HP Elitebook 8570W - is it still good ? Hardware modifications

[Daedalus]

Going on @Vladka76 view of using the Clevo Cable +HP DC + etc etc.  And please correct me if im wrong,  I assume standard 30pin layout, data pins etc.  So no "magic" happens at the display panel as e.g LG panel exists in Dell, Clevo, etc there should be standardised (except for mounting points) the only change would be the DC board doing the converting. could we not use a "other" brand solution? one thats more available than the "unobtainium" DC board? probably overthinking it here. 

I agree with the view of no need for 4K screen etc, but does that simplify it?

[Vladka76]

On 3/13/2026 at 3:22 PM, Daedalus said:

Going on @Vladka76 view of using the Clevo Cable +HP DC

Thanks, but that wasn't exactly my view. 🙂
 

 

On 3/13/2026 at 3:22 PM, Daedalus said:

the only change would be the DC board doing the converting. could we not use a "other" brand solution? one thats more available than the "unobtainium" DC board?

It seems you've misunderstood the idea.
She was to use only a modified cable between the motherboard and display, without a converter board at all. Re-read the latest replies from DevilAnGeL, the author of the "Ultimate 8770W yet?" thread. You even wrote there earlier.
I've read that DELL workstations also use a similar converter board (with a newer microprocessor). I can't say how compatible it is with HP.

[JadeRover]

Yes, dell m6600 and dell m6700 DC models have that DC conveter board that transforms the incoming eDP to 50 pin LVDS + 10 pin power cable used by the DC LCD.

 

The HP zbook 17 g1, g2 and 15 g1 that have the DC screen option also use such converter boards.

 

Keep in mind that for all the models stated the converter board looks something like this :

 

So if you get the DC cables for your model you see that it connects to your board in a non standard eDP format = can't use that cable to connect to a standard eDP panel conenctor.

 

Also the zbook 17 g1 and g2 all have this converted board as they all have LVDS displays and the motherboard outputs eDP. Not sure why HP chose this approach, probably because eDP lcds were rare in 2013-2014.

 

so zbook 17 g1/g2 with 900p to 1080p screes have this board if you want a sure way to get your hands on one.

[JadeRover]

And yes I get your idea, since the motherboard outputs eDP signals (4 lanes of eDP) but it terminates in an unusable connector. The only solution is to DIY / get made a custom cable that connects to the eDP connector on the motherboard and then directly to the eDP display, bypassing the DC board that would create an unusable signal.

 

4 lanes of eDP is on part with modern laptops, you can connect 4K dislays or 1080p >120Hz displays as well. Worth looking into as the only custom part needed is a custom eDP cable, the LCD can be an off the shelf 40 pin eDP display.

[Daedalus]

No problem @Vladka76 happy to be wrong 😉 just enquiring if that option had been investigated. 

 

Thanks @JadeRover that was kinda where my head was at with using standardized units for Display then we remove the intermediate board (which seems to be very difficult to obtain) 4K screen would be lovely but may overtax the HW in our 8570w's as previously called out. Would deffo buy the cable once we manage to get them built. 

 

Yeah never got a response from Devilangel on my query, he did an awesome build, TaoBao was a nightmare to navigate. 

 

[KbX]

I bought a cheap GTX 1070 to try with my 8570w, but it only works via DisplayPort to an external screen. From the posts, I think we have the same problem. The GPU emits an eDP signal. I could also buy screen Innolux N156HHE-GA1 Rev. C3 which has a 30-pin connector and receives an eDP signal, but I suppose a simple 40-pin converter from the motherboard to the 30-pin of this screen isn't enough because the pins that go through the motherboard aren't in the correct place for EDP communication, and the wires have to be externally adjusted to the way the screen receives them.

Am I correct in what I'm saying? Is this the adaptation I need, or i can buy the screen and it would work just with a 30 to 40 pin adapter? There are also DisplayPort to LVDS converters, but they are large pieces...

[Junom]

Hi,

 

thanks to everyone who have contributed with their personal upgrade experiences. I newly signed up here just to share mine. Your posts encouraged me to try a small upgrade over the K1000M card that was in my 8570w laptop. I bought a M1000M off eBay, mainly because it wasn't too pricey (20 USD). Not a huge loss if it didn't work, right! The card was pulled from a Dell laptop with vbios version 82.07.8F.00.1A. After turning the computer on, all the pixels on the screen turned white before slowly fading. The display is the 1920x1080 one with the LVDS connector.

 

I managed to see if the DP output worked by using a Linux Mint LiveCD. I have Linux (Gentoo) installed on that machine, so I was able to get to the console on the external display. I then decided to download and try flashing vbios version 82.07.8D.00.15 (https://www.techpowerup.com/vgabios/239513/239513) onto the card with the linux version of nvflash... and it worked!!!

I am happy! Thanks everyone! 😁 Hope this helps others who want to try this little upgrade over the original card.

[JadeRover]

18 hours ago, Junom said:

Hi,

 

thanks to everyone who have contributed with their personal upgrade experiences. I newly signed up here just to share mine. Your posts encouraged me to try a small upgrade over the K1000M card that was in my 8570w laptop. I bought a M1000M off eBay, mainly because it wasn't too pricey (20 USD). Not a huge loss if it didn't work, right! The card was pulled from a Dell laptop with vbios version 82.07.8F.00.1A. After turning the computer on, all the pixels on the screen turned white before slowly fading. The display is the 1920x1080 one with the LVDS connector.

 

I managed to see if the DP output worked by using a Linux Mint LiveCD. I have Linux (Gentoo) installed on that machine, so I was able to get to the console on the external display. I then decided to download and try flashing vbios version 82.07.8D.00.15 (https://www.techpowerup.com/vgabios/239513/239513) onto the card with the linux version of nvflash... and it worked!!!

I am happy! Thanks everyone! 😁 Hope this helps others who want to try this little upgrade over the original card.

 

Welcome to the forums ! Nice modding adventure you've started there, 20 bucks GPU upgrade on a laptop is always nice =D

 

Anyway, I was interested in you saying that this first vbios didn't work for you. I checked the 8570W boardview and indeed the internal display connector connects the eDP to DP_C of the dGPU (see screenshot).

 

 

This arrangement is non standard, most MXM GPU vbios have eDP connected on DP_D. HP has a few MXM laptops that have eDP on DP_C -> zbook 15 g1/g2/g3 + zbook 17 g3.

 

Meaning if you want to do a GPU upgrade you need to use a GPU that has eDP on DP_C (if not you'll get a black screen). The safest way to do so is to get an MXM gpu that originally shipped on the models I mentionned + flash the appropriate HP bios. Moreover, iMACs also use DP_C to drive the eDP display, vbios found on post #1 of this page for the mentionned GPUs should work for your laptop as well if you want to upgrade further down the line :  https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/imac-2011-maxwell-and-pascal-gpu-upgrade.2300989/ = more GPU upgrades possible.

You can also use a backlight cable mod if your GPU has standard DP on DP_C (not eDP).