***Gigabyte P35X owner's lounge***

Just got off the phone with Scan, I should receive mine tomorrow, yey!

Let the system-wide software torturing commence!

Regards

 

Mine has been collected now. Farewell Gigabyte P35X v3 and may you have a safe journey back to Overclockers UK...

Sent from my Nexus 5

 

Having the CPU on normal stock behaviour throttling to 1Ghz could cause performance issues (like stutters), so capping performance at a sensible level (where above this level no additional performance is to be had anyway) will reduce overall temperatures of the CPU & GPU without any decrease in frame rates - also allows for more current (Watts) available to drive the GPU to ensure no power throttling (especially important if overclocking this GPU with the 180W brick).

 

More review:

http://www.hardwarezone.com.my/m/review-gigabyte-p35x-v3-third-times-charm

But with no mention of throttling of any knid.

Regards

 

Throttling hasn't been bad from my perspective at all. I saw minor GPU throttling in the logs, but never saw any FPS dips from it. I also saw minor CPU thermal throttling in the logs but that changed to none in the same tests after a repaste. (This was just my controlled before and after tests, so under different conditions I am sure there is still some CPU throttling)

Yes if you run furmark and prime95 at the same time you will get throttling, but that just isn't representative of the games I play in any way.

**********
I'm not 100% in the clear yet, but just to report on what I did last night...

I tried installing the latest NVidia drivers without the GeForce experience (or 3d or PhysX which was same version anyway) and BSOD'd right away so that didn't help my system.

Next I put win 7 on thinking I would try it out, but that quickly turned to crap after it wouldn't boot up when rebooting after install. I couldn't even get into the BIOS. I'm not sure what was going on, but I figure its the BIOS settings I changed to allow me to boot and install Win 7 because I never had that issue before. I gave up on it after those scary black screen moments. After a bunch of tries I was finally able to boot once and install Windows 8.1 from scratch.

It went very well, it was a little bit of a pain randomly installing the Gigabyte drivers until I got rid of all the unknown items in device manager. I never had any errors, wireless problems, or crashes of any sort and the latest NVidia drivers installed as they normally should (direct downloaded from NVidia). 3dmark11 was normal (11300 completely stock/untweaked) and my weird issue went away where steam would not snap to edge (split screen automatically).

I'm not going to call it a success yet, but I am hopeful as so far all the issues I had went away.

The downside is I installed the wrong version of Win 8.1 and since I didn’t realize it was impossible to change it I kept going and spent all night updating and installing. I will need to redo it yet again with the proper version so that I can activate it. So I guess I will get another chance to test the error free clean install.

 

I just wanted to explain what PROCHOT - 10 means in the screenshot that Mr Najsman posted.

http://i.imgur.com/fcm1Tac.png

For the Core i7-4710HQ, Intel has set the thermal throttling temperature to 100°C. Intel also says that when the processor reaches this temperature, it has "reached its maximum safe operating temperature". That is the temperature when thermal throttling is supposed to begin.



The -10 that ThrottleStop reports indicates that Gigabyte has decided to ignore Intel and instead of leaving the thermal throttling temperature at a safe 100°C, Gigabyte decided to set the thermal throttling temperature at a much more conservative 90°C. Why? Premature thermal throttling reduces performance and is completely unnecessary because Intel has already stated that their CPUs can be safely operated up to 100°C. Consumers are in the dark about this because manufacturers and review sites never report this information.

Users need to complain to Gigabyte so they can operate their 4710HQ at its full Intel rated speed as well as the full Intel rated temperature. A simple bios update can eliminate this temperature offset that Gigabyte is using. Features like this have no business in a high performance gaming laptop.

 

Ehhh... tried playing Far Cry 4 on my P170SM. I don't think I can do it though. Will likely save it for when I recieve my preordered P651SG. It's just not an enjoyable experience. Not only is the framerate noticeably worse (780M has to step all the way down to medium before it can maintain 60FPS locked - then there's the hitching that everyone is getting) but the game looks bland and flat without the IPS display to make it shine. This display just can't make for an enjoyable experience, despite being physically bigger. It's so much better on the Gigabyte.

The IPS/980M withdrawal symptoms have already begun to manifest. Just 4 weeks to endure...

 

I'm gonna aim for about 45 fps on that game, with a minimum above 30fps if possible - it's not a very fast paced game so I can live with that, so it looks like I'll be able to run it above medium then given my small screen res too - thanks for testing on the 780M. And as continued tangent, found an excellent article about graphics settings & tweaking for Far Cry 4 - to get most optimised settings:
http://www.geforce.com/whats-new/guides/far-cry-4-graphics-performance-and-tweaking-guide

 

NVIDIA settings (minus the TXAA) ran at about 25-35FPS.
Ultra at about 30-35FPS.
Very High 35-40FPS.
High 45-55FPS.
Medium >60FPS.
Low >60FPS.

Or thereabouts, from my brief testing.

 

My Shadow of Mordor test was running on Stealth fan profile.

I just did a test with Auto High, no apparent changes to fps, clocks or throttling for 3K Ultra or 3K medium.

 

Thanks for that. I've never used stealth yet. I worried it would melt my cpu/gpu or make the games not play well.

In reality, what does stealth accomplish? Quieter idle and maybe light desktop usage, at the cost of higher idle temps? If that's the case and has no real effect on gaming I may flip it to stealth and leave it there.

Here is what I was imagining, but may not work out this way in reality. If you run the fans at auto-high or even on forced max fans, I was imagining during the less demanding times in game, between battles or whatever, the cpu/gpu would cool a few extra degrees and give a little longer until it heats up again. This would add a few fps overall at the cost of more fan noise. In stealth or auto-low mode I was thinking the fans would lower some and not do as much cooling anymore and net a higher average temp.

 

CPU might be able to handle 100 but the motherboard might not. Do it too often and you burn something, then Gigabyte has to replace it for you under warranty. Other than bad reputation, excessive warranty replacements would be a bad deal for them so there you have it.

 

4th gen intel processors actually have a thermal limit of 90C, specified by intel.

 

According to this, it's 100° C

Intel® Core™ i7-4710HQ Processor (6M Cache, up to 3.50 GHz)

 

Another test, this time I did Planetside 2. It´s popular to use Battlefield 4 as a cpu-demanding game, I´ve found PS2 to be a real cpu-killer and it didn´t dissapoint.
I tried to stay at big fights the entire time, I´d say the results are fairly comparable.
I messed up the fraps logging so no nifty excel-charts for the fps this time, sorry.

3K Ultra and 3K High
* At 3K Ultra and 3K High there were severe throttling of the CPU, jumping between 2,5 GHz and 3 GHz.
* GPU had to pick up pace to tag along but stayed at full speed and around 85 degrees.
* The reported fps was surprisingly high, rarely going under 40, but unlike Shadow of Mordor this time there were considerable stuttering in big fights, especially at 3K Ultra. If I didn´t have the fps counter I´d have said avg 20 fps at 3K Ultra and avg 25-30 fps at 3K High.

3K Medium and 1080 Ultra
* 3K Medium and 1080 Ultra was a smoother ride with still some CPU-throttling at 3K Medium but hardly any at 1080 Ultra.
* GPU cool as cucumber going full speed below 80 degrees.
* Avg fps 55-56 and staying above 40. No apparent stuttering.


After an hour at 3K going to 1080p was alot different, maybe because the UI in PS2 took up so much more real estate. I just wanted to go back to 3K again. In Shadow of Mordor I hardly could tell the difference between the different settings. In a blindtest I´d probably gotten them wrong, maybe not 3K medium because of some different lighting.


FPS 3K Ultra & 3K High

Spoiler

FPS 3K Medium & 1080 Ultra

Spoiler

CPU 3K Ultra & 3K High

Spoiler

CPU 3K Medium & 1080 Ultra

Spoiler

GPU 3K Ultra & 3K High

Spoiler

GPU 3K Medium & 1080 Ultra

Spoiler

 

As epicninja said, it's 100 degC for for the 4710HQ:
ARK | Intel® Core™ i7-4710HQ Processor (6M Cache, up to 3.50 GHz)
"T junction" is 100 degC

 

Was that with a GPU overclock, because it's showing a stable 1200Mhz the whole time? 1124Mhz (or thereabouts) is the normal max boost clock that I've seen. Almost permanent CPU thermal throttling there throughout those tests, might be worth trying it with limiting the boost to 3Ghz (pity you're not allowed to do an undervolt with your review sample).

 

You´re right, what´s up with that? I haven´t touched the clocks, could it be oc:d from Mysn? I´ll check tonight.

Yes, that´s some serious throttling of the cpu. I´ll probably cap the cpu for some comparative testing.

My 4-day window actually got changed to "let us know when you´re done". Soo I guess I´ll test this one for 6 months

 

Received my P35X CF2, first impression:
Felt heavier than expected from the slim form factor.
Package come with manual, guarantee, driver disc, Cyberlink PowerDVD 10, ODD caddy, and power cord.
Keyboard felt shallow (compare to mechanical keyboard), but quieter than my Alienware.
Windows installed on the 128GB SSD, come with GeForce 344.00.
File transfer from external USB 2.0 HDD to internal HDD at 40 MB/s.

What benchmark softwares to used?

Regards

Add-on: the keyboard uneven-ness is because it used different kaycap on certain keys (wasd). They're very slightly bumped up at center of the keycap (like a shallow dome).
And man that's a lot of stickers. Will move them to underside once I decide to keep the laptop.

 

Yes, check that GPU boost clock, make sure it's 100% GPU load though (something like Unigine Heaven benchmark perhaps).

 

@Cakefish I have no problem use bluetooth and wifi at same time with default drivers.

Regards

 

Likewise, no problems with Bluetooth and wi-fi at same time.

 

how is the trackpad and keyboard? Does the keyboard feel solid? I saw a video on the older model and the keyboard looked to have a ton of flex hopefully this is something they improved on.

 

They have improved the keyboard, it feels solid.

I´m still not friends with the trackpad. When I game the base of my thumb sometimes touches the corner making the reticule move around ingame.

 

Ok thx for info, so-so track pad I can live with I usually use a mouse anyway, but the keyboard was a bit of a concern. * as far as the thumb touching you can probably just shut the track pad off when your gaming ( assuming u use a mouse. )

 

Keyboard only flex when you pushing hard, no flex under normal typing circumstances.
Not a fan on the trackpad. It's alright, it's big, semi-smooth (I prefer Alienware's textured trackpad), prefer to have dedicated left and right click button.

Regards

 

Display panel is very thin, very easy to flex by holding 2 top corners, but the metal lid is quite solid.

Regards

 

Delfang, do you have the 1080p version or the 3k version?

 

Mine is CF2, 1080p, i7 4710HQ, 8GB RAM, 128GB SSD.
BTW, still have no problem with Bluetooth and WiFi.

Regards

 

There is an option in the trackpad drivers to disable trackpad when external mouse is plugged in, give it a try, been using it on every laptop for the last 10 years or so Otherwise you can always just use the function keys and disable the trackpad quickly manually.

*My biggest complaint about the trackpad is I have to push so dang hard to get it to register taps. I hate the physical pushing these new trackpads can use, I still just tap but I have to either tap multiple times or really hard to get them to register. I thought there was a pressure sensitivity adjustment somewhere but I didn't find it with a quick look.

I did two more fresh windows reinstalls last night, I couldn't get the right ISO that matched my key, and would allow activation. I finally got it after 4 tries (or was it 5?). I can't believe how many windows versions there are out there. Upgrade vs Full, OEM vs Retail vs eval, pro vs home etc etc (and it wasn't clear what was what from the descriptions)

I haven't used Bluetooth much, just a Bluetooth mouse a few times and no issues. My problem is even with a fresh clean install, windows won't automatically reconnect to the network upon boot up. I swapped out my router last night so it isn't that (unless both of my routers have an issue hehe). I even updated to the latest intel wireless drivers and it still did it this morning.

 

*Duplicate post, stupid slow work computers...*

 

Good to hear! Any Bluetooth mouse lag?

I think it's pretty much confirmed now that I had faulty unit.

Edit: just got email confirmation that OC UK have received my unit and are inspecting it. Hope they don't mind about the corrupt windows install! And that tiny nick in the palm wrest. That should be it though, I haven't done anything else to harm it.

Sent from my Nexus 5

 

Great, that's the one I would get. What's your opinion so far?

 

@Cakefish sorry I don't use bluetooth mouse. Did not experience any audio lag from either of local video and/or youtube video (palyed simultaneously).
@epicninja like it so far. Will have to do a repasting maybe next week, don't know about the gaming performance yet, will test witcher 2 and some other games, mostly NOT AAA titles.
Depends on how it goes, I might start to move my system from M11x (Alienware) to P35X on Sunday.

Regards

 

I see that dajohu says his Bluetooth mouse works fine. So that 100% confirms it. My 7260 was borked.

Sent from my Nexus 5

 

Audio lag and static comes from having GPU-Z, CPU-Z or similar type programs open while playing games I believe. If you haven't installed those yet, can you try and verify? I got audio lag and static when running those types of apps like other people here.

I really didn't like the keyboard it felt so cramped and I had so many mistakes from it. Since I'm so use typing on a MBP and Apple BT keyboards.

Try updating to the latest NV GFX and see if you can run 3DMark and get no BSOD. If you do check your Intel GFX and make sure they are the ones from GB website or that came with the laptop and then install the NV drivers that came with the laptop.

TYVM

My biggest issue with 7260 wasn't the BT since it worked perfectly. It was the WiFi side not recognizing any N type network routers and bring forced to use the MS version that comes with W8.1 Pro.

Sent from my SM-N910T using Tapatalk

 

I can't get the GPUz running properly, it blank out the screen and freeze the system every time I try to click on different tab on 980m's page.
I have the latest GeForce driver from Nvidia installed, not experience BSOD when doing basic benchmarking in 3DMark 11, didn't have the latest GPUz nor 3DMark.
Yes, keyboard is not great.
One thing I don't like is the displace side of the lid (facing the user), the edge felt sharp when adjust screen angle.

Regards

 

Darksiders 2 always run at 100+ fps, fan noise is not louder than my Alienware M11x under load. Work starts soon, more tests tomorrow.

Regards

 

This weekend I will do a lot more testing. If my system is stable, video drivers good, and no other issues other than wireless, I will likely just replace the wireless card. I may try a couple more driver versions but I'm not going to mess around with it much more.

I've bought 7 laptops this year, and a bunch of them had 7260AC cards in them, and I had problems with all of them. I know some folks have said they like the card, but it's never worked right for me. I've even replaced my router (from older N to a new AC router) and that didn't fix anything. I've always had really good luck with the Killer wireless cards so I will try to get one of those again.

 

Consider the Killer 1525 AC with a m2 to m-pcie adapter since you got an AC router already. I'm getting my GS70 6GB today and will test out the 1525 and report back. There's a Killer 1525 AC thread in the Networking section with lots of positive reviews.

 

Just so we have a clear image of things, my laptops are connect to internet through mobile phone's Hotspot (thanks to 3's One Plan). I used to be in a different uni in different city, so I don't have a boradband at home. After I return home, we decide that the broadband is less cost-efficient than tethering, especially with the coming of 4G.

Regards

 

I'm over the moon to report that Overclockers UK have issued me with a full refund of £1800! Just got the confirmation email from Amazon Payments

Although the laptop wasn't working properly, I can't fault their customer service.

 

*duplicate, again. uhg, I hate posting at work, slow browser and double posting! I suppose I should actually be working anyway

 

I'll keep that in mind, but if I ditch the new AC router I'll be using N anyway. I have never had an issue with speed with it, I only upgraded for external antennas and to get better signal strength across the house.

 

Just started up for tonights benchmark and more than half of the keystrokes don´t register at all. Nothing appears on screen when I press those buttons. What on earth is going on?

 

Btw, 1080p version come with 125% scaling as default, what default scaling did 3k version come with?

Regards

 

What software were running at the time?

Regards

 

RivaTuner and Hwinfo. Steam login failed, that´s when I noticed. Reboot did not solve it.
Random letters, Enter and some numbers on the NumPad I´ve found so far

 

Sounds like the keyboard is having hatdware failure. Have you try to blast the keyboard with a can of compressed air? Was something spilled on the keyboard?

Regards

 

Nothing got spilled. I just pulled it out from the protective casing again, was working fine the other 2 days I´ve had it.

Not working before loading Windows either. Enter does nothing in Bios for example.