HTWingNut's Sager NP6110 / Clevo W110ER First Look & Review

I think HeavenCry's going to post about that 3612QM eventually.

In the meantime, any point using i5 2450 & 650m-equipped m14xs or np6165s for comparison?

 

yep, I think that's right, just not sure how much though... and if you lower the setting enough, the laptop can just use the Intel HD4000 instead of GT 650m, which will definitely cooler. About the CPU, your temp should be cooler as well.

 

I do not know for certain. We need to get some parts to check.

Nope, can't do anything in the BIOS. But you can turn off turbo boost by setting min and max processor speed in the power settings or using ThrottleStop and lock the multiplier. But in any case, yes it does drop heat a bit. I believe I posted somewhere earlier in this thread, but will try to find it and will repost.

The 650m in the M14x is GDDR5, although would be happy to see comparison in performance. I am also curious about the 3612QM and power and temperature. I still think a dual core ivy at 35W will still run even cooler and use less power yet.

 

HT, any chance you could comment on the keyboard? I see some sites saying that it's a reduced size version, so... is that the case? Does it feel much like the 90% keyboards found on netbooks? Is it easy to get used to?

Thanks!

 

Here are some 3dm11 scores for the m14x with the 650m gddr5 (graphics only). 2070 (stock, 745 to 835 with boost/1000) , 2376 (880-970, 1203)

HT, if you feel up to running the metro benchmark again at 900p, you could compare it to some benchmarks that littlezipp ran on his m14x. ( stock, OC)

 

One thing that wasn't tested, or asked for that might be important for some people is DPC latency. If you could download the DPC Latency Checker here http://www.thesycon.de/deu/latency_check.shtml and run a few basic tests with it, that would be hugely appreciated, and although I can't rep you again now as I have to spread it around, I will be sure to rep you once I am allowed to again.

 

so that power brick looks ridiculous.

Anyone think something like this would work?

Kensington 120W Slim AC/DC Notebook Power Adapter Review

 

Keyboard is 10 inches wide by a little under 4 inches deep. My Eee 1215b has a keyboard 11 inches wide by 4 inches deep. The difference I see is the Eee has Del, Home, PgUp, PgDn, End, Right Arrow on the right side, and arrow keys on Clevo are a little smaller. Keys on Eee are 15mm wide and 14mm wide on the Clevo.

CLICK IMAGE TO ENLARGE

I will run, but not sure about what you're saying. The number you listed is different than the number in the link. Also are you saying it can boost to 1000MHz? I do plan on doing some overclocking, but I'm just a bit concerned about temperatures.

Edit: Here we go. Stock 835 boost to 950, M15x is about 15% better:

Will run and report back.

 

That's still a big power brick just flatter, with great power you get a big PSU.

 

yeah, but flatter is easier for me. it'd fit in my bag better.

if it'd work, then this could be my next laptop....

 

Thing is I can pretty much use a 90w too right? Only downside is no charging while *gaming* but the 90w power-draw is enough to game while not charging and charging with normal usage.

 

So far it seems 90W is adequate for gaming. It's pushing near its limit, but still peak draw is about 85W from the wall which means the machine is only drawing about 75-80W max. Typical is less than 75 draw from the wall average most games.

 

It just runs. What do I need to do? Play audio files, movie files? Here it is just with system idle:

 

Aha,thats very useful information.I am getting the 90w then,without a doubt.Why would I need to charge my machine while gaming anyway

 

For the 3dmark scores I listed the GPU score only, since the CPUs were different.

And the number after the "/" is the memory clock. So for the stock 650m gddr5 it's 745mhz boost to 835mhz. Sorry, should have made it more clear.

Looks like the memory bandwidth starts showing its limitations once the resolution is raised. Or maybe modern games like metro are just more bandwidth intensive. At similar core clock speeds (OC'd 650m gddr5 vs stock 650m gddr3), the difference is about 30%. Though 900p is 40% more pixels than 768p, so the difference will be less at native res, hopefully like the 3dmark11 scores.

Thanks for the benches, I'd rep again but I have to spread some around first.

 

Nice, yes playing some audio files and movies would be great.

 

R3d, didn't you say you ordered one with an i5? If so very curious to see your battery life results.

 

Yeah. Waiting on XoticPC to send me the bank wire info though. I should have the computer 10-15 days after payment is made, which hopefully will be by tomorrow.

I doubt battery life will be much different though. According to notebookcheck, the i7-3610qm has similar power consumption to the i7-2760qm, which in turn has similar power consumption to the i5-2520m ( idle, load).

I'm pretty surprised that the W110ER doesn't get more battery life. The battery has pretty standard capacity (62wh), even compared to 15" notebooks. The ASUS N56VM, which has an i7-3720QM and a 630m gets 6 hours browsing the internet on a 56wh battery. Maybe Intel's HM76 chipset is just a lot less efficient than the HM77 in the Asus, but that seems like a long shot.

Anyway, I'll do some battery life tests when I receive the notebook.

 

Please do some battery life tests. I'd like to see more from other users to make sure I'm not crazy and/or I don't have a defective machine. But then again, 13-15W with light use doesn't seem unreasonable, and at 62WHr/15 ~ 4 hrs.

I actually disabled the GT 650m in the device manager and the power usage went UP to about 20W! I couldn't quite understand that. Unless when that happens the dedicated card gets a slight charge through it for some reason. I dunno.

I'm beginning to wonder if something is wrong with my battery though because BatteryCare and HWInfo64 don't detect or display discharge or recharge rate. BatteryBar does. BatteryCare and HWInfo64 did one time, but don't again. I don't get it.

 

were you able to determine whether it was the CPU causing the high power draw? Core Temp should show how many watts its using, and I assume some of the other programs you were using might do the same.

 

I'm guessing that the Optimus drivers weren't able to do whatever ACPI magic is required to have the system actually cut power to the GT 650m when it was disabled via device manager.

 

Below is why I don't do video reviews, lol. Had a 5 minute gap where my kids were quiet, so rushed through it. My camera sucks too, about four years old. Lens cap is destroyed, and lens typically smudged. So here I present to you, the absolute worse video review ever. lol. Will try to do something more professional at a later time if I can ever get 30 free quiet minutes. Think of this as the Blair Witch version. I would have been better off just giving the camera to my 4 year old.

<param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/PnF9a1KcZXo?version=3&amp;hl=en_US"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/PnF9a1KcZXo?version=3&amp;hl=en_US" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" width='480' height="360" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true"></embed>

 

Oh please, it's fine! Thanks so much for taking the time to film the thing as it gives me a better idea of the actual shape and dimensions than a static image.

 

Thats due to the fact that the power saving is enabled in the driver other than the hardware. So when disabled the GPU is running in "idle" speeds instead of "off" speed.

 

Wingnut...come now.

I think you did an excellent job on this video. No fluff...just a good description. I personally love a video where a person wastes no time in ripping off the bottom so I can see the goodies inside.



Two Thumbs Up! and frankly, I want one...not crazy about the power brick, but I could live with it. I'm selling my v131 and buying this. Not joking.

Best Regards,

Liquid Cool

 

thanks for the video, it's pretty awesome!

if you plan on doing more in the future, would it be possible for you to do some gameplay videos? just to get an idea of what it looks like?

 

Is it just me or is there anyone else who finds the 1366X768 resolution terrible for productivity?

 

Na, i wouldn't want to go higher on 11".

 

Great job on both the review in the OP and the video HTWing!
Mine shipped yesterday so i should have it this evening or tomorrow. Ill report the temps with the i7-3612QM when ive got it up and running with an ICD repaste .

 

Hello. I think I will buy this computer. It s amazing what they do in a small 11" !

Could someone (HeavenCry? ) who have the computer with i7-3612QM make battery test ?

In France this model is not sell with i7-3610QM but only with 3612. The sellors told me that the 3610 would heat more and the battery life would be worse.
I would like check these information like difference of price between US version with i7-3610 and French version with i7-3612 is quite big.

Thank you.

EDIT: on the officiel site of Clevo : http://www.clevo.com.tw/en/products/prodinfo_2.asp?productid=381 the I7-3610 is not showed like forecast in the computer...

 

HT, would you conclude that you were happy going with the W110ER over the P150EM?

 

I figured something like that. I'm not used to nVidia GPU's in laptops as I've only used AMD/Radeon as of late. But AMD has something similar, thanks.

Nice. I like that v131. Obviously not quite a gaming juggernaut, but still a nice slim little no-nonsense machine.

I have every intent on doing some gaming benchmarks. I think I need to invest in a new camera though.

1366x768 is not that great for productivity, so you should consider that in your buying decision. For home/school/work, whatever consider an HDMI monitor. Plug in and away you go at whatever resolution you want. I wouldn't consider 1366x768 if you frequently manage tons of windows.

Right. 1600x900 would be nice, but I'll take a high quality (IPS?) 1366x768 matte screen over 1600x900 any day in an 11.6".

Yes PLEASE report temps and battery life. That feedback would be so beneficial. In any case I'm waiting on Ivy Bridge dual core. Then I will likely spring for the 3612QM or an i5/i7 dual core if temps and battery life show significant improvement.

No the 3610QM is not "officially" supported. But Sager and Clevo builders like Mythlogic have done extensive testing showing it has sufficient cooling.

I think so. I don't use my computer for gaming that much nowadays. Only for an occasional romp. I absolutely would prefer 13" though any day and will drop this machine in a heartbeat if a Clevo or any other quality brand offers a 13" with similar or better specs than this W110ER, well I'd actually expect it to have 1600x900 and GDDR5 if it's going to sport a larger resolution screen.

 

Hey HT,can you check if this Clevo has turbo fan? Used to be FN+F1 on other models,maybe this one has too?

 

Yeah, I'd like to know this too, it would certainly come in handy.

 

Already checked, and it's usually Fn+1 not Fn+F1. In any case, no unfortunately.

 

Well done comprehensive review HTWingNut -- appreciate your hard work. Can you please provide the LiteOn PA model number of the 120w ac adapter? Is it - PA-1131-07 or something similar to that family of ac adapters? Looking for generic ones out there. Thanks

 

What a GREAT job you did in your review! Such Detail! What an asset to this forum! ...

-

 

would like to thank HTWingNut for the great detail on NP6110.
goin to get mine soon!

 

Thanks HTWINGNUTS. I really appreciate your efforts. I will keep an eye out for the upcoming Witcher 2 benches.

 

That is the exact part number on this AC adapter...

And thanks guys for the comments. Just trying to help.

 

I just received my W110ER. Ill report back when ive installed Windows and all the drivers.
Might take a while installing everything from a USB stick...

 

NotebookCheck.com made a review of the variant for Germany by Schenker Notebooks (in German) -> Test Schenker XMG A102 (Clevo W110ER) Subnotebook - Notebookcheck.com Tests. An English version might be published on their English pages soon.

They tested the i7-3612QM CPU. They say the CPU Turbo Boost is switched off automatically while the 650M GPU is active. Also they think energy consumption is way too high and think a BIOS fix could cure that.

 

Great review htwingnut, a very nice looking little laptop. Heavencry and others, looking forward to other opinions/reviews.

 

They updated the review with Clevo stating that disabling the turbo is intended.
The 3610 (which HT has) isn't officially supported so won't be on Clevos throttle list...

@HeavenCry as you are the first who got the 3612QM, could you please confirm that the Turbo is disabled while GP load is maxed?

 

Is there any point in disabling the turbo capability?
So in general, besides probably heat and power consumption...

 

Ill give you the info as soon as i manage to install the drivers... Copying from DVD to USB key is taking forever... An hour or two and ill have the temps and any possible throttling info for you. I do hope this isnt true though but if they reported its intentional then its a good chance it is.

 

Can you guys check what displays you have? According to Notebookcheck, the W110ER also comes with an IVO display, which has similar if not identical specs to the AUO one, though the actual specs don't come close to the rated ones. Shame, maybe the display can be replaced with a higher end one in the future.

 

It cant, because there arent any high quality 11.6 inch displays and they use a outdated connector.. remember, normally these displays are intended for use in cheap netbooks

 

Ok, here we go;

First the idle temps with the i7-3612QM.
ImageShack® - Online Photo and Video Hosting
I dont really see an improvement over the i7-3610QM which should have 10W TDP more. Im wondering if these i7-3612QM really do have a lower TDP or if they are just cherry picked i7-3610QM that are supposed to be cooler but infact arent (maby luck of the draw?).
For reference my room temp is 24C.

Second is a run of wPrime without GPU load.
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As you can see, turbo kicks in to its max, everything runs as its supposed to.

Third screenshot is running wPrime while running Furmark in the background.
ImageShack® - Online Photo and Video Hosting
Sadly the Notebookcheck review is correct. Turbo doesnt kick in when the GPU is under load. Tried it a couple of times to be sure.

Last screenshot is a 2:30 run of Furmark.
ImageShack® - Online Photo and Video Hosting
Temps stabilize after fan kicks in full gear.

Overall the first impression is the notebook is well designed, chassis feels sturdy, keyboard doesnt flex and the screen is decent (it isnt as bad as some make it out to be but sure id love a matte or an IPS in here).

Im rather dissapointed with the temps and the lack of working turbo boost under GPU load. I did expect to see lower temps with this CPU and considering it doesnt use turbo boost with simultaneous GPU and CPU load id expect an additional temperature drop, however that is not the case. It can still get over 90C which is rather toasty in my book. Also when you pay for a CPU that has turbo boost you expect at least the option to somehow enable and use it.

This is still an amazing notebook - performance is staggering for a 11,6" frame with or without working turbo boost. I just have to test it out a few more days to see if i like using a notebook this small or not (the return frame is 14 days so im rather in a hurry to see if ill keep it or not).

@R3d
The monitor Hardware ID is IVO0489 as Notebookcheck stated.

 

Well I know the Macbook Air 11.6 uses a LVDS connector, so there's at least one display that's far superior. I'm guessing that Clevo didn't use a higher end display due to price or bulk availability, but that doesn't mean that the end user won't be able to do a replacement.

@HeavenCry: Thanks, +rep.