NP8690 upgrade to 470M possible and BF3 worthy?

I currently have an NP8690 with an NVidia GTX 280m (no USB 3.0). Is an upgrade to a 470M a simple plug and play without modification? I read conflicting info saying it's not compatible with this laptop (specifically this early mobo without USB 3.0) and others say it's fine. I was looking at upgrade options like the 6970M but the process involved was too much.

I'd just like a decent upgrade that will let me play some of the newer games. I don't need to play it at max settings. I currently play BFBC2 on this machine and would like to get a hold of BF3 but after trying the beta it looks like I may be nearing the end. It's playable at low settings but the beauty is pretty much gone.

thanks!

 

Even with 570 it would not be worth the upgrade. If you can, put a 6970 or 6990 inside. Check the power requirement first. I think an 180W adapter is due.

 

You know I think the NP8690 with no USB 3.0 was before the motherboard revision to add in MXM 3.0 for the GPU. So, you may be limited to just the GTX 280M (MXM 2.1) as the other cards you mentioned are all MXM 3.0 cards

Edit: oan001 corrected me, should be MXM 3.0

 

That is not correct. All NP8690/W860CU have MXM 3.0

You might want to search throught the owners thread, as there has been debate about this specific card.

I myself just ordered a 6970m, and even though it might be a hassle, it will be well worth it with upto 100% gain in fps

 

Odd, I must be thinking of a different model. I appreciate the info oan001.

 

Is there a set of instructions/requirements for it. From what I gather to complete the upgrade to a 6970m I just need:

- modify/cut my current heatsync from my 280m card to accommodate a couple chips (according to mxm-upgrade.com site)

- possibly get a 180W psu (which one?)

- any update to bios?

- anything else?

 

- If you get a clevo card (green) there is a possibility that you don't need to odify your heatsink. Otherwise you can cut is, as mxm suggests or trim it down , as one member herer did: http://forum.notebookreview.com/sag...870cu-sager-np8690-np8760-15.html#post7785453

- You might get away with using the standard 120W PSU. My processor is a step beneath yours but they both draw 45W from the mainboard. Hopefully I can do without getting a 180W. If your PSU runs very hot get a 180W PSU from a dealer. The PSU used for the P150 works.

- Bios update is not needed

- Update drivers to AMD


I've ordered a Dell 6970m and I will post pics etc. when it arrives and I have <s>forced the card to fit using a hammer</s> installed it.

 

Thanks for the info! I plan on getting one from eurocom so I assume that's the clevo card.

 

I would also be eternally greatful, got the 5870 atm and while it isnt a slouch and run the game on High with no probs I wouldnt mind a little comfort room.

would the heatsink need to be modified for the ATI card that I have as its the same brand, or am I begin far to naive ?

Many Thanks

Josh

P.S How much did the card cost if you dont mind me asking?

 

check the link oan001 posted. It describes an upgrade from a 5870. It has a picture of what needs to be modified and one way to do it.

I will probably have to do some cutting as I will be modifying a 280m heatsync which I think is similar to the 285m heatsync shown at Clevo W870CU

 

Cheers mate, just saw the link lookes possible for even a noob like me! wouldnt mind giving it a go if it can be done fairly cheap. You know how muc hthe cards cost ?

 

What you are probably thinking of is the fact that the motherboards before the USB 3.0 update are less likely to work with the upgraded GPU's due to differences in power and design.

 

I can also confirm the Liteon Targus 180W universal adaptor also works perfectly.

I didn-t know about USB 3 though. Does the NP8690 indeed have it. The machine has afterall had its second birthday. I can also confirm the 6970 is indeed a beast. The 470M doesn-t come close considering that card is similiar in performance to the 480M which the 6970M trounces by up to 30%.

Plus OCability is due attention. stock 1.1V 680-900mhz, while the card can do around 800mhz- 1050 at 1V undervolt.

With stock cooling and heatsinks the temps are well within reason - below 85C

 

Are there links to actual experiences of these differences?

 

Yeah I am postive mine hasn-t got USB 3 but it runs the 6970 just fine.

Surely compatibility comes down to 2 things: Physical ie does the laptop have a mxm 3.0B slot which it does and is the card recognised by the system bios.

USB 3.0 is simply up to SATA 2 speed USB

 

I got my card from Table21 on this forum for $250 + shipping. I really hope it will work as it is a Dell OEM-card. If not I guess I will have to trade/sell it.

 

$250 is really cheap if that alienware card works, I'll be also getting one for my birthday then.

The only problem I'll have is that I need to get the 180w power supply..
My 920xm uses 75w on its own with a big overclock, and it wont even boot to windows when on battery.

 

IIRC the P150HM power supply works with the 8690.

 

Yup. It might be cheaper however to get a Universal Liteon Targus 180W supply though.

Very good build quality and it comes with interchangeable tips so you can use it with your next laptop if it needs a more powerful supply

 

What about this one: 230 Watt AC Adapter

I'm not sure if the motherboard is gonna be able to handle the 230W though.

 

The motherboard will only swallow what it can chew. So only when it needs 230 W would it draw that much. If it works good find! I glance at the back of the brick and the tip would be good then could find out whether it is compatible or not

 

The problems is if it swallows too much and chokes. Especially for the people with the XM CPUs and likes to overclock the hell out of their system.

 

I am pretty sure it will be fine. So long as the voltage is between 18.5 and 20V. And the circuitry - + or + - matches the laptop as well as the tip. It is more damaging if people push their systems hard and don't have the power to match when it is needed. A bigger PSU is simply a safty net like in desktop systems. If the VRMS can't provide more than a certain amount of power they will reach that limit anyway. Personally I would rather reach that limit with a PSU that isn't being stressed beyond its limits.

 

No, this is just something a few resellers and Sager has warned about in the past. When asked for further information, Sager provided no details at all.

 

I'm seeing the 6970 sold with soldered posts and without soldered posts. Is the installation possible without the soldered posts? I also have a 280m pre mxm 3.0 board and was wondering before I purchase a 6970which card I needed. If the posts is unclear just ebay search ati 6970m and you'll see what i mean. Theyre towards the bottom

 

I got the one without the soldered posts as that seemed like the correct one. I'll ask them again to make sure. Also, If you prefer to not have to do any modification to your heatsink you can ask them about it after you order. They can send you a modified heatsink for about $95.

 

They told me that since I ordered the heatsink as well it will come ready to install with all the appropriate parts. No need to worry about posts/no posts.

So far it's been very pleasant dealing with them.

 

Another cool thing about dealing them is that, I requested a green card,since i know the green ones are made by clevo and I wouldnt have to do any modification to the heatsink and just pop it in

 

Are you sure about that? The heatsink used for the 280m needed to be modified/replaced in every instance that I've seen.

 

There's a higher possibility that the 280m heatsink won't have to be modified if you get the clevo version of the 6970m(green). I did alot of research on this. I eventually went through with buying the card with the soldered posts because i figured I would need them since I'm gonna be suing my old heat sink.Probably won't matter for you tho because you're using a whole new heatsink. Oh and the 280m heatsinks and the 5870 heatsinks as described in the modification link, are actually quite similar. Upon more research it shows that the 280m and the 5870 heatsinks have been modified in the past so they go hand in hand

 

Does anyone know if the cpu's can be swapped just like the gpu's?

 

Yes they can. The best value is the 920xm.

 

Well I got the 6970 card with the included heatsink but have not had success in getting it to work. Every time I boot up and get into windows the laptop keeps beeping. Then I hear the gpu fan run at max speed and then 15 seconds or so later it shuts down. Any ideas?

I tried re-seating the card. The heatsink appears to make good contact with the gpu as the AS5 paste I put on appears to spread evenly throughout the chip. The way the gpu fan spins up makes me think the gpu is overheating so it shuts itself down.

 

btw here's my info in case it's relevant:

BIOS: 1.01.01S LS2
EC: 1.00.01
CPU: i7 820QM
RAM: 8GB DDR3
HD: 120GB OCZ Agility SSD

 

started a new thread with driver issues

 

Did you get your card from Eurocom (upgradeyourlaptop)? Which color is it?

You might have to add some thermal pads to the backside of the card to get it working. I installed mine this weekend and before adding pads to the backside the machine shut down while running furmark.

You can see where you need to add pads on this page, towards the bottom: Clevo W870CU

You should monitor temps with hwinfo64 and see if your memory/shader temps are high as well.

 

I got the card working by updating the EC/BIOS. My current issue is with the drivers. I've tried installing 11.9, 11.10 and 11.11 but have been unable to run at my native resolution of 1920x1080 All the catalyst drivers top out at 1600x900. I've tried virtually everything I can think of. I also tried sager drivers. I even edited the registry settings to force that display and it still didn't work. Short of reinstalling windows I don't know what else to try.

So I can either go back to the nvidia card and run at 1080p but with a weaker video card. Or suck it up and take the compromise of running at 1600x900 with a much beefier graphics card :-/