M17x r2 cf5870 wont boot

Good Man! Glad I could help! Why dont you check and see if the bios versions of our new systems are different then the old one you have.

I also HIGHLY suspect THIS might be the issue for the A05 vs A02 no boot issue with the 5870s some people are experiencing. Theire is possibly an old Bios version that some of us got on our 5870s that didnt work well with the a05, but works with the a02. So maybe if everyone flashes to this new version, they can ALSO run A05 at that point. That would be cool. Someone else will have to confirm.

Jon

 

Hi Joker

I thought Viper just reverted back to A02? Are you suggesting that some don't have the right vbios? Your link disappeared? Do we need to flash both vbios & bios?

Hi Viper

Did you flash your vbios as well? I don't remember you mentioning vbios?

Thanks
I am not following your logic.

 

YOU ARE NOT FOLLOWING THE LOGIC, BECAUSE YOU HAVE IT WRONG.



now imagine if you will I have had TWO systems... then it would make sense

I did NOT flash the new system to a05, it already was. I also did not flash my GPUs because I already have the newest version.

Joker and I are on the same page. I was just offering that perhaps the NEW 5870s and NEW m17x-r2 that I have is of a slightly different configuration (the bios on the gpus most likely) and thats why I can run a05 on this laptop but couldnt on the previous m17-r2 that I had.

Jon

 

*Not sure why Vbios entered the conversation?
*I understand cleary your system shipped with A05 and you reverted to A02
*Not clear as to whether others tried this and failed or others never tried this.
*Not clear as to whether your system shipped with dual broadway xt or you added them yourself.


The conversaion spans many threads and has drifted off topic. Just trying to clarify for those just trying to pick up the conversation.

 

No you still have it wrong.
I had 2 systems
First system shipped with a04 and 4870s, 5870s were added and became a pain in the butt, I fixed that by going to a02 and all went smoothly.

2nd system I got like 5 days ago, and it CAME with a05 and 5870s AND runs 10.6 ATI drivers without issue. So I gave joker my VBIOS number on my NEW 5870s in that NEW system, and I am guessing he confirmed I (and he on his 2nd system) have NEWER vbios then most others out there right now.

I have NEVER reverted my current system to A02 Bios, but I DID my previous system, from A05 to A02, back to A05 and then one more time at A02 and stayed on A02 for that system.

Hope that clears it all up for you.

Jon

 

So far all I could get working flawlessly was frotnlines fuel of war. The other games lockup at full screen. Viper, can you go to your catalyst control center and bring up your display properties and tell me if you have the display listed as DDC like I do (see pic). The 10.5's list it as LCD display while this says DDC.

 

Looks the same, other then I have more desktop area selections then yours did.

Are there anygames that we both have that you confirm DO lock up, and I can play them specifically to test this for you?

Jon

 

Dirt 2 in full screen locks up. So does bad company 2. I might do a clean install just to get rid of all the old files still lingering around. Did you do a format + install or just run 10.6 over what Dell shipped? Also, can you try changing the resolution of your display and does it work? Mine locks up.

 

Oh you SOB! you got me to BSOD! lol. While I was typing this response, I got cocky and said, shoot I will change res through catalyst while I type the note... and then it happened.. bsod when I switched to 1680x...

But what I was typing BEFORE that happens is that I played dirt 2 at least for 2 hours non stop with a buddy of mine not 2 nights ago, with 10.6 without any issues.

You have now found my first issue with 10.6, it will not change res without lockup (or at least the 1 time I tried it), HOWEVER on reboot it DID have that res that I picked. So one more BSOD is my guess and I will be back at 1920x.... about to find out!

Jon

 

Sweet, no BSOD, when I went back to 1920x1200 through CCC.

 

Hi Jon

I pretty much understood what you said but I think many people are finding it hard to follow you as you are referencing two different systems. It is hard to keep track of which one you are talking about at which time.

Dell may source their 5870's from many sources. That may explain why it worked for you and not for others. vbios is an interesting theory but one that needs to be varified before everyone flashes.

 

As I said, thats for someone else to confirm, I no longer have the first system.

PS. And what other people have you checked with, to see didnt understand me, besides you ;-) ??

 

I checked the vbios version, it's dated from January so I don't think it's that. Going to have to keep investigating because right now my new system locks up just like my old one did. Only one game works so far.

 

let me know what else i can check 4 u.

 

Honestly I am interested in what you have to say but feel like I have been following an abbott and costello who is on first with your posts all day. Should I ask abbott or costello why you shipped the first system back...duh! On one hand you are implying you have a solution for different computers and on the other you are saying you no longer have the first computer for what ever reason and too make matters more bonkers you are now getting a BSOD when changing resolutions. We are not mind readers.

 

Last response I am giving to this silliness. I think you are the only one who isnt following me. And your making ALL kinds of assumptions.

1st show me where I said I RETURNED the other system? I was perfectly fine with it, but I sold it to someone else who was wanting it.

I THEN got one to replace it a few days later.

I CLEARLY stated that I DID BSOD when I changed resolutions in CCC at the request of joker, but then AFTER it rebooted, it WAS at that 1650x1050 resolution, and I changed it BACK to 1920x1200 without a BSOD.

While I appeciate that you are interested in what I post, you are also the person who was VERY CRASS about my wanting credit for coming up with a 5870s solution, so please forgive me if I am not overly concerned about how readable you find my posts. I'm done with this part of our dialogue.

Jon

 

Actually Jon I was the first person to congratulate you and the first person to give you rep. And perhaps one of the few who took you seriously. I think those who you were arguing with earlier today also found you a little incredulous. The fact you just upgraded to 5870's and than sold and than bought a new system in a short period of time also sounds patently silly. The 5870 were hugely expensive to buy as parts and were only made available weeks ago as parts and were sold out almost immediately. You are not the first peson to claim catalyst 10.6 worked and undoubedly not the last. Whether you flashed the first or second system to A02 is a moot point. You claimed earlier today that simply reverting to A02 would work. And you posted 30 minutes ago you had one BSOD and now claim you didn't. I don't think you have a clue as to what you are doing as our converstation about bios went right over your head. Sounds to me like you are having the same issues everyone else has. Too bad for those who flashed their vbios.

 

CRAP! You are correct. You were not the one who was Crass, my appologies, I've been harboring ill will towards you for it, it was another user. You have my sincere appology. I still dont understand why I am confusing to you, but I really think you are miss understanding me because your making 'leaps' in connecting things that you dont need to.

Why does it matter what I did with the first system? I solved the 5870x2 not working on it and then when I no longer had it, I replaced it with an IDENTICAL system, that I FULLY expected to have to revert to A02 to do the 5870s, but becuase it came from dell configured that way, it was a non issue. I would gladly sell this working 5870x2, A05 and 10.6 ATI system for $3000 and go right back and order a new one from Dell.

I understand this thread has digressed from the 1st system I got working with a bios flash, to my current system working perfectly fine with a05, and 10.6, but I didnt see 'making the connection' that hard. Sorry if it was confusing, it was not my intention.

 

I managed to get the 10.6's working but it took a lot of steps and effort. I'm going to create a thread for it.

 

Cool !! 10 char

 

Hi Jon

Thanks for the apology. My appologies as well. There have been a vast number of people claim 10.6 worked when they didn't. I was trying to get the whole picture to take in everything you were saying. Every detail is important. Perhaps it would have been better to have kept this information on your original thread. I think carrying the conversation over to a different thread is where I was getting confused. I was following these threads all day so If I was confused I assumed others were as well but maybe they weren't. Also when you guys posted a vbios link I was really confused because I couldn't find any reference in the thread. Here it is for those who want to follow from the beginning.

http://forum.notebookreview.com/alienware-m17x/495822-5870-x2-crossfire-work-round-solution.html

 

This thread should keep going since A02 is a workaround and not a proper fix. A02 doesnt have virtualization!

 

I have exactly the same problem after upgrading BIOS from A04 to A06. Cards worked together on A04 but because I need to have virtualization enabled I upgraded the BIOS. After that the system will boot up with only one card. The same symptoms.

 

I posted this elsewhere, but I'll add it here again. For those of you who can't boot up with A06, but could before, can you please pull the keyboard off the system and pull out the video cards? On the bottom of each card, can you tell me the part number on the white labels (there should be a 2D PPID and a 3D PPID) and also the part numbers on the green label? I have a hunch, but I'm still not sure...

Thanks.

 

I'm still working this - we know what the issue is and I'm verifying that our service stock is good. Once we've verified this, you'll be able to call support and get a secondary card that shouldn't have this problem. Please wait until I post an update here confirming that everything is good to go.

Thx.

 

Just wanted to give a quick update - looks like something is still not right with our spare parts and service stock, so they are sending out a card that has a duplicate address to the primary card. Hopefully this will get resolved early next week - I'll keep you updated here.

 

I can also give you a quick update - after 8weeks fight I have got promise that my system will be swapped.

today (after 1 week waiting) I have got some information about the new system, and alienware changed the decision! Please have a look below:

I have just 1 question - how they can sell unsupported cards (we can still order them on all Alienware's websites)!.

and the problems started after BIOS A05


Guys, in that case I will try to escalate the problem. Do you know any email, phone no. etc to send the official complaints? I know only [email protected] and this is not helping me a lot

 

I posted this elsewhere on the NB Forums, but we recently found an issue with secondary cards coming from service stock and/or spare parts sales. They seem to have a duplicate SM Bus address to the primary card, which causes the No Post issue. I'm working to get this resolved ASAP - will keep you posted here. Calling support and getting another card shipped probably won't resolve your issue until we get this sorted out, so the best bet for now is to pull the secondary card and wait for me to update. You can verify what I'm telling you by looking at the green sticker on the back of the cards - if the P/N is identical on both cards (most likely both Rev A00), you have this issue. If you do, please shoot me a PM with details on how you got the secondary card.

Thanks.

 

Thanks Brian for the info.
My cards were replaced 3-4 times and once I had them working on the new motherboard shipped with BIOS rev. A04. Because I'm using W7 virtualization, BIOS was upgraded to v.A06 - and then my second card stopped working.

I will check the P/N no. of the cards as fast I can.

 

It appears that the cards with the problem have been quarantined, but give me another day to verify. Once we make sure that the A00 have been quarantined (from secondary card stock), then we'll be good.

 

I sure hope none of the new ones shipping out have any of these issues.
Thanks Brian for keeping us up to date. Its quite an interesting read when someone in the know has something to update us on. Cheers.

 

Many Thanks Brian for your help. Much appreciated.
You may be also interested in my story described HERE (I can provide case no, via PM)

 

Brian, any idea on why A02 bios boots with these cards?

 

ygpm erawneila

 

Really cool stuff. This sounds right actually, becuase you CAN boot with either card, which crossfire in the past you could NOT do. You could only boot with a Master. So that lead Mandrake (first to notice) and then me to think they were both masters, because you can boot from either card, if you swap the heat sink. This problem is ONLY for people who got the 5870s NOT originally configured with their system.

FINALLY looks like Dell is going to fix this problem. I got a second system that DID come directly from dell configured with 5870 in crossfire, and it worked perfectly. I'm really excited Dell is getting this all sorted out for all the folks that were having problems.

Jon

 

I was also able to use A04

 

I didn't notice the comments about the BIOS revision issue. I need some clarification...

Is anyone who received a system with a dual 5870 config from the factory (as new) having a problem with not being able to boot up with both cards? This shouldn't be a problem as we checked the factory and the new cards should be proper A01 secondary cards.

For those of you who upgraded after the fact... The R1 doesn't support dual 5870 configs. The 4870 cards are identical other than the heatsink, so they should work fine. The 5870 cards are not identical and have different SMBus addresses to designate master or slave. The A00 cards as slave are conflicting with the A00 master and won't work (the no boot problem). You need an A01 card. Unfortunately, we have no A01 cards in the service hub (someone screwed up somewhere), but we are working to get them there ASAP. I don't know where the "two month" number came (quoted below), but I don't think this is correct.

Are you guys stating that with dual 5870 cards (purchased as an upgrade later) that you can boot with BIOS revisions prior to A04 but not with A05 or A06?

Thx.

 

Yes, system will boot with both cards in BIOS A04 and earlier. Secondary must be removed to boot A05 and newer. This only applies to R2 owners with 4870 cf upgraded to 587 cf.

 

Was just wondering what was the difference if any between the (A00) 5870 cards compared to the newer (A01) revisions now?

New VBIOS? New settings or something? Cooling fans? Tweaks? Updates?

Cheers.

 

I would assume the A01 Slave cards are not Flashed with the Master Bios.

 

Any one has a link for the A04 BIOS that works with the M17X-R2?

I have the same problem, had 4870CF upgraded to 5870CF and couldn't upgrade to latest BIOS.

Thanks

 

I am guessing anyone with a factory configured 5870 (LIKE ME), can give someone else a copy of their SLAVE GPU bios, and they flash it, and the problem is gone

Jon

 

You can't boot the computer with both GPU's in, so what you have to do is switch the HSF's on the secondary and boot that as your primary, flash it with a slave card bios and if you don't BSOD right there or the flash doesn't fail b/c you're trying to slave flash a master card, then switch the HSF's back and set it back into the secondary slot. Lots of Tim and Time wasted with lots of opening and closing up of the system. Tedious and even that's not something I'm willing to do. Better to just let dell send you a preflashed card to send it off to the Depot and upgrade you for free because of the hassel. These are not $599 HPs, and there's little excuse for something so simple, I can't say I would be willing to do the task myself, but maybe someone else is, since it shouldn't be that hard.

 

You make it far more complicated then it needs to be.

1. Bios flash to A02 with 1 card in, if you must. (simple, done it tons of times, and so have others, no risk unless you dont know what the H your doing).
2. Then with A02 installed, boot with both cards in now that your at a02.
3. Flash the gpu bios on the second card to SLAVE not master.
4. Reboot, for good measure, confirm it shows slave and masters now (not 2 masters).
5. Upgrade bios to a07 or w/e you like.
6. You are golden.

I did this same-ish procedure back on my old m17, when I had 2 masters and wanted one to be a slave. And then later on, I wanted to convert them both to masters so I could sell them both separately as the more valuable 'master cards' Its documented on this form, did it some 5 months ago. Worked like a champ.

 

oh wow, didn't even read that far that A02 and A04 let it boot, good to know. Now about that Slave Bios...

 

Viper could you please explain how to do that?

 

I thought he just did?

besides flashing the BIOS, you need a vbios flasher software like atiflash or RBE.

 

There is more to this than just a VBIOS unfortunately - there are physical differences to the cards as well.

I also verified with engineering that using a BIOS prior to A05 (where support was added for these cards) is a big no-no. The earlier BIOSes will not monitor the thermals on the secondary card and you're going to have overheating problems, throttling, etc. You could even damage your card.

So, if you have dual 5870s, make sure you are at A05 or later BIOS. If you have the no boot situation (due to dual A00 cards), you're going to have to pull one out until we can get some stock of A01 cards. I can assure you that engineering is working to expedite the A01 cards and to understand how this mistake happened. Apologies for the troubles - please bear with us while we fix this...

Thx.

 

oh wow, thanks for the clarification! I was just about to attempt that too.

 

Was just wondering Brian, Will this affect the build time or shipping of new ordered systems or recently ordered systems? Cheers