# Help Mussels find a laptop!



## Mussels (Dec 30, 2011)

rightio, so my GF is buying my media PC off me, since i dont use it anymore.


All up i'll have about $600-$700 Au to spend.


The only fancy things it needs is HDMI output, 1366x768 res screen, and as powerful a video card as we can get. AMD and nvidia dont matter, so long as we can get some 'decent' gaming performance out of it.
I do not need or want a large screen - 10" is fine, as it would make it more portable.


1366x768 res monitor matches my HDTV, so i can use HDMI and duplicate image for backup gaming machine/media box. easier than true multi monitor.


AMD fusion based laptops/netbooks might do this, but i'm having a hard time finding them in Au.

gimme a hand TPU'ers, help me find good laptops for sale in aus in my price range!


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## qubit (Dec 30, 2011)

So, are you selling the PC in your specs, or another one? The specs one looks quite high end to me.

I'd say if you can stretch to it, get a laptop with nvidia graphics, as they seem to be generally more powerful.


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## Mussels (Dec 30, 2011)

qubit said:


> So, are you selling the PC in your specs, or another one? The specs one looks quite high end to me.
> 
> I'd say if you can stretch to it, get a laptop with nvidia graphics, as they seem to be generally more powerful.



selling the one in my sig, just with a 15" LCD intead of the HDTV.

i just need helping finding a decent one, as even upto the $900 mark around here they're all intel i3's and i5's with integrated graphics.


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## entropy13 (Dec 30, 2011)

http://www.mwave.com.au/sku-3106090...l&_174;_Core_i5_2410M_Processor_2_30GHz_4GB(2


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## Mussels (Dec 30, 2011)

currently pondering these two:


http://www.dell.com/au/p/inspiron-m102z/pd.aspx?c=au&cs=audhs1&l=en&s=dhs

http://www.dell.com/au/p/inspiron-m511r/pd?refid=inspiron-m511r&isredir=true


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## entropy13 (Dec 30, 2011)

http://www.dealsdirect.com.au/p/hp-...rce=myshopping&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign=NA
http://www.dealsdirect.com.au/p/hp-...rce=myshopping&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign=NA
http://www.electronicbazaar.com.au/...6+6036TX+i5+2410M+4GB+500GB+1GB+ATI6490+15+6+
http://dicksmith.com.au/product/XC7945/satellite-l750-09k-notebook#Specification
http://www.shoppingexpress.com.au/b...70+43346YM+i5+2430M+4GB+750GB+15+6inch+laptop
http://www.shoppingexpress.com.au/b...0+15+6+i5+2410M+4G+640G+ATI+1GB+Laptop43343QM


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## Maelstrom (Dec 30, 2011)

Well I was going to recommend an alienware m11x (I have one, great power to size ratio), but I looked at the prices on the Australian site and they're quite a bit more expensive over there. Perhaps a refurbished one?


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## entropy13 (Dec 30, 2011)

I find it very weird that I can't find the Acer Aspire with GT 520M over there. It's just right within your budget range too.

EDIT: Oh because they're out of stock. LOL


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## Mussels (Dec 30, 2011)

if its out of stock anyway, just link. i wont get it for at least a month.


Please avoid linking to $700+ AU laptops, as once shippings counted i cant afford them.


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## Mussels (Jan 1, 2012)

so with all the help from you guys, i've found two worth looking at.


catch is, ones got a better CPU, while the other (i think) has a better GPU.

http://www.mwave.com.au/sku-3106090...l&_174;_Core_i5_2410M_Processor_2_30GHz_4GB(2

http://dicksmith.com.au/product/XC7945/satellite-l750-09k-notebook#Specification

2.1GHz i3 with GeForce GT 525M
or
2.3GHz i5 with Radeon 6370M (1GB)


edit: seems the GT 525 is heading up close to double the performance, so i think thats the card to aim for even with the weaker CPU.


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## Norton (Jan 1, 2012)

Can you access Dell Outlet?

We have a Studio 14 and a Studio XPS 16 and saved at least 40% from retail on each through the US Outlet last year

Both are solid well built models and have AMD/ATI dedicated graphics


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## Mussels (Jan 1, 2012)

http://www.harveynorman.com.au/acer-aspire-as5750g-2434g64mnkk-laptop.html



$508 after cashback for 520M + i5 

and theres ones of these stores nearby too, and they price haggle.


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## AsRock (Jan 1, 2012)

I have a older Inspiron 1764 which i picked up some 2 year ago ( $700)..  And it's been great how ever gotta watch out with that glossy screen their a pain in the ass and dell tend to do glossy border too which don't help either..  Maybe with mine being a 17" model makes a little worse but build of the laptop around there part is some thing i have always hated about it..

Sad to see the i5  prices after 2 years lol.

We did get all the required DVDs with it too which i believe some companys don't give you and dell do tend to post on their site how to take the laptop apart for repairs\servicing to which is pretty sweet.


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## Mussels (Jan 2, 2012)

so i've settled on the acer aspire i linked to above, as i've got to spend almost double as much to get a faster video card.

anyone messed with OC'ing these low end nvidia laptop GPU's before? tips and tricks?

mostly want to get SCII running decently on medium, and a few FPS games at low settings. (i dont have it yet, just wanting advice)


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## Black Panther (Jan 2, 2012)

I don't want to spoil anything Mussels, but unless you _really_ need a laptop for *portability* I'd suggest against it. Especially if you need it for gaming rather than internet browsing.

I bought a laptop for easy transport to our very small summer place. It was OK for gaming during the first year. Then after the warranty expired one of my graphic cards went berserk. So I continued with the other 8800 GTX..... A month later the other card quit as well, and I was very lucky to find a replacement for ~ €100... try searching on ebay for an 8800M GTX...

Since then I vouched never to use the laptop for gaming again ie no Fallout, no Skyrim.... only perhaps some World of Goo or Limbo, Simcities... or similar games.

Laptops are high maintenance, even if you spend a fortune for the thing. 

Even if they got dedicated gpu's. If not, you gotta change the entire motherboard if anything goes wrong, and that's even worse.

It's much better to assemble a cheap desktop. That's what I'm going to do for next summer.


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## Mussels (Jan 2, 2012)

its a replacement for my secondary machine/HTPC, and so i can get some lightweight gaming done while at the GF's house (mostly older LAN/coop games)


i quite recall your experiences with your 8800GTX M SLI problems, with a laptop that expensive it must have been hell.


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## DrunkenMafia (Jan 2, 2012)

hi mussels,  I have bought 2 laptops from this company:

http://www.onlinecomputer.com.au/

They have very good prices and quick delivery.  Have a look on there, you might find a bargain.


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## Steevo (Jan 2, 2012)

I bought a toshiba P755D-S5384 and love it.

Its my work machine, but gaming, 10 key, nice display, bluray, decent battery life, quad core, backlit keyboard, actual useable speakers, just the right size keys and the odd finish on it makes it less likely to slip out of my hands....etc


My complaints are the viewing angle is a bit fucked, and the gloss on the keys. Other than that everything else is configurable, uninstallable, and tweakable.


Toshiba has meh software updates for the AMD graphics on the A series in it, but a quick uninstall and delete of drivers and a quick tweak and reinstall and you can then use the AMD drivers, I haven't tried to use any overclocking tools yet, but with the extreme cool running of this CPU I'm sure it would hit much higher at the same voltage.


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## wolf (Jan 2, 2012)

I can definitely see where your coming from and what you want, but have you considered a tablet? I just got my hands on an Asus TF101 and it's pretty damn tits. HDMI out, gaming capable, shit-hot battery life and a hec of a lot of tablet goodness a laptop won't offer.

Naturally there are many things a tablet can't do that a lappy can, just throwing it out there.


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## Mussels (Jan 2, 2012)

just want to thank you all for your information and help so far. the stuff linked to from here has really helped me find better prices... and while i've got them ordering in that acer laptop for me, i aint obliged to pay for it once it arrives  so if we find better, i'm all for it.


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## HalfAHertz (Jan 2, 2012)

Yea look for a laptop with extended free warranty. Check the lappy in person first, because you can;y really get the feel for it from a picture...Oh and any modern mGPU will blow that 4200 igp away


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## Mussels (Jan 2, 2012)

HalfAHertz said:


> Yea look for a laptop with extended free warranty. Check the lappy in person first, because you can;y really get the feel for it from a picture...Oh and any modern mGPU will blow that 4200 igp away



thats how i'm looking at it. as long as i can play starcraft II while i'm at the GF's or on holiday, my gaming needs are covered.


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## Mussels (Jan 2, 2012)

one bit of help please: what ATI model is the equivalent to the GT 520? its bloody hard to find benchmarks for mobile GPU's



DrunkenMafia said:


> hi mussels,  I have bought 2 laptops from this company:
> 
> http://www.onlinecomputer.com.au/
> 
> They have very good prices and quick delivery.  Have a look on there, you might find a bargain.




because of the $80 cashback on the one i'm looking at, it comes ahead of whats on that site. nothing else seems to have an i5 and the GT 520, they're all i3's


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## HammerON (Jan 2, 2012)

Don't know if this helps but I broke down and bought a Dell 15" with i5 560m and GT420 this time last year. It runs great and I am able to play most games out there (including BF3 SP) without issue. Battery life sucks though and it is a bit heavy. None the less I am glad I bought it. The i5 is a nice cpu. I have not tried to oc the GPU as it already gets up to 80 degrees when gaming
Just a note: it has been crunching (WCG) for almost a year with no issues. Stays pretty cool with a laptop cooler.


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## Mussels (Jan 2, 2012)

HammerON said:


> Don't know if this helps but I broke down and bought a Dell 15" with i5 560m and GT420 this time last year. It runs great and I am able to play most games out there (including BF3 SP) without issue. Battery life sucks though and it is a bit heavy. None the less I am glad I bought it. The i5 is a nice cpu. I have not tried to oc the GPU as it already gets up to 80 degrees when gaming
> Just a note: it has been crunching (WCG) for almost a year with no issues. Stays pretty cool with a laptop cooler.



i think the 520 is slower than the 420, half the memory bus or something like that.


hows the mobile drivers? do we still need to do .inf modding?


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## HalfAHertz (Jan 2, 2012)

According to notebookcheck.com you'd need at least a 6490 to match the 520. Btw from what I've read nvidia's optimus solutions sound really well if you value battery life.


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## Norton (Jan 2, 2012)

The site below has some pretty good info on laptops, reviews, mobile GPU's, etc...

Link:

http://www.notebookcheck.net/NVIDIA-GeForce-GT-520M.43104.0.html


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## Mussels (Jan 2, 2012)

Norton said:


> The site below has some pretty good info on laptops, reviews, mobile GPU's, etc...
> 
> Link:
> 
> http://www.notebookcheck.net/NVIDIA-GeForce-GT-520M.43104.0.html






well well welll...









looks like a low/medium mix will work great.


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## HammerON (Jan 2, 2012)

Mussels said:


> i think the 520 is slower than the 420, half the memory bus or something like that.
> 
> 
> hows the mobile drivers? do we still need to do .inf modding?



I have had no problems updating gpu drivers. Only upgraded once a couple months ago when I was out of town and wanted to play BF3.

The optimus feature does work pretty well as far as I can tell.


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## Steevo (Jan 2, 2012)

http://www.anandtech.com/show/4444/amd-llano-notebook-review-a-series-fusion-apu-a8-3500m/11


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## entropy13 (Jan 2, 2012)

You should go with Nvidia. The low entry GPUs don't have much of an advantage in raw performance apparently over the Intel HD 3000. It actually boils down on how good the drivers are.


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## cdawall (Jan 2, 2012)

Asus K53TA, A53TA or K43TA

15.6" pr 14.1" with an AMD A6 with a dedicated HD6650


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## Mussels (Jan 12, 2012)

update, and i'd like opinions fast!

harveys given me a choice to change laptops i'm getting, and price matched. i have about an hour to make the decision.

http://www.harveynorman.com.au/acer-aspire-as5750g-2434g64mnkk-laptop.html (4 week wait)

http://www.harveynorman.com.au/hp-pavilion-g6-1206ax-laptop.html (in stock)

price is matched to $508 i think, unsure how if price matching the $80 cashback deal.

opinions? the HP one is coming with 8GB of ram, but has a 10-15% slower video card (but a quad core vs intel dual w/ HT)


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## xBruce88x (Jan 12, 2012)

according to notebookcheck.net, the amd gpu seems to be a little faster (with an i5) what model i5 is in the other laptop? (link isn't working)

http://www.notebookcheck.net/NVIDIA-GeForce-GT-520M.43104.0.html

http://www.notebookcheck.net/AMD-Radeon-HD-6470M.43075.0.html


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## Mussels (Jan 12, 2012)

first ones i5 430, they killed the link.


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## xBruce88x (Jan 12, 2012)

from a glance... the i5 seems to be much faster.

http://www.notebookcheck.net/AMD-A-Series-A6-3400M-Notebook-Processor.55753.0.html

http://www.notebookcheck.net/Intel-Core-i5-430M-Notebook-Processor.23750.0.html

edit: and both have the same TDP rating of 35w


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## Mussels (Jan 12, 2012)

ehhh shit you're right. i was about to say yes to the AMD system.


thing is, its a 4 week wait for the i5 model, and i go on holidays in 2 weeks.


edit: ahh its single threaded performance it gets owned, multi threaded things even out. so its not as bad as it first seems.


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## xBruce88x (Jan 12, 2012)

... ouch that does suck. how long do you have to return it to them? (im thinking get the amd now, then return it when you get back and go for the i5 lol)

edit: i guess you could go for the amd if your not worried about single threaded stuffs


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## Mussels (Jan 12, 2012)

xBruce88x said:


> ... ouch that does suck. how long do you have to return it to them? (im thinking get the amd now, then return it when you get back and go for the i5 lol)
> 
> edit: i guess you could go for the amd if your not worried about single threaded stuffs



i intend to use it as a HTPC (via HDMI to HDTV) and playing starcraft II on low/medium. i think the  AMD setup will do that, but laptop hardware aint my specialty.


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## xBruce88x (Jan 12, 2012)

both systems seem pretty well capable of running sc2 (and as an HTPC) on med... but the base clock of 1.4ghz for the amd cpu makes me wonder about performance when things start to heat up in the game.


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## Mussels (Jan 12, 2012)

xBruce88x said:


> both systems seem pretty well capable of running sc2 (and as an HTPC) on med... but the base clock of 1.4ghz for the amd cpu makes me wonder about performance when things start to heat up in the game.



2300Mhz in turbo mode, and i'm sure i can mess with that via software to lock it to dual core at 2.3


edit: they're holding the AMD one for me in stock now, but i've got a week now to come up with the money or change my mind. gunna haggle and get extended warranty for free if i can.


thanks for the help, leaving for work now.


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## Darkgundam111 (Jan 12, 2012)

the acer one i can vouch for the 520 and 540s overclock well. get quite a nice boost from it. and if you get the one with an i5 it'd be pretty sweet. its also great for saving power too.


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## xBruce88x (Jan 12, 2012)

i can't seem to find a decent review with that same cpu + gpu combo. the gpu is def. enough though. well time to get some sleep... if my memory lets me i'll continue searching tomorrow


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## R_1 (Jan 12, 2012)

Some advice, go to a shop, where they have those notebooks on display and look for the screen quality. Some of them have washed colors and narrow viewing angles. Also text readability varies wildly, cause of display sharpness. The most annoying thing to me was choosing Asus notebook , based on specs and  when it arrives and I opened it the screen had terrible quality, compared to what I already got - a superb MSI one.


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## mrsdnf (Jan 12, 2012)

Bought a 15.6'' HP from Centrecom before xmas for about $800 with hdmi 6770 graphics and quad core. Will try to find a link and post it.


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## mrsdnf (Jan 12, 2012)

Didnt take as long as i thought to find it. I have not used it personally but was a present.
http://www.centrecom.com.au/catalog/qc368pa-pavilion-6145tx-qc368pa-p-53518.html?sort=2a


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## Mussels (Jan 12, 2012)

damn that HP is beefy, but $800 breaks the budget  i can get the AMD one i mentioned for $580, to put the price into context.


what i was thinking is that i can always OC the GPU, and it wont be impossible to upgrade or OC the CPU later (at the very least, i already know how to lock the CPU cores into turbo mode)


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## Red_Machine (Jan 12, 2012)

Have you thought about the Alienware M11x?  Mine is awesome.  Got it on clearance for £500.


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## Mussels (Jan 12, 2012)

Red_Machine said:


> Have you thought about the Alienware M11x?  Mine is awesome.  Got it on clearance for £500.



thats about triple the price.


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## Red_Machine (Jan 12, 2012)

Hmm?  Triple?  How do you mean?


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## Mussels (Jan 12, 2012)

Red_Machine said:


> Hmm?  Triple?  How do you mean?



500 pounds and 500 Au are not very similar at all.


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## Red_Machine (Jan 12, 2012)

Well, I didn't think they were quite _that_ different...


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## robal (Jan 12, 2012)

Mussels definitely needs this:
http://www.theonion.com/video/apple-introduces-revolutionary-new-laptop-with-no,14299/


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## brandonwh64 (Jan 12, 2012)

Wished you could afford these

HP dv6-6180us Notebook Intel Core i7 2670QM(2.20GHz) 15.6" 6GB Memory DDR3 750GB HDD 5400rpm DVD Super Multi AMD Radeon HD 6770M

ASUS G73 Gaming Series G73SW-BST6 Refurbished Notebook Intel Core i7 2630QM(2.00GHz) 17.3" 8GB Memory 750GB HDD 7200rpm DVD Super Multi NVIDIA GeForce GTX 460M


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## Mussels (Jan 12, 2012)

brandonwh64 said:


> Wished you could afford these
> 
> HP dv6-6180us Notebook Intel Core i7 2670QM(2.20GHz) 15.6" 6GB Memory DDR3 750GB HDD 5400rpm DVD Super Multi AMD Radeon HD 6770M
> 
> ASUS G73 Gaming Series G73SW-BST6 Refurbished Notebook Intel Core i7 2630QM(2.00GHz) 17.3" 8GB Memory 750GB HDD 7200rpm DVD Super Multi NVIDIA GeForce GTX 460M



wrong country, so they'd cost even more here. at normal prices, you dont get away from intel onboard until you pass $1K here.


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## brandonwh64 (Jan 12, 2012)

Mussels said:


> wrong country, so they'd cost even more here. at normal prices, you dont get away from intel onboard until you pass $1K here.



Yea thats why I said, I wished you could afford these.


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## Mussels (Jan 12, 2012)

hows laptop OCing these days, particularly for that AMD system? GPU will be easy, but hows CPU?


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## brandonwh64 (Jan 12, 2012)

Mussels said:


> hows laptop OCing these days, particularly for that AMD system? GPU will be easy, but hows CPU?



I remember the last time I tried to OC a laptop, It skyrocketed to over 90 deg cel and shut off. Most laptops are not good for OCing.


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## Mussels (Jan 12, 2012)

brandonwh64 said:


> I remember the last time I tried to OC a laptop, It skyrocketed to over 90 deg cel and shut off. Most laptops are not good for OCing.



Hmmm.... i suppose worst case, i just find another 35W mobile CPU to throw in there later. its got a low clocked quad, i should be able to find a high clocked dual in the same power envelope.


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## xBruce88x (Jan 13, 2012)

if you overclock... non-conductive aftermarket thermal paste and force the fan speed to max.

 hell you might be able to just disable a couple cores and overclock the other 2 instead of finding another cpu. (dunno if the bios would let you do that, let alone software) then again... i think that's what the turbo boost or w/e does anyway.


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## Mussels (Jan 13, 2012)

xBruce88x said:


> if you overclock... non-conductive aftermarket thermal paste and force the fan speed to max.
> 
> hell you might be able to just disable a couple cores and overclock the other 2 instead of finding another cpu. (dunno if the bios would let you do that, let alone software) then again... i think that's what the turbo boost or w/e does anyway.



^ thats the plan actually, i know via software i can adjust the multis, so i'm thinking dual core + OC could be good.


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## xBruce88x (Jan 13, 2012)

you might also want to check out any "factory outlet" deals for the top brand computer companies in your area. 

for example... on Dell's U.S. factory outlet i found this...
$600 w/ GT525, 8gb ram, 750gb hdd, i5 2.4ghz heh... that's about $580 in your currency. hmm... i wonder how much it'd cost to ship there haha (nvm about that... $300usd to ship 0.0)

not sure what's available where your at though.


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## Frizz (Jan 13, 2012)

IMO save up a bit more to up your budget to 800-900 then buy one with a good CPU and gpu from pccasegear.

Something like this, should be able to run all games fine on medium settings and some at high/ultra depending on the direct X engine, you'll definitely get great performance out of DX9 and 10 for example I can run Saints Row the Third and Batman arkham city at around high 40's to 60FPS.

Asus i5 Sandy $935 AUD 2GB GT540m
http://www.pccasegear.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=1013_1255&products_id=18814

Or an i7 Sandy lappy from MSI for $899 AUD with a 1GB GT540m
http://www.pccasegear.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=1013_1262&products_id=18747

If you're gonna hook it up to a TV I suggest the Asus one obviously because of the 2GB VRAM and would also probably help alot in DX11 games, otherwise straight laptop resolution gaming definitely the MSI. They both should have no problem running any of today's games.


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## mrsdnf (Jan 13, 2012)

Mussels. Stay away from the Manhatton and Clogs for a couple of weeks and you will have the cash for the HP.


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## cdawall (Jan 13, 2012)

Mussels said:


> hows laptop OCing these days, particularly for that AMD system? GPU will be easy, but hows CPU?



The new AMD chips can normally hit around 2.8ghz on stock cooling on good notebooks.


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## Mussels (Jan 13, 2012)

cdawall said:


> The new AMD chips can normally hit around 2.8ghz on stock cooling on good notebooks.



i could definitely use some help with doing that.



the reason for the strict budget is that my girlfriends buying it for me. i gave her my old HTPC/desktop, and she decided to buy me a laptop of 'equal value' in exchange. i'll cough up the extended warranty cost, but $600 is the most i'm letting her spend.


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## cdawall (Jan 13, 2012)

Mussels said:


> i could definitely use some help with doing that.
> 
> 
> 
> the reason for the strict budget is that my girlfriends buying it for me. i gave her my old HTPC/desktop, and she decided to buy me a laptop of 'equal value' in exchange. i'll cough up the extended warranty cost, but $600 is the most i'm letting her spend.



Just LMK what you get but from looks of it any of the A4, A6 or A8 books look like they all top 2.4-2.8ghz depending on model and cooling abilities.


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## Mussels (Jan 13, 2012)

cdawall said:


> Just LMK what you get but from looks of it any of the A4, A6 or A8 books look like they all top 2.4-2.8ghz depending on model and cooling abilities.



the A6 i linked to above is likely where its at, as its the only one i can get in time for my beach holiday.


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## mrsdnf (Jan 13, 2012)

http://www.msy.com.au/
Its probably no good in Melbourne but MSY are advertising a couple on there PDF that may suit in your price range.


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## Mussels (Jan 14, 2012)

good news everyone!


i went rabid and got the AMD one on the spot, cause it turns out its running crossfire :3


6470M 1GB (dedicated) + 6520G (512MB system ram allocated)


quad core, 8GB DDR3 ram, crossfire/dual GPU? yes please!

total cost was ~$675 Au, including 3 year warranty.


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## entropy13 (Jan 14, 2012)

Now go do things with it.


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## cdawall (Jan 14, 2012)

Mussels said:


> good news everyone!
> 
> 
> i went rabid and got the AMD one on the spot, cause it turns out its running crossfire :3
> ...



clock the GPU up already whats taking so long


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## mrsdnf (Jan 14, 2012)

Whatever happens, the most important thing is to have a good holiday because when you go back to work, as much as you hope, nothing would of changed. Cheers.


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## Mussels (Jan 14, 2012)

cdawall said:


> clock the GPU up already whats taking so long



i formatted it to install a clean OS, and its taken 3 hours to find the wifi driver that doesnt lock up the entire system >.>


its a 'hidden' HP model, which means no real page exists, and no driver links...


edit: like the AMD SM BUS driver which has no download links anywhere, and isnt included in the desktop or mobility drivers.... grrrrr


edit 2: had to get it from the lenovo website. HP and AMD dont have it. this is frustrating, good thing i'll back them all up >.>


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## Mussels (Jan 14, 2012)

with the screen off (HDTV) its idling at 13W - and only using 26W for 720p anime playback (without hardware accel)


damn things power efficient, i'll give it that. cant wait for tomoz to test the graphics cards, the GPU-Z results are all over the place, so i wonder which GPU is actually faster.


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## AhokZYashA (Jan 14, 2012)

damn that is power efficient, 
how long is the battery life?


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## Steevo (Jan 14, 2012)

Mussels said:


> i formatted it to install a clean OS, and its taken 3 hours to find the wifi driver that doesnt lock up the entire system >.>
> 
> 
> its a 'hidden' HP model, which means no real page exists, and no driver links...
> ...



Why....


You take the shit they install<--------------and uninstall it all-------->


Same thing but you have drivers you can at least start with, and all the nice information to insert into the *.inf file of your choice is right there in the registry or device information. Takes less than three hours to do that, I do it with all the Toshiba laptops I get, and then I can always leave any software i want, or need like the touch buttons on mine are all run by their software and it is amazingly only 1.4MB of used RAM to run it.


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## Mussels (Jan 14, 2012)

AhokZYashA said:


> damn that is power efficient,
> how long is the battery life?




according to the windows estimates, about 4 hours at 2D idle. with the low power consumption in media playback, i reckon i could get at least 3 hours out of that.





Steevo said:


> Why....
> 
> 
> You take the shit they install<--------------and uninstall it all-------->
> ...




because it was a customised HP version of win 7, with various icons and logos replaced, as well as features fecked with - the win7 power options in control panel had been replaced with a HP program that sat in the tray wasting ram, for example.


OCing is really easy, stress testing wont be fun tho. i've got unlocked multi control upto 3GHz for all cores using K10stat.


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## Mussels (Jan 15, 2012)

and 2.6GHz stable 



these things are stupidly easy to OC, K10stat gives you 100% software control with unlocked multipliers and voltage control >.>


i might leave it as is for now, 2.6 + crossfire = good performance... what game/graphics test would you guys like to see?


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## cdawall (Jan 15, 2012)

Well not skyrim because hybrid xfire is broken. Maybe try just a simple 3dmark?


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## Mussels (Jan 16, 2012)

bump because i forgot to bench in 3Dmark, and i'm totes doing it now


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## THE_EGG (Jan 16, 2012)

Should have looked on graysonline. I picked up an ASUS G53SW (refurb tho) with no damage or marks or anything bad with it for $770AUD plus $60 postage about 6 months ago  'tis a fantastic "little" thing. Oh and good luck on the OCing


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## Mussels (Jan 16, 2012)

running 3dmark 11, the free version.

so at stock settings (1.6 quad/2.1 turbo + dual GPU) and 'performance' (720p) mode the laptop scored:
3Dmark score: P1005
Graphics score: 942
physics score: 2042
combined: 802

OC'd to 2.4 (quad, no turbo) with same GPU settings: (will edit in once it finishes)
3Dmark score: P1020 (lulwhut?)
Graphics score: 944
physics score: 3297 (now this makes sense)
combined: 714 (again, whut? temp throttle maybe?)


i'll test the rest tomoz (each GPU on their own), these tests take forever at 4-6 FPS XD


edit: single GPU resulted in P702, so crossfire is definitely helping - a 30% gain is nothing to sneeze at, really.


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## Mussels (Jan 16, 2012)

lol CPU overheated at my current 2.6 settings, trying 2.4 for now


from what i saw, the FPS on the CPU test was almost twice as high (at 2.6), so it may yield impressive improvements


edited in results: sure, 50%+ improvement in CPU physics tests... but overall, massively GPU limited. will do single GPU tests tomorrow in case the secondary GPU is hampering performance somehow

edit: crossfire is helping not hindering, by about 30%. i need me some GPU OCing/less demanding test program.


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## Mussels (Jan 16, 2012)

so 2.4 is the final clock i'll go for quad on the laptop, i may try for a 2.8 dual core turbo later, but i dont really see the need.


whats the best way to OC the GPU's? since theres two of them, i'll need an app that can handle mismatched clocks between cards... and one that wont break the low idle clocks/power consumption.


i'd be happy with AMD overdrive, but cant seem to enable it.


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## Mussels (Jan 17, 2012)

hmmm could use some advice here.

afterburner doesnt work, it only lets me change clocks of GPU 1 - but according to GPU-Z and afterburner OSD, GPU1 doesnt even turn on, only GPU2 (and its mysterious clone in afterburner, GPU3) are doing anything.


if it wasnt for my previous result with 3dmark 11 speeding up, i'd think crossfire/dual GPU wasnt working at all


http://pcper.com/reviews/Graphics-C...-Review-Can-AMD-compete-Sandy-Bridge/Conclusi



this says it doesnt work in DX9 >.> what the fuck AMD.


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## Mussels (Jan 17, 2012)

ok so i've FINALLY figured out the AMD DUAL GRAPHICS weirdness.


in openGL and directX 9, the IGP is the only one used. the dedicated 1GB card goes to waste unless its DX10/11. when that runs, i get about a 30% speed boost.


does anyone know how to OC the APU in fusion GPU's?


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