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

hello all, long-time lurker... first time poster.

First of all, I just wanted to say thanks for everyone that has contributed with thoughts and settings on their system... it's been REALLY helpful for me to read through it all.

I got the DV6z, A8-3530mx, 1080p screen, 7550 dedicated card... ordered it mid july and it came in earlier this week.

I got it for the wife, so it needed to be a productivity laptop first, gaming laptop second... and the price was right, good battery, etc, etc. that's the common story in this thread, a good all-arounder laptop.

Anyways, a few pages back there was some postings on 1600 RAM. I got this one here at newegg, 8 gigs worth.
Newegg.com - Kingston HyperX 8GB (2 x 4GB) 204-Pin DDR3 SO-DIMM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) Laptop Memory Model KHX1600C9S3K2/8GX

I put them in the laptop and ran cpu-z and it shows up at 1300. I can't upload the screenshot here. But the Max Bandwidth reads as: pc3-12800H (800H). At least that's how I'm reading it.

I did the HP system update and noted that it put in the new bios. F2. However, somewhere down the line (in the many thousands of screens for system info) I found the date of the bios to be back in april... so I don't know if that was reading incorrectly or what, or if I need to install the bios a different way than the hp support.

I haven't had any time to run any games, as we are pretty busy, but I thought the MX versions of the chip could accept ram at 1600 speeds.

Is there anything I should try to get the RAM speeds correct, or perhaps it's just not reading properly?

 

The Kingston HyperX RAM you ordered relies on XMP to achieve the 1600mhz speeds. XMP (extreme memory profile) is basically an Intel thing that AMD doesn't support. (You can OC the ram to the advertised speeds but 99% of notebooks don't support RAM OC.)

You have to buy RAM that has a JEDEC profile for 1600mhz. I ordered some G.skill 1600mhz RAM because it appeared to be compatible but I haven't been able to test it out since I don't have my laptop yet.

Cut out the quad core and you'll save like $150. An i5 still performs better in 99% of games than the 3530MX.

 

R3d has it right (kudos again on the 1600 ram.
And for Wing, be sure and look over the "t" threads on overclocking and in game performance and make SURE its going to outperform the z in the exact applications you want to run. They seem to be having some heat and performance issues there.

Seer

 

I believe "plug n play" RAM doesn't require an XMP like this stuff here: Newegg.com - Kingston HyperX 8GB (2 x 4GB) 204-Pin DDR3 SO-DIMM DDR3 1600 HyperX Plug n Play Laptop Memory Model KHX1600C9S3P1K2/8G
and the data sheet shows it having JEDEC for 1600MHz @ CL9

The one he ordered data sheet states programmed with JEDEC for 1333MHz at CL7 (fast) but compatible with XMP for 1600.

It is all confusing as it's not always straight forward from the marketing perspective. In the past RAM was RAM, buy it, plug it in, and it works. Kingston HyperX (first one above) is the only one I've found so far that should be compatible.

Although these G.Skill look like they SHOULD work: Newegg.com - G.SKILL 8GB (2 x 4GB) 204-Pin DDR3 SO-DIMM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) Laptop Memory Model F3-12800CL9D-8GBSQ based on the description, but can't find the spec sheet so don't know for certain. Definitely a lot cheaper.[/quote]

Yeah. Problem is the game I will most likely be playing is Battlefield 3 which loves a quad core even if slow.

 

But the system its in won't take AMD's regular drivers, at least not properly installed, while these AMD systems will.

 

I did turn off auto and manually slide it but it didn't crank up.

I played a good amount of BFBC2 last night in DirectX 9 even and it was running phenomenally. 45-50fps on average at 1080p! I had overclocked the GPU a bit and after about an hour of gaming it just locked up. Figured it was the GPU over taxed from overclock. I bumped back the clocks a bit, and another hour plus session it ran fine. The CPU temp was at 89C though and GPU at 76C. The fan eventually ramped up to full power (I think) but much later than it should have because alt-tabbing out of game the GPU temp was already at 70C even though I had profile set to ramp to full at 55C.

I think I will exchange it though. I'm beginning to wonder, when I got my laptop there was only a protective sheet between the screen and keyboard, and nothing else other than the laptop in a plastic bag. The PSU was just twist tied and thrown in the card board on the side. Looked a little unprofessional, but not sure if it was taken apart at Customs or what?

 

Hmm, thanks for the response. Let me ask a question: regarding speeds, are these ratings interchangeable or the same (kind of like mph and kph)? DDR3 1600 / pc3-12800H (800H)... because I just noticed that it's listed like that on the specs page for the RAM.

the cpu-z output shows pc3-12800 (800h), and I guess I was just looking for the output of '1600' or anything with a number around that for confirmation.

maybe the refined question is, what output/rating should I be looking for to see if the RAM is running at 1600 speed?

Thanks again.

 

It should be PC3-12800. Not sure what the 800H means though.

 

That's how mine came from best buy.

 

mine was packaged that way from HP Shanghai too.

seer

 

Ok, a quick test. Those of you using the std GPUz would you download the ROG version of that ('republic of gamers") fire it up side by side and see if you get different numbers....
be sure and get the 0.5.4 version.
thanx in advance.

Seer

 

Regarding Memory compatibility, I was planning to buy an 8GB Corsair memory.

Is this correct and a good buy?: Corsair 8 GB DDR3 Laptop Memory Kit CMSO8GX3M2A1333C9

 

Ok thanks, good to know. I think.

This thing is driving me crazy. I might as well exchange and see if next one is any better.

That's 1333MHz which is fine. If you're going to buy though, perhaps consider 1600MHz which will give you an extra boost in the GPU department (apparently).

 

Ok, guys, discovered something about the latest drivers, there is this thing called ULPS which someone at amd has turned on. It's what is preventing peeps from overclocking with Afterburner with the new drivers. What it means is roughly UltraLowPowerState...and what it does is screw up xfire and thus our dual graphics, more often than not. There are several ways to do it but the easiest is to download Sapphire TRixx, which is a program similar to Afterburner. Start it up, go to settings, and down at the bottom you'll see "Disable ULPS". click that and restart the system.
You *should* be able to now CAREFULLY o'clock the 9750 and you *should* get better results with xfire enabled.

NOW!!! be sure and read how to use Trixx. You also have fan control etc. and you want to be very careful about what you do. Use baby steps. And if you aren't sure about something, post here before you do it LOL.

I REALLY DON'T WANT ANYONE TO SMOKE THEIR PUTERS!!!! so you experts out there have at it, and you newer guys take it sloooooooow and careful

g'luck gotta love the flexibility of this dv6

Seer
(also use the ROG version of GPUz, it gets a lot more things "right")

 

Oh, and everyone should also download and install MSI Kombustor. When you make a change in your clocks etc., you can immediately fire up Kombustor where you have the choice to test at DX11, DX10, or DX9, GL4, 3 and 2. This will let you see quickly if everything is working right with each of the different graphics standards as well as tracking the fps/and temps /frequencies, clocks, and percentage utilitzation of each of the gpus all on one screen. Watch your TEMPS!!!! and with Trixx up you can jump out and change your fan settings in real time as required.
BE CAREFUL!!!!!

Seer

 

I clicked "disable ULPS" restarted my system, and it said ULPS was still enabled even though box was checked. I think my video card is borked. Maybe reason for all my problems!

Gah! I just started GPU-Z and it showed my 6750m as 128-bit. Rebooted and it's back to 32-bit?

edit: If I disable ULPS, reboot, it turns off Crossfire. If I enable ULPS my GPU-Z shows 6750m as 128-bit as it should, but can't overclock.

I still can't control the fan either.

 

No. Im good with 1333 at the moment. 1600 is expensive for me at the moment and not sure if it will run smoothly with dv6z.

 

Frys had 1600 8 gigs ddr3 for $64 bucks with price match to newegg

 

Wingnut make sure you have the target gpu set for the 6570!!!

that is more than strange WingNut Look in your processes tab and make sure all your other utilities aren't running. (ctrl/alt/delete ONCE! then taskmanager, processes etc. for those following along.)

seer

oh, and you might want to start up the vision engine control panel and reset to defaults.

 

It was set to 6750m. I also did a complete uninstall and reinstall of the drivers, this time using stock HP drivers, and same result.

I have been using an SSD with a clean install. Just to make sure it's not a software issue, I put the original HDD back in, and ran the same software, and still same issues, trixx is for kids (couldn't resist), it wouldn't let me overclock. Plus fan control is not available at all either.

 

Didn´t work for me with the 11.8, still freezes, which driver are you using seer?

Edit:
Nice, you can overclock up to 900Mhz Core Clock with 11.6 and Trixx... In theory, did not try any benchmark

 

Well, its working completely for me, tho when you reboot, like gpuz etc. it defaults to the 6620g which it can't read well so you get no clocks displaying. when you set it back to 6750 all the clocks come back up on both programs. If you keep gpuz rog up at the same time you're overclocking, you can see the physical bandwidth change with your clock adjustments.

If you want, I can look at your computer while you're online and see what I can figure out. PM me and I'll tell you how.

Seer

 

something wrong with your total bandwidth should be about 25, not 8. Your pixel fill rate is rocking tho, that's almost twice stock rate!!!....I can see you have the generic amd driver. How is that one working for you?

edit: take that back, your total bandwidth should be way over 25, 30 plus I would think.

 

And 7, how much of a temp increase did you get? Be sure you're monitoring the 6750 temps for everyone else they are NOT the same as the apu temp. When you're overclocking the 6750, temps can shoot up ten or 11 degrees over the gpu in just a few secs, even tho they are on the same fan.

Seer

 

I think, it is a bug in GPU-Z the bus width is sometimes 32bit and bandwidth only 8, with 128bit it shows 25.6GB

With 900 Mhz instant freeze, when I try 3DMark06. 810Mhz is working right now.

with the drivers I get 10500 3DMarks in 06, in 3DM11 P1883, and absolutely no stuttering issues.

The GPU-Temps are 79°C max.

 

sweet you rollin now. how is your cpu overclock working? what was your cpu score in the 10.5k o6 run? and are you running with xfire up or solely on the discreet. xfire at least in the 11.8 preview drivers *appears* to be working in dx9 now, tho I can't swear to it yet. Haven't run any side by side bench's but the amd monitor and the kombustor dx9 readouts both show both gpu's hard at work.

Seer

 

oh, double sweet LOL, forgot you were running the a-6-3410mx. MAN that thing is looking more like a bargain all the time.

Seer

 

these are the results with 2600Mhz CPU and 809/950GPU clockspeed:

Generic VGA video card benchmark result - AMD A6-3410MX APU with Radeon(tm) HD Graphics,Hewlett-Packard 358D score: 10564 3DMarks

 

WOW, those are some scores! now you have me wondering just how much effective difference there is between your a-6 and the 8. Other than my own score, those are the highest i've seen and/or heard of.

Seer

 

Well there might not be much of a CPU difference but the 6520g has 80 less shaders and lower clocks than the 6620g.

 

No chance to OC the GPU with the AMD drivers newer than 11.6.
11.6b mobility modded, 11.7,11.8 freeze with Trixx and afterburner.

With Trixx the best stable results were 810/953. Afterburner is maxxed out at 780, you can´t go any further.

 

what do you get for 3d11 and vantage at those clocks? fan must be screaming LOL
seer

 

No, this note is at heavy load and OC rather silent, much better than my old dv6-3000 with the AMD Phenom x4 X920 and AMD 5650.
3DMark11: Generic VGA video card benchmark result - AMD A6-3410MX APU with Radeon(tm) HD Graphics,Hewlett-Packard 358D score: P1883 3DMarks

 

nice seeing that lone wolf entry waaaayyyyy over to the right really gives you that warm and fuzzy doesn't it? LOL. You are SOLIDLY in 460m territory there.

Seer

just wondering, are the dv6t guys getting those kinds of scores with the 6770's?

 

From the dv6t-OC-thread:
Stock Clocks: P1576 3DMarks, Combined score 1367

Overclock 875/900: 1844 3DMarks, Combined score 1600

But they get much higher temps: 89-93°C... 10°C more than my temps

 

good point.

 

I'm just fed up with this stupid thing. I've tried so many different ways to overclock and fan control. With 11.8 catalyst and 11.6 drivers. I have NOT been able to use fan control whatsoever. It would be nice to have so temps don't get so high.

Of course the one time Seeratlas gets in my computer he's able to get Trixx working, well not fan control. The I reboot and it's botched again.

I've tried flashing to old bios and tried, same result, back to latest bios, same result. It sounds kinda silly to return a machine because you can't control the fan but now I wonder if something else is just wrong with it.

 

For those of you who used ebates how long did it take for the purchase to show up on your account?

 

I just tried WoW in DirectX11-Mode with xfire and without.
Nearly the same FPS (39-60) but in xfire-Mode I got visibly microstuttering. I hope they get this fixed with new drivers and OC working.

 

I am also not able to get fan control working, but I have absolutely no temperature issues, the fan is only running at fullspeed, if I have a directx11 application open, xfire activated and CPU+GPU-OC.

 

7words, what drivers are you using? 11.8 basically eliminated microstuttering for me. I also think if you turn off the LPDS in the registry, you can overclock with any drivers as that is what was preventing it. I turned it off and am able to overclock with 11.8 drivers.

But that damn fan control is driving me nuts. Something is controlling it so there's got to be a way. Anyone else having issues with fan control, as in Trixx or Afterburner not actually controlling it?

Seeratlas must have done something different. I think he's running stock install from the factory, what are you running 7words?

Here's the response I got after inquiring since it didn't show up yet, and it's been 15 days since I placed my order today. So if it doesn't show up tomorrow then I will ask again. I just got paid $28 from another purhcase I made a few months back so I know it works:

Dear Savvy Shopper,

Thank you for taking the time to write to us. Depending on the company where you placed your order (and as long as you have clicked through Ebates to place your order) it will take anywhere from 2 to 15 days for your account to be updated. That is because we have to wait to receive information from the company that you ordered through before we can process any cash-back.

Further, once we receive that information, it takes a while to pass through our system because, as you can imagine, we receive thousands of orders daily. As long as you place your order properly, you will be eligible to earn cash-back.

Please let us know if this cash-back still has not posted to your Ebates account after 15 days. We will be happy to look into this further at that time if necessary.

Thank you for your patience, and if you should have any further questions, please let us know.

 

Thanks HT appreciate it

 

Should have used ebates. I could use 45 bucks...

 

Ok 7words, turns out R3d was right again, (funny how often that happens) apparently the a-8 Can put the hurt on the A-6, despite your much higher clocks, still, its not by much and sooner or later we're going to figure out how to unlock the apu's clocks and maybe even get your 80 shaders back.

In the meantime, here's a 3dmark11 I just ran at much lower clocks than you were able to get. I haven't tried to push this one to the limit, but I don't think it will get anywhere near the memory speeds on the 6750 that your box put up.

Hmmm having trouble with the pictures. ok there it goes and oh yeah, the clocks were about 734/842. and oh, of the six guys to far right? 3 of those scores are mine was trying to gauge whether the clock or the mem gave the biggest boost.

 

If someone could link me the latest bios, I could have a look and see if the dedicated videocard is overclockable with a bios mod. It has quite a few advantages over a software overclock, as it will work regardless of drivers/settings and won't break any crossfire/powersaving features that software overclocking may or may not break.

I don't have the laptop myself yet, so I'm not able to test it myself if it turns out to be moddable. But I could upload a modded bios with say a 10mhz overclock on the core and memory, just to see if it works. Anyone volunteering to try it out? Note that it's at your own risk, I will not take any responsibility for any damage this may cause. It's hard if not impossible to completely brick your laptop though, as it's often possible to recover your bios. You just need to know how.

 

Now I know something is wrong. My machine keeps locking up when playing games at stock speeds. In windows after idling for a good 30-40 minutes CPU was in mid to upper 50C. Then I was getting some white flashing horizontal stripes across the screen just on the windows desktop. Time for an RMA! I guess I can use this as my guinea pig now and work out all the kinks so when I get a replacement machine I can just load it up and go!

 

HT i think you got a faulty cooler or thermal past job. Your temps have seemed off since the start comparted to abbadon and seer

 

I agree, I think the 'rattling touchpad buttons' was the key. Someone may have dropped kicked that thing en route from the factory.
Get a new one and get back in the game

seer

 

What a PITA! I'll call next Monday. I want to do some more benchmarking (if it doesn't lock up) and write my comparison review.