ASUS ROG Zephyrus GX501 Owner's Lounge

I took a break because of the holiday but I should be able to squeeze in some more testing tonight. I'll check to see if it draws a lot of power from the battery while at full load. My guess is it'll be minor, if there's any drain at all. I didn't see any with the RBP and that one had an overclockable CPU and a brighter screen.

I'm not sure if 330w is really necessary. I tested the Aorus x7 DT recently and it only had a 230w PSU. Most of my tests were equivalent or better than the AW17. Heck, I was even able to overclock the Aorus higher than the AW17 with stock paste on both. But to your other point, the battery drained on the Aorus, because of the insufficient PSU. It wasn't terrible as it only would affect someone who gamed >6 hours straight, but it was still a concern. 250W was the power draw I measured, so that would have been the sweet spot to have as a PSU. Their v7 is 250W so we'll soon see how that one does. Considering Max-Q has a lower TDP though, 230W is probably more than enough. I'll try to check for sure tonight.

 

Atm I oc by using Afterburner and XTU. The GPU utilizes 0.7-0.8v at max., so custom curve in AB is no option as it does not go below 0.8.

Game Center is installed but I probably will remove it as it has no oc option.

Unit is VERY silent under load, psychacoustically maybe half as loud as my AW17R4.

I will do game tests in the following days.

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Applied a -.1V undervolt as well as the same 220mhz OC that bsh3r made.

Ran FS and Witcher 3 session at default Ultra settings

First, with the UV:
-CPU temps dropped from 91 to 85 in benchmarking.
-in game CPU temps dropped from 96 to 88
This is all pretty known stuff with the i7-7700HQ

Now with the OC:
-Firestrike Graphics score went from 18495 to 20362
-GPU temp went from 74 to 77
-In game performance went from a range of 69-79 to a range of 74-86 fps
-in game GPU temps had no noticeable change.

 

Guys, please check to see if your battery is charging / discharging while OC'd and under benchmark load and gaming load - probably also check at stock tuning as well.

Usually extra performance past the ability to deliver power with the PSU alone is drawn from the battery.

It will show up as the battery app in the systray showing it's not charging, and if the load increases to a certain point the battery will discharge as power is drawn to feed the load.

On some laptops the battery will drain in 2-5 hours depending on the draw and the size of the battery. With the small 50wh battery, it could be shorter.

At stock it performs like a 1070, with the awesome performance approaching a 1080 once Overclocked, now it would be nice to see how long that lasts under gaming load.

Also, what's the highest performance benchmark results at maximum performance tuned through ROG Center? Stock too? It would be nice to see results from all 3 for comparison.

Thanks for taking the time to post your results!

 

Still working on other games, but the one I did test only had a small discharge. The max was -1.2W and the average was -.5W. Not bad at all, if you ask me. Trying another game shortly.

ROG center is worthless. The UI is confusing and I can't really tell what the heck all these options are doing. It looks like you can adjust the CPU performance but not the GPU? I just uninstalled it.

 

Yeah, I uninstall ROG Center and the MSI DGC too, they are useful at first to see RPM's of fans as often there is nothing else that will read them early on, but then once I get an idea of fan sound vs. RPM I uninstall it.

There are a lot of people that only feel comfortable running the vendor OC software though, and the easy Profile "Battery Saver" "Normal" "Sport" settings.

I try to see what the maximum OC results can be with the included vendor software to get an idea of how important the uninstall of it and the install of XTU / AB+RTSS is for owners. It helps them decide if it's worth it for them.

In this case it sounds like it's worth it

BTW, it would be helpful to find a heavy duty game with maximum WH drain, and then run for an hour, or two, and average the drain / hour, find the "Battery Boost" battery cut-off limit (at what battery % it disables the boost), and then we can know how long gaming on boost lasts.

Thanks again for the testing details

 

No prob. Just did Doom for about 15 minutes each session. At stock clocks, there was an average of .5W discharge with spikes as high as 4W. Overclocked, the average discharge jumped to 1.4W with a couple spikes at 7.4W. Really, those spikes mean nothing - the average matters. And that .5W at stock could also be nothing. My battery is fully charged so it might just be trickling. Still not too shabby for the OC discharge though. I'd have to be playing 24 hours straight for it to matter.

I'll try to do a longer session tomorrow - I just don't have any time tonight.

 

There is a strong possibility these are binned chips. High ASIC quality chips of the line.

 

It's all early days, and the test results aren't broad enough to judge the overall performance. But, it's good news the limits don't keep the owner from OC'ing to much higher performance.

Whether that performance is something that translates from benchmarks to games, and from short runs to long runs is still to be seen.

There's a reason why 330w PSU's with 180w+ TDP are used for the 1080 full performance full sized laptops. They need it.

These 1080's are supposed to be "regular" unchanged GPU's, not binned, and not specially tuned - just detuned clock rates with power management and fan management to help reduce thermal load.

The video tests so far shows the fan noise goes up a lot after sustained usage, but at least with the Zephyrus it's a subdued intense fan noise, not shrill. At least in the few seconds of audio we've been given in review videos.

First shipments may be indicative of long term production, but it's always good to revisit benchmarks and testing many times over the lifetime of a laptop. Especially at new model variation changes.

Sometimes later production runs get optimized for cost vs performance, or long term testing might indicate a laptop needs to be detuned a bit to improve reliability - it's been seen in previous ROG laptops, MSI laptops, etc.

It's always good to be vigilant testing and doing it over time to keep track of production changes.

The price might almost be justified if it was shipped pre-OC'd for performance breaking the top of 1070 closer to the bottom of 1080 laptop performance. As it stands out of the box stock it's a solid 1070 level performance, which can be gotten for $1000 less.

For me the thinness isn't helpful, a solid reliable frame and more than adequate cooling for long term operation reliability is important. The Zephyrus price is close enough to a "real" 1080 I'd still opt for that.

It's positive so far for those the Zephyrus fits

 

How are the case temps during long use sessions?

The notebook check guys mapped out the temps, and @Thousandmagister put together two images for comparison of case temps:

Spoiler

What's your take on the case being used as a thermal exchange surface?

 

Case gets quite hot under sustained load.
The 230W PSU seems just right dimensioned. The trick is that the gpu is optimized to operate between 0.7 to 0.8V.

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My max. OC seems to be +220MHz for GPU. At 230 FS crashes.
Owners: pls post your max oc

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Helpful observations

The GPU is supposed to be no different than any used in laptop or desktop, so the voltage/power tuning could be done to any GPU - probably needs a vbios update + driver update - unless Nvidia left a backdoor into the voltage locking on the current vbios

What about the PSU heat? Does it get hot (all over, specific section?) under sustained load, or?

How about +225,6,7... usually 2-3 hz back off from crash is stable. Just to get that last little bit of performance

 

I've never been able to get temps that high. That's one of the items on my list to double and triple check, but the max I got on the bottom during my testing wasn't that high except in the center. My corners were around 43C.

My testing was on the lap, which is usually a lot higher than on a flat surface. But that moving panel may be a wild card in this situation, making lap usage more beneficial perhaps? I'll try and repeat my test on a desk and see if it makes a difference. I don't usually care about thermals on a desk but I want to know what their protocol is for that test, so I can replicate it.

One thing about that moving panel on the bottom is it sure does a good job redirecting the noise away from the user. The loud shrill exists but it's going across the room the other way and annoying my family instead. Even so, it's still not near as loud as much of the competition.

 

223/223 was the max I was able to run FS on without crashing. There was negligible effect on the score though and it'll probably crash during longer sessions. I think +220 is the sweet spot.

 

After 1h of BF1 at max settings temps for cpu and gpu are around 80. Frequency of the gpu is around 1600mhz. Psu does not get very hot. No stutter. No throttling.

Resolution scaling set to 4k therefore the low fps in the range of 40.

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Hitting the TDP limit, I see. (green bars)

 

Yep. TDP is around 110W. Voltage around 0.7. Speed is limited to around 1600mhz.

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Under sustained load ie 1h of BF1 at 4k maxed out my unit is still quite silent, much quieter than my AW17R4.

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So, what's your take on it in comparison with the Alienware 17R4? Could you settle for it to replace the AW?

 

Simply put, with the AW I can game @2000mhz gpu clock and with the asus @1600 at a much lower noise level with a truly mobile form factor. I guess I will sell my AW.

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How is the screen compared to the R4?

 

It's nicer in some ways mainly because it's IPS. Viewing angles are much better. The aw17 r4 qhd screen is brighter and has a slightly better response time though. Tough call.

 

Thank you, I have one on order and I also have the new 15r3 with Maxq arriving next week. Interested to see how the stock cooling and performance on the r3 is compared to the Asus.

 

I'm with you - I'd pick this one over the AW17 r4 too. Mainly because my unit had some major stuttering issues with the OC bios though.

I really think I might stick with this one actually. I'm going to wait and see how I like the Aorus x7 DT next week before I finalize my decision. I prefer 17" but I could certainly love with this unit and deal with the smaller screen size.

 

It's too bad we can't figure out how to run at the same limits in the AW as the Asus.

Then you could keep that low power cool and quiet mode handy to run quiet when you need it.

Then when you want full power you'd have that on tap with the AW; you can't do that with the Zephyrus.

Then you'd have the best of both worlds with the full sized 1080 Alienware laptop, and other full performance Pascal GPU laptops.

Update: It looks like the cool and quiet features from Max-Q are now available for all Pascal GPU laptops.

Nvidia has shipped Whisper Mode (for all Pascal GPU's) with their new drivers, maybe the AW will respond well to that tuning, and other tuning, to bring you the quiet mode like the Zephyrus (probably run a lot cooler too).

GeForce Experience changelog for 3.7.0 introduces Whisper Mode for 10-series Notebooks.
https://www.reddit.com/r/nvidia/comments/6i6z9t/geforce_experience_changelog_for_370_introduces/
https://www.geforce.com/hardware/technology/whispermode/supported-gpus

NVIDIA WhisperMode Technology

"NVIDIA also introduced WhisperMode technology, which makes laptops run much quieter while gaming. WhisperMode intelligently paces the game's frame rate while simultaneously configuring the graphics settings for optimal power efficiency. This reduces the overall acoustic level for gaming laptops. Completely user adjustable and available for all Pascal GPU-based laptops, WhisperMode will be available soon through a GeForce Experience software update."

Maybe try tuning the AW 17 1080 (or other full performance Pascal GPU laptops) to run cool and quiet with the new Whisper Mode enabled drivers?

 

That's what I thought, thanks for the feedback.

Though, I'm somewhat surprised the Alienware is that much louder given the enormousness of that thing.

 

Asus ROG Zephyrus GX501VI Detailed Review & Benchmarks

 

NVIDIA Inspector 1.9.7.8

NVIDIA Profile Inspector 2.1.3.9

GeForce Experience changelog for 3.7.0 introduces Whisper Mode for 10-series Notebooks.

GFE 3.7.0.68.zip <= Beta version with WhisperMode

GFE 3.7.0.81.exe <= current version from Nvidia, WhisperMode status unknown

GFE Latest Download <= generic download area for GFE, WhisperMode status unknown

If you find a version newer than 3.7.0.68 with WhisperMode, please post it's link and your experience with it.

Versions updated 7/8/17

NBR Thread - nVIDIA Whisper Mode

 

@D2 Ultima




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GTX 1080 Gaming Laptop Thin as Macbook Pro – ASUS Zephyrus

I think they used benchmark results from the old 1070 AW 15, not the new 1070 Stock OC AW, that should match the performance of the Max-Q 1080.

Also, notice how only 2 games got close to 120 FPS, the rest were well under, so maybe run the display at 60hz instead of 120hz.

 

The first Max-Q Gaming Notebook: ASUS Zephyrus GX501

 

According to this article, they charge these 1080 Max-Q cards as much as the regular 1080 cards which is a rip-off. I can understand it's the same chip, but as said in the article, it would make more sense from the consumer perspective to offer a 1070 GPU with a somewhat limited turbo boost (to reduce the TDP to Max-Q 1080 level) and/or reduced voltage levels in vBIOS (so, they'd have to select the GPU's capable of working at the lower voltage, but I guess that's what they do with the Max-Q anyway).

I'd definitely wait to see how slower and cheaper the GX501 with Max-Q 1070 will be, perhaps it will offer a better bang for the buck, though it will most probably be too gimped (like e.g. the 1060 Max-Q).

 

I wonder if this can extend the battery life on gsync computers.

 

Probably only for gaming. For normal use, it used the lowest power anyways.

 

There is already BatteryBoost for that from Nvidia... you are using that right?
https://www.geforce.com/hardware/technology/battery-boost

And, there's already a thread on NBR on how to permanently disable it
http://forum.notebookreview.com/threads/permanently-disable-nvidia-battery-boost.793498/

I haven't read all the WhisperMode stuff, but it sounds like it's only for AC power use, if you read the docs and/or you have installed / enabled WhisperMode and you find out differently, please let us know

 

Got mine yesterday.. anyone find a manual that shows how to open up the case to access the M.2 Slot? Hoping to upgrade the 512GB SSD to something larger.

 

Mine arrives tomorrow, But from what I have seen, You simply use the a phillips screwdriver and remove 4 screws on the bottom plate, remove that and you will see several screws that are Torq6, removes those and that releases the top cover with keyboard. Looks very easy to swap ssd, repaste, repad if needed?

 

Did anyone buy the 1070 version of the Zephyrus yet? How's the battery life? Wondering if it's a better deal compared to the 1080 Max-Q version.

 

No manual, but GenTechPC did mention the disassembly process in their review video @ 14:50-18:00



Looks like 4 Phillips and a bunch of T6 Torx screws to lift off the top casing to get to the one SO_DIMM and M.2 port.

 

Thanks that video was helpful.. didnt realize the entire top cover came off.. Helps to have a rubber/plastic case opener as mine was pretty tight and once I got the one side up it came up properly. I found it easier to prop it on its side and use the case opener on the bottom of the top case where the seam is.

 

Has anyone tested this laptop with player unknown battlegrounds I'm curious about the performance with the slower clock speeds


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Where is it for sale?

 

Thank you for the suggestion, I am planning to put a 1 TB 960 Pro in mine...it came in today but unfortunately the screen has a hot pixel so it has to go back.

 

Received mine this morning, this has to be one of the best systems I have owned. After Heavy Gaming BF1 for a little over an hr temps max cpu 84 GPU 80. This is after I found the sweet spot of -130mv.

 

What type of FPS are you getting ? I have a aw17r4 right. Ow trying to figure out if I should send it back for this .. the Alienware is a little ours for me .. but performance is amazing on it .. can you compare


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Honestly I did not keep a constant check on fps, I averaged 90's.

The aw17R4 if you have the 1080 will provide better performance, but these are two very different beast.

I was on mine about 6hrs today and 2 hours of that my wife was setting by me while I gamed and she never said a word and did not have to turn the tv up.

Tomorrow when I get back on I will keep check on the fps better.

 

Thank so much !


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I put an order in with Newegg should be here Tuesday worst case I'll send it back . I hope it's better then my 17r4


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Congrats on the new Laptop

If you could, please post whether you keep it or not, and if you keep it how you like it and why you like it better than your AW.

I only ask because several people have announced they got one, made a happy post, and then disappeared...

We don't know if they are happily gaming, working, etc on their new GX501 or if they returned it for some reason.

Usually people come back and continue to regale us with their new laptop joy, but so far Zero people have done that.