gpu upgrade GPU Upgrade on Dell PRECISION M4800/M6800

[mickeybat059]

Hello everyone, I'm writing to you about a project I'd like to pursue, a laptop—or rather, a portable Windows workstation—that's both affordable and capable, as a good geek like me.

 

I've seen Dell's Precision M range online (more specifically, the M4800 and M6800 models), which seem very good as a budget workstation, with high potential because they're fully modular (CPU; GPU; RAM; SSD; Network card...). They're often found at relatively low prices, as they're sold for spare parts or repairs (perhaps former company lots...).

Now, the point is that, as for the CPU, the choice is very simple, because you can evaluate Intel's range of fourth-generation quad-core processors like the i7 and even extreme versions like the 4930mx or 4940mx, which are still quite capable and powerful CPUs today.

 

The GPU, however, is a bigger question, as you have to consider either the GPUs natively available on that platform or those that can be adapted.
If you were to perform a "clean and straightforward" upgrade by installing native GPUs, you could consider all of Nvidia's Quadro K-series cards (k1100m, k2100m, k3100m, k4100m, and k5100m) or just a couple of AMD cards (FirePro M5100, FirePro M6100).
The problem is that these cards are quite expensive and hard to find for the performance they offer (a k5100m can easily be found for over €110).
Then there are all those GPUs in MXM format from a similar period that are adaptable, from the almost plug-and-play ones to the more fiddly ones that require firmware or hardware modifications for heat dissipation, and I'd like some advice on what to consider.

For example, I've seen some cards with more modern and affordable architectures, like the Nvidia Quadro M-series (M2000M, M3000M, and M4000M, although I haven't found any models with the latter); or a capable card like the AMD FirePro W7170M (which, given its price and performance, seems like one of the best, but I haven't verified full software and hardware compatibility on the cooler); the GeForce GTX 970M-980M (which, however, I'd also rule out due to their cost); and finally, I've seen the Quadro P1000M or the Quadro M5000M on newer, still modular models.

Now, with all these cards in hand, I'd like to figure out which are the best ones that can be installed non-natively, but which still work perfectly and offer better performance at a better price, while also evaluating any risks and necessary adjustments.
Thank you in advance for your interest.

[Aaron44126]

The “big” MXM GPUs will only fit in the M6800, not the M4800.

 

Maxwell and later GPUs (M5000M, 980M) will likely require a heatsink mod to install. The VRM position is changed and the heatsink has a protruding bit that hits one of them that must be cut off with a dremel or similar tool.

 

Quadro P5000 will also work but it requires that an “engineering sample” vBIOS be flashed on. This GPU doesn’t support LVDS, so if you have the LVDS version of the M6800, you can only use it with graphics switching enabled (Intel GPU driving the display).

Any GPU that isn’t “native” to the system (i.e. that Dell didn’t sell with it) will need an INF mod in order to install the driver on Windows.

 

There has been discussion in the later pages of this thread, which you should check out.

 

 

[mickeybat059]

thank you, I'll go and take a look