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genexis_x

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  1. Agree
    genexis_x got a reaction from Super Spartan in Area 51m repaste   
    LM don't perform any better for GPU in most cases
  2. Like
    genexis_x reacted to SenKa in Thoughts on MSI’s GS75 Stealth-203?   
    Ahhh, as a college student myself I 100% understand that. If I traveled I would probably be in your boat too.
  3. Informative
    genexis_x reacted to Gorgias in [REVIEW] Lenovo Ideapad S540-14API (R5-3500U, Vega 8)   
    Bios version 1.04. If I change integrated graphics controller from "auto" to "forces" then I can choose UMA Frame buffer size.
     
    BTW is there any way to know what panel you have? I have the glossy screen and it looks very good to me but I'm not sure if I got the better panel with 300 nits. My config differs slightly from the one you reviewed, I have a 512gb ssd in mine and the glossy screen. I think maybe the battery differs to, I have a 50Wh battery.
  4. Like
    genexis_x reacted to derole in help me buy the right laptop budget $500   
    Usually I would recommend the windows 7 era thinkpads (t420 or t430) as they're usually built quite well and are very upgradeable compared to any modern laptop but as you're looking for new it might not be a valid option. You can easily get brand new original batteries and chargers though (I bought a brand new extended life for mine that's an original lenovo one and it easily can last 6 hours on medium brightness with light use (plus its removable so you could just carry multiple). Only downside is compared to modern laptops it can be a bit on the bulky side. If you do have to go for new though then make sure you get one with an SSD (As you're doing web browsing I don't suppose you're going to download much). In terms of linux driver support probably best to go to their website and find the support section and select your laptop, it should tell you if there's linux drivers there (If there isn't sometimes because the hardware is from other manufactures the manufactures website might have them)
     
    Hope this helps
  5. Like
    genexis_x reacted to EndofEra in How to look for compatible laptop ram?   
    Okay thanks for the tip
  6. Like
    genexis_x reacted to Shacruel in [REVIEW] Lenovo Ideapad S540-14API (R5-3500U, Vega 8)   
    Thank you very much for the review. I have ordered copper colored R5 3500U unit today.
  7. Like
    genexis_x reacted to Super Spartan in Alienware Area 51m: linux experience? remove/switch off nvidia GPU?   
    No problem bro. Keep up the superb recommendations that you always give. We highly appreciate that. Cheers
  8. Like
    genexis_x got a reaction from Super Spartan in Alienware Area 51m: linux experience? remove/switch off nvidia GPU?   
    Sorry I was in a bad mood today, apologies if I said anything wrong
     
    I would say the cooling will be perfect if you put in a delided CPU
     
    Cheers
  9. Like
    genexis_x reacted to Super Spartan in Alienware Area 51m: linux experience? remove/switch off nvidia GPU?   
    I didn't mean you spread wrong info. I meant about this particular opinion. Noone is denying that Clevos with Prema BIOS is a better value to performance or even features, no doubt about that, in fact I was one of the main Prema BIOS testers for the Clevo P870DM and Clevo P870DM3 and also the Prema VBIOS.
     
    Yes, the Alienware is overpriced, everyone knows that since more than 10 years that's not new. They are overpriced just like Apple, partly because of the brand, the fans, the popular Alien logo and effects, the superb Dell customer service and on-site technical support. D2Ultima is also my friend by the way. If you are not a fan, you are entitled to your opinion but it is not fair that someone comes asking about a simple question such us how well Linux runs on the Area-51m and you jump in with such a vague statement as it has so many issues including cooling? Really? show me those "so many" issues and the cooling issues are there in 99% of laptops out there now due to the multi core fast CPUs. We all know heat issues can be fixed either by undervolting or applying better thermal paste unless there is a big flaw in design by the cooling system of a particular laptop which the Alienware Area-51m does NOT suffer from.
     
    Give me any test or game and I'll run it for you and show you real proof the it has no issues.
     
    I respect your suggestions and opinion as I've seen you have many great posts so please don't take this as an attack or anything. Just wanting to be fair to the laptop brand not because I own it but we have to be more specific when we make such broad claims that a certain laptop sucks otherwise it may and will deter many buyers.
  10. Informative
    genexis_x got a reaction from Ivan Granic 01 in [REVIEW] Lenovo Ideapad S540-14API (R5-3500U, Vega 8)   
    Note: Will retest battery life soon since result is below average

    Welcome to my laptop review on Lenovo Ideapad S540-14API. Main specs of the laptop are as below:
    This model is very similar to Ideapad 530s 14 with some changes (ports, slightly thinner, cooling etc).
     
    Notebookcheck review on S540 (Intel and AMD) (pay attention to battery life)
     
    Product page (Malaysia): https://www.lenovo.com/my/en/laptops/ideapad/s-series/Lenovo-IdeaPad-S540-14API/p/88IPS501194
    Hardware maintenance manual: https://download.lenovo.com/consumer/mobiles_pub/S540-14_hmm_201902.pdf
    (note that you need a plum flower head screwdriver if you wish to disassemble the bottom cover)
     
    Part 1: Build quality, input devices
    Build quality is excellent as expected. The aluminium lid has only little flex when twisted (lock out at certain point). There is only little flex when pressing on the middle of the lid cover. Due to the stiff hinge, you cannot open the lid with single hand; however, wobbling effect is also minimal. The maximum lid opening angle is 180 degrees. The all-aluminium body also feels rigid. There is only little flex at the middle of keyboard and above the touchpad. Twisting the body is not possible. Bezels use plastic material instead of metal but that is totally fine. Overall, build quality of this machine feels premium.
     
    The keyboard is very similar to the one in 530s 14. It has very short key travel (~1.1mm?), actuation force on the heavier side partly due to tiny bit of mushiness (~65g?). Typing feel is satisfactory – keys are firm, strokes are quiet. However, those who are used to deep key travel and light actuation force (like me) might need some time to get used to the keyboard. It has 2 stages of white backlight. Note that up and down arrow keys are halved sized.
     
    The Precision clickpad is also very similar to 530s 14. It has plastic surface even though it looks like glass surface. Surface is smooth enough, though moist/sweaty fingers will experience a decrease in smoothness. Tracking is precise. The L/R clicks requires little force to be clicked on and the click sound isn’t that bad (a bit loud). There is chrome finish surrounding the clickpad.
     
    There is a fingerprint reader (Goodix) at the bottom of the right arrow key which can be used for Windows Hello.
     
    Part 2: Display, Audio, Battery
    The display is a 14 inch 60Hz 45% NTSC IPS made by LG (LGD05EC). Since it's a low sRGB panel, colours are less vibrant, still it's better than low quality TN panels and good for everyday use. Brightness is slightly above average among low sRGB panels (30-40% is plenty for indoor usage) and contrast is good. It has thin bezels.
     
    The 2 upward facing speakers have one of the best audio quality I’ve ever tested. Comes with Dolby Audio Speaker System branding and uses Synaptics driver. I tested audio quality with Dynamic profile, though game profile and music profile (for headphones - less background noise) also not bad. Volume gets loud, sound quality is rich and with some bass too. Vocals could be a little louder but it’s not a big deal. I’m impressed – even better than many bigger gaming laptops out there.
     
    This laptop is equipped with a 4 cell 45Wh battery.
    Notes for battery life testing: WIFI on, best battery life mode, intelligent mode (more on that later), no background app, disabled sleep / display dimming, 14% volume
     
    Idle
    P2 state, 1.3-1.4GHz, 3.6-4.4W (APU package power draw, not system power draw)
     
    YT video, Chrome, enabled hardware acceleration
    720p60, 15% brightness: ~5-5.5 hrs, ~5.5-6.5W
    720p60, 28% brightness*: ~5 hrs, ~6.5-7.5W
    1080p60, 28% brightness: ~4.5 hrs, ~6-8W
     
    NBC website (MSI P75 review) – same Chrome settings
    Idle, 28% brightness: ~8-8.5 hrs, ~4-4.75W
    Continuous scrolling at reading speed, 28% brightness*: ~6.5-7 hrs, ~4.5-6.5W
    Reload every 30 secs, 28% brightness: ~4.5 hrs
     
    *with power saver dimming
     
    You can adjust some AMD related power settings in advanced power settings, but I found out that it has no impact on battery life. Slight brightness decrease also don't seem to save much battery life.
     
    Note that while at idle / in light loads, Quiet mode will make the fans run while Intelligent (auto) mode will keep the fans off. Nevertheless, it also doesn't seem to have an impact on battery life.
     
    Part 3: Performance, thermals
    The cooling solution consists of single medium sized heatpipe and 2 small fans (can refer to hardware maintenance manual). Note that the exhaust vents are blocked by the hinge – hot air is directed upwards (not towards display).
     
    Notes for all testing below:
    Before going into the results, I want to make a brief explanation on a tool called "STAPM power". Basically it's used to set power limits while the laptop is under load. While idle, the value for STAPM power is ~3.5-4W. While under load, the value will increase gradually over time until it reaches near the current power consumption. The heavier the load, the faster it increases. As the value gets higher, you will notice very minimal (I would say ~5%) clock speed throttling (CPU/GPU/both). You will also notices that the fast limit can only sustain for a shorter period during burst load like Cinebench when STAPM power is higher. When the value is close or reaches STAPM limit (22W for Intelligent mode), power limit will drop from 25W (slow limit) to 22W and the value remains.
     
    Cinebench R15 multi core ~640cb (1 run)
    ~3.15GHz, then ~3GHz
    Max 72C (1 run), max fan noise ~36dBA
    27-28W for a few secs, then stays at 25W

    STAPM limit kicks in after 7 runs: ~2.85GHz, max 76C, ~587cb
    Performance mode will give the same result, but it can sustain high scores longer
     
    Aida64 FPU – same behaviour as CB15
     
    Unigine Heaven - 900p, all low, dx11
    Clock speed fluctuates: 1000+MHz most of the time
    Max 74C, max fan noise ~36dBA
    Max 25W
    Power consumption will fluctuate – Slow limit can sustain longer compared to CPU
     
    FPU+Heaven
    25W: CPU ~2.2-2.4GHz, GPU ~550-600MHz, max 75C
    22W: CPU ~2-2.15GHz, GPU ~500MHz, max 72C
     
    L4D2 - 1080p lowest, single player with bots, Dead Center Map 1
    CPU 1.2-1.4GHz, GPU 500-950MHz
    Max 66C, 15-23W (stabilized STAPM power) 
    ~85 FPS (1 run)
     
    CSGO - fullscreen 1080p lowest, Mirage map, no bots
    CPU 1.3-1.4GHz, GPU 800-950MHz
    Max 68C, 19-22W (stabilized STAPM power) 
    ~115 FPS (1 run)
     
    Apex Legends - 720p lowest, training map
    CPU mostly at 1.2-1.3GHz, GPU 1050-1100MHz
    Max 68C, 22-24W (performance mode is used due to higher power demand)
    FPS (recorded standing in front of bloodhound): Skybox 73-93 FPS, training ground 41-51 FPS, will drop a few FPS when firing
     
    Fire Strike (1 run)
    Score: 2178, Graphics: 2497
     
    Tested Dota 2, but CPU+GPU run at low clocks for unknown reason. Tried a few settings, still doesn't fix that. Can stay at ~60 FPS but will drop in heavy actions (1080p, fastest preset)
     
    Additional comments:
    Under load, the whole area above Fn keys where the exhaust vents are located will get a bit hot. Keyboard area is a little warm. The package temperature cools down very fast after load, indicating a good, effective cooling solution. There is still plenty cooling room for >25W heat. GPU is tuned such that it will get more power for higher clock speed in games (sacrificing CPU clock). There are 3 power modes: Quiet, Intelligent (auto) and Performance (fan will kick in faster, also allows ~39dBA max fans) - press Fn+Q to switch. Unfortunately, tuning via Ryzen Controller not possible. It doesn't support Ryzen 3000 series mobile APUs yet. However, I don't think you need any further tuning since the stock power limit settings are good enough. I highly suggest using AMD uProf for most monitoring. The results are the most accurate.  
    Part 4: Miscellaneous
    The laptop weights at ~1.5kg and has ~16mm thickness. It comes with 65W charger (proprietary plug) There is a privacy shutter built into the webcam – slide to left to cover the camera You can check battery capacity even when the laptop is off by pressing any key – shows up in display The included Realtek 8822BE WIFI card has quite stable speeds, no issues so far Ports
    L: Power, HDMI, USB C, headphone/mic
    R: Full SD card slot, x2 USB 3.0 A
    It seems like it doesn't support USB C charging, however I can't test that out since I don't have any USB C charger
     
    Lenovo Vantage
    System update: Used to update drivers
    Hardware settings:
    Power – Conservation mode (battery cap while charging), rapid charge, always on USB, Vantage toolbar Audio / visual – Eye care mode, camera contrast+brightness+auto exposure on/off, camera privacy mode, Dolby on/off, Dolby audio mode, mic mute on/off, mic volume, optimize mic for 1 voice/normal/many voices, mic auto audio optimization Smart Settings – Auto adjust Dolby settings based on apps, auto mute mic based on apps Input – Touchpad enable/disable, Function/Fn switch, keyboard backlight Health & Support: Hardware scan, warranty, user guide download
     
    Conclusion
    Premium build quality, system feels snappy and responsive, input devices are decent, audio quality is above average. Has fingerprint reader and privacy shutter which is a plus. Very good APU performance - high power limits, good thermals (only mid 70s with 25W heat).
     
    What I'm disappointed the most is the battery life. The result isn't quite expected - realistically speaking, you can only get 4.5-6.5 hrs of battery life. 45Wh battery should be able to get 6-7 hrs. I suspect the culprit is the high idle power consumption. Maybe future BIOS/firmware/driver updates will make the battery life better but I can't tell for now. Anyway, I still believe that it's a step up compared to 2000 series mobile APUs. If the battery life is decent, this would be an excellent budget Ryzen laptop.
     
    Pros:
    Cons:
    Thanks for reading!
  11. Like
    genexis_x reacted to allenfaust in [REVIEW] Lenovo Ideapad S540-14API (R5-3500U, Vega 8)   
    Thank you for the suggestion!
  12. Like
    genexis_x reacted to Prokart2000 in Choosing a laptop   
    Cheers for the help!, I will ask If I have anymore questions
  13. Like
    genexis_x reacted to GoldenLag in Any recommendation for business laptop at about $800?   
    @GeneXiS_X i guess this is your territory.
     
  14. Like
    genexis_x reacted to OTRENOX in HP Spectre x360 13 gem cut Undervolting - Throttlestop.   
    Did a bit of research and realized that was exactly what I was looking for. Thanks so much, and it was definitely fun to experiment with TPL if I want to keep the battery life beyond my personal expectations.

    I managed to set the boost to 4.0 without it overheating or doing any sort of nonsense. Perfect for if I need to do intensive works. 

    Once again, thanks!
  15. Like
    genexis_x got a reaction from OTRENOX in HP Spectre x360 13 gem cut Undervolting - Throttlestop.   
    I don't have any links for that. Just lower down the values in turbo ratio limits (FIVR)
  16. Like
    genexis_x reacted to aisle9 in Laptop buying advice   
    I hate 17.3" laptops. They're not even laptops at that point. I hate Razer's garbage and crap customer service more, though. If I were limited to those two options, I'd find a third.
  17. Agree
    genexis_x got a reaction from Super Spartan in Area 51m repaste   
    And CM Mastergel Maker Nano too. Perform better than Kryonaut in my laptop.
  18. Like
    genexis_x reacted to OTRENOX in HP Spectre x360 13 gem cut Undervolting - Throttlestop.   
    Hey. The easiest way I found to manage things was actually this. I can quickly apply a different TPL if need be for something intensive. Though, the method I use helps quite a bit with thermal throttling. 

    Anyone can do whatever, but I saw just adjusting that one number to be easiest for me. 
  19. Like
    genexis_x reacted to Glenwing in 144Hz Laptop screen not passing UFO Test completely   
    Stutter is pretty normal, I wouldn't worry about it.
     
    143 Hz is due to rounding, refresh rates aren't exact ("144 Hz" may be 143.92 Hz or whatever, it depends on the monitor). Windows truncates instead of rounding, so it show up as 143 Hz instead of 144. You can check the exact refresh rate on the UFO site. https://testufo.com/refreshrate
  20. Like
    genexis_x reacted to Spotty in 550w 80+ Gold or 750w 80+ silver (originally 650 but explanation below)   
    @APasz I'm going to hit you up with a few quotes and address some of your comments individually, and try my best to explain what I can. Seems like some of the things you have said may not be entirely accurate or may be based on outdated information, so I'd like to help clear it up not only for yourself but for anyone else who may be reading who might not be aware. 
    If you have any questions feel free to ask, and if I know the answer I'll do my best to try and explain it.
     
     
    This probably isn't the best way to calculate the wattage. You can kind of ballpark guesstimate where it might be from TDP, but as addressed already TDP does not equal power consumption, especially on things like Intel CPUs which can run above TDP for periods of time.
    The way I personally prefer to calculate the wattage requirements of a system is to look up reviews that measure the power consumption of individual components using proper testing equipment (such as current clamps). You can put a current clamp on the EPS12V cable to the CPU and that will give you a very good representation of how much power the CPU is consuming. Likewise if done properly you can do the same with PCIe devices (graphics cards). The highest power draw components in a PC that you should be concerned about are the CPU and the Graphics Card(s). Other things such as fans, RGB, HDDs, etc do not consume a lot of power on their own, but when you add them all up it may be up to 50 or so watts depending on the system.
    Alternatively some media outlets will measure entire system power consumption, which will be less exact, but still close enough to get a general idea of how much power you should expect a system to consume.
     
    Basically you should look at the measured power consumption of parts, rather than trying to guess it yourself. I quite like Tom's Hardware reviews as they do a good job with individual component measurements and have an extensive catalogue of tests that will cover most hardware, however other outlets also do such testing as well and Gamers Nexus has recently moved to doing individual component power consumption testing as well.
     
     
    A good quality power supply rated to output 400w continuously should have no issue running a system that consumes less than 400w. If they are coming back after 6-12 months with a PSU failure then it's likely the quality of the PSU being used (there aren't that many quality 400w units), and not expressly due to the load put on it. Though, I'm assuming that it was a hypothetical scenario you were referencing so I won't get too hung up on this.
     

    There seems to be two main issues here you're touching on.
    PSUs aren't capable of running at their rated output for extended periods of time PSUs are more efficient at 50% load (or some other arbitary figure) Both of these are incorrect.
     
    Continuous Output
    The output rating on a power supply is for continuous output, and is rated at a certain ambient temperature. Depending on the power supply it may be rated between 30°C to 50°C. Most "decent" power supplies will be rated at least 40°C ambient temperature, with high end units often rated at 50°C ambient. Some low end budget units may be rated at 30°C. Some really poor quality units' output may only be rated at 25°C (EVGA N1 for example), and those should most definitely be avoided at all cost.

    On some particularly old or poor quality units (eg. absolute junk that claims it's a "750w PSU" despite being only able to deliver 400w on the 12v rail) may advertise what they call "Peak Output". This is basically entirely worthless and doesn't really mean anything. As far as I'm aware there's no standards or definitions on what "Peak Output" is how how long it should be able to sustain that peak output for.
    Thankfully, no self respecting power supply will show "Peak Output" on its label. Anything worth buying would show "Continuous Output".
     
    Continuous output is what it says - It is what the PSU is capable of outputting continuously, ie. 24/7 365. When operating within the temperature range the PSU is rated for within the continuous output range the power supply will perform within spec and will meet it's 80+ efficiency claims.
    If you over load a power supply, or operate it in temperatures outside its operating range - for example operating a 550w PSU rated at 30C at 650w in a 45C hotbox, then (if protections don't trip to shut it down) you will see a range of issues with the power supply including but not limited to; de-rated efficiency, less voltage regulation (voltage drops as current rises too high), higher ripple (potentially going out of spec), and potentially even failure.
     
    This only applies to power supplies that aren't lying on the label. If you're buying a $15 750w Power Supply that sounds too good to be true, then it will probably shut down at 300w load. That's not because power supplies can't run at their rated output continuously - It's because that PSU is a piece of junk and shouldn't be used.
     
    TLDR; Any good quality power supply will happily run at 100% load continuously for extended periods of time without issue. It's only an issue if you're talking about power supplies that are operating outside of the rated operating range or are junk (lying on the label, etc)
     
     
    PSUs are most efficient at 50%
    The entire "PSUs are most efficient at 50%" started simply because the 80+ efficiency testing for power supplies rated power supplies for efficiency at three load levels - 20% load, 50% load - 100% load. The efficiency target for the 50% load was higher than the 20% and 100% figure, which lead many people to think that 50% is a sweet spot for efficiency where the power supply is greatly more efficient.
     
    This is largely untrue, misconceived, or overstated.
    The efficiency of a power supply depends entirely on the individual model and the design of the unit. Most* modern power supplies tend to peak at approximately 30% load with a very slow and gradual efficiency drop towards 100%.
     
    As an example of a modern PSU's efficiency curve, here is the Corsair RM750x efficiency curve.

     
    You can see a very sudden and sharp rise in efficiency up to around 10%, when it gradually increases towards 20% load before peaking somewhere around 30-40% load. Then there is a very slight and gradual decline in efficiency towards 100%.
     
    The efficiency difference between a power supplies peak efficiency and other loads is highly overstated and exaggerated. This "peak" however is very slight, and the difference between 30% load and 70% load may be within a range of less than 1% efficiency. The difference between 50% load and 100% load may be around 2% or so. Something that is not going to cause a noticeable difference in your electricity bill.
     
    Another thing to consider is since efficiency tends to be lowest at low loads, by buying a higher wattage unit than required you may fall in to a lower efficiency level at lower/idle loads - which is where a lot of systems spend most of their time. For example a 1000W PSU at idle using 60w may only be around 70% efficient.
     
    If efficiency is important to you, then you should look at more efficient units, rather than higher wattage units. It's likely that an 80+ Bronze unit is less efficient at 50% load (85% min) than an 80+ gold unit is at 100% load (87% min).
    For a system that requires 350w, for the cost of an 80+ Bronze 750w unit to reach "50% peak" you could likely afford a good quality 450w or 550w 80+ Gold unit.
     
     
    Two things to consider when looking at the 80+ efficiency standards.
    1) They chose 3 values spread out across the load of the power supply to represent the load across a full range. 20%, 50%, and 100% are just spread out to capture low load, mid load, and full load on the unit. If they only measured one point (say, 100%) then PSU manufacturers could make a PSU that is efficient only at that load, but highly inefficient at other loads. By spreading the testing out over the full range of the power supply it ensures that PSU manufacturers make efficient units at all loads.
    2) The 80+ efficiency standards are over 15 years old. They were brought in when different designs and technologies were used in power supplies. At the time there weren't any 80+ units and when making an 80+ bronze efficient unit was actually considered high end. Nowadays with modern designs 80+ bronze is basically guaranteed even with budget PSU designs, with 80+ gold easily achievable with the use of LLC resonant converters and other such designs.
    Back in 2005 the efficiency curve looked different than what it looks like on modern units. The "PSUs are most efficient at 50% load" may have been more true on older units, however on modern units this tends not to be the case. (Though, you still need to check efficiency of each model as depending on the designs used efficiency curves may vary)
     
     
    See Continuous Output section above.
    A PSU rated to 750w continuous output can provide 750w over a continuous period, not over an "amount of time".
    It's efficiency at 100% is included in 80+ efficiency testing, so it will need to meet efficiency standards for 100% load in order to use the 80+ efficiency branding and logo. As shown in the efficiency section above, there is a gradual drop in efficiency towards and beyond 100% load, however it's not a significant drop in efficiency and is not concern.
     
    Any decent PSU should not catch fire while operating within its operating range - Or at all. If operating outside of a safe range it should have appropriate protections to trip and shut down the power supply before a fire is started. This obviously does not apply to junk power supplies without protections, which is why they're not recommended.
     
    Operating a power supply outside of its rated operating range, overloading the unit, should not cause a "Short". A short is where electricity is bridged from one circuit to another. This should not occur if the PSU is overloaded, unless there is otherwise failure within the components of the PSU which cause the short.

    You are correct that the rated output is indeed what is supplied to the system and measured after efficiency losses from the wall. So a 400w PSU at 90% efficiency will be pulling 445w or so from the wall AC power. This, however, is not an issue as power supplies are rated for Continuous Output power. They're rated at what they can output to the system, not rated for the input prior to efficiency loss.
     
    OTP = Over Temperature Protection. This will trigger to shut down a power supply if the temperature at a given point within the PSU reaches a point considered unsafe. This isn't related to efficiency, and would more likely trip due to something like fan failure or dust build up.



    That was longer than I was expecting. Hopefully that explains a lot of it for you, however if you or anyone else does have any questions feel free to ask.
    Also, I'm not perfect, so if I've made any errors feel free to correct me so that I too can learn from my mistakes!
  21. Like
    genexis_x reacted to ApolloX75 in Laptop insanely hot   
    Alienware units; especially the previous generation 15s and 17s, are ridiculous when it comes to heat management. I have RMA'd my 15 R3 at least six times since I bought it in November of 2017 for overheating and hardware failure related to overheating. It was so bad I purchased an extended warranty til 2020 and it has already paid for itself twice over.
     
    Seriously the last time I sent it, they had it for over two months and put it through an engineering and QA team to fix the issue, which this time they seem to have done something right since it no longer overheats (as badly anyway) and hasn't failed in like six months which is a damn record. I've had three motherboard replacements and four heatsink replacements. Not to mention numerous RAM module replacements. 
     
    I tried everything from repasting with conductonaut to undervolting and had no success.
     
    Since you are out of warranty your best bet is to disassemble it VERY carefully; follow the multitude of guides that are available and repaste. While you're in there do a thorough clean out of the heatsinks as dust and debris gets caught on the inside of the laptop fans; under the sticky tape they use, and can cause a dramatic increase in temperatures on it's own.
  22. Like
    genexis_x got a reaction from ghorbani in [REVIEW] Illegear Raven SE Laptop (i7-9750H, GTX 1650)   
    Yes
  23. Like
    genexis_x got a reaction from PixelFray in dGPU, i7/i9, 13-15", decent keyboard, good battery, under $1000   
    Where are you from? Mind low sRGB display? No preference on weight?
     
    Prefer regular laptop or gaming laptop?
  24. Funny
    genexis_x got a reaction from Super Spartan in Which laptop?   
    500 pounds? That's quite low for a new model
     
    Any other requirements?
  25. Like
    genexis_x reacted to goto10 in Lenovo thinkpads   
    the quality of the touchpad and keyboard is legendary
     
    is really confortable to write on a thinkpad keyboard
     
    the body is really strong, to damage it by hitting the floor you have to hit it hard, motherboard is another story but body can take some abuse
     
    size and weigth, quality of the laptop in general is great, on dell, in enterprise ty laptops,no, just go lenovo, dell is hot and miss and im being kind there
     
    lenovo is not perfect, but you pay alot because you get alot
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