Is Clevo for me?

Howdy folks. Been lurking on your fine forum for a week or so, decided to finally say hi.

Short history. I like to play games and have never cared too much about graphic quality.
When you've put as many hours into DF / Nethack as I have, anything looks pretty amazing.
Me and my Asus K54C have gotten along just swell for the last 6 years or so, but I've finally decided it's time to get something with a dedicated gpu.

This is usually the spot where "you should just build a desktop" guy chimes in.
Well, that guy, it's not an option. I game from my couch and that's just how it's gonna be.

Being happy with my Asus up to (and including) now, I started looking at their gaming machines, and was immediately turned away by the in your face look of it (the glaring orange wasd, the back panel light/logo)

Several days of browsing around (and not playing prison architect) landed me on the website of a clevo reseller.
.....and I really liked what I saw!

Clevos (or is it Clevoes? potatoe? Dan Quayle?) seem clean and classy, come packed with plenty of power, and they seem to want to be opened up and tinkered with. Awesome.

So why am I reaching out to the community? Because this will by my first big purchase now that I'm not flat broke for the first time in my life and getting the advice of people in the know seems like a smart thing to do.



What I'm considering purchasing:

• P650 chassis
  • 15.6" I've decided is the size for me
• 1920x1080 display
  • IPS? g-sync?
• gtx 1060 or 1070
• 16G RAM
  • is 32 too much?
• 256 or 512G SSD
  • doubting that I would need to be picky in this area because any SSD is going to amaze compared to what I'm used to
• 1T HDD
• Not really sure about wireless card options, any input appreciated
• Same for the warranty options, any input appreciated

Here's my reasons/reservations for pulling the trigger:

Reasons:

• It can play games that I would like to, but currently cannot, play.
• I like the look of it.
  • I'm a halfway closeted nerd and don't care to advertise.
• Hoping to get a handful of years of playing games
  • even if it's on low settings toward the end
• Possibly tinkering under the hood in the future
  • once I work up the nerve that is, I've never really done anything with computer hardware before
• Price seems reasonable.
• Bloatware free

Reservations:

• Never heard of them.
• Seems like it might be slightly to big/bulky for my deep couch lifestyle
• Do I really need that much power if I've been gaming on integrated graphics since...forever?
  • would it make more sense to just get something with like an nvidia 9xxm?
• My house has pet hair and smoke
  • although it's never seemed to bother the K54C
• Intimidated by having to mess with BIOS or other such system critical settings
• Windows 10
  • mainly because I fear change
• Is it hot/loud?
  • I mean, of course it's going to get warm and make noise, but is it livable?
• Feeling paralyzed trying to decide on a reseller
• Is it a smart time to buy?

Thanks in advance for any thoughts.

 

As someone who has used notebooks from most consumer brands over the last 10 years (Apple, Asus, HP, Lenovo, MSI, Toshiba), Sager/Clevo ranks right up there with the best of non-workstation-grade machines. Based on your stated criteria, it sounds like the P650RP6 would be the best choice for you.

Using the system I linked to above, I would absolutely spend the extra $85 for the IPS and G-Sync panel upgrade. Colors look much richer on an IPS panel. The GTX 1060 will have no problem playing current and many future games at 1080p resolution and high frame rates. Even when it starts becoming outdated, G-Sync can help extend its life by making games still feel smooth even if your frame rate drops into the 40s.

As far as other upgrades, 16 GB of RAM will be enough. I'd recommend getting the biggest SSD you can afford, as well as the 3-year hardware warranty. The CPU and GPU are non-user-serviceable, so if one of them fails, you would need to replace the entire motherboard. What's nice about the P650 is that you have the option of using Windows 7 or 8.1 if you want.

In terms of timing your buy, the new Intel 7-Series CPUs are a very minor upgrade to the 6-Series, and the 6700HQ in the P650RP will be more than adequate for gaming for quite a while. NVIDIA's next generation GPU won't be coming online for probably at least another 12-18 months. Bottom line: If you need a new system now, buy it now. It will be a major upgrade over what you have and will last plenty long.

 

Not matter what laptop you end up buying, be VERY careful not to block the air intake on the bottom.

BTW, you can game on the couch using a desktop, unless you have a habit of moving room to room.

 

If you want to game with it on your lap, just get a lapdesk or cooling pad. Any gaming laptop, Clevo or other, will get hot when under load. You don't want to block the vents in the base, or have something that hot directly on your legs.
As for the laptop itself, anything would be better than what you currently have. What you get is entirely dependent on what you would be prepared to spend, and what you want to play. As for the seller, you don't say where you are so can't comment.

 

My most sincere gratitude for the well thought-out and thorough feedback. You have helped my very very much. Thank you.

I am intrigued. Do you currently have such a set-up, and if so, would you care to elaborate?

I hail from the central US

 

If you don't mind looking at your current TV, a simple wireless keyboard/mouse set will do. Use a hard mouse pad. Couch gaming tables could be helpful depending on what seating position you prefer. Gamepads and similar controllers would be even easier.

 

I do this and it's perfect. I've got a cheapy "stable-table" at home which does the job. I've also got a thin cooling pad I carry with me in it's bag to do the same thing. I don't even plug it in, just use it as a spacer.

You could also look at the Steam Controller. I use it on my HTPC and it's great once you get used to it. The touch/mouse aspect is awesome for strategy games particularly, I've done plenty of runs through XCOM on it. It also works out-side of Steam so half the time you can use it on it's own for control (I use it in Kodi as well). Despite that, I keep a cheapy Logitech wireless K400 handy for typing.

• You'd be silly not to get the G-Sync option. The panel is identical anyway (just the BIOS cookie changes to allow it to happen). It's usually only $50 or so.
• I'd recommend going to a 512GB SSD and dropping the 1TB HDD entirely unless you really need that space. Saves weight, power and reduces noise.
• 16GB ram is fine. If you need more, your requirements have expanded significantly.....
• For WiFi generally the Intel 8260/8265 are the best bet. Works out of the box and even the Windows provided drivers are rock solid now. The Killer 1535 offers a bit more top-end throughput but I find it isn't worth the hassle with their drivers (to their credit, they are much better though).
• Go for at least 2 years on your warranty, 3 years if possible.

I found Clevo's are also great for work and uni students for this reason. Draws far less attention than more "gamer-y" systems like Alienware or even the MSI GS (I wish they'd just ditch that dragon logo already, looks damn slick apart from that). Especially great for students as machines that "look" high-end (or MacBooks) tend to grow legs and disappear...

Clevo's are actually quite popular, but often re-sold under different brand names in different regions. Depending on your region, you probably have a reseller which brands them with a different name.

I find it isn't too bad on the lap if you have an aforementioned stable-table or similar. Finding somewhere to put your damn mouse is more of an issue on a couch. I usually take my Steam controller with me and use that if there's no mousing surface. To clarify, this is when I'm using my P650RP on somebody elses couch...I have my own gaming HTPC for the couch at home.

No point getting a 9xxm as they're significantly behind on performance for not much, if any, financial gain. The 1000 series are literally better in every way.
As far as GPU performance, I think the 1060 is a great price/perf point. It's on the cusp of VR support and plays most triple-A games at 1080p/Ultra/60 which should keep it relevant for the foreseeable future. Think of it as an opportunity to expand your list of games.

If you clean it out once every 6 months or so you should be fine.

There's not much in there these days. The only real option you can break nowadays is the EFI/BIOS mode.

Depends on your climate I think. The P650RP doesn't run all that hot unless you REALLY stress it out which is unlikely, especially if you're not playing heavy-hitting games. That being said, if it gets super hot where are, I suspect no laptop is really usable (I've been in some places where it was consistently over 40C and you could barely move without air-conditioning, nevermind use a laptop).

Pretty good time. You pay a little extra in "new model tax" since the Kaby Lake refreshes were officially released just this month, but you also get the most out of your purchase from a value perspective. Some retailers may also do specials for "back-to-work/school" type stuff around this time.