Somewhat Good News Regarding the Switchable Graphics Issue

Okay so I ordered the select edition of the dv6t laptop form hp on july 4th and have been reading about the switchable graphics card issue with the new dv6/7 series laptops ever since. I have spoke to two representatives regarding the issue, and Hp seems to be addressing the issue and I was told that the engineers are working towards a solution.
Something else I was told was that only the quad edition laptops were in risk of this problem (i ordered the i5 select edition) and they sounded confident in that statement. Can anyone confirm or disupute this claim? My order's build date is August 1st and I will update as soon as I get it.

 

Thanks for the report! If this is true, then that's awesome.

Wait and see. Hopefully this comes sooner than later...

[pause and for someone to quip about HP taking 8 months to fix something...]

 

I don't trust HP tech support too much, they tend to be clueless

 

I can dispute! I have a dv7 with the 2410 i5 and have no manually switchable graphics...so it doesn't just affect the quad-core models. Though, its nice to hear that HP is actually addressing the issue, better late than never.

 

It is based on the motherboard setup and not the CPU.

 

Seems that HP "reps" know as little (actually, LESS) than the tech support guys, including second-level support. My many hours spent with them trying to fix issues with my DV6 6000, and then my DV6 6100 prove they don't know how to resolve real problems. I think that all they are good for is guiding a clueless consumer through a problem that has nothing to do with an engineering snafu.

 

Hp takes 8 years to fix something

 

that was me. it is true though. Thats how long they took to fix it...

 

I was just in a chat session today and I mentioned it was a widespread issue....

Agent (Shayne T.): "This is just an isolated case, Jameson."
Agent (Shayne T.): "HP has already assess this issue,"
Agent (Shayne T.): "But since, you have encountered this concern, we can actually process an exchange for your notebook PC."
Jameson: "I want to return it for a refund please."
Agent (Shayne T.): "We do ensure that HP uses product qualification and certification to ensure that our standards and customer expectations are met."
Agent (Shayne T.): "All specifications are built to HP standards and conform to standards across the industry."
Agent (Shayne T.): "I understand your concern and I would feel the same way If I am on your shoe."


I don't think HP is going to do anything about it.

 

If she was on your shoe she feel the same way?

 

Yeah I used to work email text support and let me tell you, these HP chat agents are dumber than dirt. I had to wait on "hold" for 20 mins while he figured out how to process an RMA.

 

It would be bad if they already knew how to process a RMA.

 

I dont know cause at this point my shoe is up her a z z

 

Oh outsourced tech support, you funny

 

hmm all this bad rep about hp kinda just killed my hope. I am getting this laptop mostly because I will be doing some 3d work as well as video editing using programs like 3ds max and premier. do some of these multimedia applications have options to switch between using direct 3d or opengl?

and also, are there any programs that specifies what graphics card is being used? i think itd be unclear whether or not the radeon card is being kicked in or not when working with some of these applications.

 

yeah, i wouldn't believe the hp reps much, i kinda feel like they are paid to talk BS...

 

when they feel that you know more than they do and demand to speak to their supervisor they hang up on you....

 

1) You can look it up on the web site for each application. Just google it

2) You can tell from the catalyst control center (software)

3) I would recommend trying it out before dismissing it as it might still work for you and I wouldnt want to pass up the kind of deal HP is offering

 

Yeah, all manufactures, who outsource to other countries, are paid to do the same, IMHO.

 

ok so the catalyst program specifies which card its using. i hear that you switch to the discrete card by setting games and applications to high priority, or is it done automatically?

 

It does it automatically, but it is not perfect.
But at least you can add it in yourself and select the default card for that application.

The automatic game list currently updates via CCC update for now, eventually it would have its own automatic updater like Nvidia's.

It just weird that it would fail to switch for application that runs only on opengl regardless of user interference. (I think this only applies to those with Intel Chipsets).

But you got 21 days to love it or hate it.

 

according to this, the 6770m card is fully compatible with open gl, hence the problem is definitely with Hp. this is proof and allows for a case against Hp. they can change whatever their description is of the card on their site (they only mention directx games now) but the official amd site says otherwise.

 

Read the fine print:

This is not just HP's problem, Dell and Lenovo have the same issue. AMD's switchable graphics just don't support OpenGL on the discreet GPU.

 

apparantly the dell one got a fix. under the "fixes and enhancements" section, it states under 5. Fix Intel SG OGL issue in 15.22 branch.

 

HP get your act together

 

It installs the latest for the iGPU which apprently fixes the OpenGL issue on that card. This doesnt fix the inherent SG issue of no dGPU acceleration. I actually downloaded their drivers and installed the Intel Media Components from the ATI installer. Weirdly enough it works fine on our DV6. Thing is I cant see what it fixes really. I run Minecraft on low settings and Im still getting about 30 FPS (dipping when moving or doing anything). Worthwhile to download and upgrade to get the updated Intel drivers but doesnt fix anything as far as support for OpenGL on the dGPU is concerned.

 

The problem is definitely with AMD's drivers. The card is compatible with OpenGL. If you had a system with no IGP, just a 6770M, it would work fine. The problem is in the switching software.

I'm not sure why this seems so complicated for some people.

 

I dont understand why people dont just read the sticky. I thought I explained it clearly enough there!

 

I think the switchable graphics thread title should be phrased different to be honest.

Simply:

**** DV6/7T SWITCHABLE GRAPHICS ISSUE INFORMATION HERE!!! ****

 

I tried to change it. For some reason it changes the title on the first post but not the one that shows on the main page. This forum is a little buggy.

 

If there's one thing I learned in my time playing WoW, specifically from the message boards, it's that nobody ever reads the stickies

 

So,

Anyway to disable the HD3000 so I can get openGL functionality. My cousin tried to play minecraft on my 6100 CTO and it was horrible, but I wasn't terribly worried as I'm not the biggest gamer.

Then I needed to run Adobe CS and other image rendering software like ImageJ...etc. I like the SG simply because I need excellent battery life, but there are a few times where I really could use the 6770M's help and it just sits there like a lazy oaf.

Can I "disable" the HD3000 and make the computer pretend that it only has the dGPU? As far as I understand it, the muxless design is primarily in the software, and not the actual hardware, right?

 

There is a hardware connection. Muxless designs route everything through the IGP, as it is the only component attached to the actual display. When you use the dGPU, you are using it to do all of the graphical processing, but it still passes the final image through to the IGP to be displayed. Because of that, it's never going to be really "off".

In a mux configuration, the mux is connected to the display, not the IGP. When you are on IGP, the IGP processes what it needs to and shoots it through the mux to the display. When you switch to the dGPU, the screen blanks as the mux switches to routing from the dGPU. The dGPU acts just like the IGP now and just routes its final image through the mux. The opposite component is never needed, unlike in a muxless configuration.

So in a very roundabout way to answer your question... No, you can't really shut the IGP off permanently. The software needs to become smart enough to trigger the dGPU for OpenGL.

 

Does that really have to be that terribly complex!

This is getting terribly frustrating.

 

Is there any cost in performance by routing the discrete GPU through the integrated? The way you described it, it sounds like there might be.

 

yes atleast in the nVidia Optimus config there is a bit of a performance loss, and for pro apps it was as much of a pain or more as it kept crashing apps on me. not sure if the red team managed to fix that mess either.

 

Anecdotal evidence suggests it's minimal. I would take the small couple percent hit for larger percentile gains in battery life. That is, of course, assuming it works.