Clevo p170em + gtx 980m

Hi! This is my first post at this forum.

I have a Clevo p170em laptop from 2013 with an nVidia gtx 680m gpu.

I've recently learned that it might be possible to upgrade to a gtx 980m.

My current EC/KBC is version 1.02.12 and my BIOS is version 1.02.14.

Is that enough to upgrade?

 

Yes iirc that should be ok, but you will need modified drivers.

 

Considering the price of the 980m, why not install a gtx1060? Or a quadro p4000 or p4200? I believe those will all work in this system.

 

It can depend on heatsink compatibility.

 

As Meaker said, there might be problems fitting a gtx 1060 physically. Afaik, a gtx 1060 is only 10% better than a gtx 980?

Thanks, I think I've already found the correct drivers for win7 but if you happen to know where to find them I'd appreciate it.

 

Laptopvideo2go.com

 

Fitment issues depend on the version of the card. There are gtx1060 versions that would fit perfect. I was only trying to help with the suggestion since the prices are about the same.

 

Ok thanks.

Sorry I didn't mean to sound ungrateful for your input. Yes you're right, a 1060 should fit, except for
different placement of thermopads. Seems I need extra thermopads using a 980 too, and that does
make the 1060 a reasonable alternative

 

The VRMs are the vital part to ensure they make contact.

 

I used to own a p150sm-a and ran a 980m in it without a problem. When I upgraded to the clevo p750dm platform, I started with a 980m and upgraded to a gtx1060. What I liked about the 1060 is that it was more efficient and ran cooler than the 980m while performing the same workload. I made the mistake of getting a gecube 1060 and despite the configuration being incompatible with my heatsink I managed to make it work with some tricky pad placement.

The GPUs below in order are:
GTX 1060
GTX 980m
GTX 680m

The component placement is all very similar on all of these if you get the right version of 1060. The heights of the components might differ though. Applying new pads isn't too difficult. Just buy some 1.5mm, 1mm and 0.5mm and try to minimize stacking. The pads can squeeze down a bit, as long as everything is close to level it will be fine.