L702x Modded GPU BIOS

Hello all,

Total newbie here in terms of this custom bios stuff.

I have a XPS 17 3D with i7-2630QM and 16 GB of Corsair Vengeance DDR at 1600 mhz and a 1 TB Crucial SSD.

It has been the daily driver for my family for the last 10 years with at least about 8-10 hours of use per day. Paid a pretty price for it back in the day, but considering how it's still usable, it's actually cheaper in cost on an everyday basis than some of the budget of mid-line laptops that I've used along the way and have actually scrapped because they failed or couldn't keep up with new OS or apps.

Keyboard is still awesome to use and the screen amazingly still displays beautiful colors with no signs of burn in. The plastic bumpers on the underside have been worn nearly to nubs, but I plan to shape some new ones out of Sugru.

I have 2 questions for everyone since you all have the same basic model of laptop:
1) Which of the Capitan BIOS revisions is the best for maximizing performance right out of the box? I don't understand most of the terminology like "extended C states," "fast strings," etc.

2) What parts do you recommend upgrading to max this a maximal beast,
Such as CPU upgrade, faster DRAM (I've looked for higher mhz but no one seems to sell them anymore), and best SSD? Would consider putting in a 4K 17.3" panel at some point.

This thing is like a beloved old Honda that just keeps on trucking, so I think of this as a antique restoration project of sorts, even if it costs me a bit more money.

 

Wow... The WiFi upgrade sounds awesome. I was wondering if it would be possible to add a modern card with an adapter. Would you mind sharing the specs/models of the adapter and wifi card you bought? I'd love to upgrade this laptop.

Also can someone please confirm if UEFI is now working properly with the latest bios by mighty Captain Kasar that have been patched by Dexter1983? Last time I checked (years ago) there was an issue with the quickset keys that would hang windows.

As you guys might now, Windows 11 is coming around the corner and it will require UEFI to boot. Other hardware requirements (TPM 2.0 and DirectX 12) might be circumventable, but I don't see a way around UEFI.

Let's see how many more years we can push this beast for!

 

Thanks so much for this. I downloaded all files and they are now on my NAS, which is also backed-up on the cloud.

I was wondering, last time I checked captainKasar's hacks, there was an issue with UEFI on Windows where windows would hang if you press the quickset keys. Has this issue been fixed, or is this issue still present if using Windows 10 or another OS?

Also, the BIOS:
L702X_A19_2FUnlocked_Menus_&_updated_cpu_microcode May 2019_ &_sharadeos_vbioses

Does it include Spectre protection as well?

 

Hello,

I also have a XPS L702X 3D laptop and recently did a fress Windows 10 installation, but my fans keep running almost al the time on full speed and gives a lot of noise.(cleaned everything from the inside)
Is there a fix in the modded BIOS for this?
Also I am new to modded BIOS, do I need to re-install Windows again?
Before I dit the new installation i did a BIOS flash from the original DELL BIOS, on the Dell site they have a A19 with release date: 19-06-2020, is this a newer version?
Are the modded BIOS from this 2020 version or newer?

 

You do not need to reinstall Windows after you update the BIOS -- be it with a modded BIOS or with an original (stock) one.

You would only have to reinstall Windows if you change the boot mode from Legacy BIOS to UEFI. Actually in theory you have a tool that converts your boot disk from MBR to GPT (the method for UEFI) but if that does not work... Then formatting in the only way.

As for the fan, perhaps it is time to change the termal paste on your CPU, GPU and chipset chips.

Best,
P.

 

Thank you

Is there any advantages from UEFI/GTP over the standard BIOS?
I have changed the termal paste not so long ago.

There are however a lot of complains about the fan noise of the 702x out of the box.
New XPS 17 L702x with important Fan Noise - Dell Community


If i am going to install a modded BIOS, what version can i install best from here?

Regards
Rick

 

I'm not sure if I changed the thermal paste on the VGA, what kind of thermal paste is best for this laptop? I will try it again if it helps.

 

I redit the thermal paste with grizzly Ky..
Fan problem seems over now.

Temp was 90-100 before and now 45-65.

Thanks!

 

- UEFI advantages over the BIOS.
Yes, in theory. But UEFI is really a platform where a lot of neat features could be added. For example, Secure Boot. But in practice, this laptop does not have Secure Boot and I really don't think there would ever be a way to add it with a hack.

Secure Boot will be required in Windows 11. As well as TPM. Say that in the release version of Windows 11, there could be a registry hack to bypass the Secure Boot requirement, AND the TPM requirement. Question is, would Windows 11 still support booting from an MBR disk instead of GPT?

-As for the modded BIOS, I used:
L702X_A19-2F_generic_Unlocked_Menus_&_updated_cpu_microcode May 2019 anti Spectre

 

Hi everyone.

Just a dumb question. What is the differences between "generic unlocked menus" and "unlocked menus"?

My father owns a L702x. I repated it, but still get a noisy fan spinnig under low use. Temp is about 50/55°C, so I don't know if it's normal for this computer. In my opinion it's seems good. Does someone can confirm?

Thanks.

 

Has anyone tested the new stock BIOS?

I've searched and searched but nothing about Ivy bridge's chance on L702x.