XPS 8920 SE, BIOS feature request?

1. I would like to be able to disable the onboard audio because I use an external, professional audio interface. The current bios for the XPS 8920 SE does not support disabling the onboard audio.
* Starting with the 2016 XPS 8910, the option to Enable/Disable onboard audio was removed. Even the newer XPS 8930 does not have the option. So no, we are not going to allocate time and resources to create a BIOS update adding this feature.

Enable/Disable onboard audio
2010 XPS 8300 Yes
2012 XPS 8500 Yes
2013 XPS 8700 Yes
2015 XPS 8900 Yes
2016 XPS 8910 No
2017 XPS 8920 No
2017 XPS 8930 No

2. I would like to be able to disable the onboard video. I would like to be able to disable the Intel HD video in the bios.
* Of the seven XPS desktop models, only the 2015 XPS 8900 had this option.

Enable/Disable onboard video
2010 XPS 8300 No
2012 XPS 8500 No
2013 XPS 8700 No
2015 XPS 8900 Yes (Auto/Intel HD/Nvidia HD)
2016 XPS 8910 No
2017 XPS 8920 No
2017 XPS 8930 No

3. Will Dell enable Thunderbolt support in the XPS SE 8920 bios? I have the i7-7700k CPU. I know that CPU and the associated motherboard chipset support Thunderbolt. Why is it not currently enabled on the XPS 8920 SE?
* No. Even the newer XPS 8930 does not have the option. You will need to install either a PCIe x1 or PCIe x4 Thunderbolt card which will use its own BIOS and drivers.

Don't know why you want to, but can you disable the onboard Intel Graphics in Device Manager under Display Adapters?

Which PCIe Thunderbolt cards are compatible with the XPS SE 8920?
* Unknown since we never tested any on this model. You simply need to buy one locally (check their return policy) and test one.

I've looked around.  I don't think anyone makes plug-and-play PCIe Thunderbolt 3 cards.  I'm not sure I understand why you would recommend this approach.

A quick search shows that Walmart sells the ThunderboltEX-3 that fits in the PCIe x4 slot.

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@DELL-Chris M wrote:

A quick search shows that Walmart sells the ThunderboltEX-3 that fits in the PCIe x4 slot.

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Is the motherboard in the XPS SE 8920 an ASUS motherboard?  Reading the description of the link you provided says that the card is compatible with ASUS motherboards.  Does the XPS SE 8920 have an onboard Thunderbolt header on the motherboard?

Upgrade your motherboard in just three simple steps!

1. Easy upgrade: Slide ASUS ThunderboltEX 3 into PCI-Express 3.0 x4 slot
2. Compatible with ASUS motherboards: Connect the card to the onboard Thunderbolt header with the supplied system-link cable
3. DisplayPort 1.2 support: Attach the supplied DisplayPort cable to the card and the onboard DisplayPort connector

There is no Thunderbolt header on the board - and though the part number on the 8920 board makes it look like it is supplied by Pegatron (ASUS' ODM affiliate), there are absolutely no guarantees an ASUS Thunderbolt card will work with a Pegatron-built Dell board.

"PCIe x1 or PCIe x4 Thunderbolt card which will use its own BIOS and drivers."  USB 3 is not thunderbolt and vice versa.  There ARE NO THUNDERBOLT PCI-E cards because thunderbolt comes from the motherboard via GPIO connection.

There is no such thing as a thunderbolt card. Therefore one cannot ADD this as a feature.   Thunderbolt uses PASS THRU connection using the PCI-E bus for Power as well as a place to mount a connector.   This feature cannot be added to a motherboard that does not have a THUNDERBOLT HEADER on the board.  There is also a Display port Wrap thru cable required.

The TBAIC card has 3 parts.   The card,  the Display port Wrap thru, and the Thunderbolt header cable.

NONE of these parts are OPTIONAL.

Thunderbolt isn't really and add in card.  There are no thunderbolt upgrades.  They are also not universal aka Dell Card is for Dell ASUS card is for ASUS.  The Thunderbolt header goes to a header on the motherboard.

They use the card to hold a bracket but there is no PCI-E specification for thunderbolt card because it does not exist.

 A Dell card not one from ASUS. This is not a card that just requires PCI-E bus to EXPAND your system to Thunderbolt.  Therefore it is NOT an expansion card but rather a bracket to hold the thunderbolt port and provide power to the Thunderbolt Transceiver.  The card is essentially a mounting bracket for the thunderbolt port. "Asus is about to release a new Thunderbolt3 adapter card " This will not work in a DELL. Nor will this be an upgrade VIA PCI-E.

Its NOT an expansion card that will go into any machine.  And such cards are not interchangeable between vendors.

Thunderbolt goes to the card and Display port wraps into the card via cables.  Without these cables and POWER from the PCI-E bus these cards do not work and therefore are not interchangeable or applicable to ANY other system.  You can't use the ASUS card in a dell and you cant use the DELL card in an ASUS for example.

People see this card and think that if they have a PCI-E bus they can upgrade to thunderbolt.  This is not the case.

I also run an 8920 with a 7700K chip and a professional audio interface (Mark of the Unicorn 828MK3).  I assume you are using an Nvidia graphics card.  I also assume that you want to do this to reduce latency and round trip latency.  Go into the Control Panel and "disable" the onboard Intel audio and graphics.  The biggest impact I've seen is disabling the wifi card and bluetooth.  With these disabled I'm running stable with buffers down to 64 and latency below 10 msec.

so theres no way to add thunderbolt to the xps 8920?

porkyman,

Click my name and private message me the pc service tag number as well as your registered name, email address, and phone number.

as stated but not clear

if you must have thunderbolt,  (must you?) then buy a PC that supports it.

there is no other answer, ok?

is this really needed and why, name a usage ok?

this>?

The Thunderbolt technology can transfer data at the rate of 10Gbps.

Speedsteps post was clear,  did you read that?

it also explains why you can't find it.  (it's not add-in technology, like USB is and PCI-express is.

oK? It's DESIGN IN Tech.

The Intel Graphics is integrated into the CPU so there is no feature to disable.

Thunderbolt support in the XPS SE 8920 bios is never an option EVER because thunderbolt is a CHIPSET and Controller option not a bios feature.

What is being asked for is never an option ever on any pc.

Which PCIe Thunderbolt cards (None Exist)

there is no such thing as a PCIe Thunderbolt card.

The Thunderbolt card for specific Dell Models and the ASUS boards uses PCI-E as a mounting method.

The actual Thunderbolt portion comes from a header on the motherboard and also requires a display port wrap thru cable.

USB C IS NOT THUNDERBOLT3  They use the same connector but thats all.

Thunderbolt is the brand name of a hardware interface standard developed by Intel (in collaboration with Apple) that allows the connection of external peripherals to a computer. Thunderbolt 1 and 2 use the same connector as Mini DisplayPort (MDP), whereas Thunderbolt 3 uses USB-C connector. Intel offers a single port (JHL7340) and double port (JHL7540) version of this host controller and a peripheral controller supporting two Thunderbolt 3 ports (JHL7440).

https://ark.intel.com/content/www/us/en/ark/products/97402/intel-jhl7340-thunderbolt-3-controller.html

https://ark.intel.com/content/www/us/en/ark/products/series/79641/thunderbolt-products.html