*** OFFICIAL GIGABYTE AERO 15 OWNERS LOUNGE ***

Someone who has one can likely confirm what speeds are supported and what BIOS options exist, if any.

 

Just made my purchased with @GenTechPC, was told they'll have it in stock this week so they'll have them shipped out by the first week of June. I'll be traveling out of state soon so can't wait to bring it along. Hop on the Spring sales and config from 16g x 1 to 8g x 2 to save a bit of money. I also bought a 960 pro 512gb from amazon, will be sticking that bad boy in here and the preinstalled m.2 sata will be used as storage.

GIGABYTE Aero 15W-BK4 nVidia GTX 1060, 7th Gen Intel Core i7
[ Availability re-order, We do not charge credit card for pre-orders unless it's ready to ship/build]
[ Free Gaming Bundle:For Honor or Tom Clancy’s Ghost Recon Wildlands]
[ Spring Sale 1:Free IC Diamond on CPU/GPU ($35 value, this promotion overrides standard options) +$.01]
[ Spring Sale 2:Free 30 Day No Dead Pixel Warranty ($35 value, this promotion overrides standard options) +$.01]
[ Spring Sale 4:Free GenTech PC Gaming T-Shirt - Medium +$.01]
[ Screen:15.6" 1920x1080 Wide-Angle View LED Matte-Type @60Hz (Anti-Glare)]
[ Dead Pixel Warranty:Standard Manufacturer Dead Pixel Warranty]
[ Graphics Controller:nVidia GeForce Pascal GTX1060 6GB GDDR5 DX12]
[ CPU Kaby Lake:7th Gen Intel Kaby Lake Core i7-7700HQ, 2.8~3.8GHz, 14nm, 6MB 45W]
[ Thermal Compound:Stock OEM Thermal Compound]
[ RAM:16GB DDR4 2400MHz/PC4 19200 Dual-Channel (8G X 2) -$35]
[ PCIe SSD Slot 1:512GB M.2 SSD SATA III 6Gb/s]
[ Ethernet Controller:Gigabit Ethernet Controller RJ45]
[ WiFi / Bluetooth:Intel Wireless-AC 8265 802.11 2.4Ghz/5.0Ghz Dual-Band 300/867 Mbps + Bluetooth 4.2 / WiDi]
[ USB Ports:3 USB 3.0 Ports + 1 USB 3.1 Type-C Thunderbolt 3 enabled]
[ AC Adapter:One 150W AC Adapter included]
[ Webcam:Built-in 2MP Webcam with Microphone]
[ Operating System:Microsoft Windows 10 Home 64 bit Factory Pre-installed, no installation media]
[ OS Clean Installation Option:Keep factory OS installation]
[ Windows Recovery USB:Help me created an factory system restore bootable USB flash drive +$15]

 

Congrats! Good to hear they will be shipping soon. I have a pre-order from @GenTechPC as well and its new owner is ready to have it as soon as possible

 

Which paste upgrade option would you choose at gentech? Which will last longer? Looks like you can get either the IC Diamond or Coollab Liquid Ultra

 

I didn't get much input on this question in the other thread. I can only guess that liquid metal formulas have the potential to last longer, since they likely have little or no silicones/polymers or other compounds that might degrade with temperature cycles. Most liquid metal thermal interface materials are a Gallium alloy that presumably is not degraded by high temps or frequent cycles. I'm not sure if they have the potential to pump out or leech out over time or have some other failure mode. That said, it's quite possible some of the more standard pastes like IC Diamond have lifespans long enough that the difference isn't important.

I ordered CLU, but honestly I think simply removing the questionable automated paste blob and replacing it with a quality manual application with a quality paste is an improvement whichever one you choose.

My question is how hard is it to re-paste CLU later, anyone know?

 

When I checked last week, Conductonaut is also available for $50. but i too went with the free CLU option.

 

Aww man I didnt see that the CLU was a free upgrade hmm might PM Ken and ask if I can switch it.

*EDITED* Got a reply from GenTechPC, switched my free upgrade to CLU instead of IC Diamond!

 

Ken at GenTech was extremely quick with responses to all my numerous questions and changes, highly recommended. If the Aero 15 is as good as the customer service, my son will be a happy camper in college.

 

Hey guys, has anyone been able to get the keyboard issue fixed? I'm a developer and shortcuts like LCTRL+LSHIFT+(N|Z|V...) is highly used during my coding. They haven't replied/updated at the Gigabyte forum: http://forum.gigabyte.us/thread/1102/aero-15-keyboard-issues?page=1&scrollTo=5641

 

They fixed that in the most recent 1.1.5 firmware update. You shouldn't have any issues.

 

@agent_pires thanks for the reply, but some people at the YouTube video are still commenting that it has not been fixed completely:

"No Ctrl Shift space is still not working . and Ctrl alt D E"

Could you confirm if it's not the case please? Thanks in advance.

 

Keyboard is working fine on mine.
Did a fresh install, upgraded the BIOS and no issues.

 

Awesome news, I was dreading this, now I have zero reservations, except for the amount of money I want to spend on additions.

Sent from my Pixel XL using Tapatalk

 

How did you upgrade your BIOS?

 

@agent_pires can you look at the bios for max ram supported ? and if we can overclock it? Thanks!

 

I can also reiterate this, well the part about doing a fresh install / factory reset.

Out of the box and up until last night with the original install, I was experiencing slow booting (Windows circle taking 10+ seconds to appear) & shut down times and other minor things here and there within Windows - the only thing I had done was update all the drivers to the latest ones via Smart Manager, with the exception of the Intel & Nvidia ones, instead I downloaded these directly from the manufacturer websites.

In the end last night I did a factory reset of the laptop via the F9 BIOS key function and I can confirm that my Aero 15 seems to be running better since - this is also updating the driver via Smart Manager once again but this time leaving both the Intel & Nvidia GPU to the factory supplied ones (these are also the latest ones according to Smart Manager & the Gigabyte website), as well as carrying out the usual Windows updates. Boot up & shut down times are now a lot quicker than what they were before.

In my opinion and from what I've read online, perhaps for now it may be worth holding off acquiring the latest drivers from both the Intel & Nvidia websites - as it may be the case that the latest ones are not that well optimised for the Aero 15 at present. Even though the factory installed ones from Gigabyte & the same one supplied on the website may officially be slightly older, in my case so far it's proving that they are the most reliable to run on. Overall gaming performance of course is still to be tested...

Liam.

 

Ordered! X^)

I'll be out of town all week next week...will make the wait more bearable =]

 

Can you please tell me where can I download the Firmware update please? I was looking into Gigabytes webpage but I couldn't find anything. Thanks.

 

I'm not sure about the Aero 15, but on an older Gigabyte notebook you just use the Gigabyte update utility for BIOS, drivers and software. It's pretty handy to keep even if you do a fresh windows install.

 

I believe the keyboard firmware update is carried out via the Gigabyte Fusion app.

Liam.

 

Last night I swapped out the included SATA drive / factory software for a 960 EVO and a fresh install of Win 10 Pro. I did updates via Windows Update, Intel Update Utility, and Nvidia website. I have not installed anything from Gigabyte yet.

Until now one of my biggest disappointments has been watching videos on the display. Many others have said the display is great but I had found it mediocre with low contrast / visual pop compared to my other devices. I now find it significantly improved in that regard. I don't know why - it could be a fix in the newer Intel video driver? or it could be there was something detrimental in the stock install or a mistake in my specific factory install? I wonder if anyone else has had this experience? I also feel like the sound quality is slightly improved, and also there are more sound options available in the stock Microsoft software vs. the factory build (which I haven't used.)

Anyway all nice surprises, I just wish I understood the exact issues better. I do want some of the Gigabyte specific functionality so I'm going to have to start cautiously installing some of it, I'll try to see if I can pinpoint if and where things change.

 

In case this helps the next person to do a fresh install: when I was using Rufus to make a bootable USB drive with the Win 10 installer, I found that using the "GPT for UEFI" partition scheme worked. The default partition scheme which is supposed to work for either BIOS or UEFI would not boot for me on the Aero 15.

 

When you did a fresh install with the 960, did you set up encryption?

Sent from my Plus E using Tapatalk

 

No, it's not something I thought of or know anything about. Is that a good idea for a consumer drive? Does it mean I have to type a passphrase on bootup and every X hours or something?

 

Not worked it out myself yet. But the 960 is meant to support self encryption with bitlocker rather than the CPU doing the work.

Sent from my Plus E using Tapatalk

 

I wonder if some update might have simply changed the default setting for Gamma, or maybe some other custom display properties or color calibration profile?

 

Or they calibrated the display to spec...which if you're not used to, looks muted and what some would say "crappy".

 

Another Aero 15 video has popped up on YT along with a tiny hinge issue? I hope you guys that received them so far can chime in and say something about this. Skip to 9:38

 

Non issue imo

Sent from my Pixel XL using Tapatalk

 

Mine does that as well non issue imo. The lid is with screen is quite heavy if the hinge was stiffer it might hold it but then you'd have issues opening it one handed. Trade offs essentially.

 

Didn't mean it was a big issue or anything just thought it could be bothersome to others.

I see. Okay I guess its the laptop. No biggie here. I'm anxiety waiting for shipment email.

 

Yeah the screen closing at that angle doesn't bother me. The keyboard being off-center is an interesting one. I've never owned a laptop where that was the case as all my previous ones were ultrabooks which don't feature a numpad.

How do users find typing on this laptop?

 

I love typing on my Aero 15. Some reviews say the keys offer too much resistance; I say they're just right. I do notice the off-centeredness for about 3 seconds each time I move my hands into position, and then it feels normal very quickly after.

Nothing about the hinges has bothered me so far.

Thanks for the feedback on display/color issues - very interesting - it feels like I have more to learn to understand what I'm seeing and what will be best for me now or in the long run.

 

Getting into screen calibration is a blessing and a curse!

I still prefer my colors to pop a little more than the purists do.

Samsung phone screens are unabashedly way more vibrant than properly calibrated screen

Sent from my Pixel XL using Tapatalk

 

One small thing I noticed in that video: his unit shipped with a "filler" of some sort in the unused M.2 slot. This is a nice touch mine didn't have. With that slot empty, the large battery is free to slide in and out of that space and while I doubt that's a problem for ordinary use, I could see it eventually being a problem if you got a shipper who was rough enough with it.

 

yeah I wish I had something like that. it didn't even have a screw for the SSD

 

Do you guys have any problem with the fan noise. I don't know if it is fan rotating or a constant electric whining, but even at normal speed, i can still hear that in a quiet environment. As soon as i set the fan to quiet, i don't hear it any more.

 

That's correct behaviour if you set the profile to 'Silent' you won't hear anything until the machine gets warmer. It's amazing how quiet the machine is.

 

Mine is the same at "Silent", you can't hear nothing.
But the moment i turn the fan on, i can hear some kind of electrical noise, i can't really tell if that is the noise caused by fan rotating, but i think there is a constant electrical noise (even at 2000 RPM). Don't know if you hear that

 

Yeah it's a very silent hum etc not majorly noticeable unless you're in a completely silent room. It's most likely the fan rotating. Still much quieter than the XPS 15 imo.

 

As @agent_pires noted, the Aero 15 is practically silent when in quiet mode - I think the only thing I could hear was the usual silent electrical noise when I have my head to the keyboard.

On a site note my Aero 15 is going back for a replacement tomorrow due to a minor dust mark that is present behind the panel... gutted

Liam.

 

How about setting the fan in "normal" mode, the lowest fan speed is 2000 RPM in that setting. At this speed, i can hear a special noise. I would not say it's just fan rotating, but a combination of fan rotating and electrical noise. On my other laptops, i can only hear fan rotating at 2000 RPM. But Aero 15 makes a little bit bigger noise attributed to electrical noise IMO.

Minor dust mark behind the panel??? How did you discover it? Does it look like a dead pixel?

 

Setting the fan to the normal settings does add a bit of sound to it overall, but from a normal distance away from the laptop I still class it as very quiet - and if you were using the laptop outside you'd certainly wouldn't be able to hear it at all with all the outside noise emitting. At the end of the day 2000RPM is still very quiet by all standards, and the extra noise you could be talking about could be the coil whine which in a way can't be helped. Lastly not forgetting the slim form factor of this laptop, the fans either way are required during operation.

Yeah that's right - when I was doing a pixel check of the screen the other night I came across it. It's not a dead pixel as it's only faint and it affects the area of around 6 pixels.

Liam.

 

From a normal distance, i can still hear that electrical noise sitting in my office with no other people talking, it is really annoying. Like @agent_pires described, it's like a "hum" noise. I don't mind if it is the sound of pure fan rotation, but i can tell it's mixed with electrical noise and i don't think that come from CPU coil whine. It probably should be described as Fan Motor Coil Whine, since the noise disappear once you turn off the fan by setting it in "Silent".
I don't hear my other laptops making this kind of noise at 2000 RPM, makes me wonder if this particularly happen to my Aero 15 rather than a normal issue that happens to everyone.

 

Saying that though I only noticed the noise change when I switched power plan. When I changed it from AUTO to BALANCED I stopped hearing any electrical noise when it was in silent mode. Try that and see if there's any difference. I think it's down to the circuitry but suspect all of them are like that.

 

Thanks for the reply, but my problem is not in silent mode, i don't hear electrical noise in silent mode. I hear what i called "Fan motor electrical noise" at the lowest fan speed (i.e. 2000 RPM), at this fan speed, i think i can hear noise coming from a combination of fan rotating and electrical noise. I don't concern anything above this speed either, cause in that case the fan rotating noise gets much bigger so the electrical noise can be ignored.

I'm hoping i can lower the fan speed down to 1000 RPM to see if there is any electrical noise, but i can't since Smart Manager limit the lowest fan speed to 2000 RPM. I also tried changing power mode, but that doesn't help either.

 

I wouldn't worry too much about that electrical noise. All machines emit it to some degree if all the Aero's do that you shouldn't be too upset tbh but can understand why you would be. There might be other tools that can reduce the fan speed not sure what they are tbh. Speedfan used to be the one I used on my desktop many moons ago.

 

Could be PWM noise that may be more audible as the duty cycle gets lower. You may find it is no different or even slightly worse at lower speeds. Not much you can do about it in a notebook if your ears are sensitive to that.

 

HwInfo64 has some fan controls, used it on my old HP pavilion dv6 laptop and worked fine.

 

Could anyone suggest the best option for ordering the laptop to Northridge CA, with like fast shipping (2~3 days)? I live in the Middle East and will be having a friend to get it for me...