***The Official MSI GT72 Dominator Pro (GTX-980M) Owner?s Lounge***

OK, now I'm excited!


Sent from my LG-H950

 

Paging hmscott!!

Sent from my HTC One_M8

 

I was already watching this thread, but if I wasn't you can also get my attention by using the at-sign in front of a username to send them an alert to the post:

@hmscott for example.

I already responded to that article here, with continuing commentary in that discussion thread:

http://forum.notebookreview.com/thr...00m-series-gpus.763032/page-347#post-10268937

 

Thanks for the info! I have started following that thread now. As you mentioned in that thread, I'm curious how they're going to manage with the TDP requirements of our laptops without the M versions.

Sent from my HTC One_M8

 

Yess, I ordered it 2 days ago. I ended up wit the Solo because I wasn't too happy on paying 50 GBP for a tight fit(Swissgear). Never heard of Solo before but let's see. It'll take time to deliver

 

Guys, I've run into a slight issue. So my Subwoofer stopped producing any sound? Should I be freaking out? Any idea on what i should do?



I used that to test for any low frequency production and nothing The subwoofer is like, one of the best features of this laptop.


UPDATE: My heart can beat again (So can the subwoofer). So i Uninstalled the nahimic and Audio driver. Installed the newest one from MSI.

Here's a thing to note, I updated every drive like nearly a week ago so i was on the latest version. Another thing, the audio drivers were dated to 1st June 2016. Weird how my subwoofer stopped working after they added a new driver, maybe it's just me over thinking lmao.

 

Does anyone know where I can get the MSI Factory Image for the GT72 6QD? In case i run into any OS issues and need to recover from an image.
I entered the F3 recovery menu just to check it out and I noticed there was no Factory image as shown in the manual (I got my laptop off Xotic PC with a 128GB additional upgrade so i'm guessing they wiped the stock drive to RAID it)

Hope there is a factory image available for downloading so i can at least keep it in a disc as a backup, Google didnt help me. cheers!

 

That's one of the little known secret's of buying through a boutique, they don't usually get the maker factory images or recovery volumes. They get a barebones self-supported build from the maker, and the boutique is responsible for the OS.

MSI, Asus, etc that normally come from the vendor directly with custom OS image's and recovery volumes aren't available through the boutiques.

If you RMA your laptop to the maker, you may / may not get it back with the maker's OS installed - as they use that and their test tools for diagnosis.

 

i noticed my laptop should come with Creative Soundblaster Cinema 2 [i bought it from ibuypower] but i don't see that program installed? is that on the dvd that i have? or do i download it from msi's site?

 

Probably best to email your seller, and MSI support.

FWIW, I thought Creative software was dropped for Nahimic, and there has never been an MSI software package for Creative software for Windows 10... has this changed?

You didn't say if it was a new laptop, they mostly come with Windows 10, in case you have one with Windows 8.1, here is a download - you didn't post your model, so this is a good generic GT72 support page:
https://www.msi.com/Laptop/support/GT72-2QE-Dominator-Pro.html

Pick either 4th Generation Haswell or 5th Generation Broadwell, depending on which CPU your laptop has.

You can find a Nahimic + Realtek driver package under the Drivers tab.

You might want to look for the actual model support page for your specific laptop

 

So I decided to open up my GT72 just to check out what XoticPC has done.




They installed the additional M.2 SSD underneath. So i guess out of the 3 slots (Since its not the 's' model) any of them can run NVme if im correct.




Also, whats this weird gel thing next to my stock SSD? Is it some kind of thermal strip? IF i were to buy an NVme drive, would i have to remove that strip or just install the SSD right over it. It's mushy and feels funny (Attracts dirt too). I was going to remove it,but thought i'd ask you guys first.

 

I would call them and ask them

From the photo it looks like there isn't a similar pad under the PCIE SSD that was installed.

So, that's odd, if it's a thermal pad why not have it under the SSD installed.

Thermal pads are supposed to meet the gap between thermally connecting objects to transfer heat out of the heat generation object into a "heat sink" that is supposed to radiate the heat somehow - like with a fan blowing on it or through it.

In this case the Thermal Pad is connecting to a small PCB without much chance of radiating heat, instead it would connect all the SSD's plugged in together Thermally, heating them all evenly

See what they say when you ask, you might email them your photo's as reference first.

 

@hmscott Yeah I think i'll have a live chat just to inquire about it. Also, the SSD installed underneath the daughter board is not an Nvme drive. But If i do grab an Nvme drive, does it specifically have to go underneath or it can stay on the slot with the thermal pad? I was looking at the socket type and all 3 looked the same

 

The board itself will tell you either pcie or sata right next to the slot. You can actually see it in the first picture.

As for the pad - yes, it is a thermal pad.

Sent from my HTC One_M8

 

With the board installed, does the thermal pad touch anything? Is it connected / touching an exposed part of the chassis? That may be why it is there to conduct heat from the board to the chassis - just a thought

Check with the vendor as to whether M.2 PCIE x4 with NVME are supported in that configuration. Also, ask about M.2 SATA if that is supported.

The M.2 PCIE / M.2 PCIE NVME boards are very expensive. You can get more than 2.2x the storage for the same price going with M.2 SATA, and the M.2 SATA run cooler - generate less heat. 2x-4x RAID0 M.2 SATA is plenty fast

 

Just got my Dominator. This is my first gaming laptop : ) I read several posts regarding the "proper" way to update the bios and drivers and I found it a bit complicated. The guides from MSI isnt that much of a help too...Is there a noob guide somewhere re this? Is it a must to update the bios? according to the log its a microcode update...any thoughts on this?

 

Follow the MSI guides, they are silly in that they jump from document to document, eventually getting to the docs with the download for the BIOS, but once you get to the final document it's pretty simple.

Put the .bin file on a USB flash drive and flash from the BIOS.

Sometimes you need to build a bootable flash drive and the BIOS file is put on it.

The definitive install info are the MSI instructions which direct you to the final documents based on what files comprise your BIOS update.

 

Thanks for that hmscott : )
should the bios update be done first? then firmware then lastly the drivers?

 

I highly doubt it touches the chassis as it isnt that thick. I thought XoticPC maybe kept it there for when i grab an Nvme in the future (when prices drop) but i dont think they realised that is a non Nvme slot.

@AngryPeanut I like how the board says PCIE 2 when this board actually supports one pcie drive only. So XoticPC installed the addon SSD into the Pcie slot but it runs as a M.2 so i guess no harm done there. Got a long time till i make use of the Nvme slot

 

The Support website where drivers are listed is very useul. They show you the order for updating, I think BIOS being first (I asked XoticPC to update it for me when purchasing). Rule of thumb for drivers: Uninstall old driver (If asked), reboot, install new driver, reboot. test and see i the driver functions fine. I did that and all went well.

 

Read the directions, they should say if there are any update order requirements.

If there are no directions, I go by the upload dates, if there are 3 firmware updates to do, do the oldest one first, 2nd oldest next, newest last.

3 firmware updates as in BIOS / EC / vbios different, not 3 BIOS or 3 EC... just thought I should be specific

 

You should be able to move the M.2 to another slot, and it will boot and run fine.

When I remove M.2 SATA SSD's in a RAID0, they will configure and work fine even when moving them between the 4 slots in my GT80, you don't need to return them to their original slots. I moved mine around to get space between them to reduce heat induced between the drives.

 

Oh alright, I guess I'll move it to the top when i feel like opening up the backplate. I get nervous tho because i always have the fear of ESD damage, even tho i work on my desktop with bare hands. I guess because the Dominator is much more precious to me

P.S: The second M.2 drive i purchased off XPC came from a GT80. Got it for 10 bucks so it was a bargain for me

 

Be aware the cheap 128GB SSD's provide in the RAID0 with the GT80 have a high early failure rate. I know several like myself that had 1 of the 2 M.2 128GB SSD's fail in the first couple of weeks.

In my case I didn't find out until I was about the sell the GT80, as I took out the upgraded SSD's to sell separately, and when I ran off the original 2x128GB's one failed over 2 weeks of use.

Freezes first, then crashes, then I ran independent non-RAID0 SSD's to isolate and find the failing drive.

So, back up your stuff, and watch carefully for signs of problems with the new SSD.

 

Hmm, I've read about those. luckily i havent installed too much so i am in the process of splitting the drives. So i would have 128 for OS, 128 for huge games, 1tb for mass storage. No raid linking an of the drives. I have a tutorial open so i'd go about it when im done with my exams.

Also, the stock 128GB drives are made by Hyundai? Didnt know they manufacture storage drives.

Any useful backup application you know of? Mainly to backup the OS only. so if i swap out one 128gb ssd for a kingston lets say, i can just recover into the new drive. (that is when all the drives are non raided)

 

so, i just got my gt72 6qf and 6qe from ibuypower.

it says they come with creative soundblaster cinema 2 [which is why i went with IBP as xotic and other msi resellers dont have the soundblaster software, they have nahimic] but both of them came with nahimic [which doesnt support its features if used through a usb headset, which is what we use, steelseries siberia via usb].

i dont see the soundblaster cinema 2 listed on msi's site for downloads. so that's why im asking here haha.

 

Hyundai makes/brands a lot of the OEM provided memory and/or SSDs. They are as cheap as they come...but they still work (usually).

Sent from my HTC One_M8

 

As far as i know, soundblaster cinema was discontinued quite a long time ago. The audio drivers only work with Nahimic so far

 

I already answered this for you Saturday:
http://forum.notebookreview.com/threads/the-official-msi-gt72-dominator-pro-gtx-980m-owner’s-lounge.762800/page-326#post-10270841


The Nahimic software is what MSI ships now with all their laptops, Sound Blaster is no longer supported or available.

There have been some that had luck buying and installing the software directly from Creative:
http://software.store.creative.com/p/software/sound-blaster-x-fi-mb3

Here is the current Windows 10 compatibility chart from Creative:
http://support.creative.com/kb/ShowArticle.aspx?sid=126331

The last person I heard that tried it, installed it on Windows 10 on a Haswell GT80, and it worked fine, ymmv.

Please let us know if you get the SB software and how it works for you on your MSI laptop

 

I'd love to know too!

Sent from my HTC One_M8

 

Is there a way to make a restore disk? So if i mess up anything i can revert back to the software that it shipped with

 

Use MSI BurnRecovery.

MSI BurnRecovery should have come pre-installed, and MSI Reminder should have been bugging you to do the backup

Here are the FAQ instructions for Windows 10 with MSI pre-installed OS image:
https://asset.msi.com/global/picture/faq/10015490@2015-0817-0826-269762@faq_0000000001779_en.pdf

If you got your laptop from a boutique shop that loaded their own OS image, then an option to purchase a backup USB/DVD was offered at order time.

Contact your seller and see if you can still order recovery media from that seller if you didn't order it.

 

When installing Nvidia drivers, there is an option to "clean install", should I always use this option?

 

The Custom=>Clean Install option is supposed to clear out all the previous driver and preference files, and it probably does, but there are times it seems like it's not completely effective.

These days, just to be sure, I use DDU - start in normal mode - select the option to boot into Safe Mode, remove the Nvidia drivers, boot back into normal mode and run the Nvidia Installer you previously downloaded. Reboot again for completeness.

I still use Custom=>Clean installation with the Nvidia installer even after DDU so I can uncheck the install options I don't want - like Miracast, Geforce Experience, 3d driver, etc. I only install the base driver + Physx.

It takes 5 minutes

 

Is it good practice to clean install other drivers aswell? apart from graphics drivers

 

It depends on the driver. Many installers will uninstall the previous version, and even reboot in between the uninstall and the install.

Sometimes Windows will kick in and immediately pull another driver from it's library of drivers, or worse if you have Windows set to update drivers like other Windows content, and you have Windows update to check for new drivers, it will do it immediately upon the reboot.

When I am fixing a laptop, I download all the drivers I need, and then disconnect from the internet, and make sure I uninstall each driver and reboot before installing the next.

If you feel you don't have time for all that, then only do 1 or 2 updates at a time, and uninstall/install them.

I prefer to get it all done at once, but that's just me. When I have a problem to solve, I need to get all the stuff in order on the system first, to rule out normal updates as the solution.

Otherwise you can chase your tail for a long time and you'll end up narrowing it down to a driver anyway.

So, is it always necessary, I would say yes, but I like having a nice stable running machine with no problems, others don't seem to mind the problems if it saves them the time doing all that updating

 

Is it a must to update the bios and firmware? especially if im not noticing any issues

 

Again, it depends on the laptop / situation.

You need to read the update notes. And, if they aren't very enlightening, open a ticket with the vendor asking for specifics and ask them why should I update from your *current version* to the new version.

Skylake had some bugs, and there are errata, along with microcode patch(es), so yes for a Skylake laptop yes do the updates but make sure the vendor has folded in those microcode updates first - ask.

There was a recent flurry of Nvidia driver releases with problems, causing video driver crashing when booted on battery. That was fixed with a BIOS update by MSI. So you would want that fix

Pretty much the only time I don't do a BIOS update is if it is an update for new CPU's, like a desktop motherboard BIOS, unless I am going to get one of those new CPU's. For the most part, I need those updates too.

Generally the support people tell you not to update the BIOS unless you have a problem, but of the above problems I mentioned, you might be like me and never boot on battery so never noticed I have a problem - but I need that BIOS update for that one time I need to run on battery and find that the Nvidia driver keeps crashing every 30 seconds.

The Skylake bug many people don't know about, but you would certainly want that BIOS update too.

One of the joys of keeping things up to date is never having problems to complain about. I never notice most issues because I preempt them with updates and configuration when I get a laptop.

I also know when to stay away from new drivers, new OS's, and new hardware - until they get the bugs worked out first

 

thanks and sorry i didnt see that over the weekend, ill give it a shot and let yall now!

 

I went to add a new M.2 and find that while I have 4 slots on the daughter card (72S) only the 2 with the Gel will allow the NVM drives to be installed. Perhaps the other 2 slots are non-NVM only. On mine the default 128GB NVM SSD was on top and there is Gel under it. When I flip the daughter card over there is one slot with Gel and one without. I can install a 2nd NVM drive on top of the Gel and it works well.

Now I just need to find a way to clone it since my goto clone app doesn't support cloning NVM M.2 drives yet.

 

D'oh! Contacted Acronis support and they suggested just doing a backup and restore to avoid the Linux clone issue with NVM M.2 drives. Worked perfectly.

Sent from my Nexus 6 using Tapatalk

 

It's good to try a restore before waiting for a failure to test the backup

Macrium Reflect Free works well too, if you have problems with the restore.

 

Thanks! I've never heard of that program. I'll run some tests with it.


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk HD

 

Macrium Reflect Free
Current Version: 6.1.1311 (24 May 2016)
http://www.macrium.com/reflectfree.aspx

 

So, I have my 2QE quite some time now and did not really update stuff from the MSI website.
Fortunately I saw that my original\link was incorrect which landed me on the wrong MSI page where there were no Win10 drivers/utilities listed.
(de 4th gen 2QE actually does).

I installed all latest stuff (drivers/chipset etc). But I wonder, will Windows get the latest drivers automatically? Could it be that I installed older drivers now?
(MSI downloads are always a few versions behind it seems).

As for the audio. I still have SB2 installed but Nahimic is now the default as mentioned here earlier.
I do not use the SB GUI to setup the audio, I use the laptop with default audio settings.

Is it best to install Nahimic or is it bloatware? I only need drivers and all features working, but all those GUI's with effect settings etc will not be used.
(I guess I have to get rid of SB2 as it is not designed for Win10.)

 

Upon checking msi site the latest bios version is: E1782IMS.114. I went to my bios and it says my version is: E1782IMS.112. Is it necessary for me to do the update, as i am not very comfortable in doing this and would only do the update if very necessary. The update are not showing and update logs as well on what the update will "improve"...I also saw a firmware update ( 84.04.48.00.32) gtx 980m 8gb for gsync that i think is very important. Is there a way for me to find out fw version is installed in my machine?

 

Use this.

 

Just finished making a restore image using MSI burnrecovery tool. Can this image save me if I mess up during the flashing of the bios?

 

Just out of interest, is there anywhere I can get the Win8 factory image that came with my MSI GT72 2QE-682UK? I added extra ssd's to the raid and didn't make a backup. Cheers.

 

If the flash of the BIOS/EC/vbios bricks - fails and you can't get a response from the hardware, no the BurnRecovery backup doesn't help.

You would need to contact MSI for help in reflashing.

So, don't mess up

Make sure you follow instructions, and give *plenty of time* for the process to complete - sometimes 10 minutes or more - so don't panic and pull the plug - that's the number 1 way to mess up a flashing.

Good luck