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    ***The Official MSI GT80S Titan (w/desktop 980 GPU's) Owner's Lounge***

    Discussion in 'MSI Reviews & Owners' Lounges' started by -=$tR|k3r=-, Dec 15, 2015.

  1. BlessUp

    BlessUp Notebook Enthusiast

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    Yes I save them after running the benchmark so it shows me all the score data. When i reboot the service is running but benchmark scores dont reflect the overclock and the app isnt in the system tray just the background service running. I manually open app and run benchmark and scores go up. It seems it doesn't load or apply the overclock until i manually open the XTU application. When i manually load it it does automatically load the profile but i have to manually run the XTU program every time to get the overclock to activate. Bummer i cant just setup overclock in bios but at the least i would like the overclock to apply at startup of pc and not have to manually run the app. Anything else i might be missing? Has anyone had success with stable reference clock overclock. Even at 102.6 the video card will crash under load on farcry 4. Its a bummer because i have the monitor overclocked to 96hz so i really need to keep fps of 96 or more and im not able to do this on farcry 4 with high settings on stock cpu and gpu. Right now i have stable mild overclock with -75mv undervolt but im still using turbo features. Cores at 39,38,37,36. Anyone have decent stable overclock that keeps CPU temp acceptable? Please share XTU screen shots if you have them.

    I can tell you the difference of monitor 60hz refresh and 96hz is amazing. I ran on 75hz for a little bit but the benefit of 96hz is so crispy there is no going back for me. Im used to my desktop running at 120hz for demanding games and 144 for not so demanding fps games so im just happy this Monitor is able to handle 96hz its very nice. If you haven't played with this i highly recommend it test it out in gaming you will be amazed.
     
  2. BlessUp

    BlessUp Notebook Enthusiast

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    I cant give up the mechanical keyboard its just tooooo nice! I have the gt80s monitor overclocked to 96hz and everything is super crispy loving it. Hoping i can discover at least a slight overclock to squeeze a little more out of it i think its there just not much maybe 200mhz better then nothing!
     
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  3. hmscott

    hmscott Notebook Nobel Laureate

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    Stop adjusting the Reference Clock, leave it at 100, it doesn't like to be played with :)

    You can bump it up a couple of clicks to even out the CPU frequency - like when it is at 3.990 vs 4.0, but that's just my OCD, it doesn't really make a bit of difference.

    What are your GPU OC settings? My 980m likes +125 GPU clock and +375 Memory, I can put it higher on some things, but everything runs stable with these settings.

    The CPU should run fine at 40x, 40x, 40x, 40x, stock cache and +0mV, try that first before playing with negative voltage offset.

    Once you have a good stable set of settings at +0mV, then move on to trying higher clocks, like 41x, 42x, etc - those might need a little positive voltage offset. For me 41x needs +50mV, and 42x needs +110mV.

    Don't worry that they are kicking into Thermal Throttle once in a while, it's kinda like hitting the rev limiter, it won't kill it, and you will find better benchmark numbers.

    Once you have found the stable max clocks, then work on the undervolting at the Max stable multiplier for extended CPU load.

    For me that is 35x, 35x, 35x, 35x, and 35x cache. I can undervolt by -110mV stable for hours. That's where you really get the high undervolts.

    You can get some undervolt at stock speeds too, but it's not going to make as much difference, or be as high.

    Again, the key for higher FPS is the GPU settings, not the CPU settings.

    Make sure to set you Nvidia 3D settings in the Nvidia Control panel for highest performance too, otherwise you are losing a lot of FPS.
    global 3d settings #1.JPG
    global 3d settings #2.JPG
    dont forget to set it to use advanced 3d settings..JPG
     
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  4. hmscott

    hmscott Notebook Nobel Laureate

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    I have mine set to not set clock automatically by disabling the Intel Extreme Tuning Service, that way I am at stock speeds unless I want to OC for gaming, or reduce multiplier to 35x for batch jobs. One less thing running in the background most of the time is ok by me.

    To make sure, I just Enabled the service again, and rebooted, and sure enough my 4.0ghz OC was applied. But, there is no systray icon, unless I start the XTU Client app.

    You could try setting your Power plan to High Performance - that locks the clock high, and then you can see if your XTU Profile was applied - mine shows 3.95ghz. If you have Balanced set, the clock will vary widely as load is applied / removed.

    Double check your service to make sure it is Enabled, and Started.
     
    Last edited: Jan 10, 2016
  5. BlessUp

    BlessUp Notebook Enthusiast

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    Thanks for sharing ill try those nvidia control panel settings for sure. I can get stable overclock with magnifiers but I like how reference clock overclocks everything like ram ect..... but apparently the system is not happy using it. I can squeeze a little overclock out of the sli 980 desktop and get really good benchmarks scores but when i try to run it in a real world game it stutters or even decreases fps. I think the cards are almost maxed out as is and with no voltage control its really limited. I was able to get 50mhz on core and 25mhz on memory increase without any noticeable stutter in game. I dont like the temps on the card at stock though so im hesitant to push it anymore because i hate hearing roaring fans as well.
     
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  6. hmscott

    hmscott Notebook Nobel Laureate

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    The usual symptom for OC'ing too far with GPU memory is break up in the video, but these days it looks more like a display driver crash.

    Try OC'ing only changing 1 setting at a time. Most GPU's in my past have all OC'd the GPU clock all the way to +135, but one of my 980m's doesn't like that, so +125 or +126 is about it for SLI.

    Try putting your GPU clock all the way to +135, while leaving the GPU memory at stock. If your CPU OC is stable, leave it enabled, otherwise run with stock CPU settings.

    At this point, it sounds like you should leave the CPU at stock while testing the OC settings for the GPU.

    Your GPU will throttle if it gets too hot, and the fans are there to cool it, they don't mean to be noisy while doing it, they just are :)

    Also, when doing this kind of testing, I run with the Full Fan or Max fan button enabled for best cooling.

    Also, you have a massively fast GPU, and it is going to get hot, don't worry it can take care of itself, it will throttle itself when it gets too hot. Let it run, it will be fine :)

    You can try running with the auto fan profile later after you find the stable settings for your OC of the GPU/CPU.

    The GPU memory OC should work, normally, at least +250, but don't try that until you find out what the good GPU clock OC is.

    Please come back and let us all know your stable settings for OC :)
     
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  7. BlessUp

    BlessUp Notebook Enthusiast

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    Can you share your xtu screen shot for 4ghz oc. You mentioned 980M are you on the 072 gt80? Im on the newest gt80s with 6920 cpu and sli 980 desktop version graphics cards
     
  8. Katiecat

    Katiecat Notebook Consultant

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    Is 100 the typical max overclock for these LCDs? I feel like I got super lucky since mine is 115 and stable. :)
    If you're interested, I've got a stable 4GHz OC somewhere further back in the thread.
     
  9. BlessUp

    BlessUp Notebook Enthusiast

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    The guide i used said your supposed to go in 24hz increments so the next step is supposed to be 120 and mine failed at that so i kept it at 96.

    Happen to know what page that 4ghz oc was and is this on the newest gt80? Have you overclocked your 980 sli desktops version cards if so where did you fall stable?
     
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  10. Katiecat

    Katiecat Notebook Consultant

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    Well, the reason you'd want it at a multiple of 24Hz is if you're watching movies or something. Other than that, there's no real reason to.

    There's a screenshot here. I didn't bother OCing the GPUs much (+150/250 at stock voltage), since I don't have an unlocked vBIOS and it's bumping up against the EC FW power limits already anyways.
     
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  11. hmscott

    hmscott Notebook Nobel Laureate

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    Yes, 115hz is unusually high, nice :)

    The 96hz setting is good for movies that sync at 24hz, but I use 100hz normally - looks the same really :)

    +150 is also higher than normal, the vBIOS/BIOS usually limits it to maximum of +135, I haven't seen a locked vBIOS/BIOS allow that high of a setting, did you verify it actually was set that high via another monitoring tool, like GPU-Z?

    For your 4.0ghz OC, you didn't change anything except for the 4 core sliders, setting them all to 40x, right?
     
    Last edited: Jan 10, 2016
  12. hmscott

    hmscott Notebook Nobel Laureate

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    I have the GT80 SLI-263 Broadwell 980m SLI.

    The settings are so basic, in fact I also included a shot of the Basic View and Advanced view, before Applying, and Applied.

    All you need to do, is move the CPU multiplier Slider up to 40x under Basic, or all 4 of the Sliders up to 40x in Advanced.
    xtu 4ghz settings to Apply.JPG
    xtu 4ghz basic tuning.JPG
    xtu 4ghz applied.JPG
     
  13. BlessUp

    BlessUp Notebook Enthusiast

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    The thermal throttling is crazy bad at 4GHz im scured!
     
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  14. hmscott

    hmscott Notebook Nobel Laureate

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    Did you do a Benchmark run through XTU? If it makes it through the test without crashing, you are ok.

    Again, thermal throttling is expected, and the CPU will take care of itself.

    You should see a better XTU benchmark score, even with some thermal throttling.

    Flip on the full fans switch if it makes you feel better :)

    The 6820HK and 6920HQ should both run at 4.0ghz without +- voltage offset, and might even be able to apply a little - voltage offset.

    After a clean benchmark run at +0mV, try -10mV, -20mV, etc, till it BSOD/restarts, then reduce by 5mV and try again - example -50mV crashes, but -40mV works, so try -45mV.

    Have fun :)
     
  15. BlessUp

    BlessUp Notebook Enthusiast

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    just used katicat settings -84mv 4ghz on all cores and cache zero thermal sweet.
     
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  16. hmscott

    hmscott Notebook Nobel Laureate

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    Nice :)

    Do more real world testing, but after a while, try reducing the voltage - increase the negative offset beyond -84mV, you might get lucky and have a CPU that can go much further.

    I had a Haswell that was stable at -125mV, and another that wouldn't do more than -20mV out of the box - it's a lottery :D

    Here is a snapshot of my Profiles. These were all recently redone because I did a fresh reload of the OS, they aren't clean/pretty, but there are scores for each of them - nice for comparison.

    xtu profiles 5950HQ GT80 SLI-263.JPG

    Please post your XTU Bench results for your 6920HQ as you go :cool:[/spoiler]
     
  17. Katiecat

    Katiecat Notebook Consultant

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    Well, HWInfo shows the max clock reached on stock is 1164, and at +150, it hits 1314, so it seems to work. :) Plus if I bump it up to 175 it becomes unstable, so I'm sure something's going on there.

    I undervolted by 80mV too, since stock voltage was hitting the current limit under extreme loads.
     
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  18. BlessUp

    BlessUp Notebook Enthusiast

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    Ill run some far cry 4 on ultra seems to be the most demanding game in my arsenal at the moment. anyone using afterburner to oc card if so care to share some of your settings on the desktop version cards?
     
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  19. hmscott

    hmscott Notebook Nobel Laureate

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    Ah, that's right, the 980 mobile desktop GPU is "unlocked" so that's why you are able to OC so high. Sweet.

    You might try dialing it in some more, up from +150 but less than +175. It takes some time, but it's worth while as once you find that sweet spot, good temps with top performance, you can use that for months/years to come.

    You get some benefit for OC'ing memory too, but go for the GPU clock OC stable first, then add memory OC - usually that is where it goes into the weeds and crashes.

    When you get all your settings tuned, please post them :)

    And, don't forget about the thread for posting 3dmark scores:
    http://forum.notebookreview.com/threads/msi-gt80-3dmark-scores-test-and-tune.773245/#post-10055410

    You don't need to wait for final OC before posting benchmarks there, you can post stock results, and then as you OC post new updates for comparison. :)
     
  20. Katiecat

    Katiecat Notebook Consultant

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    Strangely enough, the memory clock is much more restricted, and the slider only goes up to 300. In any case, I doubt there's much more to be squeezed out of the card thanks to the limited TDP and EC firmware, and it's already more than adequate for my purposes. :)
     
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  21. BlessUp

    BlessUp Notebook Enthusiast

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    Ok so i decided to test a custom resolution with a 120 hz refresh and what do you know it worked holy crap! Do you think it will cause any damage leaving it at 120hz refresh 24/7?
     

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  22. BlessUp

    BlessUp Notebook Enthusiast

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    So katiecat you did 150 on the core and nothing on the memory? Thanks for all the help by the way. Do you run this 4ghz oc 24/7?
     
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  23. BlessUp

    BlessUp Notebook Enthusiast

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    Got almost a 2k bump on 3dmark firestrike time for some real world test!
     

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  24. hmscott

    hmscott Notebook Nobel Laureate

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    Wow, that's the highest I have seen, except for screens that are *supposed to* do 120hz ;)

    If you don't have any breakup in the video, it should be ok.

    I have set up custom refresh from 100hz down to 70hz in 5hz increments, so when I run a game I can tune the display/rivatuner limiter to as close as I can to the average FPS.
     
  25. Katiecat

    Katiecat Notebook Consultant

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    Yup, 24/7!
    150/250.
     
  26. BlessUp

    BlessUp Notebook Enthusiast

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    Can you take a screen shot of gpuz if at all possible. Just tested 150 core only and crashes on far cry 4 after a few minutes. Arghhhh. Think I got good cpu and monitor with boot graphics card. Bummer! Temps on cpu are getting up to 80 as well im gonna play around with even more under volt.
     
  27. BlessUp

    BlessUp Notebook Enthusiast

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    May have found my sweet spot. System was able to easily handle 4 ghz with -84mv simply using multipliers but i really like the extra boost you can feel from reference clock overclock. So i backed the multipliers down to 39 and was able to add in some reference clock to get a 3.998 oc with a -94mv undervolt that passed my stress test so now onto the real world stuff. was also able to get my ram up to 2450mhz which is also nice!

    I know I could squeeze over 4ghz out of the system but I really don't like the increase in Temps vs reward and I hate using fan boost so this is so far giving me decent temps with nice gains! Lets see how long it last. O yea and running the monitor at 120hz refresh rate im like McDonalds over here Im loving It! LOL
     

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  28. hmscott

    hmscott Notebook Nobel Laureate

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    You might try again, with the new GPU OC and back to the straight 4.0ghz CPU OC to see what score you get, because...

    Your previous lower FS score actually had a higher Physics score - the CPU test, so the new reference clock 4ghz boost isn't getting as high of a score ( 12632 ) as the previous straight 4ghz score (12684).

    The reason the overall score was higher at 18127 vs 18006 is because your GPU boost brought the average up. So, even though the overall score went up, your CPU score went down by using the reference clock to OC to 4ghz.

    And, try the -94mV offset with the 40x multiplier, it is after all the same speed overall, if not -94mV then somewhere between -84 and -94 should be attainable.

    Also, if you are at -94mV then -100mV should work too, etc, etc.

    Don't be afraid to push it till it crashes, that's the only way you know the limit, otherwise there is always more undervolt potential left on the table. You don't know, until you know.

    Fun stuff, right? :)
     
    Last edited: Jan 11, 2016
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  29. hmscott

    hmscott Notebook Nobel Laureate

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    That is interesting, it's limited not by the cards, but by the power the laptop can draw from the power supply / wall.

    You might try getting a power meter hooked in between the wall and your power adapter and tune it that way :)

    Tune for highest GPU core, while CPU is stock, and see what the power draw reading is - tune up the GPU memory (CPU still at stock), and see how much more power it draws (or can draw), and then kick in the CPU OC and see if the power draw folds back (reduces) rather than increase again.

    Then reverse it, stop the GPU OC and see how much just the CPU OC draws.

    Then you can decide which setting you want, with Max GPU and no CPU OC do you get better scores in game benchmarks?

    Most games only need as much CPU as needed to keep the GPU pipeline fed, the GPU OC'ing provides the best FPS increase.

    Are you going to try hooking up 2 power adapters to see if you can draw more power?

    Maybe get a 2 socket Power meter, or 2 Power meters so you can tell if the two power adapters are actually providing more power, or just sharing the same load.
     
    Last edited: Jan 11, 2016
  30. PC GAMER

    PC GAMER Notebook Evangelist

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    Damn son, does it really cost 6-7K :0. That's super expensive. Has anyone of you here considered building a tower cause with 6-7K, one can easily build a quad-sli titan x, dual xeon processors, water-cooled rig! I mean I don't know if I would really get my money's worth considering these dual 980s will eventually degrade in performance with the substantial level of temps compared to regular M laptop cards. I payed 3.5K for my laptop and it includes both shipping + taxes and warranty and I can say that I definitely got my money's worth as it plays every game at 1080p well above 60fps and it does play 4K too although I get around 30-40fps in most games that I tested except the witcher 3 where I get 20-35fps with everything set to ultra + hairworks on with 2xmsaa. You guys are probably playing 4K games at 80-90fps but the price is just too much. I can get 2 gaming laptops with that. PLus another drawback is it can't perform as good as the desktop 980s. Try getting close to this score : http://www.3dmark.com/fs/3424081
    Dual 980s overclocked to 1993MHz. I ain't hating, just saying that 6-7K is too expensive. 4.5-5K would have been better I think but then again these are just my opinions. It's a great laptop to own though, that;s for sure. Would have probably got it if I did not have my current setup.
     
  31. hmscott

    hmscott Notebook Nobel Laureate

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    Base price is $4599 US, but if you buy from a boutique shop they can add-on stuff like expensive PCIE x4 SSD's, DDR4 memory, 2nd power supply/adapter, etc to bring the price up - along with tax - to $6K-7K.

    Although you can build a nice water cooled loop(s) deskside, you can't pick it up and slam it against the head of a terrorist.

    The GT80S SLI 980 will take out an intruder at arm's length quicker than you can draw and fire... :cool:

    You gotta consider all the angles... :confused:

    To make a good comparison of scores, you should also post your best Firestrike score from your $3500 laptop for comparison to the $4599 GT80S 980 SLI best scores, that would only be fair.
     
    Last edited: Jan 11, 2016
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  32. hmscott

    hmscott Notebook Nobel Laureate

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    Well, isn't this fun...

    Intel Skylake bug seizes up PCs running complex workloads
    http://hexus.net/tech/news/cpu/8963...loads/?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=facebook

    " BIOS updates on the way to fix problem says Intel
    Four days ago Intel reported that its engineering department had identified the issue which "only occurs under certain complex workload conditions... [when] the processor may hang or cause unpredictable system behaviour". It has released a fix for the issue to hardware partners which will be distributed via BIOS updates for Skylake compatible motherboards. Now users will just have to wait for their motherboard vendors to publish BIOS updates with the Intel fix incorporated."

    Incoming Intel Errata patch, BIOS update imminent :cool:
     
  33. PC GAMER

    PC GAMER Notebook Evangelist

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    Base price is USD4599 but with shipping, it probably brings it up to 5K and considering that the base CPU they offer you isn't all that great, you'll probably end up choosing the best one which then brings it up to around 5.5K or more. My laptop was around AUD2900 and with warranty and shipping made it AUD3500---2449.82 US Dollars which is an exceptional deal and one should not forget the "extra" you pay for the brand name "Alienware". Best score of my 880M laptop was around 12006. So it's around 15000 graphics score which isn't too shabby considering that newer gpus will always get much better scores. I don't have a custom VBIOS on nor do I overclock so my best score is around 12500 graphics score and that's with my GPU throttling way more than it should. Synthetic benchmark is the reason why people keep on buying the bleeding edge of technology, just to stay at the "top". If you intend on always having the bleeding edge of technology, it's probably the best way, by far, of losing money. I am not hating on the laptop, that would be futile of me, just giving my two cents on it, considering that you have i, you will of course disagree with me. That being said, I was about to upgrade my AW18 to the 980m sli but if I get a chance of getting the dual 980s, I would take it in a heartbeat, would only have to pay for the GPUs.
     
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  34. PC GAMER

    PC GAMER Notebook Evangelist

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    Just out of curiosity, how much is an mxm 980? Considering the price you pay for the MSI GT80S, it probably means that it is around 1200USD each, right?
     
  35. hmscott

    hmscott Notebook Nobel Laureate

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    Both 6820HK and 6920HQ are hovering around the same max OC, 4.0ghz, mostly due to heat and power requirements. But, that is more than enough to keep the 980 SLI GPU's busy.

    Sorry to hear you have a AW18 880 SLI, that's rough.

    But, as you say you can upgrade to 980m SLI now, and maybe later something faster. Hopefully some 3rd party will be around to support vbios/BIOS updates to support upgrades, because AW won't.

    The $4599 GT80S 980 SLI is the only game in town, Period. Maybe if there were 1 or 2 others available the competition would bring the price down a bit. But, it's a fair price.

    You should know that you could have easily spent $5-7k on that AW18 SLI 880 build if you added enough extras, and many posted that they did indeed spend that much.

    Time marches on, and it's just money, right? :)
     
    Last edited: Jan 11, 2016
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  36. hmscott

    hmscott Notebook Nobel Laureate

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    There are several wattage models of the MXM 980, but AFAIK noone is offering them for sale as an individual upgrade product. It's still a bit early for that.

    Clevo's 200w 980 card is sans SLI connector, so you can't build a 2 x 980 SLI out of those cards.

    Clevo also was supposed to have a 180w card with SLI connector in a lower end model, but although I saw them before, I can't find one now - you could try to buy the cards from a distributor that offers that model build.

    You might find someone yanking them out of a perfectly good GT80S to put in their Frankenstein build, but those are 1 off's

    That would make the 980 MXM cards cost => $4599 / 2 = $2299.50 :p
     
    Last edited: Jan 11, 2016
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  37. PC GAMER

    PC GAMER Notebook Evangelist

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    No, actually I am not complaining about my 880Ms. To be honest, mine works superbly. It ran every game I threw at it at 1080p 100fps except the witcher 3 and crysis 3 where it was mostly around 55-65fps and 75-80fps respectively. I can run games at 4K too, tried it on the witcher 3, cause I think it's the most demanding game by far, but unfortunately got 20-30fps with everything maxed out and hairworks on too although set at 2xmsaa. You should test the witcher 3 at 4K too and report back on the performance. WOuld be cool to see how two 980s fare against such a beautiful and demanding game. The performance the 980ms would have given me is not worth the 800USD price tag, they are just good at benchmarks as games would have only given me and extra 20fps which is ridiculously low. That said, their best score is at 25000 graphics score while mine is at 15000 graphics score which is 40-45fps more and that is with them overclocked to 1423MHz while the most I saw was 1200MHz for my gpus. I am hoping to upgrade to the pascal GPUs once they come out. Alienware actually made the 980m VBIOS available to every person that upgraded their 18 and for their newest AW18 with 980ms too. Here's hoping they do the same thing for the pascal MGPUs. Considering how much I paid for my laptop, I definitely got my money's worth and I am pretty sure I'll still be able to run games at ultra settings during 2016-mid 2017. Beyond that, I am not too sure, will maybe have to upgrade. How long do you think your 980 sli laptop will hold up? I reckon till end 2018 but beyond that, it'll definitely be useless especially with games being optimized for pascal GPUs.
     
    Last edited: Jan 11, 2016
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  38. ryzeki

    ryzeki Super Moderator Super Moderator

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    Good thing GT80 is officially upgradable for two GPU generations as they can keep being relevant for longer. 980m is good upgrade from 880m, but it is not worth it if you already have a working SLI 880m because no game is giving you trouble. Your best GPU score overclocked is lower than my stock GPU score, but that doesn't mean you can't game at all. Scores are not the end all be all, specially when we are scoring this high. There isn't a game you can't run.

    It is almost always better to wait for a sizable jump before changing GPUs. from 880m to 980m is barely 1 generation difference and while good jump, SLI makes things different. So pascal will be a good jump for both 880m and 980m owners, for being a new architecture coupled with new fabrication process, and specially SLI users. After Pascal, it will be a long while for the next big jump.

    GT80S with 980 SLI already packs the highest CPU option, so you could consider the base price as the highest end GT80. The rest of the config is just icing on the cake (more and bigger PCIe drives, more and speedier RAM etc).
     
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  39. ole!!!

    ole!!! Notebook Prophet

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  40. hmscott

    hmscott Notebook Nobel Laureate

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    Intel Skylake bug seizes up PCs running complex workloads
    http://forum.notebookreview.com/thr...izes-up-pcs-running-complex-workloads.786708/

    ***The Official MSI GT80S Titan (w/desktop 980 GPU's) Owner's Lounge***
    http://forum.notebookreview.com/thr...us-owners-lounge.785384/page-39#post-10176194

    ***The Official MSI GT80 Titan Owner's Lounge***
    http://forum.notebookreview.com/thr...n-owners-lounge.769092/page-587#post-10176195
     
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  41. ole!!!

    ole!!! Notebook Prophet

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  42. hmscott

    hmscott Notebook Nobel Laureate

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    I think it's Kabylake next, but if you mean wait until a new chipset+cpu, then yes - Go Cannonlake!! :)
     
  43. BlessUp

    BlessUp Notebook Enthusiast

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    I just beat the witcher 3 on my gt80s amazing game. I had my monitor overclocked at 96hz and locked the fps at this rate with vsync off hate the input delay added from vsync and i only rarely got a dip of around 80 fps at the lowest here and there with everything maxed out. I have since then oc the display to 120hz and lowered nvidia hair setting by 1 and now see a solid 120fps no dips it plays supper crispy love it. This was with only a 100 mhz overclock on the cpu by adding 1 to the last 3 cores stock graphics card settings. Im not experimenting with 4ghz cpu oc in combination with refrence clock oc to up the overall system speed. Only on minimal gpu oc right now at 100/50.

    Far Cry 4 so far is a more demanding game then witcher 3 im experiencing stupid dips in some areas of around 60 to 65 fps and you can feel the performance change when it dips. This is why i started overclocking. I have always overclocked all my desktops and they have ran well for years but ive had better cooling options and more control of multiple settings vs limited to XTU.

    Speaking of this anyone else overclocking what is your cpu temps during demanding games like Far Cry 4. With a 4ghz oc im fluctuating from 70 to 84c on the hottest cpu 1. I dont use the turbo fan because its just too loud and annoying. This is a little high for my liking but i think the cpu is rated for 100 or 105c but still prefer to not run it on the high end would love to find a way to keep it under 80c. So far i have a stable 3.998ghz oc at -88mv crashed at -90mv. Might drop down to 3.9 to see if i can get it to max at 80c.
     
  44. hmscott

    hmscott Notebook Nobel Laureate

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    Have you played with adjusting the cache settings? IDK what your default cache setting is, but some have reported reducing the cache multiplier - it doesn't effect performance much - or at least keep it at stock setting while raising the CPU multipliers.

    And, undervolt the cache too, that should help bring down temps a bit more as well.

    Another trick is to disable Hyperthreading, barring that option being available in the BIOS, you can use Microsoft Task Manager Details tab to select and adjust the Affinity for the Steam processes - so when you start a game the Affinity settings will propagate to the new game processes - so you don't need to manually go and adjust each game.

    What you do is right click on a process, select Affinity... and then uncheck the Odd cores... those are the Hyperthread cores.

    Example:

    set affinity for steam processes - uncheck odd cores.JPG

    Then you are running "4 cores" instead of "8 cores", which reduces CPU power usage, reducing heat generation.

    For most games 4 cores is enough, 8 is just blowing heat / power.

    I know it's fun to run all out at 120 FPS at Ultra settings, but if the temperatures and resulting fan noise are too much, consider reducing to 80 FPS, or somewhere in between. I assume you are using Rivatuner FPS limiter?

    Each game is different, you can find an optimal refresh FPS at Ultra for it and set refresh and FPS limit per game.
     
    Last edited: Jan 11, 2016
  45. ryzeki

    ryzeki Super Moderator Super Moderator

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    Definitely experiment reducing processor cache ratio. In haswell, you had close to no performance hit if you reduce it slightly, but you could shave of a couple of degrees off.
     
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  46. BlessUp

    BlessUp Notebook Enthusiast

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    Thanks guys i will try this now. I had cach oc only x1 multiplier from x38 to x39. Dropped it back to stock re ran XTU bench scored exactly the same and dropped 1c theres a start whoo hooo.

    Cache and Cpu under volt are locked together in xtu or at least for me on this setup so when you change one it automatically changes the other.

    On my online competitive games like BF4 i run lower settings for max performance but for my single player games I like the purdy graphics but not at the cost of to much performance hit so I do play with a few graphics settings to find a happy medium. Witcher was very happy at a consistent 120fps by just disabling nvida hair setting was sooo nice to play that game at a constant fps with high refresh rate monitor sad its over now cant wait for the expansion pack. I have my monitor oc to 120hz though so i need to try to keep the fps at least that high to keep that crispy consistent movement feeling.
     
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  47. marios50

    marios50 Notebook Evangelist

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    Can anyone here report how well the 980's fare on 4k resolution when playing witcher 3? Or other AAA titles at 4k :)


    Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
     
  48. Porter

    Porter Notebook Virtuoso

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    According to this review TW3 averages 51.2FPS at 4K with "high graphics with hairworks off". I assume because the way they worded it they really mean high, not ultra. You have to dig a to find the numbers but they are there.

    http://www.notebookcheck.net/MSI-GT80S-6QF-Titan-SLI-Notebook-Review.157615.0.html

    BF4 high preset - 91.6 fps at 4K
    Batman Arkham Knight high - 32 fps at 4K
    Fallout 4 high preset - 55.6 fps at 4K
    Star Wars Battlefront high preset - 62.6 fps at 4K
     
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  49. ole!!!

    ole!!! Notebook Prophet

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    exactly what i meant lol, wait for 2017/2018
     
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  50. ole!!!

    ole!!! Notebook Prophet

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    GTVEVO and hmscott like this.
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