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14" Dell Latitude E6430 - Performance Upgrades and System Mods


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@Tech Inferno Fan using efi var 0xB4 to force gen1/gen2 instead of the default auto selection.

Thanks timohour for the great analysis. That makes a lot of sense. I don't currently have setup 1.30 access (and think it might become redundant if i get a pe4c if the seller refunds me).

The best bet at the moment seems to be to use the efi vars to keep igpu enabled with egpu as primary, retaining gen1 speed until i get another adapter.

Will try it out later today.

Sent from my Neken N6 using Tapatalk

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@timohour do you have an opinion on the settings for setting ports PEG0/1/2 do Gen3 Speed with UEFI vars? The PE4C v3.0 is advertised as offering Gen3, right? The expresscard may be gen2 only, but what about the WWAN/WLAN or that mPCIe half/mini port? Wouldn't that raise the transfer rate to 8 Gbps? (probably around 6.5 after 8b/10b encode/decode). Or am I misinterpreting something? What does the Gen1/Gen2/Gen3 setting on the PEG ports refer to?

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@timohour do you have an opinion on the settings for setting ports PEG0/1/2 do Gen3 Speed with UEFI vars? The PE4C v3.0 is advertised as offering Gen3, right? The expresscard may be gen2 only, but what about the WWAN/WLAN or that mPCIe half/mini port? Wouldn't that raise the transfer rate to 8 Gbps? (probably around 6.5 after 8b/10b encode/decode). Or am I misinterpreting something? What does the Gen1/Gen2/Gen3 setting on the PEG ports refer to?

As Tech Inferno Fan noted

Intel Series 6-8 chipsets support max Gen2 on the Southbridge PCIe ports used to host mPCIe and expresscard slots. It's only the northbridge PCIe port used to host dGPUs that are Gen3 capable

in Series7+ chipsets. If Gen3 was possible on mPCIe/EC slots I can assure you it would have been set many times over already.

EC - mPCIe --> Southbridge Gen2

dGPU-->          Northbridge Gen 3

dGPU on the Gen3 northbridge is wired directly to the CPU as you can see here pg.115.

By the way Gen 3 uses a more efficient 128b/130b encoding resulting in a real bandwith per pair of 984 MB/s out of the 8 GT/s, not 8b/10b. pg.30

On pg.30 you can also see that the configuration with the more Gen3 capable PCIe ports is 1x8 and 2x4, a total of 3 ports. That's what PEG0/1/2 is. In our E6430 it is set as 1x16 and it is dedicated for the dGPU which is the only port you can set to Gen3 speed. (NVS5200M is only Gen2 capable so it is mostly a waste). There are no systems AFAIK that sport an EC or mPCIe port rated Gen3.

EDIT : Just for proof I tried some fiddling with the PEG0 port speed Gen.

Setting variable 0x1f5 to Gen1 will result in the following result

a1seb2Il.jpgU0JOHg1l.png

While on default it is set to Gen2 will result to this

x5swoUUl.jpgPKuZjsul.png

Setting this to Gen3 (although it is useless since NVS5200M is just Gen2 capable would have some strange effect on the card clocks. It would clock @ 202MHz and it would have terrible performance... I had to clear CMOS to revert to default clocks and Optimus to work as normal.

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Ah, now I understand. It's a bit confounding to see these design decisions resulting in such wasted potential.

Nobody had in mind when they built the E6430 that it would be an eGPU candidate. The eGPU community promoted this idea and this is how Intel was convinced to support it with TB3.

Did you try keep the iGPU enabled while connecting the eGPU before boot? Is it working?

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Unfortunately I've had to be on the move the past 3 days and don't currently have the eGPU adapter with me. I'll be returning home this weekend and try it out then.

The seller's customer service has been in communication, but provide the kind of recommendation we've long since taken care of. I've communicated to them the requirement that the adapter deliver clean and stable Gen2 signaling and requested a refund, in which case I'll be getting a PE4C v3.0 (I'm also debating the merits of PE4C v2.1 instead, but to be honest I can't imagine running the machine with wires sticking out of the bottom. I move my laptop around too much for that).

We'll see how this goes.

Would there be any way to improve the signal? Suppose I soldered the HDMI connector to the port?

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OCing NVS5200M on a Dell Latitude E6430 

Maybe I should consider a head to head comparison with the NVS5200M on the dGPU model too...


Overclocking the NVS5200M is fairly easy compared to iGPU OC. OCing the NVS5200M's core and memory by ~30% can achieve up to ~35% better performance (Furmark Benchmark) and provide great graphics performance for gaming on the go. I can say that the performance gain is almost linear.

To accomplish the OC you can use any application which can manipulate core/memory clocks.The lighest/easiest to use IMHO is the Nvidia Inspector. You can download the software from the guru3d.com site. No installation is needed, just download the rar extract it and fire it up.

The GUI is pretty straight forward.



Offcourse for a more permanent solution or if you also use eGPU it is better to use MSI Afterburner and create profiles.

KirVSlg.jpg


Tested with the Furmark 720p benchmark and 3DMark06 to measure the performance gain from one frequency to the other and the difference btw iGPU-dGPU.

All tests where done using my i7-3720QM (4 top bins unlcocked) with 2x4GB Kingston RAM @ 2133MHz.

Core clock runs stock @672 MHz and went all the way up to 891 MHz with a total performance gain up to ~31%.

Be sure to use a 130W PSU though because with 90W and a 4C i7 you are limited to 780MHz stable.


(A high end GF108 implementation (e.g. GT440) running @ 810 MHz Core 1800 MHz memory has TDP up to 65W. Add to that the 45W an 4C i7 draws or the ~60W an unlocked i7 draws, you may be at the limits of your 130W PSU, let alone 90W)

GPU clock would go up to 891 MHz and the maximum memory would be 2100 MHz. I needed to lower it a bit more to get some stable 3DMark06 results

The following tables shows the results:

Furmark Benchmark
 
GPU Clock
dGPU
Memory Clock
dGPU
Shader Clock
dGPU
Voltage 
dGPU
Furmark 720p
Bencmark dGPU
Furmark 720p
Bencmark iGPU
Core Clock
iGPU
Memory Clock
system/iGPU
672 MHz 1567 MHz 1344 MHz 0.98 V 542 515 1250 MHz 2133 MHz
750 MHz 2050 MHz 1500 MHz 0.98 V 632 639 1600 MHz 2133 MHz
891 MHz 2092 MHz 1882 MHz 0.98 V 728 717 1650 MHz 2133 MHz


Raw power and stock performance seems to be on par and better than the Intel HD4000 and a more syntetic benchmark seems to tell the same story

3DMark06 Benchmark
 

GPU Core Clock GPU Memory Clock 3DMark06 Score SM 2.0 Score HDR/SM 3.0 Score CPU Score Performance Gain
672 MHz 1567 MHz 9312 3615 3248 7213  
780 MHz 2050 MHz 11028 4331 3912 7334 up to 25%
882 MHz 2092 MHz 11962 4736 4234 7700 up to 31%

NVS5200M, i7-3720QM @ 3.8GHz 4C, 2x4GB @2133MHz

In comparison the Intel HD4000 performance was:
 

GPU Core Clock GPU Memory Clock 3DMark06 Score SM 2.0 Score HDR/SM 3.0 Score CPU Score Performance Gain
1250 MHz 2133 MHz 7850 2436 3250 7698  
1600 MHz 2133 MHz 9250 2942 3850 7516 up to 21%

Intel HD4000, i7-3720QM @ 3.8GHz 4C, 2x4GB @2133MHz

Perforance Gain from stock clocks goes up to 25% on 3DMark06 and possibly on most games. 

When running at stock frequencies it seems to be on par with Intel HD4000 (or even a bit faster) but when OCed it is up to 30% faster. It also runs much cooler than the iGPU OCed. Maximum Furmark temperature was @ 70C.

@Khenglish has promised that he would probably manage to run the 5200M memory to run at quad rate.

The E6530's NVS5200 overclocked only slightly beats out an overclocked HD4000 on average, and in some games even loses. Hopefully I can get the 5200's memory to run at quad rate soon. It physically has GDDR5, but it's only running at dual rate.

If this is possible it would have a great impact on performance.

UPDATE:
The memory is already running at quad rate. I forgot the memory bus was only 64-bit so I interpreted it wrong.



Also @ 800MHz it seems unstable like it needs more voltage. Temperatures were ok @ 55C (3DMark06) and up to 70C on Furmark. If we could somehow increase a little the core voltage, we could maybe reach 1GHz core clock 
(same core implementations GF117 GT720M @938MHz, GT 820M @954MHz), and if the performance gain is as linear as it is from 672-800MHz, it would hit up to 14K in 3DMark06.

UPDATE:
I was stupid enough to use my 90W brick during testing... (I thought I was using the 130W). After using the 130W psu I could hit and benchmark @ 882MHz.

Also 5200M seems to be using the GF108 core, not the GF117..GT440 OCing tests show stable performance up to 910MHz but there are users claiming that they reached 970MHz. Maybe I need a befier PSU to achieve these numbers but I have reasons to believe that there are surely going to be cooling issues...
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@timohour

The memory is already running at quad rate. I forgot the memory bus was only 64-bit so I interpreted it wrong.

I get PSU shutdowns when overclocking both GPU and CPU, so overvolting the GPU would make that worse unless you got a stronger PSU. It'd definitely help though. I extracted the vBIOS from the sBIOS, but overvolting tools don't properly recognize the vBIOS to modify it. Volt mods might be hardmod only.

FYI my 5200m does 844/2092 stable.

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I get PSU shutdowns when overclocking both GPU and CPU, so overvolting the GPU would make that worse unless you got a stronger PSU. It'd definitely help though. I extracted the vBIOS from the sBIOS, but overvolting tools don't properly recognize the vBIOS to modify it. Volt mods might be hardmod only.

FYI my 5200m does 844/2092 stable.

844 stable??? Mine won't complete an 3DMark06 @ 800/2050. :( In the middle of the test the driver restarts and the test fails. Any ideas? Maybe just a bad chip? Or power related?

Your 3920XM is far more power hungry than my 3720QM... @ 3,8GHz my top TDP would be 55-60W. So I think that the 130W PSU would be enough, wouldn't it?

Although, I don't think I will do any hardmods until the warranty expires.

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844 stable??? Mine won't complete an 3DMark06 @ 800/2050. :( In the middle of the test the driver restarts and the test fails. Any ideas? Maybe just a bad chip? Or power related?

Your 3920XM is far more power hungry than my 3720QM... @ 3,8GHz my top TDP would be 55-60W. So I think that the 130W PSU would be enough, wouldn't it?

Although, I don't think I will do any hardmods until the warranty expires.

Oh you have a 130W. I only have 90W PSUs. That should never shut down with the relatively low power gpu.

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Banggood customer service have offered to refund me and allow me to keep the old adapter. Will confirm when the refund is received. In my opinion, this heavily increases the value of the EXP GDC purchased from this seller for budget-minded buyers (particularly europeans), because there are plenty of people having success keeping a Gen2 link, and should the product not be to spec, one can get their money back (and have a backup gen1 adapter just in case).

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I'm currently in the process of unlocking the Flash Descriptor. Documenting the process so we can make the guide even easier to follow.

To make the unlock permanent all you have to do is mod your Flash Descriptor bios part using FITC or

get a hex editor, look for this HEX string: 00 00 0B 0A 00 00 0D 0C 18 01 08

and change it to: 00 00 FF FF 00 00 FF FF 18 01 08

then save the file. this will unlock the descriptor.

Flash it back and you are a free man. Now you can use FITC and set your port 1 (WWAN) to x2 2.0 mode.

Thanks to everyone who contributed so far. Feel free to correct or contribute.

I've downloaded FITC already. But I don't know what to do from there. I see the Flash Image\Bios Region

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I'm currently in the process of unlocking the Flash Descriptor. Documenting the process so we can make the guide even easier to follow.

I've downloaded FITC already. But I don't know what to do from there. I see the Flash Image\Bios Region

You are right... You are right, this is not at all helpful. I assume you already unlocked your Descriptor.

If you not, open your image.bin in a Hex Editor (I use HxD) and apply the change you describe above...

Save the file and flash your new descriptor using fpt.exe in a bootable DOS disk using the command

 fpt -desc -f [I]editedimage.bin[/I]

Using -desc is to verify that you are only flashing your descriptor region...

Now that your descriptor is unlocked keep your original BIOS in a safe place (in case you need to return it for warranty issues or sell it) and open your unlocked edited image in FITC.

In the album below you can see that the PCIe Port Configuration is in PCH Strap 9. Originally 00 is selected (4x1 ports 1-4 (x1)). To set your port 1 @ x2 you should select 01 (1x2, 2x1 Port 1 (x2), Port 2 (wifi disabled), Ports 3,4 (x1)).

After selecting press OK go to menu Build and select Build Image (or press F5). After the build completes go into the FITC folder and there is going to be an outimage.bin created. This will be the full bios with your new Descriptor settings. Flash it and you are good to go...

(Optional: If you want only the descriptor region because there is limited space on your DOS disc, you can reopen the new image using FITC and inside the FITC folder you will find a new folder with the name of your bios image. Inside the Decomp folder you will find a 4K Flash Descriptor.bin you can use to flash your descriptor using the command I gave you above)

Your WiFi port will be disabled but you can connect your WiFi under the WWAN port 5 which will be enabled (tested and working)

Oh you have a 130W. I only have 90W PSUs. That should never shut down with the relatively low power gpu.

beat_brick.gif

My stupidity is unique. I thought that I was using the 130W but I was using the 90W.... It goes up to 882MHz stable now... Thanks for the heads up...

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Here is a simple consolidated guide for those who, like me, have limited knowledge in hardware and software tweaking.

Be very careful in flashing your bios. A failed/faulty bios flash comes with a risk of potentially bricking your unit! You have been warned.

 

Special thanks to all the experts who have helped me up to this point, especially @Tech Inferno Fan, @Khenglish, and @timohour.

 

 

NEWBIE GUIDE TO TWEAKING THE DELL E6430

 

Permanently Unlocking Flash Descriptor

Requirements: Paper clip, USB Flash drive with FreeDOS (c/o Rufus) and fpt.exe; FITC.exe or any Hex Editor (ex. HxD)

Purpose: Allow Flashing of Modified ME Firmware; Unlocks the ability to set Port 1 or Port 3 @ x2.2 (for use with the PE4C v2.1 eGPU adapter)

 

Steps:

  1. Locate the IDT chip on your unit (Use the Disassembly Guide for help)
  2. Using a paper clip, bridge Pin 5 to either Pin 9 or the resistor and boot the laptop
  3. Boot to FreeDOS on startup using the USB (Press F12 then select Legacy>USB Storage)
  4. Create a backup of the original bios by using the command: fpt -d origbios.bin
  5. Open origbios.bin in a Hex Editor
  6. Locate HEX string: 00 00 0B 0A 00 00 0D 0C 18 01 08
  7. Replace string with: 00 00 FF FF 00 00 FF FF 18 01 08
  8. Save the file (editedbios.bin) and reboot laptop
  9. Boot to FreeDOS on startup using the USB (Press F12)
  10. Flash your new descriptor with fpt.exe using the command: fpt -desc -f editedbios.bin

Notes:

  • If you did not bridge the pins correctly, you will get Error 26. Just shut down the unit and start over.
  • If you bridged the pins correctly, you can restart the computer in FreeDOS (ctrl+alt+del) without losing the unlocked state (good for flashing the modified bios).
  • If you bridged the pins correctly but did not flash the editedimage.bin descriptor yet, cold booting (Shut down, then Power on) will require the pin mod again.
  • Keep the original image.bin in a safe place in case you need to revert back to original settings (for warranty/selling)

 

 

Flash Modified ME Firmware and BLCK Overclocking

Flashing someone else's E6430 overclocked ME firmware may encounter errors, and prevents the XTU Reference Clock slider from working. It is highly advised to follow Kenglish's guide to modifying your own ME Firmware.

Requirements: FITCeditedbios.bin; USB Flash drive loaded with FreeDOS (c/o Rufus) and fpt.exe; Unlocked Flash Descriptor; Intel XTU

Purpose: Overclocking using BCLK via XTU

 

Steps:

  1. Open your Bios Dump (preferrably editedbios.bin) using FITC
  2. Navigate to Flash Image>ME Region>Configuration>ICC Data>ICC Profile 0>FCIM/BTM Specific ICC Registers
  3. Check if the value of Clock Source Select is set to 0x00011A33 (If yes, then you can proceed)
  4. Modify the Following Parameters to the values listed on this table
    Address Parameter Value
    ..ICC Profile 0>FCIM/BTM Specific ICC Registers  Clock Source Select 0x00011A34
    ..ICC Profile 0>FCIM/BTM Specific ICC Registers SRC Source Select 0x00133744
    ..ICC Profile 0>FCIM/BTM Specific ICC Registers PLL Reference Clock Select 0x000A8CBE
    ..ICC Profile 0>FCIM/BTM Specific ICC Registers Divider Enable 0x000005FF
    ..ICC Profile 0>FCIM/BTM Specific ICC Registers SSC Control 0x00000000
    ..ICC Profile 0>ICC Registers Pl12BiasParms 0x00000888
  5. On the menu bar, select Build -> Build Image (or alternatively, press F5)
  6. After the build completes, go to the FITC folder where an outimage.bin has been created (same size as your editedbios.bin)
  7. Transfer the file to your FreeDOS USB
  8. Boot to FreeDOS on startup using the USB (Press F12 then select Legacy>USB Storage)
  9. Flash Modified ME Firmware using the command: fpt -me -f Outbin.bin
  10. Cold Boot (Shut Down, and Power On)
  11. Install and Open Intel Extreme Tuning Utility (XTU) - version may depend on your current Bios Version
  12. Select Manual Tuning and adjust slider to desired overclock

Note/s:

  • When balancing BCLK Overclocking (core clock speed), and UEFI TDP/Multiplier (core multiplier), it is better to set the highest BCLK possible first, then adjust multipliers accordingly.
  • Updating your integrated graphics driver will kill BCLK overclocking. Reinstall XTU to enable it again.
  • When doing BCLK overclocking you can see some stuttering in games. Enable HPET in command line to fix this (Run CMD as admin, bcdedit /set useplatformclock true).
  • You can't overclock in Windows 8/8.1 because there is no way for Windows to track time properly when BCLK is changed after startup. Windows 10 is still untested.
  • XTU Versions

 

 

Setting Port1 @ x2.2 (Do this only if you own the PE4C 2.1 eGPU adapter!)

Requirements: USB Flash drive with FreeDOS (c/o Rufus), fpt.exe, and FITC.exe; Unlocked Flash Descriptor

Purpose: Combining two PCIe 2.0 ports to allow eGPU at x2.2 configuration (8GT/s)

 

Steps:

  1. Open FITC.exe and load your editedbios.bin dump or descriptor region
  2. Navigate to: Flash Image\Descriptor Region\PCH Straps\PCH Strap 9
  3. Double click on PCIe Port Configuration 1
  4. Replace 00: 4x1 Ports 1-4 (x1) with 01: 1x2, 2x1 Port 1 (x2), Port 2 (disabled), Ports 3,4 (x1)
  5. On the menu bar, select Build -> Build Image (or alternatively, press F5)
  6. After the build completes, go to the FITC folder where an outimage.bin has been created
  7. Transfer the file to your FreeDOS USB
  8. Boot to FreeDOS on startup using the USB (Press F12)
  9. Flash with fpt.exe using the command: fpt -desc -f outimage.bin

Note/s:

  • Port 2 will no longer function as long as Port 1 is set at x2.2 (transfer your Wireless card to Port 5)
  • If the outimage.bin file is too big for your USB, you can isolate the descriptor region by reopening outimage.bin with FITC. Inside the FITC folder, you will find a new folder with the name of your bios image. Inside the Decomp folder you will find a 4K Flash Descriptor.bin which you can flash using the command: fpt -desc -f Descriptor.bin )

 

 

UEFI Variable Modifications

Requirements: FAT32 formatted USB with Grub Bootloader (FILE)

Purpose: PCIe Generation 1/2 toggle, TOLUD/Power/CPU/RAM/Battery tweaks, and many more yet to be discovered!

 

Steps:

  1. Boot to GRUB on startup using the USB (Press F12)
  2. Test out GRUB by looking up RAID0 value (use the command: setup_var 0x12D )
  3. Depending on the desired modification, change the variables using the command: setup_var variable value
  4. Cold Boot (Shut Down, and Power On)

 

List of Modifiable Dell E6430 UEFI Variables (based on the IFR File(Dell E6430)

  • Option Variable Values Notes
    Port 1 PCIe Speed (Gen1/2)
    [mPCIe Slot]
    0xB2 0x0 (Auto), 0x1 (Gen1), 0x2 (Gen 2) [PCIe] Gen1 works if plugged prior to boot, Reverts back to Gen2 if hot plugged
    Port 2 PCIe Speed (Gen1/2)
    [mPCIe Slot]
    0xB3 0x0 (Auto), 0x1 (Gen1), 0x2 (Gen 2) [PCIe] Gen1 works if plugged prior to boot, Reverts back to Gen2 if hot plugged
    Port 3 PCIe Speed (Gen1/2)
    [Expresscard Slot]
    0xB4 0x0 (Auto), 0x1 (Gen1), 0x2 (Gen 2) [PCIe] Gen1 works if plugged prior to boot, Reverts back to Gen2 if hot plugged
    Port 4 PCIe Speed (Gen1/2)
    [ODD Slot]
    0xB5 0x0 (Auto), 0x1 (Gen1), 0x2 (Gen 2) [PCIe] Gen1 works if plugged prior to boot, Reverts back to Gen2 if hot plugged
    Set Max TOLUD 0x1E5 0x0 (Dynamic), 0x3 (1GB),
    0x4 (1.25Gb), 0x5 ( 1.5GB),
    0x6 ( 1.75GB), 0x7 ( 2GB),
    0x8 ( 2.25GB), 0x9 ( 2.5GB),
    0xA ( 2.75GB), 0xB ( 3GB),
    0xC ( 3.25GB)
    [PCIe] Adjust TOLUD to enable more space for PCIe compaction
    Long Duration Power Limit 0xB40 0x00-0xFF (8-bit value from 0-255) [Power] To get the Optimal setting (no TDP Throttling), check with Throttlestop, (Example: 0x50 = 80W)
    Short Duration Power Limit 0xB41 0x00-0xFF (8-bit value from 0-255) [Power] Sets short duration TDP limit of CPU. Default value is +12,5% of the original (0x64 = 100W)
    1-Core Ratio Limit 0x25 0x00-0xFF (8-bit value from 0-255) [CPU] Assigned value is CPU Dependent. A good overclock rule is to gauge the stock's max multiplier with Throttlestop then increase that multiplier value by 4-bins.
    You can also refer to this post for more information on figuring out the Multiplier limit
    2-Core Ratio Limit 0x26 0x00-0xFF (8-bit value from 0-255) [CPU] Assign one value less than 1-Core Ratio Limit
    3-Core Ratio Limit 0x27 0x00-0xFF (8-bit value from 0-255) [CPU] Assign one value less than 2-Core Ratio Limit
    4-Core Ratio Limit 0x28 0x00-0xFF (8-bit value from 0-255) [CPU] Assign the same value as 3-Core Ratio Limit
    DIMM Profile 0x1EE 0x0 (Default), 0x1 (Custom),
    0x2 (XMP Profile 1),
    0x3 (XMP Profile 2)
    [RAM] Not needed if RAM has existing JEDEC OC'd profile,
    Locked RAM requires pre-flashing of XMP Profile (then select 0x2 or 0x3)
    ASPM Support 0xC 0x0 (Disabled), 0x37 (Auto),
    0x1 (Force L0s)
    [Battery] Set to Auto
    Native ASPM 0xB04 0x0 (Disable), 0x1 (Enable) [Battery] Set to Enable
    GT OverClocking Support 0x16F 0x0 (Disable), 0x1 (Enable) [iGPU] Enable to allow iGPU Overclocking
    GT OverClocking Frequency 0x170 0x00-0xFF (8-bit value from 0-255) [iGPU] [the decimal value] x 50MHz (Example: 34 x 50mhz = 1700mhz)
    GT Overclocking Voltage 0x170 0x00-0xFF (8-bit value from 0-255) [iGPU] 0.01 increment for every value from 0x00 to 0xFF (Ex: 0x05 = +0.05V)
    Primary Display 0x1D4 0x0 (IGFX), 0x1 (PEG), 0x2 (PCI Bus), 0x3 (Auto) [iGPU] Set to 0x0 to force your laptop screen (Primary Display) to use iGPU. Allows eGPU plugged in during cold boot.
    Internal Graphics 0x1D8 0x0 (Disable), 0x1 (Enable), 0x2 (Auto) [iGPU] Set to 0x1 to enable the laptop screen to run off the iGPU. Allows eGPU to work on an external screen without disabling the iGPU.
    RAID0 0x12D 0x0 (Disable), 0x1 (Enable) [HDD] Toggle RAID0 array
    RAID1 0x12E 0x0 (Disable), 0x1 (Enable) [HDD] Toggle RAID1 array
    RAID10 0x12F 0x0 (Disable), 0x1 (Enable) [HDD] Toggle RAID10 array
    RAID5 0x130 0x0 (Disable), 0x1 (Enable) [HDD] Toggle RAID5 array
    Intel Rapid Recovery Technology 0x131 0x0 (Disable), 0x1 (Enable) [HDD] Toggle Intel Rapid Recovery Technology

     

     

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Note/s: Make sure that the bootloader is located in: EFI\Boot\bootx64.efi

OTHER Mods

  • Disable Bidirectional PROCHOT (Throttlestop) to prevent CPU throttling.
  • Overclocking the dGPU
    • Use a program like Nvidia Inspector or MSI Afterburner
    • GPU clock would go up to 891 MHz and maximum memory would be 2100 MHz (requires a 130W PSU)
Edited by badbadbad
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OK this is almost perfect... I love it! Just needs some corrections

UPDATE: Check the corrected post above.

Spoiler



Quote

Actually, I had to hold off the task at hand because someone borrowed my laptop tools.

I started writing the Step-by-Step guide and would like to clarify a few things. Hope I could get your input on this.



NEWBIE GUIDE TO TWEAKING THE DELL E6430



Permanently Unlocking Flash Descriptor Requirements: Paper clip, USB Flash drive with FreeDOS (c/o Rufus) and fpt.exe, FITC.exe or any Hex Editor (ex. HxD) Purpose: Allow Flashing of Modified ME Firmware; Prerequisite for UEFI variable modifications

You don't need to unlock your Flash Descriptor to make UEFI variable modifications. Add here the ability to set port 1 or port3 to x2 mode.
Quote

Steps:

  • Locate the IDT chip

  • Using a paperclip, bridge Pin 5 to either Pin 9 or the resistor and boot the laptop

  • Open image.bin in a Hex Editor like HxD -where do I find image.bin?



Ok, After booting with the paperclip "Boot to FreeDOS on startup using the USB (Press F12)". Use the command
fpt -d image.bin
to store a full image of your BIOS.
Quote





  • Locate HEX string: 00 00 0B 0A 00 00 0D 0C 18 01 0

  • Replace string with: 00 00 FF FF 00 00 FF FF 18 01 08

  • Save the file and reboot laptop

  • Boot to FreeDOS on startup using the USB (Press F12) -should I bridge pins 5 and 9 again?



If you reboot the laptop you don't have to apply the pinmod again. If you shutdown and then startup you need to redo the pinmod again to enablel writing to the Descriptor region.
Quote



  • Flash your new descriptor with fpt.exe using the command: fpt -desc -f editedimage.bin

Note/s: If the bridging of pins was not done correctly, you will get Error 26

Backup Original BIOS

This precedure is part of the Permanently Unlocking Descriptor... the image.bin you obtain after your first boot is the original BIOS.
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Requirements: USB Flash drive with FreeDOS (c/o Rufus) and fpt.exe; Unlocked Flash Descriptor Purpose: Creates a dump of your Original Bios Steps:

  • Boot to FreeDOS on startup using the USB (continued from Permanently Unlocking Flash Descriptor)

  • Backup BIOS using the command: fpt -d filename.bin



Note/s: Keep the backup .bin file in a safe place in case you need to revert back to original settings (for warranty/selling)



Flash Modified ME Firmware and BLCK Overclocking Requirements: USB Flash drive with FreeDOS (c/o Rufus), fpt.exe, and Khenglish's E6430_OC.bin; Unlocked Flash Descriptor Purpose: Overclocking using BCLK, via XTU Steps:

  • Boot to FreeDOS on startup using the USB (continued from Permanently Unlocking Flash Descriptor)

  • Flash Modified ME Firmware using the command: fpt - f -me E6430_OC.bin



This is maybebe my mistake, the command is
 fpt -me -f yourimage.bin
Quote





  • Reboot

  • Install Intel Extreme Tuning Utility (XTU)

  • Open XTU

  • Select Manual Tuning and adjust slider to desired overclock



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Note/s: When balancing between UEFI TDP/Multiplier Unlocking and BCLK Overclocking, it is better to set the highest BCLK possible first, then adjust multipliers accordingly.



Setting Port1 @ x2.2 Requirements: USB Flash drive with FreeDOS (c/o Rufus), and fpt.exe; FITC.exe; Unlocked Flash Descriptor Purpose: Combining two PCIe 2.0 ports to allow eGPU at x2.2 configuration (8GT/s) Steps:

  • Open FITC.exe



At this moment you load your BIOS image (or your Descriptor region only)
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  • Navigate to: Flash ImageDescriptor RegionPCH StrapsPCH Strap 9

  • Double click on PCIe Port Configuration 1

  • Replace 00: 4x1 Ports 1-4 (x1) with 01: 1x2, 2x1 Port 1 (x2), Port 2 (disabled), Ports 3,4 (x1)

  • On the menu bar, select Build -> Build Image (or alternatively, press F5)

  • After the build completes, go to the FITC folder where an outimage.bin has been created

  • Transfer the file to your FreeDOS USB

  • Boot to FreeDOS on startup using the USB (Press F12)

  • Flash with fpt.exe using the command: fpt -desc -f editedimage.bin



Quote

Note/s: Port 2 will no longer function as long as Port 1 is set at x2.2 (transfer your Wireless card to Port 5)

If you only want the descriptor region of the outimage.bin file (due to limited space on your DOS disc), you can reopen outimage.bin with FITC and inside the FITC folder you will find a new folder with the name of your bios image. Inside the Decomp folder you will find a 4K Flash Descriptor.bin which you can flash using the command: fpt -desc -f filename.bin )





UEFI Variable Modifications Requirements: FAT32 formatted USB with GRUB bootloader; Unlocked Flash Descriptor

You can change the UEFI vars without unlocking your Descriptor
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Purpose: PCIe Generation 1/2 toggle, TOLUD/Power/CPU/RAM/Battery tweaks, and many more yet to be discovered! Steps:

  • Boot to GRUB on startup using the USB (Press F12)

  • Test out GRUB by looking up RAID0 value (use the command: setup_var 0x12D )

  • Depending on the desired modification, change the variables using the command: setup_var variable value





Hope you don't mind I will make the corrections in the table.
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Modifiable Variables

[/TABLE]













Reboot [/QUOTE]

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Note/s: Before booting to GRUB, make sure that the GRUB bootloader is located in: EFIBootootx64.efi

No need for GRUB!!! Select the UEFI USB under the F12 menu. You just need the bootx64.efi file under the specified location. [/spoiler]
Option Variable Values Notes
PCIe Speed (Gen1/2)

This is for port 3 Expresscard every port has its own Variable. Check the IFR file.
0xB4 0x0 (Auto), 0x1 (Gen1), 0x2 (Gen 2) [PCIe] Gen1 works if plugged prior to boot, Reverts back to Gen2 if hot plugged
Set Max TOLUD 0x275 0x0 (Dynamic), 0x3 (1GB), 0x4 (1.25Gb), 0x5 ( 1.5GB), 0x6 ( 1.75GB), 0x7 ( 2GB), 0x8 ( 2.25GB), 0x9 ( 2.5GB), 0xA ( 2.75GB), 0xB ( 3GB), 0xC ( 3.25GB) [PCIe] Adjust TOLUD to enable more space for PCIe compaction
Long Duration Power Limit 0xB40 Hexadecimal value. eg 80W =

0x50
This is to set the TDP for your CPU. The higher the frequency for your CPU the highest the power it uses. Giving a higher TDP value will save you from unnecessary TDP throttling issues. Default is 45W for a quad core CPU. Optimal setting is the one that you don't have TDP Throttling (check with Throttlestop)
Short Duration Power Limit 0xB41 Hexadecimal value. This is to set the short duration TDP limit for your CPU. Default value is +12,5% of the original...
BDPROCHOT ?? ?? BiDirectional PROCHOT is a setting in the ThrottlelStop program to avoid CPU Throttling. This is not a UEFI Variable setting. Read more in the ThrottleStop Documentation.
1-Core Ratio Limit 0x25 0x00-0xFF (8-bit value from 0-255) [CPU] Refer to this post for figuring out the Multiplier limit. Depends on the CPU. But even setting a higher value, if your CPU is not fully unlocked it will revert to the highest value.
2-Core Ratio Limit 0x26 0x00-0xFF (8-bit value from 0-255) [CPU] One value less than 1-Core
3-Core Ratio Limit 0x27 0x00-0xFF (8-bit value from 0-255) [CPU] One value less than 2-Core
4-Core Ratio Limit 0x28 0x00-0xFF (8-bit value from 0-255) [CPU] Same value as 3-Core
DIMM Profile 0x1EE 0x0 (Default),

0x1 (Custom), 0x2 (XMP Profile 1), 0x3 (XMP Profile 2)
[RAM] Not needed if RAM has existing JEDEC OC'd profile, Locked RAM requires pre-flashing of XMP Profile (then select 0x2 or 0x3)
ASPM Support 0xC 0x0 (Disabled), 0x37 (Auto), 0x1 (Force L0s) [Battery] Set to Auto
Native ASPM 0xB04 0x0 (Disable), 0x1 (Enable) [Battery] Set to Enable
GT OverClocking Support 0x16F 0x0 (Disable), 0x1 (Enable) [iGPU] Enable to allow iGPU Overclocking
GT OverClocking Frequency 0x170 0x00-0xFF (8-bit value from 0-255) [iGPU] x 50MHz (Example: 34 x 50mhz = 1700mhz)[/COLOR][/TD] [/TR]
GT Overclocking Voltage 0x170 0x00-0xFF (8-bit value from 0-255) [iGPU] 0.01 increment for every value from 0x00 to 0xFF (Ex: 0x05 = +0.05V)
RAID0 0x12D 0x0 (Disable), 0x1 (Enable) [H] Toggle RAID0 array
RAID1 0x12E 0x0 (Disable), 0x1 (Enable) [H] Toggle RAID1 array
RAID10 0x12F 0x0 (Disable), 0x1 (Enable) [H] Toggle RAID10 array
RAID5 0x130 0x0 (Disable), 0x1 (Enable) [H] Toggle RAID5 array
Intel Rapid Recovery Technology 0x131 0x0 (Disable), 0x1 (Enable) [H] Toggle Intel Rapid Recovery Technology

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Thank you for the feedback @timohour ! I've corrected the original post to allow the mods to do their cleanup magic. I haven't done the major tweaks yet, so most of it came from my understanding and imagination.

Added this on the first post.. Thanks for your efforts

port 1 variable is 0xb2 port 4 0xb5

Also some variables need cold boot to take effect so you better shutdown and start up

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Hello guys :)

I'm thinking on jumping to the e6430 train too (from my loved hp 2570p). I'm waiting for a good sale right now.

Just to clarify: Is the additional pipe of the nv5200m heat system "really" critical? Probably I'll mod the heat system anyway (the cpu is a i7 4-core), but the price of e6430 with nv5200m is much more high on ebay, and I'm wondering if it's worth in an unlocked turbo-bins scenario. Thanks!

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The single heatpipe heatsink is nowhere near enough to cool my 3740QM properly even at stock settings (will regularly flirt with 100C if both CPU and GPU engage, otherwise around 95-98).

The dual-heatpipe appears mechanically incompatible with the single-heatpipe machine, so you'd need to get the dGPU version just for decent cooling.

Obviously, I won't be doing much CPU overclocking :(

Wow, 3.9GHz across 4 cores appears to be stable but gets hot FAST. After 5 seconds of TSBench 8thread 1024 i get immediate throttle down to 3.5GHz... which is still pretty nice, considering the limitations.

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Hello guys :)

I'm thinking on jumping to the e6430 train too (from my loved hp 2570p). I'm waiting for a good sale right now.

Just to clarify: Is the additional pipe of the nv5200m heat system "really" critical? Probably I'll mod the heat system anyway (the cpu is a i7 4-core), but the price of e6430 with nv5200m is much more high on ebay, and I'm wondering if it's worth in an unlocked turbo-bins scenario. Thanks!

I got mine from an auction @ 200$ + s/h with i3 4GB NVS 5200M 900p 320GB hdd backlit kb without a charger and in minor condition after a two-month search last year... So I think you may find if you can wait a little bit...

My dGPU cooler handles an i7-3720QM 4-core @ 3.98GHz with maximum temps @ 95C with open bottom lid (running Prime95). Using something better than MX-2 may give better results...

Consider also that:

An OCed NVS5200M is up to 25% faster than an OCed HD4000 as discussed here http://forum.techinferno.com/dell-latitude-vostro-precision/9690-14-dell-latitude-e6430-performance-upgrades-system-mods-21.html#post144831,

and (in case you are interested) a dGPU E6430 along with a docking station is capable to drive up to 3 External screens as shown here.

If you decide to buy a dGPU model and you buy the charger seperately I recommend you grab the 130W adapter, since it will give you more headroom for the NVS5200M OC.

You can find great deals on PR02X or PR03X docking station + 130W adapter for less than 40$ (including s/h).

If going iGPU and you are planning to upgrade your RAM, seriously consider some fast 2133MHz CL12 memory to boost your iGPU graphics and general performance more, as shown here .

(suggesting CL12 cause both sangemaru (3740QM) and myself (3720QM) had problems running 2133MHz @ CL11. An extreme CPU (3920XM, 3940XM) may not face such problems)

IMO don't spend too much on an E6430. Consider saving money to grab a skylake TB3 equiped machine...

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Hey Dewos, welcome to the E6430 community! I too loved my 2570p, but the larger 1600x900 resolution is more suited to my needs. One thing to prepare for though is that this thing weighs a lot more than the 12.5" laptop we were used to.

If you don't mind a barebones system, Ebay occasionally sells a used No CPU/RAM/HDD/Battery unit for under $100. Pretty decent deal especially if the CoA sticker is still there.

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Hey Dewos, welcome to the E6430 community! I too loved my 2570p, but the larger 1600x900 resolution is more suited to my needs. One thing to prepare for though is that this thing weighs a lot more than the 12.5" laptop we were used to.

If you don't mind a barebones system, Ebay occasionally sells a used No CPU/RAM/HDD/Battery unit for under $100. Pretty decent deal especially if the CoA sticker is still there.

The Win7 license is embedded in the BIOS. Just need the Dell Win7 installation DVD or the Dell OEM sources that can copied over a standard Win7 CD to activate by running the scripts manually.

As found a while ago on mydigitallife:

<a href=http://www.filedropper.com/delloemx64><img src=http://www.filedropper.com/download_button.png width=127 height=145 border=0/></a>

A good one to keep a local backup of.

Discussion about OEM sources can be found at http://forums.mydigitallife.info/threads/57880-Multi-OEM-Project

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