5650 not reaching 450/800 clocks?

After receiving my Envy 14 last week, I did a clean install of Windows 7 x64 Professional. What is weird, is that the factory install seemed faster gaming wise then the clean install.

While playing Counter Strike Source from a cold boot, I'll start at around 70fps with my current settings, then it will go to around 180-200fps if I close steam and start again.

Could my video card be stuck at 100/150? Is counter strike not pushing it hard enough?

 

Download msi after burner, it will tell you where your clocks are at and let you manually adjust them. Mine came stock at 450/800 and it even overclocks like a champ. (I set it 585/925) and can run cataclysm at I could see your drivers being a problem...what version of CCC and drivers are you running?

 

Does it automatically downclock to 100/150 to save power, if you are not doing anything graphic intensive?

 

I think it does if you turn your settings to powersaver, im not %100 sure though.
If you look in catalyst there is a function called "Powerplay" and it says "Use powerplay to adjust your graphic processor settings for higher performance or longer battery life."

 

If you run gpu-z, what is your default clock on the first page under "graphics card?" mine reads 100mhz if I am idling on the desktop.

 

The default should be 450/800. Even with PowerPlay on, the maximum default clocks in the GPU's vBIOS should be 450 Core, 800 Memory.

If yours show the PowerPlay figures as the default, then there is something wrong with the drivers you are using or the vBIOS installed on your particular GPU did not contain the correct operating codes.

 

If it is the vBIOS, is there anything I can do to correct the issue?

 

Are you on the latest BIOS for the Envy 14? The vBIOS often is locked with the BIOS and any revisions HP makes for the vBIOS gets updated in part with the BIOS. So if you aren't on the latest BIOS, you should considering flashing to the latest revision that HP released.

 

I have BIOS f23. I am not sure if that is the latest or not

 

Yeah that is the most recent. You can try to reflash the BIOS again to see if anything's changed. Maybe the initial flash was done correctly in the factory or something. Also, it could also be a driver-related issue, so don't forget that as a cause as well.

 

wow, when I tried to set it to 585mhz, "display driver stopped working" message pops up every other second during gaming....

 

Yeah I just installed ATI Tools, and it then reported the core clock as 450/800. When I unistalled it, it reported it again at 100/150. Funny thing is, it still will go up to 450/800 when watching youtube videos.

At idle though, it stays at 100/150. Is the behavior everyone else is seeing? THat it dynamically ramps up or down?

 

Try reinstalling the graphic drivers. I believe one of the files managing PowerPlay is not installed right.

 

I just updated to the latest bios. Is there anyway to do a factory restore from the recovery partition? I did not make a set of disks. However, I left the recovery partition in place.

 

Yeah you can. Press F11 when the laptop POSTS and that will get you to the Recovery Manager. Also, that is what the partition is for.

 

No, the behavior he is experiencing is right. Powerplay automatically ramps the GPU down when not doing anything, it's like Intel's Speedstep.

 

I know perfectly well what PowerPlay does, but his PowerPlay is cutting him to the lower clocks when it shouldn't, like when he is gaming. PowerPlay shouldn't trigger in Counter-Strike: Source.

 

Well I did test it with a YouTube video and it ramped up to 450. I'm in the process of reinstalling Windows. Hopefully reinstalling the driver will get it to report correctly. Wouldn't you think it's software since once i installed ATI Tools it report the correct core clocks?

I'm going to try the driver in the swsetup folder.

 

Well, we all hope its a software bug. If it is really a vBIOS thing than that is going to be problematic. So far it looks like it needs a driver reset. Keep us posted.

 

I will thanks!

 

Well, it is the same. However, if I disable "Powerplay" it shows 450/800 for default clocks and under sensors 450/800 all the time. If I enable powerplay again, it shows 100/150 for default.

Ideas?

Switching to Intel HD graphics, the default clock is 0. Memory is 533.

 

OK. That is correct. When PowerPlay is enabled and when you are idle, it WILL downclock itself to 100/150 to save energy. When you disable it, it will run at 450/800. However, when you play Counter Strike: Source, PowerPlay should raise the clock to 450/800 when you are gaming and when you aren't, should go back to 100/150.

Now, if you were gaming and the clocks went down to 100/150 while GAMING, then PowerPlay is adjusting the clocks erratically. In that case, you should disable PowerPlay when gaming. Otherwise, PowerPlay-enabled will show 100/150.

In conclusion, as long as PowerPlay isn't changing clocks during your CS: S gaming sessions by going to the power saving clocks, the whole GPU is working fine as it should. If it does do that, then the only alternative is disable PowerPlay when you do play or disable it completely if you do lots of switching anyways and use the Intel GPU for your productivity and internet surfing needs.

 

Ok, so to recap, it is "normal" with PowerPlay enabled to see 100/150 as my default clocks?

 

Yes. It is perfectly normal as long as GPU-Z still shows 450/800 in its end. I can show you what I mean with a screenshot of my FirePro w/ PowerPlay:



So you can see. In GPU-Z it shows 700/1000 as the Default Clock. That is how much grunt the FirePro can take while on maximum GPU load. In AMD Clock Tool, it shows 100/150, that is due to PowerPlay putting it in Power Saving mode when I am not really using the GPU for power-intensive stuff. In my Catalyst Control Panel, I have PowerPlay activated so it does that.

Therefore, yours should look like this with PowerPlay enabled, except with your clocks of 450/800 on maximum clock speed.

 

ONLY if your computer is not doing anything graphics-intensive.

 

What do you mean by "in its end?" Let me show you what I see:





As you can see, with PowerPlay enabled, my default clocks are listed as 100/150

 

Yeah that is not right in my opinion. Look at my screenshot of my ATI GPU for what it should be. The default clocks shouldn't be the ones for power saving mode. Regardless of PowerPlay on or off, it should always show the maximum clocks.

Then again, as long as it is running on 450/800 when it should and stays like that when it should, then it is working properly. However, the programs aren't detecting your card's clock speeds the way it should though...

 

Could it be the driver version? Or do you think I should contact HP?

 

Well as I said before, try playing games without PowerPlay. As long as it doesn't clock itself down when you are playing. It is working fine. Besides, I assume when you aren't gaming, you use the Intel GPU by switching right? So if you only use the 5650M when you are gaming, there is no point in keeping PowerPlay activated.

It is weird why yours seem to glitch like that in the detection of the clocks with PowerPlay on, however if it doesn't impair your usage, then I think you should be fine. The drivers you installed are the latest HP released and you already reformatted the system and BIOS. As long as it works as it should in actual applications, then it is all good. You will just have to live with the weird clock detection.

 

Yeah, Just tried 11.1. It installed, but no dice. Just weird that I would be the only Envy 14 user with this issue.

 

Well you could contact HP with the problem, but most likely they will shrug it off. However if you can get the detection of the full clock speeds with PowerPlay off, then there really shouldn't be any problems whatsoever.

Also, 11.1 is very tricky to install on Envy 14's with switchable graphics. Some users are vouching that the modded 11.1a Hotfix does work. The details I am not too sure about since I don't own a switchable graphics laptop. However, you do have the latest HP version of the driver for the 5650M.

 

1.) Start CS:S

2.) Open GPU-Z

3.) Tell us what the default clocks are when running CSS

 

Will it keep a log as I am playing?

 

Just enter a game in CS:S, minimize it, and start GPU-Z. Remember what it reports, and post them.

 

I think he should run it for like 5 minutes in a match and post results on the safe side. Make sure you keep the sensor monitoring page check for continuous logging.

 

Just an update, I reinstalled everything except Counter Strike Source. I'll do that tonight.

I did run 3DMark06 with Powerplay engaged and then disengaged. Here are my results:

With Powerplay on (reading 100/150 at idle):



With Powerplay off (reading 450/800 at idle):



Seems like everything is fine but I will run some additional test tomorrow with Counter Strike Source and Borderlands.

Those who are follow this thread, your thoughts?

 

Everything is fine. GPU-Z is just somehow misreporting your default clocks. Nothing to worry about.

 

Yup. As long as the FPS in Borderlands and CS:S doesn't randomly drop or stutter, you are fine. Your just have bad luck on the sensor detection part of your GPU giving you false clock speed states.

 

Its weird though, cause several times it has read correctly at boot-up or when several windows are open, it will report 450/800. For most of the time though, its 100/150 so its almost like it is reporting the various Powerplay states instead of the core clocks.

 

Indeed it is but really what can you do? You can bicker with HP to claim that your GPU is faulty and you want a system board swap, but I doubt they will care enough to do so over faulty clock speed detection. The only way you can argue for a replacement if the PowerPlay state is really affecting performance by locking itself in the state when it shouldn't, like for instance gaming or high-end graphical rendering, and even turning it off doesn't work.

 

Ok, tested again today with Counter Strike Source video strest test. What was interesting, is when I booted up I received this error message:



First the first run, I left Powerplay enable and my clocks stayed at 300/300. This was throughout the entire test. My results were 47fps.

For the second run, I turned Powerplay off, my clocks stayed at 450/800 and my results were 106fps.

Obviously either there is an issue with the driver or with the graphics card. I'm going to try the driver from the swsetup folder and see if reinstalling makes a difference.

 

No ideas about the error message?

It seems sometimes GPU-Z is reporting my default clocks as the current clocks.

I've come to the conclusion I will either return the laptop or upgrade my warranty to HP Total Care for the in-home service. Does anyone have any experience with this? Or will they ask me to send the laptop in?

 

I don't know if it's already been mentioned but there is a bug with powerplay and the envy 14 and some/all drivers.



short version: when you unplug the envy and then plug it back in and/or when you swap the gpu to intel and back (or do both) you get stuck on 300/300 clocks.

to fix it you need to restart windows or go turn powerplay off and then back on (if you just turn it off while it's at 300/300 it STAYS at 300/300 til you reboot).

 

Thanks for the info. I was not aware of the issue. Any idea though why mine would report 100/150 as the default clocks?

 

*shrugs* it was stuck on max power saving powerplay?


mine reports 100/150 as the default clocks. but it also reports the gpu clock at 450/800. That's powerplay at work. It clocks down until you need to use the full speed.

when it works properly (see: stays at 450/800 whenever you use anything that requires the gpu) it's a good thing.

when it for some reason doesn't work right...well I dunno what's going on.

Maybe something with your drivers got corrupted. I had the texture shaders for dx9 stuff on my drivers become irrevocably corrupted and had to struggle through truly cleaning them out (which was a pain since windows update refused to get rid of some of the drivers even with driver sweeper clearing everything out in safe mode).


but I eventually got it to erase all traces of the drivers (I also found my old friend the blank display bug) after halfway installing the drivers, cleaning them out in regular mode, and then rebooting, stopping the windows update reinstall manually and then finally reinstalling them from scratch.


was a pain in the rear

 

So does your GPU-Z screen look like mine on page 3 of this thread? Your default clocks say 100/150 but your GPU clock says 450/800?

BTW thanks for your input. I really do appreciate it.

 

yea it looks like yours unless I open it up while in a game.


then the default clocks are at 450/800

 

Then it looks like the 5650 is working properly. Too bad your Envy 14's don't read the power states on the 5650 well. At least it works right?