Clevo/Sager or MSI? (P775TM vs GT73VR)

I'm looking for a gaming laptop to last me for at least a few years. I'm currently struggling to decide between these two laptops after some research and comparison, but I don't have much info on the Clevo/Sager (especially on YT). I was wondering if you guys can advise me on the pros and cons, or just generally which you think is better in terms of reliability, performance, and longevity? Weight and battery length does not matter.

The models I'm comparing:

- Clevo P775TM/Sager NP9175 (Price: $2491, link)

Specs:
GTX1080, FHD IPS w/G-SYNC, i8-8700, 16GB ram, 250GB SSD, 1TB 7200 rpm HDD, Killer Wireless 1535​

- MSI GT73VR (Price: $2290, link)

Specs:
GTX1080, FHD 5ms 120Hz (G-Sync unsure?), i7-7700HQ (Soldered, likely), 16GB ram, 512GB SSD, 1TB 5400 rpm HDD, Killer Wireless N1535
Extra gifts: MSI bag, headset, mouse, mousepad
Requires clean install to get rid of useless bloatware
​

Is the extra $200 worth it? The only thing I don't like about the MSI is the bloatware, TN panel, and soldered CPU. Ports on both seem to be good? However, I'm not sure if the new 8th gen i8-8700 will pack that much impact to gaming to warrant me getting it. That being said, I heard that clevo is a very reliable chasis with great cooling and easy to access. What do you guys think? I'm quite new to laptops, so sorry in advance if there's anything obvious i missed!

 

More cores going forward is certainly not going to hurt as the arms race between intel and AMD continues.

 

Wrong forum section for this, but do not choose the MSI under any circumstances. Choose a Clevo from HIDevolution and be throttle free and cancer firmware free forever. You will be glad you did.

 

Never get BGA at this pricetag.

Go for clevo.

 

Sorry about that! I'm new to the forum, and wasn't quite sure where to post my thread. Thank you for letting me know your opinions between the two.

Thank you for your opinions! Seems like going for Clevo might be a more reliable option.

 

Unless you plan on voiding your warranty because you need to mod the notebook and do tons of work to fix the mistakes clevo made on the garbage cooling system, fix their half broken software, undervolt, delidd, slow and inferior Panel, terrible fan profiles, pathethic speakers, mediocre keyboard at best and trash batterylife then by all means, go ahead.

http://www.xoticpc.com/msi-gt63-titan-046.html

be smart, get a notebook that isn't broken out of the box and enjoy the performance you deserve.

Reasons why the MSI is vastly superior to the trash clevo:
- Cooling system is much more superior to the Clevo, quieter as well.
- MSI GTX 1080 is superior to the Clevo Card.
- TN panel is much much much better than the Clevo IPS panel, color coverage is far superior, blacks are much better, contrast if far superior, refreshrate is far superior, responsetime is so much better, comparing them is a joke etc. The only trhing the IPS panel does better is viewing angle and a little brighter.
- Support for your system is far superior on MSI system, drivers work, software is excellent. Clevo has half broken control panel which are being reused on systems from 2014.
- Due to much better drivers and sound system, the MSI smokes the Clevo notebook both in speakers and headphones that uses the audio jack.
- Despite having a BGA coffee lake, the performance is on par with the 8700non K. Not that it matters, since games run pretty much the same on 8700K or 7700HQ, there are only very very very few titles that do make a "noticable" (very loose term here) performance when using a better CPU, also thats the reason why people tend to buy a cheap I5 combined with a high end graphicscard for their gaming rigs.
- Steelseries keyboard + Software smokes the outdated mediocre keyboard and joke keyboard software which the clevo is using.

Overall, the MSI is on an entirely different level. Do yourself a favor and go to a store, then check out the GT 63 / GT 73 VR notebooks and if possible (most stores don't want to support the broken garbage LGA jokebooks so its hard to find em) check out the garbage clevo in comparison, you'll think it's a bad joke.

 

MSI TN panel is WAY worse than IPS CLEVO IMO.

 

Clevo IPS panel:
- 1080p
- 60hz
- viewing angle 80/80/80/80
.- extremely slow reactiontime (~ 25 - 30ms)
- contrast 1110:1
- Color coverage: 83.3% sRGB (Argyll) 55% AdobeRGB 1998 (Argyll)
- Gamma 2.14
- 0.3 cd/m²
- Average: 317.3 nits brightness

MSI TN panel:
- 1080p
- 120hz
- viewing angle:85/85/60/60
- extremely fast reactiontime (3-7ms)
- Contrast: 1228:1
- Color Coverage: 100% sRGB (Argyll) 75% AdobeRGB 1998 (Argyll)
- Gamma: 2.12
- black value 0.25 cd/m²
- Average: 283.9 nits brightness

Clevo fanboy alert. Nobody cares about your biased oppinion. The MSI panel is superior, it's a fact, not an oppinion.

 

Damn, I'm to late with the popcorn. :/

 

This Chi Mei is a great TN display (on pair or outperform 75 Hz IPS in G-Sync laptops). The Clevo 120 Hz QHD is also worse (contrast).

However the new PA70ES-G have option for 144 Hz IPS from AUO (i haven't tested it but other AUO displays were really good ones so i have high hopes for these). Maybe this panel will be available with P775 too?

 

How is the MSI 1080 better than the Clevo card?

 

I would not be buying 7700HQ at that price range, now. It might be ok now but in a year or two it will show its limits since it's only about as fast as an overclocked 3rd gen quad core CPU

So for approx double the raw CPU performance, yes I'd say the extra $200 is worth it

 

Higher TDP = better performance

@Legion343 There was a thread from someone explaining how these panels can't really keep up with the refreshrate and cause some distortion ingame. I can't find the thread, right now, Maybe someone can find it. I don't know if it's a single case or normal, just wanted to mention it.

 

Where did you see they have a higher TDP and what clock differences have you seen?

 

You're selling those things and you never checked the TDP of those cards?

I know this thanks to the TDP pascal thread where people have shown the power draw being limited to 170W on Clevo and AW notebooks. Also benchmarks being lower on clevo notebooks in general compared to MSI.

 

MSI 1080 is 200W and lower base clocks
CLEVO 1080 is 190W and higher base clocks

Clevo card has a little less loss due to the different power phases, so they are pretty equal at the end of the day.

 

Looking at benchmarks on several sites and reviews the MSI notebooks consistently beat clevo notebooks in most games.
https://www.notebookcheck.net/NVIDIA-GeForce-GTX-1080-Laptop.171212.0.html

 

That's because they don't have access to proper firmware.

We are holding all world records with Clevo systems (and we benched on MSI LGA/MXN as well)

1080:

http://hwbot.org/hardware/videocard/geforce_gtx_1080_notebook_mxm/

1070:

http://hwbot.org/hardware/videocard/geforce_gtx_1070_notebook_mxm/

 

Which is pointless for the average consumer. Since the average consumer doesn't have the tools and knowledge to mod their BIOS/vBIOS and possibly EC

 

Our latest ones now come with a clock boost that will make up that difference

 

The average consumer has the choice to simply purchase from a Prema Partner and have Clevo's stock throttle limits removed right out of the box without having to do anything but using the right settings.

EDIT:

Here the list, which includes the re-seller chosen by the OP:

https://premamod.com/partner/

 

quoting bennygs signature:

Some people simply cannot order online so sometimes they cannot even get premafied BIOS. It's sadly how it works.

 

http://forum.notebookreview.com/threads/clevo-overclockers-lounge.788975/page-1563#post-10716486

Already offered him to take care of it myself via mail, but he seems too busy with RL...

 

So stock or modified you are in a fine position in conclusion.

 

Sure, What's come after 100C degrees? Thermal shutdown or if you are really happy or shall we say lucky... Throttling? Stock clocks!! Yeah, MSI's cooling is more superior(Sarcasm).

http://forum.notebookreview.com/thr...950h-coffee-lake.810891/page-65#post-10716823

 

These chips are hot enough for desktop users doing delids for overclocking so it's not surprising.

 

If you want 1080, you should go with the P870tm.

 

I would, but I'm not sure which to brand to go with yet, and I'm already pushing my budget if I get the Clevo P775TM. The P870tm costs roughly $400 extra of the Clevo

 

May I ask something similar would you go with a

P870tm with an i7 8700K and a 1080 GTX (single card) or,
MSI GT75 8RG with an i9 and a 1080 GTX (single card)?

 

A laptop is more than a keyboard. You should buy a whole laptop. Not only go for MSI's only useful option... The Steelseries keyboard. P870tm all the way. And don't look back.

 

If everything else besides the keyboard was the same, then it could tip the scales, but these are vary dissimilar models, so keyboard should be much lower on the priorities than some of the differences.

 

Except the MSI GT75 Titan is a complete overheating mess.
And me and brother Phoenix determined that it isn't even in the cooling solution why it's an overheating mess.
It's MSI's cancer Bios. Namely a combination of:

1) MSI uses an internal Loadline Calibration (equivalent to desktop motherboards setting a LLC setting to "medium" which reduces vdroop which can NOT be directly measured on these boards because there is no VCORE SENSOR. There is a way to see the DEFAULT amount of vdroop however, via a bug: Set IA AC loadline to 1 and IA DC Loadline to 0. then the VID (but not the actual vcore) will drop massively under full load. this is a 'phantom' droop and is what MSI's internal loadline calibraton is preventing.

2) IA AC DC loadline (THIS IS NOT LOADLINE CALIBRATION) causes VOLTAGE RISE At load equal to 1.79 mOhms of resistance (this is enough to turn 1.3v static voltage at idle into 1.44v voltage at very heavy load). With both of these active at the exact same time, all of the MSI laptops (and this includes the older 4 core versions) are OVERVOLTING considerably at full load. That's why undervolting works on virtually every MSIbook.

With IA AC DC loadline set to 1 (0.01 mOhms) in the Bios (only possible by unlocking), this removes the #2 VID boost and then only the #1 internal loadline calibratoin remains, making voltages reasonable again. But normal users have no access to this setting.

Unfortunately with the new TVB feature and the higher VIDS, MSI's design "miracles" now become disasters with excessive voltage and heat.

 

My solution to laptop keyboards:

Corsair K63 Wireless Tenkeyless Cherry MX Red

Now no matter what laptop I get, I will always have a great keyboard, and is small enough to fit inside the backpack.

 

I do have a mechanical one when docked but the base one has always served me well on the move.

 

I totally get what you are saying, however I learned to type on original IBM keyboards, and on NMB mechanicals. I've since tried scissor-switch based ones, and laptop chicklets, and I cannot type on them nearly as well as a good mechanical. Plus I've noticed how wonderfully precise my key registers are in games.

 

That's what I use for my desktop (small desk, small keyboard) but I would be nervous putting it in a backpack. Do you have a separate case for it?

 

Yep, you can't beat the cherry browns IMO but they just need that depth and space.

 

My backpack was designed to have a laptop sleeve and a second pocket for holding a game console. Needless to say, the console pockets holds the keyboard just fine. I suppose I should invest in a sleeve for it.

 

Sounds cavernous, I suppose that would work decently. I think I'd go for a custom hard case if I wanted to transport my kb. That said, I can usually deal with notebook keyboards on short trips if needed.

 

Well, it is an Everki

 

The P870TM is absolute barebones. The MSI smokes the Clevo in terms of user experience. It's a nobrainer really. MSI has better cooling, much better speakers, much better keyboard, muxswitch for battery usage, much better fan profiles, much better and working software (even tho some might not want all so many consider it bloatware), much better support etc. Only thing u can do with a clevo is working on it so it can gain performance under ridiculous condictions such as modding and letting it sit on a cooling pad 24/7.

I'd say Clevo is a niche thing, if you like fiddling around (a lot), then clevo is an option, if u want a great experience, MSI smacks clevo.

 

Msi GT75 without Liquid metal and stock bios... Cpu temp +94C in gaming (stock clocks). Very Nice

http://forum.notebookreview.com/thr...950h-coffee-lake.810891/page-69#post-10720601

From the review... " With the GT75 having such a large body with plenty of cooling and powerful fans we would have expected better thermal performance. These high temperatures under load show that the cooling in this laptop isn’t quite good enough to make the most of the i9 processor’s overclocking ability"

 

Go with the Clevo, aftermarket community is way more active. You have more folks modding clevos then MSI's

 

The speakers on the p870tm are extremely good.