12.5" HP Elitebook 2570P Owner's Lounge

[ugleex 11]

Hey guys, so I'm thinking of getting this one after running into all kinds of dsdt issues with my 2540p and being unable to make it compile (was trying to sync it with my 750 TI but couldn't get there.. just dsdt problems everywhere) - would the 2570p be a good alternative or could I run into similar problems, especially since I'd be getting it used and all that (I was getting hundreds of errors, acpi non compliance even when errors cleared and so on with my other)?

[shikyo 18]

quick question:

would it be ok to use a thermal silicon heatsink pad under a copper shim with a center die cutout for the purpose of to just protect the processor circuits in case it bent under pressure or moved. Or would this have a negative effect and instead transfer the heat from the shim to the processor chip itself? both the shim and pad are the same 25x25x1 size.

example with single shim: had to use 2 since only 0.6mm thick and 1.0 is max clearance.

heatsink

thermal paste

copper shim

thermal paste

copper shim

thermal paste on die itself

thermal pad with die cutout to protect circuits

processor

[ugleex 11]

Sorry if this has been posted - was unable to find a clear answer but now that I got my 2540p to work, I'm kind of itching to go higher as the CPU seems to really bottleneck. How big of a jump would this model be over the 2570 quad i7 (I have the 620 version) if I buy it with an I7 3520m? Kind of hoping to get a little more out of my 750 TI (most everything runs beautifully but things like witcher 2 dip into 20s if I'm above mediumish).

[Tech Inferno Fan 20]

Sorry if this has been posted - was unable to find a clear answer but now that I got my 2540p to work, I'm kind of itching to go higher as the CPU seems to really bottleneck. How big of a jump would this model be over the 2570 quad i7 (I have the 620 version) if I buy it with an I7 3520m? Kind of hoping to get a little more out of my 750 TI (most everything runs beautifully but things like witcher 2 dip into 20s if I'm above mediumish).

i7-3520M is a dual-core CPU that's 64% faster than a i7 620M CPU per =890&cmp[]=849"]PassMark - CPU Performance.

2570P systems do not come with a quad-core CPU from the factory. Need to user upgrade them to that spec which is very easy to do. Hence doesn't make sense to pay a premium for a i7 2570P which is only marginally faster than the i5 version.

2570P also has the Gen2 expresscard slot which will see further increases in performance over your Gen1 2540P. For a comparison of how much more see http://forum.techinferno.com/implementation-guides-pc/2747-12-dell-e6230-hd7870-gtx660%40x4gbps-c-ec2-pe4l-2-1b-win7-%5BTech Inferno Fan%5D.html

[ugleex 11]

Thanks Nando,

I think I misunderstood. I remember reading elsewhere that AMD quad cores are 4 cores and intel 'quad' is actually 2 cores hyperthreaded (not sure what that means exactly) that makes them a quad. But I guess you're talking about an actual quad core intel chip with 8 cores after HT? I see, so you simply buy a cheap i5 and then the chip itself separately. Like I'm looking at a 500 dollar 3610qm 2570 or as you mention I can simply buy a chip (I'm seeing one on ebay for like 140 bucks) and a cheap i5 (I'm seeing them as low as 100 in good condition). And according to that page a 3160qm i7 is 7500. I see - wow. I'll have to read through this thread some more to see what kind of issues people run in overriding DSDT with this as all this hardware swapping seems like it'd give some issues especially with my 750

Thanks!

edit: Wow for like the same price I could've gotten a gigantic boost in comparison. Damn. This is a hidden gem indeed.

[Kolyan2k 10]

Was anyone able to get Client Security Manager to work with Chrome browser on Win 8.1 64bit ?

[carrierlost 11]

Inspired by phillofocs writeup on linux+grub2+ASPM I managed to implement ASPM fix via grub2 without needing to install Linux on hard-drive or to re-install Windows 7.

Starting situation

So at the beginning I had standard Win7 installed which consumed the whole disk. Win7 creates 2 partitions by default - system (first) and the one you see as C: (second). I had no recovery partition. My setup was non-UEFI, so my setup uses the traditional bootup process and disk layout (MBR).

The goal

Grub2 installed on harddrive and configured so that it initializes the ASPM system and then starts (chainloads) the Windows.

Steps

0. Make sure you have backup your important stuff in case you manage destroy something.

1. Reserve some space for grub2. Grub2 is going to need some small space to store its files and configuration data. I chose to create a very small partition for that.

Firstly I needed to create some space on HDD for that.I shrunk Windows partition by 128M with built in Windows Disk Management tool.

In the tool just right click on your C: partition and select Shrink Volume and select the amount to shrink. I used 128M, but you can get away with much less as my grub2 took less than 12Mbytes of that. You should now have some free space for grub.

2. Get some LIVE disc or usb stick of linux. We are not going to install the distro only to use to install grub2 once. I used lubuntu,

3. Boot to live linux from disc. Using you favorite partition tool (for example gparted) find that disk we created the free space on in step 1. Create a new partition. I used ext2 and make the filesystem on it.

4. Mount the filesystem somewhere and remember the mountpoint. I used /mnt/grub2

5. Important! We are about installing grub2 to MBR and to the newly created partition. Make sure you have time to troubleshoot this step if anything goes wrong. Once you have started you must complete it in order to have a bootable machine.

5a. Installing grub requires to run grub-install. Grub-install will install grub2 into HDD in two parts:

first part will go to your MBR (/dev/sda) and second part to the partition we created (mounted on /mnt/grub2). Run

sudo grub-install --root-directory=/mnt/grub2 /dev/sda

Make sure that you use the right mountpoint if you used anything other than /mnt/grub2 in step 4.

5b, Go to /mnt/grub2. There should be directory boot under it and grub below it. Go there. It should have fonts, i386-pc, locale, grubenv.

Now we need to create grub.cfg in that directory file that basically tells grub2 what to do at boottime. Without it would give you grub2 CLI at boot.

set default=0

menuentry "Microsoft Windows 7 ASPM enabled" {

## Note: FACP address is 0xB9CF5xxx for bios F.34
## FACP address is 0xB9FFCxxx for bios F.4x series
write_byte 0xB9FFC06D 0x3

## Now add 0x10 to checksum correct 0x10 deducted above to a unused byte

write_byte 0xB9FFC019 0x10

chainloader (hd0,msdos1)+1
}

menuentry "Microsoft Windows 7 standard" {
chainloader (hd0,msdos1)+1
}

set timeout=3

The configuration file creates a menu with two item. First (and default) which enables ASPM and boots Windows.

Second just boots windows as before. You have 3 seconds to start making a selection, otherwise first choice is activated. Windows bootloader is assumed to be installed on partition1 (msdos1 in grub2 speak) of first hdd (hd0 in grub2 speak). Adjust if needed. Please note that bootoader resides in the System partition, NOT C:, (which is msdos2 in my case). I assume that you are running F.4x series BIOS (I'm using F.45). If not please adjust the memory writing addresses.

Unmount /mnt/grub2.

6. Reboot and remove you live media. You should now have a menu where you can select whether to boot with ASPM or not.

7. Verify in windows that ASPM whether ASPM is enabled or not by using powercfg -energy

Other notes:

A. Feel free to change grub.cfg. You can reduce the timeout, rename the menuname etc. You can either do it by booting to linux and using an editor or mount it via ext2fsd in windows.

B. UEFI based setup is possible, but will have to figure it out yourself. Look at writeup on linux+grub2+ASPM for clues.

C. Why no setpci commands? Well I tested it and it made absolutely no added value on top of memory writes in my scenario (legacy boot process). In case UEFI it might be different.

D. Can creating of grub2 partition avoided and grub2 files be located in some existing ntfs partition? Maybe. But grub2 is not exacly well documented and what we are doing here is already niche use-case.

Please remember that if you decide to try this then I'm not going to be responsible if something breaks. Your HDD layout may be different based on how your windows is installed. Your linux distribution might be different. You might use UEFI. Grub2 version you are installing might be different. Dont attempt if you didnt understand the concepts described and you are able to correct for whatever circuimstances.

[Tech Inferno Fan 20]

Inspired by phillofocs writeup on linux+grub2+ASPM I managed to implement ASPM fix via grub2 without needing to install Linux on hard-drive or to re-install Windows 7.

menuentry "Microsoft Windows 7 ASPM enabled" { 

        ## Note: FACP address is 0xB9CF5xxx for bios F.34
        ##       FACP address is 0xB9FFCxxx for bios F.4x series
        write_byte 0xB9FFC06D 0x3

        ## Now add 0x10 to checksum correct 0x10 deducted above to a unused byte

        write_byte 0xB9FFC019 0x10

Nice work there. I'll add that there an even simpler way of accomplishing this. That's by creating a patched MBR that does these memory writes. You can get an idea of what's involved by reviewing this post: http://forum.techinferno.com/desktop-storage/2108-diy-adding-ssd-hdd-storage-using-optical-bay-caddy-%5Bver-2-0%5D.html#post38289

[phillofoc 52]

Nice work there. I'll add that there an even simpler way of accomplishing this. That's by creating a patched MBR that does these memory writes. You can get an idea of what's involved by reviewing this post: http://forum.techinferno.com/desktop-storage/2108-diy-adding-ssd-hdd-storage-using-optical-bay-caddy-%5Bver-2-0%5D.html#post38289

Nando, I did try your mod on UEFI and it does work (powercfg doesn't show the bios ACPI error). Sorry I didn't get back to you sooner. I didn't check if it causes the SD card reader to fall off the bus or if my power consumption was as low as the setpci configuration, the lowest I've seen was 4.9W with my setpci config idling on my desktop only and the brightness turned fully down. I'll try to get to it soon and report back, as modifying the memory registers would work for everyone out of the box vs having to check the setpci for each wifi card.

If anyone's interested, Secure Boot doesn't work with either mod on my system.

[ugleex 11]

Well - finally got mine. After an arduous process with my 2540p where I finally managed to clean dsdt, this one did not present any issues except one that google doesn't want to reveal - my dsdt override is clean (this is before anything is plugged in) - no warnings/errors a few remarks about a useless reference or something but the large memory allocation still won't show up under resources. Has this ever happened to you guys - I'm finding nothing on google.

p.s. After numerous attempts, I did plug the card in, error 12 as expected (I have 750 ti so it's a pain), ran setup 1.3 as before, but that did nothing as expected (nando told me I had to do both, clean dsdt first, then setup for this card, which is what I had done with 2540p but that's neither here nor there - why won't my large memory block show with a clean override? Any ideas?

[sangemaru 51]

Inspired by phillofocs writeup on linux+grub2+ASPM I managed to implement ASPM fix via grub2 without needing to install Linux on hard-drive or to re-install Windows 7.

Thanks for sharing, this looks like a great way to get ASPM benefits without a whole lot of hassle. Off the top of your head, do you think this might be usable for Windows 8.1 as well?

[carrierlost 11]

Thanks for sharing, this looks like a great way to get ASPM benefits without a whole lot of hassle. Off the top of your head, do you think this might be usable for Windows 8.1 as well?

I think yes. If you have installed your windows 8.1 to MBR/legacy mode it should be the same as with windows 7.

In case of UEFI/GPT I think install is possible, but configurarion/installation would needed to be modified (see phillofocs post for hints as he is using UEFI ).

[sangemaru 51]

So in theory just patch the MBR and enable ASPM?

[phillofoc 52]

Thanks for sharing, this looks like a great way to get ASPM benefits without a whole lot of hassle. Off the top of your head, do you think this might be usable for Windows 8.1 as well?

I'm running Win 8.1 here, just the UEFI flavor. I don't see why it wouldn't work with the legacy BIOS settings. Just make a good backup before you start. I did happen to trash my BCD, so just be careful about messing with that depending on the guide that you use.

[ugleex 11]

So in case anyone runs into a similar problem as I have... I fixed my override issue by doing a fresh win7 install (it was already up to date and everything so I shot the moon and downloaded the 800 meg driver package then went through everything in DM one by one and updated it afterwards). I received the same exact errors/remarks/etc. only this time I decided to just fix the errors and now I can see the large memory block.

So here comes step 2..

(and then I'll have to redo it all over because I want to move my 2540p SSD into it but that's fine I suppose).

Still can't figure out why my SATA III drive is downgrading to II though and my 3.0 port is only 100 mb/s.. oh wells ><

[capsulej 10]

Great laptop (especially thanks to this thread) but has anyone else had issues with their ac adapter overheating?

[sangemaru 51]

There's a new bios version up. F61Ap1. Anyone have any idea what's included in it? I can't find it on google, only in HP Software Assistant.

[ugleex 11]

Can anyone explain how the heck nando got 15 hours off a 9 cell? With max. savings my high capacity is barely hitting 8 with wifi off etc. I imagine I got a dud but perhaps I'm wrong and was hoping someone could stir me in the right direction.

I ran powercfg -energy and it showed the max capacity and max charge to be the same (a hair below 71k), but not sure how to interpret that.

[Tech Inferno Fan 20]

Can anyone explain how the heck nando got 15 hours off a 9 cell? With max. savings my high capacity is barely hitting 8 with wifi off etc. I imagine I got a dud but perhaps I'm wrong and was hoping someone could stir me in the right direction.

I ran powercfg -energy and it showed the max capacity and max charge to be the same (a hair below 71k), but not sure how to interpret that.

I never got 15 hours. That's what HP spec their 9-cell battery as for the 2570P. Apply the 2570P battery saving tweaks and enjoy the best battery life you can get.

[ugleex 11]

Sorry just going by the first post in this thread - "100Wh 9-cell battery (15hrs)" - sort of assumed that since you're listing it as one of the top features it was based on experience or something.

My apologies I guess, but 8 hrs vs 15? Tweaks or not, that seems kind of weak. Oh well. At least I got a backup door stopper.

[Tech Inferno Fan 20]

Sorry just going by the first post in this thread - "100Wh 9-cell battery (15hrs)" - sort of assumed that since you're listing it as one of the top features it was based on experience or something.

My apologies I guess, but 8 hrs vs 15? Tweaks or not, that seems kind of weak. Oh well. At least I got a backup door stopper.

15 hours would need the system to draw an average of 6.66W. I measured 5.3W when it was idle, doing nothing. Put some load on the SSD, iGPU or SSD and watch that go up significantly. 8-9hrs is more realistic.

[ugleex 11]

Aye, the 8 hrs was with it doing nothing. Just opened cmd and ran the powercfg. Max dim, max savings, (didn't have TS with powersavings on, not sure how much that'd help, will try later - atm I don't have the quad in yet, so the cpu is only 35w as well if that matters).

Taking forever - was supposed to arrive today ><

I'm hoping to buy a 680 and perhaps run witcher 3 at a reasonable fps. Sucks that Shogun 2 has never been optimized =/ I love that game and it still sucks due to the whole 1 core thing.

[Andrew479 16]

Hi there,

long time no see.

Could someone recommend me budget nVidia GPU fully compatible with 2570p and 8470p in eGPU setup?

My first aim was for 750ti, which provides best performance per watt, but apparently isn't quite compatible with 2570p.

OS: Windows 7 x64 and XP x86

Also have GRUB as bootloader, so Setup 1.2x isn't a choice for me.

[Tech Inferno Fan 20]

Hi there,

long time no see.

Could someone recommend me budget nVidia GPU fully compatible with 2570p and 8470p in eGPU setup?

My first aim was for 750ti, which provides best performance per watt, but apparently isn't quite compatible with 2570p.

OS: Windows 7 x64 and XP x86

Also have GRUB as bootloader, so Setup 1.2x isn't a choice for me.

Indeed, has been a while. Snce you have Win7 I assume you are running MBR (CSM/legacy) rather than UEFI. With a GRUB/GRUB2 bootloader in place you'd have the option of launching Setup 1.30 in one of two ways:

- as a new menuitem in your grub.cfg. This is preferred since it eliminates bootmenu looping.

- as a bootmgr menuitem. This would then give a looped GRUB->Win bootmgr -> Setup 1.30 -> Win bootmgr -> Win7 bootup process.

GTX650/750/9xx all require a contiguous 256MB+16MB which cannot be accomodated in the available 32-bit PCIe space of a 2570P/8470P. So then need a 2570P DSDT override to extend out into 36/64-bit space. With the DSDT override in place, Win8.1 just might resolves the error 12 for you. Occasionally Win7 will too.

If wanting to limit yourself to the default 32-bit PCIe space then you'll need a GTX4xx/GTX5xx/GTX6xx/GTX7xx card that allocated 128MB+64MB+16MB or less. What is best from that range for performance per watt? GTX760?

I'll add that a UEFI install of Win 8.1 has some benefits over MBR on a 2570P/8470P like eGPU resume-from-sleep and seemingly resolves error 12.

Please read the eGPU section on the opening post which about covers it.

[Andrew479 16]

Thanks, I'd rather stick to MBR and Win7+XP.

750ti would be best option since it's 60W TDP perfect for 12V 5A AC brick which is easily transportable.

I'm now digging into the DSDT modification and I'm slightly puzzled how to load it as registry modification.

By the way, has anyone found out if BIOS rollback is possible after F.50? That would really help.

One last thing - 2570p consumes less power under 32bit Windows OS. I measured 4.7W idle with lowest brightness, no wifi and 2nd HDD attached.