Ray Tracing on M18xR2 - RTX 3000 MXM Upgrade!

[emcze]

33 minutes ago, jonv8944s said:

Did I just shoot myself in the foot pulling out the 680SLI setup since my RTX 3000 is coming in.

 

I burned GTX680 and had 8 beeps, when I removed GTX680 I still had 8 beeps. I need at first put HD7970 to run my m18x r2. If your Alienware not recognize RTX3000 ( to recognize you need unlocked BIOS and optimus mode - SG on advenced GPU setings ) you still have beeeeeeeeeeps. 

 

In my opinion if you not unlocked BIOS before you removed 680 you should change GPU to IGFX before removed GPU and can start with integrated GPU to unlock BIOS. Probably you will have 8 beep.

 

EDIT:

 

I bought the same RTX on ebay and wait 2 weeks, still is on the way. You have atime to assembly m18x one more time 🙂

[jonv8944s]

They promised me DHC express shipping if I bought theirs and not @ssj92's because that's what I was originally going to do, and I told them that his would get to me faster lol.

 

But is it confirmed that with the most current/recent oem alienware bios, I will NOT be able to boot with the RTX 3000?  

[jonv8944s]

Side question, I know this is that video casting card, which probably is worthless now BUT is there anything else I can use in this port?

 

[emcze]

31 minutes ago, jonv8944s said:

They promised me DHC express shipping if I bought theirs

 

Here is my tracking 🙂 :

 

 

and still wait for it.

 

31 minutes ago, jonv8944s said:

But is it confirmed that with the most current/recent oem alienware bios, I will NOT be able to boot with the RTX 3000?  

 

Smarter than me said that you need SG mode but for SG mode you need unlocked BIOS.

 

On 5/28/2024 at 1:42 PM, Maks0098 said:

you need to enable the SG (Switchable Graphics) mode. This is exactly what you need to install RTX 3000 and the like, because they don't have LVDS(our internal video output of the monitor) support.

 

 

[Maks0098]

1 hour ago, jonv8944s said:

Side question, I know this is that video casting card, which probably is worthless now BUT is there anything else I can use in this port?

I once saw an adapter for a USB port that was inserted into this port. you can insert some kind of small whistle from a wireless mouse there.

[Maks0098]

4 hours ago, jonv8944s said:

Yeah buy gpu2 will have NO temp, so you think BOTH fans will kick on if Primary GPU shows a rise in temperature?  Not just the ONE FAN that controls that Primary GPU ?

no, it won't work at all. I checked. Only through HWiNFO64 can you manually launch everything together

[emcze]

My RTX3000 has been found!!  Customs Services are looking into it.

 

EDIT: I still waiting....

[jonv8944s]

Mine came, I did the Bios unlock upgrade, so now can someone CONFIRM what the settings are that the BIOS needs to be in, before I pull out the 680m (which I already had to reinstall because I didnt have the unlock bios installed yet), so that I dont have to pull the RTX 3000 out just to put the 680m in again to put the right bios setting in.

 

I want to avoid the 8 beeps thing, so what should the BIOS settings be in the UNLOCKED bios setup options????

 

Thanks!

[jonv8944s]

I went ahead and rolled the dice, and put it all back together, it comes up using intel integrated graphics card, so that part is all good.

 

NOW the big question, how do I get the RTX 3000 to take over?  What are the steps including BIOS options changes and driver install steps?

[Maks0098]

3 hours ago, jonv8944s said:

what should the BIOS settings be in the UNLOCKED bios setup options????

You need to switch graphics mode in SG and disable all CSM/Legacy in Boot.

10 minutes ago, jonv8944s said:

NOW the big question, how do I get the RTX 3000 to take over?  What are the steps including BIOS options changes and driver install steps?

you can modify the driver inf file yourself or use NVCleanstall.

[jonv8944s]

Well after those changes, I now get 6 beeps... ugh... 😕  it was working fine on the Integrated Graphics card.

 

How do I reset the bios again, so it wont beep, and it goes back to the integrated graphics?

[Maks0098]

1 hour ago, jonv8944s said:

Well after those changes, I now get 6 beeps... ugh... 😕  it was working fine on the Integrated Graphics card.

 

How do I reset the bios again, so it wont beep, and it goes back to the integrated graphics?

I'm not sure, but the error codes indicate incompatibility of the video adapter BIOS or something related to it. Which RTX 3000 do you have? From Getec or HP? And try removing the BIOS battery and turning on the laptop without it. If it beeps 5 times(this is a bios battery error), reboot again and the laptop should turn on

[jonv8944s]

Phew, that worked!  Pulling the cmos battery, getting 5 beeps, plugging cmos battery back in got the system to go into BIOS again... phew!  Thanks...  unforunately I cant remember any of my settings, and I have to get RAID set back up so the system will actually boot ... oh the fun.

 

I got the getec one, which is supposed to work fine with alienware: https://www.ebay.com/itm/166542231401?mkcid=16&mkevt=1&mkrid=711-127632-2357-0&ssspo=DEvdr60bR_2&sssrc=2047675&ssuid=DCavMekyQEC&widget_ver=artemis&media=COPY

 

 

[emcze]

18 hours ago, jonv8944s said:

Mine came,

Mine is on post office. I need to pay tax and can pick up it but I'm away. 

 

6 hours ago, jonv8944s said:

Phew, that worked! 

 

Fully?? modified inf ??

[jonv8944s]

6 hours ago, emcze said:

Mine is on post office. I need to pay tax and can pick up it but I'm away. 

 

 

Fully?? modified inf ??

No, just got the computer working again, but just with all bios defaults reset, so system wont even boot yet, until I reconfigure the RAID, so it can read the hard drives (lordy I dont even know if I recall how i had it configured).

 

All that 'worked' is that it no longer beeps and it boots to bios using what I assume is the INTEGRATED graphics card and NOT the RTX 300 for me to do edits to bios.  It keeps saying it cant find the hard drives, but again that's because I have mine setup in a RAID that I now have to reconfigure.

[Maks0098]

1 hour ago, jonv8944s said:

No, just got the computer working again, but just with all bios defaults reset, so system wont even boot yet, until I reconfigure the RAID, so it can read the hard drives (lordy I dont even know if I recall how i had it configured).

 

All that 'worked' is that it no longer beeps and it boots to bios using what I assume is the INTEGRATED graphics card and NOT the RTX 300 for me to do edits to bios.  It keeps saying it cant find the hard drives, but again that's because I have mine setup in a RAID that I now have to reconfigure.

I don't know what you need to do. The first thing I would try is to reflash the vBIOS with a programmer. but if this doesn't help, then your RTX 3000 may be broken. Or there is also the option of trying to loosen the cooling bolts, but this is extremely unlikely to help and you have an M18x R2, which takes a long time to disassemble.) but to reflash you will still have to disassemble it.

[emcze]

3 hours ago, jonv8944s said:

All that 'worked' is that it no longer beeps and it boots to bios using what I assume is the INTEGRATED graphics card and NOT the RTX 300 for me to do edits to bios

 

Do you changed in Advenced GPU settings to Optimus mode?? You should change to SG mode. 

[Maks0098]

1 hour ago, emcze said:

 

Do you changed in Advenced GPU settings to Optimus mode?? You should change to SG mode. 

he meant that he had previously flashed the unlocked BIOS, then he installed this RTX 3000 and put everything together and when he started it, the laptop worked on the built-in video card. and when he turned on the SG mode, it beeped 6 times. Now he reset the BIOS settings and everything works again, although only on the built-in video card

[emcze]

14 minutes ago, Maks0098 said:

he meant that he had previously flashed the unlocked BIOS, then he installed this RTX

I start to be afraid 🙂

[jonv8944s]

Maks0098 explained it perfectly.  So basically I am screwed it sounds like?  I am not doing any bios change to the RTX 3000, I am simply going to return it as 'defective' because there is no reason it shouldnt be working.

 

Does ANYONE want to show me the exact settings I should have in EACH of the Alienware m18x r2 BIOS menus so I can at least confirm I have everything setup correctly to where it SHOULD be working with the card, because I would hate for this to be a BIOS setting I havent correctly set, before I disassemble the whole thing to return the RTX 3000.

 

Any help is much appreciated.  Screenshots of your bios menus will work perfectly.

[emcze]

I will be at home in Friday and in weekend try mine RTX.

 

Do you checked SG mode before remove 680 ?? 

 

which unlocked BIOS version is in your Alienware ?? I had A14 but downgraded to A11 and after it instaled unlocked A11

 

EDIT:

 

I wait for RTX with BIOS setup:

 

On Advenced / Video Configuration  I chenged to the SG mode

 

 

On Boot I disabled LEGACY BOOT

 

On Main page I have visible both GPU - Intel Ivy Bridge and ATI GFX ( the same on Device Meneger in win 11 )

 

I hope that I choose correct setup 🙂

 

[Maks0098]

15 hours ago, jonv8944s said:

So basically I am screwed it sounds like?  I am not doing any bios change to the RTX 3000, I am simply going to return it as 'defective' because there is no reason it shouldnt be working.

I think yes, you better return it if possible. Most likely, either the seller previously flashed a different vBIOS for this video card in order to make it work in some other laptop, and you now need to reflash the factory vBIOS for this video card in order for it to work in your laptop, or this video card is not working at all.

[jonv8944s]

Thanks to you both emcze and Maks0098 !!!!

You both have been very helpful!  I will try the bios settings just as you have them emcze, and if it still doesnt work after I do that, then I am returning the GPU because its bad.

 

EDIT: Woot Woot, emcze your settings in bios is what i needed!!  Thanks so much.  I now match what you have and it shows my GPU

 

[jonv8944s]

Now…. How do I get to the RAId menu?!  It doesn’t show up anymore when I boot up under the unlock bios???

[emcze]

56 minutes ago, jonv8944s said:

Woot Woot, emcze your settings in bios is what i needed!!  Thanks so much.  I now match what you have and it shows my GPU

 

It's good news for me 🙂 

 

  

30 minutes ago, jonv8944s said:

How do I get to the RAId menu

 

In BIOS Advenced / SATA Operation should be RAID:

 

 

and on second Andvenced / IDE Configuration

 

but if you looking for this :

 

 

it is visible only with Load Legacy Option Rom - Enabled