Aurora R10, BIOS 2.2.1 update, AGESA 1.0.0.6

1. Bios should only be updated if any improvements that are included with the BIOS are required.       Basically if it works, no need to update the BIOS unless you require a specific feature.

2. The BIOS flash process will show a progress bar from 0 to 100%, and when finished will reboot once. It will warn you not to turn off the computer during this process.

3. The black screen can happen when the memory has to be reconfigured. It could take a few minutes for the boot process to complete in those cases.

4. It's very odd the CPU was found to be defective. I have never heard of that happening...

5. You should only update the BIOS if the system is stable and performs without any errors or issues. Otherwise you might end up with a bad BIOS flash, which usually means a bricked motherboard unless there's a recovery option you can access.

Did unplugging the PC resolve the reboot issue once and for all or if the PC is rebooted again does it return to black screen? For me unplugging often allowed a normal boot into Windows but not always. But the next reboot after a successful reboot would result in black screen hang. I forgot to mention that if I  rebooted and tried to enter the bios, it was never successful. All of this is what made the Tech arrange for return of my unit.

I have encountered the same issue, the reboot after 2.2.1 bios upgrade never ends, I had to shutdown the PC after 10mn. And then I've got a black screen at reboot? i think that the PC is booting but the screen remains black.  I have noticed that if I unplug the power cord  for few seconds, the PC boots normally

The unplugging is just a workaround to continue using the PC. I have open a case to DELL support, they have remotely updated everything ( as all support do ;)) but obviously it doesn't solve the problem. Issue has been escalated to engineering to request a new 2.2.1 bios version otherwise it should be a MB replacement

Well, my R10 only half-boots since an upgrade last week. It's a 5900 and 3080 on BIOS 2.2.1
After all the jumping though hoops with Support, the verdict is; engineer with motherboard replacement.
So that's pencilled in for the 11th, as I'll be away next week.
I'm honestly at the point where I'm sorely tempted to do a transplant of the GPU/CPU/RAM etc into a bigger, better breathing case with a proper mobo with proper Gen 4 PCIe.

Thanks again for sharing this update. I also got this message from Dell support, but haven't had time in my schedule to revisit this thread for the past several days.

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@heauxingpains wrote:

I've never heard of the AMD software Dominator, and I don't understand how, after a Dell BIOS update, it being outdated would cause Dell software to not interface with a CPU (that hasn't even been out a year (5950X)) on a Dell motherboard in a brand new Dell computer.

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I haven't heard of this software package either, but I also don't know what firmware / software / code AMD provides to board partners—e.g., Dell—as part of the Board Support Package (BSP) for Ryzen CPUs. "Dominator" could be an internal code-name for a software feature that AMD packages as part of BSP releases—e.g., AGESA, AMD Chipset drivers, or optional AMD software like Ryzen Master. Unfortunately, I doubt we (the end-users) will get any more insight.

If anything, I'm dissapointed that this bug wasn't caught by the engineering group's internal testing before getting released to the Alienware R10 community.

Anyways, I'm just happy that the Alienware Engineering team has acknowledged there's a bug in firmware v2.2.1 and is working on a fix.

Just got a support ticket update:

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On 2021-09-29 at 10:42 Eastern Time, "DELL-Cares" wrote:

We have indeed received a new update from then Engineering team which has advised that a fix is being added through an update to the Alienware Command Center Application itself. The timeframe for the release of this update is October 20, 2021.

ETAs are subject to change.

Looks like the engineering team is planning to fix the, "disappearance of Ryzen CPU performance info in AWCC after upgrading to firmware v2.2.1," issue for R10 systems in a future release of AWCC.

Last update from support, ( no screen display  at boot except when unplugging the pc for 30s before strting up). The issue is known by engineering and seems to be located on the graphic card ( rtx30xx), a new vbios version should be available in the coming weeks to fix the problem. wait and see...I'll keep you updated

Interesting. As I mentioned above, I have the AMD 5900X and 3090 with essentially the same problem, after BIOS update and they replaced the CPU, kept the same BIOS 2.2.1, and it works fine. The only difference was that I was also having fatal hardware errors from time to time. So maybe my situation was different. Repair made no mention that the problem could be with the graphics card. I will be curious to see what happens in your case.

Although this is not covered by Dell or your purchased warranty...you could always flash the vbios yourself (be careful or you can end up with a brick). Get GPU-Z and make sure you are downloading the correct vbios.

GPU-Z

https://www.techpowerup.com/download/techpowerup-gpu-z/

RTX 3080 vbios (I'm using version 94.02.59.00.A2). This is how you can also turn on REBAR since DELL didn't push the vbios update.
https://www.techpowerup.com/vgabios/?architecture=&manufacturer=Dell&model=RTX+3080&version=&interface=&memType=&memSize=&since=

I have same machine and I have same problem as you exactly... Can't switch the OC, and when I go to the Bios the options are greyed out and I  can't do anything  there... have  you had  any resolve?

@Makaniche Set your BIOS settings to optimized defaults first, then it will let you change the OC settings within BIOS. There should be an "Optimized Defaults" button on the right hand side of the BIOS.

I used the "Auto" OC setting for both RAM and CPU, and both are operating and running the OC correctly despite AWCC now showing OC settings are turned off.

Problem = System information is not showing correctly in AWCC (Alienware Command Center)

Solution = An update to AWCC is being created to fix this. Keep checking the PC model driver page for the new version of AWCC. For now, use HWiNFO or other 3rd party apps to monitor CPU usage.

Hello,

My system is: R10 AMD 5900x with an RTX3080.

I have the same issue as previously described by some other users.

Basically, after upgrading to Bios 2.2.1 , the PC does not reboot.... it will go to a black screen. To make it boot I need to unplug it for some time and then plug it back.

I understand that this is due to a bug in Bios 2.2.1.

I noticed that Bios 2.2.2 has been released on Oct-12.... 

Would Bios 2.2.2 address the reboot issue? 

If yes, how should I proceed to update the Bios? This is not clear to me since the PC does not reboot from Windows... Hence, if I run the Bios 2.2.2. executable, will it install and reboot correctly? or will I get a black screen with a half installed Bios? 

Thanks in advance.