HP 17 G5 Owner lounge

Did a search and didn't find a thread for the 17 G5 so figured I would start one. I may not be the best as my use is not 3D modeling etc but HDR Panoramic Photography and mild gaming.
I purchased model# 4RB09UT#ABA which has the Intel 8850H processor, 16gb ram, Nvidia P3200, 4k dream color screen.

I just received it today so limited experience. I haven't performed a screen calibration yet but comparing it to my calibrated MSI GS60 it is looking great out of the box though.

I ran some test's before I pull the trigger to add another 32gb ram. Ram was a huge bottleneck for my focus stack panoramic imagery as I pegged 16gb and used a lot of scratch disc space so this should do well as an upgrade. I did add a Intel P660 2TB NVMe drive which is working as expected so far.

I first ran cinebench R15 which it scored 12?? cb out of the box. I installed Intel XTU and noticed while running R15 it thermal throttles so performed a -.1 volt offset to both core and catch. Ran R15 again hit 92c with CPU test but no thermal throttle or power limit throttle detected.
CPU 1220-1225 cb with -.1 volt offset
OpenGL 147.94 fps

The easy access is very nice, the installed ram and memory are under the keyboard leaving two open M2 slots a 2.5" bay with caddy and two ram slots.

Things are looking good so installing software etc now.

 

Feeling lonely? Welcome to the club! One other 17 G5 owner here: I've had my machine since August 2018.

Changing the thermal paste and the thermal pads will make the laptop run much cooler. I used Cooler Master Gel Maker Nano (worked better than Gelid Extreme for me) and I used Fujipoly 1mm thermal pads throughout. I also flipped the motherboard (easier than it seems) and replaced the stock SSD with a Samsung 970 Pro for better performance. Oh, I also added a Blu-ray drive for medical photo archives.

I hope you really enjoy your new laptop.

 

Thank you, good to hear you saw temp drops changing paste and pads. I was semi thinking one could access the installed ssd and ram by removing the keyboard, that is not the case and flip/removal of motherboard is required. So if anyone else is thinking the same here is a image with keyboard removed.

 

A few months ago, I really looked into getting this model, but finally opted for a Thinkpad P72 because it was far less expensive.
Still drooling over this unit though and will always wonder how it would have been !

 

How is the build quality? I'm wondering how it stacks up to the Dell Precision 7730.
For those of you who got it, why did you choose it over the less expensive 7730?

 

When I purchased the HP it was less expensive when equipped with P3200 and 4k than I could find for the same equipped Dell 7730. Not through the HP website, I ordered through B&H.

I am unable to compare build quality of the 17 G5 to the 7730. From what I could tell in reviews they are both great. My 17 G5 has 0 flex. The screen creaks when adjusting but is stiff and stays put, no worries of it breaking. This laptop is built like a tank, sure the 7730 is as well.

Running cinebench or Intel XTU benchmarks the laptop bottom and top stay cool. Running my programs such as Adobe Photoshop and Lightroom my clock speeds and temps are good staying below 90c, no power or thermal throttling observed. I will likely do as Eclipse2016 did with a re-paste and thermal pad replacement. Not sure which has a better cooling solution between the HP and Dell work stations.

 

Hi Kyle,
I have the HP and I get to ogle the Precision at work. Build quality is the same but the aluminum on the HP will pick up dents and scratches faster than the Dell: I already have a tiny scratch on the lid (courtesy my cat). I have since applied a skin. The keyboard key arrangement is better on the Dell, but the keyboard feel and rigidity are better on the HP: the Dell keys feel a little spongy imo. The Dell IGZO 4k screen and the HP Dreamcolor screen look the same to me, which is, really good. I prefer the port arrangements on the Dell: HP placing all the USB ports on the left of the machine drives me crazy. I do prefer that the exhaust vents on the HP are along the hinge and not on the sides.

I bought the HP because of the available storage space and the easy accessibility to the internals. The HDD mounting bracket comes in the box, unlike with Lenovo where I had to purchase it separately (with its flimsy whimsy ribbon cable). The GPU is socketed and, in theory, upgradable. Of all the workstations I investigated it had the least complaints on its user forum. I also liked how it looked. It represents the last of the classic mobile workstations.

 

Started a return for exchange as I think it is defective. The air exiting the exhaust is always cool even when cpu is in the 90's C. I am getting random power limit throttling while at idle and under 50C temps. My Cinebench scores have gone from 1250 to 1000 and at times 700cb. My cpu performance using lightroom has tanked as well. Not sure why the sudden performance drops so going to try an exchange as I really do enjoy the laptop.

 

Oh dear, very sorry to hear that. I hope you get a properly functioning laptop. So much for the QC. Did you undervolt the CPU? I have mine at -0.150. My Cinebench score is 1987cb. The hottest the CPU gets to is 56 degrees C. It idles at 38-40 degrees C. I do not get power-limit throttling unless I am using the battery. I have the E2176M CPU with the P4200.

I hope things work out.

 

Thank you Eclipse2016 you are getting a great score in cinebench. I would be happy with repetitive scores of 1200cb.
I set XTU to default and uninstalled, then installed ThrottleStop. Things were looking good for a bit and back to randomly power limit throttling, PL1 EDP Other. I am curious if the power supply is the issue as it gets pretty hot, not burn my hand hot but hot.
I have under-volted I get the random PL with and without under-volt, temps are better with under-volt obviously. The always blowing cool air is suspicious as well, would think it would be at least warm when under load.
When this is running correctly it is great, so will try exchanging it.