Aspire 7720G major upgrade

Yeah it's odd, they went from not compatible to works like a dream with MXM-A and MXM-B.

 

Awesome! Thanx for the info. I searched ebay for MXM and found a ton of them. I can finally fix my Aspire.

 

hey guys i know this is a long shot because i don't have a lot of info for you.. but, I just installed a GeForce 9500m GS in my 7720. I can hear it start up like everything is normal, but all i get is a blank blue screen. Any ideas or suggestions on where to go from here?

update:
it's not a blue screen, more like a blank screen with the backlight lit up. the computer starts and i can hear it running. I tried an Ubuntu disc, and i could hear it running, but can't see it to start it. I also tried an external monitor, but had no change.

 

A dead card, probably.

 

hmm damn.. anyway to check that?

 

Hi

I want to know if someone here try to change the LCD panel for an WUXGA one (1920x1200) ?

Which model is the best ?

And do i need to change the LCD cable ?

Thx for the reply )

 

Check that your cable has all pins connected. On a 7720G. it will usually be so. On a 5720G, you will need to install a 7720G cable.

If you have the right cable, then the panel change shall work.

Also, I can't vouch for the IGP version of the 5720 or 7720.

 

it seems the WUXGA LCD panel (1920x1080) have this reference :

LTN170CT02-001

Can someone can confirm this ?

 

Hi, I replaced the motherboard in my 7720G with the intention of also replacing ATI Radeon HD2300 with Nvidia GeForce 9600M GT 512MB DDR3 as I had the "Black Screen and Fans" issue. I replaced the board and thought I'd try the old ATI card anyway, as my new card hasn't arrived yet.....hey presto! It works, but I've noticed my Power light comes on but not the lights immediately below. Can anyone point me in the right direction please?

 

well I would double check the cable for them is connected properly.

 

it really was that simple...... thx

 

Hello you guys! It's been a while since I last checked this thread...

I just wanted to let you know that my upgraded notebook is still kickin' it with no problems but with one more feature;
fully unlocked 1.45 BIOS thanks to the guys at Bios Mods.

Not sure if this qualifies as a mod but if someone wants to have a full BIOS enabled you should check it out. There was a huge progress made with Insyde H20 unlocking. Memory timings, VT, ACPI States, Dynamic FSB switching, and a lot more!

I wish I have that X9000 CPU right now to test it with these options
Here are some screenshots about what you can expect from unlocking yours...

 

Well, MXM Edition also has all these options unlocked - in fact, this looks like a rather glitchy unlock compared to that.

BTW, "IST Configuration" controls Dual IDA. Disable it before using ThrottleStop to get Dual IDA, while enabling it improves power savings.

 

MXM Edition?

 

It is in the x920G thread. Another version, "EFI Edition", will also be out soon, with EFI shell support.

 

Do you know someone who can make my Insyde H20 BIOS less "glitchy"?

 

The best bios for "Clean and Professional" Menu was the MXM patched Version by "Kizwan-Netroller and the One made by Dummy on Marcan's Blog :

request download ticket | Aspire7720BiosModVersionH.zip - ifile.it

this is the description file :

------- -----

There is one BIOS version in this package. File name is CL50145G.fd. See the notes below, please, for details.

This file has been tested by me on two different machines, one with a T7500 and one with a T7300 CPU.
It is working correctly to my satisfaction.
However, be aware that the original bios contains a lot of old and outdated code.
Some of the options do not even work as expected. I made no attempt to fix that.

Clearly, Acer did not bother to use newer source code for their Bios since most options in the SETUP menu were never intended to be
visible to the end-user anyway.

I can think of many other improvements and enhancements to this BIOS. But for all practical purposes I have drawn a line here.

This file is ready for distribution. It does NOT contain UUID's, licenses, setup values and the sort.
After loading you will need to define all of your setup values the way you would like, up to and including the VT setting.
Setup defaults have not been changed.

When you decide to use this BIOS, I would appreciate if you just make a small comment as a token of appreciation on the blog post
where you found this file (user name Dummy on http://marcansoft.com/blog/2009/06/enabling-intel-vt-on-the-aspire-8930g). Thanks.

If you have any remarks or suggestions, please also write a small comment.
If you send me your email address I can get in touch with you if needed.

The best way to load this BIOS file is to use the DOS flash utility, called FLA.EXE.
It is included in the Acer release of BIOS v1.45. You will need to create a bootable USB stick formatted to hold a (minimal) DOS system.

The command line to use is:

"FLA CL50145G.fd"

DO NOT USE any command line switches.


Blah blah ...
-------------

THERE IS ALWAYS A (MINOR) RISK WITH FLASHING ANY BIOS. WHEN USING THESE BIOS FILES YOU DO SO AT YOUR OWN RISK. YOU CANNOT HOLD ME RESPONSIBLE FOR ANY DAMAGE OF ANY KIND TO YOUR COMPUTER OR FOR ANY CONSEQUENTIAL DAMAGE. I DO NOT GUARANTEE ANYTHING IN RESPECT OF THE USE OF THESE MODIFIED BIOS'SES. PLEASE USE AS SEEMS FIT TO YOU. BUGS THAT MAY EXIST IN THE ORIGINAL BIOS ARE MOST LIKELY ALSO EXISTING THESE BIOS'SES. WHEN USING THESE BIOS'SES YOU MAY LOOSE SOME OF YOUR WORK OR ALL OF YOUR WORK, YOU MAY BRICK YOUR COMPUTER, YOUR ELECTRICITY BILL MAY INCREASE AND ANY OTHER CONCEIVABLE CATASTROPHE MAY HAPPEN TO YOU. DO NOT REPORT ANY SUCH EVENT TO ME AS I WILL DECLINE ALL RESPONSIBILITY. YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED. YOU ARE FREE TO USE AND DISTRIBUTE THESE BIOS'SES AS LONG AS YOU MAKE NO ALTERATION OF ANY KIND TO THE BIOS FILES AND AS LONG AS YOU INCLUDE BOTH FILES AND THIS README NOTE TOGETHER. IF YOU REQUIRE BIOS MODIFICATIONS, EITHER DO IT YOURSELF AND REDISTRIBUTE IN YOUR OWN NAME OR USE THESE BIOS'SES AS A BASE BUT THEN YOU MUST INCLUDE THIS README FILE.


CL50145G.fd
-----------

This is the modified BIOS for Acer Aspire 7720, 7720G and perhaps other models that use the same BIOS.
It is based on the latest, and most likely last, release by the manufacturer (Acer).
The Acer version is v1.45 and the BIOS file name of the Acer release is CL50145A.fd.
This BIOS is available for download from the Acer support site. Please note the copyright.

The undervolting is enabled for T7xxx CPU's Only (CPUID 6Fx).

The P-States are calculated dynamically by the BIOS depending on the CPUID and the Platform ID (Stepping) amongst others.
All P-States are affected by the modifications to the voltage.
This BIOS is only for computers with CPUID's of 6Fx (that is 6FA, 6FB and perhaps others).
Any platform ID should be OK, although I tested only one of each 6FA and 6FB.

For those of you who are interested, there are exactly 5 P-States.

The voltage modifications are conservative.
I do not expect any issues as a result of these modifications.
Nevertheless you need to understand that each CPU copy has individual voltage/temperature and die characteristics.
Your friend's computer might tolerate a much higher voltage reduction than yours even though you have the same CPU type with the same stepping.
Unfortunately, the voltages are not user configurable at present and I cannot promise that I will make an attempt to do that in the foreseeable future.

Modifications:

1) The setup utility has been modified to show all submenu's.
No options were added or removed. No default values were changed.
However, many existing options have been rearranged and may now appear under a different main menu.
The need for this was the bug in the browser protocol that caused scrolling not to work correctly.
I have tried to be as logical as possible when rearranging the options. Scrolling is now not used at all.

One menu, the 'USB Configutation' menu has been split into two.
I created an extra sub form to hold part of the original form. Again, this was necessary to avoid scrolling.

2) Many corrections were made in the (English) string table.
Typo's were corrected, translation was improved and missing text strings were created.
Incorrectly linked strings were fixed. Some improvements in the help text as well.
All in all, the string table has increased in size a bit.

3) The French and Chinese string tables were removed.
They were not used anyway. The French string table was a very partial and poor translation.
Don't know about the Chinese, but it's gone now. If anyone does need it (and knows how to enable it) let me know and I'll put it back.

4) Microcode was added and updated. It is important to have the right microcode, since it may happen on resume from S3 or higher that
the OS does not load the microcode because of bugs in the OS, the ACPI implementation or something else.
I had frequent crashes that were not BSOD, not driver related, in fact not OS related at all.
After investigation, I found out that there was no microcode loaded in the CPU (a T7500).
After loading the correct microcode in the BIOS, I did not experience any more crashes.

There was no microcode at all for the T7500 in the BIOS and the microcode for the T7300 was very old.
All the more strange, since Acer did update the microcode in version 1.29 to support the Penryn range of CPU's,
but they did not bother to update and include microcode for CPU's that had already been sold from the start of the range.
Upon my inquiry I received an extremely blunt reply from Acer ...

5) The CPU voltage at the highest frequencies has been reduced by 150 mV.

6) The CPU voltage at the lowest frequencies has been recuded by some 85 mV.


Known issues:

1) The setup browser protocol has bugs that prevent scrolling to work correctly.
Work-around: re-arrange options so that scrolling is never used. Impact: none.

Known issues by ME :

1) the UUID,asset tag,serial number have missed after flashing but i solve this problem with Insyde UUID and DMI tools.
it's not annoying, but certain people need it.
2) i use Osx 10.7.2, and you have the famous error "Firewire GUID 0000000000000000 is invalid!"
Apparently it could be a Bios issue, some motherboard (like Gigabyte) and laptop (like Dell) manufacturer make a new release
and this error disappeared.
You could use it under Windows but it's a very annoying bug under Osx.
I'm nearly sure it's a bug from Acer (but don't care about it...) not Dummy.
3) The DSDT is not clear, a little buggy, but i made my own for Osx Use.

 

WoW ! XMas Edition !

 

Has anyone added quad core microcode to the BIOS....?!?! If so I will test a quad core again.


Also, I'd like to point out, this thread says "major upgrade..." yet your video card is still type II. I have been running an fx 3600m (like 9800m GT) in my 7720g... I'm thinking of desoldering the USB ports, ethernet and s-video to make it lay flat.

I have a copper block for 9800m GT from an m570ru which weighs about a pound... I have tried to experiment with mounting a heatpipe & radiator with cooling paste, it did get hot and transfer some heat but I think it needs to be soldered on. It stayed under 60c idling when directing airflow over the copper block.

If you want a "major upgrade" you should bid here: Qty 1 HP pn# 490858-B21 NVIDIA Quadro FX 3600M graphics kit | eBay
Its mounted on a server mezzanine board but is standard MXM... and it has a built in heatsink.

 

Oh nice thread... I see here:

Yes I can confirm this. I think that happens to be the exact model I have.

 

Thx, Probably my next buy for one of my 7720G

 

@DoZe: This BIOS, minus the voltage mods, is exactly what MXM Edition is based on.

 

Oh come on, I feel so sad right now
Did you see when was this thread posted? It was over a year ago and all the upgrades were made basically at once. I really don't see the need to upgrade my GPU, especially with a Quadro card. The main reason for the change in the first place was a bad 8400M GS and, at the time, 9600M GT was the best choice. The only thing I would like to upgrade right now is the LCD panel, that WUXGA looks pretty interesting

 

Note for 5720G owners: If you can get ahold of a 7720G display cable (P/N DC02000E100), then WUXGA is also possible on the 5720G. (The 7720G cable has both LVDS links connected, while the 5720G one only has the first one wired up.)

 

A question for you guys... About what should I be carefull when picking out a screen that has higher resolution then my stock LCD?

 

Well its just funny because now the 3600m are close in price to the 9600m.
I was just saying, I expected to see all kinds of ambitious mods, but yea still great to have something that runs well as it was made and isn't about to fall apart.

I think .netroller answered your question... but in general, it has to be 1440x900 or lower resolution to have a 15 pin cable that isn't compatible with anything higher. I think even if you don't have the right cable you can use it a lower resolutions, so its not too risky.

More risky would be getting a different brand of screen like a hitachi, AUO, hannstar or something like that. Although, the original 5720g LCD is AUO, could still have a blocked EDID for 17" models.

 

I ask because I have 1440x900 right now, and was wondering if I could upgrade to 1920x1080.

 

1440x900 can be upgraded. 1280x800 needs a new cable.

 

This would be OK right? BRAND NEW Acer Aspire 7720G 17" WUXGA LAPTOP LCD SCREEN | eBay

 

Hello, i have a 7720G
PCU is a T8100 @2100
GPU is a 8600m GT
MB is a Acer Poyang

The trouble is that CPU is always at 2.1 ghz, it never goes down as it should with speedstep technology.
It seems that the feature is not activated in BIOS, and does not even show in BIOS.

I was wondering if you know of a BIOS that will allow this feature to be activated.

I looked at the site BIOS MODS given in a post by TTOMAROD, but i was unable to locate that bios.

I need to know if:

1: any of you has beed able to unlock this feature in BIOS
2: the link to the correct firmware
3: a guide on HOW TO make this a success

I hope to be able to sort this out with your help

Thank you

 

If it's a Phoenix BIOS you may ask for a mod here.

 

Speedstep should be enabled by default, actually my first reason for modded BIOS request was so I could disable Speedstep in it. You are using 1.45 also?

 

yes using 1.45

i have been on it all day, speedstep is not on it seems, there is no way the cpu to lower its frequency

if I set max frequency at 50% then yes the cpu goes down
but the trouble is that the CPU always stays at max specified no matter what % is specified for the lowest. I usually put 5% in there, but i tried 20% 40 %50%¨....
the cpu never goes down.

its now rock solid at 2.1ghz even so i specified the lowest at 5% in the power saving plan.

 

Download this version, as .NetRolller 3D said, this version is less "glitchy" and I can confirm this, I'm running on it right now, it has all the BIOS options unlocked.
Look around a little, maybe you'll find something interesting.
Aspire 7720G 1.45

Just unpack and run InsydeFlash.exe to install from Windows, it should work with no problems. Of course, do this at your own risk

 

@ttomorad, @diegus: Simply installing MXM Edition won't properly enable EIST in itself (for Windows at least - Linux seems to do EIST correctly for me even with the stock Acer BIOS); you also need to set "IST Configuration" to Disabled in the Advanced CPU Configuration menu, then use ThrottleStop in Windows to enable EIST. (This is also the easiest way to enable Dual IDA on the 5720/7720.)

 

I understand .NetRolller 3D, but as far as I'm concerned I prefer to have EIST disabled anyway, that was my sole reason for modded BIOS (as I already stated before).

 

hello, and first of all, thank you for your fast responses
I downloded throttlestop to have a look,
EIST is greyed but ticked so it seems to be on.
But the CPU never goes down
Am I missing a point ?

i just noticed something that i think is worth mentionning.
when I set min CPU at 5% and max CPU also at 5% in the power saving plan (batterie icon next to the clock)
then the CPU seems to fluctuate (using CPU-Z to monitor)
going in 3 differents states

x5 :997.5
x5.5 :1097.9 mhz
x6 :1197.1 mhz

Maybe the problem does is not the bios after all ?
I need to mention that I reinstalled using a windows DVD as my recovery did not work.

Am I missing a point?

 

Make sure that in advanced settings of a power-profile you're using min CPU state is not set to 100%.

 

You have "IST Configuration" enabled in BIOS. Set it to "Disabled", otherwise ThrottleStop will have no control over EIST.

 

hello everybody, and thank you for your help, it's good to know that we are not alone

Here is an update:

I did not yet flashed the bios, I prefered to invastigate further as I am a bit afraid of briking the pc...this will be the last resort.

I had a look in the windows log and I see a few errors:



Kernal-Proccessor-Power is the source. Event ID 2,

Performance power management features on processor 1 are disabled due to a firmware problem. Check with the computer manufacturer for updated firmware.


I get the same message for processor 0

I also get this message:

ACPI event 13

The embedded controller (EC) did not respond within the specified timeout period. This may indicate that there is an error in the EC hardware or firmware or that the BIOS is accessing the EC incorrectly. You should check with your computer manufacturer for an upgraded BIOS. In some situations this error may cause the computer to function incorrectly.

Any ideas ?

 

Warning!
To anyone, who`s unblocked bios by "insydeFlash", if you patch your bios, and from any reason you wanna come back for orginal bios, your computer can halt when patching, and you must make hard reset, and when you switch on your laptop you will see... nothing. Black window. I unplugged power (AC) and baterry for about one minute, and then bios was back .
Sorry for my english, i`m beginner



BTW, great forum and greatest topic! On polish web sites all upgrades, unlocking bios, oc etc. is IMMPOSIBLE! Anyone says "immposible to do this; it you broke your laptop" bla bla bla... Here all is possible ;p

 

@diegus: Try the "Black Edition" BIOS (available in the x920G / MXM BIOS discussion thread). That event log entry likely indicates a DSDT bug.

If you are brave enough, then set InsydeFlash to also flash the PEI region (the EFI equivalent of a boot block), to get the full update. (The only new feature that requires this, though, is the CPU spread spectrum fix - I changed the spread spectrum rule to Center Spread, to fix the slight CPU downclock I experienced with a T9300, which would show up as 2493MHz, instead of 2500MHz. Just a cosmetic issue, really.)

@milolosiu: Note that this may not always work. Usually an Fn+Esc reflash is required.

 

Hello you guys!
I successfully replaced the old 1440x900 LCD with a brand new 1920x1200 (WUXGA) LCD. It's a cosmetic update but a must-have, everything looks so sharp now.
Also, installed a Bluetooth 2.1 module which I didn't get with this notebook, it was just bugging me to have a Bluetooth button with no function

 

Thanks for info with Fn+Esc

This notebook is monstrum for upgrades ;d


@ttomorad
How graphic card take this LCD? Good quality? Hotest temperatures? Decrease fps in games?

 

Picture quality is great! Viewing angles are pretty much the same as on the old one but resolution is awesome, a big upgrade for sure. I don't play much games on this notebook but GPU temps haven't changed at all when doing stuff in windows.

Also, I forgot to mention that I bought a new battery, 5200mAh - 11.1V. Can someone tell me how long your notebook lasts on battery only?

 

My notebook on baterry lasts ~30min with web surfing, but i have non orginall baterry.

I have one more question, On gf 9600m gt radiator is the same which on 8400m gs?

 

It's the same but you need to make a minor adjustment to the heatsink pad because it doesn't lay down properly on the GPU core. Do this if you want to be sure you have a 100% contact, but I can confirm that this doesn't need to be done, I didn't mod mine and I have decent temps, but I don't play games so I don't know what would be the max temp doing that. In Windows I have max 55C, but most of the time it's around 40-45C.

 

Lol, on mine 8400 temp in windows are 60°+, gaming ~80°+

Did you tested Intel Core 2 Extreme X9000 after bios unlock?

 

No, I don't have it anymore

 

No good :/ Will you try overclock gpu/cpu ?