Alienware Area51-M XMP Settings Locked Out Due to Different Mobos

Hi,

I've been on the phone/emailing Dell Support regarding why the XMP settings are missing from the BIOS and how to enable it. It has sent me down a rabbit hole with a potential answer/truth that we will NEVER be able to have XMP profiles unless you purchased the faster ram directly from Dell during your initial purchase.

1. They advertise on the product page that XMP is enable for up to 64GB Ram at 2800Mhz: https://www.dell.com/en-us/shop/cty/pdp/spd/alienware-17-area51m-laptop

2. The service manual states that XMP settings for 64GB do not exist: https://www.dell.com/support/manual...7064b8-2eb4-49ec-88a8-43b102e42417&lang=en-us

Their website clearly indicates their product is able to utalize XMP ram and the service manual even states: "NOTE: : The computer is shipped with these default configurations. You can also configure the memory according to the supported memory per slot."

So when I pressed Dell Tech Support regarding this issue, they stated the following: Depending on the Area-51M you ordered, it will come with a different motherboard with the memory frequency locked from the factory. That is why we cannot change the frequency of the RAM. They literally lock it in BIOS and ship with different motherboards depending on your initial purchase. I am escalating this higher up to get a solution that doesn't involve a refund but it's pretty disappointing that they are clearly lying about the PC's performance. Has anyone experienced this or found a workaround?

 

I thought initially the Ram will run on certain speed depending the ram modules.

I doubt that dell have different motherboards for different ram frequency.

 

I've spoken to several techs who have told me they flash the BIOS with ram speeds directly from the factory. Even though they state that a user can do it, there's literally no XMP setting inside the BIOS during bootup. I was able to swap my i7 9700 with i9 9900K no problem, but when I installed XMP certified RAM, they still run at the default setting. They won't produce official documentation stating you're locked out but they did state this: Dell will provide support to the computer's BIOS as it is released. BIOS configurations is set at Dell's discretion. Modifications to the BIOS is not supported.

 

What happens when a new BIOS is released will the faster RAM speeds disappear?

 

They already released a new BIOS and apparently it just sees whether or not you have Dell OEM ram from ADATA then it automatically changes the ram frequency. But it's 100% locked out to the user.

 

In theory the 8GB I got from them back in September should run at 2666mhz?

 

Here is what they are telling me: https://imgur.com/a/ZOsHzO5

 

Hi, i'm on the latest Area 51m 1.9.3 BIOS firmware and the release notes state:

*Enhancements:
- Supports ADATA XMP modules.

Does this have anything to do with what your referring to??

https://www.dell.com/support/home/u...wt64a&productcode=alienware-17-area51m-laptop

 

Theory and practice is two different things

 

That's literally their own ram modules they already install in people who have upgraded their laptops from factory. IE: Doesn't do you any good as the people who would be able to take advantage of it already have the XMP enabled. I guess now you can buy Dell's upgrade kits and DIY but they're overpriced.