Gateway FX laptop Series Thread *mods and upgrades*

[bigal1542]

Originally Posted by redmustang

Hey guys I got my 7805
Do any of you guys hdd light constantly flash? Mine seems to always be flashing but I don't notice any slowdown and it runs games like a champ.

Responses appreciated.

Yep that is perfectly normal. You most likely are using the "memory" that your OS allotted to the HD. If you do start to see problems and it slowing down, then you might want to check into it more, but for now it is normal.

Originally Posted by Visk

I know this has probably been answered already, but I can't seem to find the answer. I am trying to upgrade my CPU to something 2.6GHz or higher. Trying to play all the games I have, and some require more than the stock P8400. What is the best CPU i can upgrade to, bang for my buck.

I have heard a ton of different things in the thread about getting new CPU's but you should listen to the guys who actually got and replaced the original (I did not). So I won't be able to make any good recommendations about that, but I know that I did install a faster hard drive and that made a world of difference. You can even go with RAID 0. There are benchmarks on the first page too

[Visk]

Originally Posted by bigal1542

I have heard a ton of different things in the thread about getting new CPU's but you should listen to the guys who actually got and replaced the original (I did not). So I won't be able to make any good recommendations about that, but I know that I did install a faster hard drive and that made a world of difference. You can even go with RAID 0. There are benchmarks on the first page too

Would I be able to just add another of the same hard drive that the laptop already comes with, in order to make a RAID 0? That's if I can find another xD. Thanks for the feedback.

[bigal1542]

Originally Posted by Visk

Would I be able to just add another of the same hard drive that the laptop already comes with, in order to make a RAID 0? That's if I can find another xD. Thanks for the feedback.

Going raid with the OEM hard drive you will need something like the stock Western Digital ( Serial ATA 150 8MB cache) . For the best performance I recommend 2 x 200GB 7200rpm 16mb Serial ATA 300 drives.

(quoted from the front page)

[bigal1542]

So I got a bunch of open time last night and this morning, so I decided to test the max core temps like crazy. For all test I used Speedfan and HWMonitor running together to make sure that they were both correct. In every case this was true. I ran three rounds of maxing out the cores both before and after applying the new thermal paste. I ran Prime95 with the "in-place large FFTs" to achieve the highest temperature quickly. I also ran Orthos once and came up with similar results. I alternated where the laptop was placed (On a kitchen counter) so that there was a cool surface and had the laptop power off for 30 minutes between each run. I made sure the air temp was the same also. Here is what I got for my data:

Before cleaning the heatsink and adding Arctic Silver 7
The average temps shown are PRIOR to starting the Test as numbered:
2: 59c
3: 63c
4: 65c
5: 67c
6: 68c
At which point I stopped testing because it was a little warmer than I wanted to let my CPU run.

I then opened it up and cleaned the heatsink, which was extremely dusty and applied new thermal paste after cleaning it with 91% Isopropyl Alcohol.

My results after:
2: 50c
3: 52c
4: 54c
5: 54c
6: 55c
I kept it running for a good two hours after and my temp never got above 55c. I also noticed that the other components were cooler, but that was only a few degrees.

So all in all, the new thermal paste and cleaning made a world of difference!

A few things to note:
I have undervolted my processor with this guide. I am running my CPU at the max frequency on .95 volts. Temps will most likely be higher if you are running your laptop with the default voltage.

Also a question for everyone. So I read in a guide that you are not supposed to take the thermal pad off of the Northbridge, or apply thermal paste instead. When I was removing the heatsink, part of the thermal pad came off with the heatsink, while most stayed. I made sure that when I put it back, it would fit in the same way, but I still worry about it. Is there any alternative to a heat pad? Also, will any problems arise due to a few tears in the heatpad? Do I need to worry about the temps on the Northbridge, and if so is there a program that lets me monitor the temp there?

Thanks! And if you have any questions feel free to ask!

[martee]

Originally Posted by Visk

I know this has probably been answered already, but I can't seem to find the answer. I am trying to upgrade my CPU to something 2.6GHz or higher. Trying to play all the games I have, and some require more than the stock P8400. What is the best CPU i can upgrade to, bang for my buck.

Hello Visk,

I upgraded my P7805 with the T9600, 2.80GHz with 6MB L2, 35W and runs 26-30C at idle and 64-67C under the load.

Also, you can upgrade to the T9800 (2.90GHz), T9900 (3.06GHz) or P9700 (2.80GHz) however these ones are a little more expensive. The last one runs at 25W that is the same as the stock P8400.

I do not recommend the X series processors (65W) which runs very hot and you can't overclock in the FX notebooks.


Cheers...

[Visk]

Originally Posted by martee

Hello Visk,

I upgraded my P7805 with the T9600, 2.80GHz with 6MB L2, 35W and runs 26-30C at idle and 64-67C under the load.

Also, you can upgrade to the T9800 (2.90GHz), T9900 (3.06GHz) or P9700 (2.80GHz) however these ones are a little more expensive. The last one runs at 25W that is the same as the stock P8400.

I do not recommend the X series processors (65W) which runs very hot and you can't overclock in the FX notebooks.


Cheers...

Thanks martee,

T9600 is in my price range and it looks good. I was actually comparing whether to get the P9600 and T9600 now that you mentioned . Just waiting for some good deals on either. Thanks again for your feedback, much appreciated.

[BigHops323]

Originally Posted by martee

Hello Visk,

I do not recommend the X series processors (65W) which runs very hot and you can't overclock in the FX notebooks.


Cheers...

This is wrong, you can overclock the extreme series by bumping the multiplier, it is just limited to 3GHz. So there is no way to overclock the Montevina extreme, but the Santa Rosa's will.

EDIT: This really only affects those with the 68xx series notebooks.

[Asus Mobile]

Originally Posted by martee

I do not recommend the X series processors (65W) which runs very hot and you can't overclock in the FX notebooks.
Cheers...

I have it at 44w TDP and 45w TDP for quad X?

Originally Posted by BigHops323

This is wrong, you can overclock the extreme series by bumping the multiplier, it is just limited to 3GHz. So there is no way to overclock the Montevina extreme, but the Santa Rosa's will.

EDIT: This really only affects those with the 68xx series notebooks.

You are correct abou the multipliers. I don't have your system but think the Montevina can OC also.

[martee]

Originally Posted by BigHops323

This is wrong, you can overclock the extreme series by bumping the multiplier, it is just limited to 3GHz. So there is no way to overclock the Montevina extreme, but the Santa Rosa's will.

EDIT: This really only affects those with the 68xx series notebooks

Originally Posted by Asus Mobile

I have it at 44w TDP and 45w TDP for quad X?

You are correct abou the multipliers. I don't have your system but think the Montevina can OC also.

Guys,

As I mentioned earlier putting for example the X9100 in the 7805 or any other notebook from the p78 series in a mistake. Really. What's the point in running such processor if you still cant overclock it because Gateway not allowing to do that. As GigHops mentioned it's still limited to 3GHZ. There's no option in the BIOS to push such CPU over 3GHZ. I'm still at my point that I do not recommend the Xtreme processors.

You have the 44Watts processor which produces nothing more than the T9900 that is 35 Watts. You only have more heat and nothing more. I guess, people still buying the X series CPUs because they are chipper, but they have to deal with power hungry cpu and more heat for no advantage in the performance, For this few bucks which will left in the pocket they must buy the coolers instead. That's all.

I'm really happy with my T9600. Earlier I had the P7811 with the T9900 which I sold to my friend. And I can tell that these both processors run a like.


Cheers...

[redmustang]

Does anyone else have a problem with there screen like twitching?

It is almost like it is artifacting but I am not ocing my gpu at all.

Sometimes my display driver stops responding but windows it successfully resets it. And it has been doing this since I got it, so I don't think its a driver problem. (since the drivers have been updated since then)

If you know what is going on could you tell me if it is fixable or if i should rma to compusa?