Sager NP8966 16.1" - 9750h Undervolting & Temp Results!

Sager NP8966 (Clevo P960RD) 16.1"
Drivers & Utilities

Spoiler: Device Specs

• Display: 16.1” Full HD (1920x1080) 144Hz, Wide View Angle, 72% NTSC Display, Matte Finished
• Processor: 9th Generation Intel® Core™ i7-9750H Processor ( 2.6 GHz ), 12MB Smart Cache
  • Intel® HM370 Express Chipset
• Graphics Controller: NVIDIA® GeForce™ RTX 2060 with 6GB GDDR6 Video RAM
• Memory: 16GB DDR4 2666MHz
  • Supports Dual Channel DDR4
  • Expandable up to 64GB, depends on 8GB/16GB/32GB SODIMM module
  • Two 260 pins SODIMM sockets, support for DDR4 2666 MHz / 3000 MHz*
  • (Real operation frequency depends on processor)
• Audio Features: High Definition audio interface
  • S/PDIF digital output
  • Built-in Array Microphone
  • Built-in two speakers
  • Sound BlasterX® Pro-Gaming 360°
• Network / Communication: Built-in Gigabit Ethernet LAN
  • Intel® Dual Band Wireless-AC + Bluetooth, M.2 interface
• Input / Output Ports: Three M.2 Card Slots,
  • 1st for WLAN Combo M.2 2230 Card with PCIe / USB interface
  • 2nd for SSD M.2 2280 Card with SATA / PCIe Gen3x4 interface
  • 3rd for SSD M.2 2280 Card with PCIe Gen3x4 interface
  • 6-in-1 Card Reader
  • (MMC/RSMMC/SD/Mini-SD/SDHC/SDXC up to UHS-II)
  • 1x HDMI™ output Port (with HDCP)
  • 1x Mini DisplayPort 1.3
  • 1x DisplayPort 1.3 over USB 3.1 Gen 2 (Type C)
  • 1x USB 3.1 Gen 2 Port (Type C)
  • 2x USB 3.0 Ports (1 x powered USB port, AC/DC)
  • 1x 2-in-1 Audio Jack (Microphone / S/PDIF Optical output)
  • 1x 2-in-1 Audio Jack (Headphone / Microphone)
  • 1x RJ-45 LAN (10/100/1000Mbps)
• Battery: Embedded 4 cells Polymer battery pack 62WH
  • Full Range 180W AC Adapter, AC-in 100~240V, 50~60Hz, DC output 19.5V, 9.23
• Size & Weight: 14.96” (w) x 9.92” (d) x 0.78” (h)
  • 4.6 lbs. including Bare bone and 62WH Battery Pack
• Point Device: Multi languages full color RGB illuminated full size keyboard with numeric pad
  • Fully programmable macro capability - customize individual key as hot key / multiple keystrokes in one key
  • W/A/S/D gaming key
  • Built in Gamma Secure pad with Microsoft PTP multi-gesture and scrolling function
• Extra Features: Metal top, Palm rest and bottom case
  • Built-in 1.0M HD Video Camera
  • FlexiCharger
  • Virtual Reality ready
  • Support Microsoft Windows 10 Cortana with Voice
  • Intel® Optane™ Technology
  • Windows Mixed Reality compatible
  • Kensington® Lock
  • Area Fingerprint Reader under Glass Surface
  • Intel® PTT (Platform Trust Technology)
• Operating System: No Operating System By Default (Windows® 10 Options Available)

Available for purchase at: GenTech PC | XOTIC PC | Sagernotebook


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The Sager NP8966 (Clevo P960RD) is a unique 16.1" laptop inside of a standard 15.6" chassis (same size when compared to my 2018 Dell G7). Clevo achieves this with thinner bezels while still allowing for a top-mounted webcam - this is one of the few "thin-bezel'd" laptops without a nose cam!

I'm super excited to be creating this thread! I've been tinkering with this laptop for several hours to get the undervolt and temps just right. So far, I'm extremely satisfied with my results and wanted to share them below.


Temps stayed under 82C and the CPU NEVER throttled. I was averaging about 3.7Ghz during tests the majority of the time, and found SpeedShift's sweet-spot to be a value of 130. Higher = downclock to 3.4Ghz, Lower = Thermal throttling.

Below are the rest of my settings to achieve these results. An added bonus is that the fan noise is quite tolerable!



In case that's hard to read, yes, that's a -180mV undervolt! Also, I found cores 5 and 6 were running hotter than the rest, while cores 3 and 4 run cooler, thus I adjusted the ratio accordingly to aid keep temps down.


Don't forget you can adjust the cache separately from the core! Cache is a lot more sensitive to undervolting. For my CPU, I found that -140mV was the absolute limit, but dialed it back to -130mV just to be safe.



The GPU is a RTX 2060


Here's my fan curve via Obsidian PC's custom Fan Control software. I highly recommend this application, as it provides a significantly high level of control to play around with noise levels and a detailed fan curve.
(My GPU fan curve is exactly the same as my CPU fan curve.)

If you have any questions about why I chose any of the above settings, feel free to ask!

 

Nice results and a beautiful machine

 

Nice results and info

 

@Ghoul Magnet

Hi, I am also looking at buying this laptop but only thing I'm concerned is about the battery and performance while plugged-in. Could you please share some numbers about battery life for daily light use like outlook/word etc... and gaming performance in games like Witcher 3?

Thanks.

 

@markshane - The screenshots show that Sager has set the thermal throttling (PROCHOT) temperature to 87°C. This is significantly lower than the Intel recommended value of 100°C for this processor.

https://ark.intel.com/content/www/u...9750h-processor-12m-cache-up-to-4-50-ghz.html

Most manufacturers set this to somewhere in the 95°C to 100°C range.



A low ball setting of 87°C is potentially going to limit maximum performance. A check mark in the PROCHOT box above confirms that thermal throttling has been detected. Throttling reduces maximum performance.

The suitability of this laptop depends on whether you can improve its cooling and keep it under the 87°C thermal throttling temperature set by Sager.

 

Hey! I followed your post and was able to achieve the same same thermals. Though my CPU score is around 2810. Haven't undervolted the GPU yet. While gaming the cpu still suffers thermal throttling but if i undervolt anymore its gonna bring the CPU performance down.

 

I purchased this laptop about a week ago and have the same issue. Running a test in Cinebench R20 shows that it hits thermal throttling and clocks back from 4.1ghz to about 3.1ghz I'd say 30 seconds into the test, max undervolt in terms of stability for my i7-9750H is unfortunately pretty low 50mV.

Also not sure if this has any effect but I had a very similar machine, Lenovo Legion Y545 with same processor and video card that came with a 230W adapter and using a outlet watt sensor showed that it frequently butted against that limit in more intense gaming sessions such as Assassin's Creed Odyssey.

This machine only comes with a 180W supply, so it seems like power limit throttling might also be an issue?

 

Sure that's not down to power? 6 core 12 threads is around right at that clock speed for the TDP.

 

Maybe posts screenshots/results of your CBR-20 score.