Coping with the Compaq CQ56-115DX - Life After the NVIDIA Settlement

[Mr. Fox]

I realize you are directing the comments to dchen2k, but I also think that is pretty interesting. There's an amazing degree of consistency in those numbers.

You're probably right about the motherboards, too. The fewer variations that need to be manufactured, the more profitable it is for the OEM.

Both are astute observations. It would be neat to have them side by side to disassemble them and see how many components of the two systems are fully interchangeable.

[Trevayne10]

I realize you are directing the comments to dchen2k, but I also think that is pretty interesting. There's an amazing degree of consistency in those numbers.

You're probably right about the motherboards, too. The fewer variations that need to be manufactured, the more profitable it is for the OEM.

Both are astute observations. It would be neat to have them side by side to disassemble them and see how many components of the two systems are fully interchangeable.

Mr. Fox, if you're so inclined, here's the actual link to the GeekBench side-by-side (dchen2k's N640 vs. my N620):

Compare Hewlett-Packard Presario CQ62 Notebook PC with Hewlett-Packard Presario CQ56 Notebook PC : Geekbench Result Browser


Don't know why I didn't just post this link up here the first time around. :P


...almost as interesting as this:

http://browse.geekbench.ca/geekbench.../430325/405758

Same systems being compared, but this time I was running with the 64-bit GeekBench client, vs. dchen2k's 32-bit. (Yes, you have to *buy* the damn thing. And I did...about a year ago.)

I realize that it's not a fair comparison - his system would probably still beat mine by 4% or more if he went up against me with the 64-bit version - but that isn't the point. It just demonstrates how much better 64-bit software can perform on 64-bit hardware.

By the way, the floating point unit on the N-class Phenom II CPU is 128-bit ("SSE-128"). I'll bet even money that this benchmark is not coded to take advantage of it.

,";^,

[Mr. Fox]

Thanks for the link. I checked it out and it was very consistent between the two when they were running the same 32bit. The 64bit did perform better on your system compared to the 32bit bench. Nice demonstration.

[Trevayne10]

Thanks for the link. I checked it out and it was very consistent between the two when they were running the same 32bit. The 64bit did perform better on your system compared to the 32bit bench. Nice demonstration.

Now let's see you blow us all in the weeds with that core i7-2720QM beast of yours. I'm sure it'll score northwards of 8,700 on GeekBench Win7 32 bit, and 10,900+ on the 64 bit client.

[Mr. Fox]

Now let's see you blow us all in the weeds with that core i7-2720QM beast of yours. I'm sure it'll score northwards of 8,700 on GeekBench Win7 32 bit, and 10,900+ on the 64 bit client.

Actually, my M17x R2 has the first generation i7-720QM and the performance of that CPU is lackluster, even when overclocked. Geekbench is primarily a CPU performance measuring tool, so it is not getting scores as high as you are thinking. Compared to other systems equipped with the 720QM, it does performs significantly better, just not to my complete satisfaction. I am getting just over 6000 versus the norm of 4729 for the i7-720QM. My Geekbench score is only 57% higher than the 3863 score you are getting with the N620 Phenom II.

If you want to see the full Geekbench breakdown, here is the link: Alienware M17x : Geekbench Result Browser

Now, the M18x that I have on order is a different story, and may well hit the scores you have in mind. It is equipped with the second-generation i7-2720QM that runs up to 3.3GHz without being overclocked. It is also coming with dual 2GB HD6970 CrossFireX, will have 16GB of DDR3 (4x4GB), and 1TB RAID0 Momentus XT Hybrid SSD drives. I can hardly wait for it to get here. (It also has a number of other nice features, such as Intel HD3000 switchable graphics, HDMI output and input, Displayport, eSATA port, USB 3.0, internal subwoofer, Klipsch speakers, 5.1 output, 330W AC adapter, etc. The only thing the R2 beats it on is the 1200p RGB LED display... M18x is only 1080p.)

My M17x R2 gets it mojo primarily from the dual 1GB HD5870 CrossFireX. For hardcore gaming, the CPU is not nearly as important as the GPU system, and the R2 shreds most games even on the highest settings. In the spoiler below are random samples of benchmark screenshots from my R2 for anyone interested.

Spoiler :

(Note the CPU and HDD bottleneck in WEI score)




To view in browser: Result




Again note comparatively low i7-720QM CPU Vantage score... a real bottleneck.



GPU-Z Validation

CPU-Z Validation

Click here for Desktop Screenshot

Well, that's already too much chatter about the Alienware stuff. This thread is all about the CQ56. Thanks for asking, though.

[Trevayne10]

Here's my notebook's GeekBench score that I'm most proud of:

Linux PC (AMD Phenom(tm) II N620 Dual-Core Processor) : Geekbench Result Browser

4,008 in Ubuntu Linux 10.04.2 LTS 64. w00t.



,";^,

[nambinhvu]

Ok...that was a complete waste of time and icd thermal paste. I took the whole thing apart, cleaned it all again, extra clean this time, wet a paper with isopropryl alcohol, scrubbed and wiped, then used a dry one and repeated, again and again trying to get it as clean as I could. The cpu didn't have that much runoff, but the gpu had quite a bit cause it was such a thick blob that when I lifted it off it stretched out and left a line of thermal paste on the board, oh well, lucky it's not as5 haha I almost broke my laptop though. I left the thin black wire connected to the board, the one near the hinge, and I forgot and pulled the board and almost yanked it out. Anyway...long story short, put it all back together, running prime 95 right now, with the producest the most heat test or whatever and after 12 minutes the processor reached 80C, though the temperature in the house is a warm 26.1111C, so who knows, cause the last time I checked it the house temp was 21.6667C, that alone is probably the cause of the temps. It just hit 81C...I wasted that paste and time for nothing lols oh well, that goes to show that line method vs giant blob doesn't really make a difference lols Guess I'll find out once the temps in my house go down.

Here is a summary of my upgrade to an N660 + 4GB of 1333mhz RAM from the previous thread. I am very satisfied with the upgrade price/performance ratio that I achieved, spending ~$109.



ICDiamond TIM seems like a very worthwhile "upgrade" as well, if applied properly. My AS5 temps are ~9C higher than dchen2k's, but my chip has a lower Core VID and wattage. It appears ICD is really all it is cracked up to be. Every degree counts on a laptop!

As it stands now, any S1g4 socket, DA-C3 stepping, max 35 TDP chip should work in this system because the N660 works! However, no one has yet tried a triple, quad, or 45 TDP chip. If you do, please post results!

Even if you don't apply the ICDiamond properly, you'll get temps equal to or better than AS5 and you don't have to worry about shorting anything out :3 you can get it all over your board, all over your processor/gpu and everything will be ok.

Hi Trevayne - I don't have RE5 either, but there is a free benchmark that's quite good.

If you are interested, you can grab it from this link Resident Evil 5 PC Benchmark Utility download from Guru3D.com

Anyone interested in really taxing the CQ56 to see what it can handle can grab the Crysis Benchmark from this link Crysis Benchmark Tool 1.05 Final download from Guru3D.com

I have not noticed in any of the posts if you guys have installed the AMD CAP enhancements? If not, you can get them at Rage3D. The CAP enhancements are cumulative, so release notes only identify the changes in the latest version.

So for the AMD CAP enhancements we only need to download the latest one right?

[Mr. Fox]

So for the AMD CAP enhancements we only need to download the latest one right?

yes, that's correct

Trevayne10, it took a bit of fiddling around, but I just figured out how you were getting the side-by-side comparisons of two specific systems in Geekbench. There is probably a help or FAQ that would have saved me some time. That's kind of neat feature.

Compare Alienware M17x with Hewlett-Packard Presario CQ56 Notebook PC

Compare Alienware M17x with Hewlett-Packard Presario CQ62 Notebook PC

Edit: tried to give rep, but cannot right now

"You must spread some Reputation around before giving it to Trevayne10 again."

Here's my notebook's GeekBench score that I'm most proud of:

Linux PC (AMD Phenom(tm) II N620 Dual-Core Processor) : Geekbench Result Browser

4,008 in Ubuntu Linux 10.04.2 LTS 64. w00t.



,";^,

That's a really good result. The N620 and N640 are healthy CPUs and very affordable. These are definitely good choices for CPU upgrades for any class members that want to get more from their CQ56 than what HP or NVIDIA ever intended. (This is making lemonade from lemons, indeed.)

Let's take a closer look at the CPU performance alone and ignore the fact that I compared apples and oranges with an Alienware and Compaq. Look under floating point and you will see a couple of tests where your Phenom II N620 @ 2.8 GHz and dchen2k's Phenom II N640 Dual-Core @ 2.89 GHz both literally spank my i7-720QM @ 1.6 GHz. Unless you can get a good deal on feeBay they are not worth the extra money, but that's where the Intel Extreme i7 series shines as they can run all 4 cores at full TurboBoost speed. (That produces wicked performance, but not at an attractive price.) My 720QM TurboBoosts @ 2.8 GHz, but only in load spikes, and only on single-threaded apps. The more threads in play among the 4 cores, the lower the clock speed. Granted, most games are single-threaded, so in-game performance at 2.8 GHz is achieved in TurboBoost on the 720QM, but still excellent results from the N620 and N640 at bargain-basement prices.

Geekbench: Compare Hewlett-Packard Presario CQ62 Notebook on Linux (AMD Phenom II N620 Dual-Core @ 2.80 GHz)
with Alienware M17x (Intel Quad-Core i7 Q 720 @ 1.60 GHz)

Geekbench: Compare Alienware M17x (Intel Quad-Core i7 Q 720 @ 1.60 GHz)
with Hewlett-Packard Presario CQ56 Notebook PC (AMD Phenom II N640 Dual-Core @ 2.89 GHz)

It will be interesting to do a side-by-side with the i7-2720QM on Sandy Bridge to see if that behavior has improved.

Ok...that was a complete waste of time and icd thermal paste...

Well, it did not produce the results you were looking for; but, I would not call what you did a waste of time because you learned some valuable things from that exercise. That actually seems like a good learning experience to me, nambinhvu. And, because you took the time to document it, other CQ56 owners can benefit from your trial and error. Thank you!

Edit: tried to give you another rep point, but I'm being forced by the system to spread the love around a little more. Good job, anyway.

"You must spread some Reputation around before giving it to nambinhvu again."

hey, everyone.

I have been creeping the crap out of Ebay waiting for some Phenom II gets posted and they finally did.

HMP650SGR23GM | eBay

if u want to upgrade your CQ62 cpu from Athlon II p320 to Phenom II P650
this is your chance price is pretty deep thou and TDP is 25w on that CPU.

they also have some triple core
HMP860SGR32GM | eBay
they ain't cheap either...

quad:
HMP960SGR42GM | eBay
expensive as hell

lol

Good info! +1 Rep for posting. Thanks!

Here are some Phenom II Dual-Core N620 CPUs (p/n HMN620DCR23GM) at a decent price for anyone ready to take the plunge: LINK

Guys, how does your system do with this benchmark on the Radeon HD4250 IGP? LINK

It should really push your IGP to its limits, but probably not as stressful as Crysis. Running on a single Radeon HD5870 GPU, look how high it pushed my temps on the settings I selected. (See temp gadget - 94C)

[dchen2k]

Guys, how does you system do with this benchmark? LINK

Did it with default settings and the results were awful.(mostly single digit or low 10s) It's similar to 3DMark06 in which N640 scored 1853 with default(1280x720). I don't pay for benchmark tools so I'm unable to test other settings with 3Dmark06.

Honestly, the only IGPs that can seriously play games are the AMD Llano series:

AMD Llano A-Series APU Sabine Notebook Platform Review - Performance Numbers - Legit Reviews

However, they would not be my processors of choice because I don't buy laptops primarily for playing games. Also, if you really want a gaming laptop, best performance can still only be achieved with discrete GPUs.
For gaming I have my $629 i7-920 + ATI 4850 desktop. I'm sure it beats any $600 gaming laptops..
Hmm...I'm sure most if not all games at GOG.com can play very nicely on CQ56.

[Mr. Fox]

Did it with default settings and the results were awful.(mostly single digit or low 10s) It's similar to 3DMark06 in which N640 scored 1853 with default(1280x720). I don't pay for benchmark tools so I'm unable to test other settings with 3Dmark06.

Honestly, the only IGPs that can seriously play games are the AMD Llano series:

AMD Llano A-Series APU Sabine Notebook Platform Review - Performance Numbers - Legit Reviews

However, they would not be my processors of choice because I don't buy laptops primarily for playing games. Also, if you really want a gaming laptop, best performance can still only be achieved with discrete GPUs.
For gaming I have my $629 i7-920 + ATI 4850 desktop. I'm sure it beats any $600 gaming laptops..
Hmm...I'm sure most if not all games at GOG.com can play very nicely on CQ56.

Agree with all the above.

I think the CQ56 probably will play most if not all GOG.com offerings. And there are PLENTY of awesome classic FPS games. You don't have to run the latest and greatest games to have a blast playing. In fact, I almost always wait until prices fall to $20 or less, so I usually don't own the latest and greatest games. There's nothing about dropping $60 of hard-earned cash for a game that makes me feel happy.

Have you tried FarCry on the CQ56? That's a great game, and I bet your Phenom II CPU will handle it without breaking a sweat.