Gigabyte P34G

..................................... low med. high ultra
Call of Duty: Ghosts (2013) 83.4 72.4 41.2 20.5 fps

Source: Review Gigabyte P34G Notebook - NotebookCheck.net Reviews

 

Double stack enter key on the UK layout.

 

Thanks, good link. So since ive never gamed much on a modern machine (only long ago in the XP/Rainbow 6 days) whats a good FPS to compare to a console?

 

If the Razer had a decent screen and capacity for 16 GB RAM it would be on my desk now instead of the P34G, but those two fails were dealbreakers for me.

 

PS4 would be 1080p (same as this lappy) and will hang at about 30 fps with the equivalent of med/high (more med than high). X1 is 720p and maybe a few more fps.

 

Wow i expected a reply but not a big test, thanks allot for your input!

I guess undervolts are usefull for getting your temps down but the effect on battery life idle will be very little. However lots of very littles in the form of undervolt, lower power ram and ssd might make quite some effect on battery life.

 

Does anyone know where we can get a (good) replacement power brick/charger in the UK?

Sent from my Nexus 4 using Tapatalk 4

 

No problem. I was a bit curious myself and perhaps others are too.

Mac

 

Thanks for the reply.

Guys, I'm choosing between P34G and P25W.
Portability of P34G is great, but I wonder if it'll run Watch Dogs and Mirror's Edge 2 smoothly enough. What do you think?
And which one do you think will have more aftermarket value (in terms of selling it after about 1 year to switch to something based on Maxwell/Broadwell)?

 

Ah, finally managed to get through the entire thread and catch up on info/reviews!

Was eyeing up the w230st back in the summer, but for whatever reason decided to wait (thank goodness) - which fortunately has given time for both the p34g and p35k to be released, and from what I've seen both are pretty impressive.
Design issues and relative size/weight of the p35k, plus the internal optical drive are pushing me away from that, but on the other hand the p34g is closer to the perfect machine.

From what I've read, the main downsides that I would have to learn to live with are:
- fan noise under load
- throttling on battery (so must be connected to mains when gaming)
- and relatively weak battery, though ~3 hours is still adequate.

Aside from that, everything else looks great, and I'm glad they've included a better screen from the u2442n/v/f - the main reason I held off on that model.

Some questions:
1. I'm in the UK so naturally would be looking to buy through ocuk, but at the moment they only have the model with 128GB ssd and 750GB hdd (I'm ignoring the i5 version with hdd only, and will be swapping the hdd anyway for a 256GB samsung 830 I already have), yet I've been reading that there are versions with a 256GB msata ssd standard? Are we likely to see these in the UK at all, or will it be a case of replacing it ourselves (ocuk don't do customisations to this laptop) - and then, just to clarify - will replacing it void the warranty?

2. Can anyone recommend a decent, slim (portable) cooling mat for this? I like to always use laptops on something solid (hardback book/tray/etc..) when not on the desk; never like to put them down on a soft surface - force of habit. Prefer fanless/passive - was looking at something like the xpad cooling pad?

3. Is there any decent hard case (with cushioned interior) suitable for carrying this laptop? Of course the provided sleeve is nice, but I was thinking I wouldn't want to chuck it in a bag without something solid/hard to protect. I've used a Tom Bihn Brain Cell in the past for other laptops although the one I've got is too large for this laptop - also being in the UK I would prefer not to have to import something like that from abroad again.

Cheers.

--------------------------------

Personally if gigabyte decide to reuse the design in a future laptop, I would prefer to remove the 2.5"ssd/hdd space entirely - use only a single msata drive, and extend the battery under the entire palmrest. I don't care for any sort of hdd in a laptop this small - in fact if I buy one I will be removing the hdd immediately, nor would I need anything more than a >256GB msata ssd - I assume there will be higher capacity msata drives at reasonable prices by the time a future revision (I dunno - "p44g"), so to me that waste of space would benefit more from a larger battery.

 

I placed my order with Gentech this morning, opted for the free repaste, discounted 802.11ac upgrade and 16GB RAM. I'm excited about this PC - my last purchase was the Acer described in my sig. I love that little machine, but it's been showing its age lately.

 

This is exactly what I ordered! Mine finally shipped out last night so I am pretty excited, and I really hope this turns out to be a good laptop. I ultimately opted on it over the GE40, mainly based on the looks and backlit keyboard. Anandtech giving it the top spot in the 2013 Mid-range laptop category didn't hurt either, and its a good $600 cheaper than the Blade. I'm coming from an old Dell 1440 that I've driven into the ground over the past few years, so I'm hoping the P34G can at least hang somewhat close to my desktop!

 

I was excited to see it talked about so favorably by AnandTech, as they're one of the best tech sites around - I with they'd find the time to do a full review on the P34G. Truth is I had already made up my mind before the P34G got the Christmas gift guide nod, though.

Did you order from Gentech also? Or another reseller?
That "finally" comment has me a little worried, since I thought the US based resellers all had them in-stock ready to configure and ship.

 

Don't forget (and 90% of you know this). External USB DVD drivers are trivially cheap now days as well. You don't even need an extra power cord because they draw all their juice through the USB cable. optical media is obviously on it's way out, but if you have old software on disks that you want to load, or god forbid, backups, there's a cheap solution for that. They work just as good as internal, I was able to boot from DVD through USB when I needed to, etc.

 

Even cheaper solution: Borrow a USB optical drive and make images of any discs you think you'll need in the future (Diablo 2 for example. [: ).

USB 3.0 drives are still kind of expensive, though. You can find one for $50, which isn't a lot for someone who buys a $1,400 notebook, but still I wouldn't call them trivially cheap yet.

 

So this laptop looks really nice, however even after reading the reviews I still got some questions.
Would anyone of those who have already bought it be able to answer me some questions?

How good/bad is the batterly life really? I'm especially interested in browsing only, since I'll be using it for my uni courses, if it could survive 2 in a row (so 90 minutes each) that would be great.
Is the battery replacable?
In one review I've read that the touchpad doesn't support a specific gesture (either double or right click, the article was quite confusing about this). Did anyone of you notice it and could clear it up (also is it somehow annoying or neglectable)?
What mass storage slots does it have? Just a 2,5" HDD one or also a Mini-PCIe for an SSD? This would be important especially for the cheaper edition that doesn't come with an SSD as I'd like to buy this one and pop a SSD in it later without having to sacrifice the HDD.
Has anyone of already removed the lower body and looked at the internals? How many antennas does the wifi have (1,2 or 3) and is the wifi card replacable?

Thanks for your help
Tobias

 

Most if not all these questions have been answered and documented up to several times earlier in this thread.

- It should survive 2x90 minnutes of light use, but you wont have much juice left.
- It got one standard 2.5 drive bay and one msata slot.
- Wifi card is standard and replaceable. Two antennas.
- I think the gesture refered to was something Win8 specific so I can't answer this one, I run Win7 and the touchpad works exactly like the other ones I've used over the years.
- Battery is replaceable, but the unit have to be opened first.

P34G internals


Mac

 

A better battery sometime (hopefully?) within the next year and being able to nail down NBFC and this thing is there. Sadly, my travails with NBFC over the Thanksgiving holiday weekend here in the U.S. met with failure. Still, being the second or third person on this forum to receive the unit, two and a half months later I'm still very happy with the machine.

 

quick question: I found an i5 4200 & i7 4700 version of the P34G.
The price difference is about 250 USD....is it worth getting the i7?

I am not sure if there is a significant impact on gaming performance.

thanks for the help

 

I don't think the i5 version has a SSD installed?

 

You might actually see a little better performance in some games due to the slightly higher clock frequency of the i5. Many games are not really taking full advantage of quad-core CPUs, but then again there are those that do. The difference will in most cases be minimal. The most important variable for gaming performance is the gfx, something I' see with my 7 year old Core 2 Duo 2.33ghz desktop that is now on its 3rd gfx and still doing quite okay.

On a side note - how the different variables plays out in terms of heat and power consumption is more difficult to say, the area of the i7 that is in contact with the heat sink is larger on the i7, but it is listed with the same TDP as the i5. The i5 could potentially run both cooler or hotter in real life. We don't really know yet.

Mac

 

Sorry for the delayed response. Yea, I ordered from Gentech also. The "finally" I just meant, because I have had trouble keeping my patience down waiting for it haha. They told me when I ordered it would take 5-10 days to build and test before shipping it to me. It ended up taking them about 6-7 business days before it shipped. The "stock" models ship instantly, but it takes a few extra days if you get any of the upgrades. I figure it was worth the upgrades though, as I can't really see any future upgrades I would need at all with this laptop outside of maybe swapping a larger SSD in a few years down the line. Overall, so far in the order process, I am glad I chose Gentech as they've been responsive to my questions. Laptop should be here tomorrow night according to UPS, so I'm excited to see how it turns out!

 

Interesting. thanks for the response

 

Note that if you plan to play emulators, a stronger CPU is recommended as they are more CPU intensive as opposed to being GPU intensive.

Also note that i7's have hyper threading, which effectively doubles the cores, unlike i5 and lower. Will you be able to use the cores in most games? Probably not. But, there is always those few exceptions.

 

The i5 on this lappy has the same tdp as the i7.

Sent from my HTC One X using Tapatalk

 

Hi all, I just re-read the entire thread from the start - so many details in there. I'd read it (and replied) back in August and I'd been participating since last month, but going through it all from start to finish was informative.

The thing that concerned me the most was the above.

Was this ever resolved?

I use a bluetooth keyboard and mouse with my unit when at home - I specifically got those so I'd have two less things to plug in and I really enjoy being able to move them around whenever needed. I really hope it won't take that long to get the connection after every boot (with my current ASUS N56VZ it takes about 2 seconds after they go idle. If this is an issue with stock Intel card I'm considering taking the Wifi card out of my N56 and putting it in there.

I'm hoping Notebook Fan Control (NBFC) can be figured out. Now that the BIOS modder has sold his machine I don't actually know if anyone else has installed the BIOS and tried it out and various of the people who wanted to get the fan situation fixed so desperately gave up and returned their machines so I don't know where that leaves us unfortunately :/.

Thank you B'midbar for your work on that and everyone else who has been working on getting this Fan Control situation resolved.

Thanks very much,
Peter

 

Wow, they must've been really backed up. My P34G shipped yesterday and should arrive Friday according to Gentech and UPS. Can't wait.

 

Ah well, still hoping if anyone is interested in fixing the fan (or about the bluetooth).

My unit was also shipped out from GenTech yesterday too, not sure when you ordered, but I ordered December 4th - however I asked them to put a hold on it until Saturday.

Peter

 

How much diffrence weight from P34g and P35k ...??
I'm personal using a laptop on the go everyday.

If the weight is just a little gap between them...I'll go for p35k..

but guys, maybe I should hear your advice first...

 

Either one is a lot lighter than our N56VZs

I prefer the 14" personally since I travel with it a lot and will use it on the train. My N56VZ 15.6" is too big as is my work 15.6" laptop as well. The P34 is a fair bit lighter and smaller making it easier to fit into bags and so on. Google can tell you the size difference and weight difference... 2.2kg vs. 1.7kg (nearly 25%).

This spreadsheet is useful for that sort of thing: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet/ccc?key=0An1ksLSUsclxdDU1NE8zR3dkMG8yRUs1Ykh6N19aVlE#gid=0

Up to you what you want though.

Why are you moving over from the N56VZ btw, if you don't mind me asking? I have the first of your model publicly sold as far as I know - curious if you're here for the same exact reasons as I .

Peter

 

I freaking love this laptop! I Received it last Friday and I already installed Win 7 pro, an additional 8GB of ram and replaced the 2nd HDD with a Hybrid 1TB... the things works flawlessly and I love it!




One question though: When in a game, if I use the Fn volume keys, it will exit fullscreen to show me the Volume overlay... annoying as hell!!! Does anyone know how to get rid of this issue? or get rid of the overlay all together? Any help is welcome!

 

Glad you like it .

Search this thread for Caps Lock - I think it is the same issue - I used google because the in forum search doesn't seem to work anymore: http://forum.notebookreview.com/gigabyte/720497-gigabyte-p34g-150.html

They talk about killing Smart Manager and the OSD to prevent it from happening. It'd be great if there was a better fix though, for a Gaming Laptop it should be properly fixed by Gigabyte...

 

Nice thanks for the quick response! I did try to google but didn't find anything... Guess my search skills suck

Sounds like I need a previous version of SmartManager ("Uninstalled v3.4.5 and installed v3.3.6")... will try that and report back... I do agree with you that this should be properly fixed by Gigabyte! Thx again tho

On a side note, win7 is so much better than 8... I did try to stick with 8 for a while as some of the features are nice, but I had stability issues and it's got a lot of useless bs... it also seems to me like it's an unfinished product at this time, so I will stick with win 7 for a bit longer...

For those of you out there hesitating to get this laptop, GET IT!! Coming from an ASUS G53Sx, this is a LOT better....

 

If anyone has a link to download Smart Manager v3.3.6 that would be great... I did not know my google skills were that bad

 

Sorry for the confusion that was absolutely not what I wanted you to get out of that link . Below is the explanation of that conversation from the rest of the page - it was the fact M4cr0s's touchpad disable had been reverted on upgrading Smart Manager not anything to do with the version .

So do what that last post says to get around the problem for now, but make sure to tell Gigabyte to fix it too

I had a ASUS G51JX myself which is similar to what you had - so I'm really looking forward to this - gaming laptops don't need to be big, heavy, bulky, glossy plastic anymore

Peter

 

Awesome. Thanks Peter! I just killed the OSD and that did it. I did not have to kill the GBSMV2.exe for it to work.

Back to gaming.................... :thumbsup:

 

ok thx for your advice peter.
It's nice to hear from another user n56vz :thumbsup:

it's very painful to carry n56z everyday on my back.
and then.. I think it must be replaced to the thinnest one...yet powerful to..
so maybe p34 or p35k. but still is very confusing.. with only 25% more weight and same thickness. I'll get 2 mSata slot, 765M Nvidia and IPS panel with p35k.

may I know how long you've been using n56vz, peter ? did you already own p34g now ?

my apologies for to many question ,peter. because I'm very glad to find N56z user around here.

Surya

 

For those wanting to run Win 7 without the getting-thrown-back-into-win I managed to fish out the link to SmartManager 3.3.6. It's not listed on the P34G page, but it's still online.

http://download.gigabyte.eu/FileList/Driver/nb-driver-p34g-win7-win8-smartmanagerv3-3.3.6.exe

I haven't found any issues running this version with my Win 7 install.

Mac

 

Is Win8 really that bad? I tend to prefer using the latest version no matter what because of stability/support issues

Sent from my Nexus 4 using Tapatalk 4

 

Up to you. In my signature I state I have been using the N56VZ since October 2012. A page ago I said my P34G is still being shipped.

I find it is not just thickness and weight, the 15.6" form factor is just too wide for me, especially using it in the cramped conditions of my lap while in a seat on the train and it's hard to close my 15.6" backpack around my N56 (it fits, but just barely). It's up to you, but I'm happy I ordered a P34G and am looking forward to playing with it soon .

Peter

P.S. Darth_poopie, for me I prefer Windows 8 - faster boot with SecureBoot than 7 and especially with 8.1 I find it to be more usable - not perfect, but on par with 7 and better because of the speed on boot and other improvements. I don't like the Metro UI (esp on a non touch laptop) but besides that, all in all, I like 8 better than 7. If it came with 7 I'd leave it as is, but since it is 8 to start with I'll make it 8.1 and call it a day .

 

That post was directed at Phrozen re: the backup, should've quoted.
There wasn't any delay for me. I ordered last Thursday, really impressed with their speed!

 

Has anyone reinstalled windows 8?

So the deal is you have to go find the windows 8 ISO with hash sha-1 that matchs the official msdn ISO, pulling your own key and trying to download from microsoft directly doesnt work (retail keys only), they want you to use the gigabyte oem version but that is not available. Doing a reset does not clear the 20gb partition and reinstalls the bloatware. Once you have the ISO on USB it installs as usual with no need to enter a key (automatic), then you have to get windows update KB 2871389 to see the 8.1 update on the store, then your set. This method resulted in 50gb more space on my small 128gb SSD. Also I would put the intel wifi drivers on the second drive ready to go. You end up with a Activated install.

-wont answer questions

 

ok thanks peter.
yeah I agree with you.. 15.6 inch is very narrow on a backpack

would mind if your p34g has arrived, can you upload a pict comparison between n56z and p34g later on ?

it would be help me to see the dimension between them...and as my reference to chose a notebook

 

Hi, I'd like to update the Intel ME (Management Engine) driver with the newest driver from the Intel site, but there are two versions.

MEI_Win8.1_1.5M_9.5.15.1730_PV.zip
MEI_Win8.1_5.0M_9.5.15.1730_PV.zip

Which one is the right one for the P34G?
The 1.5M or the 5.0M?

 

Cool, I didn't mean the "Ah well" about your comment - I was hoping B'midbar would get back to me about the bluetooth issue, that's all . You ordered stock I take it?

Hmm, it should work to allow you to install Windows 8, but not Pro. A Windows 8 installer should pick it up from the BIOS automatically. Do you have Windows 8 installed? If so you can just do a system "refresh" to reset it back to clean.

Ok, I will try to remember to do that in a couple of weeks when I am back home from the US.

Don't know sorry.

 

Guys! Guys! I'm finally my P34G on Monday! Ended up getting the GentechPC version pimped out with 4 extra GB of RAM for free and a thermal repaste, as well as the AC 7260 Wireless Card.

I just wanted to thank all of you so much. I've been following this thread for 3 months plus now and you guys have provided so much help it's unbelievable. Thank you.

If there's anything I can do to help, please let me know?

Any last tips for this beast?

Sent from my Nexus 4 using Tapatalk 4

 

Could you run the Intel Driver Utility for checking which driver I need for the P34G?
It should tell you when running it. (Well, I hope it'll tell you.)

Intel® Driver Update Utility

 

So I have had this laptop for about a month now and I can say it is one of my favorites. In terms of build quality I'll give it a B because there are some issues with some buldges here and there and some gaps between some of the pieces that are larger then they should be...

MY MAIN ISSUE however is the wireless/bluetooth adapter. I have upgraded to the AC7260 and have had nothing but problems with it. Can someone else confirm if this is a problem with the wireless adapter itself or the computer?

After having hte computer in sleep mode for a few hours when I wake it from sleep there is an error in the event manager that says:

Miniport Intel(R) Dual Band Wireless-AC 7260, {1e4c9297-fe81-444c-a1a8-1775a00b72fd}, had event Fatal error: The miniport has failed a power transition to operational power

And every once in awhile I see this in the event viewer:

A command sent to the adapter has timed out. The adapter did not respond. - BTHUSB
The local Bluetooth adapter has failed in an undetermined manner and will not be used. The driver has been unloaded. - BTHUSB

The bluetooth just stops working and doesnt show up in my device manager or the bluetooth settings menu in metro mode.

I hope this gets fixed as its really really irritiating me and scaring me into thinking something is really wrong iwth the computer.

Also I had 1 issue earlier today when I woke the computer up from sleep the screen would not come up to full brightness and the function keys for the brightness would not work... Neither did changing the brightness settings in smart manager... Deff a lot of glitches...

Any ideas?

 

I've never had this issue with the AC 7260. Note, I don't use BT, but I wake it from sleep all the time without issue. I did, however, update to the latest driver from Intel's site...have you?

 

Now it wont even show up in device manager.