A few questions about the NP8662 + durability...

Hello! After much research on gaming notebooks I've finally pretty much decided to purchase the NP8662 through XoticPC. However, I just wanted to get some more opinions on it before I order.

First and foremost, I need to be relatively confident that whatever machine I get will last me through all of college (hopefully that will just be four years ). I know that can be pushing it with some laptops but I can definitely take care of a computer and I plan on purchasing a Zalman NC1000 cooler along with it just to help with whatever temperature issues may pop up. I'm aware that some people have reported rather dangerously high Hard Drive temps on the NP8662 but that seems to be the only real concern, which is pretty good for a gaming laptop.

Really though, is the NP8662 a solid build? Does it seem like it's durable enough to be transported in a laptop backpack to and from class 5 days a week? Are there any other potential hardware failure issues I should be aware of / can try to prevent? Would you recommend paying for an extra warranty or is that going to be a waste of cash? How about a backup Hard Drive?

I really like the power of the machine and its price and it's simple style. It seems like a good fit but I'm just a little cautious to be spending this much on a machine from a maker that nobody I know has heard of, especially when gaming machines seem to have a tendency to require more care.

Some other random questions:
Has anyone had any issues with noise interference with the front headphone jack? I had problems with that on my old computer and it's rather annoying.

Is it really worth spending much $$ on the higher CPU models? Really, even the basic 2.53Ghz CPU is pretty powerful, but I also want to be future-ready.

What components are upgradeable? Then again, it seems like most are, so perhaps the better question is what components AREN'T upgradeable?

 

This machine should definitly last you through college. The building quality on NP8662's is exceptional, propably one of the best, far better than any big-brandcompany and many smaller companies. Thats not to say that you shouldn't get an extended warranty tho, life happens.
As for hardrive heat, its really fine, not perfect - it gets a lil' hotter than normal. But remember - It is gaming computer. All the other components (GPU, CPU) are cooled... dare I say... perfectly? People who have installed the hottest quad cores and hotter GPU's (280m) don't even have cooling issues that I know of.
As for that "hard-drive heat issue", it was extremely rare, and I dont think its even a lasting issue. I don't believe is a problem with new builds.

REALLY, the 8662 is some of the best build quality of any laptop, and esspecially of a gaming laptop. A warranty is really up to you, you might very well be safe without one, considering the quality of these things. But it can never hurt, I wouldn't want to take any risks with such an expensive investment, but its all u to you. I wouldn't even worry about a backup harddrive. Unless its an external for more space.

If you have anything to be cautioius about, its definitly not the build quality. The build quality is just about as good as the power it packs.
And any laptop that you want to last for 4 years will require some care.

Random Questions:
I use my headphones alot, and I have had no problems with the jack. And the quality is great.
CPU depends what your using it for, the best way to go for being future ready.. is probably waiting a bit and installing a quad with a higher clock rate. As for now, i'd reccommend the P7000. Its probably the best allaround one there is, in terms of price/heat/speed.
RAM, CPU, and GPU (basically everything) are all upgradeable.

Phew! Hope all that helps ya.

 

1) You can't go wrong with Xotic. Great choice.
2) Clevo makes some of the longest lasting laptops available, and the M860[E]TU is one of their high-end models. Essentially it's the little brother of their 'famous' D90X platform which can be seen in various disguises, such as Falcon NW Fragbook. You don't have to worry about heat at all, especially with a NC1000. I run the same setup and heat stays very low. Being higher performance than my Sager 2096, it actually runs cooler. HDD temps at first surprised me, but you'll be pleased to know that the HDD temp is quite stable, with the heat only rising ~3-4 degrees between max load and min load -- max load for me being playing Crysis on high for 4 hrs. The laptop does work to stay cool -- going max load makes a small cyclone behind the rear fan xD

3) The M860ETU is, as I said in another thread, a solid reliable workhorse. It's not flashy, just rock solid. You'll be paying almost $1000 markup for that kind of durability [lol "workstation-class"] from a big-brand such as Dell. Granted, the finish picks up sweat and fingerprints like nothing else, but the construction falls only short of bulletproof all-weather-use laptops. As long as you don't do anything stupid like carelessly dropping the computer bag, the M860ETU should definitely get through your routine just fine.

4) Research in Motion's Blackberry is only worth $189 in terms of hardware, but sells for $499. ~$51 is the price that goes into promotionals, and another ~$53 towards exclusivity fees. It's similar with Dells, Toshibas, and HPs. Clevos aren't sold that way and so also get less press. Most of your friends haven't heard what a Sager is and much less a Clevo, but they're often disguised right in front of you. As mentioned above, Falcon NW is a pretty well known boutique brand and their best Fragbook notebook is just a painted and rebranded Clevo D900F, which is also known as a Sager NP9280. Further analogy: Sager/Clevo is that classy restaurant that you never knew existed. Dell is McDonald's, HP is Burger King, and Toshiba is Wendy's.

5) I used the headphone jack exclusively, and while the front area really seems to be the warmest area, I've never experienced any interference, unlike my Sager 2096 [which is a Compal, not a Clevo].

6) I run a 2.53 and it's strong enough to pull any load I throw at it at the moment, which primarily consists of large format Photoshop painting and Crysis. Most will probably advise like a 9700 or something but I don't see it making that huge of a difference on anything other than benchmarks. The M860TU is super friendly towards upgrades and by the time you'll be needing a more powerful CPU the prices will probably have dropped like a brick as the next gen CPUs come out.

7) RAM, CPU, and GPU are designed to be changed. I don't think the other stuff really swaps out, nor can I see any reason you'd be unhappy with the stuff that can't be swapped.

Lately there's been a lot of interest in the M860ETU, so be sure to look below for the multitude of other threads with potential buyers asking questions about the M860ETU. It sounds like you're seriously considering toting this around the campus, but the M860ETU is a bit overkill for taking notes and it's heavy weight [7lb] and relatively short battery life might make it a liability later on. I personally see it more as a LAN machine, not a glorified Thinkpad.

 

Thank you very much for the quick and detailed replies! I don't think I'd get responses like this from any other site in existence. ;-)

This definitely makes me feel better about going through with the purchase. Build quality was my biggest worry and it seems like that is absolutely no concern with this machine! I also figured that the Hard Drive issue was relatively isolated, but I just wanted to check and see if it was still causing any issues lately. It's also good to hear about the headphone jack being clean of noise interference - it might not seem like a big deal but the interference on my old dell was so frustrating that it's literally a deal-breaker for me now.

I do plan on eventually upgrading to a Quad Core CPU once they become more readily available (and the price lowers a bit), and perhaps even the GPU down the road as well but I imagine the 260m will hold me off quite well for a while.

One last question, I noticed there is a difference in Clevo models: the older M860TU vs M860(E)TU with Core 2 Quad support. Are all NP8662s built from ETUs now, meaning quad is supported for potential user-upgrades?

Thanks again for all of your help!

 

It seems all new M860TUs are ETUs. And other than quad support, the [E]TU is no different than the TU -- they both support 260M as well. Thanks to Gophn for resolving the matter [I kept pestering him because it initially seemed that there was a huge difference between TU and [E]TU].

Xotic offers a quad on the list of CPUs which definitely means it's the ETU.

 

Ahh gotcha, thanks again!