8510p and HD 2600

ive been reading up on the issues with the 8510p and the hd 2600. however, i didnt read up on it until AFTER i ordered this computer from shopblt.com.
im a relative novice (first laptop), and i will be gaming with this. my question is...am i screwed and likely going to have to go through all the issues with this graphics card that (seemingly) lots of others are going through? the laptop has not been shipped yet, so if i act quickly, i can probably stop the order. i am not enough of a computer person to know what i am doing if this requires a lot of 'hands on' of driver installing etc. I would rather just bag the whole thing and order a laptop that is NOT having issues.
this is the card (to make sure its even the one thats having issues): "ATi Mobility Radeon X2600 512MB Semi-shared"
any help GREATLY appreciated. like i said, i will be gaming on this.

 

There are issues with that card?

It's an okay mid-range card, update all the drivers and you shouldn't have any problems...

 

Question #1: Why did you buy a laptop without making sure its the right thing?

Question #2: What kinds of issues are we talking about here?

Question #3: Can you increase your budget?

 

http://forum.notebookreview.com/showthread.php?t=200563

 

vlad I
the answers are
1) a. the specs of the laptop (when there are no issues) seemed to match what i was looking for
b. im a NOOB (which i freely expressed in my 'which laptop to buy" forum post) and didnt look/find the "problem" section for this computer till later
2. issues with the graphics card crashing/drivers...or something maybe undetermined
3. cant increase budget unfortunetly

it looks like kain has saved my day. thanks. im not sure how much, if any, know-how this is going to require from me to fix this issue if it comes up. i hope not much...as im not too savvy with computers
im getting it with xp pro too, if that will make a diff.

 

The BIOS update fixed pretty much everything. I also have the 8510p with XP Pro. I have run into zero problems and I even did a clean install (which I suggest). I don't think there are any major problems at this point. If you need help once you get it, feel free. The 8510p is a great laptop, one of the best out there right now. Don't get discouraged by seeing people asking for help. Remember most people go on tech forums for help, not to talk about how good a laptop they have.

 

This is in response to a pm, I thought it might be helpful for everyone to be able to see the answer.

You might not have to update the BIOS at all. It's possible that HP is shipping their laptops with all the updates. If errors start to occur, this is what it will probably look like (this also sets the GPU back to ATI stock values):

Screen will appear frozen for a few seconds. Screen goes fuzzy with static. The screen shuts off. Then it reboots stating there was a VPU error or whatever it said.

If you see this happen, don't worry, the BIOS update is very easy to do. You go this page for the 8510p with XP Pro: http://h20000.www2.hp.com/bizsuppor...sId=3355678&swLang=8&taskId=135&swEnvOID=1093
Download the update titled: HPQFlash for HP Notebook System BIOS (68MVD) - Microsoft Windows/Vista-Based. Then run the file by double-clicking it. Lastly, you follow the on-screen prompts.

 

Hey Jin, I replied to cjhens' PM as well

But yes, Jin is correct. 8510p's built since December all ship the new firmware. If you receive one with old firmware it is doubtless stock from before December, however the update is simple and quick to perform, so no problem!

 

GET IT ! there are no problems now , the bios update fixed all

 

Don't forget to give me some rep points.

 

and he said :thou shall not ask for rep points.........

if somebody thinks you should get the rep you will get it ! But asking for some rep is hmmm..... not how you should do it.
sounds rather demanding and is a little disturbing.

my advice : don´t ask for it. if you were helpful you will get the rep.


and by the way, yes all the problems with the hd 2600 seem to be solved. have not heard any complaints here or at the hp forum after the bios fix was released.
and to support your choice for the 8510p , i have it for some month now, and it´s a really good machine. i work very hard with it, and i don´t have any problems with it.

 

I have the 8510p, no problems at all with the graphics card and all has worked perfectly since I brought it. The only down side is the noise, this is the loudest laptop i've ever used. In order to make it run at a normal noise level I have to set the processor to operate at 5% capacity and the graphics power to minimum which kinda defeats the point of buying a high spec laptop. Still it's nice to be able to bump it upto max when you want to play a game on it!

 

I know, I was more just kidding around.

 

Yeah, it works like a charm for me...