Mythlogic Experiences

I don't see a thread yet for Mythlogic, so here goes.

With the upcoming releases later this year, I've decided to retire my current Sager-branded M571TU. After taking a look through the forum here and elsewhere and looking Sager directly and the other darlings of the reseller space, I decided to go with Mythlogic.

Placed my order a couple hours ago and I'll keep posting here with updates throughout the rest of the process and once the new machine arrives. I encourage others to post their experiences as well.

 

Order Process:

The Mythlogic website is attractive - more user friendly than Sagers, less informative than Xotics. A few links don't seem to always work. "My Account" gives a 404 error from some internal pages, but not others.

Once into the "Customize" pages, one annoyance is that the standard "more info" type links are selection specific, so if you want to see info about the six different video card selections, you have to select one, get the info, go back and select the next and get the info for that one, etc.

I decided to go with the Nyx 1711 which is the Sager NP8170-S1 / Clevo P170HM.

All the basic customization choices were the same as those offered by Sager/Xotic/Malibal etc. Although, Sager seems to have stopped offering the extra special glossy screen versions (the 90% or 95% NTSC color gamut - whatever that means) lately (more matte options are out there). Mythlogic still offers that choice, so that's what I went with. I'm intrigued by the 3D option, but that tech is still too immature for my taste. Maybe next go around in another 28 months.

Most the non-core options were the same as the other vendors. Mythlogic is offering a discounted upgrade to the Killer network card so I picked that up. Strangely, there were no offerings for external backup drives. Guess I'll find one at newegg or something.

Mythlogic does offer a couple selections I haven't seen at other vendors - something called a Soundbar - which appears to be an external speaker that mounts to the top of the laptop screen. While I certainly don't expect hi-fidelity from those (and I have some kick headphones anyway) I do travel for work everyweek and have lots of conference calls, so these speakers might actually be useful. And if not, hey, I'm only out $50 and I'll give em to whichever of my children is actually doing their chores consistently

The overall price turns out as comparable to the same config at the other resellers. Order placed. Confirmation email arrives within minutes.

I'll post back on how long it takes before any further communication. Since I placed the order at about 8:00 PM PST (Mythlogic is based in Michigan, on CST I think), I certainly don't count today in any record of official communications.

 

What was ordered?

Heh, forgot to post what I actually ordered. Hmmm, in reviewing the post, I see that monitor color calibration is included. Others seem to be charging between $55 and $75 for that. Good deal!

Here:

MYTHLOGIC Nyx 1711 Chassis (Clevo P170HM)
17.3" Full HD (1920x1080) Glossy 90% NTSC Color Gamut LED Backlit LCD

Dead Pixel Guarantee: MYTH Pixel Perfect Guarantee
Monitor Calibration: Free MYTH Professional Monitor Color Calibration

CPU: Intel Core i7-2720QM 2.20GHz, 1600MHz DDR3, 6MB Cache, Socket G1 Mobile Processor

Thermal Compound: Free IC Diamond Thermal Compound

MYTHLOGIC Exalted Overclocking: No Overclocking

RAM: 16GB (4 x 4GB) , PC3-12800, 1600MHz SODIMM (Patriot)

Video : NVIDIA GTX 580M 2048MB GDDR5 DX11

Optical: Notebook Black 6X BD-ROM/5X DVD-RAM Blu-Ray Combo Drive

Hard Drive: 750GB 7200 16MB Cache SATA Notebook Hard Drive

Webcam: Integrated 2M Webcam

Fingerprint Reader: Integrated Fingerprint Reader

Network Card: Onboard Gigabit (10/100/1000 Mbits/sec) LAN subsystem

Wireless Card: KILLER WirelessN 1103

Bluetooth: Bluetooth 2.1 + EDR USB Adapter

Operating System: Windows 7 Ultimate

Anti-Virus Software: Microsoft Security Essentials

Productivity: Microsoft Office 2010 Home & Business Edition

Laptop Sleeve | MYTHLOGIC Recommends SLAPPA Gear: SLAPPA Ballistix PTAC Matrix Laptop Sleeve with Shoulder Strap Back to School FREEBIE

Laptop Soundbar: Philips Notebook SoundBar SPA5210B/27

MYTHLOGIC Assurance: MYTH Lifetime Assurance with 4 Years Labor + 1 Year Parts Warranty, 1 Yr Free 2-Way Shipping Cont US

Phoenix Upgrade Plan: Lifetime Phoenix Upgrade Plan

Total cost (with 2nd day air shipping, which was probably a waste of $45 over UPS ground since the Michigan-Tennessee ground shipping should only take two days):
$3137.39

 

I PM'd mythlogic at one point, was very friendly and quick to respond.

It wouldn't hurt (if you wanted) to ask them whether you could downgrade the shipping to UPS ground. Many users have reported changing their order after it was placed with very little hassle.

 

Got an email from Jeff at Mythlogic at 2:29 this morning as an official acknowledgment of my order. Love that responsiveness, but Jeff, why are you up at that hour ?

 

Jeff is fueled by a volatile mix of Starbucks, Magic Hat #9, and the beating of the minions in the dungeon.

 

i had a great expierence with mythlogic. i recieved my laptop on time and with no problems. their tech/customer support is great too. also color calibration was a nice bonus the matte 95% gamlut screen is amazing.

 

I ordered my Pollux 1161 from Mythlogic about 2 weeks ago - Aug 18 to be exact.

My initial thoughts are that the communication has been reasonable but not great.

According to the website the Radeon 6990M has been in pre-order for the past 2 weeks but in that time I've had no update on whether it's likely to arrive within the 21-day delivery period. I would have appreciated a little more communication on that matter - I feel like I'm completely in the dark.

To date, I've been communicating with Eric - He generally responds within 24 hours which I guess is ok. That being said, I did a lot of shopping around before my purchase. Comparing Mythlogic to Xotic PC - The guys from Xotic were absolutely fantastic with their communication - Most of my questions were answered within a few hours if not minutes.

So do I feel like a valued customer? Not really. Without seeing the system I'm rating Mythlogic 7/10 based on my initial impressions.

I'll keep updating as I get more information.

Cheers,
Benny

 

Just got a message from Eric - Radeon 6990M are in high demand. He's expecting card to arrive tomorrow. Fingers crossed.

This time the response was in minutes - May be 7/10 is a little harsh - 8/10.

Cheers,
Benny

 

My experience with them was nothing short of fantastic. I had heard of Sager years ago when then did chassis, etc. which we used for custom systems but I hadn' followed them since I n longer work in that realm. I quickly found their online chat and had many (maybe too may) conversations with Eric about different aspects for the x7200 system (I don't game but need a high performance laptop for software/system development). For some reason, I got it in my head that I wanted aslot loading DVD which, much I was told they could supply.

At this pont I was satisfied and placed my order and was told I would receive it in 2-3 weeks.

Soon after the status on my order changed to "In Process", I recevied an email stating that the slot loading DVD fit the chassis but the bezel wasn't perfect. I asked if they could get me a photo and lo and behold the next day I recevied a couple of photos. The important part for me was that it worked so I had them continue on with it. About a week before the 2-3 weeks wa up I received another email stating that the bezel really didn't work and that they would use the normal DVD. I have a friend that does modeling and is good with plastis, etc, so I asked if they would sel me the slot loader in addition to the normal DVD. Their answer was to "we'll just throw it in the box".

My system arrived in the time frame they stated and is everything that they said it would be. In the end I did not use the slot loading DVD (which I will return shortly as I have no us for it).

In all of this there is only 1 thing that I could possibly ping them on and that is that they sell SATA III drives for a system that only supports SATA II. I purchased an Intel 510 SSD because it had the best reviews and was SATA III. I was a little annoyed when I found this out that the x7200 only support SATA II, but in the end it was my fault for not asking the question or not seeing this if it was in the specs(I guess you could make a case that they should spell it out on the configuration page).

Rob

 

Yea I was bummed when that slot-load didn't fit correctly, I'm a fan of slot loads myself, much better aesthetically.

*waves at Benny04*

 

Mythlogic has been extremely helpful and communicative so far in my experience with them. Emails responses are extremely fast, their online chat help is amazing. Their honesty in conjunction with their knowledge makes them really outstanding. AND they have worked with me on a very custom order with special parts, so I honestly have only good things to say about them.

Without a doubt my next laptop purchase in 24 months will be from Mythlogic.

 

Unfortunately, so far my experience has been similar to Benny04's. I ordered a MYTHLOGIC Nyx 1711 Chassis (Clevo P170HM) with the Glossy 90% NTSC LCD just like jonathonwood back on 7/29 over a month ago.

What I've been able to gather (because of the issues with communication I've had to guess) is that the last 2 batches of the 90% NTSC LCD's that they received have been bad. I definitely appreciate that they are settling for no less than perfection with my order but when I email the sales reps and they say (more than once) that it will be shipped out in a day or so and then not hear anything for several days to find out that it's been delayed (again) due to an issue is a bit disheartening.

What communication that I have had has been very polite and professional, it just hasn't been always %100 accurate or forthcoming. I've tried to be very careful about bugging them about it and giving them time to fix the issues. I work in the tech industry so I understand the need to give someone time to finish things properly. I just wish I knew whats going on...

They have a status update page but it is very simplistic and only give generic updates. Sometimes they are good about updating it and other times it's not at all. For instance, it stayed at "Software build and testing" for 2 weeks which during that time was when the issues with the screens came up. I think adding a 'Special Notes' section for cases like mine would be more helpful and wouldn't add much more overhead for them in the long run. As of today, my order's status has now changed to "Hardware build" which it displayed back 3 1/2 weeks ago when they started my order which is very confusing.

Despite all of this, I do like the company or at least how they represent themselves. The are a smaller shop and seem to put pride into there work. As I was part of a smaller tech support co. myself, I know that smaller shops can be more nimble and quicker to fix things, sometimes quicker than bigger corporations like Sager could do. Mythlogic's prices (albeit not on the base build) are actually the cheapest I could find with the customizations on the processor, ram, etc. Coupled with free services like the monitor calibration and the Phoenix upgrade, I couldn't find another Clevo/Sager seller that could beat them.

I was going to wait to write this review of Mythlogic once I received my laptop so I could also comment on the build quality but it doesn't seem like that's going to happen anytime soon.

 

Hi lucascrow, apologies for not keeping you updated better, it's been rather hectic here, but that's no excuse.

So here's the sordid tale of the screens. We had a batch of screens come in from our supplier (special high-gamuts both glossy and matte). We cracked the case open and tested them, and every single one had defects in them. Some might think they where minor flaws (a single dead sub-pixel, one stuck pixel in the corner), but we don't allow that kind of stuff. Especially not to our customers who opt for our Pixel Perfect Guarantee. And most of the people who order high-gamut screens opt for that Guarantee.

So, needless to say, we've decided to not order from that supplier any more. We've already ordered screens from another supplier and they are inbound. We're sending all those defective screens back after we're done chanting rhyming obscenities over the box and drawing sharpie gargoyles on it.

 

Heh, special Skyrim-edition curses, then?

 

Hi ChromeGolem,

Thank you for filling me in on the situation. Do you have any idea when the new order of screens might come in?

 

I don't know exactly yet, they haven't sent tracking numbers quite yet, but we're sparing no expense to get them here as fast as we can.

 

Luscascrow - Interesting comments.

My point is that communication is the key - even if it's not good news. I don't want to have to hassle Mythlogic if they're busy but giving me a proactive status update would be great. Being left in the dark and finding out there is an issue later doesn't make me feel like I'm a valued customer... And having to chase the bad news compounds the frustration. Although I appreciate Mythlogic's participation on this forum, Lucascrow having to post a message on a public forum to get a response is a Fail in Customer Relations 101.

I'm guessing the majority of Mythlogic's customers aren't your run-of-the-mill let's pick up some piece-of-crap PC from Best Buy kind of people. I'm guessing most are tech-savvy and are willing to pay top-dollar to get the latest and greatest technology. Which also means the 2-3 weeks of standard delivery time is absolute torture - we want the latest and greatest and we want it now. Realistically that's not going to happen but we would appreciate a little information or even a teaser of what we can expect through the arduous 21 days (30,240 minutes - you get my point) of waiting.

I'm excited by the prospect of getting my new laptop and I'm confident Mythlogic will deliver the best available but I just need a little assurance everything is on track and going according to plan - and it sounds like I'm not alone. Is that not a reasonable expectation?

Cheers,
Benny

 

Actually we had exchanged emails earlier, but hadn't gone into detail about the supply chain. Though I understand your point.

Quite reasonable actually. And you're right about our customer base, they're almost invariably tech nerds just like all of us in the shop here. So it's been a learning experience in more ways than one. We've made some changes internally to make sure we keep proactive in keeping customers informed sooner rather than later. As you said, no news is bad news in this case, especially when it's bad news later.

 

ChromeGolem is correct. I had exchanged emails over the past month with a few of the guys at Mythlogic. When I asked for an update they always responded very quickly and responded about the delays, just not the full details as described here.

It is good to hear that they are going to take a more proactive approach to keeping customers informed. I hope they do take my suggestion into consideration about adding a 'Special Notes' section on the Order Status page. It would give a place to add such details that would require less effort for them and the customers rather than constantly needing to email for updates. Of course, some customers will still want emailed updates but the more avenues of information that can be given is not a bad thing.

The only other suggestion that I might add for them to consider is how they phrase future suggested shipping times estimates. I received some on a few occasions over the past month and I feel that they could have been improved upon.

I really do appreciate how much they care about the quality of their product. Far to often have I come across vendors and even techs that seem to be OK with a certain percentage of bad products or work. The last thing that I would want is to have to deal with sending the laptop back after receiving it. The way I see it, I don't think they failed in customer relations, they just have some improvements to make.

 

After having mild-to-terrible experiences with Compaq, Dell, and Gateway in both hardware and customer support, Mythlogic is a godsend.

 

I'm actually sending off a quick email to Myth right now to touch base on where my build stands at the moment. Communication with them has been, for the most part, absolutely fantastic. Looking back over the 30 something emails transferred back and forth and I see quite a few where it is about a ten minute or less lapse of time between my message and his response.
I know my impatience is because I'm getting a tad bit antsy as I am without a laptop that can play even slightly outdated games right now. (Currently on a Dell Latitude with a single CPU and no graphics card). Just have to quench the impatience and know that when it arrives it will all be worth it.

 

Thats the hardest part

 

It always is, isn't it? First the wait for the laptop, then the wait for price a decent price drop on The Witcher 2 along with the wait for skyrim release, heck, seems like too much time spent on waiting.

I got a date for shipping from them, assuming nothing goes wrong between now and then, which is great news. Also, for those who might be curious; time between the email I mentioned above and Eric's response-14 minutes. Seems hard to top that communication in any way.

 

9/3 - Status has changed from "summoning" to "shell allocated"

 

Lol no. The hardest part is shelling out $1500+ and watching your bank balance drop precariously. but back on topic: Myth is awesome no direct experience with them, but they are the only reliable clevo builder I know.

Mr. Mysterious

 

I'm happy to report that I've been notified that my laptop will be shipped out today. I also noticed that the prices for the Glossy 90% and Matte 72% LCD's are now a bit higher in price, probably due to the new supplier of the screens they got in.

 

Heh, we get grandfathered in with the old prices ;D

 

So Lucascrow, it's all your fault... It sounds like you jumped in front of me. I'm still in hardware build Oh the pain and suffering of waiting....

I did have an email conversation with Jeff at 3am on Monday morning - apparently he was still at work getting orders out. Impressive. Mine ships on Wednesday/Thursday so it won't be in LA until Monday/Tuesday next week. Damn.

Cheers,
Benny

 

Yeah I'm willing to bet that I jumped in front of you since I've been waiting for quite a while, 40 days ago as of today in fact.

Fortunately, it should arrive either tomorrow or Friday morning. Had a bit of difficulty with shipping arrangements with UPS but the guys at Mythlogic helped me get it squared away with them for which I am very grateful.

 

Hey Lucascrow - Did you get your laptop?

Mine is now "Ready to Ship" - Sigh. Another weekend waiting for USPS to do their stuff. Could Michigan to LA really be that far???

Cheers,
Benny

 

As of 8 AM, it's in Chelmsford, MA according to UPS with a warning "Weather conditions might delay delivery of this shipment." So it might not make it to me until tomorrow. I live 2 states away in Maine, btw. Looks fine out my window...

 

Have you contacted Jeff at Mythlogic? - Surely, there's something he can do about the weather.

 

I wish he could...

I called UPS's 800 # and it's on it's way again but I think they screwed up the delivery instructions again. I'll always remember the slogan that they used to have because I've always felt like they treat their customer's like "brown".

 

I received my shipping notice from UPS today - It's scheduled to arrive on September 14th... So another 6-days to wait.

For those that are interested - It took Mythlogic exactly 21-days to ship from my original order. Shipping from Michigan to LA was $60 using UPS Ground - Mythlogics cheapest shipping option.

 

He's been in the back build area singing Radiohead lyrics and muttering about not having enough Eye of Newt, so he's trying. Seems to have backfired though, it's been raining here all day.

 

LOL

*wonders where his Radiohead cd wandered away to*

 

Just got mine
*Benchmarks & Overclocks*

 

Lucascrow and Llynx care to offer your initial impressions? Thoughts?

Mine is scheduled to arrive on Wednesday.... More waiting....

 

I haven't ordered a PC from them, but I did order a Killer 1102 card from them through Amazon and they got it to me quickly and safely, all bundled up nicely. Great service, card works like a dream

 

Update: 9/12 - status changed to Hardware Build

 

My system I got last friday is amazing. 90% gamut screen is extremely vivid. The 2920xm is rediculously fast. The 6990m is astounding, and it overclocks by 20% on my system. And my 3tb of Samsung Spinpoint M8's in Raid0 are punching out ~300mb/s.

I have been completely blown away by the system, the build quality, and the amazing service provided by Mythlogic. Again, I highly, highly, highly recommend Mythlogic!

 

llynx - That's a hardcore configuration. What was the final price tag on that beast machine?

Any reason you didn't opt for the SSD?

 

Roughly $2350

As for not getting the SSD, I really need the space (I'm already @ 1.5tb and my 2tb external is full).

And in Raid 0 these Samsungs are crazy fast and likely will outlast most SSD's on the market today at a fraction of the price.

 

Update - my notebook shipped out yesterday. I don't think UPS 2-day air applies on Saturdays, so I won't it won't arrive till Monday. And I won't be back in town until Friday

 

Wow, just got a call from the boys at Mythlogic. They noticed my previous post and called to inquire if there would be any benefit in getting shipment held so that I could pick it up before the weekend. In my particular case (shipping route) that's not really feasible (well, it could work out, but I doubt the wife would be very happy with me... ), but that's beside the point.

Really great customer service.

 

I've been working with Josh and exchanging emails with him for almost a month I think about a laptop and a custom design I want for it and I can't think of a single unpleasant thing to say about my experience so far. It's real nice to be able to talk and deal with a co-owner of a company instead of having to deal with a big brand like dell or hp like I do on a daily basis for work and talk with a different person every time that you have a question or need something.

 

** SYSTEM SPECS **

- Mobile Chassis -
MYTHLOGIC Nyx 1712 Chassis (Clevo P170EM) with backlit keyboard
- What da Puck?? -
Pass the Pigs
- Mobile Display -
17.3" Full HD (1920x1080) Matte 72% NTSC Color Gamut LED Backlit LCD
- Monitor Calibration -
Free MYTH Professional Monitor Color Calibration
- CPU -
Intel Core i7-3720QM 2.6GHz, 6M L3 Cache, 22nm, DDR3-1600MHz, Quad-Core Mobile Processor
- Thermal Compound -
Free IC Diamond Thermal Compound
- System Memory -
16GB (4 x 4GB) , PC3-14900, 1866MHz SODIMM Quad Core+ Processors Only!
- Video Adapter -
NVIDIA 680M 4096MB GDDR5 DX11 GPU with Optimus Technology
- Optical -
Notebook Black 6X BD-ROM/5X DVD-RAM Blu-Ray Combo Drive
- External Optical Drive -
Samsung External DVDRW USB Powered Optical Drive (Black)
- mSATA Solid State Drive -
Crucial m4 256GB mSATA Solid State Drive
- Hard Drive -
750GB 7200 16MB Cache SATA Notebook Hard Drive
- Hard Drive -
750GB 7200 16MB Cache SATA Notebook Hard Drive
- Keyboard -
Backlit Chiclet Keyboard - English Only
- Mouse -
Razer Orochi Elite Mobile Gaming Mouse
- Network Card -
Onboard Gigabit (10/100/1000 Mbits/sec) LAN subsystem
- Wireless Card -
KILLER WirelessN 1202 - Designed for the best wireless gaming, HD video and audio experience
- Bluetooth -
Integrated Bluetooth 4.0 Only With Intel 2230/6235 AND Killer 1202 Wireless
- Operating System -
Windows 7 Home Premium FREE Upgrade to Windows 8 Pro when available
- Anti-Virus Software -
Microsoft Security Essentials
- Extra AC Adapter -
Extra AC Adapter (Nyx 1712)
- Laptop Sleeve | MYTHLOGIC Recommends SLAPPA Gear -
SLAPPA 18" Ballistix PTAC Matrix Sleeve
- Notebook Cooler -
Cooler Master NotePal U3 Notebook Cooling Stand for 15"-19" Notebooks
- MYTHLOGIC Assurance -
MYTH Lifetime Assurance with Lifetime Labor + 2 Years Parts Warranty, 2 Yrs 2-Way Shipping Cont US
- Phoenix Upgrade Plan -
Lifetime Phoenix Upgrade Plan
- Accidental coverage and Insurance -
Full accidental laptop coverage and insurance - US Only (Custom Quoted based on System Price)

** SYSTEM PRICE **
$3,724.44


That's what I've been waiting on since 8/31/2012. Status was updates to burn-in and testing on friday the 14th so hopefully it'll ship Monday or Tuesday. Can't wait to open it up and see how it does. I haven't had a laptop since early June so I'm more than anxiously waiting.

 

My wife just got my laptop!!! Yay!!! now I just have to wait about another week to get it. (In Afghanistan) From the pics it looks like it was packaged well and looks good too! Thanks to all the Mythlogic guys for a great job and putting up with all my questions and directions! They even through in a basic laptop bag, which I thought was pretty cool.

 

Nice congratulations!
That's a really expensive Pass the Pigs game.

Oh yeah the computer is nice too.