*** Official Clevo P177SM-P170SM / Sager NP8290-8270 Owner's Lounge ***

I rarely see more that 50% load on the cores while gaming with my 4810MQ.

 

You average load over a second says nothing about your millisecond to millisecond loading But yes strictly for gaming there are few benefits to the XM.

 

Yeah XM is really best left for those who know what they are doing and really into benching. I got the 4900MQ mainly because of heat and noise concerns, and I'm glad I did. You can still get +600MHz on the 4900MQ and that's more than enough to play with for someone (like me) who is new to tweaking.

 

There are few people who need guaranteed non turbo speeds and such but yes the 4910 practically covers every base.

 

Ordering a P170 Monday and noticed that they all come preconfigured with a single stick of memory. I'm assuming 8gb is enough for gaming but wouldnt it perform better if I had a pair of 4gb chips running dual channel?

 

It won't actually have a large impact and it makes it easier to upgrade in future.

 

One more question, I have 1.5v memory (all else being equal) from my current laptop, will it work with the P170SM (4810MQ) or is it limited to 1.35v?

 

Much like overclocking it's sample dependant, but there is a good chance it wont.

 

Is it because the motherboard only supports 1.35v?

 

Intel clamp the memory voltage to 1.35V in the specs.

 

Thanks for the info.

 

I am about 90% sure I'm going to order the 8278-s on Friday, but I have a couple of concerns. Has the keyboard ghosting issue been fixed, and how loud is it in the middle of a heavy gaming session?

 

Hopped on the XoticPC website and ordered an 8278-S this morning. Standard configuration with the addition of a 120gb Samsung Evo, 1TB 7200 storage drive, BD burner, and Bigfoot network card. I'll order another Samsung Evo and some RAM today and should be set. Now the waiting game begins...

 

I have had my 8278 for 4 months. Haven't had any ghosting issues

Sound levels that are bothersome are very subjective. I always run my fans at max (which I can hear from across the room) while gaming. If you buy an upper spec system there are trade offs.

Cool, quiet or fast. Pick any two.

I have to admit that I haven't tried running fans on automatic since I did my cooling upgrades.

 

I have had my 8278 for 4 months. Haven't had any ghosting issues

Sound levels that are bothersome are very subjective. I always run my fans at max (which I can hear from across the room) while gaming. If you buy an upper spec system there are trade offs.

Cool, quiet or fast. Pick any two.

I have to admit that I haven't tried running fans on automatic since I did my cooling upgrades.

 

I wouldn't be tweaking mine like you have yours either. For what I need, stock will be just fine. I do plan on changing out the 8gb of stock memory for 16gb of faster memory, plus upgrading to the Evo ssd. And staying with the 870 I think. Still considering the Asus G750JS, not for sure on the sager just yet.

 

Congrats on the order! Those upgrades are really all you need as it comes pretty well stacked.

 

Hey all, new guy here. I got my NP8298 a few weeks back from Powernotebooks (which by the way, is totally awesome. I love you guys for who you represent and you do a fine job of it! ) and found this thread the other day. I have been enjoying the heck out of it, the power available (to game, general use, etc.) has been leagues beyond my old machine (running a first-gen AMD APU, which, while not terrible, got me used to ~10 fps playing most games on their lowest settings lol). I've got an i7-4810, GTX 870, my old 840 evo from my last machine, and the remaining more or less standard. I was wondering a few things and also had a couple questions. Oh, and I'm on Windows 8.1 if that turns out to be relevant.

Wonderings:
Are there any tips and/or tricks y'all have found to max out the power of the machine, or any other useful bits that make the experience even better (which is already totally awesome)?

Questions:
1) Is there any way to tell if a program is utilizing the GPU card's VRAM? I'd doubt it, but I have a slight suspicion that I might have a partially bunk GPU because it only seems to be using 'dynamic memory' as opposed to VRAM. I have no way of telling if it is or is not though.

2) I've noticed the BIOS is pretty limited, and I've seen images of certain PC boards using a GUI based BIOS (that 'they' called UEFI, but I've since learned that is a new BIOS protocol versus a new, better BIOS), and I was wondering if there are any unofficial BIOSes or BIOS mods that expand my options, and if so, how so? (and recommendations for what to look at and what to avoid would help here, I've never BIOS moded before for fear of taking out my machine, but I know this computer could have better options than what is presented)

3) I've recently started to run into the DirectX bug with windows 8.1 as explained here Windows 8.1 x64 - Low memory while playing full screen games - Microsoft Community and was wondering if anyone else was having the same problems? (It only happens with a heavily modded Skyrim, and I suspect it might have started after running a SMAA injector, but I can find no options for screen resolution to adjust for that, but nothing is conclusive on my end yet.)

And that is pretty much it for what comes to mind at the moment, I've enjoyed every minute of my new machine, and I'm glad I could join the ranks here!

 

1) Download HWiNFO64 and RTSS, install them both, open RTSS and minimize it then open HWiNFO64, check the box for "sensors only", click "configure sensors", click "OSD (RTSS)" tab, scroll to GPU0, click on GPU memory usage and check show value in OSD. Its a really handy tool, I use it to monitor my clock speed and temps in games. Just fire up your favorite game after you set this up. If you are having a hard time reading it, pull up the RTSS settings and change the palette so the pink is white or another color.

2) You want to look at Prema's amazingly awesome BIOS mods to unlock your BIOS. Keep in mind that doing this is outside of the scope of your warranty and may entirely void the system warranty depending on reseller policies.

3) I don't have this issue but I would follow the suggestion and set your desktop resolution to the same resolution the game is using before launching the game. Otherwise someone else may be able to help you.

 

Thanks for the kind words.

Ethrem has you covered really, if you keep getting the low memory errors give the guys in the office a call

 

Laptop arrived this evening and I was monkeying around with things and noticed that the WEI had a low score for video and indicated that it was using the HD4600 for the score. Didnt find an option in BIOS to disable the Intel video. Are there any other options to disable it elsewhere?

 

No as that would mean that the internal screen and external outputs would be turned off. There is a reason WEI was scrapped.

 

Hi there,

I have bought a P170SM laptop with Nvidia GTX 780m GPU. I am quite conent with its performance, but I am quite disturbed by its temperatures. After a 3dmark11 test (with demos, basic default test) it shows that GPU reaches 92 degrees Celsius! I have not done any OC- it is as fresh as it can be. In furmark it is topping with temps around 92 dg and it stays there but it switches constantly between 385 and 765mhz- throttling? What should be nominal max core clock for Clevo's 780m?
The strange thing is that the radiator with ribs next to the fan is only quite warm at the link with the heatpipes, the rest is quite cold. The cpu's radiator with ribs is equally warm on the whole lenght. Done repasting with gelid with no success.
On a previous ATI 7970 I was topping like 74 degrees.


Could you, good people with 780m onboard in SM revision of Clevo, do a 3dmark11 and post here top GPU temp you have reached? I want to see whether it is only mine that it is so hot, or everyone's.

 

hi
might have been best leaving your original post where it was on the main clevo thread as more would see it there.

what country are you from and whats your ambient room temperature as that sure can add quite a few C to your readings.

also which monitoring software do you use. theres lots of free stuff in my sig below to compare. core temps, hwinfo64, gpuz, nvidia inspector to name but a few.

 

Im from Poland. right now its quite warm here- ambient room temp is around 25 I guess. The main problem is that there is a man having 780m in P150Sm (which is different only in screen size) and after 3dmark11 he gets like 68 degrees. I understand that there might be some differences between same cards, but I found p177sm test in which after 3d mark vantage it was 78 degrees. Those are the temperatures I would expect from a brand new card with no OC.

To monitor my temps I use HWinfo64, but the first reading was made with something else- I dont remember, but it was the same.

 

Furmark will cause just about any high end graphics card to reach max temps and throttle. The throttle is their for a reason and that is to protect the user from damaging the card with Furmark!

You are running a bit warm for stock clicks on 3D mark. Are you running fans at max while benching?

There are some mods that can be done to reduce temperatures. I would start with the low hanging fruit first. The first one isn't a mod, but simply repaste.

 

I have done repasting 3 times with different amount of Gelid Extreme. I believe that those temps aren't right I just need to confirm them with anyone else on clevo. I gently pressed the heatsink in the corners and it instantly made a ~5 degrees difference. Also I think it is worth noticing that the radiator by the fan is almost cold on the other side that gpu. CPU radiator is equally warm. It is something with my radiator I think. Also when benching (3dmark, Valley Bench) the max temp is reached very quickly I think that it should be achieved more slowly. Also the backplate plastic over the gpu readiator is shining more than the rest of the surface - it seems that temp is doing its job...
And what temp do you have after 3dmark11 with your 880m?

In 780M performance topic I found opinion that 94degrees http://forum.notebookreview.com/gaming-software-graphics-cards/721360-nvidia-gtx-780m-benchmarks-overblocks-vbios-afterburner-evga-etc-53.html

 

If it's cold at any part then there is something wrong with the heatsink.

 

Hey guys,

Don't know if I should be posting here or creating a new thread. So I'm risking it here...

So, I got the Sager NP8278 (Clevo P170SM-A) and, as you all know it comes with the Sound Blaster X-Fi MB3.

Now, I've repeatedly tried to install this since I got it (4 months ago), but every time I get the same error message: "There is no supported audio device available".

I've tried installing the X-Fi, restarting, then the Realtek Driver.
Installing the Realtek Driver, restarting, then the X-Fi
Installing the Realtek Driver, not restarting, then the X-Fi, then restarting.

Every time, the same error. Any Ideas? Is this X-Fi MB3 even worth the trouble?

By the way, when I did the 3rd method above the Sound Icon from my tray is gone and I cannot start the Windows Audio Service manually as it gives me:
"Windows could not start the Windows Audio service on Local Computer. Error 1067: The process terminated unexpectedly.

 

Which package are you using? From the CD or from the Sager website?

 

First time I did with the CD that came with it. Didn't work.

Now I've lost the CD and have tried with the one from the Sager website ( Software Upgrade)

So, both...

I'm starting to think it may be the Realtek Driver. Cause once that one is installed, I get the message (may be paraphrasing): "The audio service isn't running" and I can't start it from the services.msc nor from the CMD, as I get the error message above. Any ideas?

 

Oh the sweet joy of accomplishment.

The problem was indeed the Realtek Driver, not the X-Fi.

I downloaded the latest Realtek HD Audio Driver from their website: Realtek and *dramatic explosion sound effect* It works! Now I need to find a good configuration. But still!

 

Ha, glad you got it working, share your settings if you find what you like

 

-------------Edit----------
So I tried running a linux distro, and it turns out these issues don't show up. No banding, much less grain, no flickering. It only happens in windows 8.1. It might be the intel video card. Is there anyway to disable it so i can test this with the nvidia chip?
-------------Edit 2--------

So it turns out that the issue was caused by the intel display power saving technology feature . I just disabled that in the graphics properties and the issue went away. Sorry for the crazy posts. Hopefully my post saves some other poor soul having the same problem as me.

Hi guys. I just recently bought a Sager NP8278-S from XoticPC. It's my first laptop. Aside from one big issue, everything else is amazing. The monitor is really bad. I got the 72% gamut matte screen, and unfortunately it is very very grainy. I think it's just very bad application of the anti-glare coating.
http://i1.minus.com/ibbSFimpGcFl7V.jpg
http://i6.minus.com/ivIwhnVEPT8ul.jpg

Also color banding is very prominent when the power is not plugged in. The screen seems to constantly adjust its brightness and contrast based on whats being displayed while on battery power. Opening a simple window will cause the screen to dim and moving bands will appear.
http://i.minus.com/ii9GPxQDum1g8.gif

I also noticed a weird screen flicker when the power is unplugged. This is not a noticeable effect to the human eye, but showed up in the camera. I'm guessing this is somehow related to the banding.
http://i.minus.com/iotn0WG6aocTI.gif

I've gone and messed with the power management and set everything to high performance, but the issue persists. I also tested out a friends 4 year old Dell just to make sure this wasn't a issue pertaining to laptops monitors, and it did not showcase these issues.

Does anyone else have this issue? Does any one with the glossy screen have these issues? I'm planning on calling and sending the laptop back for repairs, and if possible switch to the glossy screen.

 

Glad you got it working, thanks for sharing your conclusions

 

Thanks for posting your resolution to this, as you said hopefully it will help someone out that is seeing the same things with their screen.

 

Has anyone tried modifying the battery? Like higher mAh cells?

 

Usually not going to work nicely with the battery control circuit.

 

Didn't think there was an actual control circuit. Just a port for supplying power.

 

There must be some circuitry to monitor the cells for over heating etc.

 

I wouldn't assume batteries of different mAh would be too different from eachother. I'd be tempted to buy and disassemble one just to see if it would be possible.

 

You can look but you get nasty things like the circuitry killing itself if the circuit is disconnected.

 

In the battery? Or the laptop?

 

In the battery itself.

 

Ah, I see. Sorry if I seem like a bother for just popping in randomly with these odd questions.

 

It's not a problem, notebooks can be quite complex in structure.

 

I figured if I tried to experiment with laptop batteries that maybe I could make some waves and eventually get Clevo to start selling better batteries. It would be such a huge profit boost to sell extended batteries and such, I have no idea why they wouldn't do it.

EDIT: If I did tinker with the battery, would it fry the laptop if it failed? Or just the battery?

 

Playing around with power sources anything is possible really. Depends on what you do.

Feel free to mod if you feel you have the expertise. I'm not here to tell people no, just make sure they are aware of what they are getting in to.

 

I am by no means an expert when it comes to modding. I feel like it would be a worthwhile investment for everyone if I got it to work though.

 

You may want to check out candlepower forums or somewhere with lots of LI-ION cell modding experience. I personally have rebuilt LI-ION cordless tool batteries with over and undervolt protection circuits. you do not want to solder them, you will need a specialized battery tab welder to weld nickel strips to serialize and parallel the LI-ION cells. there are plenty of upgraded 18650 or 26650 cells which is pretty much the standard size. they go as high as 6k+ mah per cell. I dont know how they are connected but I found this online: 8 Cells Lithium Ion Battery Pack (76.96Wh) and Full Range 230W AC-In 100-240 V AC, 50/60Hz Universal | DC Output: 19.5V

So the PS puts out 19.5v which will charge roughly a 5s arrangement to 3.9v each. that 75.96 Wh is interesting too... I cant tell based on those numbers what the cell arrangement is...