IPISB-CU (Carmel2) Is compatible with new GPUs

[JustinMichaels]

I've seen this A LOT, and many people think it's impossible to get a newer GPU installed due to the old BIOS (7.12) or older.  As long as the card fits, has PCIE 16, and your PSU can power it, most likely it will work.  

This motherboard supports nearly any GPU from a firmware/hardwire and size perspective even a brand new 2022 May released 6650XT which is a 2.5 slot with 3 fans...though you will have to remove the upper ram plastic bracket hinges.  As you know, the problem is the UEFI version is very early and needs an update, so it's not compatible with any cards that don't offer legacy support. None of the BIOS versions make this fix. It looks like the RX 5xx series is the last known from AMD that offers this support, with one known exception--RX 5xx Sapphire cards don't work...without this fix anyway.

Here's the fix:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qT9bb_0Fwbo
With this fix you need to enable integrated video, then set integrated video as primary. This in particular is quite annoying with HP, as they have blocked out the video ports in the back. They also state on the product support page that integrated video is "unavailable" with a discrete GPU, though I guess technically they're not wrong. Another strange thing is they use DVI rather than VGA. After taking off the plastic "blockers" then connecting a monitor to the integrated video and booting up the PC with new GPU, you can download the drivers and all of that to get it to run. After a reboot, everything works.

[NonSequitur777]

@JustinMichaels,

Welcome to our HP User Forum!

This UEFI bypass/work around is very helpful information, thank you for posting it!

Kind Regards,

NonSequitur777

[Prométhée · Accepted solution]

hi

thx @JustinMichaels 

indeed,  already shared here for some time now

https://h30434.www3.hp.com/t5/Desktop-Hardware-and-Upgrade-Questions/HP-H8-1020-Compatible-GPU-s/m-p...

https://h30434.www3.hp.com/t5/Desktop-Hardware-and-Upgrade-Questions/Installing-MSI-GT-710-graphics-...

[NonSequitur777]

@Prométhée,

Absolument: to give praise where praise is due: thank you Prométhée, for referencing this link!

Kind Regards,

NonSequitur777

[JustinMichaels]

I'm glad this was posted before; however, there are many posts where experts with thousands of solutions and tags like "HP expert" and many awards propose a "solution" that in fact isn't a solution at all and is actually WRONG information.

Due to the age, these have been locked so they cannot be updated with the correct information.  The problem with this is people will do a Google search trying to solve a problem, see these "solutions" from what look to be reliable experts, and think they either need a new motherboard or computer.

Here are just a few examples:

https://h30434.www3.hp.com/t5/Desktop-Hardware-and-Upgrade-Questions/bios-freezes-on-Hp-IPISB-CH2-wi...

(This "expert" doesn't even get the PCIE backwards compatibility correct, flat out wrong on everything he writes.)

https://h30434.www3.hp.com/t5/Desktop-Video-Display-and-Touch/List-of-compatible-graphics-cards-for-...

https://h30434.www3.hp.com/t5/Desktop-Hardware-and-Upgrade-Questions/Graphic-card-compatibility-with...
(Wrong, most GPUs do have legacy BIOS, but as this motherboard is an early UEFI implementation, the GPU  attempts to use UEFI BIOS and it will not work...without the fix anyway.)

https://h30434.www3.hp.com/t5/Desktops-Archive-Read-Only/Official-list-of-supported-graphics-cards-f...

I'm thankful I found the video on YouTube, it's not even for my motherboard, I have a IPISB-CH2 (Chicago) and it still works.  It really is shocking to see on the internet how much wrong information there is out there, from experts, that then keeps getting circulated and believed as absolute truth.  Many MANY people have unnecessarily replaced their mobo due to this, or have purchased an old, obsolete, bad GPU when they could have bought a nice new one. 

[nfsmaniac]

Alternative solution which is permanent and doesn't require any messing with iGPU priority is to fix the system image: https://archive.org/details/gpu-fix-for-hp-ipisb-ch2-modified-bios-image
But unlike the workaround present, it might bring potential risks. On the other hand, it's definitive and should survive everything, including taking out a CMOS battery, which is something, I doubt the bypass can survive.

Tested on 2AB5 / IPISB-CH2 (Chicago).
Experimental (currently untested) modified BIOS image for 2AC2 / IPISB-CU (Caramel2) is available.

[Prométhée]

hey
indeed, there are many sites that offer modified bios, it even seems to me that some can be done on demand!
But , it is better to try the less risky solutions !
Already that we can have problems with that of origins ..
but well found @nfsmaniac 

[nfsmaniac]

It's legitimate concern, but in case anyone has concerns about the source of modified image, everyone is free to make his own.
All you need is official AMIBCP 4.53 tool from American Megatrends (while you can say, the tool is not intended for public usage) and original BIOS image extracted from sp*.exe package from Hewlett-Packard support site.

The fix is as easy as changing ONE default value inside hidden BIOS configuration, which is "(0569) PCI ROM Priority".

I believe HP engineers were very well aware of the issue, and yet, they enforced to always load EFI ROM.
In comparison, Asus motherboards of the same era with H67/H61 chipset and also based on AMI UEFI, do have set priority for Legacy ROM, and so, there was never such a problem with modern GPUs.

I lack proper knowledge here, but interestingly enough, even after setting priority to Legacy ROM, UEFI GOP seems to be supported on IPISB-CH2. Is it just because the BIOS image lacks GOP drivers for nVidia/AMD, and so the motherboard fails to send image to GPU? So the UEFI Graphics Output fails within the Pre-Boot environment, which is the System Firmware, but, later the operating system can properly initialize the UEFI ROM of the GPU?

I dump here About screen of rEFInd boot manager (IPISB-CH2 + GTX 1650 S):
rEFInd version: 0.13.2

Running on:
Firmware: American Megatrends 4.64

EFI Revision 2.10
Platform: x86_64 (64 bit); Secure Boot inactive

Screen output: Graphics Output (UEFI), 800x600

What I want to point is, that it does not show GOP's predecessor UGA (Universal Graphics Adapter) or Legacy or anything else, but straight GOP protocol as the latest stuff.
Is there anyone who can clarify this?