Clevo D900C Surfaces -- The World's Fastest Notebook (UPDATED 4/12)

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UPDATE 4/12/07:

We've found out that the Clevo D900C will be even faster and more powerful than originally thought -- the Q6600 quad core processor from Intel has been tested and proven to work in the D900C and it is now showing up as an option at some online retailers in the form of the Sager NP9260. This means the D900 will be the first laptop to support quad core. Discussion regarding this can be found here.

Clevo is a notebook maker based in Taiwan that's in the business of cranking out gaming laptops that often get rebadged by companies such as Alienware, Sager and VoodooPC. The new Clevo D900c model will certainly have gamers drooling over the specs given the inclusion of the desktop Core 2 Duo Extreme and support for dual NVidia 8800 DX 10 graphics cards nVIDIA GeForce Go 7950 GTX w/512MB (each) in SLi

Clevo D900C notebook (view large image)

The specs can do most of the talking here (there's some confusion on whether it will be the 7950GTX or Nvidia 8800 card at the moment, we're leaning towards 7950GTX but a leaked spec sheet does show the 8800 card):

• Processor: Intel Core 2 Duo / Extreme X6800 (1.86GHz, 2.13GHz, 2.4GHz, 2.67GHz, 2.93GHz)
• Chipset: Intel 965 desktop platform chipset
• Graphics: <strike>Dual PCI Express 16x Nvidia GeForce Go 8800 graphics, supports up to 1024MB DDR3 fast memory</strike> nVIDIA GeForce Go 7950 GTX w/512MB (each) in SLi
• Display: 17-inch WXGA (1680 x 1050) or WUXGA (1920 x 1200) (both glossy)
• Memory: Max 4GB, 2 slots
• Storage: up to 3 Hard Drives - changeable 2.5&quot; variety that support RAID 0,1,5
• Audio: A3D Compatible; 7.1 Channel with 2 built-in internal speakers
• OS: Windows Vista Home Premium
• Optical Drive: 2-bay optical drive support, Optional 8x DVD Super Multi-Drive Slot Drive (no indication of Blu-Ray or HD-DVD though)
• Integrated TV Tuner
• Integrated Web Cam (1.3MP)
• Integrated BlueTooth
• Ports
  • 4 USB 2.0
  • 7-in-1 Card Reader (MS/MS Pro/MS Pro Dup/SD/SD Mini/MMC)
  • 2 FireWire IEEE 1394
  • RJ-45 LAN / RJ-11 Modem
  • S-Video out
  • DVI out
  • Monitor out
• Dimensions: 15.88&quot; (width) x 11.92&quot; (depth) x 2.04 - 2.4 &quot; (height)
• Weight: 11.9 lbs with battery

To power all of this the D900c will need a whopping 280 watt Power Supply. That's right, this machine will likely be boosting your electricity bill, but hey, it'll be worth it given the frame rates you'll get when gaming. And yes, it has a battery, but Clevo doesn't even bother to list what the battery life would be (think sub 1-hour).

According to our contact at PowerNotebooks.com, the Clevo D900c is going to be sold by Sager as the NP9260 with a price tag of around $2,700. Availability should be in the late April to early May time frame. Boutique gaming manufacturer Pro-Star has confirmed they will also sell the D900c as the Pro-Star 9191D and it is highly likely Alienware and other manufacturers will take the D900c and rebadge it as their own.

The word is that Clevo will be at CeBIT in Hannover Germany this week where they'll have the D900c on display to show off. We'll be there too and hope to be able to hunt this &quot;laptop&quot; down.

You can find discussion of the D900C in our forums here

 

Thanks for the post Gophn, those specs do read like a desktop. It looks like they took a desktop and smooshed it inside of a laptop -- just don't try using this in your lap.

 

Now that is going to be a real beast! So there will be a geforce go 8800 inside a laptop end of march thats jus crazy!

 

Gophn, please correct the ship date.

As I said in the other thread - " Sager releases NP9260 with desktop Core 2 Duo" - "The release date will be late April at the earliest, more likely mid-May.

However Sager and Pro-Star resellers will start taking pre-orders for them sometime later this week...

We know it is early for a pre-order but this beast will indeed be King of the Jungle.

When you have this much power in a laptop it is only for the bold. Those who worry about heat and noise should stay away. If you want a Bugatti, don't expect it to be cool and quiet....just expect it to be FASSSSSSSSSSSSST "

(why do we have 2 threads going on this topic?)

 

Yeah i jus read elsewhere mid may was the release here
but still an awesome fine!

 

thanks for the warning, but i'll confirm the pricing and shipping dates this Thursday.

 

Does it double as a commercial-grade heating unit?

 

It needs more USB ports.

 

Thank the lord, this is what I have been hoping for! I'm still suprised that 8800s, in whatever notebook, will be available... they are large, take a lot of power, and run hot! WARNING PEOPLE... this may not be a true 8800... they've lied before. My friend's 8800gts runs 85c in a spacious desktop case AND a huge cooler... what do you think will happen in this laptop? I was hopeful, but I dunno... maybe its a 8800 with 8900 technology... shrunk die.

Is this true? Especially for 2500....

NOISE:

I purchased a Sager 8890 years ago and it had this high pinch fan that would suddenly come on... "WHEEEE!!!!!!!"... it was rediculous. Tell me it wont be THAT annoying...

 

Nasty machine... And unbelieable power, how can they squeeze 2 gfx card in a 17" frame. Seems like Dell needs to work on a single 8800 with 1gb memory. The heat gonna melt the laptop down soon.

 

Pricing will be released by Sager as of 6 PM Pacific Time on Thursday.

The shipping date is still tentative as late April at the earliest, and more likely by mid-May............PLEASE let's not start any rumors about it starting to ship any earlier than that.

 

How can they physically make this? The frame for a 17" laptop does not seem big enough to hold 3x2.5" drives, a desktop CPU, dual gpu chips AND accommodate for all the heat they produce.

I just cant see the market for this kinda thing. A SFF gaming tower(like a shuttle) will be just as powerful at half the cost... and it isn't like you could use this notebook as portable computer, what with it dragging down 280watts at optimal performance.

 

Hey Cam_86, don't be a nay sayer.

Not only can it be built, it has been built and the final testing is now complete. The delay in shipping has to do with getting it into mass production and shipped over here.

As for the size of the market...well...we will have to wait and see. However don't be surprised if this model turns out to be Sager's (Clevo's) biggest seller There is a huge market for it, and it only weighs about 12 pounds.

 

Donald, I respect your concerns about starting rumors.

I do believe that the order wont get shipped until April, but I was just going off preliminary Clevo sources that disclosed me some of the vague details for this model's release.

I'll make sure to post the update when its finalized.

How can they physically make this? The frame for a 17" laptop does not seem big enough to hold 3x2.5" drives, a desktop CPU, dual gpu chips AND accommodate for all the heat they produce.

Its Clevo, they are notorious for cramming desktop-grade components into a notebook chassis.

Its possible and has been done. I believe it will be debuted at CeBIT 2007 in Germany in about 4-5 days at the Clevo booth.


-Gophn

 

hey 11 pounds is not bad at all for a 17" with sli

that's one hell of a desktop replacement!

 

nice.........drools

 

My concern was you had originally stated that shipping would start "End of March 2007*
*unconfirmed, probably will be confirmed by this week."

Since PowerNotebooks.com is much closer to the source than you or your sources are you can rest assured that our information is not only accurate, but it is timely as well.

I don't mean to steal your thunder Gophn, you have been a fantastic resource for this forum and we truly appreciate all of the work you do here. However when it comes to announcing actual shipping dates it is better left to those with first hand knowledge.

 

woot, great specs. I doubt I'll take it as 11 lbs is way too much for me. I don't really care about how they put those stuff inside the case, maybe they decided to use old chassis, those that are 2 -3 inches thick, maybe more.

The only thing that catches my eye is the go8800. At last, something is coming out with a go8800. I was starting to worry that it might not come out.

 

I updated the Thread to reflect the known and unknown info.

The Launch Date is going to happen within the next week during CeBIT 2007.

The Shipping Date is still to be determined, but speculated close to your posts... April-May.

 

At this point, you'd rather built a desktop and a laptop. No battery is going to support a wattage of 280W. That's insane!

 

What is with that WHITE mouse button look? Why design a decent looking laptop and foul it up with that eye sore? It's like those Inspiron notebooks from Dell... great looking notebooks, but then they put white on the border... yeah, that looks nice... its ok, but sheesh.

 

I dont think those buttons are white, the lighting in the picture makes it look that way.

Just wait for another week, NBR should be getting some close-up shots of that beast for us.

 

I'm in love!!! *trembles with giddiness*

Now they just need to toss out the battery and hot-wire an AGEIX physX card into that area... =P

 

This is a great start for a next generation machine. I wonder if the price of $2500 is for a barebones model, though? Or would that be a price with the basic CPU and a minimal config for ram and hard drive?

Too bad it doesn't have an option for a 17" 2560x1600. I was hoping that LCD technology might evolve this year.

 

1920x1200 is already too much for a 17"... there is 0 reason to go further, unless of course you can read ultra-micro-micro-print and would want such a thing? Don't get all giddy on a technology that is bigger, because more and bigger isn't always better .

 

Excuse me... but giddy was my descriptive word... not his..thank you...

 

I actually posted about this machine yesterday; here's my initial post:

I think we can safely call the D900C the "Supreme Overlord" of notebook computers. A worthy successor to the D900T without a doubt.

 

It would be an excellent option for workstation users. It isn't very productive to haul a secondary display around that can be spanned to. Besides, with the 8800go, it has the horsepower to drive such a config.

 

Sorry, didn't realize it .

 

Berek Halfhand, I know you are new here (Bye the way, welcome to the forum)...but just posting negative "opinions" as if you were the final authority on things is not well received.

If you read most of the posts on this forum you will find the decorum is much more polite that.

Don't get me wrong...your opinions are welcome...just try to offer them as your opinions as opposed to being some kind of ultimate authority, which you are not !

 

It wasn't my attention nor the outcome that projected that... can you PM me before you attempt to degrade my responses publicly please? This is a forum for the discussion of the laptop, not pushing someone in line, especially over remarks like that. If you have a response, please PM it. Appreciate it, thanks.

Now, on topic, I am wondering if anyone here knows enough about this version of the 8800 to understand what it is exactly? I seriously doubt it is a true 8800... especially with only a 240watt power supply powering it.

 

There you go again!

There is no defensiveness on my part, just a friendly tip. You can do with it whatever you wish...it is your reputation, not mine.

 

Lappyhappy is drooling. Oh, I wish I could afford that. Sadly, I am a lowly Social Worker with three kids but that would be oh so sweet.

 

This is a public forum. Posts made in public will be subject to a public reply.

It is being released with the nVIDIA GeForce Go 7950 GTX w/512MB (each) in SLi

 

A rude public reply is warranted over a simple direct remark? Cool off dude, you are the one with the attitude in these forums it looks like.

Where are the 8800 references coming from then? I'm confused . Is it another option? I've seen release information with one or the other, but no tierred options so far .

 

This new model was originally introduced by Chaz in the "Sager and Clevo" section of the forum at http://forum.notebookreview.com/showthread.php?t=110172

You will see an accurate listing of the video card specifications for it in Chaz's post, as well as an ongoing discussion of it there.

 

Oh my god.....that seems to be the least notebook-like notebook spec sheet I have ever seen.
Core 2 Extreme? Ja, we got that. SLI 8800s? That too, plus 3 hard drives (600GB) and 4GB RAM.... It looks like specs from the latest Alienware desktop......

Heres where we hit a small snag in all this power: 12lbs, including the useless battery. Battery life? Try enough to boot up and die, if fully charged.

I see no point to this laptop, but that doesnt stop it from being really really freakin cool.

 

I have a D900K, when it was announced, people said the same thing about the battery being useless, but it actually gets about 1 hour and 45 minutes. LOL.

The notebook caps the power/performance from the CPU and GPU to give somewhat of a decent batterylife... but these kinds of DTR notebooks were not meant to be light or have great batterylife... rather to give a mobile solution for desktop power.

Mobile workstation ownage

 

I want a desktop that I can take with me on the road... so this works just fine for me. I'll be staying in China and moving around the country, so wherever I'm at I need something.

I am more leaning towards it being an "8900"... an advanced version of the 8900 desktop varient that is coming out this spring, then a real 8800. Does that mean its not going to be as fast as an 8800? Hmm, probably, but it might not be so bad.

Can it possibly be a true absolute 8800 in the flesh? No, very unlikely. A true 8800 requires 200watts of power... not to mention a huge heatsink/fan, and the size alone for the card itself. It just doesn't happen in any factor smaller than a mid-desktop pc. I guess we won't really know until someone gets their hands on this and reviews it.

Don't extreme core2duo processors run on the 1066mhz fsb? I don't see that supported in the facts on this thread. If it doesn't, kinda makes it useless... well, not useless, but less effective than its desktop motherboard coupling would be.

 

Is 12lbs the weight when its fully maxed out (three hard drives, two video cards, etc)?

Any possible way it will be lighter with the bare minimum parts? Such as 1 video card, 1 hard-drive, 2 sticks of ram, etc.

If 12lbs is actually the weight of the barebones chassis, that would be really really scary. Can you imagine how much it would weigh when its totally maxed out? I'm excited to see some open-chassis barebone pics and how it will all be put together!

I'm curious and hyped to see that it will have a desktop processor, Conroe, since it's much cheaper and higher performace than a Merom equivalent. Or am I hoping too much? No one seems to have discussed that. Any thoughts?

 

Berek...didn't you see my post above in which I said:

"It is being released with the nVIDIA GeForce Go 7950 GTX w/512MB (each) in SLi"

 

I thought that was in reference to another laptop... the thread itself is referencing the Nvidia 8800 with the D900C, and we all are talking about that except for a few listed instances of this 7950gtx. Clear my confusion please, for I have some .

 

The Clevo D900C will not have the 8800 SLi at its release, and may never have it. The original post stating that it does is in error.

 

Ah, k, thanks for the clarification. Perhaps we should make an announcement in the forums or something, as there appears to be mass confusion with multiple threads all talking about the 8800.

The news thread still references the 8800, the one by Andrew.

Edit: I see there was a cleanup already on most. Well, 7950gtx is a good GPU, but I was really assuming the 8800 would be the case, especially since a version of the 8800, the 8600, will be available with dell and alienware notebooks this spring.

 

I have already clarified it in both threads that I am aware of that are talking about the D900C (here and in the Manufacturers Sager and Clevo section that I linked to in post #36 on page 4), but are there others?

 

Not since my inquiry, no I don't think so. The news page definitely needs an updates or it won't matter what the forums say, imho.

Do you know if the posters got the information from gossip? I wouldn't trust such a source of course, but who knows. That might be why the original information was in error, or the general inaccuracies anyway.

It almost sounds like it will support the 8800 through the MXM socket as a future possibility if a vendor offers it, but the base default is 7950gtx, and that might be another reason for the source confusion. I'm speculating here...

 

My source was Gophn's spec sheet screen shot, I don't know his source but I assumed Clevo directly. I trust Donald's word here though and will edit that original post, the 7950GTX would certainly be more reasonable. But I do wonder what Gophn's source is, I wonder if he could speak to that.

 

Core 2 Extreme 2.93 Ghz..oh my.
This is one heck of speed.

Wonder how bulky is the power adaptor anyway... :$

 

dang it got me excited a bit with 8800 but it looks like we have to wait a bit more. BTW I saw some specs from this site and it does confirmed 7950GTX listed.

http://www.discountpcsales.com/specifications/mtechd470k.htm

 

Ah, this makes alot more sense now. Just a few weeks ago people were speculating that 8800go would be released sometime later this year or early next after a die shink had occurred. Logic would dictate that the 8800 core in its current condition would be too power hungry for a mobile machine regardless of its clock speeds. I am still hoping there will be an 8600 Ultra or such that will be released soon to replace the 79xx series in DTR notebooks.