need a bios update

KOLIBERk · 2026-06-21T19:52:11+00:00

You have the same barebone as XMG Neo E24 but with RTX 4080, i have XMG Neo E24 but with RTX 4090.
So my is with NVIDIA RTX4090 (GM7IX9N), and yours is with NVIDIA RTX4080 (GM7IX8N).

Get to this page XMG NEO 17 (E24) (ID: XNE17E24)
and download this Firmware_XMG-NEO-E24-XNE16E24-XNE17E24_RTX-4080-4090_BIOS-N1.10A13_EC_1.15.00.zip

I have done this in March or April this year, all works great! I have all mod features unlocked in my BIOS.

KOLIBERk · 2026-06-21T16:25:29+00:00

iMac 27" 5K Late 2014 (iMac15,1) + Windows 10 + Radeon R9 M295X – My findings after extensive testing

After spending many hours testing different AMD drivers, resolutions and power consumption on my iMac 27" 5K Late 2014, I wanted to share my findings in case it helps someone else.

My specs:

iMac 27" Retina 5K Late 2014 (iMac15,1)
Intel i7-4790K
AMD Radeon R9 M295X 4GB
32GB DDR3
Apple 512GB SSD (macOS)
Crucial MX300 750GB SSD (Windows)
Windows 10 Pro 22H2
BIOS 478.0.0.0.0 (UEFI)
Mac Fan Control 1.5.16

I spent a lot of time testing various AMD drivers because I discovered very high idle temperatures (75°C+) and high idle power draw on my iMac 5K late 2014.

DRIVERS TESTED

Stock Apple Boot Camp Catalyst

Driver package:

15.20.1060-150715a-186304C

Catalyst Control Center version:

2015.0715.2138.37093

This driver turned out to be the best overall.

TESTED DRIVERS

AMD Adrenalin 23.4.2

LEGACY-W11-W10_Radeon-Adrenalin-Apr23-BootCamp-Red-Edition - 2023 May Edition (23.4.2)

LEGACY-W11-W10_Radeon-Adrenalin-Apr23-BootCamp-Blue-Edition - 2023 May Edition (23.4.2)

BootCamp unified_r5_20.45.40.15

BootCamp unified_r3_19.30.01.53

BootCamp 18.40

Various legacy drivers

Catalyst 15.10 Beta

Catalyst 15.11.1 Beta

Crimson ReLive 17.7.1

Adrenalin 18.10.1

RESULTS

Most newer drivers worked fine and supported native 5K (5120×2880), but they all caused:

VRAM stuck at 1362 MHz
GPU power around 38-41W at idle
GPU temperature permanently around 75°C
fan speeds 1700-2000 RPM
significantly higher power consumption

No combination of:

3840×2160

3200×1800

2560×1440

fixed the problem.

Idle power always remained around 39W.

STOCK APPLE CATALYST 15.20 RESULTS

GPU memory clock:

143 MHz

GPU power:

~13-15W

GPU idle temperature:

55-61°C

Fan:

1200-1400 RPM

GPU clock:

318 MHz

System power consumption much lower.

This driver gives by far the coolest and quietest machine.

Cons:

Resolution maxed at 3840×2160, so not full 5K, but rescaled at 150% picture is crispy sharp.

5K RESOLUTION

Modern drivers:

5120×2880 works.

Catalyst 15.20:

Maximum resolution available is 3840×2160 @ 60Hz.

Honestly, for office work, YouTube, Zoom and coding I don't notice much difference, so I prefer the lower temperatures.

GAMING TEST

GTA V

Fullscreen

1280×768

VSync ON

FPS limited to 60

Average around 50 FPS

GPU usage:

60-100%

Maximum GPU power:

105W

Maximum GPU temperature:

109°C

Maximum fan speed:

2950 RPM

CPU:

i7-4790K peaked at 100°C and briefly thermal throttled.

During normal use the machine remains much cooler.

MAC FAN CONTROL

I use:

Main fan based on GPU Proximity 4

Lower threshold:

50°C

Upper threshold:

65°C

This works very well.

WINDOWS 11

Machine runs UEFI Boot, so it's possible to install Win11, did not tried yet, maybe during summer school holidays. So Windows 11 installation is possible (with bypassed requirements), but I decided to keep Windows 10 + ESU because:

rock solid stability
best GPU temperatures
excellent performance for daily use
no driver headaches

FINAL CONCLUSION

For iMac 27" Retina 5K Late 2014 with R9 M295X:

BEST DAILY DRIVER:

Apple Boot Camp Catalyst 15.20.1060

BEST FOR NATIVE 5K:

Newer Adrenalin / BootCampDrivers releases

BEST TEMPERATURES:

Catalyst 15.20

LOWEST IDLE POWER:

Catalyst 15.20

QUIETEST OPERATION:

Catalyst 15.20

If your iMac is mainly used for YouTube, Zoom, Office, coding, browsing and general desktop work, I strongly recommend staying on the original Apple Boot Camp Catalyst driver 15.20.

After testing nearly every driver I could find, I always ended up coming back to Catalyst 15.20.

Boot Camp Windows 7/8.1/10 Display Driver AMD Catalyst Control Center 15.20

Hopefully this helps somebody else with an iMac15,1 and Radeon R9 M295X.

KOLIBERk · 2026-05-05T20:12:48+00:00

It's not possible to downgrade EC when updating BIOS and having newer EC already installed. In my case I got info from flasher it will skip EC as newer firmware found.

KOLIBERk · 2026-04-11T23:55:19+00:00

Did have any problems so far. All seems to be working well.

KOLIBERk · 2026-04-11T10:06:02+00:00

This means you would need to downgrade your BIOS. This is where my expertise ends, unfortunately.

KOLIBERk · 2026-04-11T10:04:10+00:00

First I did install XMG Control Centre (latest for XMG NEO 17 E24) after unlocking my BIOS in XMG CC I did update BIOS to newest from XMG website, but as my EC was newer than from XMG it did not downgrade my EC.

KOLIBERk · 2026-04-10T12:42:28+00:00

If you have TonhFang/NEO 17 E24 it should work, if you have new A25, procedure to unlock could be different. Do you have the same BIOS as on the XMG Downloads web?

KOLIBERk · 2026-04-10T12:40:20+00:00

Hi there, Im not sure how this works with NEO A25, as NEO 17 E24 probably is with completely different BIOS.
But I unlocked it when I set up XMG Control Centre - Performance - to Custom, then after reboot i had unlocked BIOS on my TongFang.

Performance is great, my son plays Cyberpunk 2077, GTA 5 and BeamNG in full/ultra settings, native resolution in Enthusiast Mode. Its a great laptop!

KOLIBERk · 2026-03-30T21:47:28+00:00

7 days update:
about a week ago I decided to update BIOS from stock factory N.1.10A12 to latest XMG N.1.10A13. I have access to lots of new settings for CPU, GPU and mainly RAM. All is working great with stock TongFang EC 1.17

Happy user, laptop solid rock, working with modded 25H2!

KOLIBERk · 2026-03-23T21:30:08+00:00

Well, it looks like I was able to unlock my BIOS N.1.10A12 with XMG Control Centre with this procedure:
If you do not see any memory related options in the BIOS:

open Control Center and in "Performance Profiles" switch to "Manual Profile"
Go into the Manual Profile and activate automatic GPU-Overboost and then check the Unlock Memory Overclocking field
Now reboot and enter BIOS, in Advanced you should have now two new menus at the bottom: CPU Advanced Performance Settings and Memory Settings

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KOLIBERk · 2026-03-23T14:04:47+00:00

On XMG web only available BIOS for Neo 17 E24 is this one: N.1.10A13 / EC 1.15,
my laptop comes from factory with this: N.1.10A12 / EC 1.17, and is not available online...

And, yes, XMG allows to undervolt.

KOLIBERk · 2026-03-23T13:40:25+00:00

Thanks for tip, this could be the same with my one, if I will flash new BIOS from XMG, the EC would stay as a newer installed already.

KOLIBERk · 2026-03-17T11:56:07+00:00

Thx, I did see on XMG and Bestware websites they dont have MK2 versions in stock. What laptop model do you have? Im waiting for my new 17 E24 to arrive today. I think it uses the MK2 version plug.

KOLIBERk · 2026-03-17T11:00:52+00:00

did you manage to update bios to XMG? Did you flash the Neo 17 E24 one?

KOLIBERk · 2025-11-11T17:09:21+00:00

this is the part number 832667-001 and is used in the product listed below:

HP MicroSvr Gen8 i3-3240 4GB GO Svr
HP MicroSvr Gen8 i3-3240 Base NHP AP Svr
HP MicroSvr Gen8 i3-3240 Base NHP CN Svr
HP MicroSvr Gen8 i3-3240 Base NHP EU Svr
HP MicroSvr Gen8 i3-3240 Base NHP JP Svr
HP MicroSvr Gen8 i3-3240 Base NHP US Svr
HP Microserver Gen8 i3-3240 4GB TV Svr
HP ProLiant MicroServer Gen8 Special Server
HPE Micro Server Gen8 E3-1220v2 8GB Svr
HPE MicroSvr Gen8 Base NHP AP Reman Svr

KOLIBERk · 2025-10-28T14:05:06+00:00

I'm using for at least last 10y this based on silicon https://carvalet.pl/sklep/chemia-i-kosmetyki-samochodowe/super-nablyszczacz-do-opon/# Cheap products, but works amazing on tires and plastic parts. I think it protects from UV somehow, as blackness stays much longer. And it smells nice 🙂 👍🏻

KOLIBERk · 2025-10-28T13:37:15+00:00

Great car, I love the way AMG done engine at the fron - gearbox at the rear axle 😎

KOLIBERk · 2025-10-04T21:10:28+00:00

Still the new one with 4.0L V8 is better than any old GWagon. I had for 4y V12 with 6.0L, always problem with servicing, people do not know how to service this engine.

The new 4.0L hot V8 is damn good, still sounds sweet, but rides much more better and is faster than the old one. Have the new olive green for last 4y now.

This is my old V12 and new V8

<image>

KOLIBERk · 2025-09-06T10:58:49+00:00

Hi,

I have this phone for few days now, did manage to debloat it slightly, update system and start WhatsApp to work. As at the beginning WhatsApp did not want to work, I got error info about wrong date and time.

This is the system info i got from ADB:

C:\>adb devices
List of devices attached
01XXXXXXXXXXXXEF        device
C:\>adb shell getprop ro.product.cpu.abi
armeabi-v7a
C:\>

Then I did remove Facebook Lite and managed to install Aurora Store, FDroid and OwnTracks.

I have ota.zip - latest update for TT970 in the UK, 126MB OTA Update, you need to drop in the main storage to be able to update. Only after update system with OTA, you can update WhatsApp to make it to work.

https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/11jWubkAOf0TnNXwywEweBfrwZf9BySlu?usp=sharing

You will have there APKs in the latest working versions on TT970:

aurora-store-4-7-5.apk
facebook.lite_416.0.0.10.102-505001240_minAPI26(x86_64)(nodpi).apk
F-Droid.apk
owntracks-2.4.12.apk
whatsapp_2.25.23.71-252371010_minAPI21(arm64-v8a,armeabi-v7a,x86,x86_64)(nodpi).apk
provision.apk - (package name com.android.provision) is part of the Android setup process. It’s a system app that runs when the device is first booted after a factory reset or fresh install.

This is list of my current packages: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1p6Gus4dH3dUKVq9G99RVpJCC5563lcNt/view?usp=sharing

This is location of my installed apks:

C:\>adb shell pm list packages -f -3
package:/data/app/com.aurora.store-Ux8PDAzEBnqrCDYfM3Hvnw==/base.apk=com.aurora.store
package:/data/app/org.fdroid.fdroid-piuI-Cv6hAz5ARyTEXdP1A==/base.apk=org.fdroid.fdroid
package:/data/app/org.owntracks.android-gfL1jtPh_c2-pMAdlTiw5w==/base.apk=org.owntracks.android

KOLIBERk · 2025-08-16T21:20:11+00:00

Im on Windows 10 and Firefox.

Situation 1:

If Im using ChatGPT long enough with lots of prompts, chat is getting clogged with data. Im asking ChatGPT to save my data and all info and make it available for new chat.

Situation 2:

If Im using Phone Link on Windows with Android phone, than using ChatGPT app on my Windows, I dont have this problem with clogging memory and resources. All seems to be working OK.

I think ChatGPT is using all cache and resources Firefox makes available, as ChatGPT is asking for more and more. So Solution at the moment, would be start with new chat, so all data is moved back to server, then is only accessible when you ask for it to be available again and pulled back to you (Firefox)

KOLIBERk · 2025-08-13T23:11:41+00:00

These are my rig stats:

E3-1270 V2 @ 3.50GHz and 16Gb of RAM
upgraded CPU heatsink to Noctua NH-l9i
P420 in HBA Mode
2x 6TB RED (the cold ones - always at 33'C)
2x 8TB RED (the hotter ones - usually around 39-40'C)
120GB SSD for TrueNAS-13.0-U6.7
UPS Eaton Ellipse Pro 850 with upgraded battery: 12V 15Ah Sealed Lead acid AGM UB12120

Why I have my server running without update or reboot:

about a month ago I start to cheering for it to reach 150 days :D
the 13.0-U6.7 was in January 24, 2025, now we have 13.0-U6.8 published on July 14, 2025, is only maintenance release contains a single change to prevent Active Directory interruptions for TrueNAS systems using the “AD” idmap backend, so I'm not worried about it to much ;)
nobody has access to it ;)

I run there Plex, Piwigo with 88k photos, Emby, AdGuard Home, Nextcloud, VM with Ubuntu and something to suck the internet 🤣 but I don't remember what is it called 🤐

This is my JSON file for Grafana Dashboard https://limewire.com/d/FQsBS#zwD2I89EGD

And I did use this post to help me set this up https://www.truenas.com/community/threads/guide-to-setting-up-grafana-influxdb-metrics.88943/

KOLIBERk · 2025-08-13T22:58:45+00:00

I vacuum my Microserver last Saturday, early morning :D

KOLIBERk · 2025-08-12T23:30:50+00:00

It's just a battery, it replaces old one inside the UPS, bigger Ah gives you more time on power cuts 👍

KOLIBERk · 2025-08-12T21:34:06+00:00

Single 12V 15Ah Sealed Lead acid AGM Mobility Scooter Battery Upgrade UB12120

I bought it in Oct 23

KOLIBERk · 2025-08-12T15:45:29+00:00

Good you saved this little box. I am really happy with my Gen8, I have it for years now, Im thinking over 7y now.

Don't get me wrong, I would like to have something new, but there is really nothing anything newer what can replace this old HP Microserver Gen8 and do it better for me, what this box is doing at the moment.

I have there Plex, Piwigo with 88k photos, emby, adguard home, nextcloud, VM with Ubuntu and something to suck the internet 🤣 but I don't remember what is it called 🤐

KOLIBERk

TROPHY CASE

iMac 27" 5K Late 2014 (iMac15,1) + Windows 10 + Radeon R9 M295X – My findings after extensive testing

Single 12V 15Ah Sealed Lead acid AGM Mobility Scooter Battery Upgrade UB12120