Clevo W870CU System Specs

So i just placed my order on 7-20-10 from AVADIRECT. I wanted the best system $3000 can get me but with the most options in hardware. Ava is definetly the best at making a custom system. Unlimited choices it seems. They are in the building process. I should hopefully be receiving it by 8-6-10. The customer service is incredible, response time is under 24 hours by computer unless you call it in and they are so helpful. My best experience with any company ever. This is what I chose after many many months of researching and debating on what I needed. I didn't feel that the W880CU was worth the extra cash even if it has a standard USB 3.0 port, in which case i can just get an express card adapter in my W870CU. Or that the NVIDIA card was worth it for the price.

Thank You Travis and Misha and Alex and everyone else.



CLEVO, W870CU Core™ i7 Notebook Barebone, Intel® PM55, 17.3" Full HD TFT Glossy, DVD±RW SM, BT, FPR, PCIe x16 MXM-III Discrete Graphics

INTEL, Core™ i7-840QM Quad-Core 1.86GHz, 2.5 GT/s QPI, 8MB L3 Cache, 45nm, 45W, OEM

TUNIQ, TX-3 High-Performance Thermal Compound, Electrically Non-Conductive

ATI, ATI® Radeon™ HD 5870 1GB GDDR5 Mobile Graphics Card for W870CU

MUSHKIN, 8GB (2 x 4GB) PC3-10666 DDR3 1333MHz SDRAM SODIMM, CL9, Non-ECC

OCZ, 120GB Vertex 2 SSD, MLC, 285/275 MB/s, 2.5-Inch, SATA 3 Gb/s, Retail

SEAGATE, 500GB Momentus® XT, 7200 RPM, 32MB cache, 4GB Hybrid SLC SSD, 2.5-Inch, SATA 3 Gb/s NCQ, OEM

No Raid

CLEVO, Blu-Ray Burner and Super-Multi DVD±RW Optical Drive for Clevo W870CU / W880CU

NETWORK, Built-in 10/100/1000 Mbps Ethernet LAN Card

INTEL, Centrino® Ultimate-N 6300 Wireless Card, IEEE 802.11a/b/g/n, 11/54/450 Mbps, Internal PCIe Half Mini Card

CLEVO, Internal Bluetooth for W870CU / W880CU Notebooks (Included)

MODEM, 56K V90/92 Fax/Modem (Integrated)

HAUPPAUGE, WinTV-HVR-1500 MC-Kit TV Tuner, NSTC/ATSC/QAM, MCE Remote, ExpressCard/54, Retail

NOTEBOOK ACCESSORY, AC Adapter 100-240V (Included)

NOTEBOOK ACCESSORY, Built-in Fingerprint Reader (Included)

MICROSOFT, Windows 7 Home Premium 64-bit Edition, OEM

All this for $2995

I'll keep you posted on when it arrives.

Take care,
Dominic

 

Wow just wow amazing specs dude.

 

thanks man, i can't wait to get it....

 

Is there any specific reason why you went with 8GB of RAM?

 

What kind of a question is that ? I'd go with 16 or 24gb of ram if i could

 

Because in most cases it's a complete waste of money that could have been used elsewhere.

 

Quote:
Originally Posted by LaptopNut
Is there any specific reason why you went with 8GB of RAM?

like they said more is better. i would have done 6, but that wan't a choice, and screw 4...haha,

I don't think it was a waste though and I'm not even interested in spending tons extra for somethjing else....

and as for a technical reason...um....ya not really sure...its just better than 4....

 

More RAM doesn't hurt anything but your wallet.

I have yet to see a game that requires you to have more than 4GB system RAM to run smoothly, especially with Windows 7; it is very good at allocating memory.

Nice config and nice laptop, congrats. We actually visited AVADirect a little while ago and took a tour of their warehouse/factory:
Notebook Review On Tour: AVA Direct

 

I shoulda bought from AVADirect. They're located very close to me so if there was problem I could just drive down to their location
Gentech is very awesome too. I guess the thing with relatively small reseller/manufactuerers is that every customer matters so they treat you properly and not make you wait for 45 minutes on dell tech support waiting for you be rerouted constantly to the right place.
Whatever I'm very happy

 

Ya theres a lot of good companies out there, in the end customer service is huge and one of the most important things to consider. Being on hold for an hour blows. Thanks i just can't wait to get it. I havent had a computer in a couple years so im looking forward to the speed. thanks man...

 

i have to agree its pretty amazing, but i'd go with the w880cu, if i had as much money as you.

 

i wanted to but i really didn't feel that the gtx480 had enough performance increase to warrent me spending an extra 750 bucks.

even if the machine has 1 new usb 3.0 port even that i can just grab an express card adapter for like 50 buck.

i have some money but not unlimited. i had to read a lot and really figure this out. i'm not trying to waste my money. besides. if i had that much money id grab the i7-940xm. but its all about need and want and being resourceful with the money you earn.

Besides technology changes a lot and i just didn't want to spend over 3 grand... man thats a nice down payment for a car...hahaha ....

but thank you i can't wait to get it. and would love to have a 5000 dollar notebook too, ha.

 

It's coming this week!!!

 

Few things to note here about the W870CU...

Pros: Easy to upgrade, esata + firewire = awesome, nice full hd screen, keeps gpu and cpu very cool, excellent keyboard and mousepad, and finish and slim design is nice. Better than the G73.

Cons: Speakers suck. ATI drivers + linux = lame, DVDRW drive is loud!!!!, speaker volume/headphone volume issues, ATI 5870m runs hotter than the GTX480M!, Power Play does not work with this laptop...I repeat...power play does not work with this laptop, and graphics card basicially runs at full load 700/1000 clocks 24/7! Battery life is non-existent...30 minutes at load if you are lucky! Fans are not that quiet...they will be noticeable...but not too bad.

Ok, those cons aren't as bad as I make them out to be, but I own the laptop and couldn't be more satisfied with the performance and rock solid reliability of it thus far.

 

I would have paid for the GTX 480 if I had that money and was willing to buy a 17 inch notebook.

 

True i almost went with the w880cu but after reading so many reviews the price difference for the performance Gain just werent enough to justify. Just nvidia taking my money and I used to love them over ati.

 

Yikes man u r starting to freak me out on my notebook
I doubt it will be that bad plus I have been using a netbook and iPhone 3gs to get by so I'm sure the speakers won't sound nearly as bad And I'm sure ati will eventually update

 

Relax, my friend. You are going to love it. Congratulations on your choices. The 8760 will serve you well.

 

Speakers are bad...I think.

I am being knit picky because I've owned this thing for a few months. Not to say I don't love it...having easy access to the cpu and gpu is what makes this laptop pure gold. Changing the cpu and gpu on the 870cu is almost as easy to switch out as you would on a desktop I did my research, and I knew I wouldn't be depending on the battery life, and I knew I really wouldn't be relying on the built in speakers.

 

Saying the speakers are bad is being generous lol...

Terrible is what comes to mind but oh well its a little better with headphones ...

Lets just say sound is not one thing the Clevo excels at ...

Still an amazing machine overall and all machines have there short comings ...

The 8760 is like the Millenium Falcon and she's got it where it counts ...

 

Speakers are fine after I installed SRS Audio Sandbox, my CD Drive was never that loud (when I had it), my fans are quiet and I have the GTX 285M which idles as low as 40C and maxes out at 78C. I have the 15'' model though.

 

thanks man....ya i'd have to agree it seems like a diamond in the rough. its a beast but you wouldn't think so....anyways few more days

 

Just as a general FYI, the heatsinks, bottom cover, and power system are not the same on the W870CU as they are on the W880CU; the GTX 480M probably runs cooler because of those upgrades. Also, the fans are a lot quieter on the W880CU.

 

Thanks man i look into getting that

 

Just a heads up that SRS Soundbox is no longer available, it was replaced by HD Audio Lab, or HAL. I haven’t tried it yet myself.

https://www.srslabs.com/store/store/comersus_viewItem.asp?idProduct=38&idCat=51

 

It arrives this Saturday!!!!

 

Are they quieter because the fans are bigger? Or are the fans in the W880CU compatible with the W870cu?

 

You should also try out Breakaway Audio Enhancer version 1.3 as suggested in the same thread that Othonda posted. It has a 30 day Demo and I found it to be much better than SRS and that is no easy feat.

 

That's a good question. Heck I wanna know. Cause if They are I could get the fans an upgrade it myself but that's only if I think the current fans are unbearably loud

 

I'll look into something for improving the sound. Thanks. But would my best bet be a USB soundcard? Since I have a tv tuner in my expresscard slot

 

Just how different are they though. Is that it?

 

The motherboard is also different. I don't know exactly how the components were changed, just that they were. Based on my experience with both the W870CU and the W880CU, the changes were for the better.

 

My notebook arrived a couple hours ago. I'm still at work. I'll be posting pictures by tomorrow.

 

I love this notebook!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

More pics coming

 

In all it's glory.

Simple, elegant, and a beast...

 

Nice! the W870 has been rock solid for me for about half a year or so now. I was actually searching to see what drivers people are using for the 5870m and came upon this thread. How has the laptop been for you?