L502X modded bioses download (GPU voltages and more!)

But every time I do a benchmark the device used by it is the Intel HD 3000 and not the nVidia graphic card. I have also tried the option on the graphic panel (nVidia ones) but nothing seems to be changed. So what I have to do to play games with my best graphic card ?

 

If you run program using Nvidia card, it really run on Nvidia card. Just program thinks that it's still on intel.

 

Could the modded bios/Intel ME update mess with the booting the dedicated/integrated graphics? Like every 3-4 boots, there will be a "bad" one where everything related to graphics runs like molasses. Literally in slow-mo. Opening/closing/maximizing/minimizing windows animates at like 1/3 speed. Videos/games both lag. This seems to indicate this issue affects both the integrated and dedicated cards. This occurred before and after restoring Windows completely, but it may be one of the drivers I reinstalled? I had the modded bios and updated Intel ME before as well.

 

probably not related with your issue, but there is allways a small chance, you can try to reflash both BIOS and ME update to ensure it isnt the source of the issue.

 

Try installing normal bios and check if problem still exist. But why not try to uninstall driver first?

 

Hi Cap, first I want to thank all you've done for the community. Secondly I need to know if there is any way to control the fan of the L502X via software.

 

There are instructions on previous page...

 

I changed the values ​​of 0x60 to 00 and 80 but nothing happened, however with these values ​​I can use Speedfan without any problem. Awesome. Thanks @agalin and @timewalker75a

 

Hi capitankasar, i saw your thread and im thinking if i download your moded bios can stop crashing my cpu.. my crash is that damn freezing on game/animation, NVIDIA stopping ("Nvidia kernel mode has stopped working and has been recovered...") work with sound freeze, some times blue screen and etc. i saw one solution that is underclock graphic clock (672 to 600), and im testing it, but the freezes stopped (for now) and im having better performance, but as i can see in your thread, if i download and instal GT540m bios mod for L502X undervolted (recommend one - 2D PROFILE: 0.83v / 3D PROFILE: 0.85v) i can keep the clock on 672 without freezes and have less gpu temperature??
do you think i should install it?
thanks for your help =]
ps: sorry for my english

 

@felipeap92

yeah, it fixed the crashes for many users.

also if it diesnt fix it completly , you can try using the modded bios and downclocking just a bit, for example to 650 mhz.

it should work fine

 

Any C++ coders around? A utility to somewhat control the fan on this series of laptops would be a superb addition to a modded bios. I can post the override algo to set any desired speed (theoretically) for the fan by writing data to embedded controller. It has been done on Acer and Lenovo machines so out plausible here as well.

Sent from my GT-I9070 using Tapatalk 4 Beta

 

Here's the algo: Re: Vostro 3450 fan constantly working - Laptop General Hardware Forum - Laptop - Dell Community
Here's the idea I'm proposing: Re: Vostro 3450 fan constantly working - Laptop General Hardware Forum - Laptop - Dell Community

There are sources included with every release below:
- A utility coded for Acer Timeline: http://forum.notebookreview.com/acer/421850-1810tray.html
- Here's one for Acer Aspire One: a1ctl | Noda's Dev Blog
- A similar project for Lenovo: Thinkpad Fan Controller (tpfancontrol) | Free System Administration software downloads at SourceForge.net

 

Ok, i will probably install it.. im afraid that i can damage my notebook :~
Just another question, if doesnt work, or the crashs keep going, i can just download the original version and instal it normaly?
Thanks again
ps: after i instal it and test it i`ll put my feedback here =]

 

@timewalker

thanks for all the help and info.

yeah, a working fan control app for our laptops would be greatly apreciated, lets hope someone experienced in c++ help us with that task ^^

@felipeap92

dont worry, it is perfectly safe to install those bioses as you follow the standard bios flashing procedure wich is basically have the battery charged, keep it pluged to the wall, and wait till the whole process is completed.


yeah, you can allways come back to the original version, however, I'm sure the modded version will be more usefull than the original one, not only it will be more stable relating the GPU, it will also bring unlocked options and extra features not present in original bios.

 

@capitankasar

I just installed ur version A11, GT540m, 2D PROFILE: 0.83v / 3D PROFILE: 0.85v (recommended one), and did Dell 3D test (Small Video Test), and got the same problem (with 672 core clock), so i changed it to 650 and run the test again and no freeze... tested the FPS on Dota 2 and temperature, both is a little better now (i think, have to test more).
Do you know why it keep freezing with 672 clocks? And those undervolted and overvolted, do you know if i overvolted or undervolted a little more can stop freeze?
Thanks =]

 

@felipeap92

well, like I said, the modded bios improve things, but in many cases it still need to be underclocked a little to keep it stable.

thats why I dont like the 540m gpu, it is just like a bad overclocked 525m ^^

well, the best version for 540m is the 0.83v/0.85v

most users are happy with it, id you think you can try other versions and compare results, feel free to do it

btw, why did u went to A11 instead A12? ^^

most modded bios version is the A12 and the v5 version of the mod.

I suggest you to use this version:

http://l502x.lag.re/L502X_A12_540m_83_85_Unlocked_Menus_v5.rar

it is the most used by the 540m users

 

@capitankasar

Because i didnt know about Avanceds one, unlucking things that i dont know what it does.. but i will install use this new one.
And do you think i should Undervolted more or Overvolted? Try both and do the Dell test?
Thanks again =]

 

well, advanced one brings fixed, upgreades, like the intel video bios and cpu microcodes updates and other stuff wich run fine automatically.

also advanced options are shown at the bios, but you dont have to touch them if you dont want to

well, the version I linked to you is the one with better results for most people, however some little people said other versions worked better for them.

if you want to, you can try and check your results ^^

it may improve, or it may to make it worse with different voltages, each GPU is different, so feel free to test more versions or stay with the one I linked to you

 

@capitankasar

I see... thank you so much for the answers! you are amazing man!
i will do some real tests, play games, etc, and after i do that will put my final feedback here and what i got doing the tests.
Thanks again, you really helped me =]

 

you are welcome

let us to know what version works better for you

 

@capitankasar

And here i`m with my final feedback (i hope)... After i installed the new Unlocked Menu version A12, and the problems just disappears (in default clock: 672ghz)
Just after i installed it i played:
Dota 2: 3h in a roll, and later played more 2h and no freeze/crashes
Tomb Raider 2013: 4h in a roll, but i got one crash (i kind forced it, i minimized the game with some others programs open, maxmized again and start shooting), after that, no more crashes on Tomb Raider.
Borderlands 2: played for 6h in a roll and nothing! played alot more later and nothing either =]

I think the temperature is a little better, and the FPS keeps the same =]
One other thing i realized is that after i installed the new BIOS Version i updated my Geforce driver for newest driver (314.22 -> 320.49), my FPS decreased in Dota 2 (like 10 fps), and almost nothing in Borderlands 2 and Tomb Raider 2013, but i dont know if it is Geforce Driver fault or the new BIOS version.. but the crashes stopped and FPS keeps playable for me (almost full settings on all games)

If i get another information, problem or anything i will put in here

Thanks for your help and for this great thread!! Keep doing this AMAZING job you did and are doing =]

 

@felipeap92

thanks for the feedback ^^

so it seems your issues dissapeared with the version I suggested right?

and yeah, some driver versions have some impact in FPS in some specific games.


added you to the first post as bios tester/user.

have a nice gamming woithout crashes, hehe

 

@felipeap92

You`re welcome
Yes, right after i installed the new BIOS version and the new NVIDIA driver, all worked just fine =]

 

Ok there are some informations about running Win8 under UEFI, because red text on first post isn't fully correct

1. WiFi button doesn't work, freezes the system.
2. Any other button works normally.
3. Touch buttons 2 and 3 (configurable and waves) needs originally QuickSet to work, but installing QuickSet or any of it's components will freeze pc, so you need another software to use them. I used AutoHotkey - keyboard codes are 104 (Waves) and 105 (configurable). I'll add there my config fle (you can edit it and use by Autohotkey, it's easy to compile it into exe and add to autostart) as example. http://sdrv.ms/1e5RV0X
4. Touchpad works normally. For me best driver is from L421x ( this works well) - there is option to disable touchpad when mouse connected (FN+F3 won't work with this driver) and adds touchpad shortcuts for Win8
5. It stopped working for me at Bitlocker password screen 3 times... Don't know why. Restart helps. Edit. After many months it seams to be some bug in PS2 connection - some boots (1 per 20? 50? Don't know) just disable keyboard and touchpad. Just restart.
6. Any QuickSet application will not be usable! Dell battery/power options or Mobility Center expansion too! That means using your backlit keyboard can be irritating Even if you unpack msi package and try to use only one component, system will freeze when you run it as admin (and it just doesn't work if you don't).
7. Flashing BIOS works without any problems.
8. Leds (wifi and battery) works well. You can't disable wifi by shortcut, but Win8 has built-in Airplane option, so it's a not real problem.
So using UEFI isn't really problematic.
Win7 works worse on UEFI for me - crashes when installing ethernet driver and Quickset still doesn't work.

Other OSes:

Linux: The only one OS where disable WiFi button works. There's option to boot kernel directly from F12 menu (using efi string), but string is too long and you'll be unable to get into boot order section in BIOS settings (still can change them through EFI shell or Linux command line).

OS X: using Clover as bootloader and changing WiFi card makes this OS just awesome. Works nearly perfectly. But without Geforce. So without HDMI too. Other things can work when proper kexts installed (not tested card reader). Need test if it was imagination or OS X was working longer on battery than Windows (Yosemite vs 8.1).

 

thanks agalin, edited the first post and linked to your post

 

...allright guys, today i found out something weird...
First of all i have to say, that i connected my FullHD TV via HDMI Cable and a 'DisplayPort to HDMI Adapter' at the DisplayPort of my L502x. Sounds strange, but if u connect your TV via HDMI directly, in office mode the NVIDIA GPU works all the time (much power consumption and heat). The integrated Intel GPU uses the Display Port.. In gaming the NVIDIA GPU uses Display Port too. So far so good.

Now the strange thing is: with the TV directly HDMI conneted, the workload at gaming is 99%.... with displayport adapter solution the workload only reaches about 80% and the fps are decreases by ~10...
Anyone else noticed this or have an explanation??

best regards, striker_lt :hi2:

 

yeah, you are right, the integrated display and the minidisplay port are hardwired to the intel graphics, while the hdmi output is directly conected to the nvidia card, so the intel gpu cant be used from hdmi port.

about the gpu ussage, that is curius, many of my games uses the 99% of my GPU by using the minidisplay port connected to a vga adapter and then to a 1440x900 monitor.

maybe it is a driver issue, try updating the intel and nvidia drivers to the latest one from the intel and nvidia sites.

 

Hmm... It seams to me that if you try to boot from other device (F12) in UEFI mode and it doesn't complete successfully, you lose option to use F2 or F12 in boot 0_o maybe reason is other, but I got this second time in two weeks... Actually I found only one solution - reflash BIOS... (both on 0.87 BIOS... changing to 0.85...)

 

@agalin

mmm, did you changed any setting in BIOS wich could be interfering with that?

reflash using my batch script also reset bios settings to default, that could be the issue.

well, a rare issue happened to me it was I lost some intel ME functionality some days ago, I noticed when the controls unlocked using my overclocking patched ME were missing, tried to reinstall intel XTU, ME drivers and reflash my ME patch, but nothing worked.

however by reflashing the main BIOS mod and reseting the settings worked also for me, we will have to identify if the flash itself fix some issues, or there are just some bad setup config creating issues that can be fixed by loading bios default setings on the BIOS setup

 

If you try to boot from Windows installation media it attempts to add a new bcfg entry to nvram and sets it as 1st order entry thus overriding original F2 hotkey (F2 and F12 are first boot entities). The only option to revert this is to invoke WinFlash with /cvar flag ... this is poor Tiano implementation. On Samsung its even worth, it bricks the laptop for good. The funny thing is, Samsung never locked UEFI.

Sent from my GT-I9070 using Tapatalk 4 Beta

 

No, I didn't mean Windows media Tried (unsuccessfully ) boot iATKOS ML3U (Mac OS X).
@Capitankasar my settings from advanced: disabled legacy boot, enabled UEFI, enabled fast strings. That's all.

 

Hey guys!

What's the best voltage I should pick for the modded BIOS?

 

I have a L502x that's been having game/audio stuttering problems. So I underclocked my GPU from 600 to 520 for a bit. That solved the problem for a while, except now it's having the same problems again. I wanted a more permanent solution, so you can imagine my delight when I found these modded BIOSes. But before I flash them, how long does this process usually take? We have electricity problems, so the power could go out at any time. It usually goes once an hour. And my battery isn't so good (a full charge lasts 15 minutes! :O). Is it safe for me to flash the BIOS?

Thanks!

 

@TheTraveler98


mmm, if you are lowering from 600, it seems you have issues with a 525m, wich have a lower clock than 540m and crashes are not usual.
thats not a good start.
well, if you have a 525m I suggest this bios

http://l502x.lag.re/L502X_A12_525m_85_85_Unlocked_Menus_v5.rar

and if u have a 540m one
I suggest this one

http://l502x.lag.re/L502X_A12_540m_83_85_Unlocked_Menus_v5.rar

well, if your battery last those 10-15 mins then go for it, keep the laptop plugged in, and the battery on max charge and procced to flash it.

those bios will add extra features, upgreades and options to your machine, also may get your issue fixed by using lower voltage.

however, do your laptop become very hot?

a heatsink/fan cleaning and a repaste may be required too, removing also the dustfilter is also highly recomended

 

How hot is hot? My GPU and CPU idle around 56 C. And when I'm playing games, my GPU climbs up to around 80 C. Also, do you think my 525m is damaged?! Or might it just be a rare case that it's going through the same thing as with 540m?

 

Also, I was thinking of taking out the dust filter, but somebody told me that isn't a good idea because of particles that will mess up the internal systems. Is that true?

 

80C max?

well, then your temps are ok.

well, honestly they are more than ok, they are good ^^

mmm, thats kinda weird , I have my 525m working on 700 mhz without any issues on 0.85v

not sure what is happening on yours, did it was like that since the begining? or it started degradating itself after a while?

 

oh, srry, didnt saw your second post, for some reason I cant see the last page of the forum and I have to check the messages via the "go advanced reply" option

well, relating the dustfilter, since I removed it, the laptop run more cooler and it is more stable.

as for me that option worked great, that is why I recomend it ^^

 

Same thing, it has uefi clover which tries to add boot entry via bcfg and messes up the nvram.

Sent from my GT-I9070 using Tapatalk 4 Beta

 

So, I tried out your modded BIOS and at first it didn't work Bioshock Infinite crashed at the title screen and everything. But after I underclocked the GPU to 520, it's working fine. Is my GPU damaged, or could it be a overheating problem? And my GPU degraded to this state. The first time I remember it happening was earlier this year, at the earliest late 2012.

 

So you think that it's impossible to boot this USB stick?

Edit. Actually tried to run from refind installed on EFI partition (works well with L502x) but same problem, tried copying all drivers and clover files into EFI partition, still nothing, refind itself can't start Mac OS X partition :/

Edit2. Ok there are some config and driver files for Clover that I found on other sites that can be deleted to test... so will try later

Edit3. Uh... Started Clover as default boot manager... But it actually gives BSOD when trying to boot Windows (maybe Bitlocker is problem)...

Edit4. Actually I don't see any solution... Going back to default bootloader. Maybe I'll search on some OSX86 forums.

 

Just take a generic FAT32 USB stick and copy the contents of this archive to it: https://www.dropbox.com/s/1q3oqe6cidfu7v8/L502x.zip
The only catalog in the root of the flashdrive has to be the EFI catalog. Delete the contents of ACPI/patched folder as these tables are mine and I have a Vostro, not XPS.
It should enable yo to boot up clover in UEFI mode without any NVRAM corruption, then insert your iAtkos media and try to boot it from Clover's GUI.

UPD:
UEFI Clover can't boot Legacy Widnows installations on Tiano firmware, it is unable to perform proper handover to the legacy bootloader no matter what mod you use PBR or LegacyBiosFirst. Thought you can install and boot UEFI Windows.

 

@timewalker75a thanks, I'll try. As wrote before I already use UEFI Windows.

Edit. It's working! So now only one problem: how to run Clover installed on system EFI partition from refind or how to run refind from Clover both on system EFI partition?

 

Mount your EFI partition from OSX if you've got access to it and replace the /EFI/BOOT/bootx64.efi binary to make Clover your default bootloader. Also copy the Clover folder onto the EFI partition. To mount it from OSX follow these steps by executing the commands in Terminal consecutively:
sudo mkdir /Volumes/EFI
sudo mount_msdos /dev/diskXsX /Volumes/EFI

In the above line diskXsX will most likely be disk0s1 unless you have more then one HDD in your laptop.
At this point copy your stuff over as pointed before ... and then do the below
sudo umount -f /Volumes/EFI
sudo rm -rf /Volumes/EFI

In case you don't have access to OSX yet I believe you can assign a letter to the System Reserved partition via Windows' dismgr to mount it, then do the changes and remove the letter (set it blank). This should make clover your default bootloader.

Also if you would like to retain reFind and use clover simultaniously what you can do is add a boot entry to your Boot Manager (F12) right from Clover's shell, but for that you would have to yet again copy over the CLOVER folder, but instead of replacing refind's bootx64.efi binary inside the BOOT folder you could place the Clover's binary alongside it calling it CLOVERX64.efi
A way of doing it would be starting the very same UEFI shell from Clover, doing map fs* and then navigating to your EFI partition. Lets us assume it appears to be fs1 and your flashdrive with clover is fs0..
fs0:
fs1:
cp fs0:\EFI\BOOT\BOOTX64.efi fs1:\efi\BOOT\CLOVERX64.efi (it may be \EFI\ depends on how rEfind sets itself up)
fs1:
cd efi\BOOT\
bcfg boot add 10 CLOVERX64.efi "Clover v2.0"
bcfg boot dump

At this point a boot entry with boot order 10 (which is empty in NVRAM by default) will be created which when used will call for CLOVER's executable.
Now, you also have to copy over the CLOVER folder to actually use Clover or else it won't boot. For this just do:
fs1:
cd efi\
mkdir CLOVER
cp fs0:\EFI\CLOVER\* fs1:\efi\CLOVER\
Which will copy all the files and folders from your flash drive to the efi partition...

Good luck on this, this is a lot of information to consume

 

No, this is not much I just don't know these commands in EFI shell and worried about editing Clover config files On Windows you can access EFI partition from admin cmd - mount it using mountvol <letter>: /s - when you just assign letter,, you don't have access to files (access denied and can't change owner).
And you said that bcfg breaks NVRAM, so shouldn't it break it too?
Thanks for instructions.

 

bcfg only breaks NVRAM when it writes to 0 or 1st boot order, which in hand corrupts either F2 or F12 functionality. When you add the entry manually you can specify anything as an entry number, in the example above I've set it as 10, which is empty from the factory (9 is also empty, but just to be sure we set it as 10th)..
Here's how bcfg dump looks from the factory: http://pastie.org/8201326

 

There is no command bcfg in this efi shell 0_o will try from refind's shell.
Edit. It works this way. Thanks!

 

So what is your current setup? Both bootloaders alongside?

Sent from my GT-I9070 using Tapatalk 4 Beta

 

Actually something weird happen and Windows Loader position in boot menu stopped working, so I added new using shell and have both default loader (now I don't need refind ) and clover loader. So best possible option Thanks again!

 

Moin together!

Unfortunately, I have failed to learn to speak the English language, so I use Google Tanslator. Hopefully the result is not too misleading!

My problem is not overheating of CPU / GPU due to insufficient cooling (paste, dust, etc.)! There are already enough solutions, which also provide remedy!
My biggest problem is that the fan at temperatures of 80-85 ° C, even at 90 ° C, and even about off completely and scary time stands still!
It does not always make the fans after he is turned back on, to prevent a complete shutdown of the computer.
1 DELL service use: switch defective hard drive
2 DELL service use: Motherboard, cooler and fan replaced
3 Visit a Dell technician is imminent!
What should I say to him, what should I ask him?
If he was here, no matter what it was (with testing in between):
1 Flashing modded BIOS from Capitan Kasar ( http://l502x.lag.re/L502X_A12_540m_83_85_Unlocked_Menus_v5.rar)
2 Install 16GB RAM ( Produktübersicht - Diese Arbeitsspeicher finden Sie in unserem Angebot, Dell, Notebook, XPS, 15.htm)
3 Install Windows 7 Ultimate 64bit SP1
4 Install the latest drivers from DELL, in the given order
5 Install the latest drivers from hardware vendors (including nVidia, and?)
6 BIOS settings (extended by Capitan Kasar) change to eliminate the above problem - but which one?

Thanks for an answer,
Greetings Polli