***The Official MSI GT80S Titan (w/desktop 980 GPU's) Owner's Lounge***

I've never had an issue with the raid config. What makes them unreliable?

And yea SSD have gotten really cheap. The biggest problem is you still can't get 10+ TB without having to sell off your life savings and first bourn here to pay for it. Lol

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Having many HDDs in RAID 5 can mask failures, and if more than a single drive fails before you can rebuild the raid, your entire data is lost.

 

SSDs are a lot more reliable than "Spinning Rust" but they are not immune to fail, and do fail from time to time. Read Amazon reviews on Samsung 850 or 860 2.5" SSDs. I've both. And they are very good and fast but have failed for some users, occasionally.
The rate of failure is less than that of HDD.

 

That is precisely the problem. My GT80S came with that RAID0 256GB_+ 256GB and undoing it was the first thing I did. It was a bit faster but twice as likely to fail. The PM981 I have in there is as fast as that RAID was at amost 3500Mb/sec.

 

Yea, I have been running SSD's in my laptops since they came into reach of affordability. The problem is bulk storage.

At the moment 350 dollars can get me a 2tb SSD if I hunt for sales or a 6tb nas drive for my storage box.

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I am happy with my PM981, PM951 (got it recently but it's a 2015 model) and just got a new 2.5" SATA Samsung 860 1TB. A year ago 850 was about $275.. Now they are barely above $125.

If I ever upgrade, it will be to all 4 SSDs into 2TB territory. When 2TB costs as much as 1TB does today.

MSI should be putting in junky 1TB 5400 RPM HDD into such expensive laptops. Given the SSD prices crashing through the floor.

SanDisk, Toshiba are ever cheaper than Samsung.

 

This has been the best machine I've ever had.

The mechanical keyboard is a home run. I do not see myself ever owning another computer without a mechanical keyboard. Cherry MX brown is just perfect and all my other keyboards are the same. I am a typist and that thing is exactly what one needs. It's not a keyboard, it's an experience.

My biggest complaint is the non-removable battery. I am spoiled by my Dell XPS 17 L702x -- it has a battery that be swapped in a nanosecond. that's very nice. When you lack access to a charger. Furthermore, 8-cells are completely not enough for such a beast, it needs to be at least 10-cell (10x18650 cells in the battery pack) *and* swappable. So when you are on a plane, or lack access to charging for whatever reason, you can easily swap in a spare battery.

The screen could have a bit better resolution, like QHD, maybe even 4K but then I almost always use the monitor with an external monitor so it's not a huge issue. 1080 is sufficient. Of course 4K with more pixels would have more battery drain and less runtime.

 

about ssd vs hdd

in terms of HDD being more fragile, such as your computer dropped on the floor and such, the price difference is not that huge. They also consume more power during their lifetime, these old spinning drives.

My advice to GT80S SLI owners: deconfigure RAID0, install a 1TB SSD, clone the OS to a 1TB SSD.

Then clone it again to the 1TB HDD and then remove it for storage. and install a 2.5" SSD in its place, like Samsung 860.
In case you have operating system issues, you can always revert back to the HDD.

It's not really that complicated, just several steps.
You have to change from RAID to AHCI in UEFI configuration upon boot (hit and hold "DEL") to get to it.

 

I get *maybe* 1 hour. Keep in mind Li-Ion batteries age, even if you don't use them. My GT80S is a 2015 year model so it is over 3 years old by now. Theoretically the batteries do not last that long, at full capacity. I wonder if I should swap mine with a new one eventually.
How much do they cost from MSI?

 

Now this looks really good.

 

In real life, I cannot tell any difference between SATA SSD and PCIe SSDs. Unless you constantly copy large amounts of data.

 

With RAID 1/5, you have a second chance, without RAID1/5, you have no chance pretty much.
A HDD failure in some cases its data is recoverable where a SSD failure pretty much causes a total loss.
Best to combine cloud storage and frequent incremental backups.

 

Most of my critical data is stored on a spare drive at home, with backups in the cloud and some basic Nas boxes that I have at my parents houses.

Realistically this project is to allow me to be able to have bulk storage at my fingertips. As even reading off a spinning platter drive is by far and away faster than re downloading a bunch of games off steam, especially as games crossing the 100gb threshold becomes the norm.

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The problem with RAID 5 that we have seen and experienced is that hardware failure over a long time is expected to happen, meaning that if after several years no drives have failed, the chance of multiple drives failing increases significantly, completely destroying your RAID.

I have gone to security talks and conferences and everyone always recommends to never use RAID 5 anymore, and as you mention, suggest instead RAID1 and frequent backups, and/or cloud base storage.

We use both local NAS as well as cloud base storage now, after our RAID 5 failed and we lost everything since the previous backup.

 

I've seen drives that fail at around the same time but they have not really failed altogether, so we just gotta make sure to setup alerts so any failure is immediately addressed proactively.
IT is about proactive but not passive. Also, I understand we are talking about regular systems, so in corporate environment RAID5 has multiple hot spares assigned to the RAID groups so even if one fails the system will automatically use the hot spare. And this feature will definitely work even better with a RAID6.

 

Yeah, my work office is not as big as a large corportation, which they have also begun migrating to full virtualized environments huh? We are at most like 50 people in total so we don't have as much data nor as many RAID 5 setups (well had, because we don't anymore haha).

Cloud based storage has helped a lot though, because we have multiple projects we work on and we can access all data basically everywhere.

 

Yup, virtual environment is a must have for a lot of companies nowadays to be able to fully utilize infrastructure resources.
Nutanix is great to have if you must have in-house infrastructure, otherwise you can leave the headaches to Amazon AWS.

 

RAID1 is expensive but rules. I do something close to RAID 1. I clone the disks twice per month or when I feel like it. The clone disk is therefore out of sync with the primary on purpose. I can go back to a given date. If my machine is wiped out by a virus or such.

 

Even windows update can make your system fail haha so it's a good idea to have available backups you can use immediately.

 

My backup that I can use immediately is called a cloned drive. During the bootup process, I can select one of the choices. You can define that with the bcdedit command.

 

Interesting point.

 

I've done just that with my Das Keyboard that I USB-plug to the GT80S, which is also a mechanical Cherry MX brown keyboard. Of course you cannot put a laptop through that treatment.

Das keyboards seem to recover much better from water treatment than other keyboards. A lot more durable too. The mechanical keyboard is one of the strong selling points of this machine. I cannot imagine using anything else at this point.

 

No mechanical keyboard is a deal breaker.

I am not sure I care about thin profile. A real keyboard adds some thickness obviously. So, give me a thick machine.

 

Also doesn't it also downclock by 25-30% when off the dock? I never really looked into it too much as it's not really available here and the only SKU that was was like 10k.

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Yeah, it does get downclocked when not using the dock. I suppose the cooling performance is pretty average without it, so they rather not risk it.

 

My GT80S SLI takes forever to cold-boot. Lately takes about 3:30 minutes. It used to boot in 29 seconds. It hangs for what seems like forever at the MSI splash screen.
But if you reboot, it reboots in under 30 seconds. What is going on?

I attempted to use the Windows Performance Recorder software but it reboots and the machine is quick, without recording any significant data. The slow down appears on cold boot, why is that?

 

FYI:

sfc didn't do anything and was normal but chkdsk /scan fixed some errors and my 29 second cold boots are back. Weird. I wonder what went wrong with it.


2) open administrative command prompt and type or copy and paste:
3) sfc /scannow
4) dism /online /cleanup-image /restorehealth
5) chkdsk /scan

 

Still have 2.5 min cold boots and 29 second reboots.

 

Hi , new owner here.i finally found the right thread lol. All this time I was asking in the GT80 thread. I got a good deal for a refurbished barebone for $800 shipped to me.

I got a question regarding the GPU upgrade for this model.

Have anyone upgraded to a 10 series card? If so , what model.

 

I don't think anyone has swapped out cards to get a 10 series in there. I do think they where running a swap the laptop program for awhile.

Did yours not come with any?

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I like to tinker around, call me tinkerbell ... lol. I just bought a GTX 1070 for a stellar deal of $210. I will try it out when i receive it and let you guys know. I am sure it can run it, probably up to the GTX 1080.

 

What's puzzling is that most of the boot time is before I hit the MSI splash screen.
I have several SSDs that are in the multiboot configuration and the bcdedit screen is what I get after the MSI splash screen. I think most of that 3 minute boot time happens before I actually hit the drive.

 

I have this problem with very low microphone volume. Nothing worked, not adjusting the volume nor installing an external microphone.

Any idea how to remediate it?

 

I need to adjust the settings in RealTek HD audio application. I tried all revisions that are commonly suggested to no avail, the program is visible in device manager but not in start menu or anywhere else and it's impossible to start it.

what version of driver works and enables RealTek HD audio app to start in latest Win 10 on GT80 SLI?

 

Titan GT80 SLI is still an awesome computer.
Mine still isn't slowed down by anything. I have 24GB of RAM which is more than enough. I run 2 external monitors. One is 4K and the other is QHD.

 

What is the latest version of Titan GT80 SLI? I have the 6QE edition but wonder if there is another, newer generation Intel CPU (7th gen?) within the GT80 framework. Not interested in the GT83 model.

 

I think it's the 7re or something like that. The 8X series is dead.

Though the 7X series titans have a ok ish side grade with a desk top cpu and a BGA GPU though....honestly might be better for a clevo or similar.

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Well what is the model number called? I've seen 6QF (versus 6QE I have).

based on what I can tell, there is a 6920 CPU versus 6820 and a very marginal improvement and also the GPU is called 980 versus 980m? is that the same GPU?

 

Well in my region it's the GT83 7rf in my region it seems. And imo it's marginal.

As for the 980 vs 980m

The 980 is the desktop version of the card kluged into the laptop.

The 980m is a laptop version and is about 30% slower on average iirc. The rule of thumb I play by is it's a step down. Ie 980m = 970.

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I am aware of GT83 and it's a whole other model not related to GT80.

 

Ah well, then I'm pretty sure the 6QF you mentioned is the end of the GT80 line then. Because they swapped to the GT83 after pulling the dual 980's stunt. And then the GT83 got the 7th Gen cpu and died.

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Seems the only significant upgrade from 6QE to 6QF is the Nvidia 980 versus 980m from the 6QE model. Well that and the CPU went from 6820 to 6920. The RAID appears to be composed of Samsung PM951, not Toshiba SSDs. Still gets the same useless 7200 rpm 1TB HDD. The keyboard appears to be the same Cherry Mx Brown.


Is there any downside to the desktop video card? I think I want to get the 6QF variant. But FWIW, I have no issues with dual 980m I currently have.

My 6QE has been modified disk-wise, I broke the RAID and instead boot off a single Samsung PM981 1TB, with the second disk being used for cloning the primary drive to. The third SSD is the data disk and the 2.5" HDD has been replaced by a 2.5" SSD that runs Ubuntu very well.

 

Other than extra heat? I don't think there are any downsides to the 980 model aside from the cost it came out at initially. Lol

It should be a 30% ish upgrade from what you have now.

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I like the Titan a lot. Despite all its flaws. On the used market, GT80 has come down in price a lot, especially the early non-SLI models that can be had for well under $1000. I got my 6QE SLI for around $1400 like new and that was 2 years ago. They are around $1000 now depending on the configuration.

I don't need a new/better GT83, etc. And I think I will be perfectly fine with GT80SLI 6QF. Only question was if 980 the desktop version generates better performance it also has to generate more heat and I was wondering how they deal with that. And if shortens its lifespan any.

 

Search for the GT83 980 models posts / threads here on nbr.

Owners were surprised to find that their game time at full performance on AC was limited by battery.

The power system couldn't draw more than 285w(?) through the single 330w PSU, and MSI wouldn't support dual psu's or a higher power single 780w PSU - they locked down the power draw to well below 330w.

Not a popular GT80 after that limitation was discovered with the desktop 980SLI model.

 

I did. I found a few threads. I am aware of the power situation.
I am rethinking my views on GT83, if I should get one. I like the specs but carrying around two bricks is a major pain, when you actually want to use a laptop like a laptop.

I don't game so much of it is irrelevant. I am happy with GT80 SLI 6QE performance and the dual 980m does everything I want. Runs 2 external monitors, one Dell 4K and the other NEC QHD (2560x1440).

I want to get another Titan GT80 for a family member, do you think it makes sense to stay with 6QE versus the latest-greatest 6QF (at the time).

Or maybe even get the original non PCIe/NVMe Titan GT80 which has 2 advantages, one is it has 4 2280 slots plus 2.5" for SSD and two, it's cheaper.

 

They all have their charms. It's like which era version of a car you purchased - all the ones before look old and all those afterwards look funnily like they are "trying too hard" to recapture what made the original special.

I like the GT80 with 4 M.2 SATA ports with the 980m SLI, and that 5950 has good performance for a 4 core 8 thread CPU even today.

The follow on 980 SLI needed 2 power supplies to shine, and the 2 PSU units were a bit of a shark jump, but so are all of the dual PSU laptops.

If you can find a good deal on a sturdy solid unit, they are all great.

 

I have never been able to tell any performance difference between PCI-e/NVMe SSD and the older SATA III ones - such as the ones the original GT80 came with. There is just no visible difference.

You do notice a difference jumping from HDD to SSD and after that, going from 500 Mbs to 3,000 MBS is not obvious. The HGST 1TB model that came with GT80 tested at something like 89 MBS, so I don't know what it's good for, maybe just storage. HDD is obsolete in fast machines such as Titan. It's a gaming, not a storage device. But 3,000 MBS you get with SSD - These are just paper stats, not obvious in real life. Unless I copied Gigs of data back and forth every day, which I don't.

Losing one 2280 slot in GT80 SLI Skylake is a bummer, I wish they had kept all 4x2280s. Instead Skylake gets 2x2280 that are PCIe, 1x2280 that's SATA III and one 2.5" SATAIII, an interesting configuration.

The RAID GT80 comes with is irrelevant given latest-greatest SSD are 3000-3500 MBS read speeds like Samsung PM981 I run, or 970 Pro is even faster. Although it would be interesting to build a RAID out of non-MSI provided SSDs, like Samsung 970 Pros that start at 3500 Mbs.

 

The Nvidia 980, whether "M" or desktop if a fast GPU, it has 8GB of VRAM. I run dual 980m and it hasn't been able to choke on anything yet, not even close. Just chews through everything in a nanosecond.

 

Will this RAM work in GT80 SLI 6QE?

https://www.amazon.com/Crucial-Sing...=2025&creative=165953&creativeASIN=B006YG8X9Y


Crucial 8GB Single DDR3/DDR3L 1600 MT/S (PC3-12800) Unbuffered SODIMM 204-Pin Memory - CT102464BF160B