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M17-R1 Upgrade

post #1 of 22
1/24/11 at 12:44am
Thread Starter 
I would like to upgrade my graphics card and processor if possible to something better for gaming. I play World of Warcraft here and there, and I would like something that supports it better without having to replace my laptop. I currently have a ATI Mobility Radeon HD 3870 X2 Video Card and an Intel Core 2 Duo CPU (P8400) 2.26ghz. What are my options for upgrading them?

I have 4gb of ram, I think that is enough for gaming.

Also, can this screen be upgraded to an HD screen or glossy one?
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post #2 of 22
1/24/11 at 6:20am
You probably can go with 260M SLI, might need some work as far as BIOS update concerns. HD Screen is overkill for gaming since best resolution for games is 1440 range I believe.

cheers ...
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post #3 of 22
1/24/11 at 8:33am
Thread Starter 
Now who would sell this graphic card?

What about the fan speed, would it be able to keep the graphic card cool while gaming without any overheating or would the fan need to be upgraded? The fan is a stock m17-r1 fan.

When you are saying 'some work' as far as the BIOS, what are you implying? I have the latest B13 BIOS from Alienware.
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post #4 of 22
1/24/11 at 1:01pm
eBay for the cards maybe?

Fan speed should be fine if the correct BIOS is being applied. Not sure if the latest BIOS allows you to move from one GPU brand to the other

cheers ...
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post #5 of 22
1/24/11 at 4:08pm
If you have the Dell version (and your specs seem to point to that) you can go

ATI 4870 x2 GPU
NV 260M x 2
NV 280M x 2

The fastest CPU option is the Q9300 or unlocked QX9300

You can go as high as 8 GB memory (2 x 4GB)

The screen options are the WXGA, and WUXGA glossy screen.

Some also have added an RGB LED screen to a R1 but that is very expensive (around $ 1000.00)

if you buy any GPU upgrades make sure they are for the R1 and include the crossfire or SLI cable.

considering you can get a new R3 with a ATI58xx or NVIDIA 460M GPU option for around 1700.00 (depending on options) be mindful of how much you put into a R1 system.
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post #6 of 22
1/24/11 at 4:34pm
Thread Starter 
So something like http://cgi.ebay.com/GTX-260M-NVIDIA-...item3f05e40fa5 would work?


I put about 1800.00 into the Alienware M17-R1 in December of 2008
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post #7 of 22
1/24/11 at 4:57pm
Thread Starter 
Someone told me the Alienware M17-R1 takes an MXM 2.1 Card, not the newer III cards.. is this true?
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post #8 of 22
1/24/11 at 10:54pm
The Dell version of the M17x is MXM 3.0b the AW original M17x is a MXM 2.1
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post #9 of 22
2/10/11 at 3:07pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Razirazz View Post
So I have an R1 mobo, could I in theory, put in an R3?
Physically they look very much the same and in dimensions - why not.

cheers ...
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post #10 of 22
2/10/11 at 6:40pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Razirazz View Post
So I have an R1 mobo, could I in theory, put in an R3?
The R3 mobo has been stopped production due to the Sandy Bridge design flaw.

2. the R3 is layout is not the same, it only has two cooling fans where as the R1 and R2 have 3.

If by chance it did fit, you would need new heat pipes for the GPU and CPU assy. and a new sandy bridge processor, and quite possibly a new GPU depending on your R1 GPU.

You would also need a new bottom chassis.

By this point you pretty much bought a new R3
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post #11 of 22
2/10/11 at 7:11pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by dave-p View Post
The R3 mobo has been stopped production due to the Sandy Bridge design flaw.

2. the R3 is layout is not the same, it only has two cooling fans where as the R1 and R2 have 3.

If by chance it did fit, you would need new heat pipes for the GPU and CPU assy. and a new sandy bridge processor, and quite possibly a new GPU depending on your R1 GPU.

You would also need a new bottom chassis.

By this point you pretty much bought a new R3
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post #12 of 22
2/10/11 at 8:48pm
The R1 and R2 are probably a equal swap

But still would need a new CPU as I core and Core Duo are different sockets
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post #13 of 22
5/21/11 at 1:50am
If you can upgrade your R1 with a 460M SLI, then I've two brand new DELL OEM GTX 460M and I've no need for this card and I'm willing to let go of it real cheap. I had a R2 with 5870 crossfire but it had way too many issues with it. I'm now gaming on a M17xR3 3D and loving it. The reason why I didn't do for a 6970 in my R3 is because I need a nVidia for my work uses.

I feel a 4870 crossfire is a better upgrade than a 260M SLI though. Just my .02. winknudge.gif
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post #14 of 22
2/8/12 at 7:21pm
We know that cards newer than the 280m will fit in the Dell M17x-R1, has anyone actually sat down and tried to make these cards work in the laptops? I feel like there would obviously be a bios conflict. If there is, im sure there are BIO's experts out there that can take the recent releases of BIOS right from dells website and find the code that corresponds to video cards. I am years from finishing my electrical engineering degree at UConn, but one of my future plans is to put some effort into things like this, not because I am trying to save money on buying a new laptop, but because of the thrill I get from taking something 2 years old and throwing a 2010 - 2011, (in this case) piece of hardware into it. I am sure a lot of you can agree with that, right?
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post #15 of 22
2/10/12 at 4:08pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by JTAlweezy View Post

We know that cards newer than the 280m will fit in the Dell M17x-R1, has anyone actually sat down and tried to make these cards work in the laptops? I feel like there would obviously be a bios conflict. If there is, im sure there are BIO's experts out there that can take the recent releases of BIOS right from dells website and find the code that corresponds to video cards. I am years from finishing my electrical engineering degree at UConn, but one of my future plans is to put some effort into things like this, not because I am trying to save money on buying a new laptop, but because of the thrill I get from taking something 2 years old and throwing a 2010 - 2011, (in this case) piece of hardware into it. I am sure a lot of you can agree with that, right?

I am one of them winknudge.gif

cheers ...
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post #16 of 22
3/2/12 at 12:49am

Do someone have a 3870 crossfire cable for sale? knutjar@gmail.com

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post #17 of 22
3/2/12 at 7:41pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by jarknut View Post

Do someone have a 3870 crossfire cable for sale? knutjar@gmail.com

eBay for cheap smile.gif

cheers ...
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post #18 of 22
1/10/13 at 4:59pm

  You would need to purchase a new motherboard.  I have dual 280M cards with Dell/Alienware M17x and I absoultly cannot upgrade my Card(s) without purchasing a different motherboard that supports them.

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post #19 of 22
1/30/13 at 4:22am

Hello everybody, i came here for help, recently i bought an Alienware M17-R1 from ebay, it was auctioned AS IS, the CPU was bad, i had one lying around, but i can't seem to get it to post, so the culprits might be either the video card (GeForce 8800M GTX MXM HE) or the motherboard itself.

 

When i plug in the power, the CPU fan comes on and then stops, i guess it's meaning that the bios detects the CPU, then the video card fan starts spinning at maximum speed, which could mean the video init failed.

 

So to rule out either the motherboard or the video card, i decided to buy the cheapest working video card for MXM II that i could find and test the motherboard, since it's the only way i can do it.

 

Here is the video card that i want to buy http://www.ebay.com/itm/MPC-CLIENTPRO-434-ALL-IN-ONE-ATI-MXM-x1700-PCIe-128MB-GRAPHICS-CARD-VCD002309-00-/280867391470?pt=PCC_Video_TV_Cards&hash=item41650047ee

 

So my question is a simple one: is this type of card compatible with my Alienware M17-R1 motherboard? Will it post so that i can rule out the motherboard?

 

Thank you very much for any info you can provide me with

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post #20 of 22
1/30/13 at 8:59am
R1 is a bit tricky with swapping to a supposedly compatible GPU. I recommend that you bake the current card and see if the system comes up first, before buying anything, even if it is cheap. Search out forum for bake / baking. Many of good working tips here

cheers ...
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