GE 75 Raider 9SG-655: terrible thermals, stutters in every game, MSI says "normal" for $3500 laptop

I just figured I'd throw this out there.

I've been having issues with my GE75 Raider since I bought it. I bought the top model- i9-9880hk, RTX 2080, 32GB DDR4 2666, ETC. I paid a premium for premium performance. Instead, what I got is regular stutters with frame drops to single digit FPS, and MSI says it is completely normal.

I started doing research here after buying. I found out about Throttlestop, which didn't solve my issue, but did at least let me know that my CPU temps ALWAYS hit 95-100 degrees. So, I've got a thermal issue, right? Not according to MSI. I sent it back, and it tested "within specifications." I tried to get them to upgrade me to a Titan, as I don't need the thin size, but they couldn't be less interested in helpin, even though I was still in my one year warranty period. They didn't even refund me the $100 it cost to ship it back.

I guess this is more of a rant than anything, as Caveat Emptor- let this serve as a warning to anyone else willing to drop over $3k for a piece of kit that gets so poorly backed by the manufacturer.

Games that I've tried, all stutter terribly:
The Witcher 3
Destiny 2
Borderlands 3
The Division 2
Call of Duty, Modern Warfare
Red Dead Redemption 2
Doom Eternal
Cyberpunk 2077
I'm sure there were others also, this is just off the top of my head.

So, pretty confident this isn't a software thing.

 

Sorry, don't buy a "slim" notebook - problems with the thermals are almos guaranteed. I bought GT series.

 

Lesson learned. I didn’t need thin, but I didn’t notice a warning when I ordered it either. I thought $3500 was enough, I gladly would have bought a Titan but didn’t know that it was necessary to avoid potato performance.

 

You will never get smooth performance if your CPU is constantly bouncing off the thermal throttling temperature limit.

Turn the log file option on in ThrottleStop and try to play a game for at least 15 minutes. When done testing, exit the game and then exit ThrottleStop so it can finalize your log file. The default file location is your ThrottleStop / Logs folder. Attach one to your next post so I can have a look. Remember to turn on Nvidia GPU monitoring in the Options window before you start logging data.

Drops down to single digit FPS can be caused by the CPU or GPU throttling or both. A log file will help show what the real problem is. Also include pictures of how you have ThrottleStop setup. If you cannot replace the thermal paste and improve cooling performance, you could try using ThrottleStop to run your CPU at a reduced speed. This will reduce maximum performance but it might result in smoother game play overall.

ThrottleStop 9.2.9.5 has a few more features for newer CPUs.
http://forum.notebookreview.com/threads/the-throttlestop-guide.531329/page-1267#post-11068805

 

95-100 is within spec so technically speaking MSI isnt wrong. Luckily the EC will never let it go out of spec either :/

That being said you got a 9980H and 2080 and thought that you wouldnt need to do a simple repaste and tune?

 

You think it's reasonable to assume that everone who spends over $3k on a laptop automatically knows that they need to take it apart, potentially void the warranty, and modify it to cover for the manufacturer saving $2.50 by using crappy paste?

 

I'll work on that tonight. Sorry for the delay.

 

Its more reasonable to assume that once a company has your money they want nothing to do with you.

voiding a warranty due to maintenance is illegal in many countries...replacing paste is not a modification, it is maintenance.

 

I'm not here to argue. I guess we'll have to just agree to disagree. Your post to me is analogous to anyone purchasing a Ferrari should understand that they may need to do a minor engine rebuild to get the vehicle to exceed highway speeds out of the box when they advertise it as a 200 MPH car, and them denying coverage "because it goes the speed limit."

"Oh, you bought a Ferrari and expected it to go 200 MPH out of the box without you rebuilding the motor? Well, that's on you."

 

More like you bought a Ferrari and are angry that you are too tall to sit in it, exclaiming that you spent 6 figures and should accommodate you.

But sure, agree to disagree.

 

But I bought a gaming laptop, for gaming, and am angry that it doesn't game.

 

You bought a computer, that runs within specification of the hardware and behaves as its supposed to under those circumstances.

Your issue looks to be bad contact between the heatsink and the components. If your temps instantly go up regardless of your task, in this instance, gaming, then that is most likely the culprit.

Repasting and as a consequence reseating the heatsink will likely resolve your issue and return the product back to your expectations, or at least near it.

 

Thank you, I'm willing to try it for sure. I did note, however, that I shipped it back to MSI with Thermal Grizzly and they did re-paste it, which didn't fix the issue. they didn't indicate that they used my paste, but they didn't return it to me either. So, there has already been at least one re-paste that didn't resolve the issue. Do you suggest trying it again? I'm making the assumption that whoever at MSI performed the re paste is more competent than I am, having never done one at all, but it is possible that I'd have greater attention to detail.

Because the internet makes it tough to tell emotion, to clarify- my reply above isn't sarcastic. I genuinely appreciate the input you are offering in trying to resolve my problem. While I do disagree with you that it should be expected that a product at this price point doesn't work as advertised out of the box, and certainly should after being shipped back once, I do appreciate the input on how to move past that point, as MSI clearly isn't interested in helping and I'm stuck with a $3k+ laptop that may as well be a Chromebook in most cases.

I did a fair amount of research previously and decided it was over my head to attempt it, but it seems that liquid metal may be in order, though risky.

 

It should be expected, yes, but companies are run by humans and its our nature to be self serving lol.

I dont hold people I dont know in regard, I fully expect a drone just running through the motions and sending it back, but that is my opinion. There is likely an owners lounge here in the forums, I would check it out for what real world expectations are with a properly aligned heatsink.