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

How to change wi-fi card in Clevo P170HM? Please with pictures. I wont to replace realtek 8188 => intel 6230. Thank you.

 

Below is a link to a service manual that can help you with doing a WiFi card upgrade.

ClevoP170HMand3-SagerNP8170ServiceManual.pdf

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Hi guys. anyone here already have tried the NEW Nvidia 3D glasses Ver 2 on their Sager? when will it be offered on our Sager?

 

Thank you. I forgot about the service manual. One more question. Fan video card (Geforce GTS 560M) permanently switched on / off, chip temperature around 40 degrees Celsius at idle. What can be done to rotate the fan at the lowest speed? Programs automatically controls the rotation (eg MSI Afterburner) do not work.

 

Should be soon! I know the Version 2 glasses are backwards compatible, so it'll just be a simple inventory switch.

Does the Fn + 1 to toggle the fans on and off help at all?

 

Do you you have a Sager branded 8170? The bios (EC) controls the fan speed. Make sure you have the latest bios/EC package. The fans should run fine with it.
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I dont have a Sager 8170. I have a DNS (0133849). EC revision 1.00.06, BIOS revision 1.01.08RDN. EC 1.00.08 version is said to have problems with speed fan?

 

And one more question. I can flash the BIOS and EC separately? Or should I first flash the EC, then the BIOS (eg first EC 1.00.08, then the BIOS 1.01.10)?

 

Well I got my machine last night, loaded win7 x64 (usb stick install) and drivers in about 20 mins, that is fast!

My setup
P170HM
Display: 17.3" 1920 x 1080 FHD LED Backlit Glossy Display
Display Upgrades: A+ Grade Panel With 45 Day Perfect Pixel Warranty
Processor: Intel® Core™ i7-2630QM, 6MB L3 Cache, 2.0-2.9GHz
Memory: (8GB) 8192MB, PC3-10660/1333MHz DDR3 - 4 SO-DIMM
Graphics Card: AMD® Radeon HD 6990M 2GB GDDR5
Hard Drive: 500GB 7200rpm 2.5" SATA 300
Optical Drive Bay: 8X Multi DVD+/-R/RW RAM Dual-Layer Drive
Wireless: Intel® 6230 Advanced-N 802.11A/B/G/N LAN and Bluetooth Card
Cooling: Stock OEM Thermal Compound, CPU & GPU
Keyboard: English: US & Canada
Power Cord: US & Canada
Branding: MALIBAL

The good:

Video is great, 6990m blasts through the games I play (Team Fortress 2; Left 4 Dead 1, 2; Crysis 2; etc.) I made sure to tweak both power settings (laptop's and windows) to performance.

Screen is very sharp and bright! Things in 1080p look great but it's hard for the eyes to adjust looking at the small font.

Cooling is pretty good, CPU idles around 37-42 C (different cores have different temps), the video chip stays around low 40s.

I'm happy with the machine overall except for a few things:

Webcam: very dark, does not compensate for darker environments. 2MP? Really? My 4 yr old laptop has 3MP and compensates for lack of lighting.

Sound: Poor, even with all drivers and THX installed/registered/tweaked. Speakers are OK, don't really care about them. I can tell how poor the sound is using my headphones (Sennheiser HD 205)
If you're looking to do work with audio/music skip this device.

Power brick: I understand this machine needs a lot of juice for the components it integrates but damn that thing is HUGE. Almost looks like a real brick! Also the brick's cord is quite short, I'd prefer to leave it on the ground so I have more space around the desk but I can't since the cord won't reach up to the desk and to where the laptop sits.

That's pretty much it for now, I feel that a "full" review would be pointless since there are several threads covering this machine in more detail, I just wanted to express how I felt about it. If anything else happens I'll post here!

/flame shield on

 

Yes the EC image file is separate from the bios file. Most do the bios file first.
_

 

Have you enabled the enhanced sound with Fn + 5?

And if you're looking to do work with audio/music on a laptop, there's no way you shouldn't have at least a decent DAC.

 

Yep, FN+5 only affects the speaker performance.

 

Hi, I've had mine for about 2 weeks now and every time I sit behind it I learn something new about the audio. I've been doing a "bit" a testing and have found that these settings sound best with both my onboard speakers, and my "Skull Candy ink'd" earbuds. I have to respectfully disagree with you. Though at first, I also thought the audio was poor but after testing and adjusting these are optimal settings for me. If you still believe the audio is poor, you have higher standards than myself, as in my opinion this is the best sounding laptop I have ever heard, (a week ago I was saying to myself it stunk). I have tested on streaming audio, games, and movies. These settings sound best both with and without earphones. Also the FN+5 really makes a difference. Also to note, for some reason which I have not yet identified.. the "Loudness Equalization" will have a different affect on different applications, and I also have to check to see if it is checked or not. Some apps, when it's checked it's louder, and on other apps when it's not checked it louder.. Annoying, as I have not yet figured it out.


W/Earbuds -THX StudioPro = Surround@0% / Crystalizer@70% / Speaker@100%



W/Speakers - THX StudioPro = Surround@54% / Crystalizer@70% / Speaker@100%

 

To me the bass is non-existent in this device, even using an equalizer to play mp3s don't make a difference. I fiddled with the settings for a while last night and today and it's still the same.

My tunes sound better using a sony walkman (digital.. not tapes lol) than on the computer with the same headphones. Sad but true, at least for me. I hope the next generation of clevo machines make some improvements over this.

Anyway I may consider other options like external devices to improve the audio. If I can upgrade to a better sound card then I most definitely will... but there are no options for this anywhere so my guess is that isn't happening.

If you use earbuds then you won't be able to notice it as much.

 

Hi everyone. So, I'm thinking about selling my G73 to a friend and picking up an NP8170 from Xotic PC. Basically I'm thinking the upgrade potential of the Sager means it will do a better job of lasting me through college. I'm on a bit of a tight budget, willing to spend about $1400 (900 I'm getting for the G73, 400 that I was originally thinking of spending on a 2760QM for my ASUS and 100 more just because).
So, I can option it up to about $1500 then apply discounts. I was thinking for the sake of longevity I'd get a 2760 in the Sager, stick with the GTX560M and plan on a real GPU upgrade in a year or two. Does this seem like a sensible plan? Should I expect the next round of GPUs from ATI and Nvidia to be compatible and is it realistic to plan on buying a standalone GPU? Or am I better getting a 6990m and sticking with the 2630QM for my processor?
Lastly, is the stock screen decent? I'd like matte, but upgrades are so expensive. As long as stock picture quality is good enough, I'd be happy just to buy a matte screen cover.
Lastly for real, I go a little nuts about temperatures, do how cool do the GTX560 and 6990 generally run in this notebook? Is a repaste generally required?

 

Personally, I'd opt for the 6990M over the upgraded CPU. It sounds as if you're to use this laptop primarily for gaming (correct me if I am wrong), and the jump from 2630 to 2760 will make little to no difference in real world gaming applications. The 560M to 6990M, on the other hand, is a massive performance increase.

I've got a 6970M in my 8170, and it powers through anything. You will be extremely happy with the 6990M, and shouldn't have to worry about upgrading any time soon.

 

I agree with Wallzii, it would better to upgrade the gpu now and cpu later. Notebook gpu's are very tough to find sold individually and if you can find one they are pretty expensive, even years down the road. It's much easier and cheaper to upgrade the cpu in the future. Plus you'll get a better performance boost going to 6990M over 560M then you would with the i7 2760QM from the 2630QM.

The stock screens are decent, they use industry standard screens so pretty much like every other stock screen you've seen. The upgraded screens are nice though, definitely a noticeable upgrade.

The 6990M is the warmest running card that is available on the NP8170 but you shouldn't have overheating issues. There's not much that can be done about this, getting IC Diamond thermal compound and a notebook cooler is about the most you can do.

 

Thanks for the advice, I was just concerned because I had read some really unfavorable reviews of the screen, generally in reference to viewing angles. So it should probably be comparable to the screen of my Asus? The upgrade is tempting for the sake of getting a matte screen too, but just puts me too far beyond my budget.
One last question, is there no backlit internal keyboard?

 

Hi, Do people tend to use the fn+1 function when using game with heavy load or while under over clock? is the fn+1 function pretty much there for gaming purposes?

 

No backlit keyboard. Maybe sometime in 2012 when the next-gen models are released.

At this time, I would stick with the best bang for the buck - the i7-2720QM - if offered. It is a GREAT processor with all the desired features (such as 1600MHz memory support), but is now much less $ than the only slightly faster 2760QM.

In regards to the GPU, make sure you get something with DDR5 memory rather than the slower DDR3. In the future, as long as the card supports the MXM-III standard, it should be compatible. Regardless, both the AMD[ATI] and nVidia cards you mention are more than capable of handling 90% of what is out there so it comes down to cost. I personally like nVidia for my business and photo editing applications (that make use of the CUDA cores), but the AMD[ATI] is a better value and is simply faster in overall gaming and casual use.

If the display is important to you, go for the 3D option even if you have no plans viewing 3D. The panel used (LG LP173WF2) is a very nice screen capable of 120Hz so video will be smoother and the panels are typically brighter with better contrast ratios and viewing angles. In other words, it is worth the extra money to upgrade the display since that is the one thing you will be looking at most.

With all that said, we are close enough to early 2012 that it may make sense to wait the 3 months or so to see what is released then and/or enjoy some great deals on the current hardware at that time.

Scott-

 

You got it. If you're running a game at max settings with an overclocked GPU, you can switch on the fans to keep your temps down quite significantly.

 

The screen which got those unfavorable reviews is no longer used in this model. They've upgraded the standard screen to a Hannstar, which should be the exact same screen which was used in the G73.

 

I overclock my GPU quite frequently on the latest demanding titles to get around 8-10FPS increase, and the FN+1 fan switch drops my GPU temps on average around 10C. Definitely a useful feature, and when you are gaming with headphones or have the audio turned up, not even audibly noticeable.

Lifting the rear sitting height of the laptop by an inch or using a cooler would probably reduce those temperatures even more. I've never been concerned with overclocking this machine, it's been completely stable and cool and performing like a champ.

 

@walzii - may i know what is gpu clock and memory when you OC the gpu?

 

Thanks to everyone who answered my questions! With a 6990m upgrade at only $145 it's so hard to keep myself from buying, but I have to make sure I can actually get my G73 sold first. Ugh.

 

Hi, I ve been overclocking my 6970m and noticed that when i use sapphire trixx the vddc seem to stay at 1.1V even when the card is at idle. Anyways to fix this?

 

Yes that deal cannot get any better imo...
_

 

Well, depending on what Black Friday brings . . . Probably still can't beat that. I just wish the matte screen wasn't $200, but I guess you get what you pay for. I want it so bad! The minute I sell my Asus it will be time to order.

 

Just in case ones have missed the announcement...

SAGER has announced that the AMD 6990M is only $145.00 upgrade now for this model.

(Approved by NBR Lead Moderator Charles)
_

 

Another question struck me. How should the fan noise under load and at idle compare to that of my G73?

 

So I've decided to pull the trigger and get me one of these. I am going to be upgrading to the 6990m, which brings me to the max of my budget. Would it be wroth the bit extra to upgrade to an ssd? Would I Be fine with a 80Gb intel 320 ssd or should I spend the extra and go for the 120GB intel 510, or will I be fine with what it comes with 500GB 7200RPM?

 

After the GPU, I'd say an SSD is the next most substantial upgrade. You'll notice pretty significant boot and application load times due to the miniscule random read and random write times.

If you're tight on budget, I'd vote for getting a small 80Gb SSD and running a larger hard disk drive in the secondary drive bay. That way you can use the SSD for the OS and apps and the hard drive for games and files.

 

Trixx does not show dynamic voltage changes.

 

I used hardware monitors to check the card voltage

 

When gaming I only overclock to a modest 800MHz core and 1000MHz memory. It runs cool and is completely stable without pushing the card too hard. I know my GPU is able to push more, but so far that hasn't been necessary.

I use Trixx as well and the only method I've found (aside from a reboot) to set everything back to default is to go into CCC, then enable and disable Overdrive.

 

This is great forum to read for newb trying to figure wich clevo to buy and where.

quick question thou: does the clevo laptops ship with "guide book"? I have read the forums anf found alot of key combinations to full thottle a fan or turn on the bluethooth and what not or is there some nice web page somewhere that lists all the key combs?

 

They do come with a user manual that has listed all of the handy key combinations you've read about, among additional information you may find useful.

FN + ~ (Play/Pause in audio/video programs)
FN + _ (3.75G/HSPA module power toggle)
FN + F1 (Touch Pad toggle)
FN + F2 ((Turn LCD backlight off)
FN + F3 (Mute toggle)
FN + F4 (Sleep Mode)
FN + F5/F6 (Volume decrease/increase)
FN + F7 (Display toggle)
FN + F8/F9 (Brightness decrease/increase)
FN + F10 (PC camera power toggle)
FN + F11 (WLAN module power toggle)
FN + F12 (Bluetooth module power toggle)
FN + NumLk (Numeric keypad lock toggle)
FN + ScrLk (Scroll lock toggle)
FN + 5 (Audio standard/enhanced toggle)

 

FN + 1 (Toggle Fan Speed)

 

I would be interested in this information as well. Is there any fan noise when doing light work (web activity, spreadsheets, wordprocessing, etc) and how does that compare when playing a demanding game, particularly with the 6990m GPU.

Thanks

 

There's also a manual you can download from Sager's Support site.

 

First read this

The fans run quiet for normal browsing/word processing. Depends on what you play you may have to deal with higher noise from the fans when running demanding apps/games. Think of a hair dryer then cut that noise by half. I use headphones so it doesn't bother me, also I run the CF 19 storm at half speed which adds to the already noisy computer when gaming

 

Thank you for the reply ownasaur.

 

In official ftp clevo add new vga bios?? (may be for GF110) and new EC firmware 1.00.09. See on ftp://usftp.clevo.com.tw/ALLBIOS/P170HM/ Who flash the EC? What are the changes?

 

Who knows what controls the fan video? Bios video card or motherboard bios?

 

My wife has a G73 and I the 8170. Most of the time at idle her laptop is louder. Under load I would say about the same.

 

I had that EC then flashed to 1.00.06, my fan issue (running almost constantly at moderate speeds) is now fixed (fan runs on quiet for a few secs then turns off)

 

Hey, everybody. I recently bought a new NP8170 with the 6990m in it. I've had it for about a month now - I am pretty computer competent, and I've exhaustively read this thread, but I still can't help but be very worried about the temperatures I've been recently getting on my GPU under load... I use Hwinfo. Idly, I run at about 47-51c. Watching high-def video I hit 60-61c.
And with most games I play I don't go over 85-88, which I was told was outstanding. On Crysis 2 (extreme graphics settings) I didn't go past 88-90 ever. I was pretty happy with these temperatures...

But recently, playing Witcher 2 on max settings, I recorded a top temp of 91-92c more than once. And just today, I bought and installed Starcraft 2.
After playing for a few hours (maybe 3) nonstop, I checked I had hit 93c... though the average was lower, I'm guessing that's from saving and loading etc. I was really worried. Should I be? If not, when should I start getting worried?
I live in a house where the room temp is generally 77-80F, with my room maybe a few degrees higher. I don't have a laptop cooler, my laptop just sits on my desk. Also, I had IC Diamond 7 factory applied to the GPU.

Thanks so much for any help.

 

Okay, cool, some stuff I read had me worried it was like a jet engine when compared to the relatively quite G73.

Just trying to work out all of my options now. The 6990 and Windows are a must, and I really want at least the 2 year complete warranty, so that leaves me with roughly another $250 to play with before I get outside my budget.

Now I'm just trying to find the combination of the following that fits the budget and would best meet my needs:

-The matte screen (possible with the zero dead pixel coverage)
-2760QM
-2670QM
-3 year complete warranty
-IC Diamond paste

I really want the matte screen, but it is just so expensive. That decision will partly depend on how I like the Viewguard matte screen cover I have coming for my G73, although I would still prefer to have a legit matte screen. I'd certainly like a CPU boost just to progress from the 2630QM in my G73, but I'm not sure if the expense of the 2760QM would be worthwhile considering that it limits my other options and most games are more GPU dependent anyway. The 2670QM might be a nice compromise because it's cheap enough that I am not prevented from adding 3 year warranty or matte screen in addition. And then the 3 year warranty extension is tempting, just for the sense of security, but also a waste of money if I never need it and expensive enough that I could only add it in conjunction with the 2670QM or IC Diamond. And I would probably rather save $30 and take care of a repaste myself unless there's a compelling reason to have it done for me, but I figured I might as well put it on the list. And of course if I were to add both the matte screen and the 2760QM, I'd feel that I'd spent enough that a warranty extension would be a necessity and then I'd be far outside of my budget. Lastly, I do realize that any upgrade I don't do now could always be technically done later, at greater expense of course. So, a lot to consider, and I'd appreciate any advice. Thanks!

 

I would not worry about those temperatures just yet, I usually clean the fans and vents of my laptop with compressed air once a month at least, if you have your room window open, that might carry enough dust to affect your temperatures.

Additionally. Are you using the fn+1 command when you play? or just leaving it as it is.

ATI cards can take up to 114C before meltdown and Nvidia only 105C so you are still ok... Perhaps the ICD compound could become less effective if you use your GPU over 90C for too long?