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Yes, most important thing is proper contact with the die. Pads on the memory will do, pads on the mosfets aren't that important in that case, I run my 7970m cards mostly without those.

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Okay, I see that the heatsink does not make proper contact with the die when screwed in. I will either have to grind down the holes or buy different screws. I however managed to pop in the card and test it. I held the heatsink in place with my hands and the machine powered on and got into the deskop! I think it's Dell branded. The VBios version is: 015.041.000.000.044964 (BR44964.009) How would I go about OC'ing this bad boy? What software would I use? The catalyst control center? I can use HWinfo to monitor temps? Thank's in advance!

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Can you send me a copy of that vbios when you get the chance?

For OCing, easiest is using the Catalyst Control Center, it has a built-in OC panel. Else, Sapphire TrixX or MSI AB.

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Sure! I will do that now. I noticed now that I have the 920XM installed and the 8970M barely hanging on with my fingers that the laptop is louder than normal....all the time. It runs at a high fan speed. This is with the PSU mod and when I checked GPU-Z....the fan speed shows --RPM for some reason. Although temps range from 35-60C+. Is there a way to lower the GPU voltage? It runs at 1.075V at load,Is that safe? Can I lower it without sacrificing performance? Thanks in advance!

Dell_8970M.zip

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My 8970m run at 1.0V under load... 1.075V sounds like a lot. What did you use to monitor the voltage?

The fans are never reported correctly in mobile systems, they get controlled by the EC. If your fans are on all the time then you need to use hwinfo to control them automatically, as with some 6900m series and 7900m series cards.

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Hey guys im planning to upgrade my gt 240m to 8970m, i have a contact from clevocenter and he sell me cards with a great price...i will buy 8970m for 225€ with the proper vbios he said. I will post the vbios that he will put on 8970m.

My question is...should i try with 8970m from clevo ?! it will fine like yougotmilk70? Or should i get 7970m that he has too for 200€ ?

Oh i forgot to mention that i have 840qm need to upgrade or its fine ?

Sorry for my english

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My 8970m run at 1.0V under load... 1.075V sounds like a lot. What did you use to monitor the voltage?

The fans are never reported correctly in mobile systems, they get controlled by the EC. If your fans are on all the time then you need to use hwinfo to control them automatically, as with some 6900m series and 7900m series cards.

I checked it with HWInfo and GPU-Z. It goes to 0.825V in at 150/300Mhz. I checked again and now it shows that it's using 1.075V on load. Is there a way to set it to use 1.0V? It is running a lot hotter than I thought it would. While running 3dmark11, it gets hotter than 76C! It hasn't even made it past a full test without shutting down the machine! Thank's in advance!

Aconix, I think you should be fine with the 840QM. If you have the money, you can go for the 920XM on ebay and it will have a slight higher clock rate and it will be unlocked so you can OC it. But again, that is up to you. As for the 8970, With the right bios...I don't see why it wouldn't work. If you have the option, go for it.

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I tried using MSI Afterburner, HWInfo nothing works. I can't control my fan speeds. I think the EC or the vBios is locking it. It constantly sits at 4493RPM for some reason. I don't know what to do! The fans work properly for the CPU. I Adjusted the cpu fan manually to a higher setting then it went into auto control. No matter what I do, the GPU fan does not change in speed for nothing. I set it to a higher level and it goes up then back to its usual setting. It does not go lower or higher than what it does when I first turn on the machine. There is no point in the GPU fan going at 4000+ RPM when the GPU is sitting at 30-35C... I checked the number on the chip and it looks like it is an 8970M but for some reason the temps get too high and the fan does not adjust speeds to compensate. The machine runs beautifully when it is idle or I'm browsing the web. The moment it clocks to 3D mode....it gets too hot and shuts off.I have latest AW 09 bios. I have a $300 paperweight. :(

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My 8970m run at 1.0V under load... 1.075V sounds like a lot. What did you use to monitor the voltage?

The fans are never reported correctly in mobile systems, they get controlled by the EC. If your fans are on all the time then you need to use hwinfo to control them automatically, as with some 6900m series and 7900m series cards.

Hey SVL7, is there a way you can possibly give me your vBios? Would it work on my card? Or would it be possible to modify my vBios somehow to undervolt and become more stable? Thank's in advance!

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Dear svl7, I Alienware M18xR1 video card HD 8970M 4Gb, vbios BR44618.005. There are problems at startup, the screen strips where the login screen in the BIOS (F2 and F12) in Windows 8.1 no problems and in games too. What I need to put vbios? BR44450.007 or another? Can I give it to download?

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  • 2 weeks later...
Hey SVL7, is there a way you can possibly give me your vBios? Would it work on my card? Or would it be possible to modify my vBios somehow to undervolt and become more stable? Thank's in advance!

Well, yeah, both is possible, what do you prefer? I'd suggest trying the one I used, that should work fine.

Dear svl7, I Alienware M18xR1 video card HD 8970M 4Gb, vbios BR44618.005. There are problems at startup, the screen strips where the login screen in the BIOS (F2 and F12) in Windows 8.1 no problems and in games too. What I need to put vbios? BR44450.007 or another? Can I give it to download?

Odd, maybe try re-seating the GPU in the slot. But you can try BR44450.007 if you want, that's definitely an option, that's the one I used. But I don't think the problem is vbios related. Might be mistaken though.

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Well, yeah, both is possible, what do you prefer? I'd suggest trying the one I used, that should work fine.

Thanks for your reply. Someone from NBR forums got the same card as me and has modified my vBios to run at 0.975V. After modifications, I am able to run 900/1250 with 70C max load temps. It seems like everything is working properly!

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  • 2 months later...

I'm trying to upgrade my m17x R3 with a 8970m from MSI. I'm coming from the older 6990m, so the heatsink, pads, and bracket fit perfectly. I bought the 8970m MSI version with 2048 mb memory, and it has the MSI vbios version 015.033.000.000.044392. The system only works on internal graphics, so now I will need to flash the vbios. Unfortunately, there seems to be no vbios from other brands available with 2048 mb memory. Will it be safe to flash this 2gb card with a 4gb card vbios?

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It's finally working!!! Another succesfull experience of upgrading Alienware M17x R3 with 8970m 2gb MSI version to share in this thread.:Banane35:

For readers who also bought the MSI 2 gb version, this is what I went through and solved:

1. It came with the original MSI 176K vbios (version 015.033.000.000.044392) which wasn't working at all in my system: Black screen and motherboard beeps. Starting from internal graphics, gpu-z only saw some very basic information like active clocks 0 mhz, default clocks 950 and 1250 mhz, and 2 Gb of vram, with almost all other boxes empty.

2. I tried flashing vbios version 015.032.000.004.044450 downloaded from an old post of svl7, coming from a Clevo P570WM according atiflash information. Starting from the 8970m, screen stays black and motherboard beeps, even after many tries, not a chance! Booting from internal graphics, gpu-z shows all boxes filled out with information, with the 8970m pretending to be a 4 gb version instead of the 2 gb in reality.

3. I continued searching the forum, and found an old post with a Dell Alienware branded vbios version 015.041.000.000.044964. Starting with this Dell vbios, the screen stays black and motherboard beeps again, again, and again... The card also still pretends to have 4 gb of vram when I check with gpu-z, booting from the internal graphics.

4. After hours of unsuccesfull searching for a vbios with 2 gb, I noticed a 4 gb vbios which had the same brand of vram (Samsung) as my MSI 2gb version. I found this vbios on the top of the list on Techpowerup Video Bios Collection, coming from a Clevo P370SM with version 015.036.000.005.044618. My system booted from the 8970m! (internal graphics disabled)

5. I got into windows and succesfully installed the latest normal AMD Catalyst drivers 14.9. Checking gpu-z, i saw the card was still reporting 4 gb, and was stuck in idle clocks 300 mhz core and 150 mhz memory. On high loads, I could only get the card to 450 mhz core, but doing so resulted in artifacts (black lines quickly coming and disappearing) and system crashes. I tried overclocking the card to its normal clocks of 900 and 1250 using MSI afterburner, but it only changed the high-power-state, which I wasn't able to get in, because I was stuck in the idle-state... Also disabling the ULPS (Ultra Low Power State) using afterburner didn't help.

6. Desperately hoping it was a software problem, I re-installed windows and tried another fresh install of AMD Catalyst 14.9, which was succesfull. The card still idles at 300 mhz, but now easily jumps to 900/1250 mhz as soon as I run any benchmark or game. There are no artifacts anymore, and Skyrim runs smoother then I've ever seen on Ultra High. The temperatures are 54 degrees celsius in idle, and max 77 under full load. The fanspeeds are automatic and adjust perfectly between silent and 4000 RPM.

7. Windows starts with the low brightness bug, unable to adjust it to its full brightness. I use the Hardware Info tool (version hw64_396) to get around the bug. Just starting the sensor monitoring part is enough to instantly restore full brightness to your screen. You can let it start automatically with windows in the configure section.

Everything seems to be as it should be now, except for the videocard still thinking it's a 4gb version. But I'm not going to say him loud he has only 2 gb... don't want to disturb his new ego now things are working so well :friendly_wink:

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oh dear, stuck in max 450 mhz with artifacts again, and gpu-z indicates now 0 mb of memory instead of 4096 mb. I didn't change anything from the software side, only transported the laptop to the living room... I tried a second harddrive format and windows re-install again, but no results this time. I'm running out of clues for now.

until I find a stable solution, I highly recommend to stay away from the 8970m MSI 2 gb version, unless it's plug n play for you! (same MSI or motherboard). It seems that this card doesn't work properly with any other vbios then it's own 2 gb version.

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  • 1 month later...
It's finally working!!! Another succesfull experience of upgrading Alienware M17x R3 with 8970m 2gb MSI version to share in this thread.:Banane35:

For readers who also bought the MSI 2 gb version, this is what I went through and solved:

1. It came with the original MSI 176K vbios (version 015.033.000.000.044392) which wasn't working at all in my system: Black screen and motherboard beeps. Starting from internal graphics, gpu-z only saw some very basic information like active clocks 0 mhz, default clocks 950 and 1250 mhz, and 2 Gb of vram, with almost all other boxes empty.

2. I tried flashing vbios version 015.032.000.004.044450 downloaded from an old post of svl7, coming from a Clevo P570WM according atiflash information. Starting from the 8970m, screen stays black and motherboard beeps, even after many tries, not a chance! Booting from internal graphics, gpu-z shows all boxes filled out with information, with the 8970m pretending to be a 4 gb version instead of the 2 gb in reality.

3. I continued searching the forum, and found an old post with a Dell Alienware branded vbios version 015.041.000.000.044964. Starting with this Dell vbios, the screen stays black and motherboard beeps again, again, and again... The card also still pretends to have 4 gb of vram when I check with gpu-z, booting from the internal graphics.

4. After hours of unsuccesfull searching for a vbios with 2 gb, I noticed a 4 gb vbios which had the same brand of vram (Samsung) as my MSI 2gb version. I found this vbios on the top of the list on Techpowerup Video Bios Collection, coming from a Clevo P370SM with version 015.036.000.005.044618. My system booted from the 8970m! (internal graphics disabled)

5. I got into windows and succesfully installed the latest normal AMD Catalyst drivers 14.9. Checking gpu-z, i saw the card was still reporting 4 gb, and was stuck in idle clocks 300 mhz core and 150 mhz memory. On high loads, I could only get the card to 450 mhz core, but doing so resulted in artifacts (black lines quickly coming and disappearing) and system crashes. I tried overclocking the card to its normal clocks of 900 and 1250 using MSI afterburner, but it only changed the high-power-state, which I wasn't able to get in, because I was stuck in the idle-state... Also disabling the ULPS (Ultra Low Power State) using afterburner didn't help.

6. Desperately hoping it was a software problem, I re-installed windows and tried another fresh install of AMD Catalyst 14.9, which was succesfull. The card still idles at 300 mhz, but now easily jumps to 900/1250 mhz as soon as I run any benchmark or game. There are no artifacts anymore, and Skyrim runs smoother then I've ever seen on Ultra High. The temperatures are 54 degrees celsius in idle, and max 77 under full load. The fanspeeds are automatic and adjust perfectly between silent and 4000 RPM.

7. Windows starts with the low brightness bug, unable to adjust it to its full brightness. I use the Hardware Info tool (version hw64_396) to get around the bug. Just starting the sensor monitoring part is enough to instantly restore full brightness to your screen. You can let it start automatically with windows in the configure section.

Everything seems to be as it should be now, except for the videocard still thinking it's a 4gb version. But I'm not going to say him loud he has only 2 gb... don't want to disturb his new ego now things are working so well :friendly_wink:

Thank you, did everything as you described. 3 days my alienware M17R3 works perfectly. One drawback - BIOS shows 4GB instead of 2.

Your problems with artifacts and the subsequent collapse of the video card are caused by cooling or malfunction of the video card.

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  • 7 months later...

I have the same issue on my Aienware M17xr4. After succesfull driver installed (14.9)the screen turns blank or black. I laready tried different vbios but still out of luck. Anyone willing to help to resolve the issue on my gpu. Im using clevo 4gb 8970m windows 8.1

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  • 2 weeks later...

I bought this card for my Alienware M15x. I am having some problems with it. I'm hoping that you guys can help me figure it out. (Or point me somewhere that could help me.)

The card works fine until certain conditions are triggered. When the computer starts up there is no problem. I check my email and all is fine.

Certain tabs open in Chrome will make the card act weird. For example tooltips when hovering over parts icons will cause the card to glitch. Youtube hovering will cause the card to glitch.

Now it get weirder... When I open Skype the whole screen messes up. Sometimes I can get it back to stable with ctrl alt delete. Other times not. Opening Skype will always cause it to mess up. Other programs have issues too, not as large or consistently as Skype though.

Once there was a BSOD as well.

I have the lastest version of drivers, bios, updates, etc. I tried reseating a few times. My old card still functions perfectly.

Videos of the problems:

1. I start by hovering over icons in the systray. Showing that there is no problem. This is after a reboot. Then I open a page in Chrome. Then I show how the screen glitches during hovering again. Hovering of any type seems to cause it.

2. I show how opening Skype somehow completely breaks it. I theorized that it had something to do with the orange flashing graphics on the taskbar... but I have no clue.

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