this conversation about what "should" be and blaming Clevo or ANY manufacturer for not doing what in most cases cannot be done, or has only been done on very rare and isolated cases, apparently needs these facts pointed out in a very direct manner.

Now let's get back on to a more positive conversation without all the complaining about what cannot be, and should not be expected.

 

Well a Bios upgrade is definitely mandatory since the card is most likely not even released when the Bios for the older notebook is made, I'm quite sure even for D900F it requires a bios update. For thermal upgrade, most of the time the heatsink comes with the card so that's another one. AC adapter with higher rating could be easily gotten. And as for motherboard, there's quite a lot of Clevo notebooks that doesn't require a motherboard change to upgrade to the next generation of top card after EoL, eg. 9800M to 280M.

The problem with 480M is that it's a new architecture from nvidia from scratch that has abnormal power requirements, under normal circumstances, it would be upgradeable as long as the bios allows.

 

I will be doing some hard core gaming and i am wondering is it worth it to trade my G73JH for a D900F? i have to get a job and hold my money to ever think about getting a X7200, so is it worth it to get a D900F and how long do you think the life expectancy of the NP9280?

 

The only difference between x7200 and D900F performance wise is basically dual card capability or just single card, and whether do you need USB3.0 (you could replace with expresscard though) and whether do you need 120hz refresh rate screen for 3D vision. Personally, I think D900F is enough. Dual 480M is overkill and expensive as hell, and you need to wait longer for it as well while you can already order a D900F now.

 

I prefer a 5870 though, but i do agree with you, i just like the new design, but having a 120HZ is awesome for a refresh ratio, i don't care for 3D just been thinking what is the best bang for my buck. I do agree with the USB 3.0 thing, better for saving battery life though, i am a touch typist but i love my backlit keyboards.

 

Backlit keyboards are nice but not necessary, the only reason I would want one is because I use my keyboard a lot and after long usage the ink might come off, same thing won't happen with a backlit keyboard.

 

The W880CU is thicker by 1cm in comparison to the W870CU which points out that it probably has a superior cooling system in order to accommodate the 480M.

 

That's exactly the point to which there seems to be no uniform statement: Is heat dissipation the only issue with the GTX 480M? If so it can be upgraded, because there are a lot of ways to improve cooling. People upgraded laptops that came with a 20W TDP GPU (8600M GT) with a 38W TDP GPU (MR HD 4670), thats a 90% increase in TDP, nothing compared to the 33% increase we would face with the GTX 480M and once again: With the Quadro FX 3800M there is already a 100 TDP 3.0b that would work in the W870CU and W860CU. The bios didnt pose a problem in the abovesaid upgrade. People have also upgraded their 8800M GTX which was the best card available when they bought that card, with a GTX 280M. It's not only the end user, as most people will not upgrade their laptop anyway, but that is not the point of MXM. The point is reduction of cost through reuse of design schematics and production facilities. I simply cannot believe that Nvidia can simply come along an say "Hey, I know MXM is great and saves you money, but you still need to introduce a new revision for my new supercool GPU!". So not as an end-user, but as a manufactuerer I would expect the GTX 480M to work without major overhaul, otherwise I wouldn't be too happy with Nvidia as they make me spend extra money and would probably stick with ATI in the future.

 

Hello,

just my thoughts on this:
W860CU/ W870CU will not officially be supported to upgrade to the 480m; there will be no official BIOS and they will say 480m will run too hot with the existing cooling system in these barebones.
But there will be some ways to upgrade anyway, but not officially.
Just remember the M570RU/ M570TU -> in the M570RU you could upgrade to 9800m GTS, but not to 9800m GTX and GTX 260m/ 280m, though they physically fit and even the cooling system is good enough, it´s not supported! BUT you can get them to work, if you modify the vBIOS and use some special drivers (to unlock the 3D graphics- it is locked if the BIOS doesn´t know the card, see infos at mxm-upgrade.com). You have to live with a 10 seconds of Beeping at startup, as far as I know there is no way to stop that.
Don´t know about the D900F; I guess maybe a BIOS Update will do it.

 

I would say I have to agree what Paladan44 said about this. When he said “Anyone who "expects" the video card in a laptop that already uses the top end card when released to be upgradable does not know much about history”. He should have included Engineering in addition to history.

First off looking at the service manual schematics I can see several different areas that MAY need to be changed electrically. Mechanically there may be problems with the PCB trace impedances (that’s just the start of PCB problems). The heat sink is a whole different issue yet. Of course the bios needs to be updated to recognize the new GPU. I could go on and on of the potential problems.

The problem with this whole TDP thing is that it’s a rough gauge of power use, but does not give you the information of what is going on at the circuit level to talk intelligently. The MXM slot uses several supply rails, each of which requires its own supply with a set of specifications for voltage and current limits. As you know manufacturers may publish a TDP rating, but they do not say under what conditions the circuit is operating at to achieve the TDP they publish. Is the spec an average, or a peak. I suspect it’s an average. The actual circuit specifications are not released to the public, only to oems, and they need to sign NDA’s.

From 25 years of engineering experience I have to say for clevo to actually build high end laptops with the ability to upgrade with the amount of success they have is VERY impressive. It is very easy for people to say it’s only 25W more TDP, why can’t they just plug it in and make it work. It’s not that simple guys, especially when you are pushing the envelope of what is even possible.

So if they offer an upgrade fine, if they don’t it’s not from lack of trying, they may have decided it may not be feasible to do it reliably, safely or economically.

 

Nah, according to Clevo it's already a fact.
I'd agree if we were talking about it 2-3 years ago, but not today.
IMHO, the only reason W870CU might not get 480M is the EOL of the product as there's no point for Clevo in keeping 2 similar systems. W880CU is here already.

 

That is all very true, however, all the things you mentioned are supposed to be harmonized by the MXM standard, even the heat sink is supposed to be universal for every GPU. All this is to reduce costs, so that you do not need to redesign the whole motherboard and stuff for every new GPU or GPU generation. This makes perfect sense. It is expected that the MXM 3.0b form factor will be used until 2011. I'm not stating this because I want the GTX 480M to work in my W860CU so badly (it is too expensive for me anyway) but because if the GTX 480M does not work in the MXM 3.0b slot as it is present in our laptops at this moment, then Nvidia unilaterally destroyed much of the benefit of the MXM form factor. I just don't think manufacturers would appreciate this. It is true that I do not have the same experience as others here, but for me it is a question of logic and business judgment.

Therefore I think it is just the heat dissipation that is an issue and Clevo simply took the opportunity to include other features like USB 3.0 when they improved the cooling system, but this is not necessary. Nevertheless, this has nothing to do with Clevo actually supporting the card in older models. The W870CU already has a successor so they will not officially support the GTX 480M in there to make that GPU a major sales reason for the W88CU. The W860CU is simply another class and supposed to be not as powerful as the W870CU (probably to make the W870CU more attractive), although they are virtually identical. This is why Clevo does not even mention the 920XM as an option for the W860CU. That the D900F gets the upgrade is logical, as it already houses a very good cooling system and the strongest CPU you can get.

 

I just thought you guys should know that D900F dose fully work with 480M.

I just read on kobalt forums, they are upgrading some of their laptops this june to the new GTX 480M, and one of the laptops their upgrading is their Comanche 17 which is based on D900F.

Kobalt Computers Forums

 

I wonder what is the idle temp of the gtx 480 ... ???

if anyone of you know the GPU and CPU utilization problems with that game Dragon Age Origins ...

I wonder how will a D900F with a GTX 480 runs like playing DAO ???

even folks who runs desktop setups ... have temp problems with DAO ...

 

The D900F having and it working with the 480M is not in question to me at all...

 

this is true. and the beast can be fitted with the new i7 980x as well as the choice of a 285M or 480M and finally a quadro fx 3800M
programs and games will be open before you even press the button

more info HERE

 

So you mean with no modifications at all (except the heatsink probably)?