PowerSpec 1710 + 1510?

Have you lifted up the back a few CM?

 

If it's a stock paste job, I would repaste. Also you can undervolt to improve thermals.

Also, having the laptop sit atop a cooler or lifting up the back end will improve airflow.

 

You've all convinced me, I picked up some IC Diamond 7 ($6.99 at Micro Center for a surprisingly large tube/syringe, probably because diamond is lighter than arctic silver 5) and repasted mine. I did follow a youtube video, because the service manual doesn't include removing the heatsink, and I didn't want to miss a step. The internal wires are more tightly bunched up than my previous laptop, so there was a possibility of snapping a wire if I wasn't careful (make sure not to tighten the heatsink over any cables). One difficult power cable had to be unplugged in order to completely detach the heatsink, and I also had to/felt safer to remove the little network card, which had a tiny cable that came off, which was a bit tricky to get back in place if you haven't done it before (it snaps in place, but is very easy to pull off by accident and tough to reconnect due to the size). There are 14 internal and 14 external screws, so set aside an organized space for those. In addition to the small + regular size screwdrivers, I'd recommend a good set of tweezers that won't slip when unplugging the fan power wires (needle nose pliers are recommended in the service manual), because the power cables are really tight, hard to pull out and you have to be careful of cutting a wire if you pull too hard.

This is the video I followed alongside my disassembly in case anyone's looking to do the same thing (the title has the Sager name of the Clevo p650hs-g which is the PowerSpec 1510).


Anyway, this is a good time to state that I bought this PC at Micro Center last year's Black Friday and it's still holding up superbly after this year's Black Friday. After redoing the paste, I just ran the Assassin's Creed Origins (Discovery Tour) benchmark, played a bit, and capped out at 82 C on one core with maximum fans turned on. It's the first time I noticed the PC was reaching the Power Limit, Reliable Voltage Limit, and Utilization Limit (not Temperature Limit) in HWMonitor, previously I've only noticed when it reached Temperature Limit and started throttling.

 

Nice job That sounds about right.

 

You have a few options. A re-paste is likely your best starting point. I'd recommend MX-4 for the conventional stuff, but if you've done a repaste or two before and are willing to take the time and get the proper supplies, I've been thrilled with the results I've gotten after finally going with liquid metal and applying some Conductonaut to both the CPU and GPU. I would recommend a pack of multi sized Kapton tape, as well as some Super 33+ black electrical tape. That'll be like $10 total, and the Conductonaut is only a little more expensive than that in itself and you use such a tiny amount it will be enough to last you a very long time. It is not as difficult or scary as a lot of folks make it out to be, and if you're patient and have done your research, it shouldn't be a problem and the results have blown my mind. If you really don't want to do it yourself, next time you buy a system and the shop offers it as an option, it's a no brainer to go with.

I also cut out the grills over the fans on the bottom of the chassis. Not sure how much of a difference this made, but at least on the 1510 chassis, the bottom of it is damn near solid and allows for next to no air flow. It's rough. I also cut away a good amount of the frame surrounding the actual CPU fan itself, and while that took some work to properly bend the metal and make sure nothing was pressing against anything else and the fan was spinning as it should, it reduced noise and is pulling more air. You're never looking at the bottom of your laptop anyways, so who cares how much you've chipped away at it?

I'm trying to find some sort of rubber feet to put in the four corners that give a decent amount of clearance. A cooling pad is too cumbersome, and a stand isn't very portable. Something that could just be stickied onto the corners to give an inch or so of clearance would be ideal.

I had found another thread regarding cooling of this system, which I can't find now, and it was mentioned that there was a difference between the copper CPU coolers in some models, and they linked to this item as a replacement. It looks very similar if not identical to the one in my 1510, but the Foxconn ID numbers are different, so something about it must be different. Here's the cooler: https://www.aliexpress.com/item/New...224.html?spm=a2g0s.9042311.0.0.77bb4c4db7GF5l

I guess the last things to do for this system are to try to cut open the bottom of the chassis more, MAYBE add some more copper heatsinks somewhere, somehow, and to replace the thermal pads, which probably aren't worth going all the way for Fuji poly pads, so what's the best bang for the buck thermal pad replacement kit out there? Is it worth grabbing Fuji poly for just a couple spots on the board?

Also, what is the chip next/above the GPU chip that does not have any thermal pad or paste on it? I couldn't find any identifier for it, or whether or not it is supposed to have any cooling on it other than the part of the heatsink which lays down on it.

Lastly, has anyone found any newer system which gives similar bang for the buck value that the 1510/1710 did with the Microcenter deal? I believe they were both between $1000-1200. Might be worth waiting for the next-gen laptop chips to be available, but it also looks like the i7-8750H is a stronger chip compared to the 7700HQ than I realized.

Phew. Thanks for reading, hope some of that is helpful!

 

The biggest flaw of this laptop cooling system(and many other brands) is that the CPU and GPU heatsinks are connected and the heat from the GPU (when gaming) is transferring to the CPU. There are two fans for the GPU but only one for the CPU. This makes it harder for the CPU to fans to cool it down. The obvious solution that I come up is to cut the connection between the two. I have not done this because I'm not gaming on my laptop, but I have seen other people don this on different brands of lapops. If you're really concerned with the heat, you may try cutting the heatsink. I will personally recommend you to try this: https://www.amazon.com/Tree-New-Bee...1543608688&sr=8-5&keywords=laptop+thermal+pad

 

I've used cooling pads before, and they only treat the symptom, not the real problem. Besides, they're often hardly effective, take up a USB port, and are a lot more clunky than I'm wanting to deal with. Traveling with one would be a pain,. and so on and so forth.

I have contemplated the heatsink setup in these models. Your example makes sense, however, what about when the CPU is being heavily utilized and the GPU is not? Wouldn't that be a scenario in which having the additional heat sink surface area would be helping your CPU temps?

Wasn't able to find much information or a guide from anyone who has performed such a cut, but if there's some convincing information out there, I'm not opposed to giving it a try just for the hell of it.

 

A good pad is the cherry on top:

 

I was also wondering this when I was repasting. It just has some of that weird putty stuff, which is probably like the fujipoly pads. Also a little concerned because that stuff was slightly melting from some spilled rubbing alcohol used to clean the stock paste.

 

Unless you're stress testing the CPU is really heavily utilized. That's y there is one fan on the CPU and two on the GPU. This heatsink design that combines the CPU and GPU cooling is very popular for laptops with similar specifications like the PowerSpec and If you look up the reviews you will find out that most of them are overheating.
The laptops that are separating the two heatsinks don't have issues with overheating. "Linus tech tips" is also mentioning this in some of his videos. I read in some forums that some people are cutting/separating the two heatsinks but I haven't seen any guides or videos on this.
It woolds be interesting if someone tries this on the PowerSpec laptops. Keep in mind that just cutting them is not enough, you need to leave some space between the two so heat is not transferred.
The laptops that I have seen with no heating issues usually have bigger fans and more space for airflow, so cutting the plastic may make sense.
And on the side note, I have a 7 years old gaming rage with good airflow/cooling that is still kicking ass. The biggest thing for good live longevity on a PC is good colling.

 

Wow i really need to know how they separated the heat sink. I did the whole thermal paste changing and liquid metal still goes to 95 degrees whenever the gpu starts hitting hard.

 

I'm almost positive that the connection of the heatsinks is not the reason for your high temps.

The more I've played around and modded this system (the 1510), the more I realize that the structure of the heatsinks and their corresponding tightening/locking mechanisms are terrible and leave much to be desired. The spring loaded screws are a nightmare, especially after any of them have begun to strip. I would presume that your temps are from there simply not being proper contact between the chips and the heatsinks with the liquid metal not bonding to them both in between. There's a lot of unevenness to the structure of these heatsinks and the fans, meaning they are bent in some places just enough to make the needed contact not entirely flush. I would love to see a system with a deep enough chassis (wouldn't even need to be that deep) where some sort of thumb screw lock in mechanism with fully removable parts was used to bond the GPU and CPU heatsinks, much like a conventional desktop cooler. That way you would know it's making contact, you're not going to strip away a junky spring screw, and you can worry even less about leaking liquid metal. Just a thought.

Anyways, my recommendation to you after having opened and modded this thing at least 20 times now is to apply the liquid metal to the chip itself, apply liquid metal to the corresponding area of the heatsink that touches the chip, and don't be afraid to give it a little extra drop or two on the chip. When I say drop I mean the super tiny micro-drop that barely trickles out of the Conductnaut needle tip. You don't want to use too much, but I believe that in the fear of leaking any of it, people are not applying as much as needed to ensure contact.

Once you've done that, you really might have to go at your screws and mounting mechanisms to make sure they're as perfect as you can get. You might even have to bend some of the copper of the heatsinks to ensure that it hasn't bent in a way that is preventing that necessary contact from being made. I made the mistake of using 1.5mm thermal pads to replace the stock pads, and that's too thick to allow the heatsinks to touch properly. I took all that off and will be using 0.5mm which I believe will work fine.

That should fix your problem almost for sure. I am still curious about the disconnecting of the two heatsinks. Not sure I'll go that far though after everything I've done. Maybe a nice rep in here will offer a discount on a lovely new system with their professionally applied liquid metal already in place, and I can sell this thing for whatever it's worth now that I've frankenstein-ed it.

Good luck!

 

Anyone got a tip for changing out the CPU fan on the 1510? Like, what are the measurements of the stock fan? 50mm x 50mm x 10mm? Or is it even slimmer at 5mm in height?

There is a fair chunk of empty space in the fan enclosure, so if this could be switched out to a larger fan that's any more quiet at all, I think it'd be worth it. I just can't find what to use...

 

You'll want to order an exact replacement.

 

That'd be easy but would put me back right where I started. I was more so trying to see what after market fan that was similar, but technically better, could be retrofitted to help counter the loudness of the fan when it really kicks in.

I'll see how things go once I've replaced all the thermal pads again. Screwed up and got 1.5mm instead of the .5mm and well, far too thick for any contact with heatsinks to be made properly.

 

Clevo Control Center inexplicably takes a minute to load now on Windows update 1809 on this machine, and I haven't changed my antivirus or anything else.

 

Can't recommend strongly enough to totally uninstall and purge CCC and instead use the Obsidian tool. Wish I had found it much sooner, CCC is a total nightmare.

http://forum.notebookreview.com/threads/clevo-drivers-update-utility-by-obsidian-pc.801464/page-352

 

Those temps are insane. What have you done to try to fix them so far?

 

Done Undervolt -150mv (didn't work)
Repaste TG paste (didn't work)
Repaste TG liquid metal (didn't work)

downclocked from 3.9ghz to 3.7ghz speedshift EPP value to 128
(didn't work fully spikes are still hitting around 96)

 

Is this with an 8750? What system are you using? I didn't know/think the 1510 and 1710 came with that chip.

The only other issue really could be that the heatsink is not making contact with the chip, and that's very possible and there are numerous reports about the heatsink/cpu cooler being bent and out of shape. I'm assuming the fans are spinning as they should.

Other than that and with what you've already done, if you can ensure that the heatsink is making contact and it still occurs, you'd need to RMA this.

 

It doesn't, and the CPU is soldered to mobo.

 

Heads up: Windows October Update broke compatibility with the older version of Throttlestop I was using to undervolt my 1510. Check if yours is still active, update if you want to be sure. I noticed 100C max temps (with IC Diamond 7) after playing Subnautica yesterday and this was the culprit.

 

Ah windows update, not just randomly deactivating windows.

 

FYI: The new NVIDIA drive 417.71 adds Gsync Compatible support for FreeSync monitors, and it works. If you have a 1710, your mini_DP ports are version 1.3, so get yourself a mini-DP to DP cable and hook up your favorite FreeSync monitor for some big-screen love. (Does not work over HDMI) Haven't tried a mini-DP to HDMI adapter, because I don't have one.

 

Nice catch. I was just looking into this, since I've been running into eye-strain on this laptop's small screen at 1080p in games with small HUDS. Already have the drivers installed. The 1510 also has a version 1.3 mini displayport.

 

Mine's hooked up to a nice 28" 4K Samsung, and I just about finished tweaking all the settings and fps caps. Had some niggles, but I worked them out.

 

I purchased a 27" Asus Freesync 144hz monitor, the Asus VG278Q from the official Gsync certified monitor list. For CSGO it works great at 144, on the other hand, Subnautica's main menu only runs at 80fps, lol, but the relief in eyestrain just from web-browsing alone is significant.

 

I never felt any different on the desktop personally.

 

It's been just over a year since I bought a Spec 1710. As my 'casual gaming system', It's been a decent find. My only issue is the heat (not an uncommon experience). Last night I was playing Frostpunk and it was spiking to the mid 90s on the CPU. I've heard that a repaste may do the trick, but I really don't want to do that myself. Will MicroCenter do this for me? Any idea what it might cost? Thanks

 

I'm not sure I'd want them to so it.... have you cleaned out the vents at least with some compressed air?

 

I do believe they have a repaste service, and I would BYOP to have them use.

I would blow your vents out first to test.

 

@Chastity : I downloaded the Intel Driver & Support Assistant...so it should have notified me of the driver update, correct? It's been pretty good, so far, about letting me know if I need to update Intel drivers. (Any reason why I shouldn't keep it, if any?)

How many of you have uninstalled CCC and installed the Obsidian tools (drivers updater, fan control, control station, keyboard led)? I'm curious to know how the tools have been working for you. (If I use Obsidian's updater tool, is it pointless to keep the Intel Driver & Support Assistant?)

As far as temps go, I think my system is staying pretty cool. According to Intel XTU, highest CPU temp is 54*C. I usually forget to check the temp while I'm gaming, though. Any software suggestion for being able to monitor my temps while gaming (that I can look at while I'm in fullscreen but shrink to a very small, unobtrusive window)?

And side note: I'm running NVIDIA driver 416.34. I haven't updated it and wondered if there is really a need to. So far, it's been working great without any BSOD, black screen, or other errors. *knock on wood*

 

I use the Obsidian tools and they are fantastic. Worth the cost compared to the Control Center trash. Extremely small footprint and very few issues with it.

I update every driver that it detects as having an update, including the NVIDIA drivers, which I usually install using a "clean" slimmed down driver installer from Guru3D forums. No problems with it at all, but I'm not a heavy gamer. Wish that the 1510 had a higher refresh rate for GSYNC though.

For the other posts, yes, repaste with MX-4 or Kryonaut. It is honestly taking the time to learn a little and do it yourself due to all the other issues that may be going on internally, including the warped heatsink ussue and horrid paste job. You might want to replace the thermal pads as well.

 

Replace pads only if you see there's no contact.

ICD7 is also a good choice for imperfect heatsinks.

If you use Obsidian's Updater, then you won't need anything else. I use the Control Center and the KBLED tool, and uninstalled CCC.

Currently using 417.75 and enjoying my FreeSync support.

 

Or if the pads looked damaged.

 

@CM_11 @Chastity Thanks! I'm sick of CCC's issues, so I downloaded the Obsidian tools. I just need to install them, which I'm going to do today.

@Chastity So if I have the Obsidian Updater, I don't need Windows Updater? And no problems with BSOD or black screen with the new NVIDIA driver?

On a side note, Windows Updater (I still haven't gotten around to changing it, etc.) downloaded updates that included a driver for something hardware related...I think. I didn't catch what it was for. Anyway, my laptop crashed when it was installing it; I had to shut down by force. When I restarted my laptop, it was fine...or appears to be fine...should I be worried?

Oh yeah, before I forget, a few people elsewhere were saying Gsync doesn't work with the internal display for the PowerSpec laptops? It can only be enabled with external displays or you have to enable it in Bios? Is that true? If it is, why do I have the option to enable or disable Gsync under my NVIDIA Control Panel? How do I know if Gsync is working?

Last, has anyone seen the Overpowered 17" laptop at Walmart? How do you think it compares to the PowerSpec 1710 (minus the fact that it doesn't have the GTX 1070)? Do you think it's able to fully utilize the 144hz screen with a 1060, etc.?

 

You can view the windows update history to look what it says.

 

1) Windows Updater will also get you the OS updates. You can disable the driver updates from WU if you wish to, and just use the Obsidian Updater.

2) Gsync working great at 100Hz on my internal 1710 display. GSync also working great on my external 28" 4K with 418.91 via mini-DP. GSync is disabled on internal panel IF you are in MSHYBRID mode, instead of DISCRETE.

3) 1070 > 1060 for high refresh rates

 

Now that it's been over a year, I am very disappointed of the post-sales support for our laptops. No driver updates, no BIOS or EC updates, NOTHING. Just a thank you for buying, and get a extended warranty to give us more profits.

I expected more from MicroCenter. Shame on them.

 

Driver updates have been available on clevo's site, that said the last one was ~9 months ago. At this point it might be Clevo's fault.

 

Maybe. They seem to be doing fine with other retailers.

Don't think I'll be buying another system from Microcenter. The savings on these models was good enough to pull the trigger at the time, but I'm not sure it was worth the complete lack of support. Wish there was a company that did what Obsidian does, but was domestic to North America. Maybe there is?

 

My fav US based reseller is GenTechPC, I worked with him on a couple of cases for some Asus support, and was quite the pleasure. The customer, otoh...

 

You'll always get a less personal experience with the big stores.

 

Overall, I'm pretty happy with my purchase. It was a great deal. I got better specs than I could afford. With just a rtx 1070, 8 gb ram, and i7 cpu for this chassis, I was looking at around $1600...so I was very excited when Microcenter offered this deal for $1300. (And I drove 3 hours to the store and 3 hours back, still paying way less than $1600.) I do agree that it would be nice if Microcenter worked on their support for drivers, etc. online. It's frustrating with the issue of CCC and the touchpad driver conflict...and no Bios update. I did discover their support forum, so I do think they are working on it.

@Chastity After shopping around, they are the company I originally planned to buy from. They had the best price (before Microcenter's offer) with the most customization. I would definitely consider GentechPC in the future.

 

First, I can't get into Bios. What am I doing wrong? I've tried using the F2 button (as recommended on Microcenter) and the Delete button. What is the button?

And any Bios updates? I know there is the Clevo one, but I haven't tried it...yet.

 

F2 key. You probably need to either disable Fast Startup in Windows or use "Restart" instead of "Shut down"

 

Hold shift and click restart for an advanced menu that can boot straight into the bios with no keys pressed during boot.

 

@Meaker@Sager Oooh, nice. Thanks!

@Prostar Computer I'll try this first. I only tried to get into Bios by shutting down completely. Thanks!

 

It's the easiest way if you can get into windows if you have it all setup to boot super quick