Clevo w230st or P151SM?

Hello all,

I'm in a bit pickle. On one hand, I'm trying to decide which reseller to use (topic in Reseller sub-forum); on the other hand, I've still got to pick which laptop to actually buy. I've narrowed it down to these two. I know there are extensive topics in the owners' lounge through which to research, and I have read through them, but I'd still like to consolidate all that information (as well as my thoughts) while also asking a few questions and seeking opinions. So:

W230ST

+ I've seen the countless rave reviews about the screen, and even looking at the comparison pictures that HTWingNut posted is enough to tell that it stands apart from the other Clevo screens.

+ It's light. It's sleek (comparatively). It has a backlit keyboard. Aesthetics are a check.

+ It's cheaper.

- Average battery life. But then again, the battery on my current laptop has fizzled out, and I never take it anywhere anymore. If it lasts longer than 5 minutes, that's an upgrade Also, since the laptop itself is still quite new, there's room for tinkering to improve it. I don't know how to do it, but I'm sure I'd force myself to learn.

- Ditto for temperatures. I've only ever had one laptop, and this one's not a gaming one, so I don't know what a "hot" laptop feels like to the touch. I've also heard about the throttling issues because of it, but again, there seem to be safe and easy workarounds to the problem. Again, I'd have to learn how.

- Fan noise? I've heard that gaming laptops can get quite loud when under full load, but this is probably the same for all brands across the board. It might be a problem due to the fact that I fully intend to kill many hours of my between-class breaks playing games. Likely in a library with cushy chairs. It might not be a problem because most of the people around me will probably either be asleep or watching movies.

- The screen is small. I have a 24" desktop monitor, and a 15.6" laptop. It'd take an adjustment period to get, but I'm also a bit worried because of the way I write my papers for school. I like having multiple windows open at the same time in different sectors of the screen, so that I have all my information in front of me with minimal switching and scrolling. 13.3" might be pushing it.

- No optical drive. Then again, the usefulness of an optical drive is basically zero these days, unless it can read blu-ray. However, it also means I can't migrate my current HDD into it as a storage drive (I plan to get a new 1TB drive that comes with either laptop, plus one or two SSDs from my local NCIX.)

+/-? While the 765m is clearly inferior to the 770m, it seems that a lot of the difference can be offset by scaling down the resolution a bit. Plus, it also seems that graphical fidelity is quite well preserved with the downscale.

P151SM

+ Clearly superior graphics card. Less tweaking necessary.

+ I haven't heard much about temperature problems with the bigger laptop.

+ Keyboard has a number pad, without doing the stupid "squish down the arrow keys."

+ A screen size that I'm used to, even if the screen itself appears to be (slightly?) inferior to the W230ST's

+ Optical drive that I can swap with my current HDD for storage.

- Big. It's basically the same dimensions as my current laptop, plus an extra inch in the width department. Roughly the same weight. I mean, it's not like it's actually heavy at all, but I still don't know if I'll be needing to bring my textbooks to class. More about space than weight.

- Heard a bit how the fans like to party it up sometimes. But again, probably not much different than the W230ST.

- A bit mundane-looking, but that's fine. It's got a sense of functionality about it that I don't hate.

- More expensive.

Questions

Alrighty. So with a bit of configuring across the numerous vendor sites, I've gotten the two laptops within ~$130 of each other.

1) Is it a matter of "The screen on the P151SM isn't bad; it's just that the screen on the W230ST is brilliant."? If that's the case, then will opting for the 95% NTSC colour gamut screen bring it closer in quality? It's essentially a free upgrade with the summer sale going on.

2) How long do you reckon until the Sager/Clevo will have full functionality for Windows 7? Or is it fine now, and I'm just missing that bit of info?

3) Is the No Dead Pixel guarantee worth it? ~$50 seems like a lot for something that expires after 30 days. I'm trying to save as much money as I can.

4) In that vein, which model do you think will have the better re-saleability in 2-3 years, especially after what I predict to be heavy use? I feel like, even though the P151SM has the better graphics card and storage ability, the W230ST will have more appeal due to its smaller size. But then again, will the 765/770 even be appealing enough at that time to recoup roughly half my money?

5) Finally, for the people who were deciding between these two, or even just deciding to get one of the two without even considering the other, how and why did you choose what you did? I'd especially like to hear from those people who chose one, and either regret it or didn't regret it, as well as their reasons. Even better, though likely in a very tiny minority, I'd like to hear from the gamers who've had the opportunity to try both, and what differences they noticed.

I know that much of my decision has to do with "which one suits my situation more?", but the thing is that both of them really do. One's more portable, the other has a bigger screen; one has a nicer screen, the other has more power; one's more aesthetically pleasing; the other's more functionally pleasing; etc. Basically, I've got a dilemma. I'd rather not part with $1200+ before being confident in my decision =/

So I'll turn it over to you guys, and any and all opinions and information you have to offer on the subject.

TL;DR version

Which did/would you pick and why? Which one will have better longevity/re-saleability? Yea/Nay on Dead Pixel guarantee?

Cheers.

 

Which kind of screen "quality" do you want? High viewing angle? High gamut? Something else?

 

I guess I should also say that I don't really know what I'm talking about, and I'm trying to learn more about the laptops in this topic.

The thing is, I don't really have a gauge for what the quality of these screens are. I have a 5 year old laptop and a 4 year old desktop, and the screens have been good enough (I guess) for me not to pay attention to how screens have improved since then. I mean, I can see from the screenshots found throughout the various topics that the screens are nice, but that's only from being able to see a screen through a screen.

High viewing angles and high gamut is nice, but I'm under the impression that both the upgraded P151 screen and the W230 both do that pretty well. I don't really know what else to look for in a monitor. Good refresh rates? Since they're gaming laptops, I'd assume that they have that covered.

So, I think that, basically, what I'm looking for is a little bit of a comparison between the two screens. ie. Which would you choose and why?

 

1) As Mr.Koala said, define the type of "quality" you mean. Honestly, both screens look very good, and the viewing angles are comparable. I haven't had a chance to compare visual detail and color of the two side by side just yet, though.

2) Can't say for sure, and it is ultimately up to Clevo. But if you're concerned about this generation, 7 will be supported throughout either the P151SM1's or the W230ST's life.

3) Yes and no; the guarantee covers 1 or more dead pixels, where as standard warranty covers 3 or more (5 or more on 17" class laptops). So the standard warranty still has your back, but you'll need to check with your supplier on the specifics of how many dead pixels before they take it in for you.

4) It all comes down to depreciation. The P151SM1 will probably be able to sell for more, simply due to the hardware in it.

 

You pretty much know the most about the two machines in question. Now, the ball is in your court: pick whichever suits you best.

Just to add some insight about the W-series's cooling: they do the job perfectly. My W370ET is not overheating, actually a lot cooler than my previous P150HM. GPU never reaches anything above 59-60'C.
Turbo boost is working perfectly, even when the GPU is turboing. Thanks to Prema's custom BIOS

 

Heh, yeah, I realize that it'll ultimately come down to that I just wish it wasn't so hard! And thanks for the info about the cooling performance. Would you happen to know if all the Clevo laptops use the same kind of cooling designs?

Thanks for the answers, especially about the pixel warranty! I can probably live with a dead pixel or two, especially since a third would be covered by standard warranty. Answering #4 is also particularly important to me.

As for the screen, I don't really know much about them, so I guess I can say that I'd like bright, vivid colour and good distinction in low-light images. Like, if there's a shadow, I'd rather there not be a black block covering what should be simply shaded. Low glare and good viewing angles are ideal.

 

Low glare, vivid colour: P151SM with matte high gamut panel
High viewing angle: W230ST with IPS panel

Sorry, you can't have both.


What kind of screen do you use now and what do you plan to do beside gaming?

 

Crud. I was afraid of that. Thanks for the info, though. Hmm...

Gaming will be my main graphical use. Otherwise, movies and shows, reading textbooks, reading graphic novels/comics/manga, doing schoolwork. Nothing like photo editing or 3D rendering (though maybe one day...).

As for what kind of screen, I don't know exactly what kind, but it's a glossy screen with pretty bright colour, with decent angles. It's a 5-year-old Gateway laptop, if that makes any difference in the tech timeline.

Judging by that, I guess the P151SM's screen would suit me more?

 

It doesn't make a great deal of difference. Both have decent screens, certainly much better than your standard low res junk. You wouldn't be disappointed with either. It seems to me the choice is between a 15" with more power, or a 13" with a bit less. You could also consider a W350ST. Same 765m as the W230ST, but 15". Size really is personal preference, there is no better or worse size, it just depends what you need.

 

I would get the 15" for gaming. View angle is never a problem in gaming as you are not supposed to move your real body around during action anyway. Low glare matte coating helps a lot in fast-paced gaming. The TN should have faster response time as well.

High gamut is useless in gaming but it does have some wow effect. I have a P150EM with the same panel, and tons of people who come close to my notebook, including many who are not tech-savvy or interested in computers, instantly notice that there's something special with the machine.


But this is not a deciding factor. Both panels are good enough.

 

Exactly, Tmets.

Look, I will repeat it with a comparison: in 2011 I used to own an Acer 5742g with a terrible 15,4" glossy crap of a display, that had the dimmness of a CSTN mobile phone screen. Dont ask about the contrast, a black color was portraied as dimmed light blue.
Then I got the P150HM. Massive difference. Two different universes's size of difference. Uncomparable.

Both the ISP display and the regular matte display on modern clevos are ideal for gaming and everyday use.
The question that remains is all about the other internals.
Do you want more power? Or do you want a silent, more portable, more affordable and less upgradable laptop?

Last year I had to decide between a P370EM and W370ET. P170EM was out of the question (because of the glossy finish on it).
I ended up taking the cheap and light W-series, with great battery life, ultra-silent cooling system, still perfectly capable of gaming and keeping a low-profile look.
No regrets whatsoever. Especially after reading so many complaints about the noise from the P-series (and temps as well).

Last thing to keep in mind - when I had my P150HM, I had to clean out dust from TWO fans almost every month. They sucked in every particle there was and cleaning was a bogus chore to do.
With my current laptop, I have yet to find any dust collecting on my fan or vent. For some reason, it doesent collect dust... It has only ONE fan, which works on less RPM and everything is clean down there.

Go figgure...anyways, good luck with your decision!

 

With gaming being the priority then 151SM, otherwise the 230 IMO.

The 770M will have a healthy lead over the 765M, i've got it to stock 680M speeds roughly with the stock vbios.

 

Hey guys, just wanted to say thanks again.

After much deliberation, weighing what you guys have said plus talking with a few reps both here and by e-mail, I decided to go with the P151SM. Placed my order with ProStar just a few hours ago! I just couldn't resist the extra power in the 770m, and the portability problem is easily solved when I buy a new backpack for school to replace the shoulder bag I currently use. Weight and size essentially becomes inconsequential. I also only ever take notes by hand, so I don't have to contend with classroom desk space. Honestly, I think my main use for the laptop will be killing time and keeping me awake during my 4 (god damn!) hour break between classes ;p

Cheers, yo!

 

Oh no, 4 hour breaks, I feel so sorry for you