My UK Schenker Experience - August 2013 - Clevo P177SM / XMG P703 and other adventures

I cant see many of these Schenker experiences, so i thought i would add one here and update it as i go on.

I've ordered a 17 inch, Haswell 4700MQ, 8970M 4gb Graphics, 750GB 7,200rpm, 8gb 1600mhz Ram notebook from MySN.co.uk (the UK site for the German Schenker Notebooks reseller).

Mid July: start reading reviews and start assessing prices and reputations of UK resellers and decide on model.

Late July: As i am UK based, and i have decided on a Clevo, i have the following to choose from: Cyberpower.co.uk, PC Specialist, Utopia Computers, Schenker, Pwn PCS, Scan, Box.co.uk, and Overclockers. Overclockers, Cyberpower and PWN PCS seem a bit expensive to me for what you can get for the price. I narrow it down to Scan, PC Specialist and Schenker. Box.co.uk seemed annoyed that i emailed them. If you're reading this: sorry dude.

Decision time: get a final green light from the President/the wife who releases funds (from my own account) to me to conduct Operation Buy a Clevo. I need to be fast, as my Toyota Prius has developed a clunking sound and my wife hasnt spotted it yet. Put out some feelers.

I decide on Schenker, briefly because their customer support seemed nice and not pushy, they 8980M card was only £11 more than the 770M, they throw in a full two year collect and return, parts and labour warranty and they are German. Everything i have bought in my life up till now which was German always did what i wanted it to. My Adi Dassler running shoes, my BMW soft top (sold because my wife told me to), my German ex-girlfriend. All functioned normally within satisfactory parameters.

Schenker even gave me a discount (albeit small, but its the thought that counts) because i asked for it.

6th August: order placed. status: "processing"
9th August: order status still "processing" - kinda annoyed by this as the next status is "accepted by production" which means "this status confirms that the order has been passed from the sales department to the production facility". I thought it wouldnt take 3 days for sales to tell the assemblers to get cracking. Payment was accepted straight away. No issue there. Maybe they have started assembling it but havent had time to update the status? I need to be more patient.

Average build time is 4 to 8 working days

I will edit this post with updates if that is ok.

Edit 1

9th August Status: "accepted by production". Now we are cracking. Got an email telling me of the change in status which was nice. I am imagining a team not too disimilar to the German gang in Die Hard working on my computer right now. All unnecessarily blond with Karl rushing his brother Tony with the motherboard before checking on Heinrich's work. Team Leader Hans runs a tight ship. Everyone wears Hugo Boss. Obviously.

12th August: even though i have bought and paid for the laptop, Schenker Sales are still quick with answering my queries with in depth exhaustive replies to my emails. Some companies are all over you like a inguinal rash, but once you've paid up, they go silent. Not the case here. They must be getting a little sick of my pestering.

Concerning quality assurance for those that order without OS:

"With orders that don't have an OS installed, production use an internal testing suite that runs outside of Windows. Your build will also go through the same Quality Control checks that a system with OS would pass through, so you'll still be receiving the same quality of care from production whatever type of order you place!"

Which is reassuring. A little bird tells me that i'll be receiving my laptop v.soon! Hopefully, i'll be able to take some pics/vid soon with the unboxing (to assess the level of packaging protection) and run some tests.

13th August: The laptop has completed assembly/production! Which is only 4.5 working days since i placed the order. I received an automated message instructing me of the change in status as well as a personal email from Schenker giving me a DHL website link and tracking number. I'm at work tomorrow, so i'll have to tell the wife to watch out.

16th August: Laptop arrives! Wow, that was pretty quick. MySN use DHL,and since DHL have a hub 5 minutes from where i live, and having to leave for work later, i pick it up easy. Packaging is solid. An outer cardboard box with an inner cardboard pack with XMG advertising. I realise the 17 incher is a big boy. Nice touch with dessicants placed in between the laptop screen and keyboard. No scratches or scuffs. Very pleasing.

17th August: Slight problem. Since i have the AMD 8970M card with the 4700MQ chip according to mySN, my laptop is not functioning correctly. This has become a known problem for other users too, so much so that mySN have withdrawn the 8970M from the build options. The 8970M is not showing up in the switchable graphics section on my laptop, and everything seems to run on the in built Intel GMA card. This means i cant run benchmark tests correctly or play graphic intensive games

Other problems include the switchable graphics icon (which looks like a speedometer) is always on even though it isnt really working (probably related to the main problem)

The hotkeys are not functioning properly, as i cant change the backlit keyboard amongst other things. Trying different drivers for the hotkeys, the graphics and others, doesnt seem to fix the issue.

I receive an email from mySN telling me my problems arent just me, but other users too, and they are working on a fix.

22nd August: unfortunately no update/progress. I havent heard from mySN for 4 days even though i am a patient man, i am starting to worry a little bit. I've spent quite a lot of money on this, and the product doesnt work correctly right now which is very disappointing. Nevertheless, i will remain patient and polite to mySN staff. I've mentioned RMA, but hopefully we can resolve this without that. Little bit of buyer's remorse creeping in i'm afraid.

 

congrats on your order and almost welcome to the mysn/clevo family.

i ordered mine on the first day of buisiness for the uk site. as far as i can remember it was 10 days from start to finish and that included next day delivery from germany.

i know we are like kids in a candy shop once weve ordered but trust me, the wait will be worth it.

which screen did you go for. if it was the matte screen this is what totally blew it away for me. ruddy amazing compared to my previous clevo.

 

haha, i know what you mean by being a kid in a sweet shop. I went for the matte screen. I'm trying to prepare for the arrival by getting stuff together like anti-virus software, drivers etc. Do you remember if the driver disk they sent you had the lastest releases on it, or did you manually have to search and find them? Also, i didnt order an OS as i have my own, will that make any difference with the quality testing do you think? They'll still be able to test the cpu, gpu, ram and memory thoroughly right?

 

the driver disc was mostly upto date except the nvidia driver. the one loaded was a oem graphics driver so not available on nvidia website. i had a OS installed but you will still get the driver disc.

you can also get all the latest updates on their website or forum.

they do a full QC burn in and test on all lappys. ones without a OS they load one and run the tests and once all passed they just remove it so yours will go through exactly the same tests.

theres plenty of free monitoring and benchmark tools in my sig below so have a gander.

 

Edited my first post.

Thank you Mr.DJ, i've bookmarked your links. I've ordered the ATI 8970M card, i was going to go for the 770M, but then i saw the 8970M 4GB listed as only £11 dearer and my greed for more power got the better of me. I might have difficulty sourcing up to date drivers for this. The one on the Schenker website is from May (i think - its listed under "AMD Grafikkartentreiber" on its own and not under P703 - windows 7 - they have the Nvidia drivers under the P703 link) and i cant see any others listed.

As it is an OEM, i guess the latest general AMD 13.7/13.8 Beta drivers are a no no?

 

cant answer that as i know nothing about amd/ati cards or drivers.
i found out the hard way. on my previous clevo which is 6 years old now and still going strong i used to always update the drivers.
on this one i updated to the latest whql from nvidia and it didnt run as well so i tried to load the oem previous driver but could i find it anywere,nope. in the end mysn sent me it by email but it was failing to load properly. once it did load some of the futuremark benchmarks failed to run. long story short it was the physx driver but the only way i could get back to fully normal working order was a system restore. after that i left the oem driver loaded for about 6 months. then i tried one of the latest whql drivers and they loaded fine this time.
my moto now is, if it aint broke dont bother fixing it.
its only really the members that are into as many frames per second they can get out of their machines and thats not me. as long as it runs smooth im happy.

 

Thank you for this awesome information MrDJ. I can see by your signature that your machine is a beast. I'm going to be careful with the GPU drivers now.

 

your welcome mate.
need any more advice just holler

 

updated OP 12/08/2013 or if you are American 08/12/2013

 

updated OP 13/08/2013

 

Congrats on your build, I got a similar P703 build from Schenker a few days ago.
When you get your machine can you see if you have the same problems as me ? ( http://forum.notebookreview.com/sag...np8290-8270-owners-lounge-26.html#post9329478 )

 

did you have operating system pre installed or did you have your own copy. also have you updated any drivers yet and if so which ones.

 

Installed my own Windows 7/8 (iso directly from MSDN), drivers from mysn.co.uk

 

might be worth asking the experts on their live support on left of page mySN.co.uk | XMG | Schenker Technologies - Gaming Laptops

edit

mysn has replied to your original post.

 

thanks man, i've read your post and i'm gonna keep my eye out for this. i should be getting my laptop tomorrow, work permitting, i will set up and run some tests. are there any particular tests you would like me to run?

 

For the 8970M GPU, try different drivers, try rebooting (just rebooting, not don't shut down) and see if it's still active. You won't see any error, its very subtle, to see if you are using the AMD GPU try right clicking on the desktop and see if you get the 'Configure switchable graphics' option or try running windows experience index and then click 'View and print detailed performance'. I just got an email from them acknowledging the AMD GPU issue with Windows 7.

If you have the 7260-AC wifi card try the airplane mode FN+F11 and see if that works.

If you can run any of the tests above let me know your OS and driver versions.

Cheers

 

One more thing, try the keyboard backlight toggle shortcut FN + * (on top of number 9 on the right number pad)

 

right clicking on desktop doesnt allow me to see "switchable graphics"

FN +F11 makes the "airplane" light come on and it says "ON" top left

FN+* (top of 9 on numpad) does nothing

ALSO, is your speedometer light - the one that distinguishes between the Intel and AMD GPU always on? Mine is always lit up, only goes off if i switch off the laptop.

 

so come on then Heinz, how is it???

Fn + F11 is wifi on my model and i would of thought it would be the same as on yours. i dont have the airplane mode.

the Fn + * above 9 turns my backlit keyboard on/off but not sure if settings are the same as your model.

 

i've taken pics and stuff and have written a piece, but this Windows 7 not working with 8970M has not allowed me to benchtest yet. Thinking of getting windows 8 (shudder)

 

since when has 7 not worked with 8970 or is this a known fact.
if you ordered with windows 7 loaded then it should be working out the box.
as ive said previously i will never use ati and know nothing about them.

 

If you don't get the switchable graphics its probably not working. Try this:
Uninstall all AMD driver
Install 13.8 beta from here AMD Catalyst and shut down (don't reboot, shutdown)
When booting up in windows you should see the switchable graphics menu and the speedometer light should be off. Try running Windows Experimence Index and the speedometer light should lit up (suggesting that you are using the AMD GPU)
The problem I found with 13.8 is that its working only after a cold boot (shutdown), also works after hibernate and suspend but not after a reboot.
During those steps you might have to reinstall the Intel GPU driver if you get an error in the Device Manager, check it.

What wireless card do you have ? The Intel 7260-AC is not yet supported by Clevo and doing FN+F11 should do nothing or just reset the wireless (that's what it does for me at the moment)\
FN+* does nothing for me also

 

@ Heinz.
through experience and if you had the operating pre installed by mysn then i would leave well alone as lappys pre installed will have a OEM driver loaded that work and your laptop will have been fully tested with them.
if you are loading your own operating system then its a trial and error senario of finding the best graphics driver that works for you.

@epps
have you checked the user manual for all the shortcut buttons using Fn + as these new models could be slightly different than the EM and HM series.

 

thanks for your post

i installed windows 8 pro but seem to have the same problems. The switcheable graphics light is always on for me whatever i do. I installed the beta graphics driver but it just black screened on me during installation and after i rebooted (after seeing the bios screen) so i rolled back. Windows experience does not pick up the 8970M card still. Did you try a different Intel graphics card too?

I'm thinking it might be a hardware problem for me especially in regards to the switcheable graphics light always being on. Mysn confirmed my bios and EC are correct. Do you know how to start in safe mode with the P177SM? I cant seem to see it if i press F2 or F7 during boot up. Its a little bit depressing lol.

The backlight function button does work with Windows 8 as does the speaker display under the screen. I dont think its just a windows 7 problem unfortunately.

you are right of course, but i'm in contact with mysn and they have suggested trying different drivers to see if it fixes the problem. they said they have people working on the problems as it has been reported by some but not all. it might end up with a RMA. they've stopped selling the 8970M card for the time being - which must mean its a known issue.

@ everyone: please feel free to offer any suggestions. should i try drivers from American resellers for my model? I've tried flashing the ec and bios with the mysn files but to no avail. if mysn resolved this problem within a week, i'll be impressed. until then i have a rather expensive 17 inch HD clevo gaming laptop that cant play games sitting in the corner of my room.

 

safe mode is F8 on bootup.

you could try drivers directly from clevo CLEVO - Download

or from sager in the states custom gaming laptops - Welcome to Sager Notebooks

 

The instructions from my previous post are for Windows 7, sorry for not mentioning. I don't know that is the situation with Windows 8. You can't change the Intel card, the Intel GPU is built in the processor, just make sure you have the Intel card installed properly (check device manager)
The light was always on for me also, but after I got the drivers working it only switches on when I'm using the AMD GPU.
I don't think you should RMA so fast, its probably just a driver issue, try the Windows 7 method if you have time.
Safe mode is F8.

@MrDJ
The FN shortcut for the keyboard backlight is in the manual and doesn't work in Windows 7. I suspect its a software problem since the LED soundbar doesn't work either after installing the Clevo Hotkey drivers in Windows 7

 

works fine on my windows 7

the one thing i forgot to mention is you have to load all the drivers in the order they are on the disc or there could be conflict.
if you done this then i have no idea of whats going on

 

Works fine on P177SM ?

 

Thank you so much for your message epps. You dont know how much this means to me.

I meant to say Intel drivers not Intel graphics. I have reinstalled Windows 7 Ultimate following your post.

This is what i have done in this order:
I installed Windows 7
I installed the WLAN driver to get online
Windows Update to latest
I noticed Framework 4.5 wasnt installed so i installed that (all in a 800x600 resolution since i hadnt installed the Intel or AMD graphics)
I installed the Chipset driver rebooted (from the W7 disc provided by XMG)
I installed the Intel 4xxx graphics driver from the Windows 7 XMG disc provided (second in list)
I installed your suggestion for the AMD card (the one you linked) but i got half way through and there was an error (2 components didnt install - i dont know why - but the actual graphics driver and Catalyst Control Centre did) then i shut down completely.
Pressed the power button after a few seconds - no switcheable graphics menu came up (as you mentioned) and the switcheable graphics light is still on (has always been on since powering up and beginning to install Windows 7 in step 1)
BUT i can see "switcheable graphics" when i right click the screen now - but it doesnt load from the right click - it does however load from Catalyst Control Centre shortcut.
I have configured the switcheable graphics settings, but light is still on.
Windows performace index mark has jumped up and it can see the 8970M card now.
Can confirm it all goes to crap if i reboot.
3d mark score at 1920 x 1080 resolution : AMD Radeon HD 8970M video card benchmark result - Intel Core i7-4700MQ,Notebook P17SM

I decided not to install the hotkey driver and the lights on the panel still work. I think this does not mean the keyboard backlight, Clevo control centre, plane mode etc does not work as they do nothing when i press them.

So the workaround at the moment is a complete shutdown/hibernate? Does the switcheable graphics continue to work or does it die after a while? Can you think of anything else that would help me shut off the switcheable graphics light and work as designed? I think i should try to reinstall that AMD beta driver perhaps without the errors this time.

One final thing, what did you mean about:

what part of the steps that i have described above should i reinstall the GPU driver?

I'm definately happier now because i have made progress. Once again, thank you so much for your advice.

I dont think MrDJ has a p177SM

 

Just wanted to add i installed all the other drivers on the disc in order (apart from the hotkeys driver) after installing the AMD beta driver.

Also: further information, if you click on the CCC preferences and select advanced view when the switcheable graphics options are available, on a reboot (not a shutdown and start) the Power Management options are missing on the left- the ones with the switcheable graphics options - so this might narrow it down.

 

I've noticed the same thing, reboot = no switchable graphics, uses Intel.
I haven't noticed any instability so far, the driver still works after suspend or hibernate, so as long as you don't reboot you should be fine. Played Skyrim and Starcraft2 today at max settings, no issues at all.

@intel driver
I've noticed sometimes that after installing the AMD driver the Intel driver fails and I get an error in the Device Manager for the Intel card. I don't know how to recreate the error but to fix it you just have to reinstall the intel video driver. Unless you get an error in Device Manager for the Intel card you shouldn't do anything.
You can change the 800x600 resolution even without the a driver installed, right click -> screen resolution.
I am able to click on switchable graphics and configure everything from there.

The Hotkey driver works, it only has problems with the LED soundbar that it disables (a good thing IMHO) and the Intel 7260-AC wireless card (because its too new and not supported by Clevo yet)

The switchable graphics light works as intended for me, perhaps its the HotKey driver or maybe that install error you mentioned.

Good luck!

 

ive got last years model P502
as i said previously ive never used ati and over the last few years im glad i havnt and always stuck with nvidia.

about the switchable graphics light. this could well be just a glitch as this happened with everyones optimus when it was first released about 3-4 years ago. even though the light was still on all the time it would still switch to the dedicated gpu as soon as you done something demanding like loading a game.

here is the full list of graphics cards in the order of omphh Mobile Graphics Cards - Benchmark List - NotebookCheck.net Tech
yours is 14th and my 680 is 17th
last time i ran 3dmark i got ice storm 92907 cloud gate 16057 fire strike 3861
no idea why my ice storm is 30,000 more but your other 2 results are spot on so your card is working properly.

hope the guys at mysn get all the other problems sorted soon.

 

Thanks for your replies brothers. I've managed to get the switchable graphics light to finally go off. I unistalled the 13.8 Beta from the unistall programs panel, then i used driver sweeper. shut down. powered on and then downloaded the 8970M driver directly from mysn again and checked the "aero" option under custom install (i have no idea if i did this before) then shut down. powered on and a dos box came up top left and took about 5 minutes to complete. and then the light was gone.

problem is, i cant get ccc or configure switchable graphics to run (it says "cannot start due to no settings or something) and i cant play any games. shut down again. power on. no difference. So...i guess i got to try another driver.

I try the 13.4 drivers from mysn, but as soon as i unistall the 8970M OEM driver from mysn, SWITCHABLE GRAPHICS LIGHT COME ON. OH COME ON. I install the 13.4 drivers. shut down. power up Light is on always again. WELCOME BACK OLD FRIEND.

I thought i had it for a second. But it does seem like the switchable graphics light always being on is being caused by a software issue which i guess is good news.

 

as youve used driver sweeper did you try it in safe mode as using driver sweeper normally wont clear out all the obsolete dll registry files unless you are in safe mode.
you could also try driver cleaner pro which you can find in my nvidia driver link in sig below.

delete driver and reboot. F8 to safe mode on start up and run cleaner. reboot back to normal and then load new drivers.

 

Thanks MrDJ.

I've updated the OP

 

Wow, thats not really a good experience.

I've been researching the XMG P703 for a few weeks now but this is the first time I can across this thread.

I put my config together on MYsn already and planning to buy it at the end of this month, however this thread has raised a few more questions in my head to put forward to the sales team. Who have been very responsive and friendly so far.

I selected the AMD Radeon HD 8970 card in my config instead of GTX 780M, is that really a good decision? I've had serious issues with Nvidia cards (and drivers) before on my previous laptop and I thought ATI would be more stable but after reading this thread I'm not so sure.

Also, are there still issues with the 7620AC wireless card? I selected that too in my config. Perhaps I should backtrack and change back to the trusted 6235?

 

what you have to remember is they sell hundreds if not thousands of these laptops in the uk,eu,de and no matter what company you buy from there are sometimes going to be problems.

ive got the 6235 wifi and had no probs yet. i know killer had quite a few problems last year but the complains have died down on here so i guess they sorted the driver problem out.

what problems did you have with nvidia. if it was with your previous 9300M then theres the problem. did you also have problems with the quadro?

good luck on whtever you decide.

 

It was a bit of both really.

9300M was lagging the hell out of my games lol, and the FX770 keeps blacking out with the sound still going in the background and no response when pressing keys.

 

Btw, this is the spec I'm planning to order from MYsn on 25th of this month...

XMG P703 17.3" Pro Gaming Notebook
Design
1 x With XMG logo and XMG illuminated touchpad £0.00
Display
1 x 17.3" (43.9cm) Full-HD 1920x1080 Matte £0.00
Graphics Card
1 x AMD Radeon HD 8970M 4096MB GDDR5 £25.83
Processor
1 x Intel Core i7-4800MQ Quad Core - 2.70 - 3.70GHz 6MB 47W £110.83
Thermal Compound
1 x Arctic Cooling MX-2 Thermal Compound £0.00
Memory
1 x 4GB (1x4096) SO-DIMM DDR3 RAM 1600MHz CORSAIR Vengeance £7.50
Hard Drive
1 x 120GB SATA-III SSD Samsung 840 EVO Series (MZ-7TE120BW) £41.67
Optical Drive
1 x Blu-ray Burner/DVD-RW - without Software £36.67
WIFI Card
1 x Intel Dual Band Wireless-AC 7260 (with Bluetooth) £17.50
Keyboard
1 x Backlit Keyboard UK English £0.00
Warranty
1 x Standard Warranty : 24 Month Collect & Return (inc parts, labour, support, shipping) £0.00
Operating System
1 x No Operating System £0.00
Office Software
1 x Microsoft Office 365 30-day trial version (only when Windows 7 or 8 is ordered) £0.00
Power Cable
1 x UK Power Cable £0.00

TOTAL PRICE:
£1,305

xD

Is the power gain in 4900MQ really worth the extra money??

 

how much im not jelous in any way. my 15" was £2006 last year.

that sure is some beast youve specced their.

what will be your main use of the lappy. general/gaming/cad/rendering. i think the 4800mq will be fine but im no expert when it comes to cpu's.
also are you going to add more ram yourself as i would recommend 16gb as standard now as its so cheap.

 

£2000

My other half would kill me if I spent that much on a laptop, I'd be single and sleeping rough in no time lol

Well the 4900MQ has 8MB Cache instead of 6MB in 4800MQ, and its also 2.8Ghz instead of 2.7Ghz. The total for me will be £1,471 if I select it :/
http://forum.notebookreview.com/har...rades/728452-i7-4800mq-4900mq-benchmarks.html
http://cpuboss.com/cpus/Intel-Core-i7-4900MQ-vs-Intel-Core-i7-4800MQ

The main use for the lappy will be gaming, gaming, and more gaming lol

Just want it to be as future-proof as possible as I'm gonna own it for at least 3 years and I want to be able to run future games fluently and in good quality.

EDIT: Yes I will be upgrading the RAM myself, probably up to 16-20GB eventually

 

just for gaming i would defo opt for nvidia 780 like i did with my 680 but of course that would put you way over budget

maybe thats why im single LMAO

other half's are an expensive hobby. this is my other half attached.

 

Hahhaa, your half is very pale... is she sick or something?? lol

Btw, I'm considering going for the GTX 780M and reducing my CPU to i7-4702MQ which is the low power version of the 4700MQ. Hopefully that will help with cooling and power requirements, as the 780M is a beast when it gets going lol

Total would come to £1,405 (and I would have no SSD or faster CPU). Since I'll be using this laptop for hardcore gaming though I think it might be worth it.

 

Don't forget Windows non Professional only accepts 16Gb.

 

yeh shes very pale, actually white as a sheet. but she doesnt half move when she wants too

that sounds like a good plan but a ssd is a must soon after as it sure does make a difference. not for playing games as such but for loading.

if i were you i would give the guys a shout on live chat mySN.co.uk | XMG | Schenker Technologies - Gaming Laptops

they certainly know what they are on about and wont try and sell you something that you dont need. tell them which would be your best option and they will advise better than us.
tell them i sent you and they will look after you.

 

Hahaha mate, I bet she's got loads of speed on her

Thanks for the linky, I've been chatting with the guys (Neil & Andrew) from MYsn already for a couple of weeks... I think they're getting bored of me now lol. Very helpful guys they are though!

Basically, we're gonna be working out the best config for me next week at some point (hopefully!).

I'm just gonna say to them that all I need in a P703 is: 4800MQ, 8GB RAM in slots 3&4, Nvidia GTX 780M, Blu-Ray and Intel Wireless 7620AC. Anything else I'm not really bothered about.

Just hope that they can do that around £1,300 - £1,400, any more and I will be really stretching my budget (as I was initially gonna go for the A723) lol. Oh and there is always the case of my other half beating me to death with it when she finds out how much it cost lol

 

nice one. just dont tell her
thats one thing about clevo's, they look quite plain and doesnt scream out come and steal me but its whats under the hood that counts.

hope all works out for you.

 

Hahaha, thats kinda hard to accomplish when we actually live together lol

Will see what the guys at MYsn say next week, do you think its still worth mentioning you? Maybe I get a little extra discount heheh

I might have to save a bit of cash and get the slower 4700MQ or 4702MQ CPU for now, then upgrade later on. Which one would you suggest more?

 

not sure which i would go for. ive got last years tech and 3720QM. i had no idea what to get and i almost ordered the top of the range and the guys said save some wonga and get 3720.

entirely upto you if you mention me or not. i know the guys quite well and they are great chaps.

 

Ah ok, well I'll what happens next week. Apparently they have some offers planned. Not sure what model or config the offer is gonna apply to.

Also, I've been having some thoughts about maybe getting the P723 which is the SLI model. The only GPU I can afford then is the 8970M, which wont be so bad I guess. Also the P723 has an option for a 120hz Matte display, dont know if thats for Nvidia cards only or not, or if the SLI model is worth it all.

EDIT: I think I'll be going 1 level higher, P370SM (XMG P723)... here 2 proposed configs that I'm considering:

CONFIG 1:

XMG P723 17.3" Pro Gaming Notebook
Display
1 x 17.3" (43.9cm) Full-HD 1920x1080 Matte - Without XMG logo £0.00
Graphics Card
1 x AMD Radeon HD 8970M 4096MB GDDR5 £0.00
Processor
1 x Intel Core i7-4900MQ Quad Core - 2.80 - 3.80GHz 8MB 47W £249.17
Thermal Compound
1 x Arctic Cooling MX-2 Thermal Compound £0.00
Memory
1 x 8GB (2x4096) SO-DIMM DDR3 RAM 1600MHz CORSAIR Vengeance £44.17
Hard Drive
1 x 1000GB SATA-III 7200rpm HGST Travelstar 7K1000 (HTS721010A9E630) £29.17
Optical Drive
1 x Blu-ray Burner/DVD-RW - without Software £36.67
WIFI Card
1 x Intel Dual Band Wireless-AC 7260 (with Bluetooth) £17.50
Keyboard
1 x Backlit Keyboard UK English £0.00
Warranty
1 x Standard Warranty : 24 Month Collect & Return (inc parts, labour, support, shipping) £0.00
Operating System
1 x No Operating System £0.00
Office Software
1 x Microsoft Office 365 30-day trial version (only when Windows 7 or 8 is ordered) £0.00
Power Cable
1 x UK Power Cable £0.00

£1,475.02

---

CONFIG 2:

XMG P723 17.3" Pro Gaming Notebook
Display
1 x 17.3" (43.9cm) Full-HD 1920x1080 Matte - Without XMG logo £0.00
Graphics Card
1 x NVIDIA GeForce GTX 780M 4096MB GDDR5 £195.83
Processor
1 x Intel Core i7-4800MQ Quad Core - 2.70 - 3.70GHz 6MB 47W £110.83
Thermal Compound
1 x Arctic Cooling MX-2 Thermal Compound £0.00
Memory
1 x 8GB (2x4096) SO-DIMM DDR3 RAM 1600MHz CORSAIR Vengeance £44.17
Hard Drive
1 x 320GB SATA-II 5400rpm Seagate Momentus (ST320LM001) £0.00
Optical Drive
1 x Blu-ray Burner/DVD-RW - without Software £36.67
WIFI Card
1 x Intel Dual Band Wireless-AC 7260 (with Bluetooth) £17.50
Keyboard
1 x Backlit Keyboard UK English £0.00
Warranty
1 x Standard Warranty : 24 Month Collect & Return (inc parts, labour, support, shipping) £0.00
Operating System
1 x No Operating System £0.00
Office Software
1 x Microsoft Office 365 30-day trial version (only when Windows 7 or 8 is ordered) £0.00
Power Cable
1 x UK Power Cable £0.00

£1,509.00

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Hmm, decisions decisions :/

It's good that I've got another 2 weeks to mole it over, and over lol