new Gigabyte P35K

Take a look here for a list of portable laptops with decent graphics capability.

https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet/lv?key=0An1ksLSUsclxdDU1NE8zR3dkMG8yRUs1Ykh6N19aVlE


Sent from my Nexus 4 using Tapatalk

 

Thanks, unfortunately the p35k is the only 15.6" laptop under 1 inch with a 760m or greater. I'm still on the fence about the clevo w230st unless we get some word soon about the samsung ativ book 8 getting the haswell refresh. Then again we've waited this long for the p35k, maybe it'll pan out. It's just very frustrating though, I pre-ordered the 1st or 2nd day from gentech on the 8th of October and there's a possibility I won't see it until the beginning of December.

 

Hey guys I saw that some people were having problems with Battlefield 4 and I just wanted to let you know that I had no problem whatsoever getting it going on my P34G. Also, just an FYI I get about 75-120 fps on low at 1080p for Battlefield so you guys can expect to get probably another 10 fps on top of that with the 765m. I did overclock my 760m to about 760mhz core and 4200mhz memory clock however, in order to close the gap with the 765m a slight bit.

 

How many fps when you put on high? Also the problem most people are having with the p35k is that we don't have them yet.

 

I fixed it by manually installing the latest nvidia drivers. Smart Update and GeForce Experience were apparently way behind. Though I coulda swore I checked at one point and saw that I had the up to date version number.

 

Not to be a downer, its not accurate. [Windows Battery Life gathers info over time so it get "more" precise each time.
I'd be surprised if this laptop gets more than 5 hours using WIFI + 10% screen + Youtube / 20% CPU.


On Gigabytes Software
-Smart Manager
Also another thing to know about gigabytes Smart Manager, the "Fan Tweak" isn't a "Fan Tweak" at all. It throttles your CPU and GPU to keep it cooler.

-Smart Update
Yes, its behind quite a bit. I suggest you update first using Smart Update then upgrade to latest drivers (Especially for GPU)

@Butter
Be sure to have the latest Nvidia drivers.

 

No we no longer have the version 1, returned all to Gigayte.

 

Any chance you could pop off the bottom panel and check for the supposed aluminum reinforcement?

 

How long for CF1? Late-November to early-December? The Asus N550JV is looking better every day...

 

Anyone want to test input lag and response time of the P35K's display? Anyone experienced ghosting or motion blur while gaming?

 

This is very confusing and I'm at the point now where I'm ready to give up on this laptop.

So from previous posts, Gentech is saying that there is a CF2 which will be reworked to fix the bending issue.

Then, according to another post official gigabyte reps are saying that the only thing being reworked is packaging.


Call me sceptical, but is Gentech saying this so that they can get rid of their stock? Don't know what to believe now....

This situation just sucks, as this laptop has the potential to be really great.

 

No man, gentech wouldn't do that, gigabyte might have given misleading information.
Gentech always tries to do what's best for it's customers, and they requested the chasis to be supported and even met with gigabyte. So if you want to blame anyone you can blame gigabyte because they would be the one who lied. I been following on this story regularly and it seems gigabyte has been beating around the bush.

 

Let's light up our torches and marsh up to gigabyte head quarters in Taiwan

 

Well Gentech returned all their stock to Gigabyte until this problem was fixed. So what you seem to be alluding to is completely off.

 

I think you're confusing Gigabyte's naming scheme. CF refer to different configurations of the same laptop. CF1's are usually the base model while CF2 and CF3 etc are different configurations such as added ram, and drives. OCUK also reported that Gigabyte has a revision 2 model. But the problem is that the Gigabyte facebook rep isn't told anything useful so they can only really guess about what is true and what isn't. GentechPC returned all of the revision 1 models that appeared to have the bending issue. What is currently unclear is whether revision 2 refers to a change in manufacturing process, added reinforcement or just packing (which Gigabyte is what claiming). What is also unclear at this point is why the CF1's are still stuck in Taiwan while the CF2's were shipped, they have not commented on a reason for the delay as of yet.

 

It's a translation issue most likely, and a lack of good communication. Gigabyte threw around words like "rework" and stuff but I don't think Gigabyte ever said anything EXACTLY about reworking the chassis itself. Lost in translation, I believe.

 

I believe that when Gentech said "Gigabyte is working on a rework version with much stronger support under the weak spot", Gigabyte was probably talking about the improved packaging. Our wanting for a reinforced chasis made us over look the possibility that the statement was referring to the new packaging. Right now we can only hope that they secretly made some improvement to the laptop itself in order to save face.

 

Been following this thread all Summer, and couldn't wait any more so I had to buy when Overclockers had the rev 2.0 (CF2) on sale.

To give a mini review: The screen and design of the laptop is very nice, and it's just as portable as I'd hoped. At 20% brightness, with power saving on, I've been browsing the internet (no video playback) for coming up 4 hours now from almost full charge and the battery indicator says I have 27% remaining. So the battery life is perfectly manageable if you make a few sacrifices. The screen is fantastic, as is the keyboard. Speakers are good for notebook speakers - don't expect any miracles and you might be slightly impressed. There's very little in the way of bloatware installed; the Gigabyte utilities are useful and not an annoyance. There are a few superficial problems with translations; the recovery drive creator displays both (what I imagine to be) Taiwanese and English text.

As for downsides, there are a few. Any significant load will get the fans running very quickly, and the fans are not quiet. Would not recommend doing anything that could conceivably be called taxing in a quiet environment, lest you get death stares from those around you. The bending issue during shipment is indeed remedied - I received one of the boxes opened by Overclockers to check their integrity. However, it does not seem to be reworked at all. I'm not keen on opening the case, but the screen and chassis do not meet in the middle - there is some slight bowing still. It's not enough to make me return it, but it's a little concerning. Finally, the touchpad is awful. The left and right click buttons give very little, and tapping to click is sometimes not registered. I suspect the latter issue can be remedied by some sensitivity setting, or a firmware update. Once you get used to it, it is serviceable, but anyone else who has tried it has had the same experience, so be prepared to carry a mouse.

If anyone has any questions, I'll try my best to answer. Overall, it's a fantastic machine, let down by a few shortcomings. I'm willing to accept these sacrifices - the features advertised don't particularly lend themselves to each other, especially at this price point.

 

Do the fans RAM up at all?

My poor P25W hates start ups and random CPU usage.

 

Thanks for all the clarifications guys.. Wasn't accusing Gentech of being dodgy, just didn't know what to think and thought it could've been a possibility since they were the only retailers mentioning revisions.

ks07 - For me all the short-comings that you mentioned would be acceptable except for the bowing part, simply because we now know exactly what it could and probably will lead to. That coupled with the ambiguous communication from gigabyte has pretty much done it for me as far as this laptop goes.

This is still a beautiful laptop, but luckily time is on my side and I can hold off for now!

 

Sorry to keep you waiting, the CF1 should arrive sometimes next week.

Well we got the "revision 2" however, turned out it just repacking version and no reinforcement on weak spot. however, the units with new packaging doesn't have problems.

We returned all of the first shipment because of the bending issue. If there wasn't bending issues we would ship to customers already.

Should be mid November or end of next week.

 

Are you brave enough to do another flexing test with the new ones?

If it's true about not being reinforced - it's a very sad thing.

 

I wouldn't recommend it as it's not any different from the one they had before, it would be just a waste of laptop sale. They said the chasis didn't change so why go ruin a perfectly sellable item....

 

It's not unfeasible to do some of your own reinforcements if you aren't confident in its structural integrity. Just a little harder.

 

Please don't hurt me again. I'm so hurt :cry:

Without knowing the structural properties of the laptop it'd be almost pointless to try and reinforce it. I guess you could put feet on it to help distribute the weight but that doesn't seem like it'd help that much. Also adding more aluminum is pointless, you'd need to weld something to aluminum to provide any support form bending.

 

FYI for those considering buying this laptop and thinking that it has improved structurally. This post from Gentech about repackaging + rework is completely false, as is the integrity of communication between gigabyte and gentech.

There must have been something lost in translation or hate to think we're getting deceived from Gigabyte or Gentech... probably not Gentech..

Anyway gigabyte confirmed again their official facebook page that it's only packaging.

 

Hi all. My question this: how could the notebook even bend the way it did? The bottom seem to be bend downwards but how could that happen since the lid remain intact of every each one of them that i saw in pictures? i mean..they added that support on the middle but judging by the way it's bent there was no pressure and couldn't have been any pressure on them from above to make them bent because if it was then the lid should be also bent. See my point? To bend the chassis of the notebook like that are 2 possibilities: there must be forces that act against it: 1) from above, but then the lid should have signs of bending too, since the notebook was closed.. or 2) from sides..the packages were somehow squished from sides and then the most weak part of the notebook had failed (crack) and bent downwards because was easier to bend in that direction since the upward was the lid.... or 3) were already bent when placed inside the package but this has no sense at all...

 

It's not the bending that's the problem. The problem is that there's a slight cutout in the aluminum for the ODD bay. That creates a corner which is a structural weak spot that shows up as a hairline crack which doesn't appear to stand up to shipping well. It's like if you tried snapping a toothpick, the flex is evenly distributed along the entire thing so it's impossible to know where it will snap. But if you make a small nick somewhere along it, it will snap usually along that weak point.

 

Can we get some concrete battery life statistics posted?
No one seems to be able to give a direct and concise statement.

 

I'm gonna say pretty confidently that with all power-saving settings, 4-5 hours. With medium settings, probably around 3. Highest settings won't get you any more than 2 hours in my book.

 

Well, each individual case can be different. Do you want me to test under some specific activity? I don't use my laptop all the time from 100% to 0%... I use my desktop mostly and use my laptop as a secondary assisting computer, unless I'm out traveling.

Do you want me to run video and see how long it lasts or something like that? Something that doesn't necessarily require me attending the laptop at every moment.

 

It'd be awesome if you can browse the internet on wifi on low settings everywhere until the battery dies.

Playing a movie works too. If that's what you're gonna do, can you make sure it's 1080p?

Thanks

 

I was told by GIgabyte USA, so must be communication between Gigabyte USA and Taiwan. I'll meet with them again after BlizzCon and will ask more questions.

 

You know, I'm starting to really like this guy ^

 

That's ken lee! Remember the name this guy takes care of his customers, the company gentech is all about customers being happy

 

A quick update on real word usage. I used the P35K for a commercial portrait shoot for the first time today. Staight after taking the images I fired up the laptop (fully charged), downloaded the 381 22-megapixel images, made a selection, rated them, did a few quick edits and presented them to the customer - about 1 hour's worth of useage. Wifi was on and power model was balanced. The touchpad was a bit of a pain, but otherwise it went very smoothly and efficiently. Back at the studio I then copied the images off to my main computer and the battery was showing 75% remaining at 3 hours 41 mins left. I'm happy with that.

 

How confident are you about the build quality of the P35K after having it for a while? Do you still worry about putting it in a bag while travelling? How is the screen quality based on what you use it for? Any flaws you noticed or any improvements you think they should improve for the next time, regarding the screen?

Excaliberpc set their ETA for the CF1 to Nov. 12. Hopefully that means that Gentechpc will also get it the same time considering that they are both located in California.

 

Gigabyte must be getting pressure from the resellers to get the units to the US faster. I wonder if the original plan was to ship them by boat and now they'll ship it by air. Although Gigabyte's date is still estimated at 3rd week of November at the earliest with Dynamism estimating Nov 19. I bet everybody at gigabyte is going to blizzcon so no updates for us.

 

It'll be a bit surprising if they don't change anything, as Gigabyte tends to use their chassis for 1 or 2 generations. I doubt they'll move to the P45K next year. Their 3rd generation chassis is something they need to get right.

Hopefully it'll be more conclusive after BlizzCon this weekend.

 

I originally purchased a P35K from Excaliberpc. They were very good to work with and shipped my laptop out extremely fast and the package arrived in perfect condition. Unfortunately I received one of the badly warped/bent models and had to send it back. During that process I was pretty nervous that I wouldn't get my full refund but I did and I must say that Excaliberpc is a great company!

Sadly thought I needed this laptop and decided I needed some customization that Excaliberpc didn't seem to offer, so I ended up placing an order with Ken from Gentech PC. I chose to do the cash option to save 3% and communication with Ken has been very good, as of yesterday my laptop was customized, packaged and shipped! I will receive it this coming Thursday

I'll be sure to let you all know my thoughts.

These are my custom changes to the P35K cf2:

Thermal Compound
IC Diamond 24 Carat Thermal Compound on both CPU/GPU - Free

RAM
16GB DDR3 1600/PC3 12800 Dual-Channel (8G X 2) +$55

mSATA Slot 2
256GB Plextor PX-M5M mSATA SSD X1 SATA III 6Gb/s +$215

Mechanical Hard Drive / 2.5" SSDs
1000GB 7200rpm 2.5-inch 9.5mm SATA III 6Gb/s +$79

Swappable Hard Drive Caddy for ODD/HDD/SSD/Dummy
1000GB 7200rpm 2.5-inch 9.5mm SATA III 6Gb/s +$79

Bigfoot Killer Wireless N 1202 +$55

------------------------

The 1st SSD is to be used just for my OS & Utility Software.
I plan on using the 2nd SSD for only gaming installs.
The 1st and 2nd standard hard drives will be used for media storage and recorded files

This is the perfect setup for me and I'm hoping that having the additional hard drive will increase the integrity of the laptop since it won't have the flimsy hollow optical bay.

 

Getting happier with it. It's a kilo lighter than my Dell Studio 16 XPS, so it feels more flimsy/light while I get used to it. In use it seems very solid.

Yes, I do. It lives in the laptop bag stored vertically, so I am concerned that it may eventually buckle like the first one I received.

It's good enough. I do downloads, picks and quick edits on the laptop before presenting the images to customers, then do the heavy lifting and finely colour calibrated editing back on the workstation at the studio. It's fine for what it is.

 

In an interview with Gigabyte, they said that you could use the swappable bay to swap in an additional battery . Skip to 2:12 to see them talk about the p35k.

Newegg interview with Gigabyte

 

He might have been confusing it with the lenovo technology.

 

This review use enginering sample version. With 2 x 128GB m-SATA.
Hope it helpfull . .

Spoiler: P35K Battery Eater Pro

source

 

Engineering sample probably didn't have optimized drivers. 1:30 is what you'd expect if you were running the video card at maximum with full brightness and all the antennae on. JonathanW's number suggest you could probably go 4+ hours with GPU disabled, minimal brightness and wifi on.

 

Wow Indonesian review :3
Nothing that we already know except the extra inhaust in the bottom

 

Not sure if anyone else saw this yet but this guy playing BF4 on the P35K.

P35K BF4 gameplay

 

Yup seen it, it's actually running pretty smooth I like it, we can overclock the gtx765m to almost a 770m performance well not close but 45% to 65% closer if we can maintain the cool

 

hey can anyone tell me whether the extra hard drive makes the laptop less flimsy compared to having the ODD (DVD drive) there?

 

Doesn't make a differance