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After extensive research and many comparisons, I was able to find some newer GPUs in MXM-A 3.0 format in addition to those intended by HP for the 8540p and 8540w (summarized in a table in the previous post). (Points are again PassMark points from technical.city).

This list from TechPowerUp helped me enormously in finding the models that were of interest to us:

GPU-Name	VRAM / Type clock	GPU clock	Shader	Architecture Lithography Chip	TDP	PassMark Points
NVIDIA Quadro 1000M	2 GB DDR3 1800 MHz	700 MHz	1400 MHz	Fermi 40 nm N12P-Q1	45 Watts	559
NVIDIA Quadro 2000M	2 GB DDR3 1800 MHz	550 MHz	1100 MHz	Fermi 40 nm N12P-Q3	55 Watts	765
AMD FirePro M5950	1 GB GDDR5 3600 MHz	725 MHz	725 MHz	TeraScale 2 40 nm 216-0810001	35 Watts	1314

There also appear to be sister models of the NVS 5100M, which are also supposed to be in MXM format—I was unable to find out whether they are A or B. Confusingly, these are manufactured in a different architecture (the 5100M is based on Tesla 2.0, while the sister models are based on Fermi).

The models are called “NVS 5200M 1 GB DDR3” and “NVS 5400M 2 GB GDDR3”.
However, both are weaker than the Quadro 2000M, scoring 505 points and 617 points respectively.
I couldn’t find a single image of either of these in MXM format (only directly mounted on motherboards).

The NVS 5400M with 2 GB VRAM could have been the best choice from Nvidia due to its lower TDP of only 35 watts compared to the Quadro 2000M – if you can find one or purchase one.

Is an unapproved model really a good idea?

There is virtually no reliable information about which of these cards work specifically in the Elitebook 8540p / 8540w, at least not in German. Then there is the problem of the potentially existing BIOS whitelist – MXM cards are of course also available from various manufacturers – almost all of whom have installed them in their own devices.

This means that the vendor ID or PCI ID may also change, which could result in no image output on the internal display or on one or all of the external outputs (VGA, DisplayPort, …), no signal is coming through, it no longer boots (POST fail) because the BIOS does not recognize the device, the driver does not run or does not run correctly or stably, etc.

Apart from that, there are also hardware differences: is the die in the right place for the cooler, is the height the same or at least similar, what about the position of the VRAM modules, does the mounting system still fit?
If not, is it adaptable or completely impossible mechanically?
Does the newer module have the same electrical pin assignment? Will anything burn out?

There are many ways in which installing an MXM GPU other than the one intended can go wrong, especially since MXM was never a 100% serious standard that everyone adhered to exactly.

Until the very end, I wasn’t sure if what I had in mind would even come close to working.

Spoiled for choice – or not:

I wanted an Nvidia GPU because of my experience with the drivers and because I considered it to have the highest potential to run and fit mechanically (or be easily made to fit). After a long search, I couldn’t find a single comment or report that the AMD FirePro M5950 COULD run, which made the decision easier.

So, from the cards above, I had my eye on the Nvidia Quadro 2000M with 2 GB DDR3 in particular.
According to technical.city, it has 765 PassMark points, compared to 199 for the NVS 5100M – more than triple – making it significantly more powerful than any of the models officially offered by HP at the time.

I read somewhere in the depths of the internet that this card should work, but only with driver modifications. The specifications of this card fit well with the rest in my opinion – it has to work somehow, and 2 GB VRAM is also nice compared to 1 GB.

That would also be a significant upgrade to the NVS 5100M in every respect.
Unlike the NVS 5100M, the Quadro 2000M and Quadro 1000M are based on the slightly newer Fermi architecture, so they support DirectX 11.0, OpenGL 4.6, Shader Model 5.0, CUDA 2.x, and OpenCL 1.1.
No sooner said than done – this is what I want:

⧉ Nvidia

Found and purchased.

I purchased the cheapest Nvidia Quadro 2000M with 2 GB VRAM on eBay Germany for less than €40 each, including shipping, after accepting the suggested price. It was definitely worth a try. The two cards were new products sold as used stock, presumably for warranty reasons.

All the better, as silicon and electronics wear out over time, especially under the high thermal load that a graphics card is exposed to, particularly in a notebook.

However, there was one downside – they were OEM models from Dell – which was dangerous due to possible incompatibilities. HP also had this specific card at the time, but even used, it was significantly more expensive at the time. So it was a full risk, “no returns” (click here for the item on eBay).
The bracket, i.e., the mount that later connects the card to the cooler, looked a little different in the pictures, which was not a good sign.

Two impatient days later, the cards arrived in perfect condition, very well packaged.
They even had brand new thermal pads* on the VRAM modules.
It couldn’t have been better, considering all the circumstances and the age of the hardware.

Now we prepare for the GPU conversion:

First, download the appropriate graphics driver for the Nvidia Quadro 2000M for all existing/desired Windows operating systems (do not run it yet):

Windows XP x86:
https://de.download.nvidia.com/Windows/Quadro_Certified/307.83/307.83-quadro-notebook-winxp-32bit-international-whql.exe (archive.org)

Windows 7 x64:
https://de.download.nvidia.com/Windows/Quadro_Certified/377.83/377.83-quadro-grid-desktop-notebook-win8-win7-64bit-international-whql.exe (archive.org)

Windows 10 / 11 x64:
https://de.download.nvidia.com/Windows/Quadro_Certified/377.83/377.83-quadro-grid-desktop-notebook-win10-64bit-international-whql.exe (archive.org)

If you want a different operating system, you can manually check for it at Nvidia:

Then download DDU directly and use it to completely uninstall the graphics driver on all desired Windows operating systems (button: “Clean and shut down – To install a new graphics card”).

Of course, this is only necessary if a graphics driver was installed in the first place.

Now the installation / conversion can begin:

The service manual also provides a detailed description of how to remove the existing MXM GPU, in case I have forgotten anything. All you need is a PH1 Phillips screwdriver* – and possibly something to pry the touch bar out without damaging it. However, you can also do this with your fingernails.

Here is a summary of the steps:

• Turn off the notebook, unplug the power supply, and remove the battery.
• Loosen the keyboard screws (3 pieces); these remain in place (thanks HP, good design!).
• Loosen the screws on the touch bar (usually hidden in the upper area under the battery).
• Turn it over and open the notebook.
• Push the keyboard locks on the upper edge downwards
• Carefully lift out the keyboard; a plastic spatula or similar tool will help
• Carefully disconnect the keyboard ribbon cable and remove the keyboard
• Lift the touch panel sideways towards the keyboard, again preferably using a spatula
• Carefully disconnect the touch panel ribbon cable and remove the whole unit

Now it’s time to remove the cooler and GPU:

• Loosen the 4 Phillips screws on the cooler attached to the CPU (left).
• Loosen the 4 Phillips screws on the cooler attached to the GPU (right).
• Very carefully disconnect the cooling fan (very fragile connector!).
• Remove the screws from the cooling fan. There is another screw hidden under the ribbon cables in the upper area; loosen this one as well.
• Now the cooler unit can be carefully tilted to the side and removed.
• The GPU is held in place by two Phillips screws. Be careful—the MXM module folds up gently like a RAM bar.
• Done! The GPU is now removed.

Of course, everything should now be cleaned (preferably with isopropanol*, but carefully!).
If necessary, now would also be a good time to dust the cooling fan, as well as the cooling fins directly in front of it.

Is the Quadro 2000M suitable?

Upon closer inspection, I noticed the following things:

• The position of the GPU die and VRAM modules is unproblematic and fits quite well.
• The thickness of the thermal pads for the VRAM looks good, but rearranging them makes sense in some cases.
• The position of the thermal pads for the power supply is roughly correct, but not ideal. Acceptable.
• The plastic bracket attached to the new Dell GPU with double-sided tape is too thick and prevents the card from being fully inserted into the slot!

The significantly thinner metal bracket of the original NVS 5100M GPU should also fit the Quadro 2000M, right?

If you use a Quadro 2000M variant with a metal bracket, you can save yourself the following modification, which is not entirely risk-free due to the force required to press it in. I was simply “unlucky,” if you want to call it that. But the modification was easy to do—it could have been worse.

Modification of the cooler bracket and thermal pads:

The original bracket of the NVS 5100M fits the Dell card, but is attached to the circuit board with very strong double-sided adhesive tape. This is probably due to years of hot-cold cycles.

I carefully pushed the threaded sleeves through the holes in the circuit board from above using a Phillips screwdriver and, when there was enough space, pulled further on the bracket from behind. If it is very difficult to remove, bend or press a little more. Heat definitely helps enormously, but I managed without it.

After successfully removing both brackets, inspect everything carefully and bend the metal bracket back into shape; the threaded sleeves fit very precisely and can easily become jammed. I actually prefer the original bracket because it will be more stable and heat-resistant.

Be careful when reattaching it, as it only fits properly in one direction.
Note the distance between the SMD components in the middle of the “square” and the bracket!

The original adhesive tape survived cold removal on both brackets in my case and will therefore simply be reused.

When rearranging the thermal pads, I used their previous position on the NVS 5100M as a guide.
Before positioning the VRAM pads, I looked at exactly where the cooler was located and aligned the pads accordingly. That worked well.

Now it’s time to put everything back together again.

Now you can insert the Quadro 2000M diagonally into the MXM slot – just like RAM.
Then press down gently and carefully secure it with the two Phillips screws you removed earlier.

Then reassemble everything as listed above, and don’t forget the new thermal paste*.
For “direct die” cooler contact (i.e., components without heat spreaders), I always spread it thinly over the entire die to make sure everything is covered. Notebooks never really have heat spreaders, or at least haven’t had them for a long time, so I recommend spreading the thermal paste thinly.

I use Arctic’s MX-4* as standard, as with the CPU before.

Once everything is back together, you can turn on the notebook and boot it up.
And hopefully look at the display.

It’s working, and I’m getting a picture!

So I can conclude that:
Basically, an Nvidia Quadro 2000M with 2 GB VRAM, which even has Dell as its vendor and not HP, runs in an HP EliteBook 8540p and in 99.99% of cases also in an 8540w!

I estimate the probability that a closely related Nvidia Quadro 1000M would also run as extremely high.

As announced, the next part will continue with the necessary driver modification.

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