Eluktronics MAX series Laptops

So far so good! The MAX-17 turned out really great!

The MAX-15 is impressive too but definitely hits its GPU thermal throttle limits. An easy tune via Voltage Curve Editor solves this rather easily. However, I was told that Eluktronics will be offering Liquid Metal. I’d like to see how this does on the GPU and not just the CPU

MAX-17 GM7CP0P
MAX-15 GK5CP7Y

 

Dang, that's everything the MAG-15 should have been.

 

Out from Intels bios having 87c limit proper to the GPU is always nice lol.

Then the software function with the hardware is nicer.

Top it off with a larger chassis and we’re good to go!

LM on these with your newer solution could be sweet! Then a fancy bios and Boom! Epicness!

 

Glad to see the addition of a numeric keypad. It's unfortunate that the external display options are limited. If it had dual mini-DP output it would be the nicest and best low-cost work/play combo notebook option available on the market.

The MAG 15 just missed too many basic necessities options for a decent system to qualify as a good option for a business machine (for me). The absence of a numeric keypad and the severely limited external display options instantly disqualified it for my purposes.

 

Seems like a very solid machine for the money.

Are all Eluktronics Tongfangs?

 

TongFang and Clevo.

 

What is the specific number of the MAX-17 Tongfang chassis? Getting confused. Thanks.

Edit: also, which other resellers are using this chassis?

 

try look at this video

 

EDIT: nevermind! I see B0B has updated his post with the chassis numbers

Much appreciated @B0B

 

A few questions if anyone can help:

1. Is there a way to redefine keys built in to Eluk Max 17? There is no INSERT key.
2. Can anyone comment about its usefulness on battery? I have Aero 17, and its battery/power profile is totally dysfunctional on battery. No changes I have made have helped.
3. Does it have annoying audible circuit whine like Aero 17 and most other thin laptops?

 

Will the Max-17 support G-Sync over that USB-C Thunderbolt port for an external display?

 

This machine looks pretty sick with it's amazing battery life and high wattage gfx! Nice and light for the form factor as well. Ports coming out of the back don't get in the way of my right side mouse position either. Just no gsync. I hate tearing. Though it's pretty good price wise too

 

HI B0B! really nice video, the MAX-17 is really interesting! just watched your video and I think that this laptop is what i'm looking for. I was about to buy the Gigabyte Aero 17, but its more expensive and just offers a Max-Q GPU.

PCSpecialist just released it in Europe under the name VYPER 17,3" (also on the German website pcz.de). It comes with the i7-10875 and lets you choice between the normal 2070 Max-P or the new 2017 SUPER for 175€ more.

Sadly the release date is 5th May, so i'll have to wait for it, but I will use that time to read some reviews and consider if the new SUPER is worth it or not.

On the other hand, XMG has released some models (XMG PRO 17 - Clevo and XMG NEO 17) but not this Tongfang model.

Suggestion: maybe change the Thread's name with the Tongfang numbers on it?

Victor

 

@B0B can you verify the same wiggly touchpad issues like with the MAG-15 barebone modell (that many people had)? Did they built in a proper touchpad this time?

 

After reading comments about this I took one apart and showed where the issue would be along with the fix. This video was then sent to the CEO of Eluktronics and was forwarded to Tongfang. This was a few months back.

It’s actually not a difficult fix and the video I made wasn’t of any worthy quality so I have nothing to show. Maybe in the future I will make a video on how to address this.

The problem here isn’t TongFang. This happens on a lot of laptops and over time it’ll happen to many more.

 

Good to know. Do you know if the touchpad on the MAX-17" chassis is any different from the MAG-15 with those problems?
Thanks for helping on driving onward the development of awesome laptops

 

Sooo..what is the deal with " - Integrated MUX Controller"?
Probably software switchable graphics from control center? Is that a feature of the refreshed RTX cards, coming with GDDR6 and "enhanced Optimus"?
If so, that might be good news. Maybe a total of 15% performance boost from bypassing the iGPU and having faster memory.
No mention of GSync though.

 

No a mux switch is hardware. Probably a BIOS option to let the owner choose between Intel, discrete or Optimus hybrid. There could be a Windows software interface for it, but a change will require a reboot. And yes, this will definitely be much better than the Optimus garbage that most laptops are stuck with.

 

Regarding Liquid Metal being offered in these new laptops, as for some one that has never used LM on a laptop but from what I hear It “dries” out or degrades quicker with a certain type of heatsink material ( copper? Not sure about this )
Basically do you have to repaste a laptop more often with LM ? If so how long does a typical application last before it loses it’s effectiveness ? Does the cooler Mastergel last longer and does it do a good job?
I ‘m new to these Eluktronics laptops so any info on the cooling would be great to hear?
Looking at the MAX 15 and are the fans noisy when gaming?
Thanks

 

Jarrod has a very detailed review on this machine. B.O.A.T. here on the forums here too. It seems max fan is a bit noisy, but I’ve seen a few mention of playing in Comfort mode for rather quiet results. It does run hotter and obviously lose some performance, but it seems possible if you don’t want to use head phones to keep the noise in check.

As far as liquid metal. . .I can’t mention anything since I’ve never tried it. But have heard the same as you that it can dry out. How often you need to change it is unknown to me. So hopefully someone chimes in as I’m very curious myself.

I have a Max-17 on preorder and will be doing the repaste myself. No liquid metal. I’m going to use their kryonaut for the gpu and their graphite pad for the cpu. So I’ll gladly post numbers once it arrives in June.

 

If your heat sink fit is really good liquid metal will last for several years. If I remember correctly @Papusan got something like 4 years from the application on his Alienware 17. If the heat sink finish is very porous you may need to apply it a couple of times because of absorption into the copper. Once it seals the surface it will no longer be a problem. You might be able to minimize the absorption by polishing the copper plate to a mirror finish. There's really no issues to speak of in the grand scheme of things. If the heat sink does not fit flush and snug on the die, it won't work well at all and nothing you do can fix that unless you can correct the fit issue. For that you need something extra thick to plug the gap, like IC Diamond of Phobya Nanogrease Extreme. The thin and creamy crap like Kryonaut and Gelid won't hold up if the fit is sloppy.

 

Thanks for the information Papa Fox. Much appreciated. I’ll definitely let @Papusan know if I decide to go that route and take some notes.

 

Be sure the heatsink have good fits on die/heatsink. And grey color is what you want

https://imgur.com/a/2xHnNVn

Exactly. Nothing will last if the heatsink don't fit properly on die/IHS. Doesn't matter if its Liquid metal or the best thermal paste.

 

Fingers crossed buddy. Considering these seem to be priced way more competitively I hope they didn’t cut too many corners on the heat sink. But based on @B0B videos on the older model a good repaste and some tweaking should have this running within a respectable margin. 115w on the GPU and a hot Intel CPU octocore is gonna be a challenge I’m sure. Should be fun though.

 

I'm getting some pretty wicked performance on this MAX-17. I've had this one for almost 3 weeks and it's taken a beating. The 2070 MP Super seems to have Eluktroboost well past 115w lol. At this time I can't comment on this specifically but even if that still remains for the review, the Kill-A-Watt meter goes a long way, wink wink.

Things I'm waiting for:
Newest Nvidia drivers (we're stuck on 442.52) This happened early 2019 when RTX laptops launched too. This isn't a job for DDU, it's just time and patience.
BIOS update and Control Center update to fix a few bugs.

FUN FACT: I offer my contributions to all the manufacturers who want solid feedback with solutions and beyond. Eluktronics lets me do this and I appreciate it. The MAG 15 took 6 weeks and 60+ hours of work before I could begin the review/editing process. This time it's no different. In this case I create unlisted videos for TongFang with feedback that will guide their sails to making us, the consumer, the best version of this laptop. Eluktronics CEO, Will Kiryluk, is the real enthusiast here. His dedication, enthusiasm and sheer diligence to get these laptops the way they are is way beyond anyone would imagine. They're not just a "reseller".

 

Well that makes me hopeful. I did decide on the 2080 Super Max-q version. As I’m curious how that will compare with the same 115w eluktroboast. I’m not expecting much, but it will be good to compare your results with what I get so see if it’s worth the extra cost for the 2080. I highly doubt it.

I honestly wouldn’t give Eluktronics the time of day if you weren’t so diligent in giving them feedback and helping them make changes that are for the customer and delivering a better product. So with that in mind you’ve given me high hopes buddy. I’m coming for you if you let me down.

 

@B0B what are the chances of g-sync on the MAX laptops? These are fantastic machines and Im most likely am going to be purchasing the MAX17 but gsync would be icing on the cake.

Or a 120hz 4k panel

 

Not this time and 4K 120 panels are extremely expensive. Just the 240hz FHD label is nearly $100 over the $144hz.

 

G-sync is expensive and even a lot of high end manufacturers are opting not to add g-sync because of it. They would have to send every screen to Nvidia to be “Certified”. So since these Max laptops are more value oriented they likely aren’t going to offer that. But it would be awesome for games that can’t run at 100fps or above.

I still think Razer is the only one using a 4K120Hz panel also. So until it’s more main stream I don’t see that happening either sadly. But for the lower price I can be ok with not having the latest and greatest.

 

Hi, I have this same chassis from a different manufacturer. I have a few issues with it, I just wanted to know whether you have the same issues or not. My version is 10750h cpu, rtx 2060 gpu, 144 Hz 1080p screen. The installed control center version was 1.1.0.25, (I saw that eluctronics have the 1.1.0.26 version so I tried both of them but none worked).

1) I cannot set keyboard backlight to white.
2) When working on battery keyboard backlight doesn't work. It works again as soon as I plug the power adapter.
3) I set the power mode to office mode and when I restart the computer, it goes back to gaming mode automatically.
4) The computer froze 3 times during my 8 hour use. No response from keyboard, mouse or power button. No blue screen. I had to restart with long pressing power button. I haven't done any gpu, cpu tweaking (such as undervolting etc.) or installed anything fancy. I've just installed windows 10 pro, drivers, chrome, 7 zip, LoL, Starcraft 2 and Diablo 3.

A few nitpicks:
1) I didn't like the keyboard layout and feel of the keys. If you want me to compare, I have 4 more laptops (dell xps 9550, hp zbook 15u g4, samsung series 7 gamer and macbook pro 2012) all of them have better keyboards. Buttons are a bit big, they don't have enough space between them and they don't have enough feedback.
2) The fans are really loud when running in game or turbo mode, you have to play with headphones.
3) Camera is placed at the bottom, so sometimes windows hello doesn't work.
4) Hinge is a bit loose, screen sometimes wobbles if you hit keyboard fast.

I know this is a gaming laptop and its very good for gaming, but if you also want to use for development, I suggest you also check other options. Aside from these issues, performance and battery life is really good, case is sturdy, screen is good (not the brightest or fastest but its good), port selection and locations are good.

 

Ah, the constant battle between what I want and what is actually in my wallet

I also meant the 4k120hz as a joke but forgot the emoticons

I wasn't joking about Gsync though, it just makes so much sense to me to have in laptops because it prolongs enjoyable framerates through the years as the system gets older.

Or am I mistaken about this?

@B0B seeing as you have your ear to the ground, is eluktroniks considering G-sync sometime in the future? Or would you have to kill me once you told me

 

These new chassis’s need a CC and BIOS update to address a few things. I’ve had mine for several weeks and once these get fixed I can proceed with the review.

 

Extremely excited to receive my Covert Max 17. In less than a week!

I was told by an Eluktronics rep yesterday (extremely fast response btw) that the May promise date for pre-orders from Amazon (where I ordered) are on track. They will begin shipping them out in a few days. The rep also informed me that individuals who pre-ordered the Covert Max 17 on Amazon will receive the HDMI cable, headset, mousepad and mouse.

In the meantime, I am testing out my friend’s (second, he purchased two) Covert Max-17. This thing curb stops all laptops in its field / range. One thing that really has stood out to me the most is how incredibly professional and sleek it looks and feels.

 

Any word on the new BIOS / CC update? Thank you for all you do B0B!

 

How long does the 94w battery of the new version (GM5MP0W) last? Any hands on experiences?

 

That’s encouraging. I ordered mine from the Eluktronics website directly since I wanted a custom config and some extras like extended warranty. I’ll reach out to see if they say the same about my order. They say shipping should be around May 25-29. Figures crossed they ship early.

 

How does this thing handle Davinci resolve?
I somehow landed a videography gig in the midst of all this and I need a portable solution for 4k video edits.

 

So I did reach out to Eluktronics finally and they responding in literally two hours. I’ve never had that before in my life. So hopefully that’s a sign of how they are if I run into an issue down the road. Good customer service is rare these days. But, anyway if you ordered on their website for the May 25-29 ship date then those orders are still on track. Any new orders won’t be shipped until early June. Still being hopeful for an early shipment.

Just curious if anyone else ordered through Eluktronics website or is everyone using amazon?

 

Impressive considering Customer Service is a hard task to fill right now.

 

Indeed. I’m very impressed.

 

I ordered my Max-17 from Amazon a few weeks ago with the delivery promise date of 05/19. My tracking info says that it’s currently out for delivery and will be at my doorstep in the next 6-7 hours!

 

I expect pictures.

 

The freezing issue keeps going, I couldn't find a pattern to reproduce it. Nothing on the event viewer or logs. Anyone having the same issue? I really want to keep this laptop but if I can't find a solution I'll have to return it.

 

You stated in your previous post that your machine was the same chassis but different manufacturer? Who is the manufacturer and have you reached out to them? Just because you have a machine of the same chassis doesn’t mean Eluktronics users will experience the same thing. A lot goes a long way when it comes to companies making updates, tweaks and edits of the v/BIOS, EC/firmware and getting the correct drivers. You also may have a bad machine as well and it needs an RMA.

I have asked 20 different Max-17 users if they experienced any major issues and none of them have reported any. I’ve been using my friend’s second Max-17 and haven’t experienced the same issues you have. I honestly think there is something wrong with your machine or there is a BIOS/Firmware fix / tweak that needs to be done by your manufacturer.

 

It's https://www.monsternotebook.com.tr/ and yes I have reached to them and they told me to update windows or reinstall it. Yes I know it doesn't mean that they'll experience the same thing, I'm just asking if its'a chronic issue o not, it seems this is related to my unit.

 

It’s more than likely your unit but before you contact your manufacturer for an RMA, I’d say “eff it” and throw a Hail Mary. Download all the drivers and software from Eluktronics under the Max-15 and Max-17 Covert Laptop *10th Gen* section. Do another fresh install of windows 10 pro. Do NOT connect to the internet. Install all the drivers and see what happens!

 

Hi everybody, i receive my Vyper 17, same chassis than Max 17, so if you have any question,
and BOAT if you have some Bios or Control Center to share

 

I’ll wait as these are sent in their raw install form via boot/f.nsh. I don’t want these floating around if for some reason it’s not final.

 

Ok, np

 

Hi guys,

I have received one (2060 model) yesterday and I am generally both impressed by some aspects and very much unimpressed by others.I will send my unit back for some fixes if even possible.

The bad:

1. One of the fans seems to be a bit "wobbly", it produces a lot of vibrations and an annoying humming, oscillating noise when running at more than maybe 30% speed. Not cool, I hope that is a defect and not poor design.
2. The track pad is really underwhelming, it is a bit lose and produces a lot of noise when I tap it without "down pressing" the bottom part. Disappointing but tolerable as I mostly use a mouse.
3. The control center doesn't allow white keyboard backlight or I have not found out how.
4. The Keyboard feels a bit cheap. Keystroke is very soft for some keys, other are very loud and annoyingly clicky. More uniformity and less noise while typing would be welcome. Not great but acceptable.
5. Stock Fan curves are unnecessarily aggressive and unbelievably loud which would be a clear no go for me. The adjustable office mode curve might save it for me personally but it has some issues that would need to be fixed.

The so and so:

1. The control center app is better than none I guess but there seem to be a few features that do not work very well, the RGB seems to be a bit poorly implemented. All I need is a simple, white keyboard backlight. The adjustable fan curve is a nice idea but it doesn't tell the temperatures and fan levels, instead there is only a picture with 5 movable steps without a meaningful axis. Also the feature seems to be bugged, the results make little sense to me unfortunately. Once GPU or CPU cross 64°C fans will kick in strongly and push temps back below 64°C (and repeat). With a lot of trial and error effort it is possible to play / work with a quite silent machine though.
2. The screen is almost awesome, unfortunately mine shows severe backlight bleed at two spots on the bottom. I am aware that this cannot be fully avoided but I have not had any such severe issues with the other notebooks I have had in my hands i believe. Otherwise I am very happy with the viewing angles, brightness, colors and response times. 17" is awesome anyway.

The Good

1. Form Factor and Weight, just amazing how small and light the chassis is
2. Overall build and feel, very nice I have to say
3. Raw Power, I am very much impressed. Unfortunately I do not really have a need for >100W on CPU and >120W on GPU
4. Tweakability and thermal headroom are great. I have undervolted theGPU and limited the boost to 1500Mhz at minimum voltage, the CPU is undervolted with -95mV and I have reduced the multipliers to 3600 for usage of more than 4 cores with throttlestop. Temps are very acceptable now, especially if combined with a frame limiter as the few games that I play do not need to run at high frame rates. Combined with the (dodgy) custom fan curve I can run stuff like world of warships, cities skylines, total war games and similar titles maxed out, partly with super sampling to 2k or 4k at 40 to 75 FPS with near silence with a bit of playing around with the fan curve and game settings.

The Fan issue and the poor/bugged control center with the stock fan curves are game breakers for me so I will return the unit to see if at least the humming fan can be fixed. I hope that bios / EC and CC updates improve the stock fan curves and fix and improve the custom one in the mean time as I would (almost) love to keep the machine.

Best,

Daniel