The Notebook Review forums were hosted by TechTarget, who shut down them down on January 31, 2022. This static read-only archive was pulled by NBR forum users between January 20 and January 31, 2022, in an effort to make sure that the valuable technical information that had been posted on the forums is preserved. For current discussions, many NBR forum users moved over to NotebookTalk.net after the shutdown.
@Canonfodder what cooling pad you rocking?
I have an old Zalman ZM-NC11, 200mm fan, but it's rpm is so low, I wonder if it's actually doing anything, feeling it is just like a light breeze, would like to find some positive pressure ones, but I cannot see in any specifications about the CFM output.
Yes, for any laptop I have come across I have never been overly impress by the speakers. Always best to peruse external options it applicable to your set-up. Usually can find something cheap to greatly improve your experience.
In the Soundblaster X-fi program, under advanced, the option for "Stereo (2.0/2.1)" is much louder than "Built-in Speakers", unintuitively. That's assuming you have the 1510, not sure how the 1710 is. Also if the SB X-fi program doesn't recognize your hardware as compatible, get the default drivers off the Powerspec support site:
http://www.powerspec.com/support/support_archive.phtml?selection=1510 (it doesn't work with the ones provided by Realtek)
Same here can't recall any laptop speakers being overly impressed with.
The loudness equalization I mentioned really does help though it boosts the low volume parts I enable it on all my computers.
Another interesting thing I have yet to try on my 1510 is the optical output a lot of people miss it because you need a special cable or adapter for the optical cable.
I think when you start the system if you look into the head phone jack you can see a red light shine.
The placement of some of the outputs is a bit awkward especially if you are using a mouse
My experience gave conflicting results. I tried re-pasting my 1510 with ICD7 first and my temps only went down a few degrees, almost negligible. CPU temps were still consistently going over 90 during gaming sessions. I have a laptop cooler as well, the Coolermaster Notepal U2. It's great, as you can move the fans around to wherever you need them most. It wasn't until I used LM that my temps really came down significantly. As I stated before, my CPU temps never even touch 80. I can't speak for all of the issues that have been stated about LM, but for me so far, so good after 4 months.
The temps on this laptop is crap. If the fans are not on and I'm on netflix the GPU and CPU can get to 80. Seriously? i have netflix open at CAM is notifying my temps are too hot.
I am annoyed at the fact that MicroCenter STILL hasn't posted a BIOS/EC update for our motherboard. I know MC is new to the laptop business, but I've pestered them several times about this, and they've done nothing. I'll be sending them a new email with a link to this BIOS so that MAYBE they'll provide it. Douchebags.
Yet another Clevo retailer with non-existent aftermarket updates.
Just to follow up:
It's now May 22, 2018, and a BIOS for the PA70Hx motherboard has existed since March 1 that has the updated ME firmware and microcode 84 update from Intel. (BIOS 1.05.16) The EC package has a 1.05.06 update as well.
Still wondering when this will be available through your website?
Fortunately a nice Clevo tech gent provides a BIOS repository for Clevo machines, just in case your corporate Clevo contact isn't getting his BIOS/driver updates:
Please forward this email to whomever is responsible for providing your customers with aftermarket updates. It's a shame when your customer base is doing his/her job.
Sounds like you are having problems specific to your machine, are you giving it adequate ventilation? It is a regular GPU and CPU just like in a full sized desktop crammed into a laptop case, so yes the fans will run playing back HD content.
Also there could be any number of things running in the background.
The CPU has a package temp limit of 100c till it automatically throttles to keep cool the 1070 GPU limit is 90c
I have never re-pasted mine and it runs very well it never hits throttling temps it is also very quiet, even when gaming it does not get obnoxiously loud.
For these machines or any high power laptop I always recommend a good cooling pad.
@Chastity I sent Clevo a message recently waiting to here back maybe if enough people contact them they will pass along to Micro Center they should keep specific driver and bios updates for there branded machines up to date.
I was just updated to 1803 and is still running very well.
Oddly enough every time I update the Nvidia driver I end up having to rollback since it does not run proper gaming, I am still using 391.01
I guess I have to be if aint broke don't fix it on this machine, really though I think it is more of Windows issues.
If you are one 1803 with all Cumulative patches, then the current drivers shouldn't be an issue. I think you need to scrub your NVIDIA install. Also, after updating, go into MSHYBRID mode and redo the Intel driver too. I had some weird issues graphically until I did that, despite being in Discrete mode.
I do apologize for the inconvenience, but we still do not have any BIOS updates to this model. I do know that the manufacturer of the board has created one, but we have not found it to be compatible with our PowerSpec BIOS as of yet. Flashing or upgrading the BIOS will result in the machine not being a PowerSpec anymore and will cause the Windows Activation to fail. As soon as we have these available, we will place them online. I appreciate your patience and apologize for any inconvenience.
I hope this helps.
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Assuming this is true, I wouldn't care since I've upgraded the OS license to Windows 10 Pro Retail, which would no longer rely on any SLIC info. I could go into my MS Account and remove the previous activation and reuse the key.
All the utilities I use like Aida64 and HWiNFO report my machine as a Clevo 1510.
The lid says PowerSpec and it is also identified in Windows as a PowerSpec probably only because it is in the original volume image. MicroCenter I am sure bought the License for a range of machine serial numbers.
I have never heard of a bios update that changes the machines id / serial numbers, or the model of the motherboard.
To add to that I could download a copy of Windows home install it and not even need a key since the machine serial number/id is already licensed
So I don't think the statement MicroCenter gave you is entirely true.
As you know you can go on Amazon right now and find the exact same machines with a different brand names
I bough the thinkpad x1c6 laptop last week, happy with it first 3 days. Then it start to have this loud high pitch noise when i watch youtube, scan laptop with Malwarebyte and do some doc or powerpoint. I decide to return it while I can, cause It drive me crazy
So i have been search for other laptop around 1500 USD. I did give up on purchase gaming laptop cause it too pricey. Then this morning while search, I found out about Powerspec 1510 and 1710. Look good and price look nice. Here few question I need to ask.
1. 1710 model is 1499 while 1510 1399, Is that their normal price?
2. I mainly play Path of Exile, League of Legend. Sometime fps, (Probably will get destiny 2 in future) Will these laptop good for these game? I never play any game on Ultra or Max setting.
3. 90% of time it will be on my desk @ home, sometime I will bring it with me if I go some where for more than 5hrs. Which should I choose?
4. I read few reply here and some on reddit, people did say to re-paste the thermal paste. How do I do that? Which brand should I get? I probably wont consider the Liquid Metal, cause I know I will mess up on that type of work.
5. How do I undervolt the thing, what best number for it? These two thing kind new to me.
6. Anything recommend thing to do after buy the laptop?
7. Will it last me at least 5yrs gaming?
8. Do MicroCenter have extend warranty? Do I need to get it?
Hi there, overall these are very good machines they are actually made by Clevo of TW and are branded as PowerSpec by MicroCenter
you can actually find nearly identical ones elsewhere under different names, but from what I have seen the price is but usually more.
As you know the catch with the MicroCenter PowerSpec's is they can only be purchased in store.
1. I bought the 1510 brand new earlier in 2018 for 1,199.00 that is the lowest price I have ever seen for this machine
2. The games you mentioned would be no problem to play with settings maxed out. I play most games maxed out on the 1510 but sometimes I will tune down something like Nvidia HairWorks especially AA for it.
3. I think they both have comparable batteries but if you are going to do really heavy gaming the uses the 1070 GPU you are going to need that power supply, I have never seen a laptop that can game for long on just the battery.
For normal stuff it should last 3-4 hours anyway can't say for sure how long cause I usually have it plugged in
4. I have never re-pasted my 1510 and do not intend to even though it would be easy enough to do. There should be no need to have to do that unless it were done improperly from at the factory. Re-pasting will not magically increase the efficiency of the heat-sink it can only insure that heat transfer is occurring efficiently to it, I think the majority of people re-pasting did so unnecessarily
The I7 7700HQ throttles at 100c the 1070 GPU throttles at 90c my 1510 rarely hits 80c under the most intensive gaming and that is just fine with me.
5. The best way to control the heat of these laptops that I know of is to under-volt a bit I have mine set at -.100
To do that use the "Intel Extreme Tuning Utility" by Intel and then change under Advanced Setting the Core Voltage Offset.
If you have trouble there videos on YouTube.
There is also a way to tune the 1070 but I am not going to get into that since it is very involved with frequency tuning
I also have Intel "SpeedShift" set to start on login it is kind of advanced to do but you can download ThrottleStop and do that manually after boot up if you choose just by click and apply.
Why it is not enabled by default and there is not option in the bios is beyond me since it lets the processor run better and more efficiently.
If all that does not help probably good idea to check the sink an paste.
Edit: I should note even before voltage tuning my 1510 was running fine it was only while playing certain game I noticed the CPU was getting to hot and throttling, the GPU was okay. I could have tuned the game/games down as well so it ran cooler
6. Maybe get a good cooling pad and keep the heat sink fins and intake clear and clean
7. That's kind of a loaded question and depends on how you use it how much you use it I guess. The weak link so to speak are the Hard Drives especially the Solid State EVO which does deteriorate over time. You can extend it's life by enabling more provisioning with "Samsung Magician" drive software and keep the firmware up to date as wll.
I have laptops that are over 10 years old of course I stopped using them long ago but they still run like they did when I first got them.
I expect to use the 1510 for a couple years anyway or till the new advanced graphics chips and processors to come out
8. I bought the 2 years extended warranty I think it was around 250.00 and good piece of mind for a few years, it also transfers if you sell it to the new owner. The only things it does not cover is the battery which most warranty's from other companies do not cover as well.
Of course it does not cover drops or spills but they also offer a warranty for that but I think it is for a year or two for around 350.00
@penLicker 1. Those are the right prices but they have gone on sale for $1200-1300 if you're willing to wait for another sale or buy one open-box (used).
2. The laptop is very good for those CPU heavy types of games. The only game I've seen the CPU struggle a little with is MS Flight Simulator X which came out over 10 years ago and is still difficult for new desktop CPUs to run. 3. Neither the 1510 or 1710's battery will last you the full 5 hours. It drains as fast as any average gaming laptop. 4. Thermal paste on these is easy to replace because the case is simple to open, the only tools you'll need are a regular philips (+ head) screwdriver. The process is just removing the copper heatsinks, cleaning paste off the flat metal surface, squirting the new paste on from the tube and pushing the heatsink back on so it spreads. Any paste will do, liquid metal is only discouraged because metal can fry computer parts if it leaks. GELID and IC Diamond 7 were suggested because they are thicker. To make things much easier, MicroCenter will replace thermal paste for you for free while you're under warranty, but they will give you suggestions first like "did you try maxing out the fans" and such. Just tell them you still want to get it replaced, they'll obviously appreciate you buying thermal paste at their store. 5. This guide (Link) to the free program Throttlestop walks through it, just go the section for Undervolting. After that, this guide (Link) will get the program to start automatically with windows without having to open the program yourself. It's painfully boring but you only have to do it once. Suggested values: I tried 1.25V and found it stable, but went to 1.2 just to be safe. YMMV. 6. Suggestions? Keep the laptop raised (without blocking vents obv) so it runs cooler, this is cheaper and easier than replacing thermal paste. For a while I used erasers, until I got some rubber door stoppers that are made to easily stick to things. Keep a temperature monitoring program open (like HWMonitor) while gaming until you're comfortable. Don't delete the Clevo Control Center program, you need it to control fans and keyboard backlighting. Play around with Clevo Control Center and set the GPU to Discrete if you get new demanding games that you didn't mention in your post, otherwise hybrid mode should save you some battery life. 7. The hardware is durable, the GPU and CPU can play current games maxed out and some at 4k, so they will fall behind a bit when newer games come out and you'll have to lower a few advanced settings, not game breaking. 5 years is likely. 8. The MicroCenter sales people will do a much better job of convincing you to get the extended warranty than I can when you get to the store, you can be sure of that. I didn't buy it, personally but it might make sense for you if you're investing in such an expensive laptop.
So @Canonfodder is spot on except I would disagree with point 4. Undervolting mitigates some heat issues but the stock thermal paste is clearly not as good as it could be, new games are handled well by the GPU, however the CPU still maxes out for a bunch of them and gets very hot (95 C and above).
@GrinningColossus When you get down to it you shouldn't have to do anything like changing paste and undervolting.
In that regard one could say these machines have some design/manufacturing deficiencies and unless you are an enthusiast that does not mind tweaking and cracking the case you should probably avoid.
There's a good reason why these machines are the best deal for the specs you can get, it's a trade off.
5 hours for the battery while heavy gaming? you will be lucky if you get half and hour.
Also I mentioned "SpeedStep" many undervalue that option it does make a big difference and is really bizarre that there is no option for it or that it is not enabled by default.
Finally to add to that good luck getting and important updates especially like for the bios that would add SpeedStep and add Spector and whatever other important microcode that is know to be available from MicroCenter or Clevo, or any of the important drivers for that matter.
The support is just not there like there is with major manufacturers, Clevo sight is just a joke as well
Thank you for answer my question
@Canonfodder ,
@GrinningColossus I want to clarify Question 3 is that i bring it with me, but i alway plug in ( never in my life to trust that battery, my old laptop battery drop really fast)
I read that
@Chastity update BIOS and such. Do i need to do That as well.
* I dont play FPS much will 60hz good enough or go for 1710 to unlock it to 75hz?
No you do not "need" to update the bios it is doing it's job just fine.
But as I said it would be nice for them to add more options and some of the other important updates to a bios update.
Problem is seems there is some controversy surrounding the compatibility with the generic Clevo bios for their boards which are in the PowerSpec machines.
My advice is leave it be for now.
Most of the games I have played at 60fps the gameplay has been very smooth no chop or stutter maybe FPS competitors it gives some advantage with the high frame rate but if you think about it 60 vs. 120fps the key is still "per second"
I have external monitors and and 4k TV as well with higher HZ so I have my options, most of the time I game am on 50" 4k screen with surround sound going.
Not sure but about 3 I will say you would be wise to get a laptop backpack so you can transport it and the "brick" along with your headset controllers cables etc. quick and easy
If you are just web browsing etc with the integrated graphics it should last awhile you just have to have it in "mshybrid" like it is by default if you put it into "discrete" it will always be using the 1070
That would be nice, if true.
Unfortunately, such isn't always the case. In mine, the same game increased in temps from the upper 70C to nearly 90C on the GPU over the course of three months. When I cracked it open, the thermal paste for the GPU spread away from the die surface, and very little was left contacting the heatsink. The CPU, otoh, was overly pasted, with much excess on the sides of the die and on the die itself.
**** happens.
@penLicker Just use the new system with a cooler underneath. Doesn't even have to be on, just elevating the bottom will improve airflow for the fans to do their job. MicroCenter has a very nice, inexpensive one called the CoolerMaster NotePal X-Slim for $20. It's light, durable, no-frills 160mm fan cooler that moves some very decent air and is relatively quiet when enabled. (The laptop fans get louder) It's also very easy to fit in a backpack/bag to travel with the laptop.
Undervolting the CPU allows for cooler CPU usage. I also use a -0.100 voltage setting w/o issue, and I game for hours. I desired this because the CPU is under the WASD keys.
As for the BIOS, I haven't flashed mine yet; I just want Microcenter to step up and provide us with the security fixes the laptop should have, and not be another No-Support company on their website.
Battery Life: With a 40% Brightness setting, and using MSHYBRID mode, I've had up to 6 hours of usage, doing non-gaming stuff and using Wireless Internet. YMMV.
Since then, I've replaced the internal HDD with an 850 EVO SSD, so that should help. (Also added a 2nd 960 EVO 500GB to the 2nd M.2 port)
Pricing: I bought my 1710 for $1399. Been as low as $1299. Should you wait? Only you can answer that, since I don't know what your needs are.
5 years? I suppose so. The GTX1070M should age better @ 1080p@100 than my previous Asus G73JH with the HD5870M, and I had that for 5 years. I also use an external 4K@60monitor when docked at home, so it has some capabilities.
@Chastity Not exactly something you would think would happen with a $1200 laptop but I Guess it's a sigh of the times. In any case sure I can understand it happens as sh#t does.
Guess I am fortunate then as I have not had to re-paste, that just a voltage tweak did the trick.
In this country we have the right to repair and that is why the "warranty void if removed" is not present on the case however If I ever do need to have any further heat issues fixed I will bring to MicroCenter and have them fix it, that is part of the cost after all not to mention the extended warranty I have.
If it ever bites the dust due to heat issues they can't say it is because of my doing in either case.
@Canonfodder Do you buy your extend warranty on same day? is 3years good?
Can you guy explain abit about MSHYBRID? If i do normal stuff ike watch video, surf web or do some doc or excel it wont use to 1070 GPU, when I gaming it will auto switch to the gpu???
which headset do you guy recommend for gaming and watch video?
Any good mice?
On little different subject, Is it possible to get a light 15" laptop use every day and Have eGpu at home to play it when ever i want while that that portability option
@penLicker I bought the 2 year extended warranty at time of purchase but like most add on warranties you can buy it after the fact. As for the "Drops & Spills" warranty I believe you have to purchase when you buy it. The regular warranty covers pretty much everything that can go wrong except the battery.
I usually don't buy extended warranties for other things but laptops I learn my lesson long ago it can be a real good idea.
Also I plan on selling it when new stuff comes out so it will be a good sell point since it transfers. I have even kept the original packaging.
MSHYBRID enables a programs and the operating system to utilize the onboard built into CPU graphics 630 chip which uses way less power.
The 1070 till it is called on is basically off or in hibernation and using very little power.
When you switch to DISCRETE you shut off the built in chip and route all graphics through the nVidia 1070.
That is also the way if you are using the built in screen to enable and use G-Sync.
Another way to enable G-Sync is if you have an external monitor capable of it plugged in.
When you have a monitor plugged into one of the external ports (non G-Sync) the Intel graphics interface disappears if you go single screen, but it is not gone or shut off.
You will also see options for the external screen in the nVidia control panel.
I think what happens when in MSHYBRID mode some of the graphics to the laptop built in screen is handled by the built in chip or on standby and is why you do not see the G-Sync option in the nVidia driver panel, G-Sync needs a dedicated graphics buss.
You can pick and choose what programs use what graphics card in "manage 3d settings" in the nVidia control panel.
For instance Google "Chrome Browser" hooked the 1070 I could go in and change that to the Intel 630 and save power by doing so, but may take a performance hit on some things by doing so.
So you can pick and choose even add programs to the list. How the program utilizes the card or if it even can depends on the program.
I like Plantronics Bluetooth head sets myself, I also have an Anker compact stereo Bluetooth speaker that fits nice on the back plate behind the keyboard.
When I plug into my surround it is great.
Laser mice or high dpi optical are good along with mechanical lit gaming keyboards, there are a bunch of goods ones on Amazon if you wade through the reviews.
As for battery life there are a bunch of sites like Laptop Mag that cover that with lots of detail just do a search.
Personally my next carry and travel about will be a Microsoft Surface
Yes it's a hardware switch, in MSHybrid the internal panel is wired to the IGP, in dedicated mode it's wired the the Nvidia chip (There is a MUX that sets on boot).
I've tried to keep this laptop up to date using the Obsidian tool and the Microcenter drivers, and now none of the overclocking tools work at all.
Anyone else ran into issues with the OC tools? I've uninstalled and reinstalled the motherboard drivers to no avail, as well as Control Center, with no change at all.
Even if there's minimal increase from overclocking, it's weird that the GPU OC tool doesn't even show the model of the card or the clocks. Frustrating.
I don't overclock since both the CPU and GPU both have Turbo and Boost modes, but I do know exactly what you are talking about. Every time I updated control center the GPU tool would not function. Doing a system restore did not work as well.
As it turned out I ended up restoring the system with a cloned image I made before updating.
After running into the problem a couple times and not finding any solution my best solution is to not update it all from Microcenter or Clevo site or using the Obsidian tool, every-time I did something broke.
I just do the Windows updates and have not updated the GPU driver since 391.01 and it runs great with the latest titles, so why bother!
The only thing I can suggest is going into "safemode" uninstall CCC and try reinstalling. Windows has a lot of protection issues and you will probably find you cannot even run a successful system restore without being in safemode.
Other things like tracing recently added or changed files along with registry changes involves a lot of work.
I use Rivatuner with MSI Afterburner to monitor the system and I believe you can tweak the 1070 with it as well. As for the CPU you can adjust the timings in the bios.
Im going to return x1 carbon, How do I reset to state that when i open the laptop first time. Anyway to completely delete document that i store in this laptop.
It's simple go to "Windows Settings" by clicking the Windows icon on the lower left of the screen the "Updated & Security" "Recovery" then "Reset this PC"
You will have the option to wipe the free space so it would be very hard or impossible to recover any data.
Windows will then be in it's initial basic state and if you start it up will be just like the first time. Any extra stuff added by the manufacturer will be gone, which can be a good thing.
It's no matter they will refurbish it anyway.
It can be done as a last resort for troubleshooting. Maybe the problem you had will be gone and you can figure out what was causing it by installing programs one at a time and looking for the problem/s
My CCC is also not working properly. None of the temp sensors show anything other than zero, CPU memory OC won't open, and none of the options within GPU OC function. If I try to change any of the GPU OC values, it hangs upon saving.
This was not a result of updating the software either. It just happened one day after booting up the laptop. It's very possible it occurred after a windows update, but this was over 5 months ago only a few days after purchasing the computer from MC, so I really can't remember exactly what took place right before the program began malfunctioning.
I guess I could try your suggestion of reinstalling within safemode, but I'm just not optimistic it will be successful. Also, I'm not really interested in overclocking anything and I can get my temp values and much more from Hardware Monitor just fine, so in essence, CCC is mostly useless to me. My only motivation is that I can't stand anything to be broken on my computer and I enjoy finding solutions and fixing things.
You could try a program like "Revo Uninstaller" or some other program that can trace and list all the files and registry entries a program adds or alters etc.
For Windows 10 you should install as Administrator.
I do all the Windows updates and am currently running 1803 version of Windows and CCC runs fine afaik, I don't overclock either.
Chances are it broke when you updated the graphics driver.
Another option is to contact MicroCenter tech service and see if they have the solution
I ended up running Revo on everything Control Center/Clevo related, and then manually killed as much as I could find in Program Files and ProgramData. Then I downloaded the most up to date version of Obsidian Tools and went through the installers. It seemed to clear up some of the issues, although as I think I have read either earlier in this thread or another one that some of the OC features shown in Control Center have been disabled even though the buttons for the features are still there.
Likely wasn't going to squeeze too much more performance out of it anyways, but I like to do what I can. Is it normal for the XMP profiles in BIOS to be empty/blank? I know that laptops are much more restrictive with overclocking of course, but I was hoping to tinker a little bit.
Now if only I could find a way to fix the divot I put into the screen when the power cord prong swung into it......
Hey guys I've tried repasting (kryonaut), undervolting (0.125), and using a fan (coolermaster) on the 1510, but my temps still go to the 90s on games like GTAV, Fortnite, MGS5, Overwatch, and even super-optimized games like Doom
This is all with vsync, fans on max, discrete, and lowered settings. My room temp is at 70 ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ and I keep other programs closed
Are you in "discrete mode" when you turn on overclocking? if you re-installation works correctly you should have three options available in either mode regardless, "Core, Memory and Fan"
Also you should see the gauges moving if it is working, you won't see it doing much while in mshybrid.
I have used in in dual monitor with game running on external while the gauges on the lap screen, they seem to be pretty accurate and responsive.
I haven't even tried any overclocking of the memory myself. While in bios I can see 4 options "default, custom, and xmp 1 and 2" when I choose custom it appears I have all features available to change.
The only option you have for the screen is to replace it. The good news is a replacement is easy and fairly inexpensive to come by on places like Amazon just search the model number you get from "HWINFO" tool.
From what I can see you don't even need to take the body apart just remove the bezel and a few screws and it should pop right out.
Was wondering if anyone has tested turning off and on the "GPU Performance Scaling option" in the bios for certain games or programs.
I have heard depending on the situation it can either lead to a good performance boost or a big performance hit
According to HWiNFO mine idles around 42c, it actually fluctuates quite quickly
The first thing that comes to mind is are you positive both fans are functioning proper? could be you have a bum fan.
Another thing that comes to mind and is probably not the case is the seating of the heat sink
To add to all that maybe try stressing the CPU and the GPU individually maybe that will give a clue, as you know the sinks a joined
Problems? See this thread at archive.org.
Unfortunately, such isn't always the case. In mine, the same game increased in temps from the upper 70C to nearly 90C on the GPU over the course of three months. When I cracked it open, the thermal paste for the GPU spread away from the die surface, and very little was left contacting the heatsink. The CPU, otoh, was overly pasted, with much excess on the sides of the die and on the die itself.
