dv6tqe Testing between Intel/Radeon 6770m Graphics

Hi all,

Hope everyone is having a great weekend. Hopefully someone could help me with a few questions I have. i tried using the forum search function, but I couldn't find the answers.

1. Is there anyone to determine which graphics card is running at a time? Like when I am playing a game, can I tell which card it is using?

2. I also noticed that the CCC program is a bit finnicky. I have updated to the 11.5b hotfix from the default out of the box drivers. But when I right click on the CCC system tray icon, all it ever shows is "1. Mobile Intel (R) HD Graphics". It never shows my Radeon card - has anyone else noticed this?

3. Another issue with CCC....when I go to configure the graphics switching...I noticed that applications don't always show up on the list to allow me to configure them. For instance, I wanted to switch back from high performance to balanced for a certain application, but for the life of me could not get it to show up on the list for me to configure no matter how many times I opened and closed the app. I also tried to manually browse to it, but everytime I opened the executable in the browse window, it wouldn't do anything afterwards. It didn't show up on the "other applications" list or anything.

Can anyone help?! I would truly appreciate it!

OK last question - anyone know how to overclock the GPU? I'm a newb..and couldn't find a thread listing directions. I tried using MSI Afterburner, but the application gave me an error everytime I opened it.

 

Welcome to my world. I just sent back my second DV6 to HP due to it not switching to the Radeon. Five or more hours of techs dialed into my laptop and they couldn't make it work. I sent it back for refund. waiting for HP to sort it out.

Have u read the switchable graphics thread yet??

 

LOL! I just got an email from HP to take a customer satisfaction survey. I gave them hell! LOL!

 

Yes..I did read the other switchable graphics thread, but couldn't get a clear answer to the questions. I'm sorry to hear about your troubles =(

 

thanks. I'm hoping another (properly operating) DV6 is in my near future, as I really like that model.

 

I had a similar issue to you yesterday, and my conclusion was that despite its absence in the CCC tray, the 6770m card is in fact present and fully functional. The problem is the way you activate it; you need to specify that you want to use it for each and every application that you installed which requires a graphics device. This is done by going to Catalyst Contol Center->Power->Switchable Graphics and selecting "High performance" for the application you want. As you can probably guess, the "Power Saving" is for using the Intel HD graphics. I don't know why HP (or AMD for that matter) chose to hide the name of the graphics devices you have at hand and replace it with such generic names, but it sure is misleading(as you and I both know ).

 

Ok here's how u do it
1/ Right-click on your desktop. Choose "Configure Switchable Graphics", that will take u to the Ati Control Panel....it will list the currently selected Graphics Card, and allow you to select which one u want to use or are currently using.
2/ No I havent.....but then again I just use the above method. This way u dont have to waste system resources by letting the Ati Control Panel sit open in your taskbar too(I'm on a beta 11.6 btw but its the same deal with 11.5b)
3/ Once again see no.1. Honestly after coming from Nvidia's "Optimus" switchable graphics system to ATi's I can tell you with great certainty that this system is better. It takes 2 secs of your time to change the card over to what u wanna use instead of having an unstable automatic system. Head over to the Alienware M11x r2 forums and see the endless threads about Optimus being broken, and u will soon appreciate ATi's system.

And lastly download Sapphires Trixx software for overclocking ur Radeon from here Sapphire Technology - TriXX Tweak Utility its tested br NBR Forum users as 100% working on our card.

PS - Switch off the Automatically select power-saving GPU too if u want to use ur RAdeon when on battery, and just do it all manually.

 

Just so you're aware. The new dv6/7t revision 6100 laptops are shipping with ATI's version of the dynamic auto-switching stuff. We cant do manual switching anymore, so unfortunately this is only relevant to the dv6/7t 6000 series.

 

Yea I just saw that......typical isnt it....it was working great and now they have improved it on our behalf....great. Welcome to Nvidia Optimus land, and all the BS that comes with it.

 

Aye, I was disappointed in this because I returned my dv7tqe 6000 to get the FHD screen which unfortunately is only on the 6100 revision, which means I get stuck with auto-switching, like the rest of those of us that decided to uptrade.

 

Lokis - appreciate the advice and assistance, but unfortunately, as others pointed out, the manual switching no longer works. It still allows us to configure certain programs for high performance/balanced usage, but I still am unable to tell what card is actually being used at a given time.

I will definitely give sapphire trixx a shot and see how it goes!

I did a quick benchmark using the free version of 3DMark Vantage yesterday. When I looked at my results, it only showed my integrated Intel HD as the graphics card - not my Radeon. Since everyone here has been so helpful, maybe someone else knows about this? I have already set "High Performance" for the Vantage executables.

I love the laptop, but I feel as if I am being smothered by this software/drivers. It's as if they gave us such great hardware, but do not allow us to tap its full potential. I can't say I wouldn't love to be proven wrong though!

 

This is a watershed issue.

In a nutshell, nvidia is driving the policy on this. As much as us enthusiasts love to be able to manually switch, most consumers love Optimus and ask for it specifically. AMD doesn't want to be pushed out of the high-end market and really needed to step-up to the plate on seamless muxless switching. They have, albeit very amateurishly,and the enthusiasts are pissed.

In the short term, this is great for AMD (ATI) as both dGPU behemoths support dynamic switching. As for the long term longevity of the technology, I think time will have to tell. We'll also have to see how much AMD will (or can) listen to the enthusiasts. It would be nice to have the back-door to be able to go to "advanced mode" and switch manually. However, if AMD is doing anything similar to nVidia's Optimus, I doubt that the manual option will be a possibility.

my $0.02, at least

 

obscurehero, or anyone else who has dv6tqe 6100.

Can you try to right click on the system tray for Catalyst Control Center, and describe what video card it shows? For me, it only shows the Intel HD card. I am unable to see my Radeon...even though it is an application for ATI. This confused me to no end...because when I accessed the settings...I ended up thinking I was changing the settings for the Intel card, and NOT the Radeon.

 

No idea. I'll try to check later tonight, but I haven't installed ANYTHING on the laptop. I don't think it comes stock with ccc. I'll install the MSI and then update drivers (including CCC) and let you know.

I do know that when I used GPU-z (one of the things I installed) it identified both, but said that my Radeon had no load whatsoever. I suppose that's because I was only running GPU-z and CPU-ID. Of note, the CPU was running at only 800 mHz at the time, lol.

I will say that when I ran 3d Mark, in the beginning it only ran on the IGP and I left the room (unpacking from a VERY recent move). When I came back after it had finished it was a bit hotter, but I didn't even have time to analyze the score.

I'll run it through the gauntlet soon and see if its even using my dGPU.

 

1.) thanks for this post, i am about to but this laptop and needed to know more about it.
2.) obscurehero, how did you get that configuration for that price?!
3.) from what i understand, is this problem only found with the FHD display? or does it also apply to the lesser one?

 

You can tell which GPU is currently active by running "dxdiag"

 

good point

 

no you can't. none of the current programs can tell you which card is running, simply because both can be running at the same time for different programs. think about it this way, if google chrome is running on intel HD, and Starcraft 2 is running on ATI, how is a 3rd program, whatever it might be (GPUz, cpuz, overclocking utilities, dxdiag, etc...) supposed to give you one answer what the computer is running?

 

how much more complicated is ATI going to make things, then? I missed the memo about both cards running at the same time. this all makes me reconsider buying any laptop--a desktop won't have these graphics issues

 

Dave,

Glad this post was helpful, as I am still trying to find some answers =) But just so you know, although it sucks that we can't manually switch graphics, games have been running pretty well for me. I haven't really ran into any specific issues, but I'm kinda anal in needing to know what is being used, what resources are running, etc.

Another note - my PC Mark Vantage score is pretty low for my set up...around P6051. Is this normal? I downloaded the free version, and got that score. I've seen others with around P6550 without even over clocking...so I'm curious whether mine is defective.

Also...when I received my laptop...I went straight from stock to 11.5B hotfix drivers. Should I have upgraded to 11.5A first, then gone to 11.5B?

 

Not all laptops and OEMs implement switch graphic tech. Most of them are still using traditional design. Even, the high end laptops are still traditionally designed if you don't count the crossfire or sli models.

Also, dynamic graphic have the tendency to have both on if needed, but the lower power one is always on.

 

Then maybe I can't ever play FSX on one of the newer DV'6's. FSX only sees the iGU--at least on the sample I received. grr.

 

i think you didn't set the correct .exe file to performance mode. for example, when I ran starcraft 2 for the first time, it automatically set starcraft2.exe as high performance - yet it hovered around 20fps in medium mode. i had to manually switch sc2.exe (the actual game itself, not starcraft2.exe) to high performance mode to see the 6770m kick in.

 

wrong. I set the correct file. i wish it was that simple.

 

are you running it in windowed mode then? it seems like for guild wars at least, running it in windowed mode defaults to intel driver no matter what i do, but in full screen it can be switched to either ati or intel.

 

tried it in full screen mode. (trust me, on the unit I had, I've tried everything I and HP could throw at it at the time.) Hopefully, in the NEAR future, there will be a more reliable driver for this model and I can repurchase it with confidence. Right now, I'm not touching it with a 10 foot pole.

 

I've recently just got my laptop too and I have this same issue. I talked to the tech people and they did a remote access, but they pretty much didn't help any. HP told me that they notified their software engineers. I'm not too sure what else to do.

 

ah, guess I'm not alone. I must have been the first person to complain of this, as HP was totally in the dark a couple weeks ago, regarding this issue (along with two other issues--lack of portrait mode, and Intel My WiFi wouldn't share the internet, on my first DV6. My Wifi worked fine with sharing, on the second, but graphically challenged Dv6. I sent them both back for refund.

 

How will I make 6770m kick in on my games? I still have the CCC the pre installed one. What do I need to do ?

 

So, DV6 have a new revision with dynamic video card? No way for my laptop to have the same thing?

 

I downloaded Sapphire Trixx and here is what is says on my dv7t
Card: AMD Radeon HD 6700M Series
GPU: ATI Whistler
Die Size: 118 MM² / 40NM
PCI-E 2.0 x16 @ x8 2.0
Memory Size: 2048 MB
Bus Width: 128 Bit / 1.3 GBPS
ROPs: 16 / 1.6 GPIxEL/S
Shaders: 480 Unified / Directx 11.0
Driver Version:
BIOS Version:
Clocks: 100 /81 MHz

and when I try to over clock it its saying that
"Could not get default clocks"

HELP

 

I have the dynamic switching graphics and I have been trying to play Minecraft but I'm getting low fps (10-20 fps).

I have tried setting minecraft.exe to both high performance and power saving but I get the same fps.

Can anybody help? thanks!

BTW: The dynamic switching does work for other games installed on my laptop.

 

How do I update my GPU drivers to the 11.5b?
Where can I download it?

I have downloaded that update from the ATI website but it doesn't work. I install it, nothing happens, driver versions doesn't change.

Is there any way to do it while keeping the Switchable Graphis fully functioning?

 

I downloaded it here AMD Catalyst? 11.5b hotfix

Did it give you any errors when you tried installing it? You should see your screen flash a little when they are installing.

You can check that it was updated by right clicking on your CCC icon in your system tray, then clicking on "about". It should be updated to 2011.something something along those lines.

 

I thought the 11.5 release notes state that the driver (and possibly CCC itself) don't support switchable graphics, and doesn't list the 6700m series as supported. This is my first ATI card ever, but I think CCC and the driver can be installed separately. Are you sure the driver is being updated? If so what version do you have?

Thanks!

PS - also having the minecraft problem. Other games work well, though I haven't tried any benchmarks.

 

Although the note say that it doesn't work for switchable graphics, it actually worked for most of us. I'm not sure if the driver is being updated, but I did see a boost in graphics. If you do a quick browse of some of the more popular topics in the forum, you should see some more details about it. Believe me, this is my first Radeon card as well and it can get confusing.

Here is a thread where they talk about the card a little bit. hope it helps!
http://forum.notebookreview.com/hp-pavilion-notebooks/583203-dv6t-7-switchable-graphics-2.html

 

Thanks, I'll give it a try. I suppose I should image the system first so I don't have any worries about breaking things