I have done some testing on my new R4000 CTO.
Specs:
Athlon 64 3200+ Socket 939 @ 2.0Ghz 512kb cache .13um NewCastle
256 + 512 = 768 MB RAM
60 GB Hard Drive
200M Radeon Xpress 128MB
Standard 15" Screen
12 Cell Battery Life: I got 2.5 Hrs that was including 30 min gameing and some large software installs from CDs (DOOM3 3CDs, Farcry DVD).
SiSoftware Sandra
Memory Bandwidth = 2485 MBs & 2483 MBs
Add: Memory Bandwidth DDR400 = 3044 MBs & 3049 MBs
CPU Arithmetic = 9125 MIPS and 3141/4061 MFLOPS
Doom3 Timedemo Low Quality 640x480 = 13.2 fps
w/o Special Effects = 17 fps
Looked great but not playable.
Farcry Low Quality 1024x768 Volcano Demo = 64.5 fps
Edit: Medium quality 640x480 Volcano Demo = 12.5 fps
Add: I retested and the Medium I wrote above was a mistake.
Max quality 640x480 Volcano Demo = 28.5 fps on retest.
The 200M Radeon Xpress 128MB seems to play most older games well. I intend to use it mostly at collage with some gaming on the side.
Even while gaming the system did not get HOT very fast. It took 20+ min. I was expecting a instant BBQ with the A64. Pentium4 are even worse.
Edit: These are not mobile CPUs after all.
Add: According to HPs Service Guide PDF they used Athlon64 Mobiles. Pc Wizard 2005 claims support for the mobiles but IDs mine as just a Athlon64.
Fact or Fiction !?!
The 200M chipset and Socket 939 support Dual Channel DDR but !!NOT!! on this laptop. WHY! & WTF! I have seen posts saying the motherboard/chipset is to blame. The memory controller is inside the Athlon so why did ATI or HP break it? I know I dont have a matched pair of mem but others have and still Single Channel.
Confirmed in CPU-Z Single Channel.
Why is the memory DDR333 and not the standard DDR400? Again The 200M chipset and Socket 939 support it.
Add: I removed the 256MB-DDR333 from under the keyboard and replaced it with a 512MB-DDR400 from CENTON. The motherboard switched to DDR400 mode and improved my bandwidth scores! Look above. NewEgg claims Cas Latency 2.5 but CENTON and CPU-Z said 3.0 and the motherboard ran it a 3.0. I am ordering a second mem stick to see if Dual Channel works. I very much doubt that it will but at $45 a stick at NewEgg.com its way Cheaper! and Faster! than the crap from HP/Compaq.
If you change the RAM under the keyboard you VOID the warranty. Is this true? Why separate the RAM Slots? I changed the bottom one and there was tons of room for 2+ Slots!
Add: I have now seen the ram slot under the keyboard. It is half the thickness of the underside one. The underside slot looks as if it was intended for 2 but only 1 molded into the plastic!
What about the warranty? In another Forum "www.zv6000forums.com" someone said that they talked to a HP Tech and was told that it did not void the warranty. Also the same Tech said they used Desktop Athlon 64s! Fact or Fiction?
They used the OLD .13um NewCastle instead of the newer 90nm Winchester or 90nm Venice with SSE3. Would not the newer cores run cooler and give better battery life. Its not like they had tons of these laptops in stock and just started shipping them. This is a CTO laptop right? What gives HP?
Confirmed in CPU-Z.
On battery the top speed was only 1.8Ghz and NOT 2.0Ghz.
Add: Even with the Power Scheme of Always On still only 1.8Ghz on battery.
Confirmed in CPU-Z.
If some of these things were done to save battery life than give us the OPTION to change them in the BIOS. Can do almost nothing in the BIOS!
Dont get me wrong. I somewhat like my R4000 CTO. I am just a guy who knows a little about building my home PCs (10+ Years) and there seem to be some big mistakes in the design of the R4000.
The more I learn the more I think HP/Compaq needs a spanking!
Specs:
Athlon 64 3200+ Socket 939 @ 2.0Ghz 512kb cache .13um NewCastle
256 + 512 = 768 MB RAM
60 GB Hard Drive
200M Radeon Xpress 128MB
Standard 15" Screen
12 Cell Battery Life: I got 2.5 Hrs that was including 30 min gameing and some large software installs from CDs (DOOM3 3CDs, Farcry DVD).
SiSoftware Sandra
Memory Bandwidth = 2485 MBs & 2483 MBs
Add: Memory Bandwidth DDR400 = 3044 MBs & 3049 MBs
CPU Arithmetic = 9125 MIPS and 3141/4061 MFLOPS
Doom3 Timedemo Low Quality 640x480 = 13.2 fps
w/o Special Effects = 17 fps
Looked great but not playable.
Farcry Low Quality 1024x768 Volcano Demo = 64.5 fps
Edit: Medium quality 640x480 Volcano Demo = 12.5 fps
Add: I retested and the Medium I wrote above was a mistake.
Max quality 640x480 Volcano Demo = 28.5 fps on retest.
The 200M Radeon Xpress 128MB seems to play most older games well. I intend to use it mostly at collage with some gaming on the side.
Even while gaming the system did not get HOT very fast. It took 20+ min. I was expecting a instant BBQ with the A64. Pentium4 are even worse.
Edit: These are not mobile CPUs after all.
Add: According to HPs Service Guide PDF they used Athlon64 Mobiles. Pc Wizard 2005 claims support for the mobiles but IDs mine as just a Athlon64.
Fact or Fiction !?!
The 200M chipset and Socket 939 support Dual Channel DDR but !!NOT!! on this laptop. WHY! & WTF! I have seen posts saying the motherboard/chipset is to blame. The memory controller is inside the Athlon so why did ATI or HP break it? I know I dont have a matched pair of mem but others have and still Single Channel.
Confirmed in CPU-Z Single Channel.
Why is the memory DDR333 and not the standard DDR400? Again The 200M chipset and Socket 939 support it.
Add: I removed the 256MB-DDR333 from under the keyboard and replaced it with a 512MB-DDR400 from CENTON. The motherboard switched to DDR400 mode and improved my bandwidth scores! Look above. NewEgg claims Cas Latency 2.5 but CENTON and CPU-Z said 3.0 and the motherboard ran it a 3.0. I am ordering a second mem stick to see if Dual Channel works. I very much doubt that it will but at $45 a stick at NewEgg.com its way Cheaper! and Faster! than the crap from HP/Compaq.
If you change the RAM under the keyboard you VOID the warranty. Is this true? Why separate the RAM Slots? I changed the bottom one and there was tons of room for 2+ Slots!
Add: I have now seen the ram slot under the keyboard. It is half the thickness of the underside one. The underside slot looks as if it was intended for 2 but only 1 molded into the plastic!
What about the warranty? In another Forum "www.zv6000forums.com" someone said that they talked to a HP Tech and was told that it did not void the warranty. Also the same Tech said they used Desktop Athlon 64s! Fact or Fiction? They used the OLD .13um NewCastle instead of the newer 90nm Winchester or 90nm Venice with SSE3. Would not the newer cores run cooler and give better battery life. Its not like they had tons of these laptops in stock and just started shipping them. This is a CTO laptop right? What gives HP?
Confirmed in CPU-Z.
On battery the top speed was only 1.8Ghz and NOT 2.0Ghz.
Add: Even with the Power Scheme of Always On still only 1.8Ghz on battery.
Confirmed in CPU-Z.
If some of these things were done to save battery life than give us the OPTION to change them in the BIOS. Can do almost nothing in the BIOS!
Dont get me wrong. I somewhat like my R4000 CTO. I am just a guy who knows a little about building my home PCs (10+ Years) and there seem to be some big mistakes in the design of the R4000.
The more I learn the more I think HP/Compaq needs a spanking!
screwing
