[Review] Sager NP8652 / Clevo P650SG with 980m Initial Impressions and Review by HTWingNut

So you do have comparisons. Good for you! Thanks!

Frankly, $275 is not that bad for a true RGB pixel and 8 bit panel upgrade.

 

I'm interested to see how game textures looks on a native 1080p screen and on a 4K downscaled to 1080p.
By chance sir HTWingNut you can make a side by side screenshot comparison with your native 1080p NP8651 and your native 4K NP8652(downscaled to 1080p ingame)? Not sure what games to test so maybe just anything available with you will do. I'm just curious if you don't mind. and maybe you can also update your review with this comparison. Though you already said it look great even on downscaled and still sharp but I can't see it myself. As far as I know downscaling 4x back to 1080p seems too much blur if I try it on some 1080p screen downscale to 1024px wide which is just 2x downscale is already worst. So left me wondering.

Though I'm not sure if a in-game screenshot can capture something like this clearly or might just save a screen like all the same 1080p resolution and texture detail. Somehow I think this is only something the display can visualize on the screen so I guess if that's the case only a Camera can take the pictures for comparison but it will be hard to see the texture details on screen unless there's something sort of special good camera that can take on more details clearly. Is there other way finding out other than go one on one of the actual screen yourself?

Sorry. I'm just rather too much curious about it.

 

Yes exactly. The main reason for concern is that the consoles have 8GB unified memory and right now many newer console ports use up to 6GB vRAM for their "ultra" textures. Otherwise 2-3GB max requirement at the moment. Who knows what the future will bring, but I think the 4GB with the 980m will be sufficient and we haven't seen any evidence otherwise.

Cakefish owned a P35X for a little while and returned it due to various reasons. He also bought a P650SG recently as well.

I'm assuming the TN panel in the NP8652/P650SG is same as that in the NP8651/P650SE which its main downfall was horrible viewing angles and poor brightness and contrast: http://forum.notebookreview.com/sag...e-gtx-970m-htwingnut-s-review.html#components

I haven't seen the specific IPS they're offering, but I bought my own online and it is literally a night and day difference.

It is difficult to really tell unless you see it in person. And I only have a 1080p video camera so that might not help much, and static image also doesn't say a whole lot unless lighting and focus, and everything else is perfect. I will try to run a video though showing both the NP8651 and NP8652 side by side, both running a couple games at 1080p and also desktop at 1080p and 4k 200% scaling.

 

Thanks for trying. I just hope you can get something but if it's really that hard or too much then no need force it.

Other than that. 970M supports the new Nvidia DSR feature right? The Dynamic Super Resolution so what if you set your 4K resolution down to 1080p then enable DSR for that specific game to gain a 4K detailed quality on a 1080p will it somehow conflict with 4K native and might force the screen back to 4K since the panel can support? Just wondering again

 

DSR is not currently supported for notebooks (and who knows if it will with Optimus): Dynamic Super Resolution (DSR) Support Reference Chart

" Notebook GPUs supporting DSR: in development - will be released in an upcoming Game Ready driver release."

The option is not available in the currently released driver set either - 344.75.

 

Has anyone run Ubuntu 12 or 14 LTS on these laptops?

Any hardware compatibility issues in Ubuntu Linux? E.g. Can you use the 980m GPU in Linux? (Have to disable Optimus in BIOS?)
Wireless card works? Fans still run? etc?

 

And about the other new features from nvidia?...


Rafael Lenz - Brazil

 

Guys, i just want to know about the CPU trottling in i7 4720... Cause i'll play for too many hours. , how much this impact the overal performance...


Rafael Lenz - Brazil

 

It doesn't throttle with games.

 

Outstanding review Wingnut! +rep I've been out of the laptop scene for about 2 years. I'm considering this model with the 1080p screen as my backup travel gaming platform (my itx Prodigy and 27" Dell don't travel too easily). My last laptop was a M17r3 with a 580m, I like the alienwares, but they don't offer a 980. I am not to familiar with Sager other than knowing they are rebadged Clevos and are basically OEM builds. Is there anything I should know before buying one? How is the extended warranty through say xoticpc? With the gpu built into the motherboard, it seems a warranty would be a decent investment. The Dell ones were great. How is Sagers service?

Thanks.

 

The way the warranty works will depend on if it's labeled as a Sager item or not. No matter what, you'll be contacting us for any warranty inquiries. We'll help and facilitate the troubleshooting and RMA process if needed to be done to fix the problem. Most of the time it'll be going to Sager for the actual repairs and they'll cover shipping both ways. Pretty painless process.

 

Hello guys,

I´m new to notebookreview. First, I would like to congratulate HTWingNut on his outsanding review. :thumbsup:

Second, I have just ordered a NP8652 in a Brazilian vendor (Avell). Cant wait to put my hands on that machine.

Unfortunately, I should receive it only in mid - January.

Lets see how it goes.

 

Congrats on your order and welcome to the forums.

Mid Jan sounds about right even for Sager models as they are slightly back ordered right now. The waiting is always the toughest part though

 

Ahh the wait is definitely not the best part xD still on phase 2 myself, darn weekend makes it feel so long yet the days don't really count

 

I'm Soooo tempted to order one of these. If I order one thru XoticPC any special options / configuration I need to chose or be aware of ? (I want to get the 1080p IPS screen, unless someone tells me that is a mistake....). only thing weird is that XoticPC is saying the 1080p IPS screen is not available until Dec 30, is this a "new" configuration option or was it an existing option that is just temporarily out of stock?

I would be buying this with basic options (8gb RAM and no SSD) with the idea that I can easily add SSD and more RAM later, talk some sense into me if this is a mistake.

 

The 1080p IPS is the stock screen for this model and it is back ordered at Sager, and they expect more on Dec 30th.

You can add SSD and RAM easily yourself, just be sure to add an OS if you do not have one since Sager models dont have one by default. If your budget allows for a SSD now I would get that as it will make a big difference in performance compared to a regular HDD.

 

Hmmmmm, any idea if CES will trigger any upgrades to component in this platform? Eg an i7-48xx option or a switch to the 8GB Vram version of the 980m ?

 

More than likely no.
You will probably not see any hardware upgrades until Broadwell is out and the next generation of GPU's....which will be a while.

 

If anyone is interested, this review unit is for sale listed here: http://forum.notebookreview.com/not...720hq-gtx-980m-16gb-ram-4k-lcd-512gb-ssd.html

 

You are selling it for too cheap, now I feel bad for my purchase

 

From What I read - the retail is still amazing for this bad boy lol

 

Which is funny, because usually people are so fussy about a "used" laptop. I have a hard time selling a two week old laptop for $500-600 off usually, even though it's effectively new, tested to be fully functional, and has full warranty term. These are sold so they move fast and so that someone can get a deal. I don't want to hold on to it longer than I have to either.

 

Why not auction it or blind offer everyone pms you there offer and who ever is highest wins lol

 

Well I guess I'm just really price conscious. I've been considering different brands (sager/mythologic), hardware (970M,980M), and combinations to see which options gave me most bang for bucks.
Yeah it's practically new and I'm a practical person. Yep, you personally tested it which add a bit of value. Well this is a highly sought unit and if anyone is on a fence, this is the best deal around.

As long as my laptop doesn't break on 2nd or 3rd year, I'll move on. Congratz whoever got it.

 

Does anyone know where I can get the Killer AC card added to my customized Clevo? xoticPC does not have that option and I was about to buy !

 

You don't see them for sale very often as stand alone parts. Is there a particular reason why you wanted that exact card? We typically recommend the Intel AC 7260.

 

Here, try this:

Qualcomm Killer 1525 AC M.2 PCIe Performance WiFi Laptop Network Card - Scan.co.uk

 

I just placed an order thru XoticPC and just went with the default wireless card built-in. What's the difference?

 

Probably not a good idea.. Should have got the Killer or the 7260ac... Those are much better then the junky default card.. Get your order ammended ASAP... I would suggest the Killer card.. it's worth the extra..

 

Didn't see that option.
Just for reference, here's what XoticPC showed as options for the Wireless card:
- Sager - Built-in 802.11 Wireless B/G/N - Stock Wireless Card + Bluetooth™ 4.0 (SKU - WIFI92)
- Sager - Intel® Dual Band AC 7265 [M.2 Chip] 802.11 A/AC/B/G/N 2.4/5.0GHz + Bluetooth™ 4.0 (SKU - WIFIX1) (+ $0)

(Same price for either option, only 2 options)
I read previously that the Intel AC cards sometimes had some problems, which is why I decided to stick to the default, but all the research I did I couldn't see any significant advantage for one WiFi vs another? so confusing.

(FYI, if I'm playing multiplayer games where "fast reaction time" is a factor, I'm usually plugged-in to a cable, not WiFi).

 

Agreed. 802.11 WLAN (aka "WiFi") is always bridged, adding store'n forward latency. There is also the cryptography overhead that factors in, especially if the microcontroller cannot drive more than a few, active connections. Granted, it's usually negligible versus the broadband. But if one is getting "worried" over the local 802 "performance," they should look to 802.3 Ethernet.

The "end card" is hardly the limitation. In fact, the main limitation is throughput (e.g., RX/TX buffers, TCP off-load, etc...) not latency, which isn't really a factor of the [W]LAN when it's going over the Internet. This is one of those "Monster cable" type arguments, where you still have another limitation well beyond the alleged gauge or quality of the wire.

In any case, one's router's microcontroller and filtering stack will make far more of a difference than the underlying, physical layer. I've been meaning to do a bit of research, if not direct testing, of various, typical Linux and VxWorks routers versus generic, PC-based Linux and FreeBSD routers. With the almost ASIC-like extensions in typical x86 PCs today, they can be very fast routers.

 

Concerns with the Intel AC 7265 are basically transfer speed sporadic and intermittent (but frequent) ping spikes which are bad for online gaming. The Sager 802.11N card is just "N" not the newer "AC" spec which shouldn't matter if you don't have an AC router.

 

People don't see to have reported any problems with 7265ac unlike it's 7260 brother... Where have you seen this HT?

 

In every 7265AC adapter / laptop I've tried (about 3 now). Killer N1525 AC card just doesn't do it. 7260 and 7265 both do. Not many people have the 7265AC yet.

 

Hm, just played a short game of Dota 2. I had no problem/ping spikes at all..

 

Ok thanks for the clarification.. Will definetly getting Killer in my next laptop anyways

 

Are you monitoring ping and how long did you play? It can go without manifesting itself for 20 minutes or more then suddenly it starts and lags so bad that I get kicked from games.

 

My new laptop is scheduled to arrive soon. Fun fun fun!
I Already bought a SSD ready to go into it.

 

I ordered one today with dead pixel warranty and 128 GB mSATA as OS Drive.
First time buying a Sager / Clevo... hope it goes well and lasts me at least 4-5 years !

 

Mine came with a Baggie of 4 small HDD screws and two pieces of blue ? foam tape? Any idea what the tape is for?

 

Those are thermal pads.

 

Edit: it looks like these go between the HDD's if you have two Disks stacked on-top of each other.

 

They are thermal pads for the m.2 drives.

 

Seriously?

 

no surprise there after the thermals the xp941 drives showed

 

m.2 sata. msata has a different connector.

 

1) I found some info on-line about how to install Ubuntu on a 2nd HDD (in UEFI mode) alongside the Windows 8. Anyone else tried this on a Sager , does the bios accept a Ubuntu boot UEFI?

2) The recovery DVD I got from Sager (black disk) does this disk allow me to boot from that disc and re-install Windows 8 if I wipe-out my HDD ?

 

Yup we were not sure either so we asked Sager and Allen at their tech support stated so.

 

Dang, I sure hope I kept those pads. I also didn't know what they were and probably threw them away. I'll have to check after work.

Sent from my Nexus 5 using Tapatalk 2

 

Throwing *anything* away just because you don't know what it's for at that time is bad bad bad.