Sager NP8130 with an Upgradable GPU at Gentech

GenTech PC states that the SAGER NP8130, which comes with a NVIDIA 560M, is GPU Upgradable?

Is that true and does the motherboard and cooling design support a future upgrade to a 580M?

If so, thats an awesome deal.

GenTech PC - Systems

 

It's upgradable but you'd have to upgrade the power brick cause the 560 is the most 8130 can handle.

I think you might have sticker shock at GPU upgrades

 

what about the cooling? can it handle a 580M?

what's a sticker shock?

 

You probably can't find the 580m anywhere to buy as an upgrade for a long time, then when it finally shows up probably $1000

 

regardless, Gentech mentioned "GPU Upgradable" for a reason.

 

Yes, it should be able to handle a 580M, but currently no one knows the ETA of the 580M except the resellers *cough*

Lol joking there

But you may have to change a heatsink/thermal compound. Given that the 8130 can handle a 6970M/485M, and that the 580M should have the same TDP as the 485M/6970M, then it follows that it should handle the 580M too.

 

So in order to handle the 580M, we need to upgrade the power brick and replace the heat sink with a bigger one. If that's true, "GPU Upgradable" phrase is misleading. Hope am wrong.

Unless Gentech are implying the Nvidia 570M or AMD 6850M/6950M and not the highest end cards.

ETA on the 580 is not the issue here. this is a technical thread.

 

It's not misleading. All laptops have power constraints. They didn't say you could upgrade to anything.
The sagers are more upgradable than any other laptops around, but you're going to have cooling/power/bios issues to watch for any laptop upgrade.
Even on a desktop you often need to upgrade the power supply if you jump to a radically faster GPU.
Eventually they'll come out with faster GPU that have a similar power draw level as 560. If you can find bios support or hax for it, there's your upgrade.

If you buy an 8150 you don't need to upgrade the power brick.
The 8130 is designed for GPU up to a certain power draw level, then 8150 for higher end.
If your intention is to go highest end with 100tdp cards, then you should get the 8150 in the first place.
Anyway the 580 ship sometime this summer, you can just start out with that GPU instead of paying a ton more to upgrade to it (if it's even available as an upgrade before next year)

 

All resellers are selling the exact same NP8130. They are all upgradable in the sense that they use an MXM 3.0 slot and the GPU can be replaced with other MXM 3.0 cards.

However, the 8130 comes with a 120W power brick. To use the GTX 485/GTX 580/6790M, you need at least the 180W power brick that comes with the 8150.

Many people on these forums have upgraded their GPUs but the cost is over $600 with the cost of buying a new PSU and heatsink as well.

 

Not really, a lot of laptops have their GPU's shouldered into the desktop itself and you cannot rip it out. Sagers don't and you can switch things in and out

 

Hey, you got one!

did you ask your reseller if you can upgrade your GPU in the future with a simple swap?

 

There are drozens of people with this laptop including myself. Check the owners lounge forum. What are you asking actually? Everything people have said on the last page is true. People on these forums have swapped the GPU in the 8130 before from the 460M to the 6970M, etc. I'm not sure what you are trying to ask in regard to resellers.

As I already said, you'll need a new PSU (180W) and the new GPU (6970M, 580M, etc.) and the new heatsink (usually the GPU and required heatsink comes in a package).

If you check the buy and sell section, you can even see them together in the box. Cost is $600+ if you include the PSU. It maybe isn't "simple swap" as you might hope but compare it to a desktop system where switching the graphics card might mean you need a more powerful PSU and you might change the heatsink on the card as well. Removing the old heatsink and old GPU and replacing with the new parts is actually a very easy process of unscrewing a dozen screws and it comes right out.

A Sager is user upgradeable in the same sense as a desktop computer is upgradeable but you might need to buy some new parts for it to handle the new hardware. With most other laptops, you don't even have that option as the GPU may be integrated, soldered on, or the case might not be openable without voiding warranty with your reseller etc. Everything on the Sager is easily serviced by the user.

If you want an easier route, consider buying the 8150 instead as it already comes with the more powerful PSU. Then all you'll need to do is buy the new GPU+Heatsink when it comes out.

 

@ Electric Shock :

LOL, the photo you published is taken from my sell announce. ( never mind, all is copylefted as explained in my signature below )

But the price for the 6970M + heatsink + PSU is cheaper of what you think, it's $546 shipped.

 

Thanks. helpful numbers.

I was just wondering if this was a revised version of the NP8130 that can handle a GPU upgrade via a simple swap (no need for PSU/heat sink upgrades). i had this inquiry because Gentech PC and other resellers never mentioned the phrase "Upgradable GPU" for the older model with the 460M. Apparently as all of you guys noted, it is still the same thing. I just got lost in translation.