Clevo P870DM-G Review

I totally forgot about the ROPs and TMUs! That makes much more sense.

 

Hmmm, very strange. Clevo is obstructing the second vga fan intake in the middle of the unit with a foil adhesing to the grill (see attached photo). I wonder if this is the reason why my slave vga card has much higher temps than the primary vga card lokated lateral to it. Or is the smaller fan in the middle just a bad performer? Temp difference between my cards in sli is about 10 grade celcius.

 

I think this picture better illustrates what I mean. VGA FAN 2 does NOT get any air intake from the bottom like the other two fans (VGA1 and CPU). Is this a design problem?

 

Looks like a very valid discovery to me, I did notice VGA 2 with a large delta temp difference but did not tear down the machine as my focus was on something else at the time. The good thing is the mesh is still on the bottom so could you just remove the heat shield to open up the air flow with out actually damaging the outside of the cover?

10c difference isn't horrible as long as they are both under target, if you look in Nvidia inspector you will see the VBIOS max temps are different with the slave card is higher so I think they expected this but the more air flow the better if it can be improved.

 

@GTVEVO: Could you tell me please how exactly I can find the VBIOS max temps with Nvidia inspector?
Ah, and what´s the ASIC quality of your cards? Mine are 69 and 67, the slave card is the 67. In Unigine Heaven the slave card gets above 80 degrees with auto fan, the mastercard stays at abou 70 degrees.

 

@Prema just mentioned that you probably got the GTX 980 bottom Cover instead of the 980m SLI Cover. Just go over to the officially P870DM thread.

 

I only had a machine for a few days and discovered the CPU current throttle issue so all my attention was on that, the owner has shipped the machine back the last I heard so I have nothing to reference now.

Once you open click "Show Overclocking" then view the max temp on the slider right about your Voltage offset slider. Normal is 92c I believe.

 

That's a total bummer, hopefully they will send you a new bottom panel as these are barebone machines and they are probably not getting all the details on each specific part difference. Where did you purchase and let us know how they handle it because you won't be the first to encounter this issue I am sure.

 

I bought from CEG. Good price for the unit and I could order without RAM, SSD and OS. I will contact CEG.

And by the way, nvidia inspector says 102c for both gpus, isn´t that a little high??

 

Always a pleasure to help somebody unshackle a beast and help it run wild and free. The BIOS defaults, as the case seems to be with most systems, is just messed up. All we did was set the voltage to static, lower it, unlock the Turbo Boost Short Power Max and increase the power thresholds to a limit higher than what the CPU needs to function at the clock speeds we are asking it to run. All of this comes through trial and error and hours of testing, nothing magic... just time spent.

Two things to remember... voltage tends to be static and too much is bad (too hot) and too little is unstable (0x124 WHEA STOP errors, lockups, etc.). Skylake and Haswell are both extremely voltage sensitive. Give it too much (including stock settings) and it will throttle to protect itself. Second, power is not static. You can use power limits (amps and watts) much higher than the CPU needs and it will ignore the excess. If you don't give it enough power headroom it will run out of power and throttle due to the lack thereof.

Those that want to try it and haven't already figured it out, screen shots of my 4.5GHz and 4.7GHz profiles are attached. You won't be able to set BCLK without Prema's BIOS, but the other stuff should be settable with XTU. Don't feel compelled to use these for gaming. The higher clocks add heat without adding FPS. Since Sandy XM to the present, 4.3GHz seems like the sweet spot for gaming on all of my systems, and this borrowed review beast is no exception. Nice temps with the right thermal paste at 4.3GHz and more than enough for games... just not enough for show-stopping benching results.

As you can see, the only thing I changed going from 4.5GHz to 4.7GHz is voltage. Power limits are set higher than they need to be so I don't have to worry about whether or not the CPU has enough headroom. The CPU ignores the extra power available to it and only "drinks" what it needs. Core #1 is set 100MHz higher to force the CPU to idle at the desired clock speed. If you set all 4 the same it will usually run 100MHz less for some reason. My Panther is the same way... might be a Clevo thing because I don't experience that with Alienware. At any rate, you use the setting that work best for each machine and that's all the matters at the end of the day. I don't care about or use single core, so all I really care about is what the CPU does with all 4 cores under load.

It's going to be tough to return this machine in a couple of weeks. I'm just about to the point I would trade any or all of my Alienwares and my Panther for one of these marvelous monsters.

 

Well that is different than the unit I had as it showed one at 91 or 92 and the slave at 102 I believe so interesting for sure.

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Do it. Do it now.

 

I certainly would, but there is no such offer in play, LOL.

 

Keep in mind that HIDevolution offer 0% interest free installment plans and I can hook you up with a discount when you decide to take the plunge onto the Phoenix Bandwagon.

If I were you, I would build the base Phoenix @ 2K USD and go up slowly from there.

 

You have three Alienwares right? Get rid of the M18xR1 and AW18. Keep the M18xR2 and Panther 5. Legendary machines. If you have to get rid of three, keep the Panther. The Panther still has the hexacore CPU.

 

Ted is a great guy, and he runs a good ship. But, if I get one of these (and that is a big if due to being cash strapped) it will be a EUROCOM Sky X9. They are different than most, and I want to support their highly favorable views on performance, modding and overclocking, which is not shared (or in some cases, not simply permitted) universally by all vendors. That's my personal view on the matter. Now, buying on another continent is a different story and I realize folks need to buy it from the best source offering it regardless of the business philosophy.

I think any long-standing and well established vendor with a presence in this forum is a safe option, but I'm all about scratching the right backs when it comes to favoritism. That's what made me an Alienware fan... until that well dried up and they stopped selling wicked hardware.

 

fox doesnt go "slowly up" from base, its either all in or nogo

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Maybe Mr. Fox isn't tempted enough. But wait till the 180W SLI variants are out!

 

I have a confession to make.

Even though I have the P770DM in my sig, I find myself using my "measly" AW18 more. Sure, it's less powerful (765M SLI, i7-4700MQ, no G-SYNC) but the end-user experience (better keyboard, better build quality/materials, amazing 18.4" PLS TrueLife display) just make it more pleasant to use for my tastes. Unless I need the extra horsepower of the P770DM for more intensive games, I just end up using the AW18.

Sad.

 

@Matrix Leader... I posted this elsewhere, but something you can do in just a few minutes.

Here we go... don't sweat the small stuff, guys. Not a big deal.
[parsehtml]<iframe width="853" height="480" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/ccZBY3YYGJs?rel=0" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>[/parsehtml]

 

Whats the cooling pad in the video?

You guys are making me regretting going with a single 980 on a P775DM. The P870DM is quite heavy though, which is pretty much the only reason I didnt go with it. Even just 3.9kg is a PITA to move around at times.

 

Any temp differences? =)

 

It is a heavily modded Notepal U3. I have two of them... both AC powered (instead of USB) with three 120MM high CFM desktop chassis fans and a fan controller for each fan.

Notepal U3 Fan Mod

Notepal U3 Plus Fan Mod

Not sure... LOL. Maybe.

 

Well ur not alone. I loved my aw18, the keyboard, 18,4" screen, pretty decent low-noise in games etc. When I bought the new AW17, I was so dissapointed, not because off the soldered cpu etc, but the thin laptop design = extreme high gaming noise from fans trying to cool things off... returned.
Then I tried the infamous Asus rog 751 GY. Perfect low gaming noise from fans(the best?), but the overall quality was more like ****! Returned, then I bought high end desktop.... regret... and now this beast:
Multicom Kunshan P870 Killer-Edition

yeah, it's a Clevo P870Dm-G

 

I hear ya, I went through the same thing, from a AW17 R1, tried the new AW17 R2, loud and hot. Returned it.

Had a G751JY, amazingly cool and quiet. Just as cool and quiet (surface temperatures) under load as when idle. But I agree, the build quality wasn't quite up to snuff, and it was very large for a machine with BGA components, and it was a PITA to do any kind of service work beyond swapping out storage devices. That went back.

I'd like to upgrade my AW18, but in order to be able to buy even a single 970M (and justify the upgrade) I need to sell off its current SLI kit (765M x 2, 75W heatsinks x 2, SLI cable). Posted on eBay, local classifieds...no buyer thus far. That's the one caveat with MXM components - people assume you can easily find a buyer for your used GPUs. If you can't sell your old components to help offset the cost of the new ones, it becomes extremely expensive to upgrade a laptop like this. A GTX 980M costs close to $900 CAD after tax and shipping. If you can sell your old card for $300-$400 then it isn't so bad.

 

Wouldnt it make more sense to just write off the 765m as a lost instead of switching to the P770DM?

 

Yes and no.

The AW18 is probably worth around $1400 CAD, and a 970M would cost around $650. So upgrading it and writing off its current GPUs would cost me around $700 or so.

My Clevo P770DM cost me around $2000, so if I sold my AW I'd be out of pocket around $700 as well.

In other words, if I write off the 765Ms, the net upgrade cost of the AW18 is about the same as selling the AW and buying the Clevo.

 

You can sell that alienware for more easily. Considering the perceived value of alienwares.

I sold my GT70 for 1400 CAD easily in vancouver.

 

Not in my neck of the woods. They're hard to sell.

 

Pah, still nothing compared to the 6.5KG P570WM

That 980 should have some legs on it with tweaking.

 

See that you bought the Multicom Kunshan P870 Killer-Edition from Multicom in Norway. Can you post the hardware specifications Multicom used in this Killer-Edition? Thought actually to order this modell now.

 

If i run this beast with 330W stock CPU i5 6600K and GPU 980 desk non OC is it have any throttle issue :-??

 

• 17.3" matt Full-HD IPS 1920x1080, G-Sync
• nVIDIA GeForce GTX 980 8GB GDDR5 (Maxwell)
• Intel Core i7-6700K CPU 4GHz ~ 4.1GHz
• Intel Z170 chipset
• 32GB DDR4 2133MHz SO-DIMM RAM (4x 8GB)
• 1024GB (2x 512GB) PCIe SSD M.2
• 2TB 2x 1TB 7200rpm SATA 2.5" HDD
  
  There is, unfortunately, no option to change or chose between different builds other than screen, ram and SSD/HDD. I wish I had the option to order with ICD, extra heatsink etc...But, there is always something I can do myself.

 

No you should be fine but in most cases you will probably benefit from some CPU tuning via XTU as the default voltage is usually set too high. You will be the first posted with the i5 so keep us informed on your results and benchmarks.

 

Haha i just order this beast today so about 18 - 20 day on next month i will have a review for you guys. But are you sure no throttle issue on max load :-??, can you tell me simple way to understand what XTU is using for :-??

 

There are a few with a single gpu out and no complaints of CPU throttle, the SLI version was the only one that this issue surfaced and only when SLI was enabled. The issue is with the stock bios settings applying to the CPU and currently things seem to be resolved after working with Matrix and Mr. Fox so I would say at this point it sounds regardless they either won't be a problem most likely or they can be resolved quickly with XTU and permanently with the Prema bois and vbios.

Anytime you are spending a great deal of coin though its always good to check your return policy and work with your vendor to ensure you can make a purchase to keep or return smoothly.

 

Okay got it

 

@Mr. Fox @GTVEVO

I was able to achieve a 4.4 GHz stable Overclock to match the speeds of the Devil's Canyon.

I don't know if it's bad to go this low on voltage, but I was able to go as low as 1.10253906 on the voltage to keep temps down and prevent throttling and the system hasn't crashed yet even after running the XTU benchmark a few times. I will see if it crashes later on but for now it's good, here are the settings and the 44x1 profile

44,42,41,41 Profile

 

Your wish is my command:

 

Hey dude can you show me some temps of stock speed CPU and GPU max load please :-?? Like when playing heavy game or something :-??

 

Just surfing the web:



Heaven Benchmark:




3DMark11 Physics Test:



XTU Benchmark:

 

I see your slave gpu is also about 10c higher than the primary gpu as heaven shows the slave gpu on top. Obviously the fan in the middle is weaker than the 2 at both sides.

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Good observation and analysis Didn't think about it to be honest.

 

Wow that temp is nice but i wonder their (hidevoluton) apply the liquid ultra on GPU too :-??

 

no LCU is only on the CPU. I told them not to have LCU on the GPU intentionally. IC Diamond is on the GPUs by default from Clevo.

 

Why you not choose apply it on GPU :-??

 

mind you, the CPU doesn't only have LCU but also an advanced copper heatsink

 

Because on the Alienware 18 it was dangerouos but after I spoke with Mr. Fox he said it's perfectly safe for the Clevo laptops since the GPU has like some kind of surrounding the prevents LCU from spilling over onto the die and frying it. I didn't know that at the time and had in my mind that LCU on a GPU is a big no no. But IC Diamond isn't that bad. I never overclock the GPU anyway. Tried it on my previous desktop which had two 980 Tis from EVGA and while in benchmarks it was stable, while waching movies or long periods of gaming it would freeze so I don't want the extra headaches.

 

Thanks for your feedback but I know all that. I want the specific name and version on 1024GB (2x 512GB) PCIe SSD M.2, memory chips and the Hdd. Also if the desktop card is the 200w version. Change to Clu self. Other paste is a waste. It's not hard to do that. Thanks

 

@Matrix Leader: Can you take a picture of your advanced copper heatsink. What's the difference?

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