Are Sager/Clevo Laptops worth getting?

I have a budget of $1500. Looking for a reliable laptop that I can use for a couple years because my hp dv6-6153cl laptop is starting to break down and I think the 6770M GPU is breaking down as well.

Currently looking at the Sager NP8265 (Clevo P150SM) on Xotic PC



and also at the Gigabyte P25W
Newegg.com - GIGABYTE P25W-CF1 Intel Core i7 4700MQ(2.40GHz) 8GB Memory 1TB HDD 128GB SSD 15.6" Notebook Windows 8

if there are any other sager models or other brand suggestions i would really appreciate it! thanks

 

anyone have any ideas

 

It all depends on what you're looking for in a computer. For gaming performance its hard to beat a Sager for the bang for your buck and performance because of the high end components available.

 

I'm looking for a good gaming computer that will continue to run smooth for years to come. HP will not cut it after 2 years the GPU seems to be trash. An option im confused on the customizing is, do i need a mSata SSD drive? 120gb for $120. There is also an option for RAID1 or RAID 0 which i have no idea what that is.
also it says "No Operating System Standard - Drivers (Windows 7 & 8) + Utility Software Only" with no charge, but 80$ for windows 8. does that mean i just need to install it by myself?
specs:
i7 4700MQ 2.4-3.4ghz 6mb cache
Nvidia GTX 770M GDDR5
12GB RAM
1TB 7200RPM HDD

Total price: $1448.21 W/O tax

 

I will try to help with what I know.

1.) Chassis: its reliable, I would go as far as to say "more reliable than most OEM brands out there". It all depends on how you handle it. Take good care of it and it will hold for years to come (it will hold longer than the hardware itself).
2.) Hardware possibilities: the highest end parts are available to you to choose from, which most OEM brands simply cannot offer. Definetely the highest performance for your money on the market right now. A big plus!
3.) Price standpoint: one of the best in the world. You pay for the hardware that's inside, NOT for advertisements or branding. Depending on the reseller you choose from, you may get the best deal for a laptop possible with good longevity and durability. And high performance, of course.

To answer your question - yes, its worth getting a Clevo/Sager, a big YES from 99% of the users out there.

P.S. About Raid 0 and 1 on mSATA - well, if you have the money for it, go for a twin mSATA ssd's on RAID 0 config, plus 2 hard drives and you will have the best performance on a laptop + biggest storage space thats currently available in the world.

-RAID 0 basically means 2 drives (be it hard drives or SSDs) that appear as one single drive, perform roughly 2 times faster for read/write operations and speed up your system's response time (since the storage containers are the only "slow" component in computers nowadays). However, there is a slim risk of total data loss. If one drive fails, its all gone (doesent matter if the second drive is okay or not).

-RAID 1 is two drives again, but the second is a mirror copy of the first. That means, if the first one fails, your data will be safe in the second one. This is for people who really need a secure way to store all the data with double the security proof.
90% of the users out there don't need this. Waste of money, IMHO (unless you have valuable data, even then its better to have external storage solutions ready).

-My opinion: you dont need RAID at all. Get a regular-sized SSD that fits in the SATA-3 slot (not the mSATA) and one hard drive for movies, music, etc.
The mSATA options are slower, more expensive and not worth getting. The SATA-3 ssd's are the fastest and best bang-for-the-buck performers right now. And the hard drive is going to store all your junk that you have, while the SSD speeds up the system by holding the operating system and programs (and games), so you get all the benefits of a fast system trough SSD and big storage space on the hard drive.

Anything else I might have missed?

 

I bought a Sager two weeks ago...

Skip the raid, and skip the msata. You will need an operating system, if you select one and a drive to install it to, they will install and set it up for you. So be sure to select it. I think your build looks good. For what you get, it is a good deal.

 

on my second clevo and a defo yes from me as i wont buy anything else now.
my first is almost 7 years old and still going strong. gpu and hard drive replaced under warranty and nothing else wrong with it and still being used today.
latest is almost 18 months old and still a powerhouse playing the latest games without problems.

 

Wow thank you for all your input man, really helps alot. Will most likely be getting a Sager now.
Just one question I have, someone on this forum told me that the NP8265 is the best bang for the buck (which are the specs that I posted earlier), but how about the NP8275 or the NP8295? There are so many options I'm not sure what to get, seems like there is almost no difference but the monitor sizes. I wouldn't mind getting a 17inch if it's under $1500. If you could possibly take a look at tell me what the best bang for the buck is that would be awesome man.

Custom Laptops, Gaming Notebooks, Custom Gaming Laptops | XOTIC PC

 

Just keep in mind that gaming laptops are notorious for components breaking down a lot sooner than your typical surfing ultrabook, only because it's put under stress, higher heat and load for extended periods, which just inherently leads to issues down the road. Don't let that scare you though, just that you can't expect 5 years out of a gaming laptop if it's used frequently for gaming is all I'm trying to say. 2-3 years should be fine, and I would buy the warranty to cover that period, and Sager warranties are reasonably priced. Frequently simple maintenance tasks like using compressed air to clean out your vents regularly go a long way too, and monitoring temps periodically to see if anything is wrong.

I agree b0b1man on the RAID too. Not needed. You can get mSATA or SATA, up to you, quality brands like Plextor M5M, Crucial M5, MyDigitalSSD, are just as fast as the full size 2.5" counterpart.

Also keep in mind what games you play. The NP8265 is absolutely the best bang for the buck IMHO.

The 8255 has the lit logo on the touchpad and extra lighting, 8265 is the more conservative version. Same with 8275 and 8295, except in 17".

So decide if you want 15" or 17" screen basically, and if you want a little more bling on your machine or more toned down. Those all have backlit keyboards though, which is a nice touch.

Look at the "-s" models. They are full featured machines with add-ons like more RAM, SSD, etc that will run cheaper than if you were to get the stock version yourself and added the components on. If you want 17" like you stated, you can get into 8275-S for ~ $1500, just remember to add an OS if you need to, that's not usually included in the cost.

Good luck!

 

Exactly. I made my decision on 17" just because I owned a fullhd 15,6" before and 1080p on that tiny screen was too hard for me to work on (photoshop's icons were extremely microscopic).
The difference in weight and size are marginal, but trust me...17.3" is much better on the eyes for both gaming and working than 15.6".

Its all up to you to decide, but whatever the choice, it will be worth the investment.

Oh, and welcome to the NBR forums!

 

17.3 inch is the way forward!

Oh and yes I am a new Clevo user and totally amazed by the power/price ratio. Make sure you shop around a LOT though, since there are some resellers better than others.

 

Do get a mSATA or SSD. Its the number one upgrade you can get to see a noticable increase in overall performance of the computer. You wont regret it, and if you get one you'll never go back to a regular HDD. I would get a mSATA for your OS drive 120GB+ then a HDD for storage.

 

I should add that if you're going to install games on your SSD, and I think you should... you will definitely need a bigger one. I'd say 250GB is the minimum to get if you're going to use it for that purpose as well.

500GB SSD + 1TB 7200RPM should be everyone's choice IMO.

 

Clevo owner for life here.
Its definetely the best machine i have seen for the price.
My fellow forum members have said it all, so i will only post a few remarks:
1) Forget about support, just come back to NBR and you will get all the answers you need, either troubleshooting or upgrades.
2) DO get an SSD HDD, i have a 180Gb one and cannot be happier. Its enough to have 4 to 8 games installed simultaneously and the disk is so fast that you can install almost anything in less than an hour. In my case i have external HDD (USB3 is the answer) to store all the bulk (pictures, videos, movies and games, lots and lots). If you want over 8 games installed then get an SSD and a SATA3 HDD (1 TB or so), then you can have tons of data and games.
3) I dont have msata and if you get an SSD you definetely DO NOT need one, just forget about it.
4) IMHO i would upgrade the 770M to a Radeon 8970M if you have the extra coins, it should give you much better performance and longer competitive lifetime.

 

I guess you mean 1TB?

 

To the OP:
Among all gaming laptops on the market, when you consider the hardware specifications, Clevo laptops will give you best price/performance ratio. They also offer the most customization options of all the laptops I ever came across.

 

So to sum up:

Pros:
- best price/performance ratio
- decent build quality
- reasonable warranty prices
- easy to disassemble/reassemble/repaste
- no warranty void if you replace components
- great cooling (although not best)
- 30 day money back guarantee
- solid community support from resellers and NBR users
- great configuration options
-- LCD (some of best on the market)
-- storage drives (tons of options)
-- RAM (brands, size, performance)


Cons:
- speakers are usually subpar
- limited to no BIOS configuration or support
- key ghosting
- typically heavier/thicker/bulkier than most competition

 

There are no bad companies building laptops, sometimes appear a bad model. So research the model issues, most complaints.

And definitely get an SSD, at least 250gb if you have some heavy programs/games to install.
I have an W370ST and the only thing i would change would be a 250 instead of 120gb SSD

 

So I would getting a 1 TB HDD, as well as a 250GB SSD? im not too educated with harddrives and such

 

You could do that if you go with a 17.3". If you go with a 15.6" I'd get a mSATA and HDD. mSATA and SSD are essentially the same thing but a different physical size and go into different slots but they serve the same function.
But yes, ideally you want a HDD and a SSD or mSATA.

 

I find the Onkyo speakers in my P370SM to be decent, and this is comparing with the Harmon Kardon speakers I had in my previous Toshiba, which were pretty damn good themselves. If you buy from Mythlogic they give you a custom unlocked BIOS (I think they use a modded version of Prema's BIOS) but of course this comes at a price premium.

Haven't run into any issues with key ghosting yet, but I will say that the keyboard build quality isn't the greatest. Also the keys can feel a bit mushy at times, especially during extended periods of typing. This is of course very subjective and YMMV.

I will also add that my P370SM is visually quite boxy and nothing to write home about. However it was an easy choice between this and the gaud-awful P375SM which has all the wrong bling in the wrong places. That being said the boxy looks can work to its advantage, and I'm among the crowd that actually appreciates the more serious looks. For one it's a real sleeper and doesn't scream "STEAL ME", because who would take a second glance at a big, black, and boxy laptop. And second I feel no embarrassment when pulling this out during company meetings or presentations.

 

Yes, a hdd is slower but cheaper to get a big size. So they are good for data, movies, photos, music, etc. The ssd is much faster, but costs more so most can only afford smaller ones. SSD is good for the operating system and programs you want to open quickly.

SSDs are nice, and fast, but not a required. But they are a good way to speed up one side of the computer.

 

I would definitely get the SSD. Size depends on how many games/programs you want to load quicker, but 250 is a nice number. It's a must-have upgrade IMO.

 

+1

I find the sound to be fairly satisfying and not lacking in any big points. Also the SoundBlaster software is pretty good for setting presets for Gaming, Movies and Music.

SSD is a necessity in a gaming machine, everyone who says otherwise obviously doesnt see the benefits for some reason. Maybe they got a broken SSD lol

 

I think the speaker quality depends on the model you are getting. Both 17" models are better than 15" ones in that regard.

 

I think going for the 17inch model is a no-brainer.

 

The 15 inch models are some of the most portable machines considering their components.

It comes down to what you want to do with the machine and how good you are with a soldering iron if you want to do some crazier stuff.

 

Don't the 15" ones also run hotter? But I guess that's the price for portability.

Also will add that the subwoofer is useless if you're not using headphones. Strap on a pair though, and the bass really comes out.

 

A little hotter on the CPU (GPU heatsink is identical) but if you really want to overclock it you could get a copper heatsink from a 17 inch.

I'm using a soundblaster Recon 3d with the omega wireless headphones and they are gooood.