The Zepto Hydra A17

Just got a hold of this interesting information:

" Zepto launches new High-end notebook series to lead the 17” Gaming notebook market

The name ’Zepto’ is Greek. The same goes for this ultimate series named after Hydra. According to Greek mythology Hydra was an almost unbeatable nine-headed monster with deadly poisonous blood.

The name Hydra symbolises this series’ raw power, large selection of advanced features and absolute latest technology. The Hydra series is designed in a raw aluminium look with lots of cool details and has been developed for those who want the best of the best!

The Hydra is equipped with the new Nvidia 9800M GTX graphics card, featuring 512MB DDR3 dedicated memory. This notebook supports Intel’s Quad Core extreme performance processors and is loaded with all features a gamer needs.

Zepto expects to launch the Hydra by the middle of August and can be adapted to each gamers’ individual needs on Zepto’s website www.zepto.com."

 

Wow really nice, i want this one!

 

Really really nice device, offcourse I'm gonna test it

 

i think this will be my next laptop

 

Finally, the long-rumoured 17" Zepto comes out of hiding.

Looks nice.

John

 

So the new Zepto is a rebranded Clevo?

 

Scheer je weg met je ene post zeg ;-)

 

how much do you think this laptop would cost?

 

Quote kadett2k8: "The same goes for this ultimate series named after Hydra. According to Greek mythology Hydra was an almost unbeatable nine-headed monster with deadly poisonous blood."
A note on Greek mythology. The Hydra started out with only two heads until Hercules started to cut them off. The Hydra did indeed end its life with nine heads though.
Cool looking notebook though. A bit too big fo me though. I lilke my 14.1" even if it is struggling with a hot graphics card.

 

The topmodel of the Nox / Mythos with this specs:
• Intel® Core 2 Duo T9600 2,86 Ghz FSB=1066 Mhz met 6MB cache
• 8192 MB DDR2-800MHz RAM
• 320 GB SATA - 7200 RPM HDD or 500 GB SATA - 5400 RPM HDD
• NVIDIA Geforce 9600M GT with 512Mb DDR3
• ZEPTO Zpro N-Standard
• 6 cells Li-Ion battey

will cost you about 2300 euro / $3600 / 1830 pounds...

So I think the topmodel of the Hydra will cost you at least 2500 euro

 

but who will buy a topmodel?
they are always overpriced...

 

it looks nice.
but 17 inch is also way too big for my taste.

is there any news regarding a 15.4 laptop with the 9800m / quad core.

 

That looks awesome, also looks like a clevo lol.

I really hope a config with no fancy features like bluray, just the 9800M GTX and 2.0 dual core processor would not fall above 1500 euros...but that is probably not going to happen.

 

That's true, but he didn't mention what kind of specs he wanted

 

I have already seen the barebone don't remember where maybe gateway ? Not sure.

 

Also... don't like the idea of a 17inch. Although at larger screen is a plus, however i ask myself how much mobility are you gonna loose. If a laptop is too large or heavy then whats the point of buying a 'mobile' gaming rig.

Any rumors about the weight ?

 

Well at least the 14.1" and 15.4" models are completely Zepto. It's a step in the right direction. Can't have been cheap to actually develop those 14.1" and 15.4" models from the ground up.

Even if the Hydra should be a Clevo barebone, it still features a 9800M GTX which i haven't heard of any other company to release yet. and it is much better looking than the Clevo models I've seen before as they all have a yucky orange stripe down the side. Atleast the Zepto Hydra is silver which adds to the sleek look

 

Well looking at the size of other 17" desktop replacements i would guess about 3,7kg in weight, which wouldn't be that bad compared to having to carry around a desktop rig with a 9800GTX and a 17" TFT

 

If it cost more than 2000 euro i will look elsewhere, on the other hand if it cost less than 2000 euro its a must buy.

 

But that is the absolutely maxed out spec, you have a desktop replacement with 4GB ram and 2.5GHZ processor

 

Maybe it's just me, but I don't get it. A lot of people complain about the overpriced Zepto's. Why are you complaining. If I look at an alienware 17" with 8800GTX, 4GB and T9500 I'll get a price of $4400. If the hydra will cost $3500 with the same specs, then which one is overpriced.
I don't think they are really overpriced. Of course some models are more expensive then others, but you'll get 2yr warranty, instead of paying extra for it at i.e Dell. If you want something on a laptop it's warranty.

 

It's a clevo

 

you actually get 8GB ram with the max specs

And you can buy extended warranty (3 years warranty I think)

 

I am 99.99999% sure that that is a Clevo M57TU (it comes standard with a black appearance and a silver-line trim, just like the Hydra is shown with). It was pegged for release in Late July to Early August (which, falls right in line with the Hydra release date more or less).

You can read more about it here.

I, personally, am going for the Clevo D901C, which you can read more about here. The Clevo M57TU is essentially a supped up version of the M57RU, which you can read more about here.

In regards to the 9800m GTX that the Hydra will be sporting. It certainly will be more powerful than an 8800m GTX, but I wouldn't know if it is more powerfull than an 8800m GTX-SLI (2x 8800m GTX), which the Clevo D901C supports. Even if it were better, it would likely be a minor difference. However, the 9800m GTX will undoubtedly be more heat/energy efficienct than TWO 8800m GTX GPUs. It would also weigh less and likely cost less, too.

The 9800m GTX has not hit the market yet (as far as I know), which would explain Zepto's release date and their offering it in Mid-August (it prolly comes out then, if they claim to be offering it). In which case, it MIGHT be available for the Clevo D901C models, too. Or the previous M57RU.

Hope this helps you out guys. Be sure to rep Gophn for doing a wonderful job of compiling all that information for easy viewing.

 

You mean just like XXODD's laptops? Yes, some zeptos are.

 

No big deal there, it's still like 75% of all laptops originally come from Clevo and that other large barebone manufacturer.

Like a year ago i found something like 6 European high-end laptop "manufacturers" that used rebranded Clevo's as their top models.

Still, i'm eager to see the actual prices when the 17" machine comes avaible.

 

I remember a promise from Iann at Zepto a long old time ago saying I could review this machine...


Oh Iann? Hope you haven't forgotten!

 

He might not have forgotten, but he left Zepto several months back.

John

 

A shame, really. He was a great man and helped me while i had major problems in dealing with the finnish branch a year ago..

 

Any news on this? We are in mid-august now. This really looks like a good lappie, and if it will stay below 1500 EUR, then I'm sold.

 

The Hydra can now be found on the danish Zepto website.

 

That's a clear sign of progress.

Here it is. The base spec is:

I reckon that's about €1770. Almost twice the starting price of the Nox.

John

 

And nobody has posted the Trailer of the Zepto Hydra yet...

Zepto Hydra A17

It's a beast


And it's expensive as hell
And what catched my eye: You only can choose PC8500 DDR3 1066MHz memory...

(With the Zepto Nox / Mythos you are restricted to PC6400 DDR2 800MHz)

 

I typing this on the Hydra right now. I only got 7785 points in 3Dmark06. I thought I should get more...

 

Could have several reasons!

Which other hardware do you have in your Hydra?
On which resolution have you benchmarked 3D Mark '06?
Have you benchmarked it with energyschema 'High Prestations' on?

 

I wouldnt say 7785 is "only" on a laptop Especially if its at default resolution

 

4 gigs of ram. 7200 RPM disk. P9500 cpu (2.5ghz) vista ultimate 64 bits. Pretty maxed out in other words.

The settings of 3dmark06 are standard. Using free version so I cant change anything. It's 1280x1024, AA:none, filtering ptimal, HLSL VS & PS target: 3_0.

 

Could you benchmark it again at 1280x800...
So we can compare it with the reviews of the Zepto Nox / Mythos

 

He cant, its the free version.

 

I've send him a Direct Message

 

Yes I have done a test in 1280x800 (thanx CLB you have the PM-feature shut off). The score was 8029. Perhaps that is not to bad. I will trie another run later tonight. Just shut of indexing and ****.
SM2: 3318
SM3: 3896
CPU: 1981

Feedback?

 

Your Welcome =) (How can I activate my PM?)

A score of 8029... that isn't as much as it has to be in my humble opinion...

If you check this benchmark: http://www.notebookcheck.net/Review-Deviltech-9000-DTX-Clevo-M860TU-Notebook.11679.0.html
you can see that the 9800M GT in that laptop scores 9258 points on a 1280x1024 resolution... And that is with a 512MB DDR3 version.. and you have a 1GB DDR3 version...

Weird weird weird... Could anybody explain this to me (and Toobster?)

 

I just tried another run @1280x1024 which seems to be default. I shut down Anti virus, wireless, indexing etc.

I now got a score of 9121 which is 20% up from last score. Strange indeed but a pretty OK score.
SM2:4171
SM3:4123
CPU: 2213

 

Oweh with a 1280x 1024 resolution that's a lovely score

 

Yes shutting down all background tasks can boost your score quite a bit. I got 500 3DMark06 more on my desktop too just by doing that

 

Hey guys!

Can you post some more Hydra pics here? I just want to get a better view from the lappy, before ordering it.

Thanks!

 

don't order it. It's a piece of crap. Read more about it on Sweclockers. Worst buy I have ever done. Except for a extension cord I bought for 5 bucks.. that was worse. I can't even send it in for repair 'couse of the lost income I would have.

 

What's so bad about it? Why not just explain it here instead of asking us to go to another forum to look?

 

Okay i just read on the forums that you where talking about.
You are talking about your Hydra A17 locking up. Have you even contacted Zepto about it? Zepto held back all Hydras a week or so back because of this issue.
It has been fixed by a BIOS update, that Zepto can only update with in the repair shop. This issue has been detected on all MTU570 sold by all the resellers on the market selling this Clevo model, so it's nothing Zepto specific.

 

Sorry about nog wanting to write about it here. Of course I should.

Yes I had contact with the support earlier. Problems I have regards: System stalling, autoreboots and multiple bluescreen in a row. Going up from sleep mode makes computer even slower and makes the audio stutter. Wireless card make the computer slow. All this despite that all drivers a upp to latest version etc.

I have not been able to send it back since either
- bying a new computer and reinstalling my work setup would cost somewhere like 1500 USD + 24 lost work hours totaling at about 4000 USD/35000SEK. And then I would have two laptops if they should be able to fix it.
- Just sending it back for two weeks+ would cost my company just about infinite amount of money. Instead I sit here crying on this forum which is pretty pathetic I must say.
- Reinstalling the whole computer would also cost me about 24work hours and there is no garuantee that it would make a difference since it has been like this from day one.

So instead I continue to use the computer with about 2-5 bluescreens/complete stalls every day.

If they have a issue like this with the bios why haven't they told the buyers about this? They have my work email, work phone, supportickets, invoice adress etc. They should get their arse in a Cab and fix my computer right here in place since one has bought one of the most expensince laptops on the market.

Well enough wiining and sorry for sharing. I will give them a call!