*HP dv7t Quad Edition (429X / 5XXX series) Owners Lounge*

First off, as this my starting post, I'd like to thank the users of this forum (which I visited to help choose a desktop replacement notebook) for supplying information on this model, which applies to its EU equivalent. It certainly helped me decide.

As you might have guessed, I recently bought a HP dv7 laptop that contains a Sandy Bridge chipset and processor (dv7-5050es). It is identical to the American 4290us config, except for the smaller hard drive and lack of Blu-Ray support. I placed my order on Jan 7th and received the computer three days later. Upon checking whether all of the laptop's features were working flawlessly, I proceeded to install a Crucial C300 SSD drive in the machine. The operating system transferred well and worked properly after the settings were tweaked.

Usually, connecting a second hard drive would require a caddy, but getting one where I live (Spain) is either impossible or as expensive as a second SSD. However, I could pick up an inexpensive HDD enclosure which uses the eSATA port to use the mechanical drive.

However, this brings up a number of issues:

1. Are ALL of the new chipsets shipped until now affected by the SATA issue? As I mentioned earlier my laptop could have been manufactured earlier than the date mentioned by Intel (January 9), so there's hope that my laptop doesn't have the mistake. However it's quite unlikely that the error was introduced at a later stage, so the chances are slim.

2. The speeds of ports 0 and 5 are half of what they should be. Basically, port 0, which is where the SSD is installed, is reported by the Intel Storage Manager appliation as 3.0Gbps. Do I need to enable something to use the ports at full 6.0Gbps speed? Has anyone succeeded in doing so?
Also, the eSATA HDD is seen as 1.5Gbps, which causes a small performance decrease. Has anyone achieved 3.0Gbps on the eSATA port with this laptop? The HDD is not the problem, because if I put an SSD in the enclosure, the same bottleneck is observed. Said enclosure also mentions being capable of transfer rates of up to 300MB/s in the packaging. It's this model:
PRODUCT DETAIL - MS-TECH Technology

Thanks in advance for your replies.

 

Hello. I have a HP DV7-5090eo. I wonder one thing. On the homepage of hp it says crossfire on my model. Have understood that there is only one video card in the notebook. It is then possible for an additional graphics card to run crossfire? or I'll play bad here.

HP Pavilion dv7-5000 Entertainment Notebook PC series overview - HP Home & Home Office products

HP Pavilion dv7-5090eo Entertainment Notebook PC Product Specifications - HP Customer Care (United States - English)

Get PC specs in a mobile design
• The HP Pavilion dv7 gives you full PC performance, plus the freedom of mobility. Get a choice of the latest Intel® and AMD processors, plus powerful discrete graphics choices including 1 GB VRAM, hybrid PowerExpress and Crossfire.

and by the way. my space sounds like a bird. every time the space bar is pressed down. HP is fixing this.

btw, is this notebook also hurt by the intel problems?

I'm Norwegian btw :>

 

Check my pic above, the port 4 cable of the optical drive is adjacent to port 1.

 

I think Hybrid CrossFire only works with AMD integrated graphics, not with Intel ones.

 

In Anandtech's article when an interview with an Intel VP I believe, they mention that revision A of the chipset did not have the problem. Unfortunately they never got out to oem, only revision B, which has the problem that got to oem mfg.

 

Hey Bravo, how is yours holding up? Or was that mentioned elsewhere already?

 

Just fine. I play GRID on it almost everyday. I use it for HULU+, and watching 720p/1080p content I stream off my file server.

 

1) Yes, all series 6 chipsets are faulty, including the mobile ones and that means also yours, sadly. It's a design fault so it's going to be in from the very first 6 series chipset produced.

2) I don't know why but on all reports I've seen so far port 0 and 1 are said to work at 3GBps instead of 6 and the others at 1.5 instead of 3; so I think it's normal. I hope someone better informed can shed light on this though.

 

Well there is a 5-15% chance of speeds decreasing through the sata 2 ports I think it was.

 

But I assume at least the first time you plug in the drive, it would work at 3gbps since the effect is a degradation over time? Neither the optical nor the external drive ever showed that speed.

Here's a result of CrystalDiskMark on the SSD, along with some HWINFO data. Strangely enough, it shows the storage drives at the speed they are supposed to be working at (lower right corner of the screenshot). If these speeds were real, the results from the benchmark would be higher. I think HWInfo only reads the maximum speed from drive controllers.

 

I didn't pay for a "comparable product", I paid for Sandy Bridge... thus I want non-flawed Sandy Bridge without excess hassle.

 

Thanks for posting the news link - so the options are either a full refund or a replacement, which may not be available for a few months.

 

You can check out Anandtech's analysis of the problem:

Intel Discovers Bug in 6-Series Chipset: Our Analysis - AnandTech :: Your Source for Hardware Analysis and News

So it may not be a degradation over time - it could be early and immediate for a small number of people, worst case.

 

We'll just have to wait for the replacement models to be out, then. (Still hoping there's no time limit on it)

(*Or maybe HP have an Envy 3D here that I can swap with, he he)

 

I don't understand how they can say "choose a comparable product" when "replacement" (if that's really what they meant by it) would suit fine. If not, you can't argue that a hotter, more power hungry, older generation processor without integrated graphics (whether we can use them or not) is "comparable".

Sounds like HP just wants to run away from SB and get this over with quickly.

 

Its a "now" solution... right now, the revised SB chipset is still being manufactured. So, you can refund or get what else is available "comparably".

 

Well, yes it is a degredation over time, and this problem affects between 5-15% of shipped motherboards. I'm not saying your statement is wrong - just clarifying what an "early and immediate" failure would mean: It would mean that within that 5-15% of the population of bad motherboards predicted by Intel, there could be some examples where the degredation accelerates very rapidly to failure.

I just didn't want us to loose sight of Intel's own description of the problem:

"Intel says you’d see an increase in bit error rates on a SATA link over time. Transfers will retry if there is an error but eventually, if the error rate is high enough, you’ll see reduced performance as the controller spends more time retrying than it does sending actual data. Ultimately you could see a full disconnect - your SATA drive(s) would not longer be visible at POST or you’d see a drive letter disappear in Windows."

 

I'll take the Envy swap out, provided they offer a $500 coupon ... 300 of which replaces the one I used, and 200 more for the aggravation. Deal.

 

Then you have to wait

All the reports I've seen so far, here and on an italian forum, show the same speeds. There's something we are not getting about how these data are showed imho. Besides the fault should only be on the SATA II ports but the SATAIII don't seem to work at their nominal speed either; this is why I think we are somehow reading the data wrong.

 

I'm with you, brother. I do all of my work on my laptop, and can't afford to wait for a week, let alone months.

I'd prefer to swap my laptop out once the updated models are available.

 

True what you say.

Refund is good move. Bad move offering old tech as a replacement.

Nothing can compare to a Sandy Bridge, even the i7-2630QM wipes floor vs an older generation i7 extreme edition mobile.

 

Sorry to be a pain guys, but could any one clear this up for me? I know I posted this earlier but as I mentioned I bought the dv7 in the USA and I'm going back home soon so would like to know how affected I am ASAP!!!

Many many thanks!!

 

your harddrive is fine, the only thing affected is your dvd drive and esata port. worst comes to worst (if you are not covered through warranty), you can always just get a usb dvd drive and usb external harddrive if both of them break down in the future.

 

Adding to teotuf's post, if you see just a few post above yours, there was a picture showing how the DVD is connected to one of the faulty ports through a cable, and that can easily be moved to the 1 port which is safe. This way you should be able to save the DVD/bluray drive and that leaves only the eSATA exposed.

 

MaskedMagi The only thing I would add here is to note that you are exposed to the problem on the eSATA port. should you want to use that, there is a 5-15% probability that you will experience performance degradation over time leading to ultimate failure. I would say if the eSATA port is not important to you, then you are fine, but you have to realize that worst case you would be without a reliable eSATA port.

 

Well, this explains why my DV7-4290us hasn't shipped yet. Boooo! Wonder how long it will take them to get this all straight and start shipping new units?

 

Guys, I remmeber reading about someone having troubles with the fan always staying on...how was that situation resolved? An user on an Italian forum has this same problem, with the fan always going at top speed when he's connected to AC power because the CPU goes to 100% and the temps obvisouly go up to 80°, while if he stays on battery the CPU usage is only 5% and everything is fine...was there a BIOS update to fix this?

Not earlier than March I fear

 

Regarding Fan,

Here is something on the bright side.
Although my dv7t fan run like a little airplane turbine most of the time. I noticed today, if you put your hand near it, it blows comforting warm air. That really feel good during this artic cold.

 

Could you please check what temps you get when at idle and connected to the AC power? As I said that user in Italy has the cpu going to 100% usage and temps going up to 80° C as soon as he connects to ac power, even staying at idle.

That's not normal so I was trying to help him and see if anyone here has found the same problem and how it was fixed.

 

I did check the cpu usage, it was not high, more like 5 to 10% range.

Strange thing is FAN run faster on battery for some reason.

I have also, set bios setting for "fan always on" to disabled.

I will check the temperature (By some monitoring program, what you guys recommend) and let you all know.


Other thing I wanted to ask, how this TURBO to 2.9 GHz work.
And intel HD switchable graphic, any word on that.

I am planning on keeping mine, as long as HP made good of their warranty replacement of DEGRADING sata issue, though it would be nice if they issue some official statement about it.


----------------------------------------------------
dv7tqe 2630qm 6GB, Infinity 1600x900
Blu-ray writer, 2 batteries
128 SSDNow V+
640GB 7200

 

@giova2k11,

There are a few things he can try...

Check BIOS if "Fan Always On" is true
Change Coolsense settings
Change Power Settings
Check ATI PowerPlay Settings

I've seen Cinebench run all four actual cores to 90C, so I think 80 at 100% cpu is ok. Gaming wise, it shouldn't go that high, 75C should be the norm.

What was his ambient (room temps?)

 

Check your Coolsense setting, Power settings, and ATI's powerplay settings.

I use CoreTemp64, coz the All Monitoring gadget I use needs that. I use Speedfan on my desktop but it's giving slightly lower temp readings.

If you run an intense single core task, the i7 will overclock automatically upto 2.9Ghz. If you run multi-core tasks, the overclock will be 2.6ghz on all four cores.

 

Also, it could also be another heat source that is making the fan rev like that. Check your HDDs (or SSD) temps too.

Or investd in the Notepal U3...and put fans directly on the mems and hdds.

 

Thanks for the suggestions, I'll pass them on to him; the 80°C however were reached on idle!! As far as I know it didn't get much higher than that under stress, the bothersome thing is that at idle it shouldn't be on 80°C at all, it should be around 50...

 

I would expect that we can hold on to the notebook until HP is ready to replace the motherboard/pc for all pc that have the affected chipset, not just a extend waranty that repairs only the pc's that sees that problem.

@Noor, I saw you have a 128 SSDNow V series, could you comment on its performance compared to vertex 2? I am also considering getting it due to its lower cost. Does the lower cost means lower speed / reliability? I heard that there is no documentation / update of firmware, is that true?

 

Well I just got off the phone with HP customer support and after about 10 minutes of convincing the guy that the dv7-4290us I ordered does have the Sandy Bridge processor in it, and him telling me it didn't, he told me that HP is still shipping the units because they haven't got any direction from Intel yet. He said my laptop should ship out today or tomorrow. We'll see. I don't think the guy knows his A$$ from a hole in the ground, but who knows...

 

@jaysin, It's probably a confusion, since technically, the SB dv7's models (from the maintenance manual) starts at dv7-5xxx, not dv7-4xxxx.

It did seem that only the 4290us is the only one w/ SB. (IIRC 4280us use the new i7/i5 1st gen "Core" series, non SB)

My worry is the 6-mos timeline to return/exchange the affected laptops, I heard in the dv6 thread.

 

I'd be pretty happy if I could return it in 6 months for a full refund. I'd upgrade to an Envy 17....hopefully their will be another $500 off coupon out there.

 

You got it from Microcenter, right? Didn't you get an email from them confirming they would replace the motherboards when the fixed ones get available. Looks like everyone who bought from Microcenter got the same mail, like the one mentioned here,
MicroCenter to replace Sandy Bridge motherboards - The Tech Report

 

Nope, I haven't gotten an email from them today. (But I'm not in the US at the moment though, so it's SOL still for me. ha ha)

 

I was kicking myself for buying a dv7tse in November when the SD models hit the street.

The news of the last week has made me feel a little better about my decision.

 

teotuf,giova2k11 and dlleno

Thank you all very much for your help and feedback. I have decided to leave things as they are, as the hard drive was the most important thing for me.

I think as it stands I'll leave everything and only switch the blu ray drive to port 1 when/if it fails. That should be ok right? As in its only the connection that would fail, not the drive itself?

Thanks again for the advice, you've all taken a load off my mind

 

yes MaskedMagi the failure is regarding the port, not the device/drive that sends data through it. moreover, a port failure does not stress or otherwise put the associated device/drive itself at risk.

 

Has anyone actually plugged the blu-ray drive into port 1? Does it require any settings changes in Windows or the Bios?

Thanks

 

If no one reports in about it, I'll give it a shot once I get home later.

 

This appears to only apply for desktop motherboards. I called Microcenter yesterday, and the CSR said I should bring my laptop in for a refund. I'm debating my options, as I can't afford to be without it.

 

So MC is refunding only? (I'm thinking maybe you can replace for "updated" models in a few months time)

 

That was based on one conversation - I'm going to try to speak to a manager this week to see if they've changed their policy on this.

In the DV6SE thread, one person mentioned they talked to HP and they are going to offer a 6 month window for refunds/replacements. Nothing confirmed yet, but this would be ideal.

 

Here it is, folks. Yesterday I sent a note via the Customer Service "Contact Us" asking them about the situation.
In that note I told them that I would be willing to wait a little if needed.

Just a short while ago this Email came in....

I am a little peeved about the lack of some sort of offer to use a credit in other ways, with perhaps a bit of added incentive in
the form of further discounts. Not sure what I am going to do now, but that XPS ad that keeps floating around this site is
looking more and more attractive.

Fantastic thread, and I am grateful for all the information. You guys are great.

See you in the funny papers. Tom

 

I agree...thats what I told HP Customer service today. They were pretty clueless about what HP had in mind as an action plan. I kept telling her...all I want is a replcement when they are available....same exact build as I too used the $500 coupon. A replacement for an older technology will not do at at all.

Its hard enough porting all my data on my first Dv7 only to have to do it all over again later. As far as them putting you on a list for those replacements is not an option at this point. What she did was log our chat conversation to my case...stating that I would keep my current Dv7 now and opt to replace it later even after my 21 days return policy. I told her she had better be sure 21 days is now obsolete due to this being an official Intel recall. I too am not going to go without a notebook until March or April....absolut e B.S.