Gigabyte P34G

Hey B'midbar,

i also noticed you have the upgraded 7260ac adapter. Are you running 8.1 and have you had any issues with it? I think all my headaches are from this upgraded adapter. I don't know if mine is faulty or in general Intel is still having problems with their adapters and win8. Currently my bluetooth just died and can't reconnect and coincidentally my download and upload speed has dropped precipitously.

sigh may have to call Gentech and figure out if i should get it downgraded or swapped to the Killer brand.

Thanks

 

I'm running 8.1, no problems, driver versions (direct from Intel Update) are back on about page 179 I think.

 

hmmm i have the updated drivers. maybe you just haven't ran into a situation that would be problematic yet (ie gaming online and a bluetooth device?).

I'm tempted to open it up and look inside but i can't imagine the hardware to only partially work if it was defective. i think it would be all-or-none.

 

Gaming on-line, no. Bluetooth mouse and keyboard whilst on-line in WebEx confs and VPN'ed into a client site, yes.

 

Hey guys... recent new problem:

- putting the laptop into SLEEP mode hangs the laptop EVERY ONCE in a while. Description: I either hit the Fn+F2 key or close the lid of the laptop and instead of going to sleep the screen goes dark, but the keyboard remains lit and functional, and the fans kick into medium speed. From there I have no way to do anything... can't exit this half-sleep mode, the screen remains dark and while the keyboard responds (I can change keyboard lighting levels or turn the Wifi adapter ON/OFF as the little LED turns ON/OFF...), my only option is to hard reboot... which obviously sucks my balls.

- I found quite a lot of ppl online with the same issue on various different laptops, with the main culprit being linked to the lan/wifi service/drivers/etc... I tried a lot of various things, and it looks like the problem went away once I unchecked the "Allow the computer to turn off this device to save power" in the "Power Management" tab off the properties of the Intel Wireless-N 7260 wifi adapter.

I have NOT had the hang-up issues since I unchecked this (it's only been 24hours, so not 100% sure yet), however, getting back on the wifi network after coming out of sleep has NOT been as automatic as before... it takes the adapter a min or so to get back online, when it used to come back online within seconds...

I recently upgraded to the latest Smart Manager, and also updated to the latest Wifi drivers via Smart Updarte (driver 16.8.0.6). I will probably play with the "Allow this computer to turn off this device..." setting and previous wifi drivers to see if the latest update is the culprit of the sleep issues.

I also played with the BIOS sleep settings, but I did not really know what I was doing there, so I enabled most of the lines referring to SLEEP management and RTC, but sleep was still an issue until I unchecked the "Allow this computer to turn off this device..." setting. I then reset the BIOS to factory default.

Any advice or input is appreciated.

David

 

Phew, lots of driver updates today!
SmartUpdate, SmartSwitch, Wired LAN, Touchpad and Audio.
So far so good.

Still using direct Intel and Nvidia drivers, both of which show as outdated in SmartUpdate.

 

I've heard changing that setting "Allow this computer to turn off this device." causing issues for people. Once I got all my drivers stable I stopped upgrading or changing settings unless I run into problems. BT has been working well for me with stock card.

Does anyone know what FN+Esc was meant to do? The manual excludes it. It looks like it is marked with the eject symbol from a computer with a CD Drive built in (confirmed even with USB CD attached it does not work in that capacity for this). I read in another source that Gigabyte binds this to open Smart Manager, but that does not occur on mine (I'd especially like it if it would both summon and banish Smart Manager since the ALT+F4 shortcut does not work).

Thanks,
Peter

 

I've always assumed it was cd-eject, like you said.
I figure it's because the keyboard is the same as other Gigabyte models with optical drives - though I don't know which ones.

The combo does nothing on my P34G.

 

Yep, same thought for me about them reusing from another Gigabyte model with cd drive - we can remap, but it'd have been nice if they could have set it up from the get go. I'm getting used to it, but the fact the Smart Manager has to sit on top of all other windows when open and can't be closed by ALT+F4 kind of bugs me - there was no good reason for them to disable those standard Windows features in that application. Still really, really like the laptop otherwise, great system .

Peter

P.S. It's funny watching the Video knowing just how "awesome" the P34G's speakers really are and just how much you can really "feel" the bass .

http://www.dolby.com/us/en/consumer/technology/pc/dolby-home-theater-v4-video.html - Does anyone keep this thing on? I disabled it as soon as I realized it was there because it kept muddying things up...

 

Hey guys,

I experience some weird battery drain issues. The battery depletes itself at a rate of 5-10% a day which is a lot! The Laptop is fully turned off, its not in sleep mode or anything. I deactivated the usb-charging function when sleeping/hibernating and no usb devices plugged in.
Anyone know what issue can cause this problem?

 

Same problem with sleep mode, i'll try your issue...

 

Going on four months in starting to get some little chips and nicks on the front bezel and I am VERY careful with my unit and its handling. Anyone else?

 

That reminded me of this:
"We were a bit surprised that the P34G actually consumed more energy when it was turned off than during stand-by"
Review Gigabyte P34G Notebook - NotebookCheck.net Reviews

If you do leave it on sleep do you notice the same type of drain? I haven't tested this since I got the unit myself since I leave it on sleep almost all the time when I am not using it.

When you say front bezel what do you mean exactly?

Peter

 

Having a new issue: noticing youtube videos skipping frames pretty frequently. Could this be a side effect of smartmanager?

 

The bezel is the plastic lip lid around the screen, its normal to see a little light bleed on a blackscreen, but this was on any screen when you looked from a slight angle, very annoying in low light. Its from poor manufacturing, local support for gigabyte is just as bad as MSI. I also got one of those generic clevo laptops from logicalblue one before and the fan was always running, constantly only blowing hot air, seems they run stock cooling systems with stock temp control setup. I can say they are sub standard, after returning my P34, I went and got the Venom BlackBook 14 Zero. Very impressed so far. I have my fingers crossed. Handles Grid 2 really nicely and Battlefield. while being thin and light also. So far so good. It is also built really well. Good to see a winner!
the intel Rep pushed me over the line, I always thought the generic clevos were different, just hard to tell from pictures. This confirmed it.
13" inch gaming laptop - Notebooks - Whirlpool Forums
The only other brand I would have considered was Alienware, however they just look and feel cheap, the driver support is good, but the aftersales support is very hit and miss. Again only if you need them.

 

Playing bioshock at Max settings. Looks nice but there's moments when it freezes for a second I don'tt know if it's a background app problem.

regarding my internet issue gentech recommended I upgrade my router instead of using generic Comcast provided router. No luck with Bluetooth still disconnects randomly.

 

Bioshock 1 or infinite? I only managed to squeeze out high settings on infinite at ~60ish fps. Dunno why you're still stuttering, sorry :/

 

I'm having similar freeze moment issues with games and with youtube videos. Looking into fixes..

 

Yes, I am having the same issue. I find it happens regardless of whether or not it is plugged in or not. I have the latest updates from NVidia and Intel from their respective websites. I feel like this wasn't an issue before I updated to Windows 8.1...

After some playing around I found that I do not get any youtube freezing if I am using Chrome. The problem appears to only be with Firefox.

 

Did it fix the problem for you too? I still haven't locked up since I unchecked that "Allow the computer to turn off this device to save power" on the wifi adapter... fingers are crossed that it won't come back...

Overall still VERY happy I just got the ASUS VG248QE screen and the combo is a winner all around

Oh and thanks to whoever recommended the Targus charger... got it off amazon at just over $20 and I am very impressed by the quality, size and versatility...

 

Can you provide a link to that please.. I am interested in that as well. Thanks!

 

I am playing Bioshock 1. I bought the trilogy and planning on beating them. I don't know the framerate but it's fine just shouldn't have pauses.

Yea i think the internet delay is could be the wifi incompatibility problems. I use chrome. However, like I said Bioshock is not online gaming so should not freeze up. Thinking this is a windows 8.1 issue but my little brother has no issues on his desktop.

I would be interested in the portable charger as well. What would the difference be with the larger brick? Faster charge time? Is there a performance difference when under high performance?

 

Only problem I had with Bioshock 1 was Windows giving me low ram popups when I obviously had 6gb free...

 

Anyone ever have issues with video distortion on YouTube and other flash video sites?
Within a few minutes when I'm watching longer clips I start to see green artifacting at the top of the frame which eventually overtakes the entire video. Refreshing the page or reloading the video element itself is the only way I've found to resolve it.

This occurs at all resolutions, but 1080p and 720p seem most likely to make it happen. Fullscreen mode seems to increase the probability too.

I have the Intel video drivers from Intel (10.18.10.3345), though Smart Update prompts me to update to a newer release 10.18.10.3383 (which I can't find reference to for HD 4600 on Intel's site, making me wary).

 

Here it is: Amazon.com: Targus Compact Laptop Charger (AC) with Limited Two Year Warranty APA69US (Black): Computers & Accessories

Just went up by $10 You won't be disappointed.

 

Received my unit today and I am a little worried. I can handle the fan wind noise that's fine, but when the fans are on I hear an additional clicking.. much like the noise of a cd rom drive. It is not an absurdly loud sound but loud enough. I can really hear it when putting my ear near the bottom of the laptop.

Does anyone else have this? It is about underneath the enter key. Do I dare open it up to check the fan? Crap.

 

No clicking here. Opening it up to check is very easy... go for it!

 

things you can try:

- go to device manager and double click on Blutooth adatper > Power Management and uncheck "allow the computer to turn off this device to save power", try to see if your bluetooth will stay connected.

- if that doesn't work then right click the Intel Bluetooth adapter and click uninstall and check "delete driver" box > restart the PC > Windows will install the generic bluetooth driver and people have reported it work much better than Intel driver.

 

I've had my unit running for a few weeks now and finally decided to post up my opinions of the whole experience as well as some ratings that might be useful to someone. First, I purchased mine from GentechPC along with the Dead Pixel Warranty (30-day). I am glad I did because the first P34G I got had a green stuck pixel right in the middle of the screen. That said, GentechPC was really helpful and I got the unit swapped out. On a side note, the replacement I received doesn't have a wobble on the base like the original model I got, so I am overall really happy with their service.

Design and Looks: 9/10
I'm gonna have to give this a really high mark, as I feel the industrial design is one of the best for a Windows laptop I have seen in a while, and especially for a laptop with this much power. Aluminum lid and interior, plastic bezel on the screen and bottom. Lots of rubber pads to keep things from rubbing, and includes a nice cover and microfiber cloth. I ended up buying a 15 inch Macbook Case from Incase which fits almost perfectly, but I appreciate the effort by Gigabyte. It isn't a Macbook or a Razer blade, but its really well made and a LOT cheaper, so high marks here.

Keyboard: 8/10
There are a few oddities like the Home, Pg Up/Dwn, and End key needing a function press, and I'm not the biggest fan of the shrunken arrow keys, but overall the chiclet keys and the backlight work great. I don't have any flex at all in my keyboard, and think it is one of the better feeling laptop keyboards that I have used.

Trackpad: 6/10
It's not great, but its not bad. It is definitely useable and I have no trouble getting around with it, but I feel the physical buttons at the bottom could have been designed better and been made more flush with the rest of the hand rest. In use, the tracking part works well once the drivers are updated and you enable Gestures. Side swiping actions are reasonably reliable, but they aren't 100%. So is it useable and will you get annoyed with it? Most likely not at all, but there are is some definite room for improvement here.

Screen: 10/10
This screen is simply amazing, and I get a lot of comments about it. The matte finish and viewing angles are excellent, and the brightness and clarity are just great. I'm sure this screen probably contributes to the reduced battery life compared to the GE40 and Razer Blade, but after using it I don't even care. I placed mine next to a friends GE40 and the difference is night and day. I love this screen!

Gaming Performance and Graphics: 9/10 (maybe 7/10 compared to desktops)
I am biasing this point just a little because this is a gaming laptop. No it can't hang with my desktop rig at the end of the day when it comes to pushing high-res games at 1080p+ with max graphics, but for a laptop of this size it does a damn fine job. Runs Dark Souls at full speed, Fifa at full speed, Skyrim great with good quality graphics. I haven't re-activated my WoW account yet, but playing around it looks like it should be more than up to the task. I feel like most games now and in the future are going to be easily playable at Upper-Mid to High graphics settings. I am very impressed for the size and weight of this laptop.

Work Performance and Programming: 10/10
It gets the job done. The SSD is fast and software compiles like lightning on this thing. Along with a good keyboard, and occasionally an external mouse, this is a great productivity machine, and I have found myself using it instead of my work computer just because it is that much faster.

Battery Life: 4/10
I figured the fairest way to do this is consider 1 point per hour, as many Macbooks can hit the 10 hour mark. So, my average use on Auto-Everything and power saver mode is around 4 hours, so it gets 4/10. Is this good? great? Honestly, I think its pretty bad, but when it comes down to it I really am near power outlets 99% of the time anyway. You can turn more stuff off to get longer if you are really trying to sip power, but 4 hours is acceptable to me for the other advantages this laptop brings to the table.

Software: 9/10
Actually, the Gigabyte Software is really nice. To start, this thing has zero bloatware on it. You get a couple small gigabyte programs that help manage power and different settings, along with your updates. They are non-intrusive and work well for the most part. Other than that you are on Windows 8, which I've found I actually like quite a bit after giving it some time. I'm gonna drop one point, because the Gigabyte Update Software downloads pretty slow for some reason, but all together its useful and not something you will ever want to uninstall.

Overall: 8/10
Is there room for improvement? Yes. Is this a good deal for the price? That's a tough call. It is definitely an expensive piece of hardware, but what you get is high performance in a tiny package. Weight is a big issue for me when it comes to biking and traveling (I'm a carry-on only guy) and so I knew there would be a premium to get gaming grade hardware in something under a 17 inch package. I'm glad I chose this over the GE40 and Razer blade. I like having the 16gb of upgraded ram, and being able to swap things out to give it a longer lifespan in the future. It feels expensive and looks expensive, so thats a major plus. Really its a decision you have to make, but overall I am very happy and think it has definitely performed to the point that I had been hoping for!


BONUS: Reseller Review (GenTechPC): 10/10
Gentech did a great job with the upgrades I included, and they were very helpful in getting the unit fixed when the first one I got had a dead pixel. Very professional company. I was initially a little distraught over my dead pixel, but things happen, and Ken is really a great guy for helping you fix your problems. I really can't think of a single negative to my buying experience so I'm just giving them a small shout out if you are looking for somewhere to buy one of these!

 

Is it normal to have a "popping" sound from the speakers? I hear it when I get that "what your trying to do doesn't work" alert from windows. I've recorded it here: http://www.mattm.mobi/P34GAudio.htm

The popping noise you hear is not the keyboard, it is coming from the speakers. Thankfully I don't hear it when playing normal things like a video so I guess I can live with it.. but does anyone else have this?

 

I spent the majority of my evening reading this thread and I have one question.

Is the battery life THAT bad on this machine? I have a 2013 Razer blade 14inch. I know it out performs this machine and has an awesome battery life. What it does not have is a decent display. A crappy TN panel that has excellent response time is no excuse. I can't stand looking at it to be honest and It is too much trouble to find another panel and mod it to fix the blade. It's a HUGE pain.

With that in mind, I expect to lose some performance gaming wise. 760m(1920x1080) < 765m (1600x900). So I hope the 760m has some head room for overclocking.

So to sum it up... Is the battery life THAT bad? Has anyone atempted to play BF4 on this machine?

Please let me know.

Thank you.

 

I've attempted to play BF4 with this, but EAs connection issues prevented it. I have been paying Dead Island on the integrated card at about medium, and it's playable.

Battery for me on normal nongaming usage is about 3.5 to 4 hours. Not sure how that compares with others. My screen brightness is one step above zero, keyboard at 50%, WiFi on for surfing and streaming. I've prevented the NVIDIA card from running except for games. I haven't paid more attention to battery life because I've never felt restricted by it.

Sent from my Nexus 7 using Tapatalk

 

I play BF4 everyday. I have the settings on high. gameplay is smooth, no lag at all,

Sent from Sony ZL

 

What i am really curios about: I am going to get the P34G without Windows cause I already have a Win 7 x64 Version to install.
How's the driver support for Win 7, should i consider a upgrade to Win 8.1 or isn't it worth it?

There are youtube-videos out there. BF4 on a P34G.
Afaik 1080p and Highest graphic settings: Average frame rate range is 35-45 fps, Highs up to 60 (screen capture limit), so i would say perfectly playable.
And set post processing and terrain decoration to ultra and everything else on medium, it almost looks exactly like ultra. Get the realmware bf4 settings editor and change shadowmap resolution to 512. that will get 60+ fps almost everywhere.

 

In multiplayer correct?

Does anyone get throttling while playing demanding games?

 

yea, multiplayer.

Sent from Sony ZL

 

on a stable network and still get intermittent lag/freeze. i'm playing off my HDD instead of my SDD but it shouldn't make a difference...also still get stuttering in bioshock (what an incredible game). i feel like the only one with this problem still. maybe lagging when HDD spins up but should be bufferred into my 16gb of RAM so this doesn't make sense!

 

I have no issues with Win7p-64

 

Same here - just download the latest drivers from Gigabyte's site and you should be good to go.

 

Barring a better battery down the road, fourth and final upgrade to my machine today. Popped the 128GB LiteOn mSATA out and upgraded to a 256GB one, replicating to the latter in an enclosure using Easeus before swapping.No problems, no issues, this machine is now about as good as I can make it.

 

B'midbar, what were your other upgrades?

Sent from my Nexus 7 using Tapatalk

 

the mSATA Samsung EVO should be a good upgrade soon, 500GB and 1TB versions will be available if you don't mind spending a lot.

 

Hi,

Can someone tell me if the GTX 760m can be overclocked more than +135 mhz ? what is the maximum frequency that is possible with the P34G. With the XTU , can we O/C the cpu ?

On the battery , the cpu will throtle at 1,3 ghz , is it possible to not to have this throttle with a modded bios ?

Thank you

 

1) 8GB RAM > 16GB, 2) stock WiFi card > Intel AC7260, 3) 1TB HDD > 1TB SSD, 4) 128GB mSATA > 256GB

 

Operative phrase is "a lot." Don't think we'll see the 500GB ones below $300 anytime soon, much less the 1TB ones below $500. Paid enough for this EVO 1TB that I'm good for a while.

 

I did some quick reading but what are the real world benefits of SSD over HDD? I was reading they have higher density platters so the 5400s are actually not that slow. Is it for specific tasks that the higher cost of SSD is justifiable. I'm just wondering if it's worth my money upgrading it as well or just waiting. Did not want this laptop to cost more than 1500.

 

An SSD will make Windows, your programs, and certain games run and load much faster.

A 128GB is fine if you want just Windows, all of your programs, and current games on it.

 

As anyone have an idea ?

 

Speed - pure speed. Sure the 5900 RPMs HDDs are fast, but they're about as fast as molasses in January compared to new SSDs. With my old MSI x460DX, I could cold boot to usable desktop in 10 seconds. With the SSD on this machine and the Intel Rapid start, it's as low as three seconds.

Programs open nearly instantly. The machine shuts down, sleeps and reboots much quicker, too.

There's also no noise with an SSD, no moving parts means silent operation and less stuff to break. SSDs are more durable than a HDD too.

Downside is they're expensive, though I did just get a 480GB Crucial M500 mSATA SSD for my P34G for $225 (after rebates).

 

Just ran in to my first "major" issue. My P34G won't charge unless it's powered on. I had it plugged in all night, but it had 1% charge this morning. The battery charging LED wouldn't light up. As soon as I started the machine, though, it started charging.

Anyone else have this issue?