NEW Gigabyte P34 V2

This time, we focused on ONLY GPU. Simply unlocked the core and voltage sliders

 

Does Nvidia Inspector not work on it without modifying the BIOS? Do you guys know about it?
Guide:NVIDIA Inspector - S.T.E.P. Project Wiki

I don't overclock, but use this tool and think you can over- and underclock with it.

 

where can we download this unlocked bios?

Sent from my SM-N9005 using Tapatalk

 

Holy CRAP! I am completely amazed. I spent the better part of today overclocking and testing out the best settings.
On the core clock, I managed 1387mHz (+290mHz) and the memory clock I got 3105 (+600mHz). The voltage under load is 1.100 volts; temperature max is about 85 (toasty, but acceptable for this GPU on this chassis). So what does this mean in real world performance?
For starters I have now slightly beaten the 870m. Yup
Battlefield 4 run on ultra (with MSAA off) at 60fps. On a 21mm laptop. That cost 1500$. Holy Sh*t...

Videos coming next week; school is almost out

 

Again, is this available for download or is it just for you?

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Unfortunately, at this time, the BIOS mod is not publicly available. We are working on one now

 

I am in the market for a new laptop and wanted something a little more powerful than a traditional ultrabook. I did some research and stumbled upon the Razer Blade and the Gigabyte, as I wanted something that is still portable. I ended up buying both and received them a few days ago.

To be honest, I wasn't expecting a whole lot out of the Gigabyte but I was surprised! It's a nice laptop for the price which is making it harder to make a decision. I like the Razer's excellent build quality and screen clarity but it does seem like it is a little over-priced for what it offers. I find its trackpad is also much better than Gigabyte's but then again I may be biased since I've never liked Elon's trackpads. The keyboard on both are about equal and I find that both have the same hollow, cheap sound when you are typing, something that my old Z610 or current XPS 12 do not exhibit. The screen on the P34 is slightly grainy and colors do not pop out as much as on the Razer, but that is to be expected for a matte display. I do like the regular 1080p screen--the Razer's screen resolution is too high for comfortable daily use.

I may end up going with the Gigabyte, if only for the price, though I don't think it'll have quite the same resale value a few years down the road. But it is pretty amazing how much it can do in such a lightweight frame. Oh yeah, one last thing, the P34 is quiet but does get hotter on the bottom than the Razer just with normal surfing and stuff. I love the keyboard backlight though!

 

Just wanted to share an idea- let me know if you agree or not.
The perfect laptop for me would be this chassis BUT with a 1600*900 display and powered by the GTX 850m.Now let me justify:
1. Resolution reduced to 1600*900: Keep the same quality/matte screen but a lower NATIVE resolution will consume less battery, tax the GPU less (thus increasing FPS) and the visual detail in game will be the same. (I've gamed on native 1600*900 and it looks just as good as 1080 ON a 14 inch screen)
2. Equip with the GTX 850m Maxwell. This is obviously done to reduce cost of the machine and at 1600*900, it is more than appropriate. Being Maxwell, it can be overclocked to likely reach 860m levels. At 1600*900 that is absolutely KICK .

These 2 changes would reduce cost from $1500 to about $1100. This would make this laptop a clear choice over the Y50, MSI GS60 Ghost, Razer Blade and the W230SS. The option to have a bigger battery version should also be more widely available. This would put battery life at an impressive 6-7 hours. In addition, the extra space left can be used for a second MSATA. This would be the perfect ultrabook; affordable, portable and extremely powerful. Let me know what you guys think

 

That's ideal for gaming and web browsing, but you need the 1080p screen when it comes to video editing HD content (as you know with all your awesome videos)

My perfect rig would have the same chassis, 1080p display and 860m card, but with a higher frequency i5 processor which would be boss with rendering times. Unless you're rendering a video while playing a game, then you wouldn't really miss the extra 2 cores.

I've been following all your videos from day 1 and they're awesome I'm totally addicted! However, you should sharpen them up a bit using the convolution kernel fx in Vegas. It's easier on the eyes for any HD video above a bit rate of 4mbps. Can't wait to see your video after the big overclock!

Sent from my Nexus 5 using Tapatalk

 

This community is amazing, and this laptop seems amazing. Probably pulling the trigger and buying one this week. It's impressive that for nearly the same price as I paid for my gaming desktop that I built two years ago, I can get the same performance in an ultrabook. Seriously, holy . Especially with that unlocked BIOS, I mean, that's a desktop GPU now, no compromises. ( this site charts the 870M above a desktop AMD 6970.) Christ almighty.

Question for everyone: service. Warranties. Thoughts?

I come from a MacBook (have had macbooks for almost 15 years now). I'm pretty used to the great service of Applecare. Is paying extra for warranty coverage from Xotic or Amazon (square trade, etc) worth it? Or should I just trust in the RMA process for extreme problems in the first year, and figure out smaller things on my own? Thanks!

 

Thank you for the info Sebi97. I am planning on buying a GS60 or Gigabyte 34-35.
I just wanted to ask if you tried and 3d mark 11 or vantage that will be easier to compare vs 870m numbers. If OC 860m > 870m that would be awesome and i wouldn't have to get the 870m.

Thanks in advance

 

Agree, expect the 900p screen and couple that with an i7 ULV processor and the machine is superB. No more heat, fan noise, just a perfect machine. I hope in October coming with the new Brodwell ULV...

 

In my opinion you shouldn't rely too much on synthetical benchmarks for comparing. Maybe they are more or less accurate most of the time in giving you a rough estimation of your gpu's performance, but sometimes it doesn't reflect the real gaming performance at all.
For example, i was very surprised by the 470 (desktop) performing on par with the 860m on Tomb Raider or Far Cry 3, although the 470 has a Firestrike score of only ~2800, while the 860m (stock) has ~3900...

So, i would take synthetical benchmarks always with a grain of salt and not as a proof of being on par with GPU 'xyz'... Therefore only real benchmarks can give the accurate answer.

In addition to that i'm a bit sceptical about 'beating the 870m'... Don't know if 'only' rising the clock rates can make the 860m win, because the narrow 128bit bus stays, as well as much less shader cores and many more specifications, which cannot be changed through OCing.
I know it's a new, more efficient architecture, but if only higher clocks can bring a stable performance raise to the 870m's level...? I'm not too sure though...
HTWingNut did'nt manage to get stable higher fps ALL the time with his OCing tests (look at min fps at resident evil 6 or thief, which were with highest clocks even lower than on lower clocks... )
I mean very nice improvements nevertheless, but if the gpu drops down to lower performance or even stock 860m levels in very demanding scenes, the 870m would be still better overall...

Don't get me wrong. I would be quite happy about that, as i'm very very interested in the P34G v2 too.

We'll have to wait for results, but no artificial benchmarks, but real gaming measures and i hope Sebi97 remembers to log not only avg fps, but also the min fps.

 

I agree that synthetic bench's are not the best indicators- which is why I'm going to be doing many videos! I am running 60fps BF4 on ultra with effects on high, MSAA to off and ambient occlusion to off. As soon as school is done (Monday), like I said, expect daily videos
Now a question for what you guys want: do you want me to show it with a practical OC (+270) or the MAX OC (+350)? Personally, I'd recommend the practical OC as the max has uncomfortably high voltage/temps for everyday use.

I also came from a desktop I built/sold. It had a GTX 670 in it; cost me 1300$ to build. Now for $200 more, I'm getting close performance to it on a 21mm platform. The desktop equivalent of the 870m is the GTX 660ti :0

 

I would gladly give up video rendering on 1080 for significantly better FPS, battery life and temps. Remember, you can always hook up a 1080 monitor with the HDMI
Also I'd have to disagree with you on the i5. Not so much because of the practicality/performance but from a sales point of view. Most buyers don't understand that sometimes an i5 is better suited then an i7. Marketing an i5 in a 1100$ gaming computer is incomprehensible; sales would plummet regardless of how much better the i5 is. Remember, most laptop owners aren't techies who frequent forums and as such base their decision not on technical specifications but rather the marketed specifications.

 

Hi Sebi,

i would strongly recommend to show the comparison between stock and a practical OC, too! If a higher OC leads to uncomfortable temps then i (and i think most of us) wouldn't want to use it. So it would be quite needless if we can't use it IMO.
I would even appreciate a slightly lower OC just to cover most of our 860m chips and therefore increasing the chance of being able to OC our chips that way as well.
I find +270 quite high, so i would rather like to see what a more basic OC (~ +200) could do. +200 should be achievable on most 860m chips with (hopefully) just a very slightly overvolt...

I am very excited to your results, but without seing them i just highly doubt it could get into the range of a 670 (!), cause that's a very powerful high end desktop card!! Especially as i wrote about the 470 performing on par with the stock 860m above...
Can't really imagine that a OC could make such a huge difference... at least not stable and in demanding scenes of a game...
Would be very happy to get it to 750Ti level though...

 

Oh no, I didn't mean to perform equal to 670, I was just saying that's the card I had in my desktop. The 870m performs about the same as the 660ti. If my 860m can match 870m performance, then essentially my 8860m matches desktop 660ti. +270 mHz is a reasonable OC. It's the best OC for performance/heat. The voltage is 1.100V (max for this card is 1.180V) so we are still fine. I don't want to show lower OC because the whole point of OC'ing is maximum performance balanced with good thermals/voltage. I might do some more testing today after my Bioloigy Exam to see if I can maybe get it higher

If anyone wants me to do benchmarks, link me the one you want me to test

 

mh, i understand what you're saying. Personally i just would find it more practically to show slightly lower OC settings, which therefore are supposed to work on most others owners' machines as well.
That way we could get an impression of what should be achievable on most p34g v2 laptops.
And maybe it's just me, but isn't +200 MHz core OC already quite a bit? Not that sure, that everybody could go +270 or higher though. Maybe +200 would be even achievable with slightly lower voltage/temps, as you reported 85°C with your OC at 1.1 V. Btw was that with fan on turbo or auto?

Good luck for your exam.

 

In the 860m OC forum, most were able to get that OC (Some even higher). Getting +270 on 1.1V should be no problem. If you cant, maybe you will lose about 5fps at +240 (which is VERY do-able). I'm sticking with that +270 (or maybe higher if I can on same voltage)
Fans were on Auto and laptop was on a desk to simulate normal usage.

 

I have honestly not heard a single good thing about gigabyte's customer support. Not one.

 

Just wanted to share a link. Crucial has come out with some new SSD's with EXCELLENT pricing. You can replace your 1TB HD with one of these for a huge upgrade in speed.
Crucial MX100 CT256MX100SSD1 2.5" 256GB SATA III MLC Internal Solid State Drive (SSD) - Newegg.com

 

Does anyone know/can find out the sRGB and AdobeRGB coverage on the screen?

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Has anyone noticed random changes in gamma depending on what program is on the foreground? I get the feeling it's from the automatic switching between the 860m and intel hd 4600, but I can't find a way to disable it. Disabling and reenabling the intel card fixes it for a short time but then it starts again...

 

That's an Intel power saving feature: To disable it, open the Intel HD graphics control panel. Then, click Power -> On battery and set "Display power saving technology" to "Disable"

 

This was my worry, coming from some experience with their desktop components RMA process. But I guess that's the price you pay for good hardware at this price level. I've just hit purchase from Xotic through Amazon Prime, which means fast RMA if I need it at first, and lifetime phone support through XoticPC thereafter. So there's that.

Will definitely post my reviews and thoughts, come Monday night when I get it. Any games people still want benchmarks for?

Also, shoutout to Hutsady and Josh K from XoticPC for answering my email questions!

 

Congrats on the order and happy to help out! I'll tell Josh the same, hes not on NBR much.

 

Dumb question but is there any way to check the laptop's battery when the laptop is on (without looking at the taskbar? The right click button works as a right click.

 

I would personally be more interested in cpu temps when gaming while the fan is set to auto and maximum. There are plenty of 860m benchmarks out now, and the biggest drawback with this laptop seems to be CPu temps....

 

I'm still deciding, but leaning towards purchasing this laptop. If the BIOS can be modded to enable VT-d and/or be completely unlocked, that would definitely seal the deal for me. Here's a post on how to supposedly unlock the advanced options if anyone wants to give it a try:
http://forum.notebookreview.com/gigabyte/738723-gigabyte-p34g-unlocked-bios-2.html#post9496997

 

You linked to a thread on the LAST version of this laptop, not the current V2 with the 860m. It's not clear what following that guide on the new v2 would do, so I personally will not even be tinkering with that until Prema and Selbi97 make their p34g V2 bios mod available.

 

The steps should be universal as far as enabling the hidden settings, which is what that post is mentioning. What would change is downloading/opening the BIOS from the P34 v2 with the same AMIBCP tool linked. This of course assumes that the P34 v2 BIOS version is compatible with the same tool... sometimes newer tools get released that add compatibility with newer BIOS' as new features get introduced. That being said, if anyone does attempt that, it should go without saying that there is a risk of the laptop not booting up if something goes wrong.

 

I'd recommend waiting for an official (from Prema) BIOS version to be released. The BIOS is not something you want to risk. It's possible you will brick it and have a very expensive paperweight... We just have to wait for Prema; it's not up to me. You can pm him on the forums to let him know your interest; more motivation = quicker action

 

Yeah, BIOS flashing is not completely risk free. I'm a bit unsure, whether i wanna do that, as this would be my first time. On the other hand, if you take care for what you are doing and pay attention to a guide, it should be not really a problem at all...

Sebi, are you going to make a short video guide about flashing your vBios, when Prema's BIOS mod is available? Would be very appreciated and helpful for many users here for sure...

 

I just got this laptop, and I am noticing a few things. Firstly, I noticed my fans were randomly getting louder and softer when no processes were running, and I tracked it to this "Windows Modules Installer Worker" process. Apparently all my windows updates failed, and I am having issues installing them (did anyone else get this?)
Edit: Think I fixed the updates, but once every 5-10 minutes the fans will randomly get really loud then quiet down. Seems to be some .NET Optimization service. Is this normal?

Second, I am a complete newbie when it comes to graphics and screen resolution. I noticed that some application (like google chrome) are really blurry. Is there any way to adjust the resolution to make the text more crisp, or do I just have to live with it?

Any advice would be appreciated!

 

The "Windows Modules Installer Worker" is just Windows Update doing its thing, installing updates in the background: This is normal and should subside as soon as you are current.

That's due to the Windows desktop scaling setting. Chrome will appear blurry at any level above 125%. To disable scaling:

Right click on your desktop -> Screen resolution -> Make text and other items larger or smaller -> enable "let me choose one scaling level for all my displays" and set it to Smaller - 100%

To disable scaling in Metro as well, go to PC settings -> PC and Devices -> Display -> More Options to "Default"

 

Thanks! Text and icons are tinnier than I expected, but it's better than it being super blurry!

 

Also, does anyone have any tips on limiting the fan noise while playing games? I purchased this laptop knowing it would be loud, but when playing Skyrim earlier, the noise wasn't all that far off from what I got after hitting the "Turbo" option in SmartManager.

I don't mind compromising some speed/quality, I just don't want to damage my laptop by messing with the fans and causing it to overheat.

 

You should check out the ThrottleStop thread in the hardware forums. He talked me out of wanting a ULV processor.

 

Hi All, Just a post on my recent experience with XoticPC. I believe they don't sell the CF1 (i7-4700HQ) at XoticPC so the only option available now is the CF2 (i7-4710HQ). So I ordered the P34Gv2 CF2 in the beginning of the month and the shipping estimate is 3-5 days for Stock configuration (this is fine as I will need the laptop before the end of the month). However, they were unable to obtain stock (I found out last week) and they don't have an ETA for new stocks. Now I have paid for the laptop since the beginning of the month but it still hasn't been shipped yet.

I tried contacting Customer support a number of times but they also couldn't help and have no idea when the stock will arrive. I absolutely need the laptop before the end of the month as I will be out of the country after that. I should have went with ExCaliberPC as they currently have stock for the model and Xotic Customer service isn't helping with my issue (contacted them multiple times in the past week)

 

Hi Dalic,
I'll be happy to help you with that. Our regular policy for charging cards is only when there is a unit allocated for your order. We do not charge any cards provided ahead of time, we also let you know when there is stock on hand that way there is not a surprise charge on your card. If you card has indeed been charged I'll be happy to get it refunded right away. Can you click on my name in my signature and email me your order number so I can look into this. You need at least 5 post to send a PM so email is the only option.

I can tell you we do have more on order and they are physically on their way here from one of our distribution centers but we don't have an exact date. I would expect them here by the end of the week though. Unfortunately we cant provide a date until they are physically here. But please do email me your order number so I can look into your order.

 

Hello everyone!

I just pulled the trigger to buy a P34G v2 from Gentech. I kept everything default except for the free diamond paste upgrade. I'm pretty excited for it to come in, since it should meet my needs for a professional/portable/gaming laptop quite well. I regularly travel and do presentations, so a VGA port is needed, and when I get back to my hotel, it should be perfect for relaxing, etc. Anyway, thought I'd check in and see how everyone is liking their notebooks. Cheers!
-Q

 

So I have found that strangely enough, whenever I open "Windows Update" my fans start to get very loud and some windows update process takes up 20% of my CPU. Is it just me?

 

hi all,

I bought the P34 v2 as well yesterday in SG so just to share briefly my experience.

Likes
- Really good screen
- Large trackpad ( not glass smooth as Macs but good enough)
- Plenty of storage options
- Easy update utility

Dislikes
- VERY LARGE charger ( unfortunately my universal charger doesn't seem to have the right pin for it)
- Battery 3 hrs max at 50% usage with medium usage (non-gaming)
- Keyboard layout... num pad wastes precious space. Prefer full size keyboard instead.
- Graphics Speed - not as fast as i thought. At 1080p,
- Bioshock High 45 fps
- Sleeping Dogs High 60fps
- Thief High 27fps !!!
- Diablo 3 10 fps ?!! (apparently some driver issue causing Integrated Graphics to be used)

 

"num pad wastes precious space." - There is no numpad, so I'm not sure what you mean by wasted space? A full size keyboard is not possible on a 14 inch; not unless you have extremely tiny keys which would be impractical. You are also running your games on integrated... On bio-shock maxed out I get consistent 60fps with NO dips.... I am starting my recording for new videos with the OC clocks Should be up on youtube in (hopefully) 24 hours.

 

How's the fan noise during load and idle and temps for CPU and GPU?

Did you get your system re-pasted with IC?

 

Which battery is inside?
- Old Battery: 47.73Wh
- New Battery: 61.25Wh

About your gaming performance - please compare with the values posted here:
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 860M - NotebookCheck.net Tech

 

Oops. Posted here by mistake. My model is P35 v2 , the 15" ver. Sorry ...

Sent from my HTC One using Tapatalk

 

This is exactly what I noticed on the laptop I received today sold by XOTIC PC and fulfilled by Amazon. Below is a picture of the left side of the trackpad to show what I am referring to -- click on it for a bigger version. I had to place a small plastic object to be able to focus on the otherwise pretty flat surface:


Is this widespread? I'd hate to return it because of something so simple, but I expected better for a $1500 USD price...

 

I have the same defect. Which I probably wouldn't have noticed until you pointed it out, so thanks . But just so everyone understands, this doesn't affect how the buttons click. It's just an aesthetic misalignment, not worth an RMA at all.

In all serious though, I'm totally digging this laptop so far. Idle CPU temps are around 67C, on a full battery plugged in to AC and just web browsing. Downloading Dota and other games currently, so will get back with those updates as soon as I have the time.

Other brief thoughts:
The keyboard is totally fine. It's got slightly more resistance than a macbook keyboard, but the layout makes sense and it's easy to type on.

The minimal bloatwtare (DVD software - seriously? THERE IS NO DVD DRIVE) can easily be uninstalled.

The default speaker setup is crap. But there's a Dolby application which allows you to boost the audio levels and also tweak them, and it actually sounds really good - I currently have "simulate surround" checked on and it makes some of my music sound not terrible for a laptop!

Ok, back to installing everything I need on this thing. Thank god for Ninite.

 

Seems like it might be relatively common, doesn't seem like it would be worth an RMA at all if that's the case. You are correct that it doesn't affect how the buttons click.

I thought it was strange that they included DVD playback software also... perhaps they assume people want to rip content DVD content, haha.

Also, for anyone curious in case it hasn't been posted, the LCD panel on the P34 V2 is an AUO B140HAN01.1. Found out via Monitor Asset Manager software.

Probably no one else has mentioned this, but this laptop also happens to support Intel's Anti-Theft service... of course it seems like they are discontinuing that soon, heh, so much for that 'feature'.