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17 R1 (m17x R5) "Ranger"
Well, I recently acquired this second-hand Alienware and I have already replaced the CPU which is now an i7-4940mx. One thing that was not clear to me is the issue of support offered in terms of the GPU. The manual says that it is possible to upgrade from the GTX765m to the GTX780m. However, this same laptop model was released late in 2014 admitting native support to the GTX880m. Do the 2013 and 214 versions have different BIOS configuration? Or both R1 can support the GTX880m natively.
mattyb3
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September 11th, 2024 01:33
Yes the Ranger was first released with the 700M series and then later with the 800M series. They use the exact same BIOS' so all you have to do is make sure you're running on one of the later versions and the card will be perfectly supported.
The 880M was a terrible card though and had a higher than normal failure rate. I would go for a 980M or even something like a 1070. These only require you to modify the Nvidia driver to get them running properly. They will pair nicely with the 4940MX.
They are really fun laptops to tinker with so good luck with your upgrades.
ThisanmU
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September 11th, 2024 22:20
@mattyb3 thanks for the tip! When you say that I only need to modify the driver, it means that I won't need to buy a new power supply or heatsinks? I mean, by it not being a native gear, and if the difference between GTX 880m and 980m are not so discrepant, I should choose for the security of a fully functional system.
mattyb3
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September 12th, 2024 21:20
@ThisanmU If you don't have the 240W adapter then you'll need to grab one of those. There really isn't any need to go up to the 330W adapter unless you can get one at a decent price. You won't need to upgrade the heatsink but there are some aftermarket ones available on eBay.
The 980M is quite a bit better that the 880M but it's not plug and play like the 880M will be. There are lots of guides on how to modify an Nvidia driver so I'd have a look at this first.