topic Re: Upgrading GPU on MD7712 (Akoya P5704D) in Desktop PC / All-In-One

Upgrading GPU on MD7712 (Akoya P5704D)

johninstalbans — Fri, 30 Aug 2019 23:08:17 GMT

I have the above 2011 very well-specc'ed desktop which is working perfectly. However, I have just upgraded my monitor to a 32" QHD which needs a resolution of 2560 x 1440 - which sadly the GPU in my PC (AMD Radeon HD6750) cannot offer.

So I want to upgrade it with one which can, but I'd like advice on which of the many options I should choose (I am NOT a gamer, but do watch streamed HDTV alongside regular computing activity.

It has been suggested that a Palit NVIDIA GeForce GT 1030 2GB card would fit the bill (at around £75), but I'm worried about switching from Radeon to NVIDIA. Also, although HDMI is available, would it be preferable to look for DisplayPort connections (which the monitor supports)? Any views on the suitability of this? One review seems to suggest that it performs LESS well than the one I have (and that 2560 x 1440 is unplayable)!

Thanks for your help.

Re: Upgrading GPU on MD7712 (Akoya P5704D)

Fishtown — Sat, 31 Aug 2019 05:31:35 GMT

Hi @johninstalbans and welcome

Helps you that first: https://community.medion.com/t5/Desktop-PC-All-In-One/Akoya-P-5320-E-Smart-TV-MD-30914/m-p/80010?search-action-id=58372466934&search-result-uid=80010

HDMI / 1920x1080 / image-sharpness = 0

Bye Fishtown

Re: Upgrading GPU on MD7712 (Akoya P5704D)

johninstalbans — Sat, 31 Aug 2019 13:57:41 GMT

@Fishtown

I don't understand how this link helps me at all!

Re: Upgrading GPU on MD7712 (Akoya P5704D)

Fishtown — Sat, 31 Aug 2019 18:41:18 GMT

Hi @johninstalbans

I am sorry, I probably misunderstood that. I understood that you are looking for a good setting to connect the monitor to the old card.

Bye Fishtown

Re: Upgrading GPU on MD7712 (Akoya P5704D)

TPFLegionaire — Mon, 02 Sep 2019 07:40:23 GMT

Hi,

@johninstalbans , I can't recommend a particular card or brand just yet but to make sure that your needs are covered, I would want to know the following:
-print or link to the full specs of your monitor.
-which streaming service are you using and can you link to the specs they recomend for streaming at this particular setting?

Once I know this I should be able to direct you to some suitable offerings , ultimately you will need to double check with your manufacturer of choice that it fits the bill.

Re: Upgrading GPU on MD7712 (Akoya P5704D)

johninstalbans — Mon, 02 Sep 2019 22:12:41 GMT

Many thanks for your offer of help, but I have now satisfied myself that one I have ordered (for about £50) will do the job.

If it doesn't, I'll get back on your questions.

John

Re: Upgrading GPU on MD7712 (Akoya P5704D)

TPFLegionaire — Tue, 10 Sep 2019 10:17:00 GMT

Hi @johninstalbans

Glad to hear you have a solution, do not hesitate to come back and let us know if you need further help or advice. Have a great week.

Re: Upgrading GPU on MD7712 (Akoya P5704D)

johninstalbans — Mon, 23 Sep 2019 22:43:20 GMT

Following the above (as I reported on another thread), I unsuccessfully attempted to install a new RX 460 graphics card in place of my Radeon HD 6750; it doesn't have a 6-pin connector, so MAY be trying to draw too much power (although it's said to be max 75w) from the PCI-E Gen.2 slot.

So I returned it and bought another (also returnable!), which DID have a 6-pin connector: a used Radeon R7 260X - but with the same result. Just a small on-screen message saying 'No video source identified', while the card's fan began to spin - using either HDMI or DP connection. This card is said to require 115w, so should have been comfortably covered (75+75=150).

I'm about to return that one and next perhaps try a used Radeon RX 550, which amazingly only seems to need 50w (but doesn't have a 6-pin connector).

Turning to your questions:

I would sooner not have to change my PSU as I have only recently replaced it, after the fan sounded as though it was about to fail!

My new monitor is specified here: https://www.benq.com/en/monitor/designer/pd2700q/specifications.html

As to the streaming service requirements, it is just BBC iPlayer in HD form (I can't find any details).

But really ALL I want is a card which will comfortably output 2560 x 1440 to a 32 inch screen (with NO gaming requirement).

If the problem is NOT inadequate power supply to the cards, could it be the 8-year old BIOS - AMI v4.6.4 (04/03/2011) [the BIOS itself calls it EM0304 03/04/2011)]? Through another post on this forum, I've found what is said to be the only version available (M1_0619.ROM) - although there seems some uncertainty as to whether this is actually for my ECS H67H2-EM v1.0, rather than other suffixes. Unfortunately this particular (EM) mobo version very rarely appears in web-searches (even on ECS's site), presumably as it is unique to Medion, and intelligent BIOS tools (such as ECS's own) do not work with it. Medion itself doesn't seem to offer anything. Having read so many warnings about the serious consequences of wrongly updating BIOS settings, I am VERY cautious about attempting it (for the first time) unless it is absolutely necessary.

I hope this information (along with my thoughts) is sufficient to lead you to be able to confidently advise on GPU compatibility ASAP. [Unfortunately even the useful-looking on-line compatibility-checkers that I've recently discovered aren't of any help - again because of the unique Medion mobo spec!]

Thanks for your input.

Re: Upgrading GPU on MD7712 (Akoya P5704D)

johninstalbans — Mon, 23 Sep 2019 22:56:32 GMT

Sorry, the Monitor spec was for the wrong size! It should be: https://www.benq.com/en/monitor/designer/pd3200q/specifications.html

Re: Upgrading GPU on MD7712 (Akoya P5704D)

Bodgekin — Tue, 24 Sep 2019 07:47:58 GMT

Hi @johninstalbans ,

I think it might not be a power problem or your BIOS version, but rather the type of BIOS that causes the problem. Most - if not all modern cards require an UEFI BIOS to work, while your system (considering the BIOS version is 8 years old) will most likely still have a legacy BIOS.

Generally speaking, if your system originally came with Windows 7, it will probably have such a legacy BIOS, if it came with Windows 8 or higher, it wil likely be a UEFI BIOS.

If you indeed have a legacy BIOS, I'm afraid there is no easy solution for it without replacing a lot of parts :(.

Re: Upgrading GPU on MD7712 (Akoya P5704D)

TPFLegionaire — Tue, 24 Sep 2019 08:00:28 GMT

Hi

Following on from the excelent insight by @Bodgekin there are a range of threads on various technical forums

That give some insights as to the issue.

As for the solution? it seem to be centre on how old (as when it whas manufactured) the graphic card is and wether or not it works with a legacy BIOS . Some other issues have been mentioned as well as possibilities such as the PCI express slot not necessarly drawing 75w ....

I hope this steers you in the correct direction for your search. Let me know if there is anything else we can do to help.

Re: Upgrading GPU on MD7712 (Akoya P5704D)

johninstalbans — Tue, 24 Sep 2019 12:16:28 GMT

Well, that's very interesting - I hadn't expected a problem of that nature! Thanks @Bodgekin.

My Windows version WAS originally 7 (64-bit) - now 10 Home (64-bit - fully updated) - and System Information DOES say "BIOS Mode: Legacy".

So, it would seem that I have to find an old GPU card which DOES work with Legacy BIOS, yet can still produce 2560 x 1440 on a 32" screen. Does anyone know of one?

I'll follow up on the technical discussions (thank you @TPFLegionaire) later - they may suggest something.

I can't believe how difficult this has been!

Re: Upgrading GPU on MD7712 (Akoya P5704D)

Phantom — Tue, 24 Sep 2019 13:33:28 GMT

Hello john, if you could provide me a working link to the original BIOS I can update the microcode to make it work with newer GPUs. I already made dozens of BIOS modifications based on the original BIOS for various motherboards and I had a similar problem with a X79 board that wouldn't recognize modern GPUs but work with legacy ones.

The link to the BIOS for the H61 posted here isn't working for me, would you be able to upload it elsewhere? Then I could help.

Re: Upgrading GPU on MD7712 (Akoya P5704D)

johninstalbans — Tue, 24 Sep 2019 17:48:50 GMT

Hi @Phantom

Thank you for your interest - and you offer a great solution, if it is guaranteed to work!!

The link to the latest BIOS (which comes from another thread on this forum) is:

http://cdn.medion.com/downloads/treiber/bioh67h2dos.exe

However, I'd like someone to check whether this REALLY is the right one for: ECS H67H2-EMv1.0 (an earlier post linked to the wrong one!).

Good luck, and I look forward to hearing from you.

Re: Upgrading GPU on MD7712 (Akoya P5704D)

Phantom — Tue, 24 Sep 2019 20:19:41 GMT

So here's the link to the updated custom BIOS, install would be same as the regular one:

H67H2-EM Custom BIOS

Here's also two comparison shots to show you that the microcode has been updated indeed, as a nice side effect it also includes Intel's latest security code patches for this platform.

Old Microcode

New Microcode

I've modified a few BIOS files for my older 4th gen and X79 Medion motherboards and they worked flawlessly, keep in mind though that if you're willing to test this, you're doing it at your own risk.

Re: Upgrading GPU on MD7712 (Akoya P5704D)

johninstalbans — Tue, 24 Sep 2019 21:47:18 GMT

Well done @Phantom - that was certainly quick!

Were you able to confirm that the update I sent WAS the correct one for my board?

The two photos you included didn't work, I'm afraid - could you try again somehow?

Was your use of MEGA (which I haven't come across) to send the file relevant - or do I just download it as normal?

Do you have any tips about the best way of installing the BIOS update for my board - I've never done it and have read of many variations in doing so; I'm also VERY nervous about the risks!

Re: Upgrading GPU on MD7712 (Akoya P5704D)

Phantom — Tue, 24 Sep 2019 21:56:26 GMT

Yes, I confirmed with the editing tools that the BIOS is indeed for the H67H2-EM, I also did research on wether different revisions of that particular board exist, which is not the case.

If you are interested, I will send you the photos in a private message and explain what can be seen.

The MEGA link is for the file to download from there, I host all my work there for the public to download if needed.

The install process itself is quite simple, unpack the .zip archive somewhere on your computer, run the AFU.BAT file and after it's finished reboot the system. Make sure to have a stable power connection and make sure no other programs are running meanwhile that may crash your computer. Other than that it's a pretty safe process, I personally never bricked any mainboard of various manufacturers through an update. Just note that the BIOS settings will be reset to default configuration once it's updated, so make sure to note down and re-apply any changes that you may have made over time.

Re: Upgrading GPU on MD7712 (Akoya P5704D)

johninstalbans — Tue, 24 Sep 2019 22:45:21 GMT

Thanks a lot. Yes, please send me the pictures and explanations privately; do you need my email address?.

So the simpe install process you describe does NOT require a bootable thumbdrive, as seems to be recommended elsewhere? Why is that?

Does the result of this update mean that my BIOS will be UEFI?

I'll sleep on this before attempting it!!

Re: Upgrading GPU on MD7712 (Akoya P5704D)

Phantom — Tue, 24 Sep 2019 22:54:42 GMT

I will sent them via private message here on the forum in a few hours, I need to get some sleep now, it's midnight here already.

It does not require a bootable thumb drive, as Medion has opted to write the Bios in a way that it is updateable through the desktop only. Different manufacturers opt for different methods, nowadays for modern boards the standard is that you can just put the bios file on any thumb drive and update right from the bios menu, though some OEMs still opt for less user-friendly methods.

UEFI support won't be added though, this would require writing a completely new bios from scratch, for which I don't have the required tools.

Re: Upgrading GPU on MD7712 (Akoya P5704D)

johninstalbans — Wed, 25 Sep 2019 13:57:21 GMT

@Phantom

The pictures have now appeared in your original message - but I have no idea what they show!

Presumably your private message will appear when I check this forum - and I'll get an email motification???