Can't Play Games on AMD Radeon 6770M??

[Sunny09]

Hello... i'm just figuring out to buy a new laptop n' that in my mind would probably be the hp pavilion dv6-6165tx ( this model is selling now in India n' sadly we can't customize them ) that has the intel corei7 2670QM and switchable Radeon 6770m. The other specs on this laptop look good as ever.

My primary concern it that.. i haven't played any games for last couple of years n' now i wanted to come back to gaming. This is indeed a good laptop for gaming but some new feature called the dynamic switching graphics is introduced that uses the gpu for 3d applications,games and intensive load apps while the integrated intel accelerator works for rest of the time. It's infact not working fine to the fullest as i came across discussions which said that the fps rates are falling down at certain points in game while it lags or freezes unconditionally several times. This looks like a big time problem to me as i want smooth gaming throughout and that the switching should be automatic but without some flaws.

So Please help me if the pavilion dv6 is worth a buy due to the radeon 6770m not being completely satisfied for gaming purpose as it the intel accelerator interrupts when it feels like the gpu's work is too small for it to be activated. If there is any fix for this issue pls post the same n' suggest me what i can do to get my complete experience after buying my new pavilion dv6.

Also, i have seen that the nvidia geforce gpu with optimus tech has the same problem though it is quite refined and introduced previously to the dynamic switching feature of the radeon cards.These are available on DELL,ASUS etc which were in my mind as to decide on what brand to buy. But they don't have a fix till now as the intel accelerator works at all times n' only at certain periods the gpu gets activated to assist the gma.

I need some valuable suggestions as how i could make my gpu be the default one or how to make better use of the automatic switching thing when playing demanding games.

[Matt_Lo]

Hi Sunny09,

Hopefully these steps to take will help:

First, go to the hp support and drivers page for your model and check to see if you have the latest driver for your graphics.  If not, then download and install it including the Catalyst control center which should come with the driver.

Next, start your computer into BIOS by pressing F10 at startup.  Under System Configuration, you should see the option for Switchable Graphics.  Make sure to set it to "Fixed".  Then exit saving changes.

Then restart into Windows and open the Catalyst Control Center.  There should be an option to chose which GPU you wish to use.  Select High Performance to use the dedicated GPU only.

WARNING:  USING THE HIGH PERFORMANCE GPU AT ALL TIMES WILL CONSUME GREATER BATTERY POWER THAN NORMAL, AND PLAYING GRAPHIC INTENSIVE GAMES MAY CAUSE EXCESSIVE HEAT.

[sonnie]

Hi, same problem with probook 4530s but there's no fixed mode for switchable graphics in BIOS

[Sunny09]

Thanks for the help Matt.. that's solved half of the intention left in my mind.

I want to know that after setting it to Fixed in the BIOS config , (1) will i be able to manually change between radeon 6770m and intel accelerator whenever i want, using the catalyst and without any restart ? (2) And when I switch between graphics will it take some time to load or cause flickering of screen and forcibly close some programs running which needed those 3d rendering from the gpu ?

Yes that's a concern as to running a laptop with corei7 and a high end gpu at all times reduces the battery life to much extent. Also, the heating but that can't be prevented when u have a powerful machine and play loads of games.

[Matt_Lo]

Yes, you can change the GPU usage manually from CCC whenever you want without a restart.

The settings should be immediate and, aside from a change in performance, unnoticable. If you have an issue with screeen flickering, you may need to update your BIOS. Otherwise, you should be good to go.

[Sunny09]

I wouldn't have to update my BIOS further after getting the latest one which supports the switching feature as in 'fixed' option.

However, if the flickering or the wait doesn't occur and remains unnoticed or is relatively fast in acting upon it wouldn't mind me much as it makes my experience flexible enough when the gpu needs to be changed quite often.

Anyways, thanks for the help and tips suggested .. that surely helped me quite a lot.

[balkeet]

i know that we can set gpu to fixed in bios but why is it so,is the auto switch issue in
dv6 still unresolved???