Asus Strix SCAR 15 G533QS 150W TDP vBIOS on RTX 3080??

The most possible scenario to reveal 150W power is fresh install without asus bloatware ?
cons: all manual fan curve settings will be not available ...

 

Quick update:
Don't start re-installing windows. Doesn't help. dGPU TDP is set also in BIOS. Was a nice try lol. So sad on the other hand.
Asus uses AMI BIOS and there's another community that tweaks them - https://www.win-raid.com/t154f16-Tool-Guide-News-quot-UEFI-BIOS-Updater-quot-UBU.html
Any volunteers?

 

hmmm... maybe this TDP lock is set on since particular bios version ? Are you able to 'run' old GE66 150W vBIOS ?

 

Hey Ziga, sucks that the 150W Asus vbios didn't work. I am running the msi one and get around 13200+ graphics score in timespy with an overclock. I read that Alienware m17 r4 has a 165W vbios, have you tried that one? I made a DIY laptop cooler with 6 120mm case fans and a 3A power brick so cooling hasn't been an issue with the 150W bios.

 

Alienware and Clevo 165w ones will not work, they have a different hardware ID for 165W, I believe Nvidia did this on purpose...

Those have this hardware ID: 24DC

whilst ours is: 249C

 

I actually checked this a few weeks ago, but the bios rom was a barebone compared to other motherboards and even laptops. The only interesting thing is that resizable bar is marked as auto and there is no on option, and there are some cpu power states options, but I couldn't find any easy way to enable ram tweaking or gpu power. I am sure you can mod it, but I have never worked with a bios rom before, so all I did was load the file on AMIBCP and browse through the setup.

Hopefully anyone here has experience with this, it wouldn't be the first time I have to resolder the bios chip lol.

 

Does any1 know if there's any kind of software that is able to fake GPU sensors data? If we could overwrite GPU power draw sensor data, let's say add -20 on actual number - that could solve the problem.

 

I believe that data is calculated directly on the vbios chip, which is why a shunt mod is necessary in order to provide "spoofed" data. (By changing the resistance values)

 

Is there another software we can use just for fan control? I have the 5800H with 2x8gb and your cpu score is way higher, however my gpu score seems to be great. I wish the mobo supported 3200 c16 kits.

 

Whats the vBIOS - stock one with OC ?

 

MSI 150W with OC, can't see the power consumption with that vbios tho so I am not sure if the Asus 150W would be better IF we could get around the armoury crate limits.

 

I guess ziga34 pointed that Armory Crate is not the case? It's probably something in the BIOS cuts down TGP ? or I mis-understood ?

 

If this is on the stock vbios, this is the highest score I've seen. Any chance you could share yours? I'd like to do a comparison.

EDIT: Nevermind, saw that you are using the 150W MSI. Got it

 

He said "It's the Armoury Crate that is now able to see actual power draw on GPU and limits it to 130W" so somehow Armoury Crate profiles are overriding 150W vbios limits, is my understanding.

Edit: I just saw his comment on tgp being limited by mobo bios as well. I don't know how that's possible since scores went up noticeably with the 150w bios from msi.

 

150w msi vbios with overclock Rock!

 

Nice score! What ram are you using?

 

Just scored a hair under 13000 with graphics at 13478. 155w of course and 150/300 MHz chip and memory offset respectively. Stock ram and power on scar 17. Tilted and max fans. It was beautiful to see 100fps on some parts of the benchmark and my gpu hit a max of 1950 MHz. I did notice some artifacts (like red zig zags across the screen) a few times during the end of the second gpu phase. My question is how reliable is this vbios and is it worth switching to faster ram for a higher score? Will do some heavy gaming this weekend with the vbios and see what temps I’m getting but overall very impressed. Is the consensus that if the 155 watt works keep it or???

 

If you already have 32gb dual rank then switching to cl20 samsungs wouldn't change much. We need xmp 1.35v to work to see a noticeable difference. Sure would be nice to run 3200mhz c16 ballistix or ripjaws.
I have been using the 150W (or is it 155? 150+5W?) vbios for a few days, had a couple 3-4 hour gaming sessions without any issues. I would call it stable enough.

 

remember that Power Brick won't last long on 150W vBIOS - to be safe order 280W power supply

 

That one has 115W base and a 150W max cTGP spectrum without DB2.0 or 115W~135W base +15W DB2.0 (150W), depending on manual system configuration.

 

The MSI vbios measures wattage with different sensors to ASUS meaning that armoury crate/bios can’t determine the actual wattage of the 3080 (reads 50w all the time lol) so it doesn’t castrate it, it’s like a software shunt mod in a way lol.

We are lucky in the first place to be able to even flash the vbios lol, imagine if nvidia reverted to the pascal days, with the vbios encryption they have in place right now... we’d be finished

 

No, Don’t buy it. I purchased 280w Power adapter and the system is unable to run under CPU and GPU full load with 150w vBios. And The power adapter got extremely warm, and the sticker on it just start having bubble(because it’s too hot!!) I thought I got a defected unit..... And I try 2 280w and they all behave the same. But somehow the original just worked fine.....

 

You are measuring how much watts is drained by PSU, but that's not how much laptop gets.
Some power is lost during conversion from AC to DC, etc... by PSU itself
For a good quality PSUs the multiplier is 0.8, for china noname - 0.7
300x0.8=240 watts laptop will get

 

Did you buy ADP-280BB on aliexpress?

 

Guys I just bought the 280w psu off aliexpress. Ill gladly spend an extra $60 is graphical scores are improving by over 10%: https://www.3dmark.com/spy/19850791. What I am wondering now is what types of voltage curves are best for those planning to stick with the msi 150 or 155 vbios. I am not planning on repasting or adding extra thermal pads because temps on my scar 17 on a passive stand are just fine -- mid 70s during warzone. Annoyingly there was a warzone update with a new map so im not exact on temp changes, but will run a few hours of cyberpunk later tonight.

Also note to those lurking the thread trying to get their hands on 2021 laptops, check out your closest Microcenter. The one in Boston gets gpu shipments 3 times a week and while people wait overnight for desktop cards, they tend to overlook the laptops that come as well. You can just text them and they will check the backroom for you.

Anyways? Voltage Curves?

 

Lol you pretty much described me and thanks for the heads up regarding Microcenter! I have my ram kits, ssd's and 280w psu sitting in my desk but no laptop. I did have Asus confirm the Scar 17 3080 QHD being in stock at the end of this week, next week and the week of May 10th. All tips regarding tweaks are highly appreciated since I am new to this vbios flash. Thanks

 

On amazon

 

Watch out ur power adapter temperature, mine’s go really warm and the sticker on top start having bubble

 

I bought the
ADP-280BB B AC Adapter 20V 14A 280W on AliExpress
Ok, thanks for the heads up!

 

It's absolutely fine to replace a stock PSU with a more powerful one.
I think you've bought some lower spec counterfeit

 

I just realized that on amazon the prices for the 280w are double the price compared to Aliexpress.... I hope mine works fine

 

Just got notification from Ali express that my hopefully not counterfeit pay shipped, hoping for the best — also it’s pretty insane how much of a beast the 3080 with that extra 35w tdp is. Scores equivalent to 2080ti I believe

 

Some of the discoveries that I've made during past couple of days.
Rog XG Mobile 150W bios is actually a 115W TGP and Limit 150W

At first, I thought that Asus miss-advertises the product and that it never runs @ 150W, but then I've found this
https://www.notebookcheck.net/Asus-...zen-5980HS-and-GeForce-RTX-3080.525927.0.html where at the bottom there's a screenshot with GPU-Z readings that eGPU runs @ 150W. So seems that Asus was smart enough to foresee that some1 might try to use rog xg mobile vbios on laptops with rtx 3080 and probably Dynamic Boost is set on laptop bios? Meaning that on strix scar laptops it is set to 15W and on rog flow x13 - 35W, I don't have any other explanation why it runs only 130W on strix scar.

But even if we would be able to run at 150W - scores are not that impressive:
1. On same notebookcheck.net link graphics score was 12394 on external monitor no custom OC
2. One of best scores for rog flow x13 with 5900HS on external monitor and probably with custom OC - https://www.3dmark.com/spy/18234572 - 12625
3. One of best scores for rog flow x13 with 5980HS on external monitor and probably with custom OC - https://www.3dmark.com/spy/19219512 - 12663

Also sharing my concerns using MSI 130/155W vbioses. So I did two power draw tests from power socket using power meter focusing only on GPU load.
Test details:
1. Stock Asus 115+15W vbios and stock 240w power adapter, OC +130 clock +240 memory, FurMark Rog test -> rog12 (FurMark + 6500MB VRAM) - OpenGL
2. MSI 125+5W vbios and stock 240w power adapter, same OC +130 clock +240 memory, same FurMark Rog test -> rog12 (FurMark + 6500MB VRAM) - OpenGL
Results:
1. Power draw from socket - 175W, GPU-Z readings - 130W. 175W - 130W = 45W that are consumed by the remaining components in laptop.
2. Power draw from socket - 230W, GPU-Z readings - 40W (wrong). But, 230W - 45W = 185W

So, 185W - 130W = a whooping 55W increase on GPU... My calculations might not be 100% correct as some1 pointed out that there're conversion ratios and other things to consider, but still this doesn't change fact that this is way to much. That's why Asus laptops with MSI vbioses scores better than the actual MSI laptops. Crazy.

 

@ziga34 Rog XG vbios doesn't have an adjustable power slider in msi afterburner right? like the desktop gpus.

 

I think we can ask forum guru's to make changes in bios rom
here is similar requests:

https://www.win-raid.com/t8273f54-R...-UNLOCK-BIOS-FEATURES-AND-HIDDEN-OPTIONS.html

https://www.win-raid.com/t7153f54-REQUEST-ASUS-TUF-A-FA-IU-Unlock-CSM-amp-XMP.html


https://www.win-raid.com/t7141f54-R...ance-overclocking-ASUS-ROG-G-G-LW-Laptop.html

 

Great Ziga, I would like to dive deeper on your claims of the extremities of power draw by the gpu on the msi 155 watt bios. I tested loads under Timespy benchmarks and noticed that with the 130watt bios that you provided and the 155 watt bios from techpowerup, the power draw was almost equivalent under stress. However, through Nvidia system Information settings -- the tdp limit is clearly differentiated between 130 and 155. I noticed that there was a differentiator of 45 watts between these msi bioses and the stock bios. I was wondering to myself, why are the 125+5 and 150+5 watt vbios pulling similar wattages from the wall. about 260 watts at max load vs 215 watt max on stock (Timespy run 2). Is there a possibility that the 125 and 155 watt msi bios are the same? or that maybe the actual wattage limits on the msi .rom are not read properly by asus(supporting why gpu z gives a bogus number of 45W on my machine) and rather unlock the wattage that the 3080 can pull? By unlock, I am speaking very highly and mean that it just allows the gpu to draw as much as it needs. Thats why we are seeing huge numbers on timespy: https://www.3dmark.com/spy/19850791

To further dive into this dilemma, I noticed very different gaming improvements on the different vbios. For simplicity -- lets forget about dynamic boost and just compare stock vs msi (since there seems to be no difference on my machine). For Warzone, a very cpu intensive game, I noticed very similar power draw (max 5 volt difference steady around 195-205) and no improvements. Loading into modern warfare multiplayer, which is less intensive on the cpu, I gained a massive 30 - 45 fps, going from 120 - 160 fps. The biggest difference I saw was in cyberpunk. The MSI bios was pulling 260 from the wall and I was seeing 90 fps as opposed to 60 fps on stock and 215 watts from wall (utra raytracing), thats like a 50% improvement in fps. https://www.3dmark.com/spy/19850791

!!!!!!!!!!!
The question is, if the msi vbios is just unlocking the tdp to be uncapped, we should treat this as a great power. I am sure that there is an easy way to just limit overall tdp intake. If not by software, I think there are some electrical hardware products that can limit wattage to a certain amount, to only feed the computer the max it can handle. Other than that, there should be some way to limit tdp ceiling? since all of us on this fourm have been set on increasing the floor.

 

Hi guys,

Just a heads up for anyone that was wondering, the GPU throttling temp is 86C (this is the same for all RTX 3xxx laptops non max-q), hotspot temp can also lead to throttling though, so make sure you use some good paste or thin pads on the vrms! I found out after the liquid metal saturated into the copper on the GPU side, after reapplying it the GPU temps went back down to low/mid 80s barely avoiding throttling temps which for 150w is perfect in such a thin chassis. Bearing in mind I have a custom quiet fan profile but the laptop is also propped up.

 

Hi guys, does anyone have a Scar 15/17 with the RTX 3080 but with the 8GB model? If yes, could you share your vbios here? I'd like to try it out on my laptop with RTX 3080 8GB.
Thanks in advance!

 

They share the same vbios

 

Just got gpu score over 14000!

https://photos.app.goo.gl/aPdMTkztSfGMJVge6

 

Do you know how to force install it? I attempted with --protectoff but it did not work.
When I try to install any 16GB RTX 3080, it says board mismatch. I am, of course, afraid of damage, but I also wonder if that's just a warning and if it would work regardless.

 

That power draw looks ridiculous, it seems that power limit is 155w not as driver described 130w.

 

those measurements and assumptions are inaccurate

 

has anyone already got a 280w brick from ali?

 

Ok, So the armory crate profile is under C:\ProgramData\ASUS\ARMOURY CRATE Config\Data

If someone have the xg graph dock, I believe they can find a profile under this folder!

 

Looks like Asus released the info about upcoming Asus Zephyrus S17, the RTX 3080 used in those machine are 125w with 140w dynamic boost, seems are more modest update potentials: https://rog.asus.com/laptops/rog-zephyrus/2021-rog-zephyrus-s17-series/spec

 

Would like to hear opinions from the owners. What differentiates the Strix SCAR from the Zephyrus G15? Like why would one choose one over the other?

@SMGJohn @ZBIGPL @kill4l @Matten1987

 

hey mate. after upgrading from MSI GE73VR 8RF, it was a big pump in the performance. i love the Strix scar 15, but i'm really missing features that MSI laptop has ( specially the advanced bios options, RAM tweaking and so on), the other think i'm missing is the MUX switch, but for me it's not a big deal, cuz i don't really see a big difference. when i need to do some benchs i just plug my external monitor and get amazing results
Overall i'm satisfied with the scar 15 didn't want to go with Zephyrus cuz i love the scar 15 ))) same specs but with more features

 

Zephyrus G15 Pros:
- lighter, XPS 15 level portability
- lower price
- insane gaming performance for the size and weight
- no-bling design, all metal casing

Strix Scar 15 Pros:
- significantly quieter and cooler when gaming (being heavier and thicker helps with cooling)
- optical-mechanical keyboard
- higher wattage GPUs, thus more frames in games
- 2 RAM slots (G15 has 1 + soldered RAM)
- full RGB light show, body and per key

 

The Strix SCAR has WAY better cooling, I have the TUF Dash F15 which is very similar case and cooling to the Zephyrus G15 series of laptops.
For me the RTX 3080 must be in as big case as possible and SCAR certainly provides it, its also got quality of life features like superior audio all around, better keyboard, upgradable memory to 64GB.

And if price was everything, I would gone with a Lenovo instead of the Zephyrus G15, in my opinion even a RTX 3070 would be severely bottlenecked in a case that thin, and RTX 3060 would probably be very close to it in raw performance because of its TDP limits in such a case. That is why its better to get a bit fatter machine, let the 3070 and 3080 breath more, better cooling means you can flash higher TDP vBIOS.