Upgrade graphic card on Alienware M17x-R3

Dell WILL fit it for you, at least I had them put in writing that should a Bluray Writer be released for slot loading alienware machines, that I can have one fitted as fitting it myself would void the warranty.

I was assured any part which is compatible I can have dell fit for a 'nominal' charge.

and.. yes it will void your warranty if you do it yourself.

Thanks for the response Cenobitez. Now, the question remains, can the graphic card be upgraded at all? Does the GTX460M compatible motherboard readily take higher graphic cards for laptops?

It seems after a little chat with a Dell employee, that there are a variety of cards that can be added to your system. As you know naming dell staff is a TOS, so kinda anonymous :)

There is a little confusion over the warranty tho, I was told totally contrary to what this employee told me, but I was given some links for the small print and appears you can fit parts and if the parts are provided by dell they are included in your main warranty (if you have one), or you have 90 Days. So if you have 18 months warranty, and you fit the card, then you'll have 18 months warranty on the upgrade.

www.dell.com/.../addon_hdware this is where it tells you about the warranty.

The cards which are possible are (this is speculative).

Dell Part Number - Name

RDRGR AMD Radeon HD6990m Blackcomb XTX

YHP1P AMD Radeon HD6990m Blackcomb XTX Heat Sink

V5TGF AMD Radeon HD6870m Granville Pro

VH0YK AMD Radeon HD6870m Granville Pro Heat Sink

V9XKH AMD Radeon HD6970m Blackcomb XT

YHP1P AMD Radeon HD6970m Blackcomb XT Heat Sink

3MF8R Nvidia GeForce GTX580m N12E-GTX2

V1K2G Nvidia GeForce GTX580m N12E-GTX2 Heat Sink

YT99J Nvidia GeForce GTX560m N12E-GS

VDV04 Nvidia GeForce GTX460m N11E-GS

J9H7X Nvidia GeForce GTX460m N11E-GS Heatsink

I would guess if and when you contact Alienware Support to order the 3MF8R + V1K2G, they should be able to tell you  if your motherboard is able to accept it :)

Thanks a lot Cenobitez! That was helpful. I'll contact Dell right away now for the upgarde!

Good Luck, make sure they check compatibility :)

Would be worth asking about them fitting the part, its 50/50 if they would but always worth asking.

I was told I could get them to fit the part if I ordered it from them (when/if it was available) but again some confusion on that, not sure if its a UK/US different but no harm in asking/pushing the issue :)

The top one "RDRGR AMD Radeon HD6990m Blackcomb XTX" is in Crossfire? meaning you will need that setup? like the wires etc? im also looking to upgrade my GTX460m, I'm just not sure what to get :/