TONGFANG GK7CN6S / GK7CP0S / GK7CP7S

Just got my Mech 17 today from Eluktronics. So far, everything is great. I haven't had a chance to run any stress or benchmarks but if idle Temps are any indication it should be good. I'm idling at 41° with no fan noise. Should drop down into high 30's after I undervolt.

In regards to build quality, I'd say it's very good.....especially for a laptop at this price point. Another plus is the fact I only live 45 minutes from Eluktronics so they said if I ever have any issues, I can just bring it in rather than shipping it to them. Great customer service so far.

I actually rather like the RGB keyboard. It's more of a stealthy look rather than an in your face.

Sent from my SM-G965U using Tapatalk

 

Up to date drivers with a single click as one benefit. Windows also changed the way they handle drivers for windows 10 and the 20 series gpu options. I can't remember exactly what they changed but it can cause some pretty extensive compatibility issues. GeForce experience seems to be your best bet for the tongfang laptops and staying current on updates.

 

I'm almost positive it's a driver compatibility, i see two active nvidia drivers... need to sort out the drivers.

On another note, I redeemed my rtx code and picked up Anthem as well as ran some more stress tests tonight. I can safely say the laptop handles temps beautifully. Anthem on Ultra never broke 83 (without turbo fan) and once turbo fan enabled stayed around 77. Solid 2 hour sessions with sustained temps.
Also got around to running firestrike, first run without any tweak and not running on turbo returned a score of 16,432 - https://www.3dmark.com/3dm/34698264?. It's right on par with my first GTX 1080 laptop bench before tweaks. The graphics score looks good but the physics is about 2k lower than my old 7820hk, i'll have to see if it's normal.

 

What did you end up having to install? Seems like everything is up to date

 

Any laptop sleeve recommendations for the Eluktronics Mech-17? My only concern is if it will protect the laptop and if it will fit inside the sleeve. The Mech-17 is 15.5"x10.25x1". I'm currently looking at these three:

1.) https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01IKQWA12/ref=twister_B07C91C7DM?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1

2.) https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01ANEYOSG/ref=ox_sc_act_title_1?smid=AME5KMU2R4SX2&psc=1

3.) https://www.amazon.com/dp/B011A289EU/ref=twister_B07C54DVHR?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1

 

Let me know if you buy one and find a good fit, I bought the 17" Arvok and it was way too big, all of the others seem like a gamble on the internal dimensions.

 

I think that's because the GK7 are only 15 inches so a 17 inch Arvok sleeve is really too big for it.

 

Yeah, I noticed the form factor is very interesting. It doesn't fit in traditional 17 inch laptop bags/sleeves. I was able to fit in a slightly oversized neoprene 15 in sleeve at work. I'm able to also fit it comfortably in the built laptop pouch in my northface router day pack which is meant for 15 inch laptops. It keeps it snug, literally a perfect fit.

 

GeForce experience allows you to download drivers and beta drivers without complication in finding the correct one and are drivers designed for the laptop. However NVIDIA is still having a bad time with driver support recently with all RTX laptops.

 

Yeah, it appears to have been driver related. I woke up this morning and uninstalled all drivers and geforce experience for a clean re-install. I'm now running the 419.35 with the latest geforce experience and i'm able to scan, optimize, etc etc both plugged and off the wall with no issue and on office or gaming mode. Going to give firestrike another run to see if i can get verified drivers this time around

 

Guys, how do I disable the LED Light Bar Strip on this laptop? It is driving me nuts.
I've tried every single possible version of Game Center, Control Center and Rev.Center.

The only time something happened was when I used the MyApp, it turned off for a second and turned white (which makes me believe is not a hardware issue)


Secondly, has anyone noticed that Sleeping and Waking the OS increases the GPU Core clocks? Is there a fix for that or?

Thanks

 

It's right in the game center settings. Go to the keyboard /light options and there should be an option to adjust the light bar in that menu section. Though, it could be in a submenu on that screen as well if I recall correctly.

 

Am I missing something?

 

Some owners of the RTX 2070 version purchase from PC Specialist have found the same behaviour, with no fix available yet though. Keep an eye on here if you want to join in the conversation:

https://www.pcspecialist.co.uk/forums/showthread.php?62262-Recoil-II-RTX-In-Exploration/page7

 

Very strange. There should be an option below the "Color Backlight Wizard" selection to change this. Are you using rev center at the same time as the Gaming Center app? (not sure if it can cause a conflict in this option being displayed, likely not but it is something to consider).



Also note, I'm running version 2.0.1.3 supplied from Eluktronics. I believe this current version is available on their support page for the Mech-17. If not you could always email them and ask for it.

 

Can you also confirm the LED Bar Strip problem on your PCS 2070?

Ok, so there is a difference then. Yes, I've tried the Eluktronics 2.0.1.3, together with many other versions and when I installed the Rev Center I did a clean uninstall of the Gaming Center...



So perhaps the problem lies within the BIOS version which somehow doesn't allow the software to control it the same way. But it's still weird why MyApp is able to communicate with the LED Bar.

 

Would definitely seem like a bios issue at the moment. You could always try the bios from eluktronics to see if there is a difference.

 

Mine has been 100% fine, full performance and no light bar issues, so it's not a general chassis issue, could be BIOS or configuration specific.

 

Is yours a PC Specialist version or Eluktronics? It would be handy to know for the PCS owners so they know that the issue isn't just limited to PCS builds with this chassis.

 

So you do have the aforementioned option in Gaming Center? Could you tell me what version you are using? Also what BIOS / EC are you running?

Yes, it is the PC Specialist 2070 version. And now I'm now runnig 2.0.1.1 Gaming Center from PCS page.

 

I've sorted the LED Bar by calling PC Specialists to which they provided me with an .exe file (which also updated the turbo button to be switching between Gaming and Office, before it was activating full fan speed)
And he mentioned that their research team is currently looking into the GPU problem, so I guess is a common problem which will be fixed in the future.


I have another problem with the keyboard though - I've noticed that when I double tap very fast a key, it gets recorded only once. And I'm not sure if is normal for this 'mechanical' keyboard or I might just have a faulty one. Could anyone give a try by opening a notepad and try double tapping "ww" and see if they both register? The double tap has to be quite fast.

Thanks

 

I don't think it's an issue of the keyboard registering the stroke. And I've seen this brought up by a few people on various parts of the internet so far. If I had to guess what's happening I would wager that you aren't allowing the full travel upwards on the key to actually reset the switch and allow the second press to be recognized. I'm sure you will adjust to the travel of they keys the more you use the keyboard. Because I've noticed this myself and have slowly adapted to needing to lift my finger a little higher than I normally would compared to chicklet keys on previous laptops.

 

Go to the keyboard properties and adjust the repeat delay along with the repeat rate.

 

Found a perfect sized sleeve for the 17.3" version, just received the 16" version of this sleeve and it's just right:

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/8-10-12-...g-For-7-to-17-inch-Laptop-Tablet/201493763377

 

Can you post that exe file? I would like to have that (fan toggle) as the functionality on my OP 17.

 

https://1drv.ms/u/s!AuZ5jNgiWCGBhXG0GNpMs4Vg2Rsd

 

Can someone tell me if my Temps are too high?

I have the 17" 2070 model with the Master Gel thermal paste applied by Eluktronics.

I have only played 2 games so far (CSGO and Apex Legends)

While playing both for roughly 1 hour, my GPU temp sits between 73 and 78.

My CPU temp with a -125 undervolt runs between 72 and 77.

Does anyone else think the GPU temp is a little on the high side? Should I undervolt the GPU as well? Also, are there any settings in the Nvidia control panel I can change to make it run cooler?

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I have a similar model with a less aggressive undervolt (-50) and with liquid metal and i'm right around 65-74 depending on where i am and the amount of action. Honestly, anywhere in the 70's is amazing. My previous laptop with a 1080 on Apex was running in the high 70's to mid 80's at 75-90 fps.

 

GPU temps are fine. Actually quite good to be honest. You could always try whisper mode in GeForce experience to try and lower temps by limiting the gpu that way if it's really a concern.

And I'm not sure what your experience is with the 8750h CPU but that thing runs hot. Any time your chassis can keep it below 80 degrees under load is an achievement. Most laptops will let that temp spike upwards of 90-100 degrees. And I don't think you will thermal throttle until about 96 degrees anyways. You're in a good spot.

Also, are you turning the fans to turbo mode manually before playing?

 

I've been tweaking the laptop to see what's under the hood and how much I can get away with. I tweaked the undervolt and some very slight increases in msi after burner.

Test 1
CPU : -50mv undervolt
GPU : +50mhz core clock / +100mhz memory clock




Test 2
CPU: no undervolt
GPU: +80mhz core / +200mhz memory


Test 3
CPU : -50mv undervolt
GPU : +150mhz core clock / +300mhz memory clock


Test 4
CPU : no undervolt
GPU : +150mhz core clock / +300mhz memory clock


As a baseline my initial test posted a couple days ago right out of the box came in slightly above 16k. I began running into some gpu glitching and just funky performance at levels higher than this on after burner. The higher score I've gotten is 17.3k with very reasonable temps. mainly staying around 60 with a spike to 73-79 depending on settings.

Has anyone else ran firestrike, would love to see how it stacks up.

 

I get 17551 (20575 graphics) with a CPU undervolt of -150mv on core and -125mv on cache and a GPU voltage curve levelling off 1695mhz at 768mv. No overclock

 

Amazing chassis. This is after a - 150 undervolt on the CPU and an undervolt on the GPU.

This is after 1 hour of CSGO in a 72° room.

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Dayum, those are some nice temps. Then again, it's CSGO and that barely pushes the GPU. It's only using 38% of the GPU

 

Yea, you're right. It's definitely not a GPU intensive but I'm still surprised at the results considering how thin the chassis is.

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What program do you use there to monitor temps?

 

How is the laptop hinge? Wondering after Bob of all trades review of the Lenovo talked of the hinge problems after a few weeks of use. Anyone had issues with a Tongfang after a few weeks?

 

Also has there been any further information on possible 1660 models?

 

I had the exact same problem, and I saw someone post earlier in this thread that they were having a similar issue. I emailed Eluktronics about it a couple weeks ago, and they just created an update that fixes the problem. Here's the link: https://www.eluktronics.com/MECH-Series-keyboard-update. I followed the instructions there, and my keyboard issues were all fixed!

 

What is the latest BIOS update for the Mech-17 G1R with an i7-8750h and an RTX 2060? Also, is it necessary to update to that BIOS?

 

Anyone know if there are any 3rd party compatible freesync LCD's for this laptop?
Also, I found this 17.3" QHD panel ( http://www.panelook.com/B173QTN01.4_AUO_17.3_LCM_overview_31906.html) which might be a worthwhile upgrade since the laptop packs an RTX 2070.

 

wait for 240hz panels to be produced

 

Can anyone tell me what panel these use by default?

 

I am very impressed with the cooling on this. It's the first time i've used a laptop in bed (on a laptop mat) and it's actually blown out air that felt uncomfortable because it was cold lol

I use MSI Afterburner for On Screen Display and HWInfo64 for logging.

that was an initial concern of mine when i first got my unit. The lid felt it had more bobble than i'd like. I think it stems from it being such a thing panel and relatively light so it just reacts quicker. The hinges themselves are top notch, smooth as silk with the right amount of tension.

 

You will be CPU limited way before 240hz at 1080p.

 

After 3 hours of straight Apex Legends. She's still not breaking a sweat.

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I think my laptop has a defect. Just asking to see if anyone has heard of something like this and know of a self-fix. When the charger is plugged in, the strip below the screen/above the keyboard, to the left of the power/fan buttons, and the lid. When I run my fingers across, I feel a vibration. When I touch the lid, it "vibrates" so I think there's an electrical short somewhere and it's passing current through those parts where it shouldn't. Anyone know of what may cause that?

 

It's not the fans running, is it?

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Thats ground leak current, check that the wall socket has a protective earth wire properly wired, if the charger only has two prongs, rotate the plug 180º so the prongs swap place in the wall socket, might help.

 

Thanks. I'll try with different outlets to see if it's because some aren't grounded properly. When the laptop is in sleep mode (fans off) it still does it. It only stops when I unplug.

I've found a number of replacement chargers on Taobao. If I get a 120 or 150W charger, would it cause any problems when I'm not playing games? The CPU alone at full power prob. doesn't draw that much and it's the video card that would exceed 120/150? I want a lighter charger to carry around when traveling instead of this brick.

 

Speaking of chargers, was anyone able to find a 230w (RTX 2070) version? Eluktronics doesn't have any available and apparently won't have any available for the foreseeable future.

On another note, i just found out the unit actually works with Windows Hello... that was a welcome surprise.