Official Sager NP5165 / Clevo W150HR Owner's Lounge

I ordered the IC Diamond upgrade with the laptop and assumed that the paste was applied wrong so I applied some AC 5. AC 5 was able to make it idle at 58 degrees Celsius so I applied on some IC 7 and now it's idling at 58 degrees.

 

I am considering buying this model. But the temperature issue annoys me a lot. I am planning to use it for Starcraft 2 and Diablo 3 when it comes hot and over 90 degrees seems unreal to me. Not a big fan of having to apply thermal paste all the time either.

Otherwise, anyone tested this running SC2 and how well does it run the game?

Thanks

 

I haven't purchased mine yet but I'm having growing concerns about the temperatures as well. I was hoping as long as I put it on a desk and didn't push it ridiculously hard I'd be fine, but I don't feel so sure anymore. Am I going to have to buy a cooling mat, apply paste, do constant routine cleaning, or anything out of the ordinary like that? I'm just wondering how constant a concern the temps are going to have to be because otherwise I might spring for a different laptop altogether.

 

how common is this problem of the IC Diamond being applied wrong, even when you order it with the laptop? since i don't have any thermal compounds sitting around, i don't know what i would do

 

I ordered mine on Monday, (currently in Phase 2). You can buy your own IC Diamond paste from Amazon for ~$10, which is what I'm doing. That saves you a considerable amount from having it pre-applied.

 

*oops wrong topic*

 

Curiosity for current owners:

How bad is the heat problem, especially if modestly overclocking?
How is the IC Diamond compound that all the resellers offer?

For a model with the 1080p matte screen, bluray player only (not burner), i7 processor, and win7 pro (unless win7 home allows xp program use), what is the cheapest one configured and bought? From who? I get it at around $1300. I was hoping to near $1100.

 

Just pass on Windows.

Xotic goes out of their way to not have it installed by default and give you (and Linux users) a fair price without the Windows Tax.

 

Really? My NP5165 came with Windows 7 preinstalled if that means anything?

 

If you got it pre-installed you probably bought directly from Sager because PowerNotebooks.com and most Sager resellers offer it without Windows 7 unless you specifically order it.

 

I got mine from XoticPC. I did notice that the laptop had some hidden FutureMark files even though it's not installed on my computer.

 

Then you must have specifically ordered and paid for it. Look at your documentation.

 

Oh I see. Just assumed for a minute that the majority of people that ordered their laptop with the Windows 7 upgrade don't get it preinstalled so that they would have to install it themselves.

 

Correct, if you order it, then it will be installed along with all drivers so it is ready to go out of the box.

 

Will a current owner please answer the heat question? It was asked several times on the previous page. How much am I going to have to worry about keeping it cool? Do I need a cooling mat, a USB fan, etc. or will putting on a desk and making sure the fan is clear and the thermal paste is reapplied every once in awhile suffice? I'm just worried that overheating is going to be of constant concern. Thank you!

 

My specs: NP5165, I7-2630QM, 4GB RAM, 500GB HD, DVD DRIVE.

When I first got my machine it stayed right around 60 deg idleing. After a couple week so of working with it, it now idles and sits just under 50 deg. If I run 3DMark06 or an intense game (SCII) it can get up to 90deg.

When using for regular use, I use a cheap single fan lap pad and the temps stay right around 51-54 deg. This is comfortable for me, others may be freaking out.

When watching HDTV 1080p movies on my LCD, it sticks around 65-70deg on the cooling pad.

Hope this helps. My initial response after the first numbers was kinda scary, but it seems the paste has settles somewhat and it hasn't gotten anywhere Id have issues for a while.

 

My NP5165 has an NP5165. After reapplying paste, my laptop idles around 55 degrees Celsius and peaks to 90 degrees on load with only just the CPU. When playing Battlefield Bad Company 2 on low settings, the cpu gets as hot as 97 degrees.

Edit: After playing around with the "Maximum Processor State" under advanced power settings in the control panel, my NP5165 is able to play Battlefield Bad Company at a peak of 85 degrees Celsius .

 

I was seriously worried about the heat initally but I've taken in a lot of advice and am less concerned now... gaming the CPU can stay between 80 and 93C for hours and I've noticed no stability issues. You can also adjust the power settings to Max CPU Usage 99% which disables TurboBoost... it runs about 10C cooler that way and there's not much loss in performance as most games aren't very CPU intensive.

As for SC2 I can run it at 1080p on High Settings, it looks fantastic

 

Same here. When I bought it the core temps were between 60 and 64C idle and hit 95C under load, one week later the cores idle at 52C and haven't exceeded 93C under load. I'm hoping a cooling mat with two repositionable fans with reduce temps even further. Would be nice not to hit 90C at all!

 

I think there's confusion between overheating and high temperatures. By all accounts this laptop runs hot and will enter the 90-95C range under load, at least initially. It's therefore wise to invest in a cooling mat and even apply a new thermal compound.

However, not once have I experienced or read about this laptop overheating, i.e. reaching dangerous temperatures, getting so hot that it shuts off.

 

If you're going to quote multiple users, please use the multi-quote button (the one immediately to the right of the one that says "quote") instead of creating three new posts.

 

Hi, I'm going to buy a notebook soon and the W150HR looks really tempting. But as I could wait another 2 or 3 months I would like to know if there is any information about when a successor will be released?

 

If you you guys lower down the Maximum Processor State under the advanced power settings in the control panel, you can get lower temps under load . I was able to set it so that my computer will only use 88% of the i7 2630 causing it to use only 1 Volt on load instead of 1.22 Volts. When playing video games with 1.22 Volts, the computer gets to a scorching 98 degrees Celsius. But on 1 Volt the games never go above 85 degrees Celsius.

You can also change the Power Conservation Modes under Hotkey, which will pretty much do the same but the Performance/ Balance options will use up 1.22 Volts at peak while the Energy Star option uses up about .75 Volts. So it's not really recommended to playing games with the Energy Star option unless you are planning to play ended graphic games like Counter Strike/Starcraft.

 

i don't see a successor until at least late this fall.

i expect laptops with a 540m successor first.

btw, how much cooler does the np5165 run with an i5 and is the cooler master u2 any good?

 

Indeed, sorry about that, didn't intend to reply to the posts, until I re-read them. This should make you happy though, multiquotes in full swing

Not much cooler at all. My i5-2520m still hits 93C... some reports of 95+ with the i7s though so maybe a few degrees?

As for the U2 I ordered mine a few days ago. I'll update when it arrives but all the feedback for it that I've read has been positive. Fans are sufficiently powerful and the ability to move them about, tailoring to your laptop's hotspots is worth a hundred expensive, uberpowerful mats with fans in the wrong place IMO

 

I haven't read through the thread yet (I will), but on the last few pages there is mention of high temps. has anyone undervolted it with success?

 

I just received my 5165 today, and I am really happy with it as a device.

I, however, cannot get Ubuntu 11.04 to install. My persistent 11.04 USB won't display anything, and my alternate installer CD fails to detect any internet devices (neither wifi nor ethernet).

What have you guys done to fix this? I'm not the most knowledgeable linux guy, so hopefully I'm missing something easy about loading drivers.
I didn't find any posts mentioning Ubuntu, but I hope there are some linux gurus hanging out here.

 

Read this =D

 

Create the USB device with persistent mode disabled (size at 0). I find UNetBootin to work the most reliably at creating the USB installer. I didn't have any trouble with my P150HM WiFi being detected (Intel 6230) so I'm pretty sure the Intel cards work across the board on a fresh 11.04 install.

See if the fresh USB installer works first, and whether it detects your network connections then. You may also want to check in Bios that your WiFi isn't disabled for some reason.

 

Did you install using the standard image or the Alternate Installer? I don't really want to clean off another flash drive so I'd just burn another CD if I had to.

 

Does anyone know of anywhere to get hard drive caddies for the optical drive for this model in the UK?

 

This sounds like a good idea on paper, but i dont know enough about computers to doit without asking..
will this cause a noticeable performance loss, or damage to my hardware?
i ordered the 5165 and i would like to try this method right off the bat if it is safe and effective. the only game i expect i will play is starcraft 2 and i will watch a lot of videos. what do you think?

 

Starcraft 2 is CPU heavy, so decreasing the amount of CPU that the OS is allowed to use will slow it down, but I have a feeling that at 88% load, the computer will be able to handle it just fine.

 

Ok Well i guess when i get it i will mess around with it a bit. I generally like to play in medium settings on my games anyways so it might not heat up as much due to that.


I am trying to decide if i can leave behind my desktop when i go to school and just bring this laptop.. Will this GT 555M card be better than my desktop Geforce GT 220? I think it is a relatively weak card because it gets super hot when running games on bad settings.

Also my desktop has a Intel Core 2 Quad Q8400 Will this I7 2630QM be a significant increase in speed? I really dont know much about actual hardware lol.

 

i have this laptop and it handles SC2 on ultra with 50fps at 1600x900 resolution. cpu got as high as 87C for me.

 

Yes, the 555m scores 10,590 in 3DMark 06, while the GT 220 scores 6845. This is an improvement of 50% by going to the 555m.

See this chart

Mobile Graphics Cards - Benchmark List - Notebookcheck.net Tech

(You may need to change the restrictions to show both mobile and desktop CPU's and click the "restrict" button to see everything)

Yep. The newer sandy bridge mobile CPU's are faster than nearly everything except the higher end i7's from the Nehalem generation (first generation of i7's).

Mobile Processors - Benchmarklist - Notebookcheck.net Tech

 

There will be some performance loss but it will only be noticeable when playing heavy duty video games/programs. Lowering down the Maximum Processor power is within window's control panel so I will assume that it is safe. When lowering down the maximum processor power, I recommend that you get a program such as CPU-Z and monitor the voltage of the processor. Just make sure that the Maximum Processor State doesn't fall below 5% and that the voltage doesn't fall below .745 V because Sager's Energy Star mode doesn't fall below .745 V.

To access the window where you control the "Maximum Processor State" go to Control Panel->Hardware and Sound->Power Settings->Change Plan Settings->Change Advanced Power Settings->Processor Power Management->Maximum Processor State.

I recommend doing this if you get an NP5165/NP5160 that goes up to 97 degrees Celsius on load. So get a program like CoreTemp and monitor the temps on load. If it stays below 90 degrees Celsius for a quite a while then there's no need to do this.

 

Well, I hope that Clevo releases an update the makes the fan go full speed when the laptop pass 80 instead of 90 degrees.

 

My NP5165 arrived today. So far everything seems ok. I installed my copy of Win7 the the CD of system drivers. No personal programs yet.

One thing I noticed is the left vent gets hot. If your hand is within 4-5" of it, you will feel the heat. The upper left corner of the touchpad aread gets warm too.

Power supply is pretty big. Heads up

Current temps are (via speedfan)
GPU: 54
HD: 40
Core 1-4: 60
Whole laptop running around 60C on idle.

I'm waiting for my shipment of IC Diamond to arrive so I co do a repaste (I ordered stock with the laptop)

 

Considering getting one of these. I take it the heat is within tolerable ranges with a good cooler? Like a Cryo LX or something?

 

Please share the difficulty level of disassembling this laptop when you get there. A picture or two of the internals would be swell .

 

This video shows some disassembling of the 5160 ‪btotech.com NP5160 Barebones Laptop Shell Barebone DIY Notebook Barebone‬‏ - YouTube

 

So I actually read through this entire thread (partly as a grueling test of resolve) and I wanted to post a few questions to clarify about the NP5165 and a few general questions...

1. So from what I gather the i5 chip does not make for significantly less heat or more battery life then the i7 chips. Is this correct?

2. Does the Optimus technology work well and as it should in Windows 7? Or is it still somewhat buggy?

3. Is a replacement power supply available (of the same wattage, or less if it doesn't affect operation) that is more compact than the stock power supply?

4. I thought I read there might be problems with the headphone jack, is that widespread?

5. Does the computer come stock with Bluetooth wireless mouse capability, or is that a feature I have to add?

6. Do certain component brands vary from reseller to reseller, such as the hard drive, ram, etc... I'd rather have name brand (hopefully more reliable) components rather then generic components.

7. I know no one knows the future but does Sager usually follow a consistent timeline for computer updates. So the 5165 came out in May, is it likely there might be an update maybe in October to December?

8. Is there anywhere to buy a barebones Clevo W150HR?

9. Is it really a bad idea to buy from Sager? They come with a warranty right, is it difficult to get them to repair if something goes wrong, I would consider buying from Sager only because they include Windows 7 in the deal (actually now I see they charge more initially so I guess it evens out...) I don't think I'll ever need to use phone support, if that is the area they fail in...


Anyway I really like the look of this computer, I want to replace this 2008 Macbook aluminum with 9400m, this thing runs way too hot (shoots up to 102 degrees in just a few seconds running any decent game, then slows down to crap performance to keep from exploding) Also I'm sick of the slow hard drive. I like Mac OS X but Apple's just being stupid with their hardware, looking at their latest Macbook pros they REGRESSED in the video cards, putting Intel HD 3000 in the $1200 Macbooks that before at least had the 320m, ridiculous...

 

For some reason i cannot get the SPDIF to work, I dont even see a red laser emitter on the inside of the jack. Help?

 

Who has this laptop and actually reached 3 hours of battery life? I get a flat 2 hours in UMA mode with wireless turned off, 50% brightness and integrated GPU set to maximum savings and max CPU activity set to 50%. Do I also need to switch the "Power conservation modes" to "Energy star" ? I'm running a 2630QM quad core CPU, only one stick of RAM and a 7200RPM HDD.
Also I don't know if that's normal but when I'm unplugged in UMA mode (VGA button lit up in green), it keeps switching back and forth between the integrated LED and dedicated LED (the two LEDs next to the VGA button indicating which GPU is used at the time). I don't know if it's to remind the user that it's in integrated only mode or if there is a driver problem that can't lock the laptop into integrated mode only.

 

Mine does that too, I'm still not sure how the iGPU dGPU system works yet. No documentation was included

 

Something is wrong, I just did 2 hours while browsing the internet in energy star, very far from 3 hours. The weird thing I've noticed is that when the laptop reached like 5% battery, the back and forth LED blinking seemed to stop. I'm using the latest Intel HD drivers from Clevo (more recent than the ones on Intel's website) and the latest drivers from nvidia's website. The nvidia control panel detects the integrated GPU and my global settings are set to use the integrated GPU so running Windows should never trigger the dedicated one unless an application that I've defined requests it.

When the VGA button is green, it should lock the laptop in iGPU only, when it's orange, it turns optimus on and switches between iGPU and dGPU based on the application you're running. That's all you need to know theoretically.

 

Maybe I'm dong something wrong, but this lack of SPDIF support is beginning to irritate me. When I switch over spdif via realtek i dont get any output with my z5500s. PowerDVD doesnt output SPDIF properly either. I was hoping for 5.1 supoort but so far I haven't gotten it.

 

So the guys that are expieriencing the iGPU dGPU blinking issue. If it happens when windows first boots up (AKA you aren't running any programs yet), are you running a hardware monitoring tool. That steady blinking is the hallmark of a temp monitoring program basically asking the dGPU "hey whats your status" every couple of seconds. So if you turn that off it will probably stop blinking.

If you don't you have something installed that is basically doing the same thing.

For the SPDIF issue, we'll look into that one, one thing to try, converting it to coaxial digital (3.5mm->RCA) and see if there is a signal there. As your right there is no red laser light coming out of it. So my guess is it coaxial.

 

You're right mythologic, I was going to update my post because I started disabling such software. I had a combination of AfterBurner and a GPU temp gadget, now I'm on steady green