Drivers for M17x

So I periodically look for driver updates and today I noticed a tab besides the one for my service tag. On here, when I click on the Drivers and Downloads link, it takes me to drivers for my service tag. There is a separate tab that says "All files for M17x R4". What is the difference? I can understand GPU and all but what about for something like BIOS? There is a BIOS update. Would it be separate for say a M17x running the 680m as opposed to mine that has a 7970m?

Is it wise to install those or should I just stick to ones that it shows for my service tag?

 

I'd stick to the drivers for my configuration. When I checked with the service tag, it still showed all 25 drivers and that included the 680M.

 

You can use the drivers and downloads under the "All files for M1x R4" tab. I found out the the drivers that appear under the service tag tab only show up if the corresponding components for the system are entered into Dell's support database. For example, with my XPS m1710, I went to the drivers and downoads page and no driver downloads showed up under my service tag tab. Dell support said my components were not entered into the support database for drivers and downloads so therefore nothing would show up. The tech then said just to click on the All files tab and select which component I wanted the drivers for, but to make sure I had the right one since it doesn't help me to download the Intel iGPU drivers when I had an Nvidia card.

If they show a BIOS update for all R4's, then it does apply to your system. BIOS for one m17x R4 are the same for all m17x R4s. BIOS are tailored for each model's motherboard, and despite what the drivers and downloads page may say, I just don't see Alienware manufacturing two completely different motherboards for the R4.

 

I am not trying to question you, just trying to understand. Wouldn't BIOS initialize the GPU? So wouldn't different GPUs need different initialization code? Or does it detect the GPU and then initialize accordingly?

 

Not necessarily. We are talking about system BIOS right and not VBIOS? If you mean VBIOS, then you would be correct, the VBIOS meant for the Nvidia cards are only mean for that model of Nvidia card, not the AMD cards, etc. If your talking about the system BIOS, then no, the initialization code should not matter since we all can swap our GPU cards out for newer better graphics cards without having to change any BIOS settings or flashing a new set of BIOS (i.e. swapping an AMD 7970m for an Nvidia 680m). Whether the GPU card will work is dependent upon the VBIOS and the drivers, both of which work with BIOS, but operate independently of it. My best guess is that the BIOS detect the GPU and initialize accordingly since owners of the R2's and R3's can swap out their default GPUs for the newer 7970m's and 680m's. Of course, the VBIOS of those cards needs to be changed so that they can work with an R2, but the R2's BIOS don't have to be changed even though we are having our R2's run a GPU the system was not originally designed for...confused yet? In any event, the system BIOS update you see on the all files tab of the Drivers and Downloads page should work for your R4.

You should question me...and everyone else. Questions may lead to answers, but answers only breed more questions. What is important is how one navigates between the two.

 

I would choose the All Files option and look through manually to see if there are updates to the hardware you have. For example the A05 BIOS would have been a big miss if you just stuck to your service tag.

 

Thanks for all your help guys. I upgraded last night and it worked fine. Thank you. radji, btw, don't they release VBIOS updates? I have seen plenty of BIOS updates, even in my old laptops but I have never come across a VBIOS update. I have seen some people here trying to install modded VBIOS to overvolt and all but I haven't seen any that were, for example, released by AMD themselves. Or have I just not looked hard enough?

 

No, you're right. The only Official VBIOS update I've seen so far is for my ATI Radeon 5870m. Back when they released the R2's A09 BIOS update, a problem presented itself that occured after people flashed to the new BIOS (shutdown issue). So a VBIOS update was released. No idea whether or not AMD was involved in anyway...I imagine they were. But that VBIOS update is still available on the drivers and downloads page for the R2. The are probably more Official VBIOS updates out there, I just haven't looked that hard.

 

Aight thanks a lot man radji.