T61p with laggy youtube 1080p playback issue

[ijunsung]

Hi Forum,

Here is my system

Hardware : T61P (T9300, 8GB RAM, SSD, Quadro Fx 570M)
OS : Linux mint 17.3
Browser : Chrome

It has no issue with 720p youtube playback chrome but gets laggy with 1080p playback on chrome.

I searched the articles and found this at viewtopic.php?f=29&t=125194.
He might have similar problem with playback. he solved out the problem by drive updating. I also use the latest driver but cannot solve out.

Should I upgrade to x9000 or x9100 to solve this problem by adding more cpu power?

I appreciate your opinion in advance

[ac12]

I sometimes have that problem on my desktop.
1080p works fine most of the time, then other time it stutters and I have to drop down to 720p to stop the stuttering.
I presume it is either congestion on the internet or the YouTube server is being maxed out.

[beskus]

I do not recommend installing "house fire" X-Series core2duo's to rectify the problem at all.

Verify if your browser is using hardware acceleration (type about://gpu in the navigation bar). In most cases, many components are poorly/not accelerated by your graphics card. Poor acceleration is usually caused by old cards lacking support from their respective drivers. If you use the lastest drivers and YouTube only munches the CPU and not GPU, try this:

Copy/paste the YouTube URL in VLC media player, simply press Ctrl+N and paste the YouTube URL. To ensure the quality is in HD, append this to the URL

Code: Select all

?version=3&vq=hd1080

The reason why I prefer this method is because VLC uses proper hardware acceleration.

If you dont want to use VLC, you can give YoutubeDL command line utility a try.

If I must show a video in the browsers, I'd stick with 720p.

[axur-delmeria]

A T9300 is able to handle 1080p H.264 video by itself. Problem is, web browsers add a significant CPU load.

H.264 decoding can be offloaded to the nVidia 570M. The Problem again lies with the browsers, because they have a spotty record when it comes to supporting that.

That's why I agree with beskus's suggestion of using VLC.

There's also software like minitube which has lower CPU overhead compared to Chrome.

[storm-chaser]

I have a very similar rig. 15.4" T61p with 4GB RAM an FX 570m and an X9000 CPU.

I like the X9000 CPU because it offer's scalability that you can't get from a T9300. If I'm doing something CPU intensive I can use ThrottleStop to overclock up to 3.6Ghz, but on average I have it running at 3.2-3.4Ghz. The only problem is Fan control. The only real program out there is TPFanControl and the settings are almost completely counter-intuitive. If you can figure out how to get the fan to run at 4,000rpm the extra heat is really not a problem. However without fan control, an X9000 will run on the hot side. Use ThrottleStop to undervolt and mitigate some of the extra heat.

I just have the CPU for bragging rights. I'm sure the T9300 is not slowing you down, however. I think the problem is more with the FX 570m and I don't think there is one real "cure all". You are running Linux, so perhaps this doesn't apply, but I would recommend Windows 7 over Windows 10. In my experience, T61s seem to have better video playback on all browsers when Running Windows 7.

Another issue is that the video card produces staggering amounts of heat. This is common among all T61p's. The stock or middleton bios runs the GPU at a staggering 1.1volts (or something like that, very high). I would recommend you upgrade to HotSuns bios. I don't know if that name is correct but it should get you pointed in the right direction. With this aftermarket BIOS it will run your GPU at .95 or .9 volts which offers a huge decrease in heat and better playback performance.

As for the CPU upgrade, would I recommend it? To most people, absolutely not. But if you like your computer and enjoy tweaking and tuning then the X9000 is right for you. Plus it has an advantage over the X9100 in that it's a direct drop in due to the 800Mhz FSB) … Just be aware you will have to keep a close eye on your temps. I use ThrottleStop for overclocking and undervolting (run 3.2Ghz @ 1.2v) and Core temp for real time temp monitoring. And then, I attempt to use TPFanControl although it's aggrivating most of the time. Because if there was a simple and easy to use program (such as what you see in mothboard BIOS PWM control) heat would only be a minor concern with these "HOT" chips.

[wujstefan]

Hold on there.

All and any problems are caused by video acceleration in your browsers' settings. L7500 X61s runs 720p smoothly.
I've been fighting this problem some time ago, albeit with 128mb fx570m. It was there.

[storm-chaser]

Hold on there.

All and any problems are caused by video acceleration in your browsers' settings. L7500 X61s runs 720p smoothly.
I've been fighting this problem some time ago, albeit with 128mb fx570m. It was there.

His 720p video playback is fine, he is talking about 1080p playback. perhaps we should ask him what his GPU temps are at playback?
I still think it's a hardware issue more than a software encoding /acceleration problem. I.E. FX 570M can just bearly hold it's own nowadays with how GPU intensive some websites are.

[wujstefan]

fx570m handles 1080p just fine, even the 128Mb version. I checked my R61 w/nvs140m and it runs 1080p fine.

[storm-chaser]

fx570m handles 1080p just fine, even the 128Mb version. I checked my R61 w/nvs140m and it runs 1080p fine.

I don't agree, just based from personal use of my T61p the web experience in today's era is incredibly GPU and CPU intensive, besides we are not talking about the NVS140m, the video card in question is the FX570m.

All other things being equal, the FX 570m barely holds it's own. And when you have a massive voltage of 1.1 flowing through a laptop GPU, high core temps can lead to major playback issues.

I stand by my original comment that he could benefit from HighSuns BIOS that undervolts the GPU to .95v or .9v core.

[wujstefan]

I don't agree, just based from personal use of my T61p the web experience in today's era is incredibly GPU and CPU intensive

Well I have no idea whet you're doing with your T61p, but mine was doing just fine until I've sold it April this year.

besides we are not talking about the NVS140m, the video card in question is the FX570m.

So I should believe that despite anything is working on a nvs140m it will not work on fx570m?

nvs140m is a weaker chip than fx570m, so if anything is running on the 8400MGS, it should definietely run on 8600MGT. I've been working on my T61p as my main unit for couple of years, and with the nerfed 128mb chip, never had any problems streaming 1080p after disabling VA in my browser.
Fx570m is a 35W power hog that I have personally used for gaming with Civilization V and the likes; and for everyday use it should stand strong for some time. Of course it does make a difference what you are doing, but just streaming 1080p out of youtube caused no problems on mine unit.

I stand by my original comment that he could benefit from HighSuns BIOS that undervolts the GPU to .95v or .9v core.

I did not find it working stable below 950mV on any of my fx570m units as long as you want your system to run at 100% its capabilities (and I've been Middletoning/Highsunning 6 or 7 systems). This is the power limit, and you have to be lucky.

I will not tell the thread starter to dump his system because it is too weak.
I'd rather try to check if it really is before I do.

[storm-chaser]

LOL You can tell the OP whatever you want to. Not invalidating your claim to whatever you ascribe to be... T61p expert or not.

We are all here trying to help this gentleman out with his rig and you apparently know what's best but so far I hear you talking about a different resolution and a different video card than what the OP has on his laptop.

And .95 volts on his GPU is much more reasonable than the refridgerator sized amount of voltage that flows through in stock form.

[storm-chaser]

Also FYI to the OP, your T9300 processor has an early "turbo" mode that may allow you to get a performance boost called IDA mode. Obviously, if you were running Windows I would say download ThrottleStop and enable dual IDA mode for the 13.5X multiplier ( = 2700 Mhz across both cores), but you are running Linux. The only thing that may get you close is something like GitHub. Supposedly it was reverse engineered from ThrottleStop so it just might actually work. The option you are looking for is to enable "Dual IDA mode". While this may not solve the root issue, it may help by giving you a little more processing power when you need it most (approx 13% OC).

[wujstefan]

LOL You can tell the OP whatever you want to. Not invalidating your claim to whatever you ascribe to be... T61p expert or not.

We are all here trying to help this gentleman out with his rig and you apparently know what's best but so far I hear you talking about a different resolution and a different video card than what the OP has on his laptop.

And .95 volts on his GPU is much more reasonable than the refridgerator sized amount of voltage that flows through in stock form.

Sorry, but I quit this argument; I simply do not like being offended. Stay well.

[storm-chaser]

LOL You can tell the OP whatever you want to. Not invalidating your claim to whatever you ascribe to be... T61p expert or not.

We are all here trying to help this gentleman out with his rig and you apparently know what's best but so far I hear you talking about a different resolution and a different video card than what the OP has on his laptop.

And .95 volts on his GPU is much more reasonable than the refridgerator sized amount of voltage that flows through in stock form.

Sorry, but I quit this argument; I simply do not like being offended. Stay well.

Yes, sorry that was not my intent. I am sure we can both work together and offer advice that will help this gentleman get the most out of his laptop! Teamwork makes the dream work.

All the best,

[Screamer]

It has no issue with 720p youtube playback chrome but gets laggy with 1080p playback on chrome.

Are you playing 1080p60 videos? Those always get laggy with the increased CPU load on the T9300, it simply can not handle it. Normal 1080p videos on the other hand will work fine without any lag, though.

Should I upgrade to x9000 or x9100 to solve this problem by adding more cpu power?

Please don't, it will only cut down the lag in very rare situations where the T9300 will struggle at 720p60 videos. Even if you upgraded to a X9000 or a X9100, it will not solve the lag you will get with 1080p60 videos. I had to manually jack the X9100 up to 4GHz to get a half-smooth playback on 1080p60, there is lag even at such a ridiculous clock speed.

I highly suggest beskus' idea of watching the video in VLC instead, or go with axur-delmeria's idea of using minitube.