*** The Official MSI GS65 Stealth Owners and Discussions Lounge ***

I followed his guide from top to bottom, but not BIOS unlock part, since I don't know the key combition. I might be wrong with what guide I followed, so can you point me back to the guide you are talking about. Thanks in advance.

 

That's the correct guide.

Check PM.

 

I just bought an MSI GS65 and used it only for 2 weeks. Last night I used to put the laptop in sleep mode from Windows 10, and when I was back, opened the laptop and it showed black screen with an orange power led. I tried to wake it up but couldn't do it, then I tried to hard reboot it pressing power bouton for 5 seconds. The laptop then started with white light then shut down, 1 sec later a white light appeared but an orange light came after.

From now on, whenever I try to turn it on, I got white orange light and nothing at the screen, no POST screen nor bios screen. When the laptop is on, fans are working and laptop is heating up like it's under load. Tried to press CAPSLOCK but no light is turning on, meaning the laptop is frozen.

Last thing I've done was updating windows 10 to last 1803 build and putting it to sleep from windows 10 start bouton.

Tried to reset CMOS but idk how to do it. I've pressed power button for 45 seconds then wait 5 minutes. When putting AC, same story. Tried remove battery and CMOS battery fo 10 mins, same story. Orange light with black screen, just as the laptop was in sleep mode.

Please help, I'll send you coffee.

 

Please make it clear:
you removed BOTH the laptop battery AND the "CR2032" CMOS battery for 10 minutes and it still didn't work?
This means the laptop is a brick. Something died somewhere.
RMA it. I'm sorry.

 

Do you think I can SPI Hardware ? Do you know which materials to use at this point ? So I can flash CMOS by myself.

 

The GS65 lacks a PAUSE/BREAK key. I need to issue CTRL+BREAK keystrokes frequently as I also use my laptop for software development work. Is there some magic keyboard combo (perhaps involving the Fn key) I can use to type CTRL+BREAK? I've tried all the combinations Google searching suggested for other brands of laptops, but none of them work on the GS65.

 

You can try HDMI output and see if you get anything, but since you tried the Caps Lock check, it is possible that you won't get any output.

 

Tried that already, no output. Cannot go to bios since keyboard is not lit nor responding to any commands.
It's like the laptop is in "sleeping beauty" mode and need something to wake up I think, any idea ?

 

I'd say just RMA it since even the HDMI doesn't output anything.

 

Do you think there's a possible brick ? What if I use SPI method to reset bios, do you think it'll work ? I'm looking for bios details so I can buy a SPI flasher in order to do it, can someone help me getting SPI model with SOIC for GS65 bios ??

@Falkentyne any suggestions ?

 

SPI method can render BIOS corrupted if not flashed properly. Make sure to erase the SPI, then write the entire binary. What size is your BIOS file (MB)?

 

From MSI official website bios file: http://download.msi.com/bos_exe/nb/E16Q2IMS.110.zip
The file is about 6MB large, I want to know what SPI tools I can buy to do the BIOS update/reset myself with this file.

Also there is an EC file, but idk if it can be useful for me : http://download.msi.com/archive/frm_exe/nb/16Q2EMS1.106.zip

 

The BIOS is a 16MB file so it is full binary, make sure that you unzip everything and use E16Q2IMS.110 for the BIOS.
Same thing for the EC.

 

So I must inject the 16MB file in BIOS and for the EC, is that another component ?
Since it's the first time I'm doing it on a laptop, can you recommend me guides or SPI flashers so I can do it ?

Thanks a lot for you answers, it helps me a lot understanding laptops.

 

Flashing the raw bios with a SPI programmer will work but will render all machine information (windows embedded product keys, machine ID, DMI information) completely erased, because the file you download from MSI doesn't include the DMI information. The only way to get that is to make a manual working backup of the bios flash chip with a SPI programmer.

If a hardware fault is stopping the system from turning on, then flashing the Bios with a hardware programmer won't do anything for you.

 

Thanks hackness, it worked.

 

Anyone in here playing GTA 5 on their GS65? How much FPS do you get on which settings?
I'm getting only like 60-70 fps in average, but while driving around it constantly drops below 60 fps. (~55)
I'm on High texture quality but everything else is set down to normal. VSynch is is off. And I also undervolted the cpu core amd cache to -0.125 but that shouldn't really impact the FPS right?

 

@Lagunyve I had the same problem two weeks ago (laptop is 8 weeks old now).

I've RMA'd and they just finished fixing it (unfortunately, they didn't tell what was wrong with it). Maybe the both of us got a bad batch (I bought my from Currys in the UK).

 

Yeah I think I'll RMA but I wish I was able to do it myself in case I end up in the same situation in the future (maybe).

 

A common situation on sub-17" notebook keyboards. You need to remap an existing key (like PrtScr) to Break in the Registry either manually or with a program like SharpKeys.

 

Hey everyone.

I'm considering purchasing this laptop as an all-around PC that I can use both at university and at home. Can you recommend it?

In Denmark, the 1070 Max-Q model costs 3050 dollars and the 1060 model costs 2520 dollars. I know that 1070 is around 20% better than the 1060, but I'm not sure if it is worth 500-600 dollars more! What do you think?

PS
Our taxes are the highest in the world...

 

Depends if you need that 10 - 20 fps increase when gaming ( high to ultra, 1080p) Check here: https://www.notebookcheck.net/Mobile-Graphics-Cards-Benchmark-List.844.0.html

 

Depends on the game you play, if you play games like FFXV, 1070 Max-Q version of the GS65 is probably more suitable.

Edit: By the way 1060 is slightly weaker than the best mobile card of the previous gen.

 

1070 gives you more headroom on many of the games today and possibly slightly more from the future.
Maybe think of that 500~600 dollars as an investment.

 

Thank you for your answers. The thing is, is that I'm not sure I need 10-20 frames more! I know it would be a nice feeling, but I have a hard time judging if it is really necessary for me

@hackness: The best card of the previous gen was 980m, right? I don't think it is more powerful than 1060!

I have read several reviews of the computer, and I think it sounds like a perfect computer for both studying and gaming. I know it was released around 6-7 months ago. Do you guys still like the computer?

I think I will decide on Black Friday. If I can get a better discount on the 1060-model, I will probably buy that!

 

The laptop is amazing. I have the 1070. It really light, portable, great performance and battery life. With some tweaks you can get 8 hours of battery life with office work (conference calls, Excel, web browsing, etc - Ran PCMark 8 battery benchmark).

It needs some help with thermals (repaste) and a quick fix in case you have the creak on the palm rest.

Sent from my BLA-L09 using Tapatalk

 

No, it was the notebook version of the 980, which is more powerful than the 980M. And is also slightly more powerful than the 1060, however 1070 is more powerful, even the Max-Q version too.

 

Hi everyone,

I'm considering buying a GS65 with 1070 graphics card 256GB NVMe SSD and insert a second 1TB Samsung 860 to save money. I've heard multiple comments on the cooling issue of this laptop, so what would you guys recommend to do? I hear about thermal paste and Fujipoly thermal pad, should I use both?

 

The repaste does a lot for temps. I changed thermal pads with Artic and didn't see much benefit but FujiPoly is rated higher.

But 100% repasting helps (I used Cooler Master Master GelMaker Nano)

Mine occasionally hits 91 degree with high loads but it's set to throttle down at 90. I idle between 45 and 56 depends on ambient temperature, and gaming usually 84.

Sent from my BLA-L09 using Tapatalk

 

Hey @Falkentyne , I had a question. I get EDP Other (YELLOW) on idle and when I run benchmarks it disappears for a bit then comes back as Red, is this a Limit Warning that is normal, something we are supposed to get, similar to PL1 or Thermal Limit?

My system is a GTX 1070, as of right now I have ICCMAX set to 800 in BIOS and 200 A on ThrottleStop, TDC is disabled. As far as IMON SLOPE I did not edit because I am thermal limited. I reach the PROCHOT at 90, and when I set it to 95 or higher, I hit those temps as well. (I am NOT using LM, just CM MasterGel Maker Nano thermal paste, along with Artic pads).

I do not have any performance problems with games, or programs. I read some of the posts on the Titan series, where there were recommendations to edit BIOS to avoid the EDP Other limit.

TL;DR: Is 'EDP Other' normal?

 

I would say not until you've read this and done what it says (undervolt core and cache together because... use the search function because I'm not going to repeat the reason yet again):

https://www.reddit.com/r/MSILaptops/comments/8kinhj/msi_gs65_hot_games_cool_temps_and_you_crosspost/

 

EDP Other without "Power limit" (PL) being shown may be the current limit. (VR Current Limit or ICCMAX).

try setting current limit to 200 amps in your bios. Check the divider, that may be a bios setting of 800 if it's divided by 4.
Throttlestop 8.70 can read the default ICCMAX setting your bios is using and can change it there (CPU Core).

 

Is it necessary to set the cache's ICCMAX to 200A as well? Cache is currently at 11A on throttlestop

Sent from my BLA-L09 using Tapatalk

 

Sorry I don't know but it won't hurt.

 

Thanks a lot for this link it's helpful. But does that mean there is some disadvantage for using thermal paste or thermal pad since you don't recommend doing it unless I've gone through all other possibilities?

 

So paste is better than pad then. I mostly hear thermal paste from thermal grizzly would you recommend that brand as well?

 

What I meant to say is I did not see much benefits from Artic thermal pads. I managed to drop my average temperature, but my Max temperatures stayed the same, I dipped by maybe 1 to 3 degrees, I think the best I got was 5 degrees AVG temps.

I know FujiPoly is rated for higher heat dissipation. So it may provide better results.

I am sure there are others that could provide more feedback. FujiPoly is also 2 to 3x more expensive but rated much better.

I was recommend the one I used over Thermal Grizzly because of the warped heat sync that plagues certain heatsinks, so I was told a thicker compound would perform better than a thinner Thermal Grizzly paste would. Even though Kryonaut is better rated for heat dissipation, same as FujiPoly.

Sent from my BLA-L09 using Tapatalk

 

that helps a lot. thank you

 

Hello Everyone,

First I would like to thank everyone on this forum for all the information and help that you guy provide.

I have finally read all the pages!
I bought my GS65 about 25days ago. Coming from a surface pro there was a lot to learn and understand about this laptop.

My configuration(Bought from an Online retailer in India) :
GTX 1070 Max-Q, 512GB (2x256gb RAID0), 16gb RAM Dual Channel ( I believe it is stock 2666mhz).

My Usage: Generally web browsing, emails, office, some photoshop and Gaming(major reason to choose this device)

My experience with the laptop :

I actually started reading about it after purchasing the laptop and one of the advice I read from someone on MSI forum was not to consider this as a plug and play device which is very true.
There was lots of drivers updating, uninstalling, reinstalling to get things done for someone buying MSI for the first time. After solving a few issues and let things settle I have been loving the device every day.
The device looks amazing and is very lightweight. I carry it every day to work and home.
The build quality has some issue there is some creaking here and there which I am used to now but I am quite hopeful that I would be able to use this laptop a long time by taking simple care.

Throttle stop settings :

Cache/ Core undervolted to -0.162 (have not used any long-running benchmarks but didn't face any issue while long gaming session got BSOD on -0.165 while gaming)
Intel iGPU undervolted to -0.05
Not using Speedshift as from what I understood there is some conflict between windows, bios and throttle stop when using speedshift.

idle temps - 39-43C
Cinebench test - hwinfo shows temps reaching 88C and gaming it reaches 90C and it throttles.
Since I don't use the laptop for high CPU usage productivity work I have decreased the multipliers to 34x which keeps the temp while gaming around 78C.
There is some performance drop but it might help with CPU longevity I believe.
Also, one of the core is always 2-3C higher.

Fan settings :
I am using silent options and have uninstalled dragon center.

CPU : 40/58/67/85/92/98
GPU : 40/67/75/85/90/98

40 on both fans on lower temps is not at all audible to me and helps give a kick start when I move to a game.
GPU fan is set higher as WASD keys get warm and I believe the GPU is beneath it and setting fans higher has helped keep it cool.

Also, if I use NVIDIA whisper mode( it restricts the frame rate to 60fps I use it to play games when I don't want to disturb others with fan noise) during gaming the fan noise with my throttlestop setting is very minimum also temps are lower.

Some Issues that I encountered and my solution :

a) Utorrent and some applications freeze and crash:

Nahimic was the issue and uninstalling it solved the problem. Nahimic did help somewhat with the sound but reading about it online it seemed like more of a problem than a help.

b) Photoshop failing to start & MSI true colour not working :

Download the latest display drivers( i did it from intel and nvidia website) I used DDU (people advice using it in safe mode I did not) to uninstall both intel and nvidia drivers. You might have to restart and after doing so you should see "Microsoft display adapter" in device manager and not intel graphics or nvidia graphics. After successful uninstallation. You have to install Intel Drivers first - Do make sure intel drivers first - then after successful installation you have to install nvidia drivers.

After this on right clicking the desktop you should see intel control panel and nvidia control panel. This should solve the issue.
Note : Windows might try to install or update drivers before you do. I would suggest finding a way to disable windows driver update. For me, simply keeping the internet disconnected helped.

c) Connecting headphone in headphone jack resulted in BSOD :

I think it is an issue with the realtek drivers(6.0.1.8519) provided on MSI support page. I searched online for a more updated one(6.0.1.8569) and replaced it with that or simply you can manually update it to use windows generic driver in device manager.

I did not see much information about these issues in this forum. hence, I thought this information would be helpful to some.

I also had a few questions which might have been answered but I must have missed. Would appreciate if someone can help :

a) I believe this device has 3 fans - but silent option and dragon center only provides control for 2?
b) If I set fans(GPU and CPU) lower than 35 regardless of silent option and dragon center they still run at rpm 1900+. Is it the same for you guys?
c) Can somebody provide me the BIOS unlock key?
d) I have been playing GTA 5 and PUBG on this device - I am not sure but I feel there are this jagged lines on textures and sometimes objects pop up in near distance - I wonder if this is normal?
e) On searching the internet regarding question "d" I read that there might be an issue with GPU not getting enough power. Is that a possibility on this device?
g) I am thinking to repaste my device. The option available in my country is Cooler Master MasterGel, Arctic Silver 5 & Arctic MX4. I do not want to use Liquid Metal. Which of the three would you guys suggest?
e) What is the difference between frame limiters and Nvidia whisper mode? which one do you recommend?
f) Since, I have uninstalled dragon option how do I set shift mode(comfort, eco, turbo)?
Hope my post would be of some help.

Have a great day everyone!

 

Glad you enjoyed it, I also read through all 250 pages after I bought it.

I have a few tips

1. Do not leave the GPU fan on 40% on the first column, you will wear down the life span of your fan for no reason, considering that Nvidia Optimus will switch on and off the GPU.
I did this for about 24 hours the next day my fan started rattling, i took it apart and no physical evidence of damage 1 week later it stopped rattling on its own. I do not know what caused it but I would recommend you don't use the 1st slide on the GPU.

2. Deleted

3. Did you fix PhotoShop? I had to enter preferences and turn off GPU support, this fixed the crashing of Photoshop.

4. I used CM MasterGel Maker and got 10°C drop I temps. Replace thermal pads and that got me a 3-5°C drop in AVG temperatures.


GPU has 2 fans and CPU has 1 fan.

What manufacturing date is your laptop? It's on the bottom of the chassis. Will say something like 2018/XX

Sent from my BLA-L09 using Tapatalk

 

Hey,

Thank you for the reply!

Will do that for GPU fan!

I called MSI and asked if they would change the Thermal paste for me with the one I provide. They agreed at a cost. I am not sure they will help me with the thermal pads. I am not very experienced with laptop internals!

Yes I fixed photoshop! I can use it with Nvidia no need to change the preference. The drivers are really messed up!

Also, any idea what is the best way to clean install? Simply reset from settings or use a usb created from ISO?

 

Manufacturing date 2018/08

 

I also wonder is GS65 equipped with GTX 1070 or only 1070 Max-Q (or are both possible)? I see some website saying pretty confidently that they have the full 1070 but also hear people complaining that the website has cheatted them and the graphic card is actually Max-Q. Quite confusing.

 

The disadvantage is that you have to almost completely disassemble the machine to repaste the CPU and GPU. And if you break it then you're SoL.

 

That's kind of my worry as well. But ordering at store like Xoticpc adds an aditional $400 to the total price. I do have the school technology people (who can give instructions but are not allowed to touch my laptop unfortunately) for help so I guess it's would probably worth if I can save so much by doing it myself?

 

I removed the bottom panel of mine to look around and almost immediately said "no" and put it back. And my temps are typically in the 75-80C range, with peaks hitting 90C. That's fine in my opinion (and Intel's for that matter) so it's not worth it to me to do any more.

YMMV.

NB: "typically" as in when gaming. Idle temps are down in the 30-40C range.

 

Yeah that's a big issue. But I plan to install seperate 1TB SATA SSD as well so I might have to tear down the inside anyway I guess

 

I put two 2TB drives in mine and it was fine. All you have to do is take it steady. If you're straining something, then try another approach. There isn't much to actually do, not that you need to do anything by the looks of things.

 

I just bought the GS65 with the 1070 Max-Q. Black Friday got me a 500 dollar discount. I could still get the 1060 model for 500 dollars less but Kevin convinced me that the 1070 model is probably a better investment in the long run.
Can't wait! I have never spent this much money but considering that I haven't used money on PC's in 6 years, I think it is justified.

 

I would get 1080 if they can fit it on there (*dreaming*), lol. But extra horsepower from 1070 will definitely help.