Lenovo M700/M900 BIOS mod to Coffee Lake CPUs

[fajeczek00]

Could some people please try their QTJ0/QTJ1 igpu's under Linux ?
Preferably Ubuntu 24.04 , trying from USB stick without installing for 15 minutes should be enough to see if it's stable or crashes
I would love to see if all of them are like that or is that just a few bad units

 

[D86592]

Hello, I have been watching this forum for a bit, I have an M910q, curious what I would need to do in order to get support for a Xeon E-2176M, seen people using them but cannot find a decent guide! I can solder and such I just would prefer not to brick the board, does it need programming or something of that nature? I found CoffeeTime 0.99 online, what settings will I need with the bios? I run Proxmox on this as a server, should I just use something like this instead of trying to do all these modifications?
Thanks!

 

[flywithpeace]

Could some people please try their QTJ0/QTJ1 igpu's under Linux ?
Preferably Ubuntu 24.04 , trying from USB stick without installing for 15 minutes should be enough to see if it's stable or crashes
I would love to see if all of them are like that or is that just a few bad units

I tested my setup booting Ubuntu 24.04 from USB. As soon it reaches gnome screen goes blank and USB activity stops. I don't know what's causing this since I was able to run Truenas and transcode without issues in the past.

 

[D86592]

Hello, I have been watching this forum for a bit, I have an M910q, curious what I would need to do in order to get support for a Xeon E-2176M, seen people using them but cannot find a decent guide! I can solder and such I just would prefer not to brick the board, does it need programming or something of that nature? I found CoffeeTime 0.99 online, what settings will I need with the bios? I run Proxmox on this as a server, should I just use something like this instead of trying to do all these modifications?
Thanks!

nevermind, reread the thread, will try CoffeeTime then move to CoreBoot as needed

 

[fajeczek00]

I tested my setup booting Ubuntu 24.04 from USB. As soon it reaches gnome screen goes blank and USB activity stops. I don't know what's causing this since I was able to run Truenas and transcode without issues in the past.

I tried running Ubuntu headless by turning off igpu in PCH settings and just connecting to ssh , igpu was gone from lspci , but the system still crashed so I guess it might be not graphics related after all ?
All things that stabilized the system at the same time did make it not idle as low so I guess it's idle power related and not igpu.
I guess there is still more research to be done

 

[fajeczek00]

Another update about the QTJ1, is the integrated GPU compatibly with Linux.

The integrated GPU is a Intel UHD Graphics 630, and for some reason the only way I can boot on Linux is by disabling the GPU drivers by adding the parameter `nomodeset` to GRUB's `GRUB_CMDLINE_LINUX_DEFAULT`, which basically makes the computer run with a very very basic GPU.

It's fine for me since I'm planning to use that CPU for a Proxmox server, so I don't really need the GPU drivers, but I guess it might be a blocker for some people.

I tried to find compatible drivers or workaround, but the `nomodeset` approach was the only thing that I could find.

Could you please in proxmox use powertop --auto-tune , leave it for 5 minutes and then take a screenshot from powertop idle stats tab ?

 

[fajeczek00]

I tested my setup booting Ubuntu 24.04 from USB. As soon it reaches gnome screen goes blank and USB activity stops. I don't know what's causing this since I was able to run Truenas and transcode without issues in the past.

which version of Truenas , Core (BSD based) or Scale (Linux based) ?

 

[fajeczek00]

I guess i overlooked the simplest solution as i focused on igpu symptoms , the issue is C8 sleep state , setting bios to C7 max the system behaves as expected , no weird glitches so far , but i will continue to test it for stability.

My unit from quick measure headless with powertop --auto-tune idles around 6W now with C7

 

[n1ftY]

Hola, tengo un Lenovo M700 Tiny. Compre un procesador modificado de Aliexpress un "QTJ2". La BIOS del vendedor no me ha funcionado. He probado varias de este hilo. Cuando conecto el equipo se enciende automáticamente pero no hay señal de video y eso es todo. no se que mas probar. alguno tiene una bios que me pueda funcionar?. Gracias

 

[coalf]

I am sharing my latest compile of Coreboot with the following fixes:

- PCIe/wifi slot fix
- VBT updated to support all video outputs
- BIOS IS TESTED ONLY ON LENOVO M700/tiny.

M700tiny-coreboot.zip

drive.google.com

It boots into an ed2k payload ( UEFI only).

As usual, USE AT YOUR OWN RISK - CONSIDER IT EXPERIMENTAL - BACKUP YOUR BIOS FIRST

you can duplicate the bios?
file not found on google disk

 

[Th0mas51]

Could you please in proxmox use powertop --auto-tune , leave it for 5 minutes and then take a screenshot from powertop idle stats tab ?

I have temporarily given up on the QTJ1, as the fan is struggling to be able to keep the temp low and therefore it's way too noisy.

I have ordered the heat-sink+fan of a M910x, which should allow better cooling. I will give that a try when I receive it.

 

[D86592]

just finished my bios flash to allow my M910q to use the Xeon 2176-M, great thermals and can use more RAM! also the secret menus are very helpful, as it basically lets you set whatever you want, including power limits and such. This thing is a BEAST on proxmox as well!

 

[Lipix666]

Hi, I've managed to compile Coreboot for the M900 with Coffee Lake support, even for 6 and more core CPUs. I have described the entire process and provided a download link in my article.

Lenovo M900/M700 Coreboot and Coffee Lake mod - LINUX NEST

Unlock Coffee Lake CPUs on Lenovo M900/M700: Complete guide to replacing BIOS with Coreboot for unsupported 9th gen Intel processors.

www.linuxnest.com

Hope this help someone

 

[coalf]

Hi, I've managed to compile Coreboot for the M900 with Coffee Lake support, even for 6 and more core CPUs. I have described the entire process and provided a download link in my article.

Lenovo M900/M700 Coreboot and Coffee Lake mod - LINUX NEST

Unlock Coffee Lake CPUs on Lenovo M900/M700: Complete guide to replacing BIOS with Coreboot for unsupported 9th gen Intel processors.

www.linuxnest.com

Hope this help someone

Dear friend, thank you so much. I have an M700 and thought I wouldn't be able to run qqlt.