(UEFI) Dell XPS 15z L511z modded BIOS - and HOWTO

[humanitybg]

Guys, I installed the bios from the OP, everything is perfect. I just got one ...request. Is it possible to add the same Bios but with a GT540 or 550M? I'd really appreciate it! Whenever you have the time, of course. Keep doing what you're doing! It's awesome to see people are still caring about the XPS15z (and other versions)!

Cheers from Bulgaria!

[kasar]

@humanitybg

before jkbuha modify the nvidia bios to gt540m or 550m speeds, it would be nice itf you confim your card is stable at that speeds by manual overclocking

540m speeds are like 675 mhz, and 550m is 740m mhz I think.
you can test it using msi afterburner software and playing games to see if it is stable.

because I think it wouldt be a good idea to flash something unstable that will load on every system start ^^

and lol, the 15z isnt that old

I keep using my XPS 15 (l502x) wich is almost like the 15z, and I love it like the first day I had it ^^ or even more now since I am now running hacked bios and some hardware mods at the moment

[humanitybg]

@humanitybg

before jkbuha modify the nvidia bios to gt540m or 550m speeds, it would be nice itf you confim your card is stable at that speeds by manual overclocking

540m speeds are like 675 mhz, and 550m is 740m mhz I think.
you can test it using msi afterburner software and playing games to see if it is stable.

because I think it wouldt be a good idea to flash something unstable that will load on every system start ^^

and lol, the 15z isnt that old

I keep using my XPS 15 (l502x) wich is almost like the 15z, and I love it like the first day I had it ^^ or even more now since I am now running hacked bios and some hardware mods at the moment

I've been running mine at 780 Clock/ 1560 Shader and 990 Memory clocks for over a year now I have a mammoth of a cooler (Cooler Master Strike Force 19) and it barely reaches 75-76 degrees with hours-long gaming sessions

Cheers. =)

[kasar]

@humanitybg

oh, that is a nice OC for a 525m

forgot what I said then hehe ^^

what is your voltage setting?

[humanitybg]

@humanitybg

oh, that is a nice OC for a 525m

forgot what I said then hehe ^^

what is your voltage setting?

It's at 0.830V right now. I'm using the UV bios from the first post. I updated it like 3 days ago, right before installing Windows 8. ^^ It runs somewhat cooler now, but I feel like an overvolted bios would do better for performance (since cooling is really an issue with my machine xD)

[kasar]

I'm running mine at 0.85v all the time, but my highest stable OC is 704, and the memory is untouched, makes the OC unstable >.<

it runs fine at the moment, but I want to get some extra juice from my 525m card ^^

temperature isnt a problem for me, so idk if raise the voltage or lower it again to 0.83v

I think I will raise the voltage to see how far I can go with overvolted bioses ^^

[jkbuha]

@TimeWalker - I got this off station drivers, and it's a Gigabyte mobo. That said all the freqs are working fine. Actually I think the power consumption has decreased with v2143 as it seems to have longer battery life.

@Kasar - thanks for the support Rep added for the o/c feedback!

@HumanityBG - thanks for the feedback. I'll add another 540/550 mod. Can you please verify if your 15z correctly connects to HDMI and DP?

The 15z isn't that old y'know... same as the xps15 Both are good, strong, loyal machines!

[humanitybg]

@TimeWalker - I got this off station drivers, and it's a Gigabyte mobo. That said all the freqs are working fine. Actually I think the power consumption has decreased with v2143 as it seems to have longer battery life.

@Kasar - thanks for the support Rep added for the o/c feedback!

@HumanityBG - thanks for the feedback. I'll add another 540/550 mod. Can you please verify if your 15z correctly connects to HDMI and DP?

The 15z isn't that old y'know... same as the xps15 Both are good, strong, loyal machines!

I have an HDMI TV and it connects like a charm. Can't verify for DP though, sorry :/

[TimeWalker]

I've noticed that Dell's ePSA fails at panel testing with every bios version other than stock 2104.
The screen flashes red, then black, backlight remains active and computer starts beeping ... can you try testing your machine from ePSA?
I will gladly flash 2143 meanwhile

Update:
Flashed VBIOS 2143.0
- VESA resolution of 1366x768 is still present which is nice
- LVDS/HDMI/VGA working w/ connector patch .. also it's 0xC30 to 0xD3F, no 0xb3f
- My battery meter says about the same time it used to (3h 50m -ish)
- ePSA fails at panel testing
- XPC and Clover both working .. also Text Mode 3 can be enabled from a bios setting .. I believe it's controlled by BiosVideoDxe (not sure about the exact name . but that's the name from DUET)

+ Rep given!

And now imma away .. otherwise I'm in trouble lol

[jkbuha]

Thanks TW! I suspect the panel test fails for the same reason I cannot see 80x25 text mode. Hint: You need to press Y when the computer beeps because it would be saying (Do you see the bars y/n?). Mine passed because I pressed Y

Ok so we need to understand why 80x25 isn't enabled by default. Let me rummage further...

And if anyone knows where the voltages are stored it would be highly appreciated!