*** Official Clevo W230SS/Sager NP7338 Owner's Lounge ***

Well at least now you can tell us what you think of for the 1800p screen ;D like how the scaling is and what not and what settings games would run smoothly on that res

Sent from my HTC One using Tapatalk

 

So I recently sent the laptop back to Sager and realized as to how much I missed it. I called up Sager and they told me that they will hold on to the unit, fix the hard drive issue and send it back to me if I could tell the issue to xoticpc. I sent them an email and have my fingers crossed

 

Yeah i dont want to mail mine back for a the dead pixel because i know i am going to miss it so much . It will have to go back next week but its going to be very difficult letting it go.. Rarely do i feel so attached to a laptop but this one i am really enjoying immensely and have not left it alone since it got here.

 

Is it just me or does the very edge of the touchpad not work?
I occasionally have trouble scrolling because I'm too far to the right. I usually scroll at the very right because I can feel the gap which makes it easy to find the scroll region.
Also 2 finger scrolling is very jumpy when one finger gets too close to the top or bottom of the touchpad which causes it to only detects one finger so it jumps.

 

I finally got mine and I'm loving it!

My main concern was the fan noise and the speakers, because I use it at work and I do a lot of skype meetings, but I'm pleased to report that the fan noise/burst is not an issue at all.
I had a Thinkpad W530 and the fans were way louder than this laptop. The speakers, although they have no bass, I think they are better than the w530 too.

There is one issue though and I wanted to see if anyone can help. For some reason the numeric keypad is not working. All the hotkeys [Fn+F#] work, [Fn+P] => "/" works, [Fn+0] => "*" works, etc, but [Fn+L] which should output 3 doesn't. And Fn+8,U,K,O which should output 8,4,2,6 respectively are actually working like arrow keys. So I don't know what is going on. I tried with and without NumLk, but that's not it.

It's not a big issue, I rarely use the numeric keypad anyway and my previous laptop didn't even had one, so it's not like I'm missing anything, but it's just weird.

Any ideas?

 

A VM will surely work. There are tons of guides out there and if I'm not wrong it's the only legal way to run it on a PC.
BTW if OSX natively boots surely the NVIDIA GPU will not work (they use a different GPU switching method on Macs than Optimus) and almost surely Intel WiFi cards won't work too.

 

You can use the BIOS Mod to run OS X...

 

Wait, with (almost) FULL hardware support and no DSDT thinkering?

 

For screen brightness control you can either use a software like THIS or alter the DSDT if you prefer that route.
And as you said. No Intel WiFi and no dGPU.
Everything else works!

Install the Mod and follow the tutorial linked there for the BIOS setting that need to be changed.

We tested it on this OS X 10.6 image:

MD5: 6179a219e1bf7634fb321fabb8d3288d

 

How's the w230ss' audio quality through the 3.5mm jack?

 

Does at least ethernet work? ofc I can't test right now as I'm still deciding on buying a W230SS lol. If this works nice that's a huge plus

 

@EmoRoyd
That's sounds like it might be a keyboard filter driver issue? Did you install any kbfilter type files/drivers that came with it, or from the reseller/builders website?

Edit: I just re-read your post and realized you're saying the arrows are being used no matter if num lock is on or not. Are you sure then num lock key is working? Does the light go on/off?

 

Any advice on underclocking the 860m for lower temps and fan noise? Is it even possible/smart and how much for the core and memory clock? I don't have any experience on underclocking so I am quite lost.

 

My W230SS just arrived today, and I have been installing windows 8.1 update 1 and getting it all up and running.

I have run into an issue - the headphone jack is not working! The audio works fine out of the speakers, and when I plugged in the headphones the first time, windows detected them:

Driver Management has concluded the process to add Service HdAudAddService for Device Instance ID HDAUDIO\FUNC_01&VEN_1106&DEV_8446&SUBSYS_15582300&REV_1000\4&70722BA&0&0001 with the following status: 0.

Driver Management concluded the process to install driver hdaudio.inf_amd64_7934c8322ea251ee\hdaudio.inf for Device Instance ID HDAUDIO\FUNC_01&VEN_1106&DEV_8446&SUBSYS_15582300&REV_1000\4&70722BA&0&0001 with the following status: 0x0.

I have tried some earbuds and they don't work either, but when I pull them out, the speakers work fine. I also tried running the test buttom, and that doesn't work. When playing the speaker icon says it is going through headphones and the volume is going up and down with the colours.

Whatever could be the cause?

 

The headphone jack has an active 'DSP filter'. In order for it to run properly make sure to install the proper audio & cinema AP drivers:

CLEVO - Download

 

Ah! Thanks, I just tried that, but now it is even worse

When I plug in, I see the VIA ADECK message pop up saying "Jack plugged in" but no longer does headphones appear as a playback device. Show disabled devices is ticked.

So I decided to reinstall windows from scratch. Then all I did was install the audio drivers, reboot, sound blaster software, reboot.

I plugged my headphones in, and I get nothing. Yes, the sound stops coming out of the speakers, and it knows I plugged it in, but all I am getting is silence.

Very worrying, maybe this is not software and is a fault with the headphone jack on the motherboard?

 

double post

 

@ zan5hin
I had the exact same thing happen to me. I installed, re-installed, deleted and THEN re-installed drivers and I never get the head phones to work. I finally started from scratch after nothing seamed to work. Second time installing win 8.1 and the all the drivers that came with the system first before anything else and I tested them and they work fine now. The first time I was poking around on line and downloading a few things before I got all my drivers loaded up. I am assuming that is where my problem came in. Since your system is brand new, this would be the time to try the format and re-install of windows and drivers before you load ton and tons of programs on it.

 

@LostCoast707 - well I can't believe it but I just fixed it. I did install some additional drivers, (chipset and Intel MEI), and then did below, but I think this is what fixed it!

No Sound When I Plug In Headphones After Windows 8 Download - Microsoft Community

1. Go to Control Panel->Power Options->Choose what the power buttons do
2. Uncheck Turn on fast startup
3. Perform full shutdown by calling the shutdown /s /t 0 in console or create shortcut with this command and run it
4. Turn on the computer, now the headphones should work ok

I still have one Unknown Device, with no hints, it just says "Unknown Device". Anyone know what that is?

Also another issue, anyone know how to disable the Synaptic touchpad edge swipes? The online guides show a radio box called Enable Edge Swipes, but I can't see that setting in the touchpad software from the Clevo website.

Also does anyone else have a lot less of a backlight around their spacebar? Mine has barely any backlight, every other key is fine though.

 

AFAIK production ready chassis with the QHD+ panel have shipped yet, only pre-production / evaluation models are available at the moment. The final production ready W230SS with QHD+ has not been released yet therefore you'll be missing out on refinments that Clevo are currently making.

There's no real benefit in running a QHD+ panel at 1600x900 unless in games, because the pixel pitch of the 3200x1800 panel improves the visual look of 1600x900 and brings it pretty close to the visual look of running the game at 1920x1080 on an FHD panel. It's worth playing around with, because you can get games to look really good when run at 1600x900 on this panel and enjoy the fps increase that comes with the lower resolution!

 

I remember having audio issues while watch movies on iTunes. I might shift to XBOX Video to rent movies now. A sweet external Blu-Ray drive would be awesome.

 

Thanks. I guess I'm going to keep the screen and see what happens. A few blurry and/or hilariously tiny programs so far, but otherwise it's stunningly sharp.

 

Hey guys, I've been debating getting this notebook since it's about the right size with the right amount of power. I'm an avid MMO'er and I'm currently into FFXIV. I was wondering if someone could run the FFXIV benchmark and tell me what score they receive? Scores on Maximum and High(Laptop) presets would be appreciated. Thanks a bunch for whoever performs this test.

Here is the link to the benchmark:
FINAL FANTASY XIV: A Realm Reborn Official Benchmark (Character Creation)

 

setting tab shows using the nvidia, but benchmark is using intel

 

Maximum 1920x1080: 5779 Score


Here's High (Laptop) 1920x1080: 7745 Score


Here's YouTube video of the High (Laptop) run:
<iframe width='640' height="360" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/wbqmX6NKwz4" frameborder='0' allowfullscreen></iframe>

 

Thanks harrypotter3 and much thanks to HTWingNut for the video and pictures; super helpful especially with the temps at the end of the video. I'm glad to see the two score differences on High (Laptop) with the i7-4700MQ+8GB RAM and the i7-4810MQ+16GB. Should help with my personal build of this awesome machine. Again, thanks a bunch you two.

 

Hopefully someone can give me a hand with this. A buddy of mine just received his Clevo W230SS and we installed an SSD. So I've gone through the tasks of reinstalling the drivers, particularly the NVidia Optimus/Intel stuff... and it is giving me nothing but trouble.

About half the time (or more) on reboot it is booting to a black screen, forcing me to reboot the system again to (hopefully) get it to display anything. He mentioned it was doing this on occasion with the copy of windows that was originally installed (before we put in the SSD). Does anyone have any suggestions on stabilizing this Optimus setup? I'm currently using the drivers from the Clevo website.


Thanks.

 

Black screen on windows or bios loading too?

Sent from my Nexus 7 using Tapatalk

 

Just in Windows. I get up to the Blue Windows logo with the spinning dots then the screen goes black (but the backlight is still on, that much I can tell).

 

It could be the gpu chip is bad, did it work ok before the switch?

 

Nah it did the same thing before the switch.

Update however, I've just installed the beta 337 NVidia drivers and the latest Intel graphics drivers from the site and rebooted it probably 20ish times. It has not recurred. Here's hoping it is corrected.

 

Unfortunately it just did it again. When I do a full shutdown in windows 8 as opposed to a hybrid shutdown it has a chance at the blank screen on boot it appears.

 

Ok I'll explain this more thorough since I know I was unclear in my earlier post. This post might seem wierd since I'm writing it as I try different settings.
Right now I have "HUAWEI Mobile Broadband Module" working with the following driver: Microsoft, 2013-08-22, 6.3.9600.16384.
What is not working is "HUAWEI GNSS Sensor" which has errorcode "10" (This device can not start. The process which is host to this device driver has been closed). Huawei Technologies, 2013-04-12, 1.1.7.0.

Right now I have booted into Windows without doing anything with my mobile broadband.
My findings are this:
1) I am unable to switch "Mobile broadband" to "Off", it immediately reverts back to "On".
2) If I select my mobile broadband (Swedish carrier "Comviq", named "240 07 (LTE)" I can connect to it (though see below).
3) If I go into "Settings" (In the "Charms" menu) and then "Change computer settings" and then select "Network" and "240 07" I can see the preconfigured APN-settings and there are 4 preset as well as "Custom".
I need to use "Custom" since none of the preset settings are correct. I am sure of the APN (in my case for Comviq 4G "4g.comviq.se") but unsure of the "type" of security settings so that might be wrong.
Also I am unsure how I when I connect via my mobile broadband can choose my custom setting so it don't use any of the wrong preset settings.
Another thing is that I am unsure what the address is of the "splashpage" or startpage that I should be redirected to (since its a prepaid mobile broadband which does not contain any credits).

Hm. I went into the IPv4 settings for my mobile broadband module and it didn't seem to use DHCP but static IP without any IP typed in as well as using a custom DNS-server.
I have not entered those settings so unsure if that changes when you change APN-settings.

Anyway if I click "Connect" on my mobile broadband I am both connected to my mobile broadband and Wifi so I manually disconnect my Wifi.
Ok now I actually seem to be connected with my mobile broadband for the 1st time
Think the "bad" IPv4 settings that I did not enter was the culprit since I earlier always got "Limited connectivity" or something like that.

The wierd thing is that I don't have any money at all charged to my mobile broadband and can still surf...
Ok after a while I get "Unable to connect to Internet" in Chrome but the connection still seems "good" in Windows 8 (i.e. connected to internet).
And "IP-address", "Netmask" and "Standard-gateway" seems to have reverted back to "Use the following IP-address" which are all blank and "Use the following DNS-server addresses" both those (the DNS-addresses) are prefilled.

Ok so I've been on with Comviq techsupport and the settings for their "Mobile Broadband 4G Prepaid" are as follows:
APN: 4g.comviq.se
Username: none
Password: none
Type of login information: CHAP
(If possible then "Phonenumber" should be "*99#" without the "". I can't enter that in anyway in Windows 8.1 so I didn't use it.)

The IPv4 settings for the mobile broadband module should be: IP-address: Dynamic, DNS-address: Dynamic and WINS-address: Dynamic.
The homepage which you "always" should be able to reach (to "top up" when you don't have any credits etc. are): comviq.home

The thing is my computer seems to "hang" or "freeze" when I use my mobile broadband and after a while its working again and once I disconnect from my mobile broadband I can't reconnect.
Even if I click on "240 07 (LTE)" I don't get the connect button and even though I am disconnected I still (according to Windows) seem to be connected to my mobile broadband. Disabling the adapter and then enabling it does not solve it (the mobile broadband does not come back up in my "WLAN" list.
A restart does not solve this either, now its not called "Huawei Mobile Broadband Module" anymore but "Generic Card for Mobile Broadband" with "Error 10" AGAIN.
Gah. Tried uninstalling and reinstalling the drivers but that does not work.

Hm.. Huawei_WinDriver_4.25.23.04 (seem to be uploaded 24/3-2014) are those that I downloaded from CarTFT (where I bought the card from), perhaps there are newer ("better"?) drivers out there.
I'll continue to experiment but right now when I can't even "see" my mobile broadband connection I'm kind of stuck.

---

After a few restarts the card "sometimes" work (as "HUAWEI Mobile Broadband Module") and some other times it is identified as "Generic Card for Mobile Broadband" (and won't work).
Never gotten it to connect though and still experiencing the problems named aboved. Have ordered another SIM from the Swedish carrier "Telia" which should arrive in the week and will contact (harass?) Huawei and/or CarTFT for the "HUAWEI GNSS Sensor" problem as well as checking with them for newer drivers.

 

This laptop is looking pretty sweet with portability and power, but how about the battery usage? Can anyone ballpark how long they get on it? HT Wingnut was getting over 5 hours for web browsing according to his review and I'm wondering if thats the norm. I don't want to bring a charging brick with me to school and hunt for outlets in each classroom.. Thanks!

 

I'm having an issue with my W230ss. Sometimes my headphone jack will stop working. It's not consistent, sometimes it happens after sleep, sometimes after boot. Sometimes a reset will fix it, sometimes not.
When I plug the headphone, there is a small popup from the audio driver saying a headphone was detected, and I can see sounds are being played in the volume indicator, but nothing is coming from the headphone. I tried different headphones, with the same result.

Anyone else see this?
My system is Win8.1, i7-4810, 8GB RAM, Intel AC WIFI.

 

This honestly depends on what kind of headphones you are using. My cheapo samsung earbuds work OK through it, but my 600 ohm DT770 Pro's sound pretty mediocre which is to be expected. Volume level is very low, decent bass, highs sound muddy, but overall SQ is just not very accurate.

I would really suggest a USB DAC/Headphone amp if you are even remotely serious about sound. Even something as cheap as one of the DAC Magic or similar would be a huge upgrade;
Cambridge Audio DacMagic XS review from the experts at whathifi.com

I am running a Fiio E17 right now and I am pretty happy with it. The samsung earbuds sound at least twice as good, and my DT770s are actually usable.

 

hey guys, is there a way to force optimus to stick to igpu on battery? like don't even switch to the 860m even in the heaviest of graphic loads?

 

Go into the nvidia control panel and change it to integrated on the global setting.

 

@TheSwede86
I hate to ask, but are you sure that card you have is compatible with the mobile broadband slot? Same standards and such? I recall you were basically giving it a try. I'm still waiting on mine and i doubt I'll be able to tinker with it much before July since I'll be out of town for work so I'm kind of stuck guessing at possible ideas to try rather than being able to try them myself.

In summary, is the mSATA slot you're using definitely a mobile broadband capable mPCIe? If yes, is the card you are using compatible with the standards supported by that slot? If yes, are there settings in the BIOS that may have something to do with these issues?

 

I was not aware of the msata slot in this machine being a hybrid with pci-e, that's a feature which needs a specific chip on board to be added to MUX the slot as either pcie or msata since the two are electrically different.

 

Can you confirm that the P304 supports 3G/4G-modules in the mSATA/3G-slot on the motherboard?

Stamped on the motherboard it says "3G/mSATA" for a certain (mSATA)slot, also the Clevo servicemanual for the W230SS lists how you remove (and add I believe) a 3G-module to that slot.
Haven't checked the BIOS settings though, might be something there for that slot, will check tonight.

Clevos homepage lists this:
" (Factory Option)3rd for UMTS/HSPA+Full size Mini Card with USB interface"

Link:
CLEVO - Products

---

Sorry for the short reply, at work atm.
Believe this has been covered earlier in the thread as well by me, LostCoast707 and other people.
Of course this does not prove it DOES support a 3G/4G-module in that slot but at least I believe it does due to the findings posted in earlier posts and mentions in the service manual, stamped on the motherboard etc.

Edit 1:

No setting in the BIOS for changing the port but I believe that the most telling is that there is an 3G/4G-antenna right beside the slot named "3G/mSATA" and that antenna works so why would they include that and not include the capability of adding a 3G-module in that slot? Hoping that Schenker will reply here in this thread and give an answer that sets things straight. Still driverproblems though but will contact Huawei tomorrow.

Edit 2:

Can anyone with PREMA BIOS check if there is a possibility of changing the "type" of one of the mSATA ports or anything that might relate to mobile broadband?

 

If they don't offer it as a shipping option it's unlikely they would pay for that factory option.

 

Thanks a lot for a reply! When I moved from Dell N5110 to XPS l502x I noticed the striking difference in audio quality. The sound in my old HD555 became much better. I wouldn't want to come back to the N5110 level of audio quality if I buy a new laptop, that's why I asked about W230SS.

 

Check back about 3-4 pages on this thread. I had the same issue and posted a fix I found. Let me know if it works.

 

Hey guys just wondering is it fine for my cpu temperature to be 88 degree Max and my gpu to be 77 degree Max when playing Battlefield 4? I have undervolted my cpu to -50mV and use IC Diamond....

 

I'm trying to grasp how thick this laptop is. I know it's not super thin but it doesn't seem to be as thick as most gaming laptops like the republic of gamers one. Compared to that how thick is this one? Also I play games like arma 2 is the screen really too small to see good?

 

You might be able to lower temps even further by underclocking the CPU to match the GPU clocks. I can go as low as 2.5ghz without affecting FPS in BF4 personally, but obviously settings are individual and every CPU performs differently. Since the GPU and CPU share a heatsink, it really helps lower temps for both components.

Reposting this:

NO XTU
CORE 84-81-80-80
GPU - 72*C

XTU UV + UC 2.8ghz, -40mv
CORE - 71-68-69-70
GPU - 65*C

XTU UV + UC 2.4GHZ, -40mv
CORE - 67-64-65-65
GPU 63*C

Minimum of 1 hour of play for each setting. Temperature is MAX recorded setting, average temps are 2-3*C lower during most of it. FPS is around 50-60 average as well, settings are a mix of medium and high.

I would overclock the GPU as high as you can go, because most games will be GPU bound (The 4810MQ is a beast).

 

I haven't received mine yet but the dimensions are exactly the same as my Asus u46 +- 1mm and it weighs in at almost the exact weight as well. I've never had an issue with carrying my old computer. I also like the fact that it doesn't look like an average gaming computer.

 

Yea that's why I was considering getting it. It looks a little thick but it's obviously not going to be MBP thin just curious to how thin it really is. I watched some videos and it seems relatively thin. Now I'm just worried about trying to game on a 13" screen.

 

The 13 inch screen has me worried a bit but I have 22 and 24 inch monitors to plug it into at home and on the road I value portability over big screens.