Just Ordered From HIDevolution

After a lengthy chat with Vivian and subsequently, Ted, I pulled the trigger and placed an order. I have done substantial homework on gaming laptops and decided I wanted an i7-8700K rather than the lowly 7th gen laptop processors.

I'll be doing live video streaming with this beast so I'm having them delid and repaste everything to give me half a chance at reliability. Once I decided on the CPU there was the choice of company. I've read all the negative and positive reviews of all the companies that customize the Clevo platform. The conversations I had with Vivian and Ted convinced me that HIDevolution was the outfit.

I'll report back on the progress of the build and how everything turned out.

 

A few more tidbits for those who may be curious. The cameras I use have either SDI or HDMI outputs. Fairly long cables are no problem for SDI but for HDMI output I plug into the NewTek Connect Spark converter and send the video output to a WiFi network I create with Ubiquiti gear. That way I'm not stringing cables all over the place and using miles of gaffer tape. The SDI cable plugs into the laptop via an AJA U-TAP SDI converter which connects via USB 3.0. No muss, no fuss.

I use vMix video switching and production software which works quite nicely, thank you. I realize there are many who drool over OBS but I found OBS to be somewhat lacking in features. Sure vMix costs actual money but as the old saying goes...well, you know.

 

More about my purchase. Video streaming is both graphics and processor intensive. Multiple camera inputs along with prerecorded video clips and still images must be previewed and sent to the production window for streaming. This is graphics processor intensive and vMix software is written to take advantage of the latest NVIDIA GPUs. I opted for the GTX 1070 for two reasons, it is plenty of processor for the work and the 1080 is much more expensive. The CPU comes into play as the video stream is processed for broadcast and sent on its way across the Internet. Also, when simultaneously recording a local backup, the CPU has that work to do also.

So the CPU is really the backbone of the whole process. That's why I spent the money for the i7-8700, which was not all that much more expensive than the i7-7820. Standing back and reviewing with a wide perspective, I think the balance of this GPU and CPU will do the job and then some.

Again, I'll keep the forum posted on the build and subsequent performance of the laptop.

 

Actually it isn't intensive on the GPU at all. At one point I wanted to switch from optimus to dGPUonly, only to realize that you can actually stream with intel HD GPU's and since then Optimus is a must for me. When I stream I literally lose 0 frames, due to the fact that I can use my intel CPU and NVIDIA GPU for gameplay and my Intel GPU for streaming.

I used this setup for people who wanted to stream with their low end CPU's and they are happily streaming 1080p 60FPS off the Intel HD GPU.

 

Awesome man, what laptop model did you buy and what are the full specs?

Feel free to tag me once you get it if you need help tweaking it. These are the Phoenix Tweaks:

1- Uninstallation of all the Windows Store Garbage Apps like 3D Paint, Print 3D, Alarms & Clock, Feedback Hub, Maps, Groove Music, News, Weather, etc.
2- Removing all Windows 10 Privacy Invasion stuff like Telemetry, sending your keystrokes to Microsoft, automatically installing suggested apps in the background, allowing Microsoft to conduct experiments on your laptop, disabling automatic driver updates through Windows updates, disabling Windows 10 ads, disabling Cortana, Cloud Search etc.
3- Removal of nVIDIA and Intel Telemetry
4- Adjusting a lot of options in PC Settings like disabling Windows Tablet Mode (you have a laptop not a tablet), disabling suggestions appearing in the start menu, disabling automatically connecting to Paid WiFi Hotspots, disabling Game DVR which reduced performance in games, and a lot more.
5- Replacing Cortana with a much better search tool that finds results instantly called Everything which finds any file you want as soon as you start typing even a few letters of its name and it doesn't even rely on the Windows Indexing Service to do this!
6- Restoring the classic Windows Photo Viewer
7- Restoring the Classic Windows 7 Start Menu
8- Removal of the new and useless 3D Objects Folder that appears when you open "Computer"
9- Completely disabling Windows Defender from its roots (including all scheduled tasks and startup files) for those who want to install their own AV. ESET NOD32 Antivirus is highly recommended if you want the utmost security with the least system performance impact.
10- Updating all drivers to the latest versions in case they weren't up to date.
11- Disabling the performance hit that is caused by the Meltdown and Spectre patches recently released by Microsoft (optional, only if you don't mind having this security vulnerability and would rather have your CPU's full performance back)
12- Overprovisioning your SSD anywhere between 10-20% depending on how much space you can spare to ensure optimal and consistent performance at all times.
13- Blocking the Google Chrome Software Reporter Tool (which causes a high system load when it is scanning files)

 

Your point is well taken. We are not, after all, plotting trajectories to Pluto and tracking a process in the super collider! I opted for the beefier CPU to ensure that I had enough processing power to run the video switching software and manage all the various inputs and process the outputs. The folks at vMix said I could easily do all that with the i7-7700 but I also wanted to future proof the laptop as well. It seemed like the best way to do that was the i7-8700.

The GPU intensive activities are in relation to the various live camera feeds that must be managed and previewed, (along with other video clips, PowerPoint presentations, and other media), while the live stream is being produced and sent to its destination. Even so, vMix advised that a GTX 1060 would do the job nicely. Again, I'm throwing strength at this task to keep the components from having to work too hard and, hence, overheating.

Thanks for your comment. Cheers!

 

We will definitely chat. Although I know how to do much of what you describe, you appear to have a more intense handle on some really nit-picky stuff. I like that. Always good to have another pair of hands helping ensure the job is done right.

Here's what I have coming:
**************************************************************************
EVOC High Performance Systems P775TM1 17.3" Custom Built Gaming Laptop w/ nVIDIA GTX 1070

17.3" Full HD (1920x1080) IPS LED Antiglare Matte Type Display - with nVIDIA® G-SYNC™ Technology
(Unfortunately this model does not have a 120Hz display so this is a 60Hz. I would have had to opt for the 2560x1440 display to get 120Hz. If this was a gaming machine that would have been a no-brainer but for my purposes, I don't need teeny pixels.)

NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1070 w/ 8GB GDDR5 - NVIDIA G-Sync Enabled

Prema Custom BIOS

HIDevolution Delidded - Unlocked, Under Volted and Overclocked 8th Generation Intel Core i7-8700K 6 Core-12 Thread Processor, 4.7 GHz (HIDevolution Overclocked to 4.8GHz) - GUARANTEED Performance (Thermal Grizzly Conductonaut included)

Thermal Grizzly Conductonaut + Gelid GC Extreme on CPU, Gelid GC Extreme on GPU, and Fujipoly Extreme Thermal Pads on heat sensitive surfaces

16GB (1 x 16GB) G.SKILL Ripjaws Series DDR4/2666MHz

Samsung 960 Pro 512GB M.2 PCIe 3.0 x4 NVMe 3D-VNAND SSD - Up to 3,500 MB/s Read-2,100 MB/s Write

1TB 7200 RPM SATA 6Gb/s Hard Drive

External DVDRW drive (Okay, this will rarely be used but I still like to have it. Call me old fashioned...)

Intel® Wireless-AC 9260 802.11 ac/a/b/g/n 2x2 NGFF w/ Bluetooth 5.0 - installed by HIDevolution

Genuine Windows® 10 Home, 64bit

1 x 8 cell battery - 82Wh

Onkyo Speakers x 2 + Subwoofer

Customizable Gaming Macro Back-lit Keyboard (If there was a way to transplant the HP Omen X keyboard to this machine, I would have done it.)
**************************************************************************

Probably a bit overkill for what I'm doing but I'd rather go into battle with twice the strength I need. I'm also looking at laptop coolers if anyone has any suggestions.

Cheers!

 

I would get Windows 10 Pro if I were you man

Why choose Windows Pro over Home?

So you have access to the Group Policy Editor

As you may be well aware, Windows 10 although boasts great support for new hardware and is required to make the most out of your new hardware especially newer CPUs which are not supported on previous OSes like Windows 7 anymore, it has its quirks and privacy invasion like automatically sending your keystrokes, displaying ads, telemetry, and much more.

While there are many utilities out there such as O&O ShutUp10 that help you eliminate most if not all of the nasty stuff, the Home Edition lacks one very important feature which is the Group Policy Editor. Think of it as flying on an airplane, do you want to be the passenger or the pilot in control? That's exactly what the Group Policy Editor enables you to do, be in control of how your OS behaves.

Examples of things you can disable / enable easily with the Group Policy Editor:

1) Turn off file history completely (this is a useless feature which Microsoft is phasing out in its next build but you can still disable it now)

2) Disable / Prevent your computer from joining a Home Group (Home Group is a crippled way of sharing files that rarely works if ever, one is better off manually selecting the folders that he wants to share and giving them appropriate permissions by right clicking on that folder and navigating to the Sharing tab)

3) Disable Windows DVR (Gameplay Recording Mode). If you have that enabled which is the default state, then Steam warns you that it may hamper your game play/performance so its best to turn it off completely using the Group PolicyEditor). You can do this in the Home Edition but it requires a lot of complex registry edits which are time consuming. There are better tools to record game play such as nVIDIA's Shadow Play or better yet, a program by Mirillis called "Action!"

4) Turn off Microsoft Consumer Services

5) Turn off Microsoft Customer Experience Improvement Program

6) Completely disable Windows Defender and not have it re-enable itself if you are wanting to install your own AntiVirus since Windows Defender bogs down the system's performance by as much as 36% according to the latest AV Comparatives Performance Test: http://chart.av-comparatives.org/chart1.php?chart=chart4&year=2017&month=10&sort=1&zoom=2

7) Disable Windows Driver Updates through Windows Updates

8) Turn off the Windows Explorer Notification about new apps that can handle new extensions. By default, every time you install a new application that can handle an extension, let's say, a new video player or an internet browser, etc. you get an annoying popup telling you that you have installed a new application that can handle these extensions

9) Disable Windows Error Reporting, that never does any good and only eats a lot of space writing the details of background errors. Microsoft has never in its history fixed any of these reported errors so why keep this useless service enabled on your system and creating unnecessary writes to your SSD?

10) Disable unwanted features such as Windows Ink, biometrical features, etc.

11) Disable automatic downloading of map updates (who needs map updates on a laptop? this is not a GPS device /phone)

12) Turn off Work Folders (this is used in corporate environments and not needed for home or power users)

and much more, these are just some of the things you can control with the Group Policy Editor.

 

I will change it to Pro. I had no idea. Although I've loaded Win10 for PCs I've built for others, I am a die hard Win7 guy. This time, however, I'm going for 10 on the advice on the vMix folks who say their software runs at a higher performance level on it.

I normally load Classic Shell and turn off all the obvious Microsloth spy stuff. Other than that I don't know squat about 10 and, frankly, haven't wanted to know. If I could get all the Adobe software to run on some Linux distro I'd have bailed on Win long ago.

Thanks for the advice, Phoenix, I'm glad there are independent guys like you around. I'll make the change on Monday. I'm pretty sure HID won't be loading the OS yet.

 

Well look at the image in the post where I mentioned my tweaks, that's how I'll make your Windows look....like ummm....Windows....not a cartoon board with Mickey Mouse and Candy Crush Saga on it (the crappy Windows 10 Start Menu that is)

 

Ugh, no, the 1080p screen the ship, is clocked at 75hz, whih you can over clock to 100hz. As if youre a VERY competetive gamer, for games like csgo etc, you'll definitely feel the diferwnce between 60, 75,100,120,144hz!

 

Well, I'm starting to get nervous. HIDevolution has had my order since 2/8, eleven days ago. Granted they found a lit pixel which precipitated a screen change, but that was last Wednesday. Today is Monday. My order status has been changed to "Parts/Product On Order" and Ted has quit sending updates. I will remain patient but not for long.

 

Mine stayed on the parts/product on order for 3-4 days and finally flipped to in production today but I ordered the P870 and a different screen so it's not exactly apples to apples. Many businesses keep limited stock these days so they don't tie money up on their shelves and orders usually arrive in days instead of weeks like they used to. Just be patient and when the part comes in you should see it flip to in production.

 

Hooray! Ted sent an email today to let me know that they were having trouble satisfying the no-bad-pixel guarantee for which I paid an extra $30. I had no idea they would have that much trouble finding a perfect panel. The current panel has a dead pixel in the bottom right corner so I'm happy with that. One out of 2million pixels I can live with since it's in nowhere land at the bottom right.

They are going to refund the $30 and get this thing moving! I'm excited again!!

 

I haven't had that "kid-at-Christmas" feeling in many years but I've sure got it now! My laptop shipped yesterday and should arrive tomorrow. Once we had the panel issues worked out Ted lit a fire under those involved and they really got a move on. I can hardly wait to fire up my new beast! I'm very grateful for all the help. HIDev rocks!

 

Hi Michael George,

Could you do a very simple review of your P775tm about the temperature and fan noise ?
I'm also trying to decide between P775tm (with a 1080 though) and GT73VR, and my biggest concern of P775tm is the temperature and fan noise, which for sure will be worse than GT73vr, but to what extend is that really matters.

Thanks!

 

What are you going to use the laptop to do that an LGA CPU would benefit you? Unless you really can get some benefit from it, I would recommend the cooler and quieter MSI GT73VR that also has a better keyboard, audio and warranty.

The other thing to consider is what LCD you want.

Please feel free to email me at [email protected] or email me your phone number and I can call you between 5:00 PM and 2:00 AM GMT - Monday through Friday - to discuss any other questions you might have.

 

I love my new laptop! My apologies for the delay in tidying up this thread. So far I haven't put much load on it so I can't authoritatively comment on fan noise and heat. At more normal loads the fans are quiet and the thing runs very cool. I'll actually check temps and speeds later when I get a load on it. I installed vMix video switching software on it which is a fairly serious program and it loads in a second or two. Freaked me out the first time. I double clicked on the icon and boom, there it was. That i7-8700 is a beast! If this laptop has a flaw it's the keyboard. Very much like most laptops, it leaves something to be desired. But I didn't buy this laptop to type a book. If it had the HP Omen X keyboard, this thing would be perfect. More impressions later. HIDevolution did a great job!

 

Hey Phoenix, let me know how we proceed. I'm ready for you to do your stuff to my laptop.

 

If you want to tag Phoenix, which will let him know you mentioned him in your post, put the @ sign in front of his name thusly - @Phoenix

 

Thanks Donald! Hey @Phoenix, let me know how we proceed. I'm ready for you to do your stuff to my laptop.

 

PM sent

 

THIS

Anw,thanks @Donald@HIDevolution