GT725 with Quad core, the Advent 6555?

basically i phoned currys who said they had none to buy just display models same with pc world. i bought mine in store at a pc world the bigger stores do seem to stock them you just need to go in. there phone service seems very odd

 

Go into stores and ask for stock, there are some littered around in the bigger pc worlds. I bought mine from Kingston Park in newcastle, they had a couple last night.

Also believe leeds and bradford PCW have some in stock last night just 1 in each store so possibly display models?

Seems this laptop is quite popular...

 

yeah, theyre a fairly disorganised bunch.. i reserved mine in store.. and when i came to pick it up, was told they had no record of said reservation,, despite me quoting the reference number at them.. then they told me they had none in stock anyway... after asking again, and about another 20 minutes of waiting, they decided to find some, and told me they actually had three in stock but hadnt seen them because they'd been hidden behind a big box.. ... ever so slightly useless.

anyway, as of two weeks ago there were two in southampton

also.... it does have bluetooth... and infared

 

I think i'm gonna struggle to find one next week

 

I was in PC World Guildford today. They only had the one unit which was on display. According to their system, they have a few units in Croydon and in Kingston (6 in one and 4 in the other - don't remember which had which).

 

4 in kingston, i went there on monday to have a look.

 

Note to all Users of ADVENT 6555

When you load the machine up make sure you take a copy of the Applications Folder and also make sure you show all hidden folders.

It has all the Drivers, Application such as Cyberlink (Blu-ray Edition) and also the ISO of the machine in the hidden folder OEM.

Max

 

Has anyone tried to update the 4850 drivers yet?....
we've all heard dodgy things about ati's driver support, but untill you actually make the move from nvidia, you dont realise how bad it is...
trying to update this thing is killing me :s
i miss laptopvideo2go and it hurts....

 

I can tell you that there are some modded 9.2 Dna drivers in the works. I have struggled for the past 4 weeks to get some updated drivers.

These will work on mobility HD 4850 and will see a massive performance increase

 

I was trying to get this laptop in the UK as well and everywhere says they are sold out. They told me that they don't even have an idea when the next batch will be in. This will make a great upgrade from my Asus G1SN but like others, I am not sure about the low resolution.

Hopefully games will look great maxed out at that resolution. I lift weights so I figure this one won't give me an trouble.

 

Hot update: I bought mine today, and at 5.30 pm there were still 2 or 3 left in PC World Kingston (depending on whether the display model counts as one).

 

Oh I really hope they have some in stock on thursday >_<

 

Quick update on stock levels around the midlands.

according to their phone system, they have none in stock. in reality, i went to the curries.digital in lichfield, they found 6 in the massive currys (M6, J9) and 6 in the pcworld opposite.

Only...currys has 5 now because im typing this message on one of them!

absolutly phenominal performance out the box. not tried anything 3d yet, but i will be testing world of warcraft very soon, ill edit this post to let you know how it goes!


Also, with the posts about the resolution not being high enough, i personally perfer this to the higher ones, as the text is smooth and easy to read, and looks 10x better than my 1024x768 lame excuse of an old laptop!

raty

Quick update.

ran WoW WOTLK off an external usb hard drive (a rubbish one). im hitting 60fps average outside, everything maxed, all effects on, max draw distance etc. Looks absolutly amazing.


Laptop wise, the build quality is amazing for such a cheap laptop. everything feels firm, theres very very slight twisting on the screen if you actually try, but by opening it you dont notice.

the laptop actually has a black brushed metal case, which supprised me as i thought it was all plastic. speakers are fantastic on it, with a nice cheeky little sub under it. the only gripe so far is that the /, shift and \ keys are smaller than average.

unbelivably happy with it though!

 

I bet this one will be able to run GTA IV pretty well. I can't wait to get hold of one of these and I have a feeling I won't feel the need to upgrade for quite some time with this one.

 

I fired up mine for the first time around an hour ago. Initial set up was quick and efficient (my first time using Vista though, so I don't really have much basis for comparison) and a cursory glance seems to indicate that there's not that much crapware installed (compared to other brands).

Unfortunately, there's a very noticeable stuck pixel right in the middle of the screen. I've googled and apparently there are some ways to fix it that I'm going to try one by one... right now I'm running an applet called JScreenFix that claims to fix the problem by randomly and very rapidly changing pixel colours in a window. If nothing works, I'll take it back to the store and request a replacement.

It might be a good idea for future buyers (of this or any other laptop) purchasing from a store to check the laptop display for stuck/dead pixels before carrying off their purchase.

 

thats very unlucky about thr stuck pixel :/

ive not really looked, but it doesnt seem like ive got one.

just been messing around with settings on world of warcraft. it runs native quicker than 800x600, and with everything off at native i was averaging 130+ fps. put everything back on and i was hitting 60-70, although some effects didnt take place till restart.

one thing that is evident with this laptop, its a bloody fingerprint magnet!

 

Turns out it's a dead pixel rather than merely a stuck pixel.
Anyone know of PC world return policy... there should at least be a 7-day peace of mind sort of a thing right? I'd like to know before I march back there.
Also, can a product be returned/exchanged at a different PCWorld store than the one where it was purchased?

Might not have considered getting it exchanged if the dead pixel hadn't been so near the middle of the screen, but as it is, it's rather irritating especially when you know it's there.

 

as far as im aware pc world do the 7 day policy, as currys do, and on their system, pc world near me had 5 pristine models and 1 none pristine, when ask what that meant, the guy said they were ones that had been taken back, so i presume they do.

im sure you can take it to another pc world, but, they obviously wont be able to swap it if they dont have any in stock.

if its just a stuck pixel, why dont you try a flasher to un stick it? worked on my sony psp...


Edit- another quick update, just ran crysis demo on the 6555, with no modification at all to drivers or card, with everything full at max res (1440x900) with aax2, it ran perfectly, stalled slightly twice, but very playable. knock the res down a bit it and is perfect!

 

Or disable AA i guess instead of loosing lovely RES =), Just ordered mine, you sound like your having ablast with yours hehe.

Cant wait.

Wana try Eve Online to the full =) and COD 5

 

Where did you order yours from catacylsm?

 

Went to the PC world in Kingston Upon Hull however it was sold out but what they did was ordered it from Sheffield, 3-6 left in stock and it will be transported down, so im quite happy with that.

They tried to sell me all of there "Performance deals though" lollage at the amount of NO!'s they recieved.

Dont listen to what they have to say on the phone either, they are IN store, garanteed, theres a fair few down south too =)

 

Oh well, ah, dam ... I was gonna wait till I went to see the parents in Essex before I picked one up but now seeing as I'm in Sheffield I might pop over to the PC World and pick one up :\

Hmm decisions, decisions...

 

Those of you who got this laptop from PC world already, did you pay all straight away or spread the cost over months through the finance options?

Sometimes it is as if they aren't even interested in selling this laptop at all. Most I have spoken to aren't even bothered and are so disorganised.

 

alot of the memebers of staff dont actually realise what this laptop is. when i started spouting my knowledge at the guy dealing with me, he ended up passing me over to their "windows guru". he actually knew his stuff, and was a really friendly guy. I paid straight up, £1029.98. the extra 30 quid got me:
bag (slightly too small, but has an advantage)
mouse,
10 dvds,
HP 2gb sub thumb drive.
(that was all one starter pack)


and, becuase the case is designed for a 15.4 laptop, and i have to put the charger in the front of the bag instead of next to the laptop, they threw in a months free "anything happens" cover, with 24/7 support line, and accidental cover. that should be 11.99 a month as it is. so i ended up saving roughly 30 quid on extras aswell!

he seemed quite shocked that a 19 year old tramp looking kid knew so much about computers compared to the rest of the customers in the walsall area.

To anyone that has this laptop, 2 things.

one, does anyone have any squeeky keys on the keyboard? ive noticed i have, my "a" key.

also, ive noticed when the volume is turned up over half way, there seems to be a bit of a vibrating sound coming from the chassis when certain frequencys of voice are played (particularily bad in films, but still not enough to regret my purchase or take it back)




and crysis looks like poo with aa off, id rather smoother edges

 

Well, another Advent6555 owner, this model sure is popular... Anyway congratuations on your purchase, glad that you seem to enjoy it.

hehe, so they managed to persuade you for the cover plan...you didn't fall for their norton bundle did you? I think though they normally give you a big free w/ laptop if you ask kindly in store, but 10 DVDs are handy nevertheless.

I don't have the laptop, but can you tell me whether the noise exists for all keys?

is there sort of uncomfortable cushioning feeling when you press down a key? and is the noise noticable?

The laptop has a subwoofer, which is suppose to improves the base response. If you think its too strong, It can be turned off in the sound option in the control panel.

Purely personal audio perference though... Or it could be of course, you have a faulty unit.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Subwoofer

 

PHP:

"and crysis looks like poo with aa off, id rather smoother edges :P"

I thought this laptop could play Crysis with all settings on high @ native rez!
-Is that not the case then?

 

Turning on AA filter doesn't, oddly enough affect the performance of mobility 4 series that much.

 

I think ATI's approach is performance over quality, concidering they have insane amount of pipelines AA should work super (Y) and i think this can handle alot of the latests at native, which i think is great

 

Was planning to go to West Croydon today to exchange my laptop (because of a dead pixel at the centre of the screen) but weather seemed like it might rain, and since I would have to take a train to WC and then walk to PC World, decided against it.

Regarding what ratykat suggested about flashing the pixel: that only works for stuck pixels, mine's a dead pixel, so that doesn't help (I actually tried that using the JScreenFix applet, which basically does the same thing, before I realised it was really a dead pixel).

I suppose it's not really a big deal... the dead pixel is only obvious against a bright, plain background, and is completely invisible while playing a video or a game. However, since I've only had it a couple of days and I don't know if this fault might be indicative of future pixel failures due to some manufacturing defect, I figure I'll make the time to get it replaced.

The screen resolution seems adequate (although in terms of pixel density, it's comparable, or possibly even slightly less than, my previous 4 year-old HP Pavilion DV1K) but since I've never actually experienced WUXGA, if I'm missing something tremendous, I wouldn't really know about it.

I haven't really tested out the laptop extensively in the sense of installing loads of software, since I was bent on getting an exchange, but other than the pixel problem, I'm quite happy with it. The only resource-hungry game I tried was the Crysis demo, at native resolution, settings to ultra-high (I think) and 2x AA, and it ran quite well during game play. I did notice during the initial cut sequences, that during some parts containing linear motion, a horizontal line-like effect appeared that made the motion appear inconsistent above and below this (imaginary) line. I don't know if this (somewhat undesirable) effect is common in new games (or even what it's called, seeing that the most "recent" FPS I played before this was Quake 3 Arena on my old laptop).

A few minor annoyances, like how they've shrunk the keys to the right of the alphabet (arrow keys, shift, backslash, etc.) to accommodate the numerical keypad - but I suppose every laptop keyboard has some peculiarities and after a couple of weeks' use, it'll feel normal.

I'm impressed at how quiet the laptop seems during normal operation - experience with a previous Toshiba Satellite which whirred like an aeroplane propeller had left me expecting much worse.

I was hoping someone planning to go to PC World's or Currys to purchase this laptop within the next couple of days or so might do me a favour: If you could check how many units are in PCWorld Kingston-Upon-Thames and West Croydon, and whether they've got any (besides the display unit) in PCWorld Guildford, and let me know in this thread, or via PM, it would be mucho appreciated! (Currys and PCWorld have information about each others' stocks, but since I got it from PC World, I'll have to get it replaced there). TIA!

 

heya,

@iwoncont: yeah this laptop can play crysis at native on full, but, when too much is going on, it does slightly stutter with 2x aa. 4x and 8x is rediculous though, but seen as i like 2x its fine.

@quicklite: yes the noise is noticable when pressing the a key. it seems slightly firmer but it doesnt feel like anything is under it. since last night it seems to have gotten a slight bit better, i think its just the newness of the keyboard.

The noise coming from certain frequencies sounds more like a lose panel vibrating rather than the speakers or anything. i can live with it, but it is slightly annoying during films.

I will also agree about the shrinking of the keys on the right to be slightly annoying, its a bit of a learning curve, and the red arrow keys are near impossible to see in any thing lower than standard day light, but, again, seen as i was about to pay 1600 for a laptop that i dont think spec was as good as this one, im not really goiong to complain.

@danrop: sorry i got stuck and dead pixel mixed up, sorry to hear about it, its a pain in the arse having a dead pixel. Wouldnt it be worth going on pc worlds website, locating your store and just ringing them before you go catching a train. you dont want to go there and leave empty handed (i know certain shops wont return stuck/dead pixels unless there are more than 5 etc etc.)

GTA4 runs perfectly on this system aswell, 1400x900, textures medium, everything high and very high. not got fraps installed yet, i plan to post up after along with a 3dmark06 score too.

seriously, this is a lot of mean kit for the money. Go Advent!


(side note: anyone looking to buy this laptop look at curries and dixons aswell for stock because they are all the same company and share stock)

 

I'm tempted to wander over the the Sheffield PC World tomorrow to pick one up now 'cause I know they have stock in, rather than waiting to get one on thursday in Essex when I'm not sure they'll have any in stock.

Hmm I've got uni in the Morning but I finish at 11 so i can get across to Medowhall, I just don't fancy travelling on the train with a grands worth of laptop.

 

Unfortunately they don't specify numbers for any of their stores. An 0870 call centre number that handles queries for all PC World and Currys stores, and the last time I called them, they told me the Advent 6555 was sold out nationwide, so shows how much they know (and the 0870 call isn't free either, although that's not that important).

As long as there's a normal return policy in place (apparently they have a 28 days one) it doesn't really matter how many dead pixels I have, I think... since I can always return my unit for a cash refund and buy a new one.

 

i know you get a 7 day want it or not thing, prehaps you could do it through that?

ring the store direct if you can, best way

by the way this may interest some of you (all stock clocks) and proof of msi:



just downloading 3dmark06, will post scores when its done

EDIT: 3Dmark06 score of 10267

 

Loving this advent !! Got one on Friday evening from PcWorld Watford - am a bit appalled they didnt try to sell me anything extra otherwise Id have had the £30 starter kit !
Probs as I work for DSG and had £100 knocked off staff discount they were a bit miffed at giving me anything else discounted ^.^
Still 3 or so left at watford pc world if theres anyone down here in the south east after one. Got it on 1 year 0% finance.

Used my Vista DVD with SP1 integrated and was able to use the OEM key to activate legitimately a non bogged down install, after taking a backup of the app dir with the blu ray software and drivers.

Anyone know if theres a possiblity to up the FSB then through the use of an externally modded BIOS like on hte MSI notebook ? Perhaps then we could see CPU speeds of 2.4ghz out of this q9000.
Was torn between this and the packard bell 900 gaming lappy with 9800gs, so glad i chose the advent !!! Also, anyone got any idea what the little open hole is on the right before the GPU heatsink / fan grille area. Like a mini external antenna screw-in slot??

 

im not sure if the msi version has a built in tv tuner? im not 100% sure though.

prehaps a bios flash could unlock the processor more...im happy with how it runs so im not going to fiddle with it yet.

 

Aye, im also wondering what extra performance can be coaxed out of the 4850HD via overclocking and modding.

Waiting to get the newer catalysts going on it tho first I hear the newer ones are very good performance wise, big boosts.

I read a post on here about ".12 for all" or something but I couldnt get them to install :-( so im waiting on the DNA release...
But indeed raty, i am very eager to see how far this CPU can be flexed.
Ive come from a dual core lappy - T9300 @ 2.5ghz its a bit deflating to see the 2ghz mark in system info but i know at least the performance is still there at the heart of the cpu despite the lower clock for clock !

 

yeah, it would be interesting to see...

but ive just done a 3dmark06 demo test, default settings...

score of 10267!

rather impressed with that.



ive come from a single core 1.5ghz celeron with an onboard radeon card, could handle WoW on low.

and my desktop which i built 4 yrs ago is a amd sempron 3000+ 2.0ghz single core, 1 gb ram, and a ati radeon 9550, so this laptop basically destroys everything ive ever had haha!


EDIT: just been searching the net about the port by the gpu. from what i can see, there is a full sized pci-e mini slot that can take a tv tuner.

source: http://images.google.co.uk/imgres?i...30&prev=/images?q=MSI+MS-1722&hl=en&sa=N&um=1.

scroll down to the mobo images.

 

Just thinking of games I can buy now to play lol got battlefield 2 at the moment and I havent got around to installing crysis and company of heroes.

For some reason my multimedia key (shortcut to windows media) at the top of the lappy is always lit when i turn the machine on, and randomly lights itself :-S Like now as I type all other keys accross the top are off but the media key is lit for some reason ! If i tap it, it goes out, and windows media launches as it should. It then resumes normal behaviour as with the other keys... very odd.

 

@murphmanL: i have the same issue with mine and the camera. doesnt matter, all still works though.

by the way, been looking more, seems like there is a card avaliable, but, unfortunatly, its a OEM/ebay job.

YUAN MC372G is what your looking for for tv

 

I recon that this thing Pushed out, past overdrive clock using some gpu oc'r, fan at 100%, and cpu pushed to about 2.4, wecld probably hit 12000+ on mark 06, pushing it, i hope someone does soon =)

 

another update on tv tuner.

right, i have found another supposedly compatible card, found here :
http://www.shopnauta.com/en/product/Azurewave-DVB-T-AD-TM200-Freeview-TV-Laptop-PCIe-Mini-Card.html

only issue is, every link for it is dead, but aparently has freeview upto 1080i

 

Indeed, someone needs to test the MSI BIOS i think

Or a Modded bios needs to be released for the advent to enable fsb tweaking, even a 10% boost would be beneficial here taking the quad up to 2.2ghz...

Im stuck tho RE webcam cant get any IM program to see it - I dont have driver for it anywhere in hte Apps partition i backed up... ? first thing I did was nuke hte tech guys install upon charging the battery so no idea how the webcam is configured in the OEM install.

Anyone got a driver they can bat accross to me?

If anyone wants to add me to chats about this lappy, feel free ! [email protected]

 

2.25 on the quad would make me happy , when more multithreading apps come into play, having all them cores work together, my god

Is the tv tuner a PCIE Mini card of some sort?

If it is then it would suggest that intel's turbo memory or pin up solution would work pretty awesome in that slot =)

 

turbo memory is pretty pointless, been looking into it, alot of people have said theres no point to it, and doesnt improve gaming anyways...

and yes its a pci-e mini port.

 

Does 6555 come with turbo memory?

 

I actually dont agree with it being 'totally' pointless, we could shift the OS and any default start up apps to it, and reserve the RAM for applications/games that really need it.

It doesn't gain performance however it should be good for pinning apps and the os on.

And no quicklight, dont think the 6555 does mate.

It can be upgraded though but dont go voiding your warrenty mate.

 

Im just going on what a lot of people over the internet have said about turbo memory. i think with 4gb of ram i should be fine without turbo memory.

the main thing that convinced me that it wasnt that important is when i was talking to a tech support guy on xotic laptops in america. i was asking for the best spec, and he himself said that it wasnt worth the extra money, and if i really wanted to i could add it later.


it doesnt come with it, but, it is classed as an upgrade, so i think, if you wanted to go through the legal loop, you could take it to the tech guys in pc world. i believe its 15 quid for it fitted? not sure on that one but if theres anyone that knows if its going to void warentee its them.

going to install fraps in a mo to see how well it actually does play crysis and gta4.

on WOW, the lowest i have hit was 37 fps, that was on a flight path from silvermoon into the foresty place (i cant remeber what its called). all on high, with the highest multi-sampling avaliable aswell.

 

hey guys, can anyone confirm 6555's hdd is 7200rpm not 5400rpm?
n' if it's possible would any owners try how gta4 run on 6555?many thx

 

PCMark Vantage Score 3070 PCMarks not sure how good that is, will try the older version 05 later

Max

 

For those looking at CPU Temps, peaked at about 69 Degrees across all four cores.