K53TA.. The best deal ever... could be!

I am going to be selling mine next week... Any clue what I should ask for it?

 

Does anybody know what options were modded in the bios to get the SATA 6gbps and 6520G to use 1GB of RAM in the modded bios K53TA関係アップãƒãƒ¼ãƒ€ãƒ¼ | K43TA.SATA6.6520G_1GB.zip ダウンãƒãƒ¼ãƒ‰ | uploader.jp from the japanese site, K53TA関係アップãƒãƒ¼ãƒ€ãƒ¼ | uploader.jp ?

I remember there were directions on how to turn on fixed mode by adjusting a value in the bios, but I don't recollect any mention on turning on SATA 6gbps or adjusting the RAM allowance for the on-board graphic chip.

P.S. I am currently running the linked modded bios, but wanted to know how it was done for future bios adjustments, if necessary.

P.P.S. What happened to the address?? I don't remember putting those characters in it.....

 

if you don't overclock, maybe.

 

Are you saving up for the new tech? Probably the last good time to sell it since new tech will be priced relatively high on release.
These are hard to find, so you never know how how much you can get. Maybe ask between $300 & $450. The lower you sell, the faster it will be sold. Depends on where & who you sell it to.

This thread will miss all owners of this laptop who are trading up. So let us all know what you finally get...then maybe we'll all move on to better notebooks with you.

 

These are the options changed-

Can't be sure they work though. You can use HWinfo64 to see if igp really uses 1gb.

1gb is pretty pointless because it is designed to use as much memory as needed. But setting it to 1gb eats an extra 512mb permanently.

and sata6 support would depend on motherboard.
You can test it out on ssd transferring large files, and see if you get speed increase in a benchmark tool.
or put in a sata 6 drive, and see if HWinfo64 says it's sata6.

try it, and report back your results

Looks like they have one with fixed mode too-
K43TA212.SATA6.6520G_1GB.PXfixed.zip

 

With all the hype of this system being a bargain gaming rig, I was hoping that I could get around 350 for mine (I maxed the ram too). I am actually not trading up per-say... I am just not as much of a gamer and found that my games run just fine on even discrete intel HD graphics. I heard that trinity stuff was not going to be too terribly expensive, but still factoring in the video card, etc... it can add up. I still think I can get close to what I paid for this asus. (Ebay they are going for around 350 pretty easily). When I do make the sale, I will post up though... just so people know what to reasonably expect to get for theirs.

 

Anyone happen to to try 16gb of ram in this computer yet?

 

I'm only running 8....

 

why would you run 16gb? 8gb is more than enough. unless you're ripping 3 bluray at the same time-_-

 

Thanks for the guide and highlighting the appropriate fields to adjust!!

Correct me if I'm wrong, but I was under the impression that the VRAM in a CrossfireX (or ATi Hybrid Graphics) setup is mirrored between the two graphic chips, making the VRAM buffer size limited by the smaller of the two chips' VRAM. That was the reasoning behind my interest in increasing the IGP's size to 1GB to mirror that of the 1GB VRAM on the DGP. Otherwise, the 1GB VRAM of the DGP would be kind of wasted since it'll be limited down to mirror the 512MB VRAM of the IGP...

I didn't know that the IGP will automatically adjust, I thought that it was always at 512MB VRAM lol. Maybe I was unfortunate and only checked the RAM usage of the IGP when it was using around 512MB of RAM when I based my assumptions!

As for the SATA6 support, at least on my K53TA-BBR6, my Crucial M4's sequential read result for CrystalDiskMark (x64 varient) went from around ~240MB/s pre-modded bios (SATA3 limit-ish) to ~475MB/s after enabling SATA6 in the bios.

Currently running the fixed mode, 1GB IGP, SATA6 modded bios linked in linnk626's response.

When I have the time, I will try the suggested adjustments on a pre-modded bios to see if I can get the same outcome as the uploader to the Japanese site did.

 

Got my Crucial M4 256gb SSD (kit) today... the CompUSA/TigerDirect store tech told me that I wouldn't notice a difference using a hybrid drive vs a 7200 as my secondary, so I'll just get a giant secondary 7200 or Blu Ray drive, instead of the Momentus 750gb hybrid as a secondary.

EDIT.. any good 7200 HDD's that are at least 1TB & under $150? 2.5" of course..

 

He doesn't know what he's talking about. That's why you should read your own reviews.

that's like asking a best buy 'geek' for info.

awesome.

as for the igp memory size, run 3dmark11 in xfire, and see if you get a higher score.

 

ok... soo..... are you saying it's worth it to get the 750gb hybrid over a normal 7200 as my secondary drive?

i took his advice because usually it's the other way around, pushing the sale..

anyway, i've got the M4 in by itself (well with my optical) & it's pretty dang fast!

edit: just saw the posts above regarding the modded BIOS for the SSD...... would I want to take advantage of that BIOS?

Here's what I'm doing --- already have 8GB dual chnl / 256 m4 ssd / hybrid or 7200 or blu ray. keeping a6 for the foreseeable future bc not much of an upgrade.. maybe upgrading screen.

edit 2: can i just flash that fixed mode bios (unless the other one is better) using winflash and then change the bios settings by pressing F5 on boot, or do I need to do anything with the program you had in the screenshots?

 

Yes you can just flash using winflash, but you will likely need to use the /nodate to get it to flash. I'm about to try it and see if I get any better results with my Samsung 830. No need to use AMIBCP unless you would like to see what is modified, like what link posted

 

what is this "/nodate" you speak of? haven't opened up winflash in a bit, maybe it's an option there...

while I was waiting to find out about winflash, I ran through & completed all of these tweaks - Can You Get More Space Or Speed From Your SSD? : Optimizing Precious Solid-State Storage

 

also just caught this

Step 5. Disable Drive Defragmentation Schedule
By default, Windows 7 should automatically disable defrag by default as part of the TRIM requirements. In case it doesn't, you'll want to disable this feature, as defraging your SSD is not a good thing!!
How to Disable:
Go into My Computer;
Right click your SSD and select Tools tab;
Select the box Defragment Now;
Select the box Configure Schedule; and
Un-check the the Run on a Schedule Box.


Mine was still scheduled

The only tweak I didn't do was this one because I'm not sure if the M4 has anything Intel Inside....

Step 9. Disable Windows Write-Cache Buffer Flusing
This is not recommended for Intel SSD, as it has a negative effect on their performance. It is recommend to check performance before and after this tweak to determine if has a negative or postive effect.
How to Disable:
Right click My Computer and select Properties;
Select Device Manager;
Select Disk Drives;
Right click the SSD and select Properties; and
Under the Polices tab, uncheck the Enable write caching on the device.


sidenote: wow, my coldboot is amazing now.. before the SSD I had read all about the browsers & coldboot times... experimented here & there..... NOW with this SSD I can use any browser & the OS is already done loading when it hits the desktop & all my tabs are loaded right away no prob.

gonna try flashing now..... couldn't find any info on "/nodate"

 

flashed with no problems...... can't tell a difference because I didn't do a before / after..... guess I'll run the after & see what numbers I get!

 

the /nodate is a command you add to the shortcut to negate the fact that the two bios are from the same date. But I guess you flashed without it? My Seq. Read speed almost doubled from about 250 MB/s to 468MB/s, so I am impressed with this mod. Now I need to find out how to remove the intel wireless card whitelist from the bios, and I'll be all set!

 

what's that about your wireless card? i was thinking of swapping for a bluetooth enabled card if it's not too complicated....

ps, the bios folder had two files to choose from, so i went with the 6520 or w/e # are card is FIXED bios. i suppose i chose the one that forces 1gb if it even made a difference for the previous poster.

 

those numbers match well to what I'm getting with my SSD. I don't think it would be hard to swap for a BT enabled card, my only problem is that I get a hang when rebooting, and am forced to manually power down during a restart. And I'm not sure how to remove this whitelist, and I know many others are burdened by the same.

Has anyone done any benchmarking between the amd ahci vs msahci drivers? As per which is superior, because I found them to be quite similar in performance

 

any idea why when i just booted from battery, i got stuck at the windows logo animation (it kept moving) for about 30 secs & the HDD activity light wouldn't do anything??

i decided to press a key & then the light started blinking & it finished booting..

 

i just popped the OEM HDD back in........ SO FREAKING SLOW LOL!!!

this would make my life ---

seeing how easy it is to remove the keyboard (i just did it), I WOULD "KILL" to have a chiclet keyboard even if i had to give up the numpad..

anyone know if there's a chiclet swap possible here?? even if it looks stupid, i'll take function over looks at this point. before i picked up an ext monitor, i was using the K360 on top of this keyboard..

-- KEYBOARD --

I was thinking of getting this one = http://www.ebay.com/itm/Genuine-NEW...86?pt=PCA_Mice_Trackballs&hash=item416685b42e

-- keyboard will be here next week.... -

one i found on another site has the "1" key with white circle like ours..... -- model on ebay that i bought has the 1 with a separate white circle..... it also has more clips on the bottom (hard to tell with that mystery clip)..

oh well, i'll tape it if i have to. chiclet or nothing!

another edit: i'm not too worried about the keyboard now.. i just google searched k53 chiclet keyboard again & most of them have the one that looks like the ebay one..

ok... i'm just buying the optical drive HDD caddy from amazon now & will use my OEM HDD until i run out of space.. which will be a while with the SSD being 256gb...

looking into wifi + bluetooth cards now.. super cheap!

found a good one - http://www.ebay.com/itm/New-Atheros...ltDomain_0&hash=item3cc643f8d6#ht_2474wt_1037

takes a while to arrive here..... didn't order yet... any idea if it's compatible??

 

Let us know how that goes. The chicklet keyboard was one of the few things I didn't like about the notebook when I first purchased it.
If it works well & installation is easy with hardly any keyboard flex, then I might consider modifying my own laptop like that.

 

oh yes, i'll definitely report back!

thoughts on the wifi bluetooth 4.0 card?

(can't believe how fast this thing is with the ssd... EVERYTHING is faster..I look at the screen from afar & it looks like a new laptop to me now LOL)

 

the chiclet kb feels just as cheap. i don't see any functional benefit.

it will work though, as one person here got his replaced with chiclet during RMA.

You will have to tape it down to prevent kb flex.

that atheros combo card should work, as atheros is whitelisted in the bios. and other configurations of k53ta have BT

 

well coming off of a MBP in 2010... & having used the Apple wired chiclet keyboard for my gaming desktop.. going back to this kind of floating keyboard was a huge pain for me. i don't have fat fingers, but when i'm doing a combo press sometimes i hit 2 buttons at once, etc. MUST HAVE CHICLET!

ok, guess i'll order that card! thanks!

BTW --- http://slickdeals.net/f/4747640-256...SSD-CT256M4SSD2-180-Free-Shipping-Starts-6-16

REALLY GOOD DEAL ^^^^ I'm thinking of getting it vs using my old HDD since I just spent $230 on the one with the kit yesterday =(... already using it so too late to return & get two of the non kit versions..

 

You can buy the chiclet keyboard on eBay. But they are definately not the same as the chicley on the Macbook!

 

Check out the Trinity Failboat thread-

http://forum.notebookreview.com/hp-pavilion-notebooks/670473-trinity-has-dropped.html

Trinity cannot be overclocked. It is locked down tighter than a nun with a chastity belt.

Our K53ta just went up $100 in value.

 

OOOh I just have to say CRAP!

 

Come on 3AM EST so I can pick this up !!!

256GB Crucial M4 2.5" SATA III MLC Internal Solid State Drive SSD (CT256M4SSD2) $180 + Free Shipping *Starts 6/16* - Slickdeals.net

that way I'll have 2!

 

That's disappointing about trinity, since we had high hopes based on how good these llanos have been. On the bright side at least our investment & time spent on this laptop & great thread has been well worth it. ...so the k53ta is still worth $400+. nice!

But maybe that Asus A8 4500m dual graphics 7670m laptop will still be worthwhile if price eventually comes down to $500. But according to this article, it lacks great performance: http://tbreak.com/tech/2012/06/amd-trinity-a8-4500m-graphics-performance-review/
Every year, it's always going to be hard finding a great budget gaming notebook around $500.

 

Link626 i was just about to ask you a question until i saw pics posted by you on last page. Actually i am running 6650M as my dedicated card , but when i checked howinfo64 for 6650M GPU , it showed that the card is running at 8X speed(means 2.5GB/s), but 16x(5.0GB/s) speed is supported by card. So i was thinking how to enable the 16X mode for 6650M GPU, so its performance could be increased. The Japneese BIOS mod has PSPP Policy set to performance mode instead of power saving mode. when i checked about PSPP on google, i came to know that PSPP is actually (PCIe speed power policy). now i am sure that after installing this bios mod , 6650M will run at 16X speed. will let you know if there is any performance gain.

 

... just ordered a second M4 ssd to place in the optical drive caddy......

what speeds should i expect in the optical bay? if i'm better off with a normal HDD, I'll cancel the order!

 

Been out of the driver chasing since my dv6 went brick for a month, how is 12.6 doing?

Just go a new board,Currently doing 12.6 overdrive autotune, see how it goes.

dv6z thread is now kinda of trinity thread lol.

 

i guess what i should ask is...

is the optical drive bay sata I, II, or III?

ok...found another cpuid program... & found this

"
<<< Drives >>>

> Number of Disk Controller : 1

>> General Information
Disk Controller : Advanced Micro Devices (AMD) Hudson SATA Controller [AHCI mode]

>> Drive Controller Features
Mode : SATA
AHCI : Yes
IDE Legacy : Yes
NCQ : Yes
Port Multiplier : Yes
eSATA : Yes
IO Ports : 3available on 3
AHCI Version : 1.30
Bandwidth : 6GB/s

Port #0 : ATA Device detected - (Generation 3) - [HotPlug No]
Port #1 : ATA Device detected - (Generation 1) - [HotPlug No]
Port #2 : No Device - [HotPlug No]"

"Number of CD-ROM Drive : 1

>> Information CD-Rom #1
Drive : D:\
Model : SlimtypeDVD A DS8A5SH
Serial Number : 105060646183
Revision (Firmware) : XAA2
Serial ATA : Yes
Serial ATA Version : 1.0 - (SATA-150)
Support : ATA8-ACS
Multiword DMA Mode : 2
PIO Mode : PIO 4
UDMA Mode max. : 5 (ATA-100)
UDMA Mode Enabled : 2 (ATA-33)
Transport : Serial ATA8-AST
Buffer Size : 1536KB
Rotation : CLV"

now this doesn't tell me if the SSD will operate at SATA III in the optical bay or not.. it's telling me that the current optical drive is running at I

 

I am pretty confident that the optical bay is only SATA II speeds. But someone else may know for sure

 

you will have to run graphics benchmarks like 3dmark crap, before and after mod, and see if there is any gain.

report back your findings.

it says 6gb/s right there. But you'll need to test the bay yourself to see if you get anywhere near 400GB/s.

I don't know how many newer laptops have sata iii on the optical bay. seems a new thing.

 

while awaiting SATA info...... any clue on getting a bigger battery? figure I might as well with all of the other upgrades I'm doing

Upgrades - corsair dual chnl 1333 8gb ram last year

256gb M4 + 256gb M4 (second m4 shipped)

Atheros b/g/n Bluetooth 4.0 (shipped)

Chiclet Keyboard (shipped)

 

i don't think asus sells a 9 cell for this model.

I would be happy just buying a second battery of the same size. swap out every 6 hours.

 

so i installed that fixed mode bios that includes the 6gbps & apparently the IGP tweak..

i'm on 12.1 display drivers....

not as smooth as before.. already tweaked in game & ccc to what i used to use.

getting 30-35 but not as smooth as before IMO

 

you're saying you get same frame rate, but doesn't feel as smooth ?

maybe try 12.2 or higher

 

Is it possible for our humble motherboard to run the HDD at 6GB/s? I have a 500 GB Momentus XT

 

according to tests, it supports sata 6g with modded bios.
But your hard drive probably isn't capable of bursting more than sata 3g speed.

 

Using the modded bios the HDD bay can reach SATA III speeds, but I am unsure about the optical bay. But I believe captainkronos was going to test it out. Unless you were going to test it first. Try it and then benchmark and see if you get SATA III speeds

 

Hah, well, with a 2GHz OC, 1GB fixed IGP, I got a score of P1652 on 3dmark11 (score of 1628 for graphics). So I guess it doesn't do much lol. Guess I'll go and mod a bios for only SATA6, and Fixed Mode, leaving the IGP to auto size.

Is the modding only for the 212 bios? Or has anyone modded the 214 bios (with whatever firmware changes they claim they have done)?

 

you can mod the 214 bios too with AMIBCP v4.53. Do it and let me know if it works without any problem. i too want to use 214 Bios.

 

Link626 i checked that japenese PCIe mod and there is no performance gain in 3dmark. score is still the same 1600+ in 3dmark '11. Bios mod does change the 2.5gb/s setting to 5.0gb/s but card is set not to run above 8x speed. so after mod howinfo64 was showing 6650M as running at 8x(5.0gb/s). But 6650M uses ddr3 and has maximum bandwidth of 28.6gb/s, so running the gpu at 2.5gb/s @ 8x is right. 16x PCIe is good for GPU cards that uses DDR5 memory. To make sure about it i checked AMD site for 7770M GPU Card, it uses DDR5 and gives 4.0GB/s @ 16x speed. So it will not make any difference to DDR3 GPU card with low bandwidth like 6650M, even if its running at 16x.

 

Hmm.. I must be doing something wrong cause I can't seem to make the changes stick when I mod the 214 bios. I change the sata6 and fixed mode to enabled, but when I flash the bios with the modded 214, I run at sata3 and no option for fixed mode.

At least I found one thing the 214 changed from 212. Seems the option for Memory Hole Remapping that is in 212 is removed in 214. Whatever that is for.

So I flashed my bios with the Japanese modded 212 without the 1GB IGP. (Also went in and turned PNPP to power saving just for the heck of testing if there is any performance hit with that option and auto IGP compared to the previous bios I was running on. I know, not scientific cause I have two variables... but yeah!!)

3dmark11 came back with a score of P1641 (same 2GHz OC), with graphic score of 1614. So there is a slight performance hit. Just unsure if it is 1GB IGP to auto or PNPP from Performance to Power Saving (default setting) that is contributing to the loss of points.

Since all I've been doing is flashing bios, I guess I'll go ahead and flash the Japanese source bios 212 with PNPP on Performance (and auto IGP size) and report back.

Be back in a few.

-------------------------
-------------------------

Nevermind, posted this and coolwaves4all already answered the PNPP question. So I guess the difference between 1GB and Auto is a graphic score for 3dmark11 of 14 points (0.8%). Yes!!

...Guess I'll go ahead and keep the Auto IGP and reclaim the RAM space for my system.

 

its PSPP not PNPP

 

Hahaha, don't know why I was thinking PNPP. Silly me. Thanks for pointing it out.