Aero 15 X w/ 1070 Max-Q

Hi I just got my Aero 15x v8 I got a couple of questions.

1) Is there a way to use the fn keys (Max fan, wifi, brightness, blank screen, touchpad lock, airplane mode) without install smart manager? The keyboard light, sleep and volume work.
2) Is there a way, with smart manager installed, not to use the cpu profile? Once installed, in high performance, the cpu stays around 39-41x until thermal, does not drop to 8x when idling.
3) Does the power adapter come with a USB port? I thought I saw one with usb port on a review.
4) After fresh install, I cannot control brightness via the power option. What can I do?

 

I took my new 15x v8 to write some code for a couple hours on the battery yesterday. What a disaster.

Super slow performance -- Docker took 3 minutes to start with no other tasks running. Occasional stuttering.

2 BSODs due to the (current) NVIDIA driver.

In 1 hour, battery down by 50%.

I've reached out to HID support for any suggestions but I think this one is going back. Shame as we love the v7!

 

Mine is going back due to overheating/GPU throttle.
The only thing my notebook experience is green screen freezes during gaming and literally gaming is what i do.

 

Looks like V8 is getting 4 out of 5 stars on Amazon in spite of one reviewer complaining about back light bleed/dead pixels and rating it one star.
https://www.amazon.com/Gigabyte-Aer...spons&keywords=aero+15x&psc=1#customerReviews

 

Can we charge our laptop using the PD charger in the thunderbolt 3 port? I'm using the late 2017 Aero 15x.

 

Can someone confirm the model of the 144hz display? I've seen LGD05C0 mentioned but cant find any info about it. I'm thinking about feasibility of upgrading my current Aero 15x. thanks ...

 

Has anyone had issues with overheating in their laptop? Mine hits close to 80 degrees celsius in 'high performance' mode with no load, don't think that's normal.

I'm hopeful there's an update or something it needs to fix this issue? Otherwise I guess Ill have to get it replaced...

 

80c idle/browseing the web isn't normal.. I'd send it back.

I hit 84c under full load after undervolt (have yet to repaste since Im iffy on keeping mine).. Normal temps 44c-58c AC, 30c-40c battery.

 

Is anyone else getting random freezes where you can't do anything but move your mouse. Mine tends to freeze up when I open up two programs at the same time or when I alt-tab out of a game into a different program. The only way to resolve the issue is to hit the power button to sleep mode or hard reset. I noticed this before the clean install, but it still continues after the clean install.

 

Supposedly it was fixed but I still experience it occasionally.

https://downloadmirror.intel.com/27650/eng/ReleaseNotes_15.65.5.4982.pdf


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

I wonder if this is true for all units or just some units. I’m thinking of returning this unit for another due to this issue along with the backlight bleed. But if this issue happens to all units, I may need to reconsider my options as it hinders my work/gaming so much.

 

First post but here are my thoughts on my Aero 15x.

Recommendation (buy/hold/sell): Hold off
Reason: Solid device with great features but with 11 series graphics coming later this year or early next and some features and implementation of software needing time to mature (bios unlock for memory, Gigabyte SmartManager software) you should wait if you can. I needed a new laptop and would buy it again if I had my time over but if you already have a capable laptop I would wait for the next gen or for confirmation some issues are resolved.

A bit of a brief set of comments below across a number of areas but I would be happy to answer any questions that you ask on any of the points I highlighted.

Main areas to highlight:
• Adequately cooled (cpu repaste, low ambient temps, raising it off surface and fan blowing up on GPU/CPU from underneath) it is a beast and runs games and CPU intensive apps like with limited throttling and to the hardwares potential (but only as long as you don’t load both the GPU and CPU).
• It runs hot and it does throttle under when taxing the GPU and CPU (straight to 90c when running game and then doing anything CPU intense in background.
• You don’t get G.Skill Ripjaws by default (at least in HK) and so the reviewers benchmarks may be slightly different to your personal usage.
• You will have backlight but its only noticeable if you know what you are looking for.
• There are inconsistencies under the power profiles with some major stutter when on battery under balanced.
• Battery life has been hit and miss and has been great (8+) some days while unexplainable poor (<2) others.
• Expensive (especially in Hong Kong) given the fiddling around I think you need to do to get it running at its full potential (I wouldn’t recommend this to my parents or friends unless I was willing to set it up for them).

What I want to see improve to be more positive on recommending it
• Bios updates to unlock memory settings to get full speed of added ram.
• Maturation of SmartManager energy profiles to fix inconsistencies.
• Maturity of Gigabyte software given I wouldn’t recommend this laptop to anyone not wanting to tweak it via a clean install and through changing specifics in power profiles and using XTU as an example.

If you own one what do I think you should do
• Clean install of Windows.
• Change Link State Power Management in the Balanced profile to “moderate power savings” and minimum processor power management to 10% if you are getting stuttering when on battery when trying to game or use anything GPU intensive.
• Precision driver or trackpad (use Dave2D video, then restart, you may need a mouse to go back into the device manager to add the driver to the miniport PTP driver if your trackpad doesn’t work post install).
• Add a second stick of ram to get dual channel memory if gaming (10% increase in some games for me; PUBG, Far Cry 5, Fortnite).
• Repaste the CPU or order it through a company that can do it for you. This dropped 10 degrees off idle for me and reduced the throttling materially when loading both the CPU and GPU.
• Upgrade Intel Wifi card to 9260 to get 867mbps and bluteooth 5.0.

What I have changed
• Clean install of Windows 10 Pro (to get access to bitlocker given the removable drive).
• Precision driver for trackpad.
• CPU repaste with Grizzly Kyronaut which dropped idle temps 10c and made it throttle less.
• XTU undervolt 0.160 for core, cache and graphics.
• Buy a laptop stand that can raise it when on desks to help with cooling.
• Changed ram to 3200mhz G.Skill Ripjaws that only run at 2400mhz given bios doesn’t utilise XMP profiles and you can’t change the settings in the bios yet; CPU-Z 2400mhz, Task manager says 2666mhz).
• Added 860 EVO 1tb drive as secondary.
• Changed Wifi card to Intel 9260.

What I like
• Size is a perfect mix of usability for me given the screen to body ratio and the weight.
• Understated even with the LED Gigabyte logo and doesn’t shout “gamer”. I use this laptop in a corporate environment and not a single person has said anything about it re being a gaming laptop. Easily fits into corporate meetings.
• Performance when fully spec’d out is great (16gb dual channel ram, CPU repaste, intel 9260, undervolt).
• Battery life (on the most part) is as stated with light browsing and note taking (OneNote; change it to low power mode in settings) being 6-8 hours on a single charge.

What I don’t like
• Physics; Thermals are poor given the current cooling as default, but this is to be expected given the size of the laptop and internals. I definitely recommend undervolting as a minimum and ordering from a company that can reapply the CPU paste or be willing to do it yourself.
• Single channel ram that isn’t Ripjaws as the reviewer videos showed.
• There is backlight bleed but only if you are looking for it (lower right for me).
• Balanced energy profile by default has 90% max CPU on power and enables maximum power savings in the Link State Power Management which can impact gaming (stuttering).
• Logo is illuminated.
• Right shift key LEDs are poorly placed or the text should have been aligned to right.
• 0 on keypad isn’t where it should be (should be below 1) but I can live with it.
• Trackpad having an Apple laptop isn’t great.

 

Great review and thanks for taking the time out for us. Loving my version 7, purely stock.

 

Can someone post a pic of the lack of Shift key illumination?

 

Here you go. It's hard to notice in images, however its very noticeable in person. Simply bad placement of the leds under the key/location of the words on the key.

https://imgur.com/a/x3q39wZ

 

Thanks for the pic....I wonder if there is a way to move the location of the leds

 

You got to admit its pretty clever that part of the intake for the cooling system is through the keyboard.

With your battery settings I'm getting like 4hrs 56 min, is that what your getting?

 

I think after updating to the latest nVidia and Intel drivers it really messed up the laptop.

It was getting very hot even in idle (70 C to 80 C), random lags with video playback, very long black screen after boot, crazy bad battery etc.
I did a clean install and it is all good again, not going to update the graphical drivers manually anymore, I think.

 

Anyone having weird issues with Smart Update on the original 15X? I tried to update to 3.9.7 via Smart Update, it broke it, so I uninstalled and downloaded 3.9.1 from their website and now I'm getting a Windows Defender severe trojan warning:
Trojan:Win32/Tilken.B!cl
file: C:\Users\xx\AppData\Local\Temp\Temp1_nb-driver-win7-64bit-smartupdate-3.9.1.zip\Smart_Update_win7_v3.9.1.exe->(nsis-1-SmartDashboard_quiet.exe)

Likely a false positive, but anyone seen this before?

 

Version 4.0.0 is out now

 

Not totally confirmed but after the last keyboard update, I have not experienced a double key entry.

New Razer Blade looks nicer but does seem significantly more expensive.

 

Just bought an aero 15x 2017 locally but have a minor issue.

The seller restored the device but I think he used a non oem reset or fully wiped the drive as theres no gigabyte software, ie smart manager, fusion, drivers, etc and device also seems to run not stable. I tried to do a "factory restore" but that option is not there and can't make a smart usb backup as an error says this windows installed is not configured by gigabyte.

So anyway to download a full oem aero 15x .iso or full ssd image to make the device factory reset complete with all gigabyte software and drivers or someone have a "smart usb backup" which I might be able to download and make a usb with that backup and restore my laptop to a gigabyte spec windows.

 

Has anyone tried these power supplies: http://lps-gopower.com/lps-ac-adapt...02180100-charger-ac-adapter-200w-p-17117.html It's listed as an msi power supply, but the model number, G-Style G200W-U5V2A-A seems like the right one, and the power specs are correct. I just wonder if the tip is the right one to fit in the Aero.

 

So, MSI owners buy Gigabyte Power Units and Gigabyte owners buy MSI Power Units? LOL

 

Just an FYI but the latest bios still does not have XMP support. So don’t bother buying faster than 2666mhz ram.

I foolishly prebought some 3000mhz ripjaws that will probably never run at their full potential in my 15x.

 

Does it works with the 3000MHz? There is a report, from Ken from gentechpc, saying that it doesnt work.

 

Boots but at 2400mhz and with poor timings.

I was hopeful they would release xmp support in the bios but with th US resellers all pulling the faster ram from customisation I’m not holding my breath.

 

One more question, did your RAM work before the BIOS update?

 

Yes. Worked from FB05.

It’s actually the 3200mhz Ripjaws.

I may just sell this for a loss and buy the Razer.

 

I went to a store and had a look at a demo aero 15.
Assuming the aero 15x and 15x/w V8 have the same design, I've noticed the bottom of the bezel is a separate stripe that isn't flush with the rest of the bezel reason being the bezel stripe that lays on top of the side bezel whilst the section the goes around the display area is just pushed inwards and as a result the corners on both sides show a small gap.

 

Dropping my one week review of the Gigabyte Aero X w/ 1070 Max-Q
Hoping this review can delve into the honest day to day interfacing boons and caveats with the device as a 3D Visualiser/gamer
Bought from Memory Express in Vancouver, I sought for the 4k model but they didn't stock it.
All apps, drivers and bios up-to-date at the time of review (2018.06.20)

Positives:
- As they all say the build quality, materiality, fingerprint resistance, no flex, all great
- The supply plug and socket is a standardised 19.5V F6, users are able to use or buy an extra kicking around easily.
- Shell design isn't too gamey, the rgb lighting can be subdued to fit in a work environment.
- Tidy keyboard layout, square keys, no gaps, home, end, pgup/dn are in logical usable places.
- The hardware is really packing some power, 8th gen hex now puts my home 5930K desktop behind, as is it with an 8gb Vram gpu for VrayRT.
- 512gb ssd provides ample space for an OS, some games, a dropbox and productivity apps.
- Battery capacity is top class for hardware of this calibre, 10 hours is plausible on a new battery with power saving on, thanks Gbyte for putting capacity higher on the list than void spaces for antiquated drives.
- The cooling (pasting and out-of-the-box balancing aside) ramps up to the challenge. The flow is longitudinal from users, no more cooking of hands, but a consideration is to avoid covering the underside intakes or propping up.
- The RGB backlighting can go satisfying bright, the software to control it is ample.
- Sharp, noticeably fast colour accurate display, ample brightness, (some color profile flickering at windows logon observed).
- Clear audio, goes loud, although lacking bass which could have been achieved from the solid sturdy framework the laptop has.

Negatives:
- The Gigabyte Smart update software takes ages to load, or can be blocked by other apps from loading at all, download servers are slow, GByte is slow to release their own tweaked Max-Q display drivers on it.
- There are os wide software pauses or mini lockups when running unplugged, I'm hopeful bios updates and power balancing can solve these.
- The NVMe m.2 performance so far perceptibly matches that of a sata ssd I have in a 7 year old laptop.
- I wanted to use this for Geforce Experience and Nvidia Shield Streaming, The as-shipped GFE software is cut down, and blocks official nv driver updates, yet the GTX range specifies GameStreaming capability.
- Stability under continuous maximum loads unreliable.
- I'm a Max and Vray visualiser using this to get high res frames rendered for morning deadlines, if I wake up to a logged out and restarted system this is catastrophic, and HAS happened.
- I'm forced as the end user to underclock and/or repaste and use my own time balancing & testing, else I'll continue getting overheat restarts on 100% loads for up to 20 hour renders.
- LMB/RMB rocker has a 60% bias to the LMB clicker, you have to go too far to the right to get a right click.
- 2 less essential keyboard keys are perceptibly ~35% dimmer than the rest (documented design flaw).

Suggestions:
- Don't give us a trackpad rocker switch, give us individual buttons.
- Provide a physical middle click, people who buy these laptops aren't casuals, they need emulation and access to a full productivity or gaming experiences.
- Install a fingerprint reader on the power button next iteration making it future proof.
- Smart Manager doesn't look all that smart with a loud neon blue interface in the year 2018, let form follow function; it should have a tiny footprint and run in the tray with a right click menu instead.
- Work on bios and tweaks for system and temperature stability, I realise we're cutting edge but to some people it's so crucial and expected to have stability out of the box, I'm eagerly awaiting this so I can render with peace of mind.
- Make thermal paste quality (Liquid Metal) and application a unique selling point for your laptops, I promise this information wouldn't go over people's heads, this is the granular attention to detail enthusiasts require.
- Being that a 4k panel is hard to source and overkill for a 15" display, perhaps strive to provide a 2k model only, 1080p isn't cutting it anymore for productivity.

 

Thank you for the suggestion and here's some feedback
1. The reason why we use clickpad instead of touchpad is that the z-height of touchpad is too high and cannot be placed on top of 94Wh battery
2. Combine the fingerprint reader with power button is really a great idea. We will consider about that
3. We're working on the new UI of Smart Manager

 

Can we hope that the version 15x with a new generation of Nvidia cards will be released as soon as they are officially will be announced?

 

if they got something new, sure we will have it then at the soonest of time. No worries for that

 

Has the display driver issues been fixed ?

 

What kinds of issue you encountered on display?

 

I do not have it yet, will pick up friday, but was reading all the BSOD errors with display drivers, nvidia drivers conflicting with smart update/manager drivers?

 

That was caused by certain version of NV driver and it has been fixed on the latest one

 

How is the stock paste on the system? Is Thermal Grizzly better?

 

from my personal point of view there isn't much difference between stock one and other brand........my suggestion is that if there's chance you could try to re-paste the thermal grease with two principle:

1. DO NOT paste too much grease on the die
2. Follow principle 1, and make the grease evenly distributed on the die

P.S. proper grease paste could reduce the temp up to 5~10C under TAT

 

Ok not much reason for it then! Thank you

 

So is it safe to update from the official Gigabyte NV drivers?

 

Yes, however we always need take some time to test the OEM version driver from NV so you could go for the driver which is released from NV on official web portal if you're keen for the updated driver

 

I have the 4k version coming in through Amazon tomorrow! Super stoked. Hope this is better than the Razer Blade 15 I returned. Let me know if you guys have any questions.

 

What was wrong with the Razor? I'm still debating the 15X with 4k screen vs the Razor

 

A few things! Personally the screen was awful. It was pretty blurry when reading anything on pages, resulting in eye strain for me after a couple hours of use. The colors weren’t great if you enjoy watching anime’s or movies. The keyboard was really difficult. The laptop got so hot after about 30 minutes of gaming that you literally couldn’t put your hands on the palmrest. Outside of that it was my other favorite laptop. If I got the 4K screen and used an external keyboard on the blade I think I would’ve been a lot happier. I may end up doing that if the aero doesn’t meet my expectations. Although the aero is way less expensive and cools better, so we will see. I really don’t think you will be disappointed with either.

 

Silly question, but did you make sure to change windows scaling settings? Windows 10 almost always defaults to 125% scale and it makes several apps blurry

 

Not a silly question! I did do that actually. Messed around with scaling for a while and messaged Razer hoping there would be a software fix. Unfortunately it’s just how the screen is

 

Ordered a 15X with 4k screen from Amazon.co.uk, should be arriving on Tuesday My only major concern is the issues with the keyboard, but hopefully it should be OK.

Also a little concerned about the temperatures, but I'm aware you cannot expect that much power in such a tiny laptop without it getting quite hot. Just hoping undervolting should mostly tame it, if I'm really happy with the laptop then I might re-paste it after a few weeks and add a second stick of 16GB RAM so it's dual channel.

 

The temps do hit thermal throttling, even with LM.

I just got mine yesterday and am currently putting it thru its paces.

I already had a BSOD, but i think that was due to Optimus freaking out since i tried to change the system resolution while in game.

But does anyone have issues with CPU being limited on battery?

Do i have to run it on performance mode to get it past 2ghz on battery?

Im talking .8 to 1 on auto, 2ghz on balance.

I am not modifying windows power management either, just from smart manager.