K53TA Owner's Lounge

They wanted $100 with tax for the optimization? The basic is only supposed to be $40. That means they're going even farther to force more "services" on you. They must be doing their Norton trial install and other bloatware too now without customer request.

 

i bought one of their norton installed trialware "optimized" k53ta units.

of course, i didn't pay for it, but the norton disc they include is useless, as it is exclusive to best buy.

can't even sell the damn disc. it's worthless.

 

Bought it/Love it

Now I want to over clock it (first time in doing this)

Is there a step by step how to guide for over clocking it? The old thread has over 135 pages and with that many pages it makes the search nearly useless.

 

Hello everyone;

My friend has purchased a K53TA recently but he is having a problem with switchable GPU. He says, HD 6650M is not usable because the Catalyst doesn't seem to recognize it. OS is Windows 7 Home Basic. Is there a problem? Is there a key around the machine, that enables HD 6650M? Because PC always uses HD 6480G he says. It is a brand new machine with no mods.

Any ideas?

 

How To Overclock/Undervolt AMD Llano A-Series APU/FUSION CPU ( A4, A6, A8 ) A6-3400M HD 6520g - YouTube

 

Is this a European/Oceanic version of the K53TA? If it has a 6480g, it must have the A4 APU. Most of us here have the US version which comes with the A6 3400m and 6520g, so you might have faster results if you can find a forum for the European version.

Does the 6650m show up in your device manager in your windows control panel?

 

Okay newb question. How do I edit the title of a thread I started? Want to change this to A/K53TA so new owners of that laptop know that the information they need is here and in the other thread. Do I need admin assist or am I just developmentally disabled?

 

@arrowslinger

Thx for the link it was perfect!!!!

 

TY

It was the kid not me hehe

I needed a hands on show me how it works although there were tons of good posts and a tutorial I had to see it work.

 

You need to request assistance from a moderator to rename your thread.

 

@Arrowslinger

Yeah, I read all of the tutorials as well but I wanted a step-by-step "thing" to make sure I'm not going to ruin the 'puter. His specs and "stepping off point" makes it really clear for someone who has never done this before.

Have you found anything like this to overclock the GPU? I'm having a killer time using the Saphiretrixx program and MSIAfterburner. With afterburner after I entered registry EULA thing I got the Blue Screen of Death. Obviously I did something wrong.

Any step by step help out there?

 

I have yet to get the gpu trick to work, I believe I saw HTWingNut explain it best here:

http://forum.notebookreview.com/asus/601808-k53ta-best-deal-ever-could-151.html

 

about the A53TA-XN1 on newegg:

the specs do not state if it comes with 1 DIMM or 2 DIMM. ALso it does not specify if it supports usb 3.0. The one user review there states that it comes with 1 4GB DIMM and supports 3.0. I thought that the $150 increased cost over the K53TA was explained by the 7200 rpm HDD and USB 3.0 support (which suggests that it has the A70M chipset not the A60M).

I checked the ASUS website for specs/info and could not find any for the A53TA. I did find driver downloads and a japanese language user manual both of which are useless to me. I called ASUS support and after forever on hold I was told that it does not support USB3.0 and it comes with 2 DIMMS of 2 GB. I am left to assume that the reviewer on newegg was completely wrong on his facts but there is always the slim possibility that ASUS tech support gave me the wrong info also. Would the K53 ship with 1 DIMM and a slower hard drive and be sold for $150 less when an A53 has 2 DIMMS (downgrade) and faster HDD (upgrade)??

I was 99.9% ready to order the A53TA today until I made this call. I have called bestbuy and tried to get a K53TA but they are predictably completely useless at helping a consumer purchase an item from them. They couldnt even tell me where/who might have them in stock.

 

IF anyone here has purchased an A53TA from newegg and received it can you verify any of the above information? Which chipset does it use (AMD calls it FCH or Fusion Controller Hub and it should be either A60M or A70M)? How many DIMMS are installed? 1 4GB or 2x2GB? Does it support USB3.0?

 

Added a new accessory to mine



Wal Mart 14 bucks

Altec Lansing BXR 1220 typical abstract design like most Altec Lansing speakers and surprisingly good sound

 

@arrowslinger,

Are the built in speakers so terrible that you desperately needed these? I considered a gateway NV5504u with an A4 but I played with it in the store and the speakers are inaudible at more than 2 feet from the computer.

 

I would not say terrible but my office has some backups that run constantly, I just needed something to break over that noise. For a laptop the speakers are ok although with music I probably would not listen a lot.

 

One month birthday! Spent a lot of time overclocking and benching for the last week everything is very stable and gaming has been fun. Is every owner happy with the purchase? Any major gripes?

My only major gripe (guy with oily skin speaking) is the plastic casing, I have to wipe finger prints off daily

I do love the machine and very happy with my purchase

 

I'm happy with my purchase, and very happy with the cost. I wipe finger prints off my notebook every day after use, but it may just be me hating to see dust and grease and ants on notebooks as I've seen so many times on client notebooks.

 

Hi, I just registered to respond to this.

I've been lurking in this thread (and the others, like the huge 130 page one over on slickdeals). I bought my KT33a about 3 weeks ago, and I must say I'm hugely satisfied. The drivers are still a bit prototype and performance can be finicky, but I'm sure it can only get better as the asynchronous crossfire support matures.

This laptop is the ultimate tinkerer's machine. Out of the box it's great, but with a little under the hood work this thing rivals $1000+ machines.

I've played dozens of games on it, both new and old, and am really impressed. TF2 and LFD2 (DX9) maxed out settings, 50-60fps constant. It even ran the Space Marine demo (DX11) very well, average 45-50fps (crossfire engaged). The only games I've had any real noticeable performance dips in are all the various Total War games, but I'm sure that's more CPU related than GPU. Thousands of units on the screen will bring this machine to its true knees.

 

Actually, it does support USB 3.0. I've attached two zoomed in pictures from NewEgg's website. The picture showing the USB ports has the pointers going over the blue USB port. The sticker on the palmrest in the other picture says USB 3.0

I would say good to go!

 

(I posted this before in K53TA best deal ever thread)
OVERCLOCK GPU instructions:- Updated thanks eggzy!

NOTE: Overclock will only work with older stock chipset drivers 8.863 and recent AMD 11-12 drivers and later; 8.863 was recently removed by ASUS for unknown reasons. Everytime you want to overclock GPU you only need to use MSI afterburner (you don't need to run Trixx).
**If that doesn't work, then try to also use HTWingNut's disable ULPS registry settings along with the instructions above.
http://forum.notebookreview.com/7861634-post2268.html

UPDATED (as of 1-3-12)
Recent AMD 11-12_mobility_vista_win7_64_dd_ccc_ocl
(these drivers are overclockable and work the best on our laptop as of 12-25-11 on all games.)
Do an express install without uninstalling old drivers;
It should install right on top of the the old drivers.
(note: turn off all antivirus, internet security, & antispyware programs.)
NEW DOWNLOAD LINKS BELOW!!: 1/25/12

Code:

[URL=http://www.wupload.com/file/2652488712/11-12_mobility_vista_win7_64_dd_ccc_ocl-Dec25-2011.exe]http://www.wupload.com/file/2652488712/11-12_mobility_vista_win7_64_dd_ccc_ocl-Dec25-2011.exe[/URL]
(you may have to open link in new tab or new window to work.)
or
[url=http://www.fileserve.com/file/bY2YcvV/11-12_mobility_vista_win7_64_dd_ccc_ocl-Dec25-2011.exe][b]File name: 11-12_mobility_vista_win7_64_dd_ccc_ocl-Dec25-2011.exe File size: 109.68 MB[/b][/url]


or


[I]Another location for Mobility Graphic driver at softpedia_site below:
(Note: not 100% sure if it is the exact same file I uploaded in my links above, but sounds like it is the correct file-size and description.)[/I]

[URL="http://drivers.softpedia.com/get/GRAPHICS-BOARD/AMD/AMD-Catalyst-Mobility-Display-Driver-1112-for-Vista64-Windows-7-x64.shtml"]http://drivers.softpedia.com/get/GRAPHICS-BOARD/AMD/AMD-Catalyst-Mobility-Display-Driver-1112-for-Vista64-Windows-7-x64.shtml[/URL]

I just reuploaded GPU DRIVER link above since my Earlier LINKS no longer work from megaupload, DUE TO USA forcing them to close down.


**also some 11-12 CAP profiles for possible crossfire improvements. Unsure how much it helps...

Code:

My link for 11.12 CAP 1 and 3 (sorry missing 2)
[url=http://www.fileserve.com/file/6aZWYdz/11.12 CAP 1 and 3 profiles.rar][b]File name: 11.12 CAP 1 and 3 profiles.rar File size: 968.66 KB[/b][/url]
I have uploaded CAP 1 & 3 for 11.12 drivers since they are hard to find--so these are specific for 11.12 drivers. 
I'm currently not using any CAPS, but I may experiment with these later.

Discussion of 11.12 CAP3 here>>[url]http://forums.guru3d.com/showthread.php?t=357455[/url]

Older stock 8.863 ASUS chipset(last ASUS chipset that could OC!) [July/August 2011 chipset driver]

Code:

[URL=http://www.wupload.com/file/2652538792/Chipset_AMD_Win7_64_Z886300000--asus_8-31-11.rar]http://www.wupload.com/file/2652538792/Chipset_AMD_Win7_64_Z886300000--asus_8-31-11.rar[/URL]
(you may have to open link in new tab or new window to work.)
or
[url=http://www.fileserve.com/file/W2xe3pn/Chipset_AMD_Win7_64_Z886300000--asus_8-31-11.rar][b]File name: Chipset_AMD_Win7_64_Z886300000--asus_8-31-11.rar File size: 150.31 MB[/b][/url]

 

ASUS A53TA-XN1 Review | Mainstream Laptop Reviews | Laptop Reviews
http://techreport.com/articles.x/21717/1
Reviews of A53TA-XN1 look exactly like the k53tabbr6 that we all have but newegg sells a lower cpu (AMD A-Series A4-3300) configuration. In the review, they also said this laptop will also be offered with 2-GHz Intel Core 17-2630M CPU, 6GB of RAM with a 640GB, 5,400-rpm hard drive, and a Nvidia GT540 GPU. So in the future it looks like we will see identical looking laptops to ours but with superior CPU and gt540.

You can now get a similar conguration to ours at Tigerdirect or Circuit City for $530+shipping/tax
ASUS A53TA-XE2--so now more people can get the same laptop as us again for about $50 to $90 more.

 

Why would they go with an A4 instead of A6? So stupid. Keep the A6 for crying out loud.

 

According to TigerDirect, the A6 is still there:

ASUS A53TA-XE2 Laptop Computer - AMD Quad-Core A6-3400M 1.4GHz, 4GB DDR3, 500GB HDD, DVDRW, 15.6" Display, Windows 7 Home Premium 64-bit, Brown, 1-Year Warranty / 1-Year Accidental Damage

Edit: Saw post, disregard.

 

hey, I bought this laptop a week ago and realized that the performance during games is absolutely horrible. it is a european model, so radeon 6650 with an integrated 6480 with no crossfire. the main problem is that amd catalyst does not register(see?) radeon 6650. I can see it in the device manager(as radeon 6600m series, the other one is listed as 6400m series), but it seems like that is far as it goes. i tried to update that specific car's driver by right clicking on device manager, but that only made amd catalyst listing the primary chipset as 6400m series rather than 6480g.

I don't know what to do, can somebody please help me? I literally scanned a hundred pages here with no luck :/

 

I updated my post above with latest GPU drivers, CAP 1profiles, and overclocking instructions! Enjoy!

http://forum.notebookreview.com/asu...607232-k53ta-owners-lounge-8.html#post7977043

 

Has anyone successfully upgraded the screen in the K53 or A53? Even a better 1366x768 screen?

 

Do you guys think this is an option for the glossy screen?

Anti-glare Screen Protector 15.6'' Asus U52F A53E N53SV-A1 N53SV-XE1 K53TA-BBR6 | eBay

 

Can anyone tell me does the way Asus K53 Charge up the battery different from anyother laptop say like my Vaio. Because i plug it into the mains and it doesnt do anything. I've been on 96% charged for days now. I noticed it said something like plugged in but not charging. Baffled really coz surely plugging it in charges it up lol??
Laptop is brand new 10 days old.

 

I just updated my Graphic Driver Overclocking GPU Post with new links to the 11.12 mobility drivers since my last links stopped working. The drivers are still the same ones from December 2011.
http://forum.notebookreview.com/asu...607232-k53ta-owners-lounge-8.html#post7977043

it should state fully charged or something like that; it charges like other laptops with battery inserted and charges when power adaptor is plugged into laptop whether laptop is powered on or off. Light on laptop will be yellow or amber while charging and green or disappear when fully charged.
Maybe there is something wrong with yours. If it's a refurb maybe it wasn't checked out enough. return it and get another one maybe....

 

the current driver is catalyst 12.1

should I use the 11.12 or the 12.1? I do not intend to OC my GPU, but yet I still have the old chipset driver to keep it an open option.

 

not sure about 12.1 yet since I haven't tried it. I'm satisfied with 11.12 so far. I'm going to wait for more feedback since the performance of 11.12 has been excellent already.
see here>>

Code:

http://benchmark3d.com/amd-catalyst-12-1-whql-and-12-2-preview-benchmark/6

This benchmark article above seems to state that 12.1 has been the worst of the last many drivers including all the preview drivers. It states 12.2 preview drivers and something called 8.95 Jan 17 drivers are the best--neither of those are supported by our card yet. But the 11.12 is rated good, better than 12.1 so I will stay with those for now.

 

I have 4 sets of driver installer packages on my hard drive:
-8.863 ASUS package that allowed GPU overclocking. I believe this was 11.08 drivers but not 100% sure.
-AMD Catalyst 11.11 mobility
-AMD Catalyst 11.12 mobility
-AMD Catalyst 12.1 mobility

I did some testing last night of all these except 11.11. Each time I install one of these I first uninstall the AMD display and chipset drivers, then boot to safe mode and use DriverSweeper to thoroughly clean all AMD/ATI Drivers, then reboot and install the old chipset driver and deselect the display driver in "custom" install option of the catalyst install manager and reboot. Then install whichever display driver package I want to test and reboot.

There was one glaring problem with the 12.1 drivers, I tried this 3x using the above methods. Each time I run the 12.1 installer it finishes without any problems and when I reboot the system hangs immediately and never reboots. It seems to shutdown properly then I never see the BIOS screen or the Windows screen and just have black screen. I have to hold the power button to manually shut off the laptop then reboot and it starts up properly and reports no problems and has 12.1 drivers. However, the third time I started starcraft2 application I had an all black screen with the game cursor and music playing but no display. I've seen other people report the black screen +sound+cursor problem in various llano/dual graphics threads. Rebooting seems to fix this when it occurs but it happened more than once.

I see 2 possible causes.
1. 12.1 is bugged on our systems.
or
2. I am using the old chipset drivers and perhaps 12.1 is not compatible with these older drivers.

Either way, I will stick to 11.12 for obvious reasons at this point.

 

any links to download 11.12 win7 64bit. can't find it anywhere

 

AMD 11-12_mobility_vista_win7_64_dd_ccc_ocl
I posted & uploaded links under wu and fs servers. Just scroll down in the post below and it's in the middle of the post. You can't miss it!
http://forum.notebookreview.com/asu...607232-k53ta-owners-lounge-8.html#post7977043

Recently 12.1 and 12.1a have come out, and some people have had better game performance, while others are having problems installing.

Recent 12.2 drivers have offered more game support but Skyrim has odd pixelated graphics when AA is on. I experienced about 1 FPS slower than 11-12; I stuck with 11.12.... but recently found 12.1 more stable under new BIOS MOD 212 below.

 

Hi guys im new around here.I recently purchased an x53ta sx096d,which i believe is the asian cousin of the k53ta series.It comes with a6 3400m,6720G2 gfx,2gb ddr3 and [email protected] lappy also has a poor screen,chi mei panel,suffers from poor viewing angles.Ive seen that with current bios asus had provided k53ta users ability to chose between IGP/discrete/crossfire GFX.However in x53ta,we canot switch to discrete only mode.AMD vision center either supports power saving/high performance graphics.And i cannot even see if CFX is working.I get very poor fps in NFS run.10-14fps.Is there any way to enable discret grfx only mode?will loading the k53ta bios help?

 

Not completely sure if your x53ta laptop will take this Bios, but if the official Asus bios for your laptop offers Bios 212, then you might be able to try the new modded Bios 212 below.

**********
Owners of our laptop model (there148 & Link626) have modded the most recent BIOS 212: Bios 212 with unlocked fixed manual selectable graphics. You'll have the option to use graphics like we always have(dynamic mode) or use fixed mode, which will help play games using faster dgpu 6650 that were only using 6520G integrated in the past (eg. Open GL games like Rage & Minecraft, and some DirectX 10 games which aren't recognizing the dgpu.)

Two bios files were made --one that loses Turbo boost of CPU on K10stat so you have to set P0 as your highest clock speed, --and another with default cpu clock boost so K10stat works the same as always.
See BIOS 212 unlocked below:
http://forum.notebookreview.com/8386767-post2709.html
Note: If you use this BIOS and you are using AMD 11.12 drivers then games may crash. So also update to AMD 12.1 drivers. (I found 12.2 and later drivers introduce other side effects to games, so I'm presently using 12.1 drivers. But if you need later drivers then new BIOS mod should still work fine.)

Bug completely unrelated to Bios Mod:
* AMD 12.3 drivers have introduced a shutdown hanging BUG if K10stat is being used with Turbo Boost on (B0). This may be a bug in later AMD drivers.
WORKAROUND = Turn Off Turbo Boost(B0) in K10stat when powering off PC or don't use K10stat at all for OCing CPU>> http://forum.notebookreview.com/8425114-post2899.html
*Also 12.3 & later drivers may have high idle gpu clock speeds.

Update as of 7-2012 and later (AMD Catalyst 12.7 (8.981.2.0 June 26) Official BETA), OpenGL apps/games are finally now working with the 6650m dedicated graphics card. So it is unnecessary to use Bios mod to force single graphics for the purpose of running openGL apps.
Please disregard Bios Mod when using newer (late2012/2013) recent graphic drivers. :thumbsup:

 

I tried plugging the laptop to my TV last night to watch a show, via HDMI and nothing. Tried settings in the control panel, screen resolution. Nothing was detected.
Any thoughts? I am sure it is just a driver issue, if it is, does someone know the specific one I should get from Asus or ??? , thanks.

 

This is the great WIKI with nearly everything you need to know about the "Drivers" & other fine points for the K53TA BBR6 A6 6720G2 notebook!
I. Graphic Drivers:

A. Latest ASUS Chipset Drivers Out: Version 12.29.2011 (Asus chipset version V8.903.0.0000 correlates with AMD Mobility Radeon 11.11 drivers. 12/2011 was the last time it was updated by Asus.)

ASUSTeK Computer Inc. -Support- Drivers and Download K53TA

B. "Best" AMD Mobility Radeon Drivers Out? Version AMD 13.4whql, 14.4whqlSGFix, 13.12whql, 14.12WHQL omega, or use Latest DLL files for new games (oc of dGPU with MSI AB is possible after editing registry!)

C. Latest AMD Mobility Radeon Drivers Out: Version AMD Catalyst 16.2.1(3/16),15.8 WHQL(9/15),15.7.1(8/15), 15.5 Beta(6-1-15) , 15.3Beta,14.12 WHQL OMEGA SG FIX(12-2014)
NOTE: AMD Driver Support has officially been dropped for our HD 6000 after 15.7.1. (HD 6000, HD 7600 & below, HD 8400 & below have been moved to Legacy support).
But final supported drivers were made: 15.11.1B & then 16.2.1 Beta for Win7,8.1,and10. (Crimson Edition) >>>http://support.amd.com/en-us/download/desktop/legacy?product=legacy3&os=Windows+7+-+64

AMD Drivers are broken for our Mobile Switchable Graphics HD 6600M GFX from 13.6B to latest 16.xx: Configure Switchable Graphics Menu is not working on the latest "official" AMD graphic drivers for Win7x64 & Win8.1. So games may not utilize 6650m ...AMD never corrected this. So for our laptops, we should use SG fix patcher or Modded Drivers (eg. by modders MahmoudElfar,Vfriend, LeeKM or other modders) for 13.8b2 thru 16.x to have functioning switchable graphics. Make sure they have positive feedback on forums. Also Note AMD 14.4whql drivers were the last to support FIXED MODE manual switching of gfx & you can now use DLL files from newer recent Gfx drivers or older drivers and place them in each game exe folder to enjoy benefits of any driver. (note: ymmv for Win7 and Win8.1 laptops. A PROPER CLEAN INSTALL is required ; overlap install of drivers doesn't work when installing new modded graphic drivers so do a clean install. All new betas will only overlap install over 13.4whql. If you lose USB 3.0 on 13x drivers then use 13.12whql leekm or later driver & custom install only the usb 3.0 portion and it should fix the usb 3.0 port. Or install latest AMD chipset drivers. (Note: Latest AMD gfx support was dropped on Win 8.0, so latest drivers post 13.x can't be installed on Win8.0.)

Download links below:
Note: NEW DLL Files Archive from all GFX drivers to enjoy the best possible gfx drivers from the past & present simultaneously without doing a full install of each gfx driver. (eg. 12.8,13.1,13.4,13.12,14.4,15.5,15.7,15.8,15.9,15.11.1,16.2.1, etc)>> http://forums.guru3d.com/showthread.php?t=399547
This is valuable for us since HD 6000 gfx has been moved to Legacy support, & AMD drivers after 16.2.1 are no longer supported for installing. But inserting latest DLL files may still provide a little performance improvement on latest games.(unsure but always worth a try.)

Note: Some DX9 games may have texture problems with latest drivers (This can be fixed by using different DLLs from another driver eg.14.4whql). AMD dropped support after 14.4whql for changing between single dgpu and dual graphics "manually"[FIXED MODE]. (So muxed "fixed" graphics capability from our former Bios212 mod no longer works in newer drivers. I currently use 14.4whql to retain this capability, and use newer DLL files for newer games as needed; Also 14.4whql may be the best optimized drivers on HD 6000 series. So I recommend installing 14.4whql if you need Fixed Mode Gfx option, & use any DLL files for fixing "no texture" problems in some games.
Newer drivers are more targeted for premium HD 8500+, R line, & newer series, so the latest drivers may not be quite as stable and smooth on older Gfx...while some may find results too close to tell differences, so YMMV.)

Note: Funky Mike's SG FIX Patcher an alternative method installing SG fix driver, to get SG MENU working on all future drivers>> Original DL LINK
OR >> http://www71.zippyshare.com/v/3901800/file.html (note: run SG fix patcher in safe mode after installing official drivers)

AMD Catalyst Current Official Drivers (15.8 to 16.2.1)>> http://forums.guru3d.com/forumdisplay.php?f=46

AMD Catalyst 15.5Beta (14.502.1014.1001 May27)/15.4b/15.3b(14.502.1014 Apr 9) SG fixed Modded Catalyst Driver by mahmoudelfar (links are found on blogspot)
or get Latest Official AMD Drivers + use (SG fix Patcher in safe mode).

AMD Catalyst 14.12 WHQL (14.501.1003.0 November 20) >>Guru3d+ use SG fix Patcher above.

AMD Catalyst 14.4 WHQL PX SG Fix (14.100.0.0 April 17) --latest CCC mod created by mahmoud elfar with the help from Vfriend instructions. FINAL FIXED MODE Drivers.

AMD Catalyst 13.12 Mobility WHQL SG. Fix by LeeKM(13.251.0.0 December 18) --Choose LeeKM's AMD fix driver.
Alternate links if Leekm doesn't work (pass: www.notebookreview.co.kr)>> http://www72.zippyshare.com/v/62854572/file.html

AMD Catalyst 13.4 (12.104.0.0 March 28) Official WHQL & Alternate Links>> LINK1 ; LINK2---I recommend to install these before installing LeeKM's mods, since they were the final official AMD drivers to work on our laptop & it will allow LCD brightness control to work on later LeeKM mods--see note 5 in clean install instructions below.


NOTE: After installing any modded drivers, Some apps will become locked using slower integrated power saving gfx eg. all movie players -vlc, mpc, skype, and FF&IE browsers; also LCD brightness control may be lost. It is recommended to install official AMD 13.4whql prior to LeekM drivers to manage locked apps to faster graphics selection.

PROPER CLEAN INSTALL required on all later drivers after 13.8b2 (eg. Mahmoud Elfar's Modded SG FIX drivers):

Code:

[I]Here are my precise steps of a CLEAN INSTALL:[/I]
Backup system first by making a system restore point: --[I]Do this in case you want to rollback to your past CCC after trying out new CCC.[/I]; Also recommended to disable Antivirus & Firewall.
(so go to Control Panel>system&security>system>system protection tab>CREATE restore point.)

1. Uninstall "AMD catalyst install manager" in control panel uninstall a program or other uninstaller. reboot. (on reboot press F8 to get into safemode)
2. Use Driver Display Uninstaller (DDU) in safemode.
DDU can be dowloaded here>>>[url=http://www.guru3d.com/files_details/display_driver_uninstaller_download.html]Display Driver Uninstaller Download [/url]
4.reboot. (it's not necessary to install any old "Asus" chipset drivers)
5.Install official AMD 13.4whql.reboot. Then in Switchable Gfx Menu, make sure video players (MPC & SKYPE etc),& browsers (FF, IE etc)
are [U]set to high performance[/U] so they won't be locked on powersave in later beta drivers.reboot (but press F8 on restart); Doing this step also allows LCD brightness control to work while using battery in later graphic drivers.
6.Disable driver signature enforcement (After you had pressed F8 in previous step)
7.FINALLY Install latest working APU SG FIX Beta drivers made by mahmoud elfar "on top" of 13.4 drivers.reboot.
Then it's Ready to use!  (See notes on step 5 about benefits of installing 13.4 before latest drivers.)
8. For Overclocking GPU, you must do registry fix to Disable ULSP.

* Everyone has their own method of clean install but these steps have worked fine for me....this is about a 1/2 hr process.

note AMD 16.2.1 beta - this is the final Legacy driver which was supposed to install on our HD 6000 gfx cards; However user haymanali2006 mentioned the Legacy drivers didn't install properly on his Win10 laptop, so YMMV; Just roll back to older 15.x or 14.x series drivers. Our gfx have been moved to Legacy support & the article mentions 15.7.1 being last supported driver, but 15.11.1b & 16.2.1 Beta Crimson Editions were also made as final drivers which were supposed to install properly for our GFX card; check on support page for the latest driver that works. >> http://support.amd.com/en-us/download
>> http://support.amd.com/en-us/download/desktop/legacy?product=legacy3&os=Windows+7+-+64
(Also keep in mind that the SGfix has to be done to make sure Switchable GFX works. I have NOT tested this, so not sure if it will work for any final Legacy Driver.)

note AMD Catalyst 15.4/15.3Beta-Unsure if any differences are noticed on older games; updated profiles for newer games>> http://www.guru3d.com/files-details/amd-catalyst-15-4-beta-download.html
(14.12omega were excellent drivers but lack Fixed Mode capability, so I went back & installed 14.4whql and use DLL files from other drivers new and old for games that may benefit .)

note AMD Catalyst 14.12 WHQL omega - Games seem to perform nearly the same as past drivers; Dual gfx may sometimes have better performance; recent PC games may benefit eg. Watch Dogs, Far Cry4, Aliens Isolation, Batman Arkham Origins, etc.....; Fixed mode is still missing. BF3 crashes more frequently. Ocing Gfx seems to be less stable on some games eg.BatmanAO.

note AMD Catalyst 14.11.1 & 14.11.2Beta SGfix--maybe very similar to past drivers but more game optimizations eg. FarCry4; I found it a little better overall, but may not really be much difference. Enable dual gfx menu is working like before; Fixed mode is still missing.
note AMD Catalyst 14.9.2Beta SGfix -same as 14.9 but with more game optimizations.
note: AMD Catalyst 14.9 SGfix(by mahmoud)--Enable dual gfx is working again, but single gpu is preferred like always. Better performance than 14.8. Fixed mode is missing; New game optimizations are included eg. Alien Isolation, etc

note: AMD Catalyst 14.4 WHQL SG Fix(by mahmoud)--Tested Desktop version to work great with switchable gfx menu on Win 7 x64. One User of Win 8.1 had problems with CCC functioning; Performs like 14.4RC1, but very slightly better and smoother. No bugs, but on custom install I refused installing AMD Evolve gaming app and had warnings. Regardless, it installed fine. Maybe last good driver to date.
Mobility version was later made available--unsure if it is same,worse, or better.

note: AMD Catalyst 13.12 Mobility WHQL SG. Fix(by LeeKM) --It should perform similar to 13.11b9.4 but Untested by me (I'm still on 13.11b9.4); It may be the last good graphic driver for our laptop as of 2/2014 since newer 14.1Bv1.6 made game performance worse. (Some people with different laptop / gpu configurations found this driver worse than past 13.11 beta drivers.)

note: AMD Catalyst 13.11 Mobility BetaV9.4 SG. Fix(by LeeKM)--it works like previous drivers & tested to work on Win7x64 and Win8x64...performance is very good; Overall games play perfectly for me! (nice improvement over older b6 drivers; & probably similar to b9.2);
My USB 3.0 stopped working, so I used 13.9whql by LeeKM & custom installed only the usb 3.0 portion and it fixed the usb 3.0 port.; The only bug: LCD brightness control was lost and installing 13.4whql did not fix this.

note: AMD 13.11 Beta9.2 Mobility_PowerXpress_Fix(by LeeKM)--(tested & works well on Win7x64 & Win8x64; I never before had to disable "driver signature enforcement" but I decided take note of that from this release. (Press F8 at bootup to select this option); Tested to install properly like previous Fix Drivers. (I heard B7 had problems and skipped B8--so just use these). These drivers coincided with the release of CODghost, and includes more improvements to BF4. ....update later on game performance.

note: AMD 13.9 whql Mobility_PowerXpress_Fix(by LeeKM): APU version was later made, and should have working switchable graphics menu;Stay away from AMD official drivers! I used these during custom install to get back USB 3.0 function on all following Leekm drivers.

AMD 13.4 official WHQL : The last "OFFICIAL AMD driver" to "function 100% properly" on Win 7 for our laptop.
--It's been very stable & game performance is on par prior with older drivers eg. 13.3b3.. (13.4 Cap1 profiles are also available, uncertain of improvements.) Overall, Game performance has improved on most of the latest games without breaking the performance of older games.> see my post and others.

note: SEE ARCHIVE Download Links & Notes BELOW in Section IX for OLDER Drivers: 14.8 and earlier. Or just use the latest drivers and ignore Archive section.

note:When installing new drivers turn off all antivirus and security software (mbam etc) and choose an express install. It is now required to use DDU, drive sweeper or
ATIman uninstaller To insure a proper clean installation.

New Driver updates change the performance of games. Sometimes older games may perform better on older drivers instead of latest drivers, so use specific driver DLL files for those games.
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D. KEEP UP WITH LATEST AMD GRAPHIC DRIVERS SUPPORT HERE:
Guru3d>> Videocards - AMD - ATI Drivers Section - Guru3D.com Forums
Other site>> Toms Hardware AMD gfx forum
>> AMD gfx Community forum

Discussion on CAPs (AMD Catalyst Application Profiles) see sticky here>> Videocards - AMD - ATI Drivers Section - Guru3D.com Forums

Directly AMD site (but don't use latest drivers from them for 13.6b2 and above or you will lose switchable gfx menu)
BENCHMARK GAME ANALYSIS - Finding The Best Driver for a Game (@ ultra 1080p settings)
Latest PC Games/Release Dates (which will lead us to update drivers)
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E. Graphic Card Hierarchy /mobile CPU Rankings or Rating Charts:
Graphic Card Hierarchy
Comparison of Laptop Graphic Cards-Notebookcheck
Radeon 6650m (6600/6700 series ddr3) documentation
Graphic Card Passmark List
CPU (MOBILE) Benchmarks List (A6 3400m ranked only #255 now, but anything in top 300 should function very well)
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II. Other Discussions/Owner Lounges of K53TA BBR6:

k53ta-best-deal-ever-could
k53ta-owners-lounge
Asus K53ta SlickDeal thread
Japanese version wiki
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III. REVIEWS:
REVIEW 1 OF K53TA LAPTOP
Single Review, online available, Short, Date: 08/04/2011
REVIEW 2 OF LAPTOP
REVIEW 3 OF LAPTOP
Video Review-by htwingnut

Newer Bios 214 & another Bios MOD 214 has been made allowing SSD hard drives to be unlocked at faster speeds eg. SATA3 6gbit >> http://forum.notebookreview.com/asus/601808-k53ta-best-deal-ever-could-350.html#post8630217
Note: SSD INSTALLATION GUIDE>> http://forum.notebookreview.com/asus/601808-k53ta-best-deal-ever-could-313.html#post8515244
(See Download Links in BIOS section Below)

note: Bios MOD 212 below is now UNNECESSARY for openGL fixed mode games/apps ever since AMD radeon drivers 12.7beta (and maybe earlier 12.6, etc). So if you have Bios Mod212 you don't have to use Fixed Switchable graphics.; Note: Bios 212 Fixed mode stopped working from 14.6 drivers onward.

BANDING HAS BEEN FIXED! (see below for BIOS 206 and later)

BIOS MOD 212! FIXED MODE Switchable Graphics WORKS! - Select discrete GPU Graphic Processor Manually: OpenGL Games can now be Played using dGPU (6650M) with modded Bios and latest AMD Radeon catalyst drivers (see below for BIOS 212 modded) here>> http://forum.notebookreview.com/asus/601808-k53ta-best-deal-ever-could-271.html#post8386767
(See Download Links in BIOS section Below)

note: [BUG REPORT] this Bios works better with 12.1 and later. On older 11.12 I experience BSOD. But on 12.1 drivers, PC hangs on shutdown during the session you made a switch between modes. On 12.3 drivers there is no hanging on shutdown during the session you made a switch.
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Official ASUS Link: http://www.asus.com/Notebooks/Versatile_Performance/K53TA/
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Can be overclocked to give performance similar to SandyBridge Core i5, beating SandyBridge Core-i3 (see below for overclocking instructions).
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Latest & Past DEALS & Similar Alternatives: ** Another Good Source>>gaminglaptopjunkys ; TOP Deals Ever 2011-2015(most of the deals)

eBay - Refurb/used Asus K53TA BBR6 $300ish to $500ish (only search for 6720g2 or 6650m specs)

AMAZON $500+ - ASUS K53TA-A1--usually priced too high
$450 New ASUS K53TA-A1 A6-3400M 1.4GHz, 6G, 500G, Radeon HD 6720G2 Graphics, 15.6"

ALTERNATIVES:
Dell Latitude 3540 i5-4200U 4GB 500GB Windows 8 Pro; 2GB Radeon 8850M; 15.6" LED 1920x1080p or 1366x768 Refurbished: $500-$550
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Features:
Has one USB 3.0 port (blue connector) and two USB 2.0 ports. Also HDMI and built-in mic/webcam.
The touchpad is multi-touch (i.e., you can use two-finger scrolling, gestures, pinching to resize pictures, etc.)

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For Pictures:
http://www.asus.com/Notebooks/Versatile_Performance/K53TA/
http://www.notebookcheck.net/Review-Asus-K53TA-SX026V-Fusion-Notebook.62849.0.html
http://slickdeals.net/forums/showpost.php?p=41553118&postcount=85
Wallpaper Backgrounds:
http://forum.notebookreview.com/thr...al-ever-could-be.601808/page-130#post-8350337
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RAM CHIP:
It uses a 1 4GB Samsung DDR3 RAM PC3-10600. Just have to get another ram and put it in. 2 slots, 1 empty slot. -runtohell121
http://img194.imageshack.us/img194/7441/dsc01924z.jpg

204 Pin 4gb ram Gskill, Samsung, Crucial, Kingston, etc can be purchased from Newegg or Ebay.>> http://slickdeals.net/forums/showpost.php?p=49675774&postcount=440
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Laptop Speaker Software
Sonic Focus install program can be found in folder
C:\eSupport\eDriver\Software\Audio\Realtek\[Compal]_ALC269_SM_Sabine\Win7_32_Win7_64_6.0.1.6373\ASF3G UI\ASF3SF.exe
Sonic Focus can be used to adjust/finetune speakers and is installed by default

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TESTIMONIALS
Best Buy Customer Reviews archives
Just picked up and it's a 6720G2, a x-fire combination of 6650 and integrated GPU...

[Rankings based on 8/2011] --> (2nd parenthesis 1/2013) --> (3rd parenthesis 3/2015)
The Dual Graphics GPU Mode of 6720G2 is ranked at #97 (#147) (#242)
The dedicated GPU 6650M is ranked at #103 (#151) (#250)
The integrated GPU 6520G is ranked at #178 (#265) (#389)
This is compared to the Sandybridge series Intel HD3000 ranked at #206 (#295) (#425), and Intel HD2000 ranked at #248 (#342) (#473); The Latest Intel HD4000 ranks 222.
(The smaller the ranking number, the better)

Notebookcheck's ranking of GPU's: http://www.notebookcheck.net/Mobile-Graphics-Cards-Benchmark-List.844.0.html

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***** Sample game performance of 50+ games (running on this laptop & others with similar specs eg.7670m &sometimes with slightly better CPU.)
YES, it will play this game, and that game. It will play every game.

Crysis 3 vid2 Bioshock Infinite Borderlands 2 The Elderly Scrolls SKYRIM Mass Effect 3 BatmanArkOrigins Resident Evil 5 Crysis 2
Tomb Raider vid2 AssassinsCreed IV BattleField 4 NFS Rivals CallofDuty Ghosts GRID 2 PES 2013soccer Starcraft II SPLIT SECOND
Diablo 3 (open beta) Need For Speed Run NFSRun vid2 COD 4 Minecraft Saints row the third(6650m+amdPhenomQC)
Watch Dogs(i5+6650m) MotoGP14 Assassins Creed Brotherhood SplinterCell Conviction(oc'ed) FarCry3(oc'ed) SleepingDogs
Call of Duty Modern Warfare 3 Assassins Creed Revelations Left 4 Dead 2 World of Warcraft StarWarsForceUnleashed2 Dirt 3
Battlefield 3 Battlefield Bad Company 2 Diablo 3 Beta Deus Ex Human Revolution Grand Theft Auto 4 GTA 4 vid 2; Integrated 6520g Alone is capable too.
GTA 5 on similar specs laptop; Battlefield 4 on similar specs laptop; Warframe; Thief;
Star Wars Battlefront 2015 on similar specs laptop ; COD Advanced Warfare
Middle Earth Shadows of Mordar on similar 7670m Mordar vid2 on 7670m; Fallout 4 on similar7670m; Fallout 4 Vid2;
Transformers Devastation on similar specs laptop; Dragon Age Inquisition on similar7670m ; Dirt Rally 7670m;
Batman ArkhamKnight7670m-not optimized well for PC; GTA V on 5650m; RE6 on 5650m
General 6650m gameplay-eg.COD blackops1&2
General 6650m another list of gameplay
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Entering BIOS - Hit F2
6517 3DMarks: http://www.nvidia.com/Download/PreScan.aspx?lang=en-us -runtohell121

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IV. LATEST BIOS:
Location of official Bios download>>

Code:

http://www.asus.com/Notebooks/Versatile_Performance/K53TA/#download

6/2012* BIOS MOD 214! has been made allowing SSD hard drives to be unlocked at faster speeds eg. SATA3 6gbit >> http://forum.notebookreview.com/asus/601808-k53ta-best-deal-ever-could-350.html#post8630217
Note: SSD INSTALLATION GUIDE>> http://forum.notebookreview.com/asus/601808-k53ta-best-deal-ever-could-313.html#post8515244
SSD Before and After example comparisons>> ASUS Laptop SSD vs HDD - YouTube (improves by atleast twice the speed)

5/2012* BIOS 214 No difference in gaming performance from prior Bios. Latest Bios tends to be on newly purchased laptops.

3/2012 *BIOS MOD 212! - unlocked manual selection of fixed dGPU >>>http://forum.notebookreview.com/asus/601808-k53ta-best-deal-ever-could-271.html#post8386767
-- First Time ALLOWING OPENGL APPS & GAMES TO RUN Off the discrete GPU (6650M) similar to INTEL Nvidia Laptops. (Note: OpenGL games work fine from 12.7beta drivers &newer!)

1/2012 *BIOS 212 has just come out but not much has been noticed different; however changes in new catalyst drivers may become evident in the future with the help of this BIOS version (eg. disappearance of Varibright option in CCC Power/PowerPlay options.) (unknown at this time).

9/2011*BIOS 207 soon followed and is also available, but no changes were noticed except a possible faster idle fan speed or greater fan speed as the CPU is overclocked. So Bios 206 or 207 is fine for banding fix.

8/2011 *BIOS 206 Banding fix is out !!


Download new bios, unzip file, use flashing tool from Start menu

Start > all programs > asus utility > winflash
and load the new k43ta.206 and reboot.

make sure you got the battery plugged in just in case.
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V. Overclocking CPU:
Undervolt while overclocking using K10Stats
K10 STAT undervolt/overclocking Example Settings
K10 STAT DOWNLOAD Link
Guide1: K10 STAT
Guide2: setting K10 STAT for startup
Optimization Guide by HTWINGNUT applies to HPdv6 and much of the same relevant information for K53TA dual graphics

Alternative overclocking cpu programs: Pschk v341 extra info on pschk
Fusion Tweaker
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VI. Overclocking GPU:
GPU Overclocking Instructions (thanks atoneapone):
0) Install Sapphire Trixx and MSI Afterburner.
1) Uncheck "Disable ULSP" in Sapphire Trixx settings.
2) Then edit the registry, [with HTWINGNUT manual registry fix download-for Disabling ULSP] from this thread>>
http://forum.notebookreview.com/asus/601808-k53ta-best-deal-ever-could-49.html#post7861621
3) Restart COMPUTER
4) Check "Disable ULSP" in Sapphire Trixx settings.
5)Then get MSI Afterburner...but before you launch it edit the MSIafterburner.cfg file in notepad, find the "Unofficial Overclocking EULA" line and copy/paste exactly this:

I confirm that I am aware of unofficial overclocking limitations and fully understand that MSI will not provide me any support on it

6)In the MSI config under "Unofficial Overclocking Mode", there is also a field next to it for a 0 or 1. --to enable overclock, change the value to 1.
7)You only need MSI AFTERBURNER to overclock. Trixx is not necessary to overclock. Under MSI Afterburner program, OC it to 650 and 1000 and save it to a profile and apply. Try overclocking any other speeds (eg. anything lower than this is safest; higher speeds are done at your own risk.) It has also been mentioned by others that Trixx is unnecessary to be installed to setup MSI afterburner overclock in the above steps. But the above method worked for me & since it's such a small program it doesn't hurt.

**Note1: For 12.11 and later 13.xx drivers you need newer oc ati dll files placed in Windows system folders>>ATI dll Latest 13.xx OC driver files or ATI dll Latest 13.xx OC files
**Note2: For 12.1 thru 12.7 drivers you need oc ati dll files placed in Windows system folders and/or MSI folder.>>ATI dll files or ATI dll files

REFERENCE SITES:
MSI Afterburner DOWNLOAD Link {also allows monitoring of usage & temps of GPU 1(6650m) and GPU 2&3(6520g)
Saphire TriXX DOWNLOAD Link
AMD System Monitor Link
CPUID Monitor Cpu Temps Link
HWinfo Monitors Cpu&GPU stats Link--monitors everything
CPU Z Link--identifies Cpu & memory specs
HP dv6z overclock optimization guide --some of the information here can also be applied to K53TA dual graphics laptop!
--If you still cannot overclock after above instuctions due to not being able to disable ULPS, then manually change registry values--->thanks to HTWINGNUT for registry value changes.
http://forum.notebookreview.com/asus/601808-k53ta-best-deal-ever-could-49.html#post7861621
--Htwingnut explains by disabling ULPS, more power will be consumed reducing battery life:
http://forum.notebookreview.com/asus/601808-k53ta-best-deal-ever-could-53.html#post7864103
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VII. Posts regarding issues / subjects (thanks Bothanspy):

#347 asus drivers
ELAN touchpad driver
502 - ram option
833 - banding bios fix
927 bloatware recommendations
937 bios - banding
1007 graphics drivers or this Wiki First Topic!
1011 "" ""
1039 ram
1074 ram cover removal
1094 - ram recommendations
1102 - ram limitations
1187 catalyst driver
1241 - Fresh Win7 install notes
Power Brick 90W 19V 4.74Amp AC ADAPTOR
http://vip.asus.com/eservice/techserv.aspx <<< Email asus tech support if you don't like the graininess in darker color shades. They might fix it.

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VIII. Disassembly guides/Cooling Mods for Asus Laptop (For those who are daring to make cooling modifications or LCD screen replacements;
do at your own risk since it may void your warranty!):

ASUS K53TA DISASSEMBLY AND COOLING MODS
Cooling Mod pictures in video
Extra Cooling mod ideas p1 p2-thanks Link626

Actual K53TA disassemble guide with pictures!!
How to disassemble Asus K series notebook >> Inside my laptop
LCD SCREEN REPLACEMENT video

AC/DC Power Jack Repair video

HINGE Weakness/ Problems related to Opening and Closing Screen- How to Fix: Bottom Part replacement may be necessary and possibly extra hinge parts:
Bottom Case (K53TA) Part number: 13GN7110P020-1
K53BY-1A LCD HINGE L Part number: 13GN5710M010-1
K53BY-1A LCD HINGE R Part number: 13GN5710M020-1
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IX. ARCHIVE OF PAST OLD GRAPHIC DRIVER Notes :
IX. ARCHIVE OF PAST OLD GRAPHIC DRIVER Notes :

( note: for 14.8, 14.7,&14.6 you lose "enable dual graphics" menu option in CCC; driver is always defaulted to single graphics (crossfire disabled), so you cannot choose dual graphics(6720G2) option which sometimes gives better gaming results on optimized games (DeusEx&Crysis3). Some DX9 games may have texture problems with latest drivers (This can be fixed with 14.4 DLLs-see below ). So use 14.4whql if you need all graphics options & no texture problems. AMD seemingly dropped support for changing between single dgpu and dual graphics. (Also muxed "fixed" graphics capability from our bios mod no longer works in newer drivers.)

AMD Catalyst 14.8 WHQL SG Fix (14.201.1008 Aug30) --performance is better/more stable than all past drivers.
AMD Catalyst 14.7 RC3 SG Fix (14.200.1004.0 Aug11)
AMD Catalyst 14.6 RC2 SG Fix (14.200.1004.0 July)
AMD Catalyst 14.6 RC1 SG Fix (14.200.1004.0 June)
"14.4 dlls" -fix for texture problem in DX9 games in latest drivers>> http://forums.guru3d.com/showthread.php?t=391527

AMD Catalyst 14.4 WHQL PX SG Fix (14.100.0.0 April 17) --latest CCC mod created by mahmoud elfar with the help from Vfriend instructions.

AMD Catalyst 14.1 Mobility BetaV1.6 SG. Fix Drivers (13.350.1005.0 January 31) ----Choose LeeKM's APU SG users

AMD Catalyst 14.4 RC1 V10.0 PX Fix (14.100.0.0 April 17) --mod created by Vfriend; has earlier display driver but may be better than past drivers.
Alternate links if above link doesn't work>> Download LINK
AMD Catalyst™ 13.11 Beta 9.2 Switchable Graphics MOD driver Fix by LeeKM(13.250.18.00 November 7)--Choose LeeKM APU fix driver.
AMD Catalyst™ (13.11BetaV8) Switchable Graphics MOD driver Fix by LeeKM(13.250.18.00 October 29)--Choose LeeKM APU fix driver.
AMD Catalyst Mobility PowerXpress and Enduro Fix Drivers (13.11b6)Fix by LeeKM(13.250.18.0 October 24)--Choose LeeKM APU fix driver.
AMD Catalyst Mobility PowerXpress Drivers(13.11 BETA3)by LeeKM(13.250.18.0 October 7)- Major bug with using battery.(Causes BSOD when battery is used to operate laptop; it installs fine and works with electrical power brick on Win7x64. (unsure of Win8 --ymmv); Wait for APU FIX version of drivers made by LeeKM; "Fix" versions of drivers are based on official mobility drivers while the present driver is based on Desktop drivers, which is why bugs like this may occur.
AMD Catalyst Mobility PowerXpress and Enduro Fix Drivers (13.11b)Fix by LeeKM(13.200.16.0 September 26)--Choose LeeKM APU fix driver; (tested to work on Win7x64 (unsure of Win8--ymmv)
AMD Catalyst AMD Catalyst 13.10 Beta2 PX_Fix by LeeKM(13.200.11.0 September 20)--Choose LeeKM APU fix driver; (tested to work on Win7x64 (unsure of Win8--ymmv)
AMD Catalyst AMD Catalyst 13.9 WHQL PX_Fix by LeeKM(13.152.0.0 August 30)--Choose LeeKM APU fix driver. Use these to get USB 3.0 function back.
AMD Catalyst AMD Catalyst 13.10 Beta PowerXpress_Fix by LeeKM --Choose LeeKM APU fix driver. and has been tested to have working switchable gfx on Win 8x64 systems, (untested on Win7 x64)
AMD Catalyst AMD Catalyst 13.8 BETA 2 PowerXpress_Fix by LeeKM --(THIS DRIVER has been tested to work in Win 7/ Win 8 with functional switchable graphics); Choose LeeKM APU fix driver.--Game performance is generally better than 13.4whql.

AMD Catalyst AMD Catalyst 13.8 BETA 2(13.200.11.0 August 14) (Buggy on Win7:switchable graphic settings are lost--leaving 6650m useless.)
AMD Catalyst AMD Catalyst 13.8 BETA (13.200.0.0 July 23) (Buggy on Win7:switchable graphic settings are lost--leaving 6650m useless.)
AMD Catalyst 13.6 BETA 2(13.101.0.0 June 4) (Buggy on Win7:switchable graphic settings are lost--leaving 6650m useless.)
AMD Catalyst 13.6 BETA (13.101.0.0 May 23) (Buggy on Win7:switchable graphic settings are lost--leaving 6650m useless.)
AMD Catalyst 13.5 BETA 2 (12.102.3.0 April 16) (Too Buggy to use-LCD is off on power save)
AMD 13.4 WHQL see above in graphics section(these were the last official AMD drivers to work on our laptop)
AMD Catalyst 13.3 BETA 3 (12.100.17.0 March 18)
AMD Catalyst 13.2 BETA 7 (12.100.17.0 February 26)
AMD Catalyst 13.2 BETA 6 (12.100.17.0 February 18)
AMD Catalyst 13.2 BETA 5 (12.100.17.0 February 2)
AMD Catalyst 13.2 BETA 4 (12.100.17.0 January 29)
AMD Catalyst 13.2 BETA 3 (12.100.17.0 January 28)
AMD Catalyst 13.1 AMD Official WHQL (9.012.0 Dec 19)
AMD Catalyst 12.11 BETA 11 (9.01.8 Dec 4) 12.11 CAP2 details
AMD Catalyst 12.10 (9.002.0 September 27) AMD Official BETA
AMD Catalyst 12.9 (9.001 Sept 13) AMD Official BETA
AMD Catalyst 12.8 (8.982.0 July 27) AMD Official WHQL
AMD Catalyst 12.7 (8.981.2.0 June 26) AMD Official BETA
AMD 12.6 WHQL (6-11-2012), AMD 12.4(4-25-2012); and AMD 12.3 (3-28-2012); AMD 12.2 (3-7-2012)
AMD Catalyst 12.6 (8.980.0 June 11) AMD Official WHQL - Guru3D.com Forums
AMD Catalyst 12.4 (8.961.0 April 25) AMD Official WHQL
AMD Catalyst 12.3 (8.951.0 March 8) AMD Official WHQL - Guru3D.com Forums
AMD Catalyst 12.2 official WHQL
AMD Support & Drivers
AMD Catalyst 12.1 (8.930.0 December 5) AMD Official WHQL - Guru3D.com Forums --AMD mobility 12.1
AMD Catalyst 12.1a (8.930.10 January 2) AMD Official BETA - Guru3D.com Forums --AMD 12.1a official beta drivers
12.1 CAP PROFILES (scroll to bottom of post)

note: AMD Catalyst 14.6 thru 14.8 SGfix(by mahmoud)--You lose "enable dual graphics" option in CCC, so use 14.4whql if you prefer to have enabled dual gfx in CCC. But latest drivers are better for newest games eg.Watch Dogs which has better utilization, & maybe others eg. GridAutoSport, Wildstar, Battlefield HardlineBeta, PlantsVsZommbies. Texture problem in some games eg. DX9 and some new games may be an issue. If this occurs then use 14.4 DLLs and place them in game folder (particular games having problems).-see above in Links for 14.4 dlls.

note: AMD Catalyst 14.4 WHQL SG Fix(by mahmoud)--Tested Desktop version to work great with switchable gfx menu on Win 7 x64. One User of Win 8.1 had problems with CCC functioning; Performs like 14.4RC1, but very slightly better and smoother. No bugs, but on custom install I refused installing AMD Evolve gaming app and had warnings. Regardless, it installed fine. Maybe best driver to date.
Mobility version was later made available--unsure if it is same,worse, or better.

note: AMD Catalyst 14.4 RC1 V10.0(by Vfriend)--Tested to work great with switchable gfx menu!; compatible with all Win7,8,8.1 ; It has earlier 14.100 display driver but it's a newer release & maybe better than past drivers.
Game performance is tested to be better than 13.12whql; I've tested it to be possibly the best driver (eg.on par with 13.11b9.4 etc), and has proper working USB 3.0 & LCD brightness control function. On a custom install I refused installing AMD Evolve optimizer and had warnings but everything installed ok. Also hydravision is defaulted on so I turned that off in ccc to save on used resources. Very stable so far.
note: AMD 13.11 Beta6 Mobility_PowerXpress_Fix(by LeeKM)--(tested & works well on Win7x64 (unsure of Win8--ymmv); similar bugs as 13.11b1. These are "Fix" drivers which usually install properly. No problems like last beta driver. Games play about the same or slightly better than past beta drivers; these drivers coincided with the release of Batman Arkham Origins.

note: AMD 13.11 BETA3 Mobility_PowerXpress (by LeeKM) Causes BSOD when battery is used to operate laptop; it installs fine and works with electrical power brick on Win7x64. So STAY AWAY from this driver (use previous driver or wait for next update); General all around performance is "maybe" slightly improved & a little smoother than previous beta driver with Similar bugs as previous drivers (eg. switchable gfx is locked for ie and ff browsers and vid players). But 13.11b1 and 13.11b3 are very close....(more feedback welcome)
note: AMD 13.11 Beta Mobility_PowerXpress_Fix(by LeeKM)--Tested and works on Win7x64 like previous drivers! ; (feedback needed for Win8); more optimization for BF4 is done, but I don't notice a large difference in overall game performance from previous drivers, however Batman Arkham asylum has been fixed to now play with anti aliasing "on". Similar bugs as previous drivers (ie some video players and browsers stuck in power save state). >>my notes: http://forums.guru3d.com/showpost.php?p=4673630&postcount=8 Stay away from AMD official drivers!

note: AMD 13.10 Beta2 Mobility_PowerXpress_Fix(by LeeKM)It has been tested to have working switchable graphics on a Win7x64 system!. One person with Win8 tested & found them not working..more feedback is needed for Win8 users. Same bugs as 13.8b2: movie players and FF & IE browsers are locked to use power save graphics (but Google Chrome works with high performance graphics); Stay away from AMD official drivers!

note: AMD 13.10 Mobility_Beta_PowerXpress_Fix(by LeeKM): APU version was later made, but testing is needed to see if working switchable graphics menu works like previous LeeKM driver.).a very recent update by LeeKM and now works in Win8x64 systems!! ( The first version didn't have working switchable gfx. (more feedback is needed for Win7 x64 systems, but I'm guessing it will work........); Stay away from AMD official drivers!

--AMD 13.9WHQL LeekM SEE TOP SECTION--

note: AMD 13.8 Mobility_Beta2_PowerXpress_Fix(by LeeKM): Fix brings back switchable graphics menu and high performance can be selected for all games, but movie players and FF & IE browsers are locked to use integrated gfx (but Google Chrome works with high performance graphics!). Laptop LCD brightness control was reported to be stuck in one brightness setting, but I found it to work when changing it in CCC.. Installation may bring up compatibility warning messages about signed AMD driver but it installs fine. Game performance on games like BF3 & Crysis3 is better up to +1 to +5 FPS and games feel a little smoother. This is the first new driver to work on our Win 7x64 laptops since 13.4whql. Idle temps were suspected to get higher around 42C but they later went back to normal 36-39C. (More feedback is needed for any potential bugs or compatibility to other software.); people with other laptop configurations mentioned older games like Rage & RE4 have lower FPS than 13.4whql...but newer games should perform better. Stay away from AMD official drivers!

note: AMD 13.8 "official" beta 2 : switchable graphic settings are lost on Win 7 ...-- so use LeeKM's Mobility PX 13.8b2 above. Stay away from these AMD official drivers!
note: AMD 13.6 official beta 2 : switchable graphic settings are lost on Win7....(more feedback is needed...)
generally reported to have slightly more improved game performance FPS on other laptops; LeeKM recently posted a 13.6b2 APU PX fix driver which may retain the switchable gfx menu (but untested).
note: AMD 13.6 official beta: Do not use 13.6beta, since switchable graphics are broken for our mobile graphics..."can't set switchable graphic settings for games & they are stuck as *based on power source* resulting in very laggy gameplay. (thanks for testing by SymGunnerz) (More feedback by others is welcome.....)
note: AMD 13.5 official beta 2 : This is the last AMD driver to work with switchable graphics menu. BUG: LCD display gets disabled permanently when in LCD power save mode; so you must reboot to get screen back. (see SymGunnerz post); Other stability issues may exist (guru3D) in 13.5beta2 despite some performance tweaks and gains.

--AMD 13.4WHQL LeekM SEE TOP SECTION--

note: AMD 13.3 official beta 3--Many drivers within days of each other-most recent one fixes openGL but the overall driver is aimed at improving FarCry3, Tomb Raider and Sim City 5. But I have no idea if this driver is better or worse than 13.2 betas on all games...I'm guessing that the best driver for general all around game performance has been 13.2 beta 6 based on guru forums, but I could be wrong and YMMV for our specific laptop. ....waiting on more feedback for latest driver.
note: AMD 13.2 official beta 7, 6, 5,3,4-YMMV; Beta6&7 are optimized more for Crysis 3. Beta6 may have better performance than 7 especially with single gpu configuration based on guru forums>> see post here. Beta 5 is better than prior drivers for new games like Far Cry 3 but older games may vary from driver to driver Betas.>> thanks to SymGunnerz.. 13.2 Betas are slightly better than 13.1. Crysis 3 is supposed to play better with latest Betas. waiting on more feedback .... AMD 13.1 WHQL- some bug fixes like switchable graphics settings not opening in CCC but one report of new bugs like "double icons and no popup when u click ccc icon on system try, app profiles problem, BSODs, catalyst stoped working", and HDMI audio bug may arise in betas 5 & 6 if you are connected to an external monitor via HDMI while updating; but no one has reported this problem in our Asus laptops. So overall a slight improvement over 12.11beta... waiting on more feedback ....

note: AMD 12.11 Beta11 -- Generally positive feedback eg. maybe smoother gameplay than 12.9beta>> http://forum.notebookreview.com/asus/601808-k53ta-best-deal-ever-could-419.html#post8909399 ;Improves performance & smoothness in Far Cry 3 with proper in game settings (eg. GPUBuffer2,PostFxLow)
And few visual issues & no idle clock problems>> http://forum.notebookreview.com/asus/601808-k53ta-best-deal-ever-could-419.html#post8912885
Some people report broken switchable graphics but many have no problems.>> http://forum.notebookreview.com/asus/601808-k53ta-best-deal-ever-could-418.html

note: AMD 12.10 -performance has been reported similar to 12.9Beta>> Guru3D.com Forums - View Single Post - AMD Catalyst 12.10 (9.002.0 September 27) waiting on more feedback ....
note:AMD Catalyst 12.9 Official Beta - CCC may not show up unless older drivers are properly uninstalled first. Some performance improvements with dual gpu was noticed esp Diablo 3 and Starcraft 2 on other laptop setups-- But uncertain how much improvement on our K53TA. source of info>> http://forum.notebookreview.com/gam...l-graphics-gaming-performance-least-20-a.html
UI has changed a little according to review; they're now calling switchable graphics "enduro technology">> AMD Catalyst 12.9 Beta 9.001 Benchmark – BenchmarK3D

note:AMD Catalyst 12.8 WHQL --12.8 installs fine. But may give sleep/hibernation problems & potential graphical corruption may be more frequent with this release. Game performance seems same as 12.7beta.>(thanks to feedback on notebookreviews.net)> http://forum.notebookreview.com/asus/601808-k53ta-best-deal-ever-could-398.html#post8790689
note: AMD Catalyst 12.7 (8.981.2.0 June 26) Official BETA ***** Now fixed mode is unnecessary so running openGL apps with high performance and dgpu is now possible! No need to switch manually anymore. also stuck sticky gpu clocks 100/150mhz are no longer an issue. Thanks LINK626!>> http://forum.notebookreview.com/asus/601808-k53ta-best-deal-ever-could-360.html#post8664373
(note: some game benchmarks have been done with 12.7beta and they are good successor drivers to eg. 12.4, 12.2,12.1. Maybe not the very best at every game but most games generally run close to their best possible benchmark. I personally found best benchmarks of BatmanAC on 11.12, but all following drivers were only 3-4FPS slower, so not a big deal. Newer games probably perform better with later drivers 12.4,12.6, 12.7beta.)

note: AMD 12.6 WHQL installed ok but only after some trial & error of clean installing >> http://forum.notebookreview.com/asus/601808-k53ta-best-deal-ever-could-360.html#post8664007
note: AMD mobility 12.6 BETA---( Noted to mess up one person's system. Drive sweeper and reinstalling 12.4 helped them. Unless anyone else has different results, maybe it's best to stick with 12.4 or older driver.)

note: AMD Mobility 12.4 driver may have the best performance in games when set in DYNAMIC mode (in BIOS MOD 212) or not using BIOS MOD 212 at all.
But if using BIOS MOD 212 with Fixed mode (manual selection of dgpu), then Performance in this driver will be broken. The dgpu (6650m) can't detect a game that is running, so it won't ramp up the clock. It's stuck in 100/150mhz. And system may go to a crawl and lag like a slow computer. Thanks to user Link626 for testing this out!
WORKAROUND 1>> Mixing graphic driver from 12.2 with ccc from 12.4 drivers (thanks Link626!)
Workaround 2 >>maybe not all issues are squared away but performance may be best on games>> Mixing graphic driver from12.4 with ccc from 12.2 (thanks SymGunnerz)

note:12.4 drivers "another new bug has been found": the vision control center that comes with it causes bsod or garbled screen freeze if you OC the cpu, and then lose electricity, then get electricity back. Also freezes if you OC, and in battery mode, when you change power option to High performance. A possible workaround: run CCC as admin once, and turn on all the power control stuff inside CCC. Seems to solve the freeze/bsod. Big Thanks to Link626 for finding this out recently! 5/22

note: AMD 12.3 is Buggy if OCing CPU. PC Hangs on Shutdown when K10stat or fusion tweaker is used and turbo boost (B0) is on.
This may be a bug in later AMD drivers. This occurs regardless of using new Bios Mod for selecting Fixed dgpu mode or not.
WORKAROUND = Turn Off Turbo Boost (B0) in K10stat when powering off PC or don't use K10stat at all for OCing CPU
Discovered by LINK626, thanks!>>> http://forum.notebookreview.com/8425114-post2899.html

note: AMD 12.3 gpu BUG - you may experience a stuck high idle speed of dGPU (6650M GPU clock) and have higher temperatures. Problem with Second GPU clock and memory after 12.3 and 12.4 - Guru3D.com Forums (Uncertain of a fix? hopefully later drivers will address this issue.); So just revert back to 12.2 or 12.1 drivers to avoid the clock speed problems.

note: Loss of functionality like Overclocking of GPU with MSI Afterburner or TRIXX occurs in AMD 12.2 & later drivers. But function can be returned in AMD 12.2 and later drivers if you replace the missing atipdlxx.dll file. here:>> AMD Catalyst 12.3 WHQL – BenchmarK3D or here:>> [GUIDE] Enable unofficial overclocking after Catalyst 12.2 - Guru3D.com Forums

note:Starting from AMD 12.2 &12.3: DO NOT enable AMD Overdrive or use Power4Gear or else cpu speeds will be locked at lower speeds regardless of choosing High Performance and it will result in poor game performance! >> http://forum.notebookreview.com/asus/601808-k53ta-best-deal-ever-could-293.html#post8428291

note:From 12.2 drivers onward, Skyrim was noted to have pixelation artifact problem when AA was set on...wait for fix in later drivers. In 12.4 drivers, Skyrim artifact problems may have been fixed.

note:AMD 12.1 gpu BUG (if using NEW BIOS MOD 212): PC will hang on shutdown once during the session you change to manual selection of dgpu or selecting dynamically (based on application needs). It will not hang on shutdown after successive bootups unless change is made again. If shutdown hangs, hold power button down for 2+ seconds to force illegal shutdown.

note:AMD 11.12 drivers have been noted to be very good, but better performance in newer games may be seen in later drivers. (I liked 12.1 & 11.12 more than 12.2; When using NEW BIOS MOD 212, the 12.xx series was more stable than 11.12 (no BSODs). (12.1 & 12.3 seem the best as of 4-1-2012.)

note: 11.8 Drivers In August 2011, they were among the best performance drivers, but presently in Jan/Feb 2012, the 11.12 Drivers have provided the best performance--see at top!

ATI Catalyst 11.8 FINAL drivers can be found here: AMD Catalyst 11.8 WHQL (8.881 July 28) - Download & Discussion - Guru3D.com Forums Downloading from AMD will not update drivers for some reason!
ATI Catalyst 11.8 PREVIEW drivers found here: download from Guru3D.com

note: ATI Catalyst Application Profiles deliver support for Crossfire in many games and can be found here: http://sites.amd.com/us/game/downloads/pages/crossfirex-app-profiles.aspx"]CAP PROFILES for latest AMD drivers (you need to match proper CAP profiles with GPU driver version)
http://forum.notebookreview.com/hp-...z-llano-overclock-optimization-guide.html#cap


---End of Archive Graphic Driver Notes--- (Latest Graphic Driver Notes are at top of page)

 

Just thought I would post in here, since I started this bad boy and I still use my K53TA every day (it is now missing it's screen and hooked up to my tv). I thought I would commemorate it's upcoming 2 year anniversary by telling it's fairly interesting life story.

So way back in late July of 2011, I became one of the first proud owners of the Asus K53TA-BBR6. A friend of mine worked for the Geek Squad (shameful, I know) and gave me the heads up that something amazing was coming. I managed to get my hands on it the day they arrived, over a week before they hit the shelves as August's "get you in the door" deal. Over the course of the next few weeks, I rode the crest of a glorious wave of empowerment with the other users of this forum, cranking amazing performance out of our brown sugar beauty. I was running the newest games of the time (like Deus Ex Human Revolution and the Guild Wars 2 alpha) at very respectable settings and fantastic framerates. It was a very good summer/fall for those of us who lived it. I will always remember it as one of the fondest times in my tech life, right up there with my first year as an early adopter of the Sega Dreamcast.

By spring of 2012 though, as is my wont as a power user, I was looking at new toys and made the fateful decision to sell my K53TA. Since it was such a powerhouse for the price, even then, I got $600 for it, turning a profit on my joyous 7 months of use. I thought myself pretty lucky and smart, but soon I started to feel the heartache of missing it, just like I did when I replaced my beloved Dreamcast with a shiny new PS2. Just like the PS2, my new lappy was more powerful, but lacked the underdog soul that made my K53TA more than just a thing. I actually felt it's loss like you would a beloved pet or a car you restored with a family member in High School.

So when the guy who bought it told me he had closed the lid hard with the charger on the keyboard (who the hell does that!?!) and completely destroyed the screen, I felt a glimmer of hope as my K53TA was known to me again. At first I offered to help him replace the screen with an upgraded 1080p panel from a G53. Midway through my research though, the guy balked and just had me build him a cheap gaming desktop instead (read about the $379 powerhouse on my blog). I offered him $250 for it as-is (generous for a broken lappy, but I had already made a profit selling it to him originally) and he gladly accepted. The prodigal son had returned.

After almost pulling the trigger on the screen upgrade, I had a change of heart and decided that upgrading the CPU, RAM and hard drive and making it my new Home Theater PC would be the best call. Ever since, my beloved K53TA has been dutifully powering through games, HD movies and media streaming. With the A8MX CPU and faster RAM, it has even managed to keep up with modern games at very decent settings, especially if I keep it at it's native res upscaled to 1080p. I just played Dead Space 3 and Tomb Raider, both looked fantastic. I treat it more like a "super Xbox 360," capable of running any game better than the Xbox, but with a controller from the comfort of my couch. When I want to do some real hardcore gaming, like shooters or MMOs, I still go to one of my gaming desktops, but for the experience of a console with a little extra graphical shine, my K53TA is still my go-to when I want to play in the living room.

So I just wanted to say: Thank you Asus and fellow NBR users for the memories. I will continue to use my K53TA, even when it becomes just another of my antique devices, like my Dreamcast (replacement), Atari Jaguar and G3 iMac (all of which I still use from time to time). This laptop for those who have owned it, is more than just a thing. It's a piece of tech that breaks the price/performance standard and enables the user to experience more joy than the arbitrary gaming PC market pricing normally allows. Cheers.

 

Great post.
I am having a little bit of a problem with the newer drivers since 14.4, they all seem really unstable on this notebook, it causes windows to login slowly, everything just is slow and unstable. I think ccc or something keep crashing in the background. Not sure what to make of it. Other users appear to be running the driver with no issue. Is it just a windows 7 thing? 14.4 just seems to be the last stable set of drivers for my notebook. Currently running official 13.12 that I ran the SG patcher on.
As for windows 8.1, is there a way of installing it so that I do not lose the restore partition that's on the hard drive? Does upgrading to 8.1 avoid this? And which drivers are needed for this notebook in 8.1?

 

I also experience occasional crashing with newer drivers(eg. windows explorer is restarting message), but found new gfx drivers performed well on many games. But I now believe AMD 14.4 were the best optimized gfx for HD AMD 6000 series, especially for 2+ yr old games. Things just felt more smooth and stable. It may be due to the aim at optimizing HD 7000 & 8000 series and dropping support of 6000.

Regarding using newer drivers this should be helpful for us:
Someone has posted a workaround to use any specific new driver (by replacing DLLs into game exe directory) for each specific game. They have DLLs for latest drivers and many old drivers(eg.13.1, 13.8, 13.10, 13.12,14.4,14.8,14.12, 15x betas, etc)
LINK>> http://forums.guru3d.com/showthread.php?t=399547

Eg.>> someone has used this method to run GTA V, by using 14.4 modded drivers installed and replacing newer DLLs to get benefits of newer drivers with the 14.4 CCC. 14.4 CCC was the last driver to support Fixed Mode to force high performance gpu to run games, so this was why they needed to use 14.4 to run GTA V. This game has not "yet" been optimized properly to utilize high performance gfx in a dual gfx systems.
Link>> http://mahmoudelfar.blogspot.com/2015/06/fix-for-grand-theft-auto-v-on.html/
update: I went back & installed modded 14.4 drivers and things feel better than 14.12 on some of my games, So I will stick with these and use newer DLL files for newer PC games as needed.

Not sure about Win 8.1, since I've always been using Win7x64