AusMatt

I upgraded to Windows 8 on my GT680 and then later did a full re-install as I had some issues with the upgrade. I've installed the latest drivers from Intel, RealTek, Renesas and NVIDIA (as MSI were way behind) and I've got no problems. USB 3.0 etc all working.

I've read that you need Dell 015.017 vBIOS for MSI 16F2 laptops (such as my GT680). You can get vBIOSes from: Video Bios Collection | techPowerUp

Interesting. I read somewhere that the AMD 7970m has a TDP of 100W vs 72W for the NVIDIA 460m. This is why I assume I need the 30W larger power brick. The Internet seems to say that the 6990m has the same TDP as the 7970m (100W) though some say the 6990m could be up to 125W. As for the CPU, that 2860QM is way to expensive... I wouldn't go past the 2820QM but for now am happy to stick with my current CPU. Several people are adamant that I need to upgrade my power brick... Not sure why you don't. I don't want to Dremel and know that I can get the correct heat sink from the notebookreview marketplace. I don't have UEFI. This is an MSI GT680 with a BIOS (not UEFI). Is that a problem ?

You're right about the driver updates but fortunately we can get drivers elsewhere. It's the firmware that annoyed me. Only MSI can supply the TSST firmware and they didn't. Other companies did. This is what puts me off MSI. I agree they do make some attractive products with good specs... This is why I have an MSI gaming laptop. It ticked all the boxes.

Can anyone recommend good Australian or Asian sources for Dell 7970m video cards and heat sinks to suit MSI 16F2 laptops ? I've been talking to Euro dudes but it's going to cost too much.

I have an MSI GT680 gaming laptop. It's got the i7-2630QM CPU and the NVIDIA 460m video. Unfortunately the NVIDIA 460m video is too under powered for the 1080 screen of the laptop so I'm looking at video card upgrade options. Note that this is a discrete GPU only laptop and it's using a BIOS (not UEFI). I'm reading that some people have had success with installing an AMD Radeon HD 7970m but there are some issues. I'd like to summarise what I've read and ask for comment as to whether I'm on the right track. My current thoughts are: Get a 180W power brick to replace the current 150W Get a Dell 7970m with a version 015.017 vBIOS If I get a card with the wrong version vBIOS can I blind flash a vBIOS from here: Video Bios Collection | techPowerUp [*]Get a heat sink for the 7970m (as I don't want to risk the Dremel method) My concerns are: How to avoid shutdowns due to excess power use Is this just a matter of running the unlocked BIOS and ThrottleStop or is there more I need to do in the way of software or hardware mods to deliver more power to the GPU ? [*]Heat issues.... Is it advisable to cut a hole in the chassis to increase air flow ? [*]I'm also looking for any Australian suppliers for the replacement GPU and Heat Sink as postage is expensive from the U.K. or U.S. I look forward to any insightful posts. Thanks in Advance.

I would have to agree that MSI has worse after sales support on two grounds: 1) They do not pro actively publish upgraded drivers and firmware on their web sites 2) When contacted for support they seem slow to provide support and usually end up doing something that doesn't help In my experience I'd put them behind: Dell, HP, Sony, Toshiba & Acer My recent experience comes from an MSI GT680 gaming laptop that cost over $2200 Australian. I was having issues with the Blu Ray combo not liking some blank DVD media and either taking a long time to recognise it or thinking it was an audio CD. I could see from the Internet that there was an update to fix this in the TSST drive I have. The problem was that TSST does not provide firmware directly to end users and MSI did not have the update on their web site. I opened several support cases with MSI. In the end they just sent me the same firmware I had. They simply did not seem to even try to contact TSST. I'm guessing that they probably didn't want to pay for the update. My only option now is to try and find someone with the right model Sony Vaio who would be happy for me to put my Blu Ray combo in their laptop to flash it. I'll never buy another MSI device.