F5F Stay Refreshed Hardware Desktop Intel NUC X15 Laptop Setup Guide (Model LAPKC71F)

Intel NUC X15 Laptop Setup Guide (Model LAPKC71F)

Intel NUC X15 Laptop Setup Guide (Model LAPKC71F)

K
Kytzis
Member
183
01-15-2022, 11:40 PM
#1
Hello everyone,
My Intel NUC X15 Laptop Kit (LAPKC71F) is experiencing some performance hiccups. It takes a noticeable amount of time to start up and shut down, even though the hardware specs look solid. During boot, the BIOS splash appears for about five seconds before transitioning smoothly into the Windows loading screen with the 'circulating dots' animation lasting roughly seven to ten seconds. After that, it loads into the Windows 11 login interface, which usually takes around fifteen to twenty seconds.

Shutting down the machine takes between ten and fifteen seconds, which is less troublesome than the boot process itself. This behavior bothers me because my other two older laptops boot in just five seconds—those were from 2012 and 2017 and used generic 2.5" SATA SSDs.

Here are my specs:
- CPU: Intel Core i7-11800H (8 cores, 16 threads, 2.3 GHz base, 4.25 turbo)
- GPU: Nvidia RTX 3070 (8GB)
- Primary SSD (Slot 1): Samsung 980 Pro NVMe PCIe M.2 Gen 4 – 1TB
- Secondary SSD (Slot 2): Seagate FireCuda NVMe PCIe M.2 Gen 4 – 520GB
- RAM: 32GB DDR4 (2 x 16GB PNY SODIMM at 3200 MHz)
- OS: Windows 11 PRO 64-bit (21H2 Build 22000.613)

I’ve tried several troubleshooting steps:
- Installed Windows 10 before switching to Windows 11.
- Reinstalled Windows 11 from scratch.
- Swapped the Seagate M.2 drive for testing.
- Updated firmware on the Samsung M.2 stick.
- Ran health checks using Magician and other diagnostics.
- Disabled the secondary M.2 slot in BIOS.
- Verified GPT format, TRIM enabled, and ensured both drives were properly formatted.
- Tested with fast boot and disabled it.
- Updated BIOS to the latest version and all drivers to their newest releases.
- Checked RAM individually for boot issues.
- Switched to a different brand of RAM for comparison.
- Adjusted BIOS settings, but results were minimal.
- Ran performance tests; they showed no significant difference.
- Booted without any peripherals, which didn’t affect the outcome.

Interestingly, my previous NUC model with an RTX 3060 had a faulty QHD display and suffered from screen burn issues. This led me to replace it with an RTX 3070 and an FHD screen.

I’m uncertain whether the problem lies in hardware or BIOS firmware—Intel hasn’t released an official fix yet. The Device Manager and Windows Event Viewer appear normal.

Anyone else have encountered similar issues? I’ve run User Benchmark, and everything seems fine except for the Samsung 980 Pro, which is underperforming. I’m open to suggestions, especially since the components in both my old and new NUCs were identical.

Thanks for your time and consideration.
K
Kytzis
01-15-2022, 11:40 PM #1

Hello everyone,
My Intel NUC X15 Laptop Kit (LAPKC71F) is experiencing some performance hiccups. It takes a noticeable amount of time to start up and shut down, even though the hardware specs look solid. During boot, the BIOS splash appears for about five seconds before transitioning smoothly into the Windows loading screen with the 'circulating dots' animation lasting roughly seven to ten seconds. After that, it loads into the Windows 11 login interface, which usually takes around fifteen to twenty seconds.

Shutting down the machine takes between ten and fifteen seconds, which is less troublesome than the boot process itself. This behavior bothers me because my other two older laptops boot in just five seconds—those were from 2012 and 2017 and used generic 2.5" SATA SSDs.

Here are my specs:
- CPU: Intel Core i7-11800H (8 cores, 16 threads, 2.3 GHz base, 4.25 turbo)
- GPU: Nvidia RTX 3070 (8GB)
- Primary SSD (Slot 1): Samsung 980 Pro NVMe PCIe M.2 Gen 4 – 1TB
- Secondary SSD (Slot 2): Seagate FireCuda NVMe PCIe M.2 Gen 4 – 520GB
- RAM: 32GB DDR4 (2 x 16GB PNY SODIMM at 3200 MHz)
- OS: Windows 11 PRO 64-bit (21H2 Build 22000.613)

I’ve tried several troubleshooting steps:
- Installed Windows 10 before switching to Windows 11.
- Reinstalled Windows 11 from scratch.
- Swapped the Seagate M.2 drive for testing.
- Updated firmware on the Samsung M.2 stick.
- Ran health checks using Magician and other diagnostics.
- Disabled the secondary M.2 slot in BIOS.
- Verified GPT format, TRIM enabled, and ensured both drives were properly formatted.
- Tested with fast boot and disabled it.
- Updated BIOS to the latest version and all drivers to their newest releases.
- Checked RAM individually for boot issues.
- Switched to a different brand of RAM for comparison.
- Adjusted BIOS settings, but results were minimal.
- Ran performance tests; they showed no significant difference.
- Booted without any peripherals, which didn’t affect the outcome.

Interestingly, my previous NUC model with an RTX 3060 had a faulty QHD display and suffered from screen burn issues. This led me to replace it with an RTX 3070 and an FHD screen.

I’m uncertain whether the problem lies in hardware or BIOS firmware—Intel hasn’t released an official fix yet. The Device Manager and Windows Event Viewer appear normal.

Anyone else have encountered similar issues? I’ve run User Benchmark, and everything seems fine except for the Samsung 980 Pro, which is underperforming. I’m open to suggestions, especially since the components in both my old and new NUCs were identical.

Thanks for your time and consideration.

K
kingkenobi21
Junior Member
7
01-15-2022, 11:40 PM
#2
I noticed the same problem here. It’s frustrating, but your persistence is appreciated.
K
kingkenobi21
01-15-2022, 11:40 PM #2

I noticed the same problem here. It’s frustrating, but your persistence is appreciated.