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    X220 BIOS 1.17 posted

    Discussion in 'Lenovo' started by othersteve, Jun 13, 2011.

  1. othersteve

    othersteve Notebook Evangelist

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    othersteve, Jun 13, 2011
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  2. dbrowdy

    dbrowdy Notebook Consultant

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    Good news?
     
    dbrowdy, Jun 13, 2011
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  3. SuperRoach

    SuperRoach Notebook Guru

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    Excellent news, bad english :p

    I'll wait it out a few days to see what others think.
     
    SuperRoach, Jun 13, 2011
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  4. shazzoz

    shazzoz Notebook Consultant

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    I'll give it a shot later today - funny, I just got up the courage to do the upgrade to 1.16 yesterday!

    Be nice to fix the throttling, and I'd be very happy if it fixed my mysterious USB 3.0 issue as well (but nothing in the notes about that).
     
    shazzoz, Jun 13, 2011
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  5. kilou

    kilou Notebook Consultant

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    kilou, Jun 13, 2011
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  6. othersteve

    othersteve Notebook Evangelist

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    This BIOS does not appear to solve any of the throttling problems on my PC. Under heavy load using OCCT/HWiNFO32, I still get repeated throttling to 800 MHz CPU speed and GPU throttling to 650 MHz.
     
    othersteve, Jun 13, 2011
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  7. NSGundy

    NSGundy Newbie

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    The change notes states:
    Sounds more like it is supposed to fix the perma-throttling issue people have been reporting rather than fixing throttling itself.
     
    NSGundy, Jun 13, 2011
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  8. othersteve

    othersteve Notebook Evangelist

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    Well clearly this isn't going to work. If Lenovo can't make this system operate to spec, what in the world is the point of purchasing an i7 model in the first place?
     
    othersteve, Jun 13, 2011
    #8
  9. othersteve

    othersteve Notebook Evangelist

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    I don't want to turn this into another throttling thread, but I thought I should update with one other finding:

    When running OCCT + wPrime and monitoring CPU/GPU speeds with HWiNFO32, the GPU stays at 650-800MHz regardless of the CPU clock--even with the AC Adapter unplugged. It is not uncommon for this sort of stress to occur during gaming or video rendering (depending on the application and codec involved). System power consumption according to the Lenovo Power Manager hovers someplace around 55W.

    I am very concerned indeed, and am starting to believe that this problem cannot be solved. I am of the belief that we are going to need more than a BIOS update to make this laptop perform to spec. We may be in need of a motherboard replacement or similar, which is very troubling indeed for a brand-new laptop.

    Perhaps all of us should be filing for a return...
     
    othersteve, Jun 13, 2011
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  10. floz23

    floz23 Notebook Evangelist

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    650mhz is the spec for this processor.

    1300mhz is the TURBO for the gpu, if there is enough available TDP for the gpu to turbo to this level.
     
    floz23, Jun 13, 2011
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  11. othersteve

    othersteve Notebook Evangelist

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    Yes, but this is still decreasing the CPU back to 800 MHz as before when the turbo is attempted. The net result is the same as before; both GPU and CPU spend around half of the time at their very lowest clock speeds (650MHz and 800MHz respectively). This is not by design.
     
    othersteve, Jun 13, 2011
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  12. mellospace

    mellospace Notebook Geek

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    So are you saying the throttling to 800mhz is now happening with battery alone (without ac plugged)? I thought it was only on ac power, no?
     
    mellospace, Jun 13, 2011
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  13. floz23

    floz23 Notebook Evangelist

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    Ok, I understand. I'll install the bios and do some testing a bit later. I'll report back here with the results.
     
    floz23, Jun 13, 2011
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  14. Master Wu Gui

    Master Wu Gui Notebook Enthusiast

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    I’m looking forward to a bios version that corrects the fan pulsing issue. Though I can only hear it in a dead silent room. Any background noise what so ever and I don’t even notice it.

    To be honest I never even knew that it was there until I read it on this forum and went searching for it. :p

    Currently on bios 1.16 which keeps my X220 cool n quiet under web/office environments.

    I’ll wait and observe the results of others before I update to 1.17, just to see if it corrects the fan pulsing issue or not.

    MWG :)
     
    Master Wu Gui, Jun 13, 2011
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  15. floz23

    floz23 Notebook Evangelist

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    Maybe its placebo, but the fan sounds like its pulsing less often. Of course I'm probably just hearing things, since the embedded controller version is the same in this version as in 1.16.
     
    floz23, Jun 13, 2011
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  16. floz23

    floz23 Notebook Evangelist

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    Sorry to report. 1.17 seems to have a worst throttling issue than 1.16 and lower. IMHO.

    Today, I was editing some video, and the processor just kept randomly going to 800mhz for a few seconds, and jumping right back into turbo mode. VERY FRUSTRATING for a brand new machine.

    I had to use the now-famous "throttlestop" program, in order to keep the CPU in turbo mode all the time.

    Temps during usage never went above 88c.
     
    floz23, Jun 15, 2011
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  17. Pintu

    Pintu Notebook Consultant

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    Mh, I cannot find a direct link for the 1.17 Bios on the support Website and it is not offered by System Update. Maybe that's a sign that it is not official and shouldn't be used?
     
    Pintu, Jun 15, 2011
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  18. othersteve

    othersteve Notebook Evangelist

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    Nah, once it's on the servers it's live. They just don't update the indexes quite as often.
     
    othersteve, Jun 15, 2011
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  19. satay18

    satay18 Newbie

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    this just sucks. it stills stays at low speeds for mine. i'm returning mine. if they fix this problem, i might consider getting it again.
     
    satay18, Jun 16, 2011
    #19
  20. Pintu

    Pintu Notebook Consultant

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    As a general question, would it make a difference if you are using a docking station with a 90W power supply? I just ran GPU and CPU stresstests simultaneously and did not see any throttling. 55W sounds pretty close to the maximum of the small PSU, but I am just speculating.
     
    Pintu, Jun 16, 2011
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  21. Master Wu Gui

    Master Wu Gui Notebook Enthusiast

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    Will give it a go this weekend. :D

    Hopefully the next bios revision will target the fan pulsing once and for all!

    It’s definitely wrong to release a product with the various issues discussed all over the forum but I’m glad that Lenovo has an open dialog and are releasing regular updates.

    Generally happy with the X220 and intend to keep it for around 3 years. I'm now spoiled and can't deal with Dell notebooks with TN screens :(
     
    Master Wu Gui, Jun 16, 2011
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  22. floz23

    floz23 Notebook Evangelist

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    Yeah, last night when i was using it in a quiet room, the pulsing was just driving me nuts for a while.

    TN screens are generally pretty terrible, although sony makes excellent TN screens on their high end Z series.
     
    floz23, Jun 16, 2011
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  23. ajjy

    ajjy Notebook Enthusiast

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    i've got the x220 with an mSATA that isn't being detected. Apparently it will be fixed in the next bios update so i'm pretty eager to get it ASAP.

    I was wondering where on the lenovo website to check for the latest bios? i've been looking around and i can't even find the 1.17 bios (apart from the link in this thread of course).
     
    ajjy, Jun 27, 2011
    #23
  24. tarfu

    tarfu Notebook Enthusiast

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    the bios is listed on the x220 download page. no major differences in fan noise or heat. tpfan control + 2yr complete care warranty working just fine.
     
    tarfu, Jun 30, 2011
    #24
  25. Master Wu Gui

    Master Wu Gui Notebook Enthusiast

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    Go on Lenovo.com US website,
    Click support,
    Click download drivers & software,
    Then follow and answer the six steps,
    You will then finally see a download page with the latest X220 drivers including the 1.17 bios.
     
    Master Wu Gui, Jun 30, 2011
    #25