Aero 15 X w/ 1070 Max-Q

Wow too bad that you have to return it because of the keyboard layout. If I were you, I will give it few more days and see whether i can adapt to it

 

Ha, I'm the complete opposite. If a keyboard doesn't have the numpad it freaks me out, can't do it. If you decide you can't adjust to the Aero then the Razer is almost certainly the way to go. Just bear in mind the arrow keys are in a weird spot that messes with traditional shift key placement. Also, buy from a place like the Microsoft store where you can get a really good extended warranty.

 

I think that may be my plan now (well once they are back in stock...) I'm a right shift user only for the question mark so I think that would be less disruptive for me than the Aero where I feel like my hands have to be far too close together to type accurately.

I think numpad is like function keys. I have never been in the habit of using them. Well, I mean since DOS based Word Perfect or something like that.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

Do you guys recommend HIDevolution for buying an Aero 15x? I currently own a macbook pro 2015 and need more graphical power. I was checking the macbook pro 2018 version and little discouraged by their thermals. For the same price (around 2900) i found out that i can get the aero 15x repasted and checked for the back light bleed from HIDevolution. I am used to the macos but I can work on windows, especially dual booting from ubuntu for my coding tasks. At this moment what I need is a hassle free experience from a laptop as I am planing to move internationally. Apple has good customer support overseas, but they are so expensive with apple care+ and the gaming performance is really bad even in the new machines. Can you guys recommend the Aero 15x for long term use? I understand that there are issues with every laptop brand? I heard the giagbyte customer care is awful so i was planing to pay extra for HIDevolution to get 2 year international warranty from them. My only concern is the reliability. Spending 2900$ for laptop, you expect it to last at least 5 years. I appreciate your comments and recommendations.

 

Make sure you test the keyboard. Open up a blank document or just type in the browser. Backlight bleed if that bothers you, and the overall responsiveness of the laptop. That's pretty much it. This laptop can be a hit or miss. Oh and update the drivers from Nvidia and Intel not smart manager. Gnlu26 helped me with that They work with the latest windows update. I'm still on the fence with mine. Still having issues here and there.

 

I wouldn't recommend them. The stock paste is fine especially if you undervolt. It's generally much more expensive from a reseller. Get it from Amazon or Newegg. If you have the Amazon credit card you get 5% back and they have same day return/next day replacement shipping when in stock. The other problem with going through a reseller is how long you'll be waiting until you get the laptop. May be a few weeks or close to a month. It's much easier going through Amazon or Newegg if anything is wrong

 

How did the laptop perform for you outside the keyboard issue. Did it function well overall?

 

I'll take the opposite stance from childprotectorofthenight. I only buy laptops from resellers like HID anymore. If backlight bleed bothers you, you can pay extra to guarantee there's minimal bleed. Lots of people have issues upgrading their RAM. I just HID do it and made it their problem, haha. I got mine repasted with LM from them. Sure, it took forever to get my machine, but I'm loving it. Also, if you do have a problem like a bad keyboard, HID will repair it, where Amazon will just send you a new one. Sure, Amazon will be faster, but then you have to start over with a new machine. My wifi card was bugged out, HID is just sending me a new wifi chip to fix the issue. Don't even have to send anything, as I'm comfortable swapping my wifi card myself. Rage Set is working on benchmarks for basically all the different thermal paste options, but so far it looks like LM may not be necessary. The cooling system just can't get the heat out, so at some point the extra transfer from the thermal paste has no point since the pipes are just as hot. Definitely want those fujipoly pads though.

 

Ha, thats one way to look at it. Sounds like the Razer would be a good fit for you. If you have a similar hatred towards the arrow keys, Lisa at MobileTechReview showed that you can just remap the up arrow key to also be right shift. That way you get the right action even if you press the wrong button.

 

Thanks for the reply. The main reason i checked on them is that although I buy the machine here i will be leaving to Asia next year. Its really hot there: temperature between 30-35 oC. So I need some kind of thermal solution and it appears claiming the international warranty through gigabyte is a hassle. I figured out a service deal with HID if it requires service. My major concern is the general use case of the laptop. I saw there were lots of issues related to the keyboard, back light bleed (which i can check via HIDevolution). If they are software issues that can be remedies using updates i can live with that. Right now the only other laptop that has good support in my destination is macbook pro, which is expensive and not good for graphics. I was offered a 2015 macbook pro from work, which is pretty reliable so far, but i want to upgrade it to a better version. The new macpors are having some issues as well. I can transfer to aero, it looks great on specs sheet, but the experience is what i am worried about. I honestly do not want to go through bad user experience, especially when I am travelling.

 

Thanks for the information. I need some customization for the machine and don't have time to do them my own. And I am not that good with repasting and other repairs. Thats why i was thinking about a reseller

 

so far the keyboard issue is something you will find right when you receive the machine. Long-term use is still to be seen, but the problems all stem from alignment in manufacturing, and not components failing. So basically if the keyboard works out of the box, I think it would be fair to assume it will last quite a while. "General" use case this thing works great. Throttling happens when you're using both the GPU and CPU all out, like when gaming. If you are using one or the other, the temps are good. Similarly, if you are web browsing, or watching movies, I don't even think the fan kicks on. I watched a few hours of tv shows with the laptop just sitting on my bed, and it never got warm. Knocked out a whole season of You're the Worst last weekend.

 

Have you had a chance to break in your 4k model yet? I'm wanting to pull the trigger on it asap. Have you tried gaming on it? I'm wondering if you cap the fps at 65 or so, if it helps thermals or something. How does the display look while gaming? I've never gamed on a 144hz panel before, so maybe I've never been spoiled but I am definitely afraid of getting an underwhelming gaming experience with the 4k if I decide to opt for the extra $$.

If you have replied about this already to someone else, sorry in advance!

 

I'm not sure... I didn't use it that much once I started finding it frustrating. I had planned on doing a clean install off windows pretty straight off and going from there. Instead I just ran the Smart Update updates. During one of the updates and subsequent restarts the screen didn't come back on again, which is something I read about before. But other than that it seemed to be okay. temps stayed in the upper 80s with stock paste and no undervolting while playing overwatch.

 

Ah. Got it!

 

Thanks for the detailed information. Thats good to hear that keyboard issues can be detected early on so it can be replaced. And the battery of this laptop is user replaceable right? Thats one thing i hate about new macbooks is everything is glued on and cannot be replaced by the user. Have to pay them big bucks again to service it down the line.

 

Lol half of what I use it for is gaming! I'd be happy to answer any questions. I've had it for a couple weeks now. Display looks great while gaming. I was worried about scaling too. Overwatch/Dark Souls lll run smooth at 1080 or 4k. No complaints there outside of a random stutter/ audio loss that I think has been resolved with a driver update. I'll check on that in a few hours I personally cap the fps. Thermals are great! No repaste needed. I have an undervolt going at -135 on cpu/cache and turbo limited at 3.4ghz. It honestly all depends on what you'll be using it for. If you enjoy movies/anything outside of gaming I'd recommend the 4k screen. I can't do anything less than that at this point. That's just a personal preference. Any other questions?

 

No worries! I just don't like waiting for repairs if something is wrong with a product and Amazon can't be beat. If you go through a reseller and have an issue you can't solve, you could be waiting for a month before getting a replacement vs a day with Amazon. That's why I generally go that route

 

Anyone know how to fix this. Tried changing all the options in display settings scaling. Nothing but a restart fixed this. It seems I can’t alt tab when gaming on this laptop. Oh joy. Please Gigabyte. Can you just get your software right. I’m losing it at this point. I don’t think it’s even a question at this point. YOUR SOFTWARE SUCKS

 

Just Dark Soul doesnt work? I alt-tab all the time and it works for me

 

Just pressing alt-tab while playing any game. It’s happened twice now. Thankfully it went away after a restart. It still blows my mind

 

Nope then, dont have any problems like that. Just slow compare to my desktop, which probably bc of optimus

 

I've bought 4 laptops from them in the past, all perfect I live in Dubai so their international global warranty is a non-brainer since it covers shipping costs both ways.

They have superb build quality, a myriad of customization options in terms of specs, and some of the best thermal paste application, cooling mods like the fujipoly thermal pads and whatnot, etc.

I suggest you email [email protected] or better yet call him to discuss. He is a great guy to speak to and treats everyone as a friend trying to only sell them what they need rather than upsell them like your typical salesman to get more money out of you. You won't be disappointed.

Also see this threads:

HIDevolution - The Best Company I ever dealt with
HIDevolution's Warranty!
HIDevolution - a benchmark for excellent customer service

 

Hi thanks for the information. I already contacted donald and he was super helpful so far.

 

I have some questions and hoping the owners here can help me out? Is the battery in aero 15x glued like macbooks or it can be replaced easily by the user? And how is the battery life for the 4k panel? And in the 4k model, is there a lag when doing normal tasks like web browsing? I saw a youtube video that there are random freezes and the reviewer said its due to the switch of graphics drivers between intel and nvidea 1070? Is this issue really annoying during regular usage. I currently use a macbook pro 2015 and trying to upgrade the device. It comes down to aero 15x vs new macbook pro. I love the macos experience and the screen. Its really fast, but willing to sacrifice it for the aero's graphics performance. But hoping its lag free in regular use and the 4k panel is better than the retina screen. I appreciate your comments

 

The battery life is solid, but there’s a chance you’ll have problems with the software. I’m averaging around 6-7 hours with the 4K model browsing/watching YouTube. I got this error code today. It definitely has its issues. Yes it lags when doing almost any task. I don’t think you’ll be disappointed. When it works it’s phenomenal.

 

That looks like the nvidia driver crashed

 

Hi, folks!
Can Aero 15 w1060 use Nvidia Optimus when external display connected?
If yes, is it available with any of display outputs?
And can it be charged via TB3 port when dGPU is inactive?

I don't need graphical performance out of home and at work I have option to use my laptop with external 4K display with TB3 support.
I wish to take the laptop to work without power brick.

 

No optimus through external displays.
No charging through TB3.

You can choose though which GPU you want for your external display, *kinda*. If you use DP or HDMI you are tied directly to the Nvidia GPU. If you use TB3 then you're tied directly to the Intel iGPU. There is no way to switch that, its how its setup in hardware.

 

Like TLCH said the nvidia driver certainly crashed. I know we were fiddling with your driver installs, so perhaps you should run DDU to completely remove all nvidia drivers, and reinstall only the latest one.

 

Has anyone had problems with their Intel Bluetooth card? I am trying to use a PS4 controller with Steam, go to the Bluetooth section of settings and the Bluetooth toggle is completely gone. I looked into Device Manager and get the error:

Currently, this hardware device is not connected to the computer. (Code 45)

Did some digging around and got to this page where other people seem to be having the same problem, but none of the solutions have worked for me. It seems to be widespread but I'm wondering if it has anything to do with the hardware/drivers installed in the Aero 15x?

 

That's what I figured after looking up the error code. There's a new driver that came out a couple days ago. Should I try updating that first. I'm kind of tired of reinstalling drivers. Are your drivers still running well gnlu26?

 

Did you try updating the drivers directly from intel for Bluetooth? The smart manager ones were trash. Gnlu26 helped me with that. Doing that seemed to fix my Xbox Bluetooth controller

 

Still no BSODs on 398.36, but I don't have any prior versions installed either. I'm updating to the latest today, so we will see how it goes

 

Hmm guess I just keep getting lucky then. I'll update too

 

A quick question, are these gigabyte batteries soldered to the casing like macbook pros? or they can be easily replaced in case of malfunction?

 

If anyone has any questions I'd be happy to answer. Have finished messing around with the 15 Blade 4k for a few days. Here is a screencap of the Blade 4k vs Aero 4k. Colors definitely are more accurate on the Aero but the matte screen just doesn't look as nice as the glossy Razer. Personal preference. The 4k version of the blade seems like it's actually the same size as the Aero. Here is higher res photo of the side by side. The power brick on the blade has some pretty bad coil whine too. Ok here are my notes. The Blade 4K is a bit heavier and possibly thicker than the Aero 15x4K. The fan noise is much more pleasant on the Aero vs the annoying pitch on the blade. The idle temps are around 32c for the Aero on all cores vs 40c on the Blade. I’m running a -140 undervolt with turbo limited at 3.4ghz on all cores for both. When playing dark souls 3 the blade reaches around 91 on three cores and averages around 87c vs the aero maxing out at 88c and averaging 81c. SSD temps max out around 50c on both. The Blade fans ramp up and down when doing everyday work/ watching videos which becomes a real nuisance...like really really annoy you after a while. If anyone has any tips on this let me know. Battery life is almost always 2:30-3:00 hours more on the Aero. I average around 6:30-7:00 hours on the Aero without trying vs 3:30-4:30 on the Blade. The blade has a much better feel all around of course. The Aero keys have better key travel, but certain keys don’t work unless pushed extra hard and sometimes don’t register unless you really Focus on a key. Having the Blade screen in front of me right now at 5:00am, sunrise on set..I’m missing the matte screen on my Aero. The biggest point I should make is the software. The Aero is absolute garbage in this department. Even with a fresh install I’ve gotten multiple BSOD’S and the system performance is just overall sluggish compared with the blade. I can’t even count the amount of error messages and random problems I’ve had with the Aero. I would never recommend this laptop to someone that wasn’t at least a smidge tech savvy. I actually may like the Aero screen more because it’s not over saturated. I still haven’t decided on which laptop I’m keeping. I want the Blade because of the build quality, but the Aero is lighter and has a better battery life/quieter fans. The only problem is the ****TY SOFTWARE. They are so far behind on drivers in their smart manager and so many issues/ BSOD’S occur. I recommend getting the Intel drivers and Nvidia drivers from the site vs smart manager. Someone on Notebook review helped me with that. I was also hoping the temps would be better on this heftier Blade. Seems like outside the SSD they are the same as the 144hz launch model I had. Sorry if I messed up somewhere. It’s 5:00am and I’ve got thirty minutes before another 16hour day


https://www.dropbox.com/s/fuz0bwol6w7grfn/IMG_6945.jpg?dl=0

 

razer colors seems more vibrant

 

That’s the impression I’ve gotten, but the Razer has more of an over saturation

 

Any idea why I can’t get rid of this now? I tried checking for updates thinking maybe it was stuck in loop there. Still haven’t figured it out. Restart ended up fixing it. Lol this software is death

 

That error message is probably coming from a specific application trying to get on the internet. Use task manager to figure out who is causing it.

 

Just curious, have you run any virus scan? It seems you have a lot of software-wise issues and it can be caused by virus/malware/etc

 

It was fixed with a restart. I have malawarbytes and avast. Don’t have any viruses

 

Ok! Thanks for that response. So I just got my Aero 15x 4k out of the box. The only thing I've done so far is undervolt the CPU using Throttlestop @ -125mv. I followed the guide that suggested to use Throttlestop, but I've never undervolted anything before so maybe I did it wrong... I haven't reinstalled Windows or anything. But now when I run cinebench, I get ABYSMAL scores: 33.65fps and 386 cb. It's not even consistent! It goes up to maybe 35fps and ~700cb. Any idea what could be wrong? I did opt for the LM repaste through HIDEvolution and have not cracked open the guts to look at that repaste job but I imagine that this is an issue with software/firmware more than anything (temps are staying 55-70C).

Also my battery is telling me a solid 2hrs at 100% on power saving mode (screen at 30%) - there's gotta be a way to get another 2 hours at least.

Anyways I'm mostly responding to you to try to see how to get close to the same performance you are, because clearly something is weird on my model. I'll be jumping into a game to test it out realtime instead of a benchmark, but am waiting on some installations to finish.

 

I’m sorry! Haven’t been around the forums lately. You should easily be getting at least 6-7 hours of battery life. Have you updated the bios/ used smart manager for the updates? Make sure you update to the latest version of Windows 1803. I doubt you’re doing throttlestop wrong. Also let me know what your drivers are for NVIDIA. It’s best you get them straight from their site. Another user on this forum helped me with that. Here is the link. Download these https://www.nvidia.com/Download/driverResults.aspx/136675/en-us

 

Greetings!

One issue I have with my 15X is that the palm rest where the battery is, heats up while charging and gets warm to the touch. This doesn't seem to happen when not plugged in. Do you guys have the same? CPU temps are ~45C on idle and ~75C on stress test. As an example right now fan intake area is quite cool but palm rest is quire warm

It's interesting that this doesn't happen as badly when in Linux (maybe TDP is lower in linux?)...
I reverted from the latest drivers to the official ones to no avail. any lead is much appreciated

 

Hmm that’s odd. What is hwinfo looking like? Can you run that and post your cpu, gpu, ssd temps for us? Thanks

 

sure. I've been doing some simple web surfing and playing some music and these are some avg temps reported in hwinfo:
CPU package: 43
PCH temperature: 57
SSD1 drive temperature: 47
SSD2 drive temperature 1: 45
SSD2 drive temperature 2: 64
dGPU : idle

smart manager CPU temp: 45
XTU package temp: 45
TDP = 4W (idle)

basically the area under my left palm gets warm while charging. specifically I think it's somewhere under the left win key. as in when it reaches max charge it cools down and then it warms up once charging resumes. it never heats up when not plugged in. This warming up happens even when in BIOS and charging. If I put the laptop in high perf mode it warms up considerably more presumably as more power is drawn into the battery and also starts to heats up under my right palm a bit in that case. Wish I had a thermal cam to post a pic.

I bought it through HIDevolution and had it repasted for better thermals and I run it on a laptop stand that keeps the laptop off the table without blocking intakes. All the sensor temps for CPU/GPU seem to be ok yet the left palmrest gets warm

 

That’s really really strange. Your temps are great!! I’d honestly return it and get another unit. I never had this problem with my 15x and I was on stock paste

 

The left of the palm rest is where your 2nd SSD lives, which corresponds with the 64*C temperature you have reported. The battery itself runs across most of the bottom though as well from a few inches from the left to the right hand edge.