Official Clevo X170SM-G Thread

[electrosoft]

Looking for the best and newest BIOS/EC and drivers for your X170SM-G? Use XMG's fantastic support network and drivers:

 

https://download.schenker-tech.de/package/xmg-ultra-17-idxul17m20/

 

Excellent post by @Clamibot for modded BIOS information (and Soundblaster issues):

 

 

Specs:
- Matte 17.3" 4K LCD with micro-LED Display 1000 nits (1080p 144hz, 1440p 165hz options)
- Up to 125W Intel Core i7 Desktop CPU (200w support) 10900k
- Up to 200W RTX 2080 Super
- Upgradable MXM Graphics
- Thunderbolt 3, HDMI, 3x USB-A + much more
- 4 Speakers + 2 subs
- 2x 230W Bricks
- Large bottom mesh intake
- Side vents and thick fans
- Side and back RGB lightning

 

Excellent guide for gaining physical access to the BIOS chip from @win32asmguy

 

 

 

 

@Mr. Fox Original Review:
 

 

[Clamibot]

Ah you beat me to this and the KM-G thread. I was going to recreate the owners lounges from NBR when I acquired extra time.

From all I've gathered, it seems the SM-G gives people less problems than the KM-G. I wonder why that is. I really don't think there was a point in even releasing the KM-G. Releasing a BIOS update for 11th gen support on the SM-G and giving it an RTX 30xx card would've done the trick.

[electrosoft]

I agree in the SM-G being much more smooth sailing than the KM-G. Prema helps a lot and really eliminates the need for Control Center. I don't even run it on my SM since RGB effects can be set to persistent even with a CMOS reset so I set it and forget it.

I will say replacing the already binned ZtecPC 10900k with an even higher SL qualified binned chip has it running basically quiet outside of gaming and even then the GPU fans kick up more than the CPU fans.

My less than a month of ownership of the X170KM-G let me know it still needs a lot of work and Prema to get anywhere near the SM-G at this point. Here's hoping it isn't so problematic that Prema won't feasible on it but 12th gen is already here and 12th gen laptops are now arriving so I'm not sure.

Maybe down the road we will see a Dsanke level BIOS release or Prema will update the SM BIOS to enable 11th gen support. I suspect if you swap in the proper heatsink (either 3rd party that offers a better model or stock), a 3000 series card will work as is. You just have to mod the drivers as always. I had planned to swap my 3060 from the KM down the road for testing but with all its problems and defects.....

 

 

[reallango]

Well I see there is much less talk in here then the KM page. Which sucks since I just got an SM and am trying to figure out best firmware and drivers for it. 

 

I was given a Sager NP9670M from a coworker and have been having some trouble getting it setup and running steady. As it's a work computer it was given to me with Win 11 ent installed. The drivers weren't done. I've noticed the drivers on Sager's site are outdated and was hoping somebody might know what the best drivers I can use for this laptop are.

 

Also being a Sager I can't get the Prima bios everyone speaks so highly of. But is there another Bios for this guy that someone can suggest?

[electrosoft]

7 hours ago, reallango said:

Well I see there is much less talk in here then the KM page. Which sucks since I just got an SM and am trying to figure out best firmware and drivers for it. 

 

I was given a Sager NP9670M from a coworker and have been having some trouble getting it setup and running steady. As it's a work computer it was given to me with Win 11 ent installed. The drivers weren't done. I've noticed the drivers on Sager's site are outdated and was hoping somebody might know what the best drivers I can use for this laptop are.

 

Also being a Sager I can't get the Prima bios everyone speaks so highly of. But is there another Bios for this guy that someone can suggest?

 

There's much less talk because our SMs aren't encountering as many issues as the KM which seems to have stalled in issue resolution from the OEMs.

 

True, if you have a stock unit then Prema is not available. You could reach out to Prema and see if a donation of sorts would get a remote upgrade to it but that is your only recourse atm.

 

As for drivers, I'd recommend XMG's set of drivers as they seem to be the most up to date. Those coupled with their BIOS/FW is the most current.

 

 

Are you having any other issues with your unit besides driver updates? What config are you running?

 

 

 

 

[reallango]

Well I haven't done too much with it yet except try and play CoD Warzone. Which during my GPU temperature got up to about 97 and the game was running buggy and crashing. I since played on my normal laptop and noticed that some of the issues may be Warzones fault from the recent update. And I was running in performance mode so switching to entertainment would possibly help the temp issue. Although I am planning on replacing the thermal paste and checking the heatsinks are all in place properly.

 

Of course one of the other issues is how loud the fans are. which could be happening worst if I'm having a heatsink issue.

 

I wanted to do XMG's Drivers and BIOS/FW but didn't see which where the correct ones for the X170SM. Could you provide a link for them it would be greatly appreciated. I work in the IT field so updating the BIOS/FW should be easy enough if I can just find the correct one.

 

Honestly the reason I got it was because nobody else wanted to deal with the fan noise. 

[electrosoft]

19 hours ago, reallango said:

Well I haven't done too much with it yet except try and play CoD Warzone. Which during my GPU temperature got up to about 97 and the game was running buggy and crashing. I since played on my normal laptop and noticed that some of the issues may be Warzones fault from the recent update. And I was running in performance mode so switching to entertainment would possibly help the temp issue. Although I am planning on replacing the thermal paste and checking the heatsinks are all in place properly.

 

Of course one of the other issues is how loud the fans are. which could be happening worst if I'm having a heatsink issue.

 

I wanted to do XMG's Drivers and BIOS/FW but didn't see which where the correct ones for the X170SM. Could you provide a link for them it would be greatly appreciated. I work in the IT field so updating the BIOS/FW should be easy enough if I can just find the correct one.

 

Honestly the reason I got it was because nobody else wanted to deal with the fan noise. 

 

Something is definitely wrong with your GPU cooling somewhere along the chain. I have a 2080 Super and it tops out around 68-73 and fans don't even go to max. That is playing WoW or even running synthetics. That would definitely send your fans into a tizzy.

 

What CPU do you run and how are those temps?

 

Open up HWinfo and see exactly how everything is running after some stress tests (TimeSpy and CB23 for starters).

 

I think this is the official link to the X170SM-G drivers: https://download.schenker-tech.de/package/xmg-ultra-17-idxul17m20/

 

 

[reallango]

Ok I've updated the BIOS an EC using the XMG versions. I appreciate the link. I was close right about the one I needed but ended up on the older MB version of it somehow. 

 

I used HWinfo and checked while running TimeSpy but numbers didn't get too bad temp wise. I did attach the temp that was reported during the test by 3DMark. I tried running warezone with HWinfo running and I've attached an image of the stats.

 

I didn't have the laptop placed in the best area for this test. So numbers could be a few degreed lower if placed in the optimal location for the machine to breathe.

 

I did redo the thermal paste before doing this test and one thing I noticed was that the cpu/gpu cooler on this Sagear version shares thermal pipes between the CPU and the GPU. I have also noticed that warezone is a CPU intensive game. So I'm wondering if the CPU is heating up and causing the GPU to go even higher due to the shared pipes.

[electrosoft]

Whoa, those GPU temps are outrageously high. That is the most concerning to me. CPU pegging 91c in TimeSpy stress could use some work but I'd focus on the GPU first.

 

Do you have an overclock running on the GPU or that is stock? I run the same GPU and temps are much lower. I have to do some testing on my X170SM-G to prep for some binning runs between three 10900k's anyhow so I'll rerun TimeSpy for comparison later.

 

@clamibot can you do a full TimeSpy run with a HWinfo screen (all stock) for comparison for control too since we have similar rigs and all three of us are running 2080 Supers.

 

 

[solidus1983]

@reallango That GPU temp is really really high, You said you redone the Thermal Paste however at them temps it might be a contact issue, you haven't dislodged GPU thermal pads?, @electrosoft Good call on asking for another with the same specs to do a control however there might be a delta variation if your in different climates to account for too.

 

As for the CPU Sharing heatpipes, that is also vaild however it wouldn't rise the temps past that of the CPU surely as the GPU area is quite big in terms of the Heatsink, thus can soak more heat before equalising.

 

However @reallango could test the theroy out easy enough with Warzone by going into

Documents\Call of Duty Modern Warfare\players

folder and then editing the following line in adv_options.ini .

RendererWorkerCount = 8 # Normally Half of your threads.

 

Then set that file to readonly. Then launch Warzone and see what happens.

[electrosoft]

Even stressing both simultaneously in unrealistic synthetics I've never seen the GPU reach anywhere near those levels.  Ambient deltas can be accounted for but hitting 95c in Timespy is a major read flag.

 

I agree it is most likely a contact issue. Double check the thermal spread. You can also verify good contact by using a central dollop application versus manual spread to see how the natural pressure of the secured heatsink distributes the thermal compound. If the spread is sound, you could try a copper shim to see if it is still a pairing issue.

 

I also agree to double check the gpu thermal pads to make sure one isn't compromising the pairing pressure.

 

 

 

 

[reallango]

When I did the thermal paste I did a central application and checked the spread. I usually do my thermal paste this way to try and keep from overdoing it and to verify I'm getting a good contact. The spread appeared about as even as I would expect. I also payed close attention to the pads and they looked to be properly placed and didn't appear to be causing any issues with the positioning of the heatsink. Not discounting the possibility that the heatsink isn't making good enough contact however and I will go ahead and pull it apart for another look and a few tests to see if I can verify it's making the best contact possible. 

 

@solidus1983 Good suggestion on the worker count. I'll give that a try and see what happens. I'm familiar with the process from a previous suggested mod in warzone.

 

Curious question. Is there a replacement heatsink setup I could possibly get that may work better? Not sure if a replacement from another brand laptop would mate up properly in the sager case but if the price isn't outrageous I'd be willing to try. I know in a lot of laptops that isn't really an options but figured since this is a sought after setup and multiple companies use the same board it could be possible. I of course can try and research myself just figured I'd ask here first in case somebody has experience with it.

 

Edit: I forgot to add that yes this is all completely stock. No overclocking or mods.

Edited March 30, 2022 by reallango

[solidus1983]

@reallango When you go to check thermal paste next, check the GPU thermal pads haven't doubled up somewhere as that would make a contact issue occur on the GPU Die.

 

I had a Hot GPU on my KM version because i used 1.5mm and 2.00mm pads, the thermal paste was showing contact however it would get hot very quick i had to then go to 1.0mm and 1.5mm pads to get it just right for temps to be in the lower 70's on full tilt.

[Clamibot]

On 3/29/2022 at 3:32 PM, electrosoft said:

Whoa, those GPU temps are outrageously high. That is the most concerning to me. CPU pegging 91c in TimeSpy stress could use some work but I'd focus on the GPU first.

 

Do you have an overclock running on the GPU or that is stock? I run the same GPU and temps are much lower. I have to do some testing on my X170SM-G to prep for some binning runs between three 10900k's anyhow so I'll rerun TimeSpy for comparison later.

 

@clamibot can you do a full TimeSpy run with a HWinfo screen (all stock) for comparison for control too since we have similar rigs and all three of us are running 2080 Supers.

 

 

 

Sure thing buddy!

 

I'm sorry I didn't reply earlier. I never got a notification that I was mentioned in this thread.

[electrosoft]

@reallango here are some runs I did to give you an idea of numbers you should be seeing (depending on CPU and GPU). I always run with fans on auto and let them get to where they need to be naturally versus forcing full fans.

 

Timespy:

 

 

Here is a stock 10900k run for CB23 with a ~-80uv.

 

 

 

Corsair 3800 sticks dialed into 3200 CL14-14-14-336:

 

 

[electrosoft]

On 3/30/2022 at 4:35 PM, reallango said:

When I did the thermal paste I did a central application and checked the spread. I usually do my thermal paste this way to try and keep from overdoing it and to verify I'm getting a good contact. The spread appeared about as even as I would expect. I also payed close attention to the pads and they looked to be properly placed and didn't appear to be causing any issues with the positioning of the heatsink. Not discounting the possibility that the heatsink isn't making good enough contact however and I will go ahead and pull it apart for another look and a few tests to see if I can verify it's making the best contact possible. 

 

@solidus1983 Good suggestion on the worker count. I'll give that a try and see what happens. I'm familiar with the process from a previous suggested mod in warzone.

 

Curious question. Is there a replacement heatsink setup I could possibly get that may work better? Not sure if a replacement from another brand laptop would mate up properly in the sager case but if the price isn't outrageous I'd be willing to try. I know in a lot of laptops that isn't really an options but figured since this is a sought after setup and multiple companies use the same board it could be possible. I of course can try and research myself just figured I'd ask here first in case somebody has experience with it.

 

Edit: I forgot to add that yes this is all completely stock. No overclocking or mods.

 

In addition to @solidus1983 suggestions, you could also entertain the idea you have lost the heatsink lottery and order either another stock model or explore something like this which is beefier, water-air hybrid and supports 1000 2000 and 3000 series cards across the board.

 

 

https://www.aliexpress.com/item/1005003079962370.html?_randl_currency=USD&_randl_shipto=US&src=google&src=google&albch=shopping&acnt=631-313-3945&slnk=&plac=&mtctp=&albbt=Google_7_shopping&albagn=888888&isSmbActive=false&isSmbAutoCall=false&needSmbHouyi=false&albcp=15229744697&albag=126912416582&trgt=1480551745650&crea=en1005003079962370&netw=u&device=c&albpg=1480551745650&albpd=en1005003079962370&gclid=EAIaIQobChMIrpGG-PKC9wIVirWzCh2LNQbNEAQYASABEgJaZ_D_BwE&gclsrc=aw.ds&aff_fcid=791582db86e649d989e237e31b4b7be7-1649367032112-06408-UneMJZVf&aff_fsk=UneMJZVf&aff_platform=aaf&sk=UneMJZVf&aff_trace_key=791582db86e649d989e237e31b4b7be7-1649367032112-06408-UneMJZVf&terminal_id=f932f1f5e5424abf92c0e80c3d883e7d&afSmartRedirect=y

[Clamibot]

1 hour ago, electrosoft said:

 

In addition to @solidus1983 suggestions, you could also entertain the idea you have lost the heatsink lottery and order either another stock model or explore something like this which is beefier, water-air hybrid and supports 1000 2000 and 3000 series cards across the board.

 

 

https://www.aliexpress.com/item/1005003079962370.html?_randl_currency=USD&_randl_shipto=US&src=google&src=google&albch=shopping&acnt=631-313-3945&slnk=&plac=&mtctp=&albbt=Google_7_shopping&albagn=888888&isSmbActive=false&isSmbAutoCall=false&needSmbHouyi=false&albcp=15229744697&albag=126912416582&trgt=1480551745650&crea=en1005003079962370&netw=u&device=c&albpg=1480551745650&albpd=en1005003079962370&gclid=EAIaIQobChMIrpGG-PKC9wIVirWzCh2LNQbNEAQYASABEgJaZ_D_BwE&gclsrc=aw.ds&aff_fcid=791582db86e649d989e237e31b4b7be7-1649367032112-06408-UneMJZVf&aff_fsk=UneMJZVf&aff_platform=aaf&sk=UneMJZVf&aff_trace_key=791582db86e649d989e237e31b4b7be7-1649367032112-06408-UneMJZVf&terminal_id=f932f1f5e5424abf92c0e80c3d883e7d&afSmartRedirect=y

 

Dang that is one beefy heatsink. Imagine hooking up a water chiller to our laptops with this.

[ShottaAds]

On 4/7/2022 at 2:25 PM, electrosoft said:

@reallango here are some runs I did to give you an idea of numbers you should be seeing (depending on CPU and GPU). I always run with fans on auto and let them get to where they need to be naturally versus forcing full fans.

 

Timespy:

 

 

Here is a stock 10900k run for CB23 with a ~-80uv.

 

 

 

Corsair 3800 sticks dialed into 3200 CL14-14-14-336:

 

 

I just purchased a Thicc 17 from Eluktronics with 10900k and 2080 Super and I cannot get past 14,000 score in Cinebench R23. I have undervolted -0.075, PL1 @150 PL2 @200 and TAU at 128 and nothing else has been changed.

 

[electrosoft]

2 hours ago, ShottaAds said:

I just purchased a Thicc 17 from Eluktronics with 10900k and 2080 Super and I cannot get past 14,000 score in Cinebench R23. I have undervolted -0.075, PL1 @150 PL2 @200 and TAU at 128 and nothing else has been changed.

 

 

You are thermal throttling badly which is reducing your clocks. establish your best UV first and see if you can get rid of that throttling. If not, you might need to get in there and take a look at your thermal application and mounting pressure to make sure it is up to snuff.

 

For thermal testing, make sure to set fans to max to rule out any ramping up issues as the X170 ramps up slowly and won't get to max or proper RPM before you get hit with thermal throttling.

 

 

[ShottaAds]

Thanks for that information, I went up to 0.080 undervolt and ran time spy. The GPU ran similar to the one posted earlier in this thread but the CPU clearly was thousands less there as well. Eluktronics is going to have me send the machine back as I had it for only 1 day and ran these benchmarks and was pretty disappointed rather than me open it up and check the thermal paste and contacts. I will let you know what happens after I get this back. 

 

 

 

[Clamibot]

This past week has been extremely busy for me, but looks like I finally got to relax a little.

 

I took this chance to do a Time Spy run as you requested @electrosoft. My runs were done at all stock settings (so 4.9 GHz all core on the CPU) with max fans and a 90mv undervolt on the CPU. Here are my results with some HwInfo64 screens:

 

Results with CPU voltages and clocks:

 

Results with CPU core temperatures:

 

Results with CPU statistics:

 

Results with GPU statistics:

 

Lemme know if you need anything else! I hope this helps give a point of reference!

[electrosoft]

5 hours ago, Clamibot said:

This past week has been extremely busy for me, but looks like I finally got to relax a little.

 

I took this chance to do a Time Spy run as you requested @electrosoft. My runs were done at all stock settings (so 4.9 GHz all core on the CPU) with max fans and a 90mv undervolt on the CPU. Here are my results with some HwInfo64 screens:

 

Results with CPU voltages and clocks:

 

Results with CPU core temperatures:

 

Results with CPU statistics:

 

Results with GPU statistics:

 

Lemme know if you need anything else! I hope this helps give a point of reference!

 

Awesome! So any other X170SM-G users can come in and between our two systems see how their unit should be running since we basically got the same scores at pure stock.

 

GPU should be in the 60's c max

CPU can hit 90s c

TimeSpy Overall score should be in the 11000-11700 range

CPU Score ~14k

GPU Score ~11k

 

 

 

If you get a chance, can you do a CB23 run too? Thanks!

 

 

[electrosoft]

6 hours ago, ShottaAds said:

Thanks for that information, I went up to 0.080 undervolt and ran time spy. The GPU ran similar to the one posted earlier in this thread but the CPU clearly was thousands less there as well. Eluktronics is going to have me send the machine back as I had it for only 1 day and ran these benchmarks and was pretty disappointed rather than me open it up and check the thermal paste and contacts. I will let you know what happens after I get this back. 

 

 

 

 

When I first ran my unit, it was getting CPU scores right around there with some throttling. I ended up having to go under the hood and fine tune it but it is better at this point to send it back so they can address the throttling issue.

 

Your GPU score is right in line. What were your GPU temps after that run?

 

 

[ShottaAds]

15 hours ago, electrosoft said:

 

When I first ran my unit, it was getting CPU scores right around there with some throttling. I ended up having to go under the hood and fine tune it but it is better at this point to send it back so they can address the throttling issue.

 

Your GPU score is right in line. What were your GPU temps after that run?

 

 

My GPU hit 70.3 at the highest peak of the TImespy run and 202 watts

 

 

[electrosoft]

4 hours ago, ShottaAds said:

My GPU hit 70.3 at the highest peak of the TImespy run and 202 watts

 

 

 

 

It's good to know your GPU is running within operational parameters.

 

CPU could be bad pairing, bad thermal application, bad silicon....all thee above.

 

Hopefully Eluctronics will get you sorted out good and proper.