*** OFFICIAL AORUS X9 DT V8 OWNERS LOUNGE ***

Related availability thread: http://forum.notebookreview.com/threads/aorus-x9-availability.814990

My experience:

Ordered from @Donald@HIDevolution on May 17, 2018.

I got the maximum thermal solution, replaced the stock 1TB Toshiba/OCZ SSD with a 1TB Samsung 970 EVO, and opted for Win10 Pro. I plan to add a 2TB 970 EVO in the second M.2 slot, and recycle the Micron M1100 SATA SSD from my Sager into the empty SATA drive bay.

My order is in "Pre-Production". I'll run it through the gauntlet and post metrics once it arrives in a couple of weeks.

Edit: Order entered "Production" this morning, getting hype!
Edit 2: Shipped on June 11th at EOD after just a day in "Production". ETA of June 18th.
Edit 3: Received on June 15th (today). Setting it up; review forthcoming...
Edit 4: See review below:

Review
I waited about a week before reviewing this machine so that I could spend some quality time with it. Thoughts:

1. Other reviews undersold the metal body and the incredible keyboard. The keyboard feel is similar to my two Cherry Brown keyboards that have dampers installed: there's less travel per keypress, an audible but not annoying "click", and a tactile bump. The body is what I wish all the pricey Clevo models had: a high-quality metal body that can act as a heatsink while also being less prone to flexing or cracking.

2. The temps are great imho: CPU and GPU only hit about 80 C at maximum load, such as playing KF2 on Ultra at 2560x1440 @ 144Hz. Even with the maximum OC via C&C, I can't really get past 80 C on either CPU or GPU. The only thing that bothers me temp-wise is that the Samsung 970 Evo, even with the Fujipoly Extreme pad between it and the metal bottom panel, runs about 65 C, which is hotter than the CPU during normal use.

18216 Fire Strike:
https://www.3dmark.com/3dm/27234356

18695 Fire Strike (+100 GPU core via Afterburner, nothing else)
https://www.3dmark.com/3dm/27237553

7071 Time Spy:
https://www.3dmark.com/3dm/27234430

7263 Time Spy (had a 200GB file transfer going on in the background, Chrome and Discord open as well):
https://www.3dmark.com/3dm/27310814

Time Spy Extreme stress test:
https://www.3dmark.com/3dm/27264033

Spoiler

Fire Strike 4K stress test (only Physics on loop):

Spoiler

Killing Floor 2 2560x1440 144Hz:

Spoiler

Updated with new variations:
Fire Strike = 16,532 with the following modifications:

• -210mV undervolt on CPU Core and Cache (VID around 1.27)
  • A -200.2mV or -210mV undervolt alone dropped TSbench by 5-6 C across all cores, consistently
• -100.6 undervolt on iGPU
  • This is probably a no-op since I use the 1080, but w/e
• C1E and Turbo disabled (locked at 2.9GHz)
• Speed Shift EPP = 0
• IccMax 200.25
• GPU locked to 1911MHz @ 1.012V cool (62C), 1898 @ 1.025 hot (80C)

This is with 10-15% CPU and 20% RAM being eaten by like 40 Chrome tabs, Steam, Uplay, Discord, AWS Workspaces + NOD32 not in Gamer Mode

https://www.3dmark.com/3dm/28918800

ASUS RealBench 2.56 comparison with i7-8750:

• With the locked 2.9GHz settings above:

Spoiler

• With Turbo re-enabled (other settings are still the same):

Spoiler

3. Windows 10 is every awful tech trend du jour and then some. I spent about two hours disabling all the bloat and spyware (ads in the start menu are tantamount to a war crime; how are we not rioting in the streets?), making gpedit and regedit changes, etc.

4. Getting USB hubs to work took a lot of cables, new USB hub purchases, driver (re|un)installs, and an embarrassing amount of time. The tl;dr solution is:
4a. Use a USB-C hub, not a USB-A hub.
4b. Go into Device Manager and disable "allow Windows to turn off this device to save power" on everything under "USB Hubs".
4c. Install the latest Intel chipset driver.
4d. Install the latest Killer WLAN driver (and remove the Killer control center).

5. The Killer control center includes some nasty stuff, like a QoS service (check the Internet for horror stories about it causing lag) that I couldn't stop even as Administrator. Additionally, I had an issue with some "VID_1044&PID_7A39" device that would install as a "generic USB composite" device with an exclamation (issues). In the Windows System log, this device was "flapping" or not starting at all, which caused all the Aorus stuff like Fusion and C&C to crash instantly at login. After some sleuthing, I figured out that the device was some a "Gigabyte USB WLAN" of some sort. I uninstalled Killer control center, installed the latest driver-only package, and things seem to be playing nice now. If you get USB hub issues or just weird wireless mouse / USB input issues:
5a. Uninstall Killer control center and install just the driver package.
5b. Lower wireless mouse polling to 500 if it's at 1000+.

Thoughts on HIDevolution:
1. Donald is great. He's honest about what's necessary for a given system, and also about potentially unnecessary expenses. Getting a discount and so on went smoothly from start to finish. Incredible sales experience. The guy should write a book on the profession. Thanks for that sweet NBR discount!
2. It took me several weeks to get my system, which was well past the 12-day estimate. In the future I'll be sure to throw down for Rush Building / Shipping. It's not a huge deal, and it's probably my fault for getting a system that was brand new + not getting the Rush option(s). Before anyone asks, I paid in full via bank transfer within about 24 hours of placing the order (there was a mix-up with my email address, which delayed my receipt of the bill after I got off the phone with Donald).
3. HIDevolution support varied a lot. It kills me to say anything negative, as Donald was a paragon of sales and service, and overall I'm very happy with my purchase. However:
3a. The two sales reps I called at around business days 10 and 13 sounded very nervous, and also seemed confused as to why the system hadn't been built ("I don't know what's up, it says everything is in stock and ready to build"). Both times I got an "it will definitely be done tomorrow or the next day" response, but it took another week.
3b. Ted was the third person I called. He repeated what the other reps said, but I appreciated that he was honest in telling me that they were simply backed up with a ton of orders and just didn't have the manpower to get to my system yet.
4. It took me a minute to realize I only had 16GB of RAM, not the 32GB (stock config) I'd ordered... Zoltan S., my tech support contact, always responded quickly to my emails about the issue, and the rest of my RAM is on its way. No big deal; I chalk it up to random chance and their build staff probably being under a deluge of orders.
5. The temps say all you really need to know about the quality of the HIDevolution system builders. You can't even tell they opened up the machine. Everything looks exactly like it came from the factory, or perhaps even better; the thermal pads are aligned perfectly, and there wasn't so much as an iota of dust or a single fingerprint on the machine.

Gallery:

Spoiler

 

For those more advanced users that own the Aorus X9 ..

If you want to effectively undervolt your CPU and or GPU then Command and Control mustn't be running. C&C only will run if XTU is running. If you try to uninstall XTU then C&C wont load up. Aorus uses XTU for their CPU overclocking and XTU and Throttlestop dont get along very well.

It is possible to change the values C&C uses for their CPU overclock stages (programfiles/smartmanager/ cpuoverclock etc..). But if you leave C&C running then it will override any MSI afterburner voltage/frequency settings you have.

So if you want to undervolt both CPU and GPU then dont use C&C. In my opinion the only useful thing C&C offers is the 15 stage deep fan control.

To make this laptop perfect ( not a loud rocket and not a throttling thermal beast) you need undervolts and the use of the fan control app.
To do this dont uninstall C&C. Keep it installed but dont let it start up or run.
Then go into the smartmanager/ fan control folder and shortcut to the fan app.

You can open it directly and set your 15 stages for the fan (30%min)
The system bios will actually save that setting so each time you startup the laptop that fan curve will be used.
I dont go over 75% fan rpm at 15th stage.
On my machine this allows about 85c max for CPU when gaming at 4.4ghz 6 core.@-140mv at a more tolerable fan volume.

Because C&C isnt actually running you can set a msi afterburner voltage curve and it will stick. You can use Throttlestop for the CPU and that undervolt will stick too. ( Not saved in bios but applies when program runs on startup.

If all that is too much then just use Command and Control and take some throttling but i just wanted people to know how it can be done ( for those that dont know already)

 

In the past you could actually rebuild the XTU profiles and assign them to the overclock levels that the CC uses this way it was still useful and it would work with your own customized overclock settings for the CPU. Then you could use a normal GPU overclock tool as long as you didn't mess with the slider for the GPU.

 

Thats what i tried before. I had mixed results with the gpu overclock. I was using an older version of C&C with the X5 V6.

Maybe you're right and doing it the XTU way and rewriting the overclock default files will work. Something about the command control app i dont like. I feel like its just lurking, waiting to ovewrite my gpu voltage curve lol

 

Got an ETA yesterday from HIDevolution support that my machine should be here by June 5. I should have thrown down for the rush processing, but I figured it was a waste because at the time of the order this model was "pre-order" with an ETA of the end of the month. Still showing as pre-production, but I expect that to update soon...

 

This may be the wrong place, but I remember the Aorus models having high-refresh 2560x1440 QHD screens, but it looks like all of the new models including the X9 DT only offer 1080p screens. Any idea on why the QHD screens were dropped?

 

Delete please

 

I cant say why for sure but i do know that the AUO qhd screens were crap. Washed out colors, bad color reproduction, contrast ratio in the 600's. Thats even worse than Clevo.
The new screen has twice the contrast ratio, beautifully crisp for a 1080p screen. Faster response time. I wouldn't trade it for that qhd if you paid me.

 

Have you actually seen it in person? That was the one best displays I have seen on a laptop, only issue it had is that the blacks were brighter than usual which results in lower contrast when compared to IPS and VA panels, other than that it was good, good color reproduction, max brightness was excellent, fast 120Hz refresh, good viewing angle (for a TN) ...etc.

 

I had two of them. The Clevo version and 17R4.
There were 4 versions that were very similar.
Viewing angles were horrid compared to this IPS screen.
Many manufacturers are adopting the 144hz IPS as the replacement for the substandard QHD.
I am totally stoked for the X9 DT V2 when it comes out and it better have a QHD or higher screen!

 

Well manufacturers are probably using it because its simply newer.

The new panel has it share of drawbacks as well, resolution is 77.8% lower, brightness is about 100nits lower as well, potential backlight bleed ....etc

For me the resolution is the killer, 1080p is too low for a 17".

 

I would still expect a 4k variant to be released at some point. My fingers are crossed.

 

So far so good with this bad boy, its a work of art!

Its the Lambo of the laptop world for sure...

 

What are your impressions? Any issues?

 

The 18th? Wow thats a long wait. I feel for you and also envy you for getting to experience that first unboxing!

 

The only thing i haven't been able to figure out is the ess ess sabre dac from the headphone jack. The driver is just a realtek driver. It doesn't show up in device manager as a ess sabre dac.

I honestly wonder if there was a mistake or something? Anyone who have the X9 figure this out?

 

hey man ESS Sabre DAC is the DAC (Digital-Analog-Converter) and Realtek codec is the DSP that feeds the processed digital signal to DAC:

so that's why you will only see realtek in device or driver list (Under Windows Device Manager you will only see the main audio codec)

 

How loud is it?
Do you like the keyboard?
What's the performance like? What about stock temps?
Is the charger 330W?

Thanks!

 

It can get very loud with the stock fan profiles (louder than any laptop I've ever owned), but I now use the "advanced 15-stage curve" option @knibbler mentioned, which allowed me to set the fan speed to a more reasonable volume unless I'm hitting 80+ C. At home, I set it on a FrankenCooler (a Thermaltake cooling pad frame with 3x Noctua/Arctic 140mm fans powered by a 120v-to-5v PSU), which noticeably helps with the temps and thus the fan volume.

The keyboard is incredible. Only thing that's better is an actual full-height Cherry Brown or Clear keyboard, and maybe the keyboard on the newest MSI units (a coworker brought in his GS65 Stealth to compare).

The performance is great. I have LM and Fujipoly on everything, so I don't know about "stock", but I get only about 80-85 C max peak when pushing as hard as it will go on CPU and GPU over hours of gaming at max settings in KF2, R6 Siege, and a bunch of VR apps. More typical temps are about 65-75 C when pushing it (including 3DMark runs), though sometimes I can get those 80-ish peaks I mentioned.

The charger is 330W, Chicony branded, with a tip that looks like a stock Dell barrel.

 

Thanks! That was a very complete explanation. I guess i was worrying for nothing.

 

Have you got a link to a firestrike score for your specific machine? Cheers.

 

Added to the first post just now:

18216 Fire Strike:
https://www.3dmark.com/3dm/27234356

7071 Time Spy:
https://www.3dmark.com/3dm/27234430

 

Added more temp/bench info the the OP. I can't get the CPU or GPU to go over 80C, despite repeated attempts.

 

Hi everyone, my "s" key gets stuck sometimes. Is there a way to remove it safely to lubricate/clean underneath ?
Thank you

 

Increase the CPU power limit in Intel XTU then.

 

Try to move(hold-up) the key with thin stick on the top-right of the key cap first, and the bottom-right's the next
however don't try to do so with too much force cuz it may hurt the scissor switch beneath

 

Thanks ! It popped out nice and easy !

 

What's going on with availablility?

The X9 DT is not sold from hidevolution anymore. Same with Amazon.ca and Amazon.com. Newegg.ca and Newegg.com. Xcalibier Pc. It's very hard to find now. But the X7 is still commonly availble.

I wonder, was it a limited availablility item?

 

Its a beast thats why. the lightest most powerful laptop on the market. Once repasted and calibrated its quiet/

 

I've been working on a review of the Aorus X9, and I finally released it. I'd love to hear your thoughts and feedback on it! Here it is:

 

Stock paste doesnt go over 86c FYI.

 

Anyone care to share their fan profile?

 

Yeah.. super weird. Can't find it anywhere.

What is your amb temp?
Do you have the back raised? Cooling base?

 

HIDevolution had last one but was sold over the weekend.

I dunno I’m upgrading to LM now.

 

Can you provide more information? I'd be interested in the ambient temp, what kind of application was running, how long the test ran, how temp was measured, etc.

 

I believe they have stopped production at this time, I haven't heard if they will continue again when the new GPU's drop. If they do start production again grab one while you can because Aorus is known to stop production promptly or not produce enough to meet demand.

 

See this review of the Aorus X9 DT-CL5M -

And this one of the Aorus X7 DT v8-CL4D -

As you see, the Aorus X7 DT v8-CL4D is really the better way to go.

 

Updated with some more undervolt/overclock variations I made today using the latest Afterburner and ThrottleStop. The big takeaway is that I can undervolt CPU core/cache by over 200mV and get a good 5C drop; also, this was stable in Fire Strike, Time Spy, TSbench, R6 Siege benchmark, and ASUS RealBench (all latest versions).

Note that the i9-8950HK outdoes the i7-8750H (I was looking at a lot of threads for OCing and undervolting this i7 since it seems more common) by a significant margin, especially (no suprise) in multi-threaded loads. The 2.9GHz no-turbo i9 RealBench stats are almost 200% of the unfettered 4GHz i7 stats for "Heavy Multitasking".

Edit: I went even further and got a TS profile that stays under 70C at load.

Spoiler

https://imgur.com/ViPRftC

 

I could not get a X9 in my country so I got a X7. Does anyone know if there i9 is a direct swap for the i7?

 

The 8850H is the same TDP, just clocked lower, from what I can tell. I bet you could get the same undervolt/OC results if you use the same thermal paste.

 

Product binning - Wikipedia
"In semiconductor device fabrication, product binning is the categorizing of finished products based on their characteristics." Have you ever heard about Partial unlocked? See... i7-4700Mq had 2 bin unlocked.

 

I have overclocked both the X7 and X9. The X9 could go to 4.5 Ghz stable with all cores, while the X7 could only get to 4.3 ghz stable across all cores. There is a performance difference. The power limit is raised on the X9 to about 105 watts, while the X7 is lower, I think like 93 watts or so if I recall correctly. I don't have my X7 as it's keyboard is being worked on at the moment.

On top of that, the X7 doesn't even let you try to OC past 4.3 on all cores. You can go past 4.3 on a single core though.

 

Anyway to disable the keyboard?

 

You could disable it via Device Manager.

 

Is there still anyway to get this laptop, now that it's discontinued?

 

It might be better to wait a bit longer and get the new version once it is released.

 

Loved my X9 for 8 months and just sold it. It's time had come. Laptops like it are very hard to sell for a good price on the used market once the new cards come out. I could have got a little more but i settled for $3200 Canadian. Owning a laptop like the X9 is a great dream but like most dreams once you get used to having it it loses it's luster. I think if the bezels were smaller and it didn't have all the ridiculous angles and light strips I may have liked it more.

Shooting for the Triton 500.