[REVIEW] Level51 Forge 15X 2021 (i7-10870H, RTX 3060)

RTX 3060 Laptop GPU, any good?

Welcome to my review on Level51 Forge 15X 2021 gaming laptop, also known as Clevo NH58DPQ. Main specs of the review unit are as below:

• i7-10870H (8 core)
• RTX3060M, max 105W
• 16GB 2933MHz dual channel RAM
• Klevv Cras C710 256GB NVMe SSD
• 15.6 inch 144Hz IPS
• Intel AX201
• W10 (unactivated)

Since this is basically the same laptop with Forge 15 Pro (2019), you can find out more details about the chassis itself here: [REVIEW] Level51 Forge 15 Pro Laptop (i7-9750H, RTX 2060) - Member Reviews - Linus Tech Tips

Build quality
The laptop chassis is mainly made from ABS plastic. The lid is made from metal alloy - rigidity is OK when twisted. The same can be said when force is applied on the middle of the lid cover. There is only minimal screen wobbling and the lid can be opened with one hand. The hinge is smooth and well calibrated. The bottom chassis, including the keyboard deck and C cover, has only minimal flex when force is applied on it or twisted. Overall, build quality is satisfactory for the price point.

Input devices
The keyboard is using the latest Clevo membrane keyboard with 2mm key travel and ~55-60g actuation force. Keys are very clicky, I still think it's one of the best laptop keyboard I've ever tried. Key noise is OK. Since I used to full sized right Shift key, the keyboard layout doesn't suit me. That is just a small complaint though. You can customize keyboard lighting via Control Center, with 3 level of brightness. Note that it has only 1 zone lighting. Note that the keyboard is easy replaceable.

The Windows Precision touchpad has decent accuracy. Despite the plastic surface, I found gliding to be smooth even with wet fingers. The dedicated L/R clicks have shallow key travel. The touchpad is slighty aligned to the right to make it more centralized.

Display, speakers
The 15.6 inch 144Hz IPS display from Panda (NCP004B) has good colours, brightness and contrast. Ghosting is minimal, although not the fastest I've tried.

The 2 down firing speakers (sound is covered) have OK at best audio, even after tuning with SoundBlaster software. Soundblaster setting I use: Bass 3, Treble 1, Surround 70, Crystalizer 35, Bass 45, Dialog+ 25, Smart Vol off

Thermals

Now on to thermal testing. The cooling solution is basically the same with Forge 15 Pro, with some minor changes - 4 heatpipes with 2 shared on CPU+GPU (2 heatpipes not linked to both fans). There are 3 exhaust vents.

Notes for thermal testing:

Ambient temp: 31-32C

Performance mode and max fans are used

Laptop is lifted, ~1.5cm space at bottom for airflow
CPU PROCHOT: 98C (Performance mode)
Nvidia driver 461.40
BIOS 1.07.04TLS
No CPU undervolt, manual undervolting not possible
Laptop is plugged in
Max fan noise is around 52dBA

Power limits:
Power Saving mode: PL1 45W, PL2 90W, GPU locked at 900MHz
Quiet mode: PL1 45W, PL2 90W, GPU ~85W
Entertainment mode: PL1 45W, PL2 90W, GPU 80-95W

Performance mode: PL1 55W, PL2 135W, GPU 80-105W

Before proceeding: Before I receive this laptop, I already know there is a flaw in the cooling system of this laptop earlier from several reviews - high GPU temp. Therefore, the results below are all done with tuned GPU voltage-frequency profile. There is no way the laptop can handle stock GPU wattage of 105W at a decent temp unless you got a golden sample.

Note: Some NH50/55 units have normal temps, so you might get a golden sample. My tests are based on this NH58 chassis.

CPU - Aida64, FPU only

Max 115W at start, then slowly drop to ~91W before hitting PL1 55W

72-73C, 2.67-2.7GHz

GPU - Unigine Heaven: CPU disabled turbo, Extreme profile, windowed mode

~77C, 1702MHz@0.825V, ~88W

CPU+GPU - Aida64 FPU+Heaven

CPU: 89-90C, ~2.8GHz, 55W

GPU: 81-82C, ~1540MHz (set to 1702MHz@0.825V), 80W

3DMark Time Spy (2 runs, tuned GPU)

Score: 8359, Graphics 8222, CPU 9235

Score: 8343, Graphics 8230, CPU 9048

3DMark Fire Strike (2 runs, tuned GPU)

Score: 18075, Graphics 20730, Physics 20601

Score: 18260, Graphics 20686, Physics 20736

3DMark Time Spy (2 runs, stock GPU)

Score: 8131, Graphics 7957, CPU 9284

Score: 8121, Graphics 7955, CPU 9215

3DMark Fire Strike (2 runs, stock GPU)

Score: 17830, Graphics 20650, Physics 20701

Score: 17937, Graphics 20750, Physics 21025

Next, I try to further tune the laptop to achieve lower temp:

Ambient 30C (A/C on), Quiet mode, Max fan enabled

CPU+GPU - Aida64 CPU+Heaven

CPU: 77-79C, ~2.75-2.8GHz, 35W (artificial limit with Throttlestop)

GPU: 78-79C, ~1560MHz@0.762V, 85W

(have to use Aida CPU since FPU only allows 40W minimum at 2.2GHz)

3DMark Time Spy (1 run, 1560MHz@0.762V, CPU uncap PL1&PL2)

Score: 7631, Graphics 7596, CPU 7840 - PL2 period is shorter

• Repaste doesn’t seem to help much with the high GPU temp
• Under CPU+GPU load, the chassis barely felt any warm
• There is uneven CPU core temp of ~10C
• The included power adapter is a 180W from Chicony
• PCH/chipset temp is high while GPU is under load, suggest putting a thermal pad on it
• While under light load, the fan will often ramp up - would suggest using a tuned profile with Throttlestop that disable CPU turbo
• The default fan curve is too slow, suggested fan curve:
• CPU: 68% 60C, 98% 79C
• GPU: 63% 60C, 98% 75C

Battery life

This laptop has a 49Wh battery. Don't expect long battery life with this laptop. At max capacity, the laptop battery can only handle 4-5 hrs even while idling.

Miscellaneous

This laptop weights at ~2.2kg and has ~28mm thickness.

Ports (from back to front):
L: USB A 3.0, USB A 2.0, mic, headphone
R: Full sized SD card reader, mDP, USB A 3.0
Rear (L to R viewing from back): USB C, HDMI, LAN, power

Conclusion
Mixed feelings.

Even without the GPU temp issue, it still only has 105W TGP 3060 instead of 130W max - not at max performance for this GPU. CPU performance is also not on par with competitors - 55W PL1 with plenty of thermal headroom is conservative, competition can do 75W, 85W or even 100W. Also, there is no MUX, missing gaming performance further. The price, RM5299, isn't bad, but you can get basically the same Clevo chassis from Gigabyte (G5) with i5-10500H (2 less cores), 240Hz panel, W10 activated and 2 years Global warranty, for MSRP of RM4899. Level51 told me that they will bring the i5 config later, probably lower price than Gigabyte G5 - Update: i5-10300H config selling at RM4699, not i5-10500H tho.

Some tuning can be done to lower GPU temp; however, you will lose some CPU+GPU performance. Whether it's a big deal, it's up to you. Since there aren't much 3060 laptops to choose now, plus desktop GPU is having shortage/inflation, you might still want to consider it, but first have to know what are the cons in this machine. The 6GB VRAM in 3060M is a bummer to me, but it's Nvidia decision.

Check out Level51 website for more details and customization: LEVEL 51 | FORGE-15X 2021 RTX 3060 Edition (level51pc.co)

Pros:

Decent input devices

Good quality 144Hz IPS panel

Cons:

High GPU temp

Conservative CPU&GPU performance in 2021, no MUX

Audio quality is OK at best

Nitpicks: Small battery, no Windows Hello - IR or fingerprint, Clevo should really hire a better designer - feels old in 2021

Thanks for reading!

Note: Currently investigating high GPU temp issue with Level51. Will update here once the cause is known.