Asus ROG GL702ZC owners lounge

Here's mine...and it ain't pretty:

Battery report
SYSTEM PRODUCT NAME ASUSTeK COMPUTER INC. GL702ZC
BIOS GL702ZC.303 12/15/2017
OS BUILD 16299.15.amd64fre.rs3_release.170928-1534
PLATFORM ROLE Mobile
CONNECTED STANDBY Not supported
REPORT TIME 2018-03-1916:14:39
Installed batteries
Information about each currently installed battery
BATTERY 1
NAME ASUS Battery
MANUFACTURER ASUSTeK
SERIAL NUMBER -
CHEMISTRY LIon
DESIGN CAPACITY 74,228 mWh
FULL CHARGE CAPACITY 60,568 mWh
CYCLE COUNT -
Recent usage
Power states over the last 3 days
START TIME STATE SOURCE CAPACITY REMAINING
2018-03-1616:32:00 Active AC 99 % 59,767 mWh
17:00:32 Suspended 99 % 59,767 mWh
17:36:24 Active AC 99 % 59,767 mWh
18:13:15 Suspended 99 % 59,767 mWh
19:34:19 Active AC 98 % 59,582 mWh
21:28:00 Suspended 98 % 59,582 mWh
21:30:24 Active AC 98 % 59,582 mWh
22:16:49 Suspended 98 % 59,582 mWh
22:44:31 Active AC 98 % 59,582 mWh
2018-03-1703:29:14 Suspended 98 % 59,551 mWh
18:35:08 Active AC 97 % 59,028 mWh
19:15:38 Suspended 97 % 59,028 mWh
19:34:18 Active AC 97 % 59,028 mWh
19:38:09 Active Battery 97 % 59,028 mWh
19:38:55 Suspended 96 % 58,843 mWh
19:39:42 Active Battery 96 % 58,535 mWh
19:40:45 Active AC 95 % 57,934 mWh
21:53:16 Suspended 100 % 60,753 mWh
2018-03-1800:23:18 Active AC 99 % 60,568 mWh
02:21:00 Suspended 99 % 60,568 mWh
02:58:18 Active AC 100 % 60,568 mWh
03:00:15 Suspended 100 % 60,568 mWh
13:36:26 Active AC 100 % 60,691 mWh
13:36:26 Suspended 100 % 60,691 mWh
14:01:54 Active AC 100 % 60,691 mWh
14:25:18 Suspended 100 % 60,691 mWh
17:57:05 Active AC 100 % 60,876 mWh
18:51:29 Suspended 100 % 60,876 mWh
19:56:36 Active AC 100 % 60,876 mWh
21:57:52 Suspended 100 % 60,475 mWh
22:15:04 Active AC 100 % 60,722 mWh
23:32:53 Suspended 100 % 60,722 mWh
23:55:37 Active AC 100 % 60,722 mWh
2018-03-1900:06:45 Suspended 100 % 60,722 mWh
08:47:57 Active AC 99 % 60,183 mWh
16:14:39 Report generated AC 100 % 60,722 mWh
Battery usage
Battery drains over the last 3 days
START TIME STATE DURATION ENERGY DRAINED
2018-03-1719:38:09 Active 0:00:45 - 185 mWh
19:39:42 Active 0:01:02 1 % 601 mWh
Usage history
History of system usage on AC and battery
BATTERY DURATION AC DURATION
PERIOD ACTIVE CONNECTED STANDBY ACTIVE CONNECTED STANDBY
2018-03-12 - - 9:20:44 -
2018-03-13 0:00:45 - 10:38:57 -
2018-03-14 0:00:05 - 13:44:20 -
2018-03-15 - - 8:44:32 -
2018-03-16 - - 12:21:49 -
2018-03-17 0:01:18 - 5:52:58 -
2018-03-18 - - 5:11:01 -
Battery capacity history
Charge capacity history of the system's batteries
PERIOD FULL CHARGE CAPACITY DESIGN CAPACITY
2018-03-12 60,907 mWh 74,228 mWh
2018-03-13 61,097 mWh 74,228 mWh
2018-03-14 61,083 mWh 74,228 mWh
2018-03-15 60,876 mWh 74,228 mWh
2018-03-16 60,774 mWh 74,228 mWh
2018-03-17 60,999 mWh 74,228 mWh
2018-03-18 60,672 mWh 74,228 mWh
Battery life estimates
Battery life estimates based on observed drains
AT FULL CHARGE AT DESIGN CAPACITY
PERIOD ACTIVE CONNECTED STANDBY ACTIVE CONNECTED STANDBY
2018-03-12 - - - -
2018-03-13 7:04:17 - 8:35:28 -
2018-03-14 5:39:21 - 6:52:22 -
2018-03-15 - - - -
2018-03-16 - - - -
2018-03-17 2:31:20 - 3:04:09 -
2018-03-18 - - - -
Current estimate of battery life based on all observed drains since OS install
Since OS install 3:20:06 - 4:04:44 -

 

My report is nearly identical. Currently topping out at 60,491 mWh here. Honestly I wasn't going to bother with this because the laptop is a joke on battery regardless but I'm certainly willing to get on the bandwagon and complain! If we all have this issue, then they are shorting us after all. I just opened a support request with Asus on the battery issue myself.

 

I wonder if @t456 have an idea of this battery mess.

 

Here's mine... but bear in mind that I got my laptop in November last year:

Battery report
COMPUTER NAME DESKTOP-0SJSE8N
SYSTEM PRODUCT NAME ASUSTeK COMPUTER INC. GL702ZC
BIOS GL702ZC.303 12/15/2017
OS BUILD 16299.15.amd64fre.rs3_release.170928-1534
PLATFORM ROLE Mobile
CONNECTED STANDBY Not supported
REPORT TIME 2018-03-2013:51:15
Installed batteries
Information about each currently installed battery
BATTERY 1
NAME ASUS Battery
MANUFACTURER ASUSTeK
SERIAL NUMBER -
CHEMISTRY LIon
DESIGN CAPACITY 74,228 mWh
FULL CHARGE CAPACITY 61,938 mWh
CYCLE COUNT 14
Recent usage
Power states over the last 3 days
START TIME STATE SOURCE CAPACITY REMAINING
2018-03-1714:11:05 Active AC 98 % 60,506 mWh
15:22:00 Suspended 98 % 60,506 mWh
2018-03-1815:52:20 Active AC 97 % 59,859 mWh
16:52:54 Active Battery 97 % 59,844 mWh
16:52:57 Active AC 97 % 59,844 mWh
23:38:47 Suspended 97 % 60,013 mWh
2018-03-1910:00:30 Active AC 96 % 59,490 mWh
23:29:24 Suspended 96 % 59,320 mWh
2018-03-2009:34:35 Active AC 96 % 59,120 mWh
11:56:00 Suspended 96 % 59,120 mWh
11:59:04 Active AC 95 % 59,120 mWh
13:51:15 Report generated AC 95 % 59,120 mWh
Battery usage
Battery drains over the last 3 days
START TIME STATE DURATION ENERGY DRAINED
2018-03-1816:52:54 Active 0:00:03 - -
Usage history
History of system usage on AC and battery
BATTERY DURATION AC DURATION
PERIOD ACTIVE CONNECTED STANDBY ACTIVE CONNECTED STANDBY
2018-01-26 - 2018-02-02 0:04:20 - 592698:03:04 -
2018-02-02 - 2018-02-09 0:08:41 - 78:28:10 -
2018-02-09 - 2018-02-16 0:01:41 - 92:36:56 -
2018-02-16 - 2018-02-23 - - 82:41:03 -
2018-02-23 - 2018-03-02 0:05:54 - 70:03:20 -
2018-03-02 - 2018-03-09 0:05:59 - 103:11:53 -
2018-03-10 0:01:36 - 2:34:46 -
2018-03-11 - - 3:38:32 -
2018-03-12 - - 6:34:21 -
2018-03-13 - - 4:26:30 -
2018-03-14 - - 4:03:32 -
2018-03-15 - - 5:38:22 -
2018-03-16 - - 5:18:29 -
2018-03-17 - - 3:22:59 -
2018-03-18 0:00:03 - 7:46:17 -
2018-03-19 - - 12:18:28 -
Battery capacity history
Charge capacity history of the system's batteries
PERIOD FULL CHARGE CAPACITY DESIGN CAPACITY
2018-01-26 - 2018-02-02 60,953 mWh 74,228 mWh
2018-02-02 - 2018-02-09 58,379 mWh 74,228 mWh
2018-02-09 - 2018-02-16 60,277 mWh 74,228 mWh
2018-02-16 - 2018-02-23 61,892 mWh 74,228 mWh
2018-02-23 - 2018-03-02 61,842 mWh 74,228 mWh
2018-03-02 - 2018-03-09 62,013 mWh 74,228 mWh
2018-03-10 61,988 mWh 74,228 mWh
2018-03-11 61,399 mWh 74,228 mWh
2018-03-12 61,399 mWh 74,228 mWh
2018-03-13 61,399 mWh 74,228 mWh
2018-03-14 61,922 mWh 74,228 mWh
2018-03-15 61,938 mWh 74,228 mWh
2018-03-16 61,938 mWh 74,228 mWh
2018-03-17 61,969 mWh 74,228 mWh
2018-03-18 61,957 mWh 74,228 mWh
2018-03-19 61,846 mWh 74,228 mWh
Battery life estimates
Battery life estimates based on observed drains
AT FULL CHARGE AT DESIGN CAPACITY
PERIOD ACTIVE CONNECTED STANDBY ACTIVE CONNECTED STANDBY
2018-01-26 - 2018-02-02 1:18:18 - 1:35:21 -
2018-02-02 - 2018-02-09 0:59:44 - 1:15:57 -
2018-02-09 - 2018-02-16 1:18:24 - 1:36:33 -
2018-02-16 - 2018-02-23 - - - -
2018-02-23 - 2018-03-02 1:25:13 - 1:42:17 -
2018-03-02 - 2018-03-09 1:22:47 - 1:39:05 -
2018-03-10 1:59:12 - 2:22:44 -
2018-03-11 - - - -
2018-03-12 - - - -
2018-03-13 - - - -
2018-03-14 - - - -
2018-03-15 - - - -
2018-03-16 - - - -
2018-03-17 - - - -
2018-03-18 - - - -
2018-03-19 - - - -
Current estimate of battery life based on all observed drains since OS install
Since OS install 1:16:52 - 1:32:07 -

 

Everyone's report is consistent so far. 74-76Wh design capacity, ~60Wh full charge capacity.

I don't think 3-4 months and 14 cycles is normally enough to see that kind of discrepancy. @zdroj doesn't even seem to have 1 cycle yet (which perhaps explains those battery life estimates hehe).

Time for everyone to open tickets about this.

The questions in my ticket from last week still have not been answered. I followed up yet again and today their customer service let me know they are still awaiting a response from their Level Two technical staff.

Either their tech staff is busy, or their lawyers, or.... something's up.

 

I'm wondering if there is a feature like my old laptop had that kept the battery between 50% - 60% so as not to kill the battery from constantly topping it off. I have had my GL702 for about two weeks now and absolutely love it. I could go on for an hour about how much this laptop kicks ass. Its never gone above 83 c even after hours of heavy game-play. I have the fps locked at 60 and there it stays. My only problem is ORIGIN, still. I can not seem to entirely get rid of it. Any attempt at reinstalling has been pointless. Until I can figure it out Origin will continue to hold my games hostage. I'd love to play Battlefield 1, or Titanfall 2, but.... Any suggestions or ideas. I've tried the "hard way": https://help.ea.com/en-us/help/origin/origin/manually-uninstalling-origin/ - to no avail.

Again, other than that and a few picky, petty problems I have with Microsoft and Windows 10, Origin is my only issue. Everything else is fantastic. I absolutely LOVE this computer!

 

Presumably such strategies would not change the full charge capacity, just the current charge capacity and charging status. That said, what are your battery stats?

Loving the laptop does not preclude finding faults nor insisting on them being fixed; quite the contrary.

 

I'm wondering what response @Donald@HIDevolution received from Asus when he inquired about this battery issue a short time ago...if he received one at all, that is...?

I'm also wondering if I should run this rig on the battery until it discharges completely/the rig shuts down, and then recharge and re-test, just to see how my readings change.

And while I agree with @Erik C. Stubblebine that there is a lot to like about this rig, @fizikz is right: it is best to address this issue with Asus en masse ASAP.

In the end, however, I fear that there may be some sort of warranty escape clause for Asus, and that once we are past our 30 days with our vendors or some such time frame with Asus we are SOL - I just haven't had the time to check any of this.

 

Asus support told me the battery has a 1 year warranty, just like the rest of the system. Problem is, they didn't explain the terms of the warranty. i.e. what do they consider defective vs normal? Without clear definitions a warranty is useless.

 

Ask Asus to send you the Asus laptop battery warranty coverage terms and conditions.

 

I seem to remember that battery manufacturers can overclaim by 10% the capacity of their battery. + or - actually.. so the battery might be within that range.

Sent from my MHA-L29 using Tapatalk

 

The amount in this case is +15% or more under what capacity for what is advertised by the laptop itself, so it's too anomalous, too incorrect to let pass without challenge.

 

That was one of my questions, along with specifically asking what level of wear/discrepancy they would consider defective vs normal. i.e. what is their threshold? I have yet to get an answer, other than the comical ones I posted before.

10% seems a reasonable variation for electronics. In this case not only is there a ~20% discrepancy, but the values reported by every user so far are extremely consistent. So it does not look like variability.

Out of curiosity, has anyone taken a look at what is printed on the battery itself? A photo of the label might be useful. Also, did the laptop's box or spec sheet indicate the battery capacity?

 

There is an actual statement of warranty for laptop batteries, here is the online version, I was hoping Asus would either confirm this one is the correct one, or provide an updated version:

ASUS Battery Information Center
ASUS Battery warranty statement
https://www.asus.com/us/support/article/604/

It's too short to be the whole Notebook warranty, for example here is MSI's Notebook battery warranty, which is part of the many sections of coverage:

MSI General Product Warranty Policy
*The information provided on this website is for information only. MSI seeks to provide accurate and timely information, nevertheless, there may be inadvertent technical or factual inaccuracies and typographical errors, for which we apologize. We reserve the right to make changes and corrections at any time, without notice.

Notebook
https://us.msi.com/page/warranty

Actually charged capacity is usually very close to advertised capacity, even 5% seems like too much, and that's usually down to chemistry variance in manufacturing.

15% as in the GL702ZC can be a danger sign for a poor chemistry mix, and in fact might be a real problem. It could also be a simple clerical error in the build request or the specification.

So it's important to persist in this inquiry to a root cause.

Someone posted earlier that it is indeed labeled at capacity shown in the system, which is 15% under capacity in charged capacity.

 

Good find. This is stunning and confirms what I consider a rather comical response by the agent:

So it's defective if the system can't power on with the battery?? That is absurd. Even at 5% capacity it should be able to boot... and thus not be considered defective?

"Normal drop in battery capacity over time due to usage" is an exclusion... without defining what is considered normal. However the GL702ZC issue is not due to usage and happens out of the box.

Meanwhile a section above says:

So, it's normal to have 80% capacity after 300 cycles. But apparently that's not part of the warranty terms.

I forgot. Was an actual label capacity reported? Or just what is shown in the system by software? A picture would clear things up.

 

You actually already replied to that post

http://forum.notebookreview.com/threads/asus-rog-gl702zc-owners-lounge.809882/page-55#post-10697652

"My "74wh" battery never charged past 60wh. Given the popularity of similar reports, combined with the fact that the only battery replacement I could find online for this model is listed as 62wh, I've concluded that Asus has just lied, ahem, I mean made a mistake, about the battery being used here. It really seems like a conscious mistake too because the battery is labeled both physically and electronically as a 74wh battery but in reality it's just... not. I'm not sure why they did that but I also do not believe this is a true 74wh battery at all."

Maybe someone will take a photo of the battery label and post it?

 

I got a final response from Asus today on my demand that they replace my battery due to ~20% wear out-of-the-box. I provided them with both the Windows Battery Report and a screenshot from HwInfo64 and they did not dispute there was an issue but also did not speak to the cause at all. After first instructing me to do some ridiculous troubleshooting procedures like reinstalling the battery device's driver in Windows Device Manager, they ultimately asked me to RMA the machine back to them.

While I invite any of you who are willing to do this to do so (it might help them notice the problem), I sent them an "are you kidding me" email with proof of my credentials as a certified PC technician, since I was asking that they send me a replacement battery with return label for the original. They gave a blanket quote about company policy: "ASUS does not sell or send out parts directly to end users nor do we have a listing of recommended resellers for part sales. ASUS will not be held liable for any injuries or damages incurred if you attempt to repair your product. What we recommend is that you send in your product to our service center and allow us to service it for you."

So that's where we stand. I'm not going to RMA my machine and be without it for some unknown tech to go poking around inside it and ultimately install another off-the-shelf battery, likely with the same issue. Also remember that I've had my machine for less than a month and the battery shows only three charge cycles. If you've had your unit longer, there's no guarantee that they'd even be willing to do what they proposed for me. It sounds like a lot of you guys are really getting the run-around from them.

As for the physical label on the battery, yes, I did take the battery out and flip it over to read the label out of curiosity when I had the machine open to replace SSD's. At this point I'm telling you from memory that it said 74wh. I will pull it out again and post a picture next time I open the unit, as I have some RAM I'd like to try out sometime soon anyway.

 

I got the same response from Asus. They said they use a "battery test program" to determine if a battery needs replacing. Then they asked if I would like to send in my (not yet purchased!) laptop for servicing...

I had specifically asked for their definition of defective vs normal, i.e. what discrepancy would be considered defective. I also asked if the battery could be replaced without sending the whole unit back to avoid downtime, which would be a huge disruption. No answers.

Really unimpressed with the run around and lack of direct answers.

 

You want to escalate the issue to the Support Manager, and then ask him to connect you with a Production Engineer or Production Manager, as it appears all of the batteries are mislabeled or there is a manufacturing failure to meet advertised capacity, by 20-25%, very significant given it's at this level right out of the box.

A design Engineer probably can't help with this, but you could try that path as well. It may end up that someone in Purchasing - an Engineer or Manager may need to be involved as the battery is spec'd by Engineering but ordered by Purchasing.

The intake QA for the Battery should have noticed it was 20%-25% under capacity, and they should have rejected it back the maker. So Production QA might be involved as well.

Explain that you want the full capacity advertised within 5% out of the box, and until they can guarantee an RMA will deliver that you won't be satisfied.

You may end up resolving this with a cash refund of some kind.

I assume the QA did catch the 20%-25% discrepancy, and management worked out that there wasn't time to wait for a run of replacement batteries to be made and delivered to meet laptop release shipping requirements. And, the cost and loss of time to fix the product labels - sending them back for label "RMA" to the battery vendor, and re-documenting the updated reduction in capacity was all too much to deal with.

Once you get to this resolution, I'd ask for $250 refund... or more, since this is a critical function - delivering power - and it's a severe reduced run-time on battery so there is no remediation - you'd have to accept the lose of functionality. So it's worth a substantial refund vs everyone returning the laptops.

At $250 a laptop, it won't take many Open Tickets to get them to re-order updated batteries and send them out instead. Hopefully.

As soon as someone gets a refund or final resolution, please post it

 

Right...an RMA for this is out of the question for me as well. Asus' classless actions call for class action! I wonder how many other Asus laptop models are experiencing similar issues - and perhaps the owners of those units don't even realize they have an issue?

Perhaps someone should start a general thread on this issue here and in other forums for all Asus laptops owners, as a first step to making this issue go viral. While I like the ideas put forth by @hmscott, I can't see Asus refunding $250/per voluntarily. However, once an issue impacts the bottom line in bad press and lost sales, then a company is typically incentivized to put forth an amenable resolution - unlike what Asus is currently proposing - think "Apple"...

 

Asus tends to just send people blanket statements about their company policy as a method to ignore us.
I tried to address the issue of bad cooling in this machine and they responded in pretty much the same capacity.
I wouldn't recommend RMA-ing the machine for this... not worth it because you'll likely end up waiting a month at least, and there's 0 guarantee you'll get a battery with a proper charge capacity.

 

In the latest correspondence, Asus still makes no mention of what the full charge capacity is supposed to be, but says that disassembling the battery pack voids warranty.

I can interpret this in two ways:
1) Don't disassemble the battery into its individual components/cells. Sensible.
2) Don't unscrew and unplug the battery. Ridiculous.

Like @zdroj mentioned, it seems public pressure in numbers is needed to get Asus to recognize and address this issue. Maybe AMD could have an interest too since this laptop is the flagship of the Ryzen models.

 

I'd say both options would fall under Asus interpretation of 'void warranty'... Even if the second option as you say would be ridiculous.
Asus doesn't exactly allow tampering on the insides of their machines regardless... Which is stupid in cases of experienced people who wouldn't be making any changes that would alter the machine from the inside out in a fundamental capacity.

Heck, even removing the cooling assembly so you can install the second RAM stick without obstruction is considered a 'no', even though Asus supports people upgrading the RAM itself (but messed up the cooling to make it as hard as possible to upgrade).

Simplest solution: if you are making internal changes, don't tell them. And if you need to RMA the unit, return everything to stock and maintain that you never tampered with the internals

 

I would argue that removing the battery is much simpler than removing/reinstalling the cooling assembly and thermal compound, which could be seen as more risky and requiring skill. But yes, what you say is likely Asus' position.

 

Ok, so it looks like I may not have "scored" in the silicon lottery, but I can live with the results - though I don't think I will be running @ 3900MHz @ 1.3625V on a 24/7 basis. It is Prime 95 stable after 2 cycles, with fans in ROG Gaming Center set to +75% (and yes, very audible during the Prime runs), and CPU temps topped-out @ 79C. R15 CPU score = 1686 - not too shabby at all! Haven't fiddled with GPU undervolting yet...

Wondering about how to tweak RAM settings. Ryzen Master has a "button", but clicking on it does not give access to any settings/timings. Anyone tweaking their RAM on this rig, and if so, how?

 

The easy methods like Ryzen Master don't look like they'll work here, because of the way the BIOS is locked up and therefore doesn't support these settings being modified within the OS. All RAM-related settings are locked to "auto" within the stock BIOS.

I'm going to try one or both of the following soon: 1. Install custom unlocked BIOS that allows for setting custom RAM timings and/or 2. Thaiphoon Burner or equivalent software to modify the JEDEC timings on the RAM itself to see if we can force the RAM into custom timings by, say, removing all the native timings except for the custom profile we want to use. Note that the RAM my system came with is Samsung branded which is known to have write-protected native timings but I have some off-brand Goldkey DDR4 sticks that I intend to experiment with. I'll let you guys know if anything works out of course!!

 

I agree not to tell them you've done either, but I can assure that I've had the battery out of the machine and there's no way that I can see how ASUS would be able to tell that someone had done this unless they broke something in the process. Of course never break the battery into individual cells though! I've evacuated a big-box retail store once by accidentally puncturing the tiny LiPo cell in an iPhone!! The fire department came and everything; it was a big deal.

Some people have gotten replies mentioning "warranty seals" but my unit has no warranty seals that I've come across yet. Certainly nothing you'd break by removing the back cover, and the user's manual gives instructions on how to replace both SSD's which requires removing the back cover so it would be ridiculous (but not outright impossible) for ASUS to then go back and say that removing this panel voids the warranty in itself. Hell, I opened mine on day one just to see what the inside looked like!

 

Interesting. Never used TB myself, but I have read in various forum threads that a few people have, and with positive results.

I am psyched about the custom BIOS possibility. @Prema and others have done quite a bit of this on Intel laptops, and it would be nice to have someone (maybe there are others?) who is interested in - and knows how to build a custom BIOS for - AMD laptops...especially THIS laptop!

Looking forward to hearing more about your efforts!

 

hahahaha omg thanks for the ab workout!

The question was whether Asus would allow shipping just the battery back in case it is deemed defective. In that case it's obvious. So the answer seems clear. The funny part is that the first step in disassembly/maintenance/upgrade manuals is usually about disconnecting and removing the battery.

 

I'm also interested in a custom BIOS for the purpose of at least getting unrestricted access on GL702ZC for better undervolting and overclocking control.

Mind you, modifying the RAM via Ryzen Master doesn't work right now because we have a locked BIOS... with an unlocked one, we can probably play with those settings, however, I don't know if we would gain much from playing with RAM timings... I'd prefer Asus to release BIOS updates that will patch up all the 'firmware bugs' while simultaneously incorporating microcode support for Zen 2 and Zen 3.
An upgrade path (and more overall efficient power delivery and efficient/faster CPU) is more important than an unlocked BIOS (which admittedly would be nice, and quite frankly, would be something you'd expect in a machine like this).
Or, Asus releases bios-es so we can upgrade the unit ourselves, and third parties can work separately on unlocking the BIOS (I doubt we can expect Asus to do it).

 

It's been an exciting night guys!!

I swapped in my 2x Goldkey 8GB DDR4-2400 RAM sticks and re-pasted the entire cooling system with Thermal Grizzly Kryonaut paste.
I used A LOT of the stuff too, OMG! I think next time I'll do thermal pads on the VRM's and VRAM instead because I used about three and a half of the 1-gram tubes on this project!
For those who are curious, I'd say my thermals are running about 3 degrees Celsius below what I was getting with the stock paste.

But here's the exciting part: I was able to use Thaiphoon Burner to update the RAM timings to include a basic 1333MHz option (as in DDR4-2666) and it took effect like magic on reboot! I didn't even have to erase any stock timings to force the use of the new profile or anything funky like that. This implies that we could push further using this method with RAM that can handle the speed, as Ryzen reportedly has that sweet spot around DDR4-3000.

As promised, I also photographed the battery while the system was open and it actually has 76wh printed on the battery, not 74wh as I had stated; sry. It reports itself electronically as 74wh but it's physically stamped 76wh.

Oh, and given this success I think I'm going to hold off on the unlocked BIOS for now. I did actually put something together to test - a simple mod that's just set up to show every single menu/option available (regardless of whether they'll all work or not) but I'm nervous about trying to flash it right now. Maybe some day.....

 

That's all awesome stuff including the RAM timings

I thought I'd mention that standard pastes won't work for bridging much of a physical gap - like where thermal pads were used before - and will dry out and pull apart - leaving the gap again.

And, since there aren't thermal probes there you won't know the VRM's / vRAM / component is overheating until they fail - burn out - so that's bad.

Thermal pads are best, but another thick paste was made to replace them, especially for larger gaps and variable gaps over a line of coverage. Also useful if you plan to be going in and out a lot where thermal pads will fall apart from wear quickly.

K5 Pro:
http://www.computer-systems.gr/content/k5-pro

https://www.amazon.com/Computer-Sys...&field-lbr_brands_browse-bin=Computer-Systems


https://www.youtube.com/user/ComputerSystemsGR/videos

 

@AngieAndretti Have you quantified the difference due to the bump from 2400MHz to 2666MHz? And are the changes persistent and independent of OS?

For the battery, the values make sense and are within 3% of each other:
4800 mAh (minimum) * 15.4 V = 73,920 mWh
4940 mAh (typical) * 15.4 V = 76,076 mWh

Thanks for the screenshot and pic!

 

Oh man!! Thank you so much, that's exactly what I needed! I recognized that my re-paste wasn't really "right" on all those thick gaps so I had ordered some various bulk thermal pads last night along with a new supply of Kryonaut to redo the project properly, but this K5 Pro looks exactly like what ASUS had originally used - and it'll conform to all the different heights and shapes perfectly!

So my new supplies should be here in about seven days to redo everything. Hopefully the Kryonaut will hold things together until then - but please tell me if you don't think so and I'll put this on a shelf and use my other laptop until supplies arrive. Thanks again! I did not know that I could buy this gummy paste anywhere.

 

Sorry I could have been more scientific about this in terms of benchmarking the RAM prior to swap. I can tell you this so much so far - there's only one game I play that fails to hit my desired framerate, BeamNG.Drive, and only then when playing on one map, East Coast I believe. A specific scenario that I remember running very consistently around 37fps ran at 48fps last night, and there were far fewer large latency spikes. On the downside, I have experienced a couple of hard system crashes that required holding down the power button to recover from - one while launching a game last night and one when resuming from S3 sleep when I first turned the unit on this morning. The first of those two actually came prior to overclocking the newly swapped-in RAM though. I did run a long RAM test with BurnInTest just now and no errors or crashes occurred.

I'm going to hold off on running any demanding full-system benchmarks for now, as @hmscott has made a very good point about regular thermal paste not being appropriate for the larger gaps above the VRM's and VRAM. If crashing repeats I may even shelf the whole system until I can do a better rework on last night's project.

 

Yes, you're right, it was a mistake to use thermal paste on those places with the large gaps where the pads were used before. If your crashes only just started since you did the repasting I suggest you don't use your laptop again until you've put the pads back in - maybe the VRM's and/or VRAM is overheating & causing it to crash.

 

Well the first crash occurred after only about fifteen minutes of use post-repaste, while launching a game. Then the machine ran fine for the rest of the night. The next morning it crashed immediately when I first opened the lid (never saw the login screen) so it didn't even have a chance to heat up that time - and again it ran fine for the rest of the day after that. It's really similar behavior to what I experienced previously when overclocking the CPU with just a hair too little voltage. I'm inclined to agree with you though and play it safe because although I originally bought this machine as an experiment, I miss it now which means I've come to like it and I'd be sad if it died! I'll be running the trusty Sager for a week instead.

 

Hmmm...while I commend your efforts, and encourage you to continue in your efforts to unlock this laptop's potential, it has already been established that this rig will run 2666 RAM. In fact, HIDevolution offers 2666 as an option. So please...do push that RAM further when you take it back off the shelf!

 

Correct me if I'm wrong, but GL702ZC doesn't come standard with thermal pads from Asus itself (at least, mine did not)... custom made ones from HIDevolution though are offered with thermal pads.
It has a relatively thick thermal paste which does seem efficient enough for everything... and re-pasting (as other people noted) didn't really bring more than about 3 degrees C reduction... which is why I'd probably leave the stock thermal paste as is and just undervolt the machine (as its bound to produce much better results).

For future internal cleaning and thermal paste replacement, I'd likely advise use of Ge-lid extreme on the CPU and GPU and thermal pads for VRM's and VRAM.

 

Asked and answered, my friend:

 

Hi all. Can anybody tell me if we are eligible for Far Cry 5 key from AMD for our RX580 https://www.amdrewards.com/amdrewards/ ??

 

It doesn't appear to include laptops with an RX580, only desktop video cards, following your link there is a link for the US participation:
https://www.amdrewards.com/amdrewards/files/AMDRewards_FarCry5_OEM_Radeon_TCs_NA.pdf

Details show Asus is a participant, but the Eligible AMD Product's are video cards only.

As important is to note who to contact to ask if your purchase will get a Coupon Code, so your retailer / vendor is the source of the Coupon Code, ask them and get it in "writing" as part of your order.

Sometimes you can ask nicely and even if your purchase is tangentially related - but doesn't qualify - you can ask the vendor to include it free as part of your purchase.

I wouldn't hinge the purchase on them giving it to you, but ask nicely - let them know politely you *really* want that game, and you might be surprised - one way or the other

"2. HOW TO PARTICIPATE a. To receive a Coupon Code, purchase a qualifying Eligible System containing an Eligible AMD Product during the Campaign Period. Participant should refer to the participating retailer, e-tailer, or OEM for instructions regarding obtaining a Coupon Code before purchase. As examples only, a participating retailer, e-tailer, or OEM may insert a voucher with the Coupon Code into the shipping box with the purchased product; email the Coupon Code to Participant’s provided email; or require Participant to fill out an online request form after completion of purchase.

The Coupon Code may be given to Participant via a physical coupon voucher or electronically. b. An “Eligible System” is a computer system manufactured and branded by one of the Participating

OEMs listed in Table A below:

TABLE A OEMs • Acer • ASUS • Dell/Alienware • HP c.

An “Eligible AMD Product” is an AMD CPU or GPU processor listed in Table B below:

TABLE B Eligible AMD Product Application • Radeon™ RX Vega 64 graphics card • Radeon™ RX Vega 56 graphics card"

 

Thanks for the reply. I just sent a mail to ASUS India. Automated message said a rep will contact in 48 hours. Far Cry 5 looks like a solid game and runs well with AMD cards. Hope we are lucky to get it for free.

 

Do you actually hand money over to Asus India for purchase? Or is there a vendor that you buy from? Some have gotten burned by getting a commitment from the maker, but then the seller isn't participating in the Free offer, so they never got a Coupon... make sure the seller taking the money will give you the Free Game Coupon code.

Also note that the info PDF for the offer I posted is for the US only... make sure the offer is available in India too.

 

I just bought it from Flipkart, Indian equivalent of Amazon, although we do have Amazon India. Apparently my PC was the first ever in India, even reps at ASUS India hasn't seen it. The Flipkart guys had it shipped directly from ASUS HQ and when I was getting it delivered, the delivery guy was accompanied by a Flipkart Laptop division executive and a ASUS rep. They took my interview on why I went with this particular model. It was crazy.

So regarding the coupon there is a separate link for NA and rest of the world. Lets wait and see for ASUS's reply.

 

Hmmm, if you already bought it the deal is over, you would have had to negotiate the Coupon with the Sales person of FlipKart, and that's who you should be contacting to see if they offer the Coupon deal now - and if they will extend the courtesy of adding it to your sale after the fact. Good luck

 

Nothing harm in trying. If I'm lucky, I get a free game. Otherwise, Ubisoft gets a purchase.

 

my machine came with goop (very thick thermal paste) and I replaced the cpu and gpu pastes with thermal pads.. it runs about five degrees cooler now.

Fairly easy to open up the back; 10 screws of two different sizes. the back cover has some hinges, so it does not come off right away after you remove the screws, but with something plastic you can open it without scratching anything..

Make sure you disconnect the battery (black-yellow-red colored wires at the top of the first photo), otherwise you might short something when a screw falls onto the motherboard.

There are 4 screws on the CPU, 4 on the GPU and 2 on each fan to remove. Afterwards gentle prying is required because the goop is very thick. In fact, the CPU stayed on the copper cooler side and not on the motherboard No big deal, I was able to pry it from the top and reinstall it to the motherboard.




Attached: The product I used.. They are like thin pieces of aluminum.

 

Hi folks. I bought a spare power brick so that I would not have to carry this monstrosity to work and back every day. However, its tip is slightly thicker and does not fit the laptop. I measured from our power supply that the tip diameter is 6mm. How would I go finding a connector so I can cut and replace the one that's too big? Do these things have a code/ID that distinguishes them?

Many thanks..

 

Ha! I'm in the same boat, sort of. I already had an Alienware power brick that I was using as a backup for my Dell M6600, and was thinking of using it as a spare for the GL702ZC, but I have not as of yet for the very reason you describe.

This reminds me...I'm still waiting for the spare power brick that I ordered from HIDevolution when I ordered my rig to be delivered...time to send them an email!