Can I Upgrade G75VW to a 860m?

[superman2k2]

Hello all I have a G75VW with a gtx 660m in it and I want to know if I can upgrade to a 860m. The 860m is a little longer but I would like to know would it work, do I need to upgrade the heat pipes and fan also, and any other input would be great

[bdawwgg]

I dont know enough to answer your question, but i too would like information on this. If you can bring this laptop to the next level and keep it running better stuff then it does now. then why not.

So just a bump seeing if anyone has insight to this question and if they have heard of or done it themselves

[superman2k2]

Does anyone have any info to offer on this subject? Is the CPU even compatable?

[Dreamonic]

First you will need to do some chassis modifications to your G75VW, either with a dremel or hot knife to make the G750 860M PCB fit properly and then secure it with one of any remaining aligned standoffs, if none are exposed, use double-sided sticky tape instead. The heatpipes from your 660M can either be relocated to the heatsink of the 860M using the oven method (be careful not to leave it in too long - heatsink assembly only of course) which can be done by first removing the 660M heatpipes at 450°F for about 8-10mins. When at the 5 minute mark, try applying some pressure to the pipes lifting them from off the heatsink itself. If resistance is felt, leave it in longer until you can freely remove them. Another method is to simply adjust the 860M existing heatpipes enough to fit properly in the G75 chassis. If length is a problem then you'll want to do the same thing for the 860M heatsink (oven method or even a heatgun) and then solder it in place further up the heatsink, take extra care as to not kink the pipes during fitting or you risk its effectiveness if any splits should occur, rendering it useless. You of course will require a modified BIOS that has the 860M vBIOS inserted in the system BIOS of the G75VW flashed before installing the 860M. You will also need to modify your drivers. You still will have the 660M vBIOS in the system BIOS in case you need to do a fail safe and revert back to the 660M for system functionality should something happen. If you feel removing the heatpipes from the heatsink and soldering it onto the other is something you can't do successfully (definitely not recommended on your first time around unless you have a spare heatsink in case something goes wrong) you can pay for someone to do this for you, try phoning around PC repair shops, plumbing, etc.

This method can be applied with various cards just take note on 100W+ cards requiring 230W AC adapters so you don't power throttle, sometimes overclocked or not. A 180W brick will still work nonetheless.

Going this route is higher risk since you will be dependent solely on your own ability modding your system or trust in another doing it for you if you can't, with no real concrete guarantee for a successful outcome. Plus, you will be spending more for a higher spec card and appropriate tipped AC adapter. More research and skill is required here.

OR

You can just upgrade to the 670MX (from the G75VX) as it's a simple drag and drop upgrade. Buy from eBay with the appropriate heatsink on it already ($250-450 whole assembly w/card) since the 660M/670M/670MX all have different heatsinks. Prior to installing the 670MX, you will need a modified BIOS that has the 670MX vBIOS inserted (contact me if you want one) or follow some guides that are out there if you want to do it yourself. If this is the route you want to go with, you must flash this modified BIOS first before doing the disassemble and installing the 670MX or you will get a black screen after boot up (which means you'll need to install the 660M again to flash the BIOS and disassemble again to install the 670MX.) After that, you just need to modify the setup drivers INF to see the 670MX since it's on a different hardware subsystem ID and you are good to go. Every 670MX it seems can overclock to at least 1000 on the core which puts it close to stock 680M performance levels. Upgrading from the 660M to a 670MX alone if it can't overclock much will still be better. You also have the option to do the intake mod that I did while the notebook was apart and use those fan grills for a better purpose, this reduced my temps by 10°C alone to allow for higher overclocking due to the increased thermal headroom. When repasting, I suggest using MX-4 since it can be applied anywhere without worry of shorting, even in replace of thermal pads on the VRAM ICs, though you can use thermal pads if you like and any choice of TIM really. Just don't be applying it like you squirting on ketchup and mustard on a hotdog bun.

The stock 180W AC adapter is more than enough for any overclocked 670MX. No need to upgrade it at all.

I recommend doing the 670MX upgrade if you plan on keeping your G75VW since it's tried and true (I've helped many people achieve this upgrade successfully) and it's very cost-effective to get some more years out of your current system. The only risk you take in this endeavor is whether or not the seller of the auction you won was selling a working card or not (accepts refunds on returns, etc - read fine print on the listing before bidding) and your skills disassembling the notebook without breaking parts or rounding screw heads. Having and knowing the right pressure and feel to use and not use is everything.

[0neWinged]

Dreamonic!!
Probably the best reply I have yet to read regarding this topic. So tired of hearing people say it's impossible or you can't it's integrated.
Anyways to my point. I too am looking to upgrade the GPU in the g75vw. I 100% feel this is possible. I currently have the GTX 660m. Don't get me wrong it's a decent gpu, but I want to bring a whole new light to this rig. I have been looking at cards and obvious choice like you said is going with the 3gb gtx 670mx as requires no modification other than vbios. BUT.. For roughly the same price I can pick up a 4gb GTX 880m. This card is out of the g750 series. Different chassis, but same mxm format.
Now I know the 880 would require some heatsink and chassis modification, which from what I'm looking at wouldn't be to much. I'm thinking using the 880 plate, but mounting the 660 heatsink. So the only issue I think I'm going to have with this is flashing vbios. I have never done such a thing, but I am pretty tech savvy. How difficult do you think it would be to integrate the 880m vbios Into the G75vw? The other issue I'm thinking may come into play is the voltage.. I can't seem to find what the 880m voltage is, but looks like the power bricks are the same 180w. Im not sure if you have personally dealt with Asus g series, but any more sheds of light would be highly appreciated. My concern is not getting the card to fit, I'll make that happen. It's the aftermath that has me in wonder.

[superman2k2]

Thx for your help and for the reply

[Dreamonic]

I have made documentation of the 670MX upgrade in the G75VW here. It'll give you an idea of what you need to do going forward with another GPU instead (it's not just for the 670MX upgrade).

You'd need the 880M AND the heatsink assembly for it as well. Then, relocate everything off the 880M plate and take everything off the plate of the 660M and line it all up onto the 880M plate. You also don't want to keep heat there too long (soldering or heatgun) because it CAN cause the heatpipes to expand and look blown up, reducing the effectiveness of heat transfer (wicking) as well as physically limiting space for the entire assembly to sit flush back into the chassis again. Just some things to take into consideration.

Integrating the 880M VBIOS isn't the problem, as the VBIOS was read on the G750's GPUs unlike the G75's which is through the system BIOS. So you'll still be required to insert the VBIOS to get it working correctly. Likely due to the size, you'll have to remove the 660M AND 670M in the system BIOS as well so you have just the one (880M). Then make a backup BIOS image with just the 660M inserted so in the event you need to do troubleshooting, you can just install the 660M and perform a recovery. Otherwise you'll be playing in the dark, pressing buttons and cursing incessantly. Voltage won't be an issue either, you can just download the modified 880M VBIOS off my site and use that one for inserting into the system BIOS of your G75. The stock voltage on those cards (as is with any GPU) fall within a range between A and B, before it's flagged and binned as a lower end model (or higher end model) for not passing required field tests. The G750JZ (880M) models had the 230W adapters. The 180W adapter may limit the boost clock on the 880M (tricky little GPU to play around with) because "Pwr" and "vRel" is what limits boost with that card (as seen in GPU-Z), but take that road when you get there. One step at a time.

If you got any questions along the way, you can just PM me at my site or here.

[0neWinged]

Awesome documentation!! Thanks for that info.
I'll definitely put it to good use and keep an update going with this. Probably won't start this for about a month or so as I will be ordering everything. I'll be ordering extra heatsinks as well just incase something goes wrong.
Thanks again for taking the time to help.