Do you have any questions about the Alienware upgrade problem? I'm here to help.
Do you have any questions about the Alienware upgrade problem? I'm here to help.
Hey guys,
I used to have an Alienware M17x R4 with a GTX 980m 8GB, it performed really well.
Now I own another similar model, a laoptop with the Standard GTX 660m, which is a bit slower.
I bought a GTX 980m and a Tesla M6, both with 8GB, to test them out. Both gave the same result – 8 beeps (expected display failure).
When I put the GTX 660m back in, everything works fine again.
I also tried these cards in an Alienware M15x (i7 1st gen):
With the Tesla it didn’t work at all.
With the GTX 980m, the laptop starts up and loads drivers normally.
Questions:
Why aren’t the Teslas working?
What’s preventing the GTX 980m from functioning with the newer M17x R4?
Any suggestions?
which specific model number do both laptops share? the power supply could be too weak. tesla is probably not compatible with consumer laptops due to bios support and the vbios as well. https://www.dell.com/community/en/c...-g...60015b4b36 delaware precision m6800 mx mpu gpu
Laptops aren't designed for easy part swapping. Possible issues include insufficient power delivery from the socket, BIOS restrictions imposed by Aleinware (owned by Dell) to prevent CPU and GPU upgrades, or outdated firmware that only works with Dell or HP systems. I've noticed some Dell and HP components with custom BIOS settings that limit compatibility. At our workplace, we have several HP servers; upgrading RAM on one required using a compatible model since it wasn't HP ECC RAM.
Hello, the m17x R4 and M15x models are compatible with a 240w PSU.
The 660m can handle up to 50w, whereas the 980m requires 120w. The type of power supply doesn't matter as long as the socket is limited to 50 watts for the 660m; it won't provide enough power for the 980m.
Thanks for the link, it's really helpful though—it seems a bit tricky to refresh the VRAM and everything :/
But as I mentioned earlier, the 980m fit with a prior M17x R4 model and also works with the older M15x, which suggests there might be another factor involved.