7811FX BIOS Download Now Available - 9c.12.00

If by "this" you mean the BIOS upgrade, then I'd be interested in that answer too. I may try the BIOS this weekend myself if no one responds.

 

No, it doesn't fix the issue. Still getting 98 celcius spikes on that sensor, then dropping back down to 40-50 when alt tabbing out of the game. I'm having issues with WoW downclocking and dropping from 60 fps to like 10-15. I tried RMClock, but because the cpu is 8.5 and RMClock doesn't support that, no matter what I do it keeps jumping back and forth between 8 and 8.5 and giving me graphical hitches in game.

I'm not sure what to do at this point. The only reason I own this laptop is gaming. I have a 13 inch for browsing the web. Now I can't game on it b/c it downclocks my CPU randomly based on a faulty sensor logic. Is this an issue with all of the systems or just certain ones? I'd try RMA but there's no point if all of them have the same problem.

 

Would it be possible to contact Gateway and/or Wistron over that problem? It sounds like a serious flaw they would [hopefully] want to fix.

I'm still on 9C.05.00 and don't recall running into this issue. I haven't tried any other bios version to see what it's about. I wonder if it is at all related to this power state bug I have on battery in which causes the display driver to crap out every 20 to 30 minutes...

 

I found that the 9c.05.00 bios allowed tzs0 to be much more stable. But, you wont have RAID..but, if you dont need RAID - Who cares? They updated the BIOS Kernel between 05 and 08.. and that seems to have made the latter more tempermental. 06 also runs fine 07 and after have tzs0 issues more often. The x9100 wouldnt flip out tzs0 and downclock with .05 unless I had the GPU overclocked. With .08 it would downclock in a matter of seconds with no OC on the GPU.

EDIT: Wistron was very helpful, up until I was asking for modded BIOSes.. And, I went thru all of the Gway reps, up to the corporate escalated problems dept. None could assist, and corporate basically said it was for reasons of protecting the company's assets. Warranty claims and such. Wistron *will* enable the OC, and it's EASY for Maggie to do. BUT they just need permission from Gway/ ACER - She stressed that every time, if someone can get Acer to just simply agree to email wistron to enable the OC..then they'll do it immediately. I havent tried Acer. But, they're Gway's daddy..so, may as well go straight to the source. If someone manages to get ahold of Acer and get them to agree.. I'l pass on Maggie's email to ya.

 

Still support raid?

 

don't think it would be recomended if it didn't =)

 

About the blue screening, try turning off the PCI Link State Power Management in the Power Options for each power profile. This fixed the blue screening for me. It seems like the computer stops sending enough juice to the 9800gts causing it to bomb. I have 0 blue screens since changing it a week ago.

 

My friend bought a 2888 series 7811 last night and after about 20 minutes of gaming no matter OCed or not it throttles badly and spikes to 98c so i took the cover off to look at the Heatsink and it was different and thinner looking then the one i had on my 2887 series machine so im not sure if its thats it or not . i also flashed every bios available as well and still the same issues. So we boxxed it back up late last night and im hoping he can get a refund and not to mention theres a HUGE bright red stuck pixel right in the middle of the screen the moment you turn it on . Pretty sad really seeing as we drove an hour and a half each way to find this darn thing.

 

I'm suspecting that only 2888 series have this TZS0 problem, mine 2887 doesn't have it

 

Same here. My 2887 doesn't have the TZS0 problem, only high GPU temps.

 

I had the TZS0 issue with my X9100 cpu but not p8400 and i have 2887....I guess 2887 isn't that bad after all! lol

 

My 2887 wouldn't run long enough under a load to discover if it had the TZS0 "problem".

I am still not convinced that it is actually a problem though. I've hit 98C a number of times and not had any sort of a downthrottle. The only times I've seen it cause a problem is when I've been OCing the GPU. From pouring over the Intel technical specs, I suspect that while TZS0 may report 98C, that the ACPI portion of the BIOS may just ignore it. However, if the Northbridge detects what it thinks is a legitimate temp spike, it downthrottles eithe memory or the cpu. According to the spec, it can only downthrottle memory, but it can signal ACPI to downthrottle the cpu. The concern I have is that I've seen it jump from 47 all the way to 98 in a single refresh and back down just as fast. This makes it seem as though there is something that induces a spike, and that ACPI interprets this spike into an invalid range as 98C. However, there is also some hysterisi info that is fed back into the circuitry to try to prevent fluttering between downthrottle and normal ops when there is a temp spike.

 

The 7811 i sold had a pretty hefty overclock and i only saw it spike to 98c when playing crysis in one of the more if not most demanding point in the game but other then that i could play every game overclocked with nary an issue . Its hard to say if its between the model numbers or the heatsinks or what, but after looking at the what i believe to be the skimpier heatsink that just had me thinking it could be that .

 

Has anyone seen TZS0 actually climb up to 98C? I've seen it jump from 47 or 49 to 98 in a second without hitting any of the temperatures in between. I've also worked TZS0 up to 57C with no problems. But has anyone seen a progression that goes something like, 44, 48, 56, 62, 69, 76, 81, 89, 97, 97, 98, 98, 98, 98? I can't make my GPU temp spike that fast even when I overclock.

And honestly, if I can't overclock the GPU that much, it really doesn't bother me. I'm just concerned that next year, when the P9600 and T9800 come out, if I upgrade to one of those is it going to get worse? I suspect it won't cause a problem so long as I don't overclock. There are all sorts of things that could cause an errant reading depending on where the sensor is. The PM45 spec has two internal sensors and support for external temp sensor input. For Intels motherboard thermal spec, TZS0 and TZS1 are usually external sensors assigned to the memory region and either the GPU or other region of the motherboard. But that doesn't mean the same holds true for laptops as this motherboard was not manufaqctured by Intel.

 

The problem your describing is exactly what i and others have had where it go's from say 60 to 98 then back down instantly once you alt-tab. I know E-wrecked tried in vain to figure out where,why and how it was doing what it was doing. The final solution for many was to use RM clock to undervolt and then you should be able to OC with out the massive spikes. Problem with RM is it wont use the half multipliers for the montevina chips so your stuck at 2.0 if you have 2.26 etc. My whole thing about OCing isnt that i need to for most games, its more of a test and somewhat future proofing my machine by knowing if i need those extra 5 fps i can just OC and all should be good .

 

Mine never goes over 60C no matter what I do. I take it I got a good one then. Note, I have the pack of the laptop propped. I believe once I had the laptop flat on my desk and played a game, yet I don't ever recall my TZS0 hitting 98C. And my laptop has never frozen up... yet *knocks on wood*. I'm currently running 9C.12.00. However, 9C.05.00 and 9C.08.00 didn't give me any issues either. I had 9C.08.00 and upgraded to 9C.12.00 to get rid of the GPU fan from pulsing. Now the fans actually turn off if the computer is left idle. Otherwise, under use (internet, music, office, etc.) the GPU fan runs, but doesn't pulse violently like it use to. Hope some of this info helps.

 

TZS0.. Grrr... I hate you! Heh, anyhow. Seriously though, it's a mysterious issue. It's based on the ACPI tables, and unfortunately.. it is an issue that *only* a new BIOS will fix. There's a reason why Maggie said that OC'ing the x9100 past it's stock settings would cause system instability. Basically, the computer isn't capable of the power that is needed. So, using RMClock circumvents that by disabling Vista Power Management. Your temp is never truly 98c. That's just where Vista reads the BIOS ACPI and is set to be the critical thermal temp..and the temp will never get any higher than that because Vista/XP can't recognize a temp higher than that cause it receives its' info from the SMBIOS. 98c is the crit throttle temp with TZS0..which enforces CPU downthrottle. Windows Power Management will cut your CPU to SLFMV(i think that's the acronym) meaning it cuts CPU to lowest Voltage and lowest multiplier the CPU is capable of handling. Then as soon as the temps drop(which in this case should take about 2-3 seconds..because it's not a real temp, but a ciruitry resistance drop, causing a higher current and the extra current trips the sensor and makes it believe that the temps are what they are, even tho they are not) then the CPU will throttle up to where it was originally. In the meantime, while gaming, you experience RAPID FPS loss..and then a couple seconds later everything is gravy.

Quick "speculation" based on my research with the BIOSes and trying different versions. Here's the notes of the BIOS builds.

***** IMV-028 *************************************************************
00080: Nomo Lu 2008/08/28 18:04:00
1. Modify Annie oil secury code.
1. Set HDD password on AHCI mode and reboot.
2. Change IDE MODE
3. Enter password and it will fail.
2. When POSt, If User press F2, system can't enter setup menu on IDE mode.

00079: Nomo Lu 2008/08/28 17:52:00
1. Modify APIC table.
Check CPU core to modify APIC table.
2. Update BU code for panryn CPU

00078: Nomo Lu 2008/08/28 15:52:00
1. For Qual core CPU.
Update thermal table on KBC firmware V3.18

***** IMV-027 *************************************************************
00077: Nomo Lu 2008/08/13 15:52:00
1. For Qual core CPU.
When TP_C0h, Check cpu core(dual/qual).
If Qual core, Set 0 on ECRAM 52h[0]
If Dual core, Set 1 on ECRAM 52h[0]
2. Update KBC firmware V3.17
-Add to classify Qua core or dual core to init different value for thermal sensor


***** IMV-026 *************************************************************
00076: Nomo Lu 2008/07/29 19:48:00
1. Modify in HDD password of the IDE mode
2. remove the VBIOS for GT1-LP

***** IMV-025 *************************************************************
00075: Nomo Lu 2008/07/14 19:48:00
1. Modify version for release.

***** IMV-024 *************************************************************
00074: Nomo Lu 2008/07/14 19:48:00
1. VBIOS update for GT1-LP

***** IMV-023 *************************************************************
00074: Nomo Lu 2008/07/14 19:48:00
1. BIOS will check some condition to disappear/appear Raid option.
2. Check LPC is moble chip and Raid capable.
3. Check SATA PORT0 and PORT1 HDD is exist.

00073: Nomo Lu 2008/07/14 19:39:00
1. On AHCI mode, CDROM can't be detect on boot order of setup menu.

00072: Nomo Lu 2008/07/14 19:30:00
1. Some machine will hang on POST 095h with Raid/IDE mode.
2. WorkRound: Remove the code about Read HDD serial number.

***** IMV-022 *************************************************************
00069: Nomo Lu 2008/07/10 16:02:00
1. Update Kernel code V1.88

_______________________________________________________

Sorry for the crap, but it's just notes from the .bld file. Notice that VBIOS changed and so did the KBC kernel..(KBC = power management) -
After than KBC change, that's when the system becomes more unstable. 9c.05.00 is the most stable BIOS that I tried with running the x9100. Also, it seemed to be the most stable when using a P8400 and OC'ing the GPU. The KBC was v3.16 until 9c.08.00, and thats when I couldn't use the x9100 without rmclock, or OC the GPU with P8400 using previous clocks.. Im rambling at this point, but KBS relates to the ACPI and such..and it is the root, and the resolve of this TZS0 problem. But, for now, and likely forever.. this will not be resolved.

 

Ya its a bummer that its most likely never to be fixed and as such buying some honking CPU and OCing the GPU is not a good idea on the 7811 which is such a bummer because its a great machine with that one huge flaw if your trying to squeeze every ounce of power out of your machine. The average person though will never overclock and probably never add a beefier CPU so its not a huge issue for everyone just a select few.

 

Agreed.

10ch

 

So what's the actual verdict in regards to cramming a Q9100 or QX9300 in a 7811 or 7801? I see references to bios support for them with .08 and later, but has anyone actually installed one of the new beasts in the 7811 or 7801?

 

BMW was the only one who had tried as far as i know and he had an ES chip but it didnt work . This was sometime ago and im not sure all the newer bios's were available when he had tried it . Not sure what kind of heat the quads will pump out, but between heat and more power being drawn the TZS0 might go whacko and im not sure investing that kind of scratch is really worth it incase it either didnt work or went haywire but worked. id be curious to see if it does work though so by all means give it a shot if you have the extra $$ to spend .

 

*This* BIOS certainly wasn't available when he tried, but the latest one he tried that supposedly did enable quad support didn't enable his Q9100 to work.

Plus he said the heatpipe assembly's surface, at least on his 7811, didn't seem to cover the whole die package.

 

Yeah, older bios and he was using a engineering sample (don't know if it was final or A1).

 

4sure wasn't final

 

A1 Q9100....But this new bios don't support X9100 and the heatsink is too small for decent cooling for quad....My guess is no quad eva for 7811fx!

 

it could work me thinks, or it could be modded to fit.

 

hi guys,
i got the same prob. with the 7811, only thing, i didnt oc and each time i play gird or css it drops after a couple of minutes of play. Running everest in the background, when i quickliy drop to the desktop i see the cpu throttles down and the cpu temp is at 98c. Sure, its fake. When i check rmclock monitor i clearly see the muitplier throttle down. Is gateway gonna fix that anytime soon? I tried all the bioses, from 9,05 to 9.12, nothing helps. Its alright to have this issue when u oc but not on your stock machine.
So the only solution to this problem would be rmclock, right? How can i prevent the cpu from throttling using rmclock? I dont know about the proragm. Helps much appreciated.

 

RMClock will throttle it, regardless. If you're not in RAID..then I suggest running the 9c.05.00 BIOS. It, as well as .10 seem best for TZS0. Just an idea, but you may wanna look towards pulling the CPU..and apply fresh AS5 properly.. and also check to make sure the thermal pad that is on the chipset is in good shape, and fully covering the heat dissipator. Just dont replace the thermal pad with AS5! Hopefully with that, and a BIOS it may help. But, RMClock will always downthrottle ya :/

The only other idea I had, which didnt work with my x9100..dunno why. Is, download CrystalCPUID - There is a multiplier management, as well as a way to Flag a Multiplier.. basically you can do the half multiplier that RMClock is leaving out.. and just undervolt the highest multiplier to match the voltages of the previous multiplier.. then it could possibly work. There's also some info someone put on NBR about using Crystal and RMClock in tandem to work around the 1/2 multiplier, but I havent looked for it in a while. Sooooo.. basically, trial and error.. read up on CrystalCPUID and it will make more sense. And, if you solve it.. you become everyone's hero.

 

was about to say, the half multiplier is a new thing, maybe not supported right now, but I think it should be soon.

 

but its funny, i just put my battery in again just to see what happens, and what do ya say. Its working without throttels. Atleast for the short time i have tested it. But how can that be? I'd usally say it should work better, have more performance without the battery locked in right?

 

I always leave my battery in on my stock machine with the gpu OC'd and haven't experienced the downclocking yet...

 

it, false alarm, it just happend again. Battery isnt any help either. Thats really crap, i have a great laptop here thats perfect for gaming but i cant use for that since the cpu spikes every 5 minutes. Does it mean i'm stuck with a bad one here? And i cant even exchange it for a new one since i'm living in austria right now. Would be a hell of a hussle to send it back to the states and get it fixed or exchanged. Any suggestions what i can do to fix this?

 

Try .10 bios yet? What video driver u runnin? As5? Lots of solutions.

 

yeah tried the 9.10, still same issues. Video driver is the 180.70. Installed that one first cause i thought it might help. So is gaetway gonna do anything about it or is this alptop never gonna work properly?

 

Xon2 - lift the rear end of your laptop an inch or two, to give it more cool air. I noticed that in my case TZS0 hits 98C when GPU reaches 82C so if I keep my GPU cool I don't have the problem.

 

yeah that was what i was thinking too. If you take it all into account the tsz0 must be somewhere near the gpu. So the gpu is the culprit not the cpu but brobably throttling down the cpu is the oinly thing the system can do to "overprotect it self. On the other hand, by forcing us to keep the gpu really cool and i say 82 is pretty alright for the gpu we'll have a long life expectancy for our 7811. Still its a shame that a faulty sensor forces one not to have the most out of this badboy.

 

another question, would it be somehow possible to raise the templimit before the cpu throttles down. Lets raise form 82c to lets say 92, so the system would still be protected but not in such rigid boundaries?

 

So I have v28 and someone now posted a link to this, v30?

 

In another thread I opened the P7805u. Is this the same heat pipe and CPU pver you experienced? If so then maybe a QUAD is still out of the question for the FX's.

 

Tip, don't open your notebook and work on it with the battery still in it.

 

Agreed, ok to look but don't touch............

 

Also, the consensus on holding the power button down is sort of iffy, but it does seem like a good idea to discharge any potential electricity left in capacitors.

 

that's a seriously good one ^

 

so has anyone put a quad core processor in it with the new bios. i can buy a 7811fx but i want to put my qx9300 in it. please advise asap.

 

The 9c.12 isn't "new" anymore. BMW135 already tried a quad in his, and found it didn't work. Not only does the BIOS seem to block it, the early models don't have a plate on the heatpipe assembly large enough to cover the entire twin die. Some of the rare 2888-series 7811s had a beefier copper plate, but then again, some 2888s had the original one, too.

In short, until someone finally extracts and copies their recent-model quad-capable BIOS and someone risks a brick trying it on a 7811, hold off on buying a QX9300.

 

Eurasianman, my system does exactly the same thing as yours. I've got the 9C.05 bios and my TZS0 never goes above 60C. I'm tempted to update it to 9C.12 for RAID and to solve that pulsing fan issue. My fans seems to cycle every 5-7 mins or so; it goes on above about 45 and turns off below 40. How long do your fans (especially the gpu) stay off during idle, indefinitely?

For all those that have gone to the .12 bios, did they change the temp thresholds to kick on the fans at a higher temp? I have a SSD in mine and I love it when it's dead silent while surfing, etc...

 

The only issue I've encountered with 9C.12.00 BIOS is that the mic doesn't work properly. As well as the ports on the side of the laptop don't work correctly either. I just stuck with 9C.08.00. However, I doubt I'll go RAID since SSD's are coming down in price. If anything, I'll probably get an OCZ Vertex 60GB or 120 GB as my OS drive and use the 200 GB drive in there now is my data drive.

 

Wan't this a sticky?

 

I can't even install 9c.12.00, atleast I have 9c.10.00 installed.

These is another bios thread already as a sticky.

 

Ah, there it is, D'oh................