*HP HDX DRAGON Owners Lounge, Part 1*

vista sp2 x64 run greattttttttttttttt with my kingston hyper x cl 4

i'm italian but i not understand if i upgrade my 8800m gts with 9800m / 260/280 gtx mobile

 

for those possible issues with the fingerprint reader. this is the latest i find through hp site http://h10025.www1.hp.com/ewfrf/wc/softwareDownloadIndex?softwareitem=ob-64441-1&lc=en&dlc=en&cc=us&os=2100&product=3747924&lang=en

how were people getting the march 2009 update (through windows?)

apprently i had the 8.0.??? version and not the 7.??? (too lazy to check now)...and has not been recognizing it for months now, until i went into my device driver properties, and manually searched, and when i did, the current one, and the one under that were options (none were greyed out as has been stated). chose the one underneath the top, and it worked.

 

Did you notice that the HDX 18t CTO asks you to choose different system memory types (DDR2 vs. DDR3) for different GPUs:
512MB NVIDIA GeForce 9600M GT - For DDR2 Memory
1GB Nvidia GeForce GT 130M - For DDR3 Memory
If you select the wrong system memory it tells you there is a configuration conflict. Maybe this can explain 2.0's problem with the 280M GTX and AlphaHeX suggestion RE memory timings.

 

This the response I got about the PLL:

Hi John-san,

I think you must do modify the PLL phisically to change the TME from 1 to 0.

 

guys, hp replaced my blu ray drive with a new one. i'm already done creating my recovery discs.

 

So the Alienwares came with a 9800GTX then? Not GTS. From what I understand it's based on the 8800, so why not go that route? As in pull it from cheap or busted Alienware or buy it as a used unit pulled from it?

 

I think the issue here is that the post saying a 9800 worked in the HDX was BS. We haven't heard anything about it since, and we all knew it wouldn't work because of BIOS issues before we heard that.

I got as excited as anyone, but I think it's dead in the water. (Unless 2.0 can pull out a miracle.)

 

I've spent whole last week with Abo to try changing it via his software

 

Here is another OC 'sweet spot' for the 8800M GTS:
Yields 10024 3DMark06 with driver v186.03 (Windows 7 7264 64-bit) and CPU x9000 - max. temps are higher by only 1-2 oC compared to with stock clocks and stability under prolonged heavy 3D load is perfect:
Core 628 (actual 628)
Mem 930 (actual 928)
Shader 1600 (actual 1600)

 

kindheart, what do you use to overclock? thanks.

 

NVIDIA System Tools - you can know your actual clocks by using the companion real-time NVIDIA System Monitor. The clocks you input are rounded to the nearest figure; for example, setting the shader to anything between 1555 and 1600 will always result in an actual shader clock of 1600, i.e., a setting of 1588 is in reality 1600 MHz.

 

wow looks like i missed quite a bit. Well that sucks that the other card didin't work. :/ Only one question though. Why try to install another card instead of the one that is confirmed to work?...

 

Confirmed? Do you have any photos and/or Device Manager/GPU-Z screenshots and temps of the "one that is confirmed to work"?

 

Couldn't source a 9800M GTX. Though the 280M GTX and 9800M GTX have the exact same layout. Ask your bud what mod he made so that it would fit the HDX's heatsink. Curious to see an alternative idea than the one I thought up on the fly.

 

AFAIK, it appears that no Alienware ever had a 9800M GTX in it.

In any event, good luck sourcing a 9800M. 280M is also based on 8800 (G92). But there is more to it than that. Let's say you find 9800M GTX. There is NO guarantee that it will work. Plus you WILL have to make mods so that it fits the HDX's heatsink. The exact same mod you would have to make for the 280M.

The are 2 variants of the 280M - one is MXM III 2.1 and the other is MXM Type B 3.0. HDX can only use the MXM III version. That is if it could be made to work.

I'm going to try a new idea later on this week when i have time to see if headway can be made.

 

Hardware fit is one thing but we need to edit HDX BIOS and update or replace nVidia BIOS build in into it.

 

I can understand the frustration, but why would he make that up? I'm not going to speak for him but just to summarize what I've observed, whether correctly or incorrectly is that 2.0 said its hit or miss, but I don't see how it can't be completely random. What I picked up was that it should work if it was an HP GPU because it will likely have a similar or comparable BIOS written to it. Alienware's apparently had the GTX version of the 9800 from what I understand and it was the 9800 that was purported to work in the HDX. I sure wish his friend would post something here or elsewhere. The 3700s also seemed based on the 8800 besides the 9800. Personally if I invested into a GPU I would try to do anything possible to see if I could get it working and while nothing may come of the one he bought, he did say when he got the time he would try to do something with it. All I'm saying is why be so pessimistic and write it off so quickly. There are a few people in here who are trying to come up with ideas. If this can't be/isn't somewhat of a cooperative community, think tank, or network for all of us who have the HDX, where else would there be one? It's not like there are that many 20 inch notebooks on par with this beauty either.

 

Install Microsoft silverlight 2.0 http://silverlight.net/GetStarted/

 

This may sound trivial, but the no Alienware rig ever had the 9800 GTX. Alienware sells units with a GT. Because of this fact, and I would like someone to prove me wrong (no kidding ), I have to say to ilikedragons, and again, no offense, but 'screenshots, or it didn't happen'. What I mean by this is either the GPU your friend put in his unit:
- didn't come from Alienware
- was a GT and not GTX
- was a GTX from another unit besides Alienware, put in an Alienware rig that ended up FUBAR for some reason, he got it and put in his rig.
- it never happened

The bottom line is 2.0 has been a very straight shooter on many things, including his knowledge of the HDX. He shelled out big bucks and spent his time to prove or dis-prove a theory. He has stated researchable facts and hands on insight as to why his experiment and other GPU's won't/didn't work.

Fresh ideas would be great, but I haven't seen any that make much sense.
The HDX bios is the biggest show-stopper. I am not going to say matter of factly that putting a higher-end GPU in our HDX's is not possible. In fact, I think just the opposite...it can be done with the correct resources. Find a genius that can hack and re-write the bios, or flash it to be compatible, then we are probably in there. Otherwise, it's probably best to let it go...2.0 did say he had other ideas when he gets time. See how that pans out.

 

2.0, Have you ruled out the possibility that your new card is defective? Since you haven't tried another, what are the chances?? It is probably a used "pull" or such, correct?

 

Card is brand spanking new. Possible that it may be defective but not likely. I've got some time before I would need to exchange it for another. Juts want to try one more experiment before declaring it a no-go.

 

Do you know of a mechanism to do this with? You mentioned its not a phoenix BIOS.

 

The ones that come from an HP, like the 3700M's are not guaranteed to work because the HDX has a unique BIOS. The other HP units use Insyde or another BIOS. Not to mention that the HDX is made by Inventec while the majority of HP computers are made by both Compal and Quanta.

Again, MXM is generally NOT plug and play unless it was an MXM card from the same series of notebook. Even then, generally speaking a BIOS update is necessary to gain full use of the card. Sager/Clevo, Dell(not really MXM), Toshiba, Alienware, all had to issue BIOS updates for MXM card upgrades. Even the HDX did when going from ATI to Nvidia.

The hope of not needing a BIOS update is if the MXM card is very similiar to the one you are replacing. 9800M/3700M is not as similiar to the 8800M GTS as you might think. They are different in many ways both physically and electronically. They use more memory, more current, and clock slightly differently. Plus they use powermizer 8 - whereas the 8800M GTS uses powermizer 7.

If you can source a 9800M GTX within two weeks, I might pick it up and give it a try. But what is best is to be able to find a source that has many of them so anyone/everyone can acquire them. They are exceedingly rare. The source for the 280M GTX was perfect in that it is readily accessible to any and all provided that they have the funds and the know how to install them.

I'll keep working on it until I exhaust ideas. But really, I wouldn't get your hopes up. MXM was not designed for the end user in mind like a PCI slot on a desktop mobo. What's more, it's very difficult to find a decent source to buy MXM cards from.

Lastly, the 280M GTX will likely be the last MXM III, 2.1 card as Nvidia/ATI will be transitioning to the MXM Type A/B 3.0 format.

 

Honestly, forget that route. The HDX has no BIOS bork recovery. So BIOS modification is a lethal road to travel down. Brick your HDX and you'll have to buy a new mobo as that is the ONLY way to restore your HDX back to working order.

 

If you would be able to somehow verify its defective I would tend to think you could return it and or exchange it for another after you see if theres anything you can do to/with it...? Seems like the fact that it boots is kinda promising no?

Probably completely unrelated but for some reason I get a blurry screen whenever I try to use a QuickDock via the Expansion port, it messes with my drivers/GPU and resolution, and I have tried 4 of them so far and can't get any to work. One worked for a week, video only, no audio, and then it stopped working..had this picture in picture in picture into infinity thing going on.

 

R&J Technology has the 9800m GTX as well. I sent them and E-mail asking this at the same time I was asking about the 280M. Here is the response I got from them:

"Yes, we have 9800GTX for Clevo D900C/D901C model. It is $760." Price is a bit steep, but cheaper than anything I have seen other than EBay.

 

Tbh, not worth the upgrade, even if it does work; the 280 might have been a worthwhile step up for it's price - but if you're going to lay down $760 for the minor performance gains from the 8800 to the 9800, you may as well go all in and buy yourself a brand new lappy

 

Point taken.

I can get very close to the 9800's stock performance with an overclocked 8800M. And there's no guarantee that a 9800 or 280 can be overclocked sucessfully in the HDX if they did work. Which makes the 280 the best bang for the buck. If it can be made to work.

 

2, what bios version is your 8800M gts, just wondering?

62.92.23.0.17 is mine.

 

Same here on both HDX's. I think the last time it was updated was back in BIOS F.33 or 35. Or perhaps not at all. Likely F.33 or the one before it added support for the 8800M when HP made the new mobo compatible to it.

 

ok, so then F40E (which i have) does absolutely nothing to the 8800 bios.

i have a feeling that there will be something remarkable on the 1000th page of this thread. perhaps a brand new hdx 20 from hp.

 

guys, i was thinking if i can replace the intel wireless card from my acer 8920 with the dragon's? my acer has 4965 wireless N while the dragon's does not support N. is it possible? is it easy to replace? will i do a lot of rewiring? do i need to install another program for the card to work on both notebooks? thanks

 

dragon does not support n????

my stock dragon shows an intel 4965AGN card in the device manager.

please explain your statements.

 

I will modify BIOS but give me a proper tools. I was not able to open it

 

We need proper tool and unfortunately it is not easily accessible on the internet. We need to get it from HP directly. Does anyone has a good relation with someone at HP?

 

You can unsolder current BIOS chip solder BIOS chips socket and be able to hotflash or reflash as many times you want

 

You're the man. I'll ask and see if they'll help at all. No guarantees though. If anyone else knows a contact at HP it would be great if you could ask as well. Thanks.

 

Ok, had some time on my hands and was just too curious. So I did the experiment I was talking about prior (taking out RTC battery from mobo for 10 mins).

It didn't have any effect. Windows only detects the card as a standard VGA. Driver won't load and like before, says no compatible card found.

Same fuzzy picture as before.

So the mission is a bust. 3700M and 280M are virtually the same card. So the experience will be the same. 9800M will require physical modification to work properly with the HDX and there are no guarantees it will work electronically.

So we're back to square one in that like most computers with MXM, especially HP computers, for all intents are purposes, you can't upgrade the video card by simply plugging a new card in.

Anyone who wants to give it a shot with another card be advised that all cards except the 8800M GTX will require physical modification of the HDX's heat sink and/or creation of a copper plate of 3/32" thickness, 22/32x22/32 square, to interface with the heatspreader of the GPU and bottom of the HDX's heatsink.

I'll upload a pic of what I mean later.

 

Problem is, some parts of the BIOS are encrypted.

Easier said that done.

They won't help. It's proprietary info. Even after many years after discontinuance they don't release that kind of info.

 

True|True|True

 

Can someone with 32bits windows and nvidia card try to start nibitor and read device information using that program?

 

I'm willing but not equipped. There's probably someone WAY better able to do this, but I have 32bit and nvidia. I'll wait to see if anyone else has all that and is able to. If not if you could explain how to use it I'd be more than willing to run it and get you the info you need.

 

Could you please provide me with the label details printed on the BIOS chip?

 

Download http://www.mvktech.net/component/option,com_remository/Itemid,26/func,fileinfo/id,3016/

Run nibitor as administrator then from menu tools/read bios/select device

 

Someone had asked what GPU-z (used v 3.4) says with the 280M GTX installed;

Device ID: 10DE-060A
SubVendor: HP (103C)
Memory size: 256MB

The rest is either blank or zero.

Above is the same info in those fields that it would say with an 8800M GTS installed.

Also, for GPU it says 060A revision A2. Obviously not reading the GPU's BIOS but rather the HDX's.

Another interesting thing is in the bus box it says "PCI-E x 16 @ x16."

With the 8800M GTS, it reads "PCI-E x 16 @ x1."

 

not all dragons did... and mine was one of them... lol
so is this possible? to interchange the card from my acer to my dragon and vice versa?
thanks...

 

Here the 8800M reads 10DE-060 9

10DE.060 A is NVIDIA GeForce GTX 280M.

 

You're going to love this...

With the 280M GTS installed, I installed Dox's 185.85 for shizz and giggles. Hit the system info tab and it is...

EXACTLY the same as if there was an 8800M GTS in it. Same BIOS version, same amount of memory....

With the exception...

Lists it as a 280M GTX and lists 128 shaders...

Hmmm.....

 

Heh, you're right. My dislexia creeps up at the weirdest times.

 

Hmm that is interesting...should that be happening? I guess it recognizes it in some sense. Weird. From what I understand others who have tried this get blue screens on boot..you get an actual screen..

Quick questions..wouldn't BIOSMAN have HP BIOS tools? I know someone in connection with him. Also wasn't there someone here that works at an HP center.......?