150EM for Photoshop and Lightroom

24 hours ago I had never heard of Sager or Clevo and now I am seriously considering buying a 9150. I have read a lot of the challenges with the AMD 7970M so I will likely take a pass on that particular upgrade. I was wondering if anyone can comment on the base 670M for use with Photoshop CS6 and Lightroom 4. I am not a gamer, not even Tetris

I was planning on putting an SSD in the main drive slot and a spinner in the optical drive bay and nothing in the M SATA slot and running 16GB (4 x 4GB) with the 3610QM.

I was looking at an ASUS G75VW-D272 before I stumbled upon the Sagers and I must say the customization of the Sagers is impressive.

Any suggestions or comments on config for PS and LR would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks in advance!

 

Is this for work, school, fun, or all the above? Perhaps you may be better suited with Lenovo ThinkPad W series if this is work.

As far processing power goes, you will be much better off with AMD 7970m. For the Adobe programs that will actually utilize the gpgpu for rendering, you will find that Kepler gaming cards are lacking in that department. I can't comment on 670m, but 675m is same card as 580m and it is not gimped in processing department.

You will find that running your programs and os from an SSD is amazing and will never go back to standar platter drives again. If you don't need an optical bay the setup you mentioned is perfect. That's how I run mine. And in the event that you find yourself needing to expand, the additional mSata slot is handy too.

16gb ram will be plenty enough. If you can afford it, and this is for work, it might be worth it to you to get the 3820qm. Render times should be faster. However, I'm not 100% on Photoshop's CPU usage. The 3610qm is pretty solid however for most users. Whether or not you are considered "most users" depends on you telling us more about what you do and intend to do with this laptop. Photoshop and Lightroom aren't enough as deciding factors.

If you don't game, get the 670m and max out your CPU.

Sent from my EVO using Tapatalk 2

 

Thanks Tommytomatoe.

This is for fun only. This would be purely for photo (some video) editing and surfing and such. I have a work laptop provided to me that I have been using for this purpose but it is underpowered and runs WinXP due to legacy apps. It is a Lenovo T400 (Core 2 Duo P8400 (2.26 GHz), 3GB RAM, Intel Integrated Graphics 4500MHD, 250GB 5400 RPM HDD) and I run one generation old Photoshop CS5 and Lightroom 3.x.
I was checking out the W530 before I discovered the Sager line-up but they are quite expensive and lack the flexibility of the Sagers.

I was reading numerous threads last night with people returning their Sagers with the AMD 7970m's as a result of some issues with the Enduro feature. There does not appear to be a fix insight. I would be nervous purchasing this upgrade.

- Do you know if Photoshop and Lightroom would benefit from a 7970m over a 670m? The link below talks of nVidia Quadra 2000
Build-Your-Own "Ultimate" Adobe Photoshop CS6 PC | ZDNet

The m SATA slot is very intriging as an expansion option and the link above talks of four HDD's begin the best config so using three (primary, optical and m SATA) might be the way to roll, understanding that the primary slot is the only SATA3 slot in the machine.

I will consider the upgraded CPU - it is $357 through Relexnotebook.ca here is Canada. If I stuck with the base 670m then that is only a $157 uplift. I wanted to stay under $1800 pre-tax.

Considering what I am using now with one version old PS CS5, I think regardless of what 150EM model I go with - it will be a vast improvement.

Any comment on the matte screen with 95% color gamut? What is the diff from the non 95% color gamut screen?

 

I agree with tommy tomatoe in all points, as yout last remarks i would go for your original setup with 670M and 3610 and save money, doesnt look like you need more.

The 7970M has been largely discredited, even so its 100 or even 200% superior in CAD usage, so take that into account, check:

NOTEBOOKCHECK
the enduro issues are most likely going to be fixed or at least highly improved, and for now some users have managed to avoid or minimize them using different catalyst versions.

its entirely your decission, hard one i admit, but the 7970 aint just a useless brick... and surely would be the king card if enduro were to be optimized. All these in the gamer department, for CAD ther is no doubt you win with Radeon.

The matte vs glossy depends on where you are planning to use your laptop, for outdoors or highly lighted areas were reflection is a factor, Matte is the way to go.
Glossy has much better blacks and its a "nicer" image, but you would see your face looking back at you in the wrong location... 95% gamut is an excelent choice.

 

With Photoshop and Lightroom you won`t need 7970M or 680M. Not by a long shot. Especially since you are not a gamer. Both of those softwares will run super smooth on a mid end GPU. So disregard everyone who claims that you will be much better off with 7970M.

So to answer your question: Yes, the GTX 670M will be more than enough power for your needs. Personally I would buy an Nvidia GPU due to the fact that you get much better driver support than AMD. That said, if you looking to save money, buy AMD GPUs.

What you need with Photoshop and Lightroom is more RAM and fast CPU. More RAM to store the compressed JPEGs and to access them faster on the fly, and a fast CPU to keep up with the projects fast enough. And a high gamut screen is highly recomended since you will be seeing the colours much better with a screen that can display them correctly. Resellers in this forum are offering screen customizations with the Asus G75, plus RAM and CPU, so all inn all, its not a bad choice that either

 

Thanks for the comments thus far - much appreciated.

I just found an Adobe link which has hardware recommendations:
http://blogs.adobe.com/jnack/files/2012/07/CS6_hardware_recommendations.pdf

It refers to the x000 series nVidia as being the way to go. This puts a new laptop in a different stratosphere price-wise as the only two versions of card in that series are as follows:
Nvidia Quadro K3000M Graphics with 2GB GDDR5 Video Memory +CA$663.00
Nvidia Quadro FX 5010M Graphics with 4GB GDDR5 Video Memory +CA$1,989.00

I think as long as the base 670m would suffice in the 150EM then that would likely be the way to go for me. I already was considering the 95% color gamut matte screen.

I originally started looking at the ASUS G75VW-DS72 (i7-3610QM 2.3GHz, 16GB DDR3, 750GB HDD + 256GB SSD, Blu-ray Burner, 3GB NVIDIA GTX 670M, 17.3" Full HD, Windows 7 Home Premium 64-bit, Bag & Mouse). It is very large in physical size and I run with an external 23" IPS screen in dual head mode so I thought a 15" would be fine for my needs.

 

Interesting - comment #28 in the link is one I found last night while doing research which prompted me to look into the issues surrounding the 7970m installed in Clevo 150/170EM systems.

I am sure once they work out the compatibility it will be great bang for the buck in the graphics department.

I forgot to mention, I could buy my system now but was really only doing research for the December time-frame.

My question are:
- Reflexnotebook has a free 16GB upgrade going on (4x4GB) and a free 750GB 7.2k HDD. Is this typical for this series, are there always promos going on or should I pull the trigger now?

- The primary drive upgrade to a crucial 256GB is $178.50 and you no longer get the free 750GB - would I not be better to take the free 750GB and buy a 256GB SSD locally for $160 and clone the 750 to the 256GB SSD?

Reflexnotebook.ca is your Source for the Sager NP9150 (Clevo P150EM) in Canada

 

If you need it in December, wait till then. There are always deals somewhere, and the enduro might be fixed saving some money.
It's cheaper to get the ssd yourself. It's easy to fit anyway, although I'd do a clean install rather than clone.

 

If you are thinking in december, the its better you keep browsing and following the news and threads, both to see if the 7000 AMD series enduro issue is fixed or improved (many of us hope it does, but just as many think it wont... you have to pick a team... ).
About 16 GB RAM free and other promotions i can tell you they come and go, every month there are new offers, and mostly they level most reseller, i even got my P150 with a 95% glossy display and better GPU, free shipping and CPU goo for free in malibal last month.
As far as support mythlogic has been very active in this forum, and can definetely be regarded as a good support reseller (sadly i cant say the same about malibal), they have changed cards for the enduro issue

Look up for twitter accounts and follow the coming and going of promotions, Xotic usually makes a lot of noise in that department. Origin offered a free 256 GB Samsung 830 SSD in their P150 and P170s, but they have higher base prices

The thing is many offers are just not as good as they seem (for ex the "free" 750 HDD is just a 20 dolar save i recall) and you might even not need them, so you have to do your homework and browse and calculate a lot.

So NO, dont pull the trigger just yet, wait for december, i bet the Christmas deals will blow away any current promos....

good luck!

Voz

 

I think the GTX670M will be good enough for your needs.

 

Thanks!

I am in Canada so Reflexnotebook.ca seems thus far to be my best option - items crossing the US/Canada border get slammed with fees. Xotic seem to be a very good reseller and their prices (and current promotions) are neck and neck with ReflexNotebook.

 

Thanks for the video card suggestion. I notice you have the 15.6" FHD LED 95% NTSC Matte - does it make the blacks, blacker? Is it better for photography related content?

 

FYI, Enduro issues for 7970m are only related to games not gpgpu application uses, its completely different because you are not using directx but rather you are using direct compute , open cl, cuda which uses your gpu in different way. amd 7xxx trump all nvidia 6xx gpu both in mobile and desktop application in gpgpu application . I am user of auto cad and solid woks both them support open cl and therefore it should on 7970m here and it run great btw. the latest adobe Photoshop and premier latest version support open cl , therefore it should also support 7970m . I have not tried using them yet but i am willing to use it if someone need to ask to try it on 7970m

 

If you have cycles and would be willing to load CS6 on your system and try it out I would be very grateful - your config is almost identical to what I intend to go with. Is your O/S on the primary HDD and the 500GB SSD in the optical bay for data?

 

Not really, it's just the colours are richer. But it might help on photo editing.

 

Any thoughts on waiting until January to buy verses December? AS I said, I am in no hurry and who knows, perhaps there are better deals after the Christmas season.

 

Well, your choice of GPU is not going to affect Lightroom - LR4 is not GPU accelerated at all. I use LR4 with the 3610QM and it's plenty, PLENTY fast. The HDD is really going to be your bottleneck here when you browse your library. Either use a caching solution or a SSD large enough.

I can't really comment on how PS will perform on the GTX670M (as I don't use it) but while the GTX670M is the current entry level card on the P150EM, nobody would consider it slow by any stretch. I mean, come on. It's still one of the fastest notebook solutions available right now.

 

I am going for the SSD main drive primarily to help out Lightroom's I/O requirements. I was planning on doing a Windows partition of 100GB and the remainder of the spindle as a D: drive for active data like the LR catalog and previews. I was also planning on a 750GB in the optical tray for archival storage and backup of the SSD.

Any thoughts on running the O/S and the LR caching drive off of the same spindle?

How is your system configured? I have not looked into the Intel SRT technology as of yet but I am intrigued about the possibility of using the m SATA slot for this or perhaps the O/S drive.

 

This might sound like a dumb question but if I bought the system with the 'free' 750GB drive with Windows loaded and got an SSD later for the primary slot and assuming I do not get a DVD drive - how do you load the O/S from scratch and use the license key Sager would provide?.

Would I load the O/S from a bootable USB key? External DVD drive?

Also, I would assume Sager does not provide O/S media when you buy Windows from them - is the O/S merely a download from them or Microsoft?

 

Forget about the "free" 750 GB drive, is only a free upgrade from 500 to 750, wich anyway is only 20 bucks... Dont waste hours of time reinstalling windows and stuff.
Configure the SSD in the primary HDD bay, and buy an extra one in the optical bay. Contact sager support and ask them if they can offer you the "free" HDD in the ptical bay instead... they probably can give you some deal...
Note that most if not all custom resellers offer windows as an option (a rather expensive one), so if you want to do that you might as well get or use another copy of windows 7 and save the 80+ bucks the OS cost.
Ah and they should provide you with a proper windows copy, not just the installed one.

cheers

Voz

 

The reseller I am looking at has the following specials:
Reflexnotebook.ca is your Source for the Sager NP9150 (Clevo P150EM) in Canada

Primary Hard Disk Drive *
500GB 7200rpm SATA 300 Hard Drive +CA$0.00
500GB 7200rpm SATA Hybrid Hard Drive with 4GB SSD - Free Upgrade Back to School Special Promotion! +CA$0.00
750GB 7200rpm SATA 300 Hard Drive - Free Upgrade Back to School Special Promotion! +CA$0.00

Operating System *
No Operating System License +CA$0.00
Genuine MS Windows® 7 Home Premium 32/64-Bit Edition +CA$81.60

It seems to me that the 750GB is indeed a freebie ($90 value). The O/S at $81.60 seems to be a pretty good price - I can't imagine picking it up any cheaper than that.

I will call Reflexnotebook tomorrow and see if there is any flexibility in putting the free spinner drive in the optical slot and an SSD in the primary slot.

Anyone use the Optical or m SATA slots for their O/S drive? Any comments on performance in this config?

 

I would suggest you buy your laptop with empty caddy hard rive + your 500 gb hardrive included. buy curcial m4 256 gb , when the laptop comes , remove your 500gb and replace it with m4 . then place your 500 gb into empty optical caddy. install os on m4 , enjoy that is how i did on my laptop. any software like cad , photoshop , etc install it on ssd so you can gain performance when loading the software , the rest you can install them on your 500 gb

 

Thanks. How did you install the O/S on the new SSD? From a USB DVD drive? USB stick?

EDIT:
How to Install Windows 7 Without the Disc | PCWorld

I just found the method above which should work fine I would imagine.

 

The difference between the included 500 GB HDD and the "free" 750 one is only 20 bucks, its not really free, the only gift is the 20 buck difference since you are not getting the included 500 GB HDD.
the hybrid is more of gain (althou is one of the slowest and oldest hybrids), but if you are planning to place an SSD you dont need it.

About OS installation... if you have never installed windows i dont really reccomend you go into the hassle, is not always as straightforward as it sounds........

 

I installed from usb disk . Microsoft windows provide usb booting utlility that convert windows iso to usb bootale . I did that and installed it on my ssd it detect all of them . here is the link to download usb boot utility

Microsoft Store Online

 

$20 is waste of investment on extra gb on hdd , 500 GB is enough. Hybrid ssd-hdd are useless here is my reason . first, its overpriced , for the amount you getting GB space , SSD , your better off buying separate ssd for the same price. second, the ssd you are getting in hybrid are "slow" in terms of read-write in comparison to dedicated ssd because they used as cache for os. third , the ssd GB space is small only good for os cache and that's it, for the price, you can get 60 GB ssd + HDD and install os and other stuff.

 

Thanks. I would only consider the 750 as an archive storage drive. My primary drive will be a SSD for sure.

As for Windows! I have installed hundreds over the past twenty years, just it was always from a DVD, cd or floppies (I know, I know, old school!!)

 

Thanks for this. I will check it out when the time comes.

I appreciate everyone's help navigating through this purchase.

 

Any thoughts on a similarly configured NP9130 and NP6165 (of course this one would only have the 650m graphics card)?

Also, I was looking into SSD drives today and I can get the 256GB OCZ Vertex 4 for $189. I read that they perform way better than the Crucial M4 and Intel 520's which Sager provides, although the OCZ reliability may not be that solid.

Thoughts?

 

Does anyone have any thoughts on the NP6165/6350 line verses the NP9130/9150's??? I know they are fixed GPU's and can live with that. I am only looking for a Lightroom and Phhotoshop system so gaming is not an issue.

Thanks in advance.