Ordered an EVOC P775TM1 from HIDevolution

Well, first and foremost I'd like to heap massive amounts of praise and gratitude on Donald for his customer service. The patience and kindness of this man is tremendous, and that's an understatement. Starting from responding to a huge cold-call textwall PM on these forums, thru several email correspondences and phone conversations (dare I mention my initial call stretching the better part of an hour--or more), he was simply awesome. I truly feel like he surpassed and exceeded his duty (if that's a fitting word); going the extra mile for me would be another understatement. For anyone considering HIDevolution (as I was) after reading the overwhelming positive feedback on this site, I would definitely say you won't be disappointed. I can't thank Donald enough, seriously.

I can't wait to see this computer, and I'll give an update in a couple weeks with news/feedback on the merchandise. Although I'm certainly not an owner yet, I hope it's not too early to go ahead and put the gaming badge on my signature... If it's a bit premature, please understand it's not to be prideful and out of line, I'm just super excited

For now, I wanted to do my due diligence of giving some feedback on the process so far (tldr: awesome).

In addition to thanking Donald, I also want to give a giant thank-you to the many people here (atm I'll avoid tagging names because there's too many and I think a lot of them get tons of tags anyway to check through) that have poured thousands of words of priceless information and advice that newbies like me can slowly work though. Thanks a lot to everyone for helping me navigate the confusing and intimidating task of "new laptop" (and learn a lot on the way), and huge thanks again to Donald for everything he did during the whole process.

 

Welcome to the team!


Make sure you fill out your sig with your machine specs. It'll be really useful if you need to ask for help, and it'll let others hit you up for some info too

 

Welcome to the HIDevolution Gaming Bandwagon. Once you get your laptop, feel free to tag me if you want me to tweak the heck out of it. Here 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)

 

Got news today that my order shipped

Here's a textwall "update"

I was considering calling yesterday (spent a few hours reviewing "banding issue" stuff) to see if I could change my display from the B173QTN01.0 to the 10.4... just having last-second worries about buyer's remorse etc.

However after re-reading a bunch of stuff, and lots of thinking, i decided that I will at least give this one a shot and try it out first. Whats the worst that happens, i hate it and try pursuing options to replace/upgrade screen? Vs. possibility of not minding it, saving 100$, and getting hassle-free gsync/no optimus.

On the one hand I started really thinking that the banding might drive me nuts (tbh i am the type to obsess over such things, and i sit way too close to my screens), after reviewing a lot of pics from various threads here and on other forums from "back then" like aw, aorus, reddit, where people had a bunch of pics).

On the other hand, as best as i can tell, using 01.4 means no (unmodded) gsync, and altho not a huge deal to me, that means forced(?) optimus...a bigger deal. i really want gsync not even as much for its own sake, but for direct dgpu and no optimus (to my understanding 01.4 doesnt work in discrete mode atm? Until something changes?). Well, to be fair, i did read of people making 01.4 work w/ gsync but those workarounds arent a step i think i'm ready to take yet (and the "switch displays" trick requires a 2nd screen anyway).

So ultimately, i'm choosing the "easy" (aka no attempting things that i really dont understand) way out and hoping for the best. I think Donald gave me solid advice originally when he recommended 01.0 based on the answers i gave him about planned use/budget etc.

At the end of the day i really want no optimus (and altho idc toooo much about gsync, nothing wrong with the option eh). Unless the banding ends up really being a dealbreaker, i think i will be happy enough. That said, if and when the time comes that 01.4 gets gsync whitelisted or i can at least use it properly without tweaking things (or if and when the time comes that i hate the 01.0 ) i will probably look at purchasing 01.4 to upgrade.

But either way, i will find out soon enough!

(Btw if im wrong about how the screens work i apologize...i was pretty confident i understood it, but if right now i can get gsync+optimus bypass "out of the box" with 01.4, i had it all wrong and need to reconsider my decision )

 

Optimus, which has been dead for some time now, has been replaced on BGA laptops with MSHybrid...which is very similar to Optimus, but is not Optimus.

Now for the good news...the EVOC High Performance Systems P775TM1 does not support MSHybrid at all. It is an LGA (desktop CPU) based laptop, so it simply does not have MSHybrid.

As for the banding...don't obsess and you will be fine

 

Well, just to give an update (tldr warning!):

After watching FedEx tracking# like a hawk for days, I was ready for delivery on Wednesday (with pre-signed form on my front door in case doorbell/knocking didn't wake me up--happened before ). I got out of bed and to my xmas-morning glee, the package was there! However, due to work plus unfortunate timing for new carpet installation (actually in progress atm), with needing to re-arrange entire house worth of furniture, I was already accepting a sad fate of probably barely being able to enjoy my new toy, let alone manage to get a free block of time to sync up with the awesome Phoenix (well, not like we ever met but this guy seems awesome just on forums alone).

So, with that in mind (prolly not getting to properly setup/enjoy it for days anyway), I wasn't even upset or annoyed when I eventually discovered a different laptop than I ordered . I say "eventually" because although in hindsight it should have been immediately obvious, I was so excited I thought maybe there was just a little mistake made (logo on cover/bezel, and maybe the SD card was instead of the USB thumbdrive).. and hmm it looked a little different than I thought but oh well, let's see if I can hurry up and get it on and hit up Phoenix in my precious 40 mins before work!

5 mins later I was like hmm, really this is a lot thinner and different vents than I thought, let's check pics again (hey, in my defense i'm a NOOB )...then it hit me: oh yeah this is definitely a different laptop...and feeling like a total moron, quick check of bottom panel+shipping label model# confirmed (i should have noticed that FIRST --and could have saved HID+other customer some trouble if I did...really sorry guys ).

So I sent a quick email to @Donald@HIDevolution with my suspicion/news. He responded *very* quickly (especially considering time taken checking around with other ppl, I assume) to apologize and confirm that there was a mix-up and I got shipped someone else's laptop. With some relief (knowing I was in good hands and not wondering/waiting for resolution as could be the case), I left for work, stress-free

Juan S at Shipping/support quickly emailed me in the meantime with another apology and a pdf for RMA shipping label, Donald left me a friendly voicemail, and when I had a free moment at work later I called him back.

We had a nice chat, and with more apologies and good humour (and much gratitude for my own reaction of not being pissed), he assured me that both myself plus the other customer would get a new laptop built and shipped asap, as I did unfortunately open up + attempt to boot the one I recieved--sorry again to both HID and the other guy for that my bad, but what can i say... i'm clueless and nervous excitment took over (have been without a computer for 2wks now cuz i spilled coffee all up inside my macbook, logic board fried, thats another story tho ).

With fast, gracious, and friendly support, I have absolutely no complaint, and I remain 100% satisfied with my experience. Stuff happens and can happen to any company, big or small, it's a simple mistake and easily rectified. I can't speak for the other guy whose laptop I got (hopefully he wasn't in dire need as a business machine and suffered), but for me this was really no big deal, at the end of the day I "lose" another ~week of zomggaming11 but as mentioned above, the timing was fine due hectic RL atm, and let's be honest no computer lets me spend some time on other stuff (and hey for youtube/surfing that's why smartphones exist eh).

Even better, this worked out to my pleasure since I was able to tweak my build a little with a Qblahbla01.4 screen upgrade, which at the last second I began having some ocd stress/remorse over not choosing originally. (I still think the 01.0 screen would have been totally fine, but hey another paycheck , and after this time why not "treat myself" a little with what I might end up wanting someday)

So again, I cant speak for the other customer, but for me this turned out actually quite a serendipitous "happy accident". I have no doubt that if I caused a fuss and startes demanding to speak with higher-ups, "compensation" for my "trouble", being angry and unhappy, that HID would have went the extra mile to ensure I ended up satisfied.

But honestly the *fast* and *pleasant* service (keyword "service", sometimes you talk to companies in these situations and its like they think *you* serve *them* ) in these situations makes all the difference, especially that initial response, and even if I was upset to begin with, it would be hard to keep a negative attitude when someone like Donald is on the other line, instead of going thru robot voice menus, 5 different representatives and/or call center, and days of limbo waiting for resolution. In the last hour or so I got email update that my (new) order is in production so now it's just a matter of time before i finally join the evoc team 4reelz..

I cant say "long story short..." at this point as its already been a long story so instead I will say this was the best "oops!" experience I had with an incorrect shipment, and although by now I would have expected nothing less from the HIDevolution team, I wasnt disappointed in the slightest. I remain a happy customer, and my only regret in the entire process has been asking people like @Donald@HIDevolution and forumgoers to read thru essay-length material for a simple point...thanks again, everyone

 

The best thing you did in your life was upgrading that screen. I'd consider this as a blessing maybe the Silicon Gods did this laptop switch on purpose so you'd end up with the better screen as that's what you'd be staring at like....well...all the time

 

Its here

EVOC P775TM1
17.3" QHD AUO B173QTN01.4
GTX 1070
(HID delidded etc) i7-8700K
2x8GB DDR4 2666mhz
M.2 SATA slot 1 - 512GB m.2 sata
2.5" bay slot 1 - 1TB sata hdd
Killer 1535
Windows 10 Pro

So far so good, everything seems awesome. Cant wait to dive in!

Thanks again @Donald@HIDevolution for everything, and please passs along my gratitude and appreciation to everyone else involved at HIDevolution too!

@Phoenix it would be amazing if you can find time to help me with setup tweaking later! I prolly dont have time before work atm, leaving in about an hour, but may i PM you or tag you again here when i have a solid chunk of time available?

 

PMing you now

 

Phoenix(tm ) treatment complete!

So cool and patient...what a bro!

 

Thanks bro.

 

Really need to tweak my new 775...any guideline or to do list/process?

Sorry to dig up an old thread.

 

Yes I have a to do list for you, don’t hijack others’ threads and create your own thread in the Appropriate sub forum which is the Main Clevo sub-forum!