Intel-TongFang QC7 (Element/Fusion 15/MAG-15/Vapor 15 Pro)

I wouldn't know, I own an m15 and I don't have afterburner installed. I believe the issue goes away after I kill after burner and I think the undervolt still stays

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Thanks.

I don't have one either (yet) but it might be useful to know for MAG users in general as UV-ing that 2070 is (prolly) gonna make it run cooler (and have a lot better boost potential before hitting the cap, whatever its set at) for sure.

And unless some other UV-ing method appears (that doesn't involve coding a whole bunch of cfg text like Inspector requires), people don't really have a lot of recourse next to using AB for that.

 

Yes but according to bob, if you use the mag15 with electroboost the settings won't really stick as expected. I mean you can tune to run it without electroboost and you would get more performance than stock for sure but nothing as good as just setting the thermal limit to 87C and letting electroboost do it's magic.

Correct me if I'm wrong here @B0B

I'd love to see this machine allow itself to boost more performance by undervolting if we get more thermal headroom for the GPU

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Maybe EB is just pushing the thermal limits up somehow? For sure with the extra thermal headroom a UVed 2070 is gonna have a bit better breathing space to boost.

At least if EB works how I think it does anyway.

But it's some sort of auto volt curve adjustment engine on its own... then dangit I want one. Though the irony of an auto curve engine running over NV's own built-in variable boost isn't really lost on me either lol.

 

No you still have to use Asus tweak utility to get the 87C thermal limit for GPU, I'm just saying after doing THAT electroboost works as expected

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Ah. Ok. Gotcha.

 

ty for working on the bios.

 

I'm currently working on a follow up piece showing game FPS / thermal differences between the old results I've previously published with the older BIOS and the results with the newer BIOS ahead of the full review video, which is also delayed as a result of this.

So far the changes in game performance are minimal and about what I expected, lower settings see higher FPS due to the higher CPU cap, higher settings in some cases were down a little due to the lower GPU cap - I don't think it changes much, however it is unfortunate that the machine came to me with such an old version installed.

As Tom speculated I think it was just because it was an early unit, they should be using 0048 going forward, which is the newest they have access to. I will be testing with this rather than using a newer version from elsewhere, as it best represents what a customer purchasing the machine today from Aftershock would experience.

 

I have the Mag15 and mine has the ground plug, like on the right side. Hope this helps!

 

No. I enabled the startup button in AB and my CPU (shown in task scheduler) can idle properly (0.3-0.7w) with AB closed.

Yes. GPU boost aka Eluktroboost/Overboost is working correctly.

 

@Jarrod'sTech
Hello Jarod! Great to see that you are here. Can I ask you some question about the laptop (and compared to the Aero 15x)? Most reviews and opinions everywhere seem to be to much "pro", as without disclosure about payment from the relevant companies (at least that's the impression).

 

Sure, I reply to every new YouTube comment, Twitter mention/DM, and email, if you want to chat.I suppose given the 15x is kind of a competitor to the QC7 it's worth discussing in this thread. Let me just say, I wish I could swap my 15x with the QC7. I still get Thunderbolt 3, SD card slot and large battery. The QC7 has some extra advantages, like the keyboard, my 15x was one of the earlier ones before they fixed the keyboard so sometimes I have to press extra hard to actuate which can be annoying.

Personally I prefer the cleaner design of the QC7, but that's of course subjective, oh and it doesn't have nose cam like the Aero. The thermals are also a fair bit better compared to the 15x, which is known for running hot. The newer Aero does improve on this, and has the option of an OLED panel, but given these benefits aren't found in the older 15x series, I'd prefer the QC7 myself.

 

I don't get paid from anyone but Google Adsense and any affiliate linked in descriptions such as Amazon. Not a single time did Gigabyte, HIDevolution or Eluktronics ever offer or even hint that payment can be made to me, the creator to make their product look good.

Check this out, I put 80 hours worth of work into the MAG and so far that review video has made $69.29. Sort of makes taking a cut from the manufacturers look nice now....picks up phone

 

That's awesome, thanks for the response! I know you always answer to youtube comments Didn't know that on other platforms too, that's very helpful! Didn't want to "burden" without asking.


The Aero 15-X Classic 2070 (but 144Hz, not IGZO, just 9th gen "refresh". Also 0.5 TB drive and not 1) is selling now for ~1630 USD on Amazon, that's why it feels more urgent to decide now.

What I am looking for is:
- Light and thin, with smaller (and maybe lighter) power brick also
- As clean design as can be, that was one of my main reasons to almost buy the Aero in the past (with the thin and pretty light build). Is QC7 cleaner?
- Build quality is very important to me, because I plan to use the laptop for about 5-6 years without purchasing a new one,
and on the same level of importance because the feel of a laptop (or other devices) is a very very big part of enjoying it (more enjoyable than 10% increase in performance for example).
Does the QC7 feel as high quality as the Aero?
- Screen quality (good angles, more colors, less grainy if it's a thing, and less BL bleed if there is a difference),
a screen that will be a joy to look at (does the QC7 have less color coverage? Any issues with the screen?)
- Ports (the QC7 has 1 less USB (C) port, and a slower card reader. Is the TB3 full, x4 PCIe connection, with OPI 4GT/s Mode?)
- Very quit on regular use, silent if possible, for library use without worrying (sudden continuous load fan noises). Also not extreme loudness on max fans otherwise max performance is unusable.
- The keyboard, convenience for long typing periods. **** Is the QC7's keyboard quit enough for quit public places?
- As close as can get to fulfilling the hardware performance potential.
- Heat solution quality of course, the probably only/biggest weakness of the Aero for me (which compromises the performance, and also potentially it's longevity).
- The battery. In this case has the same (or aprox. the same) capacity, but probably performs somewhat differently because of different power draws of the two laptops. Specifically I am interested in the battery life for daily use (mid/upper-mid brightness, browsing, word, etc.).

Also, do you think that the QC7's better temperatures come in the expense of the load fan noise?
And, do you think the Aero can keep stable, let's say ~3.5 GHz CPU clocks, if to restrict the frequency?

Thank you!

 

Your dedication is very admirable, of course no direct accusation was meant It's just that every review I saw seemed to praise the laptop very much, so it didn't look (to me) very unlikely that Intel are making a marketing plan and effort to spread the word about, and sell, the 1st cooperation product (is it 1st?) with smaller companies. Thank you for all the hard work!

 

No personal accusation was taken. The more clear I can be about this when the opportunity strikes the better everyone is.

As a small business owner myself the last thing I would want is to have facts on me/my business that lead to paid reviews.

 

Oh really? So the Vapor 15 has Eluktroboost technology as well? I was informed by one of their representatives when I inquired that they do not have the hardware for this in their Vapor 15.

 

Hello,

Currently im considering three laptops to be my daily driver for the next three years. I will be flying a lot for work and i am looking for the best performance with the best thermals i can get.

My current top picks are between the Mag 15, the Aero 15 and the Razer blade 15. What matters to me most is battery and thermals while gaming. Also of note is the price and specs.

The Razer has a 2060 with the latest ninth gen I7 9750 priced at $2,046

The Aero has the 2070 max q with a 9th gen I7 9750 priced at $1,746

The Mag 15 is a 1660TI with the 9750 priced at $1750


Looking at graphics specs alone and price the Aero seems to come out on top no problem, however i know that with laptops it's not always so cut and dry. So im asking for the more professional opinions on here.
Thanks

 

This category is slim so I’ll do my best to help.

Thermally they hit their limits so maximizing performance will require tuning with the understanding that high temps are something to embrace. Noticed I said “maximize performance” and not maximize thermal performance.

The Razer and MAG are smaller as in footprint. Does that matter?

Unless the price is outstanding the 1660ti is usually my recommendation.

If I recall correctly the Razer only offers a single m.2 slot for storage. That takes it off my list as a daily driver immediately. That’s just ME but I need the space.

The MAG is still in its infancy. It will not improve thermally but there’s some room to grow on a raw performance level.

Tuning and the overall enthusiast community will grow to a larger base on the MAG chassis thanks to the chassis availability globally with several different vendors using it with certain tweaks within a BIOS and/or software. That really opens Pandora’s box so to speak. You’ll see this more in 6 months for example.

The Aero is in a good place right now. It’s pretty well seasoned, has excellent fan control, offers the same high end panels that Razer offers, has the better port selection of the three and a number pad if you prefer one. Many people who use a laptop like this for business tend to prefer that. Not that I’m trying to convince you or anyone that the number pad is important, I’m just pointing out its relevance.

That’s all for now. Thanks if you made it this far

 

I think "clean design" is subjective, personally I prefer the QC7 in that regard as the keyboard deck is just solid metal, and this runs along the sides too, while the Aero has more bits and pieces with plastic side trim. It's hard for me to compare build quality, both were mostly metal exteriors. I feel like any laptop even if it's made of plastic can last just fine for 5+ years as long as you treat it with respect and don't drop it etc.

Bleed is hard to comment on as it can vary wildly by machine, but I will have results of my small sample size of 1 in my videos. The Aero 15x has the 4K panel option which has higher colour gamut than the 1080p panel, it does look nicer.

Yeah the SD card slot is slower on the QC7 as I don't think it's UHS-II, regardless it's fast enough for my purposes of dumping video off my SD cards, I'm just happy it has one at all haha. I don't know how to determine the Thunderbolt 3 PCIe lanes.

I can't recall how the Aero sounds under different workloads off the top of my head, but I have sound results in my videos of both at idle and under stress test measured in the same manner/distance, so should be quite comparable. Keyboard typing will also be in the video so you can hear that yourself and how they differ, the mech keyboard is a bit louder but I prefer it to not having to deal with the 15x issues.

With battery life I had the QC7 beating the Aero, but it's also specced lower in terms of GPU, granted both should be on Optimus during my testing, but I don't know how many times during the test either machine may have swapped over to dGPU.

The temperatures would be quite similar, if I recall both laptops limit the CPU to the same 90c. GPU on the Aero gets hotter, but mine has a 1070 Max-Q so not sure how comparable that is with the 1660 Ti in that regard.

 

Welcome Jarrod,
It feels amazing to have one of my favorite reviewers participate in the discussions.

 

Guys, my mag 15 order still stuck on fulfillment since oct 6 (18 days) with upgraded paste. Just wanted to confirm if anyone in a similar situation. I am fine with the delay but I want to know how long I will have to wait.

 

This is with older/pre-production BIOS. Newer BIOS does have GPU boost aka Eluktroboost.

 

Ordered mine on the 8th and was told it should ship by Nov 1. I know they said that parts came in late, but you should see an update before me!

 

Wow, thank you for the long and insightful answer!
How about the feel if I might ask? Do they both make the same impression of "premium" to the eye and hand? Do the grills decrease the "professional" look in person?

And about the thermals, in your videos of the Aero and the QC7 the thermals look pretty different (uploaded screenshots here: https://imgur.com/a/4xi2ePV). Could it be just a result of faster fan movement? (and so can be solved in the Aero by speeding them up). Seems like the QC7's ability to hit the full CPU frequency is much higher than of the Aero.

Thanks again!

Edit: Just remembered that on the tested QC7 it's a 1660ti as you said, will wait hopefully for the 2070mq review. The CPU temperatures do seem to be pretty different in both laptops (don't know if the 1660ti can be the reason for this [with the shared heat pipes])

 

No problem, the 2070 Max-Q model is in the mail. In regards to the temperature tests, as mentioned in the last few pages they were done with old BIOS, I've retested for the upcoming review and have a video scheduled in about 7 hours covering the thermal/game performance differences in old vs new BIOS.

As for how they feel, I guess I personally like the texture/finish of the Aero but both are nice to me. If you mean the grills above the new Aero keyboard (15x doesn't have that) I guess it's subjective, I don't mind it but at the same time I prefer the whole thing just being plain myself.

 

Do you prefer this machine (vapor 15) over the Alienware m15? Silly question I know and are the fans louder or more annoying somehow than the m15? Does it get louder than m15 on normal gaming usage? If you can't answer it's fine but I'm really happy to see you on the forums big fan of your reviews along with Bob of all trades and ownordisown.

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Cheers! Are you referring to the newer m15 R2? If so I haven't had the chance to use that one yet so cannot say. If not, I wouldn't personally be looking at the older one due to how hot it ran and other issues that I don't remember at the moment but would have listed in my video about it (though admittedly mostly personal taste).

 

Lmao I currently have the first generation one which is indeed the one I am talking about. I like that it's got ports on the back AND a numpad but it gets hot, has large bezel and the keyboard feels mediocre in my opinion.

I wish the Alienware m15 r2 was a viable option but the ram and wifi card is soldered and despite having tobii eye tracking it has no windows hello.... What a let down.

Aero 15 is great but I hate the power cord on the right side and the ports being on the side....also not a big fan of gigabyte support

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Quick question everyone, for those of you who already bought the MAG 15 from Eluktronics, how long did delivery take from the day of the order ?

 

It didnt give an estimate at the top of the page? Its going to be different for everyone depending on their shipment dates from intel.

 

Hi guys, just got my Mag-15 yesterday. I ordered it right before the price increase on Oct. 6th through Eluktronics with the thermal paste upgrade and got it Oct 26th. If you're in the tri-state area it's most likely going to be 1 day shipping. They have massive backlog and also some delays due to inbound shipping delays for the parts. It should be here soon, but if you call customer service in the morning they can usually check the progress of your order no problem.

Coming from briefly owning the MSI GS65 Stealth I can share some basic comparisons that might be helpful. Build quality is sturdy, but I felt like the GS65 was more solid. While the magnesium alloy does 100% repel fingerprints, it's slightly sandy texture feels a little weird to me. Makes it feel more like plastic compared to smooth aluminium. This is definitely the lightest 15in gaming laptop I've ever held, it makes you smile when you lift it because it's so freaking light. The screen feels a little vaseline-y to me, does anyone know of a way to sharpen the image? I did use a 240hz panel before this so I don't know if that has anything to do with it. It's not bad, but not sharp enough to the point that I feel comfortable viewing it while sitting back. I ordered a dbrand skin on mine and it was applied a little lopsided and they actually gave me the wrong one... their customer service is responsive so I hope I can get this sorted out quickly. The audio is actually great in my opinion. I did a fresh reinstall and after updating all the drivers, windows update, and BIOS update, it honestly sounded just slightly worse than my iPad pro 11in. The bass is lacking, but sounds way better than the GS65 which was super tinny. The fans are quieter than the GS65 and stays way cooler after a conservative initial undervolt of -125mv core and cache. Seeing some reviews made me nervous for the loud fans, but it's better than the GS65, which would give me a headache after a few minutes. The RGB keyboard settings for the CC are not very good. It's way behind MSI's software and all the effects you can pick like Aurora, Wave, Breathing, etc. just lack smoothness in the lighting changes. I hope they fix it up or let us use third party software, because right now I'm just sticking to Monocolor/Rainbow...

Finally just hoping to get some advice on this: is there anyway to create custom power/fan profiles? I basically only play FFXIV and actually battery-saver mode works pretty well because the system is super quiet and I get about 45fps which is enough for casual MMO shenanigans. But there's plenty of thermal headroom there since the CPU and GPU don't break 60C. If I could get 60fps in exchange for some higher system temps while using such quiet fans that would be a dream. Then for raids I would click on Gaming or Gaming+Eluktroboost for 150fps+.

Thanks for reading, I'm pretty new to the world of gaming laptops and this forum, but excited to learn. Really super appreciate the reviews from Bob, Ownordisown, Jarrod and everyone else that helped me make an informed decision.

 

I ordered mine on October 10th, so it's been 17 days. My concern was that I need to receive it before the third week of November, or I simply won't be in the US anymore to get it.

But given @Kurageouji 's feedback I assume it shouldn't take too much time anymore ? I also sent an email to customer service to confirm it, will update here when i know

 

You should definitely get it before the 3rd week of November if my experience isn't unique. I also was going to be out of the country for a month starting the 30th so I asked to confirm if it would make it time beforehand, which they did.

 

yeah i'm not too worried, I had other questions and always got answers quickly. Just felt like this was something that should be adressed as soon as possible just in case

 

I'm new to the forum as well and new to owning a real laptop. I ordered mine off Amazon with the 1660ti just days before the price increase, got it in 2 or 3 days. I love it. I'm not super savvy with OC'ing or undervolting but I used XTU and undervolted to -.150 on the cache and core and it runs great. Might try to mess around with some more settings and power limits but right now that's beyond me. It's a little loud when you game or when the fans are spun up but that's why you have headphones, and with those on I don't care at all.

I'm a two finger typer but I love the mech keyboard and I use one on my desktop. The feel is great and I love the clicky-ness of them. I don't care about backlight control, I just want to be able to choose a solid color and the intensity. That's all I ever wanted. Can't say enough good things about this laptop. I just hope the Eluktronics website continues to update the drivers and make installing them easy.

Not the most in depth review but that's not really a strong suit of mine. Hope this helps.

 

I ordered mine on the 13th. At the time it said ship date was the 27th. I assume they are getting a stock near then and will probably put in the ram and ssd and ship out in order.

 

I don't like spamming my crap so feel free to delete this if it's not cool, but as discussed a few pages back here's the comparison between 0038 and 0048 BIOS:

Basically the newer one, on average out of the games tested, improved average FPS in games by 2%. The CPU can perform a bit better with the higher 90c throttle limit (was 85c before), however the GPU is capped at 75c now as many others have reported (was 87c), though as discussed can of course be boosted up.

 

Also, has anyone had any issue with wifi constantly dropping on their MAG 15? None of my other devices drop wifi ever, but the MAG 15 drops every 15 minutes or so which makes playing online games impossible. I've already unchecked allowing the computer to turn off the network adapter in the Power Management tab, but I'm still disconnecting.

When I installed the driver it just showed a wifi signal icon in the center of the screen and then went away. I don't know if that's all that the setup does or if it failed to install or not. There wasn't any confirmation of installation. Also I noticed that the wifi problem doesn't happen in battery saver mode but it does in the other two modes.

 

Are you talking about ffxiv? If so i had the same problem with my msi, ill find the link with the fix for you. Had to do with a browser setting as that is what the launcher uses.

edit: here is the link, follow what ariellendra posted about explorer as that is what it uses. They are finally working on a real launcher after all these years according to worktogame and maybe should be out next year.
http://forum.square-enix.com/ffxiv/threads/354262-How-do-you-fix-these-90002-disconnects

 

Yes it's with FFXIV. That would be really helpful, thank you!

 

See the previous post, sorry posted it there at same time as you replied. Also i know you posted the fps for power saver mode for ff, but have you tried it with power saver and under ff settings used low spec laptop?

 

Thanks for the link, but it's still not working for me. I DCed in battery saver mode too. I'm going to call Eluktronics tomorrow and see what they might suggest.

I'll do some more testing on FFXIV FPS for my 2070mq when I get a chance, but I think my initial expectations were too optimistic. It seems like after a good heat soak in performance mode, switching to battery saver with max settings will make it run sub 20 fps. I'm getting 35 fps now on laptop standard settings after a heat soak. When I played earlier today, running MSQ roulette, I got consistent 40-50 fps on standard laptop settings. Hope that helps.

 

Curious question, what fps do you get in league of legends on all Max settings on the integrated Intel gpu? Odd? I know but this should be the best performing 9th gen i7 si i'm curious. Normally I get between 60 - 70 fps on all max

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Just following up on my wifi issue, I think I got it resolved. It didn't have anything to do with power profiles, FFXIV, or anything else. It seems to be the wifi driver on Eluktronic's website that is the problem. I went through Network Connections > Wi-Fi > Properties > Configure > Driver > Update Driver to update my drivers through that, it gave me a more updated driver 21.40.2.2 on 9/1/2019 which just solved the problem straight up. Hope this can help anyone else that runs into this issue.

Sorry man, I've never played league and I'm not interested in it and I don't have too much time right now to do that testing for you. If it helps, I know a friend that plays league on integrated graphics with a 8th gen i7 I think that got 60fps+. Doesn't seem to be too rough of a game to run.

 

Thunderbolt 3 on XMG FUSION 15 (Intel QC7) has x4 PCIe 3.0 lanes, just like every other Thunderbolt 3 laptop in our XMG / SCHENKER portfolio.

Good. I was going to say that I have not seen any other reports of Wifi issues. My units are buzzing along just fine.

For official WiFi driver updates, look here:

• Downloads for Intel® Wi-Fi 6 AX200
• Killer Software Package for Windows 10, 1803+

Cheers,
XMG|Tom

 

From a clean boot im using 31w just sitting on the desktop thats like 1h 44mins from 100%,, HWinfo says the GPU is off so it's just integrated.
Any ideas on where to start looking.

I have vapor15 on bios 038, no overclocks. CPU undervolted -100mv. Battery set to power saver

 

Any use in getting the Optane memory in the M2 slot in the MAG 15 (if you don't need it)? I've read some mixed things about it, anyone has first hand experience with it (paired with an SSD) or ran some tests/benchmarks?

 

Try disabling Intel Rapid Storage Technology in task manager, this happened to the demo unit I tried as well

 

Question for @XMG does this laptop support intel real sense webcam? Do you know the model of the sensor? I mention this because it's mentioned on the maingear element site (which is the same chassis) : https://maingear.com/element/