Problem with HP ZV 6000 (over heating?)

Like many of the people here, I bought my lappy from the Costco pre-configured deal (AMD 3200+, 2 X 256MB RAM, 80 GB 5400RPM HD). I just installed C&C generals last week and I play it for about an hour a day. Occasionally the LCD will turn off during the mission (while I am playing and the laptop is active) but the music will stay onn for a few more minutes and then shut down as well. I also noticed that the fans pick up like crazy (I dont mind that) and I also have a cooling pad to help the airflow under the laptop.

This is the only game I have played on it and I didn't think it would be such a load the system but it is. What do you guy/ gals think? Time to cash in the 6 month return policy? (Because of the delay in receiving it, I swore off HP Laptops and I refuse to get it fixed or replaced). Is there anything I can do?

 

Once in a rare while HP doesn't apply the thermal compound correctly to the CPU heatsink and you'll get overheating problems. This was relatively easy to fix in the zv5000z series but they've made it much more difficult to get to the CPU in the zv6000. See the HP Service Guide if you're feeling adventurous (Support and Downloads page for the zv6000, Manuals link on the left side of the page).

But first, let's figure out just how hot your CPU is getting under load. Get MobileMeter to monitor your temps. Do something to max out your CPU, like run Hot CPU Tester Pro and see what MobileMeter says your CPU temp gets up to. If it's much above 70C, that's a problem. The CPU can handle higher than that but the rest of the system will get cranky.

Or get CrystalCPUID straight away and undervolt your CPU. Configure it for 1.3V core at full speed instead of the stock 1.5V. That'll cut the CPU heat output nearly in half. Verify that it works work Hot CPU Tester Pro. AMD tends to be excessively conservative with their core voltage defaults.

 

<blockquote id='quote'> quote:<hr height='1' noshade id='quote'>Originally posted by Imacyco

 

Your temp range on your zv5220us is normal, and your zv6000 temp is way better than I'd have expected. Run CPU-Z and tell us which processor code name and technology you have. I suspect you might have lucked out and gotten one of the new 90nm CPUs.

 

<blockquote id='quote'> quote:<hr height='1' noshade id='quote'>Like you, I also bought the pre-configured zv6000 from Costco. I play Rome: Total War for about 2-3 hours at a time and have never experienced a problem with it. I can't imagine C & C Generals would be more demanding than RTW. I've monitored cpu temperature with Mobilemeter (thanks to the guys at this site, cause I never would've known about this great little app) during gameplay and video encoding and have never seen it above 40 degrees celcius (hovers at around 36). If you find your cpu temp to be going above 40 degrees after running Mobilemeter I would say you got a defective unit and should just go ahead and return it to Costco.<hr height='1' noshade id='quote'></font id='quote'></blockquote id='quote'>

40C[?]....Thats about the temperature my r3000 idles, if the laptop has been used for sometime. Are you sure MM is reporting the correct temperatures. I think your ZV5000 is in the right temp range, but for an desktop A64 40C seems a bit low especially when under load.

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Compaq Presario R3340US AMD Athlon 64 3200+, 512MB, 80GB 5400rpm 15.4" Brightview WXGA.
Acer Aspire 3003WLCi AMD Mobile Sempron 3000+, 512MB, 80gb 4200rpm 15.4" CrystalBrite WXGA
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Brianstretch & Miner ,

I JUST started monitoring my temp.'s, & proc. speed a few days ago....I've begun using Crystal CPUID for the very first time & I love it!

I've found myself typically setting it to run @ 1GHz, 0.85v from startup inception. This results in CPU temp.'s b/w 35C and 45C.

I remember seeing 497MHz, & sometimes 800MHz being reported way back when I , naively, relied upon XP's erroneous data.

Isn't it possible for me to undervolt any lower?...If so, can I go lower than 5x?

Thanks in advance!!

 

I dont think you can undervolt any further by using the multiplier settings since they have a lower limit and a upper limit. In your case it 1GHz is the minimum you can go. If you want to go any further you will have to decrease the bus speed(HTT) by using some other program. I dont think crystal cpuid has that feature.(Clockgen might, but I dont think the Ati chipset is supported & I dont think you can run CCpuid & Clockgen at once.)

Your undervolt voltages are pretty good. [email protected] is amazing. I hope you tested it for stability.

 

I didn't know the desktop CPUs the R4000/zv6000 uses could go that low. Real AMD notebook CPUs can go down to 4x multiplier at 0.8V. I can run my Mobile-class 3200+ at 1GHz at 0.8V. I don't think your desktop CPU can go below 5x. Verify what voltage you're actually running with CPU-Z.

 

Just for ****s and giggles I ran few of the programs mentoned above
My lappy's the zv6000
With cpu-Z
amd athlon 64 3200+ new castle ,13u
with MM im averaging 43c while just searching online, playing itunes and chatting on aim
running that hotcpu prog it started to run the matrix line
(ran only 7min worth)
and MM reported the CPU to hit 60C
At that point you could hear the fans really roaring..which was the loudest I ever heard them on my system. There I stoped the testing.

 

Thanks for the advice everyone. I am not gonna bother undervolting it yet but I will test the temps. I am about to fire up Generals again just to see what sort of temps I get.

 

Ok, I got these info after running CPU-Z:

AMD Athlon 64 3200+ NewCastle 0.09u

I can't get the temp to go over 36 degrees celcius just doing what I normally do: Surfing online, playing games (mostly RTW), and a lot of video encoding (mostly converting from one format to another and compressing). I suppose video encoding puts a lot of demand on the cpu. I've already downloaded Hot CPU Tester, but I don't like the idea of really stressing my new lappy as I'm a firm believer in the old addage, "If it ain't broke, don't fix it!"

I've been running CPU-Z whenever the laptop is on just to make sure the "0.09u" technology is correct. I feel like doing an end-zone dance for getting the newer AMD cpu. Brianstretch, you really think my lappy is running cooler because of the newer cpu?

It's running cool, but the fact that the fan never shuts off is starting to bother me. My older zv5220us is mostly quiet until the temp reaches around 54 degrees celcius.

To those who have done a clean install:
My zv5220us went from 3 mins. to 55 secs. boot time.
My zv6000 went from 90 secs. to 2 mins. boot time, after a clean install!!! I've done this twice with the same results. Any idea what I'm doing wrong?

 

I guarantee your lower temps are due to the 90nm CPU. CPU-Z seems to be having trouble detecting precisely what you have though, Newcastle's are 130nm chips. You should have a Venice core, or... something new? Hmm. What does CPU-Z list for your processor Family, Model, Stepping, and Revision? Is SSE3 listed in the Instructions line? What is your voltage when running full speed? Maybe you can just do a screenshot (fn-alt-insert will capture the current dialog image to the clipboard) of CPU-Z for us?

I'm surprised the fan doesn't shut off. In the zv5000z, if you had anything with a max core voltage lower than 1.5V (which you do) it will only run the fan when necessary. Apparently they've decided that every CPU in the zv6000 always runs the fan. That's disappointing. It's helping to keep the motherboard and HD cool too though, so overall reliability will be better by leaving the fan on.

On the longer boot time: check Device Manager to see if there's anything that isn't being detected. That's all I can think of.

 

Interesting, my new lappy takes about 62 seconds to boot up fully without even doing a fresh xp install or reformatting the hd.

 

What software or technique would you say is the best for testing stability?

(Actually, I haven't done anything officially yet... in testing)

 

So, essentially, CCPUID could be erroneous when it comes to voltage data?

P.S.-What happens if I suddenly did a virus-scan of my entire hd (or something else equally demanding), will CCPUID up the multiplier on its own (& voltage accordingly)? If so, how can I manipulate those settings?

Thanks again...(everyone)

 

Or the CPUs that HP uses are configured differently than I thought. I figured they were standard desktop chips with the protective lids removed. Now I'm not sure. Or... CCPUID is trying to set the lower voltage but doesn't know that the CPU only goes down to 1.1V. Function | AMD Multiplier will display the current voltage. You might want to see what CPU-Z says too.

CrystalCPUID has configuration settings for what you want the multiplier and voltage to be at idle, midrange, and load. See File | Multiplier Management Settings. I think you also have to do Function | Multiplier Management. It is VERY configurable and reliable. It works even when the CnQ driver is broken.

 

Yep...both CCPUID & CPU-Z report 0.85v as current voltage while 5x & 995MHz

This is probably a really elementary question, but how exactly do I get a screenshot off of CPU-z? I held down Fn, Alt, & Insert together & then what? And, how specifically do I include that image in one of my posts?

Thanks, yet again.

 

Brianstretch recommended HotCPU tester....I would also suggest Prime95. I have used both and they get the job done. Run them for a resonable amount of time at each multiplier setting and see how well they run.


As for the screenshot...Press Fn - Alt - Insert(Print Scrn)

To upload images...
1. Go to any online picture hosting service...they are free and create an account
www.photobucket.com or
www.imageshack.us

Upload your image, and either you can use the image tags or let the board sofyware do the work for you by clicking the Image link icon in the reply page..

You will get the result something like this...

 

Hey Long Rifle,

The temperature seems OK with me. I have a zv5000z with the Athlon 64 3000+ and I get normally get somewhere around 39-45 degrees Celsius when idling.

As for the long boot time, open up Run from the Start panel and type in msconfig. That should give you a list of what programs are starting up with Windows. If you can, try to uncheck whatever is unnecessary and then your boot time should be a bit faster.

Hope this information helps.

 

Thanks. It's obvious the Athlon 64s run much cooler than my XP-M 3000+. My zv5220 idles at 53 degrees and cruises with heavy use at about 62 degrees. In contrast my zv6000 idles at about 32 degrees and tops out at 36 degrees even with heavy use.

As for the boot time, I've already tried unchecking startup items that I can positively identify. I just leave the others alone when I don't know exactly what they do. There's this app called "1" under 'startup item' and 'command' that takes up 4 boxes. Any idea what this is?

 

What does the "command" and location boxes show for this 1 entry and the command entries.

 

It is a good thing that a discussion on HP ZV6000 notebook overheating issue is done. I am planning to buy the notebook and right now I am reevaluating my decision.

I have a general question for current owners of ZV6000.

Is the overheating issue an isolated case or is it present in all zv6000?

 

I wouldnt say that it is resolved for me, I have yet to test it out under stress.

 

MOST Definitely isolated.

 

AFAIK the only person expreriencing overheating problems is the author of this thread. Don't let that sway your decision away from the zv6000, because this is a rock-solid machine. I own two HP laptops as a testament to their reliablity (zv5220us, zv6000). Neither machine has ever failed me even when I'm making bonehead mistakes with the settings and app installation. As you have read a few times in this thread, I can't even get my zv6000 to go above 36 degrees celcius even during heavy use. Hope this helps.

 

How can I set my system to always run Multiplier Management?...Do I have to manually select MM each time after startup or is there a way to make it toggle between multipliers on its own without me doing anything?

Thanks...yet again!!

 

It will select between the three multiplier/voltage settings you configure based on CPU load. You can drag a shortcut to CCPUID to your Startup folder, add the correct options (/CQ /HIDE) to the shortcut, and it'll run automatically every time you boot. See the CCPUID website for instructions.

 

The bloody thing crashed again! My ZV6000 is going back as soon as a good Turion model is available through Costco. I also noticed that the keyboard gets really warm and the air coming out of the side is hot as well (While I was writing code, not even compiling or anything close to it).

 

Good Turion?...I'd say that could be the new v2000z, unless, of course, you're optimistically holding out for an MT.

 

I had my zv6000 for about 28 hours doing various things on it like web browsing, mail checking and playing games (NFS underground) and now its idling at 34 degrees. i think 40 is a little much but then mines on powersave mode so its at 1 ghz.

 

Just depends if u use it on a bed or flat surface, how much voltage u have it set to, etc...

 

What happened today is the last straw. I may never buy an HP again.

I was playing CS:S like usual and the whole screen went purple and artifacts all accross the screen. I took a screenshot and it came out clean which means its my GPU thats over heating. I am talking to an HP rep online right now and the screen is slowly coming back to normal. I am seriously considering the Gateway 7510 or the Acer 5020 series. This paper weight is on its way back as soon as I collect all the accessories that came with it.

 

i plan on getting the zv6000 in a month or so, and havent seen much feedback on how it games. how does nfs run? what settings do use and whats ur fps like?

thanks!

edit: also is the 128MB version of the xpress card shared or dedicated. hp's site says dedicated, but different review sites says different.

 

The 128mb GPU is dedicated. Plus, you can assign as much as 128mb of additional shared graphics memory in BIOS for a total of 256mb!!! :hp:

 

Overall this is a great notebook, despite the dual channel and dvd burning speeds! Would highly reccomend to an average computer user...

 

It isn't for playing games. I can play a few prev generation games but it isn't designed for that. If you are interested in gaming check out the new gateway 7510 (I think thats the model). anyway, it has an amd 64 processor and comes with an ATI x600 GPU (with 128MB dedicated)which is far better than the X200 that HP offers.

PS: The 128MB on the zv6000 is dedicated.

Cheers!

 

the graphics card in the zv6000 (128mb ati x200 M) how good is that anyway? can it handle generals to the max settings?

and for people who bought their laptop at costco, wont it be a little expensive because costco does not have that instant rebate + 50 mail in.

 

How does that work? If this is true, the thing could be a pretty decent powerhouse in the graphics department.

 

When you first turn on your laptop, wait for the prompt, then you'll have about 2 seconds to press f8 to go into BIOS. There, you can assign from system memory 32, 64, or as much as 128mb more to augment the dedicated 128mb GPU for a total of as much as 256mb!!!

It works well, but unfortunately it won't turn our beloved zv6000 into the ultimate gaming powerhouse (I hear it still won't run Doom 3 well enough), but it should be able to handle most anything else at least half way decently. I play Rome: Total War, so to give you an idea how much more that can handle; With 128gb I can have about 6,000 soldiers on the field running smoothly with the rest of the settings at medium. With 256mb, I can have as much as 13,000 soldiers with the same medium setting, but also have anti-aliasing turned on!!!

Of course it helps if you have more than 256mb system memory, but when you get that up to more than 1256mb, borrowing 128mb won't be an issue.

 

Iwas wondering whats special about the 90 NM cause after reading this post I ran CPU Z and tahts what I have please infom on what I can do to extort all my CPU power.

 

The 90nm CPUs run cooler. By this point any new zv6000/R4000 should have one. Read up on undervolting (possibly earlier in this thread, it's talked about in several threads here) if you're so inclined. I advise against overclocking, not sure if the tools compatible with the zv6000 support that anyhow (ClockGen does but it won't work with the zv6000's ATI chipset).

 

.

I have noticed a change in my ZV6000, both Fans are running constantly. I only surf and do basic office apps, so nothing that should stress the box too much but do the two fans need to be on alway the time?

I used the MobileMeter and CPU-Z software in hope you could suggest what the problem is?

Any ideas? Cheers!

 

How old is your zv6000? There is a great chance that dust has accumulated around the exhaust fans.
Yet, as I see from the screenshot, these temperatures are not bad at all. The CPU fan should be on all the time but the other one is dedicated to HDD and the CD/DVD Drive and should not run constantly.
You can further lower the CPU temp by undervolting it (great results on mine).
What's the max CPU temp you have seen?

 

I see that your CPU is running full speed all the time. Check your Power settings and change it to Portable/laptop or try re-installing the AMD drivers. It could be the reason your fans are running all the time. Usually all ADM mobile processors will down clock to 800MHz or 1GHz in your case when idle and it should automatically increase the clock speed to full power when needed.It seems like this has been disabled to not working on your system.

 

I too have a zv6000 and it right now is running at 29C. I frankly have never seen it get so hot as 59C. I think the hottest I have seen it is about 56C and that was while gaming. I do have a laptop cooler running but still I think you must have something wrong such as dust around the exhaust fans as Vassil 98 indicated or possibly you have your laptop on a soft surface that could be causing the problem. Do you have it on a solid, hard surface. I put mine once on a table with a soft tablecloth and it started running both fans then as well. I too have the 3500+, though mine is newcastle. Good luck and happy computing!

 

I have a FX-55/3800+ X2(only one core works though) in my zv6000, FX-55 gets up to 57'C under full load, 3800+ X2(one core) gets 48'C and the original 3500+ newcastle does about 45'C... Even with the FX-55 at full load, I have yet to have it crash due to heat. I found the original heat sink compound to be applied very well (although it was the cheap white stuff) I replaced the white goop with arctic silver 5.. seems to work very well...

 

This sounds like a complex mod...although I'm not really sure that I get it. The guys over there at notebookanalysis.com would have deified you.

 

Many thanks for the comments. I did have a soft cloth under the machine, and the fans were a little dusty.

Now I have a hard surface under the laptop, I've cleaned the fans and installed the Cool'n'Quite drive (from www.amd.com called amdcpusetup.exe) it's made a big difference.

It's running at 49degrees, plus the processor now reduces in speed as and when it needs.

Many thanks for the good advise
Paul