Asus Zephyrus M w/1070. Any questions?

So....I can't add my supercool ASUS game team banner because it says I have an image in use already.

How can I be a part of a team with no banner? I have seen enough episodes of Game of Thrones to know I need a banner lol.

 

In your testing, how long does the battery last for day to day use?

Can the machine accommodate 9.5mm 2.5" hard drives, or is it limited to SSD-style 7mm height drives?
Your assembly videos are awesome, btw.

 

These are the primary reasons I consider this SKU to be the perfect replacement for the P955ER. The cooling part, especially.

That is where I'm at pause, with the gut feeling that Asus may never implement a BIOS option for it. For these who dual boot with Linux, and require Optimus, this will be a pain to deal with.

 

Thanks! I know I covered the battery life in the review should you decide to watch it. It wasn't amazing if I recall correctly. I do not think 9.5mm will work.

I still think this is the best machine for the thin chassis solutions with this spec since it can cool the device and run hard doing it. But my gripes are mainly limited to the battery. 1 or 2 m.2, ditch the 2.5 and an 80+WHr battery is the next step to greatness.

 

@B0B is correct. The 2.5" bay will only support 7mm drives.

 

Precisely why I'm taking the dive with this particular machine.

Like aesthetics, battery life is secondary to functionality.

Perhaps. I still find this type of storage layout quite favorable. However, for it's category (thin and light), the consensus here should have been a pair of M.2 slots, the removal of the 2.5" slot and of course, a bigger battery in place as you had observed.

Not every user out there is willing to make these compromises as I am, and this design decision only relegates this machine fit for gaming only, and not much else.

 

The Zephyrus M 1070 comes with AC Adapter 230W, but will it work and compatible with 180W?

https://www.asus.com/my/Laptops-Accessory/180W_G_Series_NB_Adapter_N180W02/

 

I just got a Zephyrus M and tried to connect it via TB3 to the Asus XG Station 2 with a Gigabyte Aorus gtx1080ti Extreme GPU, but the GPU just keeps disconnecting and won't come back.
Has anyone connected this laptop to a eGPU, and what works/doesn't work....updated nvidea drivers, windows update, updated FW on TB3 connection, played with DP display settings for all three Asus PG279Q monitors....nothing seems to work. The monitors turn off, and then I get the "Your GPU has disconnected" message....so frustrated!

 

What Zephyrus M variant are you using, to be specific?

 

GM501GS-XS74 :

 

Open the Thunderbolt icon (on the tray) and confirm what firmware version you're running.

Then confirm if the version printed matches the latest version available from Asus' support section for your model.

Select the GM501GS, and for platform, Windows 10.

 

For these with the GM501GS-XS74 model, running the Windows version the laptop came with, I have a request: Could you kindly share the eSupport folder? A onedrive link (or similar, with access to all content) would do.

There's something I need to confirm.

 

Hey Bob - i've been through 2 of the Zephyrus M's now (hot pixel on the first and stuck pixel now on the second) from Micro Center. Unfortunately, can't unstuck current model's pixel so it's going back. I've been wondering your thoughts on the MSI GE63 Raider RGB vs the Zephyrus - i realize the build quality is probably better on the Zephyrus, but that aside, curious what you'd choose? Micro Center has a great deal on the 1070 model of the Raider now, and I'm wondering if the thermals/noise are any better on that model? Lose thunderbolt and g-sync, but i suppose i can live without.

 

I would happily take the $500 plus the Raider over the Zephyrus.

But I can happily sacrifice what makes the Zephyrus great for $500 in my pocket, quieter at load and most definitely cooler.

 

Thanks Bob, really appreciate the quick response. Might have to try out the Raider then - at $600 less ($1499 vs $2099), it might just make sense.

 

Hi Bob, when doing the repasting of my Zephyrus GM501GS I accidentally "broke" some of the tape between the heatsink and fans. Do you have any recommendation to which tape I should use to replace the old one?

 

Just put some electrical tape in its place. I have actually opened up laptops that didn't have tape there and left a gap that in theory would compromise airflow over the fins.

 

Thank you very much for you prompt reply Bob.
I am quite new to process of disassembly, do you have any electrical tape you would recommend?
In addition, after having repasted and undervolted my the laptop I didn't notice that much improvement in temps, 2-3ºC. The only thing that seems to improve temps substantially is reducing the maximum turbo limits. Would you recommend changing these settings? Or just the offsets?

 

I use 33+ for laptops but in this case i'm sure whatever electrical tape you have should be fine. 33+ is thin, that's all. Less likely to compromise fitment.

Undervolting and repasting results can and will vary depending on the laptop. In your case, the thin and light gaming machines yield small return on your time investment. Running Overboost is highly recommended while gaming on that model. You probably didn't get much undervolting on that unit either. -.050 is about all the Zephyrus M will take.

You can always drop the boost frequency if you're not satisfied thermally. 12 threads on these machines is impressive but also a ***** to tame.

 

Would duel channel memory help performance?

I purchased my GM501GS from Costco ($1,399 Online return oh yea!) and it's AWESOME, however debating if I should upgrade to a second 16GB stick of memory as I've seen reviews saying duel channel is the cats meow, not sure how much if any performance increase would occur on this model.

Also if anyone is selling their stock 16GB memory that came with this, I would be interested in purchase as my OCD does not like mixed memory.

Rocking this thing with a 970 Evo NVME + 860 EVO SSD so if anyone is interested in the stock 256GB NVME or the stock 1TB Fire Cuda pretty much new hit me up.

 

Duel channel is a must in gaming laptops you will see a lot better GPU saturation

 

Mang not sure why Asus opted for a single 16GB stick rather than 2x8, I have first world problems.

Now to see if I can find a matching 16GB or go with a 2x8GB kit and sell my existing SODIMM used for a loss.

 

Most the time they really just have no idea that it makes that big of a difference. All the content creators out there for years have been talking about how “all you need is single channel RAM”. Most those guys really don’t know their butt from a hole in the ground if you ask me.

 

If you're planning to upgrade later, it's nicer to be just adding a second stick instead of replacing both and having to sell the originals. If you're not, dual channel will give you a boost in performance overall.

 

I might have to bite the bullet and mix memory brands on this machine, cannot find where to get the OEM 16GB memory, I've never mixed memory brands, but really want the most performance for this machine.

 

Kind of hit and miss but sometimes if you can get the model number of the RAM instead of the manufacturer you can find someone selling it third party.

 

Mixing Memory from my experience was always hit or miss on laptops as mentioned. 7th gen CPU's at their 2400Mhz memory I could usually get a Crucial Ballastix Sport 2400mhz stick to work with whatever else was in the laptop from the factory.

With the newer 2666 I haven't been able to or even seen a success story mixing RAM yet. I'm talking not even booting for example.

This is why I recommend just selling yours and buying a dedicated DUAL channel kit. Or, if you're lucky, match what you have (good luck). Of course you can always try to mix and see what happens. I'm sure something will work! I hope.

 

Is mixing RAM really a bad thing? I'll post my CPU-Z, please let me know if it's okay.

 

In the past it has depended somewhat on what is different between the modules.

Different voltage: You're lucky if it even posts, will probably BSOD if it does. (This happened a lot with people mixing DDR3 and DDR3L)
Different frequency: May cause problems, but most systems will run at the lower speed without issues.
Different brand: It might cause problems but I don't think I've ever seen that happen.

 

In that case, switch the system to Optimus mode and retry.

 

Hi all,

I’m using my zephyrus gm501gs for about 5 months now.

All of a sudden my computer enters randomly into sleep mode if I set the graphics to discrete mode and and run different tasks at the same time (say 4/5 programs not cpu/gpu/ram heavy).

Did this happen to any of you? Do you know what could be the problem?CPU/GPU temps are under 75C.

I thank you all in advance.
Luis