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    Alienware M17x R3 A09 BIOS Discussion

    Discussion in 'Alienware 17 and M17x' started by mp5cartman, Nov 30, 2011.

  1. SlickDude80

    SlickDude80 Notebook Prophet

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    That info came from a dell 3rd level tech (a so called "Alienware" expert) who informed one of the forum members that they were approved for a bios downgrade and helped him downgrade his r3 from the A09 to A08 bios. They admitted that they are aware there is a problem with the A09 (downclocking to Sata2) and that they are working on the A10 to rectify the issues.

    unfortunately, i don't know anymore than that
     
    SlickDude80, Jan 30, 2012
    #151
  2. largohoj

    largohoj Newbie

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    yeah it's weird. i use the intel rapid store tech to check the sata transfer rate. I used the a08 bios from the dell website. I will continue to update if it reverts back. It has happened twice now. Is there any harm in re-flashing every time it reverts back?
     
    largohoj, Jan 30, 2012
    #152
  3. GeoCake

    GeoCake http://ted.ph

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    GeoCake, Jan 30, 2012
    #153
  4. tanderson

    tanderson Notebook Consultant

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    Hit the mushkin forum, sean is really good about giving a response within the day. Atto is the tool they suggest to get the correct speed measurement, I think it was something about compressed data or something. Anyways, sean can explain it better or you will see many threads about this and the atto tool.

    Your speeds look right on (maybe a little higher than that but pretty close).

    Does anybody know what chipset the M17x R3 uses (for the southbridge, the MSI uses the H67 which supports SATA III for up to two sata ports)?
     
    tanderson, Jan 31, 2012
    #154
  5. The Revelator

    The Revelator Notebook Prophet

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    The Revelator, Jan 31, 2012
    #155
  6. tanderson

    tanderson Notebook Consultant

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    So if Dell/Alienware did they're job correctly, you should be able to run both ports with no issue at Sata III speeds. So many things tempt me with this laptop and then there's other things...
     
    tanderson, Jan 31, 2012
    #156
  7. The Revelator

    The Revelator Notebook Prophet

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    Yes, both ports should operate at SATA 3 specs, but Port 0 has been erratic from the beginning, dropping to Sata 2 speeds from time to time. Then A09 BIOS is said to downgrade both ports to SATA 2 for reasons known only to the special bus guys in the BIOS department. These are the same guys who introduced the 63C throttle to those with 580M cards in the A08 BIOS. If past is prologue, the next BIOS may cause all R3's to explode in place. :eek:

    The R3 is a great computer, but you have to be alert for booby-traps which Dell likes to toss out. Fortunately, with the help of the expertise and innovation available here, solutions and workarounds have been found for most issues. Nevertheless, a certain spirit of adventure is a useful trait, but the same is true for most high-end gaming notebooks.
     
    The Revelator, Jan 31, 2012
    #157
  8. tanderson

    tanderson Notebook Consultant

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    Too bad (even though I have a nice laptop), I'd love to own one... That and I hear issues with heat. I would have thought a dedicated fan for the gpu and cpu would have excelled at keeping the temps cooler.
     
    tanderson, Jan 31, 2012
    #158
  9. The Revelator

    The Revelator Notebook Prophet

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    Yep, heat can be an issue, partly due to very conservative fan control, i.e., the fans kick in late and at only partial capacity. That issue is easily solved using the fan applet in HWINFO64, so it's really only of academic interest. The other heat issue arises because the factory thermal paste is often not up to the job, particularly with high end components when heavily overclocked. On the other hand, the R3 is the world's easiest notebook for purposes of access to the GPU and CPU to apply high performance paste -- 10 minute job for most.
     
    The Revelator, Jan 31, 2012
    #159
  10. largohoj

    largohoj Newbie

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    largohoj, Jan 31, 2012
    #160
  11. Sekmeth

    Sekmeth Notebook Guru

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    That proves that Dell doesn't test their BIOS at all after uploading to the Dell's website. :mad: :mad:

    It made me sense that Dell tech's come from Acer. :D
     
    Sekmeth, Feb 1, 2012
    #161
  12. largohoj

    largohoj Newbie

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    largohoj, Feb 2, 2012
    #162
  13. SamAdams12oz

    SamAdams12oz Newbie

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    Is there a bios available to set ram power to 1.35v, used crucial's tool and it suggested I use 1.35v sticks. I didn't check the options in bios prior to odering (noob) and my available options A08 are 1.50-1.65v. Any suggestions? No (real) SSD in my machine, stock 320gb and Momentus XT 750...possible A09 offers 1.35v?
     
    SamAdams12oz, Feb 6, 2012
    #163
  14. 94sportsedan

    94sportsedan Notebook Consultant

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    I continuously get this in my event viewer.
    The driver detected a controller error on \Device\Ide\IdePort0.

    A08 Bios, Corsair Force 3 SSD running sata III mode, yet I have no problems with anything. i wonder if moving it to port 1 would stop those errors form happening.
     
    94sportsedan, Feb 15, 2012
    #164
  15. superdave643

    superdave643 Notebook Geek

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    Hmmm this is very strange. I have latest versions of Intel RST and HWiNFO64 open simultaneously. RST reports SATA 3Gbps, HWiNFO says 6.

     
    superdave643, Feb 15, 2012
    #165
  16. widezu69

    widezu69 Goodbye Alienware

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    Intel RST will probably test the speed really quickly through the chipset. HWiNFO probably reads it off the bios which, as we can see now, reports SATA III but doesn't deliver.
     
    widezu69, Feb 15, 2012
    #166
  17. leaphyme

    leaphyme Newbie

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    It is said that A09 bios driver doesn't support well for SSD hard disk.
     
    leaphyme, Feb 27, 2012
    #167
  18. jywang

    jywang Notebook Evangelist

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    I have a Patriot Wildfore 240GB SSD on A08 which has been getting BSOD (0x000000F4) quite frequently recently. I've decided to upgrade to A09 to see if the BSODs go away. I'll know in a few days. If it doesn't BSOD, it is worth using A09 over A08 for me until A10 is released. I did confirm that the SSD is operating in Sata II after moving to A09. The SSD is using the latest firmware.
     
    jywang, Feb 27, 2012
    #168
  19. bigspin

    bigspin My Kind Of Place

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    I'm using A08 since 12/2011 with 256GB Samsung 830 series SSD . No problems to report.
     
    bigspin, Feb 27, 2012
    #169
  20. superdave643

    superdave643 Notebook Geek

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    superdave643, Feb 27, 2012
    #170
  21. Voondiaz

    Voondiaz Notebook Enthusiast

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    I recieved blue screen after flashing to A09. Im using crucial m4 anyways.. Im thinking of rolling back to A08.. AnyOne have the A08 without mod? Cause i dont even know how to use the modded A08.. :/
     
    Voondiaz, Feb 29, 2012
    #171
  22. bigtonyman

    bigtonyman Desktop Powa!!!

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    you should be able to get the unmodded A08 bios from the dell driver page, here is the link right to the download. :)

    Alienware M17xR3 A08 BIOS
     
    bigtonyman, Feb 29, 2012
    #172
  23. The Revelator

    The Revelator Notebook Prophet

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    Have you updated the firmware for your M4 to 0309? One of the fixes involved resolving occasional BSOD issues on some installations. However, in any event, you'll want to use A08 to capture the M4's SATA III performance capabilities. Compare below -- A08 on the left, A09 on the right.

    [​IMG]​
     
    The Revelator, Feb 29, 2012
    #173
  24. Voondiaz

    Voondiaz Notebook Enthusiast

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    @bigtonyman: Hey thanks. I thought they removed it since they put up A09 ;)

    @The Revelator: ohh i havent tried the new firmware :/ But ill try to download it once i get back home from camp. Anyways, how do i check my firmware version?
     
    Voondiaz, Mar 1, 2012
    #174
  25. shawnwalters

    shawnwalters Notebook Guru

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    Thank you!! I couldn't figure out for the life of me why my raid0 ssd read speeds were so low. This was the problem!! :)
     
    shawnwalters, Mar 1, 2012
    #175
  26. The Revelator

    The Revelator Notebook Prophet

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    CrytalDiskInfo is probably the easiest method. CrystalDiskInfo - Software - Crystal Dew World. Here's an example:

    ​
     
    The Revelator, Mar 1, 2012
    #176
  27. Voondiaz

    Voondiaz Notebook Enthusiast

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    Hey thanks alot for the info rev! ;D
     
    Voondiaz, Mar 1, 2012
    #177
  28. Heihachi88

    Heihachi88 Notebook Deity

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    Heihachi88, Mar 28, 2012
    #178
  29. bigspin

    bigspin My Kind Of Place

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    bigspin, Mar 28, 2012
    #179
  30. widezu69

    widezu69 Goodbye Alienware

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    Nope that card listed is still the 580m.
     
    widezu69, Mar 28, 2012
    #180
  31. bigspin

    bigspin My Kind Of Place

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    lol...maybe to celebrate nViDIA's renaming party... :D
     
    bigspin, Mar 28, 2012
    #181
  32. widezu69

    widezu69 Goodbye Alienware

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    That too :D But what I'm saying is that the "fixes" that A10 brings:
    "Change eDP ACPI ID to support updated NV-GTX2 adjust brightness."

    NV-GTX2 here does not refer to the 675m. This bios fixes an adjust brightness glitch that affects 3D versions with the 580m. Nothing to with new GPUs or Kepler.
     
    widezu69, Mar 28, 2012
    #182
  33. B4n6k3

    B4n6k3 Notebook Evangelist

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    Quick question..... for Anyone here who got SATA III speed on port 1, Does you guys all set the SATA mode to AHCI ?

    I just got my chance to swap my SSD from Port 0 into port 1. Format and reinstall the windows, Not installing intelRST yet, but the speed still hold in SATA 2....

    Does it because I put it in raid mode ? I'm using modded A08 anyway.....
     
    B4n6k3, Apr 29, 2012
    #183
  34. widezu69

    widezu69 Goodbye Alienware

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    No it's because you are using A09 bios. Anything higher than A08 will result in lower SATA speeds. Nothing to do with your modes.
     
    widezu69, Apr 29, 2012
    #184
  35. B4n6k3

    B4n6k3 Notebook Evangelist

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    Umm.... I'm using modded A08 wids..... :D I think you miss it bro.....

    Yea, I still remember that I follow the instruction from your thread bro, About using the chipset driver from M18x, and not installing the intelRST....

    But still.....

    Anyway, maybe I just do formatting all over again and try my luck in AHCI mode....
     
    B4n6k3, Apr 29, 2012
    #185
  36. widezu69

    widezu69 Goodbye Alienware

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    Ooops sorry! My mistake. Yeah try a reformat :)
     
    widezu69, Apr 29, 2012
    #186
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