*HP dv6t & dv7t Select Edition / Quad Edition (6XXX series) Owners Lounge*

Hey guys, I received my dv6t quad edition yesterday and so far it is pretty impressive. Today I performed a clean install using the win7 and installed the appropriated drivers, so far so good. But I do have two questions, since I didn't want to create another thread I might as well post in the massive dv6t thread at the top.

1. I have the 2nd generation i7-2630QM (2.0 GHz, 6MB L3 Cache) w/Turbo Boost up to 2.9 GHz. When I used the program CPUZ and benchmarked it using wprime, the intel i7 only goes up to 2.6ghz. Is this right? Since it is advertised as 2.9ghz I assume it would hit the 2.9 mark.

2. I have the 1980x1080 set at the moment and from the resolution setting the next stop down is 1366x768. Are there no other resolution setting available between them? I have the 1GB GDDR5 Radeon(TM) HD 6490M.

thanks

 

Welcome to the forum Luds; this is the place for such issues

my 2630qm runs up to 2.6Ghz maximum as well, using prime95, and i have played with both throttlestop and coolsense as well and cannot get it to hit 2.9 either. Edit: this is normal -- all four cores can't run at 2.9MHz at the same time.

as for the screen resolution -- this is just my opinion, but I don't think there is any value in a resolution in between 768 and 1080 vertical lines. moreover, the native resolution of 1080 lines is the best choice for this display. what is your motivation for something less than 1080 lines but greater than 768?

 

oh bother my brain was not working right in that previous post! I have now corrected this via edit. These processors will acheive maximum turbo only under certain conditions, namely it is not possible for all four cores to run at the maximum at the same time because this would exceed the maximum power dissipation of the package. Therefore we can expect that 2.6GHz for all four cores at the same time is the correct behavior. one core could jump to 2.9GHz momentarily without the others following suit, but I expect this event would be difficult to capture without a peak detect type of feature in the monitoring software.

In particular, apps that run multiple simultaneous threads evenly distributed across all four cores will never demonstrate 2.9Ghz peak turbo.

 

thnx dlleno,
Please let me/us know if you're able to resolve the CPU problem, greatly appreciated it. And as far as the resolution, I really don't have a reason but I just know that my desktop has display options of 1600, 1400, etc.

 

ahhhhh I see. It is a very nice laptop nevertheless. It's time to play with my laptop, Thanks!

 

I had an ahh-hah moment... see above

 

you know, honestly I don't have an answer to the resolution question, as I see 1600x900 on other monitors as well, for example. Its probably governed by the graphics card itself and what it chooses to support.

yes indeed these are very nice laptops. especially with the SSD

 

49494949494949

DV6T new, no problem here, and typing as verrrry fassst.

 

Hey all I have a dv6-6121tx and bought a CoolMaster Notepal U2 with the moveable fans for it

Could someone please point out the best spots to place the fans?

Thanks a lot!
Shubhangam

 

Shubhangam,

You should check out this thread http://forum.notebookreview.com/hp-pavilion-notebooks/588743-just-got-cooler-master-u2-3.html

 

While running numerous scanning applications concurrently on a 2720QM (45 watt Max TDP) I monitored with Core Temp. I periodically observed that the TDP went over 50 watts in bursts over 15 seconds long. Without logging it I saw it peak at 52 watts. The logic that controls Turbo Boost is all Greek to me.

 

magic is right 45 watts is the max sustained mode. it means that with an infinately efficient cooling system, the device can operate at 45w forever, without self destructing internally. the point of turbo is that under certain conditions, the processor can sprint, but only for short periods of time at higher instantaneous Pd, even if it is liguid nitrogen cooled . The magic lies in how the processor can decide when it is safe to do that without overheating, internally.

 

those vents on the bottom of the DV are intakes, at least the are on my DV7 61xxx. the point is to force air into the vents, suplimenting the existing fan to get greater airflow across the heat sink. If you can do this, without actually warming up the air first, it should be effective. I'd suggest adding one other run to the experiment -- use only one fan. it could be that one is more effective than two or the other way around... Put a digital thermometer on one of the exit vents (left side and left rear) and see what yields the lowest exit temp.

things that will warm up the air, and negate any airflow increase, include:

1. fans that run too fast just beat the air up. if you have a low speed, try that. the slower the fan runs, the less it will heat up the air. you want to move cool air into the laptop ,and any fan at any speed will add heat to the air. you want to minimize that heat . you want more air molecules crossing the heat sink not just hotter ones.

2. air that bounces off of the warm case, and then gets stuffed into the intake, will also be bad. A single, targeted ,slow-speed fan, it seems to me, would be most effective. blowing as much air as you can against the bottom case is probably counter-productive because it would tend to pick up heat from the case

 

Hey guys,

I don't know if anyone has asked about this, but all of us knows that there isn't a LED indicator for the num lock. This is quite annoying for me, as I use the numpad quite often. I tried some displaying programs, but they only show it in the tray, which is no good for me because I hide my taskbar.

So is there any program that show the status of the num lock on-screen?

Thanks in advance.

Btw, my lap is a dv7-6100 CTO.

 

the on-screen display utility shows the status when you make the change, but unfortunately it doesn't persist. you're looking for something that persists?

 

I still have the on screen display utility, but it doesn't show anything that involves the num lock.

Yes, something that persists would be very nice.

 

yea I agree. 2nd thought I don't think it is HP OSD that is responsible for the num lock notification that may be windows itself and I don't think its possible to configure a persistant status notification. anyone else?

 

Thanks for the info on the U2 guys..!

 

If you chose bluetooth with your configuration on the dv6tqe is it bluetooth 3.0 or 2.1?

 

Hey, all. My dv7 Quad Edition has a GPU which regularly overheats, the core temps reach an average of about 58 while idling, and I actually got a notice while booting up that the fan doesn't work. I just sent my computer back in to have it's fan replaced after it spun slowly - this new(if that's p0.19 replaced actually means) fan doesn't work at all, and on top of that my computer got so hot as to shut the display down temporarily to protect itself from overheating...

Not that it was fast enough to prevent what looks like some heat scarring near the GPU case.

So, what I ask to all of you - can I make this work? Should I take out the hard drive and ask for a replacement dv7? Should I get a refund? Is there a way to make this computer actually run without overheating or is it essentially a lemon (at least in my completely anecdotal evidence)? I'll try most things, but I'm not exactly an expert. So your thoughts'd be greatly appreciated.

 

Do you have a lot of dust in the vent and fan? Did you try to use compressed air to blow out the dust that is built up inside?

 

That was the very first thing I did when my fan began to make loud ratcheting noises. Then, I tried experimenting with power settings, turning the fan to/from constant activation, and flashing the bios. I just recently sent it in and after around a week or two, got it back with a supposedly replaced fan (or heatsink?.. I don't know what 'PL-019' even means), the fan no longer works at all, but runs quiet. At the moment, I have a metal tabletop fan plugged semi-nearby and am using it to blow air into the computer, which barely helps in the short term and will probably make for dust-related problems in the long term.

Here is what happened previously. If you don't have time for that, there's not too much to add besides what I wrote up in that paragraph. Thank you for your advice; again, I'm not sure what to do. I could send it back in, ask that they look at the heatsink or perhaps the GPU as well - but they've already replaced the fan (I think?). Is this happening to other people? Have I bought a computer that is actually usable, or am I sitting on a time bomb?

 

Why on earth would you accept THAT and not just send it back in again

 

Not only did I just (literally, a few days ago) get it back, but I don't have time or money. I can't really afford to not have a notebook - even for a little while. I don't have a job right now, so the whole thing is really troublesome, to put it lightly. There are no local repair places where I live - and the place that does repair here charges an arm, a leg, and a kidney. Not that they can afford to do otherwise, with how little business is here, I'm sure...

Anyway. What I'm trying to ask, will just sending it in help? Because I've been doing some research and it seems this is a fairly common problem. I want to be able to relax after a long day with a game of Mass Effect or work on one of my hobbies. I want to be able to browse the internet without worrying about heat buildup; most of all, I need to write, and maybe code if I can. I'd like a guarantee from another dv7t owner that I'm just a statistical outlier.

Edit: So that I know I can send it back in or acquire a new one, put my HD in, and have it work. That's all I want right now.

 

I can't even imagine running a Sandy Bridge model without a fan... I certainly understand your concern of being without your computer... but one without a fan ... well is kinda like driving a car without brakes because you really need your car... it just isn't a very smart move. A non-functional fan should be pretty easy to diagnose and replace .... and KNOW whether it is truly fixed. We are talking about a computer still under warranty, right? You didn't open it up and monkey with things? ... that is what a warranty is for... I am sorry for your situation, but other than sending it back, and STRONGLY conveying to them that it was returned WITHOUT the fan functioning... I am at a loss

*** INCLUDE a written description of the problem an tape it to the returned unit ***

 

I guess that's what I'll do then. I'm sure it'll turn out all right, then - if it works with a fan, then everything'll be all right. It just got so hot, I'm wondering if the tiny heat windows are enough for it - I guess I'll just call them tomorrow and say 'it's still not working, replace it.'

Thanks for the advice. I realize it should be easy to diagnose and replace, it just seems like I've explained the problem to them fully so it should already be fixed - I guess, I feel the same way and so I'm confused that it isn't. One thing I noticed is that I don't have the 'coolsense' software installed on this computer, do to my purging of all things I considered HP bloatware. Did the fan only run with that enabled..? Anyway, guess I'll send it back in. Thanks.

Edit: And thanks for your understanding as well; yep, it's unmonkeyed with. At first I'd thought about replacing the fan myself, but despite my experience with software stuff, I've got big fingers and laptop parts always seem so small - I just don't trust myself to do that. I've got the warranty, might as well use it. I just had also forgot how terrible I am at dealing with people, especially over the phone. xD

 

Hey guys, ordered my DV7T a few days ago. Have a quick question.

I plan to do a retail windows 7 ult install when I get it, and install the drivers from HP's website. Is there any particular order to installing the drivers on a fresh installation?

Thanks!

 

I figured I would try out a game or two while waiting for the box to send the dv6t qe in for repair...I noticed an odd and annoying issue. I tried using the touchpad (no external mouse) and whenever I would move around in the game (wasd) and try to swipe my finger around to spin/look different directions the touchpad wouldn't respond most of the time.

For example: Start swiping around the touchpad to spin/look around/just get some motion in general. While continuing to do that, hit W to walk forward. Just after hitting W the swiping will begin to be ignored. Once W is released the swiping is picked up again and you keep looking around.

I know using the touchpad isn't ideal for that, but I am surprised it seems to be limited like this. I was hoping to use it for stuff like maybe playing minecraft on a long flight or something.

Sys info: Latest touchpad driver (from drivers thread), it was a fresh Win 7 install (non hp restore), same symptom in both Minecraft and Portal 2 (the only two games I have on it currently). Has anyone else had this/found a remedy?

 

There's a setting in the Synaptics tray utility. It's called Palmcheck. Disable it.

 

easiest way to do this is to do a minimal system recovery (search recovery in the start menu to find HP recovery) to do a fresh install with no bloatware then just upgrade it from home premium to ultimate within windows. drivers will be installed for you if u do it this way

if you use the disc, u have to backup the SWSetup folder for your drivers. also be sure to make your set of recovery discs before u reinstall anything

 

Does anyone know where to find the drive caddy that Mike used to replace his blu-ray player with a hard drive?

 

Thanks for all the useful information on here guys, been a big help!

Another quick question, the new dv7t's DO come with the second hard drive caddy already installed right?

2nd HDD Cable kit for HP dv7t-6000, dv7-6000 series,dv7qte [HP-dv7t-6000] - $28.95 : NewmodeUS, Hard Drive Caddys for Notebooks

This cable is all I would need?

 

I must have the worst luck with laptops...

When I was using my dv7t, the screen suddenly flickered and went black. The funny thing was it went back to normal after I turned the screen a bit. Now my screen always go blank when it is opened at a certain angle.

I think there might be a loose cable, but I have no experience with taking laptops apart.

 

I think this is true only if you order the DV7 with the 2nd hard drive. if HP doesn't put a second drive in there, that 2nd slot won't be ready for a bare drive...

Thats what the Envy guys report anyway. To make sure, and this will help weed out risky mfgs from which to choose -- ask the mfg you intend to purchase the 2nd drive from. the better mfgs like Kingston will tell you what has been tested and, for example, supply either a complete kit (with caddy) or just a bare drive.

 

it could be as simple as a loose or poorly-seated cable, or it could be something broken, like the cable itself, the connector at either end, or the board(s) where those connectors attach.

 

Yes... dv7t-6000 CTO comes with caddy for 2nd drive. The cable from NewmodeUS comes with 4 screws to mount the bare drive to the caddy.

 

Thanks much!

 

Do you guys know how can I install the Reil's touchpad app?

 

Hi, I'm having a little problem with the wireless network.
I had this experience at college, I was connected to the internet just fine and then suddenly I got this error saying my network adapter had been removed.
I tried re installing drivers but nothing worked, I got home and I worked fine, but I don't know if it will work the next time I go to college.
I also often lose connection at home when I'm not near the router (like in another room, 6 meters away..)

Does this laptop(dv6) has any trouble with the wireless card? Has anyone else had this problem? I have a dv6t, bios F.13.

 

Was 'bloatware' on this rev. of the DV6/DV7 really a problem? Comparing to the last generation (silver 'stream argento' with an 'all in one' touchpad) most of the preinstalled software I actually liked was missing.

My old one ran Blu-rays via HP Mediasmart; which I really didn't like. I wish Windows media player would run Blu-rays, but Mediasmart was a hell of alot better than Cyberlink was on this unit!

In addition, HP Mediasmart Video had an integrated wmv3 encoder that supports both simultaneous and multithreaded conversions.

I also liked Stardock Fences from my old DV7 and I reinstalled this on the new system.

Things I didn't like: Things like the Bing Bar.. Yahoo browser toolbar.. s*** like that. Still, I can't begin to fathom how doing a clean install on a new computer is actually easier than just deleting a few things.

I'm of the thought that clean installs nuke more than can be restored from an OS disk and driver page. Most restore disks have to be made by the user anyway these days.

I don't want to go all soapbox mode all day, but I will say this: Anyone who runs Adobe Acrobat Reader on system startup probably should be giving performance advice.

 

I find the full HP install to be too bloated, yes. I don't see any reason to install retail win7, but thats just me I'm not into that. but the minimal image restore is awesome, its Win7 plus the essential HP drivers, with none of the goofy games or trial software. I know that Norton as made some improvements, but I just don't want those bits on my computer and I donl't want to register and use the trial period. the minimal image recovery is great for that -- just install security essentials instead, or your favorite anti-virus.

The HP minimal image recovery lets you build a fully functional system without the bloat. YOu will, however, have to download your own copies of the various free things like Java, Adobe reader, flash, and a few other things that escape me at the moment. but the Adobe reader that comes shipped from HP is the gynormous multi-lingual thing. for the U.S. anyway you can get just an English one without the bloat of that reader X happiness.

before you do a minmal image recovery, back up your swsetup so that you can install stuff like the HP documentation (if'n you want to use HP support Assistant that module is missing), or perhaps the fingerprint reader. but the beauty of the minimal image recovery is that you can choose whether or not to use HPSA and other things.

I just like starting as clean as possible -- but just not as clean as retail win7 lol

 

I agree about using the MSI and why you should, exactly as dlleno stated.

IMO, it's the "best of both worlds". One of the things I never cared for with a new PC purchase is a company's use of it to market products you really have no practical use for. And it's not like you can ever 100% remove any software once it has been installed. Even a trial - once it's on, odds are likely that it will remain in some fashion even after you un-install it. On the other hand, I really don't care for the total cleanliness of a retail Windows installation either because I am of the type who likes his system sporting those personal OEM touches that make it unique. I like some of the more useful HP softwares and branding. I like to see that HP OEM image when I pull up system properties. I like to see, in the OS, that this pretty machine is a bonafied HP masterpeice crafted esspecially for moi. I dunno... using a retail version of Windows to me is like buying a Camaro only to remove the Chevy bow-tie. Sounds corny, I know. And retails versions definitely do have their place. I probably would prefer one if I were using a PC from an indepedent builder or built one myself. But I like to show off my HP Pavilion as an "HP".

 

Some audio advice..

Knowing Beats audio headphones are actually made by Monster made me question what my sound would be like. Especially when the subwoofer in the previous DV7 didn't really do very much..

But tests have shown I do in fact have good frequency response ~50 Hz.
The trick is to use very custom settings.
The first thing I do is go into windows sound and reset the Tone controls bars to Zero. Then a use a 6dB Bass boost enhancement setting at 110 Hz.
(What this does is weaken max volume slightly, allocating more power to the subwoofer).

Set the sample frequencies in the Advanced tab to 96000 Hz @ 24 bits
Then FINALLY you can use the Beats audio panel. You may use the Graphic Equalizer OR the Bass Bar on the left but NEVER both!

Refrain from accidentally pressing "fn" + "B" because it will reset tone controls to maximum. This consistently distorts my sound so I recommend keeping it zeroed at all times.

Feel free to experiment; but THIS is how I got my best results.
Once properly tuned I think the notebooks have amazing acoustics.

PS: if you have a dv6 instead, you may have to set the boost frequencies higher to avoid distortions. I'd start at 150 Hz and go from there as you prefer.

 

Although it is pretty hard to argue with your assessment, the dv7 sound w/subwoofer is actually tolerable, where the dv6 is little better than my old dv6426us's sound. The dv7 subwoofer certainly isn't a subwoofer, in the strictest sense of the concept, and works best when seated right in front of the laptop. Dell's JBL setup is superior to my ears.
( you have exactly the same dv7 config as myself... I am guessing you have one of the first XW899AV models, as I do - If you ever do fraps recording, I have a little experiment I wish I could get you to perform - youtube stuff )

 

Here are 2 threads you can refer to:
http://forum.notebookreview.com/hp-...bp-style-scrolling-new-dv6-dv7-notebooks.html

and

http://forum.notebookreview.com/hp-...xxx-series-owners-lounge-521.html#post7534335

I hope they help.

 

Hi folks,

New member and first post. I'm having some temp issues with my Dv6t quad. Here are my specs:

dv6t Quad Ed
• Genuine Windows 7 Home Premium 64-bit
• 2nd generation Intel® Quad Core™ i7-2630QM (2.0 GHz, 6MB L3 Cache) w/Turbo Boost up to 2.9 GHz
• 1GB GDDR5 Radeon™ HD 6770M Graphics [HDMI, VGA]
• FREE Upgrade to 6GB DDR3 System Memory (2 Dimm)
• 640GB 7200RPM Hard Drive with HP ProtectSmart Hard Drive Protection
• No Additional Office Software
• FREE Upgrade to Norton Internet Security™ 2011 - 15 Month Subscription (activation required)
• 6-Cell Lithium-Ion Battery (standard) - Up to 5.5 hours of battery life +++
• 15.6" diagonal High Definition HP BrightView LED Display (1366x768)
• SuperMulti 8X DVD+/-R/RW with Double Layer Support
• HP TrueVision HD Webcam with Integrated Digital Microphone and HP SimplePass Fingerprint Reader
• Intel 802.11b/g/n WLAN
• Standard Keyboard


First, I appologize if my question(s) have been answered in this thread already, but I can't read through 800 pages! I did read through some of the Dv6t 2xxx edition thread, so I have some ideas.

I got my system in April of this year. It didn't take me long to notice that it was getting hot to the touch when running any games (I have 5 or so flight sims installed). I also read on line about other people noticing the same thing. I recently installed CPUID and checked the temperature while some flight sims were running.

Strike Fighters 2, IL-2 1946 - 83C
Flight Simulator X - 93C

This is with the back of the laptop raised about 1.5-2" off the table and the vents freshly cleaned out with compressed air. My laptop easily meets the minimum requirements for both of these games. Obviously I'm a little concerned that running with temps this high could severly shorten the life of my CPU. Here are some questions:

1. It seems like this is normal/common for these laptops. Should I contact HP about this, or will they simply tell me it's normal? Or are they going to have me ship my laptop back just to send me another one that has the same issues?

2. What can I do to lower the temp (besides not run these games)? I was looking into disabling HT, but turns out HP's BIOS won't allow that. Some things I'm considering (that I picked up from the 2xxx thread):

- not using the "high performance" power mode
- not gaming while the power chord is plugged in (will this really help?)
- removing the battery while gaming to allow better cooling (obviously not to be used in conjuction with the above option )

Anything else I can try? Let's assume I'm not concerned about noise or power consumption.

3. How big of an issue is this? I've seen mixed responses on the web. Some say 93C is below TjMax of 100C and it's fine. Others say I'm drastically shortening the life of my CPU.

Thanks.

Gregg

 

Set Coolsense to coolest mode. 83C is not that high, 93C is getting close.

 

Thanks. Well, if that is the case, then that's kinda good news. I don't use FSX that much, and I could always dial back some of the graphics...

Coolsense is on coolest mode. Forgot to mention that.

Any other thoughts?

 

coolest mode is great -- the important point here is that "coolest" has a more aggressive fan profile with a lower target temperature, but throttles the CPU as well. this may or may not affect gaming -- so try it and see.

 

To say the very least!!!. Turbo boost is completely disabled!