M17x R2 6970m some questions

[Anal4o]

Hello everyone

Long story short - my R2's 4870m broke down so i decided to change it with something more powerful. At first I thought about 7970, but then a cheap 6970m from a R3 came up and i decided to give it a go. So while I'm waiting for the card to arrive I decided to do some research and read all the guides and stuff about 6900 series in R2. But the info in OP seems a bit outdated and unfortunately I don't have the time to read the whole 500+ pages of one of the guides. So here I have some questions that I hope you -good people can answer.

1) Without removing the C clips, what thermal pads should i use? 0.5 or 1mm?

2) The card I bought is from R3 system , so I guess it has dell vbios. Will I get picture with this bios and will the fans be on auto or always on high speed? I've read that with dell vbios there are no auto fans, but maybe there is an updated info.

3) Which is the best vBios for this card in R2? What does and does not work with it?

4) Since my laptop isn't working now I am unable to uninstall the previous drivers.Will this cause a problem and if yes what should I do? Safemode immediately after 6970 install and remove drivers in safemode?

5) Which drivers should I install?

6 Is there anything special I should be aware of? I'm experienced with desktop stuff , but really a noob concerning alienware laptops.

Thanks in advance

Regards

Daniel

[Anal4o]

No one? Also, how can I modify the 4870 bracket to fit the 6970 (pictures or link )? The 6970 has its own bracket but as far as I have read I need to get some new screws, which I don't know where to buy from in Germany...any info would be welcome

[radji]

Use the 0.5mm to start with. If the pads don't make good enough contact, you can add an additional pad on top of the first to bring the thickness to 1.0mm.

The Dell VBIOS should have no issues with the display, but your fan control will not work. You will need to use HWinfo to set a fan profile.

Here is the guide which I went off of (its on a different forum): [Guide] Installing AMD Radeon Mobility 6970 / 6990 in your M17x R2 (Single GPU and CrossfireX). It will explain the different card versions and the different VBIOS and effects on said cards.

Definitely try and safemode to remove the older AMD drivers.

Follow the guide and check the last pages of the thread for updated drivers info.

Check eBay for the bracket and screws if you need them. Best place is upgradeyourlaptop's eBay store. It's really Eurocom in disguise. The screws for the x-brackets should all be the same. But make sure to use the 6970m x-bracket. Don't try and modify the 4780m's bracket, no matter what, it just won't fit right.

[Anal4o]

Thank you for the reply! Also I have read in the OP, that it is possible to resolve the fan issue with the DELL card, by flashing it with clevo vBios and somewhat alternating motherboard BIOS.Any info on how exactly is this done, what do I need to change in the bios or where is the alternated bios available?

[trigger25sg]

Hi, i help my friend install my gtx670m card from msi onto his alienware m15x, he used his own x bracket onto the gtx670m so he can reuse the screw on his alienware heatsink. As for the thermals, i just told him put thermal pads on the chips and leave no metal contact onto the card. So far his temps pretty good like high 60s on full load.

[Anal4o]

What was the original card of his m15x?