Precision M6600 graphic card replacement

[Mike1711]

Hello,

I have been using my Dell Precision M6600 for the last 4 years now. for both gaming and render work (I'm an architecture student). Since a couple week my laptop started to crash, always referring to the graphic driver (nvlddmkm.sys, stop code 0x116) as the reason behind the crashes. After some testing and trying to solve the problem (drivers/memtest/hard-drive tests etc.), it seems to be an hardware problem; the graphic card is dying.

Gladly the graphic card in my laptop is not soldered to the motherboard, so i only have to replace the graphic card. I'm out of warranty and the graphic card i was using (Nivida quadro 3000m) isn't the best anymore, so I was looking for an upgrade, since the graphic card was always the worst part of my laptop.

But here stops my knowledge about upgrading a laptop GPU. I know its upgradable (there are a couple topics about people that putted gtx 670m/gtx 680m in their machine), but they said they had to flash their BIOS and that they were running in some problems.

So my question is if you guys got some tips for me in to looking for an upgrade? I mainly render some small simple things with this laptop (use the uni's pcs for larger/detailed renders). The games I currently play can all be played on medium/high settings with the quadro 3000m, but some games that will be released soon (sc2;legacy of the void and xcom2) might have some problems running on this old card.

So what card would you advise me? Stick with the quadro 3000m, because it will 100% work with my current setup, or upgrade to a new quadro one (don't know if that will create some problems) or upgrade to a GTX, considering i don't render that much. My budget is around 250 euro's.

Thanks in advance,

Mike

My laptop specs

- Dell Precision M6600
- Windows 10
- Bios Version 15
- Nvidia Quadro 3000m
- Intel I7-2920XM
- 16GB RAM

 

[sora]

If you still like your NVIDIA Quadro 3000M I would personally keep it.

 

[Mike1711]

If you still like your NVIDIA Quadro 3000M I would personally keep it.

That isn't really an option, considering its dying. But yeah so far my quadro 3000m has been sufficient (only runnend in some problems when rending large, detailled files), but as I got to replace it anyway, I was thinking about getting an upgrade at the same time. Might costs a bit more, but may pay of for some of the upcoming games and be able to do larger renders on my own laptop and not the university ones.

But like i asked in my original post, i don't know what to look for when upgrading; Is every mobile graphic card compatible with my laptop, or only nvidia ones, or even only quadro ones? And in what kind of problems i could run in to when upgrading (got to flash my BIOS, or need a different heatsink etc. My knowledge about this is a bit limited so i'm asking here for advice.

 

[Damionthespawn]

I have an m6600 I went from a 3000m to a gtx 960m with out flashing the BIOS, though it may have been flashed as I bought it used from a computer shop about a year ago and threw the 960m in it a few weeks ago when I got my desktop, and its running great only reason for me was for the nvidia game stream. But if you need to uses dells website for a bios update, all there m6XXX stuff has a BIOS thats Current within 2 years which should support a 6XXm card or greater. Since im useing a 960m currently.
Just checked my bios is version A15 which is the Download link below.
http://www.dell.com/support/home/us/en/19/Drivers/DriversDetails?driverId=3WJG8&fileId=3289204791&osCode=WW1&productCode=precision-m6600&languageCode=EN&categoryId=BI&DCP=DNDTAG

As far as cooling goes you will need to get some thermal paste for the new GPU and some thermal pads for the VRam/power phase. When you take your Laptop apart you will see what I mean after you pull the Current heat sink off. In terms of heat. the newer card will have a greater preformance per watt so thermal temps would be mostly the same going to a new card with the same TDP, the 3000m has a TDP of 75 watts and my 960m has the same 75w and if im not mistaken the 670m has a 75w as well. but both would kick the pants off the 3000m

 

[xooper]

I have an m6600 I went from a 3000m to a gtx 960m with out flashing the BIOS, though it may have been flashed as I bought it used from a computer shop about a year ago and threw the 960m in it a few weeks ago when I got my desktop, and its running great only reason for me was for the nvidia game stream. But if you need to uses dells website for a bios update, all there m6XXX stuff has a BIOS thats Current within 2 years which should support a 6XXm card or greater. Since im useing a 960m currently.
Just checked my bios is version A15 which is the Download link below.
http://www.dell.com/support/home/us/en/19/Drivers/DriversDetails?driverId=3WJG8&fileId=3289204791&osCode=WW1&productCode=precision-m6600&languageCode=EN&categoryId=BI&DCP=DNDTAG

As far as cooling goes you will need to get some thermal paste for the new GPU and some thermal pads for the VRam/power phase. When you take your Laptop apart you will see what I mean after you pull the Current heat sink off. In terms of heat. the newer card will have a greater preformance per watt so thermal temps would be mostly the same going to a new card with the same TDP, the 3000m has a TDP of 75 watts and my 960m has the same 75w and if im not mistaken the 670m has a 75w as well. but both would kick the pants off the 3000m

Are you sure 960m working in m6600? Mind if you tell me that what brand & vbios of graphic card (960m) you installed?

 

[Dane_5]

I have an m6600 I went from a 3000m to a gtx 960m with out flashing the BIOS, though it may have been flashed as I bought it used from a computer shop about a year ago and threw the 960m in it a few weeks ago when I got my desktop, and its running great only reason for me was for the nvidia game stream. But if you need to uses dells website for a bios update, all there m6XXX stuff has a BIOS thats Current within 2 years which should support a 6XXm card or greater. Since im useing a 960m currently.
Just checked my bios is version A15 which is the Download link below.
http://www.dell.com/support/home/us/en/19/Drivers/DriversDetails?driverId=3WJG8&fileId=3289204791&osCode=WW1&productCode=precision-m6600&languageCode=EN&categoryId=BI&DCP=DNDTAG

As far as cooling goes you will need to get some thermal paste for the new GPU and some thermal pads for the VRam/power phase. When you take your Laptop apart you will see what I mean after you pull the Current heat sink off. In terms of heat. the newer card will have a greater preformance per watt so thermal temps would be mostly the same going to a new card with the same TDP, the 3000m has a TDP of 75 watts and my 960m has the same 75w and if im not mistaken the 670m has a 75w as well. but both would kick the pants off the 3000m

Just to make sure i am reading this correctly. You were able to install a gtx 960m in your m6600? was the gpu dell/celvo/ect? did you have to any modifications to the laptop bios?

 

[Dane_5]

I have an m6600 I went from a 3000m to a gtx 960m with out flashing the BIOS, though it may have been flashed as I bought it used from a computer shop about a year ago and threw the 960m in it a few weeks ago when I got my desktop, and its running great only reason for me was for the nvidia game stream. But if you need to uses dells website for a bios update, all there m6XXX stuff has a BIOS thats Current within 2 years which should support a 6XXm card or greater. Since im useing a 960m currently.
Just checked my bios is version A15 which is the Download link below.
http://www.dell.com/support/home/us/en/19/Drivers/DriversDetails?driverId=3WJG8&fileId=3289204791&osCode=WW1&productCode=precision-m6600&languageCode=EN&categoryId=BI&DCP=DNDTAG

As far as cooling goes you will need to get some thermal paste for the new GPU and some thermal pads for the VRam/power phase. When you take your Laptop apart you will see what I mean after you pull the Current heat sink off. In terms of heat. the newer card will have a greater preformance per watt so thermal temps would be mostly the same going to a new card with the same TDP, the 3000m has a TDP of 75 watts and my 960m has the same 75w and if im not mistaken the 670m has a 75w as well. but both would kick the pants off the 3000m

Just to make sure i am reading this correctly. You were able to install a gtx 960m in your m6600? was the gpu dell/celvo/ect? did you have to any modifications to the laptop bios?