Hybrid BIOS?

I keep seeing people speak of a "hybrid bios" on the AW15 and AW17. Could someone please explain to me what this is? Could you also explain why they did this? Was this is a silly alternate solution to having the 240w PSU?

Thanks!

 

"Hybrid bios" is an approach other manufacturers like MSI (they called it NOS) have tried, and given up on. Basically, the system draws additional power it needs from the battery, when it exceeds what the adapter can put out (e.g, 180w).

Since most activities like games only have occasional spikes in usage - say 200w - then instead of throttling to stay within the power budget, it borrows the excess 20w, and charges the battery again once power usage is lower (just an easier way to describe it).

Why they did it? To save money and/or avoid bad reviews.
The 240w is more expensive and larger than the 180w adapter.
Statistically, mainstream customers outnumber enthusiasts, and how often does grandma run benchmarks? All she will notice is the price tag, and that giant flat brick of an adapter.

A functional Alienware throttled by power limits, is still much faster than mainstream brands people are used to (say HP or Fujitsu). On top of that, other configurations exist - it might not even throttle due to power in the first place (without overclock).

Fast forward to today, they've already sold a tonne of systems with the 180w adapter, and it's much easier to sweep it all under the rug with a software update. So that's the "silly alternate solution"... battery dies? 180w adapter? Say goodbye to full performance.

 

hi,
thanks for the comments.

I understand that occasionls spikes are satisfied,

do we really need full speed simultaneously and over a long period of time
for cpu and video card in our games ?

i am very glad with my 180w psu (skyrim, witcher,Ori,...)

I7-4980HQ,NVIDIA 980M

ps:
haaa!
hybrid, like vehicles using two distinct power sources
(such as electric and internal combustion engine)

and hybrid like optimus ...

 

But can you turn it off?

 

Full speed simultaneously, no.
Games usually stress out either the CPU, or GPU.
Only synthetic benchmarks would hit both at full speed.

Full speed over a long period of time?
Why this matters is pretty simple:

Low usage: everything seems great, it's 60fps smooth.
You feel a million bucks. Hooray!

Peak usage: throttling happens, and it went to 800MHz. Your computer went from awesome to awful in seconds.
It doesn't even meet the minimum requirements now!
Oh, and your character just died while you were lagging.

This is a slightly exaggerated example, just to illustrate the importance of consistent frame rates.

The 980m on a competing Clevo is pretty power hungry - it's a relative guideline on what to expect. How much more energy-efficient an Alienware could be (with the same GPU) is anybody's guess.

A video here demonstrates the difference between 180w and 240w. We could blame it on an early botched bios, or simply insufficient power. Maybe a bit of both. 30fps might be smooth, but there's no point in getting the 980m then.

There's no connection between the Nvidia GPU and screen; Intel iGPU is the middleman in this scenario,
so you can't turn it off (Optimus - blessing AND curse).

 

If you don't want your system to drain power from your battery - maybe because you own a 240w PSU - you need to roll back to BIOS A00. You'll also experience lower CPU temps.

 

So a lot of people are getting their AW15/17 R2 with the gtx 980m along with the 180w adapter and in the reality they are getting gtx 970m like performance?, wow now I get how serious this is for Dell, with a price difference of around $300 now I get why so many people are angry at Alienware right now.

 

I sitll must receive mine, ordered an AW15 with a Geforce 970. Not sure what to expect but I saw some topics with bricked laptops after flashing so I am a bit cautious.

 

I rolled my AW15 back from A04 to A00 with no issues earlier this week.

 

ha ha ha, Chris_Wayne, are you kidding?
980 is much better than 970,
even with 180w

 

Is it a recent model or do you have it since the launch window?

 

Got it from the outlet earlier this week. Came to me with A04 flashed.

 

Thank for the information. Does A00 have other possible issues that are resolved in the later firmwares?

 

Well this is messed up... This cant be good for the battery.. This also cant be good PR for techs that notice this pffft.. So If I use the 240w does it stop drawing power from the battery? Thanks for the explanation, that was on point.

Hes serious.. If you have a 240w and a 180w get fraps and swap between the two in game. The 180w will yield lower FPS in many games. I have seen this first hand.

 

Yes, especially on stock settings for the 240w adapter;
based on the Clevo 980m on AT, you might even be able to manage a mild overclock with it (YMMV).

Previously on A00 with 180w, I noticed my battery draining to 94% after stress testing with GTA5. After changing to the 240w, it always remains at a constant 100%.

Realistically, it's not as bad as some laptop "replacements" that cycle battery constantly under load. At least in this case, the drain is similar to leaving the laptop unplugged.