Asus Zephyrus M w/1070. Any questions?

I have this laptop right here

http://www.microcenter.com/product/...501GS-XS74_156_Gaming_Laptop_Computer_-_Black

Ask away and I’ll answer back in this post for organizational purposes.

 

1 how are the temperatures ?

2 does it feel heavy ?

3 whould you buy it over a sager np8954 ?

 

HOT! But don't let anyone tell you that their 8750h is running cool in a chassis 1" thin or less. We're talking upper 90's in 5 min of Overwatch.

5.5lbs with good weight balance.

I would take the Sager over this based on $400-600 cheaper, LAN port and card reader which the Asus lacks.

 

Not surprised there, for whatever reason that game seems to generate way more heat in GPUs than what I would consider more demanding games.

 

do you think that with liqiud metal and Fujipoly Extreme Thermal Pads + undervolting cpu and gpu that the device can run well ?
Its because the asus pack the full power 1070 while the sager packs the 80W max q 1070 . The 80w max q performance is only 10%(5% with esports titles) faster than a laptop 1060 and can't be either overclocked or undervolted(due to running at below 0.8v all the time). The performance hit from gtx 1070 115w to 80w max q is around 26% stock and should get even larger when the Normal 1070 runs at 1850mhz @ 0.9v through msi afterburner


* note : there are two versions of the max 1070 an 80w version and a 90w version. The 80w boosts around 1200~1316 while the 90w version boosts to around 1480~1544. Sager and MSI use the 80w version while gigabyte uses the 90w version

 

Can I get liqiud metal and Fujipoly Extreme Thermal Pads and other customizations(for a fee of course) after buying a laptop from newegg , and then taking it to xoticpc or gentechpc or HIDevoultion and other resellers ?

 

I personally do not like the liquid metal, if improperly applied or if ANY leaks out it can short your mobo. I like the thermal pastes like IC diamond or Thermal Grizzly best.

 

I though thermal grizzly conductonaut was liqiud metal

 

I agree even though I make LM videos. I also don’t claim otherwise.

 

Thermal Grizzly is the brand. They have LM and non- conductive TIM too such as Kryonaut.

 

Yep, the "metal" type one is the conductonaut, I believe.

 

Can you get Type-C output to support G-SYNC? I know this is going to require an adapter - and that the laptop screen itself is already GSYNC, but I was thinking of getting this to game along with an external GSYNC monitor - and it would be sad if GSYNC doesn’t work that way.

 

I do not know as I don’t have access to the adapter and an external Gsync monitor.

 

Yeah, If the monitor has Gsync capabilities and you have the right adapter. In theory it would be just fine.

 

Appreciate both your advice and comments.

I'm being tempted by the LM dark side. I have extensive experience watercooling pc's and feel I wouldn't have much trouble applying LM. Especially as I would do it multiple times just to be able to see if I am applying the right amount and blah blah.

But what I'm having trouble finding out is the longevity of LM. I believe the zephyrus m heat sink is nickle, so the "drying up" from reacting with copper shouldn't be an issue. But i've read numerous posts about not using LM in application that get above 70-80C. Or of LM bubbling out when it gets too hot?

Anyway, this is not a desktop replacement for me, it's a convenience due to the amount I travel for my job. I don't mind putting in the work to get it setup properly, but want to then be able to forget about it.

Either of your's experience/advice would be greatly appreciated!


Also/lastly,

Does anyone know the timing specs of the 16gb RAM that the zephyrus m comes with? I'd like to put in another stick to benefit from having dual channel memory, but don't want mismatched timing.

 

From my experience it runs about the same in longevity as like your thermal grease like IC diamond.

 

Thank you for the reply!

@B0B, appreciate the video review and the walk through on tearing it down.

I'm wondering if you still feel as upset about the lack of thermal pads? It seems your reaction was kind of a result of shock, as you also immediately admit you have no evidence of the TIM having any negative impact on the performance of the machine.

I bought fujipoly pads to possibly install, but am leaning towards re-applying the TIM. As I won't be overclocking the machine, all it has to do is work and not melt right? I understand pads ought to cool those components better, but is that needed? If the components function reliably as is, why is there an issue?

 

No just as you stated I was in absolute shock considering this is a $2200 laptop.

I never felt like it hurt performance and if I was the one responsible for selling this machine there’s no way it would’ve left my factory without the best considering this is cream of the crop.

 

Fair enough!

The pads I ordered aren't getting here until middle of next week, but I wanted to do the repaste this weekend as I travel pretty much the next month. So that's why I was trying to figure out how big of a deal it would be to just re-use TIM instead.

Really appreciate all the detailed videos, I've spent quite sometime watching them and learning. Thanks!

 

1. Does the lift-up mechanism seem like it draws in an excessive amount of dirt/dust/hair? I have dogs so I wouldn't want the "enhanced" cooling solution to actually be a detriment in this environment.

2. Do components you plug into the side seem to suffer from being elevated at all? I know they're all closer to the front, but I have a fairly large USB and the idea of it sitting higher worries me just a tad bit.

3. This one is petty, but is there any way to disable the internal RGBs while its lifted up, or disable the ROG logo lights? I'd prefer getting rid of any red accents, honestly. I'm even thinking about calling Hidevolution to ask if they could do it, if I order this laptop.

 

Great questions!

1) Currently without pets and ultimately time will tell on build-up. I do not see this setup as something that will intake more dust and hair over anything else. However, its design allows the user to place the laptop nearly anywhere without suffocation and therefore you might be more apt to place this in locations that you normally wouldn't ultimately increasing the hair/dust intake.

2) Not at all. It's subtle. Very unique question, I like it.

3) You are able to disable every light upon my testing except the rear ROG logo. I didn't find a solution for that. It likely exists but it's not bright enough to radiate any ambient lighting.

 

I've got a question! You'll like this one
What do you personally like or dislike that stands out from other laptops that you've owned?

 

From my perspective?

Pro's:
-Best cooling per its form factor and spec without sacrificing the "lap" part of the laptop.
-Best gaming screen, no question.
-Still uses a 15" housing. People want thin bezels but perhaps not realizing you're getting into a 14" chassis which is pretty small to game on and limits cooling capability.
-Switchable graphics!

Con's:
-Ditch the 2.5 and increase the battery by 50% minimum.
-Allowing the user to switch between iGPU and dGPU in the BIOS should be required. Can it be addressed?
-Price, but its in-line for its class overall. It's a hard sell just spec alone, even though it truly offers some incredible tech
-Dedicated LAN is missing. It's such a great gaming machine before anything else. The 9560 NIC is great but WiFi won't satisfy everyone.

 

@B0B @Support.4@XOTIC PC or anyone else.

Random silly question, but it's been annoying me. When you set the rbg keyboard lighting to color cycle or rainbow mode (something cycling the colors), does the left arrow key lead the rest of the keys in changing color?

I know it's silly, but now that I noticed it it's so annoying. It's always 1 color ahead of the surrounding keys in the cycle. I guess the upside is it's clearly a programming issue as setting a static color displays the right color.

 

That’s a new one! I don’t think I would ever bring this up as a negative on the channel but it’s something I’ll look out for.

Other than this, what else do you like or dislike about this machine?

 

1. Before repasting, did you do any undervolting to see how it impacted temps?

2. Did you figure out if there was a way to disable to ROG logo lighting?

3. Did you happen to note what RAM it came with, or have any other information about it from hardware analysis software? I'm looking at adding another 16GB stick, and want to make sure it will be appropriate for what is in there.

Thanks for answering questions about the GM501, doesn't seem there are a lot out there yet.

 

Review added to the OP

 

Your review was a motivating factor in me purchasing the GM501, though I'm not sure those questions are answered in either review. I've since gotten the answers I was looking for though. Thanks again.

 

Undervolting alone does very little to extremely thin chassis laptops with this much power. Lots of work for little return.

The ROG logo lighting on the LID from my testing was unable to be shut off

My unit had Samsung RAM if I recall correctly. If you're trying to match it and can't find the same SKU just go with Crucial. You can also check the part # in CPU-Z and HWinfo64 too (I think).

 

^^ I got the ram specs from asus and posted them here: http://forum.notebookreview.com/threads/asus-zephyrus-m-gm501-owners-lounge.815303/page-16

In Argentina for the week on a school trip and this laptop has been amazing. I don't mind the bezel size honestly. I think the keyboard layout is great and was very easy to get used to using it when writing long reports. I've also been getting well over 3 hours of battery life when writing reports and doing minor web surfing during the week. I usually have ~20-30% left after ~3 hours. I think 4 hours is probably a stretch. But this is also with the screen brightness at something comfortable (50%+). So while I wish they ditched the hdd bay, put in a spare m.2. slot and a larger battery, it works.

The new strix ii laptop definitely would have been a serious consideration if I were still shopping due to the thinner bezel. But I think I would have still chosen the Zephyrus. Primary reason being the build quality, the more toned down presentation, and the thin case.

Pros
I didn't expect to LOVE the lift mechanism as much as I do. It's very sturdy, and makes working and even gaming on the lap feasible. Way better than vents on the bottom that are easier to block.

I also can play some games on silent mode with no issues which is great. No undervolt or repaste yet and on silent mode I hold steady 144fps in rocket league and temps ~85c max on the cpu. However, games like tomb raider do see benefit from bumping up the fan speed.

Lastly, the speakers are really quite good. Have been listening to a lot of music while working and they have a good full range and don't distort at full volume. These aren't a replacement to a decent quality portable speaker, but good enough for sitting in groups and working.

The last one is the overall interface with the laptop. My alienware 13 r2 suffered from slow response times and other weird things. This is the first laptop I've ever owned that feels as responsive and smooth as my desktops always have. So huge bonus there, but assume that's similar for most similar spec'd laptops.

Cons
The cons are definitely the battery life. It's enough to be adequately usable, but could have been so much better if it were almost twice the size and could easily get 5+ hours.

The noise from the fans in overboost is insane.

The stupid lighting being off on the left arrow key (it really annoys me)

The location of the power and headphone ports. The power isn't horrible as the connector is a 90 degree connector and doesn't get in the way. But plugging headphones straight into that port makes me hit the headphone plug quite often. To the point I ordered a headphone extension with a 90 degree connector to be able to use with the laptop.

Minor related con, if the power cord is plugged in on your right and the cord crosses your lap, it can occasionally get stuck in the area that opens under the laptop when the screen is up. This is because it turns sharply and gets wedged in there. Honestly not sure there is much they could do about this (except offer a location on either side of the laptop to plug power in)

Lastly wish they had dedicated play/pause keys for music (can do this with a function key and it works, but wish i had dedicated buttons)

 

Hi Bob,

Do you think you can post a walkthrough on how to undervolt the GPU as well?

 

I am deciding between this one and G703-WS71. Huge difference I know. But the M's battery life just won't justify it as a "mobile" workstation in any kind. Sign... Given that a 10 lbs 17" with presumably better cooling and more screen estate make more sense. But I still love the M's much aesthetic design and ability to be carried around, although I have a zenbook exactly does it already. Very hard to decide..

 

It's definitely not mobile, but there's a decent amount of middle ground between the ultraportables and desktop replacements.

 

@dkevox Awesome info, glad you like it overall!

 

Hi Bob, first of all thanks for your review, it helped quite a lot. Now, I am really about to sell my Clevo P751DM2-G (great machine, but I constantly feel its size and thickness, and fans always active on low/medium during normal use) and my old ultrabook also, just to buy this Zephyrus M, hoping it will combine the strong sides of both of them. So, if you can, I need some further information/suggestion, I hope you can answer me:

1) Would you recommend me this laptop not only as one for gaming demanding titles, but also for daily work (mainly writing, and then also working with engines like UE4, Unity) ?
2) Is there a way to permanently apply new voltage setting without having to make throttlestop run each time?
3) Do you know if the laptop would be able to cool itself (a bit, at least) when the lid is closed? I was thinking in the case scenario in which I may need to close and then open the pc again to resume work (not gaming); and the case in which I may want to watch a movie on an external monitor.

Thank you very much in advance.

 

Hey Bob, I'm about to grab this bad boy in a few days. Just have a few questions:

• I know the lifting mechanism feels flimsy, but do you think it'll last for a few years? Planning on using this for school for the next two-and-a-half years.
• Do you know if there's a limit to what the 2.5" SATA slot supports? Planning on putting in a WD Blue 2 TB 2.5" SATA SSD. Yes, I know I'm a lunatic.
• Does the temperature increase the longer you use it? I'm going to be using it for an entire day, every day for the next few years.
• What other benefits does Optimus provide other than better battery life? Do I get better temps? Can I use the dedicated graphics card while I'm on Optimus if I set it to run on specific programs in the NVIDIA Control Panel?

Thank you!

 

Thank you for your great review.
Only one simple question: Is it possible to record macros on the keyboard?

 

how to disable the underglow light? The red light at the below?

 

Can't without taking the bottom off and unplugging the LED. Bob tells how in his disassembly video.

 

run ROG Aura Core and go to the tab: Aura configuration
then under general settings turn Aero Light off.

 

Does that disable the vents glow only, or even the back logo one?

 

Found it, Thanks!

​

It only disable the vents glow below and not the back logo

 

Well... better than nothing, I guess

 

We offer a Stealth upgrade where we remove the light on the LCD cover.

 

I have a quick question, and by the way, thank you for taking the time to respond to all of these.

I am looking to order a new gaming laptop in the next few days, so far the Zephyrus M is in the lead over all the other choices. I am looking for a full 1070 or a 1080 max Q that could be overclocked. I would like to stay in the $2000 - $2500 range, and while originally looking at the Aorus and the Strix II, I am still leaning toward the Zephyrus.

If I could trouble anyone here to take a look at the spec list that I would like to submit to HID, I would appreciate any advice that would help get the best out of the equipment. Are my selections good? Will temps stay reasonable? Should I look at other options? Any optimizations I should be looking out for? Zephyrus or Strix II? This forum has been a wealth of information on the Zephyrus, so I would sincerely like to thank you for any further help.

This will be a 90 - 95% gaming only laptop, I do not play anything on ultra, generally max out high settings or use Nvidia GeForce Experience optimizations. I play a lot of sports games, FPS, Wildlands, and Witcher. So i guess really nothing out of the ordinary, and as long as I can play Cyberpunk 2077 on this laptop sometime before the next Tool album gets released, I will be a happy man.

Anyway...the stats.

Custom Built ASUS ROG Strix GL703GS-DS74 Scar Edition - 17.3" FHD 144Hz G-Sync w/ nVIDIA GeForce GTX 1070
LCD Panel
17.3" Full HD (1920x1080) Matte 144Hz IPS-Level Wide-View Display w/ G-Sync

Display Warranty
30 Days Asus Zero Bright Dot Warranty (not warranted against dead pixels)
Video Card
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1070 w/ 8GB GDDR5

Processor
Intel 8th Generation "Coffee Lake" Core i7-8750H (2.2-4.1GHz) 6 Core - 12 Thread Processor, 9MB Smart Cache

Thermal Interface Materials
Thermal Grizzly Conductonaut on CPU + GPU, and Fujipoly Extreme Thermal Pads on heat sensitive surfaces – BEST PERFORMANCE – installed by HIDevolution - $95.00

Memory
16GB HIDevolution Approved Dual Channel DDR4/2666MHz (2 x 8GB) - installed by HIDevolution - $80.00

M.2 SATA or PCIe x4 SSD
Samsung 970 EVO 250GB M.2 PCIe 3.0 x4 NVMe 3D-VNAND SSD - Up to 3,500 MB/s Read-2,500 MB/s Write - Installed by HIDevolution - $69.00

2.5" HDD/SSD Bay
2TB Seagate FireCuda Gaming 7mm SSHD (ST2000LX001) - installed by HIDevolution - $90.00

Wireless Cards
Intel® Wireless-AC 9560 802.11 ac/a/b/g/n 2x2 NGFF w/ Bluetooth 5.0
Operating System
Genuine Windows® 10 Home, 64bit, English
Operating System Clean Install
None
Office Software
None
Power Adapter
1 x 230W AC Power Adapter (supports 100-240V)
Internal Battery
Internal 4 cell battery, 76WHrs

Warranty and Service
Asus 360 1 Year Warranty + LIFETIME HIDevolution Technical Support
Accidental Damage Protection
1 Year Accidental Damage Protection
HIDevolution GLOBAL Warranty
None
Asus ROG Front Lid Logo Color
Stealth - $30.00


Custom Built ASUS ROG Zephyrus M GM501GS-XS74 - 15.6" FHD 144Hz G-Sync w/ nVIDIA GeForce GTX 1070

LCD Panel
15.6" Full HD (1920x1080) Matte 144Hz IPS-Level Wide-View Display w/ G-Sync

Display Warranty
30 Days Asus Zero Bright Dot Warranty (not warranted against dead pixels)
Video Card
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1070 w/ 8GB GDDR5

Processor
Intel 8th Generation "Coffee Lake" Core i7-87 ...


Thermal Interface Materials
Thermal Grizzly Conductonaut on CPU + GPU, and Fujipoly Extreme Thermal Pads on heat sensitive surfaces – BEST PERFORMANCE – installed by HIDevolution - $95.00

Memory
16GB HIDevolution Approved Dual Channel DDR4/2666MHz (2 x 8GB) - installed by HIDevolution - $80.00
M.2 SATA or PCIe x4 SSD
ASUS Approved 256GB M.2 PCIe 3.0 x4 NVMe SSD
2.5" HDD/SSD Bay
2TB Seagate FireCuda Gaming 7mm SSHD (ST2000LX001) - installed by HIDevolution - $90.00

Wireless Cards
Intel® Wireless-AC 9560 802.11 ac/a/b/g/n 2x2 NGFF w/ Bluetooth 5.0
Operating System
Genuine Windows® 10 Professional, 64bit, English
Operating System Clean Install
None
Office Software
None
Power Adapter
1 x 230W AC Power Adapter (supports 100-240V)
Internal Battery
Internal 4 cell battery, 55WHrs

Warranty and Service
Asus 360 1 Year Warranty + LIFETIME HIDevolution Technical Support
Accidental Damage Protection
1 Year Accidental Damage Protection
HIDevolution GLOBAL Warranty
None
Asus ROG Front Lid Logo Color
Stealth

 

I suggest you email [email protected] or just call him to get better advice

 

Thank you for the suggestion, I actually received a PM from Donald last night. I set up an account, placed all of my options in the cart, and spoke with him this morning over the phone. We came to the conclusion that the Strix Scar II was the better option for what I was looking for.

Talk about the best customer service experience I have had in recent memory, I will be a repeat customer for sure. Donald is fantastic, and I will recommend hidevolution to anyone I know who is in the market for a computer.

Donald, from an Infantryman to a Marine, thank you for all of the help.

 

Awesome, that's what Donald is known for, superb customer service.

Speaking of which, once you receive your laptop, since you're now part of the HIDevolution Gaming Team. Feel free to tag me if you want me to help you tweak 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- Disabling Microsoft Edge from starting up automatically in the background upon reboot.
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)
14- Preventing Microsoft Edge from running on startup in the background
15- Creating a system restoration image using Macrium Reflect

 

Wow...that seems to be a lot of hard work, and I would absolutely love to have any help offered. Like everyone else, I am looking for the optimal performance, but I would have no idea how to do the majority of the tweaks you have listed above. After speaking with Donald, I decided to go with the Windows 10 Clean Install plus flash drive option, but anything else that can be done would be great.

Thank you, and I can't wait to be a part of the Team.

 

Wow! Thank you...I love what I do, and comments like yours makes it all worthwhile.