Anyone else disappointed in the 2014 Clevo builds?

1am Rant time! I'm completely disappointed with the 2014 Clevo builds. I currently own a P150EM and so I'm basing this on the 15 inch models. I get it; Haswell; GPU, great.

The IEEE port is still on there WHY THE
The SD-card still looks out of place.
The stainless steel colour of the RJ-45,
the gap between the touchpad and the buttons is an old-school lenovo/hp mistake:


Unnecessary fn button move, having windows there is much more annoying, gaming wise.
the \ | button is next to the space bar without reason - I don't use this and I'm a programmer.
Sleep button still next to volume - did nobody listen?
Headphone jack still on right when all headphone cords come from left ear?
The webcam looks more noticeable and out of place
The back still looks messy, as stylish as they're trying to be.
The Fingerprint reader look could also have been improved. I really hate the still jutting out of the laptop.

At least the power button is moved and the speaker grill looks nicer. Arbitrary changes, though.

And heavier? Are you serious? What has Clevo been working on for the past year?

 

Don't even bother, getting the new CLEVO (SM).If you want it for just 1 year(this is the true time that CLEVO give you for BIOS support and upgradable GPU'S) and then buy something better,go for it.If you want a future proof laptops go for MSI and ALIENWARE.

 

ily what kind of laptops did you own before?

 

Actually, i like the design of the new trackpad/buttons compared to the ones on my p170em. Only complaint I have about keyboard/trackpad on my current rig is that it sits flush with the metal wristplate. This causes my thumb fat on my right hand to engage the cursor while typing. Was a relatively simple fix to adjust the settings of the trackpad, but I do miss having a recessed pad and seperate buttons below.

 

I can't say much on aesthetics as that's purely subjective. At least for the FireWire port though, we still get customers that want that for persnickety production hardware.

 

The one thing I hate about the Clevo P151EM/150EM is the damn placement of the microphone near the touchpad and keyboard and this is an inconvenience if you don't want to use your own hs/mic combo and they should start putting that microphone hole where the webcam is like other gaming machines so the other people complaining about not hearing you because of the clanking of the keyboard.

Oh btw did Clevo improve and fix the sound quality on their soundcard and speaker for 2013 version or still the same crap they had on the HM and EM models?

 

Clevos are not future proof?

 

The new model seems like the same thing with some tiny little changes. Probably only worth getting for Haswell. The audio is apparently just as bad as in the EM series.

 

Actually those are very valid points and many that have been brought up time and time again on these forums and elsewhere. Boneheaded design decisions like these are my biggest gripe about Sager/Clevo notebooks. I really don't care about styling decisions personally, just make it more ergonomic and common sense. Of those, my top gripes would be (in no particular order) power supply too damn big and heavy, and even underpowered now with 780m in 15" models. Keyboard ghosting (not to mention 15" keyboard on 17" models) and sleep button next to volume. I like the windows key on the right too. Not sure why they moved it back.

 

I can say there are gripes about every brand. Not that yours arent valid. Since we sell multiple brands there are no models thats gonna appeal to everyone.
You would think if some one could just get it perfect everyone will be happy, but alas, there is no such thing. If it were possible you'd think someone would have gotten it by now.

 

AMEN
I'm recording 6 hour lectures, all I hear is THUD THUD THUD click THUD

toshiba satellite + samsung series 9, p150em

I'd be happy if someone told me I could saw it out of my laptop and paint it black. Those customers should pay $100 extra for it, if they're in that line of work.

Not sure. Can I safely place a 4th gen or an 8970 in my p150em? (genuinely curious)

To the notebook retailers - Clevo is a barebones manufacturer who can get this right, as it needs to listen to retailers like you who are able to influence the next build positively.

 

8970M is just an overclocked 7970M, so yes. 4th gen? No, since that's a different socket.

 

Can we just say it like it is? The prime and foremost reason people buy Clevo is for its lower cost. I know some people like the simple design, I do too. However, if price was equal, I'd choose an equivalent Alienware or Asus (MSI, not so much) in a heartbeat. There are some design choices on Clevos that just have me shaking my head, most of them mentioned by OP.

After owning 6 different Clevos and a bunch of Alienware, Asus and MSI models, I can categorically say other brands are designed better. Are they $200-800 better for the same performance? Unlikely.

 

Well said. There are things that bug me, but every time I go to configure a new laptop, the price makes me happy. The minor annoyances or shortsightedness seem to be easily offset by the significantly lower cost.

 

P150M is the lightest 15 inch + 7970M build existent, no?

 

i dont mind clevo selling at alienware price if it has thinkpad quality. i dont need the ugly bling bling flashing leds

 

It already exists, k5000m workstations.

 

Can you get a high gamut screen with Alienware or Asus?

If the answer is NO, than that is a much more serious design flaw than everything mentioned about Clevo doubled.

Firewire is still used by enough people, I'm glad it's there. On Alienware and Asus machines you don't even get to install your own via an express card. ? Is that really so difficult to add?

And, I forgot. no 15" version of Alienware. Seriously, ? So my choices are too small, too big and might as well get a desktop.

 

ASUS: you can get high gamut screens through resellers.

Alienware: Well, those screens are not incompatible... You can install them yourself. Alienware still refuses to offer them. To be fair, high-gamut is not commensurate with quality. The old m18x has an ExpressCard slot.

 

IME Hutsady is generally correct. Notebooks are ALL about compromises, including some of the ridiculous designs, i.e. the ones that are wannabe desktops and pretty much useless w/o AC.

As to key placement(just received a Sager NP8250-S/157SM) the other day and yeah I find the placement of the Fn key to be extremely annoying as I use it MUCH more often than the windows key. OTOH I also have an MSI GT725 and a bunch of people griped about the CTRL/Fn key placement on that(Fn is outermost left side key bottom row, w/CTRL just to the right). Some people wanted them inverted. Then there were the complaints about the small sized keys(arrow, \ . ? [ ] ; ' and even smaller function keys. I just got used to it.

Large/heavy power bricks: Got news for ya, any nb with a decent discrete GPU is going to have a large heavy power brick. The GT725's is also large and heavy. Also those large/heavy bricks aren't underpowered unless you're going way out of ODM spec(hello mad OCers).

LCDs: fine for me. Remember to me this IS a nb. When I'm at home and want better screens, I have a nice desktop that I built last summer(3930k(wanted 6 core)/670 FTW(got it for less than a plain 670 and LOTS less than the 680 that I was originally going for), several TB of storage and a nice LCD monitor(ASUS forget their weird monitor SKUing scheme offhand).

OTOH I WILL gripe about the kb on the 8250, as in so far I find it to be bordering towards awful in general feel, i.e. NOT particular key placement beyond the Fn. Just hope that it eventually grows on me.

Bottomline for me is that enough of the RIGHT compromises and options were available to give me a nb that approaches the capabilities of my desktop while still costing less overall(well I pretty much had to buy everything new this time around and things like good LCD monitors cost almost as much as fancy LCD TVs...)

 

Easy way to fix the power brick is to "borrow" the slim 240w brick and solder in your own cable. Compact, powerful and lighter.

 

Any chance the ASUS G750's PSU is compatible?
I heard they might be the same tip.
As for build and design, it's not the best designed laptops but everything works as it should while keeping temps cool and for gaming laptops what I wan't to see.

 

Unlikely, usually asus use the larger barrel type.

 

Yes, I too am disappointed that laptops still have flaws in them after so many years for trial and error and millions poured into R&D. This is an outrage.

 

I can agree with clevo not very future proof, though it's not so much the hardware as Clevo doing it to force you to upgrade and buy another.

Example?

Well GPU/CPU support. They make a new laptop and stop supporting the old one almost. They may make a bios to deal with a major issue but beyond that they don't care. They won't go back and add support for GPU's that are technically compatible and force you to either hack it yourself, use modded drivers, or buy a new laptop. At least alien upgrades the bios to keep support so long as socket and thermals stay the same. Why call these "User Upgradable" when they are manufacture upgrade restricted lol

No reason I shouldn't be allowed to put a 680m or 780m in my old P150HM but clevo doesn't care enough.

Same for CPU. If the socket and other requirements change, yes understandable you can't patch that, but if a new CPU comes out, keep supporting them if compatible!

It sucks.These are great machines and have these little annoying flaws.

 

Oh my word are we already 2014? ahhhhhh sighs in relief, no that's next year . ^^

 

Is the Sager NP8290 (not sure what clevo model no. this is?) considered one of the 2014 Clevo builds?

 

All the new models including the NP8290 were just released about 2 weeks ago. They will be the 2013-2014 builds and wont be replaced until Intel comes out with a new CPU which probably wont be until mid next year.

 

Ah, thank you for the information, Hutsady. I did not know that model was so recently released. Do you also know which Clevo model no. it is built upon?

 

Personally looking at MSI barebones right now, since the newer Clevo models don't interest me and am very disappointed with the heatsinks from Clevo. Especially for GPU, so flimsy and inadequate. There doesn't seem to be a perfect notebook, that's for sure. I'd consider Asus again, except Asus pricing has continued to skyrocket.

 

http://tinyurl.com/k3kxh22

I normally am not so annoyed by these sort of questions but the answer is literally in the heading of the first google result.

 

You're very welcome.
The Sager NP8290 is build from the Clevo P177SM.

 

Thank you once again Hutsady. I'm sure you noticed but, this is the model that I am currently interested in purchasing, so I've just been browsing and reading about it a little bit lately to learn more about it.

 

That would be valid point if there weren't a bunch of larger Watt PSU's that are smaller then the 180W offered by Sager. And the Sager NP8250 I just reviewed with 780m exceeded the power use of the 180W brick with a mild overclock. And see below for an example, one is a 180W brick, the other 240W, that's 33% more power in a smaller volume.




Case in point, one of these is 240W, the other 180W

Fine for you, but not everyone wants/needs/can have a desktop. Or they need a quality screen with the portability of a laptop.

I agree with this.

 

Top: Li shin 180W
Middle: 240W slim
Bottom: 330W

 

If you're disappointed with heat management on Clevo's (which supposedly have improved heatsinks on the new "SM" models), you'll be sorely disappointed with MSI GT50/70s which only use a single fan to cool both CPU and GPU.

 

So does a GTX titan, which dissipates 250-300W.

 

which for some reason gives me better temps than some of new clevo/sager model reviews oO

 

A single fan that is roughly twice as wide and twice as tall and pushes through a single direction over a much more robust cooling solution will have much greater cooling potential than the single fan design used by MSI. What I am trying to say is your argument is a false analogy.

A false analogy is an argument based upon an assumed similarity between two things, people, or situations when in fact the two things being compared are not similar in the manner invoked.

 

For me and my brother (CROSSFIRE GTI)yes we are DONE with clevo,we are not going to be "suckers" for second time and throw money in the sink,for buying again clevo(no support bios,and upgradables GPU's after one year of presentation from clevo).I personally choose and order MSI gt70 2 od barebone 780m for feature upgrades(gpu all brands)+all the aw systems,and CROSSFIRE GTI is going to get the new M18'x r3 ALIENWARE.
If Prema and Svl7 don't work with the portability then you going to stuck with the old model and then buy again the new models from clevo-again and again.....
edit:Many thanks to Prema of course for the back up to the community(NBR)!!!!!

 

I am looking for SLI 780M and Quad core mobile CPU. I have a x7200 and am looking for something a bit smaller this time around. Is Clevo the only game in town?

Where are the 3D displays in this years Clevo crop. I would like to have 120Hz without a retrofit.

 

Last years models did take some time before any 3D models were available. The NP9370 was the last available one, maybe its replacement the NP9390 will offer one, havent heard of it happening soon though.

 

Don't even think clevo (if you like to end after a year with no support on GPU's),or ASUS (with they're own shape of GPU's)Go MSI barebone hands down,they are almost cheap and they are futerproof (GPU)

 

For me I don't CARE so much how the laptop looks or if is not build with high quality materials,i want it to be futerproof (GPU)and as high or equal performance of a 800 $ more of an alienware machine,not likely some companys sell you powerfull laptops for less money(clevo MSI)and after one year they cut the support on bios and GPU's upgrade (clevo only)and laughing at youre face.

 

Alienware do not officially support gpu upgrading and they go through various modding to get the performance bios they want. They do have FEW more bios update(for bug fix) and better warranty, but that is where the money went.

People get what they paid for.