Optimus ENABLE: M6600 with FireProM8900

Could a brave pioneer please try enabling the Optimus option with their FirePro dGPU and report if the iGPU then becomes the primary bootup video card. Can check that by perusing the Device manager. If the iGPU is active then we can take further steps to create a workable switchable graphics software configuration.

 

I exported a config with optiums enabled, how to do flash it to the bios?

 

Just double click on the file. But you it won't enable Optimus.
This Toolkit show you all available options but you can change only the ones that you see in your bios. In the toolkit software you have a checkbox if I am not mistaken that filters the options that you can't use and show you only the relevant options that you can use.

 

@whitrzac

In Dell Client Configuration Toolkit go to: CREATE tab -> then select option: Configuring ini based on current system->click Validate ! -> Find only 'Video' line and change 'Value to set':enable->Click Export Configuration.exe (you can save it on desktop).

Double-clik this .exe file (You will see nothing, it's applying new bios settings in background). Now you can restart Windows, after booting new setting should be applied to BIOS.

Wish You good luck...I hope it's working.

@kosta20071. After you click 'Validate' this soft is scanning supported BIOS settings and not allow You to change not supported options. On my scrennshot in 1st post you can see Status column after 'Validating': optimus is ready to change.

 

A good sign. With the FirePro M4600/M6600 can think of the Optimus option as "iGPU as primary video adapter". I hope someone is going to try it. It's a major win if it works for two reasons (1) battery life and (2) the FirePro M4600/M6600 will be recommended for DIY eGPU implementations - need the iGPU as the primary video card to gain NVidia driver pci-e compression.

It if enables the iGPU then the FirePro M4600/M6600 will be an excellent DIY eGPU candidate system. I was recommending the NVidia versions instead since they can have the iGPU enabled.

 

I know this is off topic, but I am quite interested in knowing the possibility of customizing fan controls from the bios using this toolkit

 

Sorry gents but this is not going to work for many reasons. The BIOS detects the GFX hardware that is installed and will not allow that feature to show up as an option. The other reason is because Optimus is NOT compatible with AMD GFX due to how they are "wired" within the system. It just will not work.

 

@Dell-Mano_G

Thanks for Your answer, unfortunatelly that means end of our dreams...

But please explain us why Dell decided to disable Intel HD3000 and Switchable graphics which works well for example in M17 R3 (and in many other machines) ?
The ability to manually switch to the integrated Intel GPU in M6600 would be big advantage for:

+ battery life
+ silence

We don't need always huge performance of FireProM8900-web browsing, office apps, etc...

And I suppose that switchable graphics feature is locked in Bios only, isn't it?

 

I believe I can answer that. If you check AMD's official website on the FirePro Mobility products, I think switchable graphics is not on the list of features. Or if you check the list of switchable graphics supported GPU, I think those FirePro Mobility chips are not on the list either. In other words, you really need to ask AMD on this matter.

If you want to milk extra life out of your battery. Get ATI Tray Tool and set a underclock and undervolt profile. Basically, find out whats the lowest state powerplay would set GPU to and set up the underclock profile accordingly. For example, powerplay sets M5950 to GPU:100Hz MEM:152Hz and 0.9V as the lowest power state. By locking down the clock to that state, 4~5 hrs battery life should be possible for M4600 under light load on a 97wh battery. M6600 should get extra battery life as well.

http://forum.notebookreview.com/8417445-post1648.html

 

Contrary to Dell-Mano G, I believe this can be made to work. It's just a matter of whether the bios can be forced to switch the MUX to pass the iGPU signals to the internal LCD and enable the FirePro card. That is what the "Optimus:Enable" does for NVidia cards. You can prove that the iGPU can be made to work by removing the FirePro MXM card altogether where it will revert to using the iGPU.

Now.. who is going to set Optimus:enable on their FirePro equipped M6600/M4600 and tell us what happens?