L502X modded bioses download (GPU voltages and more!)

what parameters did you modified on about:config page?

I think I already enabled hardware acceleration on firefox and dont having issues, however I have firefox.exe disabled to use nvidia gpu on nvidia control panel due some issues.

 

I'm using the nVIDIA GPU (if you use the iGPU with hardware acceleration, Firefox scrolling lags like crazy). And plus, I'm using Firefox 20.0a1, so that's probably why it's flickering.

 

I am a noob here.

My question is : What is the advantages of updating Intel ME Firmware?

 

@Kitsunemimi

well, if firefox using intel graphics with firefox and see if the problem persists, i am using now intel graphics with firefox and it isnt slow or have issues with it.


@androidappme

updating firmware 7.xxx to anodhter 7.xxx version like the one from the first post will fix some small bugs and may bring extra compatibility.

updating firmware 7.xxx to firmware 8.xxx will bring a lot of changes, including support to ivy bridge proccesors , we are trying now to get firmware 8 working on the L502X

@all

I found a cheap and inexpensive ivy bridge proccesor for testing for the same price the pledgie was the same time I checked it

http://www.ebay.es/itm/NEW-INTEL-i7...DHL-/261094409827?pt=CPUs&hash=item3cca708663

it even have unlocked multipliers to test overclocking unlock tests

seriusly thinking about get it, the price , details, and features are really nice for the price, the cons are anyway it is a ES model (more like a beta/prototype model) I dont think that will be a problem, but well, what do you guys think about it?

 

Wow, you're considering that cheap and inexpensive? D:

Sure it's less than MSRP, but... it's still $250...
But it looks like a pretty good idea to test with, so go ahead I guess o3o

 

well, comparing it with another ivy proccesors, it is really inexpensive.

well, I think I would already bought it if I had all the money, currently waiting for jkbuha to close the pledgie.


when I saw that, I was like WoW!

with unlocked Multiplier is like a extreme edition proccesor only for the price of a really cheap proccesor!

so I must get that for testing ivy implementation on the L502X ^^

edit: 16 days remaining and 7 units left :O, i must get it

 

That's the model I would get too.

 

What would the bugs fixed be?

Which is the safest bios I can install?

Once I update firmware, can I revert it back?

Can I use the firmware update with the default A12 BIOS?

My laptop is hot even while not playing games like around the touchpad

Thanks again

 

mmm, the last time I checked it fixed some kind of security bugs and other stuff, not really something important, but in my case I wanted to update it.

as for the intel firmware, I was unable to revert it to the original version after it, and I forgot to make a complete chip backup while I did that, but I didnt had any issues with that.

so update ME only if you want.

yeah, you can use the firmware update with default bios ^^


about modded bios, well, if you have a 525m I suggest you go for a 85/85 with advanced menus v5, if you have a 540m, go for 83/85 with also v5 mods.

most people like those, you allways can pick another one if you want to experiment or you dont like previous one

as for the advanced options, I suggest to enable fast strings at cpu advanced options, uefi boot and diagnisos screen at the boot menu ^^

 

@CapianKasar

Nice find with the CPU! Just be careful, since it is an engineering sample it could be a hit or miss.
i.e.:
http://forum.notebookreview.com/gateway-emachines/333346-engineering-sample-cpu-question.html

Although it's four years old, one of the posters think that ES chips are more durable and another says that ES chips do not have temperature monitoring enabled.

Anyway, since returns are accepted, I think it is a good bet.

Edit:

@All

PS: Could someone help me out here if they can? http://forum.notebookreview.com/del...5-r2-l502x-owners-lounge-400.html#post8996881
Thanks

 

thanks for the link NeoMesal

yeah, I read something about missing temperature sensors on ES models, but anyway, I think If I go and buy and ivy, I will go for ES, because the unlocked multipliers and more afordable price.


like I said, unlocked multipliers is something only avalible at the extreme edition cpus, and that are expensive as hell, so if I can have that features for testing for even lower price than a normal CPU, it is just fantastic ^^


I posted my HWMONITOR stuff on the other topic

 

Thanks so much.

So, I updated the Intel MEI and I updated the BIOS.

I hope the Intel MEI version was the latest and I hope I didn't flash the wrong version.

Are you sure version 7.1.52.1176 is newer than the default Dell XPS L502x version?

I am sorry but I got this laptop on February and I don't know much about BIOS and stuff.

The version I flashed the BIOS was

Custom voltage moded A12 bios mod for gt540m with advanced menus for L502X DOWNLOAD from mediafire /// MIRROR by ximinez
MD5 checksum: 022D368DE178C92DF012CFD3143AE49B
BIOS version used: A12
this bios mod has been tested by Doixdd shrikant, zulqar and abhizok.
2D PROFILE: 0.83v
3D PROFILE: 0.85v
notes: Voltage modded A12 BIOS for gt540m with a nice set of extra options,plus native speedstep and updated CPU microcode,intel vbios update to v2137 and sleep FIX for OSX, handle the new options carefully!

But what is the difference with

Custom A12 bios mod for gt540m with advanced menus for L502X DOWNLOAD from mediafire /// MIRROR by ximinez
MD5 checksum: 7576D85506C5447F3BCB565999287C3F
BIOS version used: A12
this bios mod has been tested by TehCapi,francy.1095,Matrix5 and guessyet
2D PROFILE: 0.83v
3D PROFILE: 0.85v
notes: voltage modded A12 BIOS for gt540m with a nice set of extra options,plus native speedstep and updated CPU microcode, handle the new options carefully!

What benifits does this modded BIOS have over the default A12 BIOS?

Does it reduce heat?

Thanks

 

yes, I am sure that is newer than the one wich came with the L502X

the one wich came by default is 7.0.4.1197

it is also noted at the first post at the ME update info

it was also visible by using the advanced bios to view the me version, however, if you already updated it, you will just notice the new version at the bios ME submenu.

about the bios you flashed, read the notes from the two versions you posted.

one is a newer version of the mod and it include more stuff like newer intel video bios and sleep Fix for OSX

yeah, the heat will be also reduced.

keep in mind default voltages for the 540m are


2D profile: 0.83v
3D profile: 0.98v


by using the modded bios you pointed, the 3d profile used in games and 3d apps has modified the voltage from 0.98v to 0.85v, so it will work at cooler temps, and probably more stable acording with other 540m testers said while testing the bios

if you want to lower the temps even more, consider some hardware mods like repaste, and remove the dust filter from the case under the system Fan

 

Thanks a lot again

One more doubt :

How do I check the version of Intel ME now?

 

go to the modded bios setup by pressing f2 while booting the machine

go to the advanced settings tab, one of the ones from the bottom will be intel ME configuration



you can check your ME version there

 

@CapitanKasar

Yeah, those unlocked multipliers would be worth it, especially since you mentioned that you use some sort of emulator a while back...?

 

Our BIOS does not have Multiplier change option...still, our notebook doesn't has support for Ivy

what am I missing here?

 

yeah, I know, I know the l502x doesnt support ivy , my idea was to get an ivy to test and try to edit the firmware to try do it ^^
about multipliers in bios, I just saw the flex options, anyway there are some software like throthle stop wich allow to change multipliers

 

@Jess33e

did you tested the methods suggested here?

using a undervolted GPU BIOS, + repaste + dustfilter removal

at the begining the GPU was on 95º for me, now it is on 70 even under load, and I supose CPU temp has been lowered too since they both share the same heatsink and fan.

 

I could make you famous if you do so

I'd search for that kinda software on my desktop some years ago for unlocked semprons-athlonsx3x4 - phenoms...had no luck with it.
Let me investigate 'bout that "Throttle stop" you're saying ' cause there are some 2720's Quality and Engineering samples out there

I even have a 620ES arrandale on some old VAIO...let's play!

 

it let me to turn down the multiplier with my i3, cant go higher than 21, I'm curius how this will work with a unlocked proccesor

well, as for the ES proccesors, after check they are more inexpensive than normal CPUs and sometimes they are even unlocked I am thinking of getting all my future procesors from ES editions ^^

why pay more for something locked?

 

Ur work is brilliant. Can u please modify a Advanced version for 540M card with normal voltage? Thank you! my email is [email protected]

 

thank you wyyyxz

hehe, it wasnt needed to quote the whole post

welll, there is already a untouched voltage version for both 525m and 540m with the v5 mods ^^

it is already at the first post ^^

 

How can I mod the bios on my ASUS K53SV? I'd like to increase the 3d voltage to 1.00V on my GT540m since I guess stock it's 0.980V?

I could use some more stability @ 800mhz core clock on the GT540M and my temps in FarCry3 are about 59C and it goes up and down +/- 1C...

 

@chis89

hi Chris.

well, to mod your nvidia bios, you will need to do following stuff

* download the latest bios update from the asus drivers site.
* get the rom/bin bios file from the package
* disasembly it with proper tools
* locate the proper nvidia bios file inside the bios package
* mod it
* repack the bios with the modded file
* flash the modified bios

those are the same settings I did to mod the bios of L502X

I can give you a hand if you get stuck somewhere, however I will not have many time on xmas since I will move to my family town tomorrow and will stat there until 2 / january

 

Hello thanks I appreciate man! I downloaded the ASUS Winflash and it's not working correctly, I think I need the winflash app specifically so I can extract the contents of the K53SVAS.320 file... I suppose it shouldn't be too difficult. I'll keep you updated and if there's any help you can give I'd gladly accept! You have no IDEA HOW EXCITED I AM BROTHER!!! YAY

Looks like it's AMI so I downloaded the AMI windows utility. I got an Error : Flash part is not supported...

 

if your K53SVAS.320 file was inside the asus winflash and it was a big file like 512 kb, 1 mb, 2 mb, 4 mb or like that.

that is probably your bios file.

well, you dont need winflash app to extract the bios file ^^

winflash is the one needed to flash it

if your bios structure is similar to the one I modded, you will need phoenix slic tool to mod it

edit:

as simple as open it with phoenix slic tool, and it will create a DUMP folder with the modules of your bios

then you will need to locate the nvidia bios.

the nvidia bios is exactly 64 kb

you can open it with a hex editor to ensure it is the proper nvidia file, because the intel vbios is also 64kb

your laptop also may include several nvidia bioses like the l502x, wich included 525m and 540m

so you will need to locate the correct one for you ^^

 

Thanks man!

I've got two 64kb files

PADDING-000A0000_0_6.ROM

and

CEF5B9A3-476D-497F-9FDC-E98143E0422C_0_4.ROM

Not sure which one is the Nvidia GPU...

What tool can I use to test them? I tried Nibitor and it couldn't open either file...

 

hey folks,
Been working off of Bios .83/.92 (540) for a while now with no probs. :thumbsup:

 

@chris89

oops srry, missed last message,I was about reply your message, but my GF distracted me
my bad ^^


well, about your question, I'm almost sure the padding file contains nothing, it is probably an emty file (anyway you can confirm by using a hex editor ^^, nvidia bios contain several nvidia text strings while emty files are just FF on all the file ^^)

download nbitor, and try to open the CEF5B9A3-476D-497F-9FDC-E98143E0422C_0_4.ROM file with nbitor

if it works, you will be able to edit the fermi voltage, (the 2d profile are the two ones from the left, and the 3d profile the one from the right ^^)

after mod the file, you will need to reintegrate the file at the bios with phoenix tool, I can give u more info if you need to know how



and if you want, you can upload the main bios file (K53SVAS.320) so I can give it a quicklook when I have some time and try to help you if you get stuck somewhere ^^



@guessyet

thank you

added to the first topic ^^

 

Yeah I already tried opening both files in nibitor with no luck. I have modded nvidia desktop gpu bios in the past it's fun and easy.

There are 360 files in the bios dump and those two files won't open in nibitor at all.

Thank you I hope I can get this flashed soon this is still exciting to know it's possible to do this...

With my recently perfect re-past my temps are unreal! I'm getting 29C at idle on the GT540M! and the Core i7 2720QM idles at 35C! GPU hits 55-58C in Farcry3 at 800mhz but crashes, 700mhz is stable. The CPU hits like 75C while locked down in turbo boost at 3Ghz from Intelburntest.

I wish I could undervolt the core i7 turbo boost voltage by a tiny amount just so it doesn't throttle back to 2.8Ghz when core #1 hits 79C at 3Ghz... With a tiny decrease in voltage it could run continuously at 3Ghz with all 8 Threads tacked out to 100%...

That or determine the maximum fan rpm of all ASUS K53 laptops so I can upgrade my fan since Idk I was getting 4,600rpm while my temps were a lot higher now with my re-paste and significantly reduced temps the fan only spins at 4,400rpm. I cut a hole in the bottom for my fan to suck fresh cool air in and I pulled the "BLUE" on the fan connector to force to 5V continuous which is how my temps are so low. If I could find a fan that spins at 5,500rpm+ I'd be golden without a need to decrease turbo mode voltage... Anyone know an app that can adjust turbo mode WATTS or voltage power etc?

Arctic Silver Ceramique 2 is amazing stuff! Only $7.48 shipped for a huge 25g syringe.

thanks

 

mmm, if you cant find a software who controls the fan, you can may mod the fan or motherboard itself.

if I am not wrong, those fans had 3 wires

black (ground)
yellow (some kind of sensor)
red (power)

there was some kind of trick with the yellow wire, not sure if disconecting the yellow wire forced the fan to be allways at max speed.
I remember I made that trick with some desktop computer cpu fan, but not sure if that was exactly what I did.

about the GPU bios, it may be inside another file, for example, my bios had four big files inside, and one of them had all the modules I needed to mod, including the nvidia files.

try opening the bigger files with phoenix slic tool, if there are modules inside, it will create another DUMP folder.

 

Thanks. So okay I tried loading the bigger files and it says they aren't valid. I even tried the AMITool and it said it wasn't AMI bios but my laptop uses AMI bios.

I've got a few files at large files sizes ranging from 726KB, 576KB, 477KB, 254KB, 226KB, 177KB, 165KB, 90KB, 83KB.

I tried opening everything above the 64kb files and they said they weren't valid or some such error.

file names file sizes are as follows...

 

mmm, it seems a different bios than the one I modded.

maybe the vbios is inside another file, try opening bigger files with hex editor and do a unicode string search for NVIDIA
the video bios must be somewhere there, well, the question is where

 

should I search all 361 files? any way to do a batch hex editor search on 361 files?

I did a search on the whole directory using a hex editor with unicode search for NVIDIA and no occurences were found...

 

nah, just search on the bigger ones, sort the files by size.

try search on the 64 kb and bigger files

smaller ones will probably not contain nvidia bios

 

I used UltraEdit to search all 361 files and got this as a result... I tried opening the file and got a weird error

A062CF1F-8473-4AA3-8793-600BC4FFE9A8_1_192.ROM is 477KB and I'm guessing it's located inside this file... Can I extract the contents of a .ROM file?



HERE'S THE DIRECT DOWNLOAD LINK FROM MY MEDIAFIRE ACCOUNT OF THE K53SVAS.320 FILE

I can .rar my dump for you if you want? Save you some time and effort...

http://www.mediafire.com/?8yeftfwy2clyrhm

 

Hola CapitanKasar!

First of all, thank you for the work you are doing! I am using this bios:

The first 2 weeks of using it I was very happy because it didn't crash once...Then it started crashing...I switched to the

bios and I think it crashed even more often...so I switched back to the first mod bios...it still crashes pretty often and I don't know what else to do...I haven't overclocked or downclocked the gpu...maybe I should try doing that? Any ideas or suggestions?

Thanks for your effort

Alex

 

@chris89
srry for the reply delay, I has been away from computers and internet a lot of time and for some reason it didnt sent me a email after your last reply.

I found the nvidia file at your bios, the nvidia video version 70.08.58.00.FE

while opening the BIOS17.BIOS file (a file wich is created while opening the bios file), however that file is outside the DUMP folder, at the main folder.

it looks like the BIOS expanded, I am curius how we can pack this back

then do a quick string search for NVIDIA (dont tick the unicode checkcbox)

here is a nvidia bios example attached to the post (it is the gt540m bios from the l502x)

now we need to figure where exactly it begins and where it exactly ends, so we can extract the 64 kb file and tweak it


@Alex.A
hey.

mmm, I remember some very few people wich had the same issue.

did you moved the computer to another location with more highr temperature, conected aditional periperals, installed new drivers or new software or configs?

you can try different voltage settings , like lower or higher voltages and check how it works for u

 

@chris89
ok, I managed to get the file size.

the lenght of the nvidia video bios is FE00
and it can be found from the blocks 1D2FF9-1E2DF8 of your BIOS17.BIOS file.

I also noticed the intel video bios is just after the nvidia bios, this bios format would be a little harder to edit and find some stuff, but well, I think we probably will be able to to stuff to

I saved the part of your nvidia bios into a file, so I can confirm this is your nvidia bios, you can edit it with nbitor.

my advice is:

make a backup of the file I attached wih this post, edit it with nbitor with your desired voltage and save it.

compare the original file and your modded file with nibitor, then note the changed bytes


then pick the BIOS17.BIOS and change manually the bytes to match the modded file.

make a backup of the modded BIOS17.BIOS file and you will need to manage how to reintegrate it back, I think all you need is paste and replace the file when phoenix tool ask to replace the files

let me know if you need more help, I will give you a hand when I find some other minutes ^^

I can also help you if you want to get another voltages different than the ones nbitor let you to change

 

Good work thanks for the bios. This may sound stupid but maybe you could also add a short explanation on how to overclock each graphics card and tried and tested numbers?

I got bf3 working on 1080p on my external monitor around 30fps with overclocking and overvolting bios and msi afterburner. Just a bit of searching and I found that I needed to set the overclock to 700mhz (worked for someone else) for the 525m and overvolt 3d to 0.98. I'm very happy as before I was getting around 20 fps which was unplayable and had to use 1600x900 even than wasn't the best.
First time I've done this and as a result have saved myself buying a ps3 I think I will repaste and then maybe try to overclock a bit more.

thanks again and anyone who has contributed. I got the l521x which I'm returning it was an expensive machine and worse than the l502x 525m in gaming due to throttling.

 

I opened the attached bios file and nibitor won't allow changes to the clocks or voltages... I wonder why?

I wish I knew how EXACTLY in steps like step 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 etc to pull the vga bios or how to determine where it is exactly and how to get the options unlocked in nibitor. On my 7150M i could extract the vga bios in GPU-Z and edit them in Nibitor, just need to learn how to put the vga bios in the System Bios so I can flash since Nvflash doesn't work.

I'd like to do this for my HP Pavilion DV2615NR with the AMD Athlon 64 x2 running overclocked from 2.4Ghz to 2.6Ghz and the Nvidia GeForce 7150M so I can get 550-600Mhz 100% stable in game. Stock it's 425Mhz in 3d and I can get 550-575 stable for 45 minutes then it crashes so over-volt is necessary and it runs cool at 60C in game. 600Mhz on the 7150M would make a world of difference! It runs cool just need more performance so a GPU Over-volt would be hella nice on my GeForce 7150M as well and I'm sure it could use a slight decrease in the 2d voltages.

Here's the SYSTEM BIOS AND VGA BIOS ROM FOR NIBITOR FOR MY HP PAVILION... Thanks I know there's a lot on the table since I'd like to do both at once This is a great learning process for me!

HP PAVILION DV2615NR GEFORCE 7150M BIOS +VGA BIOS ROM.zip

 

Just take it apart and pull the blue pin from the fan connector by popping the tab and pulling the pin since these Core i7 laptops use PWM signal to control fan speed. I'd highly recommend you re-paste but it's up to you I'd use Arctic Silver Ceramique 2 from ebay @ $7.48 shipped for 25g tube. Put a dot on the cpu and gpu and then spread with your finger to cover the whole chip with a ultra-thin but adequate layer of paste. Then re-install the heatsink and put the laptop back together and boot it up, You'll be happy now you'll be able to game it up like none other with the CPU at Full Turbo Boost clock and full gpu overclock with zero throttling and amazing performance! On some games I can do 800Mhz on my 540M and most games lately have only been stable at 0.980V at 700Mhz. So if you can get 1.00V out of the GT525M you could then pull off 800Mhz stable and there's a 10fps boost from 700-800Mhz which makes a huge difference! I see my cpu get as low as 30C and the gpu at 27C at idle and in game the gpu hits 65C and the cpu on intelburntest I have seen hit 79C while in turbo boost clock which is 3Ghz compared to the 2.2Ghz stock clock.

I'd like to know how to rig the cpu heatsink to apply more pressure to the chip? I'd like to do the same for the gpu but without a copper shim.

 

Loving this thread, thank you!

 

Me too man! First time I've been super super excited about something like this since it is indeed possible! BLOWS MY MIND!

GT525M guys need 1.00V for 800Mhz
GT540M guys need 1.00V for 800Mhz

lol

 

Haven't changed anything at all...but I will try as you say with different voltages...would you recommend the advanced versions of the modded bios or the other ones?

Also are the newer ones better than the old ones? Or are they all different? I mean the A7, A8, A9, A10 +...mods...Should I try same voltages but different mods?

Thanks for the answers btw!

 

@jjjjj_55555
thank you
well, OCing the card is quite simple, the procedure is also the same for 525m and 540m, just pick msi afterburner, move the slider and test , test and test until your OC is stable and confortable
my advide is focusing on core rather than memory, and if you want to OC memory, just do it after ensure core OC is stable


@chris89

well, I already told you how to extract your nvidia bios
like where it is located, and how to copy it.

I copied the offsets I told you to a new file using hxd hex editor, then I saved the selection to a new file.


about how to mod the voltages, well, if nbitor doesnt let to do it, then do it directly at the cool way

do this

open the nvidia bios with hxd hex editor

and look for those hex values

for 2D VOLTAGES search


43 65 87 A9 DC FE 03 40 (53)

and

00 00 0E 81 00 00 07 40 (53)

and for 3d voltages look for

00 00 00 00 00 00 0F 00 (62)

you obiusly will need to remove the parenthesis if you want the search works, it is just that I marked it to let you to know what byte you need to mod

here you have the hex values table for the voltage



as you can see it have 53 for default 2d voltages wich result in 0.83V and 62 for 3d, wich result in 0.98v

then, the last step is open the modded file with nbitor to fix the checksum byte, as soon as you open the modified file, you will check the file integrity circle is yellow, to fix it, just save the file, and nbitor will fix the checksum, you can open again the file or clock on rescan and the circle should be green.

that will let you to mod your vbios voltages , however you still need to reintegrate it at your bios to get it working ^^

let me know when you get the vbios modded and then I will let you to reintegrate it at your bios and flash it
@overvu

thank you


@Alex.A

well, the A12 with v5 mods should be the best choice, it is the one with most fixes and updates, almost everyone is happy with them

just try different voltage settings and if you want, you can request more voltage versions not avalible at the topic, however I will not be able to relase anything till the next year since I am away from home on xmas ^^
just test wich voltage version work better for you, lower voltages, normal/stock, or higher voltages ^^

 

I have a few questions if you don't mind answering.

Is overvolting the l502x from 0.95 to 0.98v really that risky?

I have been running stock bios a10 and have reached temperatures of 81 oC GPU and around 85 degrees for CPU overclocking the 535m at 700mhz I wish to continue overclocking any idea what max temperature I should aim not to exceed?

What is the benefit of overclocking the memory and is there really a need?

I'm still using the old nvidia driver given by dell should I use the latest driver provided by nvidia on their website?


I aim to do some extensive testing I have uni exams atm so will post my indepth report including post repaste results when I have a go once exams are over.

 

capitankasar,

If I'm going to upgrade to eGPU soon (I have the GPU and the PSU, just need to purchase PE4H-PM3N from HIT) do you recommend that I flash the original Dell BIOS over one of your undervolted ones?

Part of the eGPU setup requires that I disable the dGPU via the Setup 1.x software, and I don't know if the undervolted BIOS will affect the GTX card that I bought?

Thanks!

 

@jjjjj_55555

0.98v should be ok, it may generate a little more heat but it is ok, howver, going higher voltages than 1V would be more dangerous ^^

mmm, the beneficts of OCing the memory would be proably a little faster loading times and faster caching of some content, but not sure.

and yeah, you should update to the drivers provided by nvidia, dell ones are way old and on newer games it will give issues.
however after each driver update is is required to reconfigure some graphical stuff if you made advanced driver tweaks for some apps like I did


@daver160

nah, unlocked bioses should be ok, remember it just make some tweaks for the original stuff and update some stuff like intel vbios and microcodes.

it also should be more recomendable since it let you to enable and disable more advanced stuff from the bios like some usb ports or pcie ports, that will be probably usefull for u ^^

I was also curius about eGPU at the l502x, so if you can let us to know your experience with the eGPU it would be nice ^_^