Asus M51Ta Owners' Lounge

I think the frequency control/power management feature of ATI is called PowerPlay. Last ATI notebook I have, at least The Radeon 700. Maybe the problem is there, the power profiles could be poorly setup so that the frequency is capped.

Else, you could try reinstalling the ACPI drivers. They (remotely) may have something to do with the issue, as well.

 

I've never played Portal, but isn't getting 40-50 fps pretty decent?

 

no, thats pretty bad on medium settings. especially because my sempron 3100+ desktop with a geforce 6800XT gets consistently 15 more fps.
i'll try that, thanks EBE.

 

Are you playing the game on the same settings and operating system as your desktop?

 

i havent played a source engine game yet on this laptop, but i played portal on my 5year old desktop (amd 2800+, radeon 9700 and 1gb ram) and it went fluently on med with 1024*768.
so i think the notebook should do quite better
http://www.notebookcheck.net/ATI-Mobility-Radeon-HD-3650.8839.0.html there are some benchmarks

 

same settings, except on vista instead of XP.
that is why i have been trying to install XP on this laptop (to no avail) but i'm realizing that the problem is not (entirely) vista.
is there a bios update? currently i'm using 204. i've heard there was a 207, but i cant find the download on the asus site.

 

yeah there was a new version on their page, but it has been removed again.
now there are only 2.04 and 2.03 available, but my laptop runs 2.05 by default.
well maybe they are working on an update... who knows

 

I updated the first post in the thread to include a nice unboxing photo I found. It should help people who are undecided on the laptops looks. It is a lot sleeker in person but my photo is real world and is better to look at than the stock newegg pics.

 

can you guys confirm that your m51Ta shows the proper clock speeds for the gpu and memory when using GPU-z?
any other utility that allows you to check the clock speed as well, but specifically GPU-z cause that is what i am using.

 

No it doesnt really work properly. I am running cat 8.10 and Vista Ultimate X64. Games work properly tho. It is most likely an issue with GPUZ that will be fixed in future releases.

 

Isn't Everest an option?

 

hi everyone

i´m searching for a copy of bios revision 205 for my m51 but for some reason asus pulled it of their ftp..

i would be really gratefull if somebody who managed to get a copy before asus removed it could please host it somewhere

 

hello, Im searching for laptops to buy, and since the Gateway M-153x isnt sold anywhere now, Im going for a M51Ta either X1 or X2 if my budget can handle the X2.

Im really into knowing what I buy, so Im interested on knowing how it performs.
Maybe you guys could put some fps test on cod4, or other games?

What I wish, is, if possible, as many pictures of the laptop as possible, Ive only seen the newegg pics, but I like real user pics, like the one on the first page which is great!
Could you guys do it?
Also, have you been able to put ubuntu onto this laptop? or still the ACPI problem doesnt allow it?

<3

 

Unfortunately there's still the ACPI problem, but this does not prevent running Ubuntu/Linux on it (I'm writing from Linux right now). The only thing is that power management related features cannot be handled properly, so you should run with AC plugged in, and Fn keys don't work as they require ACPI.
To disable ACPI with Linux you need to press F6 when starting from CD (in the first menu, after selecting language) and then add "acpi=off" (without quotes) at the end of the line.
It's a quite annoying bug, but kernel developers are already working on it, so I hope in a fix with the next kernel

 

I want this notebook! Real life pictures would help in deciding. Also if anyone can compare the two models x1 and x2 with battery life and processor benchmarks? Thanks a bunch!

 

There are currently some ACPI issues with this model and ASUS is taking their time fixing them with a BIOS update. I have to cold boot my laptop to get the screen to come up after I close the lid. Really annoying. I would hold off.

 

Doesn't it work if you put it to standby (with the Fn+F* key combination, don't remember now which and may also differ according to the model), and then wake it up?

 

No not always. I am also having an issue now where if i close the lid to the laptop and leave it shut for awhile, when i reopen it, the lcd wont come on. VERY frustrating. I have the laptop set to remain on while the lid is closed.

Asus tech support just emailed me back suggesting that I try updating the ACPI drivers. To what i dont know. M51ta owners are experiencing these issues out of the box and I am trying to explain this to ASUS support. Sadly, it seems like they are blowing me off.

 

Isn't this the same issue you were describing earlier? It's this issue that I had in mind when I was suggesting the standby fix.

 

[/I]

Im confused. Point of story, there is no fix for this issue that I know of. I have tried it all. Just waiting for someone at asus to care and give us a fix.

 

photos of your m51ta plz plz plz

 

pretty good pictures here...

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16834220349&nm_mc=OTC-RSS

need to see more? Of what specifically?

 

I wrote to ASUS about the fan issue but the only help I got was a phone number to swedish support. I talked with swedish support on phone and they told me they never heard about this problem. I was referred to the retailer. However I'm pleased with this model. Just waiting for a bios update which I hope will fix this issue.

 

Hey guys i think i may have a fix. Everyone with the ACPI issues, fan/lcd please try this and report back.

Step 1: Completely uninstall catalyst drivers

Step 2: Reboot

Step 3: Download these drivers

a)Catalyst 8.11 New today
b)then go to THIS LINK

http://game.amd.com/us-en/drivers_catalyst.aspx

and get the drivers for you OS that say MOTHERBOARD/IGP driver.

Step 4: Install them

Upon intalling them, you will notice that not only are the video drivers intstalled but also IDE Northbride drivers etc.

Step 5: Reboot

Step 6:

EVERYONE PLEASE REPORT BACK ON THEIR FINDINGS. WE ARE GOING TO HAVE TO SORT THIS OUT ON OUR OWN!!!!

Asus keeps telling people to load the drivers on their site which are CRAP! I am so furious with asus now because they really have their heads up their asses with supporting the M51ta. Its unfortunate too because it has a wonderful combination of hardware in it and is probably the best value out there right now in terms of a 15'' laptop.

So far ASUS has told me to:

1. try to update my ACPI driver in windows (a rediculous suggestion that I tried anyway but there is nothing to update them to)

2. Install the drivers under the 64-bit vista section of the driver page (everyone go there and look at the drivers available on the vista 64-bit section. Ha, there are no video drivers at all. only for 32-bit. Yes, i know that they will install on vista 64. Point is, they dont work.)

3. Send them my laptop because it has a hardware issue. (I have rulled this out as many others are having the SAME ISSUES!!!!!!)

 

nah, those pics i dont like, real user pictures of their lappys, so I can see how it really looks, prolly besides a coke can or a pencil, cuz the newegg pics arent that nice, REGULAR USER pics are always a plus

 

That didn't work for me Bacon. I did exactly as you stated above but the issue is still remaining. I do not have the LCD issues as some of you have though. I still believe this is BIOS or hardware related as the fan sometimes sporadically can spin at max when starting the computer. Shutting down and restarting fix it though. Luckily that happens seldom.

 

Maus, what OS are you running?

 

Bacon, I have the preinstalled 32bit Vista premium version.

 

I am running vista x64 ultimate from a clean install. I no longer have the fan issues at all. Now i have problems with the LCD coming back after standby and sometimes the laptop has issues switching from the 3200 to the 3650. My screen just flashes on and off until it decides to stop.

 

Nice to hear that a clean install can remedy this issue. My screen also flickers when going from 3200 to 3650 a couple of times before it's ready. What do you mean with "decides to stop"? Do you have to reboot or does it fail to switch? However I'm not so fond of buying a new OS just because of this. I suppose I have to live with this

 

Well. I spoke too soon. I booted my latop from standby on battery power this morning and the fan ran @ 100%. Had to power off then on to resume normal speeds.

Maus64, occasionally, when i switch from battery to AC power, my m51ta cant change GPUS. The screen will flash on and off for about a minute, then go back to whatver mode it was on. So, if i was on the 3650, and unplug it. My screen will flash on and off as though its trying to change gpus. Eventually it stops flashing and continues to run on the 3650.

This laptop is plagued with some major issues. Asus wants me to send mine in but I sersiously doubt that this is the problem.


...so frustrated

 

Bacon, I tried out the new drivers and my fan problems still exist. I didn't explicitly see it installing any north bridge drivers, though. I haven't tested long enough to know if any LCD issues are still present.

Generally when I have LCD issues the screen won't come up after opening the laptop again. My crude solution to this has been to switch the laptop to the 3200 if it is on AC power. The real issue seems to be bringing the 3650 back to life after the LCD has powered off. The 3200 has come back up every time for me.

To make it easier on yourself, you can setup hot-keys through Catalyst Control Center. If you see that the screen isn't coming up, you can use those hot-keys to switch GPUs. Sometimes this will save you from having to do a hard reboot. If you lock your workstation when you walk away (like I do) you'll have to run blind until you get logged in. The hot-keys don't work locked.

If anyone finds a solution to this freaking 100% CPU Fan after coming out of stand-by issue, let me know. That is the biggest blemish on this laptop. Taking it to class is a hassle because it comes up sounding like a jet engine.

 

What BIOS version do you have? Does the HD3650 work under Linux? Does the integrated HD3200 too? Can you switch between integrated/discrete graphics card? I'm interested in this laptop, but if it's crippled under Linux then I'll look somewhere else, as Linux is my primary OS.

I currently have a Compal HEL80, which was a PITA under Linux at first when I bought it in late 2006 (bad battery life due to no GPU power control, bad wireless card support, no webcam support, some acpi issues), but after some BIOS updates and improved ipw3945 drivers everything has been great. Even the webcam works now, as I got a working drive like 2 month ago.

I hope issues get resolved with the M51ta.

 

I have BIOS version 205. The highest they offer on their site is 204, last I looked. Supposedly they had 205 published, but then later pulled it. Additionally, if you look at the update history they are listed all the way up to version 206. I'm not sure what the deal is here. I'm really crossing my fingers for a BIOS update soon...

 

i understand the technology of dual vidcards, like new MACS use, 9400m at 9600gt, or like this lappy, hd3200 & hd3650 is VISTA and Mac OSX ONLY.

so i dont know why you guys pretend to do dual vidcard change on XP or Linux

:/

 

Actually when I run on dedicated 3650 graphics everything is working well, but when switching to the integrated one the problems start with the fan revving up after sleep state and you don't want to sit next to it then. I also tried to do a clean install of vista 64 from a friends DVD but then I got problem with catalyst's latest drivers not willing to switch between cards, the same problem bacon had. The fan issue also remained with that setup. The graphics switched well when I used the drivers delivered with DVD though. Now I'm getting along with the dedicated card but that is no problem for me as I'm mostly plugged in power. I have also gone back to vista 32 because of some programs I could't run on X64, I have less memory available but that I can live with

 

Why did they pull 205 and 206? That does not look good...

Maniatiko, there is no reason AMD/ATI don't implement integrated/discrete graphic switching under GNU/Linux.

 

Houndeye. There are 2 seperate drivers from ATI.

1. Video Drivers and Catalysy
2.NB drivers.

When installing the 8.11. u need both for vista to see both GPUS and switch between them.

I still have issues sometimes switching between them. For example. Ocassionally, i will put my M51ta into standy on A/C power. Then if i unplug it and bring it out of standby, it resumes my windows session but them my LCD will flash on and off for like 3 minutes while it trys to change gpus from the 3650 to the 3200. After about 3 mins, it gives up, my lcd stays on and it remains on th 3650 on battery power.

However, on a fresh boot on A/C power, i can switch back and forth between gpus with ease and if i unplug the laptop, it switches fine too. It seems that the majority of issues that people are having are dirrectly related from the laptop resuming from standby.

I dont think asus is doing anything about this. The last response i got from them stated that they were aware of this thread. I linked to it in my last email to them. They claim that they have addressed the issues that people have been having with software fixes (!?!?!?!?) and that I am most likely experiencing hardware issues so I should send my laptop in.

Anyone else find this hard to believe? C'mon ASUS.

 

im glad that i dont have the fan problem but the lcd issue sucks as hell, especially when you are running around at university.
and i wonder why asus didn't notice the problems while testing this laptop...
or is someone out there whose laptop is running fluently

 

Banana, you have never had the Fan issue? Have you contacted Asus?

 

mine works fine so far.
but the false acpi troubles me, because linux is not working without acpi=off or nolapic!

 

Well... seems like Asus got rid of their QA departament, at least they do not bother to test BIOS code.

I've seen several reports of various Asus models with broken ACPI code, faulty fan control and overheating issues, especially with AMD based laptops.

I think I'll go with an HP DV5z.

 

Can I make a suggestion? Please email ASUS and tell them that.

I stated it before but everyone with these issues should keep emailing ASUS until they do something about it. Otherwise the M51ta will always be kind of a waste of nice hardware.

 

bacon612, at what email address should I e-mail them?

 

The technical support form is here. I've filled one out already, and I'm going to fill another one out soon. They told me the screen issues were driver related, and the fan issues were "being discussed" somewhere else.

hxxp://vip.asus.com/eservice/techserv.aspx
(change xx to tt... forum rules are no links)

Bacon, it looks like we're both posting in the ASUS forums too, so here's what I've posted today...

I tried your suggestion of the Vista Battery Saver. It did indeed fix the fan issue (and I have no idea why). BUT now when I come out of standby the system simply crashes and reboots after about 60 seconds. It's not like a Windows blue screen of death crash, but rather a hard reboot, with no traces in the event log.

I uninstalled Vista Battery Save, then I uninstalled Power4Gear Hybrid just to see if it would clean it up. When I did this, Windows Vista insisted that it was no longer genuine and forced me to re-enter my activation key from the bottom of the laptop. I have no idea why these two pieces are even remotely related.

I have version 205 bios, latest catalyst, and all other drivers are up-to-date as well. I'm also having the issue where the screen will occasionally not come up after closing the lid.

....

I looked at some forum rules/notices/whatever, and it says that have no official technical support people there. It's just a bunch of users trying to figure out what in the hell is going on.

 

if we all keep bothering asus the may release a new bios version which resolves the known issues.

 

i never had the fan problem, lucky me.
but i do have the lcd and the acpi off issue, i cant boot a linux live cd.
and no i havent contacted asus yet but i will.

 

Banana, what driver versions do you have on 3650 and 3200? I have 8.503.1.0 for 3650 and 8.552.0.0 for the integrated one. The dedicated one works like a dream but the 3200 causes me much problem. The other day I had the LCD issue, I have never had that before. After hibernation it wouldn't switch on, it was pitch black. I'm seriously considering to send my notebook to ASUS but i'm afraid that i will get it more crippled when I get it back. I just wish ASUS could fix these issues without having tons of notebooks sent back to them for repairs.

 

[email protected] is the asus tech support email address. I would send inquiries here.

 

there may be a workaround for the broken acpi code with linux
hxxp://bugzilla.kernel.org/show_bug.cgi?id=11541 ( 1. You are only allowed to post URLs to other sites after you have made 15 posts or more. )

currently i am compiling the new kernel. hope it works.