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

Hey Guys - I have the Vapor 15 Pro, no issues at all absolutely love it.

Recommended the Norwegian version to a friend, the Komplett P9, likes it except; he is having a touchpad issue where the drivers randomly disappear, the mouse on the I2C HID Device disappears from device manager and the touchpad stops working entirely. He tries to install the Serial IO drivers from Komplette and XMG's website (I think drivers #05 from memory) and they don't do anything when he goes to install, it doesn't launch anything just sits there blankly.

The device was working fine, then a windows update happened that triggered it to disappear the first time and he rolled it back to get it working again.

However this time no windows update happened and it still disappeared randomly. He uses an external wireless mouse fine to circumnavigate the issue.



Any suggestions? I'm at a loss I can't find anything to solve it.
He's running bios 0064 i believe and the latest drivers elsewhere (such as the TB3 updates).

 

Just checked on my Aftershock Control Centre fan speed and that speed is about right, the fan run most of the time. I didn't notice the fan noise until I the laptop at work, where it's open plan and you can hear people think.

 

hrm, it's good that you didn't have problems, but this seems a clear sign to me that manufacturing QC has dropped... I mean, this shouldn't be something that happened during shipping, right? Then it left the factory like this, and it should've been easily obvious...

 

I am pretty sure that the units ship without RAM and SSD to the brands(XMG, Aftershock and so on) and they fit it, I know that aftershock source and fit their own brand SSD. May be the heatpipes aren't fitted as well, cause some of the brands offer different thermal paste.

 

I guess the shipping process did that, and although it arrived that way I didn't find any damage whatsoever and my laptop was in good working condition.

On another note, has anyone experienced the Intel Driver & Support Assistant returning an error message when scanning for updates? Mine has been like this since yesterday.

 

Just bought my XPG Xenia 15 from Adata. I'm wondering if all the laptops using this barebone (Mag 15, XMG Fusion 15, etc.) are completely ubiquitous in terms of software, drives, and BIOS? In other words, is it ok if I download and use XMG's BIOS, drivers, and control center instead of from Adata or Intel (as found here https://downloadcenter.intel.com/product/196640/Intel-Whitebook-LAPQC71B , copied from a XMG thread on Reddit), since XMG seems to fare the best in terms of promptness of updates?

Speaking of BIOS and updates and whatnot, I started having problems with a jumpy/buggy trackpad straight out of the box. Does anyone else have any experiences with this issue? And if so, in your experience, is this something that can be fixed with installing the latest updates or should I return the device either for repair or a whole new unit?

Also a word of advice to anyone who's looking to create a sleek look on their laptop and remove all logos: the XPG Xenia 15 is the closest you can get to a logo-less look offered by the Eluktronics Covert Gamer line, since there are only two visible brandings (one on the lid and one on the palmrest) and seem to be stickers that can be easily peeled off.


*update: installed the XMG BIOS and drivers and it seems to work fine, except for the trackpad issue which is still buggy (sometimes unusable)

 

Minor Audio Driver and Control Center Update

July 8, 2020

Control Center 2.2.0.16

• Fixes Riot Games Vanguard false positive detection
• Added "Benchmark mode" checkbox (provides constant 100% fan speed, optionally)
  

Audio Driver Package 3-in-1

• Fixes rare "Speakers are gone" issue
• Includes new version of "Soundblaster-EQ" - this might fix "Can't find Sound Blaster app" for some users
  

Both are found in our download portal for XMG FUSION 15.

// Tom

 

Can anyone enlighten about the GPU power limit in new bios by XMG or Eluktronics 0064 bios in enthusiast mode. I am observing that even after using GPU Tweak to override temp limit the temps can go past 75c but the GPU clocks don't go that high like before. I am stuck at 1100-1200Mhz (RTX 2070 MQ) when gpu temp past 75c.

Didn't face this in older bios. I remember something related to this discussed before but we didn't conclude anything.

 

Darn it Chrome ate my response... so this is a shorter response

In my testing 0058 was the best for Mhz but had TB bugs. 0060 and 0062 still had TB bugs but were slower. When I loaded 0064 I changed the way that I tested the performance and found that 0064 had lower Mhz(went from peaks of 1720 down to 1680Mhz) but benched better. So stopped looking at the Mhz and just use a few benchmarks to test.

I'd recommend;
Going into the BIOS and doing factor reset, XMG recommend only flashing the BIOS from the BIOS and not from windows(probably a reason for this)
Using nVidia drivers 442.59 if there isn't a new game profile that you need. I use NVCleaninstall to remove the bonus stuff nVidia include
Using Throttlestop to 'undervolt' and cap the turbos at say 3.6-3.7Ghz depending on you CPU temps
Maybe do a clean install of your control centre, uninstall reboot, remove reg keys reboot and reinstall
I think you can downgrade the BIOS and the only one that you can't downgrade is the newest 0114

 

Unfortunately I am on 0114 Bios. Ever since upgrade or I should say degrade from bios 0058 the performance has went down. The benchmark mode has to be checked to get good performance otherwise there is gpu power limit throttling

 

Hi everyone!

I have the CyberPower variant of the QC7, and have been dealing with a strange, strange issue..

My CPU is extremely power-limited when the dPGU (1660Ti, in this case) is active. I cannot get it to pull over 25W while gaming, which causes extremely severe frame drops/frametime issues in various areas.

I have outlined some details here:
https://www.reddit.com/r/XMG_gg/comments/hq60st/fusion_15mag_15qc7_rebrand_cpu_package_power/

Basically, the 'EDP Other' limit reason is constantly 'in effect' or 'red' in ThrottleStop while gaming.

I've tried almost everything at this point, wasn't sure if anyone else had this issue..

EDIT:
Just an update; I was able to fix it by changing PP0 Power Limit from 60 (Default) to a higher value (I did 200) and dragged the slider to max value for Turbo Time Limit in ThrottleStop.

Instantly fixed!

 

I have been having some problems with power consumption on battery. Even with Afterburner/GPU Tweak closed and HWiNFO showing zero sensor information for the GPU, the discharge rate is still around 26-30W even though it shows the CPU package power hovering around 12W. This makes very little sense to me - the screen is at around 40% brightness as well.

Restarting seemingly fixed the issue. I'm still very confused!

 

For people who want custom bios logos: https://downloadcenter.intel.com/download/29269/Intel-Aptio-V-Integrator-Tools?product=196640

I used the tool and changed the bios image in the bios update file. However, after installing it still, shows the old bios splash screen? Does anyone know how to fix this?

NVM. It works:

 

Could only bench in FC5 (B3 wasn't reporting the results) and got 90fps after 3 runs which is pretty normal for my laptop.

 

I didn't know splash screen logos can be changed and looks very cool tbh. Can you give me a rundown on how to do it?

 

Greetings.
Does anybody know if mag-15 can be powered on with external keyboard. I want to use laptop at home as "computer". And don't want to open/close lid just to power it.
If this is possible, do i need to buy specific keyboard with power buttons?
Thank you!

 

Hi everybody, just got my MAG 15 in the mail (2070MQ). Can someone point me to a post somewhere to properly set this up? I ran a quick firestrike yesterday and only got around 15k... Which is about 2k short of the values I have seen on the forum?

 

FYI I am unable to wake the machine with either my USB keyboard (that does not have power buttons) or my USB mouse, only the built in (PS/2) keyboard (or power button, or lid) wakes my machine. I've clicked around Device Manager and don't see any power tabs for my attached USB HID devices (if there's a way to enable this, I don't know it)

 

Did Eluktronics simply stop supporting this laptop? I don't follow them on any social media so maybe I missed some sort of statement.

 

They still support it... What makes you think they stopped? They are still selling them and I sent mine in for a repair last month.

 

I'm sure they support it, but they certainly don't have the driver and BIOS updates like XMG are pumping out. I have no idea why they still don't have the updated BIOS on their site or the recent Audio driver. It is disappointing, but I just download the XMG versions and they work fine. Still, you should not have to go to another vendors site to grab the most recent drivers and BIOS's. It's just weird and unprofessional.

 

Well I emailed them about it and they say they'd rather wait for a bit till all the bugs are ironed out, which I think is fair, considering there were some frequently reported bugs when the new bios launched. It's not like these updates bring much game changing things, so I'd rather wait for them to be polished than be on the cutting edge on my daily driver. But, if you do care about having the latest features and aren't as concerned about bugs, xmg is there for you

Sent from my Pixel 3a using Tapatalk

 

Does it matter? Intel posts them first.

https://downloadcenter.intel.com/product/196641/Intel-Whitebook-LAPQC71A

 

I did the same back in early June and got the same response. I followed up earlier this week and they said they would be releasing the latest drivers, control center, and BIOS sometime next week.

That's awesome - I didn't think to check Intel. Do manufacturer specific control centers offer features that Intel wouldn't? I.e EluktroBoost

 

It's not just Eluktronics. I got my unit from Aftershock and they don't even have drivers for download off their website. The times I've emailed to ask questions, they don't have answers. I'm only actually getting actual *support* from XMG. I feel like buying something from XMG except that I'm on the other side of the planet and there's the whole German VAT thing...

 

I just noticed from your link that the 116 BIOS is out - I'm on 114. Does anyone know what it's about?

 

No it's all the same. Only the levels in each performance mode are maybe different setup. Xmg has explained in their megathread which levels they choose per performance mode. Eluktroboost is just marketing.

Just check the patch notes. It was related to security patch.

 

All it says is some version number updates, and not a "feature list" like for 114 - did not know that meant it was a security update, and not a fix for problems etc.

 

Hi guys, just upgraded my old clevo to this laptop and I was just wondering, does anyone recommend raising the thermal limit for the nvidia gpu? I know that the thermal limit is at 75C but does raising it to 87C improve the frames or should I just leave it at 75C?

 

I do think it matters, not everyone is going to search around Intel's website for the latest drivers, nor should they be expected to. If one vendor is putting up stuff I'd think it only natural the other ones should as well, and add a caveat that there may be bugs or whatever. I mean, if Intel is putting them up...

I really have no problem with Eluktronics, and I like my laptop a lot, but it's a little annoying to see how each vendor releases these things differently. I thought I'd be able to go to the Eluktronics website and just download the latest drivers and BIOS, but that's really not the case. Live and learn, no biggie, I'm over it.

 

I think that there is some funny stuff going on with the power limit below 75c depending on your BIOS and if you're in benchmark mode. If you're not on 0114 and don't use thunderbolt then I had best results with 0058 but I have a 2070 which there isn't a massive room to play with. Also I'd recommend benchmarking results over raw Mhz numbers, with all my mucking around I still haven't got better results than stock, better temps yes but better scores no.

 

I actually updated with Intel's drivers from the Intel website including updating to the 0116 bios and the new control centre seems to have removed the benchmark mode as well. FWIW, I'm using the 1660Ti version

 

You should be able to enable it by editing the install config file. There should be a benchmark flag in there set to 0 or something and you have to set it to 1 to re enable

Sent from my Moto Z (2) using Tapatalk

 

Quick question.

Given the issues with the Thunderbolt port, would it be safe to connect it to a portable monitor? Planning to buy one given my homebased setup.

 

I've been running mine with this https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07TWGBG3P/ref=ox_sc_saved_title_10?smid=A1XSAZLYSMSHPO&psc=1

so far so good, runs off just a USB-C cable (display is not thunderbolt so I don't know if there's any issue with that)

the panels are clearly different from the built-in display, but I managed to get the brightness/colour "close enough" for me

dpi on this display is basically identical to the built-in display's so no scaling issues

there should be several other no-name brands available, though there's also larger brands like AOC, Asus, Acer and so forth (HP and Lenovo also has (had?) options, but they seem to be 14" and not 15.6")

 

Sounds reassuring. I'm planning to buy either from ASUS or Lenovo which I've read on some reviews aren't as vivid as laptop screens but would do the trick for everything save for work that requires color accuracy.

 

be sure to check the specifications - I found the "branded" ones to be rather low in terms of nits and available ports (and, again, the Lenovo was 14" so different ppi)

and another thing I like about the one I chose is that there's no visible branding on it

the built-in speakers are terrible though (but then so are the laptop's - what I did was, I downloaded a utility to "double" the audio through both the built-in speakers and the display's speakers for added volume, it helps a little)

 

Looks pretty decent... actually better than the options bearing a famous brand name. Which does not surprise me in the least... seems par for the course... popular brand products are frequently inferior... just more popular.

 

[IMPORTANT]
New BIOS, Control center, touchpad firmware update on Eluktronics website
https://www.eluktronics.com/mag-15-drivers/

 

Might want to be careful with the BIOS update to avoid any issues like Plundervolt mitigation crap blocking undervolting. Maybe see if Brother @B0B has any intel on that before jumping on the "newer is better" bandwagon. (More often than not, new is NOT better, especially where firmware is concerned.) Taking a hit on performance on the notion of being "more secure" also sucks. Always be suspicious of firmware updates and wary of the fact that it might not work as well as it did before updating.

 

Should be easy for someone like @Cryptoxic to check(I believe is on 0116), I am on 0114 and can say that the plundervolt fix hasn't been 'applied'. I undervolt to -115mv in the BIOS which when I check in ThrottleStop, FIVR option I can see the undervolt being applied. I installed 0114 BIOS for undervolt, battery care features but if you don't need something fixed or a new feature you probably shouldn't just do it.

 

Update! After contacting their CEO we were able to get “benchmark mode” back into the software and we can now bypass with GPU tweak as long as we are in “benchmark mode”. Therefore we are back to 87°C on the GPU and this laptop is better than ever.

However, there’s Undervolting in the BIOS now.

We can change the GT and GTU voltage offset as well.

The Power Mode can be set in the BIOS too.
“Performance”
“Balanced”
“Battery Saver”

We can change the minimum fan duty cycle from 30% to 25%.

We can enable and disable passive cooling mode.

Enable and disable Speed Shift.

 

Wow! I think this is the first time in a very long time (cannot even remember the last time to be honest) that a laptop manufacturer released a BIOS update that added useful features and functionality. Tongfang FTW. Their competitors should take note before it's too late. It is nice to see one manufacturer on the planet that actually cares about doing their laptop firmware right.

 

After contacting their CEO we were able to get “benchmark mode” back into the software and we can now bypass with GPU tweak as long as we are in “benchmark mode”. Therefore we are back to 87°C on the GPU and this laptop is better than ever.

This has taken affect immediately.

 

The best part about this is the mag 15 uses an Intel bios which means they might not be the stubborn ones when it comes to disabling Undervolting for their CPUs

 

Oh, honestly, I'd bet money that it's not Intel. I sincerely do believe it's the dumb-dumb losers that manufacture and sell laptops that don't give a rat's butt about their products being broken or the ignorant people that accidentally buy their garbage.

 

Hi, could someone point me to how to enable Benchmark Mode? I remember seeing somewhere that it involves editing an .ini file somewhere, but I've been clicking around and cannot find it again ...

 

Reinstall the software as it was updated just a few hours ago

 

Hi,

Is this an Eluktronics-only software feature? (I'm using an Aftershock and they don't have any new control centre release yet). Actually I'm confused when I see references to things like Eluktroboost also, if there's a guide to what that is etc. that you could link me to, would be greatly appreciated thank you!

 

I'm a bit confused on the benchmark mode thing. All I have to do is enable it and bam better performance?

Is it enabled with a simple check box in the control center like a while back or do I need to delve into some obscure .ini file?

What does it mean for the computer if I run it at higher temps than you're "supposed to"? Will it break faster?