*** Official Sager NP8170/Clevo P170HM Owners Lounge ***

Sick thing to read, knowing that my machine is sitting in their shop.

At this point I'm fully expectant of my screen coming with a flawed pixel. I just hope it's one I can ignore. I'm honestly not sure that I could look past it, having spent $200 for a premium product.

I know I don't sound too optimistic lately, but the FBI seizure of the online poker sites and all of the money involved, has me on a serious negative streak. Luckily I withdrew enough to buy my notebook, before the stuff hit the fan.

EDIT: ya know what? Monday I'll call and flat out ask, and if it has a bad pixel, I'll just ask for the default screen and a refund right then and there. I'm seriously in "don't give a damn" mode.

 

That is terrible news. I ordered from Xoticpc 6 days ago with the 90% screen and 0 defect. I didn't hear about the backorder or lack of perfect screens. Now I'm worried my order will be delayed significantly.

Damn.

 

I read in their FAQ section that Xotic PC will not charge you for a backordered item until they aren't backordered anymore. So if you were charged already then I think you are safe.

Custom Laptops, Gaming Notebooks, Custom Gaming Laptops | XOTIC PC

 

Hi sorry to bother you all today but I ordered an Origin EON 17S a couple of weeks ago to replace my old XPS M1710 and while I wait for it to ship I have a few questions. I am opting to post in this thread because from my understanding the EON 17s uses the Clevo P170HM chasis:

1) Does anyone own the EON 17S? I made my purchase before checking these forums and noticed almost everyone bought their laptops from Xtoic/Mythlogic. I bought from Origin because they were the first (and it seems like still only) to offer the OCZ Vertex 3 as an SSD option. I was just curious about your thoughts on Origin's service quality should anything come up and general satifaction with the company.

2) I plan on using my laptop 75% of the time as a desktop replacement focusing on video editing and was curious about the quality of the screen.

3) For those times I am on the go, what is the battery life I should expect? How about the heat generated (my xps 1710 burns up my leg after 20 minutes of use)

4) Does anyone have any photos of their laptops? I can't find any "real world" shots only the same stock clevo photos.

Thank you for your time.

 

Thanks for pointing that out. I checked and Xotic did charge my card on 4/13, so perhaps I slipped in just in time.

 

The thing is that I learned about it when I pushed them a little. I was resigned in waiting for the backorder issue but at the last minute I asked my rep at Xotic if I was sure to get a screen when the laptops would be shipping again.

I just didn't want to deal with a backorder on the laptop and then a backorder on the screen.

That's when he told me that they could hold one for me but couldn't offer the 0 dead pixel warranty on it etc...I was like

 

Don't sweat it. Since you bought the pixel guarantee, they'll take the bad screen out of yours and put it in mine.

F!

 

Man I ordered my laptop like few hours later after Kevin. So mine is also with Xotic at this point and hopefully the stuck pixel wont be a big issue. because at this point looks like i am going to get one.

This really sucks after paying 220 more for the screen

 

1)I don't think I have heard of anyone with an Eon and I ordered through powernotebooks so I can't really comment on this.

2) From what people have been saying there is some bleeding in the screen. Resellers are saying that the screen is of an average quality but from what I hear and from the pictures posted earlier in the threat I would say the screen quality is quite bad concidering the price.

3) I think people are saying they get about 2 hrs or more and the temps should stay quite low unless you are really pushing it.

4) HTWingnut has photos and a review up here
http://forum.notebookreview.com/sag...-review-htwingnut-resident-goldfish-blub.html

Ill get mine on monday so I will be able to say for sure then

 

I think later on this year, from what we have been hearing, we should have some better upgrade screens for these models. The current high Color Gamut optional ones have been disapointing many...
_

 

While it would definitely be nice to have a better stock screen, I have not seen comments complaining about the optional 90% gamut screen. I don't yet have my unit, so I can't comment directly on the quality. I also don't think I have read every entry in the owners thread, but I have read several very positive comments.

Ira

 

Hopefully I will be able to deal with the stock screen. As long as it is better than my old one it should be fine. But seriously if the screen is worse than my 3 year old sony I will be very annoyed.

 

Well below is one of them...

http://forum.notebookreview.com/sager-clevo-reviews-owners-lounges/546329-official-sager-np8170-clevo-p170hm-owners-lounge-192.html#post7337415
_

 

No question that pixel defects are annoying especially when paying extra for a screen. However, that appears to be the only complaint. Even the post you cited states that the image quality is good. I hope Xotic can find me a defect free screen as I did pay for both the upgraded screen and the 0 defect guarantee.

Ira

 

You're calling a "stuck pixel" a complaint on the screen?

More like lpc digital doesn't offer the 90 percent screen as is down-playing potential improvement on the upgrade.

If you read through 200+ pages of review you can easily determine that the stock screen is horrible and the upgraded screens are pretty decent.

I'll send a stuck pixel screen back if zi get one, but all screens are subject to this possibility. Has no reflection on screen quality.

 

Just curious
How does the 90% upgrade display compare to the AW M17 R3 display?

 

We did offer these 90%'s but we pulled it off because of complaints. Sorry.

 

Did you carry the B173HW01 V.4 for the upgraded glossy screen?

 

Yes that is very true. Also we may again later. They truly are very nice screens...
_

 

You haven't posted here for long enough, to be calling out that man for attempting to sabotage the sales of someone else. Just don't do it.

This current crop of V.4s seems to have a higher than usual ratio of having flaws. Is it because the screens with stuck pixels have been repeatedly skipped over, and pushed back into the channel? Maybe.

Bottom line is, good luck.

 

I have 1 stuck pixel on my upgraded screen. It's located towards the bottom left corner of my screen.

 

I have a B173HW01 V.0 (from my previous-gen w870cu that I transplanted into my P170HM) and it's also a very nice screen, I can only imagine that the V.4 is even better.

I also just discovered that it has a stuck on blue pixel. I only noticed it when doing black-background comparisons with the stock LG screen, and even then I literally couldn't see it when sitting at a normal distance from the screen. If I leaned in, I could spot it, but otherwise it was literally invisible. And I had it for over a year before I noticed.

So at least in my case, I wouldn't get too worked up over a single pixel, particularly if it's off-center, and it's not green (which I assume is the most visible). I'd take a stuck pixel or two on a great screen over a bad screen any day of the week. Though it would suck to pay a couple hundred extra for a not-perfect screen.

 

If the stock screen was indeed so horrible, there would be complaints on here coming up the wazoo. If you put a 60% gamut screen next to one with 90% gamut, the former will never appear as good as the latter. It's called perceptual contrast, and it skews decision-making.

Just because all screens have the possibility of developing defective pixels, doesn't mean all screens across all manufacturers and models have the same probability of developing it. It's the reason why there is an ISO standard with various classifications. A model with a greater incidence of defective pixels is obviously of a lower quality than one with a smaller incidence.

 

I just ordered my NP8170 with a single 500gb HDD from RK Computers. Can anyone tell me what drive this is? I'm going to order a 2nd one from Newegg for RAID0, since I have a gift card there... and would like to get a matching one. Does each reseller choose the drives, or does Sager provide it when the reseller orders it?

Thanks!

 

I have right now AU Optronics B173HW01 V.5 display in my Clevo P170HM. Is there something better available to replace this display ? I'm waiting also for any IPS display upgrade it will be cool.

 

Some resellers say better screens may be available around May, some say "later in the year."

Seems like the best screens at the moment are the AUO V5, V4, with a few people preferring the V0. There aren't too many reviews of the V5 but most seem quite happy with their V4s. I thought you liked your screen... is the V5 not cutting it anymore?

 

You have the best Matte that's publicly available.

 

Just to let everyone know we are NOT backordered at least from us. I probably have around 10 P170's (Probably a little less by the time you read this lol) that we can build and ship pretty quick.

I'll also be getting (hopefully) at the end of this week a shipment of B173HW01 V4's that took some begging but we found, but we won't confirm them in stock until we get them AND test them for flawless-ness.

So anyone who would like a P170 faster than late may let us know =)

 

New NVIDIA drivers support the 485GTX ... http://forum.notebookreview.com/sag...notebook-whql-270-61-released-18th-april.html

 

Just to contribute for those shopping for a NP8170... I just cancelled my order to Xotic PC because it was gonna take too long to get it. I asked about the pixel issue with upgraded screen, wanting to confirm what I read here. Here's part of the e-mail response I got from Brett S. about that:

"We actually cannot offer the no dead pixel policy on those screens at this point. We are running to the end of our stock on them, and while we have only had a very small percentage of the total units sold get dead or stuck pixels, we don’t have enough stock to guarantee that anymore. As for the timing, those machines are on backorder until about April 26th. Once they do arrive in stock and your payment is approved, the laptop assembly, customization, and testing process is estimated at 10-15 business days. Once production is complete, then the order would ship according to your chosen shipping method."​

I confirmed also that if you go with a standard screen, it reduces this timeframe by 4-7 days.

I looked around at different stores that sold the NP8170 and was considering Mythlogic and RK Computers. I went with RK Computers because of three reasons: (1) their store shows how many were in stock, and they had 8. (2) they only take 3-5 days to customize before shipping out. (3) they offered a 3-year parts warranty for $149, which was gonna cost me $275 at Mythlogic (although Mythlogic includes a 4th year of labor warranty, I didn't personally care about that).

I didn't upgrade my screen because RK Computers doesn't offer a screen upgrade. I work on computers and laptops as a repair technician and can replace my own screen later.

I appreciate Mythlogic's activity in this forum, which bolsters my trust in them. I've also heard the service is outstanding. I didn't go with them because my configuration was going to cost a couple hundred more than the other stores I looked at, plus I couldn't see at the moment if any were in stock. What I did appreciate was the professional monitor calibration and option for a fully internal TV tuner (though I wish I could see specs on it). Also, I'm not sure I understand the Lifetime Phoenix Upgrade Plan. Can anyone give an example how the Phoenix plan could be used?

 

Yea I can roll with the example of the TV tuner.

Basically it works with our cost of the part + 5%.

So if the TV tuner costs us $70 then we add $3.50 to the price and sell it to you for $73.50 as an upgrade (Note I don't know if thats what the tuner costs, I don't have it in-front of me at the moment, so just as an example). Then you have the option of either sending us the laptop to put it in, OR we can just send you the part. The part (upgrade) is covered by the balance of your warranty. Your old part is still yours and you can do with it what you want.

 

I have a problem since today! My GPU stays at maximum speed, 575MHz "gtx 485m"
installing the new nvidia drivers makes no difference, also downgrade to the clevo stock drivers dos nothing!

Does anyone have a solution!

 

Thanks, that actually sounds AWESOME.

 

Thanks for pointing this out! downloading now

 

OH MAN.

I just got this update from RK Computers...

"We do not stock the sager models, all are custom built per order by sager. The build-lead time is 7-10 business days. We have to show stock or you would not be able to place an order."​

I'm trying not to be mad...

and their web site, under "Why Choose RKC?" says

"We have one of the largest selections of fully customizable notebooks from manufactures like MSI, Asus Ensemble, ASmobile, Clevo, Sager, Durabook, Panasonic, OCZ and many more. We offer quick order processing, competitive pricing, and unmatched customer service.

All notebooks and components advertised on our website are in stock, we do not charge "rush order" fees as most notebook orders will ship within 3-5 business days from the order date. "​

Now I wish I went with Mythlogic to begin with. But I already paid RKC... they'll get back with me later today on timeframe of delivery since they're ordering from Sager right now. If it's cutting it too close to my deadline I'll cancel the order and go Mythlogic.

What's with all this crap? I'm sorry, but Xoticpc.com configuration screen says they offer the 90% gamut screen and you can choose pixel guarantee, and only AFTER you order do they tell you about the backorder, the no pixel guarantee, the 2-3 weeks to configure after they receive from Sager and before shipping out to me. BAD!

Just venting... I'll be ok.

 

GPU speed problem only occurs when using an external display.

 

@AnakiMana

Yeah, I know what you mean. Been waiting quite awhile for mine to be built and shipped.

 

Is there a difference between the NP8170 and NP8170-S1?

I hope not because I don't see the S1 indication on the store I just bought mine from.

 

They are the same, however....
The S-1 models are a special package deal for those ordering a higher configured NP8170 or a NP8150. It gives you a special savings starting point that can save you alot...

 

Just a note...it is true that the NP8170 of late has been shipping out faster with the AMD 6970M than the ones with the nVidia 485M's, however things will be doing somewhat better now with the 485M's. Thank you for your patience!
_

 

This is normal behaviour. As it is running 2 screens, nvidia doesn't think it can handle it at anything other than full speed.

On my 8800M GTX, I use nvidia system tools to manually downclock, and it usually kicks the auto-downclock into action too e.g. I manually DC to 200/200/400 and after a while (sometimes after putting to sleep) it starts auto DC, then I manually set it back to factory frequencies and the auto DC keeps working. ymmv

 

Just got mine set up and everything. It is pretty awesome. I am still downloading everything and it took a long while to get windows 7 loaded. I only had the upgrade disk so it took forever. But now it is up and working. I am about to get the drivers then I will be of to game!

 

I understand and apologize for the frustration caused. Although it is no excuse we get notified quite often at the last minute when machines go out of stock @ Sager. I understand that it is frustrating we try to do our best to notify customers as soon as we are updated about this. I apologize your order fit into this back order that is expected to resume shipments 4/26. We greatly appreciate everyone's patience with this and sorry it did not work with your timeline/requirement.

Regarding the screens, as many know, they have been very popular and we have been going through hundreds of screens each week with the limited stock that is available before this is discontinued by AUO. Overall our stock has had a small % of dead pixels, however I understand the concerns with the DP Warranty. Overall we have not seen the dead pixel % of these high gamut screens exceed the dead pixel % of the stock screens on these models. The 15.6" Matte high gamut also have been very good with very few dead pixel screens.

 

Here's 2 benchmarks i did for high PhysX performance with the gtx 485m on 2 games...

Batman Arkham Asylum
YouTube - Batman Arkham Asylum Benchmark - GTX 485m - Maxed Out + High PhysX

Mafia 2
YouTube - Mafia 2 Benchmark - GTX 485m - Maxed out + High PhysX

Keep in mind, they lag and chop because of fraps, each benchmark gained about 10-15 fps without fraps. Mafia 2 played in the ACTUAL gameplay way higher FPS than the benchmark indicated. It was usually between 40-60 fps during normal gameplay.

I love this gpu.

 

Just tried out Portal 2- this laptop handles it on max settings like a champ.

 

Finally made the order with the help of 2 friends in the states.

Thanks Brett to help me with all my doubts.

XOTIC PC NP8170-S1| 17.3" 1080p Glossy NTSC 90% | i7-2630QM | GTX 485m | 8GB DDR3 RAM | 500GB 7200RPM | 500GB 7200RPM | Intel 6230 | WIN 7 Ultimate 64 Bits | Ordered 4/13/11

 

My review of the Sager NP8170 vs. the Asus G73JH

This is my first review and I am going to concentrate on 3d rendering using Vue 9. I will benchmark the only tough game (err … simulation) I play and that’s F1 2010. I know this is an unfair advantage to the 8170; however, I look forward to moving back into the NVidia card. Ever since updating the G73JH video card to current drivers, Nascar Racing 2003 Season will not run anymore. This will also answer some questions on how the new NP8170 works as a rendering machine.

First off, my machines:

G73JH 17.3” Glossy
Core I7-720
6 GB memory
ATI 5870 1 GB DDR3 DX10
500 GB 7200 rpm HDD
640 GB 5400 rpm HDD

Sager NP8170 17.3” 90% Gamut Glossy
Core I7-2820
16 GB memory
NVidia GTX485M 2 GB DDR5 DX11
750 GB 7200 rpm HDD
750 GB 7200 rpm HDD

For rendering, I will use the same complex scene for both computers.

G73 Vue 9:
Resolution 11”x8”
Dpi 600
Time to render 28 minutes

NP8170 Vue 9:
Resolution: 11”x8”
DPI 600
Time to render 16 minutes

G73 F1 2010:
FPS: Microsoft will not allow game on two computers due to activation so I could not run benchmark, however the G73 with 1600x900 resolution was a much lower number.

NP8170 F1 2010:
Resolution 1920x1080
All max effects on
Min FPS 47
Max 68

G73 Unigine-Heaven-2.5:
Resolution 1600x900
All max effects on
Min FPS 3.8
Max FPS 24.3

NP8170 Unigine-Heaven-2.5:
Resolution 1920x1080
All max effects on
Min FPS 6.1
Max FPS 28.0

The Vue rendering is about twice as fast. The more complex the picture, the faster it ran. This really tests the math that the two CPU's do. 6MB level 3 cache vs 8MB level 3 cache.

Look and feel:

The G73 was by far the fastest and best built laptop I have ever owned. I have traveled to Japan and other places and have used it on the plane. I know, way too big you say. When the flight is eleven hours, one really needs something to do. My company flew me on the japan flights in business class hence the use of the G73. The keyboard was something to get used to. I had used for six years a Toshiba P25-S609, a ten pound beast. I loved that laptop and the keyboard. The chi keyboard sometimes messes me up when typing but I have gotten used to it. I have a Bluetooth dongle in it so I used a mouse almost all the time. The only time I don’t is when I plug in my tablet for graphics use. The mouse pad on the G73 is very nice though, and I enjoy using it when I am cruising the internet in bed (I have a big padded lap table for that). The screen is a 17.3” glossy. I really don’t like the glossy screen so I installed a matte screen protector from the company Viewguard. I love the look of the screen. The colors are really nice and the contrast is very good and the screen guard did not hurt the colors or contrast at all. The viewing angles are good from left to right, but I need to adjust the up and down angles sometimes when working with photography. I am also able to touch the screen when pointing out something and it can be wiped easily with a micro fiber cloth. The reflections and glare are extremely diminished with the protector.

The G73 is the coolest running laptop I have ever used. The fan noise at idle is noticeable when in a silent room and when running unigine-heaven for frame rates; it becomes just a tad louder. The Toshiba is much noisier than the G73. The overall construction is really good. It just “feels” good. I like the rubbery feel of the surfaces. And there is no annoying flashy stuff. The reason to upgrade to the NP8170 was to fit it in my favorite travel bag again and have that leap of performance. Overall, I am very happy that I purchased this laptop a year and a half ago. The G73 now belongs to my wife who has moved up from my old Toshiba because her HP DV9000 fried two years after purchase and HP would not honor servicing it even though it was a design flaw. (Don’t get me on that high horse!)

NP8170

First off, my thanks to Brett at XOTIC PC. He was very understanding and patient with my questions and also changing my screen to 90% gamut at the last moment.

The laptop is beautiful. I really like the overall finish. I have installed the ViewGuard screen protector and have not noticed any change in the display except that there is much less glare. I have included pictures of the different views and this was from a very bright room with big open windows.

I like the keyboard better than the G73, don’t know why, just feels better. I don’t especially care for the Chiclet keyboards. I type hard and both of these keyboards don’t give me that confidence.

I bought a Logitech M705 mouse and really like the mouse. I do not use the touch pad but it does feel good and is responsive. The viewing angles are better than the G73, but as in the G73, low down angles are not very good. But then I don't sit on the floor. The contrast is much better than the G73.

Good points: the DVD/CD has a light that tells me when it is being accessed. I have been able to load all my old games. Links 2003, NASCAR Racing 2003, Doom 3 and Unreal II. All run at max eye candy with no stutter at all. I could not do that with the G73 and the ATI card. Graphics rendering is a dream, taking about half the time compared to the G73.

Bad points: I have a stuck pixel in the upper left, not a problem and I am not going to send it back. I have included a picture of the stuck pixel. Massaging the pixel has not helped. The bluetooth does not start at turn on and I have not figured that one out. The sound is not as good as the G73. It took me a couple of hours to get the sound I wanted. It’s a good thing this laptop comes with the THX software which makes a big difference. Base is lacking somewhat.

Overall, I am very happy with my purchase. The performance boost is incredible. The GTX485M is everything I expected and wanted for game play even though I play old school games. The upgrade from the stock screen was as good as I had hoped and even exceeded my expectations. I would recommend this laptop to any photographer/CGI artist/Gamer out there. It does it all with ease!

 

I installed yesterday the latest NVIDIA VERDE drivers 270.61, and all went well.
I tried to run the Anaglyph 3D (Red Blue), but the System does not react when I select "Activate 3D" from the program menu, and I also don't find any 3D setting in the Nvidia Control Panel.

Otherwise very happy with machine. Waiting for the AUO LCD panel.

 

Thanks for the review Dunphy! Looks like you have a great system there and I'm glad we could be of assistance for you on this. It's good to see images of how that matte cover looks with the display as I was curious when you told me about it. Glad you could get the sound worked out as well, since I've had a few people comment on that. What settings did you use in the software to get it to the "sweet spot" for you? Just curious for future reference...

 

I used the THX software and adjusted the surround to just hear the front speakers. I turned off the "swap center/ base subwoofer" in the Realtek HD Audio manager and lost a little base but the overall sound was great and much louder. My wife asked me what I was doing so she heard it from another room. Also, when using headphones, you need to turn off surround altogether because no sound will come out of headphones. Scared me for a second.This beast will take awhile to "learn" how to use it.
The matte was a pain to put on and requires a lot of patience. I did better on my G73, but I still love it!