7 Posts
6
26228
No decent GPU driver available for M2800
For a long time now, there has been no decent graphics driver available for the W4170M. The driver provided by Dell isn't up to date, the drivers from AMD are not compatible and now Windows cannot update normally anymore due to this issue.
The 15.201.1101 driver Dell provides since October 2015 (!) does not have the management features of newer drivers, isn't updated for newer applications and has issues with power management (see e.g. https://community.amd.com/message/2857291 ) which are not acceptable for this supposedly professional product. I personally notice that with this old driver, the card is often stuck at a GPU core frequency of 400 MHz while plugged in, whereas it should reach 900MHz when using CAD applications or games. When using such applications, the GPU needs to be restarted manually first.
To solve this, one can try installing a newer driver provided by AMD. However, all the latest AMD drivers for the Firepro W4170M are incompatible with the Dell Precision M2800. Manual driver installation of the 18.Q2, 18.Q1.1 and 17.12.2 drivers crash right after installing on Windows 10 64 bit, even though AMD release notes suggest compatibility with AMD FirePro W4170M. This issue is reproducible in several Dell Precision M2800 workstations (even with fresh installations of Windows 10 and Intel graphics drivers) and is due to the Ultra Low Power State (ULPS). Disabling "EnableUlps" in the registry(Computer\HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\ControlSet001\Control\Class\{xxxxxxxx-xxxx-xxxx-xxxx-xxxxxxx}\0002) in safe mode after installing the new driver allows the machine to function, but keeps the Firepro GPU Core running at 300 MHz (Plugged in) / 400 MHz (Battery), even when it is not in use. For mobile workstations like this, it is not desirable that the dGPU is running all the time as it wastes battery power.
This now includes an extra dimension of pain: The Windows 10 April 2018 update fails because of it. After rebooting for the Windows 10 feature update, the latest drivers are installed along with the operating system. Consistently, the machine will hang at 42%, requiring a hard reboot after which the previous version of Windows 10 is restored. Uninstalling the Firepro W4170M and blocking the installation of the device in Group Policy is the only way to successfully install the Windows 10 April 2018 update.
Could you please figure out with AMD how to solve this issue with the Firepro graphics driver for the Precision 2800 Workstations. Not being able to install Windows feature updates and poor driver performance are becoming a real nuisance.
daobi
1 Message
0
November 25th, 2019 00:00
Is it possible to deactivate AMD FirePro W4170M permanently?
santoz35
1 Message
0
February 22nd, 2020 11:00
FirePro™ W4170M Drivers installed successfully with executable file downladable from the following page:
https://github.com/qbsa/ulps
Last version AMD drivers installed and working.
Ehwhat
1 Message
0
March 15th, 2020 05:00
Download the 2015 driver from the Dell website (M2800_Video_Driver_FCXTJ_WN32_15.200.1045_A00), and don't update it.
Pauluzz
7 Posts
0
March 31st, 2020 05:00
Again, this doesn't solve all the performance issues and lack of support for later apps.
Speedritter
1 Message
0
September 23rd, 2020 08:00
Thank you very much for your efforts.
Installed the AMD PCI BUS driver (Nov-2017) as described, then installed the latest AMD FirePro W4170M driver and the W10 update to version 1909 works without errors!
whitemouse65
1 Message
0
February 6th, 2021 05:00
Thanks, this worked. Do i have to keep ulps64 running or can i stop it now that the driver is installed
kpatidark
1 Message
0
April 2nd, 2021 19:00
https://www.driveridentifier.com/scan/amd-firepro-w4170m-driver/driver-detail/5E2C1F1D0FE94C36B96E3D13F2947079/3367686/d36c66ff44798562688848c58975bc10/2134938932/PCI-VEN_1002%26DEV_6606%26SUBSYS_06841028
Sh4d0w_1998
1 Message
0
March 11th, 2022 16:00
Hey, so I currently have the AMD FirePro W4170m disabled on my Dell Precision m2800 because windows 11 automatically installs the latest drivers causing it to freeze since the latest drivers for that GPU cause freezes so pretty much I’ve just been using the iGPU (Intel HD Graphics 4600) and from what I understand if I install this driver you linked above and then restart the computer I can re-enable the AMD FirePro W4170m driver and it won’t freeze anymore?
Pauluzz
7 Posts
0
March 14th, 2022 02:00
Correct. If you install the AMD's PCI BUS driver before installing the Firepro driver or letting windows automatically install, it should not freeze during installation.
Flepsto
1 Message
0
January 4th, 2023 07:00
I am trying to implement this fix but I cannot find the PCI bus under the system devices on my M2800. Could you share the hardware id of the PCI BUS? I am trying this on a fresh windows 10 install.
DELL-Cares
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January 4th, 2023 07:00
Hello, I see you are looking for technical assistance. If you need our help, you can start a private message with us and we will be happy to assist you.