ssj92

M18xR2 & M17xR4 can run these cards at full power. 

AW 17 r1 & AW 18 have a weird issue with them. 

The 40W problem seems to be a deeper issue because even my RTX 5000 with resistor mod still does it. 

4 hours ago, Mr. Fox said:

If all goes as planned I will have the Rampage IV Gene (X79) and associated parts (4930K and RAM and Titan Black GPU) by next weekend. The old parts I am trading for them are boxed up and ready to ship tomorrow. I ordered an unlocked Xeon E5-1680 V2 on eBay (HP server pull) for like $45. So, I'll have a total of the postage to ship the parts traded plus $45 invested in it. I already have PSU, drives and other components needed in my spare parts, so no need to buy anything. It will be running NVMe from PCIe add-in cards. (I already have those in my spare parts, too.)

Ah Titan Black, nice gpu. 

I recently upgraded a X99 board to a 22-Core Xeon just to test to see if it would work. 

I like the old HEDT platforms, which is why I held onto my X299 for so long. These new systems didn't really speak to me, but since I already received most of the parts needed, I am going to build a Z790 platform at this point. 

I remember the Xeon E5 1680 V2 worked in the Clevo P570WM and was overclockable. 

I really wanted to get my hands on the 28-Core Xeon W-3175X & EVGA SR-3 board but they're wildly expensive LOL 

6 hours ago, TheSin said:

Did you try the trick with putting 980M to secondary slot with Fermi or Kepler card in the primary?

 

 

Yes, that's why it's an interesting problem to solve. But even if we make 980M work in the primary slot, it won't allow us to use more recent cards due to old LVDS screen. So it would be great to find a way to activate switchable graphics mode. We have such option with an unlocked BIOS, but enabling it makes the laptop stuck with every card I've tried.

Getting 980M working alone would allow 980M SLI which I know isn't the strongest but it still is decetly faster than 880M SLI.

I got RTX 3000 working in 2nd slot with drivers but there's one issue. Every single app only uses 880M though. 

I originally tried seperate drivers (Geforce for 880M and Quadro for RTX 3000) but that caused error 31 for 880M and everything was super slow. 

Then I used 472.XX driver which supports both 880M & RTX 2060 (RTX 3000 Quadro is Geforce RTX 2060 equivalent). This driver shows both cards as working properly in device manager. 

However, everything uses 880M. Even in windows settings, both power saving & high performance gpu shows as 880M. 

Regarding switchable graphics mode..someone had told me, they changed the wiring on MB on M18xR1 to reflect M18xR2 schematics and they still could not get it working. It's either the way it's wired or some bios mod is needed. 

BTW @Tcoil you can re-use the sandy bridge 2XXX cpu in the M18xR2 MB. A few of us did that to save some $$ but being honest with you, it's better to just have a 3XXX cpu. On my M14xR2 I would get BSOD with 2XXX CPU but switching to 3XXX cpu fixed the problem. 

1 hour ago, electrosoft said:

 

Any 12th, 13th or 14th i9 is better than 10980xe single and for gaming. Multi you're looking at a 10980XE being slightly behind a 12900k.

 

12900k will run the coolest and has zero problems but 13th and 14th gen are hit or miss it seems. Most of us have had no problems except maybe SA Bug for a few.

 

12900k for $245 new is pretty sweet. You get a serious gaming uplift and almost equal MT performance. It is the clear winner bang/buck.

 

13900k really stretches its lead.

 

If I were you, I would just grab a 13900k and dial it in and reap the savings. Let's be honest: 13900k = 13900ks = 14900k = 14900ks. Depends on what you want to do.

 

What kind of DDR5 did you get?

96GB Muskin Redline (2x48GB DDR5-5600) 

Didn't have too many choices on RAM/MB since they didn't cost me anything. 5600 is stock speed on 13900K and the extra RAM will help me since I run a VM and now will also run DVR software on this PC as well. 

I figured 13900K with its extra cores should keep me going for a long time.

I use a 2.5GBPS PCIe card as well in my X299 system so Z790 having it standard opens up a pcie slot as well. 

There was also a 12900KS on amazon for $255 but as of this morning the deal is gone. I'm going to wait for prime day next week to see if any further price drops are made. 

Guys....no better place/people to ask than yourselves LOL

So I got some DDR5 RAM and a MSI Z790-P coming in....didn't cost me anything so platform switch wise I am already ahead. 

I am going to give my brother my 10980XE beast and build a Z790 system. I have all new parts except CPU & SSD. 

I'm seeing all these issues with 13900K/14900K. In your opinion, if all I need to spend $$$ on is a CPU, is it still worth building a Z790 system? Or are they all just unstable at this point. The 800 series MB isn't coming until Dec 2024 most likely, so I could ride my 10980XE and sell the Z790-P MB but it won't fetch me much $$$.

12900K is around $245 new

13900K is around $440 new

14900K is around $550 new 

as of this post. 

On 7/10/2024 at 8:57 AM, TheSin said:

Without modification the driver won't install at all. I tried all known tricks including uninstalling drivers using DDU in safe mode and reinstalling Windows. No effect. However, I noticed another interesting thing - in the Device Manager the card sometimes changes its Device IDs from DEV_1617 to DEV_13D7. After changing Device ID Windows requires to reinstall the driver. Both these IDs belong to GTX 980M, however, what's the difference between them? I have no idea why it changes - except for problems with the GPU itself.

Today I continued experiments with another interesting beast, which works perfectly in Clevo P150EM - NVIDIA P106M. It's a mining version of mobile GTX 1060, but its performance is closer to mobile variant of GTX 1050 Ti. It has no video outputs, locked NVENC and just 4 GB of memory. I tried to install it to the secondary slot of M18X R1 in pair with GTX780M in the primary slot. The results are quite exciting - it's possible to use this card in the Alien.

 

  Reveal hidden contents

 

 

However, it works not perfectly

- Sometimes the system hangs on initialization before Alien head appears on the display. You need to force power-off the laptop and try again.

- Secondary VGA fan works strange, it looks like RPM changes from 100% to 0% in cycle. However, the temperature of GPU was far from dangerous values while this test

- GPU utilization is changing from 80% to 100%

Now you have my interest because I tried everything besides hardware mod to get 980M working in M18xR1. 

The closest I got was the 4GB model vBIOS boots to bios but keeps restarting (boot loop). 

I have 980M in M15x and spare RTX 3000 MXM as well. Currently I have 880M SLI, I wonder if I should try RTX 3000 in 2nd slot and see what happens then. 

I do know 980M is BIOS/vBIOS issue since it works fine in M15x. No one ever solved the issue completely. Even today I would be happy to get it fixed. 

Sorry I've been busy, let me make some suggestions here..

Windows 11 works fine BUT you must turn off gpu hardware scheduling or you will get BSODs (located in windows settings app).

Instead of wasting time manually editing the INF, use nvcleaninstall to make the driver. It works perfectly and is easy to use. You can use the latest drivers no problem.

Do you see AW logo and can boot to BIOS before it turns off?

This error is normally due to CPU instability. If you are OC, try turning OC off. If you are NOT OC then try adding a tiny bit of voltage to the cpu offset and see if it helps

On 6/1/2024 at 12:26 AM, emcze said:

 

I promise 🙂

 

 

This forum is awesome, you all are awesome. 

 

 

It is great info for me, this display is not comparable to 60Hz and it would be bad if it was the only one in the home left on GTX6xx/7xx

Any updates on the RTX 3000?

On 5/31/2024 at 5:50 AM, Jerryzago said:

I currently use the HP one. Modifications are necessary. I got an extra heatsink to chop and hack. Also I added an extra bracket to hold the GPU in place. None of the screws align with the board. Also one of the two MXM latches, needs to be removed. So far it's working like a charm.

 

I tried some vBIOS I found online. I only manage to brick the GPU. So I use the original HP one (or at least, the one that came with).

 

PNY/Aetina variant, though it works with original heatsink without mods, screws in place as it should, it has two mosfets in an area thay the heatsing doesn't cover. I used an aluminium block and thermal pads to transfer heat to the heatsink and the northridge heatsink. But it's temps were higher.

 

When I have the time, I will make a post about the HP install.

Do you have a pic of the area you are talking about that does not get covered by the heatsink? Curious to see what you made. 

I have 1.2GBPS Down/200MBPS Up plan...

Wi-Fi 6E Laptop:

Ethernet Desktop (2.5GBPS to switch):

I kinda wish I was able to get one of these for collection purposes at this point but probably not worth the price if one pops up for sale. 

Really cool concept

I have several desktops and laptops at home and thought about making a LAN party area but no one to play with LOL. 

As of right now I use my main desktop as a "server" :

Alienware Aurora R4 (only chassis is original at this point):

Intel Core i9 10980XE 18-Core Extreme CPU

EVGA X299 Micro Motherboard

32GB RAM (4x8GB) [Really want to upgrade this]

nVidia RTX 4070 FE [Might end up with a 5090 this time around]

EVGA 1200 Platinum PSU 

Realtek 2.5GBps PCIe NIC

ASUS HyperX M.2 adapter with 2x 1TB Intel 660p VROC RAID 

16TB HDD

1TB SSD

Windows 11 Pro for Workstations 

Right now I am using it as a SMB server and Plex server. Next step is to install my ZooZ 800 series USB stick and use Home automation VM to also make it into a hub for all my ZooZ Double Switches. Then I can control them through Apple HomeKit. 

Network wise I have it setup like this...

Comcast X8B Gateway >>>>(2.5GBPS)>>>>Linksys LGS328C[SFP+ to RJ45]>>>>(SFP+ to RJ45)>>>>Server (the rest of my stuff, ps5, apple tv, etc is hooked up to this using the 1gbps ports

Linksys LGS328C>>>>>>>(1GBPS)>>>>Linksys LGS328MPC>>>>>Security Cams/Printer (these are PoE cams and also threw my printer in the mix here)

^>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>(1GBPS)>>>>Generic 1GBPS 8-Port switch>>>>>>>Hooked up to apple tv, receiver, etc in family room for basic internet needs

Also using MoCA:

RG6>>>>Hitron 2.5GBPS MoCA adapter>>>>>>(2.5GBPS)>>>>>Alienware Area-51 R2 upstairs in my office using Intel i-225V I think it was

RG6>>>>Hitron 2.5GBPS MoCA adapter>>>>>>(1GBPS)>>>>>>TP-Link Wi-Fi 5 Router for the ADU in the back 

I received some DDR5 RAM and now I am debating on making a new 14th gen i9 system or wait until Nov for the new intel socket. Just need MB/CPU lol 

Does the card work fine in Windows every time? Hard to tell from what you wrote, but if this is a BIOS only issue, I wouldn't even worry about it. 

I just replied to your PM. 

But for anyone else who wants to me brought up to speed. 

I recommended RTX series GPU for max performance or P5000/P4000. 

He already has 3940XM CPU so CPU is good to go. 

I recommended 32GB 2133Mhz RAM because it benefits Optimus having higher RAM speed. 

He mentioned MXM to NVMe adapter which for the right price is worth it especially if you want to future proof the system. 

Also recommended Wi-Fi 6E Mini PCIe card.

I think that covers most of the upgrades aside from updating the BIOS to the latest custom one. 

I think he was referring to framework laptops. I would be surprised if any other manufacturer returns to LGA or PGA/MXM.

12 hours ago, panda_zzz said:

Can I ask you the price you bought it for back then? I understand it's just not sold on Ebay and can only be bought directly in the US. It's just that I'm in Europe and need to look for intermediaries).

About the bios. According to my assumption for correct start of Vbios card there should be a response from system bios about 4g addressing support. Presence of ReBar module is secondary and is necessary for acceleration of work, but is not a prerequisite. Therefore 4G decoding is a problem in our case, because it is not provided in the bios itself (there are no such hidden options in the latest versions of bios for m17x r4, r5, m18x r2 - I checked). In general, for ivy bridge platform I've seen only one successful case of enabling this function - for desktop ASUS P8Z77-V PRO, but it uses their proprietary bios and there is just such a hidden option.
In the case of our laptops we use another platform bios from Insyde and there is no such setting either for ivy bridge platform or for Haswell and I don't know anything about adding such support, it is necessary to have access directly to the documentation of this company.
That's why I say that it is easier to modify the vbios of the card and remove this check that did not allow to start the laptop with native vbios, but at the same time with the bios from dell it started.

Of course, so far these are my assumptions, but I want to check them in practice.

At least it is possible to test the card in a desktop motherboard with the debug connector connected and see the error message.

Just for fun, I checked - the "4G decoding" setting appears in the bios of the Alienware 17 R2. In earlier models, unfortunately, it just doesn't exist

At the time it was $2,500. Aetina ships worldwide if you want to get it from them. They have newer Ada Lovelace RTX cards now too. 

Yes I also tried looking for above 4g decode but never found it. Editing vBIOS is tricky because Quadro vBIOS is encrypted and signed. If it is modded the card won't boot. HP/Dell/Lenovo vBIOS allows card to boot but upon driver install I got code 43 error. This is most likely due to vBIOS and card id not matching. 

One theory I had was find a way to remove the device id. On desktop cards, even with MXM used in PCIe adapter, there is no unique device id added from the pc. 

In our laptops there is unique device id added to the mxm card. This is also why we need to modify INF everytime but on desktop there is no need to modify INF. 

15 hours ago, panda_zzz said:

Sorry for necroposting and bad English)
Is it still possible to buy this card? I would like to do some experiments with my m17x r4
Judging by the behavior of A4500 with native vbios, the problem is that the submodule of this bios is waiting for confirmation from the system bios to enable the "4gb above" option and does not allow the card itself to start normally. That's why the author's laptop complained about the absence of the card in SG mode. You can try either to manually disable the blocking module in the bios of the video card, or ask the manufacturer (judging by the screenshots they met and at least responded). Unfortunately I don't see any possibility to modify system bios of Alienware m17x r4, r5 m18x r2, m18 r1 laptops - there are no necessary modules in our bios from Insyde.

 

You can buy from Aetina but it's very expensive. 

It's possible to enable resizable bar in bios using this module. But I am not good at BIOS editing. It's same way NVMe support was added. 

https://github.com/xCuri0/ReBarUEFI/wiki/Enabling-hidden-4G-decoding

https://github.com/xCuri0/ReBarUEFI

The module might have been enough to make it work but I didn't know how to add to bios. Maybe if I still had the card it would be possible. 

We need someone to modify AW 18 R1, AW 17 R1, M18xR2, M17xR4 bios to inject that uefi module. Then it might work with stock vBIOS.

The embedded RTX 3000 (Adlink, Aetina, PNY, etc.) probably does not have eDP support in DP_C channel I believe it was. 

Might have better luck with HP RTX 3000 

This is what I saw from California...

On 4/4/2024 at 1:53 PM, Busta Bloodnut said:

Thats what it turnnd out to be lol. The primary one. Had to switch. For now its working. After i had to reinstall windows because after i switched them and put the machine back together windows wouldnt boot. No clue why. I actually didnt have to install the driver after reinstalling windows. The windows update did the driver for me.

 

I dont even know why one of them was even bad. It looked good! I guess something internally. Or perhaps maybe it ran its course. I dont know how long the seller had it for, sorta implied it was ahwile so. Sufficed to say im probably never getting an AMD again after this lol. I heard the 880m's arent good though? That the 780s are better?

I have 880m SLI in M18xR1 and 880m in M17xR3 all working fine.

get whichever GPU is cheaper. I got mine for $110-130 shipped each so for me was better to get 880m. As long as you run them stock and not overclock and overvolt they work fine. 

One or both of your GPUs are bad. Personally I put 880m SLI in my M18xR1 because I got them for cheap. 

But I recommend getting nVidia GPUs. Unless you can find 8970M Crossfire for cheap to replace. 

Press FN+F7 (once all other drivers are installed) to switch from iGPU mode to dGPU mode. 

On 3/19/2024 at 3:18 AM, anassa said:

His ebay post says that the x170sm isn't working anymore and won't post, so hopefully he will eventually update this post too.

Yes I haven't had a chance to flash the bios with a programmer. 

After a windows update it stopped posting, already tried everything except flash bios with programmer. 

if anyone wants the laptop as is (16gb ram but everything included) they can have it for $800 shipped.