*HP dm4t (1XXX series) Owners Lounge!*

AMD just released 10.7 drivers and again there is no support for switchable graphics. Disappointed

 

Ugh I was hoping it would bring support for it. Do you think AMD will ever officially support it? If not, we have to keep relying on HP to bring the updates and that won't last forever, will take a long time between updates, and will probably be behind to what the official Catalysts bring.

On top of that the 5650 HD is giving me issues. It freezes when streaming certain flash youtube/hulu videos. Once I disabled hardware acceleration in the flash settings on youtube videos the problem went away. They don't look as good though.

 

MagusDraco says it installs for his Envy 14 so you could give it a shot

http://forum.notebookreview.com/gam...ear-newer-than-upcoming-whql.html#post6518784

 

Holy &$(# I think it worked! Thanks for pointing me to that link Abaddon! I followed the instructions. It was weird though because it instructs you to go through the setup and when it's done the screen will go black, once you hear the HDD stop running you do a hard reset and then it will be installed. It doesn't seem like the best way to install a driver but it fixed my freezing issues with streaming videos. Finally!

Edit: Device Manager now detects my dedicated chip as "ATI Mobility Radeon HD 5400 Series" instead of 5450 like before (I think it was). Like I said, it fixed some pretty annoying issues I was having before but I'll see how much better it is over the next few days. So far so good!

 

someone run some games with this thing
starcraft 2 anyone?

 

Could somebody check the graphics properties in the Performance Information and Tools panel (where windows experience index is shown) when you click "View and print detailed performance and system information" (with ATI card active)? For some reason it shows that DirectX version is 10...


Somebody with 5450 card, could you tell me if you have DirectX 10 or DirectX 11 specified in there?

 

Sorry, but my SC2 isn't working. Crashes about 2-10 minutes in even with onboard graphics. 5450 doesn't last more than 1 minute.

Any one know of a good fix for this? I really want to play SC2 sometime this year....

 

that is not enough information to help, not that I could anyway, but "it crashes" can mean one of many things. How does it crash? Does it give any errors? if so, what?

"even with onboard graphics": the onboard graphics can probably not keep up with that game at low settings, so this is not a surprise. the 5450 should be able to play that on low settings at minimum, so the fact that it can't would make me think to check the drivers, or it is something else. What settings are you playing at?

 

It crashes with no error reports. I am simply brought back to the windows screen. It's almost as if the program is minimized, but it closes instead. No errors means I really have no idea what's going on.

I've tried updating the drivers, but that isn't helping at all. ATI is not the best in terms of providing drivers for laptops that have switchable graphics.

After many hours of trying, I have been able to run the game steady on low and medium mixed settings with the onboard graphics. It doesn't stutter or anything, and it hasn't crashed in a while. I just wish I could figure out what's up with my graphics card.

 

If you're desperate, you can uninstall the cr**py HP simplepass software and install the digital persona fingerprint software (available from the HP website -- just make sure you get the right 32- or 64-bit version). While this version still has the popup bubble, you can left-click on it to banish it forever. The LED doesn't work (never lights up), and you can't enroll a pinky, but I can live with those.

 

I don't know of anything really good atm.

The HP DM4-1063CL at Costco is a decent value for the money, but it's still not cheap at $800 (+tax). For the specs, it is cheaper than one from HP's website, even with the now-expired $180 instant rebate and free 500GB disk.

 

DirectX 10.

 

Thanks, I appreciate it.

 

My dm4-1063cl w/5450 claims DX11:

​

 

5450 is a DirectX 11 GPU. But it seems like Windows recongnizes it as DirectX 10 part. I'm wondering if it is so because Win falls back to to lowest common denominator (Intel HD graphics which is DirectX 10 GPU) or something else is going on? Glview sees it as DirectX 10.1 part too... Has anybody tried to run any DirectX 11 soft (game or something else) on dm4t?

 

Sorry, I don't have any DX11 games. It might just be a matter of installing the DX11 runtime. (Given the sticker, I'd be really surprised if the 5450 in the dm4/dm4t didn't work with DX11 -- otherwise, some lawyers will probably get rich with a class-action suit.)

 

Is there any way in which one can enable AHCI on this notebook? I recently picked up a sandforce SSD but can't get the most out of it if there's no way to enable it.

 

How did you determine that AHCI is not enabled?
I can't reboot right now to check if BIOS has an option for switching between modes, but if there is than make sure that AHCI is enabled in BIOS. Next, do the following:

• Start registry editor (Win+R, type "regedit", hit Enter)
• Navigate to the HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\System\CurrentControlSet\Services\Msahci
• Find the parameter called Start on the right side and double-click it (if it's value is not 0 - than AHCI is not enabled)
• Change its value to 0 (zero)
• Reboot

Windows should install the AHCI drivers on the next start and ask you for another reboot afterwards.

 

I know how to enable it in the registry... without an option in BIOS, though, that means nothing.

One can check in device manager, and on my system it sill shows everything running in IDE.

 

I believe it defaults to AHCI in BIOS. I did not change anything in there and it runs in AHCI mode. Have you installed chipset drivers and Intel RST drivers?
BTW, my controller looks like this in device manager (and it does run in AHCI mode):

 

Interesting. I installed the latest DX end-user runtime, which claims to be 9.0c, and dxdiag says that DX11 is installed. I have no idea what to make of this, or if it's even correct.

 

Seems like everything is fine. DirectX 11 comes with Win7 by default. I just checked the reported DirectX value on my desktop which has only Radeon 5770 in it and Windows still says DirectX 10, so it seems like just like the "Performance Information and Tools" dialog has some weired way of reporting DirectX version. I ran DirectX 11 samples from DirectX SDK and everything went fine, so 5450 is not limited to DirectX 10.

 

I just ordered my laptop yesterday! I had a few questions though...

Is the 5450 512mb graphics card good for gaming? I mostly want to play starcraft 2 without problems, will it work? If starcraft 2 doesn't work, I might have to send the laptop back, and just stick with integrated graphics...

Also, what kind of speeds will you get with the wireless N card? Hopefully I didn't make a mistake by not adding the Intel card for $25...

Thanks for the help!

 

I was just going to make a topic asking about this. Is there any difference between these two cards?

 

will a base configuration dm4t be able to play counter strike source?
what games have dm4t owneres here been playing?

 

Apparently the Intel card has better range. I got the intel and i must say the range is exceptional. The intel is the WiFi 1000 Link, i do not know what the non-intel card is, but if someone posts it we will be able to look up the differences online.

The 5450 is on the low-end of the midrange cards. I have one but have not had the chance to check it's gaming capabilities.

 

The 5450 should be fine for starcraft 2 at native resolution and medium-high settings.

 

Ok thanks! I'm really excited about starcraft 2 so hopefully I won't have any problems!

Also, are there any online coupons/special discounts available right now for the dm4t?

 

Hey guys, I really been following the Envy 14 thread, but I always liked the smaller size of the DM4. The major down side to it was the screen resolution and the lower graphics card.
However, I'm just going threw my weekly Future Shop flyer and I came across this:

"HP Pavilion Laptop Featuring Intel Core i5-430M Processor --- DM4-1050CA WebID: 10146655

4GB DDR3 RAM | 500GB HDD

Stylish design featuring chiclet keyboard with a brushed aluminum finish. Blazing fast graphics with ATI Mobility Radeon HD 5650 1GB video card."

Any hear anything about the DM4 getting an HD5650 upgrade?!?!? If that's the case, I think I can definitely manage with the lower res screen (is the screen pretty decent?!?!) and enjoy the same graphics card that's in the Envy14.

Also, unfortunately, this thread isn't as neatly kept as the Envy14's, with a Mod post at the beginning linking to various user reviews... Can anyone point me to some please

Thanks alot!!!

EDIT: the ad in the flyer seems to be referencing this laptop:

http://www.futureshop.ca/en-CA/prod...spx?path=21ac8ed22bded66e84932d25d05e52a6en02

same WebID and same name DM4-1050CA, however I can clearly see that it doesn't have the hd5650 or even the hd5450 for that matter. How can I use this to my advantage? This is considering, of course, that they don't release a new laptop tomorrow...

EDIT 2: Took a picture of the ad from the Future Shop flyer:



Uploaded with ImageShack.us

 

well, 5450 is a fairly an entry level class of DX11

dont expect to play those demanding games even on Med settings

but CS:S should be fine as it is an older game

i think the performance is on par with Nvidia's 310M

CMIIW

 

@ MaxS

Honestly, I have not heard any rumor about 5650 in dm4t. This would be nice for new buyers, given they will not ask your arm and leg for it.

Regarding the screen - it is decent but I would not say it's anything exceptional. Of course, you can't compare it to Envy 14's radiance screen (I'm wondering if the new 1366x768 screen in Envy is the same as in dm4t. Btw, shame on HP for making radiance screen $200 premium option in Envy 14). I was really going back and forth between Envy and dm4t just because of the screen...

There are no that much dm4t's reviews (at least that I'm aware of). I'll give you several that I saw:
Engadget (basic model without ATI card and seems like they are not aware that they can update and tune touchpad drivers)
NBR forum users of course
Some youtube videos:
marketing stuff
Hands on part 1
hands on part 2

 

After some tweaks and such, I have been able to play Starcraft 2 successfully on medium and high settings for 2 hours. The graphics are great; however, it did skip a little at times as I had the HDMI hooked up to my 46" LCD tv at the same time. So, the card was working overtime to say the least.

All in all I am quite impressed. My 3DMark06 score was over 4000, so this thing can pack some power. Enough to play SC2 anyway and many other recent games on low settings at least.

 

Hey roemer, if you don't mind me asking, what kind of tweaks did you have to do? Did you have trouble in the beginning? Also, did you just choose to quit after 2 hours, or is that all the computer could handle?

~thanks!

PS: so you were playing SC2 on a 46" TV? that sounds awesome!!

 

I just bought a DM4 w/Core i5...the stock 6-cell battery runs for somewhere around 4+ hours. How many hours does the 9-cell battery run on average?

Thanks,
-mike-

 

Got my dm4 recently. I am really liking it but I am a bit worried about the touchpad. The right bottom edge of the trackpad sticks up a little bit - enough that I could get my nail under it with some effort. I tried pressing hard on it a couple of times but it goes back to sticking up.

Did/does anybody have the same problem? Should I ask for a replacement (I am still under 21 days)?

 

IIRC the 6 cell is 59Whr, the HC-6 cell is 6x WHr and the 9 cell is 93 Whr.
93 / 59 = 1.57627119, so the 9 cell will last 1.57 times longer than the 6 cell.

 

Well, I went in to Future Shop to investigate this supposed DM4 with HD5650 video card...
I got in and they hadn't even set up a display model... that got my hopes up since the guy told me they had JUST received them and it was a new model. Anyway, we get to chatting while an other employee goes to look for one and I tell him how surprised I was to see in their flyer that it came with an HD5650. And he just calmly assures me that, "yeah, it's a new laptop and if it says that in the flyer, I'm sure it must be right". So I tell him that even in the States they can't even configure it with that video card...
We get the DM4 booted up (which looked pretty good, except that the track pad was messed up... The side of the track pad closest to the edge of the laptop could almost be lifted out O_O !!! ) and he goes through the process of setting it up and what not...

Finally, I'm playing around with it and the first sign that something is wrong is that there is not CCC or anything related to ATi... anywhere. Go into the display settings and there's nothing for a discrete GPU. He comes back two minutes later after having seen that and just says: "Oh yeah... looks like you were right. There was a typo in the flyer. We just sent an email to let them know..."

All that to say: THE CAKE IS A LIE!!!!

 

Over on the Envy 14 touchpad forum, it seems that someone put together a small app that significantly improves the touchpad. No deadzone control yet though.

http://forum.notebookreview.com/hp-envy-hdx/502589-e14-trackpad-discussion-only-10.html

Are there any similar apps for the dm4t? Any way to create a deadzone over the buttons so the cursor doesn't jump around?

 

its the same clickpad, so try it and see if it works

 

How have gaming experiences been with this laptop? Also, how heavy is it with the 9-cell battery?

 

I seriously doubt they will add the option for a 5650 because that would be it too close to the Envy 14.

 

My order status just changed to "Order in production" How long do you guys think it'll be until it ships? It's the base model with an added 512mb 5450 graphics card.

 

Well, I ordered mine on July 15th, it said that estimated SHIPPING date was 26th. They actually shipped on 22nd. Then FedEx said that estimated DELIVERY date was 28th, but actually delivered on 26th. YMMV though

 

I had chance to only play Nexius so far (it's free FPS game), and it is OpenGL-based game (not DirectX so it's not very representative game...), it plays fine on medium-high settings. I have 10.7 drivers installed, so it might be different from stock HP's drivers (which are modded 10.3 I believe).

Regarding 9-cell battery I can not compare to 6-cell as I do not have one, but it does not seem to be noticeably heavier than my old 13.3'' Dell XPS M1330 with 6-cell battery.

 

I've been playing Anno 1404 (2009), Blur (2010), Pro Cycling Manager (2010)... These work well enough on medium settings. I didn't check any frame rates or so, I'm a casual gamer at best, not too demanding... But those run smoothly enough for me...

 

>>>deleted<<<

 

Hi, how many fans does this notebook have? 1 or 2? And is it possible to get it with a higher screen resolution than 1366 x 768?

 

Hey guys, this is my first laptop...could anyone recommend any anti virus/firewall security software I could get for my dm4t? Which ones do you guys use? I think it only comes with something for 60days...

thanks for the help!

 

My favorite is Microsoft Security Essentials. Very lightweight and unobtrusive and does good job in detection. McAfee is the worst AV I've used ever.

 

I'll second that. I've used McAfee, and other than the fugly interface, it's a resource hog. I use MSE now. It's great, not to mention free.