M6600 Owners Thread

Hmm...

I do want the m6100 for its prowess in gaming thats for sure...I suppose losing the screen wouldnt be a terrible compromise as I can just add another screen to the desk.

Just so I understand I cant disable the dGPU and restart with the iGPU to get the eGPU up and running? Or will I have to physically remove the card?

 

In M6600 you cant disable AMD card, but to get eGPU working on external monitor you dont have to disable it or to remove it. In the post that i linked you pretty much have step by step to get eGPU working for external monitor.

If you want to use eGPU to speed up stuff on notebook screen you either have to physically remove AMD card. Or use nVidia card in your M6600 which can then be disabled in order for eGPU to render stuff for notebook screen.

 

While it would be nice, its definitely not something i'll lose any sleep over. The ability for mobile gaming, and use a 2560x1080 21:9 monitor at home with eGPU is the goal. Which brings up the question, I notice it connects via HDMI to the SLI/xfire finger. Does that mean that I would be limited to 30hz on the monitor or is that completely unrelated to the medium the GPU sends signal through? When I get this rolling in the future ill make a log of my experiences to share the information there as well

Seems like it shouldnt be too difficult really, but of course every scenario is unique to its own issues that may arise lol

Thanks again Darkydark, the information you have provided is quite invaluable. I should be getting the machine today or tomorrow and Im looking forward to tearing it down and getting the maintenance done for it.

 

I didnt understand what you mean by sli/xfire finger, but - you will connect your monitor to either desktop graphics card or notebook itself. HDMI version will depend on what GPU you buy for your eGPU. The "HDMI" you see on eGPU adapter (in my case EXP GDC V6) it is not wired as HDMI, manufacturer used HDMI connector only to provide good signal integrity. Do not even try to plug any HDMI cable in it, its only to be used with cable provided with GPU adapters.

 

Just got a new (to me) M6600. Luckily for me, it came with a Firepro M6100 pre-installed. However, preliminary benchmark numbers are disappointing. Ran 3dmark Vantage, and the overall score was around 13000, with a GPU score of about 15000. According to the numbers I've seen on the Intertubes, I should be getting a GPU score of about 18000. I'm not sure if this is because of my relatively weak CPU (i5-2520M) or the fact that the PCI Express interface on the M6600 is PCI-E version 2. I'm tethered right now, so can't download any other benchmarks at the moment, but I'll try 3dmark 11 and Fire Strike when I get home. The GPU is also identified by the driver as a Radeon 8950. Is this correct?

The new laptop has only 4GB of RAM and a dual core i5. Which should I focus on upgrading first, if I'm primarily going to be using it for gaming? If RAM is the priority, is it possible to upgrade to 6GB of RAM?

Baii, did you ever get this resolved? I'm having the same issue with the latest AMD driver and the standard FHD screen (I don't think it's IPS, even though it has very nice viewing angles.)

 

If you have win8 there is a reg key you need to change. let me dig~

Code:

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\ControlSet001\Control\Class\{4d36e968-e325-11ce-bfc1-08002be10318}\0000

KMD_EnableBrightnessInterface2 - 1 change to 0

I believe on win7, brightness control is fine?

3dmark vantage score is cpu heavy I believe, 3dmark 11 graphic score should tell you if it ok. If you use radeon drivers(which are fine) then it does read hd 8950.

Usually it comes in 2x2gb, so get a 4gb stick you can get to 6gb. You probably want to upgrade to i7 down the road (or now) and you can add the 2gb back for 8gb.

2630qm or 2670qm is not that expensive (80-90) , and you can try to sell the i5 for like $30 ~

If you do emulator(PS3 etc) gaming then i5 is good/better.

 

Baii, thanks the reg key worked great. I tapped my funds out buying this laptop, but Dragon Age is crashing occasionally on 4GB so I'll probably need to bump it up to 6GB. I'm not running emulators, but rather standard PC games. I've heard that quad cores aren't particularly beneficial, but the latest generation of games may have changed common wisdom.

 

It usually benefit those big title and mmorpg, probably like 10% or so I would say. You can look up some gaming benchmark on desktop i3 v i5/i7.
If it is i7 v ssd, then go for a ssd.
Those awesome loading screen on dragon age

Sent from my 306SH

 

Actually, the M6600 came with a small (128GB) Samsung PM830 SSD, so the Dragon Age screen actually goes by pretty quick. It's a different story on my desktop with a six year old hard drive.

I'm debating putting in a spare SSD (Crucial 256GB MX100) or a 500GB hard drive. I really think RAM is the first upgrade I should actually spend money on.

You were right about 3dmark 11. I get about 5300 on the GPU score, which is right on target for an M6100.

 

Yea, 4gb is a little bit low.

128GB SSD is fine imo if you watch what you installing and put only 1-2 game. You can also switch the optical drive to a hdd caddy to fit 3 drive.