*** Official Clevo P640RE/Sager NP8640 Owner's Lounge ***

Did someone tried to repaste with liquid metal? Do you guys know whats the thermal pads size? 0.5 or 1?

 

It kind of pre-dated the trend. You need to ensure the fit is perfect to move to it over paste too.

 

Posting here as there's no dedicated thread for the P641HK1.

Is it possible to disable the nVidia gpu via EFI/BIOS on these machines (or via a modded BIOS if the stock one lacks this option) ?
On a side note: does anyone know if/when will they update the i7-7700hq to Core 8th series ?

 

Why would you want to? The power consumption of the chip when in optimus sleep is negligible (Memory bus powered down, core simply awaiting power on signal).

 

Well, I'm in the market for a new laptop that I'll use mainly to do compilation & computation on *nix (LINUX and BSD - these will all be installed natively not virtually) and only occasional gaming (windows) and it'd be nice to have the option to just disable the dGpu even if the gains are minimal since it's useless (except when gaming). I've owned several Lenovos and they all had this option in EFI/BIOS. From experience, leaving the dGpu enabled might cause all sorts of glitches that require additional troubleshooting e.g. adding various kernel parameters and what not (depends on the implementation though, on some setups everything works fine). It's just more convenient if that device (the dGpu) doesn't exist, as far as the OS is concerned.

 

You might be able to with a fully unlocked BIOS. Certainly not under stock.

 

if you can get your hands on a prema bios then the option is there. i would suggest reaching out too him. just keep in mind that you run the risk of voiding your warranty.

 

Thank you both for your replies ! I just got the barebone and installed the hyperx ram and the intel 9260 wifi card (that I had bought a couple of weeks ago). I'm going to use a Linux liveusb until I get a m.2 drive (I got my eyes on a samsung 850 pro 512gb).
The mechanism that holds the hdd in place looks meh... Also, there's no CapsLock led. Really ?
As expected, nVidia Optimus sucks on Linux. The liveusb needs some additional parameteres to load the desktop:

Code:

i915.modeset=1 nouveau.modeset=0

otherwise it will just freeze before loading the GUI. All else seems to work fine from the liveusb, even the new intel 9260 (note you need a 4.14 kernel or newer for this to work) . I'll keep you posted once I install it.
Now to find Prema and hope there's an unlocked bios for this model.

 

I wonder if optimus will ever get on well with Linux, it's not going away.

 

I wonder the same thing... In the Linux world we all love nVidia...

Anyway, after playing with it some more, I found that Fn+F1 (toggle touchpad on/off) and Fn+F11 (toggle airplane mode on/off) do not work on Linux. No drivers. There's some stuff out there for other clevo laptops (e.g. here and here) but they don't work on this machine. Bummer... Looks like all else (even the card reader) works fine.

Now, there is something that does not work in Windows: the brightness keys (Fn+F8/F9). I know it's not a hardware issue as they work fine in Linux... so how do I make them work in Windows ? I have installed everything from the CD - even that "hotkey" software... Is there some hidden setting ? Thanks in advance !

 

Hello, I am facing the same problem. The internal display is not working in windows nor boot (UEFI), but it is working in Linux. Did anyone find the solution?

 

I now have the same problem reported here:

I'm pretty sure in my case it's the cable too as using an external display or TV works fine. Also, once I play with the lid and find a "working position" it will continue to work for hours as long as I don't touch/tilt the display or move the laptop.

This is extremely annoying (I almost never shut down the machine, I always suspend to ram via lid close - I've been doing this for years and never had any problem with any of the laptops I've owned). I emailed the seller (which is 2000km away, btw...) and I'm waiting for a response.

I'm very disappointed. This is a brand new laptop. I can understand that integrated circuits can fail at any time due to the sensitive nature of circuitry but this ? A modern laptop should never have this problem, it's a damn copper wire that should outlast the laptop and all electronics inside. Unless the design sucks. You hear that Clevo ?

 

Sounds like it got pinched in the hinge, it perhaps was not fully secured or got dislodged while it was being worked on.

 

Since no one still responded and I realized that maybe my issues is not exactly the same as previous I will try to give you all more insight:

Since upgrading to the creators' update, my P640RE (from metabox) is booting with a black screen to the UEFI and Windows 10 on internal monitor, but the monitor itself works ok in Linux. Also, I am able to use the laptop with an external monitor without any issues (it even seems like both GPUs are working as I am able to play high demanding games on medium / high settings, which is clearly out of the picture for the integrated one). If it would be dedicated GPU issue, I should not be able to use it via the external monitor and if it was LCD issue it should not work anywhere. Can anyone please point me the right way? Am I missing something?

Thank you

 

Have you updated the BIOS/Video drivers?

 

Actually, I did and also tried to reinstall the windows few times. Do you think it is bios related? If so, where can I get the latest drivers (except http://www.clevo.com.tw/clevo_down.asp?lang=en)?

 

there is a couple places you can get them from, your reseller usually has them, also if you go to http://www.sagernotebook.com/drivers.php you can look your system up by model and it will list all the drivers available.

 

Thank you very much. Is there a way how to contact Prema for his bioses (looks like I cannot send him message)? On his website I can see only subscribe and thats all Normal bios still looks like it cannot recognize the nvidia graphical card so I am thinking if his bios would be successful

 

honestly, i don't think his BIOS is gonna make much difference with your issue. with the issue your having i really suggest sending your laptop to the reseller for warranty repairs.

 

That is the thing, there is no more warranty for that one... And as far as I know there is no repair centre in my country so I have to send it to Germany or whatever... And if the card and everything is working perfectly fine except on internal monitor in Win and BIOS I still think it is just bios or driver issue - it behaves exactly the same as when guys are changing their GPU inside notebooks (as I read on some forums).

 

have you done any overclocking on the GPU? you can always reach out to prema and see if he can help, just tag him in a post. thats about the only suggestion i can make on reaching him.

 

I did not, It just went black after anniversary update :-( . Ok I will try to contact @Prema and see what happens. Thank you for suggestions

 

Has anyone got the Brightness Hotkey to work after updating to Windows 10 Version 1803 (April Update)? I had to reinstall the latest Intel drivers but the hotkey drivers on Sager's Website doesn't help.

 

I'm currently hearing a whirring high pitched noise when playing a game. I tried starting the game while the case is open to see where it's coming from and it seems to come from the CPU fan. I've cleaned the dust off it (that I can see) but it's still making the sound. Any ideas?

 

It could be the bearing, either if you can get some oil in and see if that helps or replace it.

 

I would also try just taking it out and re-seating it.

 

Will try to do those things. Thanks guys. I want to try and remove the fans but that would mean I have to remove the heat sink first right? Does that mean I need a new thermal paste if I'm going to put it back in?

 

Open it and check but the black film between the heatsink might not be attached to both and it might just be two screws for the fan alone.

 

Hi, I just ordered a CLEVO P640RF.

14,0" Full HD 1920x1080 Glossy
i7-6820HK
GTX 965m 2GB Refresh

I cannot find any info on this.

What kind of screen is this? The 640RE has a matte display.
Where can I get a unlocked VBios? GTX 965m are supposed to clock really well.
It only comes with a 150W power supply. Won't it run into power issues?

 

After 2.5 years of usage my P640RE battery capacity fell down to 48% (21 Wh). Is it possible to buy a new battery alone, without sending the whole laptop to the shop or service center? If yes - where do I buy it and how much does it cost?

 

It should be possible, have you contacted your reseller?

 

Not yet, saw a notification email about the new post and decided to ask here first.
Will contact them and report here later.

 

Other local resellers are an option too.

It's an internal battery under the main cover held in by some screws and a removable cable into the motherboard.

 

There are no local resellers in Thailand... and the shop in Singapore where I've bought the laptop does not ship batteries abroad.

Does anyone know a Clevo reseller in south-east Asia?

 

Hi, I bought a Clevo P640RF with 2GB GTX 965M Refresh (GM206).

When trying to read the bios with GPU-Z I get "bios readng not supported on this device".

Nvflash --save gm206.rom results in this error:

 

That's because its soldered and the vbios is integrated into the system bios.

 

I see all resellers no longer list P641HK1... Is that a sign that Clevo's going to release a new model ?

 

Or simply model retirement.

 

I've got an exclamation point in device manager next to the NVidia 970M. Reinstalling Windows 10 (various versions) and drivers (various versions) doesn't help. Forcing it to use the 970m results in a blue screen.

Thoughts?

 

The GPU could be dead.

 

I've read that in some cases solder joints could go bad and that by heating (either with a heat gun or a regular convention oven) some or all portions of a board, the connections can be restored.

Obviously this isn't without some risk on an otherwise working mainboard and would not repair an actual dead GPU. Has anyone ever tried this?

If this doesn't work, do any of the resellers have old stock on replacement mainboards?

 

It really depends where the issue is. At best it's usually a temporary patch.

 

The reseller in Singapore suggested laptop-battery.com.sg, who do not want to use any reputable companies like DHL with international shipping, but insist on using some local courier company which does not provide any tracking or guarantees in shipping abroad.

Does anyone know any other Asian companies who sell Clevo batteries and ship by DHL/UPS/FedEx/etc?

EDIT: US/EU company would be good too, if they ship abroad.

 

I have the same problem after changing the SSD and installing the latest Windows 10.

How do you make Fn+F8 and Fn+F9 work on Windows ?

Btw, they work fine on linux...

 

OK, I had to install the latest Intel Graphics driver to make the brightness keys work.

 

So, on Saturday the left USB-A port stopped working and now another one on the right side died. USB devices get powered but no data, only the leds work... This is on Linux, Windows and BSD so clearly a hardware problem.
This is a ten-months-old laptop so, needless to say, I'm "impressed" by the quality of Clevo products...

 

Were you using a USB hub or any devices in the ports?

 

Well, yes, I was using plenty of devices that were plugged/unplugged multiple times per day: HSDPA modems, numpads, mice (I'm ambidextrous so I sometimes plug in a mouse for left handed and other times a mouse for right handed), HDD/SSD enclosures that connect via USB, phones and what not... So the ports got plenty of usage but hey, I had two laptops (Dell and Lenovo) that had received the same treatment for about 6 years and not a single glitch. I'm going to take the laptop to a shop where they'll try to repair/resolder the usb ports (laptop is out of warranty - I bought it barebone so I only got 6 months of warranty) and then I'll sell it.

 

up

 

The circuits are different each side, if it's an electrical issue then it's likely caused by a device going bad. It's not a problem we often see.