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

Has anyone found a 180-200watt charger that works with this laptop yet that isnt as big as the stock one? Wondering if the omen one ownordisown showed in his video as a comparison would work as it was a decent bit more compact.

 

You can get a smaller adapter here:

https://www.eluktronics.com/230-watt-ac-adapter-P6x0-1070

The above is what we would have hoped to provide as a standard, but it does cost more. Note, this will be smaller, but still retains the 230 watts which is a necessity. Please don't attempt to strangle your system of power.

 

Thanks for the reply, do you happen to have the dimensions for the power brick? Nothing listed on the website.

 

Sorry for the amateur photo. I'm measuring right around 6" x 2.87" x 1.18" vs 7" x 3.31" x 1.25". Sorry, I don't have a postal scale at home to weigh, but they do not feel much different.

 

Wow thank you, huge difference. Ill pick that up soon enough. Leave the stock brick by the 27" screen to dock the laptop too.

 

First: Update your BIOS and Control Center.
Second: check your Task Manager ("Details" tab) for CPU/Software activity. To dig deeper, use Process Explorer. You probably have background tasks running, typical Windows maintenance stuff that might take a while. TiWorker.exe is one very infamous example.

Q: Can I get a smaller, lighter charger for this laptop?

A: XMG FUSION 15 requires a 230W power adaptor to provide full performance. If you max out CPU and GPU with furmark and prime, the 230W adapter will be fully utilized.

There are currently two compatible 230W adapters. They have different dimensions but similar weight. Please refer to this comparison table:

XMG FUSION 15 Power Supply Comparsion Table (Google Drive)

Includes shop links. I also included 120W, 150W and 180W in this table. They all share the same plug (5.5/2.5,, diameter, 12.5mm length). But 120W and 150W are only rated for 19V but the laptop expect 19.5V. Usually this will be compensated by tolerance but we haven't tested how a system would behave under long-term usage with such an adaptor.

In theory, 120W to 180W are enough for charing the laptop and for browsing/web/media. Even a full CPU stress test could easily be handled. But as soon as you use CPU and GPU together, you'll run into the bottleneck and your performance will be reduced.

This laptop includes an IR (infrared) Camera for Windows Hello facial recognition. But I'm 99.9% sure it does not have official Intel RealSense support. Why?

• Intel's spec sheet does not list RealSense
• There is no factory option for RealSense upgrades either
  
• Intel's driver list does not list RealSense drivers
• The DeviceID of Webcam and IR Cam do not look like RealSense camera
• The Webcam resolution and sharpness does not look like RealSense

If other brands list this as a "RealSense" camera, I would strongly assume it to be a mistake - they might have just derived that assumption from it being a Windows Hello-compatible IR camera. But the spec requirements for Intel RealSense (especially depth detection) are much tighter than the requirements for Windows Hello.

Here are the Device ID's, taken from HWiNFO64 report:

Webcam

[Device Information]
Device Manufacturer: Chicony
Product Name: -
Serial Number: -
USB Version Supported: 2.01
USB Device Speed: USB 2.0 High-speed
Driver Description: USB Composite Device
Hardware ID: USB\VID_04F2&PID_B68B

[Driver Information]
Driver Manufacturer: (Standard USB Host Controller)
Driver Description: USB Composite Device
Driver Provider: Microsoft
Driver Version: 10.0.17763.1
Driver Date: 20-Jun-2006
DeviceInstanceId USB\VID_04F2&PID_B68B\01.00.00
Location Paths PCIROOT(0)#PCI(1400)#USBROOT(0)#USB(13)

Infrared Camera (IR Camera) for Windows Hello

[Device Information]
Device Manufacturer: ITE Tech. Inc.
Product Name: ITE Device(8291)
Serial Number: N/A
USB Version Supported: 2.00
USB Device Speed: USB 1.1 Full-speed
Driver Description: USB Composite Device
Hardware ID: USB\VID_048D&PID_CE00

[Driver Information]
Driver Manufacturer: (Standard USB Host Controller)
Driver Description: USB Composite Device
Driver Provider: Microsoft
Driver Version: 10.0.17763.1
Driver Date: 20-Jun-2006
DeviceInstanceId USB\VID_048D&PID_CE00\5&24FB7DE3&0&6
Location Paths PCIROOT(0)#PCI(1400)#USBROOT(0)#USB(6)


Meanwhile, this just in from Intel:

New Official EC/BIOS Release: BIOS 0056

Download Link:
https://download.schenker-tech.de/package/xmg-fusion-15-xfu15l19/
(at the bottom of the page)

This time in 2 different formats, pick one for yourself.

1) CAP for EFI-internal F7 Update Tool or EFI Shell:
Filename: Bios-XMG_FUSION15_XFU15L19_BIOS_QCFL357.0056_EFI-CAP.zip
Please read the Update Procedure PDF file.

2) Win64 to run in Windows with Admin Rights:
Filename: Bios-XMG_FUSION15_XFU15L19_BIOS_QCFL357.0056_Win64.zip
This will reboot the system, use with caution!
This will automatically reboot the system. Use with caution! Save all work and close all programs before running this update.
Do not manually shut down or reboot the system during the update.
Do not remove the external power supply during the update.

Standard Recommendations after BIOS Update:

• After the update procedure is finished, reboot and enter BIOS Setup [F2]
• Open [Exit] menu; select and confirm [Restore Defaults] but do not reboot yet
• Open [Boot] menu and enter [Boot Priority]
• Find [Fast Boot] and set it to [Enabled]
• Back in [Exit] category, select [Save Changes and Exit], Reboot & Finish

Changelog:

• Fixed Accidental Wake-up Event from Sleep/Standby (S3) (!)
  
• Improved compatibility with USB-C/DP Adapters during Reboot and Cold Boot
• Improved compatibility with Thunderbolt Docking stations (new Thunderbolt Firmware and Driver will be supplied shortly)

Any questions, please let us know.

Cheers,
XMG|Tom

 

Is it just me or does the QC7 share a ton of parts with the last gen TF mechanical keyboard chassis.?

 

Yes, the maingear element listed on the maingear site claims the same chassis (it looks like it is, correct me if I'm wrong) supports Intel real sense which I thought was odd

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I saw a laptop of maingears at microcenter, it looked like the qc7 but slightly different. Just as small but number pad keyboard and rubber coating like the Lenovos. It also had a nose cam. They knew nothing about the laptop that has their name on it just that it was an upcoming model. Also couldn't say anything really about the qc7 chassis. Looked them up online, very mediocre reviews vs a trusted company like eluktronics. I'm going to stick with them even though maingear is 30 min away in NJ from me vs 90 for eluktronics.

 

Also I'd like to mention I sent you some info on reddit for a point of contact for the project aurora. Not sure if you got the message but I wanted to verify that you got it.

 

Hey,

Audio guy here; was wondering if someone could check DSP latencies on this machine on AC power and battery using latencymon ( https://www.resplendence.com/latencymon).
This will confirm my purchasing decision

How is the amp on the internal jack (for traveling)?

 

I believe one of the reviewers on YouTube mentioned there was no huge latency and that it should be fine, not sure about the dac

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Yeah I tested it, here's the results from mine @invertedsilence

 

Hey, does anyone know if there are other European brands selling the same configuraion\chassi? Or is it only XMG?

 

Here's a list of Tongfang resellers found on a forum. The list a year and a half old and they don't necessarily have this model.

http://www.mechrevo.com
https://www.illegear.com/
https://www.cyberpowerpc.com/category/gaming-laptops
http://sklep.hyperbook.pl/
https://www.aftershockpc.com/welcome/Products
http://www.eluktronics.com/laptops/by-size/
http://www.assismatica.pt/categoria/tongfang_31236.aspx
http://www.inphtech.pt/
https://www.monsternotebook.com.tr/
https://www.monsterlabs.co.kr

 

From what I know, currently there are only 4 brands who sell this QC7 chassis: Eluktronics, XMG, Maingear, Aftershock/Level51

 

That model is our MB-15:

https://www.eluktronics.com/mb-15

 

Hey @Eluktronics are you guys going to have a black friday sale on the mag 15? I see a lot of laptops dropping in price, is there something I can subscribe to so I can know if you guys put it on sale before it sells out?

 

Sorry, the MAG-15 is not going to be reducing in costs and it is unfortunately likely we will need to turn off the option for advanced thermals very soon based on the order backlog. The liquid metal process occupies so much of our resources to properly complete and we want to be able to provide delivery to as many customers as possible for Christmas.

 

First time poster here. Recently got the Mag15. When I run CPU stress test using Aida64 or prime95 on “game mode,” I noticed that the cpu only reaches ~3.0 MHz despite having temp of only ~70. The fans don’t really pick up either. What’s more strange is that the first time I ran Aida64, the CPU reached 90 degrees with a much higher MHz. Anyone else experiencing this? What gives?

 

Since mag 15 isn't going to get a discount any time soon I decided to pull the trigger. Going to do some EXTENSIVE testing to see if it's worth it vs my alienware m15. Did a lot of research on this machine and I am hoping it lives up to my expectations. If I can get more than 18% more performance vs my 1070 max q with similar fan acoustics I'll be 100% satisfied. Might even upload a video comparing it to the m15...

 

No, maingear has a qc7 model as well
https://maingear.com/element/

@XMG I wonder why they'd mention intel depth sense, wouldn't this be false advertising? Am I looking at a different chassis here?

 

Power limits kicked in? PL1 is the sustained power limit which is usually lower than the short burst PL2

 

Soundblaster by CreatureCore posted Nov 2, 2019 at 3:57 PM

Anyone install the soundblaster app and then not have any options available in sound blaster? Everything seems to install fine, but the soundblaster app has no options. Its just a purplish space background with no text anywhere and nothing to click on. Cant click on the top left options bar or unmute button.

I followed the steps of installing the 2 items marked 1 and 2. #2 doesnt actually have a pop up box, just can see the cursor loading when you click it. Then install #3 which is sound blaster. I then reinstalled the audio drivers like recommended in the install guide. Still no options to click on anywhere. I do have a volume bar on the bottom right of the app that i dont think actually does anything.

 

Hello all;

I just picked up my QC7 (Aftershock Vapor).

Am overall happy with it though that power brick ... I can understand the posts asking about smaller alternatives now (and I'm likely to pick one up myself!). That thing is not just a power brick but also a self-defence tool (and could serve as an actual brick in construction I suspect).

Am making more typos than usual with the keyboard, will see how long it takes to get used to it.

I am a little curious and would like to do a mini-survey: what BIOS version were you guys originally getting with your machines? Mine has 0038 as well, which makes me wonder if Aftershock is getting the earlier shipments (I was told that I'd gotten the very last unit they had in stock, and that otherwise I'd have to wait for a fresh shipment).

I'm thinking I will not bother updating my BIOS ("..if it ain't broke...").

Another question - Maingear and Eluktronics offers that SKB hard case, has anyone here got that? Do you feel it's worth the money?

 

Quick question for @Eluktronics or @XMG Is there a way to buy the heatsink in the aftermarket for this machine? How about the fans?

 

According to XTU, it appears that my unit is current limit throttling. @Eluktronics or @XMG Is the Mag15/Fusion15 built this way to reduce heat? If not, any way fix to this issue? Would hate to send the unit back to Eluktronics since this is my only working laptop at the moment... I have the unit undervolted -110 and speed shift set to 64. I tried turning off throttlestop but the issue persisted. BIOS is up to date.

@Randomisity Pretty sure mine shipped with BIOS 0048.

 

Could always use Throttlestop to increase the limits

 

How do I increase the limits? Of note, I didn’t change any of the PL values... never touched that section of throttlestop.

 

I have somehow managed to turn off my Wi-Fi and I cannot re enable it in win 10. Does anyone know if their thing has a shortcut to turn it on and off?

 

Try function and f4

 

Yeah it’s not airplane mode. The adaptor is there and enabled the device is enabled in device manager but it says the Wi-Fi is off and won’t let me turn it back on.

I am guessing there is a hardware switch in there that I have triggered some how but I can’t find it.

One strange thing is it says I have an unplugged Ethernet cable, which I have never plugged in to this.

 

If that's the case could be your drivers. Download them off the eluktronics website and reinstall

 

I have the drivers by chance and reinstalled twice and same problem. The device seems to be working just the Wi-Fi is off

Edit: Actually don’t worry there is a bulge in between the backplate and the plastic cap on the right side of about 2 millimetres. I’m pretty sure it’s a hardware fault so I’ll contact support on Monday before I open it and have a look.

 

TPL tab in Throttlestop. Should be the two values at the top right for PL1 and PL2. I think youll need to check the "disable and lock turbo power limits" box in FIVR as well though.

 

Mine came with 0038 but they have 0048 available and said they'd be using that, so maybe you got an older one. I've actually compared the two in depth here which will show you the differences to expect: http://forum.notebookreview.com/thr...-15-vapor-15-pro.830272/page-64#post-10961597

 

@XMG @Eluktronics

New video from ownordisown claims the thunderbolt 3 egpu (2080) has essentially 1660ti performance, was the newest bios with thunderbolt 3 drivers published yet?


Happy to hear the audio issues was fixed along with the other improvements mentioned in the video excited to get my hands on the mag 15 next week hopefully

@Eluktronics the mag 15 from Amazon all feature electroboost correct?

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As far as I know from tests from people, best your getting is 1660ti per from thunderbolt 3 with a 2080. Numerous videos have been done with thunderbolt 3 and even a 2080ti won't get you much better. Tb3 is really only useful as a 1 Port option for docking. Or in our case 2 port since you still need to connect the power adapter.

For an ultra book tb3 is a costly way to game if you really don't want to invest in a desktop or carry a heavier laptop. But it works.

 

I received my Mag 15 today. Everything seems good expect these two -
The trackpad surface goes down a bit as everyone is saying and creaking noise at the bottom right where we rest our hand for typing.
It takes a while to wake from standby like 8-9 seconds.
And boot takes around 8 seconds as well. Anyone with similar issues?

 

Yea that boot time worries me a little, check to see if fastboot is enabled in bios.

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Hmmm My Alienware m15 takes 13 seconds from when I press the power button on a cold boot to get to lock screen so maybe 8 seconds is not that bad for boot time....

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It is false advertising. They've mentioned a few things that aren't accurate at this point such as claiming it has a vapor chamber heatsink. Every manufacturer who offers the QC7 receives the same exact hardware worldwide.

Not certain why you would like to buy the heatsink and fans separately?

When you switch from Gaming mode to Gaming + EluktroBoost mode your PL limits should increase automatically.

We've seen a bug in Windows 10 before with this. Please right click on your start button, select device manager, expand the Network adapters node, right click on the wireless adapter and select disable device. Once you re-enable see if that resolves.

 

Boot now takes around 15 seconds average. But waking from stand by takes 8 seconds consistently. Its more than my 5 year old laptop.
Also fast boot is enabled in bios and windows

 

15 seconds is OK, not the fastest but not bad. Waking from stand by on the other hand should be no more than a second.

 

I wonder if it's the Intel ssd... Have you tried checking if there is an updated to Intel rapids storage?

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I updated the intel rapid storage today itself from the Eluktronics official site. yeah boot time is fine with me by the wake up time is minimum 7 sec mostly around 8-10. My older laptop with only 5400 rpm hardrive wakes up in 4-5 seconds

 

To replace my heatsink in case I'm out of warranty in the future

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Updated the intel rapid storage driver from intel website. A couple of seconds improvement on boot times. I think I can live with this.
But whats bugging me is Fan turns on every single time i restart or wake up from sleep. And can hear fan noise for 3-5 minutes before it turns silent. This happens 100% of time i wake up from sleep mode.
I am on battery save mode of control center(updated) and fans quiet.
This is kind of a big nuisance for me. Please help

 

Have you checked to see if it's doing something CPU intensive when it wakes up?

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Hi,

I did see your post - it's actually one reason why I got curious about what BIOS version people were getting with their machines! We both have Aftershock Vapors and we both received it with 0038. They'd told me I'd picked up the very last unit they had from their first shipment, so I imagine everyone before me also has 0038. I'm primarily curious about whether there's a difference between Eluktronics, XMG and Aftershock.

Thanks for the review!

Is boot time affected by the amount of RAM etc your machine has? How much RAM do you have in your configuration?

In terms of sleep/wake/boot concerns, what I don't like is that there seems to be no power management trigger for *opening* the lid, only for closing - i.e. closing the lid can be set to put the machine to sleep, but opening it does nothing and you have to manually hit the power button, which I find to be an irritant

 

From my understanding the BIOS is provided to them by Intel, you should be able to install a newer version from elsewhere, say XMG, on the Vapor 15.