[Unrelated] M4800 - Need Assistance with LVDS/EDP Confusion

[jasonmerc]

First of all, I really do apologize, because this issue is not quite on topic with Hackintoshing... Although in the right circumstances it could be. I cannot find ANYTHING else that's still online and active regarding support for the x800 line of Dell Precision's, so I figured as a last-ditch desperate attempt I'd ask here.

I have an M4800, which supposedly has an LVDS connector on the board. It has a JLVDS connector for the internal LCD panel. But, when I run diagnostics in Linux or Windows, it tells me that the display is ACTUALLY running off of eDP, not LVDS. So is it LVDS, or eDP? Is there a definitive way I can check?

I'm asking because I recently purchased an MXM Type A GTX 1050 Mobile card from eBay, but my system won't POST with it inserted. Some have said that the reason is because those cards only support eDP output, not LVDS. But I don't know what to believe, since part of my M4800 is saying it's LVDS, and the other part is saying it's eDP. I need to know to troubleshoot this issue properly. I'd really like to get this 1050 working with my system, but I don't know where to begin the troubleshooting process. Is it not posting because it can't drive to LVDS properly? Or is it not posting due to some BIOS incompatibility/whitelist?

If anyone reading this has guidance, or a link to a BIOS mod or something, I would very much appreciate any help I can get, so that my $200 1050 investment doesn't go down the drain.

And once again, I do apologize for the slightly off topic post. I'm just desperate for some form of closure here.

[Xeon3D]

Check with AIDA64 or similar for the board model and\or the actual display model and check against the list in the readme.

Also, sorry for the 8 months old reply.

[jasonmerc]

The board says LVDS but any software says eDP. It might be muxed. No idea what's going on.

I've since purchased an M2000M to use in it instead. I think the issue is the card needs too much power to operate. Type A MXM goes up to 55 watts, but this card supposedly needs 75.

[Xeon3D]

Did you manage to get the board model from AIDA? I believe even Microsoft System Information also displays it, or CPU-Z.

We can get schematics and see if there is or isn't a mux.

On Sat, 25 Jun 2022, 05:28 Ball1nUkra1n3, @.***> wrote:

The board says LVDS but any software says eDP. It might be muxed. No idea what's going on.

I've since purchased an M2000M to use in it instead. I think the issue is the card needs too much power to operate. Type A MXM goes up to 55 watts, but this card supposedly needs 75.

— Reply to this email directly, view it on GitHub https://github.com/Xeon3D/PrecisionMx800-Hackintosh/issues/4#issuecomment-1166189959, or unsubscribe https://github.com/notifications/unsubscribe-auth/AAERVEZOELTKBGRSUP6T3ZLVQ2DH3ANCNFSM5IXKRPQQ . You are receiving this because you commented.Message ID: @.***>

[jasonmerc]

I will relay your message to the person that now owns the precision (I gave it to a friend after I got a newer laptop). When he replies I'll post it here

[jasonmerc]

Looks like AIDA64 trial version doesnt give the info we want since it's just the trial. See attached files for system info on the unit. Doesn't look like it's giving what you asked for, but this is what I could get for now. If more is needed I will ask him again tomorrow. precision-m4800-aida64_report.htm.zip msinfo32-precisionm4800.pdf

[Xeon3D]

It seems it is indeed a eDP motherboard.

The model number for the board is 0FVDR2 which is one that I'd never heard about before.

While googling for it, I found some Linux logs and in all of them the panel connected is indeed a eDP one.

If the GeForce card does indeed support eDP, then my guess will be it has some kind of blacklisting or vbios incompatibility.

From what I found currently Quadro T1000 is the best bang for buck for our M4800.

On Sun, 10 Jul 2022, 03:07 Ball1nUkra1n3, @.***> wrote:

Looks like AIDA64 trial version doesnt give the info we want since it's just the trial. See attached files for system info on the unit. Doesn't look like it's giving what you asked for, but this is what I could get for now. If more is needed I will ask him again tomorrow. precision-m4800-aida64_report.htm.zip https://github.com/Xeon3D/PrecisionMx800-Hackintosh/files/9078251/precision-m4800-aida64_report.htm.zip msinfo32-precisionm4800.pdf https://github.com/Xeon3D/PrecisionMx800-Hackintosh/files/9078252/msinfo32-precisionm4800.pdf

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[jasonmerc]

It seems it is indeed a eDP motherboard. The model number for the board is 0FVDR2 which is one that I'd never heard about before. While googling for it, I found some Linux logs and in all of them the panel connected is indeed a eDP one. If the GeForce card does indeed support eDP, then my guess will be it has some kind of blacklisting or vbios incompatibility. From what I found currently Quadro T1000 is the best bang for buck for our M4800. … On Sun, 10 Jul 2022, 03:07 Ball1nUkra1n3, @.> wrote: Looks like AIDA64 trial version doesnt give the info we want since it's just the trial. See attached files for system info on the unit. Doesn't look like it's giving what you asked for, but this is what I could get for now. If more is needed I will ask him again tomorrow. precision-m4800-aida64_report.htm.zip https://github.com/Xeon3D/PrecisionMx800-Hackintosh/files/9078251/precision-m4800-aida64_report.htm.zip msinfo32-precisionm4800.pdf https://github.com/Xeon3D/PrecisionMx800-Hackintosh/files/9078252/msinfo32-precisionm4800.pdf — Reply to this email directly, view it on GitHub <#4 (comment)>, or unsubscribe https://github.com/notifications/unsubscribe-auth/AAERVEZRTCYLBMKYFEUGVJLVTIV7LANCNFSM5IXKRPQQ . You are receiving this because you commented.Message ID: @.>

But the motherboard itself says LVDS on it, and so does Dell's spec sheet (Dell says that early models use LVDS while later models like the 4K M4800 use eDP). In fact, I think that in one of those logs it even says LVDS. So... maybe it is muxed then? Perhaps output from the Intel Integrated is digital, while output from the MXM directly is analog.

Also, it confuses me too because everywhere I look people say that there are no whitelists for 4th gen Dell BIOSes. There are stories of people putting GTX 1070 cards in an M6800, which is the bigger model but the same generation of Precision laptop. While it is true that the BIOS gets confused when I put in the 1050 and can't list any specs on VRAM, graphics core, etc, it does the same thing when I put in the Quadro M2000M yet that one works fine. I should say too, the card is an Aetina GTX 1050 MXM. It was made for machine learning and the like. I remember finding some leaked spec sheet somewhere that said the card only supports eDP/digital output, no analog supported. But, if it routes through the integrated anyway, that shouldn't matter. I can't find that spec sheet anymore but I can keep looking.

I looked at the price of a Quadro T1000 on eBay and almost had a heart attack. Had I not purchased the 1050 and M2000M already, I would have picked up one of these. I refuse to believe the card itself is broken, I think there is something else going on here. I was so close to making it work, there's no reason why it shouldn't work. The only other thing I can think of is the power limit. Whatever chip controls the wattage for the M4800's MXM slot is only giving it 55W, but the card needs 75W to operate properly.

I'm going to talk to my friend about temporarily loaning the 1050 to someone with an MXM Type B laptop to see if the card works or not. Type B laptops work with Type A cards, and the power limit on those is like 150W or something ridiculously high... in other words, more than capable of powering a 75W GTX 1050.

[jasonmerc]

Let me make another post to append what I was saying in the previous one. I was talking like I knew what I was talking about. However, I may be unaware of the bigger picture. Perhaps there is indeed a BIOS mod you can do to these that I just don't know about. If you know of any BIOS mods to try, please let me know.

You've reignited the flame in me to figure this thing out. I refuse to believe that this can't work (like, I doubt the card itself is broken). There has to be some way to make this happen... BIOS mod, 55W --> 75W mod, something.

[jasonmerc]

Making one last post here closing this out. It turns out, the specific 1050 MXM variant I bought was never wired to drive a display out. That was the problem all along. Stupid me, wasted 200 bucks on that thing.

I sent the card to a buddy with an M6800, made for MXM Type B cards, and that thing had exactly the same issues as the 4800. It is the card that is the problem, not the computer.