Exper1mental

I used to use ICD 24 in my CZ-17 (basically a MSI MS-1762) and it really helped bring down the temps compared to the stock thermal compound. ICD 24 brought my idle temps down into the mid 40s (Celsius) for my i7-3630QM and upper 30s to lower 40s for my 770M. My room temperature is usually around 70oF or 21oC. When maxed out ingame my GPU could still soar into the lower to mid 80s. Since then I have moved on to Thermal Grizzly Kryonaut and I've been able to further decrease my temperatures. My CPU idles in the mid to upper 30s and lower 40s while my GPU idles in the mid to lower 30s. Maxed out my GPU now rarely even hits 75oC. Summary ICD 24 is a great product, and still is one of the best thermal compounds out there, but if you are looking for maximum cooling without going to liquid metal this compound probably isn't for you. Gelid Solutions GC-Extreme or Thermal Grizzly Kryonaut are my personal favorites, particularly for OCing.

Nvm, reread the vBIOS guide.

Just wanted to say that both of these also work with the fan in an iBuyPower CZ-17 (which is a rebranded MS-1762, one of the barebone versions of the GT70)

I have yet to hear of anyone successfully using a Dell GPU in anything other than a Dell/Alienware laptop. In other words, no this'll not work. You need a Clevo or MSI GPU to install with.

For older laptops with the mini-PCIe (x1) slot the Intel 7260 is IMHO the best WiFi card available. For newer laptops with the NGFF slot the Intel 8260 is probably the best card widely available.

It helps to know what size laptop you are using in order to determine an appropriate cooling pad. I personal use and recommend the Cooler Master CM Storm SF-19. I use it with my iBuyPower CZ-17 (basically a rebranded MSI MS-1762) running a 770M. When playing games I've found that even with the fans off it can reduce my temps by 3 degrees Celsius and when with the fans on it runs 7 degrees Celsius cooler. (this is which Thermal Grizzly Kyronaut thermal compound installed, not the useless OEM stuff)

Exactly. When we spend 200-300 bucks on a GPU we want to know we are getting what we paid for. Depending on what resolution someone does gaming at that 0.5 GB difference might be enough to force someone to have to go buy a 980 instead.

If you run CPU-Z what does it say your mainboard model and revision is? If you run DXDIAG what does say for your BIOS? If you did indeed get a GT60 mobo both of these should tell you just that. I would definitely check to see if your BIOS is up-to-date and then proceed accordingly. If your still having trouble I would recommend contacting Svet on the MSI forums. He makes custom BIOSes that fix issues just like this. With the BIOS I got from him I'll be able to use a 970M with my CZ-17 (which is an MS-1762 or barebones GT70) in addition to a ton of other stuff.

High performance gaming laptops in general are TBH a rather niche market. High performance 13-inch laptops with eGPU capabilities are practically nonexistent. I would highly recommend you consider 14-inch and 15-inch laptops but for the sake of simplicity I will assume those options wouldn't work for you. I would suggest looking at the Alienware 13. You might consider buying a used one but make sure it is a model that supports the Alienware Graphics Amplifier. Don't expect to be able to utilize the full power of a Titan X with this rig though. If you were to order the Alienware 13 from Dell, here is the config I'd personally recommend: (I used the second laptop from the left on the config screen) - Processor Intel i7-6500U (good luck trying to find an i7 in a 13-inch that isn't an ultra low power processor. If you want something with more power you need a bigger laptop.) - OS Windows 10 Home Premium (unless you need the features of Windows 10 Pro save your money for other stuff) - Display FHD 1920x1080 (the 3K Display may put you over budget) - GPU Nvidia GTX 960M 4GB (It's a free upgrade from the 2GB version right now. Bear in mind that these are very likely soldered cards, with the 965M as the only potential exception. (I've never seen 960M cards on ebay but I have seen 965M cards for sale) This shouldn't matter since you can use the AWA instead of tapping the MXM slot) - AGA I do not recommend buying you Alienware Graphics Amplifier from Dell. You can easily save $50 if not $100 by buying it on eBay. - Memory 8GB 1600MHz DDR3L (if you want 16GBs of RAM go buy 16GBs of Corsair Vengeance 1600MHz for about $70 on Amazon. You'll save $80 doing this) - Hard Drive 500GB 5400RPM HDD (You can buy a PCIe SSD or higher capacity HDD much cheaper on Amazon or eBay) - WiFI/Network Killer 1535 (you can always buy a better wifi card really cheap on eBay. I bought an Intel 7260 for my laptop for only $8) - Support 1 Year Hardware Service (IMHO this is usually just a waste of money unless you plan on abusing your laptop) This got me a grand total of $1,175. Assuming you already have a sufficient eGPU and get an AGA for $150, you'll have $325 leftover, which you could use to get that fancy 3K screen or a super fast PCI-e SSD. Of course, you can save even more money if you find a satisfactory used one on eBay. Hope you find this helpful.