Enable MUX on Alienware x17 4K@120hz tutotial

Hello everyone,

Unfortunately with the last Alienware BIOS 1.2.1 "Alienware_x15_x17_R1_1.2.1.exe" MUX switch option was not enabled on the Alienware x17 with 4K screen. A chinese "modder" has figured out a possibility to enable bypass the iGPU completly with a small BIOS "hack". In this tutorial I want to show you what I have done to connect my internal 4K laptop screen directly to the NVIDIA RTX graphics card.

Important: Changes to the BIOS with the tool described in this article can brick your system! I will not give any guarantees that your system will work as expected afterwards. Please know what you do!!! All tasks will be done on your own risk! This guide has only been tested with Windows 10. You will not see the "Optimus" option in BIOS after changing the below settings. It is enabled directly and you have to restore BIOS defaults when you want Optimus back again.

For your information. On my machine "Secure Boot is enabled and in Audit Mode". Bitlocker is disabled.

Prerequisites:
- Alienware x17 with 4K screen
- FAT32 formatted USB stick
- Download "RU.EFI + RU.EXE" ( ruexe.blogspot.com)

Step1:

• Create a folder "EFI" in the root of the FAT32 formatted USB stick
• Create a folder "BOOT" in folder "EFI".
• Copy the files "RU.efi", "RU.exe", RU32.efi to the folder "EFI"
• Rename the file "RU.efi" to "bootx64.efi"

Step 2:

• Restart your x17 and Press "F12" while booting
• Select the USB key and boot from it
• Press "ALT +C" twice
• Navigate to "UEFI variable" and press "Enter"
• Navigate to "Setup" and press "Enter" (normally the first setup entry, you need to see many entries)
• Hold "CTRL+FN and press "Page down" (on Alienware x17 keyboard)
• Navigate to entry "0AF0" on the left pane (colored in red) with "FN+ALT+Page Down"
• Press the arrow keys to select column 07, there is the value 02 configured
• Press "space bar" and change 02 to 01 and press enter
• Press the arrow keys to select column 08, there is the value 04 configured
  
• Press "space bar" and change 04 to 02 and press enter
  
• Check if you have changed the two values correctly. DO NOT change anything else!
• Press "CTRL+W" and a message should appear that the changes have been written
• Press "CTRL+ALT+DEL" and reboot the system
• In windows Check under NVIDIA control panel you have more options and the screen is connected to the dGPU

If you have still Optimus do the same procedure once again. I had this issue before. I do not know why.

If anything goes wrong. Boot your system press F2 and restore BIOS defaults!

Please note that AdaptiveSync is not available when the dGPU is directly connected to the internal screen.

 

Hey thanks for typing this out in English for everyone else, great work!

Although it's more like switching to dgpu at all times rather than mux switch.

 

Yes you are right. Unfortunately I cannot add the last screenshot I have. I will post it here.

Maybe a moderator can change the Subject of the threat There is also a typo...

 

I don't understand why Dell wouldn't just enable this themselves. Any ideas?

 

I really don't know. I guess battery life and AdaptiveSync are the main points why dell thinks they need to educate their customers...

 

Yeah, makes no sense. Fair bet very few are aware of the Adaptive Sync, but that has nothing to do with MUX switch.

Having disabled iGPU using the hack, do you actually see better TS scores? Did the iGPU disappear from Device Manager?

 

They're most likely rolling these things out in waves. This way the different SKUs aren't directly competing with one another at the same time. The 165Hz sku is the "cheap" option, the 360Hz sku is the gamer centric version with G-Sync and Advanced Optimus, and the 4k sku is the workstation/creator laptop.

Once you include a mux switch for all the skus the factors that distinguish between them really just comes down to the screen resolution. For the casual gamer the refresh rates are comparable between all skus, and the 4k120hz and fhd 165hz skus both have adaptive sync, so the 360hz sku doesn't really have any distinguishing feature other than the high refresh rate.

 

Interesting theory. I wonder if such a dodgy strategy wouldn't backfire, as many people have stated they passed on the laptop due to the lack of a MUX switch...

 

They did release advance optimus on the 165hz panel didn't they? Maybe they're keeping a card up their sleeve for the 4k one as well

Sent from my SM-F916B using Tapatalk

 

The 165Hz option doesn't have advanted optimus. What they did do recently was allow users to be able to toggle the mux switch in the bios.

 

iGPU is still available in device manager. My TS scores are now the same as if an external screen was connected directly to the dGPU. So yes TS is better and in line with all other desktop replacements with RTX 3080 165W GPU with MUX.

 

I mean there will always be a few that fall through the cracks but the strategy seems sound.

Initially they only offered the most expensive option, the 4k models, so that early adopters are forced to buy the most expensive option possible. Many people bought it even though it didn't have a mux switch or advanced Optimus. And no one had a clue it had adaptive sync either.

Once they secured a large percentage of the early adopters they then released their "cheap" 165hz sku for people that want to get in on the action, but couldn't afford the 4k model.

Lastly, you have the disgruntled prosumers who are looking for a mux switch or advanced Optimus in their laptops to obtain the best performance possible from their purchase. They finally released the 360hz options.

By excluding the mux switch initially from the 4k and 165hz skus and timing the different release of these products they are effectively maximizing their revenue. Early adopters will pay anything so they release the expensive option first. People who can't purchase the expensive options are given an "affordable" 165hz option that has some compromises. Lastly, for those that want the absolute best performance possibly are forced into the middle option with the 360Hz sku.

Once they have captured this initial wave of consumers they can then start releasing "new" features to capture the remaining disgruntled stragglers who didn't purchase a sku because it lacked X feature.

 

Here is a TimeSpy score with internal screen (dGPU only) and a small OC on GPU (+155/400Mhz)

 

Most likely there is another UEFI variable that turns off the iGPU.

 

You are likely right, which is obviously quite damning from the consumer perspective. You shouldn't have to risk bricking your machine to unlock a feature hidden from you in a premeditated manner to boost profit.

 

Yup it's still there.

It's definitely dodgy both ways. I've been running my 4K since the initial release and have been testing it. Even with the latest revision of the hack it still has flaws and I wouldn't recommend anyone to take the risk, at least from what I've experienced, which is why I didn't publish anything regarding this. Let's just hope that we get a bios update for the 4K now to lift the lock.

Well said.

Definitely. It's pretty complicated on the back end. During the testing phase things got pretty hairy so I just hung it up and am going to wait for the official potential bios update if there ever is one for the 4K.

 

Can you explain how you would figure out which variable is which in the bios? I was thinking of picking an x17 up, and know dell had other laptops that came with Intel ME disabled via the HAP bit, and also wanted to disable the integrated wifi.

 

If Dell doesn’t release an update I only hope Bios God Prema picks this up.

 

Looks like you haven't been watching the main thread. Dell released a bios update yesterday(v 1.3.0) that now lets owners of the 4K models to switch between optimus and discrete graphics mode.

Support for Alienware x17 R1 | Drivers & Downloads | Dell US