sam91

On 5/17/2018 at 8:07 PM, Kestranor said:

 

From what I've read, only the Clevo is proven to work... which is a shame since it costs twice as much as the others. By the way I asked the same question on the NotebookReview forums (in the original HD 8970 thread), so far, no replies. I've read something about the Clevo having a different vBIOS than the others, not sure if this is the only difference. Probably not, since then the vBIOS could be updated and all of them would work the same. I've read specifically that MSI won't work, Dell however is a good question. I've also seen Dell R9 M290Xs which are essentially 8970Ms, that cost half of what the Clevo 8970M costs. Would be nice to know if they can be made to work properly. Anyway, I'll let you know when / if I find something new.

 

The guide does not mention the need for an unlocked BIOS, so I assume the official A12 is enough for the Clevo.

Well, if that's the case, I think I'll just go with the 7970M. Seems easier (after reading the guide you linked to). Thanks!

Now to look into eBay. Knowing shipping here, if I order now, I'll get it around July. Might update by then.

I see. Well, if that's the case, I might try it myself. However, there are a lot of brands of HD8970M - Clevo, MSI, Dell... Would the brand of the card matter, or can I use an MSI card (cheapest I could see on eBay)?  I'm thinking if I should buy that - since it isn't cheap to import parts to where I live (between shipping fees and taxes!)

Also, would we need to update our BIOS for this? I'm on the A12 (stock, not unlocked) version. Would it make a difference? 

Many thanks for your help - seems we're the only ones left here.

1. What's your budget? Also, where are you based? Laptops here in the Philippines, for example, may be priced differently than laptops elsewhere.

2. You can't go wrong with a Thinkpad. I personally use an X220 to carry around, but for your specs, you'd do better with an X260.

3. To the above poster, Dell is ok (their XPS class of laptops should be fine)

Hi,

I'm Sam from the Philippines. Saw this site while looking for options for my M17x R3 Alienware. Hoping I could also help others while on this forum.

Not sure if you still need to know, or if you saw this elsewhere. However, what I did is this:

1. Unzip the file (if it is zip/zipped EXE - not sure, basing off the stock download until I get my account unlocked)

2. Run command prompt (as admin)

3. Enter this command: (<your path here>\InsydeFlashx64.exe /forceit) - exe file may vary though

4. This should be able to flash even if you have battery issues.

Hope this helps!

Hi everyone!

Same here, new user, had this Alienware M17X R3 for so long, looking to upgrade from the original AMD HD6870M. What would I have as options to upgrade this?