*** Official Clevo P960EP6/ P960ED/ P960EF/ P960EN Owner's Lounge ***

I don't see a Sound Blaster Utility on the tray or anywhere. I just ran the installer for Creative Audio Effects Component but I don't see a sound blaster program when searching the Start menu after doing that. Searched EQ is as well no SB love.

 

Did it install correctly?

 

Page 27 in the included Concise User's Guide has a section called Sound BlasterX Pro-Gaming 360 mentions to use an application called the Sound Blaster Connect control panel and even shows a screenshot of accessing it by name on the Start menu. I do not see this program anywhere.

 

@TomoPrime Strange. I talked with an assembly tech to confirm, they said it should be there. When you get a chance, PM me your order info or reach out to us through our site. We'll get you sorted!

 

@prostar Sorry been busy with stuff. Just need the full SBX download link.

All I wanted to share some of my ProStar screenshots. I scored a 8245 in TimeSpy and a 3072 in Cinebench R20 after some tuning of the Clevo P960RN. Not too shabby.

 

Scored higher using max fans
Time Spy 8346 / Graphics 8710 / CPU 6752

Updated settings
Time Spy 8372 / Graphics 8699 / CPU 6903

(Note I saved my settings in TimeSpy description section.

 

@Sodalitas @ChebyshevKev
I was looking at your TimeSpy scores from an earlier post on Page 14 I wonder if your CPU undervolt was too aggressive? I sustained a max 1980Mhz boost on the GPU without a GPU undervolt in Afterburner. For me I initially had a high CPU UV during stress tests to score well in Cinebench R20 but this causes problems if running OC in Afterburner so I went back to -125mv in core and cache and slowly ramped up that number in ThrottleStop until both CPU with GPU were stable together. It also helped to cap the max TDP/TPL power limit draws to cpu short / long boosts with Clamps of 46w to 65w as to not starve the GPU of power. Your sweet spot will vary. I’m still adjusting mine. I am curious about attempting a GPU UV but that’s not until I’m happy with the settings in more varried tests.

 

@TomoPrime - PM with the download sent.

 

The Sound Blaster Connect is like a wrapper now.
It´s an interface that will pull the SBX version according (360 / Cinema / etc)
Usually it need to pull some files from Windows Update or Windows Store, so after installing the SBX driver always check for updates in both Windows Update and the Windows Store > click the three dots ... in the top right corner and go to "Downloads and Updates".

 

Hi John thanks for your input! Sound Blaster Connect shows up as a Software Component inside of Device manager (bottom of list). The hardware driver is obviously Realtek audio. I am only missing SBX utility which is not showing up in the Windows Store or Windows update (build 1809) thus far. I installed SBX.2.0.0.33.

Maybe after I update to Windows 10 version 1903 this may get picked up by Microsoft?


Windows Update install history

 

But did you install the SBX driver?
You need to install a package for your model, you can get it in the CLEVO website under downloads.

Sent from my Mi Note 2 using Tapatalk

 

Yes ProStar PM me a link for SBX.2.0.0.33

http://drivers.prostarserver.com/Drivers/SBX/SBX.2.0.0.33.zip

I haven't checked Clevo directly as not all the links are in English if I recall. Note Sager's web site doesn't list the RN models yet.​

 

If you go to Windows Start Menu and type "Sound" doesn't it show the Sound Blaster Connect app?

 

Nope.

 

All upgrading Windows to build 1903 triggered the Sound Blaster Connect download. You have to initiate the download and install build 1903 as typical Windows Check for updates focuses on your live version of windows which was 1809 in my case.

 

Hi, John! Is it possible to somehow download these files without an update center? Such as me, and many who do not use (disable) the update center, would be delighted with this feature.

 

Hey, so I just recieved one of these puppies, the P960RD to be precise. It is branded as Dream Machines.

I have a few questions since I am abit behind with newer spec laptops (or PC's for that matter).

1. Is it best to let Windows install automatically the drivers or should I install the ones provided by the reseller (even tho they might be outdated).
2. Also which utilities are recommended for monitoring and undervolting?

 

Go for the latest and if everything works you are good, if you have issues try the reseller.

 

Could anyone help me with some ThrottleStop settings? I have the i9750H cpu.
For some reason I have tried undervolting with TS but it doesn't seem to work, as I am not seeing lower temps.
On the other hand if I use XTU the temps are lower when undervolting.

@TomoPrime, could you help me out with some tips regarding the CPU since we have the same model?
I managed to undervolt -125mV using Intel XTU, and funny thing I noticed that after I did a fresh Windows reinstall, the undervolt settings still persist even tho I dont have XTU installed.

LE:
Another things that I noticed, and I am a little disappointed...I asked my reseller to change the factory TIM and use some CM Mastergel Maker yet the temps are kinda bad with a maximum temp of 88 degrees C reached on the CPU while running TimeSpy and fan profile set to maximum. This is with the -125mV undervolt.

 

Share a screenshot of your settings.

 

Ok, sure thing re-did some tests.
My ambient temp is around 25 degrees C. In CC I used the Performance Power Mode and Maximum Fan Speeds.
https://imgur.com/GLFkQuQ
https://imgur.com/EfmV3gX
https://imgur.com/PSIyF4o

1st screenshot is TimeSpy, 2nd Cinebench R15 and 3rd is Cinebench R20.
To be honest, at this point I am thinking that the TIM was not applied very well, but hey I might be wrong.

Also, another thing I noticed there is some coil whine when I move the mouse cursor. It is not that audibile but if you get your ear close to the keyboard, you can clearly hear it.

 

Hello everyone, just have few questions regarding p960ED, I bought one 4 months ago and recently the keyboard of the laptop been acting quite weird for me most of the keys work and some of them I just have to keep spamming them to work. Was wondering if anyone knows a solution for it, I don’t mind ordering a new replacement keyboard either but I can’t find any clue of which one or where to actually buy one from, please help. Thank you

 

Gibs141 I have the same problem with mine but in different games, what did the re-seller told You ?

I send mine twice and DreamMachines service said that everything is OK.
But it is not I get constant crashes (sudden system shutdown with fans going on max) on many games.

When I manage to restart it between the game crash and the shutdown i get a BSOD: VIDEO_DXGKRNL_FATAL_ERROR
In some case also after restart I login to windows and after ~3min with fans on max doing nothing it shutdowns itself.
Also before the shutdown when I open GPU-Z the RTX 2060 is displaying like this:

https://ibb.co/SfZkLF0

Sometimes I can play for 2h and nothing and them 3 crashes in a row.
In some games like Total War MEDIEVAL II I enforce the crash on custom battles examples on YouTube:

 

Have you tried different drivers or OS service pack?

 

Yes I tried Windows 1703, 1809, 1903 with different NVIDIA Drivers and the behavior is the same. Maybe I didn't test all the options but it should work with drivers released by the re-seller/manufacturer and it is not working.

 

Speak to your reseller again, try and come up with the most reliable way to make it crash and provide the videos you have.

 

Just writing to say that both Gibs141 and I went back to our individual resellers with ways to reproduce the issue, and we both got motherboard replacements. I haven't had a single DirectX crash ever since the new mobo. This is not to say that the mobo was the issue, since the GPU appears to be soldered onto the mobo. A GPU swap would necessitate a mobo swap.

 

The bare chips are very difficult to source so even with BGA equipment it's tricky.

 

I’m having an intermittent ‘Fan’ problems with my P960RN from @Prostar Computer. My system usually has low temps under load but sometimes even after a cold boot the system beeps while idle with CPU temps in the mid 70’s. It’s as though my fans are not really on although Control Center 3.0 says they are. I just uninstalled CC to see if my problem is related to the program which gets frequent updates (need time to test this). Hitting Max fans is audible but it doesn’t stop the alarm. The only quick fix is to cycle through the power modes back to performance. I’m not a big time gamer but usually I can play AAA titles (Xbox GamePass) under load for a few hours or work on 3D renderings without a high temp incident. Even at this moment my idle temps are below 40C in the 34-38C range. Since the event is completely random I would like to reset my EC firmware or update the bios to the latest version. Can someone direct me to where I can get the latest MB downloads? The ProStar’s support page only has links for old device drivers. Nothing for EC Firmware or Bios that I can see. Thanks.

I am currently running:
Windows 10 Home Version 1903 OS build 18362.295
ME FW Version: 12.0.34.1425
MB Series: P95_96_97Ex,Rx
BIOS Version: 1.07.06P
KBC/EC Firmware Revision: 1.07.06
Edit: just uninstalled Control Center 3.0 successfully

 

Sorry for the late reply. I don’t have my forum notifications set up right. Did you get your TS working? I forget where but there is a XTU Service or Task that runs in the background that other programs potentially depend on. This might conflict with your presets if you had XTU set up in past. I’m really not familiar with Intel’s app so I could be wrong.

A maximum temp of 88C under load isn’t bad but I would focus on a long term tests to see how well it holds up. TimeSpy isn’t meant for that. The best way is to play a real world game with the Temps, Clocks and FPS overlays on screen (use MSI Afterburner w/ RivaTuner enabled).

How are your individual core temps? Are they even? I had repasted mine because I had some cores with a 10 - 15 degree temperature difference from the others. A repaste fixed this issue and lowered my overall temps as well.

 

Nice to hear that Your re-seller replaced the motherboard.
With mine the funny thing is that I can reproduce the issue like every 10 min on Total War MEDIEVAL II custom battles.
I even prepared an instruction for the re-seller how He can do this but He is telling me that on his side everything is ok and the game works.
I think he is lying to me because when I got the machine back from service I immediately run the game and crash

 

If you email prostar they can send you the latest file.

 

I'm looking to add a more portable laptop to my existing P775TM DTR system and I'm intrigued by the 16 inch P960RN, although I'm put off by the battery size.

After a few months of use, what are the strengths and weaknesses of this model? Apart from performance: sound, screen, portability, and battery life?

 

The middle ground is the PB series.

 

Hey! Sorry for being late as heck.

Yeah - VIDEO_DXGKRNL_FATAL_ERROR was a recurring issue that force shut down my system dozens of times over the months.

As @Sodalitas mentioned, we had to send our systems back - they replaced the GPU and motherboard. It fixed the issue! Been running fine since a few months ago when I sorted it out, zero blue screens so far. If you've been getting a ton of those then I'd really press the issue about swapping the GPU.

 

Lots of video errors over different drivers usually is a pretty firm sign.

 

So. I have the P960EF and I’m looking at the Razer Core X. The external thunderbolt 3 graphics plug in engine. Does the Sager P960EF have thunderbolt 3? I’m a little confused. The laptop has lots of different ports. I have contacted the manufacturer but they won’t have a reply until Monday. I have the 8750H i7 coffee lake processor and the RTX 2070 8 GB Max-Q variant

 

Nope, the P960Ex series do not have Thunderbolt 3 support.

Sent from my Pixel 2 using Tapatalk

 

It's going to be hard for a thunderbolt 3 GPU to match the internal GPU given the performance penalty.

 

I've got this problem with GPU-related crashes and BSODs as well. What I discovered - lowering the clock speed of GPU in MSI Afterburner decreases the crash frequency quite noticeably. Olso - it have never crashed in Borderlands 3 for me, but keeps crashing in CS:GO and Rocket League

 

This sounds exactly like the problems we had. Downclocking in MSI Afterburner lowers the frequency of crashes but does not eliminate it. Talk to your reseller about a motherboard replacement. After my motherboard replacement, I have had zero graphics related BSODs.

 

CS:GO can stress the card in different ways like super high frame rate output.

 

Yeah, I'll definitely do that. My brand is Dream Machines, just like @CiuchY. Hope they won't treat me like a moron..

 

@Prostar Computer didn't reply back to me for those wondering. I PM them as I did before when they were helping me on Sound Blaster SBX app but they went dark as of page 35 of this thread. Can’t get any love for Bios / EC Firmware links?

In the end I repasted the GPU / CPU to resolve many issues. Some games I’ve tested under the Xbox GamePass library crash but full BSOD is very seldom. For the most part in regards to stability I didn’t have to under clock the system to play games. I believe a repaste will help many others. The stock one from the factory is low grade. Try choosing one (maybe carbon based) that degrades much less over time.

I would still would like to get access to EC Firmware and Bios updates for this hardware. Did @Prema figure something out?

 

BIOS/EC files are served on request so we can ensure you are using the right file.

 

Had to do a repaste again, since my temps were super high...hitting thermal throttle. I had CM Mastergel Maker, and now repasted with Kryonaut. I wonder how long will it last. I travel with my laptop daily so I cannot risk liquid metal but I am thinking of trying those graphite pads or IC Diamond.

 

I used TF8 from ThermalRight (13.8 W/mk) bought on Amazon this year. It's carbon based and lasts for several years. They also make something called TFX (14.3 W/mk) that I haven't tried yet it costs a little more. The TF8 was pretty easy to apply and my numbers are still really good so far.

 

Well, I also found this - http://forum.notebookreview.com/thr...ctive-cooling-mod-for-p775dm2-p775dm3.803626/
I am going to give that a try, but I need to buy some TIM cleaner first since it will require a new repaste. Also I might need new tightening screws for the heatsink since these ones heads are kinda messed up (I wonder if I could find some hex screws).

 

Clevo bios repository, you'll have to check whether the files there are up to date.
https://repo.palkeo.com/clevo-mirror/

If you have poor heatsink/die contact, a 0.5mm copper shim works like a charm.

 

A decent paper towel is fine as a TIM removal tool.