NP9280/D900F: Graphics Card Upgrade Options

I've not posted recently, been scanning the forums every other day.

I've been extremely pleased with my D900F (specs in sig) and have recently been thinking about upgrading its graphics card.

I mostly just play WoW, SC2 and will play D3 (once it comes out) ... the GTX280M has been great for this, I can run 1900x1200 with decent frames rates.

I know there is an upgrade option in the GTX480M (if my particular D900F notebook supports it)

Price is not an issue, for me its more a question of effort .. ordering the damn thing, installing it, dealing with its extra heat ... then only to see no performance gain will really aggravate me

So I really wonder if there will be a significant performance difference between GTX280M and the GTX480M playing WoW Cataclysm ... the GTX480M does offer DX11 for future titles.

Looking at the 470M benchmarks just confuses me more to be honest and I am not even sure if I can use it in my D900F, or where to get it.

So I am looking for some advice, do you all think upgrading to a GTX480M will be worth it playing WoW Cataclysm? ... or should I just be patient and wait and see if something else comes along that will work in the D900F?

Thanks!

 

What about 460m or 470m?

 

How about the comming GTX485M~~

 

LoL.10 chars!

 

SemiAccurate :: Nvidia to launch GF119 at CES

 

Thanks, Patrck_744. That's some good information. I was not aware of that.

Nvidia and their lovely naming conventions to baffle us all

I am pretty happy with the GTX280M, so I think I should just hold out and see what comes out.

Hopefully the next generation cards will work in the D900F ... though who really knows.

 

We neeed a BIOS update for D900F to support those kind of cards, assuming they still use the same MXM as our machines.

 

MXM 2 has been around since the 6000, maybe even 5000 series and has gone all the way up to the 200 series. MXM 3.0 pretty much started at the 200 series and now we are at 400. I'd predict we wond see a totally new MXM type until the Nvidia series gets to 900 and has to start over again.

BIOS support will definitely be the issue here if there is one with the d900f. I'm sure you know Alienware users have tried the 470m and got it only half working. You could just get another gtx 280m and run them in SLI.

With clevo machines, however, it seems a lot more likely to work because other models have already been released with these cards (in fact the same exact ones alienware users are trying)
and if you have to mod the BIOS, you at least have something like the x7200 BIOS to look at and compare.

 

I thought that at the end of its life some stores offered the D900F with a 480m as an option, so at least that should work.

 

Yes, some did - but that also included a new heatsink and some small but important rearrangement of the cooling layout internally - and, I presume, a new BIOS, and maybe some changes to the PSU too. I asked my pusher (Multicom, Norway) about sending in my D900F to get it done, and they said no, it doesn't work like that - I would need a brand new D900 chassis, taylor made for the GTX 480M, to make it work. Therefore clearly not worth the money to get Dx11 and - let's face it - not a huge boost in performance. So I skipped that.
I am aware that this contradicts the upgrade kit XoticPC offers, that brutal linked to, but that was the answer from Multicom, at least.

 

they just want to sell u a new machine
you can order the kit and DIY
YouTube - Eurocom NVIDIA GTX480M Installation

 

Well I am a bit bummed out, I shot a question to xoticpc yesterday and asked if I would be able to upgrade the GTX280M in my D900F to a GTX485M. I am sure that information was somewhere on these forums too, though I did not spot it (not that I searched that hard) Was easier to just ask them, anyways, this was their response:

"The 9280 Sager model can actually only be upgraded up to the 480m gpu. We would not be able ot install a 485m chip in there. If you are interested in upgrading to that 480m, we would need your serial number so we could get a quote on it from sager for you."

I seriously love the CPU in this notebook, it would have been sweet to be able to upgrade to the GTX485M. The GTX480M is not an option IMO, the performance gain is mediocre at best and not much that I have read on these forums speak very highly of it. I figure it better to just keep the GTX280M till the end of my notebooks life span.

So my experience so far with Sager has been that they are not really all that upgradable. With my D901C I had to go through a whole (discounted) mobo song and dance upgrade before I could get those 8800 installed and in SLi. With this D900F, I have the option a GTX480M, but if my model is one of the earlier ones, then chances are there maybe even complications with that

... don't get me wrong, I'll still take a Clevo over a dell or something like that, I just wish it was a bit more upgradable like it's sold as. It would be great if you could upgrade the GPU once or twice in the notebooks lifetime.

 

i think 470m heatsink for d900f + modded inf 485m might work......if the d900f bios can recognize 485m
just like the way gtx280m mxm2.1 on d900c

 

I have tested the following cards in the D900F:





I have tested also the GTX 460M + modded INF. The card does not change the frequencies to full power in 3D. The BIOS does not recognized the video card properly.





The GTX 480M works in older D900F. The 480M D900F heatsink should fit for 485M but i think the BIOS is the problem.

 

@SFVogt, thanks for posting your results. I also fear BIOS would be an issue.

I'll keep reading the forums though, we are bound to see someone actually trying it if it can be done.

I am not that adventurous myself

 

I sent emails to three shops (in germany). I asked for the current price of the GTX 485M. I waiting for answer =)

 

Germany:

GeForce GTX 485M => 785€ inkl. 19% VAT (~ 1085 USD)

Thats a lot of money ^^

 

Hi guys.

I hope someone can help me with this.

I have just bought a Nvidia GTX 480M GPU for my Kobalt Comanche 17 (D900F) laptop to replace the old Nvidia GTX285M GPU that I got when I first bought the
laptop but the problem I have ran into is the heatsink+fan that came with the GTX 480M GPU doesn`t fit properly inside the Kobalt Comanche 17 (D900F) laptop.

I have read that i`ll also need a special CPU cooler heatsink specially designed for D900F to accommodate a NVIDIA GeForce GTX 480M GPU heatsink+fan
designed for D900F.

Although the heatsink+fan doesn`t fit properly, I managed to test the GTX 480M GPU out and it is working perfectly inside the Kobalt Comanche 17 laptop.

I know Kobalt Comanche 17 laptop is definitely compatible with the GTX 480M GPU because Kobalt was selling them with this GPU, although i`m not sure
if they still do.

Does anyone know where I could buy both of these from, the special CPU cooler heatsink and GTX 480M GPU heatsink+fan for the D900F model laptop
and should work also inside a Kobalt Comanche 17 laptop as this laptop actually is still a D900F and will also ship to the UK?

I also noticed there is what looks like black tape that is around the the main GPU chip, do you have to remove this tape before fiting any heatsink on or
does this tape have to stay on?

Check out the screenshot below of the black tape i`m on about:



Thanks for responding.

Sylver123.

 

Eurocom sells a modified D900F heatsink for HD5870:
http://cgi.ebay.com/ATI-HD5870-vide...110535397132 end time Feb-13-11 09:27:19 PST)

You should talk to them if that is also a solution for 480M GTX or if they know some other way to make it work.
You could also ask around the clevo/alienware HD5870 owners the board dimensions and heatsink point positions
to find yourself if that heatsink works for 480M.

 

Here's a youtube tutorial doing just that, but you will need an alternate CPU heatsink:
YouTube - Eurocom NVIDIA GTX480M Installation

 

that black tape comes with sli bridge

its not necessary....no need remove
thanks speedy

 

"Release" D900F CPU heatsink:




you need "480M" D900F CPU heatsink:




because of the big 480M card heatsink:




I got the heatsinks from clevo germany. I have installed heat spreader on the memory chips on the back.

 

Hi Mate.

Do you mean the black tape is not needed and so I can just take it off the around the the main GPU chip or are you saying no need remove, meaning leave it on?

Thanks.

I looked at the first page of this thread and notced member brutal posted a link to xoticpc that supposedly sells the complete
GTX 480M Upgrade kit for D900F which includes a GTX 480M GPU.

I have contacted xoticpc hoping they would be able to sell me Upgrade kit but without the GPU and so, i`m just waiting on response from them.

I do hope its not going to be too difficult to find a place that sells preferably both the special CPU cooler heatsink and GTX 480M GPU heatsink+fan.

Sylver123.

 

Have you tried contacting kobalt?

 

Yes but I have had no response from them yet.

The reason why i`m asking for help here aswell is just for backup, just in case kobalt can`t help.

 

Thats a heat spreader? Doesn't look very effective to me.

 

It is also clear to me that these little aluminum heatsinks do not cool the memory chips down to 0 degrees. But the heat spreader to take a little heat from the chips, therefore it is certainly better than without.

 

How is it doing that?
It appears to me that the metal is not making contact with the chips.
I think a simple sheet of copper from your local hardware or craft store would work much better.
Do the newer nvidia cards have temp sensors on the vRAM?

 

Thanks a lot guys for responding to my help inquiry about trying to find a place to buy the special CPU cooler heatsink and
the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 480M GPU heatsink for my Kobalt Comanche 17 laptop and recently bought GTX 480M GPU.

I gave Eurocom Corporation - Number 1 in Desktop Replacement Notebook Technology, that deal with clevo D900F laptop hardware
upgrades etc a contact yesterday to see if they sell a kit with the componants I needed.

I have just received word back from Eurocom today that they have a complete NVIDIA GTX 480M GPU upgrade kit for D900F for 112.50 GBP + shipping.

The kit includes the same special CPU cooler heatsink and the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 480M GPU heatsink from the screenshots posted above.

They sent me a screenshot of the complete upgrade kit they have, showing me what is included, see the url below.

http://oi55.tinypic.com/doqanl.jpg

I take it this kit is definitely the one I require?

Thanks for responding.

 

The heatspreaders were glued with thermal pads.

Copper is better for active cooling. Aluminum is sufficient on the back, there is no active cooling.

Yes exactly what you need =)

 

So has anyone successfully done this, or upgraded to any other cards? I have heard that the 560m was compatible.

 

GTX485m is compatible with D900F after heatsink and vbios modifications.

[User-Review] 17,1" Clevo D900F Gamer/Workstation Notebook - Seite 7 - Forum de Luxx

http://forum.notebookreview.com/com...e-2-x-nvidia-gtx-485m-mxm-3-0b-2gb-gddr5.html

 

Any guides on how to do this? I have never done something like that before, just pop in/pop out and update drivers. One of those links was in German.

Additionally, after doing some research, I have read that there are TWO versions of the NP9280 that were released, one is compatible with the 480m, and one is not? Don't know if that is true, or how I would even tell which version I have....

 

Also, what are the chances that a future mobile graphics card will be compatible with the d900f

 

Also, what about external GPU's?