Official Sager NP5165 / Clevo W150HR Owner's Lounge

You should be fine just plugging in your external drive. Also, you can throw the windows iso onto a thumb drive with a utility like flashboot. It will format the drive, make it bootable, and transfer any iso file onto the drive. I recently used it to install xp on a netbook. The demo is free and will do everything you need. Hope that helps.

 

Thanks so much Carl, I'm expecting the delivery in the next week, i'll let you know!

 

Hi !

I just received my Clevo W150HRM (GT 555M)
Config:
1920x1080 FHD matte screen
Core i5 2520
2 x 2GB RAM 9/9/9/24
500 Gb Samsung drive
62,16 Wh 6 cells battery
Realtek 8188CE wifi card
Odd bracket for second hard drive

I have some good news that we have to take with a pinch of salt but if it's true, it's a scoop !
But we'll see that in a few lines.

First impressions:
- It is sober, class and elegant (no flashy MSI's or Sony book colors). It looks and feels solid. Not rock solid as old powerbook G4 (made with steel) but pretty solid, even if it's plastic made.

- The top of the notebook (closed) is as palmrests and touchpad: grainy*. It's a little uncomfortable but always better than (GoToHell-)glossy surface. The top is removable and can be changed (found no retailer* of MOFA tehcnology).

- The matte FHD screen (not the 95% gamut one) is great, but in lower resolution than native, the blurry effect is present. But no one use other resolution than native nowadays. Very bright and very pleasant. I can't stand glare screens, makes me mad as hell.

- The power brick is... more a flail than a voltage transformer, impressive size but light weight. The power supply connector that plugs at the back of the notebook is hard to insert, I have to push three times harder than in all other computers I have, it is the same for the power button: very hard. Maybe the problem is only in my notebook.

- The French layer of the keyboard doesn't suffer of the English one glitches: the layer is simalar to the one in my old Dell except a few the function buttons. The keyboard is very pleasant to write with.

- The battery is a 62,16Wh (with only 0,3% wear leveling which is excellent) and first (mini) scoop: my notebook retailer said that "normally" Clevo will build 9 cells battery but they have no timeline, so they can be released* in a few month or next year or even just for other future Clevo models.

- The sound is not as bad as other buyers have said. Clearly, if you love good sound or music, buy a Bose or Bang&Olufsen station but just to watch divx movies or ambient music it is good enough.

- It boots W7 in 50 seconds (with bios) on a 500Gb 5900 tr/min Samsung drive. The drivers CD doesn't contain wifi drivers but it's only the retailer is guilty. Realtek wifi drivers are here. It run reeeeeeaaaly faster than my old pentium 4 northwood (which is not a secret).

- Never, ever, ever, ever heard of the fan at internet browsing/youtube 1080p movie playback. Never. Haven't played any game yet, so can't tell at full load.

- Maybe in the future, I hope they will change the way the cooling system conception*. Taking fresh air under the usb ports (where it actually drops hot air) and drops it at the rear of the notebook (where there is actually the power supply). Hot air isn't very good for usb thumb drive, or even cables (How many cables I have seen cracking when they have been exposed heat and cooled down...).

- The second big news: my retailer said to me they are actually testing drivers (closed source) for nVidia Optimus under ubuntu ! He said that they are always in testing step but normally they would be released on september 2011. I asked him if I can be beta-tester but he refuses. I hope he doesn't lied, IMHO he wasn't joking.

Ask me if you want specific informations (but not for installing software ), I would be glad to answer !


* Very Important: If you want to accelerate the process, take contact with your own retailers and put pressure on them to contact Clevo (as customers we aren't up in face of Clevo but retailers buy barebones to them) or contact clevo yourself and complain about what you want to be added in future models as bigger battery (9 cells battery, a better cooling system with no more temps circa 90°C, ), what you want to be updated in actual models (just BIOS update with MOAR option !!, nVidia optimus support on linux !!, etc...)

Here are Clevo emails' contact through the world

 

Did you use this mod:
http://forum.notebookreview.com/sager-clevo/564375-atmosks-nvidia-clevo-support-modded-infs.html ??

 

I did not try those, however I am hesitant to do so now that i have the computer set up how I like it .. maybe I will image my hard drive and then test the drivers.

thanks for the info i will post later if i update

 

Thanks for the info. About this point: The top is removable? In what way do you mean?

 

I am speaking with a sager technical support rep right now about all of this. They asked me to supply them with a 3dmark score and i can supply those links for you here if youd like. They seem to be showing intel as the main graphics card which is about right since its not coming from a pci-e slot although i wonder if that is affecting the score.

Yes i ran with nvidia as the preferred graphics by right clicking AND choosing 3dmark from the nvidia control panel so im not sure why its still showing intel hd as the graphics processor that it was using. That might just be what it says even though its using the nvidia or something.

Yep, Crysis 2 is at around 30 FPS give or take and i manage to bump it up to 1600x900 at medium (very high in Crysis 2 ) settings.

So far as i can see, you would want a laptop with a 6970 in it or a GTX460 if you would expect higher FPS. Those are about $200-300 more from what i saw but may be worth it in the long run if you are a gamer.

I will keep you updated on the technical support person who is helping me with the nvidia performance issue though. After all, i got similar frames on a GT 540 from my Samsung that i had so something has to be off when users are stating the 555m is 30% faster.

As for the links to my 3dmark score.... [/URL][/IMG]

 

I've read that it can be used for a fresh install. I'll look more into and get back to you with verification.
Edit: http://www.overclockers.com/forums/showthread.php?t=675594

 

In THIS way

Update: After one hour on HL² (all settings max in a room at 19°C).
I think the cooling system is working great, even with GT 555M. Furthermore, they are not completely at Clevo R&D, they will not release a computer without tests and I think it's highly improbable you hit the "maximum" TDP heat that the heatsink can disperse.

The only defects I see this computer are:
- the grainy pad
- "good-but-could-be-a-lot-better" cooling system (see comment #203)
- too poor option in "hotkey" sotware (like disable icons on top left when using hotkeys)
- soften buttons (I have too push very hard !)
- the glossy band around the screen (Yeah, really ugly... Either they sell some customisable replacement bodys for the screen, or they remove all glossy part of the computer. Having said that, it's better one centimeter around the screen that the full laptop...)

That's it. It's the better laptop I've seen for 4 years (except the XPS L502x).

 

Does anyone have any news yet on why these notebooks are using a GT 555 with only a 128 bit bus? :/

 

Hello all,

I've been looking for a gaming laptop and have narrowed my choices down to the NP5165 and the Alienware M11x R3. NP5165 seems like one of the best buys on the net, and it doesn't have that gamered out, "extreme" look that the Alienware has, which I really like given that I'm also a working professional who will rely on his laptop for work as well.

What's the skinny on this bad boy? I had wanted a matte screen, but that is no longer the default. I'm not sure I want to pay $210 bucks for such a screen, though I suppose it would still be the same price as the m11x, even with that added in. Budget isn't that much of a concern, but given how quickly laptops get old, I'd rather pay less, of course. I'm concerned mostly about the 128 bit GT 555m. Is that really a bottleneck, or is that just the wailing of high end benchers who need to squeeze out every last drop on 3d mark? I never bench and am exclusively concerned with gameplay and FPS performance.

Additionally, I'd also be totally fine with the 5160 if the GT 540m is capable of playing Starcraft 2 and WoW at a respectable level, as that is all I play, really. Occasionally I dip into Team Fortress 2. I doubt I'll play BFBC3. That would give me the default option of a matte screen, a SB processor and a cheaper price tag - all appealing options.

Thanks for any opinions and advice.

Thoughts?

 

I am also waiting to see what exactly the deal is with the Clevo GT 555's.

Im not a fan of paying more for less.

 

There have been a few reviews and impressions of the 5165/75s around the forum. Do a little bit of searching and you'll find your answers.

Mr. Mysterious

 

I did, I read through this entire thread...seems like the question regarding the GT 555m is still up in the air, no? My fear is the second I click buy the 190 bit 550m will be included.

 

I don't think anyone here really knows. It could be that maybe there weren't enough of the 192-bit cards so they bought the 128-bit, or maybe this option was cheaper. Hard to say really.

 

Yea, I'm going to run the latest GPU-Z (hopefully it will have updated itself again to properly read the GT 555m, if it hasn't already) and Speccy to validate the 128-bit claim. Really hoping that it's an architecture issue with the GF106 that GPU-Z is somehow not picking up the other 64 bits

But really, I'm not going to send it back if its 128. It's a keeper regardless.

 

You could also run some benchmarks & games to see if there's much RL diff between the cards, the review of the Dell XPS 17 has a bench of tests w/ some games @ diff settings, with a setup that's pretty much like the one you're sporting.

 

Yeah, and post the results, too .
I guess quite a few people are waiting to see the performance of the sager's gt 555m...
If it's similar to the regular one, I'm buying the 5165 right away

 

If you want to enjoy your games beyond medium settings I'd really just get the 460 or better and forget the 555.

The sager support person said my EDIT: (darn iphone) 3d mark scores are right on target with what they should be.

Although that thread which mrmysterious lists shows him getting higher FPS in rift than i ever could at those settings so i have to wonder whats going on then.

 

Lol, here you go:

http://forum.notebookreview.com/gaming-software-graphics-cards/578414-gt555m-benchmarks-sager-np5175.html#post7493875

Mr. Mysterious

 

hmm, nice... But the smaller bus is probably more of a problem at higher resolutions, it'd be nice to see gaming benchmarks.
Also, how are the temps?

And everyone saying we should go for the 460 if we wanted to game, well, that's true, but still not a reason not to debate between 5165/5160.
If I didn't care about lower battery life, higher weight and added price I'd get it - but I still have my desktop for gaming anyways... I just want not to feel crippled when I'm not at home.
The gtx and gt laptops are just different categories.

 

The 128 bus versus the 192 bus is said to have only extremely minor performance differences with each other. Ultimately...it will not be a significant difference in performance therefore, no bottleneck.

I'm not speaking from experience but from what I've read from other users on this forum and the reseller I was talking to about this issue. This shouldn't be a major concern to people because it's not going to decrease/increase your GPU performance by a large number such as + or - 10.

The only thing i'm worried about is the default FHD Glossy Screen. My reseller (Reflexnotebook/AET) doesn't offer other screen options...so if default is bad, well, I might have to use an American reseller. Thoughts on this would be appreciated!

 

It wont be crippling you at all to get either of those. I owned a samsung with the same exact specs and a 540m and ran pretty well in crysis 2 and rift which i know i keep bringing up but they are really all im playing now.

I bet they would do pretty well in SCII as well if you play that. The above poster showed that someone with the 5175 was playing SCII with nice FPS so long as they kept certain features off.

Generally though i would have to say a 540 or a 555m is EDIT : always going to have a huge difference compared to a desktop when gaming but thats to be expected

for example :

I came from a desktop which was a AMD II quad core 975 / 8gb ddrIII / 120gb SSD and a AMD 6870 1gb video card.

That ran SCII in ultra maxed out around 60+ frames

It ran Crysis II maxed out at 60+ frames

It ran Crysis I maxed out 30+ frames (which is saying a lot)

Rift maxed out 30+ frames (everything checked) / 50+FPS custom settings (ultra with a few extra things checked but AA off)

My friend also ran Black ops on it maxed out at some insane FPS (i cant remember but it may have been above 100, ill check with him)

I gave that desktop to my friend cause he needed one and he ran fraps on it and i only know that most games were above 60+, some 80+.

So in comparison to the FPS you will get on the 540/555 there is a huge huge difference which (depending on your views) could be considered crippling.

That desktop didnt really cost much to make either so its not like you would consider it a super computer.

Summary :

Turn shadows / AA (not like you need it) / and some lighting effects off and you can run most games just fine at an above normal resolution with 30 frames or more when using a 540m or a 555m.

I would say the shadows kill it the most

Hope that helps with your decision

 

Precisely. I could go out and get one of those beefcake, 10 lb laptops, but that doesn't interest me. This is a secondary machine for me and I want some semblance of portability. I guess I have to accept the limitation. To be fair, the benches for SC2 on the 555m (runs medium at 45 FPS/high at 30 FPS) seems pretty solid.

 

How is your German?

Test Schenker XMG A501 Notebook (Clevo W150HRM) - Notebookcheck.com Tests

- Benchmarks with 128 Bit 555m
- Pictures and a video
- Picture of the 'brick'

 

Hey everyone, I just made an account here because I'm selling off my desktop gaming rig for a portable solution. The laptop I have in mind is either the 15" Sager NP5165 or the 17" NP5175. Which one would you recommend? The 15" or the 17"? I know the pixel density will be less on the 17", but I would just like to hear everyone's thoughts.

Additionally, these laptops have an option while being built for an additional hard drive to replace the optical drive bay. My question is this - how easy would it be to replace that manually? I have a Mushkin Callisto Deluxe and I would like to use it as a boot drive.

Thanks so much.

 

This can be compared to the results of the xps17 with 192-bit 555m on the same site, the differences in fps can all be attributed to the i7 in the xps, and are fairly small. The fps is still well above the 540m.

 

The review is enthusiastic, praising the screen in particular. They said weight/size portability was ok, liked quietness in non-intensive operation and battery life.

They said performance is good enough for everyone but true hardcore gamers and professional users.

They gave harsh criticism for the excessive size of the power supply, and very poor quality of speakers compared to competing brands.
They didn't like the noise of fans and heat under full load (3d intensive).
But they say these are small blemishes on an otherwise great laptop.

Overall they gave very strong thumbs up.

 

Would be interesting to see a review of one with a i7 cpu to see if there's any diff in battery life, 3h surfing the web is kind of a disappointment compared to other similar laptops, and seeing how this has optimus.

 

I think you meant, "How is your Google (Chrome) Translate?"

Very good, I must say!

 

Does it have optimus?
I know the motherboards on the 8130/8150 aren't wired for optimus

 

". ...Modern games provoke a memory interface of 128 bits of love..."

Pure awesome.

 

I'm 99% sure they do, I think it's mentioned in the beginning of the review on notebookcheck too. Just remember that the computers u mentioned are using the 460m I think? And while it's optimus-capable, no one at all has enabled it, except for maybe some alienware model.

edit: yeah, it's enabled on this model.

 

Lmao. That just sounds dirty...

Mr. Mysterious

 

Anyone have the default FHD Super Glossy screen?

Just wanting to get some opinions on it!

 

Haha yeah, someone at google must have a dirty mind!

 

If someone has the courage to test this Modded Inf to install latest nVidia Drivers, can he tells the results, please ?

 

Hello everyone!

I've been keeping up with this thread and the Sager np5160 thread for the last month but this is my first post. I'm happy to say that after a ridiculous amount of research and going back and forth between almost every laptop manufacturer and their current models, I decided to purchase the Sager NP5165 I must say that I owe much of this decision to all of your awesome information and detailed reviews, so thanks much

I didn't upgrade it much aside from the i7 2630 and the RAM. I don't mind the glossy screen that comes stock on this thing (my previous laptop was glossy) as it will either be sitting at my desk or on a lab bench. I only game occassionally, but when I do I want it to run smoothly! I'm huge on multitasking, though, and I wanted something that would perform well for years to come while maintaining a certain amount of mobility.

A special thanks to CavemanCarl for the link to the hard drive caddy. I picked one of those up and look forward to upgrading my primary drive to a SSD. For now, I can use my previous laptop's drive in the caddy for media and backups.

I'm really looking forward to this machine, and hopefully by the time I get it there will be some updated video drivers out!

 

Congrats subeo! Looking forward to updated drivers as well

 

Welcome on board Subeo !
Believe us, you're making the good choice !

I have just installed a second Hard drive in the additional caddy but I have a (very) little problem: when the laptop boots, there is no on-screen indications about the "BIOS" key and the "boot order" key.
For the BIOS, it's easy, it's "suppr", but does anyone found the "boot order key" ?

 

I've just received my W150HR.

This is my first laptop and so far am pleased with it.

When I find my camera i'll make some pictures.

 

Please do I wanna see the size of that power brick

 

Thats the brick sitting next to a standard size hard drive.. its got about 1/3 of an inch above it in height too.

 

That's not bad. How about temperatures under load?

Mr. Mysterious

 

Sager News 5/18/2011

1. Reducing blue-tine on LCD panels (coldness) in windows 7

a. Right click on an open desktop area then select screen resolution by left clicking
b. Left click on Advanced Settings
c. Left click the Color Management tab
d. Left click the color management button
e. Left click the advanced tab
f. Left click on calibration display
g. Left click next on the Welcome to Display Color Calibration screen
h. Left click next on the set basic color settings screen
i. Left click next on the hot to adjust gamma screen
j. You may adjust or leave it as default (recommended) then click next on the adjust gamma screen
k. Left click skip brightness and contrast adjustment
l. Left click next on how to adjust color balance
m. Select the blue slider bar with the mouse, sliding it all the way to the right then use the keyboard left arrow key to move the slider right to left till the blue tint is lowered to your liking.

This will reduce the blue tint and give you a warmer color temperature

 

oooooooops!!

 

Has anyone swapped/added in RAM to their NP 5160/5165? I was wondering how easy or hard that was to access.

*crosses fingers for Tuesday*

 

Very easy. I have changed the optical bay for a second hard drive (for doing this, open the small panel which contains the hard drive, remove a third screw at the top of this small panel, and push the optical bay with a screwdriver from the inside of the computer).
I've also opened the big panel (which contains CPU, GPU, RAM, WIFI, another slot empty and the cooling system). The cooling system is very very very easy to clean ! Be careful while removing the big panel, the fan is fixed to it.

 

How much would adding an SSD to the laptop (while keeping the original HDD in the optical bay) increase power consumption/decrease battery life?

 

Not a significant amount, though it depends on the SSD. Most SSD's draw around 1-3 watts of power (and that's on the high end). This should only add up to a few minutes of runtime on your battery. Depending on usage and power settings, if you have the secondary HDD spin down when not in use it will further decrease power consumption by a few watts. Though, having a drive spin down to save power and "park" the heads does decrease the lifespan of the drive and increase seek times when you need it again.