HP rant - Intel whine, AMD fan, Broadcom wireless

I'm having so many problems with HP computers it's not funny.

I bought an HP intel based DV6000T computer and exchanged it twice because of very irritating high pitched noise - it was an intel centrino and the wireless was lightning fast and never had a problem with the wi-fi a/b/g connection (I share a wireless connection with my neighbor directly upstairs).

I hated the noise, so I went with an AMD processor. I no longer have that annoying whine but now the fan is on constantly, did I miss something with my decision to go with AMD?

So the AMD is also different in that it uses a broadcom chip for wi-fi a/b/g/draft-n. Now, my connection upstairs is so weak it comes on and off. I can't connect because I think the signal is too weak. WTF is going on? I thought draft-n wireless was supposed to be great!

By the way, my upstairs neighbor has a Linksys draft-n router so compatability shouldn't be a problem. I'm on my third laptop and am about to throw it out the window and void my warranty.

Is it because these laptops are made for HP? My goal was to just get a computer in the $700 range and move on with my life while not being occupied with computer issues.

Someone tell me where my decision making is flawed. Am I being too picky? Should I throw more money at the problems? Am I expecting too much? What?

 

You really shouldn't be cross-posting. I posted a possible solution in your other thread in Networking & Wireless. Nevertheless a moderator will eventually merge both your posts or delete one. Either way I'm still going to post a possible solution here as well:

Have you tried going to HP's site to see if there are any updated drivers for the Broadcom card?

Also try upgrading the router's firmware and change the channel it is using.

 

I appreciate your concern about cross-posting. However, that post is asking for specific advice about my wireless connection - this post is asking for general comments about my decisions and a bit of a rant out of frustration.

True, the two posts are similar because i tried to save some time by copying parts of the first post - but it's clear that you didn't read them all the way through.

This is my third notebook in two weeks - am I doing something wrong? Am I making bad decisions? Do laptop manufacturers put out so much mass produced, marginal quality crap these days that a high return rate doesn't scare them?

Either I expect too much or everyone else has such low standards.

 

Yes, the AMDs seem to run warmer than the C2Ds I've handled. And yes, my Broadcom wireless gets a much weaker signal than than Intel 3945ABG unit when next to one another, no matter the driver.

Most of the time I use the AMD units directly wired to the router because the wireless signal drops out too much.............

 

The heat isn't really an issue for me - and the fan seems to have settled after I updated BIOS. But your wireless comment is interesting, I wonder if that's true in general for Broadcom vs Intel?

If so, my situation sucks because Intel HP's whine and AMD Broadcom wireless HP's don't work. All I f***ing want is a quiet laptop with wi-fi that works.

I'll keep trying, but it looks like I'll be going on laptop number four soon. Nothing else I can do, I'm stupidly locked into Circuit City. Maybe they'll waive their restocking fee to stop me from going through their inventory.

 

Are you using BIOS F.38 (assuming you have a dv6000z)? I noticed little difference between it and F.37 that was on the machine from factory......

 

Yes, I went from BIOS F.37 to F.38. Maybe there is little difference and the fan was my imagination. I really didn't wait very long after opening the box that I declaired all HP laptops to be garbage. I'm just not happy with having to spend so much time troubleshooting.

Apologies in advance to Celestis if I sounded rude. Your response is well taken and I'll make sure to update all drivers and firmware.

I hope it works, I really like how much more peaceful the AMD is.

 

Strange, I have been using my Broadcom 4311 b/g wifi for the past year and never had any dropped connections anywhere. Try changing the channel on your router and see if the reception gets any better along with upgrading/downgrading the drivers as well as the firmware for your router. Draft n is still well draft so there will be minor niggles until the standard gets approved.

The only issues I seem to have with my wifi is with Broadcoms refusal to support lonux, other than that it hasnt disappointed me.

 

You might be getting interference from a cordless phone or something similiar.

 

Linksys uses Broadcom Wifi chips so compatibility definitely shouldn't be a problem, but I would check to see if the Linksys is using the latest firmware. If you're able to run Ethernet from the router down to your apartment you could configure a second draft-N router as an access point so your notebook would connect to whichever AP provides the strongest signal. I put AP's on opposite ends of my parents' house so they can roam all though the house, out on the porch, back yard, etc. and get a strong signal.

Ditto mtor. Hunt down and terminate any 2.4GHz cordless phones with extreme prejudice. 900MHz cordless phones work better anyhow, or ditch the landlines and go cellphone-only.

The fan shouldn't run constantly. Check Task Manager for any processes chewing up CPU time. See what Core Temp says your CPU temps are. The fan should kick in around 55C and shut down around 50C, though HP has changed it occasionally in BIOS revisions. Sometimes HP does a poor job of mounting the CPU heatsink, if the fan always runs but the exhaust is only moderately warm this might be the problem.