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

Wait, so that site HP gave us to test it, is full of SxxT? It means nothing you're saying regardless if we think our chips are good or not per that site? If that is what you are saying, that is some serious...uhm serious problem...

KJ

 

The 100% best way would be to open the machine up and look at what the physical motherboard says on it. That is really the only 100% accurate way to determine if you got the B2 or B3.

 

Screen quality is quite bad. I was not expecting IPS display for $800 laptop but there are white vertical banding shows up when brightness over 80%. Color washed out as usual TN panel. Hinge stretched out over 180degree, cool.

Viewing angle is not bad compared to other laptop display. But the problem is super glaring bezel (and curved! ah fuxx). I still do not understand why laptop companies keep pushing high glossy bezel sucks as hell. It is annoying as hell as hell as hell as shxx.

Build quality is awesome. Metal materiel is very good choice (except shxxty plastic bezel) and laptop itself feel hard and sturdy, but this is lightest laptop I ever have over 15inch.

Left palm wrest warmed up very quickly even with laptop cooler. Other sides are relatively cool thanks to metal exterior.

Keyboard is chicklet and feel good, no waving. Touchpad have illumination around but not useful. Touchpad itself is quite large and feel good. Left and Right button makes average click sounds that might be annoyed in annex and library.

Speaker and beatsaudio is somewhat scam. Beatsaudio software have no difference but black-skinned Realtek audio controller, and Speaker itself have SUPER LARGE VOLUME but pre-equalized to V curve and blow out most details same as other overpriced beats headgears.

Webcam is so-so. Not expected much but TrueVision HD is exaggerated name.

Speed. Well.. there are so many posts that already tested tons of benchmark programs. This is fast laptop. You know that. But you cannot make same states as first out-of-box when exchange harddrive (mostly to SSD). There are programs not provided from HP website.

I will post about gaming, switchable graphic, battery after using more days. But I am so disappointed HP put B2 to my laptop.

 

Ok, sorry for being a newb, but is it overly complicated to open it up and see? I'd hate to take apart too many parts that I'd not know how to put it back together! LOL>

but seriously, why should we have to open it up in the first place? Are we really saying HP is not being honest with the serial test that they are telling us to perform to determine the chip set? I'm troubled by this.

KJ

 

@radukr

how is your video/dvd playback, smooth?

 

usually, pretty hard. As soon as you open a laptop, there is no 100% guarantee you'll get it back together in one piece haha

 

Wow! Still, thanks for your honesty....

But what about the HP test they told us to do? Is it not true, that is what I want to know. If people are saying you have to open it up to find out, are we saying HP is pulling our legs?

KJ

 

Yes, quite good for now. tested 720p mkv with default windows codec and works flawless, but I have changed drive and reinstall every driver so driver might be different to yours.. Try uninstall AMD graphic driver first and uninstall Intel graphic, then install newest Intel graphic driver (from 'Driver' link in OP), then install AMD driver from HP (also in OP link). I have no problem so far.

 

HP is being stupid.

 

Everyone will get the B2 laptops...either they are just not showing as B3, or HP said **** it, we will just ship everything as it is.

Regardles, I like the glossy bezel, very mac-alike The hinge bends 180 degrees? That sucks :C

 

The first post has the manual which tells you how to disassemble.

Yes we are all considering the possibility that HP is lying to us, or perhaps just that incompetent.

In case you're wondering why HP would lie to us, see link for an example of a corporation playing the statistics for profit:
Ford Pinto - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

 

WUT

Anyway I read superexpensive vaio SB also ships with B2 chipset.
It give me some relief that we are not the only ones who being fuxxed by greedy manufactures.

And SB have no glossy bezel, job well done Sony.

 

I think the bottom line is...they don't want to throw away the B2 chipsets

 

It seems so. But we are victim, or I am?

 

everyone is.

 

Give it a month before we start blaming HP. I honestly think its the B3 but they have the BIOS from the B2 so thats why everything reports B2. If HP did use the B2 then we have a lawsuit on our hands and everything will still be fine (hopefully).

 

you might have a valid point about the Bios not beeing updated...and I suppose one of us brave souls are actually going to open up their system to physically check the actual chipset codes/numbers/version? Who ever does it, surely will be worthy of some reps.
Anyway, HP better be right otherwise.....

KJ

 

Playing with my Dv7 now...

 

Are you actually opening her up to check the chipset?

KJ

 

Naw. Just checking out the 2nd drive slot. Nothing is plugged into the secondary Sata slot. I think all you would need is the longer Sata cable as there is already a bracket in there. To take off the back cover you need slide the battery release to the right (left pops battery out). Then carefully lift up and towards you. There are a bunch of tiny plastic clips that you don't want to bend/break when removing the cover. They are flimsy. I plan on throwing in a vertex 3 when they are on sale.

 

okay, let me clear something up:

1) current software way of checking "whether your chipset is affected" (gigabyte utility, device manager, etc...) do it by checking for a) is your chipset a intel H6xM chipset (which ALL laptops with sandybridge processors will have, and/or b) does it use an port that could be affected (e.g. sata port 2-5). This would be an accurate test BEFORE any revised chipsets are shipped, but it does not distinguish between affected H6xM chipsets and revised ones (aka, this will always give false positives).

2) CPU-Z does NOT accurately report the chipset revision (e.g. it would also give false positives by report B3 chipsets as B2). we most likely need to update bios before this can be fixed.

3) ONLY sure way to check is to open up the laptop and check on the motherboard itself.

4) HP would absolutely NOT ship out laptops that use affected ports on an affected chipset after march. all these new revisions, including the sandy bridge envy 17/3D are either a) using new chipset, or b) using old chipset but do not use the affected ports. under NO circumstance would you ever face the degradation of sata ports due to this design flaw.

5) i'm pissed that my dv6-6000cto is delayed >_<

 

I don't know if it is even worth opening it up enough to see what chipset you got, unless you really know what you are doing . I think we just need to wait and see if HP puts up and BIOS updates.

 

Before someone asks me to, I typed "wmic idecontroller get deviceid" in Command and got "Rev_04"

So it's showing B2 for Dv7. I'm not really worried about it though to be honest.

 

Did you get dual hard drives? I am thinking about putting in a SSD in my second slot down the road, want to make sure I'd be covered. If not, I'll just wait until the prices come down enough and replace the one in there with an SSD, I'm excited about the new ones from intel.

 

Darn. I thought this was the secondary SATA cable. It seems to be routed where the SATA cable belongs. Placeholder? It looks like a real cable, but the end doesn't look right. (Please ignore the artistic quality of the little red arrows.)

 

If you open plz check if you can to see if it's b3 inside of it cuz it looks like you know how to open laptops good.

 

If you open plz check if you can to see if it's b3 inside of it cuz it looks like you know how to open laptops good.

 

From the hp page for the B2/B3 issue, has anyone checked the serial # yet?

Locate your serial number by clicking Start, entering HP and selecting HP Support Assistant (the serial number is displayed near the bottom edge of the opening window) or looking at the printed Service Tag label located in the battery bay.
NOTE: Shut down your notebook and disconnect the AC adapter before removing the battery to access the Service Tag label.

If the fourth through sixth digits of the serial number are “108” or numerically higher, your HP notebook does not have the affected Intel chipset. No further action is necessary.
If the fourth through sixth digits of the serial number are “107” or numerically lower, your HP notebook may have the affected Intel chipset. Proceed to step 2.

 

daf323 said the S/N in his DV6 checks out, but I think he's still skeptical.

 

So you're saying all you need is a sata cable to install another harddrive? Hmm maybe I ordered the Harddrive Kit for nothing then. Got a lonely X25-M 80gb SSD at home waiting for the dv7t.

 

The kit is two drive bays and two cables. The computer (if shipped with one drive) apparently has two drive bays and one cable. (Just like Paul At HP told us)

The only way HP currently sells drive hardware is in the full kit, so I think the choices right now are to order a kit or wait and see if somebody makes an aftermarket cable that's cheaper than the kit.

 

So do you think they did put b3 on them or why you say that?

 

Niceee!!! Got a review for us....or at least some first impressions??

 

Forgive my ignorance, but is the "drive bay" your refering to the same as a drive caddy?

 

Hi all,

I was checking a Feb 2011 press release and stumbled on this tidbit:

"Also earlier this week, Intel said that it would continue to ship the defective Cougar Point chipsets for limited uses. The chipsets can only be applied in systems that won't be affected by the design flaw, namely "closed" notebook configurations and desktops with a SATA PCI-Express card pre-installed that provides additional SATA ports."

This begs the question: Is a customized DV7T QE 6xxx considered to have a closed notebook config when there is an extra bay for a 2nd drive?

 

The price of the Hp dv7t went down from 1099.99 to 999.99 do the coupons still work because i have a feeling i could have saved some money.....

 

Disregard this post lol the coupon negates the instant savings so the price i paid will be the same sorry....

 

Yes, I use 'drive bay' and 'caddy' interchangeably.
HP says 'Secondary hard drive bracket'. I do wish they'd just put the cable in place and not plug it in. Otherwise I don't see the point in pre-installing the bracket.

 

My serial is "112".
But "rev_04" shows up in command. Followed steps from Here.

 

Is the cable pretty easy to plug in? Nothing besides removing the bottom panel that exposes the Harddrives?

 

I don't know what is going on to be honest. I just find it hard to believe Hp would use recalled chipsets after very public recall. I don't think they are that shady. Maybe just using the b2 in bios for compatibility reasons like some people said. Your guess is as good as mine. I'm reserving judgement on the matter.

 

To paraphrase the service manual's instructions for removing and reinstalling dual drives:
Take out battery, remove cover over hard drive and memory slots, unplug secondary cable from M/B, remove screws from secondary bracket, lift out secondary drive. Repeat for primary drive. Assemble in reverse order, placing cables in the clips that hold them in place. (in bigpaulie's picture, there's something in the hold down clips intended for the secondary cable)

It looks like we buy the hardware kit, plug the long cable into the drive, mount the drive into the secondary bracket/caddy, remove the caddy that came with the computer, install the drive/caddy/cable, route the cable through the clips and plug the cable in. Looks like less work than some desktops.

 

hi, i'm new to this forum but i have been following this discussion and the envy discussions....sooo i know what's been going on.
I ordered a dv7 monday and i can't wait to get it. But I know some of you have it and I was just wondering if you guys could get some more pictures up or even maybe post a review. And about the chipsets, I honestly doubt we're going to have problems. HP could get in HUGE trouble and they would lose money from it.

 

That's good that means you have b3

 

I didn't forget about you! I've been looking at my picture that you highlighted, and I assumed that open slot was for the Second hard drive, is it not? I have no idea what that wire you marked is for. I'm very curious though. On Page 43 of the manual, they show the secondary Hard Drive plugging into that open slot. Check that out again and see if you agree with me. Any idea what that cable is for?

From my pictures it looks like all you need is that longer Sata cable, as a caddy is in there, correct? Sorry, but I'm only a moderate techie.

 

My dv7-4283cl has serial "102" but "rev_05." Does that make sense?
Then again, I don't think the i5-M480 is a Sandy Bridge processor, right?

KJ

 

Yeah your right

 

Not sandy bridge so there is no problem.

 

Nope your good to go bro.

 

Thanks for your first impressions! Any thoughts on the 1600 x 900 screen or the Beats Audio on this model with the "subwoofer"?