new Gigabyte P35K

Not for the Gigabyte unit, no. Here are the U.S. distributors.

 

Not much to do now except wait and see how this problem plays out. I've decided against cancelling my order. The internals are too good and as long as the structural damage doesn't translate into unusability I'm fine.

 

I am still on-board, but now am thinking that it will be necessary to get an aftermarket (3rd party) warranty that includes spills/drops.
Any good recommendations on companies to consider?

Also, anyone who has received one: care to comment on the quality of the screen, especially during fast moving games? Does it compare favorably to other ips screens or is there noticeable blur?

I'm surprised the interest in the msi gs70 as its less portable and has a TN based panel. It seems that the clevo 230st (765m/ips matte) and asus n550jv (750m/ips matte) would be the most similar comparative models to this, that are currently available. Even the p34g (760m/ahva matte) would be a closer compromise.

 

Agreed. I might get this for it though. Anyone know of any lower-profile hard-shell laptop cases like this one? Something like this but cheaper?

 

The last picture in that case made me chuckle, lol.

I was going to get this sleeve for the P35K, that might work better.
Amazon.com: Case Logic LAPS-116 15 - 15.6-Inch Laptop Sleeve (Black): Computers & Accessories

 

Squaretrade warranty is $350. Which would probably be the same price as replacing the chassis. I think only a few people have received a unit and those that have are in the UK. Then again I think most people returned it before testing out performance.

I would probably go with the clevo w230st. I have no problem setting up a monitor and playing on it at home so screen size is of little importance except when it comes to portability. I wouldn't have minded a 1440x900 screen resolution either to increase FPS. But it doesn't look very good and the reviews are mixed so far.

Too bad roocase doesn't make 15.6" cases with pockets. I really like having a pocket for the power supply and maybe a backup mouse and headphones. I'm more concerned about transporting it in a backpack, which usually gets bumped and hit a few times a week. Also if I bike it'd be nice to know that it could survive a mild crash/impact. I don't think you need to go as far as buying a shell for it, unless just having your hands on the palm rest bends it so badly that the hairline crack happens.

 

Do you guys think this will work with the P35K?
Incase 15" MacBook Pro Neoprene Sleeve Plus


My girlfriend has one for her 13" macbook pro, and i liked it.
Are there any similar products to this one, preferably without a zipper or a flap?

 

No it won't
the one I showed you will perfectly fit, very snugly.

If you want a Mac size get a Mac.

 

I have the incase 15 inch for my 15.6 inch laptop and it fits. It might have been the 17" one though. Go to the local apple store and check it out. They do fit and I highly rate them.

 

I also found what it seems to be inexpensive alternatives to the incase sleeves.
15-inch Laptop Neoprene Sleeve

And here is the search with the other cheaper cases:
Laptop Bags and Cases

What do you guys think? They're fuzzy on the inside

 

There isn't any CF1 shipment to US since Gigabyte held all of the shipment for new packaging, also been talking with Gigabyte over the weekend and they are working on a permanent solution, I am not able to provide details yet but will keep you guys update when the time comes, should be in few days.

 

How did you get on with your stress tests?

 

I'm not willing to play this waiting game any longer. The lenovo y510p is getting more and more appealing. Sure, it's thicker (maybe twice as thick), heavier, it has a TN lcd and a smaller capacity battery... but it is available and doesn't seem to crack or bend. The battery life is manageable if you remove the second gpu from the ultrabay and I think I can live with the other negative aspects.
Hope we'll find out soon enough if Gigabyte plans to really do something about the case or only wants to postpone the issue by improving the packaging. I am deeply disappointed with all the notebook manufacturers.

 

Luckily I have time, but I understand and share your frustration. But I am also looking at other options like:
-Dell XPS 15 9530
-Lenovo Y510P
-Gigabyte P25W
-Clevo W350ST
-Gigabyte P34G

I am not looking for gaming, but want to get into photo editing and motion picture coloring sw, so to me beyond the strong hardware the display is the most important and a nice to have if its light and compact, but screen is the most important.

In your opinions, which display will have the highest color gammut and best contrast with the least reflective screen? That is what I would like the available best, and wide viewing angle or the high resolution of the XPS would be an added bonus, but not a trade in for me.
I am leaning towards a TN display at xotic, and uncertain of how the xps or the p34g screen preforms.

Thanks for your advice in advance!

 

I recommend the dell if you just need CPU power. As well it has the best screen out of all of the laptops you stated. The rest are just focused on gaming primarily.
Only con is it's about $2000 for this.

You can't beat their warranty, one time I was in Italy and my display stopped working and they sent a dell guy to my hotel to fix it. Pretty impressive, I wonder if they still have that service... Anyone know?

@ Piglet
I recommend getting the P25W, it's .3cm thicker and you get better cooling performance, better GPU, about the same battery life as I can see (3-5 hours)

But if price is a problem go with the y510p.

 

I was originally thinking about getting the 510p as well. But I'm not a fan of SLI in a laptop, especially if it's mid-range cards. I'd always prefer a single card. But then again Lenovo probably did that because two 750m's is cheaper than one 765m. Also you can't really beat the price of the lenovo. I've seen the y510p go for close to $1k which is pretty good. Unfortunately it's really big and bulky.

 

And also it's hot as hell even while idling even with just one 750m. I cannot imagine how it will be hot with two 750m

I owned it but returned it.

 

Did it throttle? The ultrabay gpu has its own cooling system so it shouldn't increase the temps of the main gpu or the cpu. I don't like the idea of putting two gt750m in SLI, but it seems to get gtx770m levels of performance.

@Retroceded
The p25w would have been a worthy alternative if it didn't have that yellow lid and the chrome bezel. Really considered it but I can't get over the looks.

 

It did throttle.

Games:

No GPU boost.
(after 10-15 minutes)

Prime95+Furmark:

GPU ~400Mhz.
CPU ~800MHz.
(almost immediately)

 

There is also Samsung Ativ Book 8 (with 8870m GPU)

 

If you are going to remove the 2nd GPU anyways, just buy the single GPU version. I think I saw it for around $850 or so recently. Don't forget that it doesn't have good options for expanding storage. It doesn't accept standard mSATA SSDs.

If the y510p is anything like the y410p, I don't recommend it for photo editing. The colors looked "washed out" and viewing angles were not good.

 

Didn't have a chance to play with y410p but y510p's viewing angles are not so bad at least comparing to a cheap laptop from BestBuy.

 

How hard would it be to remove the cover and paint it with a couple layers of Krylon Fusion? In, say, matte or glossy black?

 

It would be easier to use some sort of skin for it, like XOTIC offers.

You could also do that, I don't think it would be that hard.

 

I'm envisioning something like this to keep the laptop from damage while in a backpack:




Too bad it's only a quick mock-up I made in Inventor.

 

That looks pretty good. You might want to consider having the opening at the narrow end, unless you're transferring around your laptop in a messenger bag. If it's on the narrow end then you could easily transfer it in and out of a backpack without having to take the case out. It'd also be pretty cool if it could double as a laptop lift for air flow, maybe slits throughout the side a bit to allow for that.

 

If you have to do this to keep it from falling apart it is a failure. Hopefully this isn't necessary.

 

Indeed it would be,

I wouldn't worry about it guys, unless you don't give a s*** about your bag and just throw it 4 feet in the air like any UPS / mailman employee does during shipment.

 

I agree with both of these. The reason I would make a case like this is to give it no chance. Heck, if I had a MacBook Pro I'd still probably get a case like this to protect my investment.

 

My order just hit phase 2. Parts being binned and getting ready for assembly

 

Where did you buy it from? GenTech or Xotic? I'm assuming Xotic. What exactly is the screen upgrade they offer?

 

Newegg has a pretty good deal now. $60 after promo code. Only problem is that it is CL 9, not sure if I want to order 2 and sell the stick that comes with the laptop or just order one and live with it throttling.

 

Xoticpc. Not really sure their optional screen is an upgrade but more of a sidegrade.

Just got another email saying it went into phase 4 (assembly). So it won't be too long now.

 

Here's the next iteration. Now I just have to find someone with a CNC router...

 

I see a Kickstarter campaign in the making...

GameArmor

 

You could probably make it out of wood as well. It'd be easier to round the edges which would make sliding it in and out easier. Add a nice leather strap at the top to keep the laptop in it, slap on a custom logo and sell it on etsy.

 

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Hey guys, I've been following this thread since the beginning and I just wanted to thank everyone for the great feedback on the laptop. I have decided yo go with the P34G instead due to the P35K having too many bending issues. Infact, even on Newegg you can actually see the crack right by the ODD bay and even in those pictures you can tell the entire model is bent. But anyway, so far I couldn't be any happier with this laptop and I would definitely recommend it to those who are sort of in between!

 

Wow. Good eye. That bend in the 5th picture is horrible. Surprised it would be approved as a promotional picture.

 

WOW!! Your right, it is extremely noticeable in that picture. I am surprised that Gigabyte is trying to say it's just the packaging. You can clearly see that there is not enough support in the bent section.

 

My order went through stage 5 (stress testing) and is currently going through phase 6 (Quality Assurance) right now. It'll be interesting to see if they find anything wrong with it's structural integrity (though I have my fingers crossed that it's not the case).

Should be either today or tomorrow that it's shipped out then.

 

Still up in the air about this one. I'm having Xotic match the free thermal compound and maybe the $55 RAM. I'm trying to get the cash discount but it's hard (debit cards a no-go, not sure about Paypal--probably not) so it will be a few days.

 

I hope it doesn't bend while it's being shipped to you, someone in Europe got their laptop fine sent it to a warranty center to get a hardrive placed and he got it back bent.

 

Maybe they will just throw a sticker on the outside of the box with "Innovative flexible aluminum chassis".

It used to be a problem but now it is a feature...

 

I just got mine in today after ordering from excaliberpc.com

The packaging and speed of delivery was great. I had no idea about the warped/bend issue before purchasing this laptop. Once I took it out of the box I knew immediately something was off. It's warped so badly that when on a flat surface it rocks left to right like a seesaw. Even the keyboard keys are warped and the removable bay won't fit properly. I could not believe it. The laptop looks as if it was sat on for days. However the packaging was in perfect condition. I firmly believe this laptop was packaged in this condition already and it's extremely frustrating. I'll be figuring out what other laptop to get now, because after getting my hands on this I am certainly never going to purchase a Gigabyte product again.

*Edit* The only reason I knew to go here is the customer support at excaliberpc.com was kind enough to tell me that this is an issue that's being talked about on this forum.

 

Well, that's not a good...

 

I've been following this thread since the beginning as well - I had been waiting to pre-order the P35K since July. Four months later, I'm cancelling my order and going with something else. I'd love to hear thoughts on this decision/similar stories.

Also, this funny Xotic rep wanted to blame all of the reports on Gentech. This was in reply to me asking to cancel my order. I don't know why he tried to bash Gentech when it seems they have been excellent in communicating and dealing with the situation around the P35K. There is also (of course) some assurance here that not all of the laptops are damaged:

And wow, Newegg's stock photos showing a bent machine...

Shipping problems or not, guys, understand that some people need a solid laptop that has strength in portability, and that means structural integrity in transit.. and also that flex will reduce the quality of experience with the laptop. IMO it is exposed that the chassis is certainly not premium quality.

In the end, I decided that for my case - needing processing power more than gaming power, the new Dell XPS 15 was the better purchase. It's a trade off - the XPS is quite a bit more expensive for slightly less performance. You are trading the P35K's awesome storage capabilities, ODD, and the 4700hq + 765m for a 4702hq + 750m, but you get a premium chassis and touchpad, 3200x1800 IGZO screen, and longer battery life.

 

I think all of the CF2's were on the bottom of the pallet and broke. That's the feeling I've been getting from everybody reporting bending issues including the pictures that newegg put up. Again, I'm not too concerned with flex in a laptop, as things need to bend a move or else they're brittle. Also when I'm gaming I usually only have my hands on the wasd keys anyway. However if that type of flex can manifest into uncomfortable typing or physical damage to the laptop that's just unacceptable. Whether that's truly because the laptops were dropped or because of poor design that's still in the air. If GentechPC can replicate the hairline damage on a new unbent system with just regular usage then it'd confirm for sure that the problem is chassis design in which case I would just cancel my order and probably go with another laptop.

I'm in the exact opposite situation as you for laptop needs. I prefer performance because I have a huge backlog of games right now (curse you steam/humble bundles!!!!) but I need a new system to play them. I'll probably end up getting the clevo w230st or an MSI laptop. I could possibly wait another year as well.

 

Well, I don't care what you naysayers think.

Then again, maybe I do XD

Is there any companies coming out with similar products within the next month? As in thin, light, Haswell i7, GTX 765M, and >4 hrs battery life in a 15" package. Those are the only features I care about. How hard can this be? Am I the only person in the world that wants these features? Why is there only 2 or three laptops in the world with these features (and all from not-mainstream companies)?

 

I seriously doubt these laptops were damaged in shipping. For one, everyone keeps saying the packaging is perfect and two, if the base is that badly bent in shipping then surely the lip/LCD would also be bent at least to some extent. It really looks to me that these were packaged already damaged, perhaps even before complete assembly.