***Gigabyte P34W v3 "Phantasus" owner's lounge***

I completely agree. I would really, really wish that when the laptop was in stealth mode, it was completely stealth under light usage. This is only an annoyance at night, when the surroundings are completely quiet, as I can't really hear the computer in any other enviroment.


Update:
I have completed my benchmarking between the different TIMs. You can check my post ( link) for my results, recommendations and experiences.

 

@bkvamme: Don't worry, I'm not asking you to benchmark another compound, haha. I've read that Liquid Ultra from the same company is easier to install than Liquid Pro. (Everywhere I've read says the performance difference between the two is negligible) Just wondered if you considered the Liquid Ultra or if you have any reasons to avoid it and go Liquid Pro?

Also what's the lifespan of Liquid Pro. I think the general consensus is that a good IC7 application will last the life of the laptop. I don't want to apply something I've got to repaste every few months or once a year.

 

Hi,

I certainly considered the Liquid Ultra, but opted for the Liquid Pro as I kind of wanted the best stuff, and I thought the idea of using liquid metal was amazing.

It is not hard to apply at all. I was really anticipating problems, but the process went silky smooth.

Push out one droplet of the stuff, nd spread it over the die using a cotton swab. That's it. Everybody was saying that it was tricky to apply but my experience was the complete opposite.

As too lifespan, I do not believe that this will be a problem. I found one video where a guy disassembled it after one year, and the paste was still working perfectly.

 

I received my P34W v3 past week. First I noticed that there was a weird click after pressing the B button and pressing on certain spots on the frame. Made a video if it

Second problem was which I noticed later after testing the laptop with BF4. The base was uneven. So it wobbles on a perfectly flat table. Made a video of that problem as well

I have send it back and hopefully they will replace it. Hopefully also without issues such as uneven speaker volume or other weird problems. Disappointed in the quality control.

On the other hand. It looked like a really nice laptop, I like the screen quality, the performance and the overall qualities. I found the fan noise not that bad. It reminds me of my PS4 under load which can be a bit loud as well. But I expected worse from the posts here. I only tested it with BF4 though.

I plan to just lower the max CPU usage to 80% and the GPU to 90% to prevent it from throttling. It will still provide exceptional performance in such a small package but with a bit more restraint for noise and temperature levels.

I really hope the replacement that I will receive won't have any problems. It is the only thin and small 970gtx laptop available in Europe. No alternatives. The MSI GS60 is an okay laptop. But the battery life is atrocious in that machine.

 

@rinneh - that would annoy the **** out of me, really sorry for you.

 

@rinneh: I had to RMA my first p34w due to the wobbling laptop. Purchased from Newegg. I used it on a lapdesk for a day or so with a mouse, noticed nothing. First time I'm using it on a table I go to hit the left button on the trackpad and the front left of the laptop dips. Basically was like a wobbly chair that would rock from front left to back right, depending on where the weight was.

As for the clicking noise when you press the B key, I can make my laptop do that as well but it requires pressing a bit harder than a normal key stroke. I believe there's just some flex in the keyboard and that's what you hear. Eitherway, its something you can notice when looking for imperfections but shouldn't be an issue with daily use unless you happen to press keys pretty hard when you type.

I've seen more than just you complaining about the uneven speakers, so you aren't alone there.

Btw, I selected mine for the same reaosn as well. The only 14 inch that didnt force you to settle for a 960m/965m. I came so close to purchasing this model laptop with the 860 in it, so glad I didn't. The change to all black (which looks much better than the previous years' models) was also a big plus.

 

Dell Alienware 13: yes, not as thin, not as small and just upgraded to "only" 960M, but... very solid build, good battery life, optional external box with any graphics card you like. Possible alternative? depends on priorities, of course.

 

@Hephaestos: He's also gotta be the kind of guy who has no problem using a laptop with an alienhead on it. Love the subtle look of the p34w.

 

Hi guys,

Is RAID 0 possible?

On my P34G V2 it is, however, in one of the P34W V3 articles the author mentioned "RAID 0 not supported", so I wonder why?
I checked the manual for the P34W V3 and RAID 0 is clearly mentioned?!

Is it a software RAID only in the P34W V3?
Thx a lot!

Cheers,
Mike

 

It doesn't give confidence in their quality control Lets hope it is just a fluke.

The black is indeed much better. Looks far more classy. Too bad it isn't a one of thing then if you also had the uneven base. Interesting regarding the keyboard, for me it felt like a problem. Can anyone confirm this that they have the same issue?

I really wanted the 970M or at least a 965M if there arent alternatives. The A13 just misses that bite for modern games. I dont want to change laptops in a year again.

I like the later Alienware models But its not the best choice for meetings haha!

 

I bet if you swap out the 2.5" for an SSD you definitely can do raid.

After two months of use, mine's keyboard is fine except the left arrow key, which seems to to be clunky to click.

 

I updated the second post with a summary ! Please tell me what you think and if I am missing some stuffs.

Also for Raid 0, I think I won't do it because it seems like it won't help you to restore the two of your SSD if one fails. Also there is some tests showing that if there is real improvement those are not in realistic usage. See that here !

 

@rinneh thanks for all of the info. This may be the noobiest question ever, but how would I go about setting 80-90% limits on the CPU/GPU use? It seems like a reasonable idea to help with the temps/fans. I'm guessing there is a program (or hopefully a windows setting) but I wasn't able to find a good answer on search. Thanks.

 

Was this a problem since the beginning?

No problem, happy to help! For limiting the CPU usage, you can use Intel XTU to lower the ratios of the CPU. You can do that here

This is more of an advanced solution. You also can change the max cpu usage for your power settings in the power settings panel of windows. Also set the minimum CPU usage around 5%. Set maximum on 80% when using the psu. On battery I recommend to put it lower to around 40% anyway for a better battery time.

Regarding the GPU. Download MSI afterburner and use the power target slider and put it around -10 or 90% or just underclock the GPU a bit.

I hope this helps!

 

Thank you for the quick (and thorough) reply. I'll give these a try for the GPU/CPU settings.

 

Thanks for the great information rinneh!

I also have a newb questions about undervolting. Has anyone done it on this model? Does anyone have any temp results to report? Also, any suggestions of how much and what software (maybe Intel XTU) to use?

Thanks for any suggestions!

 

I think so, now that I compared it to the right arrow key it seems like it is wobbling that causes the shakiness, so probably an imperfect mount.

 

Hi, I tried some undervolting a while back. Was able to get 95mV underclock on CPU/GPU, but haven't measured any temps. Used Intel XTU.

 

Does anyone have a comparison photo of this next to a Macbook 15"? My laptop bag JUST fits a 15" Macbook and I'm looking to pick up a p34w sometime next month!

 

Hi,

I have a P34W V3 , i repasted it with Gelid Ultra Extrem, and now my max temps are 92°C again 96°C on CPU and 85° again 89° on GPU, less throttle too.

I undervolt the CPU with -70mv.

But the CPU continue to Throttle a bit , between 3.4 ghz on 4 cores and 3.2 ghz. SO i Decided to underclock it to 3.2ghz like a I7-4700HQ The difference in game is very small.

But now i want to mod The vbios of the GTX 970m to undervolt it too... When the GPU is at 1038mhz it doesn't throttle, but when i overclock it to 1173 mhz , it throttle to 1100mhz and sometimes more (not less than 1050 mhz).

Do anyone have a vbios to undervolt the gpu ? And maybe to overclock a bit more the gpu and stop throtteling ?

Thanks

 

I do not have a comparison photo. But I still have a leather bag designed for a macbook pro 13inch. The Gigabyte P34w v3 fits almost perfectly within that back. It is just a little bit more wide. The 15inch model is even wider. So I am 99% sure the Gigabyte would fit in your Macbook pro 15inch bag.

 

Thanks. I actually went and had a look at the Apple website and compared specs and indeed the P34w is a few cm smaller both ways!

 

@hahaitme Does one liter wine fits in a 1,5 liter water bottle ? size wise p34 is smaller than macbook pro and normal macbook 15, only the thickness is 3mm bigger (2,1 cm vs 1,8 cm). So yes it should fit !

Thanks @bkvamme and @grichka59 for your infos ! Could one of you share his work through pictures of xtu, video, or maybe XTU profil ?

Also seems that there is other solution as a vbios to undervolt the gpu, if I understand right (XTU or other softwares). But I am no expert.

Thanks @rinneh I have lowered my power profiles like you told, and seen no difference for now ! So I think it is pretty good

 

No problem! I will post a more complete tutorial once I receive my replacement P34w V3

I will try it out when I receive my replacement.

Thanks for the information. I am curious how my replacement will stack up.

Try monitoring the frequency of the CPU with for example CPU-Z under load.

When I tried underclocking etc my battery rated for almost 6 hours. So there are sure some gains to be made. But I only let the CPU go to 2ghz on Battery.

 

Hello all
I went through with and purchased the P34w v3 thanks to reading all of your posts. I'm planning on a repaste Pretty much out of the box With ic7. But I'll Probably do a couple of initial benches and temperatures first which I will post.
Has anyone tried replacing the mSata yet? Does anyone know if there is a size limit on what you can put in?

 

Also one more thing...Does anyone know if the os is installed on the msata, just curious.

 

I haven't touched the 128GB mSATA drive, but i did see that it would be super easy to replace while I had the case apart to do the re-paste. The OS is on that drive.

I took the 1TB our and put a SATA drive though. I am not sure about any size limits on the mSATA drive. I would imagine it would be fine even up to the largest ones available currently.

 

no limit on the msata im using 1tb 840 evo inside

 

I received my P34W from XoticPC this morning. I proceeded to install some programs and games on it. Had it all set up how I wanted it. Just now I tried to play a game and got a Video TDR Failure message and BSOD. Restarted the computer and it doesn't detect the GPU anymore. Will be calling XoticPC tomorrow. As a disclaimer I opened it up and repasted it (I have a lot of experience having built several computers so I know I didn't make any mistakes). Also I reset it back to factory settings but still no GPU detected. I'm bummed.

 

Yeah, but be aware that you have nothing to go on it terms of length. Are there different lengths of the mSATA modules?

 

I wonder why those GPU disappearing issues are present, does anyone have more information about this problem. Did you guys repaste the GPU? Maybe the paste replacement is too conductive?

 

@colin06 So sorry to hear that ! @Xss already talked about it on this thread here ! You might have to take a look at the P35w owner's thread.
@rinneh Seems like everybody who repaste so far, has done both CPU and GPU. It might be realted but then only for the unlucky one (there might be something wrong with the disassembling) or it is coming from something else (like defective chips).
Also why use CPU-Z for monitoring as XTU does the same (I think) ? I like to use only one software to apply all the modifications if possible !

 

I was just idly browsing and stumbled across this website which seems to have an absolutely ridiculous sale on at the moment:

http://www.nigelohara.com/gigabyte-p34w-v3cf2-14-i7-4720hq-w81-9wp34wv33gba002-pid74183.html
http://www.nigelohara.com/gigabyte-p34w-v3cf1-14-i7-4720hq-w81-9wp34wv33gba001-pid74182.html

Some of their prices are a little ****** up and don't make any sense, but still - ~£300-£350 off is nothing to joke about.

My only concern is support from this retailer which doesn't seem to deal exclusively in technology. But I must say, at £839 I am sorely tempted...

Edit: Seems this offer ends tomorrow, so only one day to decide...

Edit 2: On reading reviews/horror stories it seems like this retailer could be a nightmare so I'll pass.

 

Quick question: I noticed the (faulty) P35W I received two weeks ago didn't come with a windows CD. I supposed it will be the same with the p34W and any other gigabyte laptop. They do have a recovery program installed that you can boot...BUT, what happens if you change hard drives? Or if the hard drive with that recovery program breaks down? There is absolutely no way then to reinstall anything manually, you are kinda...Stuck, right?

 

There is a hidden partition on the OS drive with the restore files on it. When you boot up, there is also a Gigabyte applicaiton which will allow you to create a boot USB. You just have to put in a (16GB I think?) empty drive and it will install the OS files on it so you can boot from that.

 

Hm, I am not sure I totally get it: what happens if the OS drive stops working? Because in that case you no longer have the hidden partition. Or is the boot USB enough to install windows in any new hard drive? Sorry it these sound a bit like newbie questions, I have never been that good with all of this

 

Once you make the USB, you should be good. If the drive fails, you can just put this in and then hit the boot menu option when the laptop starts and boot from the USB drive. The benefit of the Gigabyte setup is it likely includes all the drivers and applications that come stock. If you would rather, you can also go to Microsoft's site and create a Win8 or 8.1 boot USB from their image. It should do the same thing, but it would only be Windows, then you would have to download all your specific drivers and such. I think the Win8 key is contained in the Bios, but if not, I'm sure you could call for it.

Anyhow, the point being it shouldn't be too hard to fix if the drive quit or you wanted to install a bigger one later.

Hope that helps!

 

Windows 8 keys are kept at a hardware level, and shouldn't be required. That's why there is no product key on the windows 8 sticker

Also, the recovery function in the bios only calls up windows 8s excellent refresh/wipe function. No proprietary recovery system I would actually assume that there is no dedicated recovery partition anymore, as it is not required in Windows 8.

 

Just purchased a P34W off Amazon, so I'll be joining the club in a few days.

My usage scenario for my P34W will be more of a ultraportable workstation for school. I don't game very much, but do a lot of GPU modeling (chemistry), CPU statistics (business), and light office work (i.e. taking notes in class).

I think everyone has covered all the performance related aspects really well, so I'll see if I can provide some info on battery life during "medium" and "very light" workload (i.e. notes in class or writing on an airplane, the two scenarios where your chances for getting an AC outlet are the most minimal). I'll also try to talk about stability (any BSODs or freezes during long periods of uptime with switching between heavy/light load and battery/AC power). My current two laptops have failed miserably in stability, so I hope this will be better.

 

Bummer! I don't know how I managed to miss that message. Please let us know how it goes. I am rather bummed as well, I thought this problem was only present on P35W/X. I am receiving my P34W tomorrow and now I am afraid to run into that same issue, again.

 

Thanks for the reply...I would love to get an evo 1 tb and actually Plan to. But right now after buying the laptop, it A little tight now.

 

Well my p34w that I purchased on Amazon came with a bunch of spyware preloaded. Other than that I've had no problems with mine. But I do recall everyone saying that This model had no bloat wear on it that's no the case with mine. No big deal really I've got most of it off now. Also I Did discover that the OS is on the Msata. I, by mistake installed Titan Fall there and took allmost the whole drive up.

 

Well, after a long and troublesome search for a notebook I settled on the P34W v3 so I'll be joining the club tomorrow when it gets here. I was going to wait for the P34K V3 but got impatient. The

 

Ok, I have received mine. Quick question, did yours come with a sleve like on this video from Xotic PC? Mine didn't have any.
Also, the P34W with the configuration I took was approximately 4 dollars cheaper: GentechPC told me they would "credit" the difference...Obviously I didn't get any refund (no check, no wire, no nothing coming with the laptop). How do you think I should handle this with GentechPC for such a small amount? Obviously I can live with $4 less, to be fair the P34W was supposed to cost MORE: I took that configuration when they were offering the repaste...Still, I find all of that rather unprofessional.

Other than that, the 970m is detected, but I haven't had any time to test the laptop.
Like some other posted, the B/N keys make a nasty cliquing sound when pressing hard on them, but I can live with that: you don't hear anything when tipping normally on the laptop, and when using it as a desktop replacement I will be using another keyboard plugged to it.

More to come.

 

I just read this. My birthday was then. I would of bought two and ended up selling one on had I saw this


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

Are you talking about the thin black sleeve the laptop is in when you open the box? Mine had that. I would play a game or run a benchmark ASAP just to make sure yours doesn't crap out like mine did. As for the $4 I dunno. Maybe send them an email but I personally wouldn't make too many waves about it.

Also, what is your keyboard layout like? Mine didn't have the layout shown in the picture. My left shift is small and the enter key is a different shape.

Original website picture:

My keyboard:

 

No, no, I am talking the thick sleeve that is on top of the laptop when you open the box, like on the P34G on the video I posted above.
Don't have time to try a game right now, I'd rather install a few programs first and I am already having trouble with that: Zone Alarm doesn't seem to like Windows 8.1, but I am going to try reinstalling it. Otherwise, are there any other free firewall and antiviruses you might recomend me?

 

Oh no I didn't receive that one. I stick with Windows Defender for antivirus, I don't mind it. Malwarebytes is probably a good idea too.

 

Okie dookie, thanks. And for firewall, what do you use?
My keyboard layout seem normal, big shift key here.

 

I stick with Windows' built-in firewall as well. I would also recommend CCleaner to keep your registry clean. I wonder why XoticPC seems to have a different keyboard layout. I keep hitting that # key instead of enter and the \ key instead of shift. It's aggravating. I'm sure I could get used to it but I'd rather not have to.