HP zv6000 & Windows 7

I have a HP zv6000 with the exact model being 6007us. I wanted to know if anyone has tried putting windows 7 on the laptop. Ive researched but with no straight answer, ive read that the pc can hold up to 2GB of Ram and that with windows 7 installed, it can read 4Gb. Im happy with the way it is functioning with XP but ive heard that with windows 7, it would be faster, save battery, and might help with overheating. Ive recently had trouble with the laptop overheating and ive cleanded out the entire pc, use a chill mat, but it will out of no where go from 40c to 90c. Can windows 7 be put on with no problems being kind of an old laptop? If so would it help a bit with it overheating?

AMD 64 3200
2Gb Ram
ATI 200m

 

I have a Compaq R4000 (which is a ZV6000 in drag) and it handles Windows 7 just fine. My rig has 2GB of memory, a 120GB Hitachi 5400 rpm hard drive, and an Athlon 4000 San Diego processor. The Win7 Experience Index shows PROCESSOR: 4.3 MEMORY (RAM): 4.3 GRAPHICS: 2.0 GAMING GRAPHICS: 3.1 HARD DISK: 4.4. The Radeon Xpress 200M video card seems to be the bottleneck here. When I first installed Win7 I only had 1.27GB of memory and it still worked fine. Win7 also installed all of the drivers for me, with the exception of the Conextant telephone modem. I was able to retrieve that driver from the Vista install that is on another partition on the same hard drive (this laptop dual-boots Vista and Win7).
As far as your overheating problem there are a couple of possibilities: 1) Make sure your fan is working. As the temperature rises you should feel a good flow of warm air exiting the laptop. 2) Is your CPU working too hard? I have seen some malware-infected rigs that run the CPU constantly at 100%. Run the Task Manager and see what your CPU usage is to verify that it is only about 4% or less at idle. This won't matter, though, since you are going to do a fresh install anyway, right?
My R4000 originally came with a Sempron 3000 CPU, but swapping-in an Athlon 4000 San Diego made a huge difference. The Athlon also runs cooler than the Sempron did, but that might be attributable to the Arctic Alumina thermal paste that I used. You can find Athlon 4000's on Ebay really cheap now (I bought my Athlon new a few years ago and paid dearly for it). Fortunately HP has made THIS manual available to show you in great detail how to upgrade your CPU so you can have your way with it. If you disassemble your laptop, just document where each and every screw goes as you take it apart!

 

I miss my zv6005, my most fav laptop to date.

 

Great thanks. The only bad thing ive read is that there no audio driver install on zv6000 in Win7. Would you honestly say that the computer runs OVERALL better with win7 and recommend me installing over XP? with insalling Win7 will the cpu be able to read more ram or does that only depend on my motherboard?


From my understand the AMD 4000 San Diego is a direct drop in with no bios flashes or anything. Is this correct?

 

It is. So is a dual core 2.0GHz Opteron. Unless they released BIOS to block that after I got rid of mine.

Also on an old site that used to be dedicated to the zv6000, I had the record for highest OC on the 200m

 

dual core 2.0GHz Opteron would work in the zv6000? If so is that one alot better? Dont know too much about Processors.

 

More cache, and 2 CPU's in one. But as I said, I don't know if they eventually locked it out in an update.

 

The Athlon 4000 San Diego was the Top-Dawg processor that was available OEM, and no BIOS update is necessary to upgrade to this CPU. It has been mentioned that the Athlon FX-55 2.6Ghz will run in this laptop, but I haven't read any firsthand reports of this. Keep in mind that the Athlon 4000 San Diego has a thermal output of 89 watts, while the FX-55 has a thermal output of 104 watts. There is a good article HERE comparing the two processors. I have NEVER read any articles that substantiated the use of a dual-core processor in this laptop where both cores are utilized. It is my understanding that the BIOS does not support dual-cores. If I am incorrect please provide me some linkage so that I may enlighten myself!
I encourage anyone considering a Win7 install on this laptop to partition their hard drive into two separate partitions, leaving the current XP install on one partition and installing Win7 on the other! You will then have a dual-boot laptop where you will be able to choose which OS you want to run at startup. This offers the best of both worlds, and if Win7 isn't what you want you can nuke it, while still retaining XP. The Win7 audio driver should install itself after you visit Windows Update, as long as you allow it to check for hardware updates, too.
The R4000 and vz6000 laptops will only support 2GB of RAM. Win7 will not allow for the use of more RAM than 2GB as it is hardware-restricted.
I am running the F.14 BIOS version in my laptop. I am aware that there are newer BIOS versions, but there is no reason to update. If everything works properly on your laptop, and a newer update doesn't explicitly offer a reason to update (check the notes), don't risk it. A failed update can brick your laptop, and it does happen!

 

I found an article here on NotebookReview.com that discusses the installation of an FX-55 CPU, as well as the impossibility of a dual-core. Read all about it HERE.

 

i just installed the FX-55 san diego and my cpu booted up, and cpuz read the processor and @ 2.6ghz just fine. OUT OF NO WHERE i took my computer out of standby and now cpuz reads the FX-55 at 997mhz like my old chip!!!! Restarted and no change. HELP PLEASE!!!!!

 

Don't panic, the computer controls (throttles) the stepping, just like on the OEM Sempron. You don't want it running at 2.6Ghz at idle, throwing out all 104 watts, do you? I am curious...how much did the FX-55 set you back and what kind of temps are you seeing? Have you installed Windows 7 yet?

 

I have been debating doing the same thing to my still current laptop, a 6130us...I have the Athlon 64 3200+ 2.0ghz w/the socket 939 setup. Only problem is I waited too long I believe to get rid of the cpu dust and now the left side hinge is on its way out. Can't close it w/o getting a lot of resistance and creaking.

I still might fool w/upgrading the CPU once I get something else...ought to be fun.


Jeremy

 

You might be able to order a new hinge from HP, Jeremy, but Ebay would be my first choice. Heck, perhaps even a spritz with WD-40 will cure the problem (just be very careful)! I was apprehensive, at first, about dissecting my laptop. But once you do it you see how easy it really is. Parts for these older laptops are really cheap on Ebay!

 

The chip is working fine. it always runs a at 2.5ghz with core temp on Speedfan 47-55c under normal use. all i do is browse the web, youtube, gimp and etc. Light apps. i wanted to get the chip to low 40's or high 30's because it response much better and that way i can throw some games on it. YOU CANNOT PUT THE COMPUTER ON STANDBY BECAUSE IT WILL DROP IT BACK DOWN TO 999MHZ. YOU NEED TO ALWAYS SHUTDOWN AND TURN ON TO GET FULL SPEED.

I havent put Win7 because i was told that at idle, it takes less energy but once you start opening apps and stuff, it takes more juice out of the processor do to the higher graphics and the chip is running hot enough.


On a different note. I cut out the grill covering the two bottom fans and put a desk fan under the laptop stand to see if the temps lowered... NO DROP. Put the fan directly on the vent next to the processor.... NO DROP. Removed the cover where the ram is located and put the fan directly under.... Suprisingly no drop. What worked and dropped it down from high 40's low 50's was a vacuum with the hose attached to the vent next to the processor. Does anyone know of something or have a link to cooling these laptops significantly?

 

SpeedFan shows my idling Athlon 4000 core temp at 37c with an ambient room temp of 24c (75f). It appears that the small OEM heatsink struggles to dissipate the heat generated by that awesome FX-55. Too bad you can't upgrade the heatsink! With the heat issues that you have mentioned, it seems that the small 100Mhz speed advantage the FX-55 offers over the Athlon 4000 is not a good trade-off. As far as Win7's beautiful Aero Glass graphics, you can turn OFF that feature if you feel it is taking a performance hit.

 

I definitely plan on upgrading the cpu once I figure out what HP laptop to get for the wife....I like the dv7 despite the bubbly finish but not sure yet.

So would the Athlon 4000 be a safer compromise re heat? I have no issues at all taking this thing apart though I might see if I can snag a manual or schematic if only for insurance...

This 6130 is bone stock except for having approx 1.3gb ram so I'm itching to tinker. Just need to hit ebay for a cpu,etc. If anyone has any zv6000 upgrade parts, shoot me a pm or email, or if they want to sell an old laptop...

BTW, if anyone happens to know what would work with the least complications re CPUs, feel free to help out
I've noticed Clawhammer and SanDiego Athlon 4000 cpus on ebay but am so far behind on this AMD architecture, I'm a little lost right now (too many irons in the fire!) Sorry for the threadjack!

Jeremy

 

The Athlon 4000 and FX-55 CPU's come in two flavors: San Diego and Clawhammer. The San Diego core voltage is listed at 1.35/1.40 V, and the Clawhammer is listed at 1.50 V. The newer San Diego is 90nm while the Clawhammer is 130nm. The name 'Clawhammer' sounds macho, but I would always choose the San Diego over the Clawhammer. Heat issues aside, if you are thinking about purchasing an FX-55, you might want to go all-out and get an FX-57 instead. The FX-57 is faster, obviously, and the two CPU's have the same 104 watt thermal output (blazes!). The FX-57 is a San Diego and was never a Clawhammer. The Athlon 4000 San Diego is waay less expensive than an FX, generates less heat, and gives better laptop battery performance.

 

Thanks for the info Dave! Even though CPU-Z shows my 939 Venice setup to have stepping revision DH-E6, I'm going to stick with the San Diego 4000+ CPU w/the E4 stepping to hopefully work smoothly w/my stock BIOS.

Ochoagd: Is the HDD stock? For some reason I was thinking our stock drives were 5400rpm until I read that they were 4200. If that's the case, a hdd upgrade should help as much as a cpu swap I'm thinking. I haven't found any model specific 7200rpm drives yet but the 5400rpm units are pretty cheap...

Jeremy

 

According to Everest my Athlon 4000 has SH-E4 stepping. I have 2GB of Patriot PC2700 memory installed. The Patriot RAM is compatible with the OEM Hynix (if you need to mix them), and even runs the same timings of 2.5-3-3-7. When my OEM drive died I replaced it with a 120GB 5400rpm Hitachi. The jump from a 4200 to a 5400rpm drive is noticeable, but it's still not all that fast. There aren't any new 7200 rpm PATA (IDE) drives available anymore, but you can purchase a new PATA SSD drive! KingSpec 32GB SSD's are available new on Ebay for less than $92. Take a look HERE. That KingSpec drive is reviewed HERE.

 

Thanks, then that's what I'm getting, the E4 stepping San Diego 4000+....

I'm running a stick of Kingston 1GB plus the stock 256 at the moment. Kindof hate that I gave away another new 1GB stick to a friend a few months back...

Jeremy

 

I think you'll be very happy with that San Diego 4000, Jeremy! As a side note, the Compaq R4000 and HP zv6000 laptops were sold with two different heatsinks (HP calls them thermal modules). There were full-featured laptops, and then there were de-featured laptops. I was on a tight McBudget and purchased a de-featured model. The de-featured heatsink in my laptop carries part #383676-001 and it cools my Athlon 4000 just fine, thank you very much. Those wishing to go the FX-route would probably want to use the more desirable heatsink #383675-001 as it looks much beefier. Take a look HERE if you would like to compare them. If you turn your laptop upside-down you will notice that there are two round fan grills in the bottom. A full-featured laptop will have a fan behind each grill, but a de-featured laptop will only have one fan (leaving the other hole empty).

 

Dave, do you know offhand what the factory BIOS will support in terms of maximum HDD size? I've seen some 160gb 5400 drives on ebay listed for the zv6130 but would like to upgrade where I can w/o having to risk a BIOS flash/update...

Jeremy

 

That's a good question, Jeremy. I couldn't find that information (maximum HDD size) anywhere so I visited the HP/Compaq website and took a look at the different BIOS versions and their accompanying details. Not one of those BIOS versions mentions adding support for larger hard drives. The R4000, zv6000, and zv6130 share the same BIOS versions. I don't see any reason why your laptop couldn't use a 160GB or larger drive, and I don't believe that a BIOS update will help recognize a larger drive.

 

That's the confirmation I was hoping for, I didn't notice anything pertaining to HDD size either...

To be nearly 6 years old, this little machine is still pretty quick, considering what I put it through. I figure for under $150, I can replace the busted hinge and kick up the performance level some that will be plenty sufficient for everyday multitasking use...plus the fun of tinkering!


Jeremy

 

Installed FX-57 w/ AS5 idle temps around 45-47 full load at 57 C using prime95 i also had the 4000+ san diego installed before and it averaged 40-42 C on idle and 49-50C on full load..also has anybody tried overclocking their cpu and which memory brand they used. everytime i try to overcock my laptop it just freezes.. http://s1192.photobucket.com/albums/aa340/jalado/?action=view&current=fx1.png http://s1192.photobucket.com/albums/aa340/jalado/?action=view&current=fx2.png

 

i recently put a vacuum right beside the cpu vent on the right side to see how low i can get the temps to be and i managed to get these results coretempvacuum.png picture by jalado - Photobucket