Alienware M18xR2 New/Updated BIOS Mods - NOW WITH MAXWELL LEGACY SUPPORT - Testers Needed

That or start your own buisness.... call it Pwnware or something!

 

Yeah, that would be good. But, it would be more fun to be a serial modder, or like a digital Robin Hood, and just go around undoing all of their firmware messes and turning the reins over to end users to control everything for no reason other than "I can" LOL. The ideal threat would be to produce freeware to remove every form of firmware protection they can produce to make everything under the sun editable and flashable. I hate that "secure" filth with a passion. I look at it kind of like, "You try lock my out of my own house, then I'm gonna kill your baby." Even DSE and UAC suck, but firmware signatures and flash protection goes beyond sucky to being evil at the core. It would be awesome to have universal firmware that does for PC what Tomato and DD-WRT have done for routers.

 

@Prema This isn't what happens with me, I'm currently using the latest J95's moded Nvidia drivers(364.72) and Clevo BIOS v.2.0. My hardware is a 3920XM CPU slighty overclocked at 4.0Ghz and my 980M SLI are in default clocks. I noticed in games if my GPU SLI utilization goes beyond 94~96% it throttles like a rollycoaster(monitored using rivaturner statistic) but if below 92% it works just right. Sometimes I used the J95's 353.00 PEG MOD drivers that's allow my SLI goes beyond 98~99 utilization with ease, but sometimes other problem occurs, the power inducing throttling(GPU-Z info) that's decrease my GPU clocks down to ~340Mhz and stays there until I turn off/on the machine, so it's even a worse kind of throtte, so I prefer using the latest drivers in this case. Forget to say I'm using the default 330W PSU, maybe a dual PSU mod could solve the problem?.

 

@Prema I confirm all the above. I am expiriencing all of @Tulius claims. Also I am on a single 980m with a 3720qm and locked dell a12 bios.

Only the first time I install any other driver I get no thrortttling! And not all the times.

Currently on j95 throttle free 353 drivers and playing Fallout 4 all maxed out. Utilization is 60 - 75 and wih the latest drivers I get throttle often. I am using your public V2 vbios and waiting for @Swick1981 unlocked a11

 

That won't help. You're not even using up the 330W you have now right now because of the throttling. Having dual AC adapter did not help me or [Nikos] with throttling. If the throttling problem can be cured, then yes indeed, dual 330W AC adapters will be required with significant GPU overclocking to prevent the system from tripping the internal circuit breaker on the AC adapter and shutting off the laptop. That behavior, specifically, is your indicator that 330W is not enough power rather than throttling.

 

Wait so single 980M no throttling even when with robust overclock?

 

Just use the right driver:

https://www.techinferno.com/index.p...er-support-modded-inf/&page=47#comment-140591

 

I'm sorry to ask, I briefly perused the thread you linked too but can't seem to tell right off the bat if I can use 980M with Win 7 and newer drivers and if there is no throttling (single 980M) what kind of performance is ballpark with a good, moderate OC (assuming they are modified and are we reliant on the continuous modification of newer drivers?)

First person to answer the above is getting repped.

 

Using @j95 364.72 mod with my 780M SLI is much better than stock, but not 100% throttle-free like 345.20 or older drivers. Using this driver mod, a moderate OC of 1007/1500/1.050V drops to stock core clock speeds in 3DMark 11. That's MUCH better than 400/400 like what happens with stock 364.72 drivers, but not good enough for me to move up from 345.20. Perhaps one can expect a similar improvement with 980M SLI, which would be awesome for playing games. Not being able to overclock to the functional limit of the GPU for benching (my first priority) is a deal-breaker.

 

In windows 10, 352.84 is the only driver that wont throttle.
With this driver, you wont need any mod vbios to stop throttle.
However with any other driver, even with mighty prema vbios random throttle will happen again after power drain. This behavior is not affected by oc, sli/single nor single/dual power brick.
The only way to stop throttle in m18x r2 and m17x r4 with 980m in win10 is to use 352.84 driver.

 

@Prema are you specifically interested in seeing that happens when hyper threading and turbo are disabled or is lower cpu power draw what your really after.... I can tell you right now that graphics test one in firestrike is the first of the two gpu tests to throttle when rasing the GPU clocks.... it also uses more cpu power (from memory the difference them is about 10 watt on average...)

 

The info is required to see if it a total combined power draw limit of CPU/GPU is used or if both have a separate code implemented.

 

Happy Sunday, Brother @Prema.

Overclocking the CPU causes more severe GPU throttling. @j95 mod helps some, but doesn't fix the problem. Running the CPU stock is out of the question and not an option, although some guys are willing to do that to minimize the throttling. I sure as hell won't consider that. We need to find a way to either raise those limits to some asinine high value (50kW) that no desktop is capable of reaching, or just delete the cancer code so there are no limits whatsoever, whichever works best.

Using the above driver and disabling hyperthreading the behavior is the same. Still throttles to 850 core (GPU OC was set to 1007/1500/1.050v) under load same as with HT enabled. Without that driver mod or using older drivers, that same GPU overclock will drop to 405 core/400 memory instead of only 850 core. This example is 780M SLI, which basically suffers from the same strain of NVIDIOT GeFarts cancer as Maxwell. Their behavior is more or less identical. I'm too busy with other things and not able to spend any more time on testing Maxwell GPUs in the M18xR2, so we will need someone else to step up to the plate and take the lead there.

 

What this guy is doing to his disposable turdbook is what I feel like doing to my M18xR2 with Maxwell GPUs or 780M SLI using newer GeForce cancer drivers. The only reason I haven't already done it is because it has enough dismantled parts value left to it that would be stupid to waste the money like that.

[parsehtml]<iframe width="640" height="360" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/GLrdTDwx-9A?rel=0" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>[/parsehtml]

 

So hows our bios project today?

The elusive power throttle issue the only thing evading us for a release of it?

 

Hey all,
Due to NBRs crazy tos, im releasing bios on T|I, as i dont want nbr to claim all right to this, as thats insane. Ill have it posted on ti within 24-48 hours. Be on the lookout!
I believe i can link to it via my signature without violation of tos here. Just thought id let yall know.
Ladtly, once released, i just thought id ask that if you do happen to use this, maybe you could buy me a beer or 10? Ive done so much work on this im gonna need several thousand kegs, lol!
Thanks again & you should see it available on ti either tmmrw or tuesday, FINALLY!
THANKS TO EVERYONE for the kind words, compliments, etc... that really means a lot to me!
Swick

Edit: ive sent T|I the file and am creating thread. Ill send you all a link to site. Itll probably be through mega.nz that ill have a text doc with link to ti forum to DL file!

 

Lastly, looks like Prema is probably the one who can fix the throttling issue. The one thing i COULD do is remove power management completely,, but that is something many ppl like & want. So... other than that, prema would likely be the one to remove the throttling issue. If ppl are willing to test no power management, then that might do trick (likely). Otherwise, its a far more complicated issue since its a power management, ec, vbios, and driver issue. Im told it can be foxed, but there is no one size fixes all. So... if you dont want power management, that may remove the issues, with the downside of no power management of any kind. Lmk your thoughts, and ill remove if the general consensus is that ppl dont want!
Swick

 

@Mr. Fox If i just remove ALL power management... that may work, actually! I have a few ideas that might jusy work IF people are willing to go without power management. What do u think?

 

It is definitely worth a shot. It will either help or won't. I think the notion of having power management on a machine like the M18xR1/R2/18 is retarded anyway. It should be able to run wild and free, without any encumbrance or limitations to power consumption. The only limit should be the capacity of the AC adapter as far as I am concerned.

 

okay, sounds good. I'll remove the power modules completely!
BUT, since I don't know if my machine can blind flash, I'm kind of in a little bit of a bind...
I'll need others to test it. I'd test, but since I do not know if I can blind flash - the one time I tried it wouldn't beep, but fortunately I was lucky and the bios that I did flash didn't have a problem after all! heh
Anyway...
@Mr. Fox One other q... Can other files be on the usb flash drive if I blind flash the system, or must it be empty? I ask cause the usb device I tried to do the blind flash with had a lot of files on it, so... LMK what you think!
Thanks!

 

It is always best to do it on a blank FAT32 formatted flash drive, with the BIOS file named M18R2.HDR plugged into the eSATA port.

 

So long as a lack of power management does not remove safe guards I'd be happy for my machine to run at full bore the whole time! Just make sure that it is an optional version.

 

@Raidriar Yeah, I did ALL of that except had some other stuff / data on usb drive. everything else, however, was exactly the same as all my other blind flashes work with data on usb. Anyway, guess I'll have to try again... heh!
Thanks!

 

As I've re-iterated a dozen times, disabling ACPI is not a good idea, especially if it just involves dropping tables. The fan control/thermal control values are in the DSDT, and it would be very unwise to drop that code. This is LOW LEVEL code that really, really matters, and can be catastrophic if goofed.

 

I would agree with raidiar here myself. Adding in updated modules as well an unlocked a11 bios and of course the key fixes: Legacy mode and fixing the 8beep issue by setting igfx as default is more than enough as it fixes all the major problems from upgrading the GPUs.

The most likely culprit could be the drivers which theyve been known for. Its possible that the issue is fixable in the long run with more investigation and research but I personally wouldnt remove any management modules or anything like that as while a throttling GPU is a nuisance its better than a fried laptop!

 

Guys, if other peole want to try it, let them. They know the risk and decide to go forward.

 

Actually, i wasnt going to remove any of the code. Dsdt, ssdt, facp, facs, etc... tables wouldnt be touched. The bios driver for PM would be disabled.
Also, i noticed thwre is a bios testing ability on the r2. Wonder what the shortcut keys are to got to that, so i can test without flashing. Remove risks. Anyone know?

 

This is the better approach, should be fine to work with.

I have no idea what this BIOS testing ability you speak of.....different from flash and go?

 

Maybe its for testing updates or something. Getting that working would be really helpful for trying to find the source of the throttling at the very least.

Also what would be the effect of disabling that power management driver exactly? It wouldnt cause the computer to crash if the power got disconnected if it was disabled would it?

 

nothing like that. as long as you have power going to the computer, there is no reason for loss of power (assuming you have a batter) to crash your system. It may make the battery only last for 30 miutes as the PC will be draining the battery MUCH faster due to it's larger power requirements, but that's about it. Again, all I'm doing is disabling the bios driver for power management. Assuming that works, you'll be in good shape with no throttling...

 

If all it does is drain the battery quicker thats not a big thing to me expecially if im still able to control the power from windows. Games always go choppy when the mains get disconnected and realistically the only thing I even leave the battery in for is as an emergency power source if the mains is severed.

Maybe put that option in on the bios menu as a toggle?

 

Windows will not be able to control the power because the calls will be not be able to make the driver do anything, since the driver will be removed.

This can go one of two ways I think: Force everything to run max power, or force everything to run minimum power. Stay tuned....

 

This is a driver removal from the bios. Windows will have NO control overe power in any way. It will be running in FULL mode - except when the BIOS ITSELF see's an issue and needs to decrease power to the system as a fair safe of some kind. Otherwise, you'll be running in FULL POWER AT ALL TIMES! I wouldn't be able to put a toggle of some sort. The only thing I can do is give 2 version of the bios. 1 without (essentially) any power management and 1 with power management! But that's all....

 

Howdy again,
TechInferno is in the process of setting download up. I do not have a specific ETA, unfortunately, but it should be LITERALLY AT ANY TIME NOW! I do hope you guys enjoy this as much as I enjoyed making it. (Chances are good you'll enjoy this a LOT MORE than I did making it, LoL!) In any case, I'll update this post as soon as it's up, but it should be ANY MOMENT now!

 

I don't remember the keystroke combo, but it's one of those undocumented secret things they don't want us to know about, kind of like holding the 'End' key while connecting the AC adapter to initiate blind flashing. You can do a keystroke combo at POST and enter a developer test mode. Maybe Andrew remembers what the key combo is. I discovered it by accident (stumbled onto it) and then I had a hard time getting it out of that mode into "normal mode" (finally got it through trial and error) so I never messed with it any more.

That's good. Windows has no business expressing its opinion about anything related to hardware. It's needs to explicitly follow our every command, no questions asked... right or wrong... just shut up and do it.

I had ACPI disabled on the M18xR1 for years (sold now) and have been running with it disabled on the M18xR2 since it was first born. It is disabled right now. I also have all CPU thermal sensors disabled and DTS limits maxed out. I have ACPI disabled in the BIOS on both of my Clevo beasts. I just hate power management and want everything maxed out. I also love that the Clevos with @Prema BIOS has ACPI options that allow me to completely disable sleep and hibernation features, because I absolutely despise both of those things. I have two operating modes: turned off, and turned on. When it's turned on I want it running full blast. When I'm done using it, I turn the machine off.

Having ACPI disabled in the BIOS didn't do anything to help with the throttling of 780M or 980M on the M18xR2... nada... zilch... zero. Identical behavior with or without ACPI enabled in that regard. I actually tried a number of different things in the BIOS and nothing helped. I think it is a combination of nasty code Alienware put in the BIOS to cripple things in conjunction with new GeFarts driver functionality geared toward anemic turdbooks with pathetic AC adapters and hybrid battery trash. Their drivers never interacted with an Alienware BIOS in a negative way before they starting developing drivers for the Windows 10 digi-vomit OS and BGA turdbooks.

 

Note to self: SPI programmers are everything...

 

lol, heh!
AMEN... I was FREAKING OUT!

 

TECHINFERNO HAS RELEASED THIS MOD!
ENJOY!
Please donate if you use this!
I'd appreciate a beer so I can force myself to get some sleep!
Hope ya'll enjoy!
Swick

 

Do I need to update A10 to A11 before applying this flash in DOS?

 

I went below A11 just to be safe.

 

Honestly, I don't know... We tested it with people only on A10 and A11 if memory serves. If you're already on A10 bios, unlocked by SVL7, you should be fine updated to A11... (That we tested and know for certain). @Rengsey R. H. Jr. was on a higher version A12 I think, and he downgraded if memory serves me. Ask him, he might know...

 

BTW, I am still working on another version where I compoletely get rid of ALL power management for ya'll. I do not know if it'll work, but just like Mr Fox, I do NOT want any power management, if that's even possible, heh! I will be working on it and get back to ya'll. UNTIL THEN, you can go to TECHINFERNO and download the mod that I've made and flash it! I hope to get the power management removed, TOTALLY REMOVED. IF I do, I'll let ya'll know AND I'll put on Ti, as well!
FInally, I have SEVERAL m18xR1 Bios mods that are available. If you'd like, please let me know and I'll put on Ti as well!
Swick
Again, I hope you enjoy this m18xR2 mod AND now you have the ability to run the cards in legacy support - 1 card or 2 cards in sli BOTH WORK in legacy mode in Windows 7!
Please, dont forget to donate... I only ask because I've been doing this so much that I've been slacking on my work duties a little (I'm self employed, but still... I slacked off a bit to do this)
Lastly, IF you decide to purchase a 900 series GPU (or 2 of them to run in SLI), please purchase through @woodzstack and let him know youre purchasing the GPUs because of my mod. That would really help me out, too!
THANKS!

 

@Raidriar
Hey, are you around? I've been trying to get a hold of you without luck. Hope I didn't piss you off...
Shoot me a PM if you could. I have a few BOIS's that you can test... IF you want! For the R1 that is!
LMK!

 

Ok downloaded the file and made the dos bootable flash.

Switched to legacy on IGFX and followed the instructions but when i hit ok to flash it returns an error that its unable to find a .txt file and it stops.

Specific error is error72 unable to find fparts.txt

 

Same here, couldn't flash either because error 72 - unable to find fparts.txt

 

I'm around...just fell asleep in my chair last night (was multitasking), and the MCAT books put me to sleep :/

 

Haven't done the flash till now, but that .txt file that is missing, you can find it at slv7's on T | I in the "unlocked bios" post of his.

Download "ppr2.zip" and extract the files to your flash drive. Overwrite if asks.

I haven't tested it yet, but I suppose it is that.

Congrats on everyone's work for this.

 

There's no such file inside ppr2.zip, only read me.txt and prr2.exe, dont know what about fparts.txt are for. Anyone flashed with techfinferno bios file without any errors?

 

Still trying to figure out the throttling here. Enabling a disabled ASPM setting in the PCI section of the BIOS actually got rid of the throttling on the 780M on the latest drivers altogether...none. zero throttling, full boost speed full time...
BUT
Now when the CPU + GPU are fully stressed, the CPU claims to thermal throttle, even though I KNOW it is well below thermal throttle limit. I wonder if this is a power throttle in disguise? I did overvolt the 780Ms I have to 1.0250 instead of 1.000V, and the CPU is also overclocked to 4.22GHz, and judging from the core TDP, even though I didn't add in the voltage, it is exceeding 55W to about 58-61W under full load, so I'm not sure if I'm hitting a power throttle limit here. Stressing the GPU alone runs fine w/o throttle, stressing the CPU alone is fine w/o throttle, but stressing both together causes the CPU to drop some speed.

 

Sorry, I messed up looking at the files I need to flash.

It is inside the "FPT_DOS.zip" over at the post I mention earlier.

the "ppr2.zip" contains only a simple text file.