Mobile PCI Express Module
Encyclopedia
A Mobile PCI Express Module (MXM) is an interconnect standard for GPUs
(MXM Graphics Modules) in laptop
s using PCI Express
created by MXM-SIG. The goal was to create a non-proprietary, industry standard socket, so one could easily upgrade the graphics processor in a laptop, without having to buy a whole new system or relying on proprietary vendor upgrades.
Clevo/Sager
and Alienware (Dell) currently manufacture and implement the largest amount of MXM cards in their laptops and are the only known manufacturers of most standard high end MXM 3.0 models for gaming. They are also the only 2 brands which continue to produce laptops with dual MXM slots for SLI or crossfire setup.
MSI
currently manufactures the only notebooks with the Nvidia GTX 570m in standard MXM 3.0 type B. Arima, ODM in the past for Alienware and other 'boutique' sellers have used cards that are MXM-compliant but which possess slight mechanical differences, similar to Asus MXM cards.
A common misconception when defining MXM is that a certain model E. G. 9800m GT "is MXM 2.1", and therefore any notebook with a 9800m GT fully implements MXM 2.1. This is not what MXM is. While Nvidia defines a lot of MXM specifications, they do NOT manufacture or design MXM cards themselves, which mostly consist of a PCB
with vRAM
and only a Nvidia or ATI GPU core. Therefore any model of GPU can be manufactured in MXM, but a laptop released with any particular graphics card model may or may not implement MXM regardless. This is because its the decision of the ODM
whether or not to implement MXM, not Nvidia's or ATI's.
Currently (Q4 2011):
Graphics processing unit
A graphics processing unit or GPU is a specialized circuit designed to rapidly manipulate and alter memory in such a way so as to accelerate the building of images in a frame buffer intended for output to a display...
(MXM Graphics Modules) in laptop
Laptop
A laptop, also called a notebook, is a personal computer for mobile use. A laptop integrates most of the typical components of a desktop computer, including a display, a keyboard, a pointing device and speakers into a single unit...
s using PCI Express
PCI Express
PCI Express , officially abbreviated as PCIe, is a computer expansion card standard designed to replace the older PCI, PCI-X, and AGP bus standards...
created by MXM-SIG. The goal was to create a non-proprietary, industry standard socket, so one could easily upgrade the graphics processor in a laptop, without having to buy a whole new system or relying on proprietary vendor upgrades.
Clevo/Sager
Sager
Sager is a surname, and may refer to:* Bobby Sager, entrepreneur turned philanthropist, and inspiration for The Philanthropist television series* Carole Bayer Sager , American lyricist, songwriter, and singer* Craig Sager, American broadcaster...
and Alienware (Dell) currently manufacture and implement the largest amount of MXM cards in their laptops and are the only known manufacturers of most standard high end MXM 3.0 models for gaming. They are also the only 2 brands which continue to produce laptops with dual MXM slots for SLI or crossfire setup.
MSI
MSI
-Computing:* Windows Installer, an installer system written by Microsoft for Windows platforms * Medium Scale Integration, a generation of integrated circuit chips which contain hundreds of transistors...
currently manufactures the only notebooks with the Nvidia GTX 570m in standard MXM 3.0 type B. Arima, ODM in the past for Alienware and other 'boutique' sellers have used cards that are MXM-compliant but which possess slight mechanical differences, similar to Asus MXM cards.
A common misconception when defining MXM is that a certain model E. G. 9800m GT "is MXM 2.1", and therefore any notebook with a 9800m GT fully implements MXM 2.1. This is not what MXM is. While Nvidia defines a lot of MXM specifications, they do NOT manufacture or design MXM cards themselves, which mostly consist of a PCB
PCB
PCB may refer to:Science and technology:* Printed circuit board, a board used in electronics* PCB , software to design printed circuit boards* PCBoard, bulletin board software for MS-DOS* Polychlorinated biphenyls, organic compounds...
with vRAM
Ram
-Animals:*Ram, an uncastrated male sheep*Ram cichlid, a species of freshwater fish endemic to Colombia and Venezuela-Military:*Battering ram*Ramming, a military tactic in which one vehicle runs into another...
and only a Nvidia or ATI GPU core. Therefore any model of GPU can be manufactured in MXM, but a laptop released with any particular graphics card model may or may not implement MXM regardless. This is because its the decision of the ODM
ODM
-Computing:* OpenDocument Master Document, an OpenOffice format* Object Data Manager, a DBMS for device configuration information in the AIX operating system* Oracle Data Mining, an optional extra for an Oracle database...
whether or not to implement MXM, not Nvidia's or ATI's.
Highest performing cards available
- MXM 2.1 type II: Nvidia 9600m GT ddr3, ATI 4670 ddr3
- MXM 2.1 type III/HE: Nvidia GTX 280m, ATI 4870
Currently (Q4 2011):
- MXM 3.0 type A: Nvidia Quadro 2000m, AMD 6770m gddr5
- MXM 3.0 type B: Nvidia GTX 580m, AMD 6990m
- Rare/nonstandard MXM 2.1 type II cards: Asus g60 GTX 260m & GTS 360m, Toshiba GT 240m
Implementations
- ClevoSagerSager is a surname, and may refer to:* Bobby Sager, entrepreneur turned philanthropist, and inspiration for The Philanthropist television series* Carole Bayer Sager , American lyricist, songwriter, and singer* Craig Sager, American broadcaster...
has been utilizing fully standardized MXM cards on all of its high-end notebooks for the past few years. - MSIMicro-Star InternationalMicro-Star International Co., Ltd is a Taiwan-based electronics company and one of the world's largest motherboard and video card manufacturers.-Overview:MSI is one of the top three motherboard and video card manufacturers worldwide...
uses standard MXM on almost all recent GX and GT series laptops. They provide excellent BIOS support with MXM structure and have had the largest number cases in which a laptop was upgraded beyond specification. - Alienware has been using MXM on almost all notebooks. Since being bought out by Dell, they use MXM (3.0) on all of their notebooks excluding the m11x and the m14x
- Dell now uses MXM 3.0 on its Precision series, including the m6500, m4600 and m6600.
- HP uses MXM for most of its Elitebook business series (15–17.3"). Modern Elitebooks are using completely standardized cards, while in the past they were proprietary. HP also used MXM on the Firebird HTPC and HDX Dragon.
- Lenovo uses MXM on its 17" workstation line (w7**) and has used it on a few Ideapad series notebooks.
- Apple uses MXM cards for their 24" iMac desktop computers. As with full-sized PCIe GPUs, the cards must be capable of accepting the installation of Macintosh firmware in order to work with Macintosh drivers.
- Most Acer Core 2 Duo era notebooks with discrete graphics cards support MXM. Since the i5/i7 chipset, only 1 Acer model has been released with MXM.
- Quanta has a number of MXM notebooks, but compatibility with other MXM cards is questionable.
- Shuttle has an MXM SFC, the x100, that is MXM compatible.
- AsusASUSASUSTeK Computer Incorporated is a multinational computer technology and consumer electronics product manufacturer headquartered in Taipei, Taiwan. Its product range includes motherboards, desktops, laptops, monitors, tablet PCs, servers and mobile phones...
utilizes non standard MXM modules in most of their laptops, with a reversed pin on configuration on most MXM 2.1 models (since MXM 3.0 they are no longer reversed) and nonstandard PCB shape and mounting. - Compal ElectronicsCompal ElectronicsCompal Electronics is a Taiwanese original design manufacturer , handling the production of notebook computers, monitors, and televisions for a variety of clients around the world, including Acer Inc., Dell, Toshiba, Hewlett-Packard, and Fujitsu Siemens Computers...
' (I)FL90 series uses replaceable MXM. Compal is also the original design manufacturerOriginal Design ManufacturerAn original design manufacturer is a company which designs and manufactures a product which is specified and eventually branded by another firm for sale. Such companies allow the brand firm to produce without having to engage in the organization or running of a factory...
of many Acer laptops. - ToshibaToshibais a multinational electronics and electrical equipment corporation headquartered in Tokyo, Japan. It is a diversified manufacturer and marketer of electrical products, spanning information & communications equipment and systems, Internet-based solutions and services, electronic components and...
uses non standard MXM on many of their laptops, but have produced some standard cards.
1st generation configurations
Smaller graphics modules can be inserted into larger slots, but type I and II heatsinks will not fit type III and above or vice versa.| MXM Type | Width | Length | Pins | Module Compatibility | Thermal Compatibility | Max. Power |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| MXM-I | 70mm | 68mm | 230 | I | I | 18W |
| MXM-II | 73mm | 78mm | 230 | I, II | II | 35W |
| MXM-III (HE) | 82mm | 100mm | 230(232) | I, II, III, HE | II, III, HE | 75W |
| MXM-IV (Depreciated) | 82mm | 117mm | 230 | I, II, III, IV | I, II, III, IV |
2nd generation configurations (MXM 3)
Smaller graphics modules can be inserted into larger slots. Heatsink mounting remains the same for type A and B modules.| MXM Type | Width | Length | Module Compatibility | Thermal Compatibility | Max. Power | GPU memory bus |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| MXM-A | 82mm | 70mm | A | A | 55W | 64-bit or 128-bit |
| MXM-B | 82mm | 105mm | A, B | A, B | 100W | 256-bit |
Standard availability
MXM is no longer supplied freely by nVidia but it is controlled by the MXM-SIG controlled by nVidia. Only corporate clients are granted access to the standard. While the MXM 2.1 specification is widely available the 3.0 spec has not yet been released/leaked.Module compatibility
First generation modules are not compatible with second generation modules and vice versa.External links
- MXM-Grafikkarten DE
- MXM-SIG
- MXM Upgrade - Site about MXM, with a table of some MXM laptops, detailed upgrade procedures and MXM cards for sale.
- http://forum.notebookreview.com/acer/396320-acer-mxm-models-cards.html - Nearly complete list of Acer laptops implementing MXM.