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

The only thing Beats audio does is make it louder. Nothing better about it.

 

louder is better though XD

 

To be fair the Dv6z does have considerably nicer sounding speakers than an M14x and from my experience the dv6z is better than most laptops. However it is nothing close to the XPS 15.

 

well, that's not exactly true wing, you need to get a good set of headphones then listen as you fool with the beats software. it lets you change a lot of fundamental things about whatever it is you're listening to AND, it lets you considerably shape what you're trying to record.

Seer

 

All a good pair of headphones is going to get you is the high noise floor and crap response of IDT's DACs. I was surprised to find out that something could in fact be worse than realtek. Beats then tries to "make up for that" after the fact by kicking bass elements at the expense of your highs and mids; it sounds pretty terrible to me.

What's I found galling is that when you click Beats off in the control panel, it arbitrarily drops the IDT's bass tone adjustment to -12, presumably to fool people into thinking Beats does something useful. Do yourself a favor and click beats off, head to the sound part of the control panel, look at the IDT properties and put the bass adjustment to something reasonable. (Also tell windows you have full-range speakers via the configure option while you are there.)

Speakers on this laptop are fine but you basically need an external soundcard to use "good headphones."

 

Woah woah woah it seems like I started a wildfire. I just wanted to know if it had the software lol.

I have a decent pair of headphones (sennheiser 555) and a usb dolby headphone soundcard, so I am not an audiophile but I know a bit.

However, I also own a pair of Beats Tours Earbuds (got on great sale) and although they do not sound as good as my senns, they do sound pretty great.

The reason I ask about the software is that according to HP the new laptops (this model included) have a built in headphone jack amp as a part of the "beats package" . I was just wondering if perhaps I was missing out on some lost quality or nice features.

I still cant find the software on my dv6-6124ca :S It is in the swsetup folder right?

EDIT : I do not think the 6124ca comes with beats audio. My specifications on HP just say Dolby Home Theatre with Altec Lansing Speakers

Update : All of the HP Dv6 models sold at future shop do not have beats audio or a fingerprint reader . However the bestbuy models DO. What kind of lame BS is that.

 

I've heard of a lot of people who can't seem to get the fan under control and have to admit I'm a bit mistified as to why. Both/either Afterburner AND Trixx give me full control over the fan profile.

Seer

 

Sorry you are so disappointed. I can hear the changes the Beats software make quite clearly through my regular headphones, tho as you suggest, for my professional work (and pvp gaming I use my Turtle Beach 5.1 surround sound multispeaker headphones running thru one of their SRM external modules ( Among a few other things, I am a professional musician, composer, and vocalist).

 

So it seems the canadian future shop models of the DV6 have only 2 speakers + regular headphone jack. Also no fingerprint reader.

However bestbuy canada has a model with beats audio (4 speakers and superior headphone amp) and the fingerprint reader for 849.99 . But I step down from an A8-3530mx to an A8-3500m.

I can't beleive future shop would cheap out so much! I can't decide if I should keep 3530mx + altec lansing or go with 3500 + beats (and also gain 2gb of ram)......

 

Yeah in the beats audio setting turn it off, and let me know how you like the sound with it disabled :O. It just adds depth and tone to the sound that normal laptop speakers or software set ups previously didnt allow. It came with the computer though, i dont see myself paying for it as a upgrade. Its nice though.

 

If you do a quick search on google you can see a couple 3530mx's on sale for around 120 bucks with free shipping.. If you really wanted to you could step down and upgrade later? Its your choice man (plus you could sell the 3500m). But yeah seems like they cheaped out on a lot of the features that made this laptop a great deal! I have a a6-3400m and plan on upgrading my processor at a later date, but for now it does the job!

 

Hi,
I've been lurking here for ages, coveting the dv6z, and waiting for reviews to come in. Finally took the plunge on the 30th of July, delivered on 10th Aug. Laptop was not properly assembled. Back panel was sticking out, heating up more than expected, and the screen would occasionally go completely white. Then, on day 3, it went white and stayed white.

Just got my replacement, and I hope I'll be luckier this time. Intel burn temps are around 74 degrees, which seems normal. I'm looking forward to undervolting this thing.

Thanks to everyone here, for posting so many useful links and user inputs!

 

No need to worry about updating the CPU. The A6-3400m can overclock close to the A8-3510/3530MX. Only difference would be is if 1600MHz RAM made a significant difference in integrated GPU / Crossfire performance, then you'd want the A8 MX CPU.

So far I can get a 1700+ 3DMark11 with my Asus with A6-3400m + 6600M GPU, and runs Bad Company 2 @ 1366x768 medium detail @ ~ 50fps.

You did good to get the A6 and saved yourself some money.

 

On the ram issue, the only one I can find that specifically states XMP is the Kingston. I am thinking of trying the gskill or patriot with CAS11 that newegg lists, but I am also thinking of still trying the Adata I have ordered (which I think is coming on a mule train). I may be completely wrong here but what does everyone think about the possibility of a change in the updated bios as the cause of it not recognizing the 1600 MHz ram? I am still running F.1C. I would add links, but I am posting from my phone.

 

Does the off hqve some kind of auto dim feature. When there is a bright screen my off lightened up and dark it goes back down, offices me crazy

 

So If i downgrade from the A8-3530mx to A8-3500m would I still be able to hit 2.6 ghz @ 1.15v? Generally speaking of course. I hate the idea of downgrading, lol. Especially since I got lucky with a nice 6750 @ 820/1020. It would suck to get a new laptop from bestbuy and not get the same overclock.

I really am having a tough time with this lol. I think I am just gonna return the 3530/altec for 3500/beats

 

I have the A6-3400m in my Asus. It can reach 2.3-2.4GHz reasonably, and 2.5-2.6GHz with temps exceeding 90C.

So the A8 more than likely can easily achive 2.4-2.5GHz.

 

yeah i know it can over clock to it , but what im wanting is what the a8 can be overclocked too. Yeah im a college student so saving money is great! i actually got it for free because my last laptops screen cracked and SquareTrade just gave me a check for my old laptops original purchase price, awesome warranty.

 

dajohn my A8-3530mx i got a max overclock of 3.16 Ghz but that was at insane temps and voltages(1.3v, like 90 degrees).

I keep it at [email protected] volts or 2.86ghz at 1.2 volts .
I found that once I get over 2.86 Ghz the benchmark returns are minimal.

Highest 3d06 I hit was 11,112 .
Hopefully that answered your questions.

 

My 3530mx box is running bios f.20 and i can assure you, MINE will NOT run the Adata as it is xmp ram and there must be a setting in bios to specifically read the xmp registers from the eeprom to set it up.

I did get a confirming email that the 3530mx WILL run at 1600 with the 95.00 Kensington "plug and play" available at newegg, as they coded their 1600 timings into a regular jdec register which the bios WILL automatically read. he also confirmed that his 3500m will NOT run the same ram at 1600.

Seer

 

there is a chart around somewhere, i think Anandtech posted it in their LLano review, that shows which chips come with what. I don't recall who all gets the 6750 discreet in their dual graphics package but I would check first. Second, the issue becomes the loss of 80 shader units in i think the 3400 series apu, but I don't remember. Find that chart.

Next, yes, the a8's overclock.

seer

 

Well got my replacement DV6z finally. This sucker runs hot too.

I set CPU to 2.2GHz @ 1.0375V with no Prime95 errors. Alone, it only got to like 77C, but once I fired up Kombustor to run at the same time, temps shoot up to 93-94C I find running them simultaneously is more representative of a gaming scenario. On my Asus I can run 2.2GHz with my GPU overclocked (only 650/1000, but still) and temps don't exceed 80C.

 

Quick question:
I play F1 2010 a lot, and was sorely disappointed by how poorly the first machine was running it. It was slow, and there was a lot of input lag. The replacement dv6 is running the game smoothly, but the input lag is still there. After I accelerate, it takes about a second or so for the game to realise that and make the car actually accelerate. Anyone else facing a similar issue? It's very annoying that while the game is running butter smooth, it is still unplayable. I used to play the same thing on a Phenom II X3 720 + Radeon 4850 in my desktop, and never noticed an issue, so it's certainly not the game.

Any ideas?

 

So I finished talking with HP support, and the only difference between HP dv6 models with beats and without beats is the 2 front internal speakers (and the software). Headphone jack/ main speakers are identical

 

well, which dx is it? 9,10, or 11. You have to make sure you're running the game on the dedicated gpu if its a dx9 game.
Also, i don't how your system is set up. are you overclocking with k10stat? are you overclocking the gpu with Afterburner or Trixx? which drivers are you using? and did you apply the applications setting patch?

etc.

seer

 

Wing, you're going to have to figure out why you can't control the fan. You're going to fry that thing at sustained 95C. And btw, the fan control was probably at the root of your stuttering problem.

seer

 

Well seems our systems are pretty similar, my best 3dmark06 was an 11,186.
I also could run at 3.16 but it was similarly difficult to keep temps in the 80's. Not worth it as you say, I dialed back to 2933 I think.

seer

 

so I went ahead and installed the ADATA 1600 XPG Gaming Series memory. Attached is a screen shot of my HWInfo

 

I dunno. CPU speeds are constant, and not dropping down, which happens with coolsense, or if CPU speed > 2.3GHz it seems and temps exceed 80C, probably hard coded in the chipset or chip itself. But setting all P-states to same speed and voltage eliminates that. If it exceeds 90C I just quit. I really don't want to run above 85C.

Fan runs at full throttle, at least it's pretty loud, when over 85C, so I don't think that would help anyhow.

Crossfire doesn't seem to disable either even though I told it to turn it off. Both GPU's showing activity even with Crossfire turned off.

I love everything about this HP, the screen, battery life, blu-ray, construction, but its performance is a mystery. The Asus behaves as I'd expect, the HP, both of them, behave oddly.

 

Apparently the A8-3510MX has o problem with the Adata memory and XMP profile while the 3550 may have. I'm running some more tests and trying to boost my oc a bit now.

 

Well this just takes the cake. My wireless card is dead. When I first got the machine I thought it took a while to start the wifi, but thought maybe it was just the slow hard drive loading stuff, defragmenting, etc. Now it isn't even detected. I even removed the card, reattached the wires, and still no go. Grr. I am NOT a happy camper. If only I could get the DV6z 1080p screen on this Asus.

 

Ok, so where on HWinfo do I look for the speed of the memory, now I'm thinking it's not working at full speed I have several different numbers in different places and CPUz is reporting it at the lower speed.

 

Alright then.... Looks like I was wrong about this ADATA memory working. After several tests and programs it is running at the slower speed. I misread the HWinfo the first time, I read the max speed of the memory not the current clock. Oh well, I'll probably just leave it in, maybe they will update the bios to utilize the dang thing.

 

Got my wifi working. Went into device manager, uninstalled it, rebooted, it redetected and installed and working fine now. Weird.

 

Gald to hear it worked out for you

 

What dx is it? I don't know. I imagine it'll be 11, since I haven't forced any particular mode. No overclock, just a minor undervolt at all p-states. The game is running quite smoothly, it's just the damn input lag that's driving me mad.

 

I didn't have the heart to tell you after I looked at the screenie

seer

 

if you're really pushing your lappie trying to get highest possible clocks, depending on how it crashes, drivers can be the fist to go.

seer

 

LOL Thanks

 

ok, there are soooo many questions I'd like to ask about your setup, but before you do anything else. Go into control panel, go to hardware, mouse. somewhere there is a setting to improve mouse responsiveness. scale that thing up.

seer

 

There's no mouse involved here. F1 2010 exclusively uses the keyboard. As for setup questions, ask away! I'll answer as best I can - I've only had it for a day.

Thanks!

 

Has anyone written a GPU overclocking guide yet?

 

OK, well, as most of you know I once remarked that fine tuning this llano system involved a lot of voodoo, well, in fooling around and mixxing drivers, and I can't tell you how it has occured, but *apparently* my current setup is now running dual graphics on Duke Nukem Forever, which is a dx9 game. My diagnostics show during gameplay that i'm getting between 70 and 90 percent out of the 6750, and 60 to 80 percent out of the igpu. Full battle game play is pulling 69C at 95 percent fan, AND, whatever voodoo it was, now permits me to FINALLY get an 800 plus core and 900 plus overclock on the dgpu. This may be a clue, but this same configuration plays Crysis Demo, Call of Duty black ops, Rift, Nukem, COD warfare 2, Dragon Age Origins, and Mafia II well, perfectly. What it WON"T do is get passed the physix test in 3dmark11 where it crashes (usually resetting the video driver but not crashing the laptop) about 3 seconds into that test. Why? I have absolutely no idea ...but screw it. Up to the crash, it is screaming thru the benchmarks, for instance during the first part of the frst test, its pulling 15 to 16 fps. Previously i had not seen more than 14. something during that initial sequence.

In any event, I'm ready to lock down my settings, hope the *voodoo* is persistent, and enjoy this amazing laptop.

I wish I could lay out a plan to get to where I am, but I frankly have no idea how this mismash of drivers, and swag's in the ccc settings have combined to create this result, but it has, and i'm no longer going to look that particular gift horse in the mouth

seer

 

I hardly doubt 2.2GHz is pushing it.

CPU cores are starting to do some funny things once temps get a little high. Framerate bouncing all over the place. Also I noticed if you set your K10state using an FID of 28 and DID of 2 (2200MHz) it runs cooler than running FID of 6 and DID of 0. Tested and proven every time I've done it. I can run about 80-82C @ DID 2, but close to 90 with DID 0. Not sure why that is.

Plus my idle temps are high as well, 48-50C. So probably just a bad paste job (again). The Asus exhibits none of these symptoms. I may just end up keeping the Asus and replacing the screen if there is a 1080 that will work with it. I think I may also rip this HP open and see about repasting. As long as it doesn't look obvious for a return/exchange, although I seriously don't think they inspect that closely.

Seeratlas you seem to be the odd duck that got an excellent pick of machine, because others aren't having nearly as much luck as you are. Plus nobody else that I've discussed with have been able to manually change the fan.

 

I think if you look at HTWingnut 's posts you'll find everything you ever wanted to know about overclocking the dedicated gpu including the settings for Afterburner. You can search them for this thread and Abbadon's test thread. Start at the most recent and work your way back. There are also a lot of good posts of peeps chipping in with their own experiences and stable clocks. After you've read some of these if you still have questions, pipe up and half a dozen guys will jump in to help.

Seer

 

Wasn't suggesting that 2.2 was a problem, was suggesting that 95plus was a problem. As for "lucky" dunno bout that either, when others are routinely getting overclocks on their dgpu's of 900/1000 plus...i was buried in the low 700's/840-850 range...

What i HAVE spent a whole lot of time, (too much really) doing was trying to understand how the allocation of cycles and resources on the apu interact with the TDP. I also spent a chit load of effort trying to figure out how settings in the CCC effect rarious types of application loads, As a Third matter, trying to figure out how the dgpu has to interleave with the igpu when you overclock the dgpu. Turns out that is determinative of how high you can push some applications/games that require simultaneous activity by all three, i.e the cpu, the igpu, and dgpu.

Lastly I can't for the life of me explain why people are having problems with controlling the fan. I now bring my fans in spaced across 3 different steps and not only are the values chosen evident in the matching noise of the fans ramping up, I also see immdiate changes in the work load, and of course the several temperature sensors, not to mention when I set the fan to come 'all in " at 100percent as the temps cross 65C, it sounds like a jet ramping up in there .
In any event, things have really come together, with the exception of that one test in 3dmark11.
And another thing, as you noted just a few pages back, a relative newcomer has now waltzed in and topped my 2100 plus 3dmark11 score (tho as I said, his clocks are alot higher than mine).
seer

 

I guess my point is I did everything on the Asus and it worked out as I'd expect. This HP likes to randomly screw around with the clock speeds at higher temps. They start jumping around. Playing at 1280x720 the Asus actually performs BETTER than the HP even though the HP has a better video card and CPU. My fan on the HP sounds very loud as well, but temps still cross 80-85C easily. BC2 seems to stress the system the most, so that's what I use to gauge it. I am able to run at 2.2GHz CPU, and realized the GPU speed is irrelevant because the CPU is the bottleneck there, so don't even bother overclocking it.

It really shouldn't be that complicated, and I test it systematically, but my temps are just HOT. They shouldn't be 85C+ at 2.2GHz especially at a low voltage (1.0375). If I knew how to control fan speed, that would be the best damn thing to help out, but most of us can't for whatever reason. The fan speed number in MSI Afterburner changes to my curve, but the fan does not, it works of its own accord.

I'm going to attempt to repaste the machine and see if that helps, because I'll be damned if I'm going to wait another three weeks for another problematic DV6. Unfortunately doing that requires disassembling the whole damn laptop, and don't have time today, so will probably have to be tomorrow. If it doesn't work out, HP can take this damn machine back in pieces for all I care. At this point I'm tempted to just buy a screen and blu-ray for the Asus and be done with it. Only problem with the Asus is the battery is only like 52WHr and battery life sucks because of it, but still acceptable (3.5-4hrs surfing), and there's no higher capacity battery that I can find.

 

Ok, lets start at the top. Have you visited the f1 specific forums on the web? Did you apply the 1.01 patch? Did you notice any significant changes?

Next, in your swsetup folder on Drive C, you'll find an entry for 'Sysmonitor"
install that and turn it on. It will tell you how the computers resources are being distributed as you run the game. If I understand it correctly, F1 2010 is a dx9 game. Current Dv6z drivers (with one exception) do not allow 'dual graphics' to work on Dx9 games, so you need to open CCC and make sure you have configured the game to run under "High Performance" mode which means its being told to run on your 6750. Next, I believe the game is only coded for two threads. sysmonitor will show you the activity on each core of the cpu as well as on both gpu's if you will hit the "details" button near the top left. I don't have the game, but if you see only two cores doing all the work. Accordingly, you'll probably want to make sure that on your k10stat overclocks, you set the mode to "unganged" so all the cores can rise and fall independently as required.

Let me know what your performance graph looks like during the game. I'm assuming you can run it in a window or otherwise have sysmonitor running on top.
Oh, one other thing. On the AMD driver's site you'll find some game configuration patches. You'll want to install them. I think they are up to number 3 now.

Seer

 

Has anyone tried that modified bios yet?

 

seer, I was having the same crash in 3D11(in physx), but with cpu voltage. Voltages that are stable in everything else. I am going to play around with it a little bit more today. In terms of Cinebench 10 32 bit heres the scores I got @ 2.8ghz :

multicore : 9115 so fast (about i7-2620)
Single Core : 2570 ((( lmao so slow (about i7-370)

I have been having an idea to use kstat 10 to set core 0 to a rediculous clock speed, and lock the others to a lower value, and it worked, but I did not see any gain in performance.

I locked core 0 to 3.16Ghz. Locked all other cores to 1.6 ghz. During cinebench single process test, it seemed like some of the other cores were showing more load than core 0 , but none showed 100% (about 60s)..... very strange.