P150HM w/ dead 6990m -- Upgrade to 680m or SM with 780m?

My 6990m died a while back, and while I've been able to resurrect it via baking over and over, it's gotten to the point where I should just look into a more permanent solution. So, the dilemma is whether to just upgrade to the 680m for about $800, or spend $1700 for a P150SM with a 780m.

Basically, are the following jumps worth $900~? Are there other aspects I'm overlooking?

CPU: 2630qm -> 4700mq
RAM: 8GB 1333 -> 8GB 1600
GPU: 680m -> 780m
WiFi: 6230 -> 7260

Any thoughts/opinions would be appreciated!

 

I would say, buy the 680m and save the money for a new notebooks 2-3 years from now.

 

I would say the same.

 

I would go with the 680M. Also, you mentioned $800 for the 680M, but you could also get a 2GB 680M for $550 on eBay. The 680M would never really use more than 2GB anyways.

 

I was under the impression that the 2GB 680m card is a Dell card, and therefore not compatible with Clevo systems?

 

2GB 680GTX isn't compatible with P150HM, AFAIK

 

What the guys above said +1

Best bet and cheapest is the 7970m card which is on par and if not better(fps wise) than the 680m 4GB clevo card on certain games.
However, you will need to have the vbios flashed onto it with the rjtech version or enduro off vbios which is in the jaybee thread(do a search for it here on clevo forums). This may also require a blind flash if seller cannot do it.

Good luck OP

 

Don't know why he's hijacking my thread, especially one denouncing the graphics card he has, lol.

Meaker, do you agree with the assessment of the others regarding my original post? And could you PM me your price for a replacement 680m kit? Thanks.

 

Well he has spammed the forum, some people just don't care it seems.

 

I only speak the truth and am trying to save you $$$.
Strictly on topic your best bet is to get the 780m with the p150SM for another $900 if you can afford it.
The 680m is an ok card and is parallel on games with the 7970m and actually behind in some games hence my reasoning for you to get the 7970m which is compatible with your HM series clevo notebook and is only about $400 or thereabouts saving you half of what you would pay for the 680m clevo 4GB.

If you find these posts spam and hijacking then just ask the mod to delete it. I find it ridiculous that users try to offer advice from experience only to be told this is hijacking.....

 

As I'm a mod, I can see the deleted post that was classified as spam and hijacking.

He's not referring to your post, but the one that was deleted. Don't worry. ;D

 

My sincere apologies to all.
Thnx mod 4 the clarification

 

No worries Have there been any issues with the 7970m failing? I'm leery of going with AMD again -- Nvidia seems to be more reliable. Also, my reseller has told me that AMD changed something in the 7970m after some had already been released, and that the new ones will not work with the P150HM.

Also, are there any issues with the 680m/7970m? All outputs work, sleep/hibernate works, fan control, etc etc?

 

Reballing and reflow?

BGA Rework Cleaning Reballing & Reflowing Using Lead Solder & Kingbo Flux XModdz - YouTube

 

Havne't reballed, but I've reflowed a bunch of times already.

 

Reballing wont do much if it's the solder between the core and package.

We don't sell cards btw.

 

Supralover, for peace of mind the 680m is definitely more compatible with hm clevos. Just make sure it is a clevo 4gb 680m card and that it has the correct vbios installed on it before purchase.
The amd alternative is doable but there are more chances of it going wrong from the card itself i have v1.1g which is strangely different to the more common v1.2g. Get the v1.2g 7970m and get the seller to put rjtech vbios onto it before shipping.
The amd alternative is cheaper but requires more research before purchase.
As with all cards it's a lottery as to when they fail. To circumvent this, paste with ic7 and use good thermal pads for the ic, ram and voltage regulators.

If the p150sm has new warranty then this is advisable than the 3 month on gpu cards and sometimes even no warranty on these gpu cards. Let's put it this way, you need to know what you are doing with these gpu upgrades from software vbios flashes to hardware thermal paste, installation.


Edit- hibernate is an issue with 680m especially if you close lid. You need to reboot to fix this. Everything else works including hdmi output. You need modified inf drivers. The 7970m has issues with hdmi audio does not work. The v1.1g card does accept rjtech vbios but doesn't work with 3D. The eurotech vbios on this works.
Hope this helps.

 

Well, my reseller has said that they can get a 680m for me from Sager....but neither they nor Sager will flash the 80.04.29.00.01 VBIOS on it

So now what? I have no idea if anyone around me has a compatible Sager/Clevo machine -- would an Alienware work?

 

I know that clevo cards work on alienware laptop

 

You now enter the dangerous world of flashing. Enter if you dare

 

I'm fairly tech-savvy, but not confident enough to go at it without help Is there a guide somewhere for using an Alienware to flash the VBIOS? Will any Alienware work?

 

Depends which alienware you buy. The r2 m17x was what i bought to deal with these issues. Fortunately it can accept most mx3b cards except the 780m flingin did the testing and no luck. But with 680m and 7970m it works really well and you can change vbios on it for these cards no sweat and insert into other notebooks.

There is also bios editors which plug onto the bios chip and can reprogram the eeprom but i have no experience in that. Some users are using certain retailers to do this vbios flashing.

Your best bet is to find a seller here on classifieds and ask them kindly to flash the appropriate vbios before sending it to you.

 

Yes most people selling them should have the ability to ensure it has the bios you want.

 

Will the r3/4 m17x or any m18x work? I'm probably just going to post in the AW forums and see if I can find an owner near where I live.

I'd prefer to buy it from Sager directly (via a reseller), just because there's less risk that way of the card having been mistreated in some fashion. Plus there's at least a little warrantly (though I'd assume flashing a vbios voids that, lol).

 

Sager should be able to provide a card with the HM bios if they have any at all left.

 

According to my reseller, neither they nor Sager are willing to flash the vbios. Why? I don't know.

 

Bump!

Does anyone know which models will successfully flash the 680m VBIOS? Do MSI laptops work? What about Dell XPS machines? Or newer Sagers like the NP9150

 

I have an acer 5935G that can flash any MXM card, dual card machines should be able to as well, Dell don't use mxm slots except in alienware and high end workstation machines.

 

Ended up buying a new 680m from Sager via my reseller for $650. Now to find someone nearby with an Alienware I can use…

Thanks for the input!

 

It may not come with the latest vbios on it, give it a try first.

 

Is it just PNP, and see if it shows up as 680m in the BIOS?

 

So long as the heatsink is sorted it should just boot up.

 

Success



Didn't even need to flash the VBIOS. Only needed the modified inf. Huge thanks to Meaker and tron for the help!!

Now to find someone who wants to buy a used & baked 6990m.....

 

Great news. Nice to see these models are easy to fix or upgrade, and can keep going year after year.

 

So long as you get the right pieces of kit and prepare everything it can be quite easy to actually put it in and get 4unning.

 

Welcome to the club

 

I have exactly same problem (p150hm, almost dead 6990m), except I'm from Russia and it is really difficult to find any reseller here...
Can anybody suggest a reseller, who could flash correct vbios and send 680m card here?

 

Speaking of flashing i had a little whoops with my own card and had to recover it in the old acer board:



core 2 and 780m combo

 

Try to contact with XNOTE ( BLUEMOBILITY) they for sure have gtx 680m in stock.