[Review] Sager NP8651 / Clevo P650SE with GTX 970m HTWingNut's REVIEW

adding HTWingnut´s review thread of the SG to the OP of the Owner´s lounge

 

Sweet machine(s), but do you borrow them or just buy them all?

 

Santa provides them.

No, I borrow many, some I buy and resell. LPC-Digital usually provides me with the Sager/Clevo models. PowerNotebooks provided the latest couple of MSI models. Then I turn around and sell them or return them.

 

Will this unit be upgradeable to 4K screen? I'm thinking upgrading the unit sometime next year into that 4K Sharp IGZO screen, will that be possible?

 

Should be no problem doing so as you can order them with 4K screens installed including the Sharp IGZO. I dont see any limitation in installing your own as long as its the right connection.

 

Thanks XoticPC, love your replies like this rather the common usual "call us..." thing on other places.

What did you mean by "as long as its the right connection" isn't it same sockets? Not a simple unplug and replace from IPS to 4K Sharp IGZO? Does Sager or XoticPC sell parts only by chance? Just wondering where to get it later if I take the bait of Sharp IGZO.

 

as mentioned earlier, fullHD and highres 3K/4K screens use different connectors / cables due to different needs for data rates.

 

Well it's down to what the panels themselves expect at the input.

 

So does that literally means that if you have a unit using 1080p IPS panel(30pin) panel installed then it will be impossible to upgrade later into 4K Sharp IGZO(40pin) panel if we someone decides to do so later on? Is it?

 

Not using the same display cable no, you need the 3k/4k cable to be able to fit the higher resolution screens.

 

Does anyone know if these cables are available to buy separately?

Sent from my Nexus 5 using Tapatalk 2

 

Does the cable for 4K display bundle together if you purchase them? or it is another problem to seekout the cable.?

 

Hee guys I wanna buy this laptop but I have a question about the screen.

BTO says that they deliver with an IPS panel so I mailed them if they put the IPS inside the laptop or Clevo does, and they said that Clevo delivered with an IPS panel.

But in the review HTWingNut says it came with an TN panel.

BTO X BOOK 15CL62 - 15 inch performance en game laptop met NVIDIA GTX970 / GTX980 ( Clevo p651se , p651sg )

Thanks

 

That's because htwingnut's was an early machine, we didn't have IPS options by then... But more importantly, ask them the brand and model of the panel.

 

Cables are system specific so you would need to source one yourself which is the issue.

 

I'd say just buy a replacement cable as if your original 4K display cable broke...

 

From where?

 

If you give them your serial number you will get another 1080p cable

 

That's if you can even use that on a 4K panel with 40pin. 1080p cable is a 30pin only.

I guess we just have to wait and see if someone offers a 4K replacement panel with 40pin cable along with it. Or stuck forever with 1080p panel or buy a new unit instead.

 

LCD Cable Converter parts

Would something like this work? It can't be that hard to make a cable - it's just pins and wires. Surely someone can. It's not like it's an Apple connector.

 

ull turn into a big community hero if youre able to come up with your own design and decide to offer those cables for a good price here

 

I'd advise just playing it safe and getting the display you know you want with your order. Getting a 1080p display and then upgrading to 4K afterwards would be more expensive and lots more hassle, so I don't really see why anyone would want to do it that way, but each to their own. I wish you luck if you do decide to do that.

Sent from my Nexus 5

 

If you open up and display the motherboard fully, you'll see i think two inputs for two eDP cables : one 2 lanes, one 4 lanes. I don't think it's the same port. no ?
Unless that's only the case for the p670Sx : one for Edp one for LVDS ?

But one thing is sure : you cannot use a 3/4K with a 1080p cable : you need 40 pins not 30pins, the LVDS cables didn't have this problem..a 30 pins LVDS could fit and power a 40 pins screen.

 

Heh, unfortunately I'm no engineer. I just fly planes for a living, which means I know basically "how I think everything should be done" without understanding the complications that might be involved.

Still, it is just pins and wires.Between these Clevos and the Y50, maybe there will one day be a big enough market to make it worthwhile for someone to make/sell these cables.

As for the "buy FHD, upgrade to 4k later" hassles involved, in my case I have little interest in 3k/4k in a 15.6" display. I understand the appeal but for my own needs I'd rather spend the extra $$ on something else. It would just be nice to have the option in case I ever change my mind and want to put a 4k panel in.

Are the motherboard connectors all the same (the eDP ones)? Maybe buy a broken/used laptop on Ebay that you know has the 40-pin cable. Maybe it would work, but again, it's never as simple as it sounds I guess.

 

Thanks for the links.

Found two below but only the question left is is it compatible and will it work? Nahh so hard to answer. Just leave more question. Only XoticPC or other resellers in this forums can help us here about the possibilities. XoticPC once said it's possible but haven't mention about the pins and cables.

UPH OEM Cable LCD Cable Converter OECV085, LTN160AT06 LED Screen convert LCD
UPH OEM Cable LCD Cable Converter OECV089, LTN160AT06 LED Screen convert LCD

Oh well, wait and see until someone tries to upgrade and share it here. Or maybe just forget about it.

 

Has anyone got their Web Cam running on their p650se? I can't seem to find drivers for it...

 

They installed on W8.1 without me knowing about it, like they were part of some other driver package but I don't know which one. On W7 it does have a separate driver.

------

I want that 4K cable too, but because my P670SG doesn't have native 4K... Yet.

 

If I recall correctly, somewhere in the thousands of posts of the several threads on these machines, there was a prior discussion about upgrading the panels and one of the vendors (Mythlogic comes to mind, but can't swear to it) chimed in. This was before there was to be an IPS FHD screen option I believe. At any rate, I think the vendor stated all of the motherboards were the same, with only one (40 pin) connector for the LCD. Whether or not the connector was LVDS or eDP was determined by resistors or jumpers on the board, and a "proprietary" cable manufactured to Clevo's specs would carry the signal.

As I recall, the gist of it was that if you got an LVDS TN panel (which was the only FHD option at the time), your motherboard might be permanently in LVDS mode, and besides that, unless you could talk Clevo into selling their proprietary cables so that you could upgrade your own screen (rather than paying them for the upgrade) you couldn't connect a different (i.e. 2 lane vs 4 lane) screen anyway.

Emphasis on "if I recall correctly" a conversation I barely understood any to begin with.


Edit: Ok, I found the posts I was talking about, it was Mythlogic. First one here, follow up here (and pretty much everything in between was really interesting).

 

Make sure it's on with the keyboard shortcut and it should install automatically.

 

Those posts suggest that my Chimei screen in my P670 is LVDS. so that's clear. Now for the 'what can be done about it' to get eDP since those signals are needed for higher than FHD screens...

 

Not a problem since there aren't any 4k 17" screens anyway.

 

Not yet...

 

If you do have LVDS there is nothing much you can do regarding going to eDP. They are just too different.

 

HT, what do you suggest to use for dust filters on these air intakes(since I don't think any intake had a filter by stock)? what kind of material do you think is the best

 

A can of compressed air once a week... any filter will just restrict air flow too much and cause temps to go up drastically.

 

Hey all,

Was thinking about getting this model. Debating between this and the P35W V3. Currently have the P35W on pre-order with HIDevolution but I'm reconsidering due to spotting this Clevo!

I'm most likely going to install my own SSD so that won't be needed in the order. But in regards to screens. There are two FHD options offered by HIDevolution and I'm going to assume that the $50 extra option is that LG IPS you were previously talking about? I'm not so fussed on 4K so I won't bother looking at those options. What's the consensus on FHD screens? Is the LG screen worth the $50 upgrade? Or should I look at something like HTWingnut got or even leave it completely? I'm not sure I'm one to fuss about screens, but that can't be confirmed as this is going to be my first laptop!

@HTWingnut is this the one you have? 15 6" LCD Screen Display for Samsung LTN156AT15 C01 | eBay

It's my first time dealing with Sager/Clevo so I'll probably add in the $150 International One year warranty since I live in New Zealand.

In terms of temperatures, it seems the Sager has the Gigabyte cleanly beaten with much much lower temperatures. Seems it'll be able to last me throughout my university course at least.

Would be awesome to hear from you all.

Cheers,

 

http://m.ebay.com/itm/151421943814?txnId=1170915907005
This is the screen.

I probably would just buy it with the lg IPS. We all bought these screens before the IPS option was avail. I will be getting my laptop on Tuesday the 23 and I will have the two IPS screens for it. I will most likely compare the two for picture quality, brightness, viewing angels, and response time and will post pics of course! I will have both the LG and Samsung so I am not sure if I will keep the other as a spare or sale it once I choose a favorite. I haven't heard any complaints about either screen but the Samsung does have a lower response time. So I'm curious if this will be noticeably better. Unfortunately I won't be able to compare side by side so I will prob just have to play with each panel to get a feel for it before switching. Maybe ill do a video capture of each but even then I don't believe I could capture the "true" performance and quality as experienced in person. My guess is both screens will perform very similar.

Sent from my Nexus 5 using Tapatalk 2

 

Awesome, thanks for the link! Yeah I might keep it easy and just get the available IPS display.

Getting the Sager/Clevo instead of the Gigabyte saves me a minimum of $160. I'm debating as to whether it's worth it. It seems the temperatures are much much lower on the Clevo cpu and gpu which is a nice positive in terms of longevity.
Battery life seems fairly similar, both being better than the GS60 with normal usage.
Keyboards seem relatively samey, nothing absolutely amazing, but definitely usable for sure. I like addition of a fingerprint scanner as well as dedicated track pad buttons on the Clevo.
Both seem reasonably customisable, with the ability to replace or add things to the system.
The Gigabyte does however have 6gb of vram which may further future proof it in a sense.
They both seem fairly portable, with great designs/appearances.
Gigabyte comes with a 2 year global warranty, and the Clevo would only come with one.
Both are apparently reasonably reliable.

Ah! Decisions, decisions! I just can't seem to decide.

Cheers for the help regardless!

 

I'd go with the IPS, it means you are not always trying to find that sweet spot when using it. It will also be a bit better in the specs generally too and since it's what you are always looking at it's worth it.

 

wait you serious, you go without filters? but if you were to, what do you suggest to use for filters?

 

same here@without filters...

 

Laptops don't use filters. Minimized space, tight quarters and borderline air flow. No filters. Just compressed air and once in a great while will get out the q-tips and alcohol to give it thorough cleaning if it needs it. 95% of the dust is contained in the fan and heatsink fins.

 

alright I'll give that a try, thanks HT!

 

Just another quick question before I lock myself in for the purchase. This doesnt happen to be exposed to thermal throttling under stress does it? Or even at its reasonably low temperatures?

Cheers,

 

Define 'stress'. Things like Furmark? Yes. Games? No.

Sent from my Nexus 5

 

If I'm honest with you. I really don't know myself. I'm just using a word I commonly seen when talking about relatively high temperatures and thermal throttling.

But from what you've said about it not being susceptible to thermal throttling during gaming is pretty much the answer I need!

I think I'm gonna go ahead and place my order on the Clevo P650SE, LG IPS FHD Screen Upgrade and the 1 year Global warranty were all the additions I really needed.
I'm probably gonna get an SSD from Amazon or wherever is cheapest. Any recommendations on specific brands?

Cheers,

 

Yeah these laptops run incredibly cool for their size. I've yet to see anyone on these forums encounter thermal throttling during everyday gameplay. Torture stress tests like the aforementioned Furmark and Prime95 will result in throttling, that is guaranteed. But who cares about those if the actual games play fine?

As for SSDs, I'm a big fan of Samsung's offerings myself. The Magician software is actually very useful and the drives themselves run very fast and reliably.

Sent from my Nexus 5

 

Are the 840 Evos still relatively good for the price? I'm trying to find a 256gb SSD for around $100 or as close as I can get.

Cheers

 

The 840 evo is a very solid value drive great for the average user, it's only not so great for those writing a lot of data which you would know if you do.

 

Locked myself in for a P650SE! Can't wait!