My Review of the Sager 5160/Clevo W150HNQ

My Impressions of the MYTHLOGIC POLLUX 14 (Built on a Clevo W150HNQ)

And so it was after 3 trusty years, the video card in my Compal IFL90 had finally gone to plaid (The 8600GT card which caused a massive class action against NVIDIA--and was probably the reason Apple now uses ATI cards in their machines). I lamented its demise but I've identified my actual needs for a laptop in the process.

1) It needs to have a fast CPU and a good amount of RAM for heavy Adobe multitasking with large Photoshop files
2) I want to still be able to do some gaming on it and be assured that if the NVIDIA card itself kicks the bucket, I can switch to the integrated graphics so I can at least still use the machine
3) It needs to have a matte screen and be between 14"-16" in size. Glossy is a really bad design joke the tech industry has played on us all. Like Laquer furniture, I hope this trend dies soon... at least for mobile devices. I personally meet clients in all sorts of lighting conditions and its distracting when using glossy in any condition besides total darkness. The screen also has to have a high resolution for actual workable screen real estate and the image quality has to come close to what I'm used to with my home Dell IPS screen.
4) It needs to have better than a standard gaming machines' battery life for those moments that I need to work or tweak some project but I don't have access to an outlet.

After scouring the internet, I found really only 3 laptops that actually fit my needs: The MacBook Pro, Lenovo W series Thinkpad and the Sager 5160 from MYTHLOGIC. After working out all the details for what I needed (a 2720 quad core processor, 8 gigs of RAM, 500GB hard drive, FHD matte screen and a decent enough graphics card) I began customizing these machines to check their prices. The Macbook came in at $2,550, The lenovo was $1,879 and after some talks with Josh at Mythlogic, my POLLUX 14 came in at considerably less than either of these two machines. Granted, I know the Clevo isn't built quite like a MacBook Pro or a Thinkpad, but then again... I treat my equipment with great care as it is, so I wasn't worried about it breaking on me.


My Build: MYTHLOGIC POLLUX 14 (Clevo W150HNQ) | 2720 i7 | 8GB RAM | NVIDIA 540M | Intel 6230 | 500 GB 7200RPM Hard Drive | DVD burner | 1920x1080 95% Color Gamut Matte Display




First Impressions Exterior
The exterior is sort of a mixed bag in my opinion. On one hand you have the actual chassis, which is this very attractive, tough plastic made to look like matte brushed aluminum. It is VERY sturdy, and the keyboard has zero flex in it (though the keys clack a little bit). I actually liken the chassis to the sturdiness of a VAIO which is a big plus. Also, the lines on the machine are actually quite attractive in an understated sort of way. Its much lighter and thinner than my Compal IFL90 which actually makes handling it easier as well. But on the other hand, as you traverse from the chassis to the display, you will notice Clevo decided to go for some weird glossy plastic for the monitor housing and lid. It doesn't look bad per se, but it is VERY flimsy and not rigid at all. I would absolutely never pick up this machine by the monitor because I don't think the plastic housing the monitor could handle that much strain for very long. Its not very confidence inspiring. From what I've heard, the chassis this is based off of used to have a matte plastic lid and was much more rigid than this one. Its not a deal breaker for me, but it would still be nice if Clevo decided to fore-go lowering the weight and instead make the monitor housing sturdy.

One Screen to Rule Them All


Well not quite, but its damn close for a laptop screen. Take a look at photos and the video attached to see just how nice this screen really is. The viewing angles on it are actually quite good for a TN panel, the brightness is outstanding and the color and overall light balance are as good as the 27" iMacs I use at work. (PLEASE NOTE: Some of the images/video make the screen look like its clipping highlights. The reason for this is because I set my exposure and metering to be neutral for the IPS desktop monitor. What that does is show exactly how much brighter the laptop screen is, but it doesn't really help show its image quality)


Watch the video comparing a Dell 20.5" IPS Monitor with this laptop's monitor

http://imgur.com/K7fs7
My Laptop vs. my IPS screen 1


My Laptop vs. my IPS screen 2


My Laptop vs. my IPS screen 3


Direct Sunlight Outside


Indirect Sunlight Outside


Our CPU Blower Goes to 11

Video of the blower volume while gaming
After looking at the review of this machine on notebookcheck, I was a bit disheartened to see the decibel ratings for the cooling system. They even state (and I'm paraphrasing here) "If you can't handle it, you could always return it within 30 days". So after reading a statement like that, I was worried the most about the noise levels for this machine. I apologize for not having a video test at idle and under a standard workload, but I would just like to say that the fan is totally acceptable under even my standard workload, which should be a bit more strenuous than most. It is audible, but it presents a very slight whooshing sound that is easily buried under very light music or even NPR talk. Now then, when you want to actually flex that GPU be prepared for some noise. Watch the video so you can get an idea of how loud it actually gets. Again, this isn't a deal breaker for me because I use a headset while gaming, but if the fan was that loud while working, I'd consider sending it back. Luckily, the fan never needs to work that hard except when gaming.

Temps: Reality is Much Kinder Than Furry Floating Donuts
Testing the temps on the Pollux 14 with a closer to real life workload shows a different story from Prime and Furmark (as was expected). Here is my test setup:
*4 Adobe programs open
*3 300+MB files open in photoshop
*Heavy use of Lens filter
*All while playing netflix in the background
*Worked for >20min
TEMPS: CPU: <76C | GPU: <45C


Productivity Workload Thermals Photo


Gaming Test Setup
*Played WoW for between 30-40min (AV 40 vs. 40 PVP game | constant 50FPS* at High Settings, 1680x1050) *photo shows 30fps which is because WoW isn't the foreground program running. When WoW gets alt-tabbed to a different program, it drops its framerate on purpose and thus, its workload so you can multitask better.
TEMPS: CPU: <79C | GPU 74C


Gaming Thermals Photo

DISCLAIMER: My laptop is sitting on a Notebook Cooler that has its fan disabled. I doubt its actually helping cool the machine by much more than 2C if at all without the fan actually moving any air.

The heat issue, at least for me, seems to be a non-issue. This was also a very important aspect for me because I really didn't want to keep a machine that would get too hot and wear out its electronics prematurely, thankfully that is no longer an issue. Also the palm-rests don't go above a very mild luke-warm, so I never feel any discomfort while typing, working or gaming.

CONCLUSION: Solid, Well Priced Work Machine
With its included i7 Sandy Bridge Proc, 8 GB of ram, a stunning monitor and a capable enough GPU in the 540m, I have to say I am very pleased with my purchase overall. I do hope that Sager makes some changes to future models (better cooling to lessen the noise, a more rigid lid, etc.), but I feel confident in saying this is a really great machine for designers, photographers/videographers and light gamers. I also don't think you can go wrong with MYTHLOGIC. From being the first to offer custom matte screens, to personally inspecting and burning in your computer, their level of detail goes beyond the majority of boutique Sager resellers. Josh was very responsive, knowledgeable and personable. Their customer service so far has exceeded my expectations and I am confident they will continue to offer the stellar service and product support in the future. I will update this post later if I ever need to actually send the machine in for repairs.

 

Great review! You cleared my concerns over the heat/fan noise. Finally, a decent, written out (with pictures) review of the np5160.

 

It's a nice machine indeed. Good review.

Although the GT 555m Clevo is looming around the corner...

 

Thank you thank you thank you thank you thank you thank you thank you thank you thank you thank you thank you thank you thank you thank you thank you thank you thank you thank you thank you thank you thank you thank you thank you thank you thank you thank you thank you thank you thank you thank you thank you thank you thank you thank you thank you thank you thank you thank you thank you thank you thank you!

 

Um. What chocoboi said.

Great review man +rep.

Mr. Mysterious

 

Great review, very helpful. Thanks

 

Thanks guys! Now I wouldn't take my gaming thermals as gospel though (the workload one is probably more accurate overall) because WoW is just not that demanding for this machine. I might try and DL something that requires more juice just to get a better view of how this machine can handle the heat of say, Crysis 2 (not like anyone should really be playing Crysis 2 on a 540m).

I was tempted to send my machine back and wait for the 555m, but I don't think that is personally a great idea because I think the thermals will get MUCH hotter with the 555m (especially considering that Clevo didn't actually change the cooling system for it).

 

Does anyone know when the 555m will come?

 

Excellent!! I have to agree with all remarks on the temps and noise, but I dunno if I could do it in better words.

And that screen of yours is awesome, a shame that I couldn't get one around here.

 

Human spam bot..lol

 

Great Review, very comprehensive and thorough. So you mentioned that the body is sturdy and the monitor housing not so much but what about the hinges on the monitor. Is adjusting the angle of the monitor smooth and do they hold the monitor in place well? I've never been one to grab the laptop by the monitor having owned a 2005 Dell XPS 17" with loose hinges but does opening the monitor feel flimsy or is it just the monitor housing as you mentioned and not the hinge support?

 

Amazing review! This will help a lot in my decision to buy this laptop

 

The hinges move smoothly, feel sturdy and they definitely hold the monitor in place. it is only the plastic monitor housing that feels a little chinsy.

 

Is there a Mythlogic Logo on the back? Just curious. oh, and how is the matte display vs the glossy display?

 

The back of the lid has no Mythlogic logo. The only branding is in the one spot right below the screen (as seen in the pictures). I haven't tried the glossy screen, but really... with how great this matte screen is I can't ever see a reason to get a glossy screen. I hope Anandtech does a review of this screen in the near future so those who are skeptical of the matte screen's picture quality can have some hard, objective evidence to show them otherwise.

 

Great review. Our needs are very similar, so it nice to have a graphics guy's perspective. The screen looks awesome, especially considering the screen you are comparing it to is an IPS. Your photos and video were really helpful too.

Do you feel like you have enough real estate to work with your palettes and multiple programs at the same time? How warm does it feel on your hands when you're working with your typical load? My current laptop gets kind of uncomfortable, I have a cooler so that helps some. How is the sound quality through the headphones? Any battery life tests yet?

You've pretty much convinced me to get the 5160 instead of the 5170. I was set on 17" but this 95% panel just looks too good. Plus there really is very little difference between the two models, so I can upgrade a few more options with the price difference. I wonder if the XPS 15 uses the same panel, since it is 95% matte as well? That is my other option right now, though I'm not terribly wild about Dell's customer service the price is actually a little under the 5160 for what you get. Maybe I'll see if Xotic will work something out with me .

I really appreciate you being so thorough with your review.

 

Thanks for the kind words. Now to your questions.

Do I have enough real estate? The answer is mostly yes. It is definitely workable overall and its not frustrating to use. My IPS monitor actually only has a 1680x1050 resolution but I'm used to having two monitors in use and even then I actually pine for 3 monitors lol.

How warm does it feel on my hands? I don't actually notice it at all even while gaming unless I choose to pay attention to it. That said, it is in no way uncomfortable.

Sound quality through headphones? I'm no audiophile but the audio quality seems perfect for me with headphones or my Bose computer speakers.

Battery life? Its definitely better than any gaming machine but with that said, you do lose some of your horsepower when you try to maximize your battery life. I haven't done any formal testing but I have done some work at a coffee shop for over 2 hours with just the battery... too bad i didn't pay attention to the battery level after that though lol.

Does the XPS use the same screen? No the XPS does not because it is actually a glossy screen ( a great glossy screen, but glossy nonetheless).

 

I forgot to say this in my last post but Really awesome review. How do you think this compares to the Dell Xps 15? Your review convinced me to look into this laptop but the dell one seems really similiar.

 

My guess... and this is just a guess: The Dell will be built a bit more sturdy than the 5160 in the screen area, probably offers a backlit keyboard but it seems to have slightly higher temps than the 5160 (could just be anecodotal though based on the few xps 15 threads i've read). The Dell offers a nice 1080p screen but alas, it is glossy only.

 

Thanks for the quick response, Bhima.

Dekabal, I was just researching the XPS and it is very similar to the 5160. The main differences really only came down to the speakers (XPS are much better from what I hear), the screen - matte vs. gloss (I think the 5160 matte is better), and the option for IC Diamond Thermal compound with the 5160, which is a plus but not really a deal breaker. The 5160 has a number key pad as well.

I configured both and you basically get the operating system free with the XPS using a coupon, as well as free shipping. But what I also consider is customer service. I've had to deal with Dell's customer service before and it isn't very fun. From all accounts any of the Sager resellers are much better customer service wise. I'll be purchasing through Xotic PC, since they have the 95% matte upgrade and are a bit cheaper than Mythlogic. Also they are only about 40 minutes away from me and I like to support local business. If you do go with the 5160, I wouldn't buy directly from Sager, the resellers have much better customer service than they do.

They both seem like good machines, but I don't really care for Dell.

 

Looks like you are happy with you're overall purchase. Glad to hear you won't have to send it back like I did my 5170.

I also agree with your findings about the screen cover. It seems somewhat fragile/delicate. I don't think it could survive any kind of fall or hard bump/knock. And I found the keyboard and other parts of the case to be pretty solid. Kind of a wierd mix.

Do you typically use extenal speakers and mouse?

Also curious what you thought of the colors of your upgraded monitor. Did they look strange to you at first? Did you calibrate it?

I found the 90% Color Gamut screen upgrade for the 5170 to be quite oversaturated and unnatural looking initially. However due to the other issues I had I with it and the planned return I didn't have time to calibrate it and perform further tests. I'm sure that would help some. Though I've heard reports of funky colors in other threads even after calibrations. This also seemed to have something to do with which applications were being used. For example browsers behaved differently due possibly to the lack of standards for color gamut. For example colors may look fine in photoshop but completely different in IE.

Derek

 

Hey,

The reason why the colors look funky in different apps, is for example IE does NOT respect color profiles, while Firefox does. Which is why things can look TOTALLY different between apps. Unfortunately the way windows works there is no real way to force the whole system into a profile. Also another ODD example, windows 7 picture viewer NOT full-screen respects color profiles, in full-screen mode it doesn't. Odd isn't it.

 

Hey there Derek,

Yes I use an external mouse for pretty much everything I do on my laptop except for just surfing the internet. I also rarely ever use the built-in speakers on this machine because they are garbage. In terms of the screen, Mythlogic sent mine already calibrated so it looked perfect from the moment I turned it on. Whats strange is the screen looks reddish in some photographs but it actually isn't reddish at all in person.

EDIT: Also Derek, if you don't really care about having 3D graphics at all (except for the IGP from Sandy Bridge) you could get a Dell Latitude for under $1,000 WITH a nice FHD matte screen and better build quality.

 

My camera isn't calibrated, which is why a picture of a screen (basically a picture of a picture isn't the best mark of screen quality lol)

 

Its not just you... I took photos of my screen and played with the White Balance and the photos still turned out much more reddish than what it actually looks like in person.

 

Then what you have paid to them ?
Why you have not mentioned about price in a review ?

Glossy and Matte: Is it a personal preference or matte is far better than glossy ?

Anyway thank you for your nice review.

 

1) I didn't put in the price because it was something I negotiated specifically with them. If you would like to get a price from them just ask them.

2) In my opinion, matte is always far better than glossy for mobile computing solutions because you can never be sure of the lighting conditions you may be in. If you work on your laptop for a long time you may start to really get annoyed by seeing your own reflection/background reflections in the screen. Also, when you actually get a great matte screen (such as the one offered by Mythlogic and XoticPC) the brightness and contrast are equally as great as their glossy equivalent, so there isn't any benefit to going glossy. Glossy is only better in the brightness/contrast department of low quality displays. If you have a low quality matte screen vs. a low quality glossy screen the glossy one will tend to have greater contrast and brightness. Once you start looking at high quality glossy vs. matte, the only real difference you can see is that one is reflective while the other is not.

 

Glossy vs. matte is purely preference in my opinion. Matte is going to be the most versatile. The main factor to consider before deciding if matte is a must for you is will you be using the laptop in a variety of lighting conditions (e.g. direct sunlight, office, coffee shop, home)? If so matte will be a much better choice, since the glare on a glossy may be too distracting. On the glossy colors may have a bit more "pop" due to the glossy coating though. Personally I use my current laptop (glossy) at home almost exclusively so I'm not bothered in the slightest. If it's a toss up I'd say go matte for sure.

After some consideration, I hardly use my laptop for gaming at all. The games I have played on it are pretty ancient, the newest being Neverwinter Nights 2. So I can actually save about $140 by going with the XPS 15 with the GT525M over the GT540M, that trumps matte for me. Hopefully I won't have to use Dell's customer service. They aren't that bad, just annoying. Expect to have multiple 30+ minute calls to get them to admit a part is faulty and send you a replacement. I do get 2 years of warranty parts & labor with Dell over the 1 year parts 3 years labor with Xotic PC.

Bhima, do you think color profiles would be similar with the Dell screen and yours? If so maybe I could persuade you to share your color profile...

Edit: You beat me to it, Bhima!

Double Edit: Nevermind about the color profile, I just started looking at the Dell thread and there's a spyder 2 calibration there.

 

Just ordered my NP5160! Except there are issues with Paypal cause they suck. Word of advice, if you pay with Paypal you need to remove your credit card before you have the option to pay with e-checks. Got mine from Mythlogic because they made me feel special . Can't wait for it to come...

 

We try and make everyone feel special........... If they want to or not....

 

Yeah, I've had glossy for quite a while and it doesn't really bother me that much. The upgraded 90% color gamut glossy screen for the 5170 from XoticPC wasn't too bad in terms of glare. Of course I use these indoors rather than outside.

McGooble, I'll probably see over on the XPS forum. I noticed ppl were posting calibration profiles there. So I'll most likely use one since I don't have a monitor calibration tool yet.

Derek

 

If the laptop is same NP5160, what should be considered to buy from XoticPC or MythLogic ?
Infact I found MythLogic version is toooooooooo costly than XoticPC.
Again, if MythLogic gives some discount in price to one, why not to others/all ?

Some people say Dell XPS15 FHD screen is brilliant.
Is it superior to NP5160 FHD screen ($65 upgrade) ?
Which one is better than other.

 

That's going to be a hard one for anyone to answer objectively since no one will have both to compare side by side, especially with the screen upgrade you are talking about. The one in this review for example is the top on the line screen uprgade for this model (~$200+). If you really want to know you may have to try and pull the specs from each and compare them. But even specs alone won't tell the whole story. Just look at all the LCD TVs with the same specs but with different quality outputs.

I think you need to take a step back and look at both as overall systems and prices to see which will meet your needs better. Everyone has different criteria. Dell isn't better than Sager and Sager isn't better than Dell. It just depends on which one meets your needs. For some its XPS, for others it Sager.

Derek

 

this color profile sharing is an interesting idea McGooble...

i've got a 5160 with a matte screen. I ordered it without an OS, so there definitely wasn't any screen calibrating. colors look pretty good to my untrained eyeballs, but i have to wonder how much better it could look.

what do you think Bhima? likely that our lcds are similar enough for your color profile to improve mine, and would you be willing to share it? i know it won't be perfect, but it seems worth a shot to me.

EDIT: maybe you've got some insight into this too, mythlogic, since you do a lot of these calibrations. any idea if most v0.4 screens take a similar color profile?

 

There are some numbers by Mythlogic in this thread:

http://forum.notebookreview.com/sag...-between-different-screen-options-photos.html

 

PM me with your email if you want my color profile... i just figured out how to find it.

 

Any inputs to above queries please ?

 

I ordered my XPS 15 with the FHD display, really wanted matte but couldn't source one at the time I purchased the laptop. The XPS FHD panel is the glossy version of the matte that mythlogix and xotic offer, it's B156HW01 v.7 vs v.4 for the matte.

I have subsequently been able to get my hands on the matte version and installed it last week. I'm much happier with it. There is no appreciable difference in color, contrast, brightness, etc. but the lack of glare elevates great performance to another level. Is the matte really "better"? For me, yes, because as other's have mentioned it's my preference. I do find matte more versatile. Can anyone say without a doubt that it would be better for YOU??? No, not at all. Outside of a better viewing angle, there is no measurable difference between the two so it's just a matter of opinion which is "better".

 

You've got a PM

 

I may have missed it, but what is the battery life? I really wish they packed some more GPU in this considering the same GPU is in the m11x r3.

I hate choosing between battery life and performance.

 

Just wait for the GT 555m version then...

 

There's going to be a GT 555 in it? Anything official or any dates listed?

 

Bhima, could you post a video showing the speaker quality please? Im a little curious as to how they actually are.

 

Bhima already said they are garbage. I bought the 5170 with basically the same speakers and I concur. They are by far the worst tin can sounding, cheap speakers I've ever heard on any laptop.

Just plan on using external speakers or headphones, its really that simple.

If you don't believe us take a look at this recent review confirming the same thing:
Review Schenker XMG A501 Notebook - Notebookcheck.net Reviews

Derek

 

It's only official on Clevo (and also a few builders such as DevilTech outside of the US already have them, of course for a premium)

XoticPC (whose word is basically the same as Sager's) is still a resolute "I don't know".

However, 'Early May' has already been posted by a few resellers for the NP 5175 (5170 updated with GT 555m). I suspect they are tweaking the thermals for the upcoming NP 5165, seeing how even the GT 540m has been driving temperatures to scary heights according to the early adopters.

 

Thank you for the information. I'm looking for something with a balance of power and battery life; Needless to say there isn't too many products that fill those requirements. The GT 555 would be a nice bump for me as the GT 540 is gives nearly the performance as my Ati 5650.

 

The nVidia GeForce GT 555M + 2GB with Optimus Technology was just announced today for the NP5170. At this time there is no option for this for the NP5160. Maybe in the near future.... we hope.

 

One can only hope.
But with the current cooling, I'm not really sure upgrading the video card is such a great idea

 

Bit of a thread necro, but I wanted to say thanks for the great review. This convinced me to go with Mythlogic. I sent a request to their sales department for this machine, but I did it immediately before they updated to the Pollux 1455, which has the GeForce GT 555M. I went with that, and though it cost more than I really wanted to spend, I think getting the 95% color gamut screen was the right call.

Unfortunately, this means I'll have to wait another month for my machine (after already waiting a month for my HP that I eventually canceled), but I think it'll be well worth it.

 

The laptop screen appears to have a different color than the desktop screen. does the laptop display seem to have a bluish tint to it... and which one is more accurate?