Upgrading P170SM with 780m to mxm 1060 question.

So I got this baby in 2013 and it still runs like a champ, but before I think about replacing it I thought maybe I should think about going down the upgrade route with the 1060 and make it feel like new again.

I was just wondering if someone could give me a run down on how to get this done because from what I've been reading it's not a simple matter of just buying a 1060 off of eBay and plug and play. From what I understand I need to update the bios for the laptop and do some funny stuff with the .inf files to get the drivers from Nvidia to work. The only problem I'm seeing is that the Prema mods that everyone seems to use for their upgrades are no longer available to the public and I have no idea where to get them.

So if anyone could give me any advice I would appreciate it! I've built PC's in the past, but I've never done anything as far as upgrading a laptop before aside from throwing a new SSD in it. Also if anyone has a source on 1060's that are cheaper than what I'm seeing on Ebay that would be appreciated as well.

 

So I did some digging and found a link to Prema mod v2 for the P170SM from late 2014. Is it necessary to update the bios to install a 1060? From what I can gather so far modifying the Nvidia inf may be all that I need to do, but I'm not sure if the card will be handicapped in anyway without a modified bios.

 

Your wondering if prema put in modifications to allow the 1060 to work better back in 2014?

 

I'm wondering if the stock bios in the Sager's somehow make it impossible to upgrade or hinder the performance of GPU architectures that are different from the ones that it was originally released with. The MXM standard in laptops seem to be a lot more nuanced than PCI standards in a desktop. If I built a desktop in 2013 and wanted to upgrade today it would be as simple as just buying an Nvidia 2000 series card and throwing it in there.

 

No BIOS released by Sager has anything to stop it working with any hardware, no white listing etc. The only thing that might sometimes apply is things like G-sync or 3d vision where a third party requires license compliance.

MXM does have more requirements on form factor and I/O and Nvidia no longer release a reference design so yes it is trickier.

 

If that's the case I might pull the trigger on picking up one of the1060 MXM that's on Amazon along with TIM and a copper shim. There's a 90 day return policy so maybe it won't be a total loss if it doesn't work out. But if it's just a matter of plugging it in and playing with the .inf settings to get the drivers going...Man I'm ready to make my 6 year old laptop feel new again.

If I am able to get the upgrade to work that will probably push my desire to get a brand new system back another generation or two, but I gotta say, overall I've been very happy with my Sager. I'm still able to play modern games with some eye candy turned off at a decent fps and everything still runs great as far as overall system performance. The only thing is the battery doesn't hold a charge anymore, which is to be expected and the original mechanical hard drive took a dump on me about 8 months ago, but other than that it's been worth every penny.

 

I’d say go for it. You’d be able to put some much needed performance back in to your laptop.

 

If you can return it then I'd say the cost is worth it as you say to extend the life span if the rest if the system is in good shape.

 

Did you go for it in the end?
Did it work out ok?

I'm in the exact same position p170sm aiming to install a 1060 and seeking advice.

Can you elaborate on what TIM is and how to install the copper shim?
Would that work with the standard heatsink without the need for soldering?

many thanks!