[M14x R2] VBIOS mods - unlocked overclocking limits, voltage tweaks, modified clocks

[svl7]

 

Alienware M14x R2 - Modified BIOS versions containing tweaked VBIOS files

Similar to the original M14x (aka R1 nowadays), the GPU of the M14x R2 is astonishingly powerful and has much more power than it reveals at stock settings.

The relatively low default clock and base boost as well as the apparent +135MHz core overclock limit holds back a lot of GPU power. These BIOS versions here will unlock this software overclocking limit and / or increase the clocks of your GPU and allow you to get much more power from your system.

 

Mods based on M14x R2 BIOS A03:

 

- A03 @ stock clocks, unlocked overclocking limits

- more to come

Instructions are included, refer to the READ ME file.

 

Please provide feedback and leave a comment.

I'm also still looking for some versions to be tested once in a while, if you're interested please take a look at this thread: http://forum.techinferno.com/alienware-m14x/1787-%5Bm14x-r2%5D-vbios-mod-higher-boost-clocks-test-versions-only-5.html

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F.A.Q.:

 

• Why do I need to flash the BIOS in order to get higher clocks? Isn't the VBIOS responsible for the GPU settings?
  Answer:

   

  Spoiler

  The GPU is soldered to the motherboard, its VBIOS is part of the BIOS, the only way to update it, is by flashing the BIOS

   

• How can I revert to the original Dell BIOS?
  Answer:

   

  Spoiler

  Just download the original BIOS from the Dell support site and flash it.

   

• What exactly got changed compared to the original BIOS?
  Answer:

   

  Spoiler

  Unless otherwise stated I only touched the VBIOS, this means the BIOS itself is exactly the same as the one from the Dell support site. The only difference you'll notice are the higher GPU clocks or other tweaks I've made, depending on the version you use.

   

 

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Credits:

I want to thank all the testers, especially @Stevenxowens792 and @deadbydawn, also @lh6kean, @thanats007 and all the guys I forgot to mention.

And remember, you are responsible for the changes you make on your system, flash at your own risk.

M14x_R2_BIOS_A03_-_[unlocked].zip

[mark foster]

excellent!!!

[thanats007]

This was the highest OC i could run stable on my system and just achieved a new category for my config! CHEERS M8!

NVIDIA GeForce GT 650M video card benchmark result - Intel Core i7-3610QM Processor,Alienware M14xR2 score: P13698 3DMarks

At 360+ clock OC it begins to become unstable. Maybe my incoming heatsink mods + liquid metal repaste im planning will provide max OC capabilitys.

[deadbydawn]

thanks a lot @svl7! amazing sh1t you put together man!

[Eats7]

AWESOME. Thanks. whats a good point that i should start at?

also quick question

did you unlock the actual BIOS in this one?

[deadbydawn]

try +300 / +1000 if your temps are ok and then just go up with the coreclock until it fails (if you want to bench).

[deadbydawn]

ps: i usually go up by 10 at the time and if it fails i go back from that failing setting by 1 at the time

[svl7]

did you unlock the actual BIOS in this one?

No, I only modified the VBIOS. The BIOS part is untouched.

[supermi]

This was the highest OC i could run stable on my system and just achieved a new category for my config! CHEERS M8!

NVIDIA GeForce GT 650M video card benchmark result - Intel Core i7-3610QM Processor,Alienware M14xR2 score: P13698 3DMarks

[ATTACH=CONFIG]4538[/ATTACH]

At 360+ clock OC it begins to become unstable. Maybe my incoming heatsink mods + liquid metal repaste im planning will provide max OC capabilitys.

What speeds are you stable at in Heaven 3.0 fully maxed?

I had a driver crash at 280mhz ... seem fine at 250mhz on the core and will see if 260 is stable ... GPU temps are in the low 60's

and THIS modded BIOS ROCKS , SOOOO much more performance!!!! little temperature change LOVE IT!

- - - Updated - - -

I am mostly interested in what the unlocked OC can do for gaming ... so for me looping heaven for an hour or so is telling of the stability and I would welcome any one else's experience with overclocking stability in heaven or crysis 2

[mark foster]

Hello, This is completely random question i am hoping someone here can help with. I am running windows 8 release preview and my NVidia gt650m seems to work fine. but when I try to run anything directx 11 it says that your card does not support directx 11. I Have tried crisis 2 in directx 11 mode it fails, I have tried La Noire and 3dmark 2011. None work. when I run 3dmark I get an error saying your graphics adapter doesn't support direct x 11? Im using you unlocked bios which is very fast by the way. but any help would be great. Im using geforce 304.79

[svl7]

That's weird... Nvidias first Win8 WHQL driver was 302.82... you could try that one, with a modified .inf, but since you're using the latest beta I doubt it will change anything. If this doesn't work all you can do is wait for Nvidia to fix this.

[thanats007]

What speeds are you stable at in Heaven 3.0 fully maxed?

I had a driver crash at 280mhz ... seem fine at 250mhz on the core and will see if 260 is stable ... GPU temps are in the low 60's

and THIS modded BIOS ROCKS , SOOOO much more performance!!!! little temperature change LOVE IT!

- - - Updated - - -

I am mostly interested in what the unlocked OC can do for gaming ... so for me looping heaven for an hour or so is telling of the stability and I would welcome any one else's experience with overclocking stability in heaven or crysis 2

Well with max OC i can run its possible for me to play TSW in ultra settings + full HD on external monitor. My fps are about 25-30 which is awesome for this demanding game. Without the mods highest for me possible OC i had to run it in mid settings + full HD with nearly the same fps 30fps+). I was playing for max 2 hours per session. Only the CPU temps and the PCH temps were relatively high then (83 C CPU highest core / 78 C PCH temps). GPU never went higher than 64 C. Its only repasted with MX-4 not liquid metal yet.

Sorry but i dont use heaven or crysis 2. But TSW should work the same way i dont know a more demanding game - bf3 is very low compared to TSW.

And yes this unlocked bios rocks

[supermi]

Well with max OC i can run its possible for me to play TSW in ultra settings + full HD on external monitor. My fps are about 25-30 which is awesome for this demanding game. Without the mods highest for me possible OC i had to run it in mid settings + full HD with nearly the same fps 30fps+). I was playing for max 2 hours per session. Only the CPU temps and the PCH temps were relatively high then (83 C CPU highest core / 78 C PCH temps). GPU never went higher than 64 C. Its only repasted with MX-4 not liquid metal yet.

Sorry but i dont use heaven or crysis 2. But TSW should work the same way i dont know a more demanding game - bf3 is very low compared to TSW.

And yes this unlocked bios rocks

Wow if you are stable at plus 360 or so AMAZING, I seem to top out in FULL stability at about plus 240 ... I do not know much about that game but if you are maxing it on this card and on an external monitor it is not that demanding especially compared to heaven and bf3 and crysis 2 with hd pack ....

I also know that people who are testing desktop 680's are stable in 3dmark 11 quite a bit faster than they are in heaven ... so I would recommend downloading the heaven 3.0 benchmark and looping it for an hour or so as it will help show if you are really stable and some reports is crysis 2 shows instability even moreso (but I have not tested that yet)

Of course if that is your main game and you are stable in it ,

Congrats on that GREAT GPU in there!!! my modest OC compared to yours is great and I can only imagine another plus 120 like you have

if you are getting stability in

[thanats007]

Wow if you are stable at plus 360 or so AMAZING, I seem to top out in FULL stability at about plus 240 ... I do not know much about that game but if you are maxing it on this card and on an external monitor it is not that demanding especially compared to heaven and bf3 and crysis 2 with hd pack ....

I also know that people who are testing desktop 680's are stable in 3dmark 11 quite a bit faster than they are in heaven ... so I would recommend downloading the heaven 3.0 benchmark and looping it for an hour or so as it will help show if you are really stable and some reports is crysis 2 shows instability even moreso (but I have not tested that yet)

Of course if that is your main game and you are stable in it ,

Congrats on that GREAT GPU in there!!! my modest OC compared to yours is great and I can only imagine another plus 120 like you have

if you are getting stability in

Hm sounds like i have to test this heaven tool. How do i see in this tool if its stable? Will it crash if not? I dont know this tool since im not a hardcore gamer...

Anyone got a crashed system cause of it yet? ^^

Im not a friend of Furmark too cause its unrealistic extreme stresstest the GPU would never see in real usage.

[Brian]

Hm sounds like i have to test this heaven tool. How do i see in this tool if its stable? Will it crash if not? I dont know this tool since im not a hardcore gamer...

Anyone got a crashed system cause of it yet? ^^

Im not a friend of Furmark too cause its unrealistic extreme stresstest the GPU would never see in real usage.

Furmark has been known to damage GPUs so definitely stay away from it. Both AMD and nVidia discourage its use. As for Heaven, if the overclock is unstable, it'll most likely lock up or create artifacts.

[thanats007]

Ok was a bit curious and tested this heaven tool lol. Its not demanding at all. The fans didnt even kick in with max OC.

Here is my result:

Temps of my CPU barely reach 73 C. When i play TSW temps are min 78 C for the same duration running it. GPU also was very low at 62 C. See pic below:

[Brian]

Ok was a bit curious and tested this heaven tool lol. Its not demanding at all. The fans didnt even kick in with max OC.

Here is my result: [ATTACH=CONFIG]4575[/ATTACH]

Temps of my CPU barely reach 73 C. When i play TSW temps are min 78 C for the same duration running it. GPU also was very low at 62 C. See pic below:

[ATTACH=CONFIG]4576[/ATTACH]

Nice run but noticed tessellation was turned off. Try running it with that on and see if it stresses the GPU temps more.

[thanats007]

Nice run but noticed tessellation was turned off. Try running it with that on and see if it stresses the GPU temps more.

So i turned extreme tessellation on and let it run for about 1 hour. No artifacts and temps were pretty much the same. frames dropped alot from average 40 to about 20-25 max.

runs absolutely stable. and again TSW is way more demanding.

Here is the score with 350mhz OC, extreme tessellation and full hd:

And this is the same without OC:

btw i wanted to see when heaven crashes and oced to 380mhz. At test 2 it began to get artifacts and crashed at test 6.

This is how high i OCed it in detail:

[Brian]

These midrange keplers are fantastic overclockers for sure. @svl7 was telling me how great his was overclocking until it mysteriously died...

[thanats007]

These midrange keplers are fantastic overclockers for sure. @svl7 was telling me how great his was overclocking until it mysteriously died...

ugh dont tell me this lol^^

[svl7]

@svl7 was telling me how great his was overclocking until it mysteriously died...

Lol, yeah... nevermind this, just fixed it, hahahaha.

[supermi]

hey thanats007 I am new here so I could not see your attatchments ... did you make sure you put the AA and AF at max? along with max tesselation? Just checking , if so and you are stable WOWZERS that is a GREAT clocking card !!!

Is this your overclock with the same BIOS linked to in this thread or with an experimental BIOS that has voltage adjustment? Cause my fully stable plus 240 which gives me about 64C in temps is FAR from your plus 360!!! I mean I am very happy with my boost LOL but not as much as I was before I saw your AMAZING OC LOL

When I go to plus 250 or 260 I eventually get a driver crash and a black screen that recovers to the desktop ... does anyone else here have an OC they can report on? as I am curious whether thanats007 has an exeptional chip or I have a very not exceptional chip LOL

cheers

[thanats007]

hey thanats007 I am new here so I could not see your attatchments ... did you make sure you put the AA and AF at max? along with max tesselation? Just checking , if so and you are stable WOWZERS that is a GREAT clocking card !!!

Is this your overclock with the same BIOS linked to in this thread or with an experimental BIOS that has voltage adjustment? Cause my fully stable plus 240 which gives me about 64C in temps is FAR from your plus 360!!! I mean I am very happy with my boost LOL but not as much as I was before I saw your AMAZING OC LOL

When I go to plus 250 or 260 I eventually get a driver crash and a black screen that recovers to the desktop ... does anyone else here have an OC they can report on? as I am curious whether thanats007 has an exeptional chip or I have a very not exceptional chip LOL

cheers

Only tessellation was on max and resolution was 1920x1080 on external monitor the rest was standard settings after installing it. And yes its svl7 awesome unlocked VBIOS for higher OC clocks of the GPU. Dont be frustrated. I had to let Dell replace my board 2 times before i got this stable GPU.

The first was good it was completly new but they wanted to replace it, the second was crap and crashed even at 135mhz OC. The one i have now is refurbished but exceptional good compared to the last one i got. So an OC of 250-260 seems common for most users here and is not bad and not very good for this card. But on the other hand my PCH is really bad on this board. I never had one which has such high temps... so there are good and bad sites as you can see.

[Don Frank]

thanks alot for the work, appreciated it.

[Mehtaparth94]

@svl7

Really Appreciate ur efforts!!

I have Alienware m14x R2

With 6GB of Ram And 2Gb of Gt650 DDR5

Flashed ur Modded BIOS..

I have Some Issues..

I OC'd To +330 and +940

It is almost Stable.. But the Probem is that the Core Speed Fluctuates @540 And then Top But Mostly Stays @540

Also when i was trying To Find Stable OC When i ran into unstable Clock.. i had to restart the Laptop and then Try the Next Clocks or else the core Speed Would Stay @450 Only!!

Any Solutions Suggestions?? Please