HP EliteBook 8770w and 970M 6GB and 980M 8GB - they work!

@mirage_bg , 388.16 installation attempt on Windows 10:



After the have installation of v388 has failed, I have decided to explore options of updating BIOS.
Here is the latest build I have found: ftp://ftp.hp.com/pub/softpaq/sp62501-63000/sp62640.html

Extracted .ROM from the installation package:


Installing with the latest version of `nvflash`:


Then, I have installed NVidia driver v411.63 (oldest one available in "Archive" section).
Now, it reports HP as vendor, however "persistent 8bpc" bug stayed exactly as before. I can switch to 10bpc in NVidia Control Panel, display briefly blinks and returns to 8bpc.

BIOS version reporting is still confusing. This is after re-flashing:

 

Ok, this deserves a new post, I was able to obtain 10bpc output. Here is what was done:

1. Install HP display assistant --> reset to factory settings --> set colourspace to "native/user"
2. Reboot in "Safe Mode", use DDU to remove previous NVidia drivers.
3. Download and install ancient v385.67 directly from HP(sp82364.exe)
4. Voila!

While banding is much less visible now, I can still see it on 16b gradient. Meh. Questions:

1. How to update drivers while preserving 10bpc capability?
2. Could people with DC panel please download the gradient and check if they see any banding at all?

For the record, here is my data from "Display Assistant":



Abovementioned .PNG: https://i.imgur.com/v9W9ou7.png

Photo of my screen (not like it's overly representative...)

 

To install any old original nvidia driver (and newer ones also) you need to mod .inf file in the driver before installation, described here:

https://null-src.com/posts/nvidia-notebook-driver-inf-mod/post.php


I have overclocked my panel, that’s why it reports 70Hz. Normally it works at 60Hz as yours (mine is the same DC as yours).

I told you I got used to this banding, because it is not much when you have a real 10 bit output now. Besides, there is absolutely no solution for this problem since many time (a lot of guys tried to fix it, including the crazy guys from the Chinese forum , who normally tend to find every time solutions for every problem...).

Drivers up to 390.x will preserve 10 bit output, above that it will return to 8 bit. It is a known problem with the newer nvidia drivers and win 10. Under win 7 you don’t have this problem.

 

I will try that, however I've been installing v4XX without any modifications and videocard was correctly identified. From what I read on the screenshot above, installer complains about Windows version, not incompatible GPU.

Any reputable guides for "panel overclocking"? I will try it at least out of curiosity.

Will profile the display with 10bpc output and post results here. Thanks again!

 

Here you are (but do it carefully on small steps +1Hz):

 

What was the original GPU that your laptop came with?
Did your 8770w come initially with DC panel?

 

No, originally it had TN panel and AMD FirePro M4000.

 

Ok, this already confirms once again the theory given on the 51nb.com forum that once you separate the GPU and DC panel as they came from the factory, you get banding/gradient in the greyscale .
I don’t think we can resolve this issue..

 

Dis you find any solution?

 

I highly doubt that's the case. Looking at the service guide, TFT panel can be ordered separately, same as GPU. If theory about "calibration process" is true, this would inevitably be described somewhere. There would be hardware and software to do so.

My findings are, so far, inconclusive. I do not find controls of "HP display assistant" reliable or as predictable as I'd like them to be. Before I have better information, here are some preliminary measurements in different modes:

Native, 50%, 6500K

Code:

Uncalibrated response:
Black level = 0.1387 cd/m^2
50%   level = 34.20 cd/m^2
White level = 151.71 cd/m^2
Aprox. gamma = 2.15
Contrast ratio = 1094:1
White chromaticity coordinates 0.3025, 0.2854
White    Correlated Color Temperature = 7902K, DE 2K to locus = 15.5
White Correlated Daylight Temperature = 7941K, DE 2K to locus = 17.5
White        Visual Color Temperature = 10918K, DE 2K to locus = 14.4
White     Visual Daylight Temperature = 11919K, DE 2K to locus = 16.3

sRGB, 50%, 6500K

Code:

Uncalibrated response:
Black level = 0.1388 cd/m^2
50%   level = 35.16 cd/m^2
White level = 154.12 cd/m^2
Aprox. gamma = 2.13
Contrast ratio = 1110:1
White chromaticity coordinates 0.3039, 0.2857
White    Correlated Color Temperature = 7768K, DE 2K to locus = 15.9
White Correlated Daylight Temperature = 7809K, DE 2K to locus = 17.8
White        Visual Color Temperature = 10850K, DE 2K to locus = 14.9
White     Visual Daylight Temperature = 11850K, DE 2K to locus = 16.7

P3, 50% brightness, 6300K (default)

Code:

Black level = 0.1400 cd/m^2
50%   level = 25.30 cd/m^2
White level = 144.61 cd/m^2
Aprox. gamma = 2.51
Contrast ratio = 1033:1
White chromaticity coordinates 0.2992, 0.3051
White    Correlated Color Temperature = 7683K, DE 2K to locus =  3.2
White Correlated Daylight Temperature = 7695K, DE 2K to locus =  7.2
White        Visual Color Temperature = 7893K, DE 2K to locus =  3.0
White     Visual Daylight Temperature = 8250K, DE 2K to locus =  6.7

P3 after uninstallation of HP display assistant, 75% (!) brightness

Code:

Uncalibrated response:
Black level = 0.1231 cd/m^2
50%   level = 21.88 cd/m^2
White level = 124.63 cd/m^2
Aprox. gamma = 2.51
Contrast ratio = 1012:1
White chromaticity coordinates 0.2996, 0.3044
White    Correlated Color Temperature = 7674K, DE 2K to locus =  3.9
White Correlated Daylight Temperature = 7687K, DE 2K to locus =  7.7
White        Visual Color Temperature = 7941K, DE 2K to locus =  3.7
White     Visual Daylight Temperature = 8309K, DE 2K to locus =  7.3

P3, 100% brightness after uninstall of HP assistant

Code:

Uncalibrated response:
Black level = 0.2712 cd/m^2
50%   level = 48.42 cd/m^2
White level = 275.50 cd/m^2
Aprox. gamma = 2.51
Contrast ratio = 1016:1
White chromaticity coordinates 0.2972, 0.3051
White    Correlated Color Temperature = 7834K, DE 2K to locus =  1.5
White Correlated Daylight Temperature = 7844K, DE 2K to locus =  5.8
White        Visual Color Temperature = 7931K, DE 2K to locus =  1.4
White     Visual Daylight Temperature = 8283K, DE 2K to locus =  5.4

Some caveats noted:

• Changes in HP's "colour temperature" field are not as expected (e.g. change in 1000K doesn't yield 1000K measured difference)
• Uninstalling HP software introduces some deviations (which shouldn't be the case, my understanding was that its corrections are baked into the "colour board").
• DispCal (Argyll?) tend to hang-up on "Filling cLut" stage with impressive consistency. Will fill a bug report if this can be proven reproducible:
  
• Or, even earlier...
  

 

OK, after installing drivers from HP (sp82364.exe) I have managed to perform somewhat sensible calibration using "sRGB" preset and 5700K whitepont in "Display Assistant":

Attaching zipped report from DispCal. Note limitations of colorimeter though.

@mirage_bg, may I ask you to do the following:

1. Set screen brightness to 100% and leave bright window/object on the black background for ~5 minutes, then close the window and check if there is "afterimage/ghosting" left.
2. Fill canvas with white and check if there is any colour-shift / bleed in the corners.

All (I kind of hope people read this topic):

• Do you experience any kind of coil whine? Especially in the top-right corner of the screen.
• What's the difference between various revisions of LP173WF3 panel? http://www.panelook.com/modelsearch.php?keyword=LP173WF3 has SLB1/2/3/4 models, but I can't access datasheets to compare.

Long live the 8770w!

 

After overclocking my G.Skill DDR3L 1600MHz CL9 RAM to 1866MHz CL10 and heavily overclocking M5000M to 1400MHz core and 2700MHz mem, I got this results, which are ok for 7 y.o. laptop, I think...

1. Yes, I have image retention on gray/dark backgrounds
2. No, I can’t see any obvious color shift

 

Thanks. What about coil whine, anything suspicious in the quiet room?

 

Not with my current DC screen. My previous one had it though..

 

Hello i just want to make sure i got this right, so dose the 970m/980m work with the 8770w with dreamcolour? all so how did you guys over clock the ram and can the cpu be overclocked i have the 3610qm? also i have the k5000m if that helps.

Many Thanks

Talzam.

 

Just wondering, @mirage_bg do you still have the prema vBios files for the 980m?

 

No, just for M5000M

 

Oh sad, cant seem to find these files. Thanks anyway for the reply. Might play around with the editor to get out some extra juice when I get the card.

 

Yes, they work. Even with DC display - they work.
No, you cannot overclock the CPU in 8760/8770W.

 

Why are people putting 3940XM in it then? Is it possible to change the multiplier?

 

Thats the big question ) Why the people still are using XM series CPU in locked bios as ours. It is obviously more than pointless, it is just a heat generator with its 55W (65W peak). I am having troubles even with mine 45W CPU sometimes as it reaches 93-94C under intensive CPU/GPU tasks, let aside 55W XM CPU during summer...
No, not possible to change multiplier on 87x0W and XM as I already said - its bios is locked and there is no way to unlock it with modded one.

 

Goddamn. It indeed makes no sense and the 3820qm is half the price, has significantly lower power consumption and basically gets the same performance while being cooler. Maybe if we could implement a better cooling solution, but without unlocking the bios it makes no sense to get an XM processor. ( Isn't there a custom bios for these machines?)
My bad haven seen your finished comment. I just wish there were more advanced bios features for undervolting but oh well its just the 3rd gen, and now we are dipping into 10th gen soon.

 

If any of you are interested (doubtful) the Zbook 17 (G2) allows for CPU tweaking as its Haswell, for the short time I had one I ran its 4810MQ at 3.7ghz all core and 4.1ghz single, the heatsink cooled it amazingly

 

Just a heads up: HP released new NVidia bundle.. Let's see if it supports 10b output:

And more importantly, BIOS update with a few "recent" CVEs patched:

Latter one is invisible if Windows 10 is selected as preferred OS. To download - switch to Windows 8 x32.


P.S Shall this topic be renamed to "8770w quarterly"?..

 

Does it?

 

Unfortunately not. And... As we've got back to the immortal machine, what's your normal temp range these days? Idle/80%/100% load, something like that. Thinking of "updating" thermal paste.

 

Pity...
I am away from my PC until the end of the next month.
The last temps I measured 7 days ago were 90-93C for the CPU under full load in FarCry New Dawn and 70-71C for the GPU.
How is it on your side?

 

Approximately 81c hottest core in Prime 95, after 10 minutes burn-in:


There was a short jump to 84c, but then cooler "switched the gear". I shall notice that room is fairly well-ventilated: ~16c.

 

With 16C in your room - 84C is pretty much what to be expected )

In my room is around 24-25C now

 

Have you guys tried MaxMulti? Link in this ROG topic, as the one provided in the 8760w topic, is down.

 

You should also try gtx1060 or gtx1070 which should work too!

 

I recently (earlier today) found an 8770w at a price ($125) that I felt was too good to pass up. Now I'm keenly interested as to just what videocard upgrades they support ...... the thing is not dreamcolor btw ............ I have a GTX 965m wth 4 gb of vram unused so if the GTX 980m is as much as the machine will support....I'd have a really hard time justifying the expenditure for maybe 20% performance increase over what I have for free ..... I have perused this thread and others but the answers seem, at best, confusing.....

 

980m would be 40% more powerful over 965m at least!

 

Something I'd be really interested in .......is there a known working AMD card in the 8770w with the relative same power as the GTX 980m?

 

Probably Radeon WX7100 Pro

 

Thank you so very much....if that thing will work that's the card I want

 

I really would like to have an option to return the card in your case if it doesn’t work...
I wouldn’t take a risk if I can’t return it if I were you...
Do you have an ordinary or DC2 screen?

 

I would really like to be using AMD but to be honest after a bit deeper research..the M5000m seems to be a hair stronger for a bit less money .... an it overclocks (a very slight overclock makes it almost like a gtx 1060 ) very well ....

Edit .... I do not have a DC screen...... taking into account this "Be advised that the newer RX480M cannot support LVDS and is therefore not compatible with your Elitebook." and those two cards are both Polaris based....... I think I answered the question anyway......

 

M5000M is around 1650 levels, not 1060.
There are apparently RX 480 MXMs that do support LVDS but anything around that mark just doesn't seem worth it IMO.

 

I don't see any of this as discouraging........I like running macOS for recording (Thus my interest in AMD as Apple has chosen to shiv millions of real customers as opposed to folks like me) but IMHO Windows 10 is the best consumer OS ever made. That said I'l live without the newest Apple as I will never pay their prices .....My Precision M6800 with P5000 is getting reballed and may take quite a while....the 8770w cost me a hundred bucks and with a few hundred more may suffice to fit in for what has become a much more expensive machine........

 

I pulled the plug and ordered an M5000m. Is anyone here experienced in an overclock on one of these? It used to be a rather tedious process dialing such in so any tips would be appreciated.

 

will the dual core mother board on an 8770w work with a quad core cpu? I know that with the 8740w that was possible ...... incredibly enough my 8770w has begun immediately shutting power supplies down (I've tested with two different ones) which indicates it developed a very bad dead short while I had it on a shelf .......I'm being sent a dual core unit

 

Yes, you can use Quad on dual ddr slots mobo, just can’t go past 16GB of ram.

 

Thank goodness ..... since I won't installing more than 16 gb it's a lateral move then

 

How it feels with your m5000m?
I am selling mine on ebay...beautiful unit, 77.3% ASIC quality, 1200Mhz core OC on only 0.987V.

 

the first 8770w I bought starting making power supplies stop working as soon as I plugged them while I was waiting for the video card to arrive.....obviously a short in the power system ......I bought another.....it worked ......until I installed the video card.....since then when power is pressed all the buttons flash once and nothing....same behavior with the old k3000 put back in........I'm never touching these piece of **** 8770w's again ....

 

I think it’s just a lack of luck on your side...
I have never had any problems with it and I have tortured mine a lot! I mean - really a lot!

 

well I *have* never won anything in my life..........

 

Did u use both gpus with the original for 8770W X-Bracket?

 

yeah