Clevo M980NU aka Sager NP 9850 aka AWESOMENESS!!!

I'm getting so excited....it's getting closer and closer to the date. I Google search daily to see if there is new information about the lappy, but it seems I've read everything there is to read on the subject. In fact...it seems that only Notebook Forums is providing any new or further details on the notebook.

It's so exciting the anticipation is crazy...can't wait to see some hands on reviews by some of the folks here at the forum...

[/girlish excitement]

 

what date it was set to be release?

 

stated on kobalt's website its out by june!

 

you will be the first to know when we have more details

 

All I can say is..."eeeeeeeeeeee"...

 

being one of the first people to get my hands on this mega beast at the gadget show all i can say is wow,actually make that WOW!!!

 

You're making me jealous...

 

it was only for a short while as i had to take the pictures.

hope that makes you feel better

 

...with my potentially dumb question..

On Eurocom's website I see that they are charging $171 for the 500GB 7200rpm for the first drive...
...but for the second and third drive they are charging $430 each additional. Now I believe the drive being used is the Seagate Momentus and that is only $130 at Newegg.
Putting in the drives yourself would save you $600. Why the cost markup? Is it that difficult to setup a Raid config? If it is couldn't you ship the cheaper priced item to them and pay them a nominal fee for the labor.
I know it has to be less than $600.

 

Eurocom is infamous for their overpricing on their site... since they do not always update the prices of components to the market prices.

Thats why you must contact them directly (phone or email) and negotiate the price down to a more competitive price from another vendor with the same exact notebook configuration.

 

Yes, I saw you tell someone that in another thread. What about the other part? Is it difficult to setup a RAID config?

 

pretty simple.

shows you in the User's Manual as well.

 

You're awesome...I'd give you rep but I'm on my Blackberry posting this. I'll do it later.

 

Miss

can the M980NU beat the m17x in its spec?

 

They are exactly the same in technical specifications.... chipset and platform.

the main difference is the size... one is 17" and the other is 18.4"

 

I bet the clevo is cheaper as well

 

That is a bet you would be bound to win

 

put it this way, i would NEVER buy a new model AW ever again after my fiasco with the m15x

 

Ahhhh, but the cool light-up keyboard, the excellent cooling system that can lead to to melting hinges, how could you refuse and go buy a Clevo?

Admittedly, I was hypnotised for all of five seconds too.

 

exactly Oiad

actually you beat me by about 3 seconds.

 

Another major difference will be the expected release of the 4870x2 DDR5 for the M17x, which will be better then the 280m SLI. Thought it was overly ballsy for AW to say it's "ALL POWERFUL" but with the recent confirmation of compatibility and switching between ATI and SLI graphics as well as AW reps confirming the 4870's are slated to release for the M17x it makes sense, it will end being the most powerful gaming wise.

 

Like I said.

They are identical... even the support for multi-videocards are the same.

Clevo does not like to jump the gun until they fully test new videocards and make sure that they are stable before announcing it.

One of the things that annoyed me at E3 Alienware booth was the reps there kept telling me that the system supported things that does not exist yet.... like saying that the system supported up to 2TB (2 x 1TB) of storage.

I just grilled them since there are only 500GB 2.5" HDD drives available at the moment.... why would they try to hype up their system's compatibility for stuff thats not even out yet.

 

Yea I know, I never said there was any difference of support or chipsets, I was pointing out AW is the only major laptop retailer to retain mass supply of the 4870x2 DDR5 and expected to release them anytime soon. I do fully expect Clevo will get in on the ATI action eventually, if they don't it's only to their loss.

 

Speak of the Devil... The ad at the top is for the NP9850.

So why when I click on it, does nothing new nor helpful come of it? It's just the i7 beast and such.

 

I just found out that GentechPC is going to have these, that gives you yet another option as a place to buy it from. http://1toppc.com/Merchant2/merchant.mv?Screen=PROD&Product_Code=Sager-NP9850&Category_Code=

They have the 9280 also, Ironic as I think the Asus W90 is the main and direct competitor for this machine and Gentech is where I got my W90 (I guess the AW too) so I cant wait for Ken to get a test unit or get the user units in stock to give us a detailed feedback between the units.

The W90 I like in most ways better and its cheaper by a long shot, but I am a bit taken aback by the fact it only has 512mb of ram per card, you really need the 1GB of ram these GTX280's come with for todays high end gaming, also I am having a nightmare of a time with driver updates on that machine.

As an enthusiast its not been much a bother to me but for the masses having to flash your gpu bios is not something you want to do

I really feel this is not going to be a one notebook to rule them all situation all 3 units the Alienware, the Sager, and the Asus are going to have something about them that makes it a better deal to a specific person.

Currently though Asus being almost $1000 cheaper (nearly 40%) has the largest advantage IMO but it has some common 2d graphics issue that has effected many users that has absolutely devastated its launch and will surely cause some people to spend more on the AW or Sager out of spite or for safety sake.

I had to RMA my first W90 it had an issue, the new one though is flawless, I hope the Sager comes out loud and proud with no issues of its own. If it can do the few things I am dreaming about secretly I may just be a convert.

Well I guess I shouldnt keep secrets

I want

> First is a given, more GPU VRAM
> Bios overclocking or at the very least I want to be able to FSB overclock a cheap Q9000 to 2.8ghz like I can on my W90, id rather not drop the huge $$$ for a QX9300 esp if I do get the Sager its out of my budget already without the big upgrades
> Free Windows 7 (Given also I think as long as you get it during the Win 7 free upgrade promo period)
> SLI working in Windows 7 (The W90 is hit & miss here with crossfire)
> Easy to change/update drivers

I also really wish it was a bit cheaper, I really do think its overpriced, im going to have to sacrifice things that I have now to bring it down some. No 6gb ram, no blueray drive, no second hard drive, etc.

 

ViciousXUSMC - the all-mighty m8 to you really think that is possible that the clevo can overclock for example the QX9300 to 3.0 and the Asus the Ati much more and that wold make the asus faster em 3dmk 06 and vantage ? do you believe this theory ?

I really love the clevo m980nu but to buy it it wold have to have a good OC for the CPU and The MXM 3 280m ccards must make really good OC too... in final words bouth the asus and the cleo will be my chose, specifically with one i dont know, but i will stik to the one o can in "Final" (maximum stable overclockabilitty) words beat the best scores @ 3dmk Vantage, 3dmak 06 and some games like Crysis warhead etc...

 

xoticpc claim to overclock up to to 3.0 gig.
~Intel® QX9300 45nm "Montevina" Core™2 Quad 2.53GHz w/12MB L2 On-die cache - 1066MHz FSB (Overclockable up to approx. 3.0GHz!)

Also,
any canadian reseller sell the M980NU? The only one I saw was eurocom but there picture : http://web.eurocom.com/EC/ec_images(204) is not pretty then the other reseller like powernotebook and xoticpc. There model is a slightly different.

 

Im assuming the QX9300 going to 3ghz is a built in overclock, that you can do higher with setfsb just like we did on the W90.

The W90 stock takes the 2ghz Q9000 to 2.3ghz but with setfsb I can take it up to 2.8ghz.

Problem with FSB overclocking is RAM limits, I have no idea how this unit with DDR3 ram is going to respond, it may allow higher FSB overclocks or it may be lower (the ram cost more though and that sucks, honestly DDR3 gives you no real advantage in performance right now, not outside of benchmarks)

If they want this to be an enthusiast computer they need to give us the desktop type bios options, things like the RAM:FSB divider, and if possible unlocked multi's on the extreme chips. That is supposted to be the main advantage of the extreme chips, not there native high clock speed.

Im still planning on a Q9000 even if i get this unit and just overclocking the out of it, dollar for dollar its the best value. If the bios is unlocked though and we find that the QX9300 can do like 4ghz then I may start hunting for a cheap QX9300 on ebay.

clpdj, dont worry about 3dmark06 much anymore, I am affraid to say that benchmark is dead when it comes to modern systems, its become way too cpu dependent, just like aquamark did like 4 years ago.

3dmark09 Vantage is the one you want to use, and the highest test possible (performance with this 16:9 screen, but if you use an external 1920x1200 monitor you can run the extreme test)

 

You can get the Clevo for $2500 with sli 280M, pick up a QX9300 for 400 on ebay, sell the P8700, and you're looking at a $2800 lappy that should have no problems beating the W90

Sure you miss the second HDD and blu ray drive the W90 has by default, but do you really need those?

 

Seems there is overclocking for those that require that.

 

You would be missing the hdd, the blueray, the warranty, the looks, the ram, and the OS. I dont care what you say or if you need it or not, that means your paying more to get less.

Infact I just realized since it does not come with vista that means it probably wont qualify for the free Windows 7 upgrade.

You may end up with more performance but you are or sure paying for it, also a QX9300 for $400 is not something everybody can get, and you take a risk getting one on ebay.

Oh and good luck selling the P8700 im sure thats in high demand, and better luck sending your unit in for RMA after you did get rid of it as I am sure it would be required.

 

You shouldn't try to bring down a laptop that isn't out yet. imo.

 

Those are facts based on the specs, nothing a release will change.

The only thing a release will do is prove how well it performs and for that I have high hopes and said nothing but good things.

Im simply stating from my perspective as a man with a limited budget that the Sager unit is not as good of a deal "for the money" and simply disregarding many features a competing laptop has to make the price closer is not a valid way to say "its equal in price"

 

Thank god i live in Portugal then, because they cost almost the same lol

ASUS W90VP-UZ025J 2500€ = +/-3500$

ok maybe a diference of 300$ xD

 

O GTI Vai la com calma ok ?! lol (its portugues)

Gti I am really divided by the asus W90 and the Clevo m980nu... by now i have really to patient for some one to get it's hands on it and see what is the Vantage score Of it with the pair of 280m sli in max stable OC and the CPu in max stable oc... and then compare to the same application score in the Asus W90 with on Qx9300 maxed out Stable OC and also with the pair os 4870 maxed strable oc'ed...

btw: qual era o teu nick no techzone (anka zwame)

BTW2: if some one play's CS:S try thsi server (portugal's number on ranked server (statistics from gamemonitor) sf.siaofriends.com:27650, im one of the owners and admin's, all are very welcome )

 

Benchmark scores maybe not be so relevant in the choosing of a laptop, people should look actual performance in daily tasks. (gaming of course o/)

ps: lame pub, "my" servers are better ;x

CharGer_GTi

 

to confuse you alittlr more look at the aleinware m17x same specs but smaller lcd(17in) and a higher res(1920*1200). even though i'm not a big fan of alienware, i can't rule out the fact that it has the same specs as the sager but without the 3rd hdd.

 

Completly agree, I was never a fan of Alienware always overpriced, but this time around there model looks quite nice and the price is nearly on par with the Sager.

Infact its probably better in many ways, its not super glossy , it has a real full sized keyboard (major props), and it comes with the OS also.

I actually like the 18.4" screen on the Sager, yes the res is lower but what you see is bigger, so games/movies are more enjoyable IMO, makes it easier to play too when looking for small objects.

But with a laptop having a larger screen means having a larger laptop, a big trade off for those that carry it around often.

So I am going to say they are equal and be pending thermal tests and bios options before I make my call.

I know from the driver heaven preview of the M17X that the bios has unlocked cpu mutli's for the extreme chips, unlinked cpu/ram dividers, and also lets you change the CAS latency on the RAM, it also has the biuld int 9400GS card for tasks when you dont need the heat/power of the GTX280's.

Never thought I would see myself thinking so highly of a AW machine, but I guess thats mainly because its actually Dellienware

Oh and as an owner of the 18.4" Asus W90 I know the pain of looking for 18.4" bags and things, 17" is much easier to shop for.

 

well i have had 3 17in and a 14 in laptops and here is my opionions on it i'm 5'4 and about 150lb for people wondering how it would be

the acer 3860 crap light. garbage i could carry anyway as weight wasn't to bad but the screen was so little i couldn't take it. so i looked for a bigger better faster and meaner manchine

hp dv9640us. first 17in and was alittle heavy but it wasn't to bad as i can carry it around. i couldn't find a laptop case which was a killer but i got a cheap one from my girlfriend. with school books, the hp and many others the bag strap ended up ripping.

the ocz whitebook alot heavier but i was prepered for that. it was alittle thinker but i didn't mind that. i have a real bag for that one so i was prefered for it. but at that time, i had gotten a external desktop hdd and OMG. i couldn't put it on my back because if i was to lean backwards i would fall over. it was a real big con but i said if i want performance then deal with it.


the sager np9262 with i currently have now i only had it for a week so there isn't much to say about it. i carried it a few times. just about 3lb more with to me i wasn't going to cry about but i now have an extra hdd(3hdd total) so i can buy a 500gb and place in there so i don't have to carry the external with me.


so far i am very happy with a 17inch as you can see. going to 18.4 will maybe be a different experince that vicious can explain more.


with the alienware bios, remember that was pre-prodution so we don't know what it will still have. however i seen a chioce that said about raise the fsb on the cpu to 1333 instead of 1066 on the qx9300 which to be is a very big plus. the ram and the cpu on equal levels.

my whitebook had the qx9300 at 1066 and the ram was at 1333 and i didn't know the different i was bios overclocked so the cpu still read 1066 even on the 12x which is 3.2ghz. i know if i was to use setfsb the fsb would raise and i could of did some benchmarks to see if it was to make a difference but i didn't cause i wasn't thinking about it.


don't mind the voltage thing that's was for something else. there are two reading from cpu-z. and i just wanted to show both.


my sager right now has ddr2 800(i wish it was 3 but i'm not going to cry about it at listed about) but the cpu fsb is 1333 which i didn't do any benchmarks on it to much becuase i've been busy and i'm still looking for the second card. which i hope i find.

 

I thought the Asus W90 came with a bag...why would you have to look for one, ViciousXUSMC?

 

no what i was saying is just my experince with the size of the laptop. i know the asus comes with one and the sager does. but i think you have to buy the aleinware one.

 

My comment was actually meant for ViciousXUSMC. I edited my post to reflect that...sorry for the confusion.

 

It does and I use it, but I dont care for it much. No external pockets for stuff and I usually travel with a lot of stuff. I found a nice messenger bag that will fit it though.

 

where? i'm looking for a messenger bag that can fit a 18.4 inch monitor

 

And you wouldn't drop the second HDD and Blu Ray if you could to save money? And 6GB RAM is pointless right now. Take the money saved from those things and put it towards reliability and performance, and you've got the Sager.

Point is, you've been caught by surprise by how cheap the M17x and M980nu are. We all are.

 

i was. i was expecting 4,500 for everything.

3,500 with 280 sli

 

Tem mais gente que fala portugues aqui .

If the price doesn't matters u should take the M980NU... W90 had so much problems, The GTX280M will perform better than 4870 GDDR3 and will have a way better drive support (i really prefer ATI but this driver support in notebooks is bull).

But i think u should take a look on M17x .

 

On the W90? Id drop the blueray to save money but not the 2nd HDD, but you said the key word "to save money" dropping those things on a competing machine for a price tag that is still higher is not saving money its just cutting out things to make the price look better but you get less.

Is a machine with just a different gpu setup worth losing all those things and costing more? Not really except like I said the W90 is having issues currently so that is going to cost them some customers.

Configure the Sager or the AW to the same specs as the W90 and its well over $1000 more.

 

And here you go again being misleading.

$2400 for W90,

$2984 for M980 with Q9000, 2 320GB, 7200 RPM HDDs, BD-ROM, Vista 64, 4GB DDR3

But just like you can argue value, so can I. I'd drop the Q9000, the second HDD, the BD-ROM, and Vista and stay under $2500. Then use the money towards the QX9300, and have a benchmark king (for the time being). I wouldn't regulate anyone to your rules, that's just being a dumb consumer

 

Is the Sager NP9850 better than the Alienware m17x? Or is it too early to say yet?