Alienware M17x R4 A05 BIOS released

So far there are only 2 cases in this forum that have come to my attention....what do ya mean " A lot of bricks " ??

Enlighten me if you will.

 

So far since I have gotten my laptop, the date on this BIOS has changed twice. The same file name but the dates are different. Anyone know why or what keeps changing?

 

Dell are keeping quiet on this bios release. We are told some of the original 'fixes' are to do with Nvidia 3D, and possibly a batch of R4's with a specific issue but no full details.
There have been at least two bricked machines (both with AMD chips), the files on the dell site are mis-labled (haven't checked today - in a rush) and have been pulled once for about a week.
Although dell state 'recommended' without details of the exact things it addresses we cannot make an informed decision as to whether we need it

 

The significant change for nvidia users is that I allows GPU boost to function.

 

Thanks, I'd missed that one - but another 'fix' for a specific configuration (kepler). Those poor souls that ended up with completely trashed machines (and who knows how many that are not NBR'ers?) could have avoided it IF there are no ivy-bridge, MB, or AMD improvements.
How's the replacement doing? Have I missed a thread or are you compiling a full-blown test doc? Looking forward to some 'push-to-the-limit data

Are there usb 3 issues? I thought it had been fixed in the R4...

 

Yeah there is a significant problem with USB 3.0 connectivity with External drives using 3.0 casing. It keep connecting and disconnecting as if under powered. Its been prevalent all across R4s and seemingly other brands as well. Intel has been very quiet on this. Some say the hardware which in this case would be motherboard or the Driver itself. USB 3.0 pen drivers work perfectly. The same ports work with the said External drives flawlessly when used in usb 2.0 mode.

 

I found something interesting today while playing a bit with OC via Nvidia Inspector on the 680m today. In Furmark (no antialiasing, full HD), I get 20FPS on stock speeds and 27FPS underclocked at -135mzh. Both settings throttle btw. ?!

 

Ahh, thanks. I do have a usb 3 external drive case but I haven't yet bought a sata 3 drive for it - guess I won't bother until I see something about a fix

 

Furmark and things based off it like kombustor, as well as occt, have been useless for nvidia since at least the release of gtx5xx desktop parts and their introduction of tdp based throttling.

Anyway, back to the topic at hand, I hope my system just arrives with a05 installed.

 

What does A05 ACTUALLY do? I now have a system with the 680M installed, does it not have turbo-boost enabled unless on the A05 BIOS? That's the jist I'm getting..

 

A05 allows boost on the R4 as well as overclocking. I recommend it for nvidia users.

 

Sweet, thanks Widezu you're a really great/helpful member of the forum.

How's the Vbios coming along?

 

If we installed A05 that had an earlier date do we need to reinstall the one with a newer date or are they all the same?

 

Both are having the exact hash values hence there is no logical reason for you to update your A05 bios with another recently date A05. Any changes made to A05 will be released as A06. Unless of course Dell bungled and a million computers are dead thus they can do so to hide their mistake which of course will show up when you do a hash check.

Hope this helps.


MD5
8bc06ead3c84e04e182b50f5c1b5e42c

SHA1
6c27a1997a92e538b407a43d642484724e4ab58d

 

Is bricking you machine via a BIOS update covered under warranty ? What would need to be replaced, the motherboard ?

 

How do you see hash values of your current BIOS?

 

I reflashed the 01/08 A05 BIOS just in case.

 

Call you customer care before you flash and tell them a new update is there so you want flash. Tell them to guide you.

OR

Dont call and Just do it, if happens ...claim you dont know what happened , the comp just died. Tell them to fix it. Not a word more. Dont mention bios attempt etc. For this reason dont place the downloaded bios folder on the desktop of an account that has no password. That might lead them to question on seeing the file after restarting the comp.

HashMyFiles application. Google it. Am sure there are tons more. Tiny files.

 

Hey guys,

Bit of a noob here,

I have an m17 with theGTX 680m

I downloaded Bios A05 and installed, but my GPU is still stuck to 719, never goes above it even when I have upped the core on Nvidia inspector.

Am I missing something??

Thanks

Russ