*** Official Clevo PB5xExx(-G) Owner's Lounge ***

A heatsink crammed in may not be the best idea.

 

That's a shame. The specs on them look pretty good.

 

A good drive should not need a heatsink for normal use.

 

@Ashlander i have a powerspec 1520 the pb50ef-g and no xtu service running. I didn’t do a clean install just left it with how it came and deleted some bloatware.

 

Hi! I just bought a pb51rf. This might be a stupid question, but how do you know that you actually have sound blaster speakers?

 

All systems ship with the same hardware so it's down to the software running.

 

@Meaker@Sager Thanks for your reply! What should the speakers be? I thought they were supposed to be Sound blaster X. My laptop does not have sound blaster control center, which is partially why I am wondering whether I have sound blaster speakers in the laptop. My sister ordered the same laptop from a different seller and hers has the sound blaster control center on it. Sorry if that sounds like stupid reasoning.
Moreover, it looks like my webcam is not 2 MP. My order confirmation says it has a 2 MP webcam with microphone. The laptop says the webcam is a Bisoncam, NB Pro. Looked it up online and says that is 0.92 MP; this corresponds to the highest quality available in the camera app. I can't seem to take an image at any higher quality than 0.92 MP (even checked the pull-down menu). Anyway, is there a way to confirm I actually have the correct speakers? If so, can you explain how?

I ordered this Sager laptop: Sager NP8453 (Clevo PB51RF) Thanks for your help!

 

Have you checked out the sager driver page? If not contact support and they can send links to anything.

 

Hey there.
I had a look on the Schenker Compact 15 which is basicly the PB5xEXX/7xExx and researched on the used display panel:

It seems it does not have the B173HAN04.0 (AUO409D) panel (as the XMG PRO version has it) but instead the NV173FHM-N44 (BOE07B6) panel.

Spoiler: Displays

Laptop	Panel Type	Model Name	sRGB
XMG PRO 17	FHD 144Hz	AUO B173HAN04.0 (H/W:0A)	86,2%
XMG NEO 17	FHD 144Hz	BOE NV173FHM-N44	91,3%
SCHENKER COMPACT 17 (Early 2019)	FHD 144Hz	BOE NV173FHM-N44	91,3%
SCHENKER COMPACT 17 (Mid 2019)	FHD 144Hz	LG LP173WFG-SPB1	95,2%

Panellook (and NBC) lists the BOE with a response time 30 (Typ.)(Tr+Td) ms, whereas the AUO only has 9 (Typ.)(Tr+Td); 7 (Typ.)(G to G) ms.

Does anybody have some experience with it or rather would you guys say it's an actually noticeably higher response time for gaming?

 

I'm thinking about buying the Powerspec 1520 and read through this entire thread. Looking at the 1520 page on the official Powerspec website there is virtually no information (spec sheet, manual, warranty information). My question is twofold:

1. As with most Clevo laptops, most share the same chassis. Is the Powerspec identical to the Sager or another vendor? The reason I'm asking is because it seems like the Powerspec does not have Thunderbolt ports, only regular USB-C, whereas the Sager NP8454 does appear to have one Thunderbolt 3.0 port.
   
2. For chipset and BIOS updates, since there are no downloads available on the website, is it safe to download and install other vendors'?

As for the manuals, seems like the Premamod website might have a service manual that should correspond to this one at least.

 

The PowerSpec is dumbed down to meet the lower price point, so it indeed does not have those things. It also is missing the fingerprint reader, and has a plastic touchpad instead of glass.

 

Built to a price and so you get those changes.

 

I thought you couldn't change barebones... Same model number, same materials... How is that different ?

 

Bulk orders from retailers is different.

 

Looking at finally updating from my old and trusted 2013 NP9150 (i7-3740QM & GTX 680M) and getting an NP8453 from Gentech PC due to their unbelievable upgrades. I'm not much of a gamer necessarily, I game on occasion and when I do it's older games.

What is attracting me to the NP8453 is:
1. The ports layout, I love the rear power, USB, and Ethernet. The current trend for side access type ports are annoying to me and get in the way, especially since I use my laptop on a desk or table 95% of the time.
2. The inclusion of the USB-C ports, which assures some "future-proofing." Yeah, yeah I know I hate the term too. But seeing as how I get 5-8 years per laptop over the last twenty years, it's a necessity to me.
3. Matte finish screen, I hate glossy displays.
4. Fingerprint reader, ever since Windows 10 made it so easy to use, it's become my go to method of signing into my laptop.
5. I also love that I can strip the Sager of it's branding, I love a plain computer that I can customize with my own stickers and stuff. I hate excessive branding and all that jazz.

The biggest issue I'm having right now is deciding which thermal pastes/liquid metal to use. I have no clue which is best. Gentech has all kinds of options, but I just want what will last the longest and be the coolest. CLU, IC Diamond, Thermal Grizzly
Conductonaut, Kryonaut, Fujipoly thermal pads, etc. etc. I don't know what is best and then they throw in the extra wrench letting my use one type for the CPU and another for the GPU.

The only other thing standing in my way right now is funding, I'm getting a total of around $1750-$2000 depending on whether I get a Windows 10 license or not and if I want an extra power supply. I am leaning toward buying my own license from somewhere else, or even using on my old Windows 7's to upgrade the license. And the power supply, I think maybe my two old NP9150 power supply's could work, if not maybe I could buy a power supply later for something cheaper than the $125 Gentech wants. I like the cash discount Gentech offers, and I may take advantage of that.

I might throw it on a credit card though and pay it off quickly, but I don't know yet.

 

The best thermal material is liquid metal it's just a difficult material to work with. It's conductive and corrosive to aluminium so if it gets out then that's bad. If it's being professionally done and warrantied then that's less of an issue.

 

Perhaps since I am not a hardcore gamer and will not be running intensive games, I think the risks of liquid metal outweigh the benefits for me individually. Which paste would you recommend of the ones that Gentech uses?

 

Thermal grizzly is my personal backup to liquid metal.

 

Hi people, so I just picked up a Powerspec 1520 last Friday so I'll give my perspective on it so far. Background first though..... Back in 2017 I picked up a Powerspec 1510 and was super happy with it, using it heavily (heavy gaming and work related computing / data analysis) until my boot drive suddenly stopped working (rip). So in addition to picking up a new hard drive for the 1510 at my local microcenter 15mins away, I decided to upgrade (and try to sell the 1510 to offset the cost .... any tips on best ways to do that are welcome). If I'm not happy over the course of the 15 day return grace period I'll just return it and keep the 1510.

Reading through this thread I followed a couple suggestions. I picked up an extra 1TB ssd and threw that in there for storage. Also I undervolted by -140mv (-150 causes crashes for me) and that's brought down temps pretty well. I also overclocked the gpu in the clevo settings with +150 core increment and +100 memory increment like somebody else here suggested (I think, I'll be honest I have no idea what I'm doing when it comes to overclocking). Running a game like Mirror's Edge Catalyst for multiple hours with max fans and with the laptop on a cooling pad on my lap and I get steady 144 fps with average cpu temps of mid 70s, max at low 80s. Fans are kinda loud but I don't really care since I'm using headphones. I haven't pushed it with any really intensive games yet though (probably Metro Exodus in the future).

Also, things I have not done:
CPU repaste (unlikely to attempt this since it voids my warranty and I haven't done it before, welcome to convince me otherwise though)
Upgraded past the single 16 gig stick of RAM to a dual configuration (might do in future)

Build quality seems good. I have very minimal light bleed on the IPS display (unlike on my 1510) so I guess I got lucky in that regard. Regarding keyboard flex ... I had some very noticeable flex right under the period key. So I popped the case open and lifted the keyboard.... turns out there's no metal backing right under that area so that's probably causing the flex when I hit those keys. But I picked up some scotch tape adhesive (removeable) putty and reinforced some strategic areas and the keyboard feels very solid now. Sometimes simple problems require simple solutions. If I notice this affects thermals in any way I might have to reevaluate though, since I know heat is intentionally dissipated through the keyboard.

I tried some benchmarks... after letting the laptop rest, then turning it on and maxing fans with the cooling pad on:

Timespy 7704, with peak cpu of 75, average 66 and gpu peak 61, average 53. Earlier in the day when I was gaming a bit before running the benchmark and the score was a bit worse with temps a bit hotter, but still no higher than low 80s.

Firestrike 17418, same story on temps.

Overall I'm reasonably happy. The 144hz screen is great (and such a noticeable difference from the 1510 60hz screen... for real). The keyboard is alright and I wish the keys were a bit bigger, but I can live with it. But the performance to price point is where this really shines. I'm leaning towards keeping it but that's sort of contingent on selling the other laptop.

 

Ebay and the like have the widest reach or forums where you meet the requirements.

 

Just got my PowerSpec 1520 last week and I've got to say, I am very happy with the purchase so far. It's replacing my 6600k/1060 desktop system, going from 4c/4t to 6c/12t, along with the full-fat 2070, is pretty impressive. Bought it so my wife and I can share a workstation with monitor/peripherals and just swap between my laptop and her macbook on the same desk - baby on the way means no more office for dad

It works fantastically, I plug in with power (barrel connector), DisplayPort-via-rear-USB-C, and a USB-C hub with all the peripherals plugged in on the right side. She simply plugs in with a single USB-C which supplies her power, peripherals, and and HDMI connection to the same monitor (but not at 144hz as mine is, doubt she'd notice the difference).

Along with the laptop I purchased and installed an extra 16gb sodimm and when I had the back off I had planned to replace the thermal goo with Kryonaut. Unfortunately for me, one of the screws on the CPU block portion of the cooler was mostly rounded out and I wasn't able to unscrew it. Being one of the spring-captive screws, I didn't want to risk damaging the spring beyond usability without a replacement in hand. I used some pliers just to confirm the screw would spin (only gave it about 1/8th a turn) and it will comply with that, just need to find a unicorn screwdriver that is broad enough to engage the outermost edges of the phillips slot but small enough to actually get far enough in to provide the necessary leverage.

Did anyone else have a similar experience? I work on my car frequently enough that I'm pretty careful not to round out my fasteners. The laptop came with a few extra screws which may fit, or I can pick some up elsewhere. Any insight as to whether replacing the screw from the spring will be a painful or painless experience?

Finally, I bought this stand as I like the height, and the area underneath is open enough to contain the mess of cables plugged into the USB-C hub. Unfortunately the two bars holding up the laptop cover exactly the two fan intakes - when benchmarking on the stand, I had CPU throttling peaks as high as 15% within ~10 minutes. Is anyone using a laptop stand that you really like? I don't need portable at all, prefer something 4-8 inches off the desk with room underneath to contain a bunch of cables, and in the $20-30 range would be ideal.

 

Yeah losing an office is tricky :/

I adapted my cooler master adjustable height stand with my own fans and such in my youtube channel.

 

I also got one of the Clevo PB5xExx and want to share with you a cooling profile that makes the version with the RTX 2060 basically noiseless, even when putting higher loads as games on it, while keeping the GPU and CPU temperature below 90° when lifted up a few cm from the ground. Concretely I developed it for the Schenker XMG Pro 15 Early 2019 model, i7-8570 version, but should also work with i7-9750 late 2019 model. It can be applied with the Obisdian fan control software (30$) and might also work for the RTX 2070 version, when pushing the limits a little bit higher. In my case the additional investment was worth it as the PC get's basically totally silent compared to the default Clevo Fan Control behaviour which is quite noisy and cools more than actually necessary to keep the hardware in good condition. I also tested some other laptops (Omen 2019 model, Lenovo Y740, Alienware m15 2018 model) and saw that thanks to the possibility to customize the cooling with the profile, the Clevo PB5xEx is most silent among all competitors while keeping 3,9Ghz CPU Baseclock on up to 4 cores silently, when applying the Entertainment mode in Clevo Control center and undervolting GPU and CPU to -100mV.
https://www42.zippyshare.com/v/sLBrktgd/file.html

 

This was the stand I did.

 

Looks very good. Was the unmodified cooler not sufficient or did you just do it for fun?

 

Proper airflow from two high performance fans can help a bit.

 

So I took a risk and unfastened the tricky screws (there were 3 that all refused to turn with my #0 driver) with a pair of pliers. Everything went better than expected. I replaced the factory paste with Kryonaut and my temps in the GTA5 benchmark dropped by nearly 15c (~69c CPU, ~65c GPU), all while sitting on my stupid flow-restrictive laptop stand.

ThrottleStep set to -125mV on core and cache
MSI Afterburner set to a curve that completely flattens past 900mV

It did not show the improvements I was really hoping to see: About 16400 in Firestrike. In stress tests, with AIDA64 and FurMark running I was seeing my hottest CPU core skyrocket to 96c causing some throttling on the short term turboboost and the package leveled out to 91c from about 2 minutes through the end of the 15 minute test. GPU maintained a brisk 71c.

I'm continuing my search for a proper mod to my laptop stand which maintains room underneath for the dongle-nest. I think tonight I will try zip-ties and some foam to prop up the rear.

 

Update: It worked great! No more throttling, temps down nearly 10 degrees. Completely expected of course, because now the fans aren't being choked.

 

It's at that peak load it makes a difference, nice work

 

What are people getting in terms of idle temps? I'm sitting at ~43-45C in optimal power management in the nvidia settings, power saving in the control center, -140mv undervolt, and stock thermal paste. That feels a bit high to me.... but I'm curious about others and if the thermal paste really makes a difference even at idle.

 

Laptops don't have much passive cooling so seems pretty normal.

 

For the past couple of days I've noticed something strange going on with my laptop screen. A spot in the middle has been developing what seems like a strip where pixels look "shinier" than the rest. This is almost exclusively noticeable on a black screen, but my worry is that it seems to be getting worse. When I first noticed it it was just a slight smudge, but now it's staring to show a bit more.

Has anyone had this happen to them with this or any other laptop screen?



Had this pics brightness adjusted to make the spot more prominent*

 

Talk to your reseller, not normal.

 

I've read that opening up the bottom panel of the Clevo PB51RC is difficult and requires taking out the battery and keyboard. I've also read some other comments that contradict this and say it's relatively quick and easy and the keyboard doesn't needed to be detached from the motherboard. Can someone who has worked with the model or a similar chassis tell me which is true? What actually needs to be removed in order to add something like additional storage? How hard is it?

 

It.... Depends...
The battery is designed to be removable so that isn't a big issue. Just two screws and it's out without having to open up the back panel.
For some reason, some have screws pre-installed underneath the keyboard that prevent the back panel coming out so the keyboard would have to be removed. Mine was one of these and it still was pretty quick and easy to get to the internals. It's just a simple toothpick into a hole and the keyboard pops off and then it's just removing screws to get in the internals.

 

I see. So you would have to use a pick to pop off the keyboard, unscrew the screws hidden underneath the keyboard, and then you can remove the bottom panel? Did you have to detach the ribbon cables too? Sounds annoying but not that big of a deal I guess.

 

If you are careful the ribbons can be left in place.

 

Hello, I've contacted 2 sellers and asked about the cooling solution, they both confirmed that the RTX 2070 Version has a better cooling solution than the RTX 2060.

(Seemingly for both PB5X and PB7X) However, I've gone through both owners lounge threads, can't find any pictures posted to confirm or deny this.

Does anyone have pictures or can elaborate?

Here's the PB5X picture by Eurocom: https://www.notebookcheck.net/fileadmin/Notebooks/Eurocom/Nightsky_Ti15/m460_11.jpg
and the PB7X picture by Eurcom: https://www.notebookcheck.net/fileadmin/Notebooks/Eurocom/Nightsky_RX17/rx17_euro.png

These pictures also do not say if It's the RTX 2060 or RTX 2070 cooling solution. Do not know the differences.


Also an additional question about cooling:

It would seem like the PB5X has better CPU cooling? Dual heatpipes directly to both fans, whereas the PB7X has better GPU cooling?

Basically want to buy the laptop with the best cooling. It'll be used for work related tasks. (AI Visualisation, Hyper-V, etc). CPU Will be pinned at 100% while GPU will sit at 30-40% (So no need for RTX 2070 actually, but if the cooling solution is better and can help with CPU clocks that's a bonus.)


Any guidance would be very helpful, thanks!

 

@Muuke Here is a link that has the PB70 cooling pictured. - PowerSpec 1720/*Clevo PB70EF-G* tuning!

The 8750H runs hot compared to an RTX 2070 but the cooling seems adequate for the 17" model in my opinion. You can tune the fan profile to meet your needs.

 

@4W4K3 Thanks! That picture does look different than the PB71 Photo I linked.
The picture I linked from Eurocom for PB70 doesn't say GPU configuration. But I did notice urs is a 2070.
So do you think the photo you linked with RTX 2070 and the one I linked with RTX 2060? Looks like one extra heatpipe bottom right from CPU to the right fan. Or am I mistaken?


I also guess I should've clarified to what I want to purchase:

The 2 configurations I'm looking at are either:

PB51 with 9750H + 500GB PM812 Samsung SSD + 16GB 2666MHz 8x2
and then GPU either RTX 2060 or RTX 2070.

PB71 with 9750H + 500GB PM812 Samsung SSD + 16GB 2666MHz 8x2
and then GPU either RTX 2060 or RTX 2070.

I don't want the 8750H. I wanted to know the differences of cooling so I know what to purchase.

Thanks!

 

The 9750h and 8750h are not going to behave very differently.

 

No but the 8750H Model included AC 9260/9560 and the 9750H Model AX200 Wifi-6 at this store. Not sure if other stores are similar.
Something that mattes to me.

 

If anyone is looking for an extra 16gb goldkey ram stick for their powerspec pm me

 

Guys, how do I get into the BIOS? I've tried pressing F2, F12, delete ... idk why it's not working...

Edit: nevermind, it appears it was this issue related to fast start up or something and I got it to work while holding F2 in restart,

 

Thanks to @Mateles for the information! Very helpful advice given in the PB70/PB71 Owners Lounge Thread.

Here are pictures showing the differences between RTX 2060 and RTX 2070 Versions of the laptops. (The cooling solution is different.) They seem accurate due to prior information (PB70/71 pictures)

PB50/51 With RTX 2060: https://www.hyperbook.pl/sklep/817-thickbox_default/hyperbook-sl504-i7-9750h-rtx2060.jpg
PB50/51 With RTX 2070: https://www.hyperbook.pl/sklep/814-thickbox_default/hyperbook-sl504-i7-9750h-rtx2070.jpg

Differences: Only 1 heatpipe through CPU & GPU for RTX 2060 Model, this seems cheap for a 45W + 80W Model. Whereas the RTX 2070 has 2 heatpipes going through both the CPU and GPU as well as an additional heatpipe for the southern part of the GPU heatspreader.


PB70/71 With RTX 2060: https://www.hyperbook.pl/sklep/1008-thickbox_default/hyperbook-sl704-i7-9750h-rtx2060.jpg
PB70/71 With RTX 2070: https://www.hyperbook.pl/sklep/1009-thickbox_default/hyperbook-sl704-i7-9750h-rtx2070.jpg

Differences: One added heatpipe for the CPU. This one seems much better if you're going for a RTX 2060 than the PB51.

TLDR: Don't get PB50/51 With RTX 2060. With PB70/71 RTX 2060 is fine and both look good with RTX 2070.


Thanks you once again Mateles for the valuable information.

 

I totally bought this on Friday based on your Youtube review. I had no idea you were a member here. Very freakin' cool!

 

I'm looking at getting a PB50 with an i9 9980HK, RTX 2070, 64 GB RAM, & 240 Hz LED FHD display.

This would be primarily for VFX simulations/renders in Houdini/Redshift/Renderman/etc, plus music production & live performances with Ableton Live.

Since the laptop would be more powerful than my workstation (i7 6700K & 32 GB RAM), I'd probably just sell the workstation and use the laptop for everything. I'd likely keep the RTX 2080 from that workstation though, and use it as an eGPU for GPU-based rendering with the laptop.

In a chat with one reseller (very popular here on NBR), they highly discouraged me from getting a PB50 and pushed hard for me to get a P751TM1 instead, which is much bigger/bulkier and has desktop-grade components and I assume better cooling. But I'd really like something more portable than that. Would the PB50 experts/users here discourage me from getting it for heavy VFX work? I wouldn't be using it for my 9-5 job, that's at a big studio, this would be just for personal/freelance projects & teaching.

Thanks in advance for any input!

 

Depends how heavy we are talking but yes for the CPU power hungry the desktop series can't be touched still.

 

I started a conversation with you about the 16GB Goldkey

 

Something that is worth nothing, I called my reseller and asked if I could have the PB50/PB51 with a RTX 2060 but with the RTX 2070 cooling solution, they confirmed with Clevo that the part is replaceable, and they can order parts from them. So I was charged an additional $15 for the heatsink/cooling solution. (Nothing... Especially for those improved thermals!)

I could either:
1: Wait 1 month and have them install it.
2: Have the laptop within 10 days and then install the cooling solution myself after 1 month when it arrives.

I chose the latter option.

So for anyone interested in the PB50/PB51 with RTX 2060, check with your reseller, it might be an option to get much better cooling!

Best Regards.