Enable undervolting on your Dell XPS 9500/9700 (or others)

Yes that one is checked as well, Min is 1 and Max is 47.
I didn't change any numbers there.

 

I have a Dell XPS 9710 and was able to enable undervolt on the latest bios, i had a setting of -76 for the core and cache and it worked well

I mostly use the laptop for general work use, but i was playing a game recently and during the game the laptop crashed and did a bios recovery, then 30 mins later it happened again, i checked throttlestop and the undervolt settings are now disabled but its still set to -76

Did the undervolt cause the bios recovery?

 

Hello Everyone! This undervolting technique has worked perfectly on my Dell XPS 15 9500 for several months now. I have the i9 10885H version with 64 GB RAM and have ThrottleStop enabled to auto launch at startup. After stress testing, the best undervolting numbers I currently use are as follows -0.1084 on both CPU Core and CPU Cache. For both the Intel GPU and iGPU Unslice -0.0605 works the best. I also use MSI Afterburner to slightly overclock my NVidia 1650ti Graphics Card to +200MHz on Core and +600MHz on Memory. Finally, I have manually set PL1 to 52 and PL2 to 70 and have unchecked PL2 to not be used. Before starting a render, I also check "Disable and Lock Turbo Power Limits." Then once done, I disable it. If I don't disable it, when I restart and ThrottleStop starts up, I get a ThrottleStop error. Also, from a fresh restart, if you have ThrottleStop set to auto launch, you will need to close ThrottleStop and relaunch it before you can check "Disable and Lock Turbo Power Limits." I am still using ThrottleStop 8.70 since for some reason, none of the new 9.0+ Versions will install on my XPS 15 9500. Has anyone had this issue with the newer versions of ThrottleStop and if so, what did you do to fix it? I render a ton of 4K 60 video in Adobe Premiere Pro, and with these settings in place, I get a consistent 3.4 GHz on all 16 threads of my 8 core i9. Limiting PL1 to 52 prevents my system from overheating or throttling down from a consistent 3.4 GHz while rendering. My temps run from 92C to 95C. Some of you may think that's too hot, but this chip was rated to handle 100C and anything under that is perfectly fine and won't harm your system in any way! I also use software rendering and not hardware rendering because it provides the best possible quality when compared to the faster GPU rendering. With all of that being said, has anyone tested Dell's latest BIOS update for the XPS 15 9500 which is version 1.11.0? Hopefully someone can let me know before I update. I don't want to risk having undervolting disabled. Thanks in advance and hopefully you are all having an amazing Holiday Season!

By the way, the picture attached is a screen shot of ThrottleStop while rendering a large 4K 60 file in Adobe Premiere Pro.

Sincerely,
Eli

 

On the older XPS laptops, propping the back up a bit improved airflow and boosted cooling significantly. Not sure if that would help you but worth a shot.

For the TS version question, ask the developer in the ThrottleStop thread here. You might also post screenshots of all your TS settings as someone might have advice or questions (e.g. why not use SpeedShift for fine control of the CPU).

 

Thanks for the reply. I have my xps 15 9500 propped on a Cooler Master laptop cooler. I forgot to mention that. I don't even use the fans that come with it, because they make absolutely no difference. The 3 stock fans that come with the Cooler Master are not powerful enough to cool it anymore than the laptop fans and I haven't felt the need to get better fans to modify this. I have SpeedStep enabled as shown in my screen shot, and that works perfectly. I believe SpeedShift is the updated version of SpeedSetp and is only an option on ThrottleStop Version 9 and above. If I can upgrade to ThrottleStop 9 and it works, I would enable it. Again, for some reason my laptop will not install any version of ThrottleStop 9 and above. I tried everything mentioned in the forums even downloading all of the redistributables that has worked for others having this issue. If someone here doesn't have the solution, I will post in the ThrottleStop forum and see what they can do. I am more so looking to see if the latest Dell Bios, 1.11.0 works with this undervolt hack. Thanks again for your help and have a great day!

 

question for Dell XPS 17 9710 owners. Has anyone already got the Bios Update 1.5.3 and can it be undervolted via Throttelstop?

I don't want to try it and probably be disappointed

 

@custom90gt , I hope all is well and your Holiday Season was amaing! I know you have the XPS 9500, so do I. Your BIOS MOD works perfectly using BIOS Version 1.9.1. Dell just released BIOS Version 1.12. Is this latest BIOS version still safe for the original Bios Mod? I tried extracting and trying to read the new BIOS myself, but I can't seem to figure it out. If you get some time, maybe you can also post what tools to use to extract and read a current Dell Bios to make sure Dell hasn't changed the cvars. That way in the future, I can help out the forum by doing some of this work myself and taking a load off your back. I would greatly appreciate the help. Thanks in advance and have a great day!

 

@custom90gt Since the forum is coming to an end at the end of January, I just wanted to let you know that this topic has been migrated by me to Linus Tech Tips Forum in April last year and has been updated when new information came out. Just so you know - your efforts and the efforts of everyone who contributed won't be forgotten. It's all here: Dell XPS 9700 undervolting - The Complete Guide - Guides and Tutorials - Linus Tech Tips

 

@Coach Eli I have updated my XPS 9700 to the latest available bios and all before it, and it has worked without a hitch. I also reinstalled Windows once, and everything was as before afterwards. So update away

 

@Blaž Bohinc dober dan! Can you please confirm that you are running BIOS version 1.12? About one month ago I ordered a new XPS 9700 directly from Dell, and since the manufacture date is January 20th, I'm also certain it's coming with the latest BIOS version. Hvala

 

Hey,
sorry I never saw the notification for this. Did you figure this out?

 

@Michele Perrone Yes, I can confirm. 1.12.0 version.
I don't understand why you would order a 9700, is even for sale anymore? Did you mean 9710 version? It's much better and more energy efficient.. though you can get pretty close on 10th gen parts as well, with a bit of silicon lottery luck and undervolting. But then again, that new RTX 3060 is quite a bit faster.. Anyhow, ni za kaj

 

@Blaž Bohinc no I didn't mean the 9710, I ordered the 9700. It was a flash sale on Dell's Italian website + 15% educational discount. For 1614€, I bought the version with the i7-10875H 8-core CPU and the 2060 6GB Max-Q graphics card. Quite a bargain, don't you think?
PS. Thanks for confirming about BIOS 1.12, that's really great news!

 

Just to be completely sure, I extracted the latest BIOS (version 1.12) from Dell's website, and upon visual inspection, I can assure that the variables of interest have the same VarStore and VarOffset values:

0x76921 Form: View/Configure CPU Lock Options, FormId: 0x1012 {01 86 12 10 74 01}

0x76927 One Of: CFG Lock, VarStoreInfo (VarOffset/VarName): 0x3E, VarStore: 0x3, QuestionId: 0x166, Size: 1, Min: 0x0, Max 0x1, Step: 0x0 {05 91 AD 03 AE 03 66 01 03 00 3E 00 10 10 00 01 00}

0x76938 One Of Option: Disabled, Value (8 bit): 0x0 {09 07 04 00 00 00 00}
0x7693F One Of Option: Enabled, Value (8 bit): 0x1 (default) {09 07 03 00 30 00 01}​

0x76946 End One Of {29 02}
0x76948 One Of: Overclocking Lock, VarStoreInfo (VarOffset/VarName): 0xDA, VarStore: 0x3, QuestionId: 0x167, Size: 1, Min: 0x0, Max 0x1, Step: 0x0 {05 91 A9 03 AA 03 67 01 03 00 DA 00 10 10 00 01 00}

0x76959 One Of Option: Disabled, Value (8 bit): 0x0 {09 07 04 00 00 00 00}
0x76960 One Of Option: Enabled, Value (8 bit): 0x1 (default) {09 07 03 00 30 00 01}​

0x76967 End One Of {29 02}​

0x76969 End Form {29 02}

And the name of is still CpuSetup:

0x71E49 VarStoreEFI: VarStoreId: 0x3 [B08F97FF-E6E8-4193-A997-5E9E9B0ADB32], Attrubutes: 7, Size: 334, Name: CpuSetup {26 23 03 00 FF 97 8F B0 E8 E6 93 41 A9 97 5E 9E 9B 0A DB 32 07 00 00 00 34 03 43 70 75 53 65 74 75 70 00}

I already find it absurd that Dell is so aggressive in blocking users from undervolting - I hope they won't escalate by making it impossible somehow.

 

I have the Dell XPS 9500, does 1.12 work for the 9500 as well? I am seeing confirmation for the 9700, but not the 9500. I would greatly appreciate the help. Thanks Again to all!

 

Not yet, but people are saying 1.12 works on the 9700 but nothing confirmed for the 9500 yet with 1.12. I assume it does, but I just want to make sure before flashing. Also, I'd like to check the new bios' in the future myself, but I don't have the right tools. Before this forum closes, can someone link the proper tools and instructions to check the new bios' in the future? Thanks, I would appreciate it.

 

I don't want to hijack the thread, but when you say that Dell took away the ability to undervolt, what exactly did they take away? Was it a Dell specific feature they removed, or did they remove support for some standard windows setting?

For years now, in order to keep my laptops quiet, I've been doing a simple trick that works fine for me, in terms of stopping the fan from kicking in. On the few occasions I need real performance (almost never!), I undo the setting but most of the time I just run at 70% ...
Control Panel / Power Options / Change Plan settings / Change Advanced power settings / Processor Power Management / Maximum Processor State / On Battery: 70%, Plugged in: 70%. Now, I imagine many will laugh at this as it means I'm throttling the laptop, but it makes absolutely no difference for 99% of my activities! I presume this setting is still available on the 9710?

 

I can tell you what I did to find out the correct variables for the XPS 9700 in BIOS 1.12.0.

1. Download the BIOS of interest from Dell. This works with the .exe version
2. Extract the BIOS with the latest version of "Dell PFS Update Extractor" ( https://github.com/platomav/BIOSUtilities/releases). The file that interests us is located in the "Firmware" folder and is called "System BIOS with BiosGuard". It has a .bin extension
3. Once you have the .bin file, you can follow the original guide ( https://brendangreenley.com/undervo...hermals-battery-life-and-speed/#cpu-undervolt) from "Step 2" onward. This requires the usage of UEFITool ( https://github.com/LongSoft/UEFITool/releases) to extract the settings, and IRFExtractor ( https://github.com/LongSoft/Universal-IFR-Extractor/releases) to get a human-readable form of the settings in order to find the correct variables for the "Overclocking Lock" and "CFG Lock" options.

The original guide by Brendan Greenley is quite detailed, so you shouldn't encounter difficulties. I hope this answers your question!

My XPS 9700 is coming by the beginning of next week, I just can't wait to get my hands on it And I really hope it won't have a wobbly touchpad...

 

Hi all, for the XPS 9710 there is already the Bios Update 1.6.0, does anyone know if the Undervolting works here?