~GX660(R) Owner's Lounge~

I already tried that numerous times. And one thing i found out is that you cannot do a fresh install using AMD provided catalyst driver packages i get the "catalyst found no compatible hardware". And as far as just overwriting the drivers using with the latest found in AMD website the AMD installer sees the MSI provided 8.751.0.0 as "up to date" and thus no need for updating.

Who here was able to use the display driver that can be had from AMD website?

Or are we at all able to use AMD provided display driver?

We can use CCC, SDK, C++ from AMD but not the display driver itself.


@Velho: No problem, i had the same peculiar driver bug which is easily fixed by overclocking tools.

 

@ryzeki what display driver version are you using? Can you upload a pic of your GPU-z screenshot please? Thanks.

And can you point me to the vbios that you are currently using? Its ok if its an edited one, read your previous posts you are using an edited vbios to increase the voltage for you to achieve that huge OC.

 

Here you go. I am using the latest Cat 11.8 drivers.

 

@ryzeki: darn you are using 8.881.0.0.

Ok i have finally updated mine to 8.881.0.0 too.

Do you have ATI powerplay enabled or disabled?

 

I have it enabled and dynamically switching correctly between 2D clocks and 3D clocks so far.

 

@ryzeki: Thanks.

So far so good with 8.881. But its only been half a day. Im gonna let you guys know if it happens again.

 

why is that we have diff results from gpu-z ?? ur gpu clock bandwidth and bus interface??

 

Maybe the ROG skin uses much space, and doesn't leave much info available for the bus interface. Mouse over and it should tell you that you have v2 of PCI express.

As for the other differences, if you see, I have higher clocks for my GPU and memory, essentially having higher pixel fillrate, texture fillrate and memory bandwidth. It's an overclock.

on stock I have the same specs as everyone else.

 

Hi again, guys.
Well, with AMD GPU Clock Tool I was able to fix the clocks. Yesterday Black Ops and MW2 were stuttering like crazy, and thanks to flowingbass hint I fixed the clocks. Black Ops is good, but the f...... MW2 won´t let me play anymore, due to unplayable stuttering and mini freezes, just like yesterday. It has to be a GPU related issue, since it started exactly when GPU began to underclock in the middle of a game.
Would you please tell me how to disable ATI powerplay? Because it´s the only thing I didn´t try yet (due to my ignorance on the matter). I updated, and after checking the issue wasn´t solved, uninstalled and reinstalled drivers (Cat 11.8), used AMD GPUCT, MSI Afterburner, even Game Booster I gave a shot (useless).
Thanks in advance.

 

did you use overdrive ?? any suggestion to me it better like your clocks and memory . . coz last time i tried to use overdrive and auto-tune it after it set up . . . when im playing a game in the middle of it the screen crashes . .so i just reboot it and back it to normal . .

 

Hello,

While a lot of gaming issues tend to be GPU drivers related, there are some games that also have issues with other types of drivers such as sound. For example, Shogun Total war will freeze the machine and force shotdown if you use older realtek drivers. So maybe another update or somethings causing the stutterings besides the drivers.

To disable power play, enter de Control Catalyst center and in the Power Tab to the left, select power play and then uncheck the box that says "enable power play"

Additionally, check if for any reason you didn't ended up changing a power option, perhaps setting the CPU to less performance than intended. I personally uninstalled the control software and use High Performance from windows and never had issues.

I use MSI Afterburner to overclock my card, and remember that each GPU can overclock differently. All GPUs work at stock frequency but some overclock more than others. In the case of this particular notebook, I have seen that core clocks are able to increase okay, but memory clocks tend to be much more unstable. I have my vbios modified with extra voltage and a bigger power supply so that gives me extra stability.

Before, my best clocks were 850/1020, so you can try scaling little by little core clocks only, and leave memory alone becasue it its the least stable of both.

 

ohh thanks for this helpful info . . . im gonna try this . . . ill try your clocks @ 850/1020 . . . hope i don't get any crash when i play hardcore games . . . coz the last time i tried it . . . using CCC overdrive im crashing when im in the middle of playing . . .

 

So, here i am for an update. Yes the 8.881.0.0 drivers fixed ALL my problems i am having. It was really frustrating to update the drivers as the amd catalyst installer saw my 8.751.0.0 version was "up to date" i was finally able to let it see that it was not up to date.

@ryzeki: maybe you already have been asked a lot of times about this, can you point us to the volt modded vbios you are currently using right now? I just want to achieve stock desktop 5770 core clocks. I essentially wanna have a desktop 5770 in my laptop.

 

You are welcome mate, overclocking takes a while and requires patience until you find the sweet spot. Maybe later you might wanna flash to 1.15v vBios and have more stability, but I need to remind you that using such mod requires more power from your PSU, at least a 150w one.

Good luck! I think the least you can achieve is 800 core alone hehe. In some games, my 860/1060 clocks can give me up to 25% extra performance, turning those 44fps into 56fps (in DarkSiders more intensive areas)

Sure I will post you the vbios later, you can make a copy with gpuz so I advise you do so in case you wanna switch back. Good thing you managed to update the drivers, these newer ones rock.

As for advise, I remind people that the vbios mod on stock doesn't require anything, but when overclocking with modified 1.15vbios, you NEED a higher power PSU. I first tried overclocking with the new vbios but anything near 800 core clocks killed the PSU and started eating the battery.

I suggest you get a 150w at least for PSU if you plan on getting 920xm plus overclocked GPU. If you run at stock, you don't need new psu, but overclocked you will need.

And good luck with the clocks! I can achieve only 850/1100 tops but it isnt 100% stable. HD5770 uses 850/1200 so I am not sure you might get it but good luck!

 

is synaptics scrybe working on our touchpad? ? ?

 

----------------------

 

I dont even know what the heck is my touchpad... I tried installing synaptics drivers for it, it accepted it but advanced options isnt available when i visit mouse properties in control panel. That leaves me to believe that its not a synaptics touchpad. I just love synaptics touchpads they are great. Had one in my toshiba and they are super precise.


@ryzeki: Great! I will be looking forward to that volt modded vbios.
I have the i5 480m which is a 35W cpu, i guess that would leave room to spare for a 850mhz core clock OC on the GPU without killing the default 120W psu.

Am i right to believe that? Or am i just being too ambitious?

And BTW whenever i try to export/save my vbios using GPU-Z, it just hangs/freezes the whole system for no apparent reason.

 

Well, You need to check how much power it consumes, not sure if the 35w is the power consumed or the TDP. But an i5 should definitely consume less so maybe you can get the OC without killing the PSU. You will notice it so dont worry. and even if you do Kill the PSU, its more like a knockout, you can reconnect it and it works haha. Not sure how high you can climb the core tho, you will have to test!

Huh, I've didnt know of such hanging issue. I will try it when I get home. At worst, I think I do have a copy of the modified bios already so I might not need to use gpuz.

 

Woah, my system also hangs when I try to make a copy of the vBios. I don't remember that.

I seem to have found a copy of the vios though. Here it is. Use at your own risk! View attachment ModVBios.zip

 

may i ask if i do need to update my bios??

 

Hi, guys.
Well... I knew it was something more serious than just a driver bug. Now all my games are stuttering like crazy, even disabling Powerplay and fixing the clocks with AMD GPU Clock Tool. I tried all alternatives, with or withou Clock Tool, with or without enabling Overdrive through CCC, I even unistalled all ATI softwares via Driver Sweeper and reinstalled it again. I´m affraid my GPU is singing its last notes... what do you more experienced guys think? Any advice will be followed. At the moment I´m thinking about "DBanizing" and reinstalling OS.
I know machines break down one day, but It would be nice if my U$ 1470 could last a little more

Edit*
I've just made a test with Kombustor, and GPU performed poorly, very poorly... score: 837; FPS avg: 17 at Extreme Preset.

 

Before that did your GPU perform better before you had the stuttering on all of your games? Have you checked the temps when the stuttering begins?

I dont use MSI Kombustor but i do use Furmark. And 5870m performs poorly when you crank all the settings high on furmark. I have a tip, configure your settings where the 5870m just or barely makes 30fps. The stress and load produced are the same between lower settings @ 30fps and highest settings @ 17fps.

Even my desktop GTX460 makes dips below 30fps when i crank furmark settings to the highest.

I experienced stuttering before i replaced the stock thermal paste on my CPU it was reaching 90c then throttles itself down. After i replaced the generously and over applied stock thermal paste my CPU it never hit 90 or even 80c again.

 

You sure it is the GPU performing poorly and not the CPU itself? When GPU's start failing they tend to hang, show glitchest or artifacts, besides the poor performance.

If temps are fine and you can use your pc alright except when gaming, maybe there could be another issue?

 

Weird right? Exporting vbios using GPUZ totally hangs the system. No options but to hard reset the laptop.

I still havent used the modded vbios yet. Ill use it when i encounter a game that forces me to go on medium settings to stay playable. XD

 

My GPU rarely reaches 60ºC, I swear to God. It´s incredibly cool. The thing began all of a sudden; in the afternoon everything was cool, games running flawlessly. When I came back from work, at around 5 AM, I started playing as ever before being able to sleep, and I noticed the stuttering and lag. First it was just when playing some games, like BO and MW2, now all my games are unplayable. I reinstalled OS and right now I´m installing MW2. Let´s see what happens.
Thank you, guys.

*Edit
The procedure seemed to fix the problem, at least MW2 is good again, without having to disable Powerplay nor using GPU Tool. I'm typing this at the bandstand, let me stop thinking about games and concentrate on playing!!! xD
See you later, folks.

 

Sorry for not editing my previous post, but as formatting has solved the problem, I´m changing the subject, so...

I want to know how you guys set your brightness/contrast/color. Assuming everybody has the latest 11.8 Catalyst and the same screen, I'd like to make a comparision.
At the moment mine are: -15 for brightness, +135 for color and flat (100) for contrast. it´s impossible to fit every game with just one set, I know, but I found this the best for the large majotity of my games.

[OFF]
Oh, my, today I couldn´t sleep a wink...

 

Im using all default color settings except for contrast at 85.

 

I use color saturation at 130, brightness at -22 and contrast at 115.

But I just bought a new LCD, gonna receive it next week its the LG panel of newer msi models, heard good things about it.

 

Congrats! I hope you like it!

 

Thanks, I am really hyped for it, so I hope it is as good as everyone says it is! haha.

It can't be worse than my current AUO15 anyways

 

If that is the screen that I think it is (AUO15), which I've had before, you will notice a pretty big difference. When I first saw this screen, I actually said "oh wow" out loud.

Did you talk to Ken about it?

 

Awesome, I'm sure I will be impressed as well!

And yeah, Ken helped me through to obtain this awesome screen

 

My screen is Samsung. Atleast thats what CPUID's hardware wizard states. I was able to par colors with my LG E2360V 23" 1080p desktop monitor.

 

Is yours the 1366x768 res screen or the 1920x1080? I think all the 1920x1080 GX660 use the AUO15 panel which is average at best. Colors/contrast are decent, but balcks tend to be gray due to brightness and the viewing angles are poor.

 

i have the 1366x768 panel. Yeah vewing angles arent great but it doesnt bother me coz i only use the laptop sitting in front of me. And color reproduction is above than most laptops.

 

Is there anyway I can upgrade my 720p screen to a 1080p? I called a local shop that does LCD repair to see if they would do the upgrade for me, and they said the will only replace with OEM or equiv. Not even if I get the screen myself. I'm thinking I could do the work myself with some videos I've watched on tube, but I think I need to get a 1080p ribbon cable that is compatible? I've been considering upgrading to the GT683DX just due to the higher quality screen, because I am pretty happy with the performance of my laptop, and wanted to wait for the next gen. or refresh. I am leaving for Afghanistan as a civi contractor in Feb. and really want to have a 1080p screen laptop.

 

I am pretty sure you can. I bought the upgraded LG pnale of the GT683DX because I heard good things about it, and like you I am pretty happy with my performance so I will be keeping my machine for a while.

Most probably you will have to do it yourself as I will do it myself. I will let you know how difficult it is, but so far I have been told it is easy just a matter of being careful and not in a rush.

 

Hi guys, recently noticed significant hinge wobble, especially on the right hinge. It seems the plastic bit at the rear has "unattached" from the base unit, and I say that because it does not appear to be damaged in any way. Any tips?

Also, it's been running hotter than before, and that's strange since it's using new Arctic Cooling MX-3 paste.

 

anyone know where i can pick one of these up? pref gx660r model

 

When was the last time you cleaned your fan? Use a can of compressed air and clean it out every month or so, to keep it dust free.

Try pressing the hinge back. The thing is designed to easily remove the screen plastic frame so thats why the hinge plastic area seems easy to remove.

Sorry, no idea, specially since it's an old model already replaced by other models. Try ebay or here in the forums from users selling their machines.

 

posted a wtb thread already and searched ebay not much luck

looking for a gaming notebook w/ an expresscard slot so i can hookup my capture card, but majority of the newer ones dont have one so looking at older models

 

anyone here tried the bf3 beta?

what are your cpu temperatures?

my 480m i5 is reaching 96C even with turbofan..... >_<

 

@talonuiuc

changing the screen yourself is not that hard, but you need to be very careful with the LVDS cable since they are very fragile. and you also need LVDS cable that support 1080p resolution and they are pretty hard to find. I just posted a new thread about my experience upgrading my screen, just go check it out and compare your cable part number with a couple that i listed there. so far i only found one cable that worked with fullhd resolution.

http://forum.notebookreview.com/msi...on-r-screen-upgrade-1080p-b156hw01-v-4-a.html

 

Thanks qloony, I read your post and will look into it all.

 

96ºC on CPU or GPU? Anyway, it's hot, IMHO. You can move your laptop to a flat surface, plus elevating it some inches with simple pet bottles lids, or putting it over a cooler pad, as I do. Pad + repaste might solve the problem.
Greetz.

 

im talking about the cpu.

cpu repasting is actually what i had in mind... but stores around me ran out of tuniq tx4

 

Well, I don´t know your location, but maybe you can purchase a good IC or AS through Internet, as I did. I bought both and the Artic Silver cleaning kit a couple of months ago, but I ended up not repasting (lol), as my temps are super cool anyway with the stock thing. When I reach 75ºC I might repaste, but for now I'm leaving it alone, as it rarely goes beyond 64ºC no matter what.
Another solution: make some extra holes on the bottom lid with a drill, as Forge did. Doing this and keeping the lappy elevated will help a lot!
Keep us updated, if you don´t mind. Two or more brains think better than one.
Take care.

 

Before i repasted i was having exact same temps when gaming. My i5 480m even reached 104c, no kidding.

When i opened it up and removed the CPU heatsink, i immediately saw why my CPU got so hot, they were too liberal on applying the thermal paste. The paste was so much that it went beyond the two dies and covered the very little transistor like thingies surrounding the dies. When i repasted using a Tuniq TX2 i never saw my CPU go beyond 78c.

I re applied the paste just enough to cover the two individual dies with a thin covering of thermal paste making sure the paste doesnt go over the die sides.

 

Well, guys, I pulled the trigger yesterday and ordered a Sager NP7282, with 2 6990 in CF! for U$ 2,600 (!)
So, with my heart broken, I´m selling my GX660R-060US to cover part of the costs (little part). Unhappily my wife doesn´t want a "heavy and huge monster" for her, so I can´t keep the MSI, wich has given me 7 months of fun and has proven its reliability.
I live in DC area, and it would be great not having to pack and ship it, so if you are near...
It comes with a spare fan and a cooler pad U3. My price is U$ 900.
Another thing: I'm brazilian, so the OS is 7 Ultimate 64 in portuguese, but I bet you have a Windows DVD, right?
PM if you are interested, to a close contact.
Greetz!

*Edit
Never mind, I just conviced my wife to throw her old LG away to inherit my MSI instead of buying an overpriced Vaio. Hurray, I´ll be able to play when we travel, because my Sager will never leave my desktop. So, disconsider everything above "*Edit".

 

wow cool story bro......now i can wait till they restock with tuniq tx4s. but i heard around comp shops that they prefer tx2s' over the tx4 because of drying.