NEW Gigabyte P34 V2

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

 

The touch pad is not the same surface as the metal deck, and it is not metal. It is an Elan touch pad I think.

Yeah the speakers are pretty horrible. On full volume you can still hardly hear them. I did a clean install of windows and still think they are not great. I will be using headphones most of the time while mobile and external speakers at home so this is not a big deal to me.

RE the fans. Installed skyrim last night and they did kick in pretty good. Loud enough at times to almost drown out the speakers on full volume, which as noted above didn't take much. Settings were maxed out though so I wouldn't think this is out of the norm for a gaming laptop trying to stay cool. I am coming from a Mac though so I don't really have a reference point.

I will say the performance is great. For a mobile gaming laptop this certainly fits the bill with the ability to run anything you can throw at it.

 

Bit of a late reply but just wanted to let people know I got mine through XoticPC and it came with the intel AC wifi card. I thought I was only getting the b/g/n variant initially as per the product page, but it was a nice surprise.

 

My P34G v2 will arrive on Monday and I would like to reinstall Windows too. Is there a lot of bloatware on it or is it mainly just Gigabyte utilities? I went to the Gigabyte site and found all the drivers, but I'm not sure which all ones I need. Also, I assume the chipset drivers and other things will need to be installed in a particular order. Does anyone have any guidance?

Also, is following this guide the best way to reinstall Windows? If I do this, will I lose my recovery partition that will allow me to reinstall the system back to Gigabyte factory specs? Or can I bypass this step and just reinstall using Windows built in recovery program?

 

Its not worth the ammount of work... As far as I know there is only 1 program included, which is essential (allows you to set fan profile, overclocking)

 

How are the temps in gaming/How loud it is ?

 

There is no bloatware to speak of. There are some utility apps from Gigabyte, Intel and realtek you can uninstall with no issue and just let windows manage your wifi, sound and etc. There are apps to make a USB backup, update GB drivers/bios and a LAN optimizer app. If you consider that bloatware then that is all there is. I would keep the GB smart manager at least just so you can control the fans if needed. But I have not had any issue with any of the proprietary software. I always ditch intel's wifi apps though. Always seem to have issues with it.

 

Ah, ok. Thanks for clearing it up. It sounded like, based on some other replies in the thread, that there was quite a bit of bloatware and that it was slowing down the system. I'm glad to hear it's not too bad.

 

On a video review I saw (can't remember which one) they actually applauded Gigabyte for not loading it with bloatware. As far as I know, the only included software besides standard drivers is the gigabyte utility which is far from bloatware.

 

Agree on you with ditching intel's utilities; they're pretty useless but they take so little room that I usually just leave them alone unless I have a specific problem. Removing the audio driver seems kind of stupid as it is made for those speakers and optimized for that laptop. It also provides many handy features that Windows simply doesn't.

 

Since when were 'optimisers' and a bunch of apps that double up on functionality not considered bloatware? If that's the case, then the majority of stuff out there isn't bloatware either. The important things are already native to Windows. It it just because they're Gigabyte branded?

No, it's not as bad as what Dell and others do, but it's still there.

The function keys are also more practical than loading a program up and clicking a button - of which is also sort of hard to do when you're in a game

 

What software did Gigabyte package that you consider bloatware? The utility can overclock and manage fan profiles, something you otherwise (at least for fans) wouldn't be able to do. Unless I'm missing something, this laptop has no bloatware. Sure the utility has basic settings like changing power plans, but thats not considered bloatware, that's directly related to the hardware component of the device. Bloatware is things like MS Office trials, anti-virus trials, media programs, games and just software that is unrelated to the device.

 

I've had a problem with both 7260's AC I've owned (across different laptops and manufactures for that laptop, win7 on one win8.1 on the other) with my Asus AC66U. Where I need to have WLAN optimizer installed in order to avoid lag spikes in certain games (Smite). It looks like there is a heavy latency penalty for a few seconds when it scans for networks. If I turn on stop scan and streaming in WLAN optimizer, no problems. I didn't have this problem with my wireless network card before the 7260AC.

Anyone else have this issue?

 

Is the CPU soldered or socketed in this model?

 

What is the battery life on this for both light browsing vs gaming?

Also, what brand is the msata, and are both the hard drive and msata removeable and upgradeable? I'm thinking of replacing the HDD with a 500 GB Samsung evo
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The Msata ssd is provided by LiteOn. It can be changed. The hard drive can also be changed and the port is SATA III. I plan on (eventually) putting in a 500gb SSD when they drop in price

 

i7-4700HQ CPU is soldered on mainboard. It's socket counterpart is the 4700MQ.

 

The 500 GB Samsung evo can bought on amazon for just above 250 dollars. Not sure how much cheaper you want as that's .50 per GB for the best ssd on the market. I am unfamiliar with LiteON, how does it compare to the Samsung evo 840 msata?

Still wondering about the battery life.

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Im waiting 1-2 years when a 500gb ssd will be around 100$. I'm in no rush.
Here is a pretty good review of the laptop

And here is a picture of the LiteON speeds.

As for battery, on the standard model, about 4 hours with light use. Gaming on battery is 1 hour, but performance will be absolutely terrible

Hope that helped

 

That review is for the p34g not v2, I'm assuming everything is the same besides the graphics card and processor? And thank you, the information you've provided has indeed been helpful

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That's incorrect

The CPU is the same (i7 4700HQ)

The only difference between the original and v2 is the GPU (GTX 760m vs GTX 860m) and the fans. The fans have been replaced with quieter fans as that was a major problem with the original.

 

In that review it states that there were numerous complaints about random bad build quality. Any idea if this has been rectified with the v2?

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I will be getting mine in about 1 week so I cant comment on build quality too much. However, Gigabyte QA has gotten better since v1. For this reason, I'd recommend XoticPC, They have the same pricing as everyone else but they thoroughly check their laptops (for things like crooked buttons, LCD, touchpad etc) before shipping. In addition, they also give you a 4GB free RAM upgrade

 

One other little thing - the msata connection is also sata iii right? And the only connections are the single 2.5" HD bay and the single msata connection?

In terms of portable gaming laptops it seems like its either this, the clevo w230ss or the lenovo y50. Stuff like the gs60 ghost and the Razer seem overpriced. Do post an update when your model arrives

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Yes the mSATA is also SATA III. Also yes, only 2 storage options exist. (The mSATA occupied by 128gb ssd and the 2.5inch SATA Hard drive 1TB)
I agree with you that the GS60 and razer is overpriced. As for the two alternatives you listed, both are very good. Ultimately, it will come down to your personal needs. Just how important is portability to you? The P34g is SIGNIFICANTLY thinner AND lighter then the other two. Since I will be using this device everyday at school and in my backpack, it is VERY important for me. If you are looking for an AFFORDABLE super PORTABLE GAMING laptop, then the gigabyte is the best choice hands down. If portability doesn't matter, then personally I'd go with the Sager

 

Hey guys, so instead of this problematic Precision M3800, I might be switching over to an P34G v2. I was wondering that for a normal user, are there any issues such as heat issues or noise issues or even the most simple things like coil whining that could be annoying in a quiet setting? Thanks

 

After all the modifications to the sager like windows 8, msata, etc, the price diff between it and the gigabyte is only 100 to 150 dollars. The gigabyte also has advantages of a slightly bigger screen while still being lighter and a 2 year warranty as opposed to 1 year for sager. So in that end, for me it'd probably be down to this and the y50. The information on the y50 seems sketchy at best ATM, so I'll wait until everything is confirmed about that.

I am buying this laptop for college, so portability is a concern. How much of a concern, I honestly dont know, but I'm going with the principle of lighter is better. I was originally actually going to get a 7.7 lb laptop, but now am probably deciding against that :d

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Go with the Gigabyte. After carrying it every day, you will be gratefull. Few laptops can run battlefield 4 on ultra at 50fps and are 21mm thin. Even fewer are sub 1750$. At 1500$, there is no better option for a THIN laptop

 

There will be no heat/noise issues in regular usage (Such as documents, browsing internet; the basics)
However, once gaming (or doing anything CPU/GPU intensive) there will be noise (less than the P34G as the fans got upgraded) as the laptop tries to stay as cool as possible. As for heat, it is extremely low compared with other thing gaming laptops (Such as the razer blade). The palm rest area manages to stay at about 26 degrees while gaming which is very impressive.

DO NOTE: The P34G v2 is not a workstation. It is a ultra-portable gaming laptop and that is where it's best use is.

Hope that helped

 

You don't have to worry about this so much, any decent laptop from the last few years is SATA III.

 

Correct. And SATA IV isn't due for another loooong time so you should be fine! :thumbsup:

 

Quick question, no rudeness intended, can you verify firsthand that the new fans are quieter? Meaning, did you ever hear the v1 in person?

 

I have never (and will never) take offense on the internet

I have heard the V1 fans in person and yes they are loud. I have heard from others that the v2 fans are quieter. Furthermore, upon inspection of the internals, we can see that the fan unit itself is different in the V1 and the V2.

Here is the V1 fans:
Here is the V2 fans:

 

Thanks for the helpful reply Sebi. I'm leaning towards the P34G v2. In regards to warranty and customer service tho, do you have any experience with those? Who do I contact when something doesn't go right?

 

Hello everyone. Just got my hands on the P34G v2 last night (bought from Xotic PC) and wanted to share my initial feedback regarding this little powerhouse. I want to thank everyone here for sharing their experiences and opinions (which helped me take the leap and know what to expect). Will be doing some actual gaming (and temp measuring) this week and post back asap!

My frame of comparison is my M11x R2 (which is being replaced). I also owned a behemoth (the Asus G73 previously)

1. The overall build quality feels good and there are no unevenness between the keyboard and the metal panel. Haven't experienced any keyboard flex, but the chiclet style keys do wiggle a bit when typing. The touch pad surface is even and I haven't noticed any bumps. The back of the lid is finger print prone, and takes some effort to get the prints off.

2. The screen quality is actually quite good (comparable to IPS displays), with very good viewing angles. I did notice some light bleeds near the bottom and top corners. The color reproduction and picture clarity is much better than my FHD Samsung 27C. Definitely a big step up from the m11x.

3, Did find a few redundant apps including Office Trial and PowerDVD10 (both were uninstalled with haste). Coming from Windows 7, 8.1 does seem rather counter intuitive. I do believe it will get easier once I spend some time familiarizing myself with it.

4. The Elan touch pad seems to be its weakest link (thus far). Using Photohsop and Illustrator were a breeze with the m11x's touch pad. The P34's pad however lacks both responsiveness and accuracy. While the experience improved somewhat after tinkering with the supplied track pad application, it still isn't as good as the m11x. Hence, I will definitely be using a mouse with this one.

5. Boots up in about 14-16 seconds using the LiteOn SSD and the overall Apps response time is very good.

6. The country I am currently residing, the outside temperatures can go up to 40 Celsius. It will be interesting to see how well this laptop manages heat with room temperatures between 26 and 28C. Will be testing Thief and Bioshock Infinite today and post my findings.

Overall, I do believe this is a sleek and powerful laptop that's well worth the price. Will test it further and post my findings soon!

 

Congrats to your new device, Hasib1522

Thanks for your initial feedback and little more extended review of your new notebook would be very appreciated :thumbsup:
Especially the temps on gpu and cpu would be of interest, as i asked for here for several times, but unfortunately til now got no answer on this. Or did anybody post some values already?
So benchmarks, your opininion on fan noise and temperature measures would be great!

Can you already say something regarding fan noise under mid-load, like using your Adobe Programms + webbrowser open + skype etc.? Just a typical mid load work situation...

Another short question to all owners so far: Is Gigabyte's fan tweaking tool needed to get acceptable fan noise levels?
Although i'm on the opinion, that a laptop should be able to handle its fans automatically, without leaving the user doing this, i am not too sure if fan characteristics maybe are worse on a fresh windows without this piece of software? Is there any noticeable difference with and without using this tool?
(In Germany the P34G v2 will be offered without OS, which is a good opportunity to save money, as i get Windows free from university)

 

The Fan was set to Auto (in Gigabyte Control center) and was barely audible even when I kept my ears close to the machine (during Web browsing and photo editing). Granted the AC was running in full force.

Will be testing temps tonight to see how good its thermal management is under load. I think the Gigabyte app is a good addition (apart from fan management it has a vista of other shortcuts which makes it easier to manage the machine on the fly) with very little in terms of memory and processor footprint. So I will stick to it for now till something better pops up.

 

Is the laptop build more plastic or more aluminum?

A test of battery life on a light-mid load would also be appreciated. I'm assuming you got the standard battery with the HDD still intact.

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First pic doesn't work no biggie. So my next question would be, are the fans somewhat replaceable? Would it be possible to replace the fans of the v1 with the ones in the v2 if they can be bought somewhere?

 

Fixed the link. Fans would probably be replaceable as it is the same chassis and setup. However, it would be very difficult to locate the v2 fans... Perhaps you can try telling gigabyte your fans from the v2 died out and youd like a replacement... Even then, Im not sure if its a direct replacement (should be)

 

Even then... Is that a "warranty void" sticker near the fans in your pic? Slightly peeled off already on top of that.

 

The P34G V2 seems to only have one headphone/MIC jack. They call it "Headphone-out jack (Audio-in Combo)".
Is this similar to what cell phones have? Can we just buy an adapter to use a headset with two 3.5 mm jacks, one for audio and one for mic?

 

I've had experience with this with my gigabyte u2442. One of my fans was making a rattling noise and I asked gigabyte if they could send out a new fan unit for the right hand side of the laptop so I won't have to be out of a laptop for ~2-3 weeks. They refused and insisted I send it in and they would verify the issue themselves. I actually had to send it in a second time but at least they covered the shipping that round..

I've also contacted them asking if I could purchase a 2nd internal battery for my u2442. I asked for the 63.64 Whr battery most recently seen in the new p34g but they claimed they do not sell any replacement parts separately. Bummer!

 

Correct. You would need an adapter. Something like this.

A bummer indeed. I was looking at buying another spare battery so in 2-3 years when this one inevitably starts losing its charge, I can replace it. Was even hoping for the bigger one too.

 

So I was wondering if I were to get an ssd for this laptop, specifically the evo 840 500 gb, how difficult it would be to transfer the operating system onto it. I'm assuming the evo is faster than the LiteOn msata that is given. Secondly, would the Ssd be considered the "primary" hard drive or the "secondary," and if its the secondary how would I switch it to the primary.

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The original (smaller of the two) 44.73Wh battery for the P34G can be bought from China HERE

I have not yet been able to source the larger 63.64Wh which is what I want. But given time that to may become available through outside sources.
I guess my point is that if Gigabyte doesn't care make a profit off selling you a battery and help build their laptop division, look elsewhere. And then post about it

Anyone who has a unit care to comment on which CPU they received? I expect the 4700HQ but are some units shipping with the refreshed 4710HQ?

 

It will be easy to transfer, there are many utilities (Samsung includes one) that will clone your current HD onto the ssd. However, I'd recommend a fresh install of windows on the SSD. The primary drive (C Drive) is whichever one windows is installed and booted on. Here is a quick guide:
1. Install secondary ssd.
2. Prepare windows 8 USB drive using this tool (I'm not quite sure where to get the .iso. Windows should have it on their website; obviously you will need to activate with the key the machine had originally)
3. Restart and boot of the USB. Install windows 8 on the Samsung ssd
4. Restart the computer and boot of the Samsung ssd. Select all files you want to keep from the LITEOn ssd and move them over to Samsung ssd. VERY, VERY important: DO NOT transfer any programs from LITEOn ssd to Samsung ssd. ONLY transfer documents/media/files. Programs should simply be re-installed fresh.
5. Format LITEOn ssd
Final result will be a empty mSATA and windows 8 activated on the Samsung ssd along with your old files. I prefer this method as it is 100% CLEAN and guaranteed to be problem free.

 

Anyone have any info on availability/reselling/service in Canada? I've been looking into this and the sager/clevo 230ss, but I've never purchased from a company that didn't have warranty/repair options nearby before. Perhaps unreasonable warranty discomfort aside, I can't even find it to buy up north in the first place.

 

Haha, join the club. Im also located in Canada in Kitchener ON (about 1.5 hours from the border) and I had mine shipped to CBIUSA in America(search them up; basically a warehouse 5 mins from the border where you can ship stuff to save $$$) Total cost from Xotic by the way is 1647 or 1700CAD (if paying with paypal; damn conversion fees). Warranty is a pain in the ; which is why I recomend buying from Xotic. They do their own QA before shipping so you dont have to worry about DOA item or loose keyboard tray. They also upgraded me from 8 to 12gb RAM which is nice

 

So I don't need to remove the msata at all during this process? Also, after installing windows 8 on the Samsung ssd, how do I make sure windows boots off that instead of the liteon msata? Since *both* will have windows 8 on it at that point won't it?

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