Sager NP5790 (Clevo M570RU) User Review

Overview and Introduction: Today I will be reviewing on the stylish Sager NP5790/ Clevo 570ru. Sager is known for making high performance laptops at reasonable costs. Clevo is the ODM (Original Design Manufacturer) that a majority of the Sager models are based on. The NP5790 is considered a Desktop Replacement notebook with its large 17’’ screen.

Now let’s move on to my specific configuration.

-17’’ WUXGA ‘’Glare Type’’ Super Clear Ultra Bright Glossy Screen (1920 x 1200)
-Artic Silver Thermal Compound (comes standard with the 5790)
-Intel Core 2 Duo T7500 2.2 ghz w/4MB On-die cache- 800 MHz FSB
-512 MB PCI-Express Nvidia Geforce 7950GTX w/ GDDR3 (user upgradeable)
-2048 MB DDR2 667 PC2 5300 (1 SODIMM)
-160 GB Seagate Momentus 3 GB/S SATA 300 7200 RPM Hard Drive
-Internal Bluetooth 2.0 +EDR
-Built-in Intel PRO/ Wireless 4965 802.11 a/g/n
-Windows Home Premium (32-bit installed)

Reasons for Buying: I bought this laptop as a replacement for an old Dell Inspiron 4105 that I had used for 4-6 years so I thought it was about time for a successor.

Before my purchase with the 5790, I had considered a variety of laptops from the Dell XPS 1710 to the popular Alienware M9750. I ended up going with the Sager because it was much more price efficient from the XPS and the Alienware where a similar configuration would cost somewhere in the 3000+ USD range.

Where and How Purchased: I bought this notebook from xoticpc.com and with my configuration it was very close to the 2,600-2,700 range (Note: At the time of my order xoticpc.com had a Pre-Order package that came with a USB flash drive and a 100 dollar discount.) Also, they no longer have the 2 gigs of RAM (1 SODIMM) option. Just a quick comment, xoticpc.com has been there for me the whole way. I think the laptop was very reasonably priced compared to the Dell 1710 and the Alienware m9750. They were very helpful and understanding before the order, during the order, and after the order. That is something I would expect in a good business.

Build and Design: The design of the 5790 is very unique. I think the online pictures of it poorly justify it personally. I was a little skeptical about purchasing this laptop because of the orange-trim it had. Like I said the pictures online do not do a good job describing this beauty. My thoughts were changed fortunately when the laptop came in and I saw that the orange was not really the bright orange I was imagining in my head but rather a copper or burnt orange, very classy and unique.

The design of the laptop is pretty much just like a basic rectangle with an orange trim. It’s very professional; I can guarantee that to you. I can’t tell you what the laptop is made out of because I honestly don’t know but everything is built to last. The hinges are really tight and to open the laptop you have to have one hand on the inside pushing down on the base while the other hand is opening the lid.

This laptop is not made for use on your lap. Its massive weight (8.35 pounds w/ battery) and size (15.6" x 11.5" x 1~1.8") makes it so that you would be spending every minute adjusting your position so that you would comfortable. It does get pretty warm on the bottom where the battery and hard drive are but nothing unbearable. I tried pushing on the lid to see if I got ripples on the screen…nothing. I also tried pushing on the screen to see if it wobbled which would indicate bad hinges but like I said before, the hinges are solid and the laptop stood its ground.

Screen: The screen is very wide and unlike what many people think, the DPI and visibility of words, text, etc. on the screen is very visible but you always have the option of turning the DPI up. The screen is definitely bright enough for gaming, the bright toggle buttons are FN+F8 to turn the brightness down, FN+F9 to turn it up, and FN+F2 to turn off the LCD screen. I got the 1920 x 1200 resolution with the laptop (WUXGA glossy) but unfortunately it doesn’t have advanced features. The laptop does leak a little when running a dark video or game right at the very bottom of the screen but nothing that would be bothersome in the future, it’s very minimal. There is no uneven backlighting from what I can tell no dead pixels, etc.



Speakers: The speakers are located on the left and right-hand side of the laptop right next to the hinges. The sound quality is very good for a laptop especially after going into the audio software (Realtek HD audio manager) and setting the Environment to Carpeted Hallway and the Equalizer to Soft (Thanks to Gophn for pointing this out for me). The speakers are loud enough for gaming but even a cheap 2.1 setup will be better then this. I would also recommend using headphones as they are better. Just a side note, one thing that bothers me is that if you are planning to use speakers, the jack is in the very front, very inconvenient. It seems as though the designers are encouraging the use of headphones.



A video of it can be found here…be warned though, its 190 MB as I wanted the quality to be as good as possible.

-http://www.megaupload.com/?d=RXVY3L57

Processor and Performance: I am very pleased with the performance of this notebook in terms of speed and graphics. I will be providing a link of me starting it up at the end of this section. My hard drive is 7200 RPM but the 5790 is available with various 5400 RPM hard drives as well. My hard drive has a 160 gig capacity but with vista, it chopped off about 8-10 gigs after drivers and essentials. So far my laptop has never ‘’hanged’’ or take too much time when completing a task, very snappy. I play Counter Strike Source and Insurgency and I am very pleased with the performance of the video card. In my setup, I have the 7950GTX but the 5790 is now also available with the 8700GT if you want Direct X 10. Do keep in mind that we should be able to upgrade to a future video card. (MXM baby). I can play on all high settings with the exception of no AA.
<object width='425' height='350'><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/9cskczJbDn4"></param><param name="wmode" value="transparent"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/9cskczJbDn4" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" wmode="transparent" width='425' height='350'></embed></object>
http://www.megaupload.com/?d=RXVY3L57

In-game Performance:

Call of Duty 2, 1600x1200, 4x AA, all high settings.

http://www.megaupload.com/?d=8J0RQ34R







Benchmarks:
3DMark06:


PCMark05:



Super-pi: 2M- 55 seconds.



Super-pi comparisons



wPrime: 32M(default) 38.459 seconds



HD Tune:



Performance:



Heat and Noise: This laptop has 2 main fans on the bottom. One is always on but once in a while the 2nd fan kicks in while it’s idle and then turns off for a bit then comes back on. It is quite annoying but nothing unbearable. Other then that no other component in the notebook produces any sound from what I can tell. The bottom does get a little warm as I mentioned before but it is safe to use on your lap, but I would still recommend using it on a solid surface. Please read my Pros and Cons that I have wrote for this laptop again as I have made a big mistake when I reviewed the fans. An unexpected factor came into play and bit me in the butt...








Keyboard and Touchpad: First of all, the Sager NP5790 has a full keyboard with a numpad. The control and FN keys aren’t switched around like most laptops so getting used to it should be a little easier then a laptop with the 2 switched keys. I had a little trouble with the Sager NP5790s keyboard at first because I am so used to having my hands on opposite ends of the keyboard. That kind of hand placement won’t work on the Sager because then I would be hitting the numpad so you would have to shift your hands slightly to the left to avoid hitting the numpad. I got used to it in a day or so though. The touchpad is very sturdy. It feels like very smooth sandpaper and has some texture. I would just like to point out that the touchpad and right palm rest tends to get a little warm. There is no flex in the keyboard whatsoever.







Input and Output Ports: For the various ports, here is a picture. 4 x 2.0 USB ports, Ethernet port, 54mm Express Card Universal Slot, etc.




Microphone and Webcam tests:
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Wireless: This laptop came with a built-in Intel PRO wireless b/g/draft-n wireless card. The wireless card is very good. I’ve been connected to my wireless router (wireless-g) for about 49 hours and it has not disconnected once. The speeds are very constant, no slowing down or anything of the sort. Good all-in-all. There is Bluetooth 2.0 built-in but I can’t comment on it since I have no Bluetooth devices.

Battery: The Sager has an 8-cell li-ion battery. I was a little disappointed at it’s measly battery life of about 1 and a half hours with small tasks like web browsing and instant messaging and about 40-60 minutes when gaming but this is pretty good for a laptop of this caliber so I am happy.



Operating System and Software: My operating system is Windows Vista Home Premium (32-bit). Coming from xoticpc.com, a 32-bit and 64-bit recovery/installation CD was included with the 64-bit version installed. The package comes with the 2 OS CDs, a Driver CD for Windows XP, a Driver CD for Windows Vista, Nero 7 (with CD-key), and Power DVD. I would say that the included software is average but I am happy that they gave the latest version of Nero rather then an outdated one.

Customer Support: The customer support from xoticpc.com is excellent. They are all very professional and there are many ways to contact them (email, PM through NBR, phone-call, etc.) and you can expect a speedy reply. My experience with them has been nothing but pleasant. I have called them once after I got my NP5790 when my hard drive was a little hot on idle and a human actually picked up within seconds of my call (no machine) and answered my question in a very professional manner. I would recommend them to anyone.

Conclusion: In conclusion, this laptop is just amazing in terms of performance, looks, and quality. Everything seems to be built to last and is a good system all-around.

Pros:
• Large and Beautiful WUXGA 17’’ Screen, Very fast and speedy, can multi-task quite well.
• Powerful DX9 card (7950 GTX) but has a DX10 video card option as well (8700GT)
• Full 99 key keyboard including a 10 key numeric keypad.
• Sound quality is quite good for a laptop.
• Build quality is superb

Cons:
• Battery life is considerably low.
• If you’re planning to use speakers, the jack is in an inconvenient place.
• 7950GTX isn’t powerful enough to support its own native resolution in a game.
• One out of two fans repeatedly turns on and off while the laptop is idle or when in use.
• Fans are loud EDIT: My apologies for everyone that was worried about the fans being loud but I will amend to this statement. My microphone boost was set to 30 dB (max) and the fans were being recorded through the microphone and played through the speakers at max volume making it appear as though the fans were unpleasing but I hope that I didn't make anyone change their mind about this amazing laptop because of my stupid mistake.

-lawlz_xD

 

Great review. I have pretty much the same computer (only with 4gb RAM and vista-64) and I whole-heartedly agree with your assessments. The screen is really really nice, and for a laptop the built in sound isn't that bad either.

For completeness, though, you could add some information about the built-in camera and microphone. Also, for those that are interested, the lid has two latches. The one on the right is used to actually open it, while the one on the left is used to lock the lid down.

The outline around the keyboard and touchpad is textured, too

 

Nice review, but there's something wrong with those superpi/wprime scores. Your timings should be considerably lower.

 

I know, I am very dissapointed in them...

 

Cám ơn bạn. That was an awesome review.

 

thanks, I guess you saw my vietnamese book in the background haha.

 

Did you have the thread count in WPrime set to 2 under the advanced options?

 

yes I did.

 

Ahh, I see. Your speed in the screenshot was only 800MHz. Make sure you're plugged in and that the powersaving settings are set to give maximum performance. Also, make sure you have the CPU-Z download for Wprime.

 

I saw your other posts. Hình bạn chụp của desktop có tên bạn ở trên đó.

 

awwwwwwwww lol its a ood machine well i guess it goes to show that welll high res screens are.......................................................................

 

I posted my desktop somewhere? hm...can't think back that far...anyways time to mess around with some settings...

on NHC, my CPU clock speed is at 2.19 ghz but my CPU load is only 50 percent when I am running benchmarks...hm....=/...it's on max performance also...

 

I just know that the Wprime screenshot shows that your effective clock speed was only 800MHz when running the test...

Perhaps if you posted the screenshot in the WPrime Benchmark thread, and asked Gophn if he knows what's wrong?

 

alright I have updated scores, I have the weirdest fix-ups today...=/...all I had to do was restart the computer, -.-,my apologies guys. Comparisons coming later.

 

I meant your desktop screen. You know, in one of the screen shots you posted. Tên của bạn có ở trên đó!

 

Au contraire on the keyboard flex. There is noteiceable flex. If you push the keys on the corners, you can see the other keys move. It's kinda bothersome if you keep looking at it and brooding over the flex, but it's not noticeable while typing and gaming.

 

um...I don't know about your 5790 but mine doesn't flex at all even when I am pressing on the corners very hard.

 

I don't see that on mine at all unless I -really- push hard on the keys. They don't move at all for me with normal use, and I usually hit the keys pretty hard in general anyway.

 

I liked the review a lot, massive pics.

I recommend you PM Chaz or Andrew and move this to the Review and News Section.

And ask them to re-title it to something like:

Sager NP5790 (Clevo M570RU) User Review

it would get more attention and comments there.

 

Really? I'm with Lawls on this one. I press as hard as I can on the keys in the corners (like the Ctrl key or the * key) and the the rest of the keyboard doesn't move at all...

Nice review Lawls.

 

One more thing.

I am expected for you to get a notebook cooler (ahem.. Zalman ZM-NC1000)

It will guarantee you efficient cooling, rather than placing the notebook in on a hard surface (that depending on type, might heat up overtime).

As for the videocard, the 7950GTX is plenty fast, just Vista drivers still need a bit more maturing... as compared to XP.

 

yeah I will get it in time...I didn't think I would need it as I have a lapcool 2 but it doesn't do anything for me so I guess I have to go get the zalman.

 

very good review, downloading the 190mb video now.

 

Its pretty nice when a review comes with videos.

It should become a tradition.

 

Cool review, The Clevo M570RU is probably my favorite 17 or up notebook this time around. I think the look is cool, stylish, and handsome all in one. Much more so than many of the other gaming notebooks out there in my honest, humble opinion. Enjoy your notebook lawlz xD.

 

I just saw your video on this laptop and i would say it is very nice. however the fan noise is really loud is it as loud as a desktop fan?

 

this thing makes me drool....Woot! its a monster!!! nice reveiw!

 

yeah it's almost as loud as a desktop fan, a little disappointing.

 

NICE!!! So you ended up doing this awesome review even it's summer.

 

Did anyone end up getting the tv tuner? I'm really curious to see/hear about that.

 

the Super PI and wPrime tests are pretty amazing in my opinion.

 

You have a T7500, not a T7300...

 

whoops, just noticed it haha...anyways do you guys have any suggestions for a better review?


I'm about to post up my windows vista experience score and updated wprime/superpi results.

 

added youtube link for the sagers boot time under the performance section.

 

Its between this and the 1720 and Blu-Ray is the only thing stopping the purchase. Is swapping the optical drive as easy as it is on the M9750?

 

All these custom gaming notebooks have standard optical drive bays.

So you can easily order the notebook with the HD-DVD or Blu-ray drive... just contact the vendor/reseller and as them to do it for you.

Although its pretty simple to do by yourself.

 

I wonder how much extra it'd cost for them to do it, I know on the M9750 you just flip the PC over and loosen screws and out it comes I just wanted to know if it was that easy here. If so I'd just hold off on Blu-Ray since it costs a fortune now and buy it later and install it myself.

 

christ...one thing I noticed on the NP5790 was that the GPU doesn't warm up very much when gaming but rather the CPU does...

I.E.

I was gaming for about 40 minutes (COD2) and the GPU temp stayed in the 45-49C range as the CPU jumped from about 50C(idle) to 70C!

 

What settings you run COD2 at on that PC, I'm really thinking of getting it.

 

all high, AA x 4, with the exception of the dual video card box checked, it looks amazing, I might get some pictures of it later.

 

Can we get some 3d marks on it?

 

hm...quite a large file to download, I'll see what I can do...expect it sometime later today or tommrrow.

 

much appreciated ;-)

 

there are multiple benchmarks on this unit:

here:
http://forum.notebookreview.com/showthread.php?t=146695

and here:
http://forum.notebookreview.com/showthread.php?t=136138

 

3DMark06 and PCMark05 scores added under the benchmarks section.

 

Interesting... The 3DMark06 is only 4883? seems a bit lower than what I'm expecting (around 5200 or more for a Go 7950GTX)... What settings are you using?

 

all default, I'm a little stumped on this, Joga and I have similar specs yet he got around 5300...odd...

 

Weird... Your CPU is even a little faster than his... Would it be the graphics driver you're using causing the lower mark?

 

Possibly, I am using the stock Nvidia drivers that came the laptop. I don't know what drivers he is using so we can't make any conclusions yet.

 

remember to go into Nvidia Control Panel (Display Properties > Settings)

look at the PowerMizer settings, make sure its at Max Performance