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Dell Precision T5400 upgrade BIOS from Ubuntu Linux to solve
Hello,
I want to ask is it possible to upgrade the BIOS if I use Ubuntu Linux and also will that help me to solve the issue I have with the video card? After I removed my old and pretty weak Nvidia NVS300 I installed Nvidia GT730, but I got serious problem - the computer freeze when I try to start Google Maps, LibreOffice (But no problem with FreeOffice for example) etc. There is no problem with the card installation - at least the computer doesn't show such. I spoke with Nvidia Support and they said that maybe the video card is not compatible with the T5400 - because it is not in the list of the cards supported by the machine. So my question is: If I upgrade the BIOS will I solve that issue? If yes - where I can find file which I can use in Ubuntu Linux 18.04 / 64 / LTS. I suppose that the new video cards have been added as support in the new BIOS versions!
Regards,
DELL-Alasdair R
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July 30th, 2018 07:00
Hi Zapryanov,
Yes, you can update the BIOS in Linux, the update comes as a .bin file:
https://www.dell.com/support/home/us/en/04/drivers/DriversDetails?productCode=precision-t5400&driverId=Y6YNW
However, the last update for the T5400 was in 2012 so I'm not sure if it will help in your situation.
Zapryanov
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July 30th, 2018 07:00
I updated the BIOS, but unfortunately the graphic card doesn't started to work properly. Is there something I can do in order to make that card Nvidia GT 730 / 4 GB DDR5 to start working?
DELL-Alasdair R
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July 31st, 2018 08:00
Apologies for the delayed response. It's not something I can help with really. Do you know for certain that the card works properly on another system? You could maybe try asking on Ubuntu forums if other users have had any similar issues.
Zapryanov
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July 31st, 2018 08:00
The card doesn't show any errors. I couldn't find any issue like that with the same card. I found issues here with similar cards. It is strange that some cards run well with T5400, like GTX 1060 - there is a video in YouTube, and this one doesn't. Look at the card screenshot settings here: https://ibb.co/j4d8Tz I thought that never mind the machine is old, there will be updates so the new cards will run, because otherwise I have to find now 15 years old card second hand in order to run Blender for example, because the old NVS300 can not run it at all properly. And FX5600 is 1.) Hard to find and 2.) the price for second hand video card is madness. say 3 - 4 times my new GT730 which is 3 times faster and powerful then the FX5600 which is actually the most powerful card according to the description of the machine here http://www.dell.com/downloads/ap/products/precn/precision_t5400_au.pdf
DELL-Alasdair R
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July 31st, 2018 09:00
There are lots of newer cards (including the GT730) that T5400 owners have listed as compatible, but not supported by Dell:
http://www.userbenchmark.com/System/Dell-Precision-WorkStation-T5400/3763
Hopefully you can find a solution.
_abednego
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July 31st, 2018 09:00
As DELL-Alasdair R suggests, you should look into an Ubuntu forum. I would pay attention to the memory type range registers (MTRRs), as they can explain the symptoms you are experiencing.