Successful GPU upgrade X51 R2..... GTX 980

[tangonaninc]

I have successfully upgraded my X51 R2 with a GTX 980 . I was going to wait and buy the 980 ti version, but decided just to get this instead. Was a little bit a pain to get it in but got it in there. This was one of the best upgrades for this machine. I would still recommend this to anyone thinking about upgrading their GPU.

 

[Tom]

Could you post your specs please? Is the 980 upgrade really that much better than the 970? Also, did you replace the fan with a smaller one or just leave it out?

Thanks

 

[venticore]

did you remove the intake fan? or there is enough space for the card without removing it?

 

[tangonaninc]

The reason I went with the 980 instead of the 970 is because I run triple monitor set-up in 1080p. Wanted to run the full 4gb. I bought the reference blower by EVGA. Yes I did remove the front fan and replaced it with a smaller one.

This is the fan I replaced it with:

http://www.frozencpu.com/products/1..._R126010BUAF.html?tl=g36c365s1625&id=sZ7UyJMh

This thing was a little hard to put in and took me a little bit of effort. Had to cable manage the power cable a little and had to partially pull out the front black bezel tab. ( you'll see it when you are putting the putting in the 980.). It kept getting caught on the tab. So I couldn't place it in all the way. That's what really help when I pushed the front black bezel forward a little.

I just put it in and runs all my games fine now. Batman Arkam knight can run triple monitor now for me in max settings. The game itself is still a little buggy till Rocksteady fixes it.

My specs:
Alienware X51 R2
Processor
Intel Core i7-4790 3.6 GHz
Memory
8 GB DDR3
Storage
1 TB 7200 RPM

500 GB SSD Samsung EVO
Optical Drive
Slot-Loading Dual Layer Blu-ray Reader (9.5 mm)
Graphics
Evga reference GTX 980
Power Supply
330W
Operating System
Windows 8.1 64-BiT

 

[Tom]

Any chance you could run a benchmark test and see if it shuts down? I'm really on the fence about making this upgrade due to shut down problems.
Then again i don't want to buy a 970 and feel like theres not much of an upgrade?
Keep me updated on how it runs please? I'm likely to upgrade within the next week or so.
Thanks
Tom

 

[tangonaninc]

Only test I did was the batman Arkam knight bench test. It was fine. I'm currently not at home. I'm on vacation till Sunday. I'll try other tests as soon as I get back. All my games play smooth now. I'll let you know if I have any shut downs.

 

[Salvatuon]

Hi all,
I also have a X51 R2. I recently replaced my GTX760Ti with a EVGA GTX980 SC reference model. My problem is that the heat during playing games becomes very hot and it is around 82C. For example when I play NFS Most Wanted it never goes under that degree but in FIFA15 it is around 72. Is this normal? And in Most Wanted sometimes I get error message like "NFS has stopped working". Any idea?
P.S: My driver version is 353.30 - WHQL
My rig: I7 4790+EVGA GTX980 SC+8GB Ram+2TB HDD+Bluray Driver

 

[venticore]

Yeah its normal for the reference cards.

 

[tangonaninc]

Also make sure you have a fan profile running. I use MSI Afterburner. Use YouTube it's easy. It will help with temps.

 

[KillerBee33]

Had 970, sold it , got 980 no issues so far , but not a big step up

 

[venticore]

That's why I will wait till I got a confirmation about the gtx 980 ti or will wait till I get the funds to buy both gtx 980 ti and Asrock m8 and get the card first if it didn't work then will move my stuffs to the m8.

 

[KillerBee33]

Next upgrade is a Brand New System Thats all!

 

[KillerBee33]

This all i've got out of 980 in X51 R2

 

[venticore]

isnt that low so low?

 

[venticore]

this just now with my everyday OC setting.

i guess its in the normal side.

 

[KillerBee33]

this just now with my everyday OC setting.

i guess its in the normal side.

Mine is on Extreme Firestrike

 

[KillerBee33]

Mine is on Extreme Firestrike

Regular Firestrike ___

 

[venticore]

That's how it should be I think my GPU score is lower than most overclockers they got over 13k mine berly break 12k

 

[KillerBee33]

That's how it should be I think my GPU score is lower than most overclockers they got over 13k mine berly break 12k

13000 and up is 970x2 SLI 10300 to 10600 is stable Overclock on a single 970
Here is what i had with 970 , but most stable Overclock with 970 was +214 Core + 456 Memory not one crash not one artifact!! which gives you a score on 10660

 

[venticore]

I can get up to + 600 men but my max core is +210 without crashing and artifacts.