*** Official Clevo P970Ex Owner's Lounge ***

I have the original box, the original charger, the original instructions book and I have spoken with them and they say that as I didn’t buy it directly from them I don’t have any right to ask for a warranty or a BIOS/EC firmware I was asking for also. I am thinking in calling my local authorities and explaining the situation to see what they tell me to do, if I have everything but I don’t know the original seller is there any legal right to claim my property having everything? Thanks

 

I believe XMG / Schenker can sell you a replacement keyboard if you are in Europe. Just message one of them and they should help.

 

Ah so you got it 2and hand? Speak to citizens advice.

 

But warranty moves with the product. It is not bound to the first owner.

 

Depends on the terms of the warranty and local laws.

 

In my opinion it mostly is dependend on the shop itself, you can always go further than what is specified.

In my case, the screen of my Clevo was bend, After complaining the shop told that they all have that. In that case I just used the right to sent in back and get a full refund. Afterwards it could have been repaired, but I ordered a TongFang instead (which I still have).

If you buy laptops of 1500+ euro's, there may be some service on that product, if it is the first buyer or not. It shouldn 't matter. As long as it is not abused off course.

 

The 2and owner does not know the history of the machine though.

 

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User1:Yes, well, it's not any worse than the timings that I had in my MSI GS65... I apologize if I interrupted another conversation that was going on about power supplies... but I did have a question about that. The power supply from the p970ef is the exact same as the one for my MSI except the MSI is 230W I believe, would it be beneficial to use the 230W power supply? Would that allow extra power to go to the CPU/GPU and allow for better overclocking or turbo?

User2: It is limited by bios anyway

My Reply: Just for everyones information another person asked if there was evidence that the Clevo P970RF was limited by BIOS from using the 230W power adapter instead of the 180W. I asked Sager through a customer support ticket if it could work and they stated long as the output pin size & voltage was correct, it could work given thermals etc.
I purchased a Chicony 230W power block (OEM brand, same one MSI uses) and the P970RF is still BIOS/EC limited from excending 180W of system power (like Meaker@Sager stated). I've been able to keep the thermals in line with a nice KLIM Cooler Pad, without it there would be no thermal headroom for additional CPU wattage.
I didnt see the post until now but thought everyone should know its been tried and tested. I ended up keeping the power adapter anyway, doesnt get as hot as the 180W power brick that can litterly be to hot to touch during heavy gaming over extended timespans (not a con for me).

P.S. The MSI Afterburner tool undervolting using the OC Scanner is a must. My GPU (RTX 2070 Maxq) clocks have increased from 1400Mhz (GPU Performance Scaling self-overclocks) to 1850Mhz stable, peaks at 1950Mhz. Temps have decreased at the same time from 187F down to ~170F. This has allowed better cooling of the CPU also given the shared heatpipe. With the CPU undervolt (offset -0.125) and liquid metal treatment applied on CPU+GPU. Performance is better than ever.

 

Hi guys, im having trouble finding review of Clevo P970RN / Sager NP8978.
I know this thread is for P970Ex... but perhaps someone here knows about this product?
Seems powerful with 2080 Max-Q, but kind of worried with the heat.

 

P970RN is just a P970EN with gen9 cpu instead.
I have P970EN with 2080-Max-Q and everything is fine.

 

Given the similar TDP ratings it's going to be pretty similar thermally.

 

Meaker@Sager question,
Is it possible to find the release notes on the various BIOS/EC versions for the P970. I was wondering what changes have been made since I upgraded from the 1.07.06LS1 BIOS version to 1.07.09LS1 (LS1 I assume is the Sager version of the BIOS).
I'm guessing the fan tables have been changed, as the laptop does not run as hot as it did previously. But I was also wondering if the turbo budget/tau timing had been changed at all.
Despite not reaching high temps, the amount of time spent max turbo seems relatively short. ThrottleStop's 'Locking & Disabling Turbo Power Limits' seems to resolve this but also disables Clevo Control Centers ability to switch power modes; Which is handy when going mobile.

Any additional knowledge on this subject is appreciated. Despite the popularity of this model, there does not seem to be much discussion regarding this laptop online.

 

You are not going to find that level of detailed release notes I'm afraid.

 

Hello guys.

I've owned a P970ED for a little over a year now I think, and so far I have been happy with it. Last night I experienced my first BSOD, and I didn't catch the exception, but it said there was an error with kbdclass.sys DRIVER_IRQL_NOT_LESS_OR_EQUAL.

After some searching on Google I found that this is caused by an issue with the keyboard driver. I checked through the Control Panel, and my keyboard driver seems to be up to date.

So is this a known issue, and is there any known fix for this issue? Is it possible that this is due to a heat issue? I use ThrottleStop to mitigate heat issues.

Of note this is my 2nd Sager machine in a row, and this would be the second keyboard problem I've had with a Clevo chassis, but the customization options are a bit too good to pass up.

Any help, or information on this issue would be greatly appreciated. Thank you for your time.

Edit : I'm running Win 10 64 bit.

 

I dont remember if kbdclass.sys was the file, but the only time I have seen the DRIVER_IRQL_NOT_LESS_OR_EQUAL blue screen occur was when the computer was overheating (not sure if it was the earlier versions of clevo control center (e.g. v1.14) or the earlier versions of BIOS/EC but the fans would not ramp up enough at high temps) and could cause a blue screen.
Or an CPU undervolt that was to low on voltage). I no longer have any of those issues, but it was never related to the keyboard.

 

Thanks for the reply!

I do undervolt by 1.25 mv as the i7 8750h CPU I have tends to run a bit hot without it. I'd also add that at the very moment that the BSOD occurred the computer was hot to the touch due to being under heavy workload, and I'm likely overdue to clean the insides as I've been in a desert for the last 4 months. So, heat does make sense, and is a likely possibility then.

Anyone else know for sure that it was the heat? Is it possible that a bad USB device could cause this? I'd think not, but a long shot?

Thanks again for the reply.

 

CPU errors can spit out any kind of error code. Try reducing the undervolt a step.

 

Maybe search online for stable undervolts for your processor. But I do know for the 9th gens 0.125V is a good standard undervolt that should work on most i7-9750H cpu's, although it does vary processor to processor. The i7-8750 being very similar, I would suggest what Meaker@Sager said, and see if that works. Ive seen the same BSOD for high temps and for an unstable undervolt.

When running high loads or gaming definitely have the fans running on max (FN+1 keyboard shortcut or through the clevo control center).
*Note if your using XMP to undervolt, sometimes the voltage offset will revert to the stock offset (0) even though the app shows its applied. Throttlestop is more reliable for this function imo.

Given you have good ventilation, ever since I did the undervolt the surface by the laptops cpu fan side is no longer very hot to the touch nor the keyboard. An undervolt is a must on these high-performance mobile cpu's. A stable undervolt increasing performance/decreasing temps with no cons is a no-brainer. A notebook cooler goes a long way for the P970 given all the vents on the bottom of the laptop. I got close to a 10F degree drop in temps.
If your a gamer, undervolting the RTX Maxq GPU using MSI Afterburner gives even better improvements in performance (GPU performance at the level of a desktop RTX 2060) and temps (20C lower) at the same time.

Off Topic: I wish there was more discussion online maybe in the form of forum threads about this model of laptop.

 

I've tried a new undervolt with a reduction as Meaker has suggested, and I'll continue to monitor the heat. So far there's not been anymore issues with BSODs.

Thank you both for the help!

 

Excellent, the voltage requirement will drift up slowly over time as CPUs age so bear that in mind.

 

My reseller (GenTechPC) said liquid metal does not need to be repasted during the life of the laptop. I found information to contrary, after disassembly, sure enough the contrary information was correct. After a year the liquid metal had "dried up" for lack of a better term. After LM repaste performance is looking much better and now temps are more in line with temps other forum members have posted.
The overheating I experienced under earlier versions of the BIOS/EC and/or Clevo Control Center with their more conservative fan curves may have contributed to this.

The information I read elsewhere said '...due to laptops having lower heatsink mounting pressures in comparison to desktop cpu heatsinks, can lead to higher oxidation and so forth from air'. Thus requiring more frequent repastes, although mileage may vary.
Nevertheless, I'm pretty jawdropped at the drop in temperatures even while under load during gaming sessions.

**Sadly, the keyboard ribbon connector in this laptop is a ***** to reconnect. Couldnt properly lock the collar back down. (Realized later, the connector is not like the other ones on the board, the ribbon goes in on the opposite side of the locking clip) Despite my years of experience with building computers and working with delicate ribbon cables and their connectors. I'm going to have to send it in for an RMA to replace the clip as it is not a readily available part. At least when I get it back, itll be running perfect.

 

If the heatsink is not nickel plated copper, you'll need to reapply LM after a while due to chemical reaction between copper and gallium.

 

Yeah I inquired from sager about that, and that it is just copper. I didnt know it was just part of the regular maintenance with liquid metal with this type of heatsink. Odd that the reseller would say it doesnt need to be reapplied.
Thanks I probably will just monitor temps and when im back to 15C higher temps again Ill know its time to repaste

 

Just remember only a small amount is needed, better to need to apply a bit more in a few months than having it rolling around the board.

 

Found out why I had trouble with the keyboard ribbon clip. Im sure everyone else will pay attention during disassembly so you know how everything reconnects, but FYI Ive never seen a ribbon clip that connected but locks on the opposite side. All other ribbon cables on the notebook do as normal, insert side is the same side as the locking collar side.But the keyboard ribbon, is different from the rest of the ribbon connectors.
See Attached Image from the Clevo P970 Service Manual illustrating as such.

 

Hi all
Looking at purchasing one of these with some updated specs within a month (When release) just wanted some long term feedback, who's had their laptop around a year or more? Does anyone strongly advise to keep looking? Is anything starting to wear out of the ordinary from daily use?

 

Hi im new here. I have some problem with my laptop. My warranty expired and they said repair cost 515$ (withouth shipping and labor)and i cant afford. My problem is bsod. Video dxgkrnl.sys fatal eror when playing games. Benchmark and some other tests are ok. I need help.

 

If the motherboard itself is damaged that's not a bad repair cost.

 

I don't know. I'm a student and i can't afford it. Laptop never opened before. Only i change the paste. (I bought it second hand and i can't contact with original owner ) Can they still replace the mobo ?

 

Depends on the reason for the damage and warranty conditions (if it still has any left for example).

The other option is a Louis Rossman style repair shop.

 

Warranty expired 1 month ago. I don't know can i found repair shop like a Louis Rossman's in my country.

 

Then unfortunately it's very tricky, for a motherboard swap that price is very good and without expertise I doubt you will have much luck with a repair.

 

https://www.ipc-computer.es/clevo/p-serie/p900/p970ef/reparar-52581154/nup

 

Please, somebody knows where to buy a keyboard? Some of the keys stopped working. Thank you.

 

Have you spoken to your reseller?

 

Hi all,
I have a p970en and the cpu fan died ...it is dying. I contacted pc specialist and I am still waiting for a reply, Do you know what kind of part do I need to order if i replace it myself?
Edit ...it says BS5205HS-U3Z. It seems that it comes only from China nobody has stock in the UK. That means almost a month of waiting. If you know someone who might have stock please let me know.

 

Your reseller is the best option if nothing good is coming up in the likes of eBay/Amazon.

 

I ordered one from ebay and I have to wait . I am pretty sure that pc specialist will not have stock of spare parts. But you never know. There is a German clevo website with loads of components in stock. But it doesn't have the fan or the heatsink for p970.

 

Easter holidays at the moment so will be Tuesday at the earliest response.

 

Just checking back in with you guys. So far the laptops holding up well since I purchased it Feb 2019. Just recently had to swap out LCD's, started getting horizontal lines and was told by tech support most likely the screen had gone out, after I verifying the screens connectors to the motherboard were fine.

Kind of shocked cause although I use the laptop none-stop, my previous Asus laptop screen lasted 5+ years, probably longer if it did not get physically damaged causing it to be replaced.

Here I am two years later replacing it. Pretty much was told in so many words this is the way the industry is, especially when it comes to electronics. Manufactured obsolescence, producted designed to fail after an artificially set period of time.

Otherwise people like myself will be walking around with a Note 5 when they haven't convinced me outside of better cameras & making it more difficult to repair. Hurting sales thus profits on their $1200 Note 20 if you keep your old device. Okay, RANT Over but serious just wanted to know if this is common place. Although I use my laptop all the time I have the standard sleep times enabled when not in use

 

It can happen with screens but is not that common.

 

Hi,

I've got a P970ED. Wanted to know what is the size of the thermal pads for the cpu and gpu?

Would like to redo my paste and might aswell do the pads.

Thanks.

 

I always buy a 10cm x 10cm square of 0.5 and 1.0mm pads and hand tune it.

 

I own a P960ED and recently replaced much of the thermal pads on the heatsink, mainly because a couple were damaged. A picture of it is here and in the page behind there's another user's photo of the heatsink. *** Official Clevo P960EP6/ P960ED/ P960EF/ P960EN Owner's Lounge ***

All of the pads I replaced were either 1.0mm or 1.5mm in height (mostly 1.0mm), and there was one pad that was 2.0mm that I didn't replace. I don't know how closely this resembles your laptop, but if I had to guess you can buy a 85mmx45mm pad for 1.5mm but you should buy a bigger pad for 1.0mm. I used the Thermalright Odyssey Pad. Hopefully that helps!

 

If you can thin down the pads by 0.5mm and make contact still you will often find your temps improve a lot.

 

Thanks for the replies appreciate it.