Per Astra Ad Deum

Thank you for your swift reply! From what I can make out, I've got the AVC fan for the CPU and apparently the less performant variant of the Delta fan for the GPU. What about those heatpipes? Do coolers vary too in this model? If so, what would be the best option in this regard? Thanks again!

Hi there again, got a new M4800 in great condition off of Ebay! Already bought a WX 4150 MXM-A dGPU, a 2TB Samsung mSATA SSD and a 3x3 Wifi card (all on their way). Planning on using my i7-4940MX in this laptop, to things will get toasty. I do have some questions though: 1.) What are the best fans in terms of performance/noise ratio? I've read that the Delta fans are the best choice, the ones that came with my M4800 don't look like them, although one of them has the Delta logo: 2.) What is the best docking station available for the M4800? From what I've seen, there are two distinct models, one wider and the other smaller. Which one routes the iGPU signal to the rear DP ports on the docking station, as mentioned in the BIOS option? Thanks in advance guys!

Regarding the necessity of the dGPU being present to make use of the HDMI and the DP port on the M6800, have a look at these two pictures: The first one shows the available GPUs on the OS with Switchable Graphics enabled in the BIOS menu. As you can see, both GPUs are visible, iGPU (Intel) and dGPU (ATI/AMD). The second images shows the same output with Switchable Graphics disabled in the BIOS menu. As you can see here, the option disables the iGPU, not the dGPU! With this it is safe to assume that the dGPU is a necessity if you want to make use of the HDMI or DP port. What a pity. 😞 Since the M6800 and the M4800 are basically the same platform, I'll assume that this is the same for both notebooks. 😞

Regarding the necessity of the dGPU being present to make use of the HDMI and the DP port on the M6800, have a look at these two pictures: The first one shows the available GPUs on the OS with Switchable Graphics enabled in the BIOS menu. As you can see, both GPUs are visible, iGPU (Intel) and dGPU (ATI/AMD). The second images shows the same output with Switchable Graphics disabled in the BIOS menu. As you can see here, the option disables the iGPU, not the dGPU! With this it is safe to assume that the dGPU is a necessity if you want to make use of the HDMI or DP port. What a pity. :-(

By x bracket you mean the metal frame on the back side? That one that holds the screws in place? I've been using the one that came with the new GPU, but it is identical to that of the old one. Here's the two GPU for comparison:

I assume you're referring to the presence of the mux? But that one isn't user controllable from what I've came to believe. Or is there any way to choose which GPU powers the HDMI port?

Quick question to the M4800 owners: Can you make use of the HDMI port on your notebook without there being a dGPU installed?

Hmm. I've talked with a colleague of mine about this issue. Here's what he had to say in regard of your last post: This would suggest that the HDMI can be used solely by the iGPU without the need of a dGPU being present ...

Thank you for the clarification! This is bonkers ... let's assume I was passing through the dGPU to a Windows VM for Gaming, that would mean I can't use the ports without the VM being powered on?

Thank you for the insights. So that contradicts the information from the archived thread. Maybe it is indeed a matter of vBIOS? Maybe that is the reason I can't make use of my WX 7100. Another questions comes to mind. Is anyone of you able to drive a external monitor via HDMI or DP without having a dGPU inside your M6800? From what I've found, that is not possible, since the display signal from the iGPU is routed through the dGPU for some reason?

Alright then ... a few more questions if you don't mind: 1. On the old archived thread, someone stated that the WX 7100 is locked at 80 Watt TDP inside the M6800, which severely cripples its performance. Can you confirm that? If not: could you provide a benchmark? Can't find any for this card in particular. 2. Do you remember what thickness you've used to the thermal pads? I guess a mix between 0,5mm and 1,0mm would suit it just fine? 3. Regarding the fans: can you set custom fan curves with the Radeon Software? Or is the GPU fan entirely controlled by the DELL firmware? Thanks in advance!

Thank your for uploading that! Noob question though: how do I flash it if the laptop does not start with the WX 7100 and I don't have any other device compatible with MXM lying around? 👨‍🚀 And regarding your M6800: do the fans work with your WX 7100?

Hi there, I've been running a T440p as a daily driver for quite some time now, but one thing bothers me from the very beginning. The damn fan is obnoxious. It's not the noise per se, mind you, but the frenzy by which it kicks into action. From zero-fan-mode to a few thousand RPMs, a whipping sound followed by a phase of ~30 seconds of moderately fan noise. Afterwards, the fan stops until it's waken again by the temp threshold being reached. It's super annoying, you either end up with setting a custom fan curve and basically eliminating zero-fan-mode so you have a constant noise instead of a repeating whipping-into-action, or you just give up entirely and wear headphones all the time. I'm running the Delta Fan, which is even supposed to be the quietest. But it doesn't matter, nor does the TDP of the CPU or the thermal compound used in this regard: all these factors have influence on how soon the threshold is reached, but once it's reached, the fan howls up like a jet taking off. The only thing I could possible think of to mitigate this issue is by changing the RPM values of the different fan speed levels, like e.g. implementing a level in between zero and the first one, so the noise ramps up steadily instead of whipping into full action. Is anyone here able to implement such a modification? Or can someone think of a different approach on this matter? Best regards

Hmm. The closest I've found is this old thread, where a card from the same generation is discussed. Sadly, there's no definitive conclusion on the matter.

No he did not, I hope he can be persuaded to assist in this endeavor. @nforce4max, you there? 😄 I'm staying with AMD, not just because I happen to have a heatsink for their cards laying around but also because I'm running Linux, and AMD currently has the more versatile drivers for Linux.

I was asking this myself. @nforce4max stated that the WX 7100 is a drop-in-replacement, no meddling needed, and he seems pretty knowledgeable about Dell Precisions. The card I bought was for a Dell Precision 7720. Part Number is 308VY apparently.

How so? Shouldn't the fan speed be adjusted to the thermals of the GPU? Don't tell me this most basic mechanism does not work with the new card?

Thank you for the clarification. I was just wondering if maybe the heatsinks did change with various generations. But from what you've told me they only differ between NVIDIA and AMD. But are you sure it is in fact the thermal pads? The laptop immediately shuts down after the LEDs flash briefly, there's barely enough time to even build up heat, in special for the GPU? Thank you for the suggestions. Both fans spin with the M6100, but neither one of them spins when trying to boot with the WX 7100.

Thank you for the suggestion. I actually had the realign the thermal pads a little bit, to the point where one pad was stretched over two capacitors (I guess they are capacitors? The cubes on the GPUs PCB). You sure the AMD heatsink used for the Firepro M6100 is actually compatible besides this issue?

I have an eDP motherboard. There are 30 pin panels, but they are scarce... On another note: I tried to install an AMD WX 7100 today. I've just swapped my Firepro 6100 for it, just slightly realigning the thermal pads. Otherwise I was under the impression that it does fit just nicely. Guess I was wrong, though. Once I hit the power button the status LEDs light up for a second before the whole machine loses power instantly. After switching the GPUs again and booting up this error message is shown (see attached image). I don't think it has something to do with temps though, since the machine is only powered for 2-3 seconds and there's no load...

Hi there, quick question: I'm in the middle of upgrading my M6800 (got a i7-4940MX and a WX 7100 on the way) and I'd love to upgrade the display, too. Can anyone recommend a good FHD panel and a seller that doesn't scam ("send compatible panel")?

Hey @nforce4max! I'm a fellow M6800 owner and most curious about your choice of GPU! I'd be happy to discuss this with you. Besides, are you interested in porting coreboot to the M6800? Coreboot is a open-source BIOS alternative. No whitelist, free to configure as you see fit. I'm looking forward to hearing from you!

Hey @Aaron44126, thank you for the answers! I did indeed looked up some panels on panelook.com, the questions is however how do I know if it will fit? Surely there are frames and holes to align the display. Do you know by chance any precise models that will fit? Regarding the WWAN slot: actually, my purchase is in part due to an ongoing endeavor to port the notebook to coreboot. If I'm not mistaken, coreboot should well be able to boot from that drive on the WWAN slot!

Hello fellow M6800 users! I assume this is a general thread so I hope you don't mind if I ask you some questions. I just bought my first notebook, as you've probably guessed it's a M6800. The one I bought is fairly low-specced, and I made sure it comes with an eDP-motherboard. After getting used to IPS, there's no going back for me to TN displays. Sadly, the one I bought ofc comes with this really subpar TN-Display: AOC119D - Panelook.com So first question: How do I switch this panel for something better? Does Dell impose a Whitelist on it's customers? If so, which panels are available, and where do I get them? If the available displays turn out to be just as mediocre, are there any ways to circumvent the whitelisting? E.g. by modding the BIOS? The next issue is the CPU. My M6800 is really low specced, and comes with an i5-4310MQ. I want to upgrade to a quad-core. Sadly, the i7-4702MQ I'm running in my ThinkPad T440p does not support VT-d, which is a feature I want for my M6800. That narrows it down to six possible CPUs: i7-4940MX (4.0 GHz Turbo, 57 Watts TDP), i7-4930MX (3.9 GHz Turbo, 57 Watts TDP), i7-4910MQ (3.9 GHz Turbo, 47 Watts TDP) i7-4900MQ (3.8 GHz Turbo, 47 Watts TDP) i7-4810MQ (3.8 GHz Turbo, 47 Watts TDP) i7-4800MQ (3.7 GHz Turbo, 47 Watts TDP) Despite being almost equally clocked, the i7-4940MX is 3-10% faster than the i7-4910MQ according to various benchmarks (1) (2). The topic has been grazed here already. Which CPU would you prefer? I'd had good experience with undervolting, maybe the i7-4940MX can be tamed this way? Otherwise the i7-4910MQ would be the logical choice, as long as both CPUs are equally priced. The next question is a little more special. I'd like to make use of both HDD slots in the M6800, and use a dedicated M.2-SSD in the WWAN-Slot as a system drive. Has anyone tried that before? Seems like a wasted opportunity to not use the WWAN slot for a SSD drive, since you're hardly carrying around an 3,5-4,0kg (7.9 + lb) notebook with you to make use of the mobile internet. I'd appreciate if someone could shine some light on these matters. Thank you all!