Asus ROG G701VI - Air-cooled single GTX 1080 laptop

Do you think that this laptop need repast for better temp on CPU/GPU ?

 

All laptops can be re-pasted with enthusiast pastes for some improvement, but I don't recommend doing it blindly.

Get your laptop and do some testing. Undervolt the CPU first with Intel XTU, all Skylake CPU's have been overvolted in their BIOS, and that heats them up hotter than needed, putting extra load on the cooling system.

After undervolt of -100mV to -200mV is found, then do testing with 100% fans first, give the cooling system the best chance to keep up with the heat generated.

Auto fans ramp up the fans slowly, to keep things quiet, and for most use the engineers know the CPU load will be peaky infrequent and vary greatly so they don't track the load in real time they gradually ramp up the fan speed if the CPU load and heat generated continues.

You want CPU temps under 90c on average. Peaks may hit over that due to slow fan ramp up, if you tend to do this a lot then make a custom fan curve to ramp up speeds quicker.

The CPU with thermal throttle around 93c, which reduces performance to reduce heat before it runs away to the 100c maximum which should be the shutdown temperature to protect the CPU.

Re-pasting the CPU shouldn't be needed out of the box, it should do as above just fine on it's own. If it doesn't I would swap it for another one from the retailer. If it's a hard to find unit, and you feel comfortable doing re-pasting do it yourself, otherwise RMA it. You must prove it is thermal throttling on stock speeds before Asus will repaste it.

The Pascal GPU's run hot, so expect something in the mid-80's, especially the 1080. Re-pasting doesn't usually help GPU's much, but again if it's a problem and you are comfortable with re-pasting, you can try it on your own, or swap for another one, or let Asus do it for you.

Remember you should get a functioning unit out of the box. If you don't then first option is returning for refund and getting another one somewhere else if the place you got yours doesn't have any more in stock. The next option is for your retailer to fix it, or RMA to Asus.

If you end up getting one, please come back and let us know how it works out

 

Hi,
I have the same problem with bleeding.
One week ago I bought my G701VI from Hidevolution and it has very bad "light bleed", almost like your. I called to Hidevolution support and they told that all Asus on the stock has same "bleeding". They offered to me exchange or to choose maybe other models and brands. Also, I think I have a problem with keyboard light around F1-F4 keys or it should be like this?
I'm from UAE and I paid 150$ for international shipping and now should pay again this amount to send it back. If All Asus G701VI has the same problem, so, I'm totally disappointed. For the product with cost more that 3k $ they must offer premium quality. I understand that with IPS display it's almost impossible to avoid 100% "bleeding" but still....

 

@michellelane71 - you changed your earlier post about fixing the IPS bleed? Did it stop working or what happened?

I was hoping you would post a how to step by step so people like @Joos777 and others would be able to fix theirs too...

 

I'm new on this forum and I can't upload images for now.
I had 3 "light bleed" on my screen. 2 on the bottom and 1 on the upper left side corner. When I little bit lifted up the bezel on the left upper corner the "bleeding" seems to disappear or become unnoticeable. But this didn't help on bottom side "bleeding". I didn't take any further attempts since I decided to return my G701VI and try my lucky with another one G701VI.

 

IPS panels are suceptable to "pinch" attachment points, most of the time people have been able to pop off bezel's and tweak the attachment points so they aren't so tight, or remove one so there isn't torsion between points.

IDK how the G701 responds to this tuning, but hopefully someone will try it, perfect it, and make a step by step or at least some general instructions.

It's frustrating, usually the laptop with an IPS monitor backlight bleed is otherwise in fine condition, hopefully you can adjust the next one to fix the problem

 

@hmscott

I've uploaded some pics on photo hosting site.
What do you think?

https://i.imgsafe.org/29d739a1ef.jpg
https://i.imgsafe.org/29dd248b13.jpg

keyboard light F1-F4
https://i.imgsafe.org/29da3b98b2.jpg

 

I should mention that everyone with the light bleed problem should report it to Asus via their tech support system, make sure Asus knows this isn't acceptable and that they need to fix this problem in production.

Register your laptop, then file a ticket with a zip attachment with photo(s) of the light bleed.
https://vip.asus.com

At this point, with only 2 samples of the lightbleed it looks like a production problem. Both look similar and both have pinches at the same points.

You will likely keep getting the same results trying different units, so either fix it yourself, or start the process to get Asus to fix it.

I lived with early IPS panels that had similar light bleed, and the key to living with it is to avoid looking at it. Don't use dark background screens, don't overdrive the display at 100% brightness / contrast - turn it down - this should reduce the light bleed quite a bit.

When I finally got IPS panels with no light bleed, and I was already used to not doing the things that show light bleed, the effect was the same for me. The only time I noticed the no light bleed was during boot, reboot, and shutdown.

It's up to you to find out if you can set things up so you can tune it to live with it, or if you want to start down the path of obsessively trying to get it fixed. Often vendors aren't able to fix such problems - it's the panel clips under the bezel and they would have to reengineer it. They may do that re-engineering, or they may not.

Seems very odd Asus messed this up, my Asus laptops all had clear IPS panels with no light bleed, looks like they messed up the G701VI display attachment design.

 

The G701VI Use a PLS Panel, mine as little light bleed still when change the screen Tilt, what a crappy design Going to break the Finger File out again

@hmscott do you know where i can get the Square stickers that cover the left and right Screws ? mine are toast now since ive removed them twice.

 

What are they? Covers over the screws? If they are matching plastic then maybe get some replacement adhesive, or thin double sided hanger paper.

Here are a few links to Asus replacement parts suppliers:
https://www.google.com/search?q=asu...rome..69i57.2994j0j7&sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8

Screws are stripped? Or just the heads? Make sure you get a good set of screw drivers - good ones have a selection of pitch and grip so you can get a good hold on the screw and don't slip and strip them.

Try a local hardware store, you may have to settle for cad II plated, unless you get lucky and find black cad coating.

 

@hmscott the screws are find its these plastic sticky cover mine are ruined from taken them out to reveal the screws need some replacements

 

Looks like G701VI has AUO B173HAN01.1 AHVA-type panel.
Could anyone please confirm this?

 

You could ask your vendor and Asus to get you some new ones. Tell them you will trade them tips on reducing IPS lightbleed to give to their production people

 

So what's the verdict from owners with heat, fan noise and any throttling?
Love the specs on this just wondering if its worth my money and time.

 

Also very interested in it.

 

@GenTechPC @pat@XOTICPC @Donald@HIDevolution

 

@thanks Möbius
I was looking for more of a owners point of view .

 

My system finally arrived from HIDevolution; I'll probably be RMA'ing it.

Looks like the battery doesn't want to take a charge - orange battery light in lower left-hand corner blinks non-stop - windows says it is not taking a charge - waiting on Support for a response.

HWiNFO says battery is all green and Discharging under AC power - sad panda.

@trali

Panel info from HWiNFO:

AUO B173HAN01.1

Back-light bleeds seems acceptable but this is my first personal, non-work laptop so unsure what to expect

Been lamenting over my ~$4400 purchase so missed dinner and am going to go spend another ~$4400 at the bar down the street while some games install.

I can answer any other questions when I get back - I spent extra on a 1TB 960 PRO, which are very new so I can post specs there that may be useful after I bench it.

@Donald@HIDevolution was awesome on the phone and Ted K. is very responsive over support, would recommend to anyone as a first time buyer ... just wish my battery would take a charge!

 

You could try the power button reset, I don't see a reset button description in the manual for the G701VI, but it's worth a try.

While shutdown, unplug the laptop from the power adapter, then hold down the laptop power button for ~20 seconds. Make sure you hold it down otherwise it will just boot up normally.

Then plug it back in and power up. See if it starts charging.

If that doesn't work, try doing the reset while plugged in.

Look for a reset button hole on the back side. None is mentioned in the laptop manual, but it's worth checking anyway. It's odd no hardware reset option is documented.

If you are handy, and feel comfortable taking off the back cover, you could see if you can reach the internal battery connector and see if it's just not seated completely.

Another trick that has worked on older Asus laptops is to go to the Device Manager and Uninstall the Battery / Power Adapter entry.

IDK which one or both will show up for you, if you aren't sure then please post the Device Manager screenshot for those entries.

If you like double check with HID before trying any of these, hopefully they can give more specific G701VI advice.

All of this is a pain to do, but at least it beats waiting for the roundtrip time for an RMA

Asus G701VI Manual - English
http://dlcdnet.asus.com/pub/ASUS/nb/G701VI/0409_E12001_G701VI_A.pdf

 

Thanks hmscott - I gave those suggestions (and permutations of those suggestions) a whirl to no avail, save trying to open the chassis.

I had HIDevolution do some upgrades from the base model (minimalist install with only the essentials, color calibration, ssd, ram, etc) so I "assume" that everything was in tip-top shape when it left their upgrading place; to be read, whatever they would do to fix the laptop after I ship it back I am hoping *i* can do here on site given the proper guidance ... unsure how that affects the extra warranty stuff that I paid for from HIDevolution, however. =(

Hopefully they tell me to pop the back off and re-seat a small connector as you have suggested ... the idea of shipping things around this time of year scares the crap out of me ... and my order was delayed *twice* already due to manufacturer inventory problems (not HID problems) ... I ordered this system 1st week of October and just now received it on 12-Dec.

#1stWorldEarlyAdopterProblems

 

Besides the problems you are having have you tried gaming?
Would love to hear your thoughts on temps and fan noise.

 

Thank you!
What about PWM? Does this laptop use it?

Also interested in gaming performance & temps. Do you have 6820HK?

 

Anyone know where to find better documentation on the BIOS that describes all the settings? For example, the user manual doesn't describe all the advanced settings.

Also, I'm interested in the dual SSD Raid-0 model but may want to convert it to 2 non-Raid disks. What would be the best approach? For example, could I create a system image to an external drive, split the Raid group, and then restore to one of the drives?

Thx

 

Asus should have a backup utility or instructions on how to use MS's version to make a backup image. But I don't see it mentioned in the manual. I do see instructions on how to do a recovery restore:

http://dlcdnet.asus.com/pub/ASUS/nb/G701VI/0409_E12001_G701VI_A.pdf

IDK if Asus is offering a restore USB flash drive with their high-end laptops yet, have recommended it many times to them.

If Asus doesn't provide a restore recovery option, then I would use Macrium Reflect Free.

http://www.macrium.com/reflectfree.aspx

Do an image backup of the entire RAID0 Volume, make a Macrium restore flash boot drive, then boot into the BIOS and split the RAID, reboot using the Macrium restore flash drive, and restore to the 1st M.2 SSD.

Macrium will let you resize the partitions at restore. Keep the first partitions intact size wise, then shrink the D partition (or whatever is the spare space partition) to the balance of space on the 1st drive.

Or leave out the free space partition, and make your own naming it the drive letter you want to. Or just rename the driver letter on the Macrium spare partition restore.

Or leave the space free after the C partition, and when you boot into Windows you can add the free space to the C partition. Or... you get the idea

Then you can do what you want with the 2nd SSD.

I should mention that I wouldn't do this with 128GB SSD's, they are too small, you want at least a 256GB C drive, or larger.

Have fun

 

Thanks much. This approach is exactly what I was thinking except using Acronis TrueImage since I've used it before.

 

Macrium Reflect Free.

 

True, but I already have Acronis and know it!

 

There are no hd bays and no optical drive..any way to add an hdd or ssd (non PCIe) in this laptop?

 

I believe the only way would be externally via USB-3 or Thunderbolt.

 

Does anyone have the G701VI and using it successfully with Steam and an Oculus Rift or HTC Vive HMD? If so, did you have any problems getting it to work? I ask, because I have an Oculus compatible HMD (PIMAX 4K) but cannot get it to work with Steam. SteamVR keeps giving me a 307 error. I've tried all the solutions on the Steam web site and have opened a support case with Steam. I'm also working with the HMD vendor to debug it but I'm wondering if there isn't some common problem with HMDs on the G701VI. I can use the HMD fine on my desktop PC which has a GTX 1080 and ASUS Z170I motherboard. Thanks in advance.

UPDATE: I tested the G701VI with the HTC Vive and it works. The problem with the PIMAX 4K is still being investigated.

 

Is there anyway to run a test to see how good a thermal paste job was done on my system when it was built? I would like to test it while still in the return window to makes sure I don't have a problem in the future when I run more performance intensive workloads. I'm thinking there must be some benchmarks I could run and compare the results to what should be expected from a Mobile GTX 1080. However, I don't know what benchmarks would be best and where to find the comparison data. Thx!

 

You could run Aida64 FPU stress test or OCCT and Heaven simultaneous for max temp on whole setup.

Cinbench R11.5/R15 benchmarks for processor and 3DM11 - 3DM Firestrike for graphics. Then you can compare scores from your machine against ranking list on Hwbot and Futuremark.

 

Thanks!

 

The lack of reviews of this laptop is a bit frustrating, besides the gentechpc and Exotic videos its hard to tell how loud the fans really are the gentech video shows its extremely loud but the lone user review on YouTube says they are not that loud.
Wish I had more info because that's the only thing holding back, well that and the immanent announcement of a Kaby Lake version at CES.

 

LHz can procure a review unit if enough people are interested in a thorough review

 

That would be amazingly awesome if that would happen.

 

My 7970M just died on me and I was looking at potential single gpu GTX 1080 offerings, but these prices are way jacked compared to what you got. It has been the case for almost a decade that a laptop with the flagship gpu went for around 2k give or take, with highish specs and IO for its time. This Asus offering replaces the G752 and starts at 2900 USD, why? The useless 120hz FHD screen doesn't warrant that much. The generic M.2 SSD doesn't warrant that much.

I was starting to consider a slim profile desktop with a 1080 to replace my aging Sager, but the narrow performance difference between desktop and laptop gpus this generation made me want to consider laptops again, but not at this price point. I could buy a razer blade AND use the leftovers for a desktop gpu/cpu and strip my old laptop, do a hackjob, and end up with two gaming rigs.

 

Please wait and get the new release unit, that's of more interest long term.

By the time you get and review the Skylake unit the Kabylake should be available, maybe?

 

Can get both, not a problem for us.

But yeah, I'll wait. It's been widely known that 6820HK will hit a voltage wall somewhere around 4.2, excited on what happens with Kaby Lake.

 

@hmscott



The G701VI OC Edition takes over at the top of the 17.3” lineup. We’ve expanded the chassis from the previous generation to incorporate a larger cooler with improved overclocking headroom. The extra thickness is worthwhile for heavy artillery like a desktop replacement, where portability is already compromised to increase performance.


I always thought that the 701VI skylake had too thin/small of a heatsink for the components


now look like a G752 in terms of thickness, very odd

 

Very nice new look, i'll take a slightly thicker chasis if it helps with fan noise and temps every time.
Looks much better ,I really cant stand the red exhuast trim on the back of the G752,any word on availibilty and pricing? Anymore pics I can see of this monster?

 

Well hmscott said asus is always late...

That being said, the 701VI skylake is on sale at walmart...

 

Nothing against Walmart but I'd never buy a high end gaming laptop from there, GenTechPC or Hidevolution are my choice of places to order very expensive laptops, they are the only places that offer CLU thermal repaste options.
Yes I'm a lazy bastard and with a lot of these newer laptops repasting can be a real pain.....

 

I know

Just interesting that of all places the 701VI would pop out there

 

Not always, but not surprisingly on time either

MSI usually drops new laptop models first... as do Acer.

 

well probably not late on the announcement department, but when it is deliver to customer

 

Yup, that's what I was referring to, when they drop it into the stores and you can actually see it and purchase it.

Always have to wait for the top end Asus, but the MSI / Acer entries ship first.

 

Hi there.

Few days ago I finally got my Asus G701vi replacement. There is still "light bleed" but not so much noticeable. Before HIDEVOLUTION shipped it I've ordered repasting from them with "Coollaboratory Liquid Ultra on CPU and IC Diamond on GPU".

Now I'm very disappointed with thermal issue. I played "Witcher 3" on ultra settings with "hair works" on. Temperature runs 100c. Once windows crashed. I monitoring temperature with HW monitor and Intel XTU.

I knew that all 6820hk has thermal issues that why I ordered repasting but I really didn't expect that with repasting it gets worse. Today I wrote to HIDEVOLUTION but still no answer. Planing to call them Monday. So, I'm planning to return this laptop and forgot about "asus rog" series. I'm going to wait alienware 17 r3 with "kaby lake". I already spent for shipping more than 500$.

P.s. I tried to undervolt cpu but it was helpless. If you have any suggestions, please tell me.

 

Fan noise is very loud.

 

Always test the stock paste job before repasting, it's common sense really.

You run some repeatable benchmarks before repasting, look at the results, and from there you can tell whether it *needs* repasting or not.

When you decide to go forward with re-pasting even with good temps, at least you now have baseline temperature measurements with benchmarks that can be run again after the re-pasting to see if it improved things, or made them worse - like now.

At least with those before / after test results you can decide whether to accept the laptop or ask for another re-paste - with a different paste - before shipping. Now you need to have another round of shipping.

CLU isn't always successful, and it's best to not play with that - since it's conductive, use ICD or Gelid Extreme, or one of the newer pastes like Grizzly Kryonaut.

Also, you don't mention undervolting, something you can still try to see if it's good enough - likely not since CLU on CPU, but it's worth a tryt least.

At you can find out how far this particular CPU can undervolt, and if it gets a high enough undervolt it's a keeper so just get it re-pasted again.

BTW, Hairworks is useless, no need to load a laptop with that.

It's a pretty cool laptop, you've made a number of newbie mistakes, maybe keep learning by continuing to try, and give HID a chance to re-paste to fix it?

At least you've got a good sample with less light bleed from the display