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John Ratsey

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  1. John Ratsey
    I believe that both SSD slots are capable of running at full speed. HWiNFO reports NVMe (PCIe 4x 16.0 GT/s) for both. I've just checked my 2022 Gram 17 which has two SSDs (fitted by me): Slot 0 - WD SN850 2TB - 6873/4847 MB/s maximum Slot 1 - WD SN770 2TB - 5054/4646 MB/s maximum This suggests that either one of your Samsung SSDs isn't reaching its potential. That might be because LG has done a deal to get some ultra-cheap sub-standard SSDs to fit as secondary drives or the computer is configured to run the second SSD more slowly (perhaps to get an insignificant power saving). I'm not sure where that could be changed. It might require looking in the BIOS. If you can be sure that the problem is the SSD and you want better performance then the good news is that high capacity SSDs have never been so cheap. PS: Samsung SSD Magician might throw some light on the differences.
  2. John Ratsey
    I'm interested in better cooling/quieter than I've had in the 2021 and 2023 Gram 17s and the twin fan solution on the model with the Nvidia graphics may be one solution. However, I can't justify an upgrade at the moment and it appears that there isn't a UK-specific model with the separate GPU. I've just checked the LG UK website and it mentions "**Modified keyboard location to improve the airflow. Larger fan with more blades. Applied graphite sheet under the keyboard. The advanced cooling feature is in comparison to the preceding model" with this video. Comparing notebookcheck's internal photos of the 2022 and 2023 versions confirms that the latter has a larger diameter fan. 2022 2023 This difference isn't mentioned in the notebookcheck review but could well be a factor in the 2023 model being about 50% faster in the benchmark tests than the 2022 model. i7 vs i5 CPUs doesn't make much difference once there's thermal throttling.
  3. John Ratsey
    I've had no problem with my connectors but they've had much less use than yours. I partly see them as a safety device to protect the port and computer should the cable get snagged while they also mean that there's much less wear on the port where USB-C looks more fragile than the older connectors (I use wireless charging for my phone for the same reason).
  4. John Ratsey
    Currently, the reported fully charged battery capacity in my 2021 is reported as 73190mWh after 35 charge cycles. This is slightly better than the reported 72190mWh when I checked last April. I would, however, note that (i) I bought the computer second hand in January 2022 and (ii) it's not had significant use since August 2022 when I commissioned the newer Gram 17 (which reports 1 charge cycle (!) and still 80,000mWh capacity. I don't know if the 2021 Gram 17 lost capacity during the months it was used by its first owner or if the battery never had the advertised capacity (I've had plenty of those over the years). It may be worthwhile disabling the battery saver so your Gram 17 charges to 100%, then running it down (you'll have to boot into the BIOS screen when Windows automatically hibernates due to low battery) then fully charging to 100% again.
  5. John Ratsey
    I already had 4TB on the 2021 Gram 17 and wouldn't want to have less storage capacity. I also didn't want to overwrite the 2TB boot drive in the older Gram 17 so it was a matter of finding the best deal on an fast new 2TB SSD (WD SN850). I then cloned the Samsung 1TB onto the 2TB WD SN850 temporarily placed in a USB NVMe enclosure and moved over the 2TB WD SN770 from the second slot in the older Gram 17. For historical reasons I've got my SSDs arranged in several partitions with those on the 2nd, slightly slower, SSD being data that is mainly read with little writing so that SSD has more opportunity to sleep. I used to use Acronis which sometimes gave me problems but have been using Macrium Reflect for several years without problems. I should add, however, that I put the target SSD into an internal enclosure to avoid the risk of the cloning software thinking there will be two boot SSDs in the computer (which might arise if the target is in the 2nd SSD slot). Minitool Partition Wizard is my currently preferred tool for partition management. The 2023 Gram 17 models are around so the 2022 model is being discounted. It's worth watching out in case some sellers apply some even bigger discounts to shift the last of the old stock. 32GB and the anti=glare coating are useful upgrades. I see that Costco in UK is offering the 32GB 2022 Gram 17 for £1080 - about 40% off last year's price and 10% lower than my Amazon Warehouse deal last year.
  6. John Ratsey
    I didn't do before and after tests for the thermal pads as the pads were applied when I installed the SSDs. A drop of 9C is impressive. My 2022 Gram 17 came with the 1TB version of that Samsung SSD (it's the PM9A1) but I never tried running Samsung Magician because once I had checked out the computer I replaced the SSD with the 2TB WD SN850. The Samsung SSD is in the WD's box so it can be put back in the future if the Gram 17 gets rehomed. You should find that HWiNFO can read the Samsung's SMART data.
  7. John Ratsey
    If you want something really light then look at the Samsung Galaxy Book family or the LG Gram. They may not offer 14" but their 15" models are lighter than other 14" notebooks and have decent battery life. The older models have come down in price while the new models don't offer significant improvements. While they may not appear to be sturdy they seem to be fairly durable. I've got a 13" Samsung which came from Curry's outlet on ebay and a Gram 17 from Amazon Warehouse. Both appeared to have been unused.
  8. John Ratsey
    I used this and cut a piece to suit my needs. I had some left over from using the material in previous years to improve cooling of hot chips (earlier generations of SSDs used a lot more power when under load). However, a compressible pad could give an advantage if it touches the computer base but avoids the risk of transfering load onto the SSD. I did not apply any pad to the bottom of my SSDs. The chips are only on one side and there's not much space between the SSDs and the mainboard so a very thin pad would be needed. I don't think the pads are needed for thermal management. My WD SSDs don't exceed around 55C unlike some of the SSDs from earlier era (I bought my first in 2009).
  9. John Ratsey

    2023 LG Gram

    John Ratsey replied to Bullit's topic in LG

    I've not really noticed the potential speed boost because LG failed to upgrade the cooling system and, instead, put relatively low power limits on the CPU so any speed boost is short duration. I could fiddle with the power limits in the advanced BIOS settings but I'd then get even more fan noise.
  10. John Ratsey
    I haven't noticed my Gram 17 making annoying high-pitched whines but that may be because any sound is drowned by the continouus purr of the cooling fan or maybe because my ears are old enough that they struggle to pick up the highest frequencies. Furthermore, I put thermal pads (2mm, I think) on the SSDs because I had some in the drawer. The pads should benefit the cooling but could also dampen any vibration of the electronic components. Thanks for the tip about removing the base. I'll have to remember that for when I next need to get inside.
  11. John Ratsey
    Two here: 1. A Dell E310dw A4 monochrome laser print that lives on standby for the everyday printing. It cost me £35 in 2016 and I've subsequently replaced the toner (in 2017) and the drum (in 2021). It's not had a hard life. 2. A Canon MX925 A4 multi-function inkjet which cost me £128 in 2013. It has probably scanned more pages than it has printed. I've lost count of how much ink (not Canon ink once the warranty had expired) it's consumed. Because it doesn't get used much then it has to go through head-cleaning whenever it's switched on. I would prefer to have one device which did everything (printing, scanning, copying, duplex and with photo-quality colours) but consideration of anything which might tick all the right boxes will have to wait until one of the current machines needs to be replaced. And when that happens I'll look at what's on offer at https://www.morgancomputers.co.uk/c/582/Printer-Deals/ (UK only).
  12. John Ratsey

    2023 LG Gram

    John Ratsey replied to Bullit's topic in LG

    I would be more interested in the dGPU version if it means that the dual fans reduce the overall fan noise when the dGPU isn't used. However, this noise problem isn't enough to get me thinking about going shopping should the RTX3050 be released for the UK market. At the moment it's listed on Amazon UK but sold by Amazon US. Maybe in a couple of years there will be enough other improvements (eg better CPU efficiency) to justify an upgrade. I'm a little surprised that the OLED panel uses so much power. My 2021 13" Galaxy Book Pro has an FHD AMOLED panel and very good battery life. However, a 17" panel has 70% bigger area to illuminate than 13". More important, under my usage conditions, there's no obvious difference between the AMOLED panel and LG's very good IPS (or similar) LCD panel. The little Samsung is also much quieter than my Gram 17.
  13. John Ratsey
    I think that's identical to mine. Someone somewhere might be able to do a BIOS mod to reveal more settings but it's not something I would try unless desperate and it's possible that would still not reveal a default brightness setting.
  14. John Ratsey
    @SteerpikeMy Samsung has the AMI BIOS with the Aptio Setup Utility. Does yours? If so, then this might be relevant.
  15. John Ratsey
    I don't recall seeing any default brightness setting in the LG BIOS and I've also checked photos I took of various BIOS pages and see nothing relevant. I've also just looked in the Samsung BIOS (which has remarkably few settings) and there's nothing relevant to brightness. Google found me a reference to the maximum brightness problem with Reflect but with no solution. I wonder if the problem lies with the graphics driver in the WinPE environment. I know nothing about this but wonder if there's a startup text file with some settings which can be edited. Otherwise you'll have to get a sheet of tinted film to hand over the screen.
  16. John Ratsey
    I didn't have this model of the Samsung. I used to have the X3B and then the X3C but both have been rehomed several years ago. The solution, if there is one, may be in the archive at https://web.archive.org/web/20220121212133/http://forum.notebookreview.com/forums/samsung.1011/ . Have you tried enabling adptive brightenss and covering the ambient light with some black tape so the computer thinks it is in a dark room? I recall doing this on a notebook to disable the auto brightness but can't remember which one.
  17. John Ratsey
    I've got a WD SN850 in slot 1 and WD SN770 in slot 2. They both seemed to offer best value for performance / money at the time of purchase and I have no regrets. Before each purchase (the SN770 was bought first) I searched for the quality reviews (eg Tom's Hardware and Anandtech) and checked for any adverse comments for the SSDs I was considering. Prices seem to be steadily dropping and 4TB will soon be affordable. I think idle power consumption is no longer an issue but the system power settings may be a factor. Go to the power options via Control Panel and check the Link State Power Management under PCI Express settings is set to Maximum Power Savings. As for the question of new sticky pads, I've not yet felt the need to buy any. If you prise the rubber feet and screw covers off carefully then the adhesive remains and is still slightly sticky and will hold things in place when you put them back. Id that's not enough, you could use a very small amount of a glue (eg UHU) which remains flexible when it sets. The pre-made sticky pads speeds up manufacturing by avoiding the problem of the glue getting in the wrong places and needing to be removed.
  18. John Ratsey
    I'm now on my 2nd Gram 17 and each has accumulated about 6 months use as a desktop. The most obvious wear being a shiny area on the left palm rest. The 2021 Gram 17 (16GB RAM) was bought secondhand in early 2022. My eyes loved the big screen (apart from the occasional reflection problem) but occasionally suffered major slow-downs due to full RAM (Windows' memory management asleep on the job?). When I saw a 32GB 2022 Gram 17 in Amazon Warehouse at 2/3rd of the new price I grabbed it. This has solved both the overflowing RAM problem and the screen reflections. The only improvement which would get me to upgrade would be a better cooling system as the current inadequate small fan limits the CPU performance (every now and again I unsuccessfully search the www for a dual fan cooling solution). I would note that my Gram 17 is either in use on my desk or put away if I need the desk space for something else. I use a 13" Galaxy Book Pro for travel. If I did need to take the Gram 17 out of the house then I've got a neoprene sleeve made for a 15" notebook which fits nicely.
  19. John Ratsey
    I'm another happy Gram 17 owner. I got there by way of my eyes wanting a screen bigger than 15.6" but not wanting to give up my desk to a desktop so I bought a Dell Optiplex All-in-One which proved to be too big for convenience. If I want to use my desk for something else then it's easy to close the Gram 17 and move it out of the way. The Gram 17 has two M.2 2280 slots which gives me enough storage space but the one failing is inadequate cooling system. LG decided to fit one small fan when there's room for more, probably to keep within the target 3lb weight.
  20. John Ratsey
    I resorted to using hibernation. However, I follow the progress with this battle with interest.
  21. John Ratsey
    I would love to buy the dual fan option mentioned in the listing here for the 2021 Gram 17. Unfortunately, Google can't find a source for it. Also an Ultrabookreview review of the 2022 Gram 17 has been published recently. There's also a review of the 2022 Gram 16.
  22. John Ratsey
    That's also my view. It seems to be speculation in something with no physical or intellectual property value.
  23. John Ratsey
    I recall that CPJ was still a teenager when he became chief moderator at NBR. This states that he wrote his first review in 2005 in the days when NBR was run by Andrew Baxter who was happy to accept reviews from most people on the basis that multiple reviews by relative amateurs (including me) would provide a better overall understanding than a few highly detailed reviews. While it's possible that CPJ's first reviews were in the amateur category he quickly became recognised for his consistency while each review broadened his overall knowledge. Somehow he also managed to attend school and knowledge. I also agree, however, that Ultrabookreview and Notebookcheck are currently the best places to look for the most comprehensive reviews including what the inside looks like.
  24. John Ratsey
    See here for a screen photo showing the thermal triggers. The fan on my Gram 17 seems to be running permanently although it's not an obnoxious whine and is less obtrusive than a fan switching on and off or having frequent big changes in speed. Samsung make a 15.6" 2-in-1 which is worth investigating. I've got a 13.3" Galaxy Book Pro which is normally very quiet so it's possible that Samsung have a slightly better cooling system than LG. The QLED display is extremely good.
  25. John Ratsey
    The lettering is one of these (I found it on UK ebay) but I perpetually wonder why notebook manufacturers don't print some symbols on the keyboard surround during production. The challenge was finding white lettering. I first tried using lettering created by my Dymo LetraTag label maker but black lettering on a white background didn't look very elegant (although that's what is on my little Samsung). I haven't bothered with putting the lettering on my new Gram 17 as I'm much more familiar with the port locations. The lettering on the keys is moulded translucent plastic and won't wear out. One advantage (in addition to convenience and reduced port wear) of the QR USB-C connectors is that pulling a cable won't casue the computer to take a trip to the floor. I'm using the right-angle connectors to route the power cables to the back of the computer although this configuration can't coexist with using the HDMI port.
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