TONGFANG GK5CN5Z / GK5CN6Z / GK5CQ7Z / GK5CP0Z

Was considering just giving the German place a shot, but knowing they're not making them means 1x battery use in this configuration. Not sure if it's worth it to pull the drive just to have to give the extra capacity up in a few years...

 

Do you carry the laptop around, or does it get jostled around a bit? if so then yes, I'd definitely recommend opening it up and checking the connections.

 

FYI, I gave the German place a try, and got an out-of stock/refund notice already.

 

Anybody know where to buy a bottom cover for this laptop? The link in the first post brings me to a totally different computer's cover.

 

Hi,
did anyone running linux manage to switch the dGPU off on a Tongfang GK5CP0Z (XMG Neo 15 (2019) = XNE15M19)?

I tried all kinds of stuff ( https://forums.opensuse.org/showthr...ver-nvidia-refusing-OFF?p=2906706#post2906706) and still fail to power down the NVIDIA dGPU card.

Earlier in this thread someone suggested kernel parameters "acpi_osi=! acpi_osi='Windows 2009'", but that does not do it for me.

Any other hints?

I would really need the Wh of that small battery for coding in the park... ;-)

 

Hi guys, I am not able to use the mic when I plug in the mic input port? I have checked and there is only one input option and that is the onboard mic. as soon as I plug in a mic, the onboard mic just shuts off and there is no input anymore. How do I check whats wrong?

 

I'm trying to find an optimal undervolt for my GTX 1060, do you have a graph from Afterburner or the parameters to use as a starting point?

 

Hello all,

I bought a tongfang gk5cp6z, which I received today. First of all a big thanks to you folks for this thread, it was definitely what convinced be to go for this laptop!
Mine is specced with an i7-9750H, GTX1660ti, 2x 8GB ram and 500gb ssd, ordered from laptopparts4less. First impression is quite good! Am amazed by the keyboard (brown switch version), which feels amazing for a laptop keyboard. Construction seems quite solid as well, which is a huge pro for me, since my previous laptop was very disappointing in that department. For the price, this was definitely the best specced laptop at this compact size I could find. There is two things I am unsure about though:

First of all, I notice that the laptop is getting quite hot. I was aware that it would get hot above the keyboard due to the heat sinks being located there, but actually below the keyboard where I rest my hands its also getting quite warm. It isn't untouchable, but its definitely uncomfortable when typing, especially in today's 30 degrees weather here. Is this to be expected while doing no serious work on the laptop yet? So far I have not done any demanding work or games, just been setting up the laptop and installing some programs. CPU is around 70 degrees celcius now at around 5% usage. I am a bit of a noob when it comes to this, so don't know if this is normal temperatures, but was just wondering since the chassis is getting so warm. I would expect the chassis to get hot while running 3D-Cad software or other demanding programs, but not while simply browsing with CPU at 5%.
[edit] I just turned the fan boost on and off once with the button, and it seems now the fan is more adaptive than before that. Meaning the fans turns on every now and then instead of being at idle speed constantly. CPU temperature has improved to around 55 degrees at same 5% usage. So that seems a lot better. Chassis is still quite warm though at the palms... guess that is a normal thing then and I'll need to get used to sweaty palms.. [/edit]


Secondly I was wondering what steps to take to optimise the performance for my machine. I am a designer, but no heavy gamer, so probably things like undervolting I hear about is a bit overkill for me, but obviously I do want to get optimal performance out of my machine to be able to use my design software as smoothly as possible. I am however a bit confused by the control center and could use some help (its called "ControlCenterU" version 1.0.0.23, as stock by laptopparts4less). I saw people recommending to use "equilibrium mode", but I cannot find anything like that in my control center. I also heard that cpu is cut at 35% in "office mode", which I also cannot find in my control center, so I am not sure if that is a problem that needs solving in my case, or if that is something that laptopparts4less already addressed in their version of the control center.
I can set it to eco and to standard mode. And then there is an automatic option or advanced option where I can select 3 fan speeds (i'm guessing from the icons, there is no text description). I am guessing I should be good with Standard + automatic fan speed when running my design software, and maybe at eco when just doing some basic browsing like right now. But I have no idea how this truly affects my machine.

I did come across the Rev.Center 2.0 in this thread. Is that adviseable to install, or would I be just fine with the stock control center from laptopparts4less?

 

On another note, is there some way to do something more with the lighbar and keyboard lighting? I thought it would be cool if I could make it respond to the battery level of my laptop when unplugged or things like that.

 

Does anyone know the NAND type for the stock 256gb Phison ssd in the the OP 15+? I can't find any information on this drive after getting the part name from HWMonitor.

 

Yes, the warm body is very normal. While gaming, try touch the area directly above F8 (left of the turbo button) , you may get a burning injury as it is usually above 60 degree. This is a compromise as the laptop is very thin and light.

About optimization, don't bother. It gives you max 5% boost in performance and you probably need to spend hours and many attempts of trial-and-errors, and these optimization may not make the laptop last any longer. My suggestion is just leave it as it is.

Probably can be done with a third party software, but I have never tried it.

 

Hi i am new there but i have been the owner for over 6 month of a Mechrevo Z2 i5 business edition (which seems to be the same as a
TONGFANG GK5CN5Z the generic brand name), however i am having a few issue with it:
- first one, i cant seem to be able to make work consistently the nvme drive i added, most of the time it is recognized but then every so often it stops being accessible and i need to restart the computer and enter the bios to set again default value (same if not recognized at startup).
So i would like to know what would be the recommended update to make that works consistently, i am currently on EC 1.24.09 bios 1.11. AFUWIN give me a firmware ID of GK5CNN111 and since i only found a GK5CNN102 here i didnt use it. (i linked the save i made of my bios here in case)
- Second one, i am having trouble on old distributions of linux due to clock speed skew but since that was fixed in january 2019 in linux kernel, its not an issue anymore, and also it seems that changing the nvidia driver as well as switching them off with iommu=off or even acpi=off works, the mousepad situation is fixed on some distro but most of the time it still require fiddling. So far Arch linux is my best option but i would love to hear about guys that succeded to install a working GK5CN5Z with manjaro (working gpu, touchpad, screen zoom...)

TLDR: -Any bios update for GK5CN5Z that fix nvme issue?
- Manjaro users of GK5CN5Z ?

Here the files i mentionned first is the rom saved with AFUWIN and the other the reg from intel CSME:
https://filebin.net/hd0u6o356xabuwd3

 

Hi everyone !
I own a GK5CN6Z from PC Specialist aka Recoil II, it did worked well until today when I updated the BIOS and EC firmware. Until this update I was using XMG BIOS 1.03 and EC 1.33.09 and I updated to BIOS 1.09 - EC 1.38.09.
Everything worked well with the update, but when windows started I notice fans spinning way faster then usual and after monitoring the voltage and temps I notice an insane amount of VID on all the cores. Before the update voltage never gone over 1.250v under stress test and now it goes up to 1.420v booting in windows, and I'm scared it can kill the CPU. System shut down few times already and I saw thermal throttling too in XTU even with -0.130v undervolt. I didn't try to flash old EC (says is risky to downgrade in guide) but I did flash the old BIOS back but it does the same over-voltage. Resetting EC by taking out battery also didn't help.
If the laptop is on battery the voltage is kinda ok, never goes over 1.150v but whenever I plug in the charger it goes crazy.
If anyone knows who controls the VID (vcore), BIOS or EC firmware ?
Is it really that risky to downgrade EC firmware ?
Is it possible Windows screw up voltage too ?
It really drives me crazy and any help would be appreciated !
Thanks !

EDIT : I fixed the issue by downgrading the BIOS again and fresh install for windows. One things for sure, I will never update BIOS or EC again since it's working anyway without issues

 

Ok thanks for confirming. It seems installing programs heated up my PC, and it remained hot after that while doing light work only. I didn't experience such a hot chassis again in the past days while doing just light work. So seems if I'm going to do heavy work and want to do some extended typing after that, I better let it cool down a bit first to have a comfortable typing experience... guess that is a decent compromise for having such a light and compact laptop with this performance.

As for the lightbar, that might be a fun project tor research in my spare time, getting the light bar to do more useful stuff than just indicatng on/off/sleep. The thing seems rather useless right now, since there are indicator lights for that purpose already...

Also happy with the battery life considering the small battery. Before buying I thought I would want the battery upgrade that now seems to be impossible to get. But my experience so far is actually not bad. For light browsing and ms office work, battery is about 3-4 hours, which is entirely sufficient for getting some quick work done on the train or in a café for me. If I'm doing demanding work I'll anyway always be at a desk with net power, so battery life in that scenario is not relevant for me. So guess I'm good with the stock battery.

 

in gaming center 1.2.2.8, I don't seem to have "low power cpu mode" in other options on the ez switch page... is that the same as "eco mode" on power options? just looking for what I need for the equivalent toggle or what version of GC I need for that. thanks

 

Hey guys. I have the OP 15+ and have been trying to figure out how to wake the laptop from sleep with a usb device (either my mouse or external keyboard) but haven’t had any success. Anybody know how to do it?

 

PSA....

To anyone out there who is running Ubuntu or dual booting with Linux as I am. If you are having issues with this laptop going out to multiple displays, you most likely need to go into the BIOS and disable the secure boot option. I forgot that i turned it back on for some reason and this led to my multiple monitors not being detected even though they work in Windows. On that note, everything appears to be working in Ubuntu at this point and dual booting appears to be successful as well. Just make sure secure boot is turned off before you do your installation.

 

First of all thank you all for providing so much information about these laptops!

So I just received my GK5CP6Z (i7 9750H & 1660ti). Overall I'm quite happy with it, but it does get a little hot and the battery only lasts for 90 minutes with just browsing the web. Now I'm wondering if all the info that has been given here, like the replacement batteries and BIOS versions, can also be used for my model. I do see the GK5CP0Z as a supported model, but I'm not sure it that's almost the same as the GK5CP6Z. Hopefully it is supported and I can try a new battery and BIOS version. Thanks in advance!

 

Did you happen to try using acetone or anything else? I tried using isopropyl alcohol but that didn't work unsurprisingly. I've been thinking of just finding some black electrical tape to cover the logo.

 

my game runs not good (Rust)
whats wrng with my laptyop?
in taskj manager it hasy only 40% cpu and gpu used.

 

Can you be more specific like what temperatures are you getting, did you set undervolt and if so in your bios or xtu or both?
I have the exact same laptop and i'm getting from 35-42c idle temps both cpu and gpu depending on the room temperature and around 70-75c when gaming. I applied an undervolt of 125mv in bios.
I use grizzly kryonaut so you should get lower temps or you didn't apply it correctly.

I do have to mention, I downgraded the screen to a 60hz panel and use vsync so it's less taxing and smooth 60fps gaming experience.
So it will run hotter when free range on the 144hz screen.

When not plugged in, I set batterysaving mode to kick in when lower than 100% charge.
This laptop is plenty fast even in this mode to browse the web, play 4k youtube, mpc hc or anything other than gaming.
I get around 4-5 hours of batterylife.

Furthermore I don't use gamecentre or whatever it's called nor do I use xtu, it's fine without it.

 

I was getting 95c for the cpu while gaming, idle around 40-45. I had an undervolt through XTU set to -135 and had GamingCenter 2.0.1.3 installed. I removed the undervolt in XTU, removed the application together with GamingCenter and applied the undervolt through the bios. Temps are WAY better now. Max cpu temp is now 71c after half an hour of gaming. This is great. Also Windows now tells me I have 3.5-4 hours of battery on 100%, which is more than double than what I had before.

I'm not sure what the cause was for these strange temps and short battery life, but must have had something to do with the GamingCenter. You mention you don't use GamingCenter, how do you control your keyboard lights?

Thanks for your response, I'm way happier now with my new purchase!

*Edit: max cpu temp is now 87c, so still not that great.

 

You're welcome

Gamingcenter didn't do it for me, it's sluggish, it messes with everything to do with power and battery.
Even fan control isn't necassary, just make sure to have cooling set to passive on battery in your powerscheme under processormanagement and active on power.
For me it's an even better fancontrol than gamingcentre, it's quiet almost all the time except when gaming.

I have my keyboard set to rainbow in bios and control brightness with FN+F6 and F7.
The only sad thing is that after several minutes it turns backlight off but when I press a button to activate it turns back to full brightness.
But hey, 2 clicks FN+F6 isn't that hard to do right..

 

Hey guys,

I have recently purchased the LP2 and upgraded the ssd to an Ex920 NVME ssd. I am not reaching the read speed of above 3000? is this normal?

I have turned on gaming mode/high-performance mode, gaming fan setting, bios updated.

The NVME is placed on the bottom/ second from the top slot.

my results are http://prntscr.com/oel5w6

 

It's a shame there's no option to have a single color in the BIOS for the keyboard backlight. Don't like all the patterns and different colors.

Does anyone know if I can use the provided BIOS and EC updates for my laptop? Model: GK5CP6Z. Here's some info from CPU-Z:


*Edit: my current EC version is 1.03.09

 

You have to use the one that doesn't have the existing m.2 ssd in it. That one is a Sata m. 2 and will give you slower speeds.

Sent from my SM-G965U using Tapatalk

 

I just received a new EC and BIOS version from the store I got my GK5CP6Z. Flashed the EC version first without any problems. Then wanted to flash the BIOS which did not work. Left me with this error:
"Error 423: The host CPU does not have write access to the target flash area.
To enable write access for this operation you must modify the descriptor
settings to give host access to this region.
FPT Operation Failed."

So now my EC is updated but the BIOS not. Luckily I can still use my laptop, although my keyboard is behaving strange. It sometimes does not register key clicks when I type fast (or keeps them in some kind of queue and executes the clicks after a delay). Did anyone else encounter and maybe solve this problem?

 

Hi there everyone, I spotted this thread and decided to ask for some advice. I have a tongfang gk5cq7z with an rtx 2070 max q. The thing is, the fans... When I set my control center to basic or advanced and turn down all fans, they always keep spinning and driving me crazy. When I set it to game mode (or enthusiastic) they do go down to silent but seem more aggressive as the pc seems to be using 'higher performance'.

I did try the Rev.center 2 I this thread but it makes my laptop crash instantly upon opening... Does that have anything to do with my rtx card? (As it states it's only for rtx types.)

Well, really hope anyone can help me a bit, thank you allot!

Regards, mark

 

I had the same problem with my GK5CP6Z model. Removed Game Center and applied my undervolt (-130) in BIOS only and removed the Intel XTU software. After that my fans were way more silent. Also important: make sure your NVidia card is disabled when it's not needed (set your Nvidia control center GPU to Auto).

 

Alright so... does anyone know what might be causing the OP15 laptop I have to be randomly shutting off in certain games?

The only games it happens in are Space Engineers and BATTLETECH. I noticed at random times in the latter game that the laptop would appear to dim and then light back up, as if someone had unplugged the laptop and then plugged it back in after a second or two. I did attempt to follow a few steps to fix the issue regarding the PSU wattage and I don't know if it did anything? It's really confusing too, because it's really really random. There are days when it's all hunky dory and it'll work completely fine for a week without an issue, and then suddenly it'll just... randomly shut down after maybe five minutes, over and over again.

I thought that maybe I was undervolting the laptop too much and it wasn't being fed enough, so I reduced the undervolt, and then Space Engineers didn't cause the shutdown event to happen, until a few days later it happened again. Could it be a bad PSU or something? It's really off-putting because it'll be when I'm doing totally random things in addition to having a game open in the background. Max fan on, laptop cooler underneath feeding fresh air to the entire chassis (fwiw), temps hover at around 80-83C on the CPU, occasional spike up to 85C, GPU never hits 75C.

If anyone can help me with this, I would greatly appreciate it. I honestly have no idea what else to do. At this point, if I can't solve this issue, I'll probably start to look for a new machine because, as nice as it was to snag this for super cheap, it's NOT worth the hassle of only sometimes gaming like a beast.

 

My OP 15+ laptop shut off randomly during Overwatch gaming today twice. I think it's just because it's summer now and temps are warmer.

 

For you does it just, cut off, like the power going out, no battery save or anything?

Mine isn't overheating, I've got MSI Afterburner's OSD up and it never touches 80C when it shuts off.

Do you know anything about this particular issue @B0B ?

 

This is the first time it’s been brought to my attention

 

@imglidinhere No idea what it is, but just throwing it out there - could be a poor battery connection.

Are you seeing artifacts that might indicate the GPU is going bad? I assume you have your power settings to either balanced or high performance mode?

@richierich Are you monitoring temperatures in game?

 

My laptop (TongFang GK5CQ7Z) is ready for RMA guys. Applied liquid metal from the start and all was good for nearly four months until today. CPU temperature spiked through the roof, say 97c and suddenly my display decided to dim the brightness. The brightness slider in Windows 10 is set to max, so no issue there. Moving the slider halfway and manage to squeeze a little more brightness out of it. However, here it comes. Screen start to flicker when the background is set to white. Dayum, luck is with me.

My query might be silly but I ask anyway; did the liquid metal do something overtime or are we talking about a bad chip on the mainboard that causes the CPU temperature to spike over time and ****ed the display after five minutes of game play (This was never the case when playing any video game, it occurred today whilst playing FarCry 5).

 

How good was the LM application?

 

Mine did it when I was first testing the OC capabilities of the 1060 but that was the issue, my fault. I have experienced a few times where it would cut all the way off, like the power died and everything went black with no boot down or anything, and that only happened when I was running a GPU intensive program/game and unplugged the power cable (so it would only be on battery), and I'm thinking the switch from the 1060 to the iGPU with the power input change is what would kill it. Try without afterburner running and see if that helps maybe? Also, try in your nVidia control panel to change the graphics processor around and duplicate the issue (from Auto select / High end).

Only issue I've really been concerned with is when I'm fully plugged in and running the laptop at its max, I start to lose battery % and it will not charge until I physically unplug the power cable and plug it back in. Like there is some kind of 'reset' on the charging, weird...

 

Graceful. I applied the liquid metal first on a cotton bud before dispersing it all over the CPU die (Forgot to mention that I did tape the surrounding areas so no spillage takes place). After I follow up the same routine with the copper heat-sink but only choose the area where the CPU will sit on after reassembling.

I took several pictures of the process. Let me know if interested.

 

@Installed64 Maybe? Could it be a bad battery you think? Possibly a bad PSU? I don't really have the cash to be checking any of this right now, but I can probably swing one over the other if I absolutely have to. I've got the smaller 48Whr battery if it matters.

 

@B0B This is exactly what happens. I know you're a busy guy and you can't always help out, but you tested this machine pretty damn extensively. Are there any guaranteed upgraded BIOS versions I can update mine to that might alleviate this issue?

 

I’m so disconnected from the OP laptops I wouldn’t be of much help. I haven’t had one in my hands since December.

What about the enthusiasts on these forums who’ve tried to install relevant BIOS on their laptops?

 

Hello everyone!

Probably somebody can help me. I have three Tongfang laptops. They are:

1. GK5CN5Z (Intel Core i7 + GTX 1050Ti 4Gb) - https://www.dns-shop.ru/product/46a27906acf23330/156-noutbuk-zet-ward-m105-cernyj/
2. GK5CN4Z (Intel Core i7 + GTX 1050 4Gb)
3. GI5CN4E (Intel Core i5 + GTX 1050 2Gb) - https://www.dns-shop.ru/product/3ef84561acf13330/156-noutbuk-zet-ward-m103-cernyj/

The first and the second laptops are almost the same. They are flashed by the same BIOS (customized 1.01) + EC (1.36.09). However, behavior of the hardware button located close to power button is different. It switches on/off Fan Boost in GK5CN5Z and GI5CN4E, but it switches Game/Office mode in GK5CN4Z!



I’ve reset BIOS setting to default, reinstall Windows and Control center, but result is the same. I need to make hardware button switches Fan Boost mode in GK5CN4Z too. Has anybody some ideas?

 

Try pop_os. Was working for me our of the box to switch nvidia to igpu and disconnect the one you don't use.

Sent from my GM1917 using Tapatalk

Is there a bios (op15+) that will allow to manually set memory speed and timing?

Sent from my GM1917 using Tapatalk

 

What power adapter are you using? I had this happen with my OP 17+ and I was using an old power adapter at home that was only 120W. The one that came with the laptop was (150W or 180W, I can't remember) but I always left that at work so I wouldn't have to lug it back and forth.

I brought the correct adapter home to test and no more issues with a sudden power off. Then I purchased the correct AC adapter as my 2nd adapter with the right wattage. Problem solved.

I hope that helps.

 

Hi guys, I have this weird issue maybe someone could explain what's happening here,

My CPU is thermal throttling hits 98C within 10 minutes when playing games but with stress testing (Aida64) it would NOT hit these high temperatures but would sit nicely at 82C-84C
At cinebench R15 it hits 999. Currently my Recoil II is in RMA and they say while stress testing, it is not getting hot and there are no problems with my laptop but why would it get so hot while playing games. I've changed the thermal paste serveral times with different brands like Gelid GC-Extreme, Artic 5 and Kryonaut but it won't lower the temps. laptop is clean of dust, Tried possible everything to lower the temps (fresh windows, undervolt, other bios+ec other thermal paste etc).

PL 45W and 55W max fan speed all the time
undervolt cpu -.150mv
undervolt cache -.050mv


It doesn't actually do anything better with a undervolt.

I hope someone could explain to me what is happening here.

EDIT:

Gpu temps 75C-78C at 95% load

 

My laptop has the 180w adapter. I've since uninstalled XTU and installed Throttlestop and used B0B's youtube tutorial to undervolt both CPU voltage and cache voltage which helped. I might have to repaste though. The temps still hit 90deg which is still too toasty.

 

How many watts is the 2070 maxq pulling with Elektroboost for the 15"?

 

Exact issue here. I find it a strange occurrence I never figured yet to why the temperatures would creep up like that during game play (Never ran that hot a few weeks ago, even applied liquid metal on the CPU). Hopefully the temperature issue is fixable, I am waiting for my laptop's return.

 

I hope it is fixed for u when it returns. Let me know.


Verzonden vanaf mijn iPhone met Tapatalk

 

Yup, the NVMe SSD numbers are a little lower on this laptop than the max for some reason. Here are results of my EX920 1tb in both slots: https://imgur.com/a/TsxnULf