New Gigabyte P25W V2

Hey guys, has anyone heard of the Gibabyte P25W V2 15 inch?

http://www.gigabyte.com/products/product-page.aspx?pid=5054#kf

It has an Intel Core i7 4810MQ and Nvidia GeForce GTX 870M 3GB Graphics Card for a price of only £1089!! It hasn't been released yet and I can't seem to fine any reviews or information of it online. Could someone please fill me in on this?

 

That computer looks like a monster.

 

Very interested in this as well, especially temperatures actually. Great components/performance in a package that's just a little bit bigger/heavier and more powerful then the P35W v2 (the weight/size is not a problem whatsoever though) which hopefully does a even better job at keeping everything cool, extremely looking forward to reviews!!

 

Pretty sure xoticpc has this on their website. Its too bulky for me, but it does offer pretty decent bang for buck, and is a modest 6.2ish pounds, definitely on the lighter side of the bulky laptops. If it were thinner I would definitely look into it

Sent from my Nexus 5 using Tapatalk

 

Any news, anyone? Especially, in regards to fan noise on office apps, heat while gaming, or max. battery life?

 

I have been looking for a gaming laptop and I think I will buy this one. I live in the Netherlands so I will have to order it from Germany or the UK. I am trying to find the exact specs for the CF1 and CF2 versions. The available information isn't very consistent. I'd hate ordering a model with 8GB RAM containing two 4GB modules.

 

I have been looking for a semi-portable laptop for schoolwork and some gaming, and this seems to offer the best hardware at a reasonable price. The only colors I've been seeing are yellow and they're all on preorder. I haven't seen anything for black. Does anyone know if black will be available? Also as Amarath asked, does anyone know about fan noise and battery life?

 

Funny enough the models currently available in the UK and expected in Germany are black. Yellow is on preorder and more expensive.

As for the fan noise and battery life, we won't really know until there is proper review or user experience, but it is probably comparable to the P25 as it seems to be the same casing. Hopefully with a few improvements.

 

I just had another look at the P25X v2. I thought the only difference was the 880M GPU, but it also has an IPS display while the P25W v2 does not.

(It also has a blu-ray ODD, but honestly, in this day and age, who cares about ODD? I would rather they remove it entirely instead of having to carry the cost and weight of these things I never use.)

While the 880 would perform better, I am not sure if it is worth the price difference. There is also the extra heat and power consumption to deal with. The IPS display makes me reconsider this as a valuable package though.

What is your opinion here? Is the extra money worth it? To be honest, I could go that far with my budget, but that doesn't necessarily mean I should.

 

From what I'm seeing on XoticPC, the difference is at least $500. To me, that's not worth a slightly better screen and the 880M. And as you said, there is additional heat and power consumption. What's weird is on the main page both models are listed as having IPS panels but when customizing there is no IPS option.

 

I had a communication with Ted from HIDevolution and he said Gigabyte both P25W v2 en P25X v2 have IPS displays. It is quite unclear with suppliers and on Gigabyte's own website as well. When you look at technical specs IPS is not mentioned, only on the main page.

Naturally I went for the P25W v2 now. It will be shipped to the Netherlands. I will be happy to provide any information when I get to use it.

 

Please do! I'm looking to buy it when its out in Australia. It'd be very interesting to hear your first impressions on it.

 

Yeah! I'm most interested in the screen quality, temperatures, and performance~!

 

Bit the bullet and bought one of these bad boys.

I'll do a very brief review as I'm quite busy and hopefully later on I'll be able to do a proper one (if you'd like)

I haven't been PC gaming since 2009/10 (my desktop killed itself ages ago but that's a different story)

I received my P25W V2 Model Number P25WV2-870-4703S on the 21st July. Was just under $2,000 for me (In Australia)

Specs:
Screen
15.6" FHD 1920x1080 high-resolution IPS matte screen
Operating system
Windows 8.1 operating system - 64-bit
Graphics
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 870M with 6GB GDDR5 graphics
Processor
Intel Core i7-4810MQ 2.8GHz - 3.8GHz, 47W, 6MB Cache
RAM memory
16GB DDR3 1600Mhz RAM (2 x 8GB memory)
Hard drive and optical drive
1TB 7200 rpm hard drive, DVD SuperMulti double-layer drive
Specifications
Web Cam and Mic, built-in speakers and subwoofer, 2 x USB 3.0, 1 x eSATA/USB 2.0 combo, HDMI, D-Sub, SD Card reader, Ethernet, WiFi 802.11ac/b/g/n, Bluetooth V4.0, AC Adaptor, 8-cell battery.
Dimensions
D/H/W = 263/32.1 - 38.3/392 mm, Weight 2.8 kg
GIGABYTE Warranty
2 year warranty through Gigabyte which includes pick up and return Australia wide (national) and Global warranty - take in to Gigabyte service centre (international)


Straight off the bat. Couldn't be happier.

At this point in time I have played: The Forest, Payday 2, Chivalry and Banished. Not the most strenuous games but nevertheless played them flawlessly. Everything on high and I was very impressed with what I was seeing.

Only negatives atm
Finger prints can be seen on lid /keys
Light sensor hasn't quite done its job I have to turn on the backlit feature
Stickers are hard to get off - took off the big ones only

Off charge
Light usage: word processing, browsing etc 6hrs +

Gaming off charge:
1hr40 - 2hr30

In Nvidia control panel its set to find the 'balance between performance and battery' which I think is pretty neat but can be altered to your needs.

This is all I have time for atm, hope this helps.

Please let me know if you'd like to hear more, see some pics of the laptop itself etc I'm not going to stress test or anything though.

Note: where it says Maximum temp 62 / 61 that was when I was just wandering around in 'The Forest' off charge with about 20% of battery with Mail program and AVG open but running in the background. However couldn't get a screenshot. Print screen didn't work for me - will try again later got this instead (refer to pics below)

ADDITIONAL NOTE:
I am using a cooling pad Zalman NC2000NT, Steelseries Rival mouse, Roccat syva headphones.

 

That sounds great! I saw a good deal in an Australian web shop, but they wouldn't ship to the Netherlands. I should receive mine from the USA tomorrow. Processing took a bit longer than I'd hoped, but within the listed time of seven working days.

This laptop is also available in the UK and Germany, but they have odd layouts and the keyboard is essential for me.

On that topic, how is the keyboard? I'm hoping for good quality and no flex. (Keyboard flex is the reason I passed on the new P35.)

Thanks for reporting in! I will be happy to contribute once I have a drive around the block with mine.

 

Sounds good man, you wont be disappointed I can assure you.

I did email a representative from GIGABYTE on the yellow/black lids only to find Yellow is the only colour available in Australia (not a major issue but my first preference would of been black however for those stressing the yellow grows on you and is a lot nicer in person than in pics)

The keyboard is absolutely brilliant. Quality build, no flex. But only negative is if you have oily fingers / palms you'll probably see prints but I just wipe them away with the cloth they provided so isn't really a big issue.

 

I got the machine today. The build is plastic, but not bad for that. The arrow keys on the keyboard have a weird position. I hope I'll get used to finding them blindly. they blend in. The num pad is slightly spaced from the rest and so is the right arrow.

The screen, it's very sharp, but when it's dark there is heavy backlight bleeding. when it's bright I can see the bottom left and right corners darken. I expected more on this part.

Still, it performs well, is comfortable, looks good. I haven't pushed to any heavy load yet as I'm struggling to get Nvidia to work on Linux Mint.

 

After spending a few days with it, I am quite pleased. The backlight bleeding is only noticable when the screen is entirely dark and this is quite common. This is also my first IPS screen and I think I expected it to be magical, but even when looking at it from an angle and with light from my window on it, it is very clear. The colors are vivid as well.

I installed Linux Mint 17 on it and that is running quite well out of the box. I did have to disable secure boot in the BIOS and delete all the related settings. Only the internal speakers won't work. I am hoping to find a solution. I installed bumblebee after some trial and error with Nvidia drivers. They don't support optimus for Linux, which sucks. So I made Windows my gaming space and plan use Linux for everything else.

The fans are quiet when not working, when they are working, of course you can hear them, but it isn't as loud as my HP DV5 from 2008.

I haven't ran any long gaming sessions with it yet, just a short test drive with Dishonored. It was running perfectly on highest settings. It gets warm of course, but I wouldn't say it gets that hot. The fans blowing out of the back is much better than some other laptop designs, it makes me wonder why they don't all do it.

If I have time I will run more intense games, measure FPS and temps, but don't count on it happening soon. I'm quite busy at the moment.

I do agree the stickers were pointless and hard to get off, but I used some cleaning alcohol. The most ridiculous sticker was the MADE IN TAIWAN in the top right corner of the screen.

The keyboard backlighting has two settings and were actually really helpful last night.

There wasn't much bloatware other than the usual Microsoft nonsense. All in all, I am happy with the build quality and performance.

 

What is the sound of the fans like when surfing net and watching movies? Is it very loud? I am thinking between this and the P35W v2?

 

I don't know about the P35, but this one is very quiet. I am impressed really. In the Windows tool I saw you can manually set the fan speed as well between low, medium and high. I am not sure if it will override when running hot or not. I could use an app on my phone to measure db, but that's probably not very accurate. Either way, I think the medium fan speed is fine as well and even when gaming it only used high briefly before returning to medium.

 

Thanks for that, also what do you think of the sound quality from the built-in speakers? Loud, bass and clear?

 

Also when just surfing the net does the laptop get hot? Can you actually use it on your lap comfortably?

Has anyone got photos of the internals for this laptop?

 

So I just tested the sound with a phone app. It says my home when is around 40 normally, which is probably right with the fridge buzz and air flow. The fan on quiet is not even audible. On medium it is audible, but not bothersome. On loud it reached nearly 50 db and it is quite loud. If you are doing full on gaming, you'll want to have a headset.

Internal speakers are fine, but as much as can be expected for a laptop. The woofer doesn't seem to do much, although the sound is somewhat above what I have heard in most laptops. But don't expect a cinema experience like the website says.

The laptop doesn't run that hot. If you position the laptop diagonal the hot air will blow on your legs from the rear, but it's probably still better than what other laptops do. I did notice the battery getting quite warm when it was on my lap and charging, so I unplugged it.

I did actually open up my laptop, but didn't take any pictures. I think it's weird how the 2.5" HDD bay is not really fastened. It's held in place by squizing the foam of the bracket in place. Sure, it's firm and tight, but I don't understand why they wouldn't just attach two scews. The rest looked fine. Easily accessible.

 

Nice report of it all harlekein! Haven't had time to update on it lately.

But in summary, it's still smooth sailing here. Haven't opened it up but it does sound weird that the HDD isn't screwed down.

But I'm glad its treating you well.

 

Cool thanks all. I just placed an order for one will get it within the next 5 days, cant wait.

 

Awesome mate!

Come back and tell us what you think, if you notice somethings (myself) and others haven't noticed or just post your opinion for those who are also looking into buying one

 

Thanks

I tripple checked the interiour and the manual, and it's really like that. It's not really made for HDD replacement, as the 'wrapper' has stickers to hold it together which can only be used once. It's still fixable, but it's the weirdest HDD bay I have ever seen.

I'm not really a fan of the plastic chrome look around the display, but the yellow is growing on me. Another thing is that my BIOS messed up after booting from different partitions and USB key several times. I can still select the boot order, but it's sort of wrangled up, three lines are squished into two when selecting boot order. By now I know which is which, but I thought it was odd.

And my final point is that I really don't understand why laptop manufacturers still provide optical drives. I haven't used one for years and I don't believe I ever will again. But I knew that when I bought it. Hopefully this generation of laptop is the last with this outdated medium.

 

I am also getting a Hard Drive Caddy to replace my Optical drive with another Hard drive
Check here GIGABYTE P25W HDD Caddy - add an extra HDD or SSD into your laptop!

 

I don't need the space right now, but I might do that at some point.

One thing that bothers me most about this laptop is the plastic chrome look is that it completely removes the point of having a matte display: It's a mirror. Having a window behind me the screen is still awesome to read, but the plastic bezel is reflecting birght light in my eyes.

I am considering solutions in taping it off somehow. Maybe even take it apart and spray paint that part of the bezel, if possible.

 

Well I almost got the P35W V2 but after reading that it gets loud and has heat problems, I decided to get the P25W V2. I will update you all once I have it, cant wait

 

Anyone in the US have a good source for buying the P25W V2?
Looks like Xoticpc has it on preorder still. What other choices do I have?

 

The only reviews I can find are those from the earlier model and the two big things that concern me are the noise/heat situation and the speakers.
Do the speakers still produce average sound?

 

Hey guys,

I got mine yesterday and I have a question about the noise level. When the CPUs are used to maximum it's very noisy. Is it normal for this kind of laptops ?
I have to say that while browsing or watching some videos it's very silent.
Using the stealth mode in the manager does the job very well. If I undersatnd well it underclocks the CPU to 1.7GHz. It's a pity that there aren't anymore modes.

 

About the speakers I can't tell if it's good or not. I think it's ok
Fan noise is very noticeable when CPUs are maxed. Otherwise it's very silent

 

Thanks for the review Armanand. I'm a little hesitant based on those speaker reviews still. I'm not a headphone gamer, so it does matter.
I don't have a lot of alternatives. I can wait to see if the new Origin has fixed some of the heat issues of the MSI Ghost or maybe wait for the Asus 15 inch incoming next month.

 

Yes it's quite difficult to find a 15,6 with i7 and good graphic card without having some heat and noise problems. Hopefully one day they will overcome thiese problems.
Asus seems to do quite good job about laptop cooling. I've seen the ROG 750 (17,3) and it's very silent laptop (stays 3,3Ghz without any problems). It does make some noise when used to max but it's very much acceptable. Inconveniant is 4,8kg. We will see about the incoming 15,6.

 

Yeah, I've been looking hard at that 750. I even went into Best Buy to heft it and see how the 17 inch would really feel.
Great build quality and components, but about 1.5kg too heavy.

 

I have never found a laptop with good speakers. I think the speakers in this model are acceptable. I have heard worse, but I wouldn't use it as a main output unless I really had to. Even if you don't like wearing headphones, I would recommend buying a portable speakerset.

 

Hello!

I am thinking of getting a P25X v2 as I managed to get a good deal but I am just wondering, may I know why is the P25 thread is so quiet while the P35 and Auros thread are much more active.

I am well aware of the leaked announcement of 970M and 980M but the problem is, there will be a straight up $200 to $300 increase in price for Gigabyte laptops.

 

I don't know why it turned quiet. I am still very happy with my choice. It's a beautiful and powerful machine. I'm hating Win 8.1, but I only use it for the games. For all my other work Linux Mint is running beautifully on it.

I do have to admit the speakers are awful. Gigabyte is promoting the sound and that just makes it more sad. They would have been better off staying quiet about it. Headphones or speakers are a must.

I am looking for a good fitting sleeve if anyone has any recommendations.

 

I purchased from gentechpc. Good experience.

I've had it for quite a while now - overall very impressed. It's more quiet than I expected. The performance is great - even for video editing. I wish gentech would have allowed me to stick 32GB instead 16, but I'll take it. The speakers are kind of weak. In fact, my HTC One M8 is louder but I use nice headphones so I don't really care.

I have one very key issue.
Dynamic screen brightness and contrast won't turn off.
Support was no help. When I open something dark, my whole screen darkens. It makes using photoshop without an external monitor completely pointless.
It's off in the advanced power settings (Enable Adaptive Brightness set to Off).
It's off in the Intel HD Graphics Settings (Display Power Saving Technology).
It's off in the Windows 8 Tiles "PC Settings/Power" menu as well.

Has anyone else had/figured out this issue?

 

Does anyone has a disassembly guide for P25w?

Has anyone tried to clean the heat sinks?

 

Hi everyone.

I'm considering buying this laptop. The problem is that I can't find much info on it. I am looking at the Gigabyte P25W v2, Core i7-4710MQ, 8GB RAM, 1TB HDD (GA-P25Wv2-D1) version, but would like to add a second 8GB RAM stick. Sadly I can't find anywhere which RAM is included, because I would like to buy the same again. I know that some versions of the P25W have two mSATA SSD slots, but I have no idea if the model I'm looking at does too. Does anyone have the same model? Even if you don't could you help me figure it out?

I could just order the CF1 model from the UK (which also has a slightly better CPU), but it's a 350€ difference, so I'd rather not.

Thanks for your help

 

Harlekein -

I've been looking at this laptop, and I also use Mint 17 for .. almost everything. How is middle-click working for you?

I use a program called Blender ( blender.org - Home of the Blender project - Free and Open 3D Creation Software) which uses midde-click-drag to rotate the camera perspective in the 3D view a lot. Can't get by without it.

Also as a developer, I use middle-click paste all the time. Not having it would be like losing an arm.

Anything you can tell me would be great, because this laptop is otherwise pretty unique - quite, good thermal performance, great battery life in low-intensity tasks. But Im a serious Linux user, and I must have middle-click / middle-click-drag.

Thanks

jonbitze n

 

So, I re-read that and I wasn't clear - I'd like to know if you can tell me how / whether middle click works on the button-bar below the trackpad. It's unusual - for example, can you push both sides down at once to emulate middle click, or is it like a teeter-totter construction which would prohibit simultaneous-click?

Thanks,

jonbitzen

 

Does anyone know if the battery life on this laptop (or Gigabyte laptops in general) is user-replaceable? And if so, where replacements can be bought from?

 

Is laptop possible upgrade gpu ?

 

Sorry for the late response. I don't check this forum too often.

I don't really use middle click myself much. I use keyboard shortcuts for copy/pase. (ctrl+insert, shift+insert) On an external mouse it works without a problem. If you are using the touchpad, I'm not sure. I just did a quick google search and you have the option of creating a manual script.

As an update: The laptop has been awesome on Mint. Very stable. The only problems I had were at the start when I messed around with video drivers. I now dedicated my Win 8 partition to gaming.

That is working great as well. Dragon Age: Inquisition runs smoothly on almost everything ultra/high. (I didn't try all on ultra yet. It's good enough as it is.) The fans do blow loudly though. But I don't think that can be helped. It did hold up well to an all nighter of gaming without feeling very hot.

 

Sorry for the late response. I don't check this forum too often.

I don't really use middle click myself much. I use keyboard shortcuts for copy/pase. (ctrl+insert, shift+insert) On an external mouse it works without a problem. If you are using the touchpad, I'm not sure. I just did a quick google search and you have the option of creating a manual script.

I just tested it out and it doesn't work out of the box at least.

As an update: The laptop has been awesome on Mint. Very stable. The only problems I had were at the start when I messed around with video drivers. I now dedicated my Win 8 partition to gaming.

That is working great as well. Dragon Age: Inquisition runs smoothly on almost everything ultra/high. (I didn't try all on ultra yet. It's good enough as it is.) The fans do blow loudly though. But I don't think that can be helped. It did hold up well to an all nighter of gaming without feeling very hot.

 

HI,
does anybody ahs a ram compatibility sheet of this laptop? especially I'm interested if it can support a gskill cl9 16gb 1600 memory?