Return or keep? PH315-51-78NP

Ayesee90

Hey guys, I bought the Helios 300 from Amazon about a week ago.

Model Number- PH315-51-78NP

Specs:

Intel i7-8750H

16GB DDR4 RAM

256GB NVMe SSD

2TB Firecuda Hybrid HDD

GeForce GTX1060

Now, I have about a week left on the return policy and I can't make up my mind on weather to keep it or start the return process.

Here's why:

For starters, I've been having trouble getting games to run at anything but 1-20 FPS when UNPLUGGED FROM CHARGER. Plugged in is fine, runs like a champ. But as soon as I unplug the charger cord, all hell breaks loose. I completely understand that when laptops are operating on their battery they take a big hit on performance, but this seems like way too much of an extreme. Along with the fact that when it gets unplugged it can't hold a solid frame rate, let alone a low one makes me think there's more to it than just the regular performance hit. It fluctuates constantly between 1-20 (can't hold 20fps for more than a second). I've tried games like Subnautica, Rocket League, Rise of the Tomb Raider, Forza 4. All with different settings tweaked through Nvida Experience (Whisper Mode/Battery Boost/Optimization) and through the games settings themselves. I just can't seem to game AT ALL when not plugged in. I'm not expecting great things when unplugged, but I feel that I I should at least be able to lower the graphical settings and game comfortably at a decent frame rate.

Side note- I did undervolt my CPU using Throttlestop and changed the Power Plan around. Along with trying out Park Control. I followed instructions/guides from users on this forum from various posts when tweaking those settings. So I don't think I changed anything around that I wasn't supposed to, but I did tinker around alot with it while trying to optimize the computer as a whole. So maybe I did by accident. This is the main reason I am considering returning it as I did not hear/see anyone mention a fluctuating 1-20 FPS off charger. Including various reviews and comments.That would have been a big red flag for me otherwise.

I also have problems with my CPU/GPU temps reaching 90-96C when the PC is NOT ELEVATED while gaming (Auto setting with CoolBoost active in Predator Sense) This however was something I knew going into this purchase and I have a cooling pad on the way to see if that helps. If I decide to keep it I will put new thermal paste on and call it a day. But this is also adding to my want to return it. More work than what we all should be doing considering what we pay.

Any help swaying me one way or the other would be fantastic as I only have a week left to return it or keep it. I can provide pictures of my various app settings (Throttlestop, Nvidia Experience ect) if needed.

Thanks guys!

Accepted answers

All comments

MaClane

Good Morning Ayesee90 !

First, understand that mobile device architecture is different from desktop architecture.
Both processor and GPU will only achieve maximum performance when connected to a power outlet and the Windows power options are set to High Performance.
This is not an error or a defect.
It is a feature of laptop computers.
No current battery has the capacity to provide sufficient power and continues to work at high performance due to consumption.

In summary, your device will only achieve maximum performance performance connected to the power outlet.

Ayesee90

MaClane said:

Good Morning Ayesee90 !

First, understand that mobile device architecture is different from desktop architecture.
Both processor and GPU will only achieve maximum performance when connected to a power outlet and the Windows power options are set to High Performance.
This is not an error or a defect.
It is a feature of laptop computers.
No current battery has the capacity to provide sufficient power and continues to work at high performance due to consumption.

In summary, your device will only achieve maximum performance performance connected to the power outlet.

Thank you for the response. I do understand that as I stated in my post. However, I'm not looking for maximum performance while plugged in. I'm looking for basic low-medium performance. Or any performance at all for that matter. I'm getting intergrated graphics level performance at best.

MaClane

It would be through various internal system configurations, video controllers, GPU interfaces, etc.
But it will always end up in some aspects that only activate in the taking of energy instead of the battery.

sri369

Ayesee90 said:

Thank you for the response. I do understand that as I stated in my post. However, I'm not looking for maximum performance while plugged in. I'm looking for basic low-medium performance. Or any performance at all for that matter. I'm getting intergrated graphics level performance at best.

Unfortunately most gaming laptops curtail all performance when on battery - your GPU gets limited to about one third of its performance for example. These are not designed for gaming heavy on battery.

Ayesee90

sri369 said:
Unfortunately most gaming laptops curtail all performance when on battery - your GPU gets limited to about one third of its performance for example. These are not designed for gaming heavy on battery.

That's really unfortunate as it runs well at 60-144FPS plugged in (temp aside)

I hate giving up on technology but if I can't play any games on battery then I definitely made the wrong decision.

Now you said "most laptops", do you know of any brands off hand that could give me decent performance on battery? And maybe what I'd be looking at spending? Thanks.

(Not sure if talking about non Acer products on here is against the rules. Apologies in advance.)

MaClane

There is no handset of any make or model on the market that does this.

The instructions and processor architecture, GPU, bios, chipset can not perform maximum performance with the load of an infima battery that is only made to provide energy so that the device can perform basic tasks.

No current battery has the autonomy or ability to provide such power continuously.

Ayesee90

UPDATE-

Ok so I figured out the issue guys.

A few days ago I set the Nvidia control panel to make sure that my GeForce card was chosen over the integrated GPU when running programs under the Global Settings menu. But for some reason my applications always use the Intel GPU when I'm not plugged in, even though I set the Global Setting to choose the GeForce card ALWAYS. I am currently running Subnautica at 30FPS+ with reduced settings unplugged! This is exactly what I was looking for. Reduced settings with completely playable FPS.

My temps unplugged are 50-56C while playing Subnautica and my computer is whisper quiet. Now I have a new question... when I plug in the charger my FPS in the game goes up to 80FPS but my temps and fan speed skyrocket without changing any settings. Is there anyway to have similar performance cuts while plugged in? I really like how quiet it is and how cool it is even sitting on my lap. Wouldn't mind sacrificing graphic quality for a much quieter and cooler experience.

Ayesee90

MaClane said:

There is no handset of any make or model on the market that does this.

The instructions and processor architecture, GPU, bios, chipset can not perform maximum performance with the load of an infima battery that is only made to provide energy so that the device can perform basic tasks.

No current battery has the autonomy or ability to provide such power continuously.

I think you may have misunderstood the issue I was having and my situation.

I just figured out my games were choosing the Intel GPU over my GeForce GPU even though I specified not to and fixed it. I wasn't exaggerating when I said my games were running 1-20FPS and fluctuating rapidly. My games are now running 30+FPS on battery consistent with reduced graphical settings. Thanks for the help though!

MaClane

There are means of controlling the fans but it is highly inadvisable and risky.
Internal instructions trigger triggers when the temperature reaches a certain level.
This is why fans act more consistently and with high rotation.
If you disable this by some means, temperatures will reach unsafe high levels and the system may crash or worse, burning and short of components.

sri369

Ayesee90 said:

UPDATE-

Ok so I figured out the issue guys.

A few days ago I set the Nvidia control panel to make sure that my GeForce card was chosen over the integrated GPU when running programs under the Global Settings menu. But for some reason my applications always use the Intel GPU when I'm not plugged in, even though I set the Global Setting to choose the GeForce card ALWAYS. I am currently running Subnautica at 30FPS+ with reduced settings unplugged! This is exactly what I was looking for. Reduced settings with completely playable FPS.

My temps unplugged are 50-56C while playing Subnautica and my computer is whisper quiet. Now I have a new question... when I plug in the charger my FPS in the game goes up to 80FPS but my temps and fan speed skyrocket without changing any settings. Is there anyway to have similar performance cuts while plugged in? I really like how quiet it is and how cool it is even sitting on my lap. Wouldn't mind sacrificing graphic quality for a much quieter and cooler experience.

There you go... on battery you change settings to work with the lowered processing power available :-)

Similar performance when plugged in is possible using undervolting... but this does not garuntee fans will be low. Fans are managed by OS based on temperatures.
If you want similar performance, change your power plan from performance to balanced and lower your settings.

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