*** MSI 16L13 (Eurocom Tornado F5)/EVOC 16L-G-1080 15.6" Owner's Lounge ***

Yea I got the 330 one just incase I wanted to overclock at a later time.


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So... Part 2 went a lil rough... video for that will come a little bit later. But here are a few thoughts, concerns i had while doing my re-paste.

Bad Stuff:
1. The screws are garbage. Not a fan of the locking wax. As a result, some of the screw heads won't survive another remove/repaste and need to be replaced. I think someone in the thread mentioned what type of screws these are and where to buy them.
2. Kryonaut... not a fan. I tried to spread the paste with the spatula, and it ended up clumping really bad. Said, screw the spatula, go straight to the finger application. Clumped bad again. Finally, just abandoned that paste and did an application of some Artic Silver I had lying around. Survival strats.
3. It felt really rough trying to put the CPU heatsink back in place. I had to apply some force to put the fan back in. Anyone else have this problem? I noticed a small piece of metal, i can only assume a cover to something, fell off, but i couldn't figure out for the life of me where it came from or where it belongs.
4. Did I mention the screws are garbage?
5. I need to get an iFixit tool kit... random thought, not related to the laptop, but may have helped with the screws.
6. I put the left fan on the right and the right fan on the left, and I don't care.

Good Stuff:
1. Even though I had to go to the backup plan and use Artic Silver, I think it did help compared to the previous temps. Not talking leaps and bounds, but definitely a few degrees here and there. Will have a final result after I get some bench marks in.
2. Replacing the mechanical hard drive with an SSD reduces a lot of the noise.
3. There is fan noise at idle, but really only noticeable in a silent room. I finally figured out why it was dead silent when my refrigerator was on and could hear it when it was off.
4. Laptop turned on after the repaste and everything is where it should be, outside the small piece of I-have-no-idea-where-this-goes-metal.

Great Stuff:
1. I ordered 16GB RAM, but they gave me 32GB instead... I'm about to go Good Guy Greg and let them know. I don't know if it was an accident or intended. It is the RAM the set of sticks that I wanted. Just doubled.

Anyway... I'm signing off for the night with an ice cold Budweiser or 8 until my hands stop shaking.

 

Let's start comparing performances.

My first bench suggests not many have benched theirs as there's only like 15 people who submitted.

anyways I'm in first and hoping someone bumps me out so I can have something to do.

link or pic : http://hwbot.org/xtu/analyze/3388455?recalculate=true



This was nothing special, honestly, but I'd like to see what people can do before we go nuts.

 

1. The small screws on the CPU and GPU are M2x4 wafer head metric screws. I found using a smaller Phillips screwdriver than I normally would helps. I got replacements from here.
2. Uhhh...I don't think Kyronaut should have been that chunky. For me, it spread extremely smoothly and created a nice, thin layer of thermal compound.

The CPU cooler can be tricky to put back in due to the spring mounts. What do you mean "put the fan back in"? Like, it was difficult to plug in the fan connector? Small mysterious metal piece doesn't sound good. It might be one of the snap-on clips from the laptop cover, but those are plastic...

 

Afternoon everyone.

I know this forum isn't a massive fan of BGA but my budget simply won't allow it.

I thinking about this - https://www.cyberpowersystem.co.uk/system/Fangbook_4_SK-X17_GSYNC_1070

Should last me for years to come does anyone know what the exact chassis is so I can look at reviews?

 

funny this BGA is 1609£ where as Eurocom with the current config cost me 1560$(hard disk and extra 8gb ram included) including ship +tax. seems Europe is too expensive.

 

Total price would be around £1300 not as listed.

 

Does that include VAT?

I'm been looking at the Eurocom Tornando F5 and after the 10% student discount, the Cyberpower model equivalent can't match the price except shipping UK to UK is faster of course...

 

Hey guys is the Realtek driver the best for the f5 or is there something better for the sound? I've found the speakers to be a bit underwhelming, especially with the subwoofer.


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I am pretty happy with the sound of this laptop... this is so far the best sounding laptop i have ever heard. The sound from the sub-woofer gets distorted if you open the back cover, but if it is closed and put on a hard massive desk as mine ... oh man i love the sound. Found out that it even sounds better if i am like 5 meters away from the laptop. I could distinctively tell the bass is there and feel very pleasant vibes.

Not happy about the Realtek wi-fi though (ordered Intel 8260) ... have E6430 with Intel 7260 sitting right next to the TORNADO (how it sounds) for comparison... at least 2x signal strength and through output.

 

Snodge, go to Eurocom and send them a email saying "woodzstack" from NBR sent you, and ask for a quote. Tell them what you want to buy, and ask if they can maybe help you.

or hit them at [email protected] maybe they will make you an offer you can not refuse.
Sometimes when mentioning references they offer a small upgrade here or there, sometimes they even offer a straight up 5% discount. If they know your serious, the better. Don't waste thier time shopping, and they will help you.

Hope that helps.

p.s.

They DO check thier references, so guys don't all go dropping my name, they always check.

 

Honestly having a bit of a sound crisis here. What driver did you use for your sound ? The stock one listed on the site or what was pre-installed?

I threw in a 7620 intel WiFi too actually. Kept my 8260 for another system (why I don't friggin know..)

 

Did you guys install Sound Blast Cinema 3? If you did, don't use the default settings, go to custom profile and adjust to your liking. My personal preference for earbuds:

Surround -> 10%
Crystalizer -> 60%
Bass -> 20%
Smart Volume -> Off
Dialog Plus -> Off

 

sound blast cinema 3 ? Swear the downloads gave me a realtek soundcard...and realtek software.

Yeah for me the drivers / software are Realtek HD Audio Manager.

Where you get this Soundblaster stuff ?? (time to go fishing on that DVD the system comes with, ironic since the system has no dvd player..)

 

Yes, it can only be found on the disk, unfortunately. I can also upload it if you know a good file hosting site.

 

It's highly unlikely you got a QS card. Mine was a slip up by Eurocom and not the norm. The easiest way to tell if you got a non retail/OEM card is to simply look at card PCB. If you card has Rev. 1.0 printed on the 1070 PCB then you can rest assured you have a OEM card. If the card says Rev. 0.B then you got the QS card.

 

ah i see, i was hoping if it could be identified with software, im not opening heatsink tho. my temps are almost perfect without any repasting, and i have no previous experience with laptop repasting either so will leave for now. thanks.

 

You don't need to open the heatsink. You should be able to see the writing on the video card after you open the bottom case up.

 

I ordered on a Saturday, they shipped it the following Friday and it arrived on the following Monday - I don't think it would have been any quicker if it had shipped from the uk!

 

ah i see, i have a photo of my laptop's bottom without cover but couldn't make any clear text out of it so thought its beneath the heatsink. will brother to send a clearer picture, sucks to be sitting seven seas apart from the laptop .

 

that seems even faster thn cyberpower estimated time of 10 days, unless u meant u order from cyberpower?

 

What spec did you get from Cyberpower if you don't mind me asking?

 

That was from eurocom.

 

I have the SBC3 and correct Realtek drivers I can share with you in PM if you need them. Unfortunately the downside is that you have to basically install the Realtek drivers before Windows update does it or SBC3 will never work. You have to do some registry hacking to get it work if you let Windows install the Realtek drivers originally.

What I do is a fresh Win10, do not connect to Wifi, install Realtek drivers + SBC3 and then you can connect to the internet and sound will be perfect.

 

I find the speakers to be pretty amazing given the size of the laptop.. Leaps and bounds better sounding than most other machines i've had in a long time. The Soundblaster Cinema 3 software is really a requirement to get the best sound out of it. A little bit of subwoofer tuning and surround/crystalizer tuning did the trick to make it sound incredibly clear and punchy. The subwoofer doesn't do much but add some depth though, don't expect real subwoofer like levels - i've never heard of any laptop that had good subwoofer sound.

 

On the subject of SBC3, has anyone managed to make it work on windows 7?

Whenever I opened SBC3 it told me I had no compatible hardware so I've uninstalled it for now.

 

Haha, this sounds stressful, apart from the beers of course! I'm the same way if things don't go right when I tweak my laptop or desktop.

You had bad application experiences with Kryonaut then. I use Kryonaut, and you wanna keep the syringe in your pocket for a while until it heats up. I use the 'spread applicator' attachment that you screw onto the end of the syringe and it works well - you won't get a perfectly flat surface because they'll be little ridges created by the edges of the applicator but I believe Thermal Grizzly expect it to be this way, works fine for me.

For your screw related problems - have you got a set of electrical type screwdrivers (like this one: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Hama-00039...8-1&keywords=Hama+electronics+screwdriver+kit - I have this one, it's good). I've not stripped a screw since getting those proper screwdrivers.

 

Ordered Tuesday. Arriving Today. That's some quick turnaround. Just awaiting FedEx

Update: Hmm, maybe I spoke to soon.

 

Cool. Glad to see more users of this awesome model!

As far as storage goes, I think a large 2.5 inch SSD would be perfect. No heat issues, and both the 850 EVO and Crucial MX300 are reliable and consistent performance.

 

I was given the following to make the sound work :

Spoiler: Instructions by Division

Make sure you uninstall the existing Realtek application from your add/remove programs.. Do NOT reboot after you remove them (it will prompt).. And go directly to these Realtek drivers and install then.. Now reboot then install the Soundblaster software, reboot, and see if it works.. The only way I got it to work was by not allowing Windows to auto install my realtek drivers and installed these below first. These are all directly from the included driver disc we got with the laptops.

Realtek Drivers (Install these FIRST before the SBC3)
***Deleted link, was personal drive***

Soundblaster Cinema 3 Installer
***Deleted link, was personal drive***

^^^^^ This is from @Diversion

And this is how I got the drivers to install properly. Goodluck~!

This is how I got it to work.

I uninstalled the old drivers and deleted the driver software via system manager.

Then installed the drivers you gave me.

Rebooted.

Then installed soundblaster 3 software.

Rebooted and then updated my realtek via device manger.

Rebooted.

Working.

But, still didn't work for me.

My Audio on this laptop, just doesn't work. It looks as if installed, even when testing you can see the audio volume bars moving to the sound, etc.. but physically no sounds are made from any speakers. I was instructed to remove the battery, unplug the two speaker cables, plug them back in, and then reconnect the battery and try again, but that made no difference either.

I've been reassured the motherboard is working and good. (This is my second motherboard for this laptop... )

I have been careful and used an ESD mat and table, I'm sure I did not cause any damage to this.

This reminds me of the exact same issue I had with Alienware, when I had to return a motherboard like 5 times before they stopped sending me refurbished motherboards that didn't have the sound card issue for the M18X-R2 back in the day. They were notorious for that issue.

Anyways, if someone knows something I do not, about how to get this working, please share. If I have to return this for an RMA (again), they are going to want to kill me, since I am expected to not have any issues, as if the only possible failure could only be on my part.

Could this be an issue with the HD audio from the videocard ? ( Currently have a 980M inside). (card is recognised and installs perfectly, fully supported by NVidia)

 

Have you tried headphones? Have you checked the sound options and made sure that the Realtek audio is selected? When I connect my F5 to my 27" Asus monitor it auto switches to the audio used by my monitor over DisplayPort, etc.. It really just sounds like the audio route is going through something else.

 

Agree here.. out of my 5 various 2.5" SSD.. none go past 36c on average.. I can't even get them to budge another degree under repeated stress tests. I'm not sure why 2.5" SSDs run cold.. but this is where the market has perfected SSD. M2 has a long way to go on the temperature front.. but the speed is there on the new NVMe..

I got my heatsinks and adhesive in today.. Going to see if they fit/work.. But I think they are too tall to be able to put the bottom panel back on :/ Sad times.

 

Merry X-Mas.

 

I notice it does not notice the plusg being plugged in by the realtek... the inputs still show as grey.. anyways I tested the 4 3.5mm stereo plugs/ they do not work, or nothing comes out of them . The system doesn;t seem to notice anything being plugged into them either.

 

And points to you, literally, gave your rep for the link. I'll be buying the stainless steel fatheads to those screws... then i'll find out what all the other ones are and order the stainless steel fatheads of those as well. Will do that sometime in the following months.

In regards to the Kryonaut, i re-watched some videos on it and mine definitely did not apply as smoothly. I'm thinking that I either got a bad batch or it was out too long in the cold and got ruined. The Artic Silver won't last me too long so I know I'll need something a little more long term.

The actual heatsink fits like a charm and was able to screw it in just fine. But the fins near the exhaust port felt like... "they weren't all the way in", caught on something, I don't know how to describe it. I'll try to get it on video the next time I do my repaste/replace all the damn screws. I just know I had to push it towards the exhaust port in order to get the fan screws to line up correctly.

Here is the piece of metal that I have no idea where it goes.

Spoiler: Picture

 

I don't. I'll order a set when I order the re-placement screws. I do need electrical ones, because I dropped so many screws into the laptop and had to shake them out.

 

So the heatsinks prevented throttle through 2 full tests instead of throttling directly into the 2nd.

But they are too tall and the bottom panel won't fit.. the foot of the case actually juts into the case, further making it impossible to have anything on the M2 other than maybe a copper shim and thermal tape :/

Back to the drawing board.. I have copper tape (adhesive backing) which will arrive tomorrow.

 

I just carefully painstakingly removed the motherboard, and found 2 screws under it, inside lodged between motherboard and the plating for the keyboard, just off a bit where the sound card snaps into the motherboard. Wondering now if those were there last time as well, and why the board had to be RMA'd and replaced, and now wondering if they also damaged the sound card. Guess I have to wait and see. I honestly have never had this experience before, never have I received a system with screws and bolts moving around inside, lol.

 

thats so funny, I literally just found some screws in this laptop that just got back from an RMA...

 

Let me know the result, when everything is tested

Edit. Please post all your findings about Kaby LAKE in my new thread http://forum.notebookreview.com/threads/kaby-lake-i7-7700k-findings-not-for-fcbga-aka-bga.799156/ Not for FCBGA aka BGA!!

 

Part 2: Bad Things Happen



EDIT:
Also, first Fire Strike benchmark:
http://www.3dmark.com/3dm/16584016?

Max Temps hit the 90C+ on both CPU and GPU. I think it is throttling so a re-paste in the future will definitely be needed.

 

Nice video, thanks. I'm downloading gta v over the next couple of days so I will post a benchmark from that with everything on high as possible.


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Your throttling ??? I found it nearly impossible to throttle on this laptop.

 

My CPU runs out of power before it throttles.... but it's getting close..

 

here as an example, keep in mind this GPU is only a test GPU and not a 1070 or my score would be 20K...

http://www.3dmark.com/3dm/16585690? you will notice my CPU score is like 30% higher then yours. We're both using a 6700K. I got nothing special on my, just those OEM flat thermal paste pads, because I only had intended to quickly test this laptop and got carried away. ( I will do some serious testing later on though and a delid and liquid paste..)

 

seems Eurocom did far better job thn what some users have in this thread, i have CPU never exceeds 82 while GPU maxes at 75 with ~25 room temp. and that on stress tests. cpu was usually 65-75, GPU ~70 in heaven 2 hours continuos play.

 

I don't know if anyone has seen this but eurocom has put instructions for m2 heat management on the FAQ


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Haha, I like the closing statement to the video: "...the only thing broken at the moment is myself"! Was funny. But, these things can happen - it's not the end of the world, as you say you can get some more screws, use some good screwdrivers, do another repaste if you want, would probably go better a second time (he says!).

 

(but you overclocked your CPU of course, so that's why it's higher score).

 

Cold F5: