X7200 with SLI GTX 680m - how it works, Impressions, Benches

So finally I got my 2 GTX 680m´s from One.de - they were not too expensive if you compare to other companies, so I am very satisfied.

Since the first benches of the GTX 680m I thought of upgrading to the 680m´s - my 485m´s were ok til then, because overclocked to 675m GTX clocks they came very close to them.
But since the GTX 680m were about twice as fast as a 580m, I just had to try .

I was not the only one, and we kept asking resellers in different forums if it were possible to upgrade. No one knew for sure. Eurocom to this day tried to mod the Bios to get SLI to work properly, while a single GTX 680m runs without problems.
The problem with SLI is that there isn´t a button showing up in the nvida control panel to enable it, no matter what modded driver or vBios were used.

The user Myrsprett then just did it and bought two GTX 680m, you can read the whole story here:
http://forum.notebookreview.com/sag...689439-x7200-panther-2-0-nvidia-680m-sli.html

After some reasearching about enabling SLI, we found that there is a user named anatolymik who has not only invented Hyper-SLI, but found a solution for the M17Rx users to use GTX 580m who had the same problem of not showing up the "enable SLI" button.
And he had modded some drivers for different SLI-options, but with the last modded driver 301.42, it didn´t support the GTX 680m yet.
So Myrsprett finally found a trick to install the modded driver, as he changed ID´s to make the driver installation think he has a GTX 580m.

After that I knew that now I can buy two of them and they will work...

So I did, and if you want to, this is the only solution found so far to enable GTX 680m SLI on a X7200:

The heatsinks for GTX 485m/ 580m fit for the GTX 680m! They really do! So there is nothing to worry about .
After you installed both GPU´s, they will show up as "nVida VGA card" in your BIOS. Don´t worry, the start up screen looks a little teared, but after that, you have a normal boot screen!
Download the nvidia driver 310.70 from their site.

Windows will detect both of your GTX 680m´s as Standard VGA cards. Download 310.70 from the nvidia site.
Since the X7200 does not officially support GTX 680m, you can use an modded inf from laptopvideo2go, and it will install the driver. Or you can use Sirana´s inf mode guide as described later in this posting.
However, to enable SLI you need to first delete all nvidia drivers! Use "driver sweeper" to be sure there is nothing left of old installations! Otherwise it may or may not work .

When everything is correct and the driver 310.70 is installed, reboot!

Now you can download now the patch from here (310.70):
Index of /DifferentSLI
Extract it and run "install.cmd".

After that, reboot!
And NOW after rebooting is finished, Windows will say that this system is ready for SLI! You can now go to the control center and enable it finally!
I tested and played til now without a single crash, which is better than with my "original 6970m x-fire" cards that WERE supported .

Depending on what vBios you have on your GTX 680m´s, it may throttle your gpu. There are a lot of new vBios on the net. Just try out
http://forum.techinferno.com/genera...-editions-modified-clocks-voltage-tweaks.html

Now you are ready and able to to use SLI in your X7200!
Temps are amazing - though I had to repaste one of the cards, it got a little hot (up to 86° Cel.), but that was due to the fact that I wanted to test it so badly that I just didn´t do a good job the first time .
So now they stay under 80° (most of the time not hotter than 76°).
Utilisation seems to be pretty good.

The GTX 680m works with that SLI hack without problems, so why is it not officially supported! It´s a shame on Clevo that they do NOT support it.

That said, it´s time for some Benches. Some Benches were taken before the new driver 310.70 came out, at that time we had to trick to believe it´s GTX 580m, so don´t ask yourself why, that was the reason .


3DMark11 - stock clocks

Spoiler

3DMark Vantage (P)

Spoiler

Heaven Benchmark 2.5

Spoiler

New 3DMark (2013), stock clocks:

Spoiler

Catzilla Benchmark, stock clocks:

Kitty:

Spoiler

Cat:

Spoiler

Tiger:

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Unigine Valley, stock clocks:

Preset: Basic

Spoiler

Preset: Extreme HD

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Lost Planet 2 - highest settings

Spoiler

Test A


Test B

Mafia 2 - highest settings, PhysX off

Spoiler

Dirt 3 - highest settings

Spoiler

Dirt Showdown - highest settings

Spoiler

F1 2011 - highest settings (2012 has some bugs and can´t detect my resolution, til it is fixed, benches may be not accurate...)

Spoiler

Overclocking benches:
All benches were made by the max settings I could do without getting errors. Sometimes the CPU is overclocked, too, you can see that in the screenshots...

3DMark Vantage overclocked:

Spoiler

3DMark 11 overclocked:

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3DMark (new 2013) overclocked:

Icestorm:

Spoiler

Cloud Gate

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Fire Strike

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Catzilla Benchmark overclocked:

Kitty:

Spoiler

Cat:

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Tiger:

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Unigine Valley overclocked:

Preset: Basic

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Preset: Extreme HD

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SIRANAS INF MOD GUIDE for GTX 680m

Here is a little guide for all who want to install the newest drivers; you just have to mod them to make them fit the X7200.
Remember, this has NOTHING to to with SLI - it´s only for one card, at this point!
Sirana was so kind and made a very good guide, and here it is:

 

thanks for posting.
so you are now running 680sli
why is gpuz and a couple of your benches showing it as a GTX 580M and also your 3dmark06 score is even lower than my single 680 which i get a score of between 22000 and 23100
your vantage score is about 10000 higher though

 

GTX 580m is shown because I tricked the driver to believe it´s GTX 580 in in the infs, because it´s an older driver who doesn´t support GTX 680m, but the only one modded so I can use SLI .
And yes, the 3DMark06 is strange, but it was before. With my GTX 485m, I always had the same points, even when I overclocked them - other scores went up, but not 3DMark06. I reinstalled it one time, didn´t do it. So I just live with it .

 

Sooo glad you got it working!
I also can confirm the 680M is recognized as "nVidia VGA Card" in the BIOS. In my case I only need to add my Hardware-ID's to the driver .inf to pass the compatibility check. If anyone needs to know how to do it, I could add some screenshots.
As for overclocking, most vbios's I tried are throttling for me. The only one that did not was this one, but after I quit a 3D application and launch another one the Core and Memory are stuck at 324... so I just stick with Svl7's Clevo vbios that at least allow me for 836/2200 in games.

So yeah any x7200 owner can officially pull the trigger to get his machine on the next level

 

Yes, I´m glad, too...

Interesting with the different vBios... since I just got my cards yesterday, there still is a lot to test...

Maybe showing some screenshots is a good idea, there are a lot people I believe who don´t know how simple it can be .

 

Amazing good job dude

 

its threads like these that make nbr just awesome! happy for all x7200 owners out there

Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using Tapatalk 2

 

How to mod the Driver guide incoming. You could include it in your OP!

Step 1
Go to the path were you extracted the driver and enter the folder "Display.Driver".


Step 2
Open nvcv.inf with an editor.


Step 3
Find the following section:


Step 4
Go to Device Manager, right click on NVIDIA GeForce GTX 680M and select "Properties". In the opening window, go to the "Details" tab, and switch to "Hardware-IDs" in the drop down menu.


Step 5
Back in the nvcv.inf: Scroll down to %NVIDIA_DEV.11A0.
Create a new line with the following, and edit it with the info of your Device Manager:

--> Step 6 next post, because I may only insert 6 attachments per post.

//Edit: Done

 

Step 6
Go back to your Device Manager, and instead of "Hardware-IDs" in the 680M Properties, now select "INF SECTION" in the drop down menu.
Edit the line of Step 5 with this number.


Step 7
Copy your new edited line and insert it in the next section:



Step 8
Last but not least, our Device shall be known as 680M! Therefore Search for "680M" or just scroll down almost to the end and find this section.
You need to create a new line and edit it with your Hardware-ID's, this time seperate it with dots i.e. 11A0.7200.1558 =


Step 9
That's it! Save and exit the nvcv.inf file and click on the Setup.exe, and enjoy a successful compatibility screen

 

3DMark06 is CPU dependant that's why your scores are the same. Remember its designed to push a 2006 computer

Sent from my Samsung Captivate/ICS CM9 via Tapatalk.

 

indeed, 3dmark06 is mostly dependant on the cpu. The most accurate benchmark nowadays is vantage and 3dmark 11

 

Nice guide Sirana. I think I'll be upgrading to 680M. The only thing that I was afraid of was the 580M heatsink not fitting on the 680M.

 

Generally, I agree with the 3Mark06 -CPU-thing, but in this case I believe it´s something else. Maybe if I reinstalled windows... but just because to see what´s happening then I will not do that since everything else is fine .
The thing is, it is nearly exactly the same score as with my GTX 485m in SLI and the same score as with ONE GTX 680m (tested that before). And it is nearly the same score as with my 6970m X-fire... and other people with one card and overclocking get significantly higher scores, and as my CPU is a Hexacore 3,2 GHz CPU, it is not that bad, too...

 

Very good guide! Thanks! I could include it in OP and quote it, but I thing the attachments will be lost? I have space on a own website and could get the pics there and change the path in your quotes - only if it is ok for you, of course. +1

 

One more thing: I got a few PM´s of people asking what about the fans: They are completely ok, they run automatically, nothing is stucked at 100% as some Alienware-users seemed to have reported in older machines.
And I only use one power supply. At least till now it was enough power for the CPU and both cards...

 

Sure, it's perfectly fine with me.

 

3DMark06 isn't designed for hex cores though. 2006... try OCing the CPU and the scores should jump. That's how bottlenecked by the CPU that bench is. Its really all CPU by today's standards.

Awesome to hear about the fa s though. If I had the funds I'd be doing g this upgrade. Awesome pawah!

Sent from my Samsung Captivate/ICS CM9 via Tapatalk.

 

Well I overclocked my CPU some months ago and got 6500 points for the CPU - 500 more than my normal score.
The overall score went up - but not THAT much, some dozen points, same as I overclocked my GTX 485m...
So this ist just a strange thing...

 

Yea I'm not crazy about it either. You just don't see the gains.

I love the X7200! Just wish O wasn't broke at the moment lol. Just got my second 1TB drive. Next is 680Ms.

Sent from my Samsung Captivate/ICS CM9 via Tapatalk.

 

Yeah, it´s a great machine! Hope we will be able to get newer drivers to work with it, though .

What is broken?

 

Sorry, had a few beers. Meant to type I'm broke. Gotta save for the 680Ms.

Sent from my Samsung Captivate/ICS CM9 via Tapatalk.

 

LOL, ok, Cheers, that´s a good idea .

 

I have 2 questions:
Will the 460m heatsinks fit the 680m, or would I have to order the 580m version of the heatsink?
Does the 4gb version of the 680m have double density memory chips, or does it have two times the number of memory chips, with memory chips on the back as well? If that is the case, the with the 580m heatsinks are not desig ed to cool the chips on the other side, are there problems regarding this issue?

I think im sending tbe p370em back, the temps are outrageous, and upgrading the x7200 would be another solution.

Sent from my GT-N7000 using Tapatalk 2

 

As Tirenz already mentioned, the 485M/580M heatsink fits "perfectly". I don't think the 460M Heatsink fits as it's a bit different.
I can only encourage you to upgrade your x7200, with 680M(s) it's still the leading machine on the market, and the improvements of his successor (P270) are negligible.

 

Ok so I need new heatsinks. No problem. How about the ram issue, does it have double the memory chips (meaning ram on the other side) ?
If that is so, is that gonna pose a problem with the 580m heatsink? Because the ram on the other side is not in contact with any thermal pads.

Sent from my GT-N7000 using Tapatalk 2

 

What power supply are you using tirenz?
I got 300w but it some times shouts down when running a heavy operation with sli on.
Il then have to replug the adapter and connect a second one to get it working.

 

I expected that Myrsprett, the 680M's are stated to have a TDP of 100W but in reality they consume more. MySN measured a total power consumption of 304W on their 680M SLI setup under full load, which is slightly above our 300W power bricks.

 

What software to you run when it shuts down?
I only tested some games that you can see in the first post and played a little bit BF3 - with no problems so far.
I have the same 300w power supply as you I guess.
I never tested Furmark + Prime95 at the same time, though... maybe that would do it, but any "real" application never shut down.
But it can be that the extreme CPU´s use need Watt than my i7-970, too.

 

I will take a picture of my heatsink (GTX 485m/ 580m using the same heatsink) and post it here, then you can see if it is possible to use it or not. Give me a day or too.
What exactly do you mean by the RAM problem? Sorry, don´t understand what you mean by that question... ? The ram slots are underneath the keyboard, as far as I remember - 3 slots. I changed it in spring 2011, so it´s some time ago, but that´s what I remember...

 

He's talking about the VRAMs on the 680M

 

Guild wars 2 and some other operations. eks spotify, bitorent, skype.....

I solved the problem by having sli disabled when 1 adapter connected.

 

Ah!
It looks identical to the ones of my GTX 485m. Not "doubled".
But will check that if I make the pic of the heatsink.

 

You mean when you run Guild Wars 2 and Skype and so on running at the same time?
Ok, I am not running anything when I game, always just run the game. If it´s the game I can´t tell, don´t have Guild Wars 2....

 

Yes I allways running serval operations at the same time even whengaming.

Btw are you using the 301.42 laptop version or desktop?
If you using the desktop version you dont need to restart your computer when enabling/disabling sli.
And its also a good thing to download the new nvidia driver and copy all over to 301.42 except display driver folder.:thumbsup:

 

Maybe that explains it.... or Guild Wars 2 is so CPU AND GPU demanding...?

I use the laptop version - didn´t know the desktop driver would fit for that mod... any improvements over the laptop driver? Other than enable SLI without restart?
That´s a good idea with copying all except the display driver folder... thanks for the hint!

 

Yah i was talking about the video Ram. I was meaning the following. If by achieving 4 GB of video memory the card has double the number of memory chips, that would mean there are memory chip on the side thats beneath, that is not in contact with any thermal pads. You just need to look at the mxm board.

Later Edit. Skip that. As it seems from these pictures, there are memory chip on the under side:
NVIDIA GeForce GTX680M 4 GB GDDR5 RAM MXM 3.0, Notebookbarebone.de Notebooks selber bauen!

That what i was talking about. There are no thermal pads on the under side cooling those memory chips. Maybe in laptop where one knows from the start that there is a card with memory chips underneath to be inserted, one would take that into consideration when designing the heatsink/thermal pads.

This is what i am talking about. I hope i made myself understood.
ANd how much did you payed for the GPUs ? The link i displayed above lists the GPU at 700 euros. Very expensive in my opinion.

 

Yes, but the GTX 580m has that too:
NVIDIA GeForce GTX580M 2 GB GDDR5 RAM MXM 3.0, Notebookbarebone.de Notebooks selber bauen!
Since I don´t know if I am allowed to tell you that price in public, I´ll send a PM to you .

 

Now it´s up in the first post . Thanks again.

 

just saw this: BIOS-Modding: How to update PCI ROM modules of an AMI/Phoenix/Award BIOS - BIOS/BIOS-Modding - Win-Lite Forum

Maybe we can get RAID-0 TRIM with this. I dont know if this doable for our BIOS.

 

i got 37200 p gpu score with 7970m CF and 3920xm. arent the 680m sli suppose to score more, like 37500 or something, or is that because the cpu you have is weaker than the 3920xm ?
Or is it because there is a problem or something with the setup that you have !

 

if i remember corectly a member from here had order a 7970m kit for his P150HM,and it was defective,and nothing news from them.
i hope you be lucky....
but they are in germany too,so if anything happens you know the way.....

 

Looks like the 3dmark 2011 score is corect, yourse is a bit bigger:
AMD Radeon HD 7970M video card benchmark result - Intel Core i7-3920XM Processor Extreme Edition,CLEVO P370EM score: P10343 3DMarks

 

Many things, which of them are the most important I don´t know :
I remember the first GTX 680m SLI scores to be pretty close to my score - with the first "inoffical" driver. They improved since then, and I am using even an older driver than the first...
Then again, it´s tricked to think it´s a GTX 580m SLI - that can make differences, too, I guess.
And then, all the mod stuff can be have something to do with it, too.
I am only at the beginning, and I am sure we will find some improvements time after time. A BIOS mod oder even a new BIOS by Eurocom would be the optimal solution, I guess.

 

Yes, I bought my GTX 680m´s from one.de, and I have so far just good experiences with them. From notebookbarebone.de I will certainly not buy so fast .

 

Great! And good idea to put the screenshots in spoilers

 

Here is a pic of the Heatsink (GTX 485/ 580m) and the GTX 680m in the X7200:

 

Any luck overclocking the beast Tirenz?

 

Right now my system disk is defective. Can´t find any mbr at all. Had that a year before.
So now I am going to look for a new SSD, install everything new (of course no backup :-() and start again... Hope I can test that soon .

 

Good job! :thumbsup:

 

Thanks for ignoring my PMs on hardewareluxx, you missed a 400€ upgrade contract + 1 or 2 680Ms for ~1100€ AND lost me as a customer. Considering I have also already bought 3 notebooks from you I really feel bad for recommending you all these years.

And I bet you are going to ignore this post too, since your customer support is really great :thumbsup: