Asus M50VM Owners Lounge

nope... I'm using radio mouse logitech that excaliber.pc gave me for free with this notebook...

 

I'm not sure about those sounds, they suggest hardware problems...

A problem that I had on XP systems loooong ago and it's been fixed since ages ago, is that some devices were not defaulting to DMA transfer mode. I don't even think that this applies to SATA HDDs, but anyhow, something to check.

Device Manager > IDE ATA controllers >Primary and/or Secondary IDE channel > Advanced settings,

make sure "DMA mode if available" is selected.

If DMA is not used you will have severe lags when accessing any IDE device.

One way to see if it's hardware is to boot up some Linux distro, e.g., the included Splashtop (ExpressGate) and see if the same thing happens. I don't know if Splashtop has support for USB devices and the internal HDD, if not, use some variant of Live Knoppix or Live SLAX.

If it doesn't do the same thing, it's probably Windows' fault. In which case you could try reinstalling the chipset drivers.

BTW, did this always happen or just started recently?

 

I checked and there is no problem on fedora or express gate... Seems to be something wrong with windows xp :/ It's hard to say if the problem ocured in the fresh xp install, but propably not... Do you think it might be something to do with cd-rom emulator I've installed last week (I don't know what else could coz this problem)?

 

Possible. What emulator do you use? I've been using DaemonTools with no problems since forever.

 

You can definitely do some good gaming with the -B1. I just got mine last week and the thing rocks. Most impressive is the build quality and driver support options. It's snappy too. I found 3dmark06 scores for the -B1 on this site: 4408. I got 4520 in my run though, without any OC'ing. You can absolutely run DX9 games with a 4500-ish score; DX10 for sure, but at lower fps and games like Crysis - possibly playable but at minimal settings and resolutions... I would say, unless you are a hard-core gamer and want SLI-desktop-style performance, you will not be disappointed with the M50Vm-B1...

Edit: to give you an example, I run MS Flight Sim 2004 and get on average of 63 FPS with max'd out settings & native resolution, and MS Flight Sim X (DX10 & multiple core enabled) I get on average of 26 FPS with medium-high settings @ native resolution. I guess one thing to keep in mind though, is that the Flight Sims are one of the only games that are CPU-intensive perhaps even moreso than GPU-intensive... and also 20+ fps in Flight sim is considered playable ; much lower than shooter games...

 

M50vmfan:
I am using DIR-655 firmware version 1.11 dated 2007/12/18 (although I notice version 1.2 was released the other day)... and on the laptop, I have the Atheros Wifi version 7.6.0.96 dated 4/5/2008, obtained from the driver CD I received in the original package. Good luck!

 

Exactly the same I've been using it on my v1s, that was stolen, and there were no problem too... I'm wondering if there is no software that could determine what is causing it, you said it is something with ide/dma overflowing? Will try to google it
One more thing i have noticed is that I have no :

Code:

Device Manager > IDE ATA controllers >[B]Primary and/or Secondary IDE channel > Advanced settings[/B]

I only got those in IDE ATA/ATAPI controller:

Code:

Intel(R) ICH9M-E/M SATA AHCI Controller
Ricoh Memory Stick Controller
Ricoh SD/MMC Host Controller
Ricoh xD=Picture Card Cotroller

May it be the problem?

 

No, that's normal, it's because you have SATA HDD instead of PATA (IDE). I didn't know how things looked in the Device Mngr of a SATA computer.

One (time-consuming) way to check for the cause is reinstall Windows and then install software one by one, testing for the problem after each install. That may allow you to determine the cuplrit application (if indeed it's an application).

 

Is EXPRESSGATE on this laptop software based, or hardware based? (Saved on the hard drive or actually built into the motherboard)?

Also, is it possible to customize the buttons above the keyboard? I uninstalled the ASUS splendid program so that 3rd button doesn't actually do anything. In addition, the ExpressGate button doesn't do anything usually, so I want to change them to do something useful (i.e firefox, media player)

 

Early reports were that it's supposed to be hardware based, built into the motherboard, which is why you have a 7 sec startup.

 

I don't know how it's implemented, actually. It may be some flash device on the mainboard.

As to customizing, there is a program called ASUS Notebook Keys, linked from the Info Booth under Miscellaneous>Customize your hotkeys (or similarly named). Not sure if it works in Vista. Check that thread.

 

It is software based, it installs onto the HDD, i found this out after doing a clean install of windows vista and express gate did not work, you have to reinstall it from the driver/utility cd.

 

now how much battey life do you get when everything is maxed out. I get about 2 hours but that with listening to music and web browsing or watching video online.

 

thats on the new motherboards like P5Q Deluxe, on these i believe its on the HDD.
I encountered the same as mark076h, when i did a clean install.

God OF Death, similar here.. was browsing news with my dad and watching streaming headlines via wireless and got just under 2hrs on maxx

 

Any news on the keyboard lag problem? I've already tried the stuff suggested in the other thread but had no luck with it. This is starting to get frustrating with how often I'm missing keystrokes and it feels like I'm stuck with this issue without any options.

 

Hello, i accidentally uninstalled some atheros program on my asus 50vm, And now i cant connect to the internet wirelessly. Does anyone know what i can do, Please help. Thank you very much!

 

Try using the driver CD that came with the laptop to reinstall the WLAN driver. Or, you can visit ASUS' support website and download the latest version of said driver, and then install. It's a simple process - just download the file & double click on the "setup" file, and it'll do it's thing for you. You'll most likely have to reboot after & make sure the Wifi switch is on too.

 

RE: the 9600M GS graphics in the M50Vm (-B1) series

Just wondering if anyone has any tips on getting the best gaming performance out of the GPU. I finally got around to running 3dMark06 and got 4336. Not that I live my life based on benchmarks, but I was expecting a wee bit higher. I'd appreciate anyone sharing info they have. Thanks

727

 

Is that 4336 at 1280x720 resolution? That's not that far from the number Ken at GenTechPC got (4408) during his review of the M50VM.
http://forum.notebookreview.com/showthread.php?t=273404

Changing some of the default settings for the Nvidia GPU may provide a slight increase.

To learn what setting changes might boost preformance I recommend reading through the Nvidia tweak guide linked below:
http://www.tweakguides.com/NVFORCE_1.html

It's not likely to improve your 3dMark results, but you might also find benefit in the following tweaks:
http://forum.notebookreview.com/showthread.php?t=166532

 

I just wanted to say that I got my M50VM today from Gentechpc and I am _very_ happy with it so far. Plays Everquest 2 very well on the Very High setting. I love the overall aesthetic of it, and I'm not having any issues whatsoever.

I installed Vista X64 Ultimate on here and it flies. Thanks again!

I did have a question, though. Where can I find the latest video card drivers? I'm just using the default ones from the Asus disk I got, but haven't been able to find updated ones from NVidia's site. Thanks.

 

Nvidia typically doesn't put new notebook GPU drivers up on their website. You can usually find new drivers on:
http://www.laptopvideo2go.com/forum/index.php?showforum=94

http://support.asus.com/download/download.aspx?SLanguage=en-us

You can also PM Ken and ask if he can give you a link to new drivers (he often has new drivers before they are officially released).

 

Yup, 1280x720 - default resolution. Reason I asked is because of the 4408 that GenTech PC got from the same notebook, even though it is only 100 or so points difference. Thanks for the site links - I know all about that type of stuff (built my desktop myself & have 2x 8800GTs in SLI). I guess specifically, I am new to notebook overclocking / tweakage, so for example, can I download Rivatuner and use it to boost clock speeds up? Etc, etc. As for the settings in the Nvidia control panel, I have already optimized them. O/C is the best chance of boosting GPU performance I would imagine, I just need guidance as to doing it on a notebook and if it's possible.

 

Make sure you overwrite the old INF with the modded INF before you try to install the drivers. See the documentation on LV2Go for more details.

a) A 100-point difference between two runs of 3DMark may simply be due to different software installed on the two systems. Like, a different type of antivirus software that may be more intensive in its scans.

It may even be below the statistical significance level, although I doubt it because 100 points are not a very small number for 3DMark.

b) Overclocking is probably possible, and I'm sure there are guides around. Be aware RivaTuner reads clocks incorrectly (around the true value, but incorrectly) for recent mobile cards.

Make sure you actually need overclocking, before you do it.

 

Thanks, Avid and EBE. I did go to laptopvideo2go.com last night and couldn't get the latest drivers there to work. I'm assuming it's because I need to mod the INF file. I'll play around with it when I get home.

 

Well I got a reply back from the fine folks at ASUS Support and they suggested a new (latest version) wireless driver, with this new or rather latest version of the driver (ver: 7.6.0.114) I was able to connect to 802.11 "N" on a DLINK DIR-655 without any issues...and I am connected at a ultra FAST 300 Mbps....300 wow...wow... now this is nice...

On a friends DELL I am only connecting at 240 Mbps, but on this Asus M50-VM, I get 300 Mbps.. and I tried it out and I am actually getting that throughput... range from 270 to 300 Mbps....

So at this time I would like to say thank you to the folks from this forum that helped me out... thank you

My Asus M50VM is running everything and it is the very best....it's a great machine and is probably the best value in today's market.

Thank you ASUS.

 

I am the proud new owner of an Asus M50VM-B2 with the 1680 x 1050 screen... as far as the screen is concerned all I can say is WOW... VERY nice... Really nice hardware. As par usual though software is a whole other ball of wax...

I have had a few issues regarding this notebook. First off I also am plagued with the keyboard "lag" or missing keystroke issues. Curious as to what solutions have been found. I am aware of the reg location for the i8042prt and am curious as to what PollingInterations , PollingIterationsMaxium and ResendInterations values people are using.

Second I noticed new BIOS, Video and Power4Gear software/drivers posted on the Asus US NA website. I did just now flash the BIOS and all is well with 207 BIOS. My next step is to update the video driver. To this I am curious as to the methodology installing the HDMI audio driver element of the video card. From my understanding this Video Adapter has a Realtek 889a HDA audio codec. In my past experience when one would have a video adapter with integrated video capture it was in one's best interest to remove both the video driver as well as the capture driver (integrated BT878 onboard video capture for example) then install the new video card driver then the capture driver again. In doing this with ATI and nVidia cards historically I had little to new issues with the integrated video capture. With that being said I can't imagine this HDMI audio driver is any different. I would assume that when the driver install routine for HDMI audio device runs it determines it's setting and driver choices in the inf dependent on the data is reads regarding the video adapter in windows thus it’s important that the working driver for video be installed and running before reinstalling the hdmi audio driver or the integrated capture of past. It would use that info to determine how it installs it's self and this info could change with the newer video driver version. Again I can't imagine the HDMI audio driver is any different.
Ok with that said I have the latest video driver from asus but I don’t have the HDMI audio driver. How should I go about updating the video driver with this HDMI audio stuff in mind. Also where can I obtain the HDMI audio driver latest build. Current versions is as follows…

Nvhda32v.sys 1.0.0.28
Nvcohda.dll 1, 3, 0, 18
Nvuhda.exe 1, 3, 14, 0
Nvhda.nvu ?? what type of file is this and what does it do?

If anyone has advice with regards to installing/updating video driver as well as that acts impact and install order with the HDMI audio element of the video card.

Also I wish to install the latest driver for the Intel Wifi Link 5100. I notice there is no removal/uninstall entry in Programs and Features. Should I just uninstall it from the Device Manager?

Justin

PS I am also concerned that inside the nvidia control panel under system information it says the bus the video adapter is connected to is PCIe X1 I would think it would be PCIe X16 !!! NO!?!

Man I hope, though I think inevitable, that I'll have to remove this factory OS install and do it properly... when will manufactured friggin EVER LEARN

 

Thanks for the tips. I had read elsewhere that software such as Antivirus apps would not affect scores more than a couple of points, as the score is based on CPU and GPU performance, and has nothing to do with memory or hard drive use. Regardless, in my case, there was no AV running and all irrelevant services stopped. I did end up overclocking the 9600M GS - fairly aggressively - to 500 core / 900 shader / 500 memory using Rivatuner, and I got 4409 using default settings. That was the best run; overclocking beyond those numbers actually hurt my score. Anyhow, I am not new to OC'ing, I'm just new to notebooks. Hence my OP. Thx.

 

I've been searching around a bit and I can't find anything definitive... I'm looking to pick one of these up on saturday but I need to know if it's possible to get XP running with all of the features intact... Does anyone know?

 

got the latest forceware drivers.. im loving it... thanks guys for directing me to LV2G

 

Ok. I downloaded the 177.92 drivers and everything. I downloaded the modded .INF file and replaced it. When I try to install the drivers, it says at the end "The system was not modified. You can run this installer again at a later time." I tried taking out the PhysX application and everything. What is going on?!?!? I REALLY want the Physx to work. It appears that my computer has the Physx app in it (in the start menu) but has no Acceleration hardware to run on.

 

I don't know if I just have bad luck or what, but I get better performance using the drivers on ASUS' support site vs. LV2G's drivers. That's after a complete clean install too. *shrug*

 

I've got everything in XP working except for two things, the sound cuts out halfway into sounds, it's like they're clipping.

Also, I would really like a driver that works for the IR receiver (HWID ITE8708). Does anyone have any drivers for it?

 

Ok. I got the 177.92 forceware drivers to work.

Heres a tip: If you want to use this laptop for Crysis, or really high graphics games, DONT GET THE NEW FORCEWARE DRIVERS!

Crysis alone loses almost 10 FPS on the thing!

 

What drivers would you recommend?

 

I didn't see this particular variation here. I have narrowed my search for a laptop down to two brands: Asus and Sony.

For all of you with the Asus M50VM series, do you like your lappy?
If you had it to do over again, would you buy an Asus machine or a different brand?

I have found that listening to owners groups can be better than simply reading reviews.

Thanks everyone.

 

I was in the same boat as you, I ended up choosing Asus over Sony for value, that and I don't really require portability as much as I did while I was in school. The M50VM is big for a 15". I came from a 14" HP DV series and this M50 is pretty huge in comparison.

The size is extremely well used though, cooling is fantastic and the screen is bright and sharp. Pretty average viewing angles for blacks but other than that it's a fantastic lappy. Great for gaming.

 

this laptop is the best for its value. it can handle almost anything you throw at it.

 

im beginning to think also that this latest forceware version isnt the best. It looks a lil better mind you but gaming wise... not much gain.

I think i will switch back later.

WRT to buying a m50vm-x1....

i have one.. and its THE best laptop i have ever used in this price range! and the keyboard lag aint much of a problem.

 

That is very encouraging to hear.

 

Go with the Asus - you won't regret it. The M50Vm blows comparable Sony, HP, and Dell models away with value & performance. Dell doesn't even offer the new PM45 chipset in any of their models yet. Also, if you are concerned about portability, Asus offers a 14" model with a 1GB HD3650 graphics card - I think it's the F8Va (link: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16834220338 ).

 

Is anybody here getting Connection Interrupted errors while playing Call of Duty 4? Other computers on my wireless network are not having this problem. The 3 second connection breaks seam to be affecting other applications also...

 

Hey,

Your mileage may vary but I was having a similar problem playing AoC and what not, both on my desktop PC and my M50VM-A1. I did some looking around on the internet, and apparently under Vista wireless network cards are more or less forced to scan for new networks about once a minute or so, which causes a lag hiccup where things freeze and then get pushed through to 'catch back up'.

If that's what happening with you, look up something called WLAN Optimizer. It's this little program that turns off the once-a-minute autocheck thing. It's resolved the issue for me. Only trouble is is that sometimes I've seen the program take almost 100MB of RAM up, but it hasn't been a performance dropper for me. It's worth the trade, in my opinion.

Hope that helps!

 

Has anyone successfully undervolted their m50VM?

 

I haven't seen any reports... people seem to want to jump into overclocking nowadays, and undervolting is forgotten... :sigh:

Although RMClock has some issues with Santa Rosa, so it may have serious issues with Montevina. Unless it's been updated recently...

 

The solution was to download the updated AR928X driver from this page:

http://www.atheros.cz/index.php

 

Oh, neat. I'll use that for my laptop. I don't think there's a fix like that for my Wireless N adapter on my desktop PC, though. Oh well.

 

Hi, I have an issue with the light sensor, I can't disable it with the FN+a, I tried to do a clean install with the dvd restoration, but it doesn't solve the issue.

Could someone help me ?

 

Do you have the ATK drivers, and ATK hotkey, installed correctly? That combo is responsible for detecting the hotkey combinations (Fn+**).

Some particular hotkeys may require additional software to run (for instance the wireless hotkey requires the Intel wireless utility) -- I do not know if that is the case for the light sensor.

 

I tried to reinstalle the drivers, and no effect.

 

Hello.

I install WinXP Pro on Asus M50Vm-B1 and I have a little problem. Touchpad Media buttons dont work on XP.. Is it normal ?? On Windows Vista everything is OK.
Did some of You Guys have working media touchpad (play, pause, etc.) on Win XP ??

Thanks,