The Notebook Review forums were hosted by TechTarget, who shut down them down on January 31, 2022. This static read-only archive was pulled by NBR forum users between January 20 and January 31, 2022, in an effort to make sure that the valuable technical information that had been posted on the forums is preserved. For current discussions, many NBR forum users moved over to NotebookTalk.net after the shutdown.
Problems? See this thread at archive.org.
← Previous page

    Sager NP7338 / Clevo W230SS Review by HTWingNut

    Discussion in 'Sager/Clevo Reviews & Owners' Lounges' started by HTWingNut, Apr 18, 2014.

  1. P4P3RB4G

    P4P3RB4G Notebook Enthusiast

    Reputations:
    0
    Messages:
    17
    Likes Received:
    0
    Trophy Points:
    5
    It can be loud when playing games if you are in a quiet room but only when you are doing basic word processing and web browsing, the fan will not kick in.
     
  2. ZK85

    ZK85 Notebook Guru

    Reputations:
    0
    Messages:
    70
    Likes Received:
    4
    Trophy Points:
    16
  3. Misesian

    Misesian Notebook Enthusiast

    Reputations:
    0
    Messages:
    41
    Likes Received:
    3
    Trophy Points:
    16
    I'm only getting between 3 and 4 hours of battery life, still a great laptop though.
     
  4. Zach1928

    Zach1928 Notebook Enthusiast

    Reputations:
    0
    Messages:
    43
    Likes Received:
    0
    Trophy Points:
    15
    What is your usage of it like? Another person in a thread is getting between 4-5 hours with watching movies

    Sent from my HTC One X using Tapatalk
     
  5. blueberryapple

    blueberryapple Newbie

    Reputations:
    0
    Messages:
    1
    Likes Received:
    0
    Trophy Points:
    5
    I'm concerned with the side by side comparison picture with last year's Sager; like how the paint is worn off on the palm rest area. Is that because of excessive use or is that just normal after one year? How long would you say you used your laptop a day?
     
  6. Lzealot

    Lzealot Notebook Evangelist

    Reputations:
    16
    Messages:
    369
    Likes Received:
    61
    Trophy Points:
    41
    It not so much as worn off as in polished off. If you have sweaty or oily skin. The normal action of typing makes your hand act like fine grit sandpaper to the finish. You can put a screen protector on the spot if your worried about looks. The same it true for the track pad. It does have a rougher texture on the pad that I imagine will be prone to more wear over time. The colors are different on the track pads compared to last year. Only time will tell if it will hold up better though.

    Sent from my DROID RAZR using Tapatalk
     
  7. Lzealot

    Lzealot Notebook Evangelist

    Reputations:
    16
    Messages:
    369
    Likes Received:
    61
    Trophy Points:
    41
    Battery life is very subjective. When trying to compare. I would check type of operating system and bios version to get a better read on how you machine matches up. If you have poor battery life then check those first. Then go make sure all your device drivers are up to date. Biggest consistent power drain i see on this notebook is the screen.

    Sent from my DROID RAZR using Tapatalk
     
  8. Zach1928

    Zach1928 Notebook Enthusiast

    Reputations:
    0
    Messages:
    43
    Likes Received:
    0
    Trophy Points:
    15
    That's a fair assessment. The one I'm looking at has a 1080P matte IPS screen. Also, could someone explain what UMA mode is an if the 7338 has it?

    Sent from my HTC One X using Tapatalk
     
  9. Misesian

    Misesian Notebook Enthusiast

    Reputations:
    0
    Messages:
    41
    Likes Received:
    3
    Trophy Points:
    16
    I see HT undervolted his 4810 which I haven't, I haven't installed the Prema BIOS yet, still using the stock BIOS with windows 8. My usage was streaming some videos, general internet browsing. When just browsing with no streaming I can get 4 hours 45 mins out of it.

    How do I check if my drivers are up to date? I installed all the important drivers on the MySN page and my Device Manager doesn't have anything missing.
     
  10. Zach1928

    Zach1928 Notebook Enthusiast

    Reputations:
    0
    Messages:
    43
    Likes Received:
    0
    Trophy Points:
    15
    You could try downloading SlimDrivers from SlimDrivers Free - CNET Download.com But have you tried using UMA mode? It seems like it completely disables Optimus and runs solely on the iGPU which would probably cut back on some power draw
     
  11. Misesian

    Misesian Notebook Enthusiast

    Reputations:
    0
    Messages:
    41
    Likes Received:
    3
    Trophy Points:
    16
    I don't know what UMA mode is
     
  12. Zach1928

    Zach1928 Notebook Enthusiast

    Reputations:
    0
    Messages:
    43
    Likes Received:
    0
    Trophy Points:
    15
    So apparently UMA only mode isn't a thing as I was just told by an Xotic PC rep. Basically UMA is the intel graphics in action. I'd try running that slim driver software. In Wingnut's review, he said he had the screen brightness down and the power saver mode on to get that battery life
     
  13. Meaker@Sager

    Meaker@Sager Company Representative

    Reputations:
    9,431
    Messages:
    58,189
    Likes Received:
    17,900
    Trophy Points:
    931
    Intel have gone through various names over the years for their integrated GPUS, UMA was one of them.
     
  14. Zach1928

    Zach1928 Notebook Enthusiast

    Reputations:
    0
    Messages:
    43
    Likes Received:
    0
    Trophy Points:
    15
  15. Meaker@Sager

    Meaker@Sager Company Representative

    Reputations:
    9,431
    Messages:
    58,189
    Likes Received:
    17,900
    Trophy Points:
    931
    50% extra cells in a physically larger machine with only ddr3 for the gpu which will help keep its power down when the gpu is in use but hurt performance a lot.
     
  16. dreville

    dreville Notebook Guru

    Reputations:
    0
    Messages:
    57
    Likes Received:
    6
    Trophy Points:
    16
    Hi HTWingNut, the CPU/GPU temperatures you mentioned in your review, were these with the stock thermal compound from Sager factory, or were these after you repasted with IC Diamond?
     
  17. technoboy

    technoboy Notebook Consultant

    Reputations:
    0
    Messages:
    298
    Likes Received:
    9
    Trophy Points:
    31
    Hi Htwingnut nice review! I've got a couple questions for you:
    1 you've reviewed a lot of sager/clevo's, which is your favorite of the current models?
    2 I was considering getting the np7338 with two 500gb Samsung ssd's in raid 0, do you think this would be a big performance improvement over a single ssd? I know some people who call raid 0 in a laptop scarey raid, so was wondering what you think!
    Thanks!
     
  18. Meaker@Sager

    Meaker@Sager Company Representative

    Reputations:
    9,431
    Messages:
    58,189
    Likes Received:
    17,900
    Trophy Points:
    931
    For most people there is not a large difference, get a single drive and allow yourself space for more in future.
     
  19. technoboy

    technoboy Notebook Consultant

    Reputations:
    0
    Messages:
    298
    Likes Received:
    9
    Trophy Points:
    31
    Hi Meaker thanks for the quick response. This np7338 looks like a dynamite notebook. I'm also considering the Lenovo y50 4k model, but I've heard some people have problems with it and sager's always seem to be rock solid. Thanks again!
     
  20. Meaker@Sager

    Meaker@Sager Company Representative

    Reputations:
    9,431
    Messages:
    58,189
    Likes Received:
    17,900
    Trophy Points:
    931
    Get the sager, the machine is just more solid IMO.
     
  21. ArturoOsito

    ArturoOsito Notebook Enthusiast

    Reputations:
    0
    Messages:
    27
    Likes Received:
    0
    Trophy Points:
    5
    Awesome review and thread. I'm basically sold on this now. What brand of RAM is included? I'm trying to decide whether to go with the 1x8 option and add a second module myself, since their basic 16gb option is a $90 upcharge.

    Also, does the motherboard in the NP7338 support 1.35V ram modules?

    Thanks again, great review.
     
  22. dreville

    dreville Notebook Guru

    Reputations:
    0
    Messages:
    57
    Likes Received:
    6
    Trophy Points:
    16
    Mine came with this 8GB module. I've never heard of the brand before. It's acceptable for me. [​IMG]
     
  23. ArturoOsito

    ArturoOsito Notebook Enthusiast

    Reputations:
    0
    Messages:
    27
    Likes Received:
    0
    Trophy Points:
    5
    So i've been googling for the past half hour and I can't find any info on that chip. The closest I've found is Wintec Ampo notebook RAM on their website, but it's only clocked at 1333mhz. It's frickin ghost RAM!

    So is 16gb of RAM just overkill anyway? Anyone experience noticeable improvements since going from 8gb to 16gb?

    And anyone know if the NP7338 MOBO can handle 1.35V RAM?
     
  24. AndiiiHD

    AndiiiHD Notebook Consultant

    Reputations:
    4
    Messages:
    291
    Likes Received:
    60
    Trophy Points:
    41
    It only handles 1,35V RAM. Your're lucky if it works with 1,5V RAM which will be powered with only 1,35V in this laptop.
     
  25. Meaker@Sager

    Meaker@Sager Company Representative

    Reputations:
    9,431
    Messages:
    58,189
    Likes Received:
    17,900
    Trophy Points:
    931
    They are samsung ram chips packaged by a third party. You can look up the marking to get specific specs on the chips.
     
  26. rahz

    rahz Notebook Consultant

    Reputations:
    8
    Messages:
    136
    Likes Received:
    14
    Trophy Points:
    31
    Excellent review! After reading this review I was sold on this little monster of a machine. And I finally have one in my hands! I had a few questions I was hoping someone could answer:

    - I've seen two different versions of Clevo Control Center. Right now I have the black/gray simple version installed on my laptop, like this:

    [​IMG]

    Then there's this version:

    [​IMG]

    Where can I get the second version of the clevo control center from?


    -Second, in the review under the "Fan Noise" HT stated that the fan can be set to quiet in the Clevo control center...how do I do this? I tried the fn+1 key combination and that does toggle the full/normal fan speed operation.

    -Third, I noticed in some of the pictures in the review, that in the taskbar there is a horizontal battery icon (like what Lenovo/thinkpad laptops have to show battery life/time)...What software is this, and where can I download it?

    -Fourth, once the battery of the laptop is fully charged, if I leave the laptop plugged in to an outlet, will the battery deteriorate faster?
     
  27. Markovs

    Markovs Newbie

    Reputations:
    0
    Messages:
    1
    Likes Received:
    0
    Trophy Points:
    5
    Took delivery of one of these a few months ago through an OZ reseller. Really enjoying this little beast but I've noticed the fan seems really loud. I realize the GTX 860M pushes out A LOT of heat and as such a fairly beefy fan is needed to keep the chassis from melting in my lap.

    I guess what I'm asking is; Is there any chance an after market fan might emerge to reduce noise by a few dB? Maybe something like brushless fan or something? Can I service the fan somehow to try and reduce noise a bit? Any info would be awesome, thanks dudes.:hi2:
     
  28. Meaker@Sager

    Meaker@Sager Company Representative

    Reputations:
    9,431
    Messages:
    58,189
    Likes Received:
    17,900
    Trophy Points:
    931
    No you don't get 3rd party options as they are all custom designs.
     
  29. HebronCL

    HebronCL Notebook Consultant

    Reputations:
    0
    Messages:
    112
    Likes Received:
    3
    Trophy Points:
    31
    saving this great review for future reading, thnx wingnut!
     
  30. Ionising_Radiation

    Ionising_Radiation ?v = ve*ln(m0/m1)

    Reputations:
    757
    Messages:
    3,242
    Likes Received:
    2,667
    Trophy Points:
    231
    HTWingNut, how did you get 5.5 GHz memory speed with a +500 MHz offset? Unigine Heaven on my notebook only hows 2.955 GHz with a +500 MHz offset.
     
  31. Meaker@Sager

    Meaker@Sager Company Representative

    Reputations:
    9,431
    Messages:
    58,189
    Likes Received:
    17,900
    Trophy Points:
    931
    I think it's a mis type.

    100mhz +500mhz offset = 1250mhz chip speed

    1250 chip speed x4 = bus speed = 5ghz.
     
  32. CEUOTC

    CEUOTC Notebook Evangelist

    Reputations:
    77
    Messages:
    309
    Likes Received:
    7
    Trophy Points:
    31
    Great review HTWingNut, just ordered this with the 3k screen to replace my old busted W110ER, love my P170Em which is still going strong just a little big for some of my trips.
     
← Previous page