Am I making the right decision?

My current laptop is an HP pavilion dv9700 17" entertainment laptop. And it is currently held together with a ton of duct tape and bungee cords because both of its hinges broke clean off (with normal use!). Not to mention the fact that probably due to overheating its video card fried so its relying on the processor's video capabilities.

So, in the search for a new, powerful laptop, I stumbled upon reviews for the Eurocom Racer, which lead me down this twisted road of Clevo resellers. I have to admit that I'm somewhat reluctant to drop $1,500+ on a laptop brand that I've never even heard of before. But then I look at the specs that are possible with a custom clevo, and I get excited again.

Here are my main issues:

• From what I understand, the Clevo body is very "plastic." Are these laptops sturdy? Like I said, my current laptop snapped both hinges so I guess I keep thinking about that.

• Does anyone know if Eurocom is trustworthy? I've actually heard good things about them, but I'm still sketchy.

• Are the fans too loud for classroom use? I know my current laptop is almost impossible to take to class, but I'm hoping that by turning most of the settings down, the noise won't be too bad.

• Are clevos much easier to upgrade than standard laptops? I would assume so because the resellers get into them.

• And overall opinions I guess, should I stick with a "namebrand" laptop or are Clevos worth it?

Little more info: I'm looking for a laptop that can play the latest games decently well, that I can take to class with me, and under $2,000. Part of me thinks this might be wishful thinking. However, the Eurocom Racer seems perfect, once I upgrade the videocard to a nvidia 580m and maybe purchase a spare battery for the road.

Sorry for the long post and the many questions!

Axel

tl;dr is the eurocom racer worth it, or will it fall apart and die on me?

 

I love my laptop can't complain. had for about 2 weeks now I think? I've owned gateways, dells, alienware, compaqs, acer, and this one is by far the best. fans really aren't that loud. it's all personal preference. I may say quite another person might say loud. But the overall consensus i bet will be best bang for buck. you aren't going to find a perfect laptop and I realized that. I'm quite the notebook newb myself but once you buy it and get it you start to make your own review regarding fans and durability.

you probably never heard of this brand because you are not an avid gamer. I didn't know either itll i literally searched "gaming laptop". Think of it as a galaxy nexus phone... no ads for it but yet developers buy it because they know it's right for them. Clevo's target audience already knows about them and that's all that matters. Just cause the average joe doesn't know or buy the galaxy nexus doesn't mean it's a junk phone and technically my galaxy nexus is plastic too.

sorry for my long post and ya i know my analogies aren't 100% accurate but you get the gist. I recommend buy it because I wish I just bought this from the start 8 years ago.

 

1. It depends on the model you're looking at. But yes, the shell on most models is a tough plastic. Some (like the P150) are rubberized while others (like the P170) have some metal. On the whole, they're fairly sturdy chassis. However, they aren't going to survive a drop onto concrete or really rough handling (but that goes for most laptops).

2. Can't answer this due to forum rules.

3. This is really up to what you consider "loud". Even at idle, the fans will spin up in normal room temperatures. Upgraded thermal paste helps, but you won't be able to silence them completely. The fans can get to a low whisper at idle and a bit louder at load. Full speed with FN+1 is almost vacuum cleaner loud though.

4. They're easier to upgrade than most laptops, but only due to their modularity and use of slots versus proprietary or soldered on components. For example, the CPU and GPU on higher end models are both standard socket/slot based components. As long as you stay with compatible parts, you can always swap them yourself. The same goes for RAM, motherboard, screen, etc. Most models are also designed to be easy access, so getting to the components is extremely simple. The downside is that buying CPU's or GPU's aftermarket can be prohibitively expensive ($500-800 for a GPU for example). So on that note, you may want to just buy the best you can afford at the time.

Not all of the laptops are easily upgradeable. The lower end models like the discontinued W150xx series had a soldered on GPU, so that component was not replaceable.

5. This is up to you. Check out the owner's lounges and the review thread for some opinions:

http://forum.notebookreview.com/sag...607872-clevo-sager-notebook-review-index.html

 

My review is here.

Highly recommend it as long as you dont mind the lack of a backlit keyboard. These things are monsters and more than enough for anything you throw at them with a 6990M or 580M inside with the 2nd Gen QM CPU's.

Grab one now while the prices are low before the newer models take over. Also the build quality is superb on mine alluminium brush with hard plastic casing.

Dont worry about the name mine is called a Vortex II and has no labels at all but Clevo/Sager they are all very similiar just renamed and sold by separate companies.

 

I would agree with the excellent durability. My brother's had his for about 4 years now and it still looks great. He uses it for work and at home so it's moved back and forth almost daily. My asus on the other hand is sitting in a bin.

 

Read this before you look further into Eurocom:

http://forum.notebookreview.com/sag...isclosure-my-very-bad-experience-eurocom.html

 

also check out the massive thread > http://forum.notebookreview.com/reseller-feedback-forum/428769-fair-legal-business-practices.html

 

As far as the falling apart part goes it really depends how you handle your laptop. I've seen some pretty scary things when it comes to people swinging their laptop bags (while it's still in the bag). Treat it nice and it will be good to you. If there's a physical issue it will be evident within the first 2 months which is well under the specified warranty.

 

i think they are excellent. cooling is mega, the gpu in mine is a 6990m. so far it plays everything. no messing around with settings.
fan noise for me is minimal. i have a cooler but have never used it. my temps stay around 50-60. you can never hear the fan above the laptop like some cough *m14x* cough

 

I got a Sager/Clevo back in Dec '04, it ran for 7 years before it developed a problem. Even at that, I had not replaced the cooler stand when it gave out ($40 or less for new ones) and likely the heat on that model caused the problems (it ran quite hot). Mine was only under moderate use conditions, I always treated it gently (opening the top with both hands and avoiding torquing the screen). I'd call the construction sturdy enough, but not designed for abuse (ie if you are a Marine intending to call down hellfire on some jihadi this isn't the rig you would lug into the bush).

The newer ones I understand aren't nearly as heat intensive, but I'd still highly recommend a cooler stand if you are getting a high end laptop (just put out $4k on a new DTR, Sager NP9270). The model you are looking at will dictate some of the answers on your concerns. Desk Top Replacement models are heavy (mine was 12#s), and louder than actual laptop models, but they are upgradeable, powerful and can likely remain technologically relevant for you for a longer period of time (hence I used one for 7 years before replacing).

As for Eurocomm, check the owners lounge & reviews for other's experience. I went with another Sager retailer (Powernotebooks) based on feedback. There are also other Clevo resellers on here (Malibal, Mythlogic et al) that have good reputations for quality & support as well.

My original choice of Sager back in '04 was based on performance and service. At that time, Sager had an excellent service and reliability rating that I could find from reviews, Alienware was the chief competition and they were not highly recommended for service at that time, and significantly more expensive for the same specs due to name.

In your price range you are looking at laptop mobile models, DTRs are more pricey. Still Sager is very much a gamer's laptop.