Aerohitman :
Hey peoples, im just wondering about which one of these two laptops to get.
HP Pavilion dv6-6135DX
versus the Hp- Dv6 6cn53nr
I know that you already bought this, so this will be for anyone else that Google's "HP Pavilion dv6-6c53nr" which led me to here (I was looking for a cooling pad for this actually...).
The hardware specs on the 7690M (XT is the overclocked version) are impressive. I actually have the Dv6 6cn53nr myself and I find that everything about it is lovely...except for running some games. I'll get into that below.
Pros:
+ 1080p screen. 17". Does not have problems with Reds as Envy screens do.
+ Beats audio. I didn't think it was going to be a difference, but with decent earbuds in, there's a noticeable difference. The built-in speakers are only ok.
+ Fingerprint reader. Cool I guess. I used it for the first month, then removed it. I only use this at home, so no need for logon.
+ Built-in bluetooth (though it's not the newest one, it's only 2.1 I believe). Cool to have, but I haven't used it.
+ Chiclet-style keyboard. Could be a plus or minus. I eventually got used to using this keyboard in about 3 weeks.
+ Up to 6 hr, 30 min battery life. This was a huge reason I picked this laptop over others. You'll have to stick to the intel 3000 graphics card and lower brightness of course.
+ Switchable graphics. Saves on battery life.
+ 7690 XT's hardware specs are nice.
+ Price.
Cons:
- Wifi range is weaker than other laptops.
- Built-in webcam is terrible. I don't know if it's due to it being a measly .3 megapixel camera (the sensor is the most important thing really), but the image is usually slightly grainy and it always lags. It lags very terribly bad, even at lower resolutions. And that's just testing it with myself, using their cyberlink software. I kept the software for their cool filters/effects, but I think it's possible that the software is poor.
- Fan seems to be always on. My ventilation area isn't poor, so I don't know what's up. CoolSense technology to keep it cool is enabled and the fans seem to be loud, even when just browsing the web, with both the intel 3000 gfx and the ATI 7690 gfx. Vents are located at (From a Top-Down view): one vent on the Rear, left most side and (from Left view): the first 1/4 left side.
- BIG issue: The 7690 card's drivers.
The main speculation is that the drivers for it are poor and is causing most game problems, as evidenced here: (http://h30434.www3.hp.com/t5/Notebook-Display-and-Video/7690M-GPU-HP-HORRIBLE-DRIVER-SUPPORT/td-p/1254859)
I'll sum up what they've said so far:
- The current drivers for this card are old. They're using the ones for the 6770, which aren't up-to-date.
- Try the ATI Catalyst 12.2 Preview drivers. Better performance than the ones that come with the HP. But don't uninstall the HP ones. Instead, install it over the HP one (you need the HP one because it allows the switchable graphics).
- Other people have found some Russian guy's GFX drivers (unsigned, unofficial) called Leshcat, which boosted performance more-so than the 12.2 Preview. Some said that it has not had a significant effect in comparison to 12.2 preview and there are trust issues with some random guy's files on the internet.
Minor possible reasons for poor performance:
- Overheating. CoolSense 2.0 throttles performance to prevent overheating (possible).
- Computer is "stuck" on using Intel Graphics (possibly PowerPlay problem). Even after main fix for switchable graphics:
For main fix, go to your BIOS, change the graphics option from Dynamic to Fixed. When booted to main screen, right-click and click on Configure Switchable Graphics. Change to High Performance.
- Someone mentioned Beats Audio not being able to handle all the different sounds coming in (unconfirmed if this is relevant)
However, even with it on High Performance, many games do not seem to be running at what should be expected with its stats. Particularly, games that use OpenGL seem to suffer a lot.
Sooo....I don't know. If you really want to play games, this may not be the laptop for you. I bought it for its ability to play games on the side, but I haven't actually tried anything intensive as I haven't had the time for it yet. I've only tested it with TF2 and Psychonauts and its performance is shaky at times. Some people can get Ultra running on Battlefield 3 and SC2 with good frames (from what I've read), while SW: TOR and D3: Beta can't be played at all, even with everything set to low, so, yeah, performance is variable with some games.
I meant for it to be my portable workstation for programming, and the 1080p screen on 17" definitely helps. When I have to move around from area to area, the battery life is going to help too. Processor is great, though not the best. For my needs, the HP Pavilion dv6-6c53nr was a pretty good buy.
Edited: added some more information