**Official Sager NP5170 / Clevo W170HN Owners' Lounge**

Mythlogic,

Thank you for your response and insight. That means there is some light at the end of the tunnel for those of us who are waiting both patiently and impatiently.

Derek

 

I read that the i7-2720QM supports DDR3-1600 So-Dimms for RAM. So if I configure the 5170 to select the upgraded i7-2720QM CPU, should the reseller also offer 1600 speed RAM? I notice that the option for faster 1600 speed RAM does not appear on the XOTICPC configurator for the NP5170, but it may for other resellers of the NP5170/W170HN.

Edit: XTOPIC says that the NP5170 "doesn't support the 1600 MHz RAM." Not sure why anyone would spend on the bucks for the 2720 on this machine in that case?

Advantages of the 2720 beyond the stated processor speeds:
-While both the processors have base graphics clock frequency of 650 MHz, the core i7-2720qm has better 1.3 GHz turbo core frequency, as compared to 1.1 GHz for core i7-2630qm.
- The core i7-2720qm has support for the Intel Virtualization Technology for Directed I/O (VT-d) while the core i7-2630qm has none.
- Intel core i7-2720qm has support for WiDI diplay – the core i7-2630qm doe has none.
- The core i7-2720qm supports Intel My WiFi Technology which core i7-2630qm does not.
- The core i702720qm has been listed with support for 4G WiMAX Wireless Technology

Would the improved turbo frequency of the graphics section make a difference for gamers? I could see why someone might want the WiDi capability, but other than that, do an of the other items above make any difference for gamers?


Another possibly stupid question: Given that the 540M GPU on the NP5170 uses the Optimus thing to access the IGP on the CPU for longer battery life when not doing graphics intense things (like gaming), is it also the case that the IGP contributes to the total graphics performance for the machine (i.e., does the IGP help boost the normal performance capability of a 540M GPU alone)? Seems logical that you would harness the graphical processing power of both the GPU and the IGP on the CPU to maximize graphics performance when doing graphics intensive things (like gaming)? It seems like the 540M is the biggest weakness/bottleneck on the NP5170. It would be nice to know if the IGP helps boost that a little.

 

I had a few questions about the NP5170/w170HN. I figured I'd let all the reseller's jump in instead of PMing them all (plus I'm too new to do that).

I was wondering what the specs were on the stock screen are (gamut, etc.) and how it compares to the Macbook Pro screens. The only reason I use the Macbooks as comparison is there aren't too many screens to look at in the stores that actually pop and have good viewing angles. I think I'd be pretty happy if this one matched up to (or bettered ) the Macbook's. Also I noticed Mythlogic is the only one that has a 90% gamut screen for it as well, how does that one compare to MBP's screen and does anyone know if they price match the other resellers since their starting price is a bit higher? Do any of the other resellers do custom screen swaps? Is the jump from the standard one worth it?

Is the lid a brushed metal? It looks kind of like it from the pictures but I can't tell. Also how does it fare cooling wise?

I'd be using it mainly for graphics and video editing/encoding, not too much gaming. I like this one because of the Optimus, I'm hoping for 4 hours at least for normal use (internet, etc.) and 2.5 hours heavy use (Photoshop, Premiere). Hopefully that's not expecting too much.

I've never owned a Sager/Clevo before, if it holds up to what I've read, I think I'll be pleased. Thanks in advance for your help.

 

2630 supports all of these...

edit: and this

 

really? I read otherwise here:

Intel core i7-2630qm vs i7-2720qm comparison and differences | Starred Reviews

and, for example, Intel lists the following processors as supporting WiDi:

Intel® Core™ i7: 640M; 660LM; 640LM; 620M; 640LM; 690UM; 680UM; 660UM; 640UM; 620UM; 2820QM; 2720QM; 2620M; 2540M; 2520M; 2640LM; 2620LM; 2630UM; 2610UM; 2530UM
Intel® Core™ i5: 580M; 560M; 540M; 520M; 450M; 430M; 580UM; 560UM; 540UM; 520UM
Intel® Core™ i3: 370M; 350M; 330M

I see 2630UM in that list, but no 2630QM.

 

WiDi
http://forum.notebookreview.com/sager-clevo/551664-2630qm-widi.html

My WiFi (according to the requirements page, it has nothing to do with the processor)
Wireless Networking — Hardware component requirements for Intel® My WiFi Technology (Intel® MWT)

4g wimax: can't seem to find any information for or against, but i'm fairly certain it's the same as above, and there's no processor requirements.

Sorry, I was wrong about the last point.
Intel® Core? i7-2630QM Processor (6M Cache, 2.00 GHz)with SPEC Code(s)SR02Y

Edit: in addition, 2630qm does not support new AES instructions.

 

ah, I see the source of confusion then. thanks for clarifying sean.

 

so are they shipping the np5170s or is there still a wait

 

They are on all the other models schedule, in which they will start shipping next week.

 

The stock Sager screen is probably a slight downgrade to the stock Apple screen but the 90% color gamut screen is probably just as good or better then the upgraded Apple screen (it might even be the same exact screen). If you are a graphics guy and you are looking at this Sager, you should absolutely pay extra for the 90% color gamut screen.

 

I just got the following notice re: my 5170 order from XoticPC:

We have received confirmation from Sager that the model your ordered will soon be arriving in stock. Sager will be working to fill all orders as quickly as possible; however, production times will be extended due to the large amount of orders that will go through production. Please allow approximately 6-12 business days for production once your order is approved.

That is still noncommittal, but an improvement over silence

 

I'm considering getting the stock screen and checking it out. If I don't like it maybe Xotic will let me bring it in to install the 90% gamut one since I only live about 45 minutes from where they're located . I've got a PM into Justin, so we'll see if it will be cost effective. The more I think about it though the more I think I may just spring for the 90%, even though I'll probably go over my budget. On a side note if you guys didn't notice, the option for 90% gloss and 72% matte is available on Xotic now as well.

I'll probably check them both out in person, Xotic said they'd meet with me to see what they look like. I'll wait until they have the NP5170 on hand though. Might as well check out everything at once.

 

i noticed know on xotic their offering bluetooth with the wifi cards:

-Built-in 802.11 Wireless B/G/N - Stock Wireless Card + Bluetooth

-Intel® Advanced-N 6230 - 802.11A/B/G/N Wireless LAN Module + Bluetooth ( + 25 )

Anyone know what version of bluetooth it is v2.1 or 3.0?

And if i go for the Ultimate-N 6300 do anyone know if it come with the 3rd antenna installed?

 

All the bluetooth options are 3.0

The 6300 (Doesn't have bluetooth) but it should have its third antenna installed, the shells come with the antenna for it.

 

Man, you're lucky to live so close. I went back and forth between the stock screen and 90% gamut. Finally decided to switch to the 90% screen. So we'll see. I changed my order today, since I got the notice my order was awaiting action - changes to the configuration. It's supposed to slow the order down having them install the screen. But I figure what's an extra week or two after waiting this long.

Derek

 

First post. I was going to post in the "need help choosing a laptop" but I've been doing enough research and landed here. I think this laptop has what I need but I did have a couple of questions.

What I need is a trading laptop so I need multiple monitors for viewing lots of charts.

My setup will most likely be 2 add-on monitors with the laptop as the center, or 3 monitors with the laptop off to the side.

I've seen several products like the TripleHeadtoGO and the UVPlus+, but I have no experience with them. I see on the Xoticpc site that there are choices for different USB type adapters but there are no details on what some of the product actually are.

Question 1: Can Sager/Xotic recommend the best solution for my application?

Question 2: Can I successfully achieve the above with this laptop or do I need one with Eyefinity3 or equivalent?

I have more questions but will hold off until I know if I can do the multiple monitor thing!

Thanks for the feedback

-Jimmy

 

Hey,

We actually have someone who ordered this laptop as a ThinkOrSwim machine, and yea I can recommend some great addons that would work well for what you are trying to do, just shoot me a PM and I'll be glad to help.

thanks

 

thx for the info

One more quick question about the 6300 will the 3rd antenna help with connection thru brick or concrete walls?

 

It should as it does increase receive sensitivity and also transmit power distribution. However, in that situation it really depends on what kind of construction is. We've done some large (apartment / office) WiFi deployments, and if its block construction with re-bar re-enforcement then yea you need some really powerful access points to get through that as its just tough to get through that kind of environment, but the 6300 (paired with a ap that can take advantage of it) will help.

 

Feel Free to PM me or speak with any of our Sales Reps and we would be happy to help in anyway we can!

I personally use two of our USB to DVI Adapters (They are the least expensive and allow for more of them to be used at a later time). This allows me to have my laptop display, plus one off of my HDMI on the laptop and 2 extra monitors running off of 2 USB to DVI adapters. (This allows me to run 4 simultaneous displays). At one time I used 3 of the USB to DVI Adapters to have 5 displays going at one time.

The USB to DVI Adapters support FULL HD 1920x1080.

 

I was pretty happy when I found out they were so close, who would have known one of the bigger resellers was from Nebraska! Justin told me that I can get the 90% installed later for the same price if I wanted, of course that probably isn't cost effective for out of state buyers due to shipping. Maybe I'll check out the stock one, just to see if it is enough, after all my HP dv9540 doesn't have the greatest screen, so it will probably seem like a massive upgrade . The downside of being so close is that I have to pay tax, but at least I can go pick it up in person to avoid shipping.

Justin told be to contact him in about a week, he said that's when they'd have some 5170s coming in. I would expect that the non-custom orders (e.g. no custom screen or skins etc.) should be arriving a similar time frame since they'll be straight from Sager's factory. You pre-order guys will have to give us some first impressions.

 

I'll be running Tradestation so yes, basically the same thing. Good to hear others are using it for trading. I'll probably also use it for other functions except for gaming like netflix and surfing.

I couldn't figure out how to PM so I figured I'd just reply to you here.

Anything you can share as far as recommended products for multi-monitor set-ups that I could look at, that would be great. Thanks!

 

This will sound like a beginner question but a setup like you describe would work as one large window split into each individual monitor? I could drag a window from any window to another? The HDMI port won't just mirror the image?

Can you send me a link to info on your USB to DVI adapters so I could check them out? (sorry I could figure out how to pm you. if email would be better, let me know).

Another concern that I have with the NP5170 is that I'd like to leave the laptop on for long periods of time, like all week. Should I have any concern with overheating? I could get a cooler if that would help.

Thanks for your help.

-Jimmy

 

You would extend your monitor with the HDMI and have a separate resolution for each monitor. When you run a 2nd display from your HDMI/VGA/DVI you can select for it to either mirror or extend. You can drag applications from each monitor to another.

Please feel free to PM if you have any additional questions.

 

He doesn't have enough posts to PM yet...

Your PM ability will unlock when you have 5 posts.

 

In that case feel free to email me if you have any questions.

 

I knew there was a trick to it. thanks

 

That sounds really good.

What are your thoughts with leaving this laptop on for a week at a time? Any concerns?

Thanks

 

Well I know people who apparently leave their machines on all the time, but I don't recommend that. If you must, then take out the battery first and then turn your machine on....as usual, make sure you have a good cooler and all that.

I may be wrong, but that would be my recommendation.

Mr. Mysterious

 

I can't speak for sager laptops or any other laptop except my own, but my HP dv2000 is never off. By that, I mean, its closed but never truly off for most of the three years now. At most I do a restart for updates and such and that's about it.

 

That's a pretty good idea, I'd never thought of it. My current laptop only has a battery life of about 30 minutes because I kept it plugged in all the time so the screen would be brighter. Of course it is 4 years old too .

Does anyone know if there could potentially be any hazards for taking the battery out and leaving it plugged in all the time? Aside from dust in the battery compartment it seems like a decent solution if you want your battery to last longer, but don't want power saving screen brightness.

 

Only hazard would be if you left your laptop on all the time smothered by some blankets... otherwise, its best to not have your battery in when you are plugged into the wall (if already fully charged).

What I don't get is why there isn't some type of software or hardware that would tell the laptop to stop trying to charge the battery until either 1) the battery drops below 30% or 2) I actually just tell it to charge anyways. Once you tell it to charge, it should go to 100% then cut charging again.

Anyone know if something like this exists?

 

Personally I leave the battery in all the time, even when plugged into the AC line. My Asus G1 that just recently died was over 4 years old and still could run the laptop for over an hour. Leaving the battery in is a good UPS solution. If you do any kind of productivity work this could save you a lot of time and headache having to recreate your work. The rate of degradation of your battery over time is not considerably reduced by just removing it from your laptop, you have to store it at a temperature just above freezing with a 40% of full charge, you would also have to every few months remove the battery and allow it to come up to room temp and charge it back up to 40% if you want to store it in the best of conditions. If you are worried about the cost to replace a battery, save $5 or $10 every month and by the time the warranty is expired or when you may need a new battery you would have more than enough funds to buy a new one. Batteries are a consumable, just use it and enjoy it.

 

You don't accomplish much by removing the battery, because today's laptop batteries don't overcharge themselves; they are smart.
On the other hand, laptop batteries need to be occasionally cycled, otherwise their life is shortened.

Meanwhile, always leaving your computer on wastes a tremendous amount of electricity. At the minimum, it is a good idea to always fully shut down your laptop before moving it around at least. Then you are less likely to cause a problem (like a HDD crash) if you drop or badly jostle it.

 

Leaving a computer on doesn't necessarily use a tremendous amount of electricity. In fact that is what Sleep and Hibernate are for - energy saving. They allow the computer to be left on, while conserving power, shutting certain things down depending on which level is chosen. And in hibernate the HDD is typically off. So it is at rest when moving about.

http://windows.microsoft.com/en-US/windows7/Sleep-and-hibernation-frequently-asked-questions

 

True that, sleep mode sucks 6 watts or less, so you can avoid the waste that way (vs. maybe 15-60 watts when laptop is fully on). Probably a fair presumption he didn't really mean he leaves his laptop fully on for weeks at a time. That is not a tremendous amount, but waste is waste and it adds up, along with other devices in the house acting like little nightime electricity vampires.

I agree, hibernation is safe enough for travel because it parks the head on the HDD. I would not travel in sleep or standby mode though.

Also, routinely fully shutting down your lappy gives you a nice fresh clean tingly feeling--purging some of the crap that can build up over time. follow that up with a nice adware/spyware sweep, virus sweep, disc cleanup, and defrag and, ahhhhhh, feels goooood.

 

I was curious too and did some googling, unfortunately the closest thing I found was specific for Thinkpads. It's in their Power manager software, unfortunately that doesn't really help out non-Thinkpad owners.

Even though the newer batteries are smart, I think they would still suffer from more excessive heat from being plugged in all the time. I'm sure that would have a negative impact on the longevity. However I think othonda has the right idea, that you should probably just figure out how much you want to put away for a battery before you need it. We can't expect them to last forever. I just want to squeeze a little more time out of mine .

I also found this to be interesting. Some of it is a little too technical, but the third table down shows that if you store your battery at semi room temp the 100% battery degrades 5x more than at 40%.

Edit: The first year is 5x more.

 

along those lines, as many of us are attracted to the longer battery life achieved on the NP5170 through GPU use optimization via Optimus, you may also want to optimize CPU power consumption with something like this Granola software: Granola - Intelligent Power Management for Windows and Linux

 

I trade futures which open Sunday night and close Friday afternoon. I'll set alerts that can go off at anytime day or night. As long as the charts are running I wouldn't think that it would go into sleep mode. So yes it would be on the entire time

Yah I know it's a long time and most likely wouldn't do that every week but it would be nice to know I could do it and that the laptop could handle it.

What would wear out from "over use" the fans and screen? The hard drive shouldn't be running, just streaming data coming in.

I completely agree with the benefits of shutting it down.

 

well NP5170, with Optimus enabled, is nice if you plan to really leave it fully on for weeks at a time, because it should switch off the separate GPU for most of the time. I would also look into that Granola software that I linked as well, which I think basically throttles down the CPU when you are not using it, if you want to reduce heat/power consumption. I don't know if I would bother with a cooler also, at least not one that runs constantly. Seems like that would not be worth the electricity to run it or the cost of the cooler itself. But it couldn't hurt otherwise.

 

erisalit, do you actually use Granola or did you just find it? I was wondering if you reach maximum processing power when you need it, say when transcoding video. Because if it doesn't cripple your processor when you need it, it looks like a good addition to the Optimus like you said.

 

Does this laptop support SATA - 6 Gbps?

 

In the HDD bay yes, but not the Optical bay its only SATAII

 

just installed Granola today, but I don't do any video transcoding or anything to CPU intensive on the POS old VAIO laptop I have been using while waiting for my NP5170 to arrive.

 

Seems like there was a pretty good conversation going in here, and my question(s) is related.

Does anyone think it's worthwhile to buy a cooler? It would cool down and make the parts last longer, but how much longer? My last laptop lasted almost 5 years (and still going, handed off to my parents for basic uses).

The battery issue has been fully discussed so I won't ask another question. It seems silly to remove the battery every time you are plugged in and fully charged. I would hope with this computer, I can (for example) sit down at my desk and watch a movie then pause and move to a couch and not have to worry about dragging my AC adapter with me and finish on the couch. Then plug back in later and keep it plugged in and closed overnight.... anyone see potential battery life issues?

 

It is good to drain the battery down to say 30% every so often (aka cycling), such as by finishing a movie on the couch.

I think the usefulness/worthwhileness of a cooler depends on the computer. Obviously you need to match up what the cooler is doing and where the vents are on your laptop. A cooler could do little or even be counterproductive depending which way the air is blowing in relation to the vents on the computer (both pulling air in or both blowing air out at the same spot is obviously counterproductive). Cons include the hassle (one more peripheral to deal with, possibly with its own electrical plug, or using up a usb port), possible negative or positive ergonomic impact (using laptop propped higher than usual may annoy you), cost, possible noise, possible extra dust accumulation due to possibly unnecessarily excessive airflow, and extra electricity use (which should be pretty minimal). I hope once people get these NP5170s, we are going to see good looking data on the temps, even while gaming, such that extra coolers appear unnecessary.

You may find that the internal fans kick on less often if you use an external cooler, thus partially or totally defeating the point of an external cooler. The internal fans would be controlled based on internal temps. You don't want to just substitute external cooling for internal cooling. Unfortunately, your internal fans may do less in response to your external fans.

You may find that just keeping your laptop free of dust, making sure to use your laptop on a hard surface, and maybe propping up your laptop with whatever you have on hand (to make extra space for the vents), or a nonpowered laptop stand, can do as much or nearly as much as a powered cooler, for zero or low cost. I have never bothered with a powered cooler. I have a 3 piece plastic laptop stand that tilts and raises my laptop. It is somewhat similar to this DIY cardboard version: Make a Portable Cardboard Laptop Stand Within 2 Mins. ~ Tech Lounge 4u I use the stand sometimes for gaming, but not for general use very often. I also always use the laptop on a hard surface (like my lapdesk) and never block the vents.

On a related note, taking out the battery can actually reduce the heat in a laptop considerably, depending on the particular laptop and how hot your battery gets. But I always leave my battery in, because I am too lazy to bother with it, don't want to misplace it, like having the uninteruptible power supply benefit of leaving it in, and am unconvinced of the value of taking it out vs. the cons.

I would suggest actually look at the temps of your laptop, especially during gaming and other big heat activities. If the temps concern you, trying propping it up or using a stand and/or taking out the battery at the hottest times. If the temps still concern you, then maybe resort to a powered cooler, and then see if it helps or not, and return it if it doesn't help.

 

I think a cooler is worthwhile. Not only will it help extend the life of your computer, but it also makes it more comfortable on your lap. I can't say how much it extends the life but I know heat is one of the main reason for parts failure in laptops.

When my first cooling pad broke, I didn't have one for several months. In that time my wifi card would work sporadically, other wifi devices had no problems during this time so I know it wasn't just my router. I bought a new cooling pad and my wifi problems went away. Of course it could be coincidence, but I think the card was getting overheated. I wasn't even doing anything too demanding when this happened. Hopefully the 5170 will have much better cooling than my current HP laptop, in which case a cooling pad may be moot. The HP gets noticeably cooler with the cooling pad on, so it's not just replacing internal fans with external. I agree with erisalit's suggestions too, but I have found a cooling pad to be beneficial to me.

I don't think your example should be too hard on a battery, that's basically the use it was intended for. What we were talking about was if you leave it plugged in all the time. Currently my laptop stays in the same general area by my couch, so the majority of the time I leave it plugged in, because I'm lazy and I like to have a brighter screen than powersave allows.

I wonder how long the battery life will be during 1080i/p playback? I hope it skews to the longer end, since the integrated graphics should be able to handle that.

 

@mythologic

But why there is an option to get a SATA-III ssd as a 2nd hard drive in the Optical bay it only SATA-II is supported?

 

They'll still work, as all that SATAs are backwards compatible, they just won't work at SATA III speeds.

 

I currently owned a dv7-tqe (with i7-2630qm, 6G Ram, 640 7200Rpm HDD, blu-ray writer, 9-cell battery, etc.) and is considering returining it due to fauly chipset and want to get a NP 5170 instead. I have some questions.

I really like the specs of NP 5170 over the HP dv7 tqe due to its FHD display and getting a Envy 17 would be too expensive for me.

However, NP 5170 only have 1 Hard drive bay whereas HP dv7 has 2. I want to have a ssd to improve performance since i am on the laptop a few hours each day. But i also need the optical drive so don't want to give it up for a 2nd HDD. A 2 Hard drive of one ssd for OS and programs, and one 7200 RPM hard drive for data would be perfect for me.

In the event i can only have a Hard drive for everything, how large of the ssd i would need to hold the windows 7 OS, programs like MS office, video editing software, etc. and about at least 50 GB of user storage?

Is there other option to save disk space on the ssd? I know in the long run i can use external USB drive for extra storage but want to know if 120G ssd is ok for a single hard drive laptop or must i go with 180G, 240G, or higher?

Don't understand why Sager does not make 2 bays in NP 5170 like in all their other 17.3" laptops?

Another thing i see as a drawback of NP 5170 is lack of a 9-cell battery option. This is also available in dv7.

Well, it seems there is always dilemma choosing among these laptops without breaking the bank. (my budget is to stay below $1400)

Thanks a lot for any helps.