Clevo Guide v2.0 - FAQ and Reseller Info

ATI have been doing MXM for years...Just look at MXM-upgrade...

 

I stand corrected; thanks for the good info guys.

 

Good point: visited MXMupgrade multiple times, and saw those cards, and somehow never made the link

And I'm just waiting/hoping something better than the 8700M gets released for the M570RU (NP5790), that is not the 8800M

 

Well when the 9800gtx comes out and current m570ru users can upgrade to it, there will probably be a lot of users trying to sell their 8800mgtx for a pretty low lprice.

 

that always happens, old ones get cheaper
But the Qs is when the 9800gtx be out by ?
but it seems the 280gtx are better
but if we get the 9800 will we be able to upgrade to 280s latter

 

Just click on his name and send him a PM

 

or you can post it here.

I am doing the next update now, so if you have something to add or edit, please tell me ASAP.

 

Hey Gophn,

You're probably aware of the Kobalt updates in their profile already. If not then I guess one of the members from the prospective European buyers board will be around to give you some info very quickly. But I also wanted to pass along that they won't be the only UK reseller providing systems like the M860TU. In fact they're about to get some big competition as Rock have recently announced they'll be selling a few of the new Clevo machines too.

You can find info on the Extreme 620 (M860TU) here and they'll also be selling the Extreme 780 (M570RU) here.

Apparently, they should be up on the main website for pre-order tomorrow. It's a bit of a surprise as they originally announced they weren't going to be providing another 15" powerhouse so soon after releasing the Pegasus 680. But I guess all those pre-orders Kobalt have been knocking in changed their minds.

 

Hello, Gophn! I am kinda new here, and I came across your Clevo FAQ.

May I add another company selling Clevo laptops. It is in the Philippines, and it is called NEO. Their site is www.neo.com.ph. I hear their lineup are rebadged Clevo laptops, like mine--basing on the webcam. If you have a time, kindly take a look at the site. Though parts are still under construction, their products are displayed.

 

Hey Gophn, I know I PMed you a while ago but there's been various changes in the Dark Smiley information since then, so I figured I might as well post it here for you:

Description: Dark Smiley Systems manufacturers and resells quality desktop, laptop, and workstation systems. We back each of our products with at least a one year warranty, and have free labor for any upgrades the customer would like to perform for at least two years. And to keep a standard of high customer satisfaction, any prospective customer can contact us with any questions they may have about any of our systems and receive a prompt, informative reply.

Price Matching: Yes

Discounts: 3% cash discount if paid by check, and volume discounts available. Contact for details.

Warranty: 1 year standard parts & labor warranty (up to 3 years available) + lifetime tech support provided by Sager, two years free warranty labor after warranty ends (on select systems), and 2 years free labor on upgrades provided by Dark Smiley.

Warranty (Origin) of Barebones: Sager Reseller

Shipping: U.S. (including Hawaii and Alaska) shipping options provided through shopping cart, for other countries please contact directly.

Clevo Notebooks available: Clevo M762T = NP7660
Clevo M722T = NP 7220
Clevo M762TU = NP7680
Clevo M860TU = NP8660
Clevo M570TU = NP5796
Clevo D901C = NP9262

Representative(s) on NBR: DarkSmiley (Shane)

 

Wish Sager post some New Videos
on youtube

- of Quad Core Laptop

 

Hi friends,

I have a Centrino Mobile technology notebook

Proccessor 1.8
RAM 512
VGA 128 MB Redeon X700

The problem is, when i install game and i run it then the notebook suddenly goes OFF. many times, i installed different games, it went off. Even small games below 16MB 3d card requirement. were like that. help me pls.

Laila

 

Welcome.

You might have the same notebook as our NBR Lead Mod, Chaz.
- Clevo M560A (Sager NP5320).

From your issues, it might mean that there could be a power issue... or heat, which is usually triggered after a few minutes of gaming... not when it starts (like you said).

I would do some basic tests to see which is the problem.

before you do anything, make sure your system is cleaned out... mainly the vents... so that there is good airflow.
- get some compressed air cans (or compressor set to ~30-40PSI)
- blow the air in small bursts through the vents (in all directions).

For Software issues:
- Drivers: get the latest and stable drivers for your ATI X700 (go to Sager's site, or PM some1 like Chaz that has the same notebook).
- Hard drive: go to START > RUN > type: CMD, press Enter
..... (when in Command Prompt) type: CHKDSK C: /F
..... say Yes when it prompts you, then Restart your computer
..... this will have Windows do a Check Disk on your HDD to check for errors, if there are any bad sectors detected, you might need to replace it.
- Background Services/Programs: get HiJackThis
..... it does not require any installation, its a standalone executable program.
..... it will list all of your background startup programs/plugins and services.
..... delete any startup stuff that is not useful, if you are not sure what to disable, just copy the list and paste it here.

For Hardware checking:
- Memory: get MemTest86+, burn the ISO onto a blank CD and let it boot up when you start your PC (set your BIOS to have CD/DVD drive to boot first)
..... it will test all of your memory (including the CPU cache) and will list any problems/errors in red.
..... let it go through 1 full run and then you can just stop it if there are no errors.
- CPU: you can stress the CPU by using a program like wPrime (1024M test), Orthos, and/or prime95
..... if the CPU is unstable, it will crash.
- Videocard: use benchmarks like 3DMark05 or 3DMark06
..... if the system crashes, then it could be the videocard.

Also you can get a program like BurnInTest to test all through parts... and list any errors that might occur.
- remember to set what you want to be tested in the Preferences.

The only thing that might make it hard to diagnose is the motherboard... especially if its a power issue... which can be because of the motherboard, its power plug port, and/or the power brick.

If all else fails, contact a Clevo service center or your vendor and ask them to test the motherboard and power stuff... since you already tested everything else.

 

Some additional information about the german resellers and students discounts:

mySN offers specially designed systems for students but no students discount :/.
Cizmo does offer student discount, not sure how much, they decide individually based on your system. I should add that they answered my mail extremly fast (in about 30 minutes).

Still awaiting answers from the other resellers.

 

"1.) Battery: to maintain the longevity of any rechargeable battery
- you must NEVER overcharge it [especially for long durations of time] by keeping it plugged into AC
- when it reaches 100% you should unplug it and let it discharge to at least under 50%, then plug it back to power
- OR you can just charge it to 50%+ and remove the battery and store in cool place.. not the fridge [remember to use it occasionally 3-4 time a year to charge and discharge it]."

In a discussion we had in another thread you stated that I was fine having it plugged in since I discharged it every day in class. So which is it, keep unplugging it when I am in game or am I fine keeping it plugged in since I discharge it every day?

 

you're fine.

just do what you have been doing.

 

Incredibly Excellent Thread !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

helpful is an understatement LoL

 

Hi Gophn,

A little update: laptops4u filled for bankrupcy. You can take them out of the reseller list.

 

Any idea if they're just liquidating, or are they going to try and reorganize and come out of bankruptcy?

 

As their site is offline, and redirects to
http://www.marktgigant.nl/ads/tweedehands/computer/index.html
I think they're completely shut down.

Apparently, the owner(s) had previously owned other webshops, that also went bankrupt. This is there third bankrupcy if I'm not mistaken.

 

Important note....
For Belgium:
Discoveries doesn't deliver any endproducts, there's also no information on the site whatsoever to find a shop that sells their products, they're more than a distributor than a reseller...

http://www.bytesatwork.be does sell the 860tu and 570tu so you might want to add that to the list?

 

HundyX (hundyx dot net) is a Clevo distributor in Spain. You may want to add them to the list.

AFAIK they only put a HundyX sticker on top of the lid and resell to small shops (APP Informática, etc.)



BTW, I don't know if this is an issue with all Clevo, or only my local distributor, but I bought a M665SRU and discovered that although the CPU is a Core 2 Duo, it doesn't support some Core 2 Duo features like C-states (scandal! ), and there is no HPET timer, and more advanced features common in today computers. If you don't know what they are, Google it. You'll find it easily.

If you want to test if you are using C-States, do the following:

• On Windows XP: Start->Run, type "perfmon", add %C1, %C2, and %C3 to the graph. The normal behavior would be to see some variation between states. If you only see a static graph, then you don't have C-states.
• On Linux there are more options:
  • Install a utility named "powertop". Execute it as root in a terminal. You will see that there is no C-State info available (only P-state info, that is, frequencies).
  • Alternatively do "cat /proc/cpuinfo". You will also see that there is a line that says "power management: " (blank).
  • The ultimate thing you can do, to be 100% sure: Make sure you have the following tools installed: "acpidump", "acpixtract", "iasl". Do "acpidump -o acpi.dump ; acpixtract -a acpi.dump ; iasl -d DSDT.dat", then open the file DSDT.dsl with a text editor and see for yourself. This is the code that the BIOS exports to the operating system (whatever OS, including Windows all flavors), relative to ACPI. Search for the string "_CST". If there isn't any, then you don't have C-states.
    With the "iasl" tool you can re-compile the DSDT and see compilation errors and warnings. That means that the system is not even ACPI compliant. How bad.

Without this basic functionality our systems are nothing more than a desktop computer with a battery...



The HPET timer is a high precision timer chip on the motherboard (dunno if Clevos have it, but modern systems should) that helps a lot in multimedia and also helps to save power. It is a requrement for the Windows Vista premium logo (but not the basic). I'm not 100% sure if there is a HPET timer included in the hardware, but actually it should be. All modern computers have one.




Not surprisingly, the BIOS is to blame, not the hardware. With only a BIOS update, we could have a colder, quieter, more eco-friendly computer, with a higher battery life, etc.

I contacted my distributor, and so far no responses.


¿What do you thing about this whole ACPI mess?


PS: This is my fist post, so I'm not allowed to post links yet, but you can find all the information pretty easy.

 

thanks for the additional posts and info.

I will update it this month after my finals are over.

 

Great! Looking forward to an update. And I just finished the last of my finals yesterday. Aced all of them.

 

In Norway there is a reseller called Multicom. You should add them to your list.

 

updated.

... everything except the vendors and below.

need to re-host some pics... mainly for the vendors

added and improved some of the beginning stuff.

still working on the massive vendor list update.

I'll have the sticky updated (duplicated) as soon as I am done with this editable version.

 

Need feedback.

I am thinking of re-doing the Vendor section... to stream line it.

Is the current style okay? .... or should there be a change?

SO many vendors have emerged and I was thinking of just making a quicklist, rather than a full detailed list (which might be moved onto a separate thread).

What do you guys think?

 

I like the current system very much. As a recent purchaser of a laptop, I know I found the list to be very informative and a wonderful resource when used in combination with information gleaned from other threads.

 

A quicklist would be very nice, for sure.

 

there is already a quick list on the bottom of the vendors section

I was just wondering if that was enough... many many vendors have yet to even acknowledge my attempts for replies, which leaves many of them "space wasters" with not information at all except for their name, and website.

 

When you redo the vendors section it would be great if you could put up all my new info

(it's all on page 42, but the models there are outdated)

 

will do.

this HTML editing is a pain since I have to format it to work well in the vBulletin forum.

 

Hi (if this question is already answered in this post I apologize)

I am thinking about buying a "Clevo D900C / D901C - (17")" something similar to "Sager NP9262".

I would like to know the best reseller in Europe/(or Sweden) that sells Clevo Notebooks like the NP9262 with good customization like this ( http://www.sagernotebook.com/product_customed.php?pid=29175&action=customize ). I could buy the laptop from Sager in USA but I would like to know if there are any good resellers here in Europe, I know there are some, but I would like to know If any of you had any tips on a good one similar to Sager (with a site in English :]).

 

Is there anew design model coming out this year ?
for the bulky Clevo D900C / D901C

i hate that it has al the usb on one side
& the looks, hopeing & praying they change the design soon Please

 

Hi tntman, please look at the first page of the thread you posted in

ps: welcome to the forum !

 

Hi guys, does anyone know what the Pioneer Dreambook Light M73 is a rebadge of?
Any reviews out there?

Thanks

 

Clevo M735T (aka. Sager NP7350, Pro-Star M735T, etc..)

 

Hi! Iam recently made a "what to buy" post. Check it here: http://forum.notebookreview.com/showthread.php?t=344316

But Iam writing here is because I wonder if the following is any good compared to price and whats fits best to me needs:

GGS-Data Style-Note M745TU, P8400 - (14.1") - Intel Centrino 2 - GeForce 9300M GS
2.26 GHz Core 2 Duo, 2048MB, 250GB S-ATA HD 7200rpm, 14.1" TFT Flat Panel (1440x900

Costs: 9000 Swedish KR / 1097US DOLLAR


GGS-Data Style-Note M745TU, P9500 - (14.1") - Intel Centrino 2 - GeForce 9300M GS

2.53 GHz Core 2 Duo, 4096MB, 250GB S-ATA HD 7200rpm, 14.1" TFT Flat Panel (1440x900

Costs: 11 000 Swedish KR / 1341US dollar

 

I quoting myself because I would like to do an update on the topic.

Upon further investigations I found that the BIOS disables specifically the HPET timer although it's actually present in the hardware.
Using Linux you can "force-enable" it, ignoring the BIOS settings, and everything works fine, but you have to compile a kernel.

You have to edit the file "arch/x86/kernel/quirks.c" and add the line:

Code:

DECLARE_PCI_FIXUP_HEADER(PCI_VENDOR_ID_VIA, 0x3337, vt8237_force_enable_hpet);

just below the function "vt8237_force_enable_hpet".

The number "0x3337" must match the pci-id of the southbridge. To find out, run "lspci -nn" as root and look for a device with the words "ISA" in it. You will see some numbers at the end of the line like [1106:xxx7].

Then recompile the kernel, install it, and be sure to boot with the options "hpet=force" and "clocksource=hpet". You can edit "/boot/grub/menu.lst" to make the changes permanent, so you always boot with hpet on.

In my case HPET was found at address "0xfed00000", with 3 comparators and a 32-bit counter at ~14Mhz.

----------------

And that's all for now. I'm also investigating how to override C-states, so the laptop can run at half the power and battery last 2x times or more.
We really should protest for BIOS updates from Clevo. These BIOSes are crap.

 

add Portugal to the list:
mbit
inforlandia
webservinfor

and Spain too:
ahtec

 

sweet thanks.

 

Hey All.

Just an update, I read some people saying that a brazilian company, Powernote also sells Clevo built machines.

I can't confirm this yet.

 

thanks for the link.

it does look like they are selling the:
- Clevo M570RU
- Clevo M570TU/ETU.

 

some days ago I got confirmation from them that they resell both Clevo and Compal built notebooks.

I have not done bussiness with them, but they are very open.

 

Hmmm, interesting. Powernote...and with a lightning bolt as part of their logo...

Well, I guess imitation is the best form of flattery.

 

Yeah, imitation...right...Because they haven't been in business for 12 years...In Brazil...

 

Ooh, since 1997, eh? Oh well, I guess no flattery for you Donald

 

Hmmm, compare http://web.archive.org/web/*/http://www.powernote.com.br/ to http://web.archive.org/web/*/http://www.powernotebooks.com

While their website was first registered in Brazil in late 1998 it looks like their website did not go live until several months after PowerNotebooks.com was live.

We are flattered indeed.

 

Well I guess I possibly stand corrected.

 

I hope you do not wish to pursue legal action against them.

From what I see, Powernotebooks does not stand to lose businesses because of Powernote, since they cater to geographically separate markets.

Let's also agree that either name isn't particularly unique...

BTW, I have no association with any company cited, nor am I an attorney.

enough OT.