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BC-250 - BIOS and Bazzite Setup | |
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Installing the Custom BIOS (Keyboard Required) | |
| 1. | With the system off, insert the USB flash drive containing the custom BIOS and then turn the power switch ON. If there's already an operating system on the SSD, use the Delete key to enter the BIOS, navigate to the "Save & Exit" menu and select the USB flash drive under "Boot Override", then press Enter. |
| 2. | You should see a screen with a bunch of yellow, white and gray text, with a yellow Shell> prompt at the bottom. Find the ID of your USB flash drive (typically something like "blk#: Removable HardDisk") (For these instructions, we'll assume it's "blk1", so substitute your drive # if it's different.) Type blk1: and press Enter (the prompt should change to blk1:\>) Type dir and press Enter You should see the list of files on your USB flash drive, including AfuEfix64.efi and bc250-Steam.rom. If you don't see these files, try a different drive # (such as blk2:) until you locate them. |
| 3. | Next, we're going to create a backup of the current BIOS. Type AfuEfix64.efi bc250-backup.rom /O and press Enter (Note that it's the letter "O" and not the number "0".) You should see messages stating that it was "Saving current BIOS into file: bc250-backup.rom", followed by "Process completed." once it finishes. Type dir followed by Enter to confirm that the bc250-backup.rom file was added to the USB flash drive. |
| 4. | In this step, we're going to write the custom BIOS to BC-250. Type AfuEfix64.efi bc250-Steam.rom /N /P and press Enter You should see several messages and progress bars, eventually followed by "Process completed." once it finishes. WARNING! It this step is interrupted while writing the new BIOS (such as from a power outage) the system may become unusable, so perform at your own risk. (Note that the board should still be recoverable, but you'll probably need to purchase a clip-on BIOS chip programmer tool, which is beyond the scope of this guide.) |
| 5. | Turn off the system, remove the USB flash drive, then turn the system back on and use the Delete key to enter the BIOS. |
| 6. | Follow these steps to update the CPU/GPU RAM allocation: Select the new NBIO Common Options menu at the top of the screen. Select the GFX Configuration item and press Enter. Change the Integrated Graphics Controller value to [Forces]. Change the UMA Mode value to [UMA_SPECIFIED]. Change the UMA Frame buffer Size value to [512M]. Press the F10 key and then Enter to "Save and Exit". Once the system restarts, turn it off again. | If you're wondering why we did all of that, the simple answer is because it will allow the system to perform better. The BC-250 has 16GB of memory which is shared between the CPU and GPU. But by default, the allocation amounts are locked, which means that it's inefficient, since sometimes the CPU needs more memory, and sometimes the GPU does. This custom BIOS allows the allocation to be dynamic, plus we get a nice Steam logo on our splash screen. If you want to take a deeper dive, I recommend checking out the Old Lamer BC-250 BIOS Video, which is where the custom BIOS and several of these instructions and recommendations came from (minus the typos). |
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Installing Bazzite (Mouse Recommended) | |
| 1. | With the system off, insert the USB flash drive containing Bazzite and then turn the power switch ON. (You should be greeted by the Bazzite installation menu. If not, you may need to use the "Boot Override" option from the BIOS.) |
| 2. | Detailed installation instructions for Bazzite are beyond the scope of this guide. Simply select any required options, such as Language or Installation Drive, then click through any prompts and wait until the installation completes. (Note that it might look like it's stuck and not doing anything for awhile at around the 25-30% mark on the progress bar, but it should eventually finish.) |
| 3. | Once installation completes, remove the USB flash drive and restart the machine. You should be greeted by Bazzite! |
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Installing a GPU Governor (Keyboard/Mouse) | These instructions are for the Oberon GPU Governor, which will allow the BC-250's GPU to dynamically change frequency (from 1000-2000MHz). By default, the GPU is clocked at a constant 1500MHz, which is very inefficient, using more power than necessary while idling, yet also performing below the hardware's potential in more demanding titles. From the Steam menu, select Power and then Switch to Desktop. Once in Desktop mode, click on the Terminal icon in the task bar. At the prompt, either type or copy/paste the following command: (also available here)
When prompted for a password, enter bazzite (assuming you haven't changed it). Once it completes, select the Restart the device. For additional details, visit the GPU Governor Setup page of the AMD BC250 Documentation website. |
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Configuring Bazzite (Controller Recommended) | |
| 1. | From the Steam / Settings / System menu, you can Check for Updates. It's recommended to install updates whenever they're available. |
| 2. | From the Steam / Settings / Internet menu, you can configure Wi-Fi if you've attached a USB adapter. |
| 3. | From the Steam / Settings / Display menu, you can adjust the display settings. If you disable the Automatically Set Resolution option, you may need to manually select the Resolution. (For example, if it tries to default to 1080p on a 1440p display, you can force it to the higher resolution.) |
| 4. | From the Steam / Settings / Power menu, you can change the Sleep settings. By default, the system will automatically switch in to sleep mode and the only way to restore the pre-sleep state is to use the Power Button on the back of the BC-250. Using the Power Switch will cut the power completely, which may cause loss of data. It's recommended that if the Power Button is inaccessible, or you'd simply prefer not to use it, you can change the When plugged in, sleep after value to Disabled. |
| 5. | From the Steam / Settings / Audio menu, you can change Input and Output Devices, which you may want to use for peripherals such as USB Speakers, Headphones, etc., as opposed to the default which outputs audio using the DisplayPort connection to a sound-enabled display. |
| 6. | From the Steam / Settings / Bluetooth menu, you can configure Bluetooth devices, such as Game Controllers. Like Wi-Fi, this requires a USB adapter. |
| 7. | On the Quick Settings menu (accessed by pressing Home + A on a controller), there's a Performance menu that allows you to turn on a Performance Overlay, Disable the Frame Limit, and change some other helpful settings which can improve the gaming experience. |
| 8. | If you have any games on GOG, Epic or Amazon, I highly recommend installing the Heroic Games Launcher, which provides access to all of those libraries from one convenient application. From the Start Menu in Desktop Mode, select Bazaar Click on the Search button, type heroic and press Enter You should be able to click the Get button for Heroic Right-click on the Desktop shortcut and select Add to Steam, which will add it to the Steam menu so that you don't need to launch it from Desktop Mode | If you're familiar with the Steam Deck, you probably know a lot of this already, but I still think the information is helpful enough to list it here. There are plenty of YouTube videos which demonstrate how to install and run titles which normally wouldn't run on Linux. You can install many other Game Launchers, such as Battle.net, or play countless Retro Games using various Emulators (which are often Linux-friendly). Like the Steam Deck, there are a handful of titles which use incompatible anti-cheat software that won't allow them to run on Linux, but don't let that stop you from enjoying an incredible catalog of AAA and Indie titles, such as Cyberpunk 2077, Elden Ring and Clair Obscur: Expedition 33. The BC-250 can run those and more, so use your imagination. |