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

I'm using 11.9 WHQL + Application Profiles and BF3 runs surprisingly well for me. I can play 1080p with everything high except shadows at a ~30 FPS with very little crossfire stutter. I get like ~22 FPS without CF so that's pretty good scaling too.

I have the OC'd 720/900 BIOS though, so I'm not sure if that's helping with the stuttering but from my tests with BC2 it didn't.

I'll probably try out 11.10 later as there's minor flickering issues with 11.9 (though I'm not sure if that's just the game-- didn't flicker when I disabled CF though).

 

It's working rather well with me too, with 11.10's. Outdoors it can get dicey, but still runs 25-40 fps. Indoors much better. Except I thought I read that most settings default to medium because higher aren't implemented in the beta.

 

Can anyone point me in the direction of maybe a post/thread/guide/anywhereelse on how MSI Afterburner works and what the best config set up is (for the dv6-6135dx/6620G&6750M) or anything like that? And/or maybe anything that shows me what I should know about when using it? Please and thank you!!

 

Does anybody find that CF makes OCing unstable? For some reason I could only start BC2 with CF disabled or else it would freeze, even though it was working fine with CF yesterday.

edit: But it still works fine in BF3... Weird.

 

Well, for one thing, are you running MSI Afterburner while playing BC2? Because MSI Afterburner was the cause of my BC2 failings. Stopped using it while playing BC2 and no more lockups, crashes, or otherwise. Although I don't use CF with BC2 because performance is same or worse than without it.

 

Nope, BIOS mod. I hope someone figures out how to increase the voltages though so I can push the 6750m even more.

Edit: Wow the new BC2 patch must have done done some optimizing because CF works beautifully now. Online multi is not 40-50fps at 1080p, pretty much no stutter. It was so smooth that I had to check CCC to make sure that CF was enabled.

 

Hello, I wanted to ask, if you still recommend the above step, after I install the official 11.10 pre-release drivers with Mobile support. Just wanted to make sure.

I still have the stock drivers (Driver Packaging Version 8.832-110401m-117970C-HP) since I got my DV6-6135dx (Best Buy). Thanks for all you help, take care.

 

Yes you will still need to run your OEM installer because the regular Catalyst package does not include the other drivers.

 

So i read through a crapload of posts since I haven't frequented here as of late, so I apologize if this has been mentioned already, but:

Is anyone having issues installing recent WHQL Catalyst mobility driver packages (11.8, 11.9, 11.10)? The installer keeps telling me that it can't install drivers because I don't have the proper hardware/software.
I've done complete uninstalls through windows device manager, driver sweeper and Catalyst - I've even restored windows to a previous restore point.

I guess it's not a big deal as 'modded' catalyst software installs fine, it's just something I'd like to resolve if possible

 

Unfortunately the WHQL AMD drivers don't include video drivers for our mobility cards. However, the latest 11.10 pre-release has mobility support in it. You will STILL have to run the HP SP52989 driver install after installing the 11.10 if you did a full uninstall of drivers to get your USB, AHCI, and other driver support (see post above yours).

Download latest 11.10 drivers here:
http://support.amd.com/us/Pages/AMDCatalyst1110Previewdriver.aspx

 

Anyone have any tips on improving streaming on the DV6-6135DX?

I posted a few days ago about some issues with streaming and Slingplayer. I seemed to have the Slingplayer straightened out(needed to put the app in the high performance category on the video setting). But my streaming of network media files is still bad.

I have all my DVD's and BluRays ripped to MKV files, out on my network. WHen I try to play one of the MKVs from the network drive using VLC(I have it set to high performance), the video will pause every so often and then catch back up(the sound will continue fine).

If I take the same MKV file, copy it to the laptop, it plays just fine. I am using a wired connection, but it is not gigabit. I have a couple Boxee Boxes and a PCH-A210 that stream these files fine off the non gigabit connection. Plus I can stream them fine on my desktop.

ANyone have any ideas on this?

Thanks

 

Go to your power options (battery icon in the tray)>change plan settings>advanced and make sure your wireless adapter is set to maximum performance.

I'm not sure if that's the problem but that's the only suggestion I can think of.

 

Thanks HTWing.. that helps to clear things up...

Also a heads up, (if i'm not mistaken) any of the full desktop modded Catalyst suites also include all needed video/USB filter/HDMI/etc drivers ... so downloading the full desktop suite and modding the ini to include mobility cards (or search google and find people post them all over the place) should give you latest versions...

11.9 WHQL worked this way for me anyways

asder00 from guru3d.com posts new WHQL and beta modded releases all the time:
AMD Catalyst 11.9 WHQL (8.892 September 8) - Download & Discussion - Guru3D.com Forums

 

Seem to be having a bit of a problem, this has only been happening as of recent while playing the new BF3 beta. I'll be mid game then all of a sudden my laptop will go into sleep mode, then after 30 seconds+ it will resume again. I am fairly certain it is an overheating problem but why now? I was running the original graphic drivers and graphics were ty/really bad on all levels. Upgraded to the 11.10 BF3 preview driver and graphics improved 1000x. But the problem happened even before I upgraded the drivers. Anyone have a solution or something I could try?

 

It happened to me in the unit I exchanged. I'm thinking it might be that the PSU isnt plugged in correctly.

For me it was definitely not heat because the computer would go to sleep even when it was well below the danger zone (80-90). Another user had this problem too, not sure what he did.

Run HWinfo or something and monitor your temps when your computewr goes to sleep. You can run BF3 in windowed mode to see both the game and the temps at the same time.

editL Ok, is there any reliable way to get overvolt? Apparently my card isn't stable at even 720/900 so I'm going to try to squeeze some more mhz out from OVing.

 

Was running HW monitor temps were as high as 86C. I'll Check the PSU next time I play to see if it helps at all. Thanks for the tips.

 

Hmm, for some reason my catalyst version remains 11.10 even after uninstalling 11.10, running driver sweeper, and installing 11.6.

 

Except if you are like me and the bios seem to make the same thing happen. The screen goes all crazy and then restarts.

 

Hey Musho or kr105, if you have a chance could you mod the no white list bios 100%_sp54025_NWL_ByCamiloml.exe for me to 740 core 880 memory? It would be greatly appreciated. Thanks in advance.

 

I don't think musho visits the forums anymore... Haven't seen him for a a couple weeks now.

 

Musho is at least active here @ NBR. Last visit 10-02-2011. Maybe PM him.

Another thing regarding GPU CrossfireX to consider is something arrowslinger in the Asus K53TA forums brought up. There's an app called RadeonPro that will allow you set pre-configured profiles, or create your own, for games.

RadeonPro: Radeon Games Profiles Automation Tool

I haven't spent much time with it yet though.

 

Hello everybody,

Anyone have an idea whether I can change the WiFi card on my dv6z? By chance I got the crappiest (sorry about that, I'm just frustrated) Broadcom 4313 radio available. I'm used to speeds of at least 150Mbps in my home network. With the Broadcom I can achieve only 72Mbps (theoretically). The hell? Slooooow...
So, can I just take out the 4313 and drop something decent in? I mean c'mon, does HP even realize the punishment they are giving to the otherwise perfect lappy?

BTW, I got the beefy hardware for this one and I'm sooo happy about it. Worth every penny. (scratch that, read: except for the WiFi)

 

One page back I posted a link to bios version F20 that has the whitelist removed. Download and flash it. I have a Bigfoot 1102 card in my DV6. The only issue is the WiFi light flashes all the time. I got used to it pretty quick tho.

 

Sweet. Even monsterous.

Anyway, I found in the HP service manual for the model, that the following radios are supported:

● Broadcom 4313 802.11b/g/n 1×1 WiFi and
2070 Bluetooth 2.1+EDR Combo adapter (BT3.0+HS ready)
● Broadcom 4313 802.11b/g/n 1×1 WiFi Adapter
● Ralink RT3090BC4 802.11b/g/n 1×1 WiFi and Bluetooth 2.1+EDR Combo Adapter (BT3.0+HS ready)
● Ralink 5390GN 802.11b/g/n 1×1 WiFi Adapter
● Atheros 9285G 802.11b/g/n 1×1 WiFi Adapter
● Atheros AR8002WB-1NGB 802.11b/g/n 1×1
WiFi and Bluetooth 2.1+EDR Combo Adapter (BT3.0+HS ready)
● Realtek RTL8191SE 802.11b/g/n 1×1 WiFi Adapter
● Realtek 8188BC8 802.11a/b/g/n 2×2 WiFi
and Bluetooth 3.0+HS Combo Adapter

Does it mean that if I choose not to remove the whitelist I can still use ANY of the aforementioned WiFis?

And one more thing - has any of you thoughts of the whitelisted chipsets?

 

In theory you should. However from what I can tell, they are all pretty much the same except some have Bluetooth built in. I looked and looked to find the realtek 8188 but couldn't find it. Even HPs website has the part number wrong and I could not find it on there either.

 

I pm'd musho a few days ago and did not get a response. Figured I would post to see if that would work.
And thanks for the link to Radeon pro. Have to check it out when I have time. Sometimes I'm too busy for my own good.

 

Alright people, I'm toying with upgrading the harddrive from the 5400 to a 7200 drive. Does a 7200 make a big difference with on this machine(I have the HP DV6-6135DX)?

I'm looking at this one... Amazon.com: Western Digital WD Scorpio Black 750 GB SATA 3 GB/s 7200 RPM 16 MB Cache Internal Bulk/OEM 2.5-Inch Mobile Hard Drive: Electronics

Would this work with this machine and if so, are there any issues with replacing the drive(ie. getting the old one out, restoring to the new drive, etc...)?

Thanks.

 

For $90 you'd be much better off with a mommentus XT ssd hybrid drive. Or, for some more cash you could try to find a good sized ssd on ebay/craigslist and buy a caddy so you can use the lower capacity ssd to store your OS and also have the old hard drive in the optical bay to store whatever else.

 

Ya know, I looked at thoseXT drives, but everywhere I look, I see complaints. The main complaint(ignoring the MacBook issues) seems to be random 3-5 second hangs with the XT drives, even with the latest firmware. This would drive me crazy.

Plus the extra 250gb on the WD Black is nice too.

 

I've had three Seagate XTs and i've never had any problems with them at all. They're GREAT for the price.

 

I had two XT's and no problem with them either. Just note that there is a 750GB Momentus XT upcoming with 8GB NAND cache instead of 4GB currently in the 250-500GB models.

 

Yea, I can see the price on that being a little more than I want to spend at the moment. I decided to try the XT and ordered one. I have a 640gig(I think) in there now, so losing 150gig will hurt a bit, but I'm managing now on a 400gig boot drive on home PC with all the games I have installed, so 500 on my laptop should be fine. I can always add an external later.

 

The 8GB will help if you load a lot of different apps. But if you primarily run windows and a few apps, and then games, the 4GB is fine.

 

Does OpenGL switching not work for dv6zs? I want to play RAGE but I'm not sure if I should get it.

 

Unfortunately OpenGL is run through the integrated GPU.

 

Hmm.. Maybe it's time to start bugging HP about a BIOS update like the one the DV6T got.

 

To people with the flickering horizontal line issue.... it seems to be a problem with the auto display-off.

Info here : Dv6 Horizontal Line Flicker - Page 2 - HP Support Forum

Nothing to RMA over. Its some sort of bug. You basically need to turn off the screen and turn it on again and it stops.

 

Well, I put the Momentus XT in my DV6-6135DX and everything seems good. No pausin or anything like that.

I used a generic copy of windows 7(retail upgrade I had from when it was released) to install with this time, to eliminate the HP bloatware. About the only issue I had was finding the USB 3.0 drivers. The ones from the HP website weren't the correct ones. The ones I needed were hidden in the HP AMD display driver package, along with some other chipset drivers and such. HP really should either break these out to separate packages or at least make it known on the support page where they are.

Even tho things were ok, I did try to update the drive's firmware to version 28. I'm not sure what version I have now. Anyone know how to check? When I tried the window update, after the reboot to install the update, it failed to find the drive for some reason, so it wouldn't update. I'm thinking of trying the CDROM version to see if that will work.

 

W T F ?!

I came here to ask exactly about this opengl problem.
I wanted to see who here could run Rage on their graphics card.

I am getting absolute crap unplayable performance in Rage with integrated graphics, even in low resolutions.

I thought the fixed graphics bios fix option you guys have would allow opengl to run on the discrete graphics card.

it still runs through integrated gfx even in Fixed mode ?

AMD pisses me off now

 

There is no fixed mode. The fixed mode is for Intel DV6s only.

 

My 2 laptops have been AMD/ATI combos, a Clevo in 2003 and DV7 in 2009 if they don't really fix the OpenGL issue they will be last ones from AMD stable.

I have made a post comparing the Intel+6650 vs AMD Fusion+6650+6520 combo. Almost 3x less performance.

http://forum.notebookreview.com/gam...md-fusion-opengl-performance.html#post7972541

 

thanks for the clarification

I would have assumed HP could do the same for the dv6z.

I can't believe AMD screwed this one up so badly.

so they offer up fast graphics card combos, and in the end, you can't even use them.

people who use cad software with opengl need the power of the 6750/6770, and they are forced to use the wimpy integrated graphics.

why even buy upgraded parts if you can't even use them completely....

There needs to be an easy way to complain to AMD. Right now, AMD is laughing at us and refusing to fix their broken hardware and software.

those of you who are thinking of Trinity........ should think twice

go ahead and contact AMD, and see what they have to say- http://emailcustomercare.amd.com/
I bet you'll just get stonewalled.

 

I would contact HP. That's what the intel owners did to get fixed mode implemented into the BIOS. If we get enough people to bug HP, I'm sure we'll get it too.

 

Just for the record, I just ordered this RAM:

Newegg.com - SAMSUNG 8GB (2 x 4GB) 204-Pin DDR3 SO-DIMM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) Laptop Memory Model MV-3T4G3D/US

Samsung DDR3 1600MHz 1.35V 2x4GB (8GB) and will see if it makes much difference in IGP performance.

It should also help with battery life considering lower voltage.

 

Of course not.

 

Elaborate?

 

Exactly. See below. These are all desktop, but same architecture. 15-20% FPS improvement going from 1333MHz to 1600MHz:

AnandTech - The Llano Desktop Preview: AMD A8-3850 CPU & GPU Performance

AnandTech - The AMD A8-3850 Review: Llano on the Desktop

AMD A8-3850 Llano Desktop Processor Review - Can AMD compete with Sandy Bridge? | Memory Speed and its Effect on Graphics Performance

Testing Different Memory Speeds on AMD's A8-3850 Llano APU - Resident Evil 5 - Legit Reviews

 

Faster ram makes a very significant difference on the llano APUs. It's the reason why I recommend people get an mx model APU whenever possible, because those are the ones that support 1600 ram.

 

And seems speed is more important than timings too. This RAM I'm getting is CAS 11 at 1600MHz, but CAS 9 at 1333. I'd prefer CAS 9 but I'm just kinda hazy on what Kingston RAM works and what doesn't with these machines.

 

I don't think you'll see noticeable difference.
giving a percentage increase is misleading, and the 15-20% increase in those benches were made with ddr 1866.

In dirt3 for example, they got a 3 fps increase from 1333 to 1600, but they were also using same cas7 timings for both.
3fps might be a whopping big 15%, but it's still just 3fps.

also, You are going from cas9 to cas11.
You can see when they go from cas7 to cas9 1866, the 266mhz increase doesn't result in the same gain you get from 1333 to 1600 with the same cas timing. The penalty ranges from 20-40% with slower cas. So you'll def take a hit going to cas11.

For $90+, it's not very cost effective for the 2fps increase.
Right now, it seems like memory makers are just overclocking ddr1333 with looser timings.
Once ddr1600 ramps up production, we may see cas9 again. THAT'S when you should buy. Not now.