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

I am wondering about the material the p35x is made of: is it plastic, aluminum ? You owners, can you try to comment on the build quality, does it feels solid? Thank you !

 

Thanks for the reply guys.

I think I'm going for a single 256GB Samsung 840 EVO mSATA. In the future, when I decide I need more storage, I can then add another 256Gb when the prices have dropped and put them into RAID0. Will probably be around the same time when Windows 10 is released so a good moment for a reinstall

However, I am starting to think that there are more problems with my notebook; My notebook randomly shuts down when cold booted, even when not booted into Windows!
I was running memtest86+ and it suddenly turned off, without any errors or something. This was +- 5 minutes after I booted it. This has happened to me before, but I thought it was due to the faulty SSD.
But can a faulty SSD also be causing this, even when it's not accessed?? It turns back on fine afterwards and I can then use it all day long, but when I turn it on in the morning again, it will shutdown again..... This is a strange issue which is hard to file for warrenty because it doesn't always occur....

The top lid and fan exhaust area is aluminium I guess, the rest of the casing is plastic but feels solid.

 

Top lid, palm wrest and the bit above the keyboard are aluminium. The bottom panel and keyboard are plastic.

Sent from my Nexus 5

 

Memtest86+ uses a fair amount of CPU power I think (based on how much power draw I see it pull from my Watt Meter) - could it be that the CPU got too hot & and the system did a thermal shutdown? (If these shutdowns happen in other situations when the CPU is not loaded, and your CPU temps are ok then I'm a way off the mark.)

 

Thanks for your reply! Really appreciate that you're helping me to debug this annoying issue.

Well first of all, this only happens once a day. +- 5 minutes after the first cold boot, it will make a 'click' sound and turn off immediatly. No bluescreen, no errors, nothing. Sometimes it reboots but usually it just shutsdown and I have to turn it back on manually, Afterwards, I can use the laptop as much as I want all day long without any issues.

Moreover, these shutdowns occur randomly; Today during happened memtest86+ but it also happens when I boot quickly enough to open Firefox, it will crash during webbrowsing. Or when Idle at the desktop... so I don't think CPU temperature is the issue...

Could it be related to my broken SSD? It currently resides in a RAID0, I don't know if a bad SSD can crash the RAID controller or something?
I ordered a new SSD. I will assemble it into my Notebook tommorrow. I will install Windows 8 in legacy mode with the SSD in AHCI.

The problem is that I cannot RMA it for this as it is too hard to diagnose.

 

Ah I see! The fact that it happened during Memtest86+, which is loaded up immediately after post and has no operating system involvement means that it's not a software issue. To me it sounds like a BIOS type problem perhaps, because your SSD isn't playing any part when Memtest86+ is running (it just boots from the USB stick that you use). Maybe it would be worth re-flashing the BIOS? If it is your SSD causing the problems and you're getting it replaced then you could remove the SSD and reinstall the operating system onto the SSD that's working, and see if that solves it.

 

Thanks again for your reply!

I could reflash the BIOS but I must note that this has happened to me before when I was on another BIOS revision altough not as frequently as it is right now....

I will update you with the results once my new SSD is in, which is due tommorrow.

 

Ah right, probably not the BIOS then (at least not to be fixed by a simple re-flash). Might well be your SSD then, hopefully it will be fixed when you get it installed.

 

Please don't do this unless you are a trained electrician. Lithium Polymer batteries are VERY dangerous when mishandled. Just go to youtube and search for "Lipo abuse".

 

So any store yet that allows you to remove the hdd, ssds and windows before you buy and save ~200 to 300 euros? Only p35xv3s i see listed are either 1080p versions or full blown with raid zero ssds, 1tb hdd, 16gigs of ram and windows for 2300 euros...

Sent from my GT-I9300

 

If I ever decide to try to add another battery ill try to remember not to pound on them with a hammer! LOL thx for the input tho it really had nothing to do with my question.

 

I think I'm set on ordering this laptop. I'm going to go with the bigfoot killer internet card and the IC diamond repaste. Is there anything else you guys recommend getting in addition to those two? Also, where do you recommend ordering from? I priced Gentech, HID, and xoticpc, and Gentech is $2,419, HID is $2,494, and xotic is $2,398. However, it's not clear that xotic has Windows 8 installed or not, and both xotic and Gentech do not include tech support whereas HID does. I'm thinking about going with HID just for this fact, but was wondering what you guys think of the three sites and which is the best one to order from.

I'm also open to any other laptop recommendations, but my inclination to go with this one is because I was a 15.6" laptop or smaller that has a 980M graphics card and is not bulky like my current alienware M14x.

 

I replaced the SSD, turned off the RAID controller and the issue is still there... I'm out of options. RAM has been tested, no errors. And when I replaced the SSD, I also reseated the RAM, just to be sure.
This is annoying. A 2400 dollar laptop should not require a 'warm up' of 5 minutes every morning before I can use it.

 

Something in the laptop is obviously faulty and should be replaced could be that this is what caused the ssd drive to fail also im no expert but probably should send it back in for a replacement unit. Could have been damaged in shipping or maybe just a bad unit. It happens

 

Sounds like it could be a hardware fault then, maybe something to do with the motherboard at a guess. I think you should return it if you can, because it sounds like it's gonna be difficult for them to fix as it doesn't sound like a straight forward problem.

 

To the owners of a 3K model, how doyou think 1080p gaming looks on the 3K screen compared to native 1080p gaming?

 

Very good indeed. Compared to my 17.3" 1080p Clevo it looked pretty much identical in games.

Sent from my Nexus 5

 

Thanks! That's promising, I read your early posts now. I'd really like a 3K screen for productivity and 1080p+ movies but I'd like to game at 1080p to keep the details and framerates high.
Weird how 1080p on 1620p looks good while 720p/900p is absolutely horrid on 1080p.

I read 90% of the thread now but I couldn't find any real world test numbers for the 4710hq thermal throttling compared to the 4860hq.

For those wanting to buy it with an azerty-layout, clevo.fr is offering 10% off with the code NOEL10, and ldlc.com 7% with 7PC.

 

So I just received the 970 version today and for some reason the gpu is not showing up in hw monitor or cpu-z it is however showing up in the device manager. I can get it to show up in the info tab of intel ETU but it says it is 4gb instead of 6 and it doesn't show any temps or anything on it im not familiar with how to use ETU tho so I could just have settings wrong. Have updated drivers, and still nothing. Any ideas or have I received a unit with a bum gpu? Which frankly wouldn't surprise me from the troubles others have had. Had very high hopes for this laptop kind of depressed really. Not sure of any other way to actually tell if the gpu is really working or not or if its just using the integrated graphics. Also my idle temps are around 55-60 with repaste, which is a lot more than I expected. I will say with what little gaming ive done the cpu has stayed around 80 but haven't tested it enough to know anything for sure.

*HELP me gentech I bought it from you lol ! aren't you supposed to benchmark these things before you ship them out?

 

The dGPU won't show up in GPU-Z or HWinfo64 unless it's activated - by running a 3D app or a game. Start a game, ALT+TAB then see your GPU temps under HWinfo/MSI AB.

 

Also change the default GPU to the 970m

Regards

 

Have any of you previously owned the MSI GS60 Ghost Pro (970m) with 3k?
I currently have the MSI and I am still within the Holiday return policy as I am considering the Gigabyte P35x v3 instead.
I definitely want a slim/light gaming laptop and am willing to trade off a little more fan noise for it. The MSI has some audible fan noise even when just using Chrome so I'm thinking I might as well get a 980m and get a little more FPS out of it before I upgrade again 2-3 years.

Just wondering what you think of the Gigabyte build quality, etc...compared to the MSI. So far I am quite impressed with the MSI and thats after many, many years with Asus and Alienware.

Oh and FWIW, the MSI GS60 Ghost Pro with 3k (that's a mouthful!!) has a great screen but the glossy finish can cause some glare issues ...so a matte 3k screen on the Gigabyte sounds quite nice comparatively.

I considered the Aorus X7 Pro...but the CPU throttling and even more fan noise in all the various reviews was a buzz kill.

 

Do you need to do this on every program that you want to use the 970? or do you just have to do it in the NVidia control panel under the set PhysX option?

 

Just do it once in the Nvidia setting panel, it's not compulsory, but put an ease to your mind when you know the dGPU will always be on for gaming and other serious work (yeah right).

Regards

 

Anybody knows the cas latency of the native ram sticks on this laptop?

 

RAM brand/model depends on the individual reseller. There is no default choice, as far as I know, they all use whatever is best for them and their customers.

Sent from my Nexus 5

 

Ah this wait is evil...

 

Wait for what? For the laptop to be back in stock?

 

p35x v3 cf-4

 

Oh just great, because I'm going to order that soon. Ugh.

 

Well, don't hold your breath, I am waiting for it for about 30 days already... And it is really not looking soon either.. Made me think maybe I should go p650sg like Cake did, OMG Gigabyte is lazy with their deadlines!

 

So i got my p35x today :thumbsup:

I don't know what kind of laptops people on review sites are acustomed to but i love the build quality. the whole thing feels light, well built and premium. If i were really picky i would critique that on the left side the plastic bottom and the aluminium top portion dont align perfectly, but the difference is minute, as in " you would have to read braile to feel it", on the left side its basically perfect. The lid and base unit also align perfectly when closed, which was mentioned as an issue before.

The keyboard is also solid and nice to type on. The only slightly slanted key is the "*" key which is next to the enter key on the german keyboard.

The speakers are a bit of a letdown for the price- absolutely no bass and require some fiddling about with the dolby settings, because they sound terrible out of the box IMO. Gigabyte could have really skipped the ODD altogether and put in another hard drive bay and a small subwoofer in there.

At first i absolutely HATED the screen (1080p version), to the point of thinking about returning it. It was extremely dim and grainy. But after a bios update to the newest version and its much better, they increased the brightness significantly. I would say its an IPS screen, but a mediocre one- it has no noticeable color , but noticeable brightness shift. I'll take this over a TN screen any day of the week, but there are better screens out there.

I dislike the touchpad, but i generally dislike touchpads without physical buttons.

Cant comment on performance right now as im on the road, but will do extensive testing on the weekend when i put my 840 Pro in it.

 

30 days?! Lovely, well hopefully you get it soon.

@Qyyz: let us know what you think about the performance when you are able to test it out.!

 

Well... seems my joy was short lived...

Turns out the processor on my unit also cant go above 1,6 Ghz When i run Throttlestop and enable "Set Multiplier" and "Power Saver" the notebook works as intended- the processor has no problems going from 800 Mhz to 3,5 Ghz depending on load, so it must be a software/BIOS issue. I wish I've checked this before updating the BIOS...

 

I mentioned the fix for this long while back. BIOS flash fixes the hibernate/sleep clocks issue.

 

Sir, i applaud You. You are a true gentleman and a scholar, indeed reflashing the BIOS resolved the issue.:thumbsup:

With the added brightness from the BIOS update this notebook is nigh perfect now.

 

Will you feed our curiosity with test, benchmarks and temps?

 

Well, I gave up, new ETA late December... Gigabyte sure knows how to lose customers!

 

Well the solution with the bios reflash worked for about 20 minutes... Now its back to 1,6 Ghz

I've tried reflashing the BIOS 3 times now (Haven't run Throttlestop between re-flashes) and its still the same...

Edit: If i startup super pi on battery the cpu goes from 800 to 1,6 Ghz, if i now plug i the power cord the CPU jumps to 2,5 and then to 3,4 Ghz for a short while. after a few seconds its back to 1,6 Ghz... This is weird.

 

I definitely see a laptop skin in the near future for this laptop. Finger prints are almost impossible to avoid, tho this is the case for all the aluminum chassis for some reason

 

For those who might wonder about the availability of cf4 in France, ldlc has it in stock according to their rep. I am waiting to see if my order is indeed processed though...

 

Disable sleep/hibernate. Try not to mess around with battery profiles too much. (if this was what you're doing)

When mine happened, it was due to over/underclock tools that messed with Prochot value and deleting it to force it at 1.6GHz.

 

Has anyone here who has the laptop not altered it in any way and if so, how did it run? When I order it I'm only getting the IC Diamond repaste and the Bigfoot killer Internet card, I am not a tech guy and have no plans on modding it. Just wondering if it operates well without changing things.

 

I used Gelid GC Extreme and it still overheated in certain things. This is due to its slim build and cooling capabilities. If you have liqud ultra, this would work many times better.

 

Is liquid ultra the IC Diamond repaste or something else? If it can't be done by the company I order from odds are I can't do it as I have no knowledge of laptops. I'm just looking for a great gaming one that's slim and 15.6 inches or less.

 

Liquid Ultra isnt usually dont by vendors. The application is quite simple and works better than most pastes. Someone in this thread ran the P35x with liquid ultra and got temperatures below everyone else.

 

Ah ok, thanks for the info.

 

If you have time to wait, I intend to do such a comparison when I receive the laptop. But if you look earlier in this forum, cakefish compared with and without repaste, and this other guy did it with liquid ultra

 

I'm not ordering the laptop until next month, so hopefully that's enough time.

 

I'm really considering throwing my money at this thing because it's 980m laptop that's actually thin, metal chassis, and not that ugly. I've been waiting for a Razer Blade refresh with a 970m, but spring is a long ways to go.

A few questions though:

1. How does this compare, quality and size wise, to a macbook pro? keyboard (flex) ? trackpack (smooth, fingerprints)? chassis (what's not metal?)?

2. Any issues of extreme heat that the laptop doesn't throttle itself for? Should I be worried about components failing early due to the heat of the 980m in such a confined space?
^ very important to me. I have a msi gt683 with a 560m that has cooked itself. I can't play many 3d intensive games without black screen, sound loop, and lockups.

3. What's the battery life on this thing for gaming? browsing? wifi off, microsoft word?
^ Realistic usage in a lecture hall, notetaking setting, maybe with light browsing.

4. Is there any issue of the power supply not being powerful enough to keep the battery charged and power the laptop while gaming?

5. How bad is fan noise, specifically while idle/browsing?

6. Any specific issues people have had with this laptop already? Sounds like some people can't get their hands on it. Cakefish said he returned his already (that scares me). BIOS trouble? drivers? quality control issue? lid not aligned with base when closed? Anything that is an apparent issue already.

Thanks so much!