*** OFFICIAL GIGABYTE AERO 15 OWNERS LOUNGE ***

For those of you adding or replacing the SSD:

1) Does it matter which slot you use? Like did you remove the existing one and replace it or just drop the NVMe one in the available slot?
2) Any reason not to use the SATA SSD it comes with as storage? (like it doesn't do a lowest common denominator for speed -- I assume not, since SATA and PCIe are separate interfaces, it shouldn't make a difference?)

 

I just stuck mine in the open slot. Doesn't bother me that the OS starts a little slower. I'm using the faster NVMe for my games so they load faster.

 

Still up for grabs? I was wondering if I should get this and replace my Aero 14v6... Don't really know if that's a good idea.

 

Received mine from @Gentech and like it so far. Did those of you who went through them receive the game? Mine appears to be missing. As for the laptop itself, came with Liteon CV1, appears to have the left cntl-shift keyboard issue, do not notice any coil whine, do not notice any issue with the panel, cpu temps idle about 43 and gpu 40 (went with CLU option), did not clean install yet, did not update Fusion or Smart Manager yet. Guess I still need to put it through its paces.

 

duplicate post

 

Wow, seems like the CLU helps with the temperatures a lot!

 

Let me know if the keyboard is still problematic after updating.

Sent from my Pixel XL using Tapatalk

 

Pm Ken @GenTechPC he'll help you out with the codes. And wow I'm an idiot. I was in such a rush I switched back to ICD so mine idles slightly higher 4-9 degrees more. How is it with gaming?

 

That's interesting to note. So is this a way of disabling dGPU when you don't want it or likely a bug?

 

Approximately how long does your Aero 15 last on battery itself? What do you do to increase the duration of the battery?
I'm getting approximately 5hrs on full charge, and I'm just creating documents, responding to emails and web browsing.

 

Hello there,

I treated myself to an Aero 15.So far, I don't have much to report on as I only used it for a couple of hours (mainly for installing updates).

I like it and that's mostly due to some details that are usually not mentioned in any specification, i.e., it is pre-configured in an "old fashioned" way. After booting to the Windows desktop for the first time, I noticed the "This PC", "Control Panel" and my user folder sitting on the desktop. Great, I prefer it this way. On other recently bought Windows-PC, they were disabled by default and I had to manually enable them. Additionally, I noticed that Windows 10 (and Mac OS X) on other Notebooks defaulted to an inverted scrolling behaviour, i.e., when swiping with two fingers on the touchpad content scrolls in the directing of fingers. But on the Aero 15 it's configured like it it used to be before the invention of smartphones (swiping moves scrollbar in direction of fingers). Great.

Speaking of the touchpad, it's the part that I don't like. Slow finger movement is not registered immediately and sometimes not at all. Tapping & holding with one finger and dragging with a second finger (e.g. to move a window) does not work. It works only if I click and hold in the lower left corner and then start moving with a second finger although clicking is registered everywhere on the touchpad. Strange and inconsistent in my opinion.

I've yet to find out how the "battery click" function works. The Gigabyte page states "You can now know exactly how much battery is left without even turning your laptop on, just by looking at the icon next to your trackpad." That's of course rubbish. You can stare at that icon for as long as you want but it will not reveal the battery status to you because it's just an icon. I clicked on the touchpad but nothing happens. Identifying the remaining battery life when the notebook is hibernated or shut-down would be nice but this feature is an elusive mystery to me.

Thanks for reading!
Dan

 

Have you made sure that emptyproject (an exe) is not running in the background? This is Gigabyte's solution to Windows 10 stuttering due to optimimus switching, and what it does is keep your dGPU enabled at all times (ie prevent the computer from switching to iGPU) which of course will have adverse effects on battery life.

Have you also tried undervolting your CPU and iGPU? While the gains from this are not mind-blowing, it does make a difference.

 

Free game codes come via email. If they aren't in a spam folder I'd contact them and ask if they can resend.

 

You have to press firmly near that icon. I think it has to be off too. Discussed here: http://forum.notebookreview.com/threads/some-doubts-of-my-new-gigabyte-aero-15.804820/

 

FYI, Wired did a (very) quick take.. I think they generally liked it, hard to say (main criticism is in the weight?? that is strange to focus on for this class, but I guess their readership might be comparing against non-gaming ultras too)...

https://www.wired.com/2017/06/review-gigabyte-aero-15

 

Yeah, other than the MSI GS63VR, there's nothing all that much lighter with a quad-core Kaby Lake and GTX1060 or better GPU. It's definitely not an ultrabook in terms of portability, but relative to its class it's at least average and comparable to XPS15.

 

And also the Razer Blade, it's lighter but we all know they run hot. Also for their 512gb variant its $200 more than the Aero 15.

 

I think it thermal throttles significantly. For example in Overwatch I was getting 9 FPS, but as soon as I increased the fan speed it went well above 60 FPS.

 

Not to mention they are loud as hell. I had one before getting the Aero 15, just could not tolerate the fan noise, also the keyboard felt super unsatisfying, real loose key activation.

 

Whoops I mean to say for 15.6" notebooks. The XPS is lighter, but only if you opt for the 1080p display with the smaller battery. With the bigger battery, they are basically the same size, weight and thickness with only negligible differences.

If 14" is considered, MSI claims 1.8kg GS63VR vs. 1.9kg Blade 14 vs. 1.9kg Aero 14 vs. 2kg XPS 15 (97WHr battery) vs 2.1kg Aero 15. Plus or minus 0.1kg depending where the specs are from.

Similar spec models like the Alienware 13, GT62VR and Strix GL502VM and Aspire V15 Nitro are closer to 2.5kg.

 

Actually, that's my mistake! I keep forgetting the RB is 14"...

 

MSI lies about the weight of the GS63 it's listed as 1.8kg but have seen some reviews weigh it and its much closer to 2.0kg

 

It felt pretty light when I saw it at Best Buy, but never had it side by side with the Blade 14 or Aero 15. The compromise was that the GS63VR chassis seemed lower quality in look and feel than Aero 15 and supposedly has inferior cooling, so that's likely how they saved on weight. I'll weigh the Aero 15 before posting a review in this forum later this week.

It's a good comparison, as the Blade 14 and GS63VR were among the last few on our short list.

 

I've finally got my replacement of my replacement Aero 15 as well on Friday. (First one had dust under the screen and poor finishing on the black lid). Waited a week for the replacement took an Orange one and that had a non functional keyboard out of the box. Third time lucky got another orange one and it's perfect touchwood. Also got a SM961 Samsung SSD in it ! Appears most of the UK Orange ones get the better Sammy drive.

 

Did you try to extract the .cab file and after uninstalling the stock Elan driver to just install the etdminiptp.inf manually from the extracted folder? that's how it did work for me.
you just use the settings of the touchpad with precision touchpad in the mouse & touchpad setting, not in the elan drivers software.

 

It's more of a good thing; if you want it go for it. Afraid I did sell it already! Will be shipped to @CedricFP tomorrow!

 

Gibabyte Aero 15 - GTX 1060 / I7 7700hq

 

The MSI GS63VR looks really nice and they've done a good job with it - I went with the Aero 15 for the battery life. The MSI does seem more sleek and while I'd pay for that with a little less battery life, a laptop with 3 hours of battery life is something I haven't had to deal with in years and don't ever plan on doing again!

 

Looks like I'm going to send mine back but I have to do it after my vacation which I won't be back in the states for a month and a half...was suppose to bring the Aero 15 with me too..so disappointed I'm getting a replacement for 3 reasons.

1. At idle it seems cool but as soon as I game within 5 mins temps go up to high 80s to low 90s depending on the game.

2. Keyboard backlighting is wired weird still lights up with certain keys pressed even though I switch it off. I just also found out last night it still lights up even with the lights on for example if I turned it on with white and I press "T" which is the key that's activating the weird light up, it will light up red over my white lights.

3. Light bleeding/certain keys that need more force than others. This last one is really minor and I could just deal with it but the other two problems have been really bothering me.

 

What company lets you return or swap the laptop months after purchase? Why can't you just send it now before you leave?

 

I got mine from GenTechPC. I PM'd Ken but he hasn't replied yet. If I send it back now I won't be back to receive so they would have to hold on to it til I get back. I did ask him if I should do it now or wait til I got back. I leave Wednesday so it's gotta send it out today or tomorrow.

 

I'd get an RMA approval to return for cash back, and figure out the replacement when you get back, alot may change between now and then, and I doubt GenTechPC wants their laptop to sit in your empty house depreciating instead of being turned over to someone that can use it.

 

Just got off the phone with Ken, GenTechPC CS is top notch! He's very understanding, we've been talking back and forth since I preordered from them. He told me it was okay for me to send it back after my trip. I bought my last laptop from GenTechPC 2 years ago and never had a problem with it expect when I lost my rubber feet and Ken took care of that for me with ease.

 

Wow, that's awesome, it would be awesome if you could find the time to package it up and send it back to Ken so he doesn't have to wait over a month for it though, just a thought, consideration works both ways.

 

Thanks, that did the trick. Obviously, pressing gently until you hear the click was not enough. I don't like this design but I don't like the way the trackpad works anyway.

 

Was thinking about that but then like you said they probably don't want to hold on to it. He told me to take it with me overseas and ship it back when I get back.

 

Got it, I thought you were returning it completely for refund, not returning it to get it fixed, in that case it's 6 of one, half dozen of the other choice - whatever works for you. Hopefully it survives the trip

 

The temps I gave were in Power Saver mode, normal fan speed, and just sitting idle and thank you I emailed Ken and he got those codes to me.

what game were you playing if you dont mind my asking? I will do some more testing tonight with games, battery life, and temps.

 

Thanks for posting. This is exactly what I've been curious about.

 

Mines perfect apart from that one issue. My "O" key needs to be hit quite sharp or hard. It's like the first press is stuck and then needs another tap to get it working. Otherwise mine is fine. I've tested all my keys by resting my finger on it until it generates a keystroke then lifting off ever so slightly to see where it stops registering. All keys appear pressed up to a point but with the "O" key I've got to push it down till it makes a good contact with the board. The more I used the keyboard the less I notice it though so not a deal breaker! (haven't seen many missing O typos in this post)

 

Nevermind.

 

So the Aero 14 and Aero 15 both have the same size battery, however the 14 achieves significantly better battery life at 8 hours, despite having the same internals.

Is this because of the larger screen on the 15 using more power? Does the individual RGB keyboard also affect battery life?

 

I'd think that is a good possibility, if not the larger size, perhaps the type of panel or maximum brightness suck more juice.

 

*

With my backlit keys off my "T" key somehow activates a specific column of keys(F5, 5, T, G, and V) to lit up red. I don't even have to press hard just a slight tap but at times it gets stuck so that column stays lit if I just tap it again it will unstick itself and turn off. I also have his issue with my numpad, the whole column with "PgDn","*", "9", "6", "3", and, "." turns on red when I press on the "9" key. However, I just noticed last night that even with my backlit keys on, the "T" and "9" still flashes on.

But my "C" key and the very end right side of the spacebar where my right thumb mostly sits both needs to be pressed on a little harder than the rest. I find myself having to go back to retype to make sure there's no typos but I do get it quite a bit while typing. It hasn't got better with longer usage. It's getting a bit annoying.

 

I have CS:GO, L4D2, Sleeping Dogs, D3, Borderlands 2, Crysis 3, Witcher 3 and Enslaved Odyssey to the West installed. All games play great on high/ultra settings out but as soon as I play those games for 5 mins my temps shoot up to 85-91 degrees. I have more games but those are only what I have installed to test.

 

Came from a macbook pro, desperately looking for skins / transparent keyboard protectors / trackpad skins or cases.

Anyone has any recommendation for these sort of exotic notebooks that manufacturers don't usually mass produce protection for?

 

Can anyone else confirm if they need to press a bit harder on certain keys please. The easiest test is to run fusion and use the "fade on key press" colour preset. Then try and press each key every so lightly and see how much force is required to light it. I have to push my O key down till it hits the board to light it unlike other keys that only require a light tap.

 

I plan on getting something from decalgirl. Luckily the top of the lid of the Aero 15 is flat so installation should be a breeze.

 

I did consider decalgirl as well, but where I'm from I could get skins with the same quality and design as decalgirl at a fraction of its price. Problem is that it only covers the top.

Just trying my luck to see if anyone here knows of a manufacturer that could produce skins to cover most parts of the laptop. Something like dbrand!

 

Tried looking for keyboard covers on ebay, no dice. =(