*** Official Clevo P65xSA/SE/SG / Sager NP8650/51/52 Owner´s Lounge ***

Likely just thermal creep on the connector/cable. Reseat it fully and see if that resolves it.

 

I am also noticing this problem with keyboards, some of the keys need multiple strokes to register. I think the keys may be probably going bad or something. so i have been searching ebay and came across a few replacement boards, does anyone have any experience with the replacement selling on eBay?

 

No, but from what I gathered they seem legit

 

Not enough of a market for lots of fakes AFAIK.

 

Hello there,

You can use an unlocked M.2 3042 LTE module from the likes of the Qualcomm Snapdragon X5, commonly branded as the HP LT4120 Snapdragon X5.

Sample listings:

1. Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/LT4120-Snapdragon-T77W595-796928-001-150Mbps/dp/B078MH2F2S

2. eBay: https://www.ebay.com/itm/HP-LT4120-...4G-WWAN-M2-Modem-Module-150Mbps-/302394542778

If that slot is available on your laptop, be assured that the antennas for it are already provided.
I had the same issue with following up on the same information with Origin and all I got was crickets. Their tech support is ****.

To get it working on Linux, apply the following udev rules: https://github.com/borovsky/x5-snapdragon-linux/tree/master/udev

Install that under /lib/udev/rules.d

If you dual boot, you won't need the firmware steps listed in the repository. As at the present, libqmi can initialize the modem fully and have it used in network manager and modem-manager for session initialization and data monitoring respectively.

And a small tip when sourcing the LTE modules:

1. Avoid the older Telstra Gobii LTE modules. They're often older and their firmware often has issues with band selection, both on Linux and on Windows.

2. A good bet: The Huawei line. They tend to be globally unlocked, but for newer LTE features (such as ISM band 28(700MHz) support is lacking.

3. Best bet: What I recommended above. Reason: You can get them locally from any IT shop near you, because current-gen HP notebooks use them. Bonus point, always unlocked and they support the band 28 (700MHz) which offers superior performance on LTE-only networks.

 

Any luck on finding the Prema BIOS? I'm looking for it as well for my p650SG in order to help my buddy out with some dev work.

Does anyone have it? I'd be really grateful for it!

 

Howdy. I'm trying to run a dual-boot setup with Windows 10 LTSB and Windows 7 Ultimate. I have an issue in Windows 7 where there is no precision with the brightness levels. Each time I press Fn+F9 the brightness jumps by about 15-20% like it does in Windows 10, but when I move the brightness slider in Power Options it also jumps by the same 15-20% steps. In Windows 10 the brightness slider offers complete precision to 1% accuracy, which SHOULD also happen in Windows 7.

Is there a solution to this problem? I'm running the latest HD4600 drivers from the Intel website and have also tried the drivers from the Clevo website.

 

I've been looking for over a week now and I have not had any luck finding a copy of the Prema bios for the P650SG. The old download pages aren't even cached or archived.

I have had huge issues with keyboard buffering on my P650SG (release the key after pressing it for an interval, but keypress is still registering. Annoying when you release a key, but the keypress continues repeating anywhere from 2-10+ seconds), as well as visual anomalies (some sort of ghosting with white pixels, not just an IPS issue as it's replicated on other monitors. Enabling Vsync clears most of it up but not all of it.). I'd love to try reflashing the 980M except NOBODY provides the vBIOS, so nvflash is basically worthless, I can't even do a simple "replace-in-kind" if the vBIOS is corrupted, which is ridiculous.

These problems exist independently of the operating system, the keyboard buffer issue is replicable in FreeDos, Linux, and multiple windows installations, and the video issue is also OS independent. Even If this could be "solved" by installing the hotkey software, then that's not really a solution since the hardware should be properly made in the first place and should be as independent of operating system and/or drivers as possible. The simpler the chain, the fewer links that can break. The video corruption issue is not a ram or overheating issue (have run memory checks on both system and video ram with no issues, operating temperatures seem to be normal.)

I reflashed the EC and BIOS to the clevo repository from http://forum.notebookreview.com/threads/clevo-bios-older-models-released-in-after-2014.790474/ in place of the reseller's bios, and it cleared up the keyboard buffering (for the most part) EXCEPT for the w key. There are no keyboard buffer issues if I plug in a USB keyboard but that defeats the portability of the system in the first place. I could easily build a desktop with a similar form factor which is significantly more powerful if I merely wanted a set-top box.

The 980M performs beautifully except for the ghosting issues, and otherwise the Clevo build quality is quite nice. I'm switching back to Lenovo after this though, between the secretiveness of the resellers and the unavailability of tech support (and unwillingness to help for people with older models. Thanks for nothing, Eurocom.) leaving the rest of us who don't have the time or knowledge to delve into EC/BIOS modding to this morass of unhelpfulness, I'm thoroughly disgusted with the whole experience of owning a Clevo. I'll dissuade everyone I know from ever buying or dealing with Clevo or Clevo-rebrands because of the dumpster fire that is Clevo-reseller tech support. Which is a complete shame since I do think the build quality is nice and working on the chassis is relatively simple (looking at you, HP.)

I'm going to try to reflash to the Schencker/XMG bios for my model (from https://www.mysn.de/driver/ ), and hope for the best, and I'll report back if it's successful at fixing any of the issues for anyone who may have these problems in the future. If I don't post after this, then my system has become a doorstop.

Edit: reflashed to XMG EC and BIOS, but keyboard problem is still present. Framerates have improved noticeably, fewer graphical issues, but some corruption still present. Perhaps flashing the vBIOS to an upgraded or non-corrupted version would resolve it.

Edit #2: For anyone who might be in a similar situation regarding vBIOS problems:

https://www.techpowerup.com/vgabios...&version=&interface=&memType=&memSize=&since=

This is a collection of all the 980M vBIOS files that I have been able to find (the only place on the internet I have been able to find this resource) which might work for people with different cards. The Clevo 4gb card is registered as 10DE 13D7 but the vBIOS is not compatible with the Asus 4gb which has the same Vendor and Device ID (I suspect because the Subsystem IDs are different).

Interestingly, this Clevo 4gb card does not allow GPU-Z to read/save the vBIOS, and nvflash only works every other time. I suspect there is some sort of fault with the card (again, likely the vBIOS), although there is no instability in high-demand applications.

This is the exact card in the database, but it's "unverified" and there are no updates, unfortunately. https://www.techpowerup.com/vgabios/166323/166323

I will attempt to flash with this upload after running some checksums etc, and report back with an edit later on.

Edit 3: Pulled the card's vbios with nvflash, the md5 checksum matches, so I won't bother reflashing. If there had been a discrepancy I would have.

Including some additional keywords so hopefully this post shows up in any internet searches for people with similar issues:
P650SG P65XSX P6XXSX BIOS EC 1.05.01 Haswell
Clevo-Kapok GTX 980M 4gb vBIOS
white pixel ghosting game in-game
keypress repeat repeating

Edit 4:
Very interesting issue cropping up! There's a version mismatch of the exact same file! I backed up the vBIOS weeks ago before all the tinkering I've done and I can save an identical (md5 hashsum match) copy of it FROM the card, I can't write TO the card because of the mismatch.
Nvflash shows:
Adapter: GeForce GTX 980M (10DE,13D7,1558,6556)
BUT
Subsystem Vendor ID : 0x10DE
Subsystem ID : 0x0000
is shown in the exact same output! When trying to flash, huge mismatch issue!

Edit 5: Forced a new flash with nvflash -6 of someone else's vBIOS for the same card (matched hashes), the display errors seemed to quiet down slightly, but that might just be me getting used to them.

It's a real shame, it's quite a nice system and it'd be fantastic if it weren't for these two glaring issues.

Edit 6: Someone was kind enough to link a copy of Prema's vBIOS mod for this 980M and THE VIDEO CORRUPTION ISSUES ARE COMPLETELY GONE. The Certification Bypass version of nvflash was required, and the nvidia drivers had to be completely uninstalled before the graphics adapter could be detected by nvflash, but it worked beautifully.

Edit 7: It looks like I'm not the only one who has had this issue: http://www.tomshardware.co.uk/answers/id-3150110/keyboard-key-stuck-clevo-p650se.html
I think it absolutely has something to do with the "gaming key" function of the Clevo keyboard, but there's no damn documentation on it and whether it can be disabled through some Fn+ key combination or if there's an EC update.

 

Deleted

 

Did you get permission to share it?

 

Just a few digits off from what I need, unfortunately. Thanks for offering though.

 

Hello,
I need some advice. I wanted to update the bios of my Clevo P650HS-G. So I have contacted my reseller. They have sent me the BIOS version 1.05.14. And they told me to execute the FlashMEWinX64.bat file. I did that, but it didn't work.

After that, they connected to my Laptop via TeamViewer. The Guy from the support executed the FlashWinX64.bat file. It went through no problem what so ever. But the ME version is still the old one.

I am unsure, if the bios update even worked. I can't see anything new in the bios (came from version 1.05.04).
Here is the BIOS update they have send me:

And here a photo of my current bios:

Here is a photo of my old bios:


What should I do now?

 

The BIOS updates from 1.05.04 to 1.05.14 (1.05.05, 1.05.07, 1.05.08) are mainly new driver support, some RAID changes, Intel Optane support, Microcode updates and so on.

1.05.14 should include ME update to 11.8.50.3434 - I'd get back in touch with your reseller and ask for them to take a look for you.

P.S. most recent "Clevo official" EC is still 1.05.05 which you alredy had. I say this because some companies like us have our own EC versions - for example if you see the EC or BIOS number that ends with "xmg" or "TR" it's one of ours and there are different versions for different GPU options in these chassis.

 

Thanks for the fast response. I have contacted my seller now. I hope they can help me.

 

Here is the one I downloaded for P650SG about a year ago.

 

Thanks so much!

 

Note that I didn't keep using it. I didn't like how to reset to defaults you have to reset the CMOS battery because 'Load Defaults" doesn't reset everything. And I didn't really need the extra options. It didn't help with fan behavior. And it's not based on the newest BIOS.

 

That's alright, it gives me the better vBIOS that I needed, which saves me a lot of debugging work. Much appreciated!

Edit: vBIOS won't flash without the Prema BIOS exceptions, which makes sense, but I'm not going to downgrade my BIOS, not worth risking a brick.

Edit 2: I figured out that it's the nvflash causing the problem, not an actual BIOS certificate. Unfortunately Prema's modified nvflash doesn't detect the 980M on my system. I'm using a newer nvflash64 for my other work. I don't really feel like reformatting to a different version of windows quite yet though.

Edit 3: According to a well known nvflash modder who washed his hands of the whole thing: "It's also doing checks externally now, on card and in drivers." Looks like I may need to reformat or at least try to go driver-less and see if that helps unless Prema has a new nvflash version hidden somewhere

Edit 4: Complete uninstall of nvidia drivers made the 980M visible to nvflash. Card has been flashed to Prema's version and the graphics corruption issues are completely gone. (The EC problem is still present, unfortunately).

THANK YOU.

 

My seller responded now. He sent me a file called ECFLASH.bat even though I asked them to send me the ME update. But it doesn't end here . Here is the content of the file:

Code:

300: file:///C:/Users/LIFEBOOK-Benutzer/Desktop/P650HS%20BIOS/ECN_EC_P650HS_1p05p05/
200: filename content-length last-modified file-type
201: ELASH15.EXE 35622 Mon,%2004%20Jun%202018%2010:53:55%20GMT FILE
201: EcFlash.NSH 38 Mon,%2004%20Jun%202018%2010:53:55%20GMT FILE
201: eP650HS.05 131072 Mon,%2004%20Jun%202018%2010:53:56%20GMT FILE
201: ecflash.bat 36 Mon,%2004%20Jun%202018%2010:53:55%20GMT FILE
201: uEcFlash64_150505.efi 32320 Mon,%2004%20Jun%202018%2010:53:56%20GMT FILE

WTF? Are they stupid?
I mean I already have the latest EC version. And this .bat file won't work (obviously).
Any idea how to update the ME without their help?

 

https://rjtech.com/shop/index.php?dispatch=pages.view&page_id=25
Direct link: https://www.rjtech.com/Driver/Intel_Fix/P6xxHS_B11_E05_EFI_OEM.zip
This seems to have everything you need. It looks like it's just the generic version though, but that's probably not a bad thing.

Edit: the instructions are just to make a bootable USB, so it should work no problem.

 

Tagging @Prema in a new post. I didn't know the forum software had a tagging function or I would have put it in my other post.
Prema, is there a custom BIOS/EC for P650SG that is as recent or more recent than 1.05.01 and is it available? I'd really like to figure out this EC/KBC issue to get this system working perfectly. The system is old so support is scant. Thanks!

Edit: Adding in someone else's experience with the same issue on the P650SE: http://www.tomshardware.co.uk/answers/id-3150110/keyboard-key-stuck-clevo-p650se.html

Edit 2: Another person with the same issue but a completely different laptop, Asus X455LD, but it it's a 4th gen intel with an AMI board and Aptio BIOS. A common bug with the EC chip or BIOS?
http://www.tomsguide.com/answers/id-2916634/key-keyboard-work-release.html

Edit 3: ANOTHER person with the same problem but with an MSI, which also uses the AMI (Aptio) BIOS/EC. http://www.tomshardware.co.uk/answers/id-3209519/keyboard-acts-key-stuck.html

Edit 4: Another person who obviously has same problem who was given the "it's the drivers" run-around: https://forum-en.msi.com/index.php?topic=279683.0

Edit 5: And another with the bug http://forum.notebookreview.com/thr...ut-stuck-in-video-games.794553/#post-10307363

This seems to be a common bug that is running across multiple generations of AMI motherboards, and it's sad that people keep getting the "check your drivers, check your OS install, blah blah" runaround. It's very obviously a firmware issue. The question is, is it the BIOS or the EC/KBC?

 

I didn't have any keyboard problems with the P650SG.

The only EC weirdness I recall was sometimes one/both fans would stop dead when it was hot and then slowly spin up again. Maybe a wonky transition between temperature thresholds in the fan profile. My notebook throttled fairly easily if the CPU was maxed out for any period of time. I tried liquid metal and even lapped the heatsink base, but it seemed like the cooling was just insufficient for the CPU.

 

I've noticed that my LED power/activity/etc indicators aren't working now. I was looking into some of the other threads on this issue and apparently there's an issue with the contact return on the W key specifically due to overheating. I can confirm that there's a delay and a "click" a short time after the W key is released, but that still doesn't explain how the issue was present in the OTHER keys (specifically A, S and D), but was fixed with an EC re-flash.

This has been an interesting ride.

Edit: As an aside, the unreliability of the realtek drivers in windows is absolutely reprehensible. The headphone jack stops working intermittently, and it's only fixed with a driver reinstall. Awful.

 

@Prema if you're around, I need a copy of the BIOS & vBIOS for 970M P650SE. Anyone know where I can find it? Seems like the website isn't up anymore
Please help!

 

You have done what you can to get in contact with him now.

 

I haven't run into the keyboard issue you've experienced for several months now so I cannot confirm whether the problem still exists, but if it is related to the gaming macro/rebind software, have you tried disabling the hkeytray from startup? I disabled it for a different reason (BSODs from parts of the hotkey drivers), but perhaps it could have fixed my repeating 'w' key. I mention that I can't confirm this because I mainly experienced the problem in FFXIV, but I haven't played that in months. One extra note is that the audio drivers don't load up for headphone jack when waking from sleep after hkeytray is disabled. My workaround is a batch file that I keep on my desktop to run and then kill hkeytray to reset the audio. I tried adding the .bat file to run on scheduled tasks every log on event, but it doesn't seem to work properly (possibly my own inexperience).

 

Just letting you know I had W key issues as well and narrowed it down to temperature when playing games. With the W key directly above the cpu it would get very warm. With enough time/heat the W key would stay pressed even though you released the key. Mind you that the key did not stick down but suspect the membrane/contacts for that key wouldn't release. This resulted in forward movement continuing for several seconds even after you released the key. Just acted like a sticking key that took a few seconds to release. I ordered a replacement keyboard from Ebay from a chinese seller and was genuine. The good news is that the new keyboard works fine even with intense gaming sessions and CPU getting toasty. Not sure if that helps you but mine is fine after replacing the KB.

Link to one on ebay that matches original P650SG part number (seller I bought mine from no longer available):
https://www.ebay.com/itm/New-For-Cl...943837?hash=item1ed30e3a1d:g:cNoAAOSwr1taARAV


As a side note you can also replace the CPU cooler with a newer revision that has more copper and better cooling! I don't have the part number handy but can post it later if there is interest. Dropped my temps to no longer have any thermal throttling. Don't need to undervolt and overclocked as far as XTU will let me.

https://www.aliexpress.com/item/New...224.html?spm=a2g0s.9042311.0.0.77bb4c4db7GF5l

Note that you will have to dremel where the two big caps are or you can buy one with the hole precut. They took a bit too much copper away for my liking so modded it myself to just fit around the caps.

 

I looked at eBay for new CPU heatsinks but they weren't exactly cheap at the time so I didn't bother. I didn't feel like putting more money into the effort.

 

Yes please. Link for the keyboard and cooler.

 

Edited my original post with links.

 

That little copper piece is not cooling anyway.

 

The bottom part of the fan enclosure is part of that copper - all made from one piece.. more metal more thermal transfer.. the old cooler does not have that copper spread under the fan. All I know is it made a big difference in cooling the CPU. And looked better

 

Which Clevo laptop is that in your pic?The HSF in the bottom right. I can’t decide if that is your old CPU HSF laid there for comparison not.

 

Clevo NP8652 (P650SG) and that is my old original HSF laying on the battery.

 

I picked up one from the link you put, but today my laptop cooler arrived. I bought all the parts to put together a noctua cooling stand. I started from 99 degrees celsius and 40% thermal throttling in intel extreme tuning. With the cooler and 2 noctua fans, I now have between 85-92 degrees celsius and no throttling. Of course with noctua fans they are very quiet so I'm very happy with the outcome.

 

Is your laptop base plastic modded at all or just standard?

 

It is metal, but currently I do not transport it, so i removed it and just used some silicon to stand it off from the coolers metal.
I'm about to put it back on and report my results with the cover back on.

Edit: 1% thermal throttling about 3 times during a quick 5 minute stress test in Intel extreme tuning. No throttling until I opened my chrome with about 20 tabs and video streaming. I think there's a foam filter covering the vents where the copper is located. I could remove that and try again later.

 

That may be sealing the airflow to the heatsink to stop it getting diverted.

 

Interesting, thanks for the links. There definitely is a bit of a heat issue, but the keyboard issue changing depending on the EC revision tells me that there's more to it than just the heat.

 

Where can I locate a Prema BIOS for XMG P505 PRO (P651SG)? Does XMG provide this for me? Prema doesn't seem to have a private message option on his profile.

 

You can try @ing him.

 

@Prema Respectfully request P651SG mod.

 

Hi

We aren't a Prema partner so I can't offer you one of his version BIOS, but as you've tagged him above maybe he can assist.

 

Is there any pushback that Clevo resellers can give to Clevo to incentivize them to support their own hardware and set it up properly in the first place? They don't even have a repository for stock BIOS, a third party is hosting it! This can't help AMI's reputation, either.

 

This topic has been discussed in great depth and on multiple occasions, but it tends to become lost in pretty large threads so I'll just make some very short points:

- Yes, we're in regular contact and give feedback both at the pre-production level (usually 3 months before new products are actually available for sale) and during the MP stage (mass production, when it's in the market). We also have an office and staff in Taiwan who are in daily contact. All I can say on this topic is that the end results are in the hands of Clevo, just like the other ODMs which sell through resellers. There are several factors here - for example, if you're talking about power limits, overclocking options in the BIOS, other options such as disable SATA ports etc etc, software (CCC for example) fan control etc etc.
- BIOS, EC, software and so on should be available from any reseller - we have a huge library on our driver page and it's primarily there for our customers of course - but it is completely open for anyone to access and download.
- Clevo.com.tw has all drivers available for download. They don't host BIOS and EC publically - this is for a number of reasons including that often different resellers have their own versions. For example, we have our own EC for several models - so it's not always ideal to have incompatible versions or upgrades available in one location.


Bottom line, yes it's complicated and not ideal for all parties, especially if you buy one second hand and perhaps don't have access to a good reseller's portal.



NOTE - just posting information, not making arguments or excuses ;-)

 

The trouble comes when neither Clevo nor the resellers really support older hardware. Everyone knows that the profit only comes from selling new machines, but I'll be looking for either System76 or Purism for my next laptop after dealing with this mess, or I'll stick to later model Lenovos or Dells. To hell with mobile GPU performance, I'll relegate gaming to desktops. Apple has the exact same business model as the resellers and I know that it's obscenely profitable for them because of ignorant people, but for people who DO know a few things, it completely erodes trust. With apple, I don't know what's worse, that they make computers so terrible that they require daily/weekly NVRAM/PRAM resets just to function normally, or that they obfuscate that very fact from their customers. CEOs don't care about much beyond the next quarter or two, because their compensation levels ensure financial stability for the rest of their lives, which is unfortunate for good people with lower pay grades who'd rather put out quality products and support them.

Thanks for the response, btw. XMG has impressed me already merely by the fact that they have a 1.05.01a version of the BIOS. I haven't gone through the settings in the rom yet to see the differences, but even the fact they've had ANYONE look at the BIOS beyond the "planned obsolescence" date is a positive mark.

 

I've had the same XMG P505 since 2015 November and since then, I have upgraded RAM, SSD, WIFI, replaced heatpipes, replaced fans, changed thermal pastes and replaced LCD. I still find multiple communities dedicated to my specific model because of the fact that it's based on Clevo which is recognized and used by so many others. I don't believe gaming is relegated to desktops. I think desktops are going the way of the dinosaur and that mobile/laptop/SFF is the way to go. I use Manjaro Linux and it even in the open source gaming community, laptops are preferable. I don't even use mine for portability. I removed the battery and keep that space open for better airflow and reduced temperatures.

 

Thanks. The difficulty comes in what you mean by "support older hardware", for BGA you're always limited by what for example @ryanmusante has done, there's no upgrade path to new CPU or GPU options. With LGA, that's a whole different ball game. Take 880M to 980M for example, it's not just a case of releasing new chassis and then limiting the options for pure profit. An ODM has to have each chassis certified for each CPU platform and GPU option - yes of course this costs money, but you have to factor this in because the costs involved in R&D and certification for older components in new chassis. We have seen other ODMs offer guaranteed upgrade options inthe past and this has burned some companies because the form factor has changed. The resellers have a bit more freedom with this because they can support older components themselves, without the need for certification.

Interestingly, the main growth segment for PCs over the last couple of years has been for gaming (if you exclude mining as that's mainly desktop "gaming" GPUs being used in farms and not individual PCs). SFF is increasing with the likes of ZOTAC ZBOX (which we sell, hence I have some info on this) and it looks like desktop PC gaming won't go anywhere in the near future and we're starting to see some very demanding game titles comming out. However things are always changing ;-)

But good to hear that your P505 is running well, though you seem to have carried out quite a bit of work on it! Laptop gaming is certainly on the up, but as you say different users have different requirements.

 

The Prema BIOS which I posted that I had used on my P650SG, is for P6xxSG/NP86x2. That makes me think it works on P651SG too. Seems like the hardware is the same.

Plus I think I ran a XMG P505 Pro BIOS on my Sager NP8652 / P650SG before I asked Sager for the latest official BIOS for my machine.

Though I don't know if I suggest using the Prema BIOS. What do you want it to do for you? It is based on a slightly older-than-latest Clevo BIOS. And if you change some of the many new advanced options, and you want to revert to defaults, you have to unplug your motherboard battery to get there because "Load Defaults" in the BIOS does not reset everything. I think the most useful part of the package is the 980M vBIOS. Unlocked overclocking and tweaked to improve cooling IIRC (faster fan speed I imagine). I suggest you back up the original vBIOS.

 

Did @Prema give you permission to share these files publicly?

The last time you posted them in this thread, the mods removed your post for a reason...