Hey ho folks, my MSI GE40 has finally died on me (RIP old friend) and my attempts to revive the little bugger has all but ended it frustration.

Long story short, I needed new lappy. I've been eyeing Illegear for the longest time (even prior to buying the GE40) and at first the Raven seemed to be a perfect fit for my needs...

... but yeah, you know what they say about having to physically touch what you're gonna buy FIRST before committing to anything? Now that Illegear has a showroom, off I went ler to feel2 and touch2 the Raven.

Bad move. Baddddddd.

Now I'm lusting for the S5X and might just get one. Damn.

This post has been edited by Eiraku: Nov 14 2017, 08:25 PM

Hopefully S6X (or whatever Coffee Lake version of the S5X) will take its sweet time arriving lol. Otherwise, if I get my S5X just to find Coffee Lake coming in February or something, I'll cry rivers.

Rivers I tell you.

And if Volta arrives in tandem, I'll cry rivers of blood.

This post has been edited by Eiraku: Nov 15 2017, 08:15 PM

Lol true that. All in all, including waiting for the ODMs to pack them in new cases, I guess we're looking at a May-June release of BOTH Volta and CL then...

... and my lappy is dead now.

Besides once Volta hits people are gonna say wait for Cannon. Or Ice. Lol.

Oh well. I've always traditionally had bad timing when it comes to having to purchase stuff. Plus only God knows how these new lappies are gonna be priced and how my financial situation is gonna be like once the May-June window hits.

Also, dat Singles Day promo. Delicious thin S5X + freebies mmmmm.

This post has been edited by Eiraku: Nov 16 2017, 02:46 PM

I know right.

So yeah, S5X now. I regret nothing. Not even the left kidney I'll probably have to sell off to afford one.



This post has been edited by Eiraku: Nov 16 2017, 11:34 PM

Flight out from Japan later today. Gonna be my first day with my new S5X tomorrow (26th) so I'm a bit anxious lol. Hopefully it goes well and everything is as it should be.

Damn, it's nerve wrecking to say the least. Funny that I could wait weeks while being in Japan but these few hours seem almost unbearable lol.

And hey, Merry Christmas all.

This post has been edited by Eiraku: Dec 25 2017, 02:32 AM

It's the 1070 MaxQ ver, with 60Hz FullHD IPS screen, my own 256GB NVMe SSD (Crucial IINM, pulled it out of my Miix), the 2TB Firecuda and the freebies from the Singles Day promo (yeah I ordered it a loooooooong time ago lol).

Otherwise, specs shouldn't vary much from the site, it's a BGA laptop after all.

This post has been edited by Eiraku: Dec 26 2017, 05:06 AM

So yeah, I just took delivery of my S5X and damn, it's exactly as I'd imagined it to be.

First, a pic to start things off:



So, a Full Review will be up later when I have spent more time with the thing, but for now here's my initial thoughts:

1) It's even more well built then the preview unit they have up at the Oval. Everything is hemmed shut, and other than some seams originating from the 2-piece, cup-bottom design of the S5X itself (and the plastic screen/keyboard frame), the thing really feels solid. The seams/gaps around the edges do look a tad unsightly though, IF you focus too much on them.

2) Screen bleed is ooookay. It's IPS and after all and while loosening the frame MIGHT help lessen the bleed, it also MIGHT just gonna lead to creaking and other stuff happening (which will annoy me even more), so it's probably as good as it gets. Image Quality is very nice though, especially considering it's JUST a full HD screen. It's probably the same unit used in the Guru Fire KS reviewed on Notebookcheck (looking from the ID), so the specs on that unit applies. And yeah, calibration does make a noticeable difference BTW.

3) The fans on the S5X is NOT as noisy as I initially thought it would be. Now downloading stuff through Origin/Steam and surfing and the thing is relatively quiet, alternating between low and low-medium amounts of fan noise (and I'm not even in an air conditioned room). I do have the Coolermaster U2 pad beneath it, but as I broke the CM fans it's just a passive raiser pad now. I'm thinking that with a little undervolt it would probably fare even better.

4) Unit comes with Windows 10 Creator Update pre-installed. Haven't had issues yet but CU is infamous for effing up gaming. Will disable Xbox/DVR later and hopefully that would be enough to not make things stutter too much (without having to resort to uninstalling Xbox completely OR having to roll back to Pre-CU W10).

5) The pre-installed Clevo Control Centre is NOT installed with the XTU service along with it, which is STELLAR, as the XTU service is known to mess up fan tables, leading to fan noise when there shouldn't be any.

6) The Chicony adapter is much more compact than I thought it was, now that have spent more than a few minutes with it. Which is surprising for something rated up to 180W.

7) Caps Lock and Num Lock not having actual physical indicators can be a bit of a pain. The on-screen indicators help a bit, but can be obstructive sometimes. I mean, how hard is it to just drill a tiny hole in the keycaps and sticking an extra white LED in there?

So yeah, I guess that's all I have for starters. Does sound a tad critical but keep in mind I REALLY like the S5X I've received in general, so negative points above are more or less just nitpicks.

For even more detailed info, I'll post up my full review later when I'm done with it in a week or so.

This post has been edited by Eiraku: Dec 30 2017, 08:33 PM

For Clevo-based models (S5, S7, S5X etc), IINM this is called FlexiCharge and it's actually built into the BIOS/UEFI. It's configurable to start/stop charging at predetermined points, but you can only really tinker with it in BIOS/UEFI.

But the Raven and the Laguna isn't actually Clevo-based units AFAIK so I'm not really sure myself. Maybe the "smart charging" works the same way (UEFI-based) or maybe it works the way Lenovo makes it work (with their own Windows-based software); but let's wait for Prince J to chime in with his input.

This post has been edited by Eiraku: Jan 5 2018, 01:11 PM

Anddddd that is what Optimus (or MShybrid in certain laptops like the Clevo P650/ Illegear S5) does actually. So yeah, what you're saying is already pretty much standard SOP for notebooks nowadays, except when you have G-Sync (in which case Optimus is disabled by default) or in rare cases like the 1060/1070 Laguna (which has a large enough battery anyway so it wouldn't really matter).

The 1050Ti Laguna DOES have Optimus though, hence its 5-6 hour battery life.

This post has been edited by Eiraku: Feb 14 2018, 11:35 PM

Didn't actually have any of the micro-stutter thing on my S5X TBH, though I don't actually have any of the Intel/Nvidia stuff on my context menu (removed them all via registry) and actually stuck with the stock drivers for both Intel and Nvidia so that might just be it.

Also, yeah, overheating is more the cooling system (heat paste, sinks, pipes and fans) then a question of Optimus being present or not. I mean, the chips get hot anyway... but if they overheat to the point of restarting (and its NOT because of driver issues) then that particular chip has NO place within the laptop it's being used in (i.e. it's just bad design).

For example, pairing a cheap single fan, shared single-heatpipe cooling setup with a high-heat CPU/GPU setup. Or the infamous Alienware tripod heatsink... which is the main cause behind the imbalanced heating issue prevalent in current gen Alienware laptops.

And a laptop GPU/CPU is even designed to throttle down (aka slow down) before it reaches critical point, so not even having time to throttle before shutting down means that it's a particularly serious issue, cooling-wise.

Although, heat paste application quality can actually vary quite a lot amongst laptops so it might just be that.

This post has been edited by Eiraku: Feb 15 2018, 10:36 PM

Its probably on the lower side of things, looking as it's a tad lesser performing vs the one on the Zephyrus 1070MQ version (check NBC for the numbers, but roughly 1000 points lower on 3DM11). On the plus side its also probably why the S5X lasts longer, amongst other things.

This post has been edited by Eiraku: Feb 17 2018, 04:17 PM

Laguna's probably gonna get a CF update too, so you might just get your CF/1070 wish.

*Praying Abam Kastam releases the Onyx first batch faster faster*



This post has been edited by Eiraku: Apr 9 2018, 03:10 PM

Onyx has a much, much sturdier lid/screen then the S5X, dual M2 slots (+ the hdd bay) and a smaller footprint. Even the actual chassis feels less flexy TBH, but the difference isn't as large as the lid.

S5X is lighter, but the flexy lid/screen is quite troubling. Also, only a single M2 slot BUT you have the option for 1070MQ (and also that nifty fingerprint reader as a bonus).

Also, the screen on the Onyx looks better then the one on the S5X (if we're comparing both FHD 60hz units ler). Brighter and better "on paper" gamut coverage (at least on the unit I tested). And the "minimal bezel" thing is a real eye opener, really... you'll start to think that the S5X screen is wasting sooooo much space in comparison.

As for the KB, it depends. I liked the travel and response of the per-RGB (yum) unit on the Onyx, but on the other hand I'm too used to the "island-chiclet" style that the S5X comes with... though with time I'll probably be able to adapt to the Alienware-style keys of the Onyx just the same.

Also, battery life for both should be about the same (3-4 hours), though this is merely a ballpark estimate with a bone stock, un-undervolted and un-optimised Onyx.

... so yeah, it actually only boils down to a sturdy build (the Onyx) vs a 1070MQ option (the S5X) TBH.

Biggest con for both? No TB3... but ehhhhh, you're already saving a lot vs the nearest competitors that do (GS63VR/GS65/Aero 15/Aero15 Mk2) so it's a understandable trade-off.

This post has been edited by Eiraku: Apr 11 2018, 02:43 AM

The MKB only the slightest bit noisier then the non-MKB on the S5X, though I recommend you drop by Illegear HQ if you can to judge the difference by yourself as it's pretty much a non-issue to me.

As for NHV, my only frame of reference is a 1070MQ S5X so it might not be fair to compare a 1060 Onyx against it, but IMHO at "normal" loads the Onyx does run a little bit quieter and at "full" load it doesn't run as hot - which is interesting considering the slightly smaller chassis.

This post has been edited by Eiraku: Apr 11 2018, 09:13 AM

Yep, Max-P = full fat 1070. And yes, I'm partly surprised but with my time spent with the "sample" unit, it does feel that the cooling system is THAT capable.

That said, it WILL be pretty noisy to be able to cope, though not being Max-Q (which actually has a Nvidia mandated noise limit of 40 dB) it probably wouldn't matter.

Do keep in mind that the gunmetal paint on those Mechrevo Z2 units (also available as the MechaNike F117 Break in what looks like an even lighter shade of silver) MIGHT help it dissipate heat better then the Onyx (even though the bottom is still black across all 3 versions). Theoretically, anyway.

But Furmark 80/70 sounds about rite, at least according to the "back-of-my-hand thermometer" I had while testing the sample. Also, if it ever gets too hot for you there's always the "panic-button": The full speed fan override next to the power.

That said, I couldn't help but wonder how a full 1070 would actually do IF it ever ends up inside an Onyx. Maybe 80-90 under full Furmark, sans any UV or repasting?

Oh and the speakers in the Onyx are not bad TBH. At the very least, they ARE better than the ones on the S5X, but don't expect Harman/Kadon levels of bass or anything from them.

This post has been edited by Eiraku: Apr 15 2018, 02:58 AM

Well, the Onyx is thick for a reason *wink wink*. Also the GS series has never really been "solid" IMHO, all of them are unfortunately flexy in one part or another - while I can tell you from experience that the Onyx is pretty solid indeed.

Do enjoy your new laptop bro and do post drills for us.



This post has been edited by Eiraku: Apr 19 2018, 12:21 AM

Haven't gotten mine yet but I have camped in the Illegear showroom for a few hours with an IR thermometer (yes I seem to have nothing better to do that day lol). So while I can't give you internal temp numbers (Illegear reps can probably help you there), I can give you EXTERNAL temp readings.

After Furmark running for about 30-40 minutes the bottom part of the Onyx gets to nothing beyond 46c at the hottest point, other parts hovering below 40. Similarly the top, 20ish approaching 30, and nothing more then 40 at the hottest point. This is with averages taken from multiple shots to six rough quadrants on the laptop, top and bottom.

Also, this was done on the Onyx set on Auto fan settings, with a bone stock display i7/1060 unit, in Illegear's ACed showroom.

I'd say this is pretty good considering the "new" Aero 15X v8 goes to nearly 70c at the bottom (youch!) and 60c on top (at least according to NBC).

But to be fair the Aero does come with a 1070MQ as reviewed, though TBH in the past reviews of the 1060 Kaby Lake version things weren't THAT much cooler either (maybe by -5c or so).

As for a proper review, you'll have to wait for my personal unit to arrive ler first for me to be able to fully test it, but so far I have great expectations for the Onyx TBH.

This post has been edited by Eiraku: Apr 25 2018, 03:13 AM

Holy you're out of the country and your laptop is with Illegear?

You guys sure get a lot of these types of folks #illegear lol

*wink wink*

This post has been edited by Eiraku: Apr 25 2018, 03:46 PM