Toshiba Qosmio X505-Q870 GPU upgrade

hello all, first off let me say that you guys have a great forum here!! I've actually been directed here on numerous occasions with solutions from some of your fellow users, so props to all.

now let me get to the reason im here, I have a Qosmio X505-Q870 with a GTS 360M, and about four months after I got it, toshiba released the same X505 line with the new GTX 460!! anyway, before they released their new line, I had already opened up my Qosmio to switch the thermal paste since I like to game quite a bit, and i was hitting some above averege temps while under load with the stock paste, so while taking apart my lappy, i noticed that the GPU was screwed onto the board and thought "I bet this is replaceable" so i unscrewed it out of curiosity, and sure enough it popped out! so i put it back together and then four months later, as i had stated, the new GTX 460 line is out using the same chipset as my old GTS 360M, and the i7 740qm was a dead give away after some extensive research (and days of searching) i found a website that sells nothing but parts for whatever laptop it is you need a part for, and so after digging around i found that they do sell the GTX 460M by its self for about 500$. Its not cheap i know, but i dont really want to invest in a DSKTP just yet since I love my X505 to death. im pretty much a mad scientist when it comes to modding things, and just want to know if someone who owns the Qosmio X505-Q894B is willing to open theirs up and send or post some pix of the 460M, I'd really like to see if this particular model still uses the proprietary toshiba MXM 3.0 design that mine currently uses, that way i have an idea if i can truly just pop in a 460M in place of my 360M

here's the model I was talking about
Newegg.com - Recertified: TOSHIBA Qosmio X505-Q894B NoteBook Intel Core i7 740QM(1.73GHz) 18.4" 4GB Memory DDR3 1066 500GB HDD 7200rpm BD Combo NVIDIA GeForce GTX 460M

and remember the model i have is a Q870 with an Intel Core i7 720qm (which i plan to upgrade to a 940XM, also thanks to this forum), 4GB RAM 500GB drive, and an added 160GB by me for movies and what not, its all pretty much bone stock

but if anyone is willing to crack their Q894B open just to help me out with this, I'd definitely be more then appreciative since you'll pretty much give me the final say in whether i should drop 500$ for this GPU
whoa what a mouthful XD


!!!!!!WARNING CRACKING OPEN YOUR LAPTOP WILL VOID YOUR WARRANTY AND BE SURE YOU HAVE THE KNOWLEDGE TO PUT IT BACK TOGETHER!!!!!! * thank you Chirovette *

 

sweet if your q870 is upgradable then hopefully that means my X505-Q860 is upgradable as well. I know you were just asking a question but you've helped me more than you know. Thank you PROJ3CTBM

 

lol no problem, im pretty much trying to see how much "future proof" i can make this laptop before i need to actually buy a new one, im the kind of guy who likes to keep all of his games settings to max, except Crysis of course, but who knows, maybe if i get the info i need from this forum, i will probably be able to run Crysis at MAX

 

You can try these sites.
Epson, HP, Toshiba, Konica Minolta, Canon Parts & Accessories - National Parts Depot
Laptop Parts & Repair, Notebook Computer Repair, Printer Parts - Spare Parts Warehouse

I can see it as being possible as long as you use the Toshiba Qosmio version of the GTX 460m (i doubt the GTX 560m will work since different body; but never know).

Also, what is your power supply to your laptop. Mine is a 180W; I heard some of the older x500x were 120W.

 

Spare parts warehouse is where I found the GTX 460M lol but yea, thats why i need someone with the X505-Q894B model, because its the only one I can think of with the same chipset/GPU combo, I too highly doubt the new X7xx series Qosmios will have the same GPU design, let alone the heat sink design, but if i could get my hands on one, I'd be more then happy to disassemble/reassemble it.

also my PSU is also 180W, i guess its what's been giving me all this head room to OC the 360M

 

PROJ3CTBM, while I understand your exuberance to induce someone to crack open their laptop to post pics of the guts, you should warn anyone you ask that to do so will VOID THEIR WARRANTY! People might not be aware of this fact and do as you ask to be helpful, and possibly end up screwing themselves if their laptop ever needs warranty repair, kind of like mine does not! I am going to post this in your thread as well, as a potential warning.

 

oh how could i forget, YES, thank you Chirovette, i honestly dont know how that slipped my mind i'll edit my first post right now

 

From Toshiba's support site they specifically state that

Also:
Cpu and GPU

Is it possible to upgrade the CPU or GPU of a Toshiba Notebook?

 

actually that first bit of information is a bit false, i dont doubt the company would say it "cannot be exchanged" because they dont recommend doing anything to their laptops although i can account for a time that the GPU was soldered directly on the board, i can post pictures of the GPU being removed from my own laptop, its just an MXM 3.0 but being Toshiba, they made it a proprietary type thing, in any case it is still removable
as for the second, it is completely false, people can easily remove the old processor, and swap with a new one, hence why i want to swap my 720 to a 940

 

You can swap a MXM 3.0 card but the problem is if the card wíll be accepted from the BIOS and you have a MXM 3.0 Power Supply connector if necessary.
This problem is known from Leonovo.
As far as i know you are allowed to open PC´s because the user is allowed to make customizations ( at least in Germany). But i would be careful to break any seals ( most of them are @ the CPU).

 

im hoping it will be accepted through BIOS, there isnt any kind of ties to it though, at least none that i know of, and the GPU does have two 4-pin PSU plugs on it, one is connected to the mobo, and the other being connected to the charging jack. As for the seals, im lucky this Qosmio doesnt have any, i have opened it up once before to change the compound, and for some reason it developed a serious HDD controller issue, anyway, i sent it in for repairs, and they didnt notice that it had been opened, so i got it back complete with a new motherboard, along with other unnecessary things, but never the less, i swapped out the compound again, but this time i've had no issues

 

Anymore progress on this? I'm trying to accomplish the same...

 

i would like to know too im also trying to upgrade

 

Looks like everyone gave up?
I'd like to upgrade my GPU & CPU if possible too. I have the Toshiba Qosmio X505-Q830
I've added memory & a SSD. Pretty fast already with a Window Experience Index of 6.7
A faster GPU would put me over 7.0 as my weak link is the GPU @6.7 Everything else is over 7.0

 

I think for the x505 [non-Sandy Bridge models], you can get any i7 CPU [including the 920 and 940XM. I believe there is a member here who installed a 940XM].
HOWEVER, it may also depend on the power rating of your laptop; is your Qosmio a 180W or 120W? If 120W, then the XM is probably not an option for you.

As for the GPU, if you have a 120W power adapter, then you may be maxed at the 250m. If you have the 180W adapter, then you can likely go to the TOSHIBA version of the GTX 460m [it needs to be the Toshiba version].
You may find this site helpful. I do not speak Chinese [so I cannot verify], but from the pictures, it looks like the GPU is in fact detachable from the motherboard.
Èȵ¼¹Ü¼ÓË«·çÉȸøÁ¦ ¶«Ö¥X500¶À¼Ò²ð½â-IT168 ±Ê¼Ç±¾×¨Çø


In conclusion, with the above stated, it will cost you a great sum to do the above upgrades. It will probably be cheaper to just buy a new laptop that already has the latest hardware.
Good luck

 

How do I tell if it is 180W or 120'W?

 

Your model support page lists your model as having a 120W power supply.
qosmio_X505-Q830.pdf
Qosmio X505-Q830 Support | Toshiba

 

Looks like I'm stuck with what I have then. Oh well... it's pretty dang fast anyways.