PowerSpec 1720/*Clevo PB70EF-G* tuning!

I wanted to share my experience with this great PowerSpec/Clevo laptop and show anyone interested how I achieved (what I think) is optimum performance for minimum cost out of this chassis. I have been into computers for years but only recently got into laptops and squeezing them performance which is quite fun!!!

On initial purchase I added another 16GB 2666 DDR4 for a total of 32GB dual channel memory.

Using the PowerSpec Control Center I added a +15% offset to the Automatic fan profile for just a bit more airflow without added noise. Awesome feature.

Using ThrottleStop I used every trick I know how in order to fully utilize the CPU. -0.150v core undervolt (-0.135v cache) and -0.100v for everything else. All amperages maxed, Disable & Lock Turbo Power Limits, etc. It's all in the screenshots.

I went ahead and repasted the CPU/GPU with a quality thermal paste (Noctua NT-H1) to lower temperatures. As you can see in the screenshots all the cores are close in temperature which is a sign of a good application. From the factory, cores were 10-12C difference which is not good! A sign of bad thermal application. It's amazing what ThrottleStop can show you...

TS Bench will draw 70W or so maximum with zero power or thermal throttling. A good result.

Cinebench R20 will draw a full 80-81W peak and also NO throttling of any kind! My best score being 3094 so far!

All of my graphics benchmark scores are in my signature with links. Compared to out of the box/factory performance, I think I have raised my scores 15-20% easily! And where the CPU was hitting 96C quickly, now it just barely scratches the surface of 80C on extended load.

*One thing I have not done is undervolt the GPU with MSi Afterburner. I may still do this in the future, but then again I may not. I've used OC Scanner and Afterburner with good success in the past but I have always had issues with overclock profiles not enabling which is annoying to me. The PowerSpec Control Center starts on boot and overclocks the card instantly with zero intervention from me which I enjoy. So far it's been reliable and stable.

 

Here you can see the factory thermal paste application. Not terrible, but not super good. The paste was a bit tough already and came off in little balls. Nowhere near as nice as the Noctua NT-H1 I used after cleaning that off.

Overall, I am super impressed with the cooling of this model. The heatsink is copper and big! And the fans are powerful enough to actually cool the i7-8750H even paired with the full power RTX 2070.

 

The original paste is designed to be low maintenance and apply the same every time hence it's odd texture.

 

It's leaps and bounds better than the paste Acer uses. So I have to give them credit for that! The application was even and correct which is nice to see. I was really most pleased with the thick heatsink design, and overall quality of the build when taking it apart. I like how the M.2 ports have thermal pads making direct contact with the aluminum shell/chassis which cools them. Just nice little details!

 

I forgot to mention one of the other great features. The BIOS! Insyde, mouse controls!

There are a number of overclocking options to include manual memory timings/XMP, CPU and GPU options, even Intel Optane support.

I don’t have any screenshots yet but if I manage any mentionable memory overclocks I’ll post back. For the moment, i’m Just enjoying it.

 

The new GUI for the BIOS setup was a nice touch. Glad to see you enjoying the machine.

 

Maybe you can post some pics?)

 

I will attempt to when I’m back from work this evening. The memory overclocking is intimidating for me, but a nice feature for someone who knows what they are doing!

 

Great results! Is the chassis completely plastic? Also, is the panel TN or IPS?

 

@Vingard The chassis is plastic, and the panel is AHVA - pretty similar to IPS, just AUO's version of it.

 

You can see in the pictures the chassis is a combination of aluminum internally and plastic externally. It's not a solid plastic chassis like some other laptops. This series uses the aluminum inner material to spread heat and help cooling.

 

The whole reason the chassis is thicker is for those heatpipes

 

It's definitely thicker than the Aorus 15 X9 I had previously. But thankfully runs much cooler and quieter. The fans on the Aorus were so loud I legitimately thought it might hover on the desk.

Here are the BIOS shots;

 

The memory timings as I said are a bit over my head at this point but I may eventually use them.

 

Well that didnt take long!!! 2666 to 3000MHz achieved.

I copied the factory memory timings from my 'loosest' stick, bumped the voltage from 1.2v to 1.35v and change the Command Rate from 2T to 1T.

Result; DDR4-PC3000MHz memory speeds! Seems stable but only several hours of gaming and benching will tell.

 

Has anyone noticed on their laptop (any make/model) that the PCH temperature fluctuates a TON?

On battery power the PCH temperature idles at 50-55C. Stressed on battery it will hit 60-65C.

On AC power the PCH temperature idles at 80-85C. Stressed on AC power it will hit 90-95C.

Reading up on the Intel PCH TDP and temperature limits, it seems it can hit upwards of 120C "safely".

I am mostly just curious if anyone else notices similar temperatures on battery and AC power. My last laptop did not have this diode.

 

Deeper fans meand more airflow at the same speed so it does help with noise.

 

Just sharing more info to keep a log of everything I'm experiencing and doing in the event someone else buys one and has the same goals.

There is a definite Throttle/limit on battery I am fighting. I'm able to keep everything under-volted and overclocked just as on AC power, but the CPU will only run at 2.5GHz under load. At idle it will still sit at 4.0GHz, but as soon as I load a benchmark of any kind it sinks to 2.5GHz. I believe PL2 Core & Ring, EDP Other Core & Ring, and something else intermittently. Again, only on battery power regardless of EPP value in both Windows and TS. My Battery profile in TS is identical to Performance which leads me to believe it's either PowerSpec Control Center, Windows(?), or BIOS related. Not a huge deal as I do want less power on battery, but it would be nice to flip a switch and see that go away if I wanted.

Also curious if anyone uses the FlexiCharger feature. I understand what it does, but I'm not sure if I should use it. Previously, I have been on AC power 98% of the time with all my laptops. I rarely use it on battery if ever. So...would you say 60% START and 90% END? I feel like the battery will constantly be discharging but maybe it's better than the constant 100% charge and micro-charging? That's the idea anyways.

I am still fiddling with memory overclocking in BIOS. Apparently, 3200MHz is possible but I haven't tried and I'm about to run to IKEA and can't quite delve in. Once I get back with my new computer desk...I'll be back in BIOS attempting a 3200MHz boot. If not, We'll just tighten the timings at 3000MHz a bit and call it a day. It's been rock steady gaming, bench-marking, sitting at idle, both sleep and waking. I've even tried a series of unplugging battery, running on battery, removing external monitors and charging USB devices. No crashes or hiccups to speak of yet! Very happy!

I cannot stop talking about the keyboard. Maybe there are better ones but I've never had a full RGB with options and I love it. Ripple effect is my favorite, rainbow second. I'm hypnotized!

 

Hey OP, I saw you post on a YouTube comment about your profile here (and how you got this laptop), so I decided to make an account here as well since you seem really knowledgeable on stuff like this.

Anyway, I just bought the 1520 from microcenter the other day. The thing is, this is my first gaming computer EVER and I don't know a thing about computers or computer hardware. I needed a new laptop because I'm going to grad school in a couple months, plus I wanted something to play Cyberpunk 2077 on which comes out next year.

So, I feel bad asking you to help me, but what should I do to optimize this computer and HOW do I do it? lol. Should I just YouTube everything you did and figure it out on my own? Sorry to be a pain!!

 

A lot of the things I've done are shared here on the forums and also on YouTube. It is too much to list in a single post, and I unfortunately don't have the time. However you can install the same programs I have (they are all free) and compare my settings to yours to determine some of the changes I've made. Just be wary as not every computer will accept the same settings.

What I can do is share some key words worth researching, and some sources I used;

ThrottleStop for CPU undervolt
MSi Afterburner for GPU undervolt/overclock
YouTube your model for thermal repaste, or find a similar model
BobOfAllTrades has good Throttlestop videos
HotelHero/RedSand also has good Throttlestop tutorials

There is nothing I've done that is beyond what is commonly available. Initially I was only using the included Control Center for GPU overclocking initially which worked fine but I also wanted to undervolt which MSi Afterburner can do.

Poke around in your BIOS and Google and settings you don't know. That is honestly what I have been doing for years.

 

Undervolting is the safest and easiest way of optimising the machine, have it cooler running. Just note to find the stability edge and step back from it a bit if you intend to use this for school work.

Eg it ends up seemingly just stable at -120mv on the CPU. So step that back to -90mv and it should be good to rely on.

 

Awesome, thank you guys.

I also got a year’s subscription for the ENET gaming edition anti-virus software. Was this a waste of money? I haven’t installed it yet.

Would it be worth getting another DDR4 to make playing cyberpunk even better?

 

Dayum, how tf is your 8750H reaching 3k in R20? Mine only gets to 2667 with even lower UV settings. (it still does reach 3.9GHz all core boost). Max power it'll take during the run is 71W.

 

Any reason you are fighting the battery power limits?

 

My previous two laptops could reach full TDP/power on battery. I'm more just curious what's causing the limit when switching to battery. I mostly just wish to understand it, and not to change it. The slightly extended battery life given by the power throttle is ideal for mobile use, but I almost never use it on battery so it's really not an issue either way.

I run either Windows Defender or Kaspersky Free. Never both. Either disable WD and run Kaspersky or just run WD. That is my preference. I've never in my life paid for antivirus. I am 31 years old and have also never had a virus or malware that I can remember. And I do plenty of web surfing hahaha! That is just my preference. If you use the AV, it may be worth it for you.

If you have only 1 stick of DDR4 absolutely get another. Not even for the added memory capacity, but because it puts your memory in DUAL channel mode running on 2 DIMMS on the same channel. This is a performance boost compared to one stick and single channel mode.

My first CB R20 test unoptimized was around 2600 points. As noted, after repasting the thermal paste on the CPU and GPU the next test scored over 3000. I attribute this entirely to a proper thermal paste application. All 6 cores are usually within 5-6C of each other under load after the repaste. Before the repaste, the cores were 10-15C difference easily. This shows you the coverage of the paste is not even or applied badly.

The memory overclocking got me maybe 50 points in CB (if that). The real key for me was the undervolt and the repaste. I am undervolted -0.165v core, -0.135v cache, 0.0 System Agent (do not undervolt this if you overclock memory), -0.100v iGPU/Unslice. TDP short/long 65W&90W with time limits maxed out.

 

What were your last two laptops? This is quite a high power system and batteries are not designed for the high discharge rate.

 

Much less powerful notebook for sure. An Acer Nitro 5 with i5-7300HQ with 45W TDP. Same TDP as the i7-8750H but you are right it drew less than half the actual wattage this CPU does during Cinebench. Before undervolting I was seeing almost 90W draw compared to the Nitro 5's 40W or so. You are right, it is likely too much power for the battery.

The other laptop was an Acer Aspire X15, i7-7700HQ. Similar to the Nitro 5, but more productivity oriented. This one I've tuned less. Both had Optimus (HD630) and GTX 1050Ti 4GB cards.

 

A 3200MHz DDR4 boot has not been possible yet. It may not be achievable since I am using mismatched memory sticks. One is Hynix modules and the other is Crucial/Micron. Both 16GB sticks, some people say will not overclock as high as 8GB sticks.

Still, we can celebrate some achievement. Tighter timings at 3000MHz! I am still fiddling, and will undoubtedly make more changes. Lots of fun!

 

One more Gold Star, even if it's small.

3099 for Cinebench R20 Multi-Core with the mobile i7-8750H. IF you break it down enough, it's a record!!

https://hwbot.org/submission/4176977_t0bimaru_cinebench___r20_core_i7_8750h_3099_marks

I really want that 3100!!!

 

If you want faster RAM, Crucial do now sell 3200mhz kits for laptops now

 

Well I repasted my laptop with liquid metal on my CPU and Kryonaut on my GPU. CB R20 results jumped to 2746 from 2665 so a decent jump while keeping temps under 75C and the fans are even quieter now
Still, nowhere near your 3k points :|

 

A lot of money at that point for a very minor bump.

 

Agreed. I'm very happy with the free boost to 3000MHz. But even going from 2666 to 3000 there was almost no real-world difference in benchmarking. The increases I saw were basically within margin of error, although always erroring on the increasing side which is the direction I was hoping for. At this point I'm just tightening timings and stability checking.

What are your undervolt values? Perhaps you could go lower on the cores? 75C is a great load temp, and should be giving you full beans! (power)

 

Managed to break 3100. I think there is more in her! No tricks here, I don't even have the laptop elevated off the desk. Running Superposition and a few games inbetween tweaks to ensure some stability. I only have a few hours on -0.175v undervolt but it let me achieve 3107.



https://hwbot.org/submission/4177487_t0bimaru_cinebench___r20_core_i7_8750h_3107_marks/

 

I've been using -0.200v core and -0.135v cache undervolt for several hours with no bad results. My usual series of tests involving load, sleep, idle, charging devices, playing a few games, daily tasks.

I know BobofAllTrades did something like -0.350v core but was then only achieving 3.0GHz boost on load.

At -0.200v core I am still extremely steady at 3.9GHz under load which I think is why it is scoring so high.

At this point I am kicking myself for using an $8 tube of thermal paste. I wonder what it would achieve with something better. I don't want to mess with LM at this point but maybe something in-between.

 

It can help minimum frame rates getting up to 3000mhz and some titles do see a benefit but it trails off after that.

 

Currently -140mV on core, -125mV on cache. Cant lower the cache anymore but Ill try lowering the core. It does sustain the 3.9GHZ boost all the time yet mine draws 72W while yours draws 80. I wonder why?

 

Could be differences in silicon lottery or the sensor.

 

*starts laughing meniacally*
Finally hit 3k score on CB R20! Undervolted my core to -300.8mV which dropped the max CPU power draw to 60W instead of 72W before but my temps are now at 67C when doing a run. I put the fans on max blast and disabled anything in the background that wasn't neccessary (had discord and such open in my last runs). I think I could undervolt it a bit more...

 

Looks like I hit my limit. Score of 3029 with an undervolt of -335.9mV on core, -125mV on cache. Temps dropped by 8C and I got a better score. I call this an absolute win!

 

@TheUberMedic What are the real values of the voltage on the core during the benchmark? Can you post a screenshot?

 

Here you go, temps are higher cause I'm using it on my lap. Still got 2668 while it's on my lap and on automatic fans xD

 

Nice! That is a high score with a big undervolt on the core! If you're still able to score high while undervolting I think you've hit the nail on the head. I am very curious how the laptop will perform in gaming with such an undervolt. BobOfAllTrades seemed to go back to -0.125v after the initial -0.350v because he wanted higher boost clock speed. It seems "easy" to maintain max turbo during a single benchmark. Whereas in games, there are a ew more variables that affect temperature and workloads.

 

The testing continues.

I have not moved from -0.135v cache. But I did jump down to -0.250v core after @TheUberMedic 's success and fired up an online game of WWZ with 2 friends. We played for roughly 2.5hrs and no issues to speak of. Temps peaked at 88C on several cores, however the core clock was always within 3.850-3.90GHz which I will call "consistent" given how the cores always fluctuate a bit under gaming.

Maybe I will try lower if there are no stability issues! I have been really pleased with the stability of this laptop thus far. I feel there probably isn't much more to do other than keep it operating and possibly repaste with a much higher quality thermal paste.

 

But i'm asks about voltages, not temps)

 

At -0.350v core and -0.150v cache undervolt under TSBench 1024 test it pulls roughly 0.9500v @ 57W for my setup.

Cinebench R20 Multi Core test is closer to 0.9700v @ 59W.

I've also hit the limit of this memory combo I believe. CL17 is the lowest it will boot at this speed. And tRAS time lower than 41 causes errors in TSBench.

Not bad going from PC2666 19-19-19-43 2T @ 1.2V all the way to PC3000 17-17-17-41 1T @ 1.35v for free!

Also worth noting; I placed a small square of thermal pad on the PCH surface to help cool it. It seems to be roughly 10C cooler after the pad.

 

I have to recant on that last tRAS update. I woke this morning to some errors after more testing at those timings.

Backed off to tRAS 43 and all is well again. So official stop at PC3000 17-17-17-43 1T @ 1.35v.

It also seems the limit for my RTX 2070 is +200 offset core and +500 offset memory speeds. Roughly 1629 base boost but it will peak at 2000 or so max. Exactly 2000MHz memory speed (default 1750).
Not bad at all! Lives in the 60-70C range under load. Anything more to the core causes instability. This is via the MSi OC Scanner app/Curve.

Interestingly, on the inside of the bottom lid of the laptop I noticed the mesh grill is tabbed and folded to hold it in place. I straightened the tabs, gently pushed the grill out from the inside and removed it. The CPU and GPU fans are now fully exposed to direct air with no restriction from the metal grille. I've put the grille safely aside for re-installation later, as it is easily replaced.

I think the removal of this grille is good for 1-3C difference under load and on max fan settings. The laptop WILL ingest more dust and hair without the grille, so beware. A worthy trade off in my mind as I clean my laptops religiously. Too much, honestly.

 

Congrats on tweaking your systems and making them the best that they can be.
I can really appreciate the effort behind it!

Those are very high CPU undervolts. Are these CPUs still e.g. XTU benchmark stable like that?

 

The voltage is the number listed after where it says "VID". It shows a value of 1.0162V.

Don't use XTU but it seems stable. Been playing games for hours on end with no crashes or the likes.

 

I also do not tune with XTU. Using Throttle Stop and MSi Afterburner currently. I run a number of other benchmarks. All the free 3DMark tests, TSBench, Cinebench R20, Unigine Superposition, Unigine Heaven, and there is an in-game benchmark for WWZ that I use. I like the in-game benchmark as it's a mix of CPU/GPU/memory testing and it heats up all the components.

I am extremely happy to say I have yet to see a hard crash or BSOD of any kind since buying this computer. Which is crazy, because my previous Acer had BSOD's all the time!

The memory errors I have seen were simply application crashes. OR TSBench just says "# Errors". Same when overclocking the GPU too much, the benchmark just closes.

At -0.350v core and -0.150v cache the temperatures are very good under load! I have been/will be gaming and testing all today and tomorrow and will report anything that pops up.

To say I'm surprised by the stability is an understatement. My previous i5-7300HQ would barely hit -0.115v before instability. That runs on Kaby Lake which is a bit dated. I think the Coffee Lake architecture has something to do with independent core and cache voltage but maybe I am wrong.