For all of us that have bought this amazing laptop, here are some points that can help you set it up:
Change RAID to AHCI to avoid reinstalling Windows in the future if we use a second drive:
Completely recommended to reinstall Windows from scratch as it will boost your battery life from 2 hours to up to 5-7 hours compared with the factory Windows.
Youtube tutorial to change to AHCIMounting bracket, screws, and heatsink for secondary SSD: Thanks @PediatricLemon
https://www.amazon.com.au/gp/product/B07RRNC5WD/ref=ppx_od_d…To measure heat and wattage, use HWiNFO64 and RivaTuner server: Thanks @kml22
Tutorial measure tempTo check the hardware inside, you can use CPU-Z:
CPU-ZUndervolting GPU guide for the Dell G7 17 7700: Thanks @Dipaty!
For some reason Dell has set in the BIOS of the GPU to automatically overclock up to 1900mhz when gaming (despite the GPU being rated at 1450mhz). However, when it does this it pulls obscene voltages through it, causing a lot of unnecessary heat with little to no real performance gain.
The solution? Limit the voltage that can be pulled through the GPU and thus, the maximum clock that it can push up to.
Open MSI Afterburner.
Press Ctrl + F to open the Volatge Frequency curvegraphic.
3.1. To limit the maximum GPU voltage to 0.8 and maximum clock to 1560mhz double click in the point and a yellow dotted line should appear like this:
https://imgur.com/a/Mu0ncSx
3.2. Select the point in the intersection of 1560 and 800 and click Ctrl + L, changing the curve to this shape:
https://imgur.com/L7xzHzf
A quick guide on how to use MSI Afterburner to limit the GPU voltage, view these video guides:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N2xABgzp_1w
https://youtu.be/rV0tWKLAprg
- Undervolting CPU guide for the Dell G7 17 7700: Thanks again @Dipaty!
Thanks to reddit users VanGoghComplex and Snoozehead for finding the intial fix and their thorough troubleshooting.
Initially, the laptop has undervolting disabled in the BIOS, but there is a way to unlock it…
PLEASE NOTE: I take no responsibility for any damage you may cause to your system, this is an "Advanced" process so proceed with caution.
If you're using BIOS version 1.2 (or earlier) you can skip Step 1 and use the values 0x3e for CFG Lock and 0xda for OC Lock.
If you're using a different BIOS version (or a different Dell laptop altogether) please follow from Step 1.
Step 1: Finding the correct values to change in the BIOS.
a) Download this Python script to extract the BIOS files from the dell bios exe file. https://github.com/platomav/BIOSUtilities/blob/master/Dell%2…
You will need to also install Python for this section to work: https://www.python.org/downloads/
b) Download UEFITool from this link to search in the BIOS files for the location of the values we need to find. https://github.com/LongSoft/UEFITool
c) Download the Dell BIOS file from the dell website that you currently have installed (if you're using an old bios version and would like to unlock undervolting then install that BIOS version first).
d) Download Universal IFR Extractor from this link to search for the names of the values we need to set to 0 in the BIOS to unlock the undervolt. http://bios-mods.com/pub/donovan6000/Software/Universal%20IF…
e) Place the Dell BIOS exe file in the same folder as the python script and then run the script. The script should open a command-prompt looking window, you'll need to type out the exact filepath to the DELL BIOS exe file. This will then create a new folder with the content files inside.
f) Launch UEFITool and then open (open image file) the first file that was extracted by the python script (in my case it's called "1 — 1 System BIOS with BiosGuard v1.2.0.bin").
g) Go to Action>Search and then go to the "Text" tab and type in "CFG Lock" (without the quotation marks). In the bottom section of the window it should find 1 result. Double-click the result to navigate to it (in my case it took me to a line that says "PE32 image section". Right click this line and press "Extract as is". Save the extracted file.
h) Launch Universal IFR Extractor and navigate to the file that you extract in "g)". This will save a text document with readable information. YAY! A document that we can actually read and isn't just code…
i) Open the file that was created in "h)"and search (CTRL+F) for "CFG Lock". This should take you to a line that will look something like this: "0x74FAC Setting: CFG Lock, Variable: 0x3E {0..". The section we are looking for is what it says after Variable: (in this case 0x3E).
This is your CFG Lock code. This is the name of the section that we need to set to 0 in your BIOS. A few lines under this section you should see a section that looks something like this: "0x74FCD Setting: Overclocking Lock, Variable: 0xDA {0.." This is the code for your OC Lock (in this case 0xDA).
Now that we've got our CFG Lock and OC Lock codes we can proceed to Step 2…
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Step 2: Changing the values of your CFG Lock and OC Lock in your BIOS.
a)Format a spare USB drive to FAT32 on a GUID partition map.
If you're unsure whether your drive is GUID or not, go to Disk Manager in windows, right click the USB drive and go to Properties>Volumes and it'll say it next to partition style.
If you're unsure of how to change to a GUID partition map, please follow these instructions: https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/windows-server/storage/disk…
b) Make a folder in the root of the USB (the main folder of the USB) called EFI.
c) Make a folder in EFI called BOOT.
d) Download this file (the one called grubx64.efi) and place it in the BOOT folder. https://github.com/XDleader555/grub_setup_var/releases/tag/v…
e) Rename the file to bootx64.efi
f) Reboot to your BIOS (spam F2 on your keyboard when booting up the laptop).
g) Disable Secure Boot in your BIOS. Save/Apply Changes and Exit.
h) Spam F12 when booting to load the One Time Boot Menu and select your USB Drive from the list of options. This will boot into the USB.
i) Once it has loaded, type in the following command (be very sure you type it in correctly): setup_var CpuSetup 0x3e 0x0
PLEASE NOTE: If you did Step 1 of this guide, then replace "0x3e" with the code you got for your CFG Lock. Make sure to keep the 0x0 there though as this is the command that turns the lock off.
j) Type in the following command (be very sure you type it in correctly): setup_var CpuSetup 0xda 0x0
PLEASE NOTE: If you did Step 1 of this guide, then replace "0xda" with the code you got for your OC Lock. Make sure to keep the 0x0 there though as this is the command that turns the lock off.
NOTE: All of the 0 in the previous points are actual zeros (the number, not the letter).
k) Type in the following command: reboot
l) Spam F2 whilst booting to load back into your BIOS settings and re-enable Secure Boot. Save/Apply Changes and Exit.
PLEASE NOTE: Some people have reported that they need to also reset the BIOS back to Factory Settings (not default settings) to make the undervolt unlock, but I personally didn't need to.
CONGRATULATIONS! You've just unlocked undervolting on your laptop! Give yourself a pat on the back ;)
Now please feel free to pick your favourite undervolting program (Throttlestop or Intel XTU), I personally used Throttlestop.
Here's a guide for Throttlestop: https://www.ultrabookreview.com/31385-the-throttlestop-guide…
Here's a guide for Intel XTU: https://www.notebookcheck.net/Intel-Extreme-Tuning-Utility-X…
Please remember to test your undervolts for stability using your favourite CPU intentive benchmarking software. I personally used Cinebench R20 and the built in tests of Throttlestop.
I personally have an undervolt of -100mv going right now, but I'm still in the testing stage.
You WILL have different results to me as this all relies on the good ol' silicone lottery - some people will be lucky and get laptops that can achieve a significant undervolt, and unfortunately some wont.
Good Luck!
PS: our eternal thanks to @kml22 for his efforts to clarify the 2070 Max P and all the info provided.
Have you all had RAM upgraded to 32GB? I think that is the max. What is the best RAM to buy for this?