C90/C90S in-game videos and details

EDITS ARE IN GREEN!!!


First, let me touch on a few points that may not be covered by others using the laptop:

(Windows XP and Windows Vista)

1. The HDMI output works fine. However, the fn/display combo does not activate tv out. You have to go into the nvidia control panel and select clone mode. There is NO overscan. Its plug and play. This was with the original drivers on the cd which are Asus version of Nvidia forceware 101. 17. It also carries audio without having to change ANY settings. However, there is a delay in the audio. This is a negative because if you want to play a dvd on your tv you have to have the sound up on the laptop for it to be up on the tv, which means the delay from your speakers vs. tv is annoying. If only you could disable laptop speakers without turning down system volume....

In vista, you can use just the HDMI audio out so the delay isnt a bother. It carries audio through to tv and now through speakers! You just have to set digital output as default in realtek control panel.

The only drivers for Vista that dont overscan and display the correct image on HDTV through HDMI are the 162 and 163 drivers. NOT the 165 or 160s! The stock drivers even overscan bad.....(tsk tsk)

The only drivers for XP that dont overscan and display the correct image on HDTV through HDMI are the plain jane stock 101.17 drives included on the supplied cd.....tsk tsk AGAN!

2. Fingerprint reader works fine.

3. Webcam has VERY good clarity in good light. However colors are strange (im black/brown skinned and it makes me look red). In lower light it is decent. I cant figure out how to upload pictures directly to the thread without linking them to another page.

When you install the webcam driver, it creates a shortcut on your desktop for recording video. Its a VERY nice app that lets you record live with a full motion preview of any screen size (30fps). It also has on the fly adjustments like brightness, light source, color saturation, etc. I was able to fix the color problem using these settings. Also, it has a a special effect option that lets you select from 12 different effects. Examples are emboss, fire, sketch, fim, plasma. It will also let you change the resolution of the video up to 1600x1200 (with a lower framerate of course). Its VERY nice and I was really blown away by this!

4. The touchpad is fine. The reason why people say it isnt is because its the type you have to touch lighter for it to work smooth. Pressing on it normally causes the cursor and your finger to "stick". Those of you that have used more than a few laptops know what im talking about.

5. The bios has no real configurability. It has standard laptop pages like battery calibration, set date/time, boot options. The only extra is that it has come cpu options but the only thing thats useful in them is to enable/disable speedstep. There is a picture of this page in the official c90/c90s etc thread on page 22 from GenTechPC.

6. As far as response time and motion blue of the screen well....I went through a 3 month phase of lcds, resonse times, dvi vs. vga etc. I now have the Samsung 226BW (s-panel) which is THE fastest response time lcd at 2ms. I have also gone through 6 laptops in the last 2 months paying attention to motion blur. The c90 does have motion blur that is noticeable. I cant give an exact ms rating because I dont know. On a scale from 1-10 with 10 being the LEAST motion blur, id give it a 6. The best way to test this is to play battlefield 2142 at camp gibralter. pay attentions to the sides of buildings as you turn around. you will see some discoloration on the edges and motion blur. Also, try playing Farcry on the first level. Just before you swim across to the other beach where the soldier camp is, look from left to right and observe the other island from the beach of the island your on. Look for motion blur here.

7. Also, in my experiece with computing, ive noticed some computers/laptops recognize new usb devices faster than others. I use my Corsair Voyager GT 4gb flash drive, a kensington c65i optical wireless mouse, and a logitech G7 laser wireless mouse to test recognition to use time. On a scale of 1-10 with 10 being the fastest, the laptop gets a 6.

8. On the Asus G1P (the nvidia 7700 go) version, the speakers are located on the front bottom of the laptop. They sounded muffled on the G1 because of their position...at least i thought so....the C90 has the speakers located the same way and sound clear. They arent the best sounding but they sure arent muffled. Both laptops were sitting on a flat table.

9. It comes with NO paper documentation on how to assemble anything.

10. I dont believe the screen using magnetism to close and stay closed but it definately pulls closed stronger as you close it to the base right around 2 inches from the base. This means it takes a little power to open the screen. VERY NICE.

11. I calibrated my battery. I never used the battery before and it was still in plastic wrap. I unplugged laptop, let it cool all the way down, put in battery, plugged power into back of laptop, placed laptop on flat surface, then plugged in power to wall. I allowed it to charge with laptop off (I dont know how full or empty the battery was from factory because i didn turn laptop on to check). I didnt touch the laptop until the orange charge light went off. I then unplugged power adapter from wall, removed battery, let it cool all the way down. Then I installed battery into unplugged laptop, plugged in power cord to back of laptop, then plugged power into wall. I turned on the laptop, went straight into bios and started battery calibration. When it got to point when it asked to unplug ac power, I pulled power chord from back of laptop and it started drain. I let it drain UNTOUCHED with laptop lid open. I watched a movie on my tv while it drained so i would know AS SOON as it finished draining and turned off. As soon as it turned off, i removed battery and sat it upright on its side vertically on a jar and aimed a small house fan on it and waited for it to cool completely down. I then pulled the still plugged in ac adapter from the wall, put the battery into the unplugged laptop, plugged the ac power into back of laptop, then plugged ac into wall. I allowed it to charge overnight untouched and off. this mroning when i got up i unplugged ac from wall, ac from laptop, then removed battery. The battery has been sitting on my wodden desk untouched sense. I explained all this to show that I calibrated the battery the best way possible. I will test battery life later. and edit post to include results.

THE BATTERY LASTED 1 HOUR 24 MINUTES just sitting at the desktop with screen saver turned off and ALL POWER SAVING FUNCTIONS turned off. I mean ALL of them included brightness all the way up, no turning off components and all that. It was in Vista Ultimate x64. It was left open also. Remember, this was with the e6700 but running at 1.6ghz due to speedstep. 3gb Ram, 160gb 7200.2 seagate.

I hope I have covered some VERY misc. and picky things that others may not notice. Im sure ill think of some more later if I ever get past the overclocking problem.

3DMark06

Before I begin, let me say that my laptop will NOT overclock without becoming unresponsive and locking up almost immediately. I have tried MANY MANY things to try to fix it. More info on it can be found in the ACTUAL C90 Owners thread here: http://forum.notebookreview.com/showthread.php?t=140562. PLEASE read though ALL my post to better understand the situation.

At this point, I do now know if it is a problem with a component or the laptop itself. Therefore, I set the laptop up using a fan to cool it and recorded these benchmarks at the intended overclocked speed of 2.93ghz:


3DMark06 score: 3655 (1280x1024)
e6700 2.66 overclocked to 2.93ghz
gpu overclocked to 500 core/500 mem
3gb corsair DDR2-667 (2gb + 1gb)
Nvidia Forceware 158.45 (from laptopvideo2go.com with modded .inf file)
Windows Vista Ultimate 32 bit edition
All other drivers directly from suppled cd
Fresh install with NO changes to vista features or settings.
Desktop resolution 1680x1050



3DMark06 score: 3576 (1280x1024)
e6700 2.66 overclocked to 2.93ghz
gpu overclocked to 500 core/500 mem
3gb corsair DDR2-667 (2gb + 1gb)
Nvidia Forceware 101.19 (directly from Asus G1S download page at Asus website)
Windows Vista Ultimate 32 bit edition
All other drivers directly from suppled cd
Fresh install with NO changes to vista features or settings.
Desktop resolution 1680x1050



3DMark06 score: 3157 (1280x1024)
e6700 2.66 overclocked to 2.93ghz
gpu at 475 core/ 400 mem
3gb corsair DDR2-667 (2gb + 1gb)
Nvidia Forceware 163.11 (from laptopvideo2go.com with modded .inf file)
Windows Vista Ultimate 32 bit edition
All other drivers directly from suppled cd
Fresh install with NO changes to vista features or settings.
Desktop resolution 1680x1050

3DMark06 score: 3727 (1280x1024)
e6700 2.66 overclocked to 2.93ghz
gpu at 500 core/ 500 mem
3gb corsair DDR2-667 (2gb + 1gb)
Nvidia Forceware 101.19 (from laptopvideo2go.com with no need for modded .inf file)
Windows XP 32bit
All other drivers directly from suppled cd
Fresh install with NO changes to features or settings.
Desktop resolution 1680x1050

Note that the highest drivers that work but dont allow gpu overclocking are 163.11 (with modded .inf found at laptopvideo2go.com)

Note that the highest drivers that work and allow gpu overclocking are 158.45 (with modded .inf found at laptopvideo2go.com)

In game videos

These videos were recorded using the FRAPS in-game movie capture. It does not show the FPS overlay however. These videos are very accurate and are a great reprentation of the actual performance. You will need to install the correct codecs and FRAPS to watch the video. Settings are as specified:



The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion

Windows XP 32 Bit
e6700 at 2.66GHZ
3GB Corsair DDR2-667 (2GB +1GB)
160GB Seagate Momentus 7200.2
All original drivers from supplied cd except newest chipset, audio, wireless drivers
Game settings were:
2x AA, 2X AF, Vsync forced (all in Nvidia control panel)
8600M GT at 500 core/500 mem (overclocked using rivatuner)
All in game settings at MAX except indoor/outdoor shadows all the way down, all shadow options OFF, specular OFF, blood decals LOW, HDR ON at 1280x800.
Oblivion updated to latest patch.

Link: http://www.megaupload.com/?d=OY7SMY4U



Battlefield 2142

Windows XP 32 Bit
e6700 at 2.66GHZ
3GB Corsair DDR2-667 (2GB +1GB)
160GB Seagate Momentus 7200.2
All original drivers from supplied cd except newest chipset, audio, wireless drivers
Game settings were:
2x AA, 2X AF, Vsync forced (all in Nvidia control panel)
8600M GT at 500 core/500 mem (overclocked using rivatuner)
Edited the game shortcut with +widescreen 1 +szx 1280 +szy 800 to run at 1280x800
All game video settings at max except dynamic shadows on low and dynamic lighting on media. View distance 100%. enhanced lighting on.
Sound was set to hardware on high, EAX disabled
Updated to version 1.25

Link: http://www.megaupload.com/?d=1Z7ERYZK


Farcry

Windows XP 32 Bit
e6700 at 2.66GHZ
3GB Corsair DDR2-667 (2GB +1GB)
160GB Seagate Momentus 7200.2
All original drivers from supplied cd except newest chipset, audio, wireless drivers
Game settings were:
2x AA, 2X AF, Vsync forced (all in Nvidia control panel)
8600M GT at 500 core/500 mem (overclocked using rivatuner)
1280x800
In game settings all on "very high" except shadow quality "medium" and lighting quality "high", bilinear.
Mouse smoothing "default"
Updated to version 1.40

Link: http://www.megaupload.com/?d=RCN18Y2O



F.E.A.R.

Windows XP 32 Bit
e6700 at 2.66GHZ
3GB Corsair DDR2-667 (2GB +1GB)
160GB Seagate Momentus 7200.2
All original drivers from supplied cd except newest chipset, audio, wireless drivers
Game settings were:
2x AA, 2X AF, Vsync forced (all in Nvidia control panel)
8600M GT at 500 core/500 mem (overclocked using rivatuner)
1280x800

In game settings:

Cpu settings all at medium with the exception of:



Advanced settings:



Other settings:









Link: http://www.megaupload.com/?d=0Z17KFV1

Thats it for now. I will continue to test things to find out why I cant overclock without locking up.

Ok guys heres the run down on the best video drivers for Vista and XPThe higher you go in versio number the better the performance in games and compatibility....HOWEVER:

If you want no overscan on HDMI out when connected to HDTV, and DONT care about overclocking the gpu (its locked in) the best drivers in Vista are 163.11. For XP the best you get is the 101.17 located on the cd (or download the 101.19 drivers from laptopvideo2go.com but there is no difference from what I can tell)

If you dont care about overscan on HDMI out when connected to HDTV, and DO care about overclocking the gpu (its unlocked) the best drivers in Vista are 158.45. For XP the best drivers are...you guessed the 101.17 drivers on the cd (or download the 101.19 drivers from laptopvideo2go.com but there is no difference from what I can tell)

If you want the best of BOTH worlds and want no overscan on HDMI out when connected to HDTV and you want overclocking your out of luck in Vista cause there is no such thing as having both (even on the oldest of oldest of drivers...i tried thems allses folks!) For XP (suprise) you are stuck with the 101.17 drivers on supplied cd. You can however opt to download the 101.19 drivers from laptopvideo2go.com but there is no difference from what I can tell!

Be sure to swing on by nvidia and post your complaints here: https://surveys.nvidia.com/index.jsp?pi=7498eac864dc1950c8f09e040b4a437a

And maybe, just maybe, they will even fix the overscan problem on the 8800 cards litterally on every single driver release since the 8800 hit retail back in November of 2006! Thats right folks, despite probably thousands of complaints and many p***ed off people, the ONLY driver that gets overscan right on Nvidia's flagship cards are the 162 and 163 but only on VISTA! YAY! Thanks for taking my money and screwing me over Nvidia! Also be sure to ask them to enable overclocking on any future releases for the 8600m...that way we'll get it fixed around march of 2008. If i sound mad, your wrong, im actually quite furious about this..seriously.


READ:

READ THIS PLEASE:

I was able to test the Asus FAQ listed Nanya memory today at work and it STILL locked up in overclock mode just like every other time I tried:

http://img391.imageshack.us/my.php?image=untitledbj1.jpg

http://support.asus.com/faq/faq.aspx?SLanguage=en-us

OVERCLOCKING CRASH NEWS!!!

I sent my c90s back to excaliperpc.com on the 20th and got my replacement today (the 27th). One week turnaround is excellent you think! Anyway I am now able to run everything in overclocking mode with no crashes. This is using the same settings,hardware, drivers, thermal grease and methods as before. SO, for those of you that get crashes and lockups, RMA! Stop listening to claims about "memory incompatibility" cause your just wasting time. The bottom line is, that its overheating and the fans arent working right just like ive been saying ALL along!

DRIVER NEWS!

Ok, I finally screwed around and came up with a combination of drivers that will allow correct picture on HDTV AND allow overclocking. What I did was copy the .inf file from the DNA 158.22 drivers into the NGO 2.15822 install folder replacing the one there. This driver is for Windows XP only. The only flaw it has is that if you watch a video in clone mode, the HDTV will have tearing no matter what you do. If you swap the display order so the HDTV is the first display, the tearing will then be on the laptop and not on the HDTV. ALSO, if you swap the displays the HDTV wont be able to do 1680x1050 only 1600x900....im kinda sure theres a way to get around that but I couldnt get it for the life of me and I was always able to figure out a way to get it before. These drivers also have the CLASSIC control panel option. Big thanks to NGO and DNA! All I did was take part from one and put in another!

Link for driver: http://www.megaupload.com/?d=OV3EOD5P

Also, the new August release of DirectX is out! http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?FamilyID=cb7397f3-0949-487b-9247-8fee451bf952&displaylang=en



4506 3DMark06!


E6700 at 2.93GHZ
3GB Corsair (2GB +1GB)
Seagate Momentus7200.2 160gb
8600M GT at 575 Core/ 595 Mem via nTune
All stock drivers except modded 158.22 forceware for VGA (see notes)
GPU temp max was 93C
CPU temp max was 81C
Test was run on wooden table top with no ac and no extra cooling
Cpu with thing layer of Arctic Silver 5
Gpu with stock thermal "stickers"
Windows XP 32bit
Destop Resolution 1680x1050
DirectX 9 August 2007 Redistribute
No devices attached save for Logitech G7
Wireless/Bluetooth disabled via wireless console




Notes:
1: Forceware drivers are modded but were ran with all the 3d settings in control panel as if they werent modded. In fact they were in the "quality" settings save for no antialising and no anisotrophic filtering. It was run as if they drivers were stock. They were only modded to allow gpu overclocking and correct HDMI output.
2: NO artifacts or hiccups whatsoever. I watched it the entire time surveying the screen for any defects.
3. The only time the fans got near their peak was durin the cpu tests which heat the cpu up big time. Otherwise the fans were as loud as normal load.



It appears that if the C90S were to recieve not a "better" gpu but simply one that can stand more heat, it would be a KILLER. I was able to run this test once and didnt try it again but may be able too. Considering the stock gpu speed is 475/400 this is a considerable overclock for it to have not caught on fire. So, if there were even a 45nm shrink of the 8600M GT that ran at 575/595 stock, there would even be room to overclock it more without much more heat. Maybe even 80C on the gpu max...who knows. Regardless, Im pretty sure there is much hope for the C90S as far as MXM graphics cards go. Amazing I was able to do this with no extra cooling and no hiccups!

 

Could you post the AVG FPS for those games on those settings. My connection is too slow to download the movies. But that's about the same setup I'm looking to buy, so I want to see that these games will keep a good framerate at those settings. Thanks

 

Yea please post the FRAPS benchmarking tests as soon as you can, thanks

gave rep point anyways.

 

Ok, ill do it but it will be on VISTA.

 

It's fine with me
Atleast that way I can see how the 8600GT performs. My Zepto is spec'ed similarly to this, so I want to see what I can expect

 

Exactly what codecs do I need? I have Fraps and its not working.

EDIT: nvm it plays fine in virtualDub

 

Those 3dmark06 numbers seem a little bit low. My g1s without any overclock can do 38xx.

 

yes, read my other post in the "actual c90s owners thread" to read up on the situation

 

Thanks for putting at that info in one area! I would also like fps averages if/when you have time. Thanks. +rep

 

Just posting so that this will show up in search results for the C90 since ive seen may questions and issues come up that ive ALREADY covered right here a long time ago!

 

Okay, I don't know how to get any of these videos to run. I tried WMP, WMPC, JetAudio, VLC, and VirtualDub, but none of them worked. How do I get this to run?

Maybe the FEAR video is messed up?

 

Edited to include RMA with NO CRASHES!!!

 

Fear video is really choppy. Is that how it played?