[Guide] Installing AMD Radeon Mobility 6970 / 6990 in your M17x R2 (Single GPU and CrossfireX)

[DR650SE]

The reason why it's not consistent about where it cuts out is most likely because the fuse inside is heat based - kind of like the circuit breakers in your home wiring. So its possible for it to draw 285watts or higher everynow and then and have the conditions be right for the fuse not to blow.

Ahh, Guess I never even gave that a thought. Nexy time I bench with dice, I'll be buying a smaller cooler and a few extra lbs of dice and just sandwich the PSU (PSU's?) in a lot of dice. Should leave a fair amount of headroom.

[kongrad]

Guys. One big question to you. Can someone tell me, will two 6990's work on m17x r2? Could it work normally like 6970m's on m17x r2?Or I should wait some Vbios changes(moddings) on 6990m's?

[kenny27]

There is no way to know for sure unless someone tries it, chances are will be fine as it is so similar to the 6970, but yeh there is no way to tell otherwise.

[kongrad]

There is no way to know for sure unless someone tries it, chances are will be fine as it is so similar to the 6970, but yeh there is no way to tell otherwise.

Bad to hear it. If someone will not try it on their laptop, so I think I will buy one 6990m and try it. But this will happen within a month if I sell my previous laptop fastly.

[Douse]

Yeah I am considering being a guinea pig....do you reckon I would be able to resell them easily if it is a fail?

Perhaps maybe a discount is in order for the guinea pig!?! :P

[Greywolf22]

Hi Douse,

I bet they'd be pretty easy to sell if necessary (probably for about the same as you paid, maybe more), although don't quote me on that .

I'm planning to stick with the 6970's (unless Clevo sends me 6990's by mistake, in which case I'll give em a go), but will be interested to see how it goes for people

[kongrad]

Yeah I am considering being a guinea pig....do you reckon I would be able to resell them easily if it is a fail?

Perhaps maybe a discount is in order for the guinea pig!?! :P

Yes, I think with a discount you will sell them nearly fast. The condition would be like new because of just installing them and then taking them out. So good luck.If all be ok I will follow you. Anyway +1 rep for trying them.

[Mr. Fox]

For those still thinking about whether the upgrade of the GPU from 5870 CFX to 6970 CFX is worth it versus moving to Sandy Bridge, this might hold some value in the decision making process. This is primarily a CPU test and shows how the first-generation i7 and second-generation i7 compare to one another.

Geekbench: Compare i7 2720QM Alienware M18xR1 with i7 720QM Alienware M17xR2

[aarpcard]

For those still thinking about whether the upgrade of the GPU from 5870 CFX to 6970 CFX is worth it versus moving to Sandy Bridge, this might hold some value in the decision making process. This is primarily a CPU test and shows how the first-generation i7 and second-generation i7 compare to one another.

Geekbench: Compare i7 2720QM Alienware M18xR1 with i7 720QM Alienware M17xR2

Two things, I think a fairer comparison would be the i7 720qm versus the i7 2630qm since they are both of equal tier for their respective generations. Secondly, an i7 920xm or i7 940xm overclocked using throttlestop will match an i7 2820qm.

No doubt the Sandybridge parts perform better. Clock for clock they're 15% faster, but they're also clocked higher. However, when it comes to gaming, you will see a FAR greater performance increase from CF 5870's to CF 6970's than you would from an OC'ed i7 920xm to a i7 2820qm.

[Douse]

I agree. Having already upgraded from 740qm to a 920xm, I think the difference in games will be minimal if moving to the sandybridge

And since gaming is what I do mostly, I think you will get more bang for buck upgrading the video cards.

I guess it all depends on what your use your laptop for.