Alienware M14X BIOS Graphics Switch Option.

I have found some information on nvidia forums that they have no plans at this time to implement optimus technology into their linux binary drivers, however as usual it is open-source to the rescue. Check out launchpad.net/~hybrid-graphics-linux specifically the section on BumbleBee. github.com/.../bumblebee. It will work eventually... with or without their support. However, the bios of this machine is still lacking.

I totally agree with you, it's really unfortunate that these options are lacking from this kind of performance system.

IBM has it correctly in regards of video bios switching. Right now nobody has been able to confirm if this feature will be implemented or not. They have sent it to engineering and that's about it. 

With what i saw with the A03 bios in regards of the battery shutdowns issue. The Q&A has seriously been lacking or the engineers didn't understand correctly the problem the users were experimenting.

The term annihilate from anywhere is simply false advertising since to have the full power of the laptop you have to be plugged in. Several bugs has been reported by the community and i didn't see any urge from Alienware to fix it's issues.

People who may want a powerful Linux laptop my recommendation is that they should stay away from this machine and go with a System76 machine or Thinkpad. 

Hi,

I've just bought a DELL AlienWare M14X and updated the BIOS to teh A04 revision (from teh DELL support page).

I wanted to run the Ubuntu 11.04 LIve CD for my work since I need to work onto. Sadly I have the same issue.

Is it resolved since May ?

Thank you !

No, unfortunately we are at the 4th iteration of a bios update and nothing has been done in regards of a BIOS video switching option.

Also, folks who were supposed to keep me updated has stopped replying to my emails and contacting me.

Sorry.

Dell Chris said earlier in this thread that they have no intention of adding that as an option.

Well, they should, and i will keep requesting it. Have you even bothered reading the whole thread?

I have read the whole thread, I think it got highjacked for a few posts about another problem which Chris said they were working on.  He also said that the engineers had no intention at this time of making a bios option to switch graphics.  I am all for you asking.  I just thought I would point that out because earlier posts in the thread got somewhat confusing when someone brought up the "shutting down when gaming on the battery issue".

I understand your frustration, but I wouldn't put too much hope in them changing their minds about it.  I am curious how well the optimus system works if you also have a bios switch.   If shutting off one of the cards in the bios causes issues with optimus or not?  I also would guess that Dell doesn't want to field calls from people who shut off the 555 and get crappy frame rates and don't know why or people who turn it on all the time and wonder why their machine gets so hot when typing a paper or why their battery never lasts more than half an hour.  There are a lot of people out there smart enough to get into the bios and mess around but not smart enough to realize they are doing something stupid.  Dell would more likely cater to that majority than the minority who actually knows what they are doing and want to use linux.  I'm not trying to be argumentative, you have a perfectly reasonable request.  For anyone who knows what they are doing a bios option would be nice, especially in cases where optimus maybe doesn't work how it should.  I just doubt Dell will change their tune about it.

Heck they obviously can't do this at this point, but I don't get the real issue with the manual switch some of the older ones have.  Flick the switch then run the game. When you are done, flick it back.  Even better than bios.

Out of curiosity what would you be using the NVIDIA for in Linux?  My understanding is there are few if any games that run natively in  Linux.  Video editing? AutoCad or something like that?  Animation software?

Thanks for your reply, yeah, well that's why the good option by default would be switchable, then for more advanced users, they could choose as they want.

Your question is sound, i actually use my graphics card to crack passwords with the GT555M which has 144 cuda cores, it's quite faster than 8 threads CPU, i use the cuda cores from the card to perform password cracking, and most of the time i use linux.

http://www.cryptohaze.com/multiforcer.php

;)

I just bought an Alienware M14x last week and I will be having it this week and as you MadmanTM, I'm a security researcher and network administrator and I use linux. I hope those engineers from dell add the feature to the BIOS so that I could use the whole power of the GPU on my pen tests, otherwise this is the last laptop that I buy from DELL personally and corporately.

Chris do us a favor and go to the engineering department and hand over a coke to the guy who could help us with this issue.

Regards,

Glad to have a fellow security researcher, on my side, i am in the world of pentesting also, right now i'm using Ubuntu 11.10 Beta1, with bumblebee-project. You should take a look into it, it's not a permanent solution.

Like i said, Lenovo has done it, System76 has done it, i can't understand why DELL can't do it.

BIOS

Switchable = Optimus

Discrete(Dedicated)  = NVIDIA

Integrated = Intel.

Nothing yet from Dell and the update on the BIOS??

I receive my laptop last friday and wow...

I've been using the Alienware Sentia 3450 I think it is the model and running on this new M14x is Awesome!!!

I was like running on a Yaris and now on a Ferrari.

MadManTM, I've seen you around the internet on many places, I got the same issues as you with the liteAlienFX, still not luck with that. I even got almost the same configuration of your lapm running with a Experimental drivers not with the NVIDIA official recommendes cuz when I install the NVIDIA official's, compiz crash each time I try to run it :-(

Will try to tweek the whole thing on weekend but Man I do really like to have that support from DELL with the BIOS Update, after expending US$2000 on the best laptop of the world and get stuck using it without the Whole power of the Graphic card... is disapointing. If the senior engineer is reading this, please make us a huge favor PLEASE!!!

Look tha I'm an Alienware user since it started b4 DELL buy it. I even have been around the factory building on CostaRica in one of my trips to Central America.

PLEASE give us a Hand!!!

Regards,

DELL, come out!!!!!!!!!!!!

Dell offer SOME support.....

If your engineers are not up to the task, throw the bios out in the public domain so we can modify it ourselves.

Just want to let customer support know I have ditched my Alienwares to buy 6 I7 Nvidia Lenovo's.  YEAH Lenovo.

MAP

Well since dell obviously doesn't care about the numerous problems with the M14x (probably the last dell I'll buy), there is an unlocked A05 bios that should let you do what you want:

forum.notebookreview.com/.../612902-unlocked-bios-05-impressing.html

Has anyone tested this unlocked BIOS and successfully switched to the NVIDIA card and disabled the Intel card ?

I've seen on this same forum: "For the folks who would want to try to disable the IGP, don't try it, i had to reset my bios and got nice beeps saying i ed it up"