NEW Gigabyte P34 V2

Well, thats a good question and I can see where the confusion lies... On GigaByte's page for the laptop, it says it supports AC, but I think it means its an option or maybe some models have it (just like that same page shows both variants of battery capacity). Looking at all the reseller's descriptions of the P34Gv2, however, list it as having an Intel Wireless-N 7260 (So only supporting a/b/g/n + Bluetooth 4.0).

http://www.gigabyte.com/products/product-page.aspx?pid=4927#sp
http://www.xoticpc.com/gigabyte-p34gv2cf1-p-7053.html

Since its easy to replace the Wireless card, I'll just hold off on that till it is (if ever) really a necessity. Believe I'll be returning my Apple Time Capsule (with AC) since I won't be keeping this 13 rMBP anymore. (I had bought the Time Capsule when my 15" MBP was dying and when I intended to stick with Macs).

 

Hmm good question... Either way I'll be sticking with the SATA III drive because I want a 7200 RPM drive (so games load faster), and the 1TB option from Xotic is SATA III. Can anyone confirm whether the motherboard supports SATA III?

 

Why dont you just do it yourself? It's very simple and you have more freedom of choice (catch sales and stuff) Save money and you also end up with an extra 1 TB drive you can sell?

 

Laziness mostly, haha! From the brief searches I made, I would only save about $10 USD (not accounting for potential sales and the extra HDD I could sell). I'm willing to pay a little extra for the convenience of having a ready-to-go machine with the specs I want.

 

Your choice
Laptop drives usually go on sale and you might even decide to get a 500gb SSD sometime?
That will be both a tremendous speed boost as well as a battery boost

 

So I was thinking of picking up one of these bad boys... Thing is I dont want to get a SATA III drive if Mobo is SATA II. Let me know if you guys find out wether P34G v2 supports SATA III.

 

ok, thanks for the info. it that case, I'll be curious what the German resellers will offer. Hopefully they'll have the AC module integrated.

 

ok, for the European folks and Germans in particular:
I just found this:
Gigabyte P34G V2: Neues schlankes Gaming-Notebook

it confirms the May release date and Euro prices: 1199€ for the HDD version without Windows, 1399€ for the SSD version with Windows 8.1.
Unfortunately it doesn't explicitely talk about the battery sizes. As the 1199€ variant has no SSD, this one cannot fit the bigger battery anyway. And although the text does not particularly say it, it sounds like the 1399€ model would have HDD+SSD, so bigger battery wouldn't be possible here either....

 

The person I've been talking to from Gigabyte can't even tell me what the MSATA adapter is, or the part number of the adapter, despite the fact that it is Gigabyte branded and in the PDF they supplied. Nor can they recommend one that will fit and is best suited.

You have got to be kidding me.

 

Question on Hard Drive use...

I've read the mSATA SSDs tend to run a little hotter than the SATA versions. Is this a compelling version to not use the mSATA as the OS/boot drive? I was wondering if I was better off just using a large SSD in the SATA spot (swapping out the 1TB drive which is an overkill for my needs) and not using the mSATA. If the heat difference is negligible then not an issue really. Is power consumption lower on SSDs where that would be an additional benefit over using the HDD?

If I wanted to do a clean install of Windows 8 Pro onto the SSD (I have my own license available so don't want to pay to have it preinstalled), is it a pretty painless process? The drivers readily available? Is there Gigabyte-specific software I'd want to make sure I also have access to in case of a clean install?

 

Just get this; worst case scenario you lose 10$... It will fit though, same size as the adapter in that pdf. Why do you care so much about it being from gigabyte? To be honest I think you're making it a bigger deal then it is ;P

Just buy that adapter for 10$, secure it to chassis, mount mSATA ssd. Done. Gigabyte never marketed a second mSATA choice; you can't complain they didn't give you something they never said they would...

 

Heat definitely won't be an issue; the LiteON mSATA ssd is very good quality. As for SATA vs mSATA... well it becomes a little complicated.
GENERALLY mSATA is slower then SATA III. However, we are not sure if this laptop supports SATA III. In the scenario that it doesnt, the LiteOn ssd will be FASTER than the SATA II ssd.

As for a clean install, it should be painless. All the drivers and utilities are available on Gigabyte website and therefore you can set the machine up identical to when you bough it

 

Yeah - I remember people telling me the same thing when I bought some obscure HDD cage for my Mac that didn't fit. If I had bought the correct part in the first place I'd have saved time and money.

Why would I want to lose $10? Why have a guide of what to use if it can't be provided? Why show it with certain spaces, fitting in at a certain angle, and then leaving it to some random part to 'hopefully' fit? Why not show the measurements, part numbers, and have them readily available so that a customer can be confident that there won't be any issues?

I also have to order it from overseas which will take weeks to get here. Wait 2 weeks > it doesn't fit > order another > wait 2 weeks and so on. $$$ down the drain.

Versus

Tell me the part number, I'll order it, and it'll work

It doesn't have to be (nor should it be) this complicated to get a simple part that was manufactured by the same company.

 

I mostly agree with you. What you fail to realize is that this was never intended by gigabyte to be a valid feature of this laptop. That pdf is NOT publicly available and thus they have no reason to waste resources on correctly stating part numbers. (Not to mention that the adapter; and by extension the whole idea of a #2 mSATA, could of been a prototype that was later scrapped for whatever reasons). Though a part number would be nice, it's not going to happen so there really is no point to about it

Lets not rely 100% on info given by only others and use our heads a little. Why don't you ask the ebay seller what the dimensions of that adapter is? Boom, problem solved. You can buy with confidence and in 2 weeks install the adapter. (Even if buying an adapter from Taiwan-based Gigabyte; it would still take ~2 weeks).

I mean no offense to you by this point, but you keep bringing up the same points which can be solved with relative ease. You also fault the company for not backing a feature it never said it would include in the first place...

 

In some humor, I imagine this is Gigabyte Public Relations right now

HotMeme.net

 

An adapter that specifically fits in this spot, with specific rubber parts, specifically next to a spare SATA cable that they specifically created a PDF for, showcasing how to specifically install an MSATA SSD... was never intended to be a valid feature of this laptop. Right.

Also, if you go back a few pages, you can clearly see where I explained that I received a phone call from the supplier who was in contact with Gigabyte and was told there was a 2nd slot for an MSATA drive. Should I complain about that instead? Since it was promised it seems to meet your criteria for what constitutes a valid complaint.

 

I don't work with Gigabyte so I have no idea of their intention. It is possible they scrapped the idea after they had made a pdf for it. What I mean by promised feature is literally a promised feature (eg. on the website, they promise the backlit feature). I agree this is sloppy work on Gigabyte's end but there is no use ing about it when it's such an easy fix

 

So a literal promised feature means it has to be on the website and you can't take the word of a GIGABYTE employee who represents the country I reside in? Right.

For anyone who'd rather not waste time and money; after further searching the part number is 5C1082MS0R-00-10A

 

Cool, a quick google search of the product yields 0 results. Good luck finding it for a reasonable price. Or you can check the dimensions of the $10 and see if it fits....

 

If you want to buy a $10 dodgy part from eBay then go right ahead, stop trying to ram it down my throat when I am clearly not interested

 

Im not trying to ram anything down your throat... I was trying to help by giving a viable solution. If you'd like, look back in the thread and you will see a post of someone recomending a different adapter for around 15 $. Im not here to argue and force you to buy things. Im here to gain and share information regarding the P34gv2

 

A cheap generic converter on eBay would be an obvious option to anyone. It was also pointed out numerous times already. I've specifically stated (multiple times) that I'd like the one GIGABYTE uses.

Here's my experience with eBay no-brand adapters:

5 in 1 SD cart adapter - got so hot it stopped working.

Wife's HP Folio MSATA adapter for backing up the drive before we sent it back - Got so hot the drive kept shutting off and we had to transfer around 60MB at a time. That was fun, for the gigabytes of data that needed to be taken from it.

Though I should try another? In a $2,000 machine where my warranty could be voided? No thanks.

 

Just to answer the question about if the P34G V2 supports Sata III, this is the response I got from Xoticpc.

"The Gigabyte P34Gv2 comes with a SATA III 128GB MSATA drive. Every port on this machine is SATA III for that matter. "

 

Can anyone that has received their P34G v2, if you got the standard 8GB Ram module, what is the part number and specs (timing)? I am deciding if I want to upgrade to the Corsair 16GB kit but if I can just buy and additional matching 8GB module, that would save some money.

 

Unless I'm mistaken the 8GB module would just be one of these?

http://www.coflash.com/stuff/ramp34gv2.jpg

 

Great pic!

It look like that memory is CAS 11. Anyone have any idea what the difference would be between CAS 11 and CAS 9?? Does it even matter?

 

Believe it. It happens all the time. Company comes up with a design with certain features. While testing the engineering samples, one of the features doesn't turn out to work quite right. Rather than spend the time and money to fix it, they decide to just drop the feature.

All the supplier would know is that Gigabyte asked them to produce the adapters for a second mSATA slot. Maybe Gigabyte hadn't told them yet that they were canceling the order. Maybe that $10 one showing up on eBay is the exact same adapter, and is being pawned on eBay now because the supplier had already manufactured a few hundred when they got the cancellation notice.

Bottom line is, it was never promised by Gigabyte. Maybe in the future Gigabyte will spend the time and money to fix whatever problem they encountered and officially release it. Maybe they still plan to release it, but they didn't want to delay the launch of the laptop, and they didn't want to create an Osborne Effect by announcing it as a feature in a P34G v2.1. Maybe, maybe, maybe. Until they make an official announcement for it, nothing has been promised.

Not really. If you can get it for close to the same price, go for the faster memory. But in real-world tasks you're probably only going to see a 0%-2% speedup.

Memory Comparison between CAS 8 and CAS 9 | The Doc's WorldThe Doc's World

I splurged on faster memory on the first computer I built. Spent $200 extra for it. It was out-performed by a mid-range Dell a friend bought at Walmart 10 months later. Never again. Not worth it.

 

ok, here you have it. no bigger battery for the German market, just as I assumed earlier:

14-Zoll-Gaming-Notebook: Details zum Gigabyte P34G v2 mit GeForce GTX 860M - Notebookcheck.com News

BULL****

 

Right on! We do what we can with what information we have. Also, don't classify all eBay items based on 1-2 bad experiences. I have bought many, many things on eBay. Some were disappointing (though I kind of expected it based on the price point) but most did exactly what the said. If the adapter others and myself have suggested was 1-2$, then yes I would be suspicious. However 10$ for a small pcb is relatively expensive (taking in to account the manufacturing costs)

 

That's great news! Too bad they didn't put a 750gb SATA III 7200rpm drive instead of the "slow" 1TB SATA II 5400rpm

 

I noticed your model has i7 4710HQ vs N. America who has 4700HQ. I wonder what the difference is... Hopefully not too big

 

the 4710HQ is clocked at 3.5Ghz vs the 3.4Ghz of the 4700HQ

 

It clearly does work, as the GIGABYTE rep who gave me the PDF confirmed. If it didn't, why would they have given me and the supplier the PDF and a part number? Sorry, but you guys are trying too hard to prove a ridiculous point that doesn't even matter. What matters is that I get the GIGABYTE branded part so that they can't potentially stiff me as easily on the warranty later. I'd rather say 'your' part broke down over some generic $5 thing.

The supplier, the GIGABYTE rep and myself now have a long history of emails discussing it all, the adapters exist but the AU side of GB don't stock them. Before the laptop was even shipped to me GIGABYTE told the supplier that the bigger battery versions could be upgraded with an MSATA SSD. I emailed about this and was called numerous times throughout the day. This was a condition of sale to me. If others think that it's now unreasonable for me to expect to be able to do this fairly painlessly with a specific part then that's just too bad.

And what anyone thinks about cheap eBay parts is irrelevant. It's not what I'm after for the reason explained in my first paragraph of this post.

 

Suit yourself... Good luck finding the part
My laptop should ship today, so by next week I should have it

 

Here is one that was recommended to me as being the best size if anyone wants to try it:

Edited: http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/mSATA-SS...ive_Cables_dapters&hash=item3ce0a3de85&_uhb=1

 

Going from the picture, that may actually be for half height cards. I think the eBay one may be a better choice.

 

Whoops, here it is, same sort but it does half + full:

Msata SSD TO Half Slim Sata III Adapter | eBay

I thought it was the same when I found it on Amazon

 

Is there an easy way to install Windows on a new drive? Can I just create a bootable Win 8.1 USB and use the same key?

 

Not sure on this, but that should work. I'm pretty sure windows offer 8.1 download free if you supply a product key. Message microsoft to know for sure

 

@ Coflash: Sorry, if you might already have written something about that, but have you already measured your temps while gaming? (for example with CPUID HWmonitor)
Would be great to get a impression on the temps on the device.

Did you already make some overclocking tests? Just the basic overclock with +135MHz, which is the max supported by nvidia inspector or Afterburner.
Hope you enjoy your p34g v2. In May it comes to germany. I'm very excited...

 

This is something I noticed as well. Is this a possible typo, or is Gigabyte actually sending a different unit?

 

My 500GB MSATA drive came this morning and I backed up all my stuff before I installed it..

Now that Windows is installing... on the blue of the installation background I can see a folder + transferring window on the screen. That is, the image is burnt onto the screen from the backing up I was doing earlier.

I haven't had an image burn in on any PC or laptop I have owned for well over 10 years. Did anyone have this issue with the P34G v1? It is very odd. Is it because of a poor screen?

Edit: Installation was painless by the way. Take out old, put in new, put in bootable USB. It took around 20 minutes. I also have to say, it feels faster with this SSD. Perhaps not having all of GIGABYTE's bloatware helps too.

 

Well just the other day someone mentioned some ghosting on the v1 thread (see here). No definite conclusion yet though. I currently have a Samsung laptop with image retention problems, and hearing about this in other notebooks concerns me a lot, but sadly it seems to still be a problem. I would suggest you try setting your windows color scheme to grey and looking out for image retention against the login background (where you select user/input password), that's how it's most noticeable in my laptop, and the owner of the v1 also mentioned grey backgrounds.

 

My P34Gv2 came in late today. Haven't had a chance to really run anything on it yet but wanted to make a few initial observations on the exterior build quality and see what you guys think. Overall this is a nice laptop, feels very sturdy and looks good but there are a few build imperfections that have me concerned. I am coming from a MBP though so not sure if I'm just being picky..

First - the keyboard plate is not flush with the laptop body at the top. It's flush all the way around to the top corners but as it runs toward the power button in the center its as if something is elevating it upward causing the plate to noticeably sit higher than the body along the top. It is essentially causing a bow in the keyboard at the top which is highest at the center and noticeably higher than the laptop body. Second - there is a noticeable bump or node inside the trackpad at the very top of the track pad where it meets the body slightly right of center. Granted I am probably not going to be using that area of the track pad too often but if you run your finger over it, it is definitely noticeable. I would normally expect a track pad to be level throughout. Third - the left/right click pad at the bottom of the track pad is not flush with the laptop on the left side. The right side is nice and flush but as you run a finger over to the left-click side it sits lower inside the body, again causing a noticeable slump in the pad. Last, when closing the lid of the laptop the left side is flush with the bottom half however the right side of the top hangs slightly over, meaning the lid is slightly wider than the bottom portion. This last issue I can get over as it is not really noticeable but the keyboard and track pad issues I am not so sure.

Are these build imperfections typical of a smaller scale laptop manufacturer such as Gigabyte? I feel like for $1500 the exterior lines should still be nice and tight. Am I being too particular or should this be cause for concern? Any one else out there with a P34Gv2 with the same issues?

ps I realize this has nothing to do with performance and this machine is probably a beast under the hood, but the initial exterior quality issues are not reassuring to me.

 

My keyboard is flush on the bottom but not at the top

I can't say that my trackpad has a bump where you're describing it

The leftside of my clicker isn't flush either

My lid is bigger too

I too came from a long line of Macs and the build quality feels very cheap in comparison, but I've owned Windows laptops before and I expected it

 

Is the touch-pad in the same piece as the metal deck? Or is it separate piece? Is touch-pad surface still metal?

 

I got mine yesterday. RE: Keyboard. My tray is a tiny bit inset all the way around and becomes flush towards the power button. For the most part the tray has no flex. At the top near the powerbutton it has a little flex.
RE: Trackpad. I don't have any bumps on my trackpad.
RE: Wiifi: Mine came with a DualBand 7260 AC
RE: Fans: Noticeable and the speakers don't get very loud.

 

I recommend doing a fresh install of Windows to everyone (or uninstalling all the crap you get with it). The functions built into Windows seem to be working a lot better than the rubbish that GIGABYTE installed over the top. Especially for volume, WiFi, power options and default actions like when you close and open the lid. I don't have to press the power button anymore.

 

Coflash,

Did you install Windows 7 or 8? Driver for 7 are included right? Are update drivers on the Gigabyte website?

 

I'm fairly sure I saw drivers for 7 on the GB website, but I just reinstalled an untouched Windows 8.1

Also, you won't find drivers for the 860M on nVidia's site unless you search for a Beta driver since that's all that's available at the moment