*HP dv6z AMD Llano (6XXX series) Owners Lounge*

Thanks. I just tried it and it did drop temps to 77C max, but performance also seems to suffer. Not sure what coolsense does, but seems like it's a throttling measure for GPU and/or CPU.

So far I'm not as impressed as I thought I would be with this. Right now I'm gauging Bad Company 2 because it is quite taxing and am hoping I can play Battlefield 3 at reasonable framerates. But something seems odd. Even though I get decent framerates, it just doesn't seem as smooth as it should. DirectX 9 actually ran at 60+ fps, but it would constantly and cyclically drop to 20 fps quickly. Up and down, and up and down. Although the point is moot because BF3 will be DirectX 10 and 11 only.

Part of the problem is I have this NP8130 here too, and it runs silky smooth at 1920x1080. But it costs $500 more and gets less than 3 hours of battery life. Of course I have to keep in perspective I will probably only play games on it on occasion, but if it can't play it well, then what's the point?

I'm going to do a fresh install on an SSD just for fun and see if I can get rif of some niggling little issues.

 

Does it happen in DX10? If it does, it might be the CPU throttling to keep the temperature low.

If it doesn't, then I have no idea. Maybe a CPU bottleneck when the action gets intense? Or a driver issue or something.

Have you tried using MLAA to improve performance?

 

Having some issues here I hope you all can help with. Did a clean install of Win7 and once I start to install the drivers it freezes up. I have tried them downloaded from HP and also from my original swsetup file. Had it fully updated from MS at one point then once again froze up when installing drivers. It has done it with a couple different ones, so I'm mot sure what the issue is. Any help would be appreciated. I have dv6z with A8-3530mx Radeon 6750.

 

Well, My lappie arrived in Memphis just after midnight this morning, soooo, since I'm only a couple of hundred miles away..looks like tuesday for me AND got confirmation again on the 50.00 credit and about 40 more from ebates, so 90bux off my original price with the 3530mx. Friend burned up his Envy 15. Wonder if i could put his 1080p into the Dv6? lol.

seer

 

Do you have it overclocked / undervolted? I did a fresh install and I had no issues installing drivers from swsetup, so it should work for you.

 

It does not happen with DirectX 10. And still does it even with coolsense on. Temps dropped to about 77C with coolsense, but performance seems to be affected. I have used MLAA and doesn't seem to matter much.

I just did a fresh install on an SSD. Problem is I can't get CoolSense to install, it must be dependent on other files but I can't figure out what. Also I installed the OSD but they don't show up.

 

CoolSense is packaged with Support Assistant so I believe you need to install that.

What voltage are you running at 2.4GHz? Mine is at that too and I have to be in a warm room for it to go past 80C, even on Performance Optimized in CoolSense.

And I was having random dips in-game with 11.6 as well. 11.7 and 11.8 both seem to have fixed that for me.

 

Yeah, Coolsense is HP support assistant. I also don't get OSD after fresh install, though

 

I never got that far. I was just trying to get it all updated and the drivers reinstalled. What's really odd is that before I did the clean install after I set it up out if the box 3D mark 11 and Vantage wouldn't finish running. They would both crash.

 

Ah, but you can't overclock with 11.7. Well I'll go with 11.7 because I'd rather have smooth performance than overclock that goes with dips! Since I reinstalled I haven't set up my K10Stat profile again, but I believe it was 2.4GHz at 1.100V

Are you running DirectX 9 or 10 with Bad Company 2?

Also, did you do a fresh install? I seem to have lost my power options. I can install the HP power manager, but it doesn't seem to be working right either. The problem with that is I use BatteryBar to switch power profiles plugged in or on battery. Now *sometimes* it gives me power saver or high performance but no "HP Recommended" or "Balanced". I think I may start a new thread dedicated to fresh install issues.

Also even with HP Support Assistant I don't see any option for coolsense. I installed the coolsense in the SWSetup folder but it never shows that it completes installation, and no link for it in the Start menu like there used to be.

 

I am running DX10 in BC2 and I did not do a clean install.

 

Thanks. I can't even do a recovery onto my own SSD, so clean install is required.

I just did another clean install, and didn't install any HP stuff, and my performance went up appreciably in gaming. DirectX 9 performance in Bad Company 2 even was running medium detail with 720p at 50-60fps using fixed 2.4GHz @ 1.075V. Temps were 82-83C too instead of 89-90C like before.

Another thing I realized, Bad Company 2 Vietnam runs a lot smoother than Bad Company 2 even at same frame rate. Wondering why that is. Just hope Battlefield 3 uses what they learned in Vietnam and apply it to BF3!

 

And if you're going to spend the money on adding a quad core and blu-ray to the NP5165 you're better off with the NP8130 because it's less than $100 more and gives you the GTX 560m. Only downside is the battery life is about 3 hours if that's important to you.

 

Wow, nice. Is that with the GPU in CF or OC'd?

Framerates and temps seem awesome, and I was afraid that the 3530MX would bottleneck the system. Getting my dv6zqe in a couple of days... Can't wait to try everything out.

 

That is with GPU in CF stock. And I don't think you can really disable crossfire because the AMD system monitor shows the iGPU active even after you disable crossfire. I will try to overclock the GPU a bit and see how much that helps. I recommend doing a clean install on your own, so far everything seems to have a lot better responsiveness. Plus fixing the CPU speed seems to maintain consistent framerates rather than have it automated.

 

So has anyone tried to install 1600 RAM yet? The A6-3410mx, A8-3510mx and A8-3530mx are supposed to support it.

 

I probably will if there's a sale on newegg or something.

 

I installed 1 stick 4GB Patriot 1600Mhz 11CAS (PSD34G16002S) and it recognized it perfectly but ONLY WHEN it was in DIMM slot 1 - in DIMM2 it would default to 1333Mhz ..
Anyways, my discreet card would disappear with single channel memory, so i returned it thinking there was some kind of bug until I was notified in this thread that dual graphics (and discreet??? not sure) needs dual channel to work...

I am picking up 2 sticks later sometime - apparently RAM is gonna go very low price wise this summer

 

On another note, for anyone using K10Stat ...

1) there's a new version out (1.53)
2) If you are not using the command line -StayOnTray when it auto-starts, the voltages will default after resuming from sleep/hibernate/logout (even if it's loaded), which I did not know

Using Task Scheduler to start it is your best bet as you can define multiple triggers as to when it fires (Windows likes to reset the p-states after logouts, etc) .... just a heads up for anyone . Just use this guide, it has well laid out instructions if you're not sure how to do any of this: Aspire Gemstone: K10STAT AMD Griffin Processor UnderVolting Guide

 

Read couple of pages back that DX9 doesnt work very well with crossfire. Does that explain the 20-60FPS in Team Fortress 2 I'm getting?

 

Ok, so after some head scratching, and some cannibalizing old parts, I figured out either HP sent me a bad HDD or I jacked it up on my first install attempt. I got it up and running well on an old 120GB 5400 HDD I had from a previous laptop. Now the question is do I deal with the return hassle over a hard drive? Especially since it may be my fault?

 

I have a question for anyone with a quad llano. Is it possible to completely turn off one or two cores using k10stat? According to AMD power gating allows you to do that. It could potentially allow you to further overclock for faster single thread performance.

 

It might automatically do that. Not sure though.

 

One thing to try, make sure to set your power profile to "high performance"

Not sure how you could have "jacked it up". Either physically dropping your hard drive or having it fail internally is the only way for it to break. Call HP and see if they will send a replacement hard drive.

 

Well, someone's interested in buying the stock RAM from my DV6, so I'll probably be getting 1600mhz RAM soon enough.

How much RAM are you guys using during normal use? Would 5gb be enough?

 

5GB? Your best bet is to get a matched pair size and speed. 2x4GB or 2x2GB.

 

Oh yeah I meant 4gb. That was a typo, sorry.

 

Another question. Would the a6-3410mx benefit from the 1600mhz ram or is the slower fusion gpu not powerfull enough to really benefit from it? I ask because the 30% coupons are expired and so I am thinking of getting the 3410mx with the 6750m and saving some $$$$

 

Not sure how you could have "jacked it up". Either physically dropping your hard drive or having it fail internally is the only way for it to break. Call HP and see if they will send a replacement hard drive.[/QUOTE]

I never dropped it, and it makes more sense to me that it was bad from the get go since the laptop would lock up and crash when running 3d mark 11 and Vantage. That was out of the box before I did any thing to it. When I hook it up to my old laptop in an external enclosure it only shows as having 76gb total space. I will call them up and see if they will replace it. If not I will probably not worry about it, and get a new one down the road.

 

Just hold out, I'm sure there will be another 30% coupon or cash off coupon with similar savings soon.

 

Couple of things for Swat,
1. I believe you are correct. I've been reading the whitesheets on the A70 chipset and they do permit the shutting down of cores.
2. I also think Wingnut is right. We've had a parade of 30 percent off coupons, I don't see any reason they won't continue or something that essentially gives that same 7 to 800 range for the top equipped models.
3. some of the guys that have the lesser model love it. You can find it for quite a bit cheaper yet it can clock up pretty easy to the a-8 model speeds and you do save a bunch of bucks. Look for coupons, sales, and I would use either fat wallet or ebates.com to get another 4 or 5 percent cash back.

Lastly, tho my order showed an estimated ship date of August 8, i just talked to FedEx and the sob is on the truck heading to my house as I write this!!! I don't know who is running HP's shipping these days but Jesuuuu christo!, this thing only left the chinese factory on the 29th!!! Only ordered it the middle of the night of the 23rd!! Amazing response. Couple that with the coupon which worked to like 330 bux off for me, then the 50.00 rebate on the base price drop even tho they don't offer my order anymore, then the 42. something ebates thing and wow. Can't complain at ALL about this whole deal Now if it will just show up in one piece working condition, I'm stoked Nothing like receiving a new puter toy lol. feels like xmas heheh.

OH, one other thing from reading all the tech data on this cpu and system...stay tuned I *think* I may have found us some more 'oomph' from our systems. Will let you know as soon as I've tested it out myself sometime tonight.

R3d, regarding your mem question, run your performance monitors while running your stiffest game or app and see what kind of memory use they're reporting. That will let you know if you can get by with 4gigs until the 4gig single 1600 modules arrive. I suspect the answer is yes.

Seer

And Swat, ALL LLano's benefit from the fastest ram you can get to run. Since the on die gpu shares its ram with the cpu, the bandwidth is extremely tight. Anything that opens that up is heading down the path of performance heaven, and may go a long way towards resolving some of the dual graphics quirks.

 

whelp, to quote a famous german doctor.."ITS ALIVE!!!!'"
I'm am now officially 'in the game' FedX came thru

be back in a bit

 

Will there ever be a driver update that lets me only use the 6750M on my dv6z?

 

According to AMD you are supposed to be able to do it now. Has something to do with the way the drivers are installed. sorry can't offer more, but mine has only just arrived and I can't confirm anything until I get it all configured. b back later
seer

 

well i got mine in today and i must say im disapointed that my screen has two stuck pixels about and inch from the top about 3 inches apart... one is yellow and the other is blue and keeps coming and going.. this is a no go for me as im a a graphic designer and do alot of photoshop work and cant have such defects on a screen... not sure what to do at this points... whould hp send me out a replacement?

ive already tried a bunch of stuff to fix them but nothing helped

btw i know this isnt the best screen for photoshop but its something good for on the go that was good for the price.

 

Do I need the latest driver for that? I installed catalyst 11.7 but my graphics drivers still say the old numbers

 

Can you guys check the latency of your RAM? I'm looking to get 1600mhz CL9, so I don't want it to actually have higher latency.

edit: Or get the product # of the sticks, I can look it up myself.

 

Since you just got yours call them up. You have 21 days to return or exchange. See what they can do for you.

You can choose whether to use "high performance" or "Power Saving". You then are supposed to be able to turn Crossfire On or Off in the Catalyst Control Center, but even if you select or deselect it, it seems to have no bearing on the performance whatsoever.

When you installed the drivers did you do custom and ensure the drivers were selected? Can't hurt to run the installer again, click custom, and it will tell you what's being installed and what version.

 

bad pixels -> return it. or exchange it.

I had a similar problem with a LCD panel (from LG, through overstock) and I immediately returned it. It shouldn't be a problem.

 

yeah im gonna see what they can do for me tonight... hopefully they can just send me a replacement and then give me a call tag to send this one back so i wont be with out a computer for several days.


the computer is really nice though esp for the price i paid

 

I did custom this time and it said that all the drivers were up to date.

Also does the new BIOS update also apply to the dv6z Llano?

 

Alright I'm getting my computer and 1600mhz RAM in a couple of days.

Any ideas on what to run for a comparison?
So far I'm thinking of 3dmark 2011, unigine heaven, and the just cause 2 bench.

 

I was trying out Starcraft 2 on High (which runs 35-45fps at beginning of match) when I noticed a vibrating/rattling sound. I thought it was the Bluray drive again so I popped it out to be sure. The sound was still there, so I put my ear to the left side of the computer and found out that it is coming from the fan. It doesn't do it when the computer is idle or when the fan is at its max. It goes for 5-10 minutes of that in between phase of the fan when you start playing a game. Is this something to worry about? It just concerns me because it didn't make that noise when I first got it.

 

I would exchange if you're still in your 21 day return window.

 

I just placed the order for mine!
HP Pavilion dv6z Quad Edition customizable Notebook PC
• dark umber
• Genuine Windows 7 Home Premium 64-bit
• AMD Quad-Core A6-3410MX Accelerated Processor (2.3GHz/1.6GHz, 4MB L2 Cache)
• 1GB GDDR5 Radeon(TM) HD Dual 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
• No additional security software
• 6-Cell Lithium-Ion Battery (standard) - Up to 5.5 hours of battery life +++
• 15.6" diagonal High Definition LED HP Brightview Display (1366x768)
• FREE Upgrade to Blu-ray player & SuperMulti DVD burner
• HP TrueVision HD Webcam with Integrated Digital Microphone and HP SimplePass Fingerprint Reader
• 802.11b/g/n WLAN and Bluetooth(R)
• Standard Keyboard
• HP Home & Home Office Store in-box envelope
Estimated build date: August 12, 2011 Its only going to cost me $580 after tax, coupons, gift card, and ebates. Can't beat that since it will overclock to a8. I doubt the small difference in apu graphics will be noticable.

 

Turn off crossfire and configure switchable graphics to 'high performance' for the application. That will force the drivers to use discreet.

Really, AMD should have 3 options in switchable graphics instead of the clunky way its setup currently: Power saver (on-die Llano), High performance (discreet) and Crossfire (Dual).

Also, the window that comes up to let you choose a graphics mode when it detects a new application should have a pulldown menu with the different options, instead of having to open up the big Switchable graphics window each time.

 

But seems that crossfire switch is broken. I get no measurable difference in performance whether I select or deselect the crossfire option.

 

I have to say now that I've spent a few hours fooling with this thing that these drivers remind me a lot of MS error messages...half the time it appears they are simply random LOL. Bout the only thing I can guarantee you is that if you hit the 'reset to defaults' button, you'll get better performance rflmao. almost nothing that these utilities are telling me seems to make any sense.
However, this thing DOES get 25fps on Rift at ULTRA settings, but god only knows what parts of the LLano are running.

Amd needs to sort this stuff out pretty quick.

Also, it appears that AMD's Turbo function is more or less working on this laptop as at times I have one or two cores at turbo speed, while the other two appear to be loafing. At other times there will be one core working hard, while 3 are just rambling, and sometimes, I see 3 cores working hard while one lone soldier is sleeping it off. At any event, the latest 1.53 version of K10stat does let you lock cores at various p states if you wish.

Temperatures seem pretty good. 3dmark06 at right around 9k pushes things up to about 71C, but they hold there. On the other hand comparing my scores to Abaddon's don't show any correlation. My stock is substantially faster (just under 8800) but my cpu speed is supposedly 100mhz less, i.e. 1800 instead of 1900.
Having played around for some 8 hours now, all I can say is duh...
BTW, I'm running exactly as HP set it up, havn't changed any drivers etc. Bios is f2.0

I'll fool with it some more tomorrow.

seer

 

Ok, last update of the night. Got into bed then it occurred to me there was something I hadn't tried. Got out of bed, fired the hp back up, went into Rift, got my 25fps on Ultra, punched to desktop, pulled up the amd graphics utility by right clicking on the tray icon, hit configure switchable graphics, set Rift to High Performance, went back to game and BOOM, 45fps, and my monitors were showing both gpu1 running at around 70 to 80 percent and gpu2 (presumably the igp) running at from 29 to 48 percent).. duh...
temps went to 72 and held while I help bust a rift with about ten other players. K10stat was showing 2 to 3 cores at 2300 to 2666 (my po and turbo settings)and the other two fluctuating from 1700 to 2300.
For those who haven't played it, Rift is a high graphics demand game, I'll have to go check but seems like 45 on Ultra is pretty good performance.

Seer
Update: ok ok ok, i looked on the net and got the usual 'oh my 460 does 70 fps on ultra' bull, so I fired up "Behemoth" the 'waiting for dozer' rig I just built and pulled up Rift. In the same area the dv6 was getting 45fps, the big boy (with just one of his GTX480's) was pulling 58 to 72fps also on Ultra and depending on whether he was facing the fighting or looking away. This particular 480 toasts a 580 so that solid 45 fps from my little dv6 looks pretty good to me.

 

Well, I am officially in love with this laptop. Last night i was messing around with K10stat seeing how overclocking effects temps. Surprisingly enough, even overclocked to 2ghz and turbo up to 2.6ghz the CPU has yet to go above 66*C. Ill have to check the voltages when I get home, but stock is 1.5ghz at 1.05v and im pretty sure I have it set to 2ghz at 1.075 or 1.0875 IIRC. Im sure I could undervolt it a little, but keeping that cushion is a little peace of mind. And the windows CPU performance rating went from 6.6 stock to 6.9 at 2ghz. Win.

I know its not the most demanding game, but with stock clock settings and WoW running on ultra the temps hovered around 60-61. When I switched to my overclocked profile, temps only went up around 3 degrees C to about 64ish. This thing is awesome! I might try OCing even further to maybe 2.2ghz and see what temps I get with that. Just so long as I keep it under 70*C Ill be happy. How far do you guys think these things can go? I dont want to push it too far.