Alienware M18x R2 7970 CF, best GPU upgrade option?

Hi everyone, I was wondering if I could upgrade my Alienware M18x R2 graphics as well and I saw this forum. I don't plan to upgrade it with an internal graphic card as it is a total unknown domain for me, but I saw it may be possible to use an external card via the PCI express card slot:
https://www.banggood.com/EXP-GDC-Laptop-External-PCI-E-Graphics-Card-p-934367.html

Do you think it could be compatible? I want to upgrade my graphics for a VR headset, I currently have AMD Radeon HD 7970M Crossfire. What is the best solution? The best card? How do I have to proceed?

Thanks in advance!

 

I have seen good and bad reviews for those things, if you want VR you better off buying Alienwares graphics amplifier if you can find one. Depending on the situation I have seen some people say that those adapters need a dedicated PSU for power.

Honestly you are better off just upgrading your internal graphics to 980M sli. It really isn't that difficult once you get used to it, I just followed the youtube video on how to change graphics cards. If you follow what they do you can't really go wrong.

 

I'm very afraid of doing it, as upgrading my BIOS too, these are very risky solutions. I already checked the amplifier but I don't know if it works with the M18x R2 as it is not mentioned. Moreover I want to stay with w7 (don't want to upgrade to w10), is the 980M sli VR ready and easy to install? I don't have any tools but a simple screwdriver to open my laptop. Thanks for your reply I really need some help in this domain, I'm a computer technician but only for software, I'm very noob with the hardware.

 

I know the feeling, I just installed a single 980M in my M18x R2 yesterday and all I did was follow this video -
All you need is a screwdriver of decent length and patience, I'm running windows 7 Ultimate with my 980M and its working fine so far.

When buying the 980M you want to make sure you get the non G-sync version, otherwise you end up in SG mode like myself which for some people can cause issues.
You might also need a new GPU heatsink for the 980M, the part number for the master GPU heatsink I bought was KY4VY, not sure about the second one but I am sure it won't be hard to find.

As for the Bios your going to need A11 Unlocked, just like everything else if you follow the instructions you shouldn't have a problem. When you download the Bios there should be a file with all the instructions on how to flash the Bios and what to do if things go wrong. I printed mine out just in case and I have no problems, if you are still unsure have a look at some of the other forum posts. That is how I found out how to do everything also with googles help.

 

Right now you have a single 980M, and you plan to add one more for SLI right? Do you think this card (with SLI) could handle a VR headset? Because it is written on nvidia website that 980M is not compatible with VR.

I backed for a Pimax 5k and I will receive it in January, steam vr says that my current crossfire (7970M) is compatible with VR but with low graphics. Maybe I should wait before upgrading my cards? I was more interested by the PCI express solution but I don't know how to start. I was thinking about using this card https://www.materiel.net/carte-graphique/zotac-geforce-gtx-1060-3-go-134224.html.

 

Right I just ran the oculus rift compatibility test and I failed on two sections, CPU and GPU. Problem is I am using the best CPU the M18x R2 can have which may mean VR just isn't possible.

As for the 980M a single one is a no go, SLI might pass the test but I can't tell without another 980M. You can try the external card with a 1060 which is what it wants, but if the CPU really is the bottle neck then I'm not sure it will work well either way.

 

All my VR tests stipulate my hardware is compatible with VR (except my GPU), I did the tests from Occulus, Vive and Steam VR.
Occulus and Steam VR both say yes for the gpu with crossfire enabled, but Vive doesn't detect the crossfire, only 1 card.

Currently my CPU is an Intel Core i7-3720QM @2.60GHz and it is fully compatible with VR, FYI. I have 16Gb ram (2x8Gb Corsair).

Maybe I'll just wait for my Pimax headset and decide in January if I want to upgrade my GPU, I'll come again on this forum at this time to be sure of the different solutions.

Also I saw somewhere that someone played VR successfully on this laptop, so it's not a lost cause.

EDIT:
http://prntscr.com/h4iq4k
As you can see on my screenshot the cpu is compatible. I did this test without crossfire enabled (I usually disable 1 card to save it from heat).

 

how odd that your CPU passed and mine did not, could be that I am in SG mode which might be causing issues but can't be sure.
I am running a i7-3940XM @ 3.60 GHz so if yours passed mine should have easily :S

I'm sure I have seen that post to while looking for information on the 980m at some point. If it works without much trouble then go for it ^^
But yea if you are not in a rush it might be best to wait and see if anyone else has more information about VR.

 

I don't know much about SG mode sorry, but your CPU is indeed better than mine. In fact I'm not in a rush, I backed for the Pimax so let's wait for it and I'll tell you if it works well in January. These days it seems VR headsets are compatible with a lot of low-specs PC so I'm quite confident.

 

I still dont find any success upgrade topic about the 1080 on the M18x R2.. And we are near December, any news??