walmart motile laptops - appear to be tonfang as well

Walmart has been selling a bunch of really cheap AMD based ultrabooks under their motile in house brand for accessories.
These appear to be from Tongfang like a lot of the gaming laptops discussed here. Any idea what other resellers might be selling these 14 inch AMD based ultrabooks?

The Tongfang motherboard is known as PF4PU1F

Walmart is selling them with Ryzen 3 3200u and Ryzen 5 3500u APUs....

 

I am mostly interested in finding another vendor selling, because walmart drivers and bios support is really lacking

 

OK, my suspicions were correct , the following models share at least the magnesium chassis with the motile.
So it appears Tonfang makes several models in the same chassis, but so far walmart seems to be the only vendor selling it with the AMD cpu and board installed in it.

https://www.wootware.co.za/wootbook...rce-mx250-2gb-gddr5-cosmic-grey-notebook.html

https://clevocenter.com/nextcore-pf4mn2f-precfg.html

https://www.pcspecialist.co.uk/notebooks/FusionIII-14/

https://www.kustompcs.co.uk/pc-syst...laptops/kustom-slimbook-3-i5-8265u-14-laptop/

https://www.aliexpress.com/item/4000155290184.html

 

I ordered one cause i am very curious to see what value one can get for 300 bucks new.....as for the dual channel bit...as much as id like to have another ram slot and have them charge even 50 more for it as the GPU gains are worth it..i think this laptop isnt meant to be a light gaming machine but more of a portable productivity everyday carry laptop that does not break the bank.....i'll give my impressions onece i get it...worst case ill try and out and sell it if i dont find any good use for it.

 

I have had mine since right before the christmas holiday. It's been great so far.
hardware is good, documentation is light, and I doubt walmart will be any good if something does happen after the first month or so, but the features you get for the price, it's worth the risk.
There are 2 bios updates for it already. the first one is available from the support site, the second one seems to come through the THX update app on it.

I did replace the ssd with a sabrent rocket nvme drive, removed the 8gb ram module, and install 16gb ram. Finally, I removed the low end wifi card and installed intel ax200. That's about all the upgrading I would advise. anything past that would be a waste of good money.

 

Yeah i just did the same...but with a crucial p1 1tb i had and 16gb ballistix ....i ordered the intel ax200...one thing, mine wasnt working on the stock slot dont know why.....had to take it out an put on the second ssd slot.....also what temps u getting cause updating windows im seeing 78 degrees in the adrnalin suite, also how did u update the bios??

 

The 1.05 update is available from the motile support website
The 1.06 update is coming through the THXupdate service on the laptop. You will need to go into the THX folder and run the update. It will likely fail when attempting to flash. I got around this by editing the batch file it uses, to set the force flag. That's kind of risky, so I wouldn't do it unless you are still in the return windows from walmart.

As far as temps, depending on what I am doing, I have seen it go as high as 80c, beyond that it will throttle clock speed down to moderate temps. If you decide to take the heatsink off, you will find the heatpipe is good quality, but the plate interface is aluminum which is kind of sketchy. Applying a better thermal paste will help, but the aluminum is the root of the relatively poor conductivity.

 

i downloaded the bios files but cant figure out how to update the bios, can u let me know how to do it cause im confused as which files i need to use....also repasting is not a problem ive done it a few times...if u think its worth it ill put some ICD on it....right now what i need most is instructions as to how to update the bios, also i dont have the THX app as i clean installed into a nvme ssd...do u know where i can download the thx app? I dont see how they have the bios files without instructions on their site but then again...walmart

 

The drivers and 1.05 bios are located on the support website

http://www.motilecustomerservice.com/m142.html

If you clean installed (which you shouldn't have , there is zero bloatware) the THX app is not available anywhere that I know of. You are also missing the color profiles for the screen as well.

Anyways, there is a f.bat file in the bios download, extract everything and run that, it will update you to 1.05
but if you are having issues with the screen blanking at all, the 1.06 bios addresses that.

 

If you still have the intact original ssd drive, I would use imaging software like paragon backup to clone that image over to the nvme drive and use that. it will keep the thx stuff and drivers from the original install, along with the original recovery partition from the manufacturer.


If you can't figure out how to get both drives going at the same time, take out the new drive, install the original one back in, install paragon backup, and clone the drive image over to a file on a portable hard drive or usb stick. then create a paragon recovery stick, once you have that, put the new drive back in the laptop, and use the 2 sticks to restore the factory image to the new drive. You could also use an external nvme drive case to direct transfer the image to the new drive.

 

that i can do....i have done it before i was just wondering if it was worth installing that thx bit do u happen to have the 1.06 file u can share so i dont have to install thx i use my own display profile as i have an xrite device.....everything is working fine installed amd drivers form their site and updated windows just fine so far so good...the question is how to get that 1.06 bios without having to do all that if i dont need too also i could always dowload all the drivers i saw fomr the motile site but windows did a pretty good job installing them....i swapped the wifi card for an 8265 i had laying around i will order an ax200 and will swap again when it gets here.....but 8265 is much better on AC........also dont know if i need to clone the drive if all i need is that 1.06 bios...if u can help me get it...

+---------------------------------------------------------------------------+
| AMI Firmware Update Utility v5.11.06.1854 |
| Copyright (C)2018 American Megatrends Inc. All Rights Reserved. |
+---------------------------------------------------------------------------+
Current BIOS version: 1.03 Update BIOS version: 1.05
Reading flash ............... done
Secure Flash enabled, recalculate ROM size with signature... Enable.
- FFS checksums ......... ok
- Check RomLayout ........ Changed.
WARNING !!
The ROM file information does not match with the system BIOS!
If forcedly update BIOS, it may destroy the System BIOS!
We strongly do not suggest to flash the BIOS!
Press "E"- This option will update entire ROM and exit.
Press "A"- This option will be no ROM update.
Press "F"- This option will be forcing to follow the command by user
provided.
- Please select one of the options:c
- Please select one of the options:c
- Please select one of the options:

Did you get this?

Managed to flash 1.05 hit the update link in thx a few timews
but nothing happened

 

I sent a pm with the bios link, it's not public file, but too big to attach to this thread.

It's the bios files the THX tool downloaded, there is a f.bat file in there I edited to force the bios flash. This worked on mine.

 

You reckon a repaste is worth a try?

Thanks a bunch..did u notice any improvements?

 

I haven't noticed any differences to be honest. Mine was already running quite good.

 

Did u repaste?

Also i wonder why more people dont jump on this ...for 300 bucks it has gooid potential to be like an everyday use laoptop...itlls be good for emailing, youtbe, office work....gaming is bla....if itd be dual channel itd be a different story but for what 90% of the people do this would be just fine...i uput a 1tb nvme,16gb and a 8265 wifi card on it all i ahd in a drawer and its pretty good, trackpad isnt as sold as id like but keyboard is nice and responsive, tracpad is ok, not great but decent enough that i dont complain

 

Hey, I've also been trying to figure out how to update to 1.06 on my Motile M142. Tried using n.bat and the given utility, but I keep getting error 4c and any attempt fails. Can you send me the files too with how to set the force flag?

 

I just sent PM with file link. please be careful to close all other programs before running the update. Any precautions to avoid bricking. obviously be on mains power before running it.

 

You know i had to use the d.bat not f,bat, worked fine after that

 

at some point im gonna swap out the display

 

Also i may be crazy but after updating bios i think battery life has improved

 

Sorry about the confusion. I copied the F.bat from the 1.05 install, and edited it to reflect the new file and saved it as d.bat

either way, it worked when the auto install would not.

 

Anyone who has swapped out the stock drive or added a second, is there enough clearance to use a double sided board or do I have to stick with a single sided option. Hoping for room for a 2tb double side.

Thanks

 

u should be fine

 

Awesome! Thanks for the help

 

I would love to get the 1.06 BIOS file discussed here as well. This Motile is a nice little computer for my daughters to use for school work. Been impressed with it except the random wake locks and screen blanks I have been getting and based on research that is fixed with 1.06. Upgraded from 1.03 to 1.05 using this thread and that went fine but still not 100% better.

 

Hi folks! I did a review on this on my yt channel and I've grown a small community. Currently I'm hosting them in my discord channel, but need a forum for these. I'm willing to start a named thread, like (unknown Tongfang chassis) Walmart Motile M-142 & M-141 laptops. Then I can start funneling people here. I just wanted to check in here first since this thread already existed.

You can check out my videos for some helpful info, channel is just my name: Ryan LeCocq

BTW, we just figured out you can put NVMe drives in the first slot (the one the m.2 SATA drive comes in). It has 4 pcie lanes as opposed to 2 in the second one. I'm going to use the 4x slot for my eGPU test

 

mine had issues with a Crucial P1 on the 1st slot for all i tried it would get random bsod or all of the sudden not detect the drive...been fine for a whole on the second slot...also im fine with the speed as this laptop is by no means a speed demon and the speed difference ie very difficult to notice under normal use

 

Not sure if I'm missing a step or something, but I'm having issue with NVME in slot 1 as well.

Have the M141 that came with the 128gb drive. Installed a 256gb NVME in slot 2. Cloned using EaseUS TODO. Boots fine with NVME in slot 2, but doesn't even recognize a drive if NVME installed in slot 1. Can't figure out what I'm doing wrong here.

 

Interesting... Looks like the M141 might not support NVME in slot1 and only x2 in slot2.

NVME in slot 1... Not recognized in BIOS

NVME in slot 2... Boots to Windows, NVME runs in x2 mode.

Stock drive in slot 1... Boots to Windows

Stock drive in slot 2... Not recognized in BIOS.

Stock drive in slot 1, NVME in slot 2... Boots to Windows on NVME, NVME runs in x2 mode.

Reversed... Neither drive recognized in BIOS.

EDIT: Just to make sure I also robbed a second NVME from a different computer so I could put one into both slots of the M141. NVME in slot 2 was recognized by BIOS, NVME in slot 1 unrecognized in BIOS.

Motile M141
BIOS 1.06
EC 1.08

Guess it was a waste to get an NVME for this one. It'll be staying for the extra storage, but a waste. If the M142 go back on a steep sale I might be getting one of those if they still support NVME x4 in slot 1.

Still consider it a good deal at $240 (when I bought), but would have just gotten a larger SATA m.2 if I had known.

 

I have the m142 and mine had issues with an nvme drive in slot 1...it worked inconsistently, booted, installed windows fine but after a while had random crashes......also i get 140o speeds in slot 2 which is way faster than sata still so im not going to say its a complete waste..but then again even sata is fine if ur just using ur lappie for mundane tasks, and office applications....mine boots really fast coming of hibernation or sleep...or even cold boot...no complaints...also windows hello cam is really fast so im into windows before i even know it..its not mac os fast but close

 

anyone measure how much battery life they are getting im getting between 5-6 hours at most

 

It is definitely worth it to get the nvme drive working properly if at all possible.

Here are dismark results from slot 1 and slot 2, slot 1 is far faster than slot 2
nvme in slot 2

nvme in slot 1

 

The random results are showing slightly lower due to the drive having more data saved on it. Most drives get slower slightly as they are filled up with data.

 

Well I didn't order it with the intent of upgrading off the bat, that just sort of happened. Of course that lasted until about the time that I got the shipping notice, then parts were ordered from Amazon for Prime next day delivery. Laptop arrived Tuesday, upgrades arrived Wednesday and installed Wednesday night.

Since I was replacing drive and rumor was that they supported x4 nvme on slot 1, opted to go lower that I would have on storage and gain speed. Stock drive was to be stored for future use/backup. Still have free NVME slot for future sale/clearance purchase. If I'd known the M141 wasn't going to support NVME x4 I'd have stuck with SATA and just gone with a larger, better quality drive. Since this laptop is 100% a light weight mundane task & office application machine. SATA would have been more than adequate and therefore I deem the NVME a waste for THIS laptop (the one sitting in front of me right now).

I still want to stick the stock drive in storage and I wouldn't mind having a fast external SSD. If I can't find a fix for the x4 NVME and I get a deal on a external M.2 case, this thing might still end up with a bigger SATA.


FWIW, I haven't run it long enough to get a picture of battery life, but it seems to be doing pretty good.

Agree completely if its possible. If...

If not I have other machines that will run it at full speed.

 

makes sense but then again im good where its at right now...its table as a rock and peppy